Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 77
The person who set fire to the city was of course Bao Wen, the right captain of the county, who sneaked into the city from the city wall when everyone was unawares. Although Wang Zhao immediately sent someone to stop him, Bao Wen took the first step. The soldiers didn't have time to know what happened in the city, and they couldn't help Wang Zhao's men to stop Bao Wen in time. When he found out that the situation was wrong, Bao Wen ran all the way, climbing over walls, jumping courtyards and digging alleys to copy paths. After a little effort, he not only escaped Wang Zhao's men who tried to stop him from escaping, but also escaped the soldiers of the Qin army sent by Wang Zhao to arrest him.

Then, under the situation of being desperate, Bowen had no choice but to defect to the enemy for his own sake. He fled back to his home first, quickly summoned his servants to announce his decision to rebel, and then sent someone to contact him. The clansmen, let them also bring their servants to help him rebel, while leading the family without hesitation to set fires around the city, creating chaos to respond to the attack of the young commander.

At this moment, the advantage of Bowen being born in a wealthy family was brought into full play. Although the incident happened suddenly, after receiving the news sent by Bowen, the clansmen who shared the honor and disgrace with Bowen still rose up to respond. Telling the family servants to go to the street to find Bao Wen to join him is to set fire to the chaos directly, so that the defenders in the city can't do their best to round up Bao Wen and others.That's why Xiang Kang and the soldiers of the Young Marshal's Army were able to see fires everywhere in the city outside the city, and the morale of the defenders on the city was also frustrated, and the morale of the army was seriously affected.

Of course, if there is no outsider to respond, under the circumstances that there is almost no preparation in advance, Bo Wen and his clansmen will not be able to make any big waves even if they have great abilities, and sooner or later they will all be caught without a fight.But there is no way, the Young Marshal’s army has already launched an attack on the city at the same time, and the attack is quite fierce. Considering that the defenders will be attacked by the enemy, of course there is no way to concentrate their efforts to clean up Bo Wen and his people. The chaos blocked the roads, so even when the young generals rushed to the top of the city, Bo Wen and others were still in the city playing hide and seek with the defenders, and seized the opportunity to set fire to two more civilian houses. More chaos was added in the city.

Then the situation is relatively simple. Taking advantage of the chaotic opportunity of the defenders on the city, the young generals and soldiers who succeeded in ant-attachment rushed to the city wall one after another. While successfully occupying a large area of ​​the city, they also tried to attack the east gate. Launched an attack, even if they didn't succeed, they held back the enemies around the tower. The soldiers of the young commander who were hitting the city took the opportunity to push the wood with all their might, and successfully broke through the gate. The soldiers of the young commander outside the city cheered and poured into the city , Completely sounded the death knell for the demise of the Qin army.

Even with the advantage of location, they couldn't stop the impact of the young commander's army. After the young commander's brigade entered the city from the city gate, the low morale of the Qin army was of course no match. The smart ones quickly put down their weapons and surrendered, while the unwise ones ran away In the depths of the city, few soldiers really risked their lives to fight.To make matters worse, Wang Zhao and Lu Fa, the main generals who were concerned about the Qin army, also had no intention of resisting. As soon as the city gate was knocked open, Lu Fang, Wang Zhao's most trusted confidant, was the first to flee for his life. Immediately after the news, he packed up the jewels, and led a few family members from the same country to flee to the only one that was not attacked by the enemy. No one stood up to organize the soldiers of the Qin army to fight to the death.

Under such circumstances, if the Young Commander-in-Chief can no longer take down Qulu City in one fell swoop, the words "the mob" will be insulted. He led the army straight to the official temple first, and after taking the official temple easily, he immediately divided his troops to take the important places in the city such as the granary, county warehouse, and stables, and then waited for Xiang Zhuang to lead the second brigade of the young commander into the city. At that time, Chao Zhi had personally led someone to kill him back to his home, and personally chopped off the dissolute wife who dared to wear some kind of hat for him.

At the same time, seeing that the situation was not good, the defenders of the south gate of the South Gate who were attacked by the young commander's army took the initiative to open the city gate, put down their weapons and knelt down and surrendered to the young commander's division. Xiang Sheng personally led the army into the city.When the guards at the west gate saw Wang Zhao open the door and escape, they immediately dispersed and escaped completely in the blink of an eye.The Qin army reserve team in the city also collapsed quickly. The soldiers either put down their weapons and surrendered, or fled back home to hide. Only a small number of Qin army soldiers outside the city at home escaped from the west gate. In four hours, the Young Marshal successfully captured the whole city of Qulu.

He had already had the experience of taking down Xiaxiang County, so Xiang Kang's taking over of Chalu this time was of course no longer as hectic as last time. The first thing he did after entering the city was to organize people to put out the remaining fires in the city and control the four gates of Challu. The thing is to put up bulletins to appease the people, and at the same time strictly order the army to prohibit disturbing the people, strengthen the protection of important places in the city such as county temples, granaries, and county warehouses. , methodically taking over the entire city.

In the end, it was only in the evening that the order in the city initially stabilized, and Xiang Kang also lived in the Jinqin County Temple to count the gains and losses of the siege battle. As a result, the preliminary statistics of course made Xiang Kang smile crookedly. Mouth, less than 100 people were killed in total by the young commander-in-chief, but they captured more than 600 prisoners of the Qin army, captured almost intact Qulu granary and county warehouses, more than a hundred horses, and a large number of weapons luggage.

This is not over yet, and there is something that surprised Xiang Kang. He adopted Bao Wen's suggestion and sent people to search Wang Zhao's residence that day. and lots of silk and satin.After the news was reported to Xiang Kang, Xiang Kang, who was worrying about the shortage of military supplies, suddenly smiled and cocked his mouth, cursing: "Officer dog! It really is an officer dog! He has been greedy for so many people's fat and anointing the people. This young marshal will replace him today." As the heavens do, we must take your stolen goods for nothing..., oh no, we must return your stolen goods to the parents and folks who took care of you!"

"How did Wang Zhao, a thief, get so greedy?" Zhou Zeng, who had also served as the county magistrate of the Great Qin Dynasty, was also a little dumbfounded, and said in surprise: "I was no longer a very clean official before. The population and money of my family have never been as good as the prime minister, but my entire family property is less than [-]% of this Wang Zhao's, what kind of methods did this dog thief use to amass so much money through deliberation."

"It's not surprising, the poorer the local officials, the richer they are." Xiang Kang, who was also not a good bird before crossing, certainly didn't make a fuss like Zhou Zeng, but said with some regret: "It's a pity that the thief Wang Zhao was not caught, otherwise Taking him to the city and beheading him in public can give the people in Guizhou the head of Guizhou their anger."

"He can't run away!" Zhou Zeng said with a cold snort: "The county magistrate loses the county seat, and the lightest thing is to behead him for questioning. Even if the surnamed Wang can escape to other violent Qin cities, it is still a dead end! Not to mention the county magistrate of Sishui County. Shi is just his distant relative, even if it is his own father, he will not be able to protect him this time!"

Xiang Kang smiled, and was about to say something to Zhou Zeng again, but he never thought that there would be soldiers coming in from outside the door. He knelt down on one knee to Xiang Kang, cupped his fists and said, "Young Commander, our scouts are outside the city to take There is a man who claims to be the confidant of Tongxian County Cheng Yanxie’s confidant family member, and he has a confidential letter that he wants to present to the young marshal.

"Secret letter?" Xiang Kang, whose ear muscles had already degenerated, pricked up his ears, and shouted without thinking, "Quickly, please come up here, so that you can talk to him, don't be frightened!"

The soldiers took the order to leave, but Zhou Zeng next to him was full of confusion and said, "The magistrate of Tong County, Yan Xie? Why did he send someone to contact us?"

"Uncle Ya, why are you so smart and confused for a while?" Xiang Kang said with a smile: "At this time, Yan Ji, the county magistrate of Tong County, sent someone to deliver the letter. Of course, there are only two reasons. One is to prepare to surrender when the situation is not good, and the other is Pretending to surrender, trying to play some tricks with a sham surrender."

"But that Yan Xie is unlikely to surrender to us." Zhou Zeng said surprisingly, "I know his situation. Anyone in Tongxian City may surrender to us, but this Yan Xie is the least likely to surrender to us." Shall we surrender?"

"Why?" Xiang Kang asked quickly.

"Because this Yan Xie is a descendant of King Qin." Zhou Zeng said in a deep voice: "I once heard Gu Bi, the magistrate of Tong County, say that the father of this Yan Xie's father Gao (great-grandfather) was the famous son Ji Ji of Qin State. Chili Ji, the youngest son of Duke Xiao of Qin, originally surnamed Ying, followed the ancient etiquette and changed his surname after three generations. The surname was changed to Yan. Yan Xie is a descendant of Chi Liji, who is of the blood of the Ying family. In terms of seniority, he is also of the same generation as the current emperor Hu Hai of the Qin Dynasty. He is the distant nephew of the first emperor. We please surrender?"

Xiang Kang was tongue-tied. He never thought that Yan Ji, the magistrate of Tongxian County, who took the initiative to send a letter to contact him, would have such a big background. He couldn't help but be surprised and said, "Could it be that he came here to cheat surrender? But it's not right, he Even without Uncle Ya, I can find out Yan Xie’s identity with a little bit of effort, and he should be very clear about this, so why would he dare to send someone to feign surrender?"

Zhou Zeng shook his head and said he didn't know. At this time, Yan Xie's confidants and family members had also been invited to the hall by his own soldiers. Xiang Kang hurriedly put Yan Xie's identity and background aside for the time being. Xie's family really took out a letter, and said respectfully: "Young Marshal, this is a letter written by the owner of the villain. He knows that there is no way to tyranny the Qin Dynasty, and its destruction is imminent. You, Marshal, are the first volunteers to overthrow the tyrant. Qin, reviving the Great Chu is just an act of justice in accordance with the heavens and people, and I intend to donate the city of Tongxian to you, the young commander, and surrender to you, the young commander, please accept it."

"It's really here to ask for surrender." Xiang Kang took the letter a little dumbfounded, and when he opened it for a closer look, he saw that Qin Shihuang's distant nephew Yan Xie was indeed asking to surrender to himself in the letter, saying that he was also sympathetic to Qin II's cruelty. He was very dissatisfied with the rule, knowing that Qin II's perverse behavior would inevitably lead to the collapse of the Qin Dynasty, he did not want to go against the sky, and was determined to surrender and offer the city to himself, but Yan Xie was worried that his subordinates would not accept it, so he wanted to get in touch with Xiang Kang first, and agreed The contact signal, quietly opened the city gate when the young commander's soldiers approached the city of Tong County, and the young commander's army took down Tongxian County.At the end of the letter, there was Yan Xie's autograph, and the seal of the county magistrate of Tong County was also affixed.

After carefully reading this letter, which looked a bit like a letter of surrender, Xiang Kang was inevitably even more suspicious, so he simply asked Yan Xie's family: "Your servant, if the news that this young commander knows is correct, is your The head of the family, Yan Xie, Yan Xiancheng, should be a descendant of Qin Xiaogong, right? As a descendant of King Qin, how could he be determined to surrender to this young marshal?"

"What the young marshal said is very true. The villain's patriarch is indeed a descendant of King Qin." Yan Xie's family also confessed, readily acknowledging Yan Xie's identity and background, and said: "But as early as the villain's patriarch's father too tall At that time, the ancestors of the villain's patriarch had already separated from the Ying clan, and later they gradually cut off contact, so the villain's patriarch did not regard himself as a descendant of the Ying clan for a long time, let alone being a tyrannical and unscrupulous person. Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin, was buried, so he decided to surrender the city to you, Young Marshal."

After saying that, Yan Xie's family took the initiative to knelt down on their knees again, kowtowed and said: "Young commander, the owner of the villain really wants to sacrifice the city and surrender, and he has long since wanted to be that wimpy magistrate of Tong County. If the young marshal doesn't believe it, you can send someone to inquire a little bit to find out what kind of situation the villain's patriarch is in Tong County, and what kind of uselessness he has suffered in these years. The villain's patriarch is determined to surrender, half of which is because He doesn't want to be buried with the tyrant Hu Hai, the other half is that he really doesn't want to live the old life, his yearning for you and the young commander, the sun and the moon can learn from each other."

Blinking his eyes, Xiang Kang asked again: "What's the matter? Your Patriarch, is life not going well in Tong County?"

"Young Marshal Mingjian, the villain's patriarch, isn't it just that life is not going well in Tong County?" Yan Xie's family smiled bitterly, and said, "Gu Bi, the county magistrate of Tong County, who has been beheaded by you, the Young Marshal, is domineering. The villain's patriarch has always been at odds, in order to suppress the villain's patriarch, he deliberately reused the left and right lieutenants Hao Ce and Hao Ba brothers of Tong County, and forcibly replaced the prison guards of Tong County with his people, causing the villain's patriarch to often It's Ling who can't go out, it's like a decoration, the villain's Patriarch is not fair, he doesn't know how many disputes he had with Gu Bi's group, but because of his weak power, every time they end in failure. That's why the villain's Patriarch made up his mind, I would like to invite you, the young commander, to take over Tong County and help him get rid of his shame."

"After Gu Bi died, your Patriarch's situation is still the same?" Xiang Kang asked doubtfully.

"Same." Yan Xie's family nodded, and said again: "Hao Ce and Hao Ba brothers were born in a large family in Tong County, with a profound background. In fact, it was still in the hands of Tongxian Youwei Hao Ba, so the owner of the villain was worried that if he offered to surrender, Hao Ba and others would not accept it, so he sent the villain to contact the young commander and make an appointment to make an appointment."

Suspiciously thinking about it for a while, Xiang Kang of course didn't give Yan Xie's family an affirmative answer right away, but asked him to go down to rest first, and then ordered his soldiers to treat him well.And when Yan Xie's family left, Xiang Kang immediately turned his attention to Zhou Zeng, Zhou Zeng understood, and replied: "Young Marshal, I have heard about the fact that Yan Xie, the prime minister of Tongxian County, was taken over by Gu Bi before. It’s just that I don’t know if it’s that serious. But it’s not difficult, we just need to send someone to inquire carefully, and ask the Tong County officials and soldiers who surrendered to us before, and we should be able to know the details.”

"Well, Uncle Ya, you can do this as soon as possible, we still have some time." Xiang Kang nodded, pinched his knuckles and said: "If this Yan Ji is really ready to surrender, that would be great. Next When I was in Datong County, I didn't need to be as exhausted as Daqulu."

"But what if it's a false surrender?" Zhou Zeng asked curiously.

"Using the tactic of feigning surrender also needs to focus on strength." Xiang Kang smiled and said: "The main force of Tong County's Tyrant Qin army has been destroyed. In a hurry, no matter how desperate Yan Xi's gang is, it is impossible to form a team. The army, which is as threatening to us as before, does not have enough strength to play tricks, and is doomed to play with fire and set itself on fire."

He said it beautifully, but Xiang Kang didn't dare to be negligent in his heart, because Xiang Kang knew very well that after the main army in Tong County was defeated by the self-armed army, many soldiers of the Qin Army chose to flee back to their hometowns. It is very likely that he will rejoin the Tongxian Qin Army and appear on the battlefield of defending the city again.At the same time, the Young Marshal's army is still a bunch of mobs at heart. If he accidentally loses a battle, it is very likely that the army will be defeated and cannot be dealt with. It is by no means impossible to beat him back to before liberation in one battle.So Xiang Kang also secretly made up his mind, and made up his mind that he would never believe Yan Ji's initiative to surrender, and he would never take any risks on the battlefield!
Time is precious, as Tongxian must have been desperately preparing for war, it would be more difficult to attack Tongxian if it was delayed for one more day, so Xiang Kang did not dare to live in Qulu City for a long time, and hastily recruited the surrendered troops. After Li surrendered and recruited some new recruits, Xiang Kang decided to leave Xiang Sheng to lead a team of 500 guards to guard Qi, and with the help of Chao Zhi, who was good at training soldiers, let Xiang Sheng and Chao Zhi continue to recruit troops in Qulu. Expand the army, let yourself free up your hands and lead the main force to go south to attack Tong County.At the same time, just in case, Xiang Kang deliberately took away Bao Wen, the right lieutenant who surrendered voluntarily, to prevent him from using his family power to cause trouble, and left Duan Zixing to help Xiang Sheng act as civil affairs agent.

At the same time, after inquiring and understanding through various channels, and carefully questioning the Tongxian Qin army who had previously been captured and surrendered, Xiang Kang also confirmed that Yan Xie was indeed completely evaded in Tongxian official circles.In addition, Xiang Kang also learned the news from Yan Xi's family that Hao Ba, the right captain of Tong County, hurt his cousin Hao Ce who was killed by the young commander. He vowed to avenge Hao Ce with his own hands, and forced him to act like a puppet Yan Ji agreed with him to massively expand the army, and was responsible for the city defense affairs of Tong County, and had already pulled up an army of about a thousand people.

After combining these pieces of information, Xiang Kang inevitably had some expectations for Yan Xie's initiative to invite him to be born. He felt that it was not surprising that Yan Xie had the idea of ​​surrender under such circumstances, and finally made up his mind to release the man who had been under house arrest before. Yan Xie's family asked him to bring a letter of his own to return to Tong County to contact Yan Xie first, and told Yan Xie that he decided to accept his answer of surrender, so that Yan Xie could prepare as soon as possible to help him win the city of Tong County in one fell swoop.

Even so, Zhou Zeng, who had been tied up more and more dead on Xiang Kang's thief boat, was still worried, and couldn't help reminding Xiang Kang: "Young commander, be cautious, although that Yan Xie seems to be sincerely surrendering to us , The motivation for surrender is also understandable, but he is a descendant of the Ying family after all, and he has the blood of the Tyrant Qin royal family in his body, we'd better be careful about such a person."

"Don't worry, Uncle Ya, I'll be careful." Xiang Kang nodded, and said, "However, you can't beat Yan Xie to death just because he is a descendant of King Qin. After all, Wang Jian, who conquered Chu, belonged to King Ling of Zhou." For descendants, his deputy, Meng Tian, ​​was also from Qi. According to legend, even Bai Qi is a descendant of our Chu royal family. When the building is about to collapse, many people don’t care about the blood flowing through them.”

Having said that, the changes in the battle situation were far beyond Xiang Kang's expectations, and he led the army all the way southward with hope. When he came to the vicinity of Tong County in the southeast of Qulu, he had not had time to see Tong County far away. In front of Xiang Kang, the scouts of the young marshal who were sentry in front rushed back to Xiang Kang, and brought a shocking news to Xiang Kang—about ten miles south of Tong County, a group of people suddenly came. The Qin army team, which is about a thousand people, is rapidly advancing towards Tong County!

"Then the Tyrant Qin army?" Xiang Kang was taken aback.

The scout shook his head and replied that he hadn't had time to find out the identity of the enemy, but Zhou Zeng who was next to him quickly said: "Xu County! Nine times out of ten, it is the Tyrant Qin army from Xu County! Tong County is the only one who can skip the Sishui County Guard and go directly The only ones asking for help are the Tyrant Qin Army from Xu County!"

"Damn it!" Xiang Kang cried out, thinking: "It's troublesome, I only have more than 2000 troops in my hand, there are a thousand enemies in Tong County, and another thousand enemies from Xu County, the strength of which is about the same as mine. The enemy still has a good location, so this battle will be difficult."

(End of this chapter)