"Boom!" The thunder was incessant, and the lightning danced wildly in the dark clouds like a python.

Shi Guo's special service, Yihu, the lord of Talas City, stood in front of the window, looking at the heavy rain pouring outside, and danced with excitement.

His prayers have worked, and the gods have responded by sending a thunderstorm from the sky.

Water can extinguish fires, and as long as the heavy rain does not stop, the Tang army will not be able to continue to shoot the kind of iron thunder that explodes when it lands on the ground and continues to shoot at the head of the city. The feather arrows and flying crossbows in the hands of the Tang army will also be greatly reduced in the rainstorm. As for the ladder, in such a violent rainstorm, there is no possibility of even standing firm, let alone a passage for the Tang army to climb the city wall!

"Special service, as the proverb goes, thunderstorms come as quickly as they come." Dagan She Tuo walked behind Yihu with his waist bent and reminded worriedly. "Whether to leave or stay, your subordinates advise you to make a decision early. Taking advantage of the fact that the Tang army did not besiege the city, and also took advantage of them coming from afar, the men and horses were tired......"

"Let's go? Where to go? Shall I go to Bahanna? Will Mo He go to war with the Tang Army for me?! Yihu turned his head suddenly, the excitement on his face instantly turned into annoyance, and his hands clenched into fists in mid-air.

"Don't get me wrong, don't get me wrong!" Dagan Shetuo was so frightened that he retreated again and again, waving his hand with a pale face, "My subordinates didn't persuade you to go to Bahanna, my subordinates ......"

With the weak character of Mo He, the current king of Shiguo, and the tense relationship between him and Yihu, he certainly would not offend Tang Jun for Yihu. However, remaining in Talas, Yihu and his die-hard descendants, including Dagan Shetuo, will all die without a place to be buried.

Especially after the group of loud soldiers under Zhang Qian's command announced in public outside the city that they were only targeting Yihu alone, and publicly rewarded the soldiers of Shiguo for their rebellion, the soldiers and civilians in the city were already panicked. The arrival of the storm only pushed back the time when the Tang army launched a general attack and the time when some wealthy families in the city should be combined, but it failed to solve any problems.

If Yihu doesn't leave, he will be cut off by a certain general and dedicated to the Tang Army, it will definitely be a matter of time sooner or later. And as long as Yihu is dead, the huge debt he owes will no longer be relevant to anyone in Talas. Even if the Tang army wants to continue to collect debts, he will ask Mo He, the king of Shiguo, to ask for it, and it will not be shared with any wealthy family in Talas City!

"As long as I leave Talas, I will be an eagle with its feathers plucked, and it will be the same wherever I go!" Knowing that Dagan Shetuo was loyal to him, Yihu still showed his teeth and claws at this person? "Mo He has long wished that I would die. After I leave Talas? No matter how you go to the folds, you will fight? Whitewater? or back to Bahanna, it is equivalent to falling into the hands of his men. He will immediately order me to be killed? Then let the messenger take my head and go wagging his tail to the Tang Army and beg for mercy! ”

Is that true? As a loser in the battle for the throne? Yihu should have died a long time ago. It was only with the tens of thousands of troops in his hands and the strong walls of Talas that his brother, Mo He, the king of Shiguo, did not dare to act rashly.

The city lords of Baishui, Zhezhi and Juzhanti are all descendants of Mohe? Bahan is the capital of the Stone Kingdom. Yihu left Talas? Fleeing with only a small retinue, no matter which of the four cities you go to next, you will be caught in the net!

However, Dagan Shetuo has long been prepared. While continuing to stagger back? While raising his voice, he added, "The secret service misunderstood?" Really misunderstood. Didn't your subordinates persuade you to go to Mohe, and your subordinates advised you to lead all your relatives? Bypass Whitewater City and take refuge in Mulu Prefecture. Leave a useful body? For the future? ”

"Where to go? Mudeer? Yihu immediately stopped his arm? The two eyes widened in an instant.

Mulu Prefecture is two thousand miles away from Talas? The moment belongs to Anguo. And the king of Anguo has always been a king of Shiguo, and he went to defect as the lord of the city in distress, of course the king of Anguo will not take the initiative to hand himself over to Mohe. In addition, Anguo has long been a subsidiary of Da Shi, and the reason why he was hunted down by the Tang Army was also for Da Shi. In order not to chill the servants, the actual controller of Anguo should also arrange a decent way out for himself.

"Yes, go to Mulu!" Sensing that Yihu had already moved, Dagan She Tuo hurriedly made persistent efforts, "The Tang army is fierce, and Zhang Qian is greedy, if he can't find a special service in Talas, he will definitely lead his troops to attack Bahanna." At that time, how can Mo He be his opponent? When the Tang army kills Mo He and leaves, or escorts Mo He to leave, you will return to Shiguo to gather the old department with the support of the Great Cannibal. The position of the lord of the country will inevitably fall into the hands of the secret service! ”

"This—" Yihu's heart fluttered, and his two round eyes rolled up and down in his sockets.

The strength he has at hand is far inferior to that of his brother Mohe, and he himself does not have the support of most of the nobles in the country, and there is no hope in his life to seize the throne by force. However, if the current king dies at the hands of the Don army, or is captured by the Don army, as the sole heir, his spring will come.

"Special service, the people in the whole city are all in the same hatred as you, because they are worried that after the Tang army breaks the city, they will use their family property to pay off their debts." Afraid that Yihu would hesitate, Dagan She Tuo slowly took a step forward and continued to remind in a low voice, "But that Zhang Qian has already said publicly, only collect debts from you alone, and the city is strong, even if you don't believe his words, there will be some thoughts in your heart that you shouldn't have." Before they can contact each other, you can leave with us before it's too late! And in case they collude with each other and connect with Zhang Qian's side......"

"I understand, you go down secretly to prepare, don't leak the news." Yihu's heart tightened when he heard this, waved his hand, and made a decision in a dumb voice, "Later, I will call someone who can be relied on by discussing the reason for defending the city, and I will ...... in the middle of the night in the second half of today."

"Agent, don't listen to this coward! He was scared out of his courage by the Tang Army! Before he could finish a sentence, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and an old man who looked and dressed like Ali strode in.

"Hafiz the Wise, when did you come? With such heavy rain, how can it be good if you get sick. Yihu was taken aback, and hurriedly stepped forward with a smile on his face, shushing the cold and asking for warmth.

"Whoever believes in the pious, the true God will naturally bestow grace on him to keep him away from all diseases." Hafez, the Great Food Wise Man, frowned, a pun.

Immediately, he raised his hand and pointed at the nervous Dagan Shetuo, and said in a loud voice: "Don't be bewitched by this person, he is worried about being implicated, so he advises you to escape with him." When he goes to Anguo, he can still be a dagan for others, but you will no longer be the city lord! Nor will the true God bestow His favor on a man who has no courage! ”

That's too harsh. It is equivalent to directly telling Yihu that if he gives up Talas, he will become a lost dog. And on the side of the big food, it will definitely not give the lost dog any support.

"The wise man is right, She Tuo didn't know anything, and he was scared by the Tang Army!" Yihu's heart suddenly became cold when he heard this, however, he didn't dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction, he smiled and apologized in a low voice, "It's a shame that you came in time, otherwise, I would have made a wrong decision just now." ”

"It is also a kind of wisdom to be able to correct mistakes in time!" Hafez Wise Man's face looked a little better, first quoted a maxim, and then added with a pleasant face, "The Tang army is only in his early five thousands, and it is impossible to surround the Talas, if you want to abandon the city, you can do it at any time." If you leave now, it will be too early, and you will inevitably be looked down upon. ”

"Indeed, it's too early, it's only been half a day!" Afraid of losing the support of the big cannibal, Yihu nodded again and again.

Immediately, he quickly turned his gaze to Dagan She Tuo, and scolded sharply: "If you don't retreat and reflect, just now, you almost led me astray!" ”

"Yes, yes! The subordinates know that they are wrong, and the subordinates will go to introspect! Dagan Shetuo was so frightened that his forehead sweated, and he responded in a hoarse voice, and then fled out of the door in a gray manner. His back was stiff, and his legs and feet were staggering, like an old dog with a broken waist.

Knowing what Yihu was, Hafez didn't think this person's performance was so unkind, he smiled and continued to add, "What the special service is worried about is nothing more than the iron thunder that the Tang army threw at the head of the city. Just now, while it was raining, I went to the city wall to inspect it. It sounds scary, but it's not really powerful. As long as you are more than ten steps away from where the object has landed, no one will be harmed. ”

"No more than ten steps?" Yihu was skeptical, frowning and repeating.

If the power of the iron thunder was not more than ten steps, there was really no need for him to be so afraid. And the projectiles fired by catapults are far less fast than bows and arrows. Every time the Tang Army is found to have launched an iron mine, it may be too late for the brothers to run away in time.

"It's definitely not more than ten steps, don't believe you can see it yourself. I also found out just now that the damage to the city wall caused by the iron thunder was not as serious as I thought in advance. Each pit is less than four feet wide. "I'm afraid that Yihu will secretly change his mind because of his timidity. Hafez thought for a moment, and continued to add in a low voice, "The walls of Talas are made of rammed earth, and they are ten feet thick at the narrowest point. Even if some gaps were blown out by the iron thunder, the soldiers could be carried with dirt bags on their backs and fill it in time! ”

"The wise man is indeed wise!" When Yi Hu heard this, his heart suddenly became much more settled. While praising with a smile, he said loudly, "With you always here, I have the courage to continue to persevere." Just ......"

After a deliberate pause, his voice quickly became lower, "It's just that our army was unfortunately defeated by the Tang Army before, and its morale was low. And in Talas, there are also many people who are selfish and do not share the same heart as me. In case they are bewitched by the thief......"

"I have given an order to all my followers to keep an eye out for the winds and grasses in the city. If you find an abnormality, you can put it out immediately! Hafez's face quickly turned cold, and in an instant, an invisible murderous aura came out of his body.

"Thank you, wise man!" was so excited by the oncoming murderous aura that he shuddered, and Yihu bowed down to thank him with joy on his face. "With your help, I am completely relieved. I'm not going to think about abandoning the city again, no matter who proposes it. But ......"

After hesitating for a moment, he asked tentatively, "I, the Sogdians, are not good at fighting, and the wise man of Ali once promised that the Great Food side would send a group of soldiers who are good at fighting to help in time......

"The letter for help has been sent, if nothing else, within two months, tens of thousands of big ** Rui will rush over from Tochar!" He had already guessed that Yihu would definitely have this question, and Hafez gave the answer without hesitation.

"Two months?" Yihu's heart jerked, and he blurted out questioning, "How long does it take?" In case the Tang army is desperate to attack the city......"

"Special Service!" Hafez's brow furrowed rapidly, and his voice became hoarse and muffled. "Two months, that's the fastest speed. The soldiers need to be assembled, and there has been a war between the Great Food Country and the Whira. Yihu special service, you have to know how to be grateful. The Great Food Nation does not owe you anything, and the reason why it is fully supported by you is because of your respectful attitude towards the true God. ”

"Thank God!" Yihu hurriedly bowed down and shouted praises.

"The walls of Talas were strong, the army and the people were united, and the food and equipment were quite sufficient. Even if you keep the first half of the year, it won't be a problem! Hafez is not blindly pressing, the encouragement that should be given, is not stingy, and in these two months, you will not be the only one who sticks to it. I have already issued a convening order, and in the neighboring countries of Mi, Cao, and He, there will be believers of the true gods who will come to help in the war one after another. ”

"Thank you to the true gods, thank you to the wise men!" Yihu was extremely unsure, but he resolutely bowed again.

Mi Guo, Cao Guo, and He Guo all belong to small countries established by the nine surnames of Zhaowu. Now, these three countries have also become vassals of the Great Food Country. Although the three countries can send not many reinforcements, those fanatical believers are all fearless to death. With them in front, the hope of holding Talas will undoubtedly be much stronger. Even if you can't hold it, when you run for your life, you can leave them down to cut off for yourself.

"The rain will stop soon, as the city lord, your position should be on the city wall, not hiding in the city lord's mansion all the time." At a glance, he saw through the small abacus in Yihu's heart, and Hafez didn't break it. He frowned again, urging in a commanding tone.

"The wise man is right, when the rain stops, I will go to the city walls to make rounds!" Yihu, who bet all his future on the support of the Great Food Country, has long been difficult to ride a tiger, and he quickly expressed his position with a smile.

The thunderstorm in midsummer really came and went quickly. As soon as his words fell, the sky outside the window began to glow. Immediately after, a gust of wind blew, the clouds opened and the rain fell, and the sunlight quickly shone down from the sky, illuminating the gloomy and crowded City Lord's mansion.

What has just been said cannot be taken back immediately. Yihu had no choice but to harden his head, put on heavy armor, put on an iron helmet, and then under the protection of his cronies, he walked to the east wall of Talas.

The enemy tower on the city wall has long been blown down by the Tang army's iron thunder. The bed crossbow placed on the horse's face was also blown apart by the Tang army. However, the main body of the walls and the horse's face, as previously described by Hafez, was not badly damaged. Several of Yihu's henchmen and their men carried a pile of dirt in sacks towards the broken places, which were soon filled in the potholes that had been blown out.

Maybe it's because I've come from afar and I'm physically tired. Perhaps it was due to concerns about the performance of the weapon, which was affected by water vapor. After the sky cleared, the Tang army did not immediately attack. This made Yihu suddenly breathe a sigh of relief, pinched his waist with both hands, and put a big word on the horse's face. The generals and soldiers are inciting one by one.

There were already Tang Army scouts who saw Yihu's figure through the telescope, and quickly sent the news back to the camp. Zhang Qian saw that the time was approaching evening, and he didn't bother to worry about a dying person. smiled, and ordered the soldiers to rest in peace, wait until tomorrow to recuperate enough, and then continue to "collect debts" from Yihu.

As a result, Na Yihu found that Tang Jun ignored him, and immediately became energetic. Instructed his soldiers to carry the spare bed crossbow to the city. Then he ordered someone to open the crossbow string with a pull-and-pull pull, put a heavy crossbow more than two zhang long, and personally pulled the mechanism to shoot at the Tang camp, which was far away two miles away. Although he knew that the range of the heavy crossbow was only more than 200 steps, he still greatly boosted his morale.

Luo Huaizu was furious, took the initiative to ask Ying, led the teaching group out, and taught Yihu a lesson. However, before the group could bring the catapult close to the city wall, Yihu had already swaggered away, surrounded by his cronies. Immediately, there were two more groups of people dressed as Tang people, crying and being caught up by the defenders, using flesh and blood as shields to prevent the Tang army from blowing up the bed crossbow.

Before the moment of the general attack, Luo Huaizu didn't want to ruin Zhang Qian's reputation because of a momentary anger. He had no choice but to abandon the bombardment of the surface of the horse's face, first bombing a round of gunpowder bombs at the position where there were no "Tang people" standing on the city wall, and then, with a loud voice, sent a loud brother to repeat Zhang Qian's letter to Yihu and everyone in the city in Sogdian, repeated it loudly several times, and then collected his troops and returned to the camp.

What he didn't even expect was that his kindness gave Yihu more confidence. The latter became more and more convinced that the instructions given to him by the Great Food Wise were correct, and as long as he paid the price and persisted until the arrival of the Great Food Reinforcements, there should be no big problem.

However, in order to avoid the confidence of some people under his command from wavering, he led the way for the Tang army. He still gave the order to have the construction start overnight, and all the gates of Talas in the east, south, and north directions were blocked with earth. The city gate on the west side was also blocked for most of it, leaving only a gap two horse-wide, so that messengers and scouts could be sent at any time to communicate with the outside world.

"Grandma's, the last generation of the lord of the Shi Kingdom didn't know what kind of sin he had created, and he actually raised such a stupid and bad bastard!" Knowing Yihu's movements from the scout's mouth, Luo Huaizu gritted his teeth in anger again. "For the sake of a few kind words from the great cannibal, it doesn't matter if you put the lives of all the people in Talas City on the gambling table, and you haven't forgotten to leave a way for yourself to escape!"

"In the past 20 years, Datang didn't want to have too many things, so he let the nine surnames of Zhaowu become bigger one by one. In the early years, the so-called king of Shiguo was just a Tutun, what insight could he have. And Yihu has been pampered since he was a child, and it is strange that he can grow into a hero! Wei Dao listened, and pouted again and again. (Note: Tutun, a small tribal chief.) Status is much lower than Khan. ）

"Beware of those big cannibals standing behind Yihu! They picked Yihu to invade the broken leaves, and helped Yihu defend the city, it is impossible to have no back-up moves" Zhang Xu has become a little taciturn since he came to the Western Regions, but when he occasionally says a word, he is extremely far-sighted, "I suspect that Yihu, Talas, or even the entire Shiguo are all bait deliberately given to us by the big cannibals." The purpose is to drag us here and then inflict heavy damage. ”

"You're right, the big cannibals must have a back-up. Therefore, we must destroy Yihu before the Great Eater soldiers and horses rush over. Zhou Jianliang is experienced, and he smiled and gave the direction of solving the problem.

"Captain Zhou said very much, this battle must not be delayed. It's best to be able to fight quickly like you did when you attacked Kulan City. Zhang Xu glanced at Zhou Jianliang and nodded vigorously.

"What's so hard about that? I went into the city in the middle of the night and threw the grenade directly into his bed! Luo Huaizu immediately took over the conversation and laid out the specific solution.

Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned their heads to Zhang Qian one after another, expecting him to make the final decision. And Zhang Qian just raised his head from the handsome case, and his eyes were full of admiration when he looked at everyone.

He learned the concept of one-way proxy warfare from those classic examples in the 21st century, and knew that the easiest way to break the situation was to knock the agent to the ground as quickly as possible. Let those main messengers behind them want to continue to make moves, but it's too late!

And Zhang Xu and Zhou Jianliang, who had never been exposed to the concept of proxy warfare before, were able to discover the real emissary of the big cannibal from behind Yihu's stupid actions, and came up with a solution similar to that of the 21st century, which is commendable.

"Zhang Senjun's eyes are like torches, and Zhou Duwei's thoughts are also the same as Zhang's." Nodding at everyone, Zhang Qian said with a smile. Immediately, he waved his hand lightly at Luo Huaizu, who was eager to try, "As for Secretary Luo's method, it's too risky." In Zhang's eyes, ten Yihu are not worth one of your toes. You climb over the wall to assassinate Yihu, even if you succeed, it is difficult to get out of the whole body, this kind of loss-making business, Zhang will never do it! ”

"You're underestimating me, as long as Yihu is blown up, the defenders will definitely be in a mess. I'm at least 40% sure I'm going to get out! Although Luo Huaizu was moved, he was not very convinced, blushed, and defended loudly, "If you don't believe it, I can make a military order!" ”

"If you are trapped in the city and can't get out, who will I ask to honor the military order?" Zhang Qian smiled and continued to shake his head slightly, "What's more, there are still many big food maniacs in the city. If you rush up together and fight with you, no matter how high your martial arts are, the tiger can't resist the wolves. ”

Of course, Luo Huaizu knew that if he climbed over the wall to assassinate Yihu, he might not really be able to get out safely, but he still blushed and shook his head, "If you bombard it with gunpowder shells, you won't be able to open the city wall in ten days and half a month." And you can't stop it, you bomb during the day, and Yihu sends people to repair it at night. ”

"It's better for me to lead the brothers from Shuofang to attack! With Zhao, you use gunpowder bullets and crossbow arrows to suppress the enemy, and I use your Mo family's kind of cloud ladder with a base, and take the brothers to attach it. Zhou Jianliang was also reluctant to let Luo Huaizu take risks, so he took the initiative to ask for help on the side, "Your kind of ladder is often used when we attack the Turkic fortress. The brethren are very familiar. It would take a few more days to train them to clear the way with grenades, and in this way, the cost should not be too great. ”

After that, he also stood up and waited for Zhang Qian's decision.

Zhang Qian smiled and shook his head stubbornly again, "No need, the lives of the brothers are expensive, so they shouldn't be wasted in a place where this kind of bird doesn't." ”

"Yongzhao, my generation is a martial artist!" I didn't want Zhang Qian to delay the fighter because of his soft heart, Zhou Jianliang reminded in a low voice. "As long as you fight, you can't go without loss!"

"I want the enemy to die!" Zhang Qian glanced at him again, and his face suddenly became extremely solemn, "I have already thought of a strategy to break the city just now, but I am a little unbearable." However, it is better to let the enemy die than to sacrifice oneself. What's more, there was no need for a place like Talas to exist in the first place! ”

With that, he picked up the sketch he had just drawn from the table with his hand and gently displayed it in front of everyone.

In another time and space, the people of Shiguo used almost the same trick to drag the Anxi army to Talas. Then, the Great Eclipse army swarmed in, making countless Han family sons and daughters hate the battlefield.

This time, he came.

Zhang Qian didn't know if Gao Xianzhi was born now, and he didn't know if he was qualified to take care of things forty-two years from now.

However, he could, so that in a few decades, there would be no more Talas on the map.