Seiwa

Outside Beiping City, Mengjiatun

Built on the turret in the northwest of the village, a strong man saw the retreat of the southern army and turned around to signal to the clansmen waiting under the turret.

"Go, go! It's all right!"

The faces of the clansmen suddenly showed joy. Meng Chongjiu and the elders of the clan sat at home, hearing the news, and his tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

"It really worked."

"Twelve Langs are talented!"

"It's my Meng family's luck to get Twelve Langs!"

"The wooden sign on the wall must not be removed, but the strong men of the clan are allowed to patrol day and night to prevent the army from coming again.

"As it should."

While discussing, the elders in the clan praised Meng Qinghe, saying that this son is extraordinary and will surely achieve great success in the future.The patriarch Meng Guangxiao who was sitting by the side remained silent the whole time, and when he heard everyone praising Meng Qinghe, he had complicated expressions on his face, occasionally showing a gloomy look.

Meng Chongjiu's eyes were full of his appearance.

Meng Chongjiu secretly sighed, at this critical time, it is time for the whole family to work together and twist into one rope.Twelve Lang, who is not as good as the weak crown, can let go of his prejudices and do his best for the clan, but Meng Guangxiao, the patriarch, is like this. I really don't know what to say about him!

"Guangxiao."

"Ninth Uncle."

"Is Dalang feeling better recently?"

"It's better." Mentioning Meng Qinghai, Meng Guangxiao's expression finally improved, "I can get out of bed and walk around, and I helped the clan write a lot of wooden signs before."

Seeing Meng Chongjiu suddenly mentioning Meng Qinghai, and looking at the comparison between Meng Guangxiao's past and present, the elders in the clan felt like a bright mirror in their hearts.

As the head of the Meng clan, Meng Guangxiao's selfishness is really serious.

If the king of Yan wins the world, Twelve Langs will follow the dragon.They are all surnamed Meng. Well, Twelve Lang, how can he not take care of the clan?The children of the Meng family would be very different if they didn't say that they soared into the sky.

Meng Guangxiao is so narrow-minded that the old people can't help but look down on him.Could it be that Dalang must be top-notch in everything?Did he forget Shiro?Compared with Meng Qinghai who was sick at home and made the county officials hate him, many people in the clan believed that Meng Qingjiang, who was now a small banner of the Yan Army, was more promising.

They are also biological sons, Meng Guangxiao is too partial, no wonder Shiro is chilling.

Speaking of this, one cannot help but admire Meng Chongjiu's vision and actions.First, he took good care of the Meng Wang family and others, and let Meng Hu go to the frontier with Twelve Lang. Without Meng Chongjiu's affection, he would definitely take extra care of his cousin Meng Hu.

Or say that ginger is old and spicy, and I have to be convinced.

The members of the Meng clan had their own thoughts and calculations in their hearts, and the elders of Meng Guangxiao's clan made arrangements for the recent tour of the village before returning home.

As soon as he entered the door, Meng Liu came up to greet him and told Meng Guangxiao that Meng Qinghai had left the village.

Meng Guangxiao was taken aback, "The imperial army hasn't gone far, so he's dying? Besides, he's in good shape and it's cold outside. Isn't this just nonsense!"

"I've tried to persuade you, but Dalang just doesn't listen." Meng Liu said with a sad face, "I really can't stop me from looking for my classmates and family members in the county school. Fortunately, that family also lives in Lizhong. , not far away, Dalang just said to go and return."

"A classmate from the county school?"

"Yes." Mrs. Meng Liu thought for a while and said, "It seems that the surname is Du."

Surname Du?

Meng Guangxiao frowned, there was still no memory in his mind, Da Lang seldom talked about school affairs at home, even less about his classmates.

After taking a look at the gloomy sky, Meng Guangxiao was still worried. He tightened his cotton coat and walked out of the house again.

"Master, where are you going?"

"Did Dalang go east? I'll go to the turret to the east and wait, and I'll ask the people in the village to watch. If it's getting late, don't be locked up outside the village."

"Hey."

Mrs. Meng Liu responded and watched Meng Guangxiao's back disappear outside the courtyard gate.

It was October in the lunar calendar, and the weather in northern Xinjiang was getting colder every day.

When the army led by Li Jinglong crossed the Lugou Bridge, they found that there was no guard at the bridgehead. Qu Neng, who was promoted to the governor, said that King Yan's men had many soldiers and abandoned the bridge, fearing that they deliberately led the army to besiege the city.The Yan army must set up heavy defenses in the city, and should be careful when attacking the city.

Most people didn't think so, and Li Jinglong even said, "If you don't guard this bridge, I know you can't do anything."

Hearing this, Qu Neng was speechless, and those who had the same idea as Qu Neng were also silent.

Is the head on the coach's neck or a gourd?

In fact, Qu Neng and others misunderstood. Li Jinglong's words were not just for arrogance, but also to stabilize the morale of the army.He has gathered a lot of defeated troops under his command. These people are already afraid of the Yan army. Even if they know that Qu Neng's words are reasonable, he can't agree with them and must firmly oppose them.

In this siege battle, morale and morale are crucial.

When the morale of the army is disturbed, some morale will be destroyed before the battle is fought, which is not a good thing for the attacking side.

It is true that Li Jinglong is an idiot, but he is also an idiot who is familiar with military books.Coupled with the influence of Li Wenzhong, regardless of his weakness in character and occasional mental retardation in behavior, his judgment of the overall situation will basically not be wrong.

Beiping is very important to Zhu Di. Once there is a loss in Beiping, the Yan army will be distracted and self-defeating.

Li Jinglong saw this right, and made up his mind to take down Beiping City.

As long as Beiping City is captured and the Yan army loses support, Zhu Di will surely be defeated!

He wants those who ridicule him behind his back to see if he is the son of Li Wenzhong, and whether he is worthy of the title of Cao Guogong!

The defenders in the city were fully prepared. Huge wooden boulders, artillery, bows and arrows were sent to the top of the city, and the defenders were also placed in the Tibetan cave in the city wall. Once the southern army climbed up the city, the defenders in the cave would play a huge role.

Zhu Gaochi stood at the top of the city with Yibin Li Rang of Yan Wangfu, looking at the densely packed attacking army below the city, even if he was mentally prepared, his scalp was still numb.

Although he is Zhu Di's eldest son, Zhu Gaochi is not as good as his two younger brothers in terms of experience before the battle.

The words of the father and mother are still in my ears, and the heartbeat is still accelerating.

50 people is just a simple number to the ears, but it is indescribably frightening and shocking when it is actually presented in front of the eyes.

There are less than [-] defenders in the city, and the rest are ordinary people. Can I really defend Beiping as my father expected?

If you can't keep it...

Zhu Gaochi couldn't bear to think too much, the southern army under the city had already started to build fortresses outside the nine gates, set up artillery, and rolled out wooden carts for hitting the gates. The 50 troops lined up separately, and under the leadership of the generals of each army, began the first an attack.

The artillery roared, and huge iron balls fell down one after another. Some even flew over the city and fell into the city. But the defenders who were swept by the iron balls were either killed or injured.

Compared with the number and power of the artillery used by Li Jinglong's army, Zhu Di's bombardment outside Zhending City can only be regarded as insignificant, and it is not worth mentioning at all.

To put it bluntly, most of Yanjun's artillery are privately manufactured, and they are three-no products produced by small workshops.The firearms used by the imperial army are manufactured by regular arsenals with quality assurance.

Comparing the two, they stand tall.

Want to use artillery to bombard?It simply cannot be done.

Numerous potholes were quickly smashed out on the city wall, iron balls rolled on the top of the city, and the wooden enemy building ignited a fire. The wind helped the fire, which seemed to point out the direction of attack for the siege army.

Numerous ladders were erected on the city wall, and the attacking southern army climbed up the city wall wave after wave amidst the sound of attacking drums.

Looking down from the sky, the city of Peiping seems to be submerged by a sea of ​​people.

The defenders at the top of the city were not to be outdone, and pushed down the huge wooden boulders one after another. The defenders in the Tibetan soldier's cave threw themselves on the ladder, and pulled the southern army on the ladder to smash into a pulp.

The screams were fleeting, and the blood became the best embellishment of death.

There was an urgent sound of war drums, and amidst the thunderous shouts of killing, the southern army pushed the siege vehicles, hitting the city gate again and again.

There was a dull roar from the city gate, earth and rocks fell from the city wall, and along with the rain of arrows falling from the top of the city, more and more southern soldiers fell down. They may have stopped breathing, or they may still be struggling on the line of life and death. No one cares.

In a war, dead soldiers are always just a cold number on the commander's desk.

What Li Jinglong needs is to keep attacking until he captures the city in front of him, even if he kills all 50 troops.

Zhu Gaochi must defend the city, not only for the entrustment of his father, but also for the victory of the war and to survive.

If the southern army is defeated, they can retreat and fight again.

Beiping fell, and everyone in the city had no way out.

When everything in front of him was stained red with blood, the young Zhu Gaochi was no longer nervous.

He even personally killed a southern soldier who climbed to the top of the city. The sound of swords piercing into the body, and the warmth of blood splashing on his face made his emotions boil.

Zhu Gaochi's expression changed, as if he understood what the battlefield represented by his grandfather and father. Facing the endless shouts of killing and bright red blood, he could not retreat or be timid.

Under his feet was the city that his father had entrusted to him, and in his hand was a sharp weapon capable of killing a person.

He is Zhu Gaochi, the son of King Yan, with the blood of Emperor Taizu Gao on his body!

There was a sudden sound of arrows piercing through the air, and it was Princess Yan in armor who shot down the southern army at the top of the city with one arrow.

Looking at the mother and concubine standing beside him and the soldiers fighting around, at this moment, Zhu Gaochi felt infinite courage in his chest.

He can hold Peiping, he will!

Under the city, Li Jinglong's army launched attacks again and again, and Li Jinglong's banner stood up, which completely inspired the morale of the southern army.

At the time when the battle between the two sides was the most intense, several civilians in cotton clothes were escorted in front of Li Jinglong, without waiting for the soldiers to scold them, a middle-aged man who was injured by random arrows suddenly struggled and knelt on the ground, and said: " I have hated Yan Ni for a long time, and I risked my life to come here to report something important."

This middle-aged man is Du Qi's father.Du Qi was killed by King Yan, but his family escaped.Hearing the news of the imperial army's arrival, Father Du burst into tears. His only hope was that the army would break through the city and capture and kill King Yan's family, so as to comfort his son's spirit in heaven.

Just when Meng Qinghai came, he excused that as Du Qi's classmate, he should take care of his family.In words, he lamented that Du Qi died unjustly, and bluntly said that King Yan would not listen to advice, and killed innocent people indiscriminately, which was an act of self-destruction.Inadvertently mentioned that several inspectors in Tongli were transferred to guard the main gate of Li, which shows that the number of defenders in the city is stretched, and the court will undoubtedly win this battle.

Hearing this, Du's father had a flash of inspiration, "The imperial army is coming, if you can help the army a little, you will avenge my son!"

Thinking of this, he didn't care about anything else, so he got up and went to report to the imperial army.

Life and death in the rebellious army are unpredictable, and it is possible to be killed as a spy.But the hatred of killing a son is irreconcilable, as long as he can avenge his son, everything is worth it!

Just how to arrange for the wife and two young children at home?

His eyes fell on Meng Qinghai. If he took the risk to visit him, he must be a loyal person and worthy of entrustment.

Hearing Father Du's plan, Meng Qinghai quickly persuaded: "Uncle Du, absolutely not!"

"I have made up my mind!"

Du's father bowed to the ground and said, if he can avenge his son and survive, he will be grateful.

Meng Qinghai's face was full of anxiety, and he tried to stop him but he didn't. Father Du walked out of the house resolutely.

Father Du didn't turn his head back, so naturally he didn't know that Meng Qinghai, who was behind him, kept crying anxiously, but showed a triumphant smile on his face.

This trip has been planned for a long time, and it is not accidental to say the inspection.

The king of Yan rebelled, and the court sent a large army. It is not yet known who will win and who will lose.

Once King Yan fails to rebel and the court pursues it, Twelve Lang's family will die, and Meng Chongjiu will not be able to escape. Regardless of the clan, with the Du family, it should be no problem to save his family's life.

If the imperial court loses, and King Yan will pursue it...Meng Qinghai turned around and comforted Father Du's wife and two young sons with kind words, a gloomy look flashed in his eyes.

People don't kill heaven and earth for themselves, so it's no wonder he has reached that point.

Maybe, the Du family will become a step for him to advance.

Li Jinglong was skeptical about the intelligence that Father Du said, but the battle was at a stalemate, and he had to try whether it was true or not. Even if it didn't work, it would only be a loss of soldiers.

After figuring out the joints, he immediately ordered the main force to be dispatched from the left army to storm Li's main gate.

Sure enough, as Father Du said, Lizhengmen's defense is not as strict as other city gates. There are a lot of defenders, but their combat effectiveness is not as good.

The general who was ordered to attack the gate was overjoyed. If he could capture this gate and be the first to enter Peiping, he would definitely win the first victory in this battle!

"attack!"

Li Jinglong also showed joy when he heard the reward, and looked at the top of the city, this battle will definitely go to Peiping!

Even if Zhu Di rushed back, he would have no power to recover.

But Li Jinglong and the generals who attacked the gate were too happy. Although the army guarding the gate was not strong in combat effectiveness and fled in all directions, there was a terrifying new force joining.

A group of city women led by palace officials suddenly appeared behind Li's main gate.

How did this group of women compatriots with kitchen knives and rolling pins suddenly appear on the battlefield?

No one could explain the confusion to the southern army who attacked Li's main gate. Huge stones and tiles were smashed over, occasionally mixed with city bricks bombarded by artillery.

The women of Beiping City made the southern men who came from afar fully see the demeanor of the northern women.

They don't know Wu Nong's soft language, and they don't know how to recite poems and paint pictures, but they use the bricks and tiles in their hands to tell the guests from afar that the legendary Saibei style is definitely unusually hot.

In an instant, Nanjun in front of Lizheng Gate was greeted with blossoming faces.

Zhu Gaochi at the head of the city learned that Lizhengmen was in danger, and immediately sent Liang Ming to lead an army to reinforce it.There are nine gates in Peking, and none of them must be lost.

Liang Ming was also a little dumbfounded at that time, after all, the scene in front of him was really rare.

The inspectors and strong men who had been repelled by the southern army also rushed back with weapons in their hands. Obviously, they were encouraged by the female compatriots and their morale was completely stimulated.

"If you're a man, just charge forward!"

The defending army suddenly broke out with strong fighting power, which instantly disrupted the rhythm of the southern army's attack.

In the past, it could be solved with a few knives, but now, even if it is death, one has to be dragged. Such an opponent has to be frightening.

On the battlefield, the competition is who is more ruthless and who is more desperate.

The defenders became ruthless and added reinforcements. The southern army missed the best opportunity to attack, and the casualties continued to increase. They could only withdraw from Li's main gate and continue to bombard with artillery.

The main gate of Li was defended with difficulty, and the other eight gates were also full of dangers. At dusk, the southern army sounded the horn to withdraw troops, and the attacking army retreated back to the camp like a tide.

The defenders in the city could breathe a sigh of relief for the time being, and they didn't care about taking a rest, they resettled the wounded one after another, and counted the battle damage.

Zhu Gaochi did not go back to Yanwang Mansion, but stayed at the top of the city with Li Rang and Liang Ming, looking at the fire in the camp outside the city, lost in thought.

The date of father's return has not yet been determined, and if this continues, the city of Beiping may not be able to be defended.It wasn't that he underestimated himself, but that the comparison of the number of soldiers was too disparate.

If there are generals like Geng Bingwen in the city, maybe it will not be a big problem, isn't the key?

Zhu Gaochi pondered for a long time, and sent someone to ask the princess for instructions. Tonight, he planned to send someone to attack the Southern Army camp at night.

Bluffing is not the best way, but it should be enough for a cousin like Li Jinglong.

King Yan really knew Li Jinglong very well. Before leaving Beiping, he specially analyzed his character with his son. He could use tricks at critical times, so he was not afraid that he would not be fooled.

Ambitious and talented, timid and life-threatening.

This was King Yan's comment to Li Jinglong. In view of this, Zhu Gaochi decided to take a risk.

Princess Yan agreed to Zhu Gaochi's strategy and instructed Zhu Gaochi to send General Liang Ming and Yibin Yuan Rong out of the city together. The soldiers were divided into small groups and attacked at night from different directions in batches, the effect would be better.

Zhu Gaochi had no objection, and immediately dispatched troops to prepare for the arrival of night.

When Beiping City was in crisis, Meng Qinghe and Sanbao were reporting to King Yan about their contacts with Duoyan Sanwei.

"Behead a third-level sheep?" Yan Wang knocked on the table and laughed, "Okay, the great monk is right, you are really good."

"I don't dare to take a humble position."

Meng Qinghe immediately stated that being able to negotiate terms with Duoyan Sanwei was the result of joint efforts with Ma Tingshi.As far as bargaining with the other party is concerned, Ma Tingshi has displayed excellent eloquence, and is very talented in diplomacy and business.

"is it?"

"Go back to the prince, that's right."

"Okay!" After successfully poaching King Ning's corner, the price was half less than expected. King Yan was in a good mood, "When I return to Beiping, I will definitely be rewarded!"

Meng Qinghe and Sanbao knelt down to thank each other. The King of Yan signaled them to get up, and said: "Tomorrow I will say goodbye to King Ning, and King Ning will definitely go out of the city to see you off. The two of you try to get out of the city, order the army outside the city to set up an ambush in the suburbs, and fight with you The chiefs of Sanwei Qu agreed to lead King Ning to the outskirts alone, and the city can act together, and this will surely happen."

"Follow the order!"

King Yan ordered that Meng Qinghe and Sanbao act separately.

The three guards of Duoyan have already joined the command of King Yan, and the only troublesome thing is the guards and officials in Prince Ning's mansion.

Sanbao took the initiative to ask for Ying, so naturally Meng Qinghe would not compete with him.After reporting to the King of Yan and contacting the secret agents in the city, they said that the King of Yan had an order, and Meng Qinghe walked out of the city gate swaggeringly.

After leaving the city, it is not easy to go in again.

Fortunately, Meng Qinghe had no such plan.

Seeing Meng Twelve Lang coming out of the city, Shen Xuan nodded solemnly when he heard King Yan's plan, and summoned his subordinates to start deployment.In order to avoid King Ning's suspicion, the camp outside the city was not moved for the time being, and only secretly arranged an ambush at the predetermined location, and waited for King Yan to issue an order before pulling out of the camp.

During the days in the city, Meng Qinghe's nerves were tense all the time.

Don't look at King Ning's gentle temperament, once he finds out his actions in the city, he will definitely chop him up with a knife.

King Yan couldn't move for the time being, but it was very easy to chop him into minced meat.

In just seven days, Meng Qinghe seemed to have passed seven months.

After leaving the city and returning to Daying, seeing Shen Xuan, he felt as if he had escaped from birth in a lifetime.

Sitting in the tent, listening to Shen Xuan's ambush, Meng Qinghe's heart gradually calmed down.

Thoughts drifted away, Shen Xuan was right in front of him, but seemed far away from him.

When he regained consciousness, only he and Shen Xuan were left in the tent.

"tired?"

"Return to command, a humble job is not tiring."

"Not tired?" Shen Xuan raised one eyebrow, got up suddenly and walked to Meng Qinghe, brushing the corner of his eyes with his fingertips, "Really?"

Instinct told Meng Qinghe that he should follow Shen Xuan's words at this time, but he still shook his head in a strange way.

Shen Xuan bent down, the distance between the two was getting closer, warm breath brushed his cheeks, "Since you are not tired, then set off with me."

When he got up, his lips seemed to slide over the tip of Meng Qinghe's nose inadvertently, like the touch of a feather, vaguely absent.

Meng Qinghe opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

on purpose?Or accident?

I couldn't figure it out, so I could only resign myself to my fate and get up and follow.

Shen Xuan walked to the tent, heard footsteps behind him, did not look back, the corners of his mouth were slightly curved, and the trace of a smile disappeared in an instant.