The fox minister in the late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 224
The collision of weapons and the screams of people resounded around. Outside the floating clouds, thousands of troops and horses passed by on the moon-filled land. Several knights who formed a small team reported something and quickly patted their horses away.

Geng Qing looked at the note in his hand and handed it to Jiuyu. The latter stretched out the torch and burned the paper. Watching the ashes fall, he smiled softly.

"Sure enough, the Shence Army has no experience in battle, and the soldiers are not tired of deceit. It's just talking. You taught them a lesson this time."

On the side, Geng Qing on horseback didn't answer these words, looking at the 'sea of ​​stars' where countless torch lights converged in the darkness in the distance, he was slightly dazed, and after a while, he followed up with a smile.

"Tell me, the man in the palace, what will he do next when he hears the news?"

"He has the appearance of a wise king. He should guard the city and never retreat!"

Geng Qing shook his head. When there were soldiers and horses shouting at each other and running past, he blinked his eyes and said, "Then you and I make a bet and we will find out later. In my opinion, that His Majesty will abandon the city and go away." .”

"Oh? How do you guess?" Jiuyu became interested.

"It's just tradition."

Geng Qing flexed his fist, and slowly raised a finger: "There is more than one emperor who ran away, and he won't look ashamed if he runs again."

Saying that, the second finger stretched out.

"Secondly, the emperor, who claims to be the master of the world, feels that once he dies, everything is over. As long as he does not die, he will have a chance to start again. The last one thinks so. Such an emperor dare not work hard, and the people below will They don’t even risk their lives to fight, they always want to run with the emperor, and if they are successful in escorting them, even if they lose, they can get promoted and make a fortune elsewhere.”

Jiuyu raised his eyebrows, "So, Chang'an must be broken?"

Geng Qing nodded.

"Chang'an must be broken! But it is impossible to capture the emperor. Forty thousand Longyou infantry can only attack a city wall at night, and there is no way to distinguish more soldiers and horses to surround it."

As he said the words, in his eyes, an arrow dragging a line of fire across the night sky and clear moon, and then exploded with a 'pop', bursting out countless sparks, shining on Geng Qing's face.

"Siege the city!"

The fireworks of the warning signal exploded in the sky, illuminating the wilderness below, and the running cavalry interspersed with each other, driving the deserters to the city wall, and at the same time as the arrows rained down, the archers on the city wall screamed and shouted. Dial the Shence Army and rush over.

As early as half an hour ago, he was alarmed by the fighting in the fields outside the city. However, the sky was dark and it was impossible to find out the real situation. The news was reported to the mansions of Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, and Zhang Guibian who were resting in the city. , The three of them immediately exploded. This kind of night attack on the city wall is still the capital of a country, and they are so horrified that it is difficult to speak.

The three generals brought reinforcements over, the last outpost camp outside had been breached, and the fireworks of the warning signal exploded in the air, illuminating the outside of the city.

The soldiers guarding the city raised their torches to look over, and all they saw were dark figures running fast, and cavalrymen holding torches roared past.

Arrows shot from the darkness towards the city wall, and were nailed to the soldiers who were investigating behind the wall. The torches fell down the city wall, and within the illuminated area, pairs of footsteps stepped in.

"Hanging a ladder—"

A human voice screamed, and a long ladder stood on the ground with a "boom", and the shield pawns rushed to lift up the shield, and three or five soldiers pushed the ladder over in unison. The section with the iron hook, "Boom ' hung on the edge of the parapet.

Among the falling arrows, they stretched past the wall. Without any hesitation, each soldier put the steel knife in his mouth, stepped on the wooden steps and climbed up, spreading across the city wall like a colony of ants. He took the blade in his mouth and jumped onto the wall stack, pointed at the shield coming up, cut out a knife, swooped down on the shield, and smashed the shield with his body along with the pawns behind, and then stabbed with a few spears. Come, penetrate his body, push against the wall.

"Ahhhh-"

Huge chaos erupted on the city wall in an instant. Groups of Longyou soldiers were shot down by arrows or guns, and even more jumped into the wall with knives, slashed wildly in all directions, and pushed away screaming. On the place where he settled down, he protected the ladder behind him, and the comrades on the ladder rushed up and stood firm.

Arrows flew up and down the city, and in the chaotic light of swords, the Shence Army defending the city gathered one after another, and were defeated, retreated and reorganized one after another.

Most of them have been newly built in the past few years, and some of them are soldiers under the command of the Zhang brothers who had surrendered. Ba led people to rush over, and half of the city wall had already fallen into the hands of the Longyou army.

Seeing the Longyou soldiers rushing up, fighting in the crowd like cutting melons and vegetables, there was an indescribable sense of separation. In an instant, a Longyou general split a Shence army with a knife, and looked over.

"Zhao Zhouyi is here!"

Fireworks from the warning fire shot into the night sky from the top of the city, and the news of the attack rushed to the government offices and the palace like snowflakes. At the same time as the fireworks lit up the night sky, Li Ye got up from the dragon bed and hurriedly put on a single coat. Take the guards to the main hall of Zichen.

"What about the western wall?"

"Your Majesty, the news is still on the way, it should come soon."

Li Ye nodded calmly. The moment the fireworks illuminated his face, he turned pale. He walked up to the nearest building and looked out in his single clothes. The sound of fighting and shouting came.

"Have the Zhang brothers rushed to the city wall?"

The guard following behind nodded: "The first time, I have already rushed."

Hearing this, the emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief. The generals around him, the ones who surrendered like the yellow thieves, had experienced battle and were still useful.

The rest either received a reward and led troops to garrison a place outside, or when he ascended the throne as a great treasure, he ascended to the throne and seized the military power secretly. Now that the war has forced Chang'an and endangered the imperial city, he felt more or less regretful.

I also realized the feeling of the emperor's brother who was forced to tour the south of Shu.

"Du Rangneng Li Shunjie. I handed over the soldiers and horses to you, and this is how I repayed me?!" He gritted his teeth and hit the wooden fence with a fist, then turned around and ordered in a low voice: "Order the city's Chinese military capital to come to the palace and let them send The guardians and servants are all gathered outside the palace, ready to reinforce the city wall!"

He looked at the west wall again.

The hysterical fighting has reached a tragic level, like a colony of ants climbing up to join the battle group, there is a fierce blade collision, and sparks are dancing in the crowd, Zhang Guiba blocked the opposite Longyou general with a knife, backhanded The opponent retreated, trying to rush over, but was pulled back by the guards around him.

"Let's go, general!"

Zhang Guiba was pulled back by several soldiers. In his field of vision, Longyou soldiers flooded over the city like a tide, and figures on ladders kept jumping up. Catch up and kill him with a single blow.

"Surrender, I surrender—"

Someone couldn't hold on, dropped his weapon, stretched out his hands, squatted on the ground and shouted to the surroundings. Groups of soldiers rushing to look at him, they didn't move anymore, passed by him, and slammed into the front with their companions. Among the resisting enemies.

The burning fire illuminated most of the city tower, and the black smoke billowed into the night sky. The leading general of Longyou, Zhao Zhouyi, led his personal guards, had entered the stone steps of the inner city wall, and soon dispersed the Shence army below to occupy the city gate. .

"One, Two"

In the last word 'three', Longyou soldiers opened the city gate.

Rangers wandering outside the city shooting arrows saw this scene, and drew their bows and swords one after another. Fu Daozhao galloped wildly with eight short spears, roaring: "The gate of the city has been opened, follow me into the city—"

Rumbling--

The scattered cavalry gathered, rushed up in a cone shape, and rushed into the city gate.

(End of this chapter)