The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 179 Puzhou City Breakdown
At the ugly time, around two o'clock in the morning, thick smoke suddenly rose from the warehouse where the ordnance was stacked at the south gate of Luocheng, and a fire broke out without warning.

The fire spread extremely quickly, engulfing most of the warehouse in the blink of an eye.

Not only were a large number of armors and weapons piled in the warehouse, but also the fierce fire oil used to defend the city. After being ignited by an open fire, the wooden barrels were burned and overflowed. Under the fierce fire, the fire became more and more raging.

The soldier guarding the warehouse wanted to rush into the warehouse to put out the fire. Within a few steps of rushing in, he was engulfed in flames.

The beams burned out and collapsed, large pieces of tile eaves fell off, the brick walls burned red and hot, and the scorching heat wave could cook people to death.

"Bang bang bang~" The harsh gong rang, and the guardsmen fled in all directions, shouting loudly: "The water has escaped! The water has escaped!"

The two lieutenants who had gone to rest were awakened. They got up in a panic. They didn't even bother to put on their armor. While organizing people to put out the fire, they sent people to the inner city to report to Wang Jixun.

Suddenly, war drums beat loudly, and shouts of killing came from near the south gate. Hundreds of soldiers with their arms wrapped in white cloth rushed toward the south gate, and a fire broke out with the city gate defenders who were on duty that night.

The inner city gate opened. Wang Jixun was wearing a loose armor with a slanted pocket. He was holding an iron whip and was running out of the city gate on horseback.

There were fires everywhere near the south gate, the shouts of killing were loud, and the drums were beating continuously.

Wang Jixun was so shocked that he almost slipped off the saddle and became furious: "What's going on?"

"Report~ Zhou Guangxun, the commander of the Zuo army, has rebelled! He is leading his army to attack the south gate! Chang Yi and Sun Huang were killed by Zhou Guangxun! Zhou Guangxun called on the troops to surrender to the court and kill the King of Qin. There have been several commanding officers. Soldiers respond!”

"What?! Bastard!"

Wang Jixun was shaking with anger and gritted his teeth, "What a Zhou Guangxun, I will smash your head with my own hands! Send an order to the entire army, anyone who dares to follow Zhou Guangxun will be killed without mercy!"

Wang Jixun clapped his horse and rushed towards the south gate, and the inner city gate slowly closed behind him.

The huge city of Luo was in chaos, putting out fires and fighting, and some even thought that the government troops were entering the city. It was difficult to distinguish between friends and foes in the dark, and they had to kill each other to save their lives.

Outside the city, Li Chongjin and Zhao Kuangyin, who had been waiting for a long time, each led an army and rushed to the moat, each carrying several boats and wooden planks.

At an order, the sergeants pushed the boat rafts down the moat, and a dozen shirtless men who were good at water jumped into the river. They lined up the boat rafts end to end to the other side of the river, and then laid the wooden planks on the boat rafts and wedged nails to fix them.

The sergeant in the water is responsible for ensuring that the rafters do not shift and serve as a support for the pontoon bridge.

"Quick!" Li Chongjin shouted anxiously when he saw that not far away, Zhao Kuangyin's people had stepped onto the other side of the moat first.

After the pontoon bridge on his side was built, Li Chongjin rushed to the other side first.

The moat is about as wide as four connected boats. It is also a stagnant water surrounding Luocheng. The water surface is calm and does not fluctuate much, and the boats remain relatively stable.

"Get on the giant tree!" Two giant trees that could only be lifted by 20 people were transported to the city. Li Chongjin and Zhao Kuangyin took the lead, wrapping their hands around the top of the giant trees, glaring at each other, and roaring in unison: "Crash!"

Two huge trees hit the city gate in turn, and a muffled sound was heard. The door shaft gate slots on both sides of the city gate shook and dust fell.

Arrows were shot sparsely from the top of the city, and there was a melee inside the city. It was impossible to organize an effective defense.

Chai Rong led his troops into formation, ordered archers to cover the troops rushing into the city, and shot all the rebels who dared to show their heads above the city.

Chai Rong rides on a war horse, holds a sword in his hand, wears a black mountain armor, and has a cold and serious face under the hood of a wild lion.

He turned around and looked at the suspension bridge that was still hanging in the air, showing no sign of falling.

It seems that the raid plan in the city did not go well. Zhou Guangxun failed to seize control of the city gate and lower the suspension bridge immediately.

Inside the south gate, the fighting was extremely fierce. The rebel troops tried desperately to open the city gate and let the officers and soldiers into the city.

The rebels resisted desperately, knowing that once the city gates were opened and the government troops entered the city, there would be no chance of a change in the situation.

The arrival of Wang Jixun stabilized the fluctuating military morale a little, frightened many soldiers who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, and greatly increased the pressure on Zhou Guangxun's side.

Wang Jixun rushed into the enemy army with an iron whip and a prancing horse, swung the iron whip and smashed it hard. One iron whip could smash the head of a helmeted sergeant.

In the excitement of killing, Wang Jixun laughed wildly. The iron whip was stained with red and white things, and corpses with broken heads were lying around.

Seeing that the city gate could not be attacked for a long time, Zhou Guangxun became anxious. After a second thought, he led his men to rush up the road to the city, first to seize the axle that controlled the suspension bridge.

Wang Jixun went into a killing frenzy under the city. After being reminded by his subordinates, he suddenly realized that Zhou Guangxun had rushed to the tower.

Seeing Zhou Guangxun kill the guards at the top of the city, he started to turn the wheel, the iron cables clicked, and the suspension bridge slowly lowered.

"Traitor!" Wang Jixun yelled in anger, took the bow and arrow, aimed at the city top, and released an arrow with a "whoosh".

With a muffled groan, the sharp arrow penetrated Zhou Guangxun's shoulder and back.

Vomiting out a mouthful of blood, Zhou Guangxun's legs went weak, he braced himself, and shouted with a blood-red mouth: "Let go of the suspension bridge!"

More than a dozen sergeants surrounded the wheel and turned it with all their strength, using their bodies to block the arrows fired from the city.

More and more rebels rushed to the city, and bloody battles broke out again around the wheel.

Finally, the suspension bridge fell heavily to the ground. Chai Rong drew his sword and shouted: "Crash the car and charge into the city!"

A heavy crash car drove across the suspension bridge, pushed by dozens of sergeants, and accelerated towards the city gate.

The city gate was already crumbling under the repeated impact of the two giant trees. After several collisions, the huge city gate collapsed in the door opening with a loud bang, crushing many rebels to death.

"Kill!" Li Chongjin pulled out the Yanling Sword, rushed into the doorway first, and started fighting with the rebels.

Zhao Kuangyin was unwilling to lag behind and led his army to follow closely. The army entered the city like a tide.

On the watchtower of the camp in the distance, Guo Wei punched the railing hard and finally broke through the city gate!

We are one step closer to completely wiping out Li Shouzhen.

"We respectfully invite the commander-in-chief to enter the city!" Zhu Xiugong handed over his hand.

Guo Wei laughed loudly and waved his hand: "Enter the city!"

In Luo City, Li Chongjin and Zhao Kuangyin led their troops to attack. The situation suddenly turned around, and Wang Jixun led the rebels to retreat steadily.

"General, retreat into the inner city quickly! The imperial army has already invaded Luocheng. If we don't leave, it will be too late!"

The generals begged him hard, but Wang Jixun was covered in blood and was extremely unwilling to lose Luocheng like this. The traitor Zhou Guangxun had not yet been killed with his own hands.

Even though he was unwilling to do so, Wang Jixun knew that the situation was irreversible. Just as he was about to give the order to retreat to the inner city, a black-armored general held an iron spear in his hand and rushed towards him on horseback, shouting arrogantly:

"Which one is the turtle son Wang Jixun? Come over here and die!"

The general was none other than Li Chongjin. His black face was stained with black ash and became as black as the bottom of a pot, as if he had just climbed out of a coal kiln.

Wang Jixun was furious. For many years in the river, no one had ever dared to curse in front of him.

Li Chongjin glanced at the enemy generals, pointed his gun and shouted: "Are you all fucking mute? Wang Jixun is known as Wang Santie, but grandpa wants to taste how strong his whip is! If you don't dare to challenge, you can change your name in the future. Wang San is a coward! You are a cowardless rat with a soft whip and a soft head!"

Wang Jixun was so angry that he almost spat out his blood, and his eyes were about to burst: "Thieves, don't be rampant, Wang Santie is here!" Immediately, Wang Jixun ignored the obstruction of his subordinates, patted his horse and galloped out to kill Li Chongjin.

Li Chongjin laughed wildly and clamped his legs tightly on the horse's belly. The man and horse were like arrows leaving the string, and the spear shot through the rainbow in his hand!
The violent sounds of iron whips and iron guns made the people watching the battle tremble with fear. Wang Jixun's face was full of shock and he asked in horror: "Who are you?"

Li Chongjin laughed: "I am under the command of Guo Shuai, and I am the brave general Li Chongjin!"

After that, the prancing horse held down Wang Jixun with a gun and launched a violent attack like a violent storm!
When the two were fighting, Guo Wei, Zhu Xiu, and Wei Renpu also happened to enter the city. Hearing Li Chongjin's arrogant roar, Guo Wei burst into laughter, but Zhu Xiu couldn't help but roll his eyes.

How can a general give himself a nickname and call himself a brave general? He is so good at it!
Pan Mei supported Zhou Guangxun and bowed before Guo Weima.

"General Zhou Guangxun, pay your respects to Commander Guo!" Zhou Guangxun was bleeding from his left shoulder, his face turned pale, and he clenched his teeth.

Guo Wei said in a deep voice: "You did a good job. Thank you for your hard work. Go down and rest!"

"Thank you, Marshal Guo!" Zhou Guangxun bowed in gratitude and did not forget to bow to Zhu Xiu and clasp his fists. Zhu Xiu nodded with a smile.

Pan Mei gathered Zhou Guangxun's men to surrender and returned to the camp first.

Guo Wei glanced at Zhu Xiu and said with a smile: "This person is not bad and can be used."

Zhu Xiudao said: "Zhou Guangxun is filial to his mother-in-law and is not a treacherous person. He followed Li Shouzhen to cause rebellion just because he wanted to follow his old master. He received Guo Shuai's kindness to survive today, and he will definitely feel grateful for it. After the river is calmed down, it is better to let him He continues to garrison Puzhou City. With this person here, every move in this important town on the Yellow River cannot be hidden from Guo Shuai."

Wei Renpu stroked his beard and said with a smile: "What Zhu Shaolang said is true."

Guo Wei pointed at him and cursed with a smile: "What a naughty boy!"

Zhu Xiugong cupped his hands and smiled, saying nothing.

Puzhou City is the main transportation link between Guanzhong and Hedong and Henan. It controls the throat of the world and is a vital military, economic and political town.

Anyone who knows a little bit about the layout of feudal towns in the world knows how important it is to leave reliable manpower in Puzhou City.

Even if Guo Wei is magnanimous in his heart and has no intention of causing chaos, it is still necessary to leave a secret chess piece, which may come in handy one day.

As a demoted general, Zhou Guangxun was not closely involved with Guo Wei, so the court should not regard him as a member of the Guo Party faction.

On the contrary, Zhou Guangxun's uprising directly helped the imperial army capture Luocheng in Puzhou, and the imperial court will definitely give special awards to show its recognition.

Zhu Xiu didn't need to explain these meanings too clearly, the three of them all understood them in their hearts.

Li Chongjin and Wang Jixun had fought for more than a hundred rounds. Li Chongjin became more and more courageous as he fought, while Wang Jixun was completely at a disadvantage.

Wang Jixun was dripping with sweat, his legs were a little weak, and he couldn't even hold the horse's belly or step on the stirrups firmly.

Wang Jixun regretted deeply in his heart. He worked hard on the two women in the first half of the night. Just as he was about to fall asleep in the second half of the night, he received an urgent report from Luocheng, so he had to pick up his hakama and rush out.

Unexpectedly, he met a fierce man as black and as strong as a bear, and beat him until he lost his temper.

"Whoosh~" Several hidden arrows were shot from the side. Li Chongjin was furious and shot down Wu Qiang.

"General Wang, leave quickly!" the subordinates who fired the cold arrows shouted to remind him.

Wang Jixun was out of breath and did not dare to fight. He turned his horse and fled towards the inner city gate.

"Leave your head before leaving!" Li Chongjin shouted, urging his horse to pursue him.

The inner city gate was opened narrowly to allow Wang Jixun and his generals to enter the city. Li Shouzhen and his son also appeared on the tower.

Next to Chai Rong, Zhao Kuangyin unhurriedly opened his bow and set an arrow. He drew the bow like a full moon, his eyes narrowed to a slit, staring coldly. When his fingers were loosened, the bowstring buzzed and vibrated, and an arrow shot out like lightning!
The feather arrow hit the hind leg of Wang Jixun's horse, and the horse neighed and fell to the ground. Wang Jixun screamed and was overturned, rolling several times on the ground.

When he stood up, a loud roar came from behind. Li Chongjin came in and swiped his spear. A huge head flew up, and blood spurted out from his broken neck!

"Hahaha~" Li Chongjin laughed and showed off Wang Jixun's head towards the city.

On the city tower, Li Shouzhen stumbled and almost fell. Li Chongxun panicked and yelled at the city: "Close the city gate quickly!"

The guards at the inner city gate hurriedly closed the door and locked it with heavy crossbars.

Guo Wei led all the soldiers to the city. Guo Wei raised his riding whip and shouted loudly: "Li Shouzhen, don't do any more unnecessary things. Quickly open the city and surrender. Follow me to Beijing and apologize to the officials!"

Li Shouzhen broke away from the support of others, supported the wall and laughed sadly: "Guo Wei, if I surrender, can you keep my family alive?"

Guo Wei shook his head and said: "How to deal with you is entirely up to the officials. I have no right to decide."

Li Shouzhen said sadly: "It is useless to talk more, I will not surrender to the death! Guo Wei, you and I both know that the world's troubled times are far from over. Liu Chengyou is just a child with a yellow mouth. How can he lead the country? The late emperor died. Doesn’t it mean that the destiny is not in the Han Dynasty? Such a great opportunity is the time for heroes to aspire! If you say that I am treasonous today, you will definitely follow the same path as me in the future! Hahaha~~"

Li Shouzhen laughed maniacally, as if he were crazy.

Guo Wei looked at him coldly, with a hint of ridicule and pity in his deep eyes.

Wei Renpu stared at the tower and whispered: "Shuai Guo, don't argue with him anymore. These words will definitely spread to the court in the future, and they may cause trouble."

Zhu Xiu judged the height of the inner city tower. It was only about four feet high and was made of half rammed earth and half stone.

Zhu Xiu smiled sinisterly and waved behind him. Several soldiers from the Tiger Camp came running with a wooden box sealed in mud.

"Da Lang, you will be like this later." Zhu Xiu hooked Shi Xiangwen's neck and whispered in his ear.

Shi Xiangwen opened his mouth and smiled happily.

"Guo Shuai, I gave him and his son a gift in return for what he just said." Zhu Xiugui said with a smile.

Guo Wei and Chai Rong both looked at him and saw Zhu Xiu holding a torch, and Shi Xiangwen taking out a black, round-belly iron can from a wooden box and lighting a fuse on the mouth.

The burning wire was ignited and burned rapidly towards the mouth of the tin can. Shi Xiangwen held it in his hand and smiled innocently, as if he was holding a fun treasure.

Zhao Kuangyin's face turned pale with fright, and he shouted eagerly: "Guo Shuai, Chai Shuai, be careful, this thing is a thunder that shakes the sky!"

"Oh?" Guo Wei was surprised. He was not afraid at all. Instead, he wanted to get closer and take a closer look. Chai Rong also looked curious.

"It looks smaller than the Black Fire Thunder, but it is made of iron cans." Wei Renpu shook his head and commented on the appearance.

Zhao Kuangyin opened his arms, stopped the two of them, and roared at Zhu Xiu: "Why don't you throw them away quickly?"

Zhu Xiu stared closely at the line of fire and waved his fist: "Throw it!"

Shi Xiangwen raised his arms and threw the nearly ten kilogram tin can onto the city wall.

On the tower, Li Shouzhen and his son and a group of traitors watched helplessly as a black iron can was thrown over the top of the city, fell to the ground and rolled to the wall.

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, Li Shouzhen was about to send someone to investigate, when there was a loud noise, and the iron can exploded!

(End of this chapter)