A DJI drone is hovering at an altitude of hundreds of meters, using an 8k camera to scan and search the mountains below.
"We found a small mountain village with about thirty or forty households, but there were no traces of human or animal activity."
"Lower the observation height. Corpses. There are many corpses lying everywhere in the village. They are covered with blood. It is suspected that the village was massacred by rogue bandits."
"On the southern mountain col, traces of many people and horses were found."
"There are many plumes of green smoke coming out of Phoenix Mountain."
"Found it! All the remaining bandits have been found, and they are entrenched on Phoenix Mountain!"
The drone search team of the Xujiazhuang Caravan made a great contribution. It took only two or three days to accurately locate the hiding place of the remaining bandits in the vast mountains through the analysis of various clues.
There is no need to say more after that.
In the ticking sound of wireless telegraphy.
Just thirty-six hours later.
That is, on December 14th, there were nearly 20,000 Yang Wang and Deng court troops, and tens of thousands of Tianxiong troops, besieging Fenghuang Mountain on three sides (the remaining side was a cliff). The remaining bandits had no time to escape, so they
Trapped on the mountain, their doom is coming.
But before launching an attack on the mountain.
From the tent of General Tianxiong, Lu Xiangsheng's furious voice came out.
"Left and right, push out this beast that corrupts military discipline and harms the people, and behead it!"
"What are you waiting for? Push it out and kill it!"
"Even if this person is my brother, I will kill him today!"
"Why hasn't anyone taken action yet? Do you want me to execute the sentence myself?"
Angry.
Lu Xiangsheng has never been so angry and sad as he is today.
In fact, when his younger brother Lu Xiangguan came to join him yesterday with three thousand elites, Lu Xiangsheng was very happy, even extremely shocked, and almost didn't recognize him.
Each person wears a set of silver steel armor.
Each person has a sharp Yan Ling knife.
Weapons and equipment have been updated.
As if offering a treasure, his younger brother Lu Xiangguan asked the soldiers to bring out a set of half-plate armor, an alloy feather knife, a pair of leather boots, a warm woolen sweater, compressed biscuits, toffee, canned meat, etc.
There are so many novelties, they are said to be gifts for eldest brother, and there are also these delicious food, I want to invite eldest brother to enjoy them together.
Lu Xiangsheng didn't see anything unusual at that time. He accepted the plate armor and Yan Ling knife, and also ate canned biscuits and other food. It was indeed very good and appetizing, and he was very happy at the same time. He immediately asked about it, which cost more than three thousand.
How did he get the plate armor weapon he was wearing? Could it be that he captured it from rogue bandits? Haha, if rogue bandits had such sophisticated weapons and equipment, they would have taken over the Ming Dynasty long ago. Lu Xiangguan needs to give him a reasonable explanation.
An explanation that can convince him.
"Brother, I realize my mistake. Although you reiterated again and again that you are not allowed to interact with businessmen like Xujiazhuang, but... after we exterminated and captured more than 5,000 bandit prisoners, we really don't know how to deal with them. If we release them on the spot, we will eat
If they don't have enough to eat, they will become bandits again. If they are all killed, it will harm the peace of the world. After thinking about it, it is better to hand them over to Xujiazhuang and send them to work in the mines. Although it is a bit harder, there is still a way to survive.
, we can also earn some job referral fees.”
Lu Xiangguan explained to his elder brother Lu Xiangsheng according to the words he had planned in advance.
"you--"
Lu Xiangsheng pointed at him and was very angry. He even wanted to ask someone to drag him down and punish him with a hundred army sticks. But the deal was done. Five thousand prisoners were handed over and it was impossible to get them back. In addition, many subordinates and staff pleaded for mercy.
The matter can only be left alone and will not be followed again, otherwise he will not be lenient!
In addition, Lu Xiangsheng said he would never want the set of plate armor and Yanling sword.
Even if he starves to death, Lu Xiangsheng will not eat a bite of the food produced in Xujiazhuang!
Lu Xiangguan, who was kneeling on the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up with the help of others. He breathed a big sigh of relief. He passed the test. This test was passed. There was no danger or surprise.
No risk.
Unexpectedly, the next day, a local gentry in Lingchuan County sent a letter to Lu Xiangsheng. In the letter, he made a bloody complaint and denounced the actions of the Tianxiong Army.
He raped and humiliated women, robbed money and property, and even spared children of several years old. I beg Mr. Lu to make decisions for the people and return all the good people who have been robbed.
Buzz!
Lu Xiangsheng's throat felt sweet, and he almost vomited blood out of anger.
So there was a scene where he wanted to kill Lu Xiangguan, his younger brother from the same mother, in a fit of rage.
I saw no one on the left or right taking action.
Lu Xiangsheng pulled out the sword from his waist and walked towards Lu Xiangguan with murderous intent.
Lu Xiangguan, who was kneeling on the ground with his hands tied, closed his eyes in resignation. He fell down, fell down again, but if he could die under his elder brother's sword, his trip to this world would not be in vain.
"Sir, if you want to behead me, behead me. I wanted to seize the good guys and take credit. The second general stopped us, but we failed. It's none of the second general's business!"
"It's us who want the swords and armor. It's us who want Xujiazhuang's silver coins and canned meat. Sir, it's us who deserve to die, please kill us!"
"Sir, the second general is your biological brother. How can siblings kill each other? If you want to kill, just kill us. We are the culprits."
"Sir, it has been five years since the Tianxiong Army was established. How many brothers have died on the battlefield in these years, how many brothers have been disabled and unable to make a living, and how many orphans and widows have been left to take care of? Sir, you can serve the country and save the world in order to be loyal to the emperor.
, But my lord, have you ever thought about it for us? How many casualties can be reduced with three thousand sets of precious armor? How many more military exploits can be achieved with three thousand swords? My lord, you are too pedantic. The second general is not wrong. He
Not for myself, but for the entire Tianxiong Army!"
The words of this general aroused great resonance, and even those generals in the Tianxiong army who had not received any benefits knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Sir, please spare the life of the second general!"
"Three thousand sets of swords and armor, at least three or four thousand brothers will die less! Although we have harmed five thousand innocent people, we can save fifty thousand or five hundred thousand people in the future. Sir, give it to the second general
Give them a chance to atone for their sins."
"Sir, everyone in Xujiazhuang has already taken it. It is impossible to exchange it back. This matter is irreversible. We can only make mistakes and we will not make them again in the future."
"Sir, we are about to attack Phoenix Mountain. Let the second general lead his men as the vanguard to attack the mountain, and let him make meritorious deeds!"
"Yes, the battle is about to begin, and the generals who will be killed are unknown. Let's give the second general a chance to redeem himself and make meritorious service!"
Faced with so many pleading voices.
Even several staff members begged for mercy, hoping to spare Lu Xiangguan's life, but it was impossible to let him join the vanguard to attack the remaining bandits and make meritorious deeds.
On Lu Xiangsheng's side, there was no one who believed that military discipline must be strict.
Lonely.
Lu Xiangsheng felt very sad and lonely. He threw away the sword in his hand and left the tent with a lonely and sad look on his face. He found a place to be alone and quiet.
But that afternoon.
The imperial officers and soldiers at the foot of the mountain launched a frantic attack on the remaining bandit army on Phoenix Mountain. Even if they accidentally fell down the mountain and were smashed to pieces, they could not stop the officers and soldiers' desire to make a fortune.
At this time, the remaining bandits entrenched on Phoenix Mountain only numbered less than 3,000. They had insufficient food and grass, and insufficient soldiers and armor. The war horses had been eaten up due to lack of food, and their mobility was greatly reduced. Because of the cold weather, there was a serious lack of cold-proof clothing, and there was a problem.
They suffered from frostbite, and the morale of the army was at its lowest point. Faced with the siege of ten times the number of officers and soldiers at the foot of the mountain, everyone felt the oppression of the impending doom.
Of course, before the attack, the officers and soldiers first tried to persuade them to surrender, saying that they had no choice but to put down their weapons and surrender without any further unnecessary struggles.
This made some of the bandits waver. It was too difficult. These officers and soldiers were too strong and brutal. They were no match for them. Rebellion was indeed a dead end, so they had better surrender.
"Can't surrender!"
Gao Yingxiang, the king of Chuang who put on a set of half-body plate armor and seized an alloy wild goose feather knife, said with a firm face even in such a desperate situation: "The one I caught and interrogated, then chopped up and ate meat."
The officers and soldiers captured us, but they told everything. This time, not only the officers and soldiers wanted to deal with us, Xujiazhuang also targeted us and wanted to capture us rebels to go mining in the mines! Brothers, are you a mining material?
?Can you be a miner? This job is much more difficult than farming. If you are not careful, you will die! You will also endure torture and whipping. Although you are a miner, you are just a slave of the mine!"
"Do you want to be a slave in the mine? Do you want to stay in the mine forever, unable to get out, until you die of exhaustion?"
"Or if you die vigorously on Phoenix Mountain, you won't be a hero in vain?"
Hear what Gao Yingxiang said.
The general Li Zicheng waved his sword and said: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The Eighth King Zhang Xianzhong said: "Mother, if you die, you will die. Eighteen years later, you will be a good man again, fighting against the army!"
Cao Cao and Luo Rucai also said: "If you fight hard, I would rather die in battle than become a slave in the mines!"
"I would rather die in battle than become a slave in the mines!"
The nearly three thousand remaining bandits shouted in unison, reaffirming their determination to fight to the end.
However, no matter how firm their will to resist was, they were still defeated step by step in the face of the crazy attacks by the officers and soldiers at the foot of the mountain, retreating continuously from the mountainside to the top of the mountain.
Because the officers and soldiers’ desire to get rich is even stronger!
Moreover, the officers and soldiers will not fight in close quarters. Instead, as long as they get within ten steps, they will throw out strong net bags one after another, and then a few people will pull them together. Anyone caught in the net bags will most likely be
It is the fate of being subdued and captured, longing to die in battle but unable to do so.
The battle continued until evening.
Due to the poor visibility, the increasingly fierce resistance of the remaining bandits, and the steeper terrain making it difficult for an attack, the officers and soldiers had no choice but to withdraw their troops and end today's battle.
…
Phoenix Peak.
Gao Yingxiang counted the remaining number of the rebel army and found that there were only about 800 people.
The officers and soldiers had only been attacking for half a day.
The end, as long as nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow will definitely be their end.
They were tired, hungry and tired, and they knew very well that they would never survive tomorrow.
"Brothers, when the army attacks tomorrow, we don't have to fight. Let's hold hands and jump off the Phoenix Mountain cliff together. They won't get us, they can only get our bodies!"
Gao Yingxiang, the strongest king of Chuang, also sounded the voice of a lonely hero at this moment.
"Something fell on my head, hey, snow, it's snowing." A young gangster who looked about eleven or twelve years old touched the top of his head and said in surprise.
"Dingguo, what's so rare about snow? Doesn't it snow every year?" said Sun Kewang, a young man next to him.
"No, the snow is so heavy, it's as big as a goose feather." Young Li Dingguo said.
"Oops!"
Zhang Xianzhong's expression changed drastically. He looked at the heavy snowflakes flying in the sky and said with a desperate expression: "We won't be able to see the officers and soldiers tomorrow. We will freeze to death on this mountain tonight!"
The faces of more bandits changed. With the strong cold wind blowing from the north, their body temperature dropped significantly faster. Even if everyone gathered together, it felt colder and colder. Some even thought of going down the mountain to surrender.
, although being a mine slave is miserable, but at least you can still live. If you die, you will have nothing.
"Haha~"
"Hahaha!"
In the heavy snowfall, King Chuang Gao Yingxiang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he laughed wildly: "God will not destroy me, but God will help us. If there is hope, we will all be saved!"
"King Chuang has gone crazy." Li Zicheng shook his head, everyone was freezing to death, how could they escape and be saved?
"Don't sleep, huddle together tonight to stay warm. Don't sleep at all. When the snow is two to three feet thick, we will move the snow together and dump it under the cliff on the south side. Try to throw it in one place! We have more than 800 people.
If we work together, we can save ourselves!" Gao Yingxiang said his way to escape.
It's bright.
The eyes of the remaining bandits lit up, it is feasible, King Chuang’s method is feasible!
…
That night.
With a strong will to survive, everyone stayed awake. God also cooperated very much. It snowed all night. The snow was at least three or four feet thick, which provided enough materials for the remaining bandits to survive in Phoenix.
Under the cliff on the south side of the mountain, a 'snow mat' with a thickness of at least ten meters is made of snow. Even if you jump from a cliff hundreds of meters high, you will not necessarily fall to death after passing through the buffer of this snow.
Around seven o'clock in the morning.
"I'll jump first!"
Gao Yingxiang tied his white robe to his hands and feet, used the principle of air resistance to reduce the speed of his fall, and then jumped decisively.
Nearly ten seconds later.
There was a loud bang, which made people tremble.
After a while.
"I'm not dead, you can rest assured!" Gao Yingxiang's voice came.
"Let me give it a try!" Ge Liyan and He Yilong also jumped up without even looking down.
There was a loud bang.
He Yilong's brain exploded and he fell into a ball of flesh. He jumped sideways and failed to land on the snow mat. Instead, he had a head-on collision with the rocky ground.
This scared off many people who were eager to try. It was too dangerous, so it was better to surrender to the officers and soldiers.
But Li Zicheng didn't back down. He followed the example of the king who had just jumped in. After carefully looking at the direction of the snow mat, he jumped down again.
A slightly soft banging sound came.
Li Zicheng made a successful soft landing.
With these two successful cases, about 300 people jumped after them, 150 people successfully landed, 150 people died and were disabled, and the overall success rate was only about 50%.
This left more than 500 bandits, and no one dared to jump down. No matter how Gao Yingxiang and others at the foot of the cliff urged them, they still did not dare to risk their lives on half the chance.
There are even a lot of voices saying that it is better to surrender to the army and as long as you can survive, you can forget about being a slave in the mines.
"No! The officers and soldiers have gone up the mountain, and they are coming to kill us again!" A sharp-eyed bandit said in panic when he saw the crowded officers and soldiers.
"I, Zhang Xianzhong, cannot be caught by the army. I am the leader of the thieves. I will either be imprisoned or beheaded. I will have no way of survival. Even if I want to be a mine slave, I will have no chance."
The Eighth King Zhang Xianzhong panicked and could only grit his teeth, close his eyes, and jump off the cliff, because other bandits had choices, and a bandit leader like him had no choice.
Bang!
ah!!
Zhang Xianzhong screamed. He was too panicked and failed to jump well. His legs fell so hard that his bones were exposed. He screamed: "Leg, my leg is broken. It hurts me to death!"
"Ada!"
"Ada!"
"I'm here to save you."
Zhang Xianzhong's three adopted sons—Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang, and Liu Wenxiu—jumped down one after another. Only Ai Nengqi did not follow and chose to surrender to the army.
Under the cliff, facing the crippled Zhang Xianzhong, they also noticed the officers and soldiers Gao Yingxiang who were about to pursue him through the rope descent. Of course, Li Zicheng could not take his dragster and turn around and run away.
Fortunately, Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang, and Liu Wenxiu all landed safely, and they all knew their kindness and stayed by Zhang Xianzhong's side to take care of him. It could be said that they would never leave him.
Until a dozen officers and soldiers lowered themselves down, forming a semi-encirclement, slowly approaching them.
"Don't come over, don't come over!"
"Come here and fight with you again!"
"Don't even think about hurting us Ah Da!"
The three young men, Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang, and Liu Wenxiu, bared their teeth or waved their daggers in a desperate gesture.
But a big net hooded the three teenagers, and if it was tightened again, no matter how hard they struggled, they were all destined to be captured.