Chapter 100: The Envoy of the Lonely City

Zhou Chang did not stop along the way.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, he came to North Korea, first to Ganghwa Island.

Ganghwa Island is located at the mouth of the Han River. This island has a special meaning for the Joseon royal family. Once the Joseon royal family encounters a catastrophe, the first place that comes to mind to escape from Beijing is here. Ganghwa Island is still some distance from Seoul, at least when Zhou Chang arrived, Ganghwa Island was still owned by North Korea.

It's just that in Zhou Chang's opinion, I'm afraid this Jianghua Island won't last long.

There are only a few thousand old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers, and Ganghwa Island is only separated from the Korean Peninsula by a water. And it's frozen many times.

It would be quite easy for the Qing army to attack if it were to attack.

Zhou Chang asked how the battle was going in Seoul, and the guard general of Ganghwa Island said: "Three days ago, the news of Seoul was cut off. Of the people who were sent out, only one returned, and the rest were killed by the Eastern Captives. Nothing could be detected, except that the sound of artillery was heard. ”

"Hear the cannon?" Zhou Chang's face remained unchanged, but there was some anxiety in his heart.

The use of artillery in siege warfare is already quite common, and Zhou Chang has done something in the center of Great Xia, and he is extremely well-informed, so he naturally knows that the development of artillery has reached the level of artillery in the Qing army. If the artillery of the Qing army arrives, then Seoul will not be able to hold out under the artillery.

If he wants to go to Seoul, he has to do it as soon as possible. Otherwise, it is likely that by the time it passes, Seoul will already be in ruins.

Zhou Chang took this big risk, so he naturally wanted to make a difference.

He summoned a detachment of 100 to escort him.

This one hundred households is directly allocated from the cavalry, although the cavalry of the Xia Dynasty is few, but each of them is elite, and the leader of Li Baihu is the old man of the righteous army, it is said that he followed Li Zicheng to conquer the world, and even he has some relationship with Li Zicheng.

It's just that although he is brave in battle, he doesn't know a single word in Douda. According to the rules of the army formulated by Zhang Xuan, he has stopped at 100 households in his life. But the battlefield experience is very rich. Most of the soldiers under his command are veterans. Zhou Chang left a few people waiting to meet the army. Then left more than eighty riders. Zhou Chang said: "Li Baihu, you also know the current situation, can you not escort me into Seoul." ”

Li Baihu had a scar on his face, and his old face, which had become extremely hideous. He grinned and said, "Lao Tzu is naturally not afraid of the east, but adults are born or dead. I don't know, if the adults are bold, Lao Tzu will go with you, and if the adults are brave and don't want to go, they can also use us as an excuse. ”

"Li Baihu means that if I go, you will follow, as for whether it will be successful or not, do you have confidence?" Zhou Chang said.

"It's easy to say big words, but Lao Li, I really killed Dongyu with real swords and guns." When Li Baihu said this, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, the wound couldn't help beating, and he looked even more hideous and terrifying, and said: "On the lower face, the scar that almost killed him was left by Dongyu. ”

"Donglu has an enmity with me, but I also have to admit that Donglu is a hard stubble, not easy to deal with, if a hundred horses against a hundred horses, Lao Tzu is not afraid of anyone. But how many are there near Seoul. How's it going? I don't know. ”

"My lord, how can I say that I am sure?"

Zhou Chang said: "Li Baihu, if I have to go, you are willing to accompany me for a while." ”

Li Baihu's eyes showed a look of struggle, and finally calmed down and said, "Life and death accompany each other." ”

Li Baihu is not a fool, of course he knows that this is the case, life and death are unpredictable, and he will die under the city of Seoul if he can't say it.

But he understood better that Zhou Chang seemed to give him a choice. But in reality he didn't choose.

Because there is military law in Great Xia.

Zhou Chang, as an envoy, is his superior. What Zhou Chang said is a military order, don't look at what Zhou Chang said politely. It can really be regarded as a matter of improper military orders.

Zhou Chang said: "Li Baihu Gaoyi, if this matter is completed, I will definitely ask for credit for Baihu in front of His Majesty." ”

"Then I have to come back with my life." Li Baihu muttered in his heart.

Zhou Chang did things vigorously and resolutely, did what he said, immediately brought people to land, and rode to Seoul in eighty horses.

However, the Qing army's probe horses were released far away. I haven't seen the walls of Seoul yet.

I met Dongyu Tanma.

After a fight, Li Baihu lived up to his reputation and killed all the horses in the east.

It's just that Li Baihu has also lost a lot of people.

As soon as the fight passed, Li Baihu didn't wait for his breathing to be stable, and immediately said to Zhou Chang: "Hurry up." ”

Zhou Chang saw that the soldiers were wheezing, and said, "Why don't you rest for a while?" ”

Li Baihu said sharply: "My lord, don't underestimate Dongyu too much. Since it has been alarmed. I'm sure I don't know how many people have arrived from here to under Seoul. ”

"It's slow. Whether you can see the walls of Seoul or not is a question. ”

Li Baihu was very experienced in warfare, and his guesses were extremely accurate. This battle is just the beginning.

From this battle to the bottom of Seoul, Li Baihu escorted Zhou Chang, which could be several battles in succession, and more than 80 horsemen spilled blood all the way.

By the time we got to Seoul, there were only a dozen or so left.

And these dozen or so horsemen stirred up the battle situation under the entire Seoul.

At this moment, Azig was besieging the city, and he underestimated the difficulty of the road from Shenyang to Seoul.

Although the army arrived, not many artillery arrived.

Therefore, Azig gathered all the artillery at the north gate, but only five or six, and the rest were on the way.

However, even five or six pieces of artillery were enough to bombard the North Koreans and not be able to raise their heads.

After all, Seoul is the capital of a country,

Extremely strong. In addition, it is winter, as long as it is watered, it is like an ice city, even if it is bombarded with artillery, it will not be able to open for a while.

It's just that many times, the city can still hold on, and the people in the city may not be able to hold on.

Under such passive beatings, the North Koreans were demoralized, and the city was almost unmanned.

It can be said that there is no morale at all.

There are even people who have secretly communicated with Azig. Azig just waited for a few more days of bombardment, so that the North Koreans could not hold on. Just find a way to cooperate with the outside and take Seoul.

It's just that he never expected that at this time, such a thing would happen. He scolded sharply: "There are so many people, they can't stand a team of people, pass on my military order, if you let someone rush into Seoul and preside over the blockade, the general will kill himself, save me from doing it." ”

"Wow." Someone immediately agreed.

Azig gave such an order, and the soldiers of the Eight Banners heard about it, and if they went crazy, they intercepted Zhou Chang and his party.

Zhou Chang's equestrianism is not bad.

But it's just good, and you can ride a horse without falling behind. As for fighting right away or something, don't count on him. He could only crouch on his horse, holding a handcuff in his hand, and he had already loaded his ammunition.

Always ready to let go of the gun.

Even though he didn't kill a single person along the way, he was covered in blood, although there were some enemies. But more than that, it was the soldiers who protected him.

"Phew." Li Baihu snorted softly and said to Zhou Chang: "My lord, you go to the city of Seoul." I'll block it for you here. ”

Zhou Chang looked back, and the rolling snow waves rushed towards this side, and the several Qing riders who took the lead had already rushed three hundred steps away.

The large number of Qing horses made Zhou Chang tremble, and said, "What should Li Baihu do? ”

The corners of Li Baihu's mouth hooked slightly, his face was covered with blood and scars, he looked like a demon in hell, and he sneered and said, "Before I came out, I didn't want to go back alive." ”

"Now it is worthy of the land that the court has given us to our family."

The cavalry exchange was fleeting. Li Baihu also said more, and took the remaining dozen horsemen to turn around and rush towards the Qing army.

For a while, Li Baihu's eyes seemed to change into the winter of Chongzhen's seventeenth year, that is, Li Zicheng's defeat and retreat all the way from Shaanxi to Xiangyang.

His family's small township party all died in this battle, and it was Azig who bit Li Zicheng's department to the death, and finally forced Liu Zongmin to die after the battle was broken.

There are no eggs under such a nest.

Although he has obtained some silver money for his merits at the moment, he has another mother-in-law in Xijing and a child.

But I'll never forget that winter.

He shouted, knocked his feet on the belly of the horse, and the war horse under him seemed to know his intentions, and rushed to the Qing army with the last strength.

It's just blood and bravery, and it can't change the overall situation.

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