Chapter 347 Tao Qian: Take my battle armor and follow me north to kill thieves in return for the emperor's favor!
"color!"
Looking at the enemy general who was nailed to the floor, Zu Mao shouted excitedly: "You have made a meritorious service. After this battle, I will personally ask for merit for you."
The crossbow gunners were all excited: "Thank you, General."
Zu Mao tried to ask: "How many crossbow arrows are left?"
"I still have half a box."
"There are still more than twenty."
"Thirty-six."
"..."
The crossbow arrows are all specially made and brought by Zu Mao from Nanyang.
Although the number is relatively large, with thousands of them, the hit rate is really low.
Everyone basically wasted more than half a box of arrows before hitting a strategic target.
Even so, for Zu Mao, it is still a huge success.
"so......"
After pondering for a while, Zu Mao made a decision immediately: "You will rush to the rescue of the remaining city gates and do your best to kill the general, no matter how many arrows are consumed, do you understand?"
All the crossbow gunners responded in unison: "Here!"
At that moment, one by one pushed the crossbow carts and rushed towards the west gate.
Zu Mao held the Huanshou sword and stood on the top of the city. Looking at the tide of siege bandits, he was not afraid at all and shouted at the top of his voice:
"Brothers, beat me hard!"
"Don't be afraid to waste arrows, shoot them for me!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Following the command, hundreds of arrows suddenly rose into the air, drawing a perfect arc in the air, and then they passed the highest point and aimed at the Taishan bandits coming from below, covering them like migratory locusts.
.
Looking around, the Taishan bandits fell to the ground in large groups, like cutting wheat, but such a powerful offensive was still unable to hinder the charge of the Taishan bandits. They rushed forward and followed each other, fearless of death.
The wolf fangs at the top of the city kept smashing down repeatedly, and Yaksha kept smashing them at crowded places, killing people by flying down, killing people by recycling them, and wreaking havoc on the siege formation of the thieves.
"Yes, that's right, that's it!"
"Hit me hard! Let them know that I'm not someone to be trifled with."
"Don't let an enemy come up and beat them."
"..."
Zu Mao stood at the top of the city wearing a strong sword, commanding the battle at the top of his lungs.
Although everything is going relatively smoothly at present, Zu Mao will not let down his guard, after all, the opponent still has an absolute advantage.
Zang Ba, who was directing the battle outside the city, furrowed his brows. He could tell that the opponent's general must be a strong man with considerable combat experience. The various weapons, bows and arrows all complemented each other, making him invulnerable.
Even Li Ru on the side looked at the scene in front of him and felt stressed: "General Zang, we can't go on like this. When will the siege equipment arrive?"
"Tomorrow noon!"
Zang Ba naturally knew that if he attacked the city recklessly, the casualties would be very serious.
However, isn't he also trying to consume his opponent's strength by attacking like this?
"What do you mean?"
Zang Ba turned his head to glance at Li Ru and said softly: "Shall we withdraw our troops and wait for the siege equipment to arrive tomorrow? If this is really possible, I, Zang Ba, would like to thank you!"
Li Ru frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head: "We have already sent someone to notify Cao Bao. I think he will arrive tomorrow evening. Let's consume the opponent's strength for the time being and lay the foundation for the general attack the day after tomorrow."
"Anyway, Chang Xi is dead. The five thousand soldiers and horses under his command are yours to mobilize. Order them to attack Jiqiu City with all their might, consume the opponent's bows, arrows, crossbows and other defensive equipment, and become familiar with their defense rhythm."
"I think..."
Before he finished speaking, Zang Ba waved his hand to interrupt impatiently, glared, and said fiercely: "Although Chang Xi is dead, his brothers are also my Zang Ba's brothers!"
"how?"
Zang Ba's anger continued: "Cao Bao's soldiers and horses are soldiers and horses, so my Zang Ba's brothers are not brothers anymore?"
Li Ru knew that Zang Ba was angry, so he quickly comforted him and said: "General Zang, if the Danyang soldiers were attacking here today, I would still suggest the same thing."
"Soldiers are valuable and quick!"
Li Ru said very solemnly: "Our military strength is more than ten times theirs. Only by capturing Jiqiu City in the shortest time can we respond to the troops in the direction of Pengcheng."
"Don't forget, Xuzhou today is different from Xuzhou before. King Hongnong deposed so many county magistrates, and those who were promoted are all people loyal to him."
"Even if you kill Tao Qian, it doesn't mean that Xuzhou is ours. You will kill all the county magistrates of Nanyang Hanting with lightning speed!"
"The longer you delay, the faster they will react. By then, each county magistrate will summon hundreds of troops, or at least tens of thousands of troops. They will rush over to help. What can we do?"
Although Zang Ba was unwilling to admit it, what Li Ru said was indeed reasonable. Especially in the Langya Kingdom, seven or eight county magistrates had been replaced among the thirteen counties. Although the county garrison was limited, when gathered together, it was still
A force that cannot be underestimated.
"Bang the drum!"
Zang Ba gave the order.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dong Dong—!
The dull and intensive sound of drums shook the sky.
This was the signal for Zang Ba's army to launch a general offensive.
really!
The next second, the soldiers who were attacking the city roared in unison, holding weapons one by one, and began to charge hard, like a group of howling wolves, fearless of death.
Looking at the fallen brothers one by one, Zang Ba's heart was bleeding. He hated Li Ru and the others, but at the same time he understood that if he didn't do this, he would surely die as he waited.
"Report—!"
The attack lasted for about a quarter of an hour.
Suddenly, a rapid report sounded from behind.
Zang Ba turned his head and looked.
But when he saw his scout coming over on Pegasus, he looked panicked, leaned over and said, "General, something bad has happened. Our team transporting siege equipment has been ambushed by the enemy. We are currently fighting hard. Please support us."
"Damn it!"
Sure enough, it still happened.
Zang Ba hurriedly asked: "Whose troops are the other party's troops? How many people are there?"
The scout replied: "It should be the soldiers and horses of the nearby Zeng Kingdom. There are not many soldiers and horses, only more than 300 people. However, the soldiers and horses guarding the siege equipment team cannot be distracted and ask for support."
"knew."
Zang Ba waved his hand and didn't take it to heart at all.
His escort consisted of at least 500 elite troops, and a team of 300 people could only harass at best, but could never harm the siege equipment.
"Here comes someone."
"exist."
"Quickly send an order to Li Biao, asking him to lead a thousand men to protect the siege equipment, and at the same time send out scouts to find for me how many such small troops there are in Langya territory."
"Here."
Zang Ba is relatively keen on war.
Since there is a garrison from the state of Zeng that can come to harass, then other county magistrates will definitely come with troops. Although they are all just flies, there are too many flies, which is very annoying!
Li Ru is indeed right. If Jiqiu City cannot be captured quickly, not only the county towns in Langya, but also the counties in Donghai, Pengcheng, and Xiapi will hear the news and rush to help.
At that time, the land will be harassed, enemies will be everywhere, you will not be able to eat well, and you will not be able to sleep well. Even if you send troops to encircle and suppress them, they may not be able to catch them all.
Well......
Damn fly tactics.
Just thinking about it makes people feel sick.
We must attack with force and capture Jiqiu City as quickly as possible!
Zang Ba reined in his horse and moved forward. With a cry, he drew his sword out of its sheath, pointed angrily at the top of the city, and shouted sternly: "Attack, anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!"
*****
Xuzhou, Pengcheng.
On top of the city.
Zhang Kai stood with his sword in hand and looked toward the northeast. The falcon's eyes flashed with a ferocious aura, like a dormant beast waiting to attack immediately as soon as the signal appeared.
As a well-known ranger in the Qingxu area, he has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, but has never been promoted. In Tao Qian's eyes, he is just an assassin at best and cannot be promoted at all.
Not convinced!
Zhang Kai was deeply dissatisfied!
In Xuzhou, there are thousands of people who are not as good as me. Why are they all high-ranking officials and well-paid, while I am just a guard and will never be promoted.
But the Han court in Chang'an was different. In terms of merit, rewards were given. As long as you could kill Tao Qian, you could become the captain of Xuzhou, command tens of thousands of elite troops, and even be granted the title of marquis and general.
This is the life you want, rather than becoming a sword in the hands of others. Killing the enemy, killing the enemy again and again, there will be no credit, let alone promotion!
call-
Zhang Kai let out a long sigh and tried hard to suppress the depression he had been feeling for many years. As long as the news about Cao Bao came through, these days would be completely over and he would bid farewell to himself forever.
The wind blows on your face, refreshing your heart and mind.
Zhang Kai seemed to feel that better days were coming.
Wearing armor, he led tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, sweeping across the country and scolding Fang Qiu.
...
I have been fantasizing like this for who knows how long.
Suddenly, from the end of the field of vision outside the city, a horse riding Juechen came.
Zhang Kai's eyes seemed to be shining, and he could not hide his inner excitement.
This must be Cao Bao's messenger.
"Who is coming?"
Cao Bao stepped forward quickly, pointed at the scout below and shouted.
"The villain is a messenger under General Cao's tent."
"General Zhang."
The messenger took out a brochure bag from his arms and raised his hand to signal Zhang Kai: "This is the letter that General Cao ordered me to bring you. He also said that he has already set off for Jiqiu City, so you should hurry up."
Zhang Kai naturally understood what he meant. He turned around and walked down to the city. He took the bag of tips from the soldiers and didn't even bother to open it. He waved his hand and said, "Go back and tell General Cao that Pengcheng will be safe."
The ordering soldier bowed and raised his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
He reined in his horse, turned around, and left the city again.
Looking at the figure of the messenger leaving, Zhang Kai's heart was surging, but his face remained calm.
He turned around and went straight to the governor's office. As long as he killed Tao Qian, Danyang's elite would be under control.
"Is Tao Shijun in the Governor's Mansion?"
"exist!"
"But you are meeting guests?"
"Yes, Xu Rong comes here every day these days."
"snort!"
Zhang Kai snorted lightly, with a ferocious aura in his eyes: "Just in time, let's kill them together, so that I, the general, will not have to go find them personally. Remember, once you succeed, you will immediately lead troops to attack Xu Rong's camp."
The soldiers beside him cupped their hands and clasped their fists: "Here."
Enter the Governor's Mansion.
Walk all the way through the corridor and the courtyard, and go straight to the inner house.
"Come on, come on, drink! Let's keep drinking."
"I won't come home until I get drunk today."
"Okay, no problem."
"..."
From a long distance away, you can hear the voices of Tao Qian and Xu Rong.
Zhang Kai stepped through the corridor, the corners of his lips raised slightly, and his expression was slightly sinister.
Sincerely God help me!
Peng!
Zhang Kai kicked open the door and rushed in.
As expected.
Tao Qian and Xu Rong were sitting across from each other, drinking and chatting happily. When he saw Zhang Kai coming in, Tao Qian was startled, opened his mouth and cursed: "Zhang Kai, I didn't call you, why did you come?"
Canglang—!
Zhang Kai drew his sword in his hand, gritted his teeth, and said angrily: "I, Zhang Kai, have repeatedly accomplished extraordinary feats, but in the end I am just a military commander. Old thief Tao Qian, are you worthy of me?"
"You...are you going to rebel?"
Tao Qian pretended to be shocked and spilled the drink in his hand on the ground.
"That's right!"
Facing the two drunkards, Zhang Kai didn't care at all. He straightened his sword and stabbed Tao Qian: "Old thief Tao Qian, take your life—!"
However......
Tao Qian, however, remained motionless. Murderous intent suddenly appeared in his dry eyes. He glanced past the blade of his sword and stabbed Zhang Kai behind him, as if he wanted to kill him with his eyes.
Just when the opponent's sword was less than a foot away from Tao Qian, a cold light flashed across the diagonal thrust, and with a crisp clang, Zhang Kai's long sword was deflected with great precision.
"Ah, you..."
Zhang Kai was stunned for a moment: "Are you not drunk?"
Xu Rong stood with his sword in hand, guarding Tao Qian: "Of course! If I'm drunk, how can I be your opponent?"
Tao Qian's voice was extremely cold: "Brother Gonghua said before that you had defected to the Han court in Chang'an. I didn't believe it at first, but I never thought that you would actually do such an unconscionable thing."
"Although I, Tao Qian, am over sixty years old and no longer as brave as I once was, I am still not someone you and other rats can bully at will. Someone come and capture this traitor for me!"
Hooray!
In an instant, more than a dozen swordsmen and axemen rushed out of the palace, and dozens of elite soldiers rushed over from outside the palace. The crowd swarmed forward and chopped Zhang Kai and other traitors into pieces in an instant.
Tao Qian stepped forward, glanced down at Zhang Kai's body, and said coldly: "Throw these thieves into the wilderness to feed the wolves, and send people to kill the entire Cao Bao clan, leaving no one alive!"
"Chen Tao!"
"exist!"
"Hurry up and gather your troops and follow me north to fight against the thieves!"
"Here!"
After arranging everything, Tao Qian turned to look at Xu Rong and bowed deeply: "Brother Gonghua, I never thought that I, Tao Qian, would be saved twice by you even after I lived for sixty years."
"Thank you for your kindness. Let's get down to business first. After Cao Bao, Zang Ba and others are eliminated, I will hold a banquet and let's get drunk."
Xu Rong nodded affirmatively: "I will accompany you."
Tao Qian grunted, then turned around and said, "Come here, get my armor!"
The soldiers beside him raised their hands and shouted loudly: "Here."
Say it.
Tao Qian took off his silk robe, put on his armor, put on a helmet, hung his sword on his waist, and walked out of the Governor's Mansion with Xu Rong.
At this moment, the soldiers and horses outside the mansion have been gathered, and they are all Danyang elites.
Tao Qian stood in front of everyone and shouted loudly: "Cao Bao, Zhang Kai betrayed the country, the evidence is conclusive. Now I, Tao Qian, want to raise troops and go north to kill the rebels. Are you willing to follow me and make meritorious deeds against the traitors?"
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
The strong cry of killing shook the sky and the earth, resounding in all directions.
Tao Qian got on his horse and waved fiercely: "Brothers, let's go!"
Just after leaving the city, Cheng Pu came with his troops and horses: "General Gonghua!"
Xu Rong nodded, led his elite troops, and along with Tao Qian, headed north to Langya: "Let's go!"
*****
Langya means Qiu.
The smoke is thick and the war is raging.
Burning fire oil cans were thrown from the sky and hit the top of the city, splashing out thousands of flames. Many soldiers were injured one after another and suffered heavy injuries.
Boom—!
There was a loud noise.
The city gate was swaying and almost collapsing.
The ram below is wrapped in a shield, making it invulnerable to fire and water.
What's even more terrible is that the Danyang soldiers also joined the battle. The two sides combined a total of 50,000 to 60,000 troops. The powerful offensives continued one after another, killing Zu Mao until he was exhausted and exhausted.
"Damn it!"
Zu Mao chewed it secretly.
It had only been two days since the Battle of Jiqiu, and he had exhausted all the bows, arrows and crossbows in the city.
It's not that Zu Mao doesn't know how to cherish it, but that the opponent continues to attack, forcing him to rely on bows, arrows, and crossbows to exchange for the lives of his own soldiers. Fortunately, there are still wolf fangs and Yaksha here, otherwise this little thing will be
Qiucheng cannot last long at all.
puff!
Zu Mao slashed an enemy soldier to death with one strike, then kicked another person into the air. He drew his sword and struck down with precision. A stream of bright red juice spurted out, splashing all over his face.
"kill-!"
A roar.
Like thunder, like a tsunami.
The soldiers at the top of the city counterattacked one after another, and once again fought fiercely with the enemy troops who rushed up.
Zu Mao had to admit that the fighting power of the Danyang soldiers was extremely strong. Ever since they joined forces with Zang Ba, the drums calling for help at the city gates had not stopped, proving that there were soldiers and horses fighting fiercely at the city gates at all times.
original!
Zu Mao's plan can last for ten days.
But with all the equipment in the city exhausted and Danyang soldiers joining the battle, it was a miracle that they could hold on for seven days.
But now, six days have passed, and Zu Mao doesn't even have absolute confidence that he can hold on until nightfall.
"General—!"
Hou Cheng, who came from the direction of Ximen, shouted loudly.
Zu Mao turned around and looked around. There were originally four hundred elite soldiers and horses, but now there were less than fifty people left. Hou Cheng's own arm was wrapped in white cloth, and bright red blood stains seeped out from it.
"Housima, are you okay?"
Zu Mao stared at Hou Cheng's arm and asked with concern.
"It's just my left arm, it's not in the way."
Hou Chenghun didn't care about his injuries and took the time to say: "But general, we can't go on like this. They have made it clear that they are attacking regardless of sacrifice. We can't defeat them."
"you mean......"
Zu Mao frowned and asked tentatively.
"street fighting!"
Hou Cheng did not hesitate and blurted out: "I have already asked Magistrate Kan and the people in the city are all ready. We will start street fighting with them in units of troops according to the original plan."
street fighting?
Zu Mao really didn't want to fight in the streets.
After all, once it enters the stage of street fighting, the people in the city will inevitably be implicated. They are all unarmed people, so they are no match for the Taishan thieves.
Peng!
At this moment, there was another loud noise from the city.
The creaking sound reached Zu Mao's ears, clearly telling him that the city gate could not hold up for long.
Zu Mao was worried and said in a cold voice: "Hou Sima, you lead some people back to the city to prepare first, and I will lead the brothers to hold on. If we can hold on until dark, the soldiers and horses from Xuzhou will arrive tomorrow."
"well-!"
Sighing, Hou Cheng felt regretful, but still nodded: "Okay, since the general has decided, let's act separately. If the city gate is broken, return to the city quickly, don't hold on!"
Zu Mao nodded: "Okay, don't worry."
Hou Cheng waved his hand: "Brothers, follow me!"
...
At this moment, Zang Ba outside the city frowned and stared at the corpses piled up on the battlefield. His heart seemed to be bleeding: "Damn it! Damn it! Military advisor, what should we do? Do we still need to attack by force?"
just like!
At this moment, Zang Ba already wanted to quit.
But......
How could Li Ru give up at this critical moment: "General, we have rebelled. Even if you retreat now, will the Nanyang court forgive you? This is a road of no return. Once you embark on it, there is no way to turn back!"
"That's right!"
Then Cao Bao pinched a wisp of beard under his chin: "General Zang feels sorry for the soldiers, don't I, Cao Bao, feel sorry for me? It's not just your brother who was killed or injured, but also my Cao Bao's soldiers."
"Jiqiu County is a hard nut, we must break it down, otherwise if Cao Cao's troops come and kill us, our plan will completely fail!"
Zang Ba didn't understand this, but seeing his brothers die in battle one by one, he really couldn't accept such a tragic reality:
"Let's see, do we have the slightest chance of winning Jiqiu? If so, there is no need to retreat, but if not, I, Zang Ba, can't let my brothers die!"
"General!"
Li Ru hurriedly picked up the conversation, looking across the battlefield and turning to the city gate: "Didn't you notice? Our charge has been going on for three full days, that is, Qiu Xiao County, how can we withstand it!"
"and!"
Li Ru was certain and affirmative: "The creaking sound just now has proved that Jiqiu's city gate is reaching its limit. As long as we persist for a while, we will be able to break open the city gate."
"That's right!"
Cao Bao nodded affirmatively and echoed: "Once the city gate is breached and our Danyang soldiers rush into the city, how can the thieves resist? Until then, we can kill however we want!"
Peng!
At this moment, another loud noise came.
Zang Ba stared at the city gate with burning eyes.
really!
A clearly visible gap opened and then closed.
This is a sign that the door is about to be broken into.
Zang Ba was worried and furious, and immediately said loudly: "Send the order! Let the brothers work harder and try to open the city gate. As long as our soldiers and horses can rush in, the little thief Zu Mao will definitely die!"
Immediately, a messenger flew out: "General, you have orders, break the door with all your strength!"
"The general has orders, use all your strength to break the door!"
"General..."
"..."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dong Dong—!
At the same time, the thundering drum beat sounded again.
The Danyang soldiers and Taishan bandits outside the city, as if they had been given blood, rushed forward with weapons in hand, howling, especially the soldiers under the city, who pushed their cars like crazy and crashed into the city gate over and over again. .
Peng!
Crunchy!
The city gate was visibly shaking.
Peng!
Crunchy!
The city gate swayed in distance.
...
Over and over again!
Over and over again!
The violent impact continued for about a quarter of an hour.
Bang!
There was a loud noise and the city gate opened.
Wuyangyang's soldiers and horses took advantage of the situation and rushed in, but what greeted them was a wooden wall filled with weapons, roaring towards them.
The soldiers who then poured in had never seen such a thing before. They were all caught off guard and scared to death. In just one encounter, more than ten soldiers were stabbed to death.
The soldiers who then poured in were completely confused. They couldn't believe that there was such a huge knife cart hidden in the city gate hole, filling the entire city gate hole.
The car is too big to get in.
Is it possible...
Do you want to use your flesh and blood to defeat the steel knife cart?