The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 173: A trick to attack the heart, the fish takes the bait

Chapter 173: A trick to attack the heart, the fish takes the bait

A few days later, at the south gate tower of Puzhou City, several soldiers in black armor and guns gathered together, pointing to the outside of the city and discussing in low voices.

Not far outside the city, the prototype of a camp has been built. Several archery towers are being built, various military tents in the camp are being set up, drainage canals are being dug, horses are being arranged outside the camp gate, and iron caltrops are being spread. All night long, the sex was going on non-stop, and it was a lively scene.

Soldiers and horses holding high the imperial flag were moving back and forth, entering and leaving the camp under the eyes of the rebels at the top of the city, without any intention of concealing the movement.

Such scenes were staged simultaneously on the east, south and north sides of Puzhou City.

Three camps and more than a dozen trenches isolated Puzhou City into an isolated city.

"Look at this posture, the imperial army is preparing to stay for a long time and will not stop until Puzhou City is besieged to death!"

"Oh, it's so miserable! Puzhou City is surrounded on three sides, and there's nowhere to escape even if you want to!"

"Isn't there one side left?"

"That side is close to the Yellow River. Do you want to jump into the Yellow River and swim away?"

"Ahh~"

Several black-armored sergeants leaned against the battlement wall and talked, all sighing.

"I heard that there was only enough food in the treasury to last for a month. King Qin ordered that the remaining food from the people's homes in the city be confiscated. The resistance in the inner city was fierce and hundreds of people were killed."

"They are all the people of Hezhong Prefecture and fellow villagers. I wouldn't be able to do it!"

"Hmph~ If you don't rob, people will rob! If you really want to starve, then you won't rob for food, but eat people!"

"I also heard that the King of Qin ordered that the food should be eaten first by the soldiers in Hexi, Sangquan, and Heyang. The porridge they eat twice a day is twice as thick as ours, and it can be stained with meat from time to time!"

"Damn it, they're all serving as soldiers to get food. Why do they have better food than us?"

"Hehe~ The soldiers with these three nationalities were personally recruited by the King of Qin. They have been with him for the longest time. They are considered to be the emperor's personal soldiers. Of course, their treatment is different!"

"Grandma's~ one shoulder is supporting the other's head, what's the point of it! I don't accept it!~"

Several soldiers were cursing and did not notice a general in scale armor and gray robes walking behind him, carrying a sword.

"Ahem~" The general coughed heavily when he heard the complaints from the soldiers.

Several soldiers were startled and hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted: "I have seen the Zhou army envoy!"

Zhou Guangxun glanced at several people with a stern look: "Defend the city well, and if you dare to spread rumors again, you will be severely punished for the crime of confusing the morale of the army!"

All the soldiers froze and dispersed in a hurry, returning to their respective posts.

Zhou Guangxun stood by the battlement wall, overlooking the camp outside the city, and saw a group of soldiers and horses escorting hundreds of villagers into the camp gate.

The villagers seemed to be forced to come here, extremely reluctantly, and there were cries and howls along the way.

Zhou Guangxun asked in confusion: "What are they doing?"

A soldier next to him replied: "The nearby people were forced to build camps. In a few days, thousands of people have been captured from various counties. These imperial officers and soldiers are very fierce. Anyone who dares to escape is captured and beaten half to death in public. In When counties and townships arrest people, they search everywhere, just like thieves!
Yesterday, we also saw that the Huayin County magistrate personally escorted the villagers to arrive, and also sent hundreds of livestock. They were all the treasures of the villagers' homes. They were slaughtered and eaten like this. Several men knelt on the ground and cried. There was a loud noise, and I kowtowed until my face was covered with blood, it's really pitiful to look at."

When Zhou Guangxun heard the word Huayin, his heart couldn't help but trembled. He glanced at the soldier and asked, "Are you from Huayin too?"

The soldier grinned and said, "My mother is from Huayin, and my father works as a tracker at the ferry. I often go back to Huayin, and I know him very well! The magistrate of that dog even met him last year!"

Zhou Guangxun nodded and said nothing more. He stared at the lively camp outside the city for a while, then continued to patrol along the city head to check the defense.

The King of Qin flag with a gold dragon embroidered on a black background buzzed overhead. Zhou Guangxun raised his head and looked up. The lifelike golden dragon was dancing on the surging flag, which was really beautiful.

Zhou Guangxun sighed secretly, the flags of King Qin hanging all over Puzhou City could not cover up the decline of the city.

Everyone knows that King Qin is already in decline, and it is only a matter of time before the city is destroyed.

Zhou Guangxun turned around and looked outside the city. Hundreds of civilians were lining up to enter the camp.

No wonder the three camps were built so quickly. It turned out that the surrounding people were forced to come to perform labor service.

Now is the summer harvest, when farming is busy, the people are certainly not willing to leave the farm work in the fields. Such a large-scale recruitment of civilians will definitely cause uproar in the county and township.

Zhou Guangxun was worried about his old mother who stayed alone in Huayin.

The old mother suffers from eye disease, she can't see clearly when the sky is dark, and her legs and feet are also weak. When she left home a few months ago, she didn't know if she had finished eating the food that was left for her.
The more Zhou Guangxun thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

At first he wanted to move his mother to live somewhere else, but it was hard to leave her homeland and her mother didn't want to leave. He couldn't help it, so he had to prepare food and ask his neighbors to help take care of her.

I thought that no matter how hard this battle was fought, it would not affect Huayin. I never thought that Zhao Siwan in Huazhou would be defeated and the imperial troops would quickly recover the prefecture and county.

Now even Puzhou City is under siege, and Zhou Guangxun has completely cut off contact with his mother.

As a soldier of the Hezhong Army, Zhou Guangxun only knew how to follow the orders of his commander, without asking about right or wrong, right or wrong, and was never afraid of death.

But he couldn't bring his mother into danger.

When he thought of his old mother, whom he had lost contact with for several months, Zhou Guangxun was filled with sorrow and self-blame, and secretly clenched his fists.

He gritted his teeth and made up his mind to find a way out of the city and rush back to Huayin to settle his old mother properly.

~~~
Wang Jixun, the general who guarded Luocheng, lived in a private house not far from the city tower.

At this moment, Wang Jixun was shirtless, sitting by the fire, roasting a leg of lamb.

The golden mutton was fragrant, and the mutton fat dripped into the fire, making a series of sizzling sounds.

Wang Jixun's fat body was so hot that he was sweating. He stared at the barbecue like a hungry wolf, his throat sliding up and down to swallow his saliva.

Zhou Guangxun stepped into the open courtyard, cupped his fists and said, "General Wang!"

"Haha~ You really know how to choose the right time! Come on, come and try the lamb leg that I roasted by myself! Even the King of Qin agreed with my craftsmanship after eating it!"

Wang Jixun generously cut off a large piece of meat with a short knife.

Zhou Guangxun hesitated and reached out to take it: "Thank you, General!"

Wang Jixun stretched out his tongue to lick the oil on his hands, then gnawed the leg of lamb with a ferocious expression on his face.

Zhou Guangxun took a bite of the mutton and chewed it. It was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and the meat was juicy and delicious. It was indeed roasted well. However, thinking of the words of the soldiers on the city wall, Zhou Guangxun felt that it was tasteless the more he ate.

Zhou Guangxun said: "General, I was patrolling the city today and heard some soldiers talking about how they were not satisfied with the current food."

Wang Jixun glanced at him, his fleshy face glowing with oil under the firelight.

"It's good to eat some, what else are you dissatisfied with? If anyone dares to chew their tongue next time, I'll cut them off!"

Wang Jixun spat out a piece of bone and sneered fiercely.

Zhou Guangxun gritted his teeth and said: "I feel that this matter is inappropriate. Regardless of whether they are guarding the inner city or the outer city, they are all sergeants under the command of King Qin. How can we treat them differently? If this continues, the Luocheng army will be unstable."

Wang Jixun said dissatisfied: "There is not much food left, so of course we can't feed everyone! King Qin has no choice but to do this. If you are afraid that the morale of the army will be unstable, then kill a group of people. Anyone who dares to talk nonsense will be killed! Hang up There is a row of heads, let’s see who dares to talk more!”

"But..." Zhou Guangxun still wanted to argue a few words, but Wang Jixun shouted impatiently: "I said why do you care so much? You and I can eat enough and have meat to eat, isn't that enough? The King of Qin will not treat us badly, and we must do our jobs well. Just mind your own business!"

Zhou Guangxun remained silent, lowering his head and saying nothing.

Wang Jixun lowered his voice and said, "Let me tell you, King Qin has already thought of a way out. If they are defeated, King Qin will use Mrs. Fu as a hostage and ask the court to let them live. When the time comes, King Qin will take us with him."

Zhou Guangxun was surprised: "Where are you going?"

"Of course it's Shu!"

Wang Jixun's eyes were gleaming, "The King of Qin has made arrangements a long time ago. With Lady Fu in hand, the soldiers outside the city will not dare to take action for a while, so we will find a way to escape to the west. As long as we pass Ziwu Pass, there will be people from Shu." Answer.

The country of Shu is great. We are indispensable for its prosperity and wealth. I heard that there are many beauties in Shu, and they are all so tender that they can squeeze out water."

Zhou Guangxun was stunned for a long time, and finally realized that it turned out that King Qin Li Shouzhen did not expect Luocheng to be able to defend it.

He just wanted to win over thousands of direct soldiers and horses in the inner city, and then use Fu's wife as a condition to find an opportunity to escape to Shu.

Now he is using the whole city's food to supply the inner city defenders with good food and drink. He just hopes that these soldiers and horses can escort his father and son to escape westward smoothly.

Zhou Guangxun felt cold all over his body, the 10,000+ soldiers and civilians were just a bargaining chip for Li Shouzhen and his son to preserve their wealth.

The more than [-] defenders in Luocheng followed Li Shouzhen in rebellion for more than a year. In the end, they were not even worthy of a full meal. They were just a group of burdens that could be discarded at any time.

Looking at Wang Jixun, who was biting into the mutton and his mouth was full of oil, Zhou Guangxun's heart gradually became cold.

Is it really worth being loyal to such a coach?

Zhou Guangxun gradually rose to the position of cavalry envoy by virtue of his military exploits, and he was never afraid of going into battle to kill the enemy.

But at this moment, he was afraid and didn't want to die in such a worthless battle!

Wang Jixun suddenly pinched Zhou Guangxun's shoulder, pinched his shoulder bone with his big greasy hands, and shouted: "Don't reveal these words just now! I only told you as if you were one of my own, if The news leaked, huh~"

Wang Jixun tightened his palms hard, and Zhou Guangxun felt waves of severe pain.

"Don't worry, general. I despise my position and swear to be loyal to the general to the death!" Zhou Guangxun gritted his teeth and knelt down on one knee, cupping his fists.

"Very good! I knew you were a smart person!" Wang Jixun grinned with satisfaction, a ferocious face reflected in the firelight.

"There are two girls in my house. I caught them yesterday. You choose one to take away." Wang Jixun retracted his hand and continued to chew the leg of lamb.

Zhou Guangxun smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, General. The camp outside the city is noisy with gongs and drums every night. I haven't slept well for several nights, so I really can't get excited."

Wang Jixun laughed: "If you don't want me, just give it to someone else!"

Zhou Guangxun lowered his head and clasped his fists: "I have resigned from my humble position. I will take advantage of this moment to calm down and go back to sleep. I will get up to patrol the city at night."

"Go ahead, thank you for your hard work."

Watching Zhou Guangxun leave, Wang Jixun stepped on the fire, dug out a few broken bones from his mouth, shook his head and muttered: "You are a good soldier when you fight, but it's a pity that you don't have the right brain."

Late at night, just after the ugly hour, Zhou Guangxun opened his eyes and sat up from the bed.

He lay there for several hours, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

After putting on his light leather armor, helmet and sword, Zhou Guangxun opened the door and walked out.

He lived in the attic at the head of the south gate.

The cool night breeze blew against my face, and the sleepiness in my mind immediately dissipated, and my whole body was refreshed.

Zhou Guangxun took a deep breath and began to patrol along Chengtou Road.

The camp outside the city was lit with dots of firelight. Tonight, as usual, the imperial army beat gongs and drums and blew horns every hour after nightfall. The huge noise spread throughout most of Luocheng at night, making the soldiers and civilians in the city unable to sleep.

At first, Li Shouzhen thought that the imperial army was going to attack the city, so he ordered Wang Jixun to guard the city tightly every night.

Later, Wang Jixun discovered that the enemy troops were just harassing and had no real attack at all, so he gradually relaxed his vigilance.

After a few days, Wang Jixun couldn't bear the disturbance and handed over the night watch task to Zhou Guangxun and several other lieutenants and soldiers. He himself took the robbed women and hid in the inner city to rest and wait until dawn before returning.

After handing over to the last lieutenant on duty at night, Zhou Guangxun went down the city along the Dengcheng Road.

Suddenly, he saw several human heads hanging from the eaves of the turret, with blood dripping from them.

The appearance of one of the heads looked familiar. Using the light of the bonfire below the city, Zhou Guangxun took a closer look and was surprised to see that it was the soldier he had talked with at the top of the city during the day.

He remembered that the soldier's mother was from Huayin and his father was working at the ferry.

"What's going on?" Zhou Guangxun called a soldier to ask.

The soldier said angrily: "Returning to the Zhou Army, during the past few evenings when serving meals, I had a quarrel with the grain officer because I was dissatisfied that the porridge was too thin. When General Wang found out, he said they were disturbing the morale of the army and had his head chopped off."

Zhou Guangxun clenched his fists suddenly, and a surge of unknown anger rushed to his forehead.

Zhou Guangxun stared at the bloody human head and said in a low voice: "Tell me the truth, how is the porridge that our brothers eat?"

The soldier gritted his teeth and plucked up the courage to say: "Envoy Zhou, let me tell you the truth, what we eat can't be called porridge. It's almost like water. After eating it, it will be gone within two seconds of peeing! Everyone has resentment in their hearts. , but no one dared to say it! They did say it, haha, and their heads were chopped off. They died so damn useless that they couldn’t even eat enough to follow the King of Qin. What’s the point of us working hard to survive?”

The soldiers were dejected, and there were bursts of thunder from under their bellies.

Zhou Guangxun patted him on the shoulder and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't.

"Go back and rest after the changing of the guard." He could only sigh bitterly.

Zhou Guangxun knew that he had no ability to get food for his brothers. He couldn't even convince Wang Jixun, let alone meet Li Shouzhen.

Those bloody heads made him scared. He knew that if he continued like this, one day his head would also hang on it, or he might die on the battlefield and be charged with treason, implicating his mother.
Thinking of his mother, Zhou Guangxun's heart tightened. He looked towards the inner city tower, where there were bright lights and faint music.

Those who can sit in the inner tower to eat meat and drink are Li Shouzhen's most trusted generals.

The soldiers guarding Luocheng suffered from hunger and lost their heads just for a mouthful of porridge.

In the inner city, the King of Qin's trusted generals and direct soldiers can sit on the city wall and drink wine and eat meat?

When the King of Qin revolted, he said that he would benefit the people of Guanzhong and let all the brothers in the Hezhong Army enjoy wealth and honor.

But at a critical moment of life and death, King Qin understood the relationship between closeness and distance in his heart better than anyone else.

"Since I joined the Hezhong Army, I, Zhou Guangxun, killed the Khitans in Hedong and the imperial troops at Tongguan. I have never flinched in several bloody battles. If I am worthy of the food and salary I have received from the Hezhong Army over the years, I do not owe the Li family!"

Zhou Guangxun took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and made a decision in his heart.

He took out an iron token from his arms, with his name and position engraved on it, which he had earned through years of hard work.

He stroked the token carefully, smiled sadly, and threw it into the stinky ditch, scaring a few rats that gnawed on human bones.

Zhou Guangxun took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, ducked into the alleyway, strode towards the western section of the city wall, and disappeared into the darkness.
(End of this chapter)

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