big song poppi

Chapter 251 0248 [My knees are too hard and I can’t kneel down]

December 31st is the New Year's Day.

With the sound of firecrackers a year old, the spring breeze sent warmth to Tusu.

New Year's Eve, the last day of the fifth year of Xuanhe, was supposed to be a day for family reunion and celebration.

However, the people in Licheng did not feel the slightest joy and were always shrouded in the haze and depression of the war.

"Kill!!!"

The loud shouting of killing sounded again.

On the deserted streets, pedestrians in twos and threes quickly disappeared.

On top of the city tower, Li Heihu's face was full of exhaustion, and there was a bloodstain on one side of his fair cheek.

This was wiped clean by the arrows of the divine arm crossbow while guarding the city last night.

If the arrow had missed a point, Li Heihu would have been a stiff corpse at this moment.

Below the city, all kinds of siege equipment are advancing steadily.

Divine arm crossbows, three-bow bed crossbows, and catapults fired in succession to cover the soldiers' attack on the city.

At this moment, the Black Mountain bandits could only watch the Western soldiers rushing towards the city wall in a hail of arrows.

Without him, we will run out of ammunition and food!

The arrows were completely gone. In order to make arrows, all the meltable iron in the city was melted, and hundreds of houses were demolished.

Now, Li Heihu could only order civilians to pick up the arrows shot by the Western Army after the Western Army retreated, repair them briefly, and use them for his own use.

As for the boulders and rolling logs, they have been used up long ago.

There is no shortage of golden juice, but the problem is that there is no firewood to cook it.

The situation of the Black Mountain bandits is getting more and more difficult. Now every time the Western Army attacks the city, all they can do is fight hand to hand with their lives!
Suppressed by the long-range firepower of catapults and three-bow crossbows, the first batch of prisoners of war climbed up the city wall along the ladder.

As soon as the three prisoners of war climbed onto the city wall, a cold light flashed across their faces.

The long and narrow sword slashed through a graceful arc, and with the inertia generated by twisting and twisting, it actually cut three people in half.

puff!

Blood spurted out, mixed with internal organs, and splashed onto the already dark ground.

After killing three prisoners of war with one knife, Li Heihu kept moving and immediately rushed to the next prisoner of war.

If you look closely at her fighting style, you can notice the differences from Liu Qi, Han Zhen and others.

After all, she is a woman. Even if she has practiced martial arts since she was a child, her strength is not as strong as that of a man of the same level. This is a natural disadvantage that can only be made up for through skills.

Therefore, every time he swung the sword, he relied on the strength of his legs and waist.

The steps never stopped from beginning to end, and the whole person always maintained a sense of inertia.

"Clang clang clang!"

The rapid sound of golden drums was heard in the distance, and the prisoners of war retreated like a tide.

Li Heihu put his sword on the ground and gasped for air.

She didn't know how many people she had killed. At this moment, her body was covered in blood and she looked like a female Shura.

The guards silently ordered the civilians to throw the bodies off the city wall.

The other Black Mountain thieves seized the moment and sat down on the ground to rest.

Days of high-intensity fighting had left them physically and mentally exhausted and numb.

Li Heihu knew that this was the Western Army's tactic to tire out the enemy, but he had no choice but to passively accept the move.

Because you never know whether the next wave of offensive will be fierce or whether the next wave of attackers will be prisoners of war or the main force of the Western Army in disguise.

She didn't dare to take a gamble, so she could only tighten her nerves and deal with every siege cautiously.

During this period, Yang Weizhong never tried to recruit people to surrender.

However, as soon as the soldiers who persuaded them to surrender arrived at the gate, they were shot to death by random arrows ordered by Li Heihu.

Recruiting?

She would rather die than be a dog for Zhao Song!
If it were an ordinary rebel, he would have collapsed long ago, but Li Heihu had some skills and charisma, and the backbone was all Montenegrin bandits, so he withstood it.

"Will Han Zhen come?"

Mr. Yin's voice sounded behind him.

During this time, they also captured some Western soldiers and prisoners of war, and asked them about the reasons for the Western Army's abnormality a while ago.

Qingzhou Army, Han Zhen!

They defeated the left army of the Western Army and captured Liu Guangshi alive.

"Will do!"

Li Heihu said with certainty: "He doesn't know how to delay, and he doesn't dare to delay."

Since ancient times, small and broad means have always been focused on the word "quick", which can quickly form a prairie fire with a spark.

Otherwise, once it falls into the quagmire, it will be destroyed soon.

Mr. Yin smiled bitterly and said: "But even if he defeats the Western Army, he will raise a butcher's knife against us in the next moment. What's the point of your persistence?"

"I said a long time ago that as long as Zhao and Song are destroyed, I don't care who becomes the emperor. I just want to witness with my own eyes the scene when Han Zhen completely defeated the Western Army."

After Li Heihu said that, he turned to look at Mr. Xiang Yin and the guards, and said seriously: "Don't worry, I will find a way to save your life by then!"

After the words fell, it was obvious that the guards breathed a sigh of relief, with gratitude in their eyes.

……

The atmosphere in the Western Army camp a few miles away was equally tense.

Han Shizhong, Wu Jie and other generals were preparing for war, digging trenches and building resisting horses.

Now, they seem to have a military advantage, but in fact they are in a very passive situation.

Because whether to fight or not, and how to fight, the initiative lies in the hands of the Qingzhou Army.

The reason for all this, apart from the more than [-] heavy armored cavalry, more importantly, was that the Western Army scouts were completely crushed.

Information is too important for a general.

If the scout is unable to compete with the opponent, it is equivalent to being blind.

The Qingzhou Army can harass the Western Army's logistics troops without restraint, but does Yang Weizhong dare to attack the Qingzhou Army's logistics troops?
Not at all!

The scouts were at a disadvantage in the confrontation, leaving Yang Weizhong completely unaware of the Qingzhou Army's logistical movements and routes.

In such a situation where the eyes are dark, sending troops to harass is not letting the soldiers die for nothing.

In addition, when Liang Fangping escaped, he took away only three thousand cavalry.

Without cavalry, rely on infantry to attack?
The only good news is that the tactics of exhausting the enemy are very effective. The Black Mountain bandits in Li City are on the verge of collapse under the constant harassment day and night, and there is no possibility of leaving the city to fight.

In this way, Yang Weizhong only had to deal with the Western Army with all his strength, and did not have to worry about being attacked from both sides.

The gloomy sky was covered with snowflakes.

Compared with the nervous and depressed Western Army, the atmosphere of the Qingzhou Army was much better.

Hundreds of cauldrons were set up, and bursts of thick mist, accompanied by bursts of aroma, filled the military camp.

As the sky gradually darkened, the soldiers also ended their day's training.

In these three wars, tens of thousands of prisoners of war were captured.

These prisoners of war were divided into two groups. One group was Western Army soldiers, with a smaller number of less than 3000.

The other group consisted of Gao Tuoshan and Zhang Di's generals, numbering nearly [-].

He is said to be a general, but in fact he is no different from a peasant.

Han Zhen organized these 5 people into an auxiliary army, responsible for escorting the transportation of food and grass, burying pots and camp and other trivial matters.

When two armies are fighting, whoever has more people does not have a greater chance of winning.

In fact, this kind of mob can do bad things on the battlefield.

Don't think that the first two defeats of Liu Guangshi and Zhang Jun were all due to firearms. These prisoners of war also played a big role.

The loud noise of firearm explosion caused these prisoners of war, who had no professional military training and weak willpower, to collapse immediately. It was precisely because of their defeat that the Western army's formation was completely chaotic, allowing the heavy armored cavalry to charge unscrupulously.

If time had passed, Han Zhen might have been able to practice patiently, but the decisive battle was right in front of him, so how could he take the risk?

Therefore, Han Zhen arranged these prisoners of war in the rear and worked as civilian servants and auxiliary troops.

The more than [-] Western troops are standard ready-to-combat strength.

Due to multiple considerations, Han Zhen finally decided not to mix these Western armies with the Qingzhou army for the time being, but to form a separate army and hand it over to the commander-in-chief of Wei.

"Why does it smell so good?"

"It looks like broth!" "Hiss, is there meat to eat again tonight?"

After eating hard food for several days, these Western prisoners of war were convinced of the pie drawn by Han Zhen.

Who is a soldier who can cook three meals a day and have enough to eat every meal?
Nowadays, all they think about is killing the enemy and receiving rewards for meritorious service, building a new house, buying cattle, and marrying a wife!

"Clang clang clang!"

Lao Jiu took the gong and drum and beat it hard several times.

The harsh sound immediately silenced the group of Western prisoners of war.

Han Zhen stepped forward and said loudly: "Today is New Year's Eve. I should have treated my brothers to a good meal. However, the conditions in the army are limited and they only have meat soup and buns. After the war is settled and Zhao Song is defeated, a celebration banquet will be held I’ll treat you brothers to a good meal, and then I’ll have a big mouthful of meat and a big bowl of wine, okay?”

"it is good!!!"

More than [-] Western prisoners of war shouted in unison. Many were deeply moved and had tears in their eyes.

Although it is just a small heart-warming gesture, the effect is extremely good.

South wontons and north wontons.

Eating buns on New Year's Eve is a tradition for northerners.

A delicious meal aroused their homesickness and at the same time made them feel cared for.

During the Western Army, those high-ranking generals never treated them as human beings.

Han Zhen raised the corners of his mouth slightly and continued to speak loudly: "In addition, all the brothers will be rewarded with a hundred cash later. It is not much money, but it is my heart and soul, so that the brothers can enjoy the joy of the New Year!"

"Thank you sir for the reward!"

When they heard that there would be rewards later, the eyes of these Western soldiers suddenly lit up and they hurriedly thanked them loudly.

Not far away, Xiao Wu said with a puzzled face: "It's okay to just eat buns, why are we giving rewards to these prisoners of war?"

There are more than 3000 people, each with one hundred coins, which adds up to more than [-] coins!
The prodigal son is not such a loser!
"You know shit!"

Nie Dong glanced at him sideways and sneered: "So you are the battalion commander and I am the county magistrate!"

"Makes sense!"

Xiao Wu tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Although he still didn't understand why the county magistrate wanted to give out money, Brother Nie was right. Otherwise, others could become big things, but he had been working around for so many years, but in the end he was just a battalion commander.

There was a long queue in front of hundreds of cauldrons.

The military cook waved his wooden spoon and shouted loudly: "Don't worry, everyone has it. If you are not full, please add more!"

As he spoke, he skillfully scooped up a large spoonful of buns.

After shaking his hands out of habit, he put it into Wu Ji's broken pottery bowl.

Fufu is actually the noodle soup of later generations.

Wu Ji held the bowl and found a random corner to squat down.

There is a large amount of noodles in the bowl, a thick layer of oil floating on the soup surface, and the rich fragrance penetrates directly into the nose.

In the past, buns would be eaten at home on New Year's Eve, but each person would only have a few slices in the bowl.

This is just the flour that my parents have worked so hard to save all year long, and the soup is clear and watery.

But every time, Wu Ji wolfed down the food.

For poor people, refined grains such as flour cannot be eaten only a few times a year.

After blowing the hot air slightly, Wu Ji took out two branches from his arms, picked up one and stuffed it into his mouth.

The chewy texture of the dough and the salty taste immediately spread in your mouth.

The broth is delicious!
The next moment, Wu Ji sped up his movements, and started eating hungrily, regardless of the heat.

As he ate, big tears fell from the corners of his eyes and fell into the bowl.

After finishing a bowl of buns, Wu Ji burst into tears.

There are not a few Western prisoners of war like him.

Wiping away tears, he stood up and lined up again.

After eating three large bowls in a row, I was finally full. My stomach felt warm and comfortable.

Han Zhen never left ink when distributing money. After eating, he led the army secretary to start distributing reward money, each of which was [-] yuan.

……

Wu Ji was lying in the cowhide tent, listening to the snoring of the robes, staring at the roof of the tent with wide eyes.

After looking at it for a while, he reached out and took out a hundred copper coins that were warmed from his arms, and counted them one by one.

He had never been to school and was not good at arithmetic. He counted one hundred pennies several times before he finally counted them all.

Carefully putting the copper coins into the cloth bag, stuffing it back into his arms, and patting it gently with his hand, a smile flashed in Wu Ji's eyes.

Brother Ninth really didn't lie to himself. The county magistrate had already given him a reward before the battle started.

After achieving military merit, I think there will be no shortage of reward money.

An ox has twelve skewers, and a brick house only needs [-] skewers. So how many people do you need to behead to get enough?
Wu Ji counted on his fingers for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

Forget it, I'll ask the old dog tomorrow. He has a quick brain and is better at arithmetic than me.

"Wu Laosi, are you asleep?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded.

old dog?

Wu Ji was overjoyed and lowered his voice and said: "Old dog, it's just a good time for you to be awake. Please help me settle the accounts. A farm cow has twelve guans, a brick house has [-] guans. If you behead one level, you will be rewarded with four guans. I want to do it right away." How much military merit does it take to get it all together?"

After thinking for a moment, the old dog replied: "Ten...eighteen!"

"You want to kill so many people?"

Wu Ji was slightly startled.

"Not much more."

The old dog muttered.

After that, the two fell into silence.

Not long after, the old dog smacked his mouth and replied: "The buns tonight are so delicious, I still want to eat them."

Wu Ji hurriedly echoed: "Me too!"

……

In the prisoner-of-war camp, Liu Guangshi, Wang Yuan and other senior generals were imprisoned.

Han Zhen personally carried the food box, walked into a tent, and asked: "General Wang, are you feeling better?"

"I don't have to worry about Magistrate Han, I can't die for the time being." Wang Yuan looked pale and his tone was cold.

Han Zhen was not annoyed and put the food box in front of him and said: "Today is New Year's Eve. The army has made buns. General Wang will try it."

Hearing this, Wang Yuan was stunned for a moment. He opened the food box and saw a bowl of steamed soup.

After picking up the bowl and finishing the meal with a splash, he raised his sleeve and wiped his mouth, his expression softened a lot, and he persuaded earnestly: "Han Zhen, if you are so capable, why didn't you want to serve the country and instead became a traitor? In my opinion, with your ability, it is not difficult to become a general or a general."

"Fortunately, it's not too late now. If you want to recruit someone, I can be your guarantee!"

Han Zhen said in a calm tone: "I am a fierce tiger in this mountain. Why do you surrender yourself and become a lackey of that sect? General Wang, let me ask you, is it better to be a free king, or to be a slave to others?"

Wang Yuan frowned slightly and said: "Be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, how can you talk about being a lackey?"

Han Zhen sneered: "What kind of person is Di Hanchen? In front of Han Qi, wouldn't he still call himself a lackey and be publicly humiliated by a concubine? If Di Qing is like this, aren't you and other military officers no different from slaves in front of civilian officials?"

"This……"

Wang Yuan's expression froze and he didn't know how to answer.

"My knees were too hard and I couldn't kneel down, so I couldn't be a slave, so I killed the officials and rebelled."

Han Zhen changed his tone and asked with a smile: "I wonder if General Wang's knees are hard?"

"..."

Wang Yuan turned his face sideways and remained silent.

Seeing this, Han Zhen smiled, turned and left.

If Wang Yuan could instigate rebellion, it would be a good thing for him, as it would make the Western Army prisoners of war have a greater sense of belonging, and if the Western Army generals surrendered to him, the prestige of the Zhao and Song court would also be affected.

But Han Zhen didn't force it. If it happened, it would be an unexpected surprise.

If it fails, there is no big loss.

(End of this chapter)