A fishy smell filled the air between heaven and earth. When the river water, mixed with thick dirty blood and rotting corpses, rolled up all kinds of microorganisms like mud and pushed it towards the ancient Xiangyang City, the soldiers standing guard covered their mouths and noses, and the people took cover one after another.
Doors and windows opened, and pedestrians on the street fled.////..
In an instant, an unbreathable stench covered the entire ancient Xiangyang City, and the churning river water was like a pot of thick bone soup. Some people covered their mouths and noses and looked outside, seeing those floating and sinking in the waves.
The tumbling severed limbs and rotten heads filled the entire river.
The irresistible visual impact and the stench of corpses that were so close and penetrated the body made people feel dizzy, vomited, and fainted.
The soldiers on guard could no longer hold on and fled behind the wall, but the stench was everywhere. When they thought of the scene in the river, even if they only saw it briefly, those scenes of eyes and noses being washed into the waves made these cities
The soldier who killed the enemy on his head could not help but feel weak all over.
The flood control measures in ancient Xiangyang were very good. Almost every household had a flood storage tank and a diversion canal, and together with each other, they all merged into the inland river. But now the water in the inland river has surged, pouring back into the reservoir, and the putrid corpse water has spread along the diversion canal.
It can be found in every corner of Xiangyang in ancient times and surrounds the entire city.
With the diversion of the reservoir, the rise of the inland river slowed down, and the momentum of the river gradually weakened. After two hours, the flow rate of the river was close to normal.
The "bone soup" flowed slowly, and after mixing with a large number of dead animals, the flow rate became even slower. Tens of thousands of corpses were piled up, rotted, and soaked for dozens of days in the inner city. The smell covered by the water completely came out, and the rotten stench came out.
Permeating the entire inner city...
This kind of smell is suffocating, and its greatest lethality is that people know what the smell is. Both civilians and soldiers are full of fear.
The putrid stench was pervasive and unavoidable, and its lethality was far beyond people's imagination. Almost within an hour of the river slowing down, many elderly people with weak resistance suffocated, fainted, and died.
Those who were still alive, and those who covered their mouths and noses with wet cloths, were not much better. No matter where they hid, they could not avoid the stench entering their bodies from their seven orifices, making them dizzy and restless.
Time slowly passed, and the Sichuan army began to use the clean water collected a few days ago to boil and drink. The camp was filled with plant ashes. They no longer attacked the city, but quietly watched the night fall on the hills and sentry towers.
Ancient Xiangyang.
As for the Jingzhou soldiers and civilians in the city, their days are like years, and they are experiencing the most miserable purgatory on earth. Under the pervasive rotten stench, their livelihood has completely stopped. They can't sleep or eat. Their minds are filled with the image of those corpses in the river. Many people began to fall ill.
, physically weak.
For those young people who are stronger and more resistant, the biggest threat now is not disease or the stench around them, but the lack of drinking water.
The special structure of ancient Xiangyang allowed corpse water to permeate every urban area and every courtyard. The well water that was separated from the river water could not escape the penetration of corpse water. Many people and soldiers had already drank the corpse water.
Sickness caused by well water, and this disease is much more terrifying than those of suffocation and weakness.
The people who got sick from drinking the water began to sweat, their foreheads were hot, and their limbs were twitching. Everyone knew what kind of disease it was. The nightmare of the plague and the surrounding corpse air were entangled in Xiangyang City. People no longer dared to drink the water, but such a situation
Come, ancient Xiangyang no longer has a drop of water available.
In just three days, a large number of civilians and soldiers died and fainted. Those who fainted could never wake up again.
There are corpses everywhere in the streets, houses, and gardens, regardless of high or low, rich or poor. It's just about whoever can't resist first will be the next.
Those who survived found a better shelter. Almost every house in ancient Xiangyang had a cellar. This was a lucky place, but the cellar only made them delay a little longer. There was no clean water, and death was always on their heads.
Circling around, if unfortunately anyone around him suddenly gets the plague, then there will be a cellar of corpses.
The attack power of the corpse water far exceeded Liu Zhang's imagination and was far beyond Xu Shu's expectation. The residents and army of ancient Xiangyang City were in a desperate situation.
Finally, on the fifth day, Xu Shu emerged from a large cellar and led the generals of the Jingzhou Army to organize a breakout on the ground.
However, it was already too late to break out of the encirclement. The soldiers were filled with corpse air, and their combat effectiveness and morale dropped sharply. It was now difficult for them to walk, let alone fight.
Xu Shu used survival to awaken the strength of the soldiers who were still conscious, and asked Cai Mao of Xiangyang to come for reinforcements. However, the number of soldiers capable of fighting was too small. How could they possibly rush out? He broke through more than ten times and lost thousands of people, but nothing happened.
Shaking the Sichuan army's defense, those corpses were once again thrown into the Han River.
Cai Mao sent an army to help, but was defeated by the Sichuan army and fled back in embarrassment.
…………
In a fairly spacious cellar.
Xu Shu's lips were dry and cracked, and his head was hot due to lack of oxygen. In the past two days, Xu Shu only drank half a glass of water, which was purified with sand. Xu Shu didn't know if it was clean, but no matter whether the water was clean or not, the person who drank it
They will all feel unclean.
But at any rate, he had no signs of fever for two days, and the two generals in the same cellar were dragged out because their foreheads were hot. Xu Shu still remembers the sad eyes of the two generals. Both of them were in the cellar.
The reason why he made great achievements in resisting the Sichuan army's siege was because the wounds on his body did not heal and he was infected with the virus faster.
The soldiers on guard were so weak that they could see their eyes wandering on the steps of the cellar when the generals turned around. But no one blamed them, because the generals were also weak, especially the civil servants. Except for Li Yan and Han Song, they were all weak.
Lying on the ground, leaning against the wall, unwilling to do anything.
"Sir, what should I do? Please tell me what I should do. Please."
There was a cry in Zhang De's words. He had suffered such hardships since he was born. Now he no longer dares to eat barbecue. He even feels sick when he sees the meat. Zhang De now just wants to drink a bowl of water and some honey.
No ginseng, no eggs, just a bowl of cold water.
Two days ago, when Zhang De said this to Xu Shu, he said in a roar, "Xu Shu, what do you think we should do? You are a military advisor, please think of a way quickly."
But now, it's like begging your own mother.
Xu Shu looked at Zhang De's chubby face, and then realized that this originally annoying face had become so pitiful, making people feel pity, but what could he do?
"I was careless, dragging down the three armies." Xu Shu sighed. If he organized a breakout as soon as the flood came, although he would suffer heavy losses, he would definitely be able to get out. But now, lack of water, exhaustion, and plague are all attacking together, even if
Immortals come down to earth, but they have no way to return to heaven.
Li Yan dragged his weak body, supported the wall, and walked over, saying to Xu Shu: "Sir, if this continues, we will all die. Do we really sit here and wait to die?"
Xu Shu shook his head, looked at the dark roof of the cellar, and sighed: "Liu Zhang didn't give us any escape route. He is indeed a violent lord. He was so ruthless that tens of thousands of troops and tens of thousands of people in the city were completely destroyed."
Li Yan's eyelids drooped and he was silent for a while, then suddenly opened his eyes angrily, "The Sichuan army is certainly hateful, but Cai Mao is even more hateful. Cai Mao knew we were trapped and should have come to our rescue with all his strength, but he only sent a small force and collapsed at the first touch.
, does he think that ancient Xiangyang is over and Xiangyang City can still be saved?" Because of his anger, Li Yan's face turned slightly red.
"Forget it." Xu Shu waved his hand: "Even if Cai Mao is willing to send a large army to take us out, with the condition of the soldiers and generals, they don't even have the strength to swing their spears, it will only cause heavy losses to the soldiers who are responding, and other
Forgot, I don’t know how many people have been infected with the plague.”
Xu Shu glanced around the lifeless cellar. Due to lack of water, all the generals were so weak that they were lying everywhere. There were only a few like Li Yan who could still bend down and stand. If he hadn't been practicing martial arts since childhood, he probably wouldn't be able to hold on anymore.
, In this current situation, even if a thousand Sichuan troops come in, they can still massacre the entire Jingzhou army.
"Everyone, get up and I will announce a decision."
Xu Shu didn't have the strength to shout, so he knocked on a wooden board with mottled soil.
"Sir, what do you have, what orders do you have, just give them, as long as they can get me out of the city. I really, really don't have the strength anymore." Zhang De said feebly. He now felt that even a word was like a lump in his throat.
Burning in general.
I have never felt this way before when I ate barbecue meat mixed with ginger and garlic.
Li Yan looked at Zhang De and wanted to kick Zhang De away.
Xu Shu took a breath and said in a deep voice: "Everyone knows that we have reached a desperate situation. If we want to survive, we have only two ways to go. One is to break out of the encirclement.
On the east, west, north, and west, if Xiangyang does not send a large army to support us, it is impossible for us to break through successfully, but we can choose the south. To the south is Jingshan and Jingshan. Although it is far from Xiangyang, the trees are dense, and the Sichuan army will never be able to annihilate us...
…”
"Ah, is it true? That's great." Zhang De was overjoyed and jumped up from the ground. He said happily: "Sir, hurry up and organize an army for me. I, the general, will lead the army to break out from the south."
The generals looked at Zhang De, with disdain, dissatisfaction, sigh, and more of numbness in their distracted eyes.
"General Zhang, listen to what I have to say." Xu Shu weakly pressed his hand to Zhang De. The eyes of the generals slowly moved to Xu Shu's face, with a little trace of hope.
"Although a breakout from the south may be successful, there is also an ambush by the Sichuan army in the south. If a thousand people go out and we rely on the cover of the jungle, maybe fifty people can cross the vast mountains. In other words, twenty may survive.
one."
The eyes of all the generals turned gloomy again.
"General Zhang, do you want to break out?" Xu Shu looked at Zhang De.
"Is hope really that small?"
"It will only get smaller."
"Then please tell me the second way to survive."
Xu Shu didn't say anything, straightened up and sighed heavily.
Xu Shu stared at the cellar exit with confused eyes, and said slowly: "The war can no longer continue for us. At this rate, in two days at most, our entire army will have to be wiped out."
"What suggestions do you have, sir?" Zhang De asked.
"Surrender." Xu Shu slowly uttered two words.
"Oh." Zhang De muttered in agreement. He was almost unconscious and did not realize what the two words Xu Shu meant.
But the other Jingzhou generals looked at Xu Shu in surprise, especially Han Song. The semi-conscious soldiers felt that the atmosphere was different, so they tried to open their eyes and struggled to stand up.
Han Song, who had been silent for a long time, cheered up and said loudly: "Sir, how can you have such an idea? Liu Zhang is cruel and unkind. He goes against the will of heaven and conquers the enemy. Even if he is defeated, he will die at the worst. Sir, he has been entrusted with the military adviser position by his lord. Is this how he will be rewarded?"
My lord? Sir, you are also a scholar from Jingxiang. Have you forgotten the innocent souls of Wuling, Hanzhong, Jiangzhou? How could you think of working with a butcher like Liu Zhang?"
"Oh, I understand." Han Song suddenly nodded and said: "Sir, you are from the common people, and Liu Zhang killed noble families. Do you think you can be of great use in the Sichuan camp? Sure enough, people from the common people, no matter how knowledgeable they are,
, you are also short-sighted and have no sense of moral integrity. Sir, I will join you for your glory and wealth. I, Han Song, will not accompany you, but sir, please do not forget that the thirty thousand people in the city are not all from aristocratic families."
"You..." Xu Shu suddenly felt that he couldn't breathe. He pressed his chest violently and covered his mouth with one hand. His body shook. Li Yan hurriedly stepped forward to support him and looked at Han Song with hatred.
Is this righteous killing?
"Do you think I do? But do we still have a choice? Do you, Han Degao, know that there are still 30,000 people in the city?" Xu Shu roared, and his ferocious face made the righteous Han Song tremble.
Xu Shu took off the hand covering his mouth, and his palm was blood red. After shouting loudly, he felt that his whole head was empty.
The generals were silent. Staying in the city would mean death, breaking out would mean death. If they did not surrender, they would have only two choices: die here, or go out and be killed by the Sichuan army.
"Surrender, just surrender, I can't stand it anymore. No matter what kind of violent tyrant he is, I obey his advice and serve him well. I don't believe he will kill me." Zhang De, who "made a decisive decision", broke the news.
silence.
…………
On a moonlit night, the silver-white moonlight shines on the ancient Xiangyang City, shining with a terrifying and deadly light.
Liu Zhang was sitting behind the commander's platform on the hill. In front of him were swarms of Sichuan Army torches. The escorting soldiers stood silently in the moonlight. In the dark corners without torches, Sichuan Army soldiers carried quivers on their backs and held bows and arrows, quietly.
Looking down at the city walls and gates of ancient Xiangyang.
Since the embankment burst, the Sichuan army began to take turns guarding the city all night to prevent the Jingzhou army from breaking out.
As for Liu Zhang, for some reason, he always had trouble falling asleep at night and was upset in his room. It seemed that he could only feel slightly at ease when he looked at the ancient city of Xiangyang.
"Report." A cavalryman galloped up the mountain, turned over and bowed down: "My lord, General Yan Yan of the North City has reported that a group of common people have left the city. What should be done?" (To be continued.