Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 182
Bursts of black smoke shot out from the bottom of the watchtower in the distance, and the soldiers upstairs also panicked. They shouted and aimed the ballista at random and shot around.

If the bottom is really on fire, they can't run even if they want to, they can only sit and wait.

The Gongsun Zan generals who were watching upstairs were all shocked. Did Yuan Jun use fire to attack?

Everyone immediately became suspicious, logically speaking, it shouldn't be, if you want to set fire to the watchtower, you should pile up firewood and straw on the ground floor to ignite it, but there are soldiers guarding the ground floor, how can you let the other side light the fire easily?

If you kill all the defenders and then light the fire, wouldn't it be superfluous?
A sharp-eyed general watched for a while before he lost his voice and said: "It seems that the fire did not start from the bottom of the watchtower, but from the ground!
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. Was this the torch that Yuan Shaojun raised accidentally ignited the surrounding tools when he was digging the tunnel?

A general heard this and said with a smile: "It's their bad luck, they deserve it."

Tian Kai frowned, always feeling that something was wrong.

The smoke from the ground seemed to have dissipated a bit, and everyone stared at the watchtower closely, and found that there was no movement, so they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Gongsun Zan's sergeants on the watchtower were also relieved. They laughed and drew their bows to shoot arrows at Yuan Jun's soldiers in the distance. Some people were still shouting and jumping on the watchtower to provoke.

Suddenly there was a loud rattling sound from the bottom of the watchtower, and the building shook violently.

The soldiers upstairs were stupefied with fright, and they all stopped.

The next moment, the bottom of the watchtower continued to make cracking sounds, and began to slowly tilt.

The soldiers above saw that the whole world seemed to be turning, and they desperately grabbed the wall of the watchtower, screaming in horror.

But none of this can stop the watchtower, which is more than ten feet high, from slow to fast, and accelerates to the ground.

In extreme panic, the soldiers jumped out of the building one after another, fell like beans from a high altitude, and then fell to the ground into bloody flowers.

In the end, the watchtower collapsed, creating a deep ditch on the ground, and the sawdust and bricks scattered in all directions, causing a large cloud of smoke.

Several small watchtowers that were affected were either completely crushed or knocked over by the splashing bricks. The people inside were instantly buried below and disappeared in the smoke and dust.

The loud sound of the watchtower collapsing spread throughout Yijing. The faces of Gongsun Zan's subordinates turned pale, and someone said, "Is this because the foundation has been dug and collapsed, or is the watchtower itself unstable?"

"If the former, how did they do it?"

Yuan Shaojun didn't give them time to think. An hour later, another watchtower collapsed.

Two hours later, there was another one.

After hearing the screams of soldiers from far away, everyone realized that this must be Yuan Jun who has mastered the method of digging down the watchtower!

Why, aren't they afraid of death?

Then the spies who reported the news solved their doubts.

The spy saw with his own eyes that Yuan Jun dug up the foundation of the watchtower, then supported it with thick tree trunks, and then dug up the surrounding soil.

In this way, the weight of the watchtower was supported by the tree trunk. At this time, Yuan Jun soldiers piled up straw and firewood around the tree trunk, poured tung oil on it and lit it.

With the tree trunk burned away, there is nothing to support the bottom of the watchtower, and the watchtower will lose its balance and fall!
Everyone listened and looked at each other, Yuan Jun's method was so vicious, now their hope of suppressing Yuan Jun with the watchtower was completely in vain!
Look at it like this, within three days, all the watchtowers will be dug down!
The generals secretly looked at Gongsun Zan, and found that his face was expressionless, and he didn't respond, not only sighed in his heart.

Is the former White Horse General finally coming to an end?
The next day came, Gongsun Zan's army retreated steadily under Yuan Jun's tunnel ground offensive, and there was a loud sound of the watchtower collapsing in the city.

When a watchtower fell, it smashed the next watchtower to the couch, and the splashed watchtower remnants bounced and rolled on the ground, hitting the watchtower where Gongsun Zan was.

The watchtower trembled a few times, and everyone stabilized their bodies, and they breathed a sigh of relief when they found that it hadn't collapsed.

A general shouted: "General, take us out and fight them!"

"Yes, we fought!"

"General, we will protect you to break through!"

However, everyone shouted uproariously, and Gongsun Zan remained indifferent, not knowing what he was thinking.

Guan Jing stood up at this time, he walked behind Gongsun Zan, fell on the ground and bowed deeply.

"That day I suggested that the general be trapped in Yijing, which proved to be a big mistake. This is Jing's fault, and today I will repay the general with myself."

He strode downstairs, led a few guards and rushed into Yuan Jun's crowd with their swords raised, and then they were submerged in an instant like a stone thrown into a pond.

Everyone turned to Gongsun Zan, Tian Kai took two steps forward, but heard Gongsun Zan speak.

"Bring all my family members here, and you all surrender to Yuan Shao."

"He cherishes his reputation and will definitely accept you, so go."

As soon as these words came out, all the generals knelt down and shouted: "I died for the general!"

Gongsun Zan waved his hand and stopped talking.

All the generals looked at each other in blank dismay, and some began to become active.

They have done their best, with Gongsun Zan like this, do you really want to accompany him to die?
Yuan Shao was sitting in the tent, while Yuan Xi and several other counselors stood at the bottom.

The three Gongsun Zan generals were escorted up, Yuan Shao said, "Are you willing to surrender?"

Two of them said in unison: "The last wish comes down!"

Yuan Shao nodded and said, "I will definitely not treat you badly, so let's go down first."

After the two generals went out, the remaining general remained silent, and Ju Shou said to him, "My lord asked, why don't you speak?"

The general did reach into his arms, Zhang Yun and Yuan Xi reacted very quickly, and suddenly blocked Yuan Shao, only to see that general took out a dagger.

The guards at the side panicked immediately, and they didn't know how this man hid himself, but he escaped their search!
Yuan Xi and Zhang Xi glanced at each other, and pressed their hands on the hilt of their swords. They didn't panic at all. The short sword of the other party, in their eyes, was not at all threatening when they were wearing armor.

Amidst the intimidation of the crowd, the general of Gongsun Zan's army did not change his face, and he clasped his fists at Yuan Shao and said, "I am here not to surrender, but to remonstrate with you. If you can save General Gongsun's life, I will be grateful." Endless."

After speaking, he picked up the dagger with his backhand, pierced his heart with a puff, and fell to the ground dead.

Seeing this scene, everyone was stunned, Yuan Shao sighed and said, "This man is loyal, take him down for a dignified burial."

The guards carried Gongsun Zan's body out, and everyone fell silent for a while.

Yuan Shao sighed again: "Gongsun Zan has such generals, but he can't treat them kindly. He has let them down."

Yuan Xi sighed secretly, this general is loyal, but in this way, wouldn't Gongsun Zan make Yuan Shao more afraid?

He stepped out, cupped his hands and said, "May I persuade Gongsun Zan to surrender, my lord."

Ju Shou shook his head, thinking Yuan Xi is stupid, can't see what Yuan Shao is thinking?
Sure enough, Yuan Shao hesitated for a while, and said, "The city is too dangerous, what if Gongsun Zan jumps over the wall in a hurry, and it's not good for you?"

Yuan Xi said: "I heard that the Yun Tower in the city is about to be built. I'm on the top of the building, keeping a distance from Gongsun Zan and guarded by guards. I should be fine."

"If there is an accident, I will bear it with all my strength."

Jushou cursed secretly in his heart, this son is so stupid!
Seeing Yuan Xi's insistence, Yuan Shao had no choice but to say: "Forget it, wait for me to write a letter of persuasion, and you will hand it to him for me."

Yuan Xi came out of the tent with a scroll of silk books, found Tian Yu, and said, "It's time for me to fulfill my promise to you."

"I have persuaded Father to surrender General Gongsun, but I cannot decide whether he is willing or not."

Tian Yu didn't expect that Yuan Xi would really get things done. He didn't have any expectations before, and thought it was just Yuan Xi's casual remarks!
He bowed and bowed, and said solemnly: "Master, you must practice what you say, Yu Ming feels deeply."

Yuan Xi asked Zhao Yun to be called back, told him his plan, and said, "Brother Zilong, do you want to make a break with Gongsun Zan?"

Zhao Yun pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "Young Master, then."

Tai Shici said from the side: "I will go too, in case the enemy's archers have evil intentions and strike against you."

Yuan Xi laughed and said, "There are two of you in charge, so there is really nothing to be afraid of."

Sun Li raised his hand at the side and said, "What about me, what about me?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Put on your armor and block the arrows for me."

After hearing this, everyone laughed. Seeing that the overall situation has been settled, they felt relieved.

Tian Yu, however, was in a heavy heart. Tian Kai's bullish temper definitely wanted to follow Gongsun Zan. If he could persuade Gongsun Zan, he could save Tian Kai's life.

But can it really be done?
In Yijing City, dozens of watchtowers all collapsed, leaving only the tallest watchtower in the center crumbling.

Hou's face was pale, she hugged her baby tightly, knelt on the ground and begged: "Please husband, for the sake of the child's youth, give him a way out!"

Gongsun Zan let go of the rope in his hand, and the corpse in front of him fell heavily to the ground.

This is Gongsun Zan's eldest sister, who was strangled to death by him just now.

There were more than a dozen family members of Gongsun Zan in the corner next to them, all of them looked dull, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate.

There was only one scholar in his 30s and [-]s with his hands tied and his eyes showing anger.

Gongsun Zan turned to Hou with a calm face: "Everything is over."

"They can let my subordinates go, but they won't let me and you go."

"If you dare not die, I will help you."

Hou shook her head and said, "The concubine has nothing to fear, but the child..."

Gongsun Zan growled, "What child, do you think they will let my child survive?"

Hou's lips trembled, and she slowly let go of her fingers that were tightly hugging the swaddling baby. She staggered a few steps forward and was about to speak.

Suddenly, a voice came from a distance, "Yuan Xi, son of Yuan Benchu, Yuan Xianyi, please see Marquis Ji."

"The boy brought a letter for my father, and I invite Marquis Ji to read it."

Everyone, including Gongsun Zan, turned their heads and looked out of the window. There was a tall cloud building in the middle, which was being slowly approached by the soldiers below.

Standing on the top of the cloud tower were several generals, and the leader was a heroic young man who stepped forward, holding a scroll of silk books in his hand.

Standing on the top of the cloud tower, he said loudly, "Can Marquis Ji show up?"

"My father promises that if Marquis Ji breaks the festival, he will be treated as a guest of honor!"

(End of this chapter)