Jinghong Tower

Chapter 395 Death as apology
The praise from the people made Wu Dongming feel both proud and ashamed.

The glory of the past has not been lost in time. People still remember him, but they also remember the wrong things his son and daughter-in-law did.

Wu Dongming bowed deeply to the ground, and when he raised his head again, his eyes were red: "Fellow villagers, I already know about the wrongdoings of my son and daughter-in-law. I should have arrested them and apologized to all the villagers in person. However, there was an epidemic in the army and my son was still in the army. That evil woman escaped after hearing the news. It was my fault. I should not have let my son go and let him be deceived by that evil woman. Now he has made a big mistake. I regret it and feel ashamed of my fellow villagers.

Wu hereby apologizes to the elders and fellow villagers on behalf of my son. Please punish me! "

Before he finished speaking, Wu Dongming actually knelt down.

There was a moment of silence all around, and then the people began to whisper to each other. Wu Dongming was the highest-ranking official they had ever seen, and such a big shot actually knelt down before them. This was more than just surprise, it was already shocking.

"I say, have we gone too far? General Wu is old and sick, but he actually knelt down before us on the spot."

"Yes, yes, a man's knees are made of gold, not to mention that he is General Wu. Otherwise, let's forget about it today?"

"That's right. I didn't even want to come here today, but you guys forced me to come. What the hell is going on here?"

Wan Qing, hiding in the crowd, narrowed her eyes slightly. What a cruel trick!

It is not only a self-torture tactic, but also a way of diverting trouble away.

Now that He Shuting has run away, he puts all the blame on He Shuting alone.

Haha, He Shuting is just a woman without any foundation. If she says that Wu Ji is unaware of everything she has done, even a fool would not believe it.

Wu Ji not only knew about it, but also let it go!

Wan Qing gnashed her teeth and said loudly: "Since General Wu wants to apologize on behalf of his son and daughter-in-law, then he should die to apologize!"

The people were in an uproar, and everyone looked in the direction where the voice came from, wanting to see which ruthless person was speaking.

Those standing beside Wan Qing were all from Jinghong Tower, so they would not let anyone notice Wan Qing. At this moment, from a distance away from them, another voice said loudly: "The blood of the old shopkeeper Pinggu has not dried yet. Now in the face of the epidemic, the people of the city have to pay with their lives for your son's stupidity and tyranny. General Wu, let alone one death, even if you die ten or twenty times, it will not be enough. Your life is life, the life of the old shopkeeper Pinggu is life, and the lives of the people of the city are also lives!"

Everyone turned their heads to look, and this time they saw that the person who spoke was actually a weak young man.

The young man was not tall, but he held his head high at this moment, looking down at the tall Wu Dongming, like a small tree standing on a high hill, tall and majestic.

"Whose child is this? How dare he be so brave?"

"But what he said makes sense. With such a big incident, it's impossible for the father to just say a few words and everything will be alright?"

"Yes, yes, it's easy for him to say, but where can we find a doctor, where can we find medicine? If the epidemic comes, we will still have to wait to die."

"I don't want to die. I have old people and young children to support. The whole family depends on me. If I die, they will not be able to survive."

Yes, who wants to die when you can live a good life?

Wu Dongming also saw the young man. For the first time in his life, he was ashamed and speechless in front of a young man.

Moreover, he was still a weak boy.

Wu Dongming's lips trembled a few times, and his voice was as dry as a broken branch: "Young man, what is your name?"

Although Wu Dongming was old and haggard and had difficulty walking, his eyes, which had been tempered on the battlefield, were still as sharp as an eagle.

However, the young man did not back down. He straightened his chest and shouted, "I am Geng Fangyu from Mizhi!"

Wu Dongming nodded: "Geng Fangyu, you said it very well. Even if Wu kneels down to apologize, it is still a crime. The wife is not virtuous, it is the husband's fault. The son is not taught, it is the father's fault. Even if Wu has ten thousand people, it is still difficult to absolve himself of the guilt."

Geng Fangyu sneered: "Just talking."

A wave of humiliation surged in his heart, and Wu Dongming said coldly: "If that's the case, then Wu will die to thank the people!"

He stretched out his right hand, and a dagger appeared in his palm. The guards came forward to snatch it: "General, no!"

Wu Dongming's eyes widened: "Don't come over here. Today's matter was my choice. You can't bring your anger to others!"

The guards stood where they were, not daring to move forward.

Wu Dongming smiled sternly, raised the dagger in his hand, and stabbed it into his chest!
The crowd screamed, and someone shouted, "Someone's dead! Run!"

The people who were still in a daze suddenly reacted. Yes, someone had died. General Wu was dead. Would he anger them? If they didn't run away now, when would they run away?

No one cared about Wu Dongming who was slowly falling down, and no one tried to force the Chang'an Palace to return their doctor. Everyone was running around, some had their shoes fall off, and some had fallen down and when they got up, they didn't know who had stepped on them.

In a moment, all the people who had just surrounded the Chang'an Palace disappeared, leaving only a pile of fallen shoes on the ground.

Wu Dongming leaned in the arms of his confidant and said slowly with his last bit of strength: "Protect. Wu. Ju."

When the news of Wu Dongming's suicide reached Xianyang, He Dali's army made a comeback. Several generals were sick, so Wu Ji had to lead his troops out of the city to fight.

After seven or eight days of rest, the Ran army was now strong and energetic. Just two days ago, they received food and ten of the latest thunder cannons sent from the capital.

The first three batches of Thunder Cannons were all given to Fu Yansheng on the southern battlefield and stationed at the border. He Dali's troops, jokingly called He Ran's Personal Guards, got nothing.

Ever since he learned that Fu Yansheng used the Thunder Cannon to blast open the gate of Yulin City, He Dali has been scratching his head anxiously. He feels like he was raised by a stepmother. The first batch of Thunder Cannons were given to Lu Zhen and Feng Zan, the second batch was given to He Xiulong, and the third batch was given to Fu Yansheng and Wu'an Hou. And he still doesn't know what the Thunder Cannon looks like. Isn't he raised by a stepmother?

One can imagine how anxious He Dali was.

Now that the Thunder Cannon had finally arrived, He Dali felt refreshed and the blisters on his mouth disappeared. In addition to the Thunder Cannon, the Ministry of War even sent 20 gunners. Now, He Dali didn't even need to warm up and test the cannon, he could push the cannon cart directly to the battlefield.

In fact, there is one thing He Dali didn't know. Although the Benlei Cannon he got was from the fourth batch, it was also the batch with the most stable performance. Dong Jinzhen was constantly improving it, and the craftsmen's skills were becoming more mature. Looking at the entire Ran army, He Dali's Benlei Cannon was the newest, best, and most powerful!

Moreover, even the gunners were not available in the previous three batches. These gunners can not only fire the cannon, but also perform maintenance. They can handle any problems that arise during the use of the Thunder Cannon.

Wu Ji had just led his troops out of the city when they were met with artillery fire.

It's not that the Chang'an army's scout capabilities are weak, but now is the season when the grass and trees are lush, and this batch of Thunder Cannons are all painted in yellow and green colors, and there are "cannon covers" made of artificial leaves. When they were placed in the woods, the scouts didn't find them at all.

Even now, Wu Ji only saw the dark army and did not see the hidden Thunder Cannon at all.

Although Wu Ji had heard of the fame of the Thunder Cannon a long time ago, and also knew that the Thunder Cannon was small in size and easy to move, he had never imagined that the Thunder Cannon could be easily hidden behind rocks.

Until this moment, the sound of the cannon shattered all the dreams of the Chang'an army. Amidst the flying of blood and flesh, Wu Ji fell off his horse and retreated into the city under the cover of his personal soldiers.

He Dali laughed loudly. He raised the big Pudao in his hand and shouted loudly: "Artillerymen, attack the city!"

The sound of artillery fire was incessant, and only half of the Chang'an army could go to the battlefield. Even among this half, many had already started suffering from diarrhea, and some were forced to come just as their fever subsided. They were already in a miserable state, and now seeing their comrades being blown to pieces, their already limited energy and spirit completely collapsed, the morale of the army was low, and they wished they could be taken prisoners immediately.

Being a prisoner is not a life-threatening thing these days. As long as the generals are not perverts, they will not kill prisoners. If you are a prisoner today, you will be assigned to the barracks to continue fighting tomorrow. At most you will lose one month's military pay.

Wu Ji finally retreated back to the city and had people hang up a banner to refrain from fighting, but the sound of artillery fire did not stop.

Before Wu Ji could stand still, a soldier ran in breathlessly, "Oh no, oh no, the city gate has been broken, the Ran army has blown it open!"

Wu Ji was shocked. He Dali was such a shameless man. The opponent had already called off the attack, but he still wanted to continue attacking the city. Who fights a war like this?

He Dali: I will kill you while you are sick. If I don’t beat you now, when will I beat you?
Xianyang was captured!
This was the first victory that He Dali had won this time. Of course, he did not want to stop there. What was the meaning of the exemption from war? He was guarding against gentlemen, not villains. He was already on the battlefield. How could he still be a gentleman? Could a gentleman be eaten or could a gentleman save his life?
He Dali and his soldiers were all very excited because of the addition of the Thunder Cannon. The solid city gate was actually blasted open by the Thunder Cannon. What was this? This was a complete crushing defeat. The city was broken. If they couldn't take advantage of the victory and capture Wu Ji alive, then they must be stupid!
"Capture Wu Ji alive, capture Wu Ji alive!"

The shouts shook the sky and resounded through the clouds!
He Shuqiao was also in the team. He was already a sixteen-year-old boy and had been in the army for one year. This trip to Xianyang was his first time to officially participate in a battle.

The last time the Ran army was defeated, He Shuqiao was slightly injured, but as a young man, he was not afraid of tigers, so this injury was nothing to him.

He had heard people talk about Princess Chang'an countless times these days. He knew that Princess Chang'an was a bad person, but he didn't understand why Wu Ji had also become bad. Wu Ji had been to a charity hall, and although he was not a great hero, he was also an ally who had fought side by side with the boss.

But he did not dwell on this issue. He was a soldier, and obedience was his duty.

He Shuqiao now had only one thought in mind. He wanted military merits, lots of them. He wanted to accumulate them all, without asking for promotion or reward. He wanted to use his accumulated military merits to plead with the boss to absolve his second sister of her guilt!

He Shuqiao has always believed that his second sister is still in Jinyang, and she must be hiding somewhere and dare not come out.

If she knew she was innocent, the second sister would come back.

This is He Shuqiao’s wish, and he will strive for this wish.

At He Dali's command, the Ran army rushed into Xianyang city like a tiger out of a cage!
When the news of the epidemic spread from Xi'an to Xianyang, the people of Xianyang realized why all the clinics and drugstores on the street were closed. Worried about contracting the epidemic, they were in a state of panic all day long and could only stay at home and dared not go out.

Today, when we heard the sound of iron hooves in the street, we knew that the King of Chang'an was going to leave the city to fight the Ran army. Everyone was shocked and scared, and every family closed their doors, fearing that there would not be enough soldiers and that they would come to their homes to conscript young men.

At this time, the sound of cannons could be heard outside. The people pricked up their ears to listen to the noise outside. What was going on? Was someone setting off firecrackers? What kind of firecrackers were so loud?

Those who had cellars at home simply hid in the cellars with their entire family, but there were not many families with cellars in Xianyang, so most of them could only leave it to fate at this time.

A child whispered, "I know what that sound is. It's the thunder cannon."

His father glared at him and said, "What nonsense are you talking about."

The child pouted, somewhat unconvinced. He thought for a moment, ran to his room, and took out a torn comic book from the basket behind the door. He brought the comic book to his father and said, "Look, my cousin read it to me. He said it's called a thunder cannon."

The child had just started to learn to read and didn’t know many words. Although the comic books were easy to understand, he just read them for fun. It was not until his cousin, who had been to school for a few years, read them to him that he understood what the story was about.

This is the story of General Lu on a white horse and with a silver spear attacking Lu Yuncheng.

That Lu Yuncheng was very powerful. He looked down on General Lu, but General Lu beat him to a pulp with one shot, and slapped him in the face. It was so satisfying.

The children remembered that this is called the Thunder Cannon.

My father finished reading the comic book as quickly as possible, and was amazed: "Isn't this just made up? Is this really true?"

Another artillery fire was heard and the father's body trembled violently. He subconsciously pulled the child into his arms and looked around, wondering if there was any place in the house where he could hide from the artillery fire.

The child broke free from his arms. It was rare for his father to be so affectionate with him. He was a little flattered and a little unable to adapt.

He suddenly remembered something and said to his father, "My cousin said that we are not to be afraid even if the Ran army comes, because they will not attack the common people."

My father laughed and said, "What does your cousin know?"

The child was unhappy, but his cousin knew a lot more. His cousin had a complete set of comic books at home, and he had to pester his cousin to borrow this one.

"My cousin has read a lot of comic books. It says in the comic books that you don't have to be afraid when the Ran army comes. Just close the door and hide in your home. When you can come out, someone will beat a gong on the street."

What? Ringing the gong?
This doesn't really seem like something a child could make up.

My father was skeptical, but not as scared as before.

He asked the child how many days the food in his mother's house could last. When he heard that as long as they were not picky about food, they could last for a month, he felt relieved.