Huan Rong

Huan Rong thought about it, Chang'an would definitely not sit idly by leading troops to pursue Qiu Chi this time.It is a good way to send reinforcements or encircle Wei to save Zhao, make him worry about his death, and cast a mouse.

But he never expected that Wang Meng would come up with such a method.

Kill him, cause chaos in Liangzhou, and then provoke Huan and Jiankang?

Thinking of this, Huan Rong couldn't help shaking his head.

This doesn't look like Wang Meng's style at all. Could it be that he is really terminally ill and exhausted, so he came up with such a sinister method?

Thinking about it, Huan Rong couldn't help being a little distracted.Jia Bing called him three times in a row, but got no response.

"Ming Gong?" Jia Sheren raised his voice, "Ming Gong!"

Huan Rong finally came back to his senses, looked at the frowning Jia Bing, nodded embarrassingly, and said, "What's wrong with Bingzhi?"

"It's cold this year, and I watch the sky at night. I'm afraid there will be rain and snow in the near future. Can Duke Ming make a decision whether to take Qiuchi or return to Wudu?"

Jia Bing's words are quite meaningful, not just referring to the weather.

Huan Rong thought for a moment, but didn't say anything immediately, but handed the letter in his hand to Jia Bing.

"This is?"

"The news from Liangzhou's assassination envoy." Huan Rong said in a deep voice, "I was leading the troops outside, and Chang'an sent people to infiltrate into Liangzhou City, intending to persuade Yang Guang to plot to assassinate me."

"What?!" Jia Bing's expression suddenly changed, apparently he did not expect that Chang An would come up with such an idea.

He had the same perception as Huan Rong, this matter was completely unlike Wang Meng's style.However, after reading the letter, I had to believe it.Helpless in Wang Meng's illness, he did use a poisonous trick.

"This is not what Wang Jinglue usually does."

Wang Meng took refuge in the Di people, and his early reputation and talent were undeniable.

Based on what he usually does, he should be dignified and upright, and decide the outcome from the battlefield; or he will take advantage of Huan Rong's lone army to go north, send troops to capture Cheng County, cut off the food road, and take the opportunity to disturb the morale of the army.

It's unimaginable to attack behind the scenes, or even kill with poison.

"Time waits for no one, and heroes can't compete with God after all."

Huan Rong suddenly felt emotional, not just because of Wang Meng who was ill.

Jia Bing didn't say anything for a long time, and when Huan Rong's expression relaxed, he said: "Ming Gong, the letter said that Lu Yan said that he would return to Chang'an, but he was actually lurking in Liangzhou City. Should we take this opportunity to take him down secretly?"

"No rush." ​​Huan Rong shook his head and said, "Mr. Yang sent a letter, so it's impossible not to respond. The most urgent thing is to go to Qiuchi City first, and discuss the rest after entering the city."

"Duke Ming decides to attack the city?"

"Yes." Huan Rong turned around and said with a smile, "Etiquette is reciprocal."

Changan gave him such a big gift, there is no reason not to send it back.

As for what Fu Jian Wang Meng would think, whether he wanted to kill him more quickly, that was not in Huan Rong's consideration.Anyway, it has already been regarded as a thorn in the flesh, so it is better to pierce the thorn deeper, so that they can't rest day and night, and they can't walk, sit or lie down!

"Order the camp to bury pots and cook food as soon as possible, and the soldiers take turns to rest. Another 500 people are allocated to make catapults and battering rams, and there is no need to avoid the city." Huan Rong said every word, with a sense of coldness between the lines, "I just want Yang An to see clearly that I will never withdraw my troops until Qiu Chi City is captured!"

"promise!"

Jia Bing took the order and quickly went down to make arrangements.

Huan Rong returned to the military chariot, summoned the messenger and asked a few words, then wrote a short message and handed it to him to take back to Liangzhou City.

"Tell Yang Shijun that I will not interfere with the affairs of the city and the state government, but Lu Yan must be caught, regardless of life or death!"

"promise!"

The messenger put away the letter, brought enough steamed cakes and water, and quickly got on his horse and left without much delay.In order to avoid accidents on the way, Huan Rong specially sent two state soldiers to escort them.

The sound of horseshoes disappeared in the distance, and the scent of steamed cakes and broth wafted from the camp.

The soldiers lined up to eat, received steamed cakes and broth, and immediately put them together in groups of three or five, ignoring the heat, and ate them with big mouthfuls while breathing in.

Those who are not enough will get another one, and those who are full will hand over the bowls and chopsticks to the cook. After a short rest, they will be divided into several teams immediately. , specializing in the manufacture of catapults and battering rams.

There is a military cart to transport such an appliance without making it too bulky.Similarly, in order to speed up the time, the craftsmanship is inevitably rough, and it belongs to the type of firewood that is used once.

Even so, rows of catapults were put out, and the control lever was pulled. Amidst the creaking sound, the wooden pole shook violently, and the huge boulder flew out. It was still amazingly powerful.

On the top of the city, Yang An was wearing armor, looking at the camp in the distance.

Seeing groups of soldiers walking out of the gate of the camp, felled trees lined up in a long line, and soon several catapults were pushed out from the camp, and every time they were shaken, stones and wooden stakes roared out.

Yang An clenched the hilt of his sword tightly, and the more he looked at it, the more frightened he became.Looking left and right, you can see the expressions of everyone, the expression has not changed, but the heart keeps sinking.

Huan Rong's move was not reckless, but a show of force.

He is not worried about revealing the siege weapon.

In fact, Chang'an did not send reinforcements, and Yang An could not ask Tuyuhun for help, so Qiuchi had become an isolated city.If Jin soldiers don't withdraw for a day, Yang An's crisis will increase by one point.

Huan Rong was furious at Wang Meng's vicious scheme, and decided to take Qiu Chi as a "reciprocal gift".

The death knell above Yang An's head has sounded, and the city of Qiu Chi will change hands.Whether it was early or late, only the time of siege, and whether Huan Rong planned to keep the prisoners.

In the evening, there was a shower of rain and snow in the sky.

The cold wind was blowing from the north, and the soldiers patrolling the camp with a layer of thick jackets were still freezing to the bone.

This year was exceptionally cold. Many soldiers suffered from chilblains, both inside and outside the city, and some even began to fester.

Huan Rong had made preparations before going out. There were not only doctors in the army, but also a large amount of medicinal materials in case of emergencies.Even if it is not enough, it is just a matter of several barrels of rice, which is completely trivial to Mr. Huan.

The Di soldiers in the city were not so lucky.

Qiuchi was besieged, and food and medicine prices skyrocketed.

If it wasn't for Yang An's order to close the city gate and not allow anyone to leave, the people in the city would have already run away.Not to mention the Han people and Zahu, even the Di people have no confidence in defending the city.

After Huan Rong demonstrated the catapult and rolled out the battering ram, people in the city were even more panicked.I was worried all day long, and the food storage at home was about to bottom out, but I encountered a forced conquest by Di soldiers, so it was called "for the purpose of defending the city".

After coming down several times, old people and children starved to death in the city one after another.

Unkempt beggars crowded the streets, and grain shops and restaurants closed one after another. No matter how high the price was, it was impossible to buy a grain of grain.

No one is a fool.

How can gold have a life?

The common people had no way to go out of the city, so they could only hide at home and wait for the Jin soldiers outside the city to attack the city. Whether it was good or bad, the winner would always be determined.In this way, enough food to feed a family becomes crucial.

The powerful and grain shops in the city had food in stock, but Yang An couldn't hold back and sent people to the door several times.

At first, Yang An would say a few good words to comfort everyone, and when the Jin soldiers were repelled, he would act as a representative of Chang'an and ask for credit for the people who supported the food and grass.When the imperial court's reward is issued, compensation will be made to everyone.

As the days passed, the situation gradually became clear, and even these empty words were no longer there.

Chang'an was beyond reach, and there was no news of reinforcements for a long time.The Di soldiers in the city have no fighting spirit, and Qiu Chi is at stake.

Desperation began to spread, negative emotions continued to accumulate, and madness was gradually brewing.

The Di soldiers who collected food were no longer polite, but smashed open the door and robbed wantonly.The tyrants with guards can still be safe for a few days, but the merchants in the city are in bad luck.

First came the Han people, followed by the Zahu, and in the end, even the Di people were not spared.

Di Bing not only snatched food, gold and silver, but also snatched young girls on the spot.

When meeting cowardly people, they dare not speak out, and can only watch Di Bing walk away; when meeting tough-tempered people, it is really unbearable, and it is not uncommon for them to grab knives and sticks and fight for their lives.

There were more and more similar incidents. When a chief executive was daring to attack the daughter of a Han official, his anger finally broke out.

The people in the city took up weapons and beat the Shidi soldiers to death, and then someone raised their arms and rushed straight to the east gate with anger.

The civil unrest happened so suddenly, Yang An got a report that the Di soldiers at the east gate had been forced to the city wall.

More than a dozen strong men pulled open their skirts and pulled the noose with all their strength, and they were about to lower the suspension bridge and open the city gate.

Under the city gate, there were Han people, Qiang people, Jie people, and even a large number of Di people who fought with the Di soldiers!These Di people were more ruthless in attacking, without any scruples, even if they came from a familiar tribe, they still waved their knives without showing any mercy.

When they robbed their food and humiliated their wives and daughters, why didn't they see the old friendship?

What kind of favors are being said now, they are all dogs!

Seeing that the city gate was about to open, Di soldiers finally arrived to quell the chaos, some were transferred from the other three city gates, and some were private soldiers from the Assassin's Mansion.

When the leader of the army saw the chaos in front of the city gate, he made a decisive decision and ordered the archers to shoot.

Regardless of Han people, Zahu people or Di people, there is no need to show mercy to anyone who participates in civil unrest.

After two rounds of bows and arrows, more than a dozen corpses fell under the city gate.Everyone was shocked at first, and then stimulated by the blood, they broke out into even greater anger.

"I fought with you guys!"

"Dog thief!"

"So-and-so died today, even a ghost will not let you and other thieves go!"

There was endless shouting and cursing, and the people gathered in front of the city gate rushed towards the Di soldiers who were fighting the chaos, regardless of life or death.The man next to the noose continued to exert force, regardless of the arrows stuck in his shoulders, the muscles on his arms were tense, and the veins on his neck and forehead were bulging, vowing to open the city gate.

"Fire the arrow, let the arrow go!"

Surprised by the madness of the crowd, the team leader immediately knew it was not good.He knew that he must not let these rioters rush forward, otherwise he would be torn to pieces [-]% of the time.

"Quickly go and report to the envoy! Please transfer Beicheng soldiers!"

"Fire the arrow, keep shooting the arrow!"

"Spear, raise your spear, stop them!"

The so-called ruthless ones are afraid of being stunned, and those who are stunned are afraid of dying.

The people under the gate of the city were already red-eyed, and they all risked their lives.

Anyway, it's a dead end, so it's better to put a few backs on your back than to be cowardly!If you can open the city gate, you may not be able to fight for a way out for your family and clan.

Thinking of this, everyone did not hesitate to believe in their fate. Even if they were pierced by a spear in the chest, they would show ferocious faces. They tried their best to hold on to the spear body with all their strength. die.

The situation became more and more critical, and the Di soldiers who retreated to the top of the city did not dare to hesitate, and directly pushed down the boulder defending the Jin soldiers, and they were about to smash all the rioters to death.

There were three loud bangs, dust flying, blood splattering, a boulder fell, several Han people and miscellaneous Hu were crushed to death on the spot, and the broken corpses were scattered all over the place.

As soon as Di Bing succeeded in hitting, he had to push the boulder again.

Unexpectedly, before the boulder fell, there was a sound of breaking wind, and a huge shadow was cast over the head.

Several Di soldiers looked up, their faces turned pale, their pupils constricted, and the hand holding the knife began to tremble.

In mid-air, more than ten boulders and wooden stakes flew over, with the momentum of thunder, they crossed the city wall and smashed into the city with a roar.

Two boulders fell to the wall and rolled along the slope. Several Di soldiers couldn't dodge in time and were forced to the corner of the wall. Amidst the screams, they were crushed to death by the boulder.

"Enemy attack!"

"Jin soldiers are attacking the city!"

The Di soldiers at the head of the city were noisy, and the team leader wanted to suppress it, but he couldn't suppress it at all.

The people under the city immediately developed fighting spirit. Seeing Di Bing's horrified face, he wiped the blood splashed on his face with his backhand, and smiled very happily.

"Even if I die today, if I can see you thieves die, I will die with no regrets!"

"It's worth it!"

Outside Qiuchi City, more than ten catapults were lined up, and beside each catapult were six or seven state soldiers.

Two state soldiers manipulated the wooden poles, and the rest used wooden sticks to pry the boulders and stakes into the net.Accompanied by loud shouts one after another, the boulder roared and flew towards Qiu Chi City.

After several rounds of throwing, the catapults were damaged one after another, and the offensive weakened slightly.

Di Bing in the city took the courage to probe, and was taken aback by the battering ram launched by the Jin Bing.

"what is that?!"

Di Bing has seen a lot of siege equipment, and he can even make it himself.However, such as the "monster" in front of me, let alone seeing it with my own eyes, I have never even heard of it.

The bottom of the siege hammer was transformed from a military cart. The carriage was disassembled and the board was flattened, which can carry a thousand catties.

There are three rows of wooden frames on the cart, and thick ropes hang down from the frames, and the ropes are tightly tied to a huge piece of wood.The giant wood is sharpened at one end, facing the gate of the city.More than a hundred Jin soldiers hid around the military chariot, using the front fender of the chariot to cover them, and kept pushing the battering ram forward.

There were also several strong men standing on the car, each of them was wrapped with a thick rope, and they were pulling wooden poles in their hands, obviously preparing to control the giant wood and smash open the gate of Qiuchi.

"Fire arrows!"

"Fight the arrows!"

Seeing this scene, the Di soldiers at the head of the city were terrified.

Qiuchi City was built by the previous dynasty. After the Di people occupied it, only the city wall was repaired, and the city gate remained unchanged.First attacked by rioters, the noose is already in jeopardy, and then attacked by this "monster", I am afraid that Dongcheng will be opened.

"Fire arrows!"

The team leader's voice was hoarse, and his voice suddenly changed, revealing endless fear.

The Di soldiers at the top of the city didn't care about the rioting people, and they shot and shot the Jin soldiers who were pushing the siege hammer on the spot.

It's a pity that there was a baffle in front of the car. When arrows flew in, the Jin soldiers raised wooden shields and formed a long line of dragons to protect the top of their heads.Arrows flew like rain from the top of the city, but they couldn't hurt the attacking Jin soldiers at all.

Finally, the martial arts cart was pushed under the door, and the strong man on the cart lifted the wooden shield, shouted in unison, and the muscles on his body bulged.

The giant log was pulled back and then slammed forward.

The sharp point slammed into the city gate with a loud bang, and sawdust flew.

At the same time, thousands of Jin soldiers carried the siege ladder and rushed down the city bravely under the cover of catapults.

Dian Kui and Xu Chao took the lead, while Qian Shi, Gao Yu and others were also unwilling to lag behind.

Ignoring the rain of arrows, everyone scrambled to the bottom of the city, set up the siege ladder, held the long knife tightly with one hand, and bravely climbed up.

There are long hooks on the siege ladder. Once it is put on the city wall, the long ditch will be buckled immediately.Di Bing couldn't push away the long ladder, so he could only hack with a knife or ignite it.

However, the former is a waste of time, and the latter does not work at all.

These strange siege ladders seem to be coated with special materials, so they can't burn in case of fire, and can be extinguished with a few strokes.

"Reinforcement, help!"

Di Bing at the top of the city panicked and didn't know what to do.Just as he was about to ask for help from other city gates, he saw thick smoke suddenly rising from the direction of the south city.

It turned out that the riot at the east gate quickly spread throughout the city, and more people broke out, rushing towards the gate with swords, guns and sticks.

At the same time, Huan Rong's soldiers divided into several groups, all the way to attack the east gate, and all the way to the south gate.He also ordered the Qiang, Jie, and bald-haired Xianbei who accompanied the army to gather and guard the north gate. If Di soldiers flee, they must be killed on the spot, and no one will be let go!

As for the West City Gate, it was Huan Rong's "way of life" specially left behind.

Qiuchi is located on the border, opposite to Tuyuhun.

Huan Rong has long heard of King Tuyuhun's behavior.Running to his territory, even if you don't die, you have to peel off your skin, which may not be much better than dying in battle.

After everything was properly arranged, Envoy Huan sat in a military chariot, perched high on a mound outside the city, overlooking the fighting below the city and the thick smoke billowing up, with a determined expression and a bit of evil spirit in his eyes.

"Ming Gong, if you get Yang An, what should you do with it?" Jia Bing said.

"Disposition?" Huan Rong didn't turn his head, still looking at the city, he said firmly, "Kill him, and send his head to Chang'an."

"Duke Ming doesn't want to bring him back to Youzhou?"

"Take it back for what?" Huan Rong still didn't turn his head, only his voice drifted in the wind, "The fact is obvious, Chang'an has abandoned this person, and all the Di soldiers in the city are abandoned."

At this point, Huan Rong paused for a moment, and then continued: "Leaving him in Qiuchi is just to hold me back, and I'm afraid there is a plan to weaken my troops."

Jia Bing did not make a sound, quietly listening to what Huan Rong said.

"If we win this battle, both Qiuchi and Wudu will fall into my hands. There will be some debate in Jiankang whether to belong to Liangzhou or to set up Xinzhou separately. The prefects of the two places and even the assassins of Xinzhou will be pressed Stare, of course we can take the opportunity to form allies, but we can also create a lot of new enemies."

"If you lose..." Huan Rong closed his eyes and opened them again, "Let's not talk about the new land, I'm afraid Jiankang will reach out to Youzhou immediately."

He is not afraid of one or two, but it will take a lot of effort to parry five, ten or even dozens of them.

Wang Meng dared to use evil tricks. Apart from being forced by his illness, he was afraid that Jiankang and Huan's face and heart were not in harmony. It was like a tight rope, which seemed to be stable on the surface, but in fact it would break with light force.

As long as Huan Rong dies, even if it is only dying, Liangzhou will be in chaos, and Jiankang will take the opportunity to intervene.There will be a storm in the Jin Dynasty, and it may force the Huan family to rebel.

At that time, Chang'an will naturally be able to reap the benefits of the fisherman.

As for the Qin family... the two sides are not in the same camp.

Before the north was pacified, the Qin family would not take the initiative to go south, but in the event of civil strife in the Jin Dynasty, they would not help either.Even if it is a shot, Jiankang may not accept it, but will suspect that the other party is uneasy and kind.

To be clear, even Huan Rong would not dare to take such a matter lightly.

Personal friendship is one aspect, and life is at stake. It is extremely stupid to pin your hopes on others.

It is said that Cao Mengde is suspicious, but put yourself in the same position as him, if you are not cautious in everything, you can't go around in your head a few times, for fear that you will die without a place to bury.

Circumstances force, non-manpower can change.

Whether he likes it or not, Huan Rong has already embarked on the road of ruling the roost in troubled times, and there is no possibility of retreating.Even if he took half a step back, his body would be smashed to pieces.

"So, I can't lose."

Huan Rong stood up, clenched the hilt of the sword with his left hand, and the tiger talisman with his right.

"I can't lose, and I won't lose."

Jia Bing was silent for a moment, and then bowed his hands: "Ming Gong is wise and decisive, and he will surely achieve what he wants!"

Chouchi City screamed to kill the sky, and the offensive of Jin soldiers was fierce like wave after wave.

Yang An climbed to the top of the city himself, saw the city gate crumbling, and the defenders died in battle one after another. With a roar, he swung his long knife vigorously and chopped down two Jin soldiers who rushed forward one after another.

It's a pity that most of the Di soldiers have lost their fighting spirit. Even if the assassin Yang took the lead in killing the enemy, he was unparalleled in bravery, and he would be powerless in the end.

Finally, with a loud noise, the east city gate was knocked open, and the damaged city gate collapsed inwards. Jin soldiers ignored the scattered sawdust and rushed into the city like a tidal wave, like a wolf rushing into a flock of sheep, and rushed towards Hun Feidan in the blink of an eye. The mourning Di Bing.