Chapter 52: Breaking the Shadow

Linying City is a small city.

The city is not big, and it is not a famous city. It's just an ordinary county seat. Although there are many households, it is said that there are 22 li, and each li has 110 households. In the county alone, there are more than 2,000 households and 10,000 or 20,000 people, but that was the situation in its heyday. And not now.

After years of war, drought and locusts, how much is left is really a difficult number to say.

At this moment, countless people probe on the city wall. Under the city walls, thousands of horses galloped around the city. The billowing smoke and dust, like a long dragon, enveloped the entire city.

"King Chuang has an order: Kaecheng surrenders, Qiu does not commit any crimes, stubbornly resists, and no armor remains."

A loud cry shook the city.

Yao Wenheng looked at the people around him, trembling one by one, suddenly pulled out his sword, and said: "The dynasty has been raising soldiers for more than 200 years, and you must not surrender to thieves. As he spoke, he looked at the people, the well-dressed people, and there was a hatred on their faces, but most of the poor people did not bother to raise their eyes.

"For more than 200 years, the people's will is not solid." Yao Wenheng only felt a sharp pain in his heart. The real gentry are the family members of the gentry, and there are only more than a thousand strong men in the full fight, how can these people hold the city wall for several miles? The people could not count on it, and the city today would certainly not be able to hold it.

"If you can't keep it, you have to keep it." Yao Wenheng gritted his teeth and said secretly: "Only in this way can we live up to our family and country." ”

Luo Yulong was intimidating and persuading him to surrender, and he did not move at all above the city. I know that this city is going to be attacked with real swords and real robberies.

"Dismount and rest." Luo Yulong ordered.

He finally remembered that cavalry could not storm cities. When he was marching, he felt that Zhang Xuan's troops were marching too slowly, so he led the horse team to run over alone, but in one morning, the troops went down to the city, and Linying was only sixty miles away from Yuncheng. It's just that I didn't expect that Linying County Order was still a hard bone.

In the afternoon, Zhang Xuan's department finally arrived.

Zhang Xuan's department was not just a foot soldier, he wanted to take root in Linying County, so Zhang Xuan brought a lot of things, such as craftsmen, food, and some other materials, so he walked sixty miles for almost a day to arrive.

"Brother-in-law." Luo Yulong said directly: "I saw the city, but thousands of old and weak are just that, it's okay to support face, but I can't hold it when I fight, I specially waited for you to come and give you a credit." ”

Zhang Xuan said: "Thank you, big brother." He said this, but in his heart he knew it. It's just that Luo Yulong is worried that the casualties of the horse team are too great, after all, there are no immortals in the siege, and in Luo Yulong's eyes, the value of the horse team is much stronger than that of foot soldiers.

Zhang Xuan didn't say much, and immediately arranged for the soldiers to put on a posture, and several tiger squatting cannons were lined up.

From the carriage behind, it was not a part that was brought down, and in the clanging assembly of craftsmen, several siege equipment were assembled.

After Zhang Xuan's department experienced the battles of attacking and burning shops, attacking Xiangcheng, attacking Shangshui, and attacking Yuncheng, it gradually matured and formed a set of siege routines in Zhang Xuan's style.

Zhang Xuan also understands that attacking the county seat does not require much effort at all, firstly, the city wall of the county is not very strong, and secondly, there are not many tenacious defenders in the city, as long as the first person is captured, the city can be breached, just like now.

A few small cannons were placed directly in the distance of dozens of steps under the city, and the back half of the cannon was buried in the soil, and the muzzle of the cannon was raised high, these cannons were obtained from the fire shop, and after the fire shop, within twenty days, it was transferred to various places, Zhang Xuan really didn't have the heart to engage in gun trucks, and in Zhang Xuan's opinion, this artillery was too small.

However, although this cannon is small, it is enough for the people in the city.

As soon as several of the guns fired, solid shells fell on the city.

However, most of the shells were blocked by the women's wall. It's just that for these people, it's enough, and I don't know who shouted, "Run." For a while, the people of the city turned around and ran.

Yao Wenheng was furious, holding the sword and saying, "Don't run, don't run." Go back, go back. ”

As he was shouting, he was struck by someone, and as soon as his hand was loosened, the sword fell on the city with a thud, and then he was kicked off the city.

The people didn't look at Yao Wenheng at all, and ran past Yao Wenheng, and after a while, even the officials on the city fled away. Yao Wenheng's face was pale, as if he was a walking corpse, and he calmed down all of a sudden, he knew that this city could not be defended.

Yao Wenheng smiled miserably, turned around and walked in the direction of the county office.

The movement on the head of the city, how can it be hidden from Zhang Xuan's eyes, Zhang Xuan immediately sent Deng and his subordinates forward, Deng and his subordinates did not use any long ladders, but used a rope with an iron hook, and hung on the city head at once, Deng He bit the long knife, brushed up to the city, killed a few soldiers who were still resisting on the city, and then opened the city gate, and the team of people and horses rushed in. Linying City became Zhang Xuan's.

As soon as Zhang Xuan opened the city gate, he sent Luo Dai's horse team to take the first step to occupy the county government and the treasury, so as not to let people set fire to it.

However, when Zhang Xuan came to the county office, he was immediately furious and said, "Luo Dai, what did I say? Don't kill indiscriminately, don't kill women and children, how do you do that? As soon as Zhang Xuan came in, he saw more than a dozen corpses in the backyard of the county government, not young and strong, but women and children.

Zhang Xuan was particularly in favor of the military law promulgated by Li Zicheng, so killing the people without permission under Zhang Xuan's subordinates was also a first-class crime.

"General." Luo Dai said aggrievedly: "I didn't kill these people. ”

"Didn't you kill it, or did you kill yourself?" Zhang Xuan scolded loudly.

"It's really suicidal." Luo Dai said: "I came like this, I asked the survivors in the county office, it was the county order Yao Wenheng who killed his own family. ”

"Yao Wenheng?" Zhang Xuan said with a little unreasonableness: "Where are the others?" ”

"It seems that I ran to the Confucian Temple." I don't know who said it.

Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go, go and see, how hard do I see his heart?" ”

Killing his wife and children with his own hands, such a person is simply inhumane in Zhang Xuan's opinion.

Among the Confucian Temples.

Yao Wenheng was covered in blood, his face was pale, his hair was scattered, and there was no Fengyi of the past, he looked at the portrait of Confucius, and said: "Kong said to be benevolent, Meng said to take righteousness, Wen Heng has been studying for more than 30 years since he tied his hair, and now he dares to bear this precept?" He then heard footsteps outside.

He knew that now Linying County was owned by thieves, and the people who came in now were definitely thieves. He put the bloodstained sword in his hand around his neck and said, "I would rather kill myself than be dishonored by a thief." With a swipe of the horizontal sword, blood spurted out, staining the portrait of Confucius red.

"Boom." With a bang, the door was kicked open by Luo Dai.

Zhang Xuan walked in and saw that Yao Wenheng had already died on the spot. I didn't know what to say for a while, I just raised my head and looked at the portrait of Confucius with an inexplicable smile.

This is not the first time. When he attacked Xiangcheng, Shangshui, and Yuncheng, Zhang Xuan encountered this situation, but today gave him a particularly shocking feeling.

"Is Da Ming's qi really exhausted?" Zhang Xuan said secretly in his heart. There are many reasons he summarized that the Ming Dynasty will perish, but he has only now seen what the power of the human heart is. With the support of so many people, Daming actually has the ability to turn the tables.

"It doesn't matter whether Daming has the ability to turn the tables or not. I won't even allow him to turn things around. Zhang Xuan said secretly in his heart. He understands his current situation very well, Ming will not die, he will die, this situation of incompatibility, so that he must do his best to extinguish Ming, what do you say, the threat of the Manchus. Sorry, all Zhang Xuan wants is to survive. Instead of sacrificing one's own life to allow others to live.

"Report, General Luo invites you over." A herald came to give the report.

"Let's bury Yao Wenheng's family together." Zhang Xuan turned his head away from the portrait of Confucius and said. Ask the herald and say, "What did General Luo tell me about?" ”

"It seems, please General Zhang persuade someone to surrender." The herald scratched his head.

"Persuade to surrender, who?" Zhang Xuan asked with some confusion. He didn't remember what Luo Yulong had about Corporal Lixian's fetish.