But after all, he survived and was still alive.

Outside the Acropolis, about five or six hundred meters away from the city, there was a deep trench.

The trench was about five or six meters wide, but it was more than ten meters deep, and even if there was nothing below, this depth alone would be enough to kill or injure anyone who tried to pass through. Not only was the trench wide and deep, but it was also extremely long, and so long it was that the ring formed a circle in which the whole of Ali's guard was enclosed!

Ali Zhiwei is a fortress-type city, not big, but not too old, and a medium-sized county town in the Guannei is about the same size, five miles and nineteen zhang long from east to west, three miles and seventy-six zhang wide from north to south, and seventeen miles in circumference. That is, the length of the trench reached an astonishing thirty miles or so.

To dig such a long, deep, and wide trench, the amount of work required is self-evident.

And on the outer side of the ditch, there was also a fence, which was made of hard wood the thickness of a man's arm, × years ×old, and was two feet high. Behind it was a small one-foot-tall rim, which was a position for the archers, and it was conceivable that if the defenders were to break through and be blocked by this trench, and the Jurchen elite kept stretching their bows and arrows behind the fence, it was almost reaping their lives, as easily as killing pigs and slaughtering sheep.

Obviously, the person who built this trench fence made it clear that it was the intention of annihilating the 80,000 Ming troops in the city.

About a few hundred meters behind the fence is the camp of the Jurchens.

These camps are very spread out, and each camp is about 100 meters in circumference, that is, it can accommodate thousands of people. But a camp of this size. There are dozens of guards around Ali, so divide the troops. Naturally, it is convenient to monitor the movements of the entire city, and it is also conducive to the deployment of troops.

Everywhere in the camps. Countless white flags fluttering in the wind, the Jurchen Jianguo is called the Jin State, still white, and the Ming Dynasty is still the color of Zhu Chi, from time to time in the military camp there are groups of soldiers walking by, the military appearance is neat, the look is fierce, the weapons are excellent, it is obviously quite elite. In every camp. There were dozens of snow-white military tents, and on the periphery of the army commander, there were four or five times more dilapidated shacks, which were the residences of Han slave soldiers.

From time to time, you can see the Han slave soldiers in the camp, some of them training under the leadership of the Jurchens, and some of them digging trenches, taking care of military horses, and doing some tiring and rough work.

An exceptionally large camp is Amin's Chinese army.

The Great Tent of the Chinese Army. A clearing of space was cleared around, and the battle was fierce, and from time to time a team of guards patrolled by.

The tent is very plain, and there are no superfluous furnishings. It's just a few chairs, a big desk, a small table and a futon for eating.

There is a large map spread on the big case. A young man with a calm face and an ordinary appearance was standing behind the big case. His hand rested on the edge of the table and examined it carefully. A pair of eyes look like they're glued to a map.

This person is the soul of this Jurchen remnant army, the only survivor of the three heroes of Haixi in the past, Jurchen Wanhu, Amin.

However, it doesn't seem appropriate to say that the remnants of the army are not very appropriate now, when the Haixi Jurchens were destroyed and the mountains and rivers were shattered, Amin led 30,000 remnants of the Haixi Jurchens westward into the territory of the general of Liaobei and captured Jiahewei, thus gaining a valuable stronghold, and thus avoiding Lian Zining's further pursuit. Time flies, more than a year has passed, after more than a year of operation, the Jurchen 30,000 troops have not only fully recovered their combat effectiveness, but also have more than 30,000 Han slave soldiers. After the southern invasion, Amin on the one hand selected a large number of Han Ding Zhuang as slave soldiers, and on the other hand, he conscripted the wild Jurchens in his own jurisdiction and collected them for urgent use.

Now Amin's department has 40,000 Jurchen troops, 20,000 infantry cavalry, and 100,000 Han slave soldiers, all of which are infantry troops.

Its power is already quite impossible to ignore.

Compared with when he first sent his troops south, Amin's figure was slightly thinner, but his waist was still straight, his cheeks were thinner, his chin was bearded, his eyes flashed with wisdom and maturity, and the whole person seemed more calm and restrained. Obviously, it's not just Lian Zining who is growing up alone, with the battles one after another, his enemies are also becoming more mature and powerful.

It's just that at this moment, fixed on the map, Amin's eyes are very anxious and bored.

After a long time, he picked up the pen and punched a cross in the position of Ali Zhiwei, stood up, and sighed deeply.

At this moment, there was a neighing of horses in the distance, and then there was a sound of heavy footsteps, walking towards this side. Amin knew who was coming, and no one in his own army had such a heavy footstep except for his troops.

Sure enough, after waiting for a while, the curtain of the door was lifted, and the stout boy who looked like a wild bear strode in, wearing heavy armor, and on the surface of the armor, there were fresh blood stains that had not dried up.

I walked to the side of the table and picked up a pot of tea, and poured it in three or two sips, and after a breath, I slammed the teapot on the table, sighed, and said with a smile: "It's really comfortable, but I'm dying of thirst." Amin, your tea is so delicious. ”

Not only that, but he swallowed the tea leaves and chewed them in his mouth.

Amin's brow furrowed slightly.

How can that delicate purple clay pot withstand the strength of my child? After giving such a heavy pier, there are already cracks on it, and the teapot is filled with a good dragon well before the rain. Before the rain, Longjing was the tea that Amin liked to drink before, when the Haixi Jurchen was still prosperous, there were many Han private businessmen who bribed him, but he was not worried that no one worshipped, but then the Haixi Jurchen declined, he didn't drink a little less tea, he was very reluctant to drink, these were the last bit in the pot, but they were suffocated by the cow chewing peony like a child, which naturally made Amin very distressed.

In fact, this is nothing, the most important thing is that my unscrupulous attitude in front of Amin makes him a little displeased, not to mention that he calls Amin by his first name.

Now who in the army saw him and didn't call him an adult?

With the growth of status, he has been in power for a long time. To put it bluntly, Amin's character has also become more and more strong and hard. It has become intolerable to tolerate this kind of behavior that used to be commonplace.

After all, the ass decides the head.

However, he still forcibly suppressed the displeasure in his heart, and looked me up and down: "Killing people again?" ”

"Hmm." I sat down in a chair. He grinned and said: "When I was patrolling the camp, I happened to meet the scout ghost head sent by the Han dog from the Wuzhiwei. Let me catch up, one hammer at a time! ”

He gestured with his right hand and hammered: "All of them are killed." ”

Amin shook his head: "You! The son of a daughter can't sit down, so why risk his life? ”

"It's not a full-day siege, you only let those cheap dogs get on, we can't get a fight, it's easy to open the meat, and it's cool."

I smiled with a look of disapproval, and he glanced at Amin. Suddenly asked, "Amin, do you have something on your mind?" ”

"yes!" Amin sighed: "It's still for the sake of Ali's war." ”

"We have been besieging Ali Zhiwei for more than a month, and now the situation in the entire Liaobei General's jurisdiction has become clear, we occupy the north, the White Lotus Sect occupies the south, and Yang Xuezhong guards the narrow area in the west. Now the only obstacle in front of us is Ali Zhiwei! As long as you can take down Ali's guards, you can drive straight in and take down the three guards of the vultures. But here's the thing. Now this thorn just can't be pulled out! ”

Amin slammed his fist on the table with hatred: "We have been fighting for more than a month, and more than 30,000 people have died, although it is those Han slave soldiers who died. The main force was not damaged, but the delay on it was too long. Now I'm thinking about whether or not to bypass Ali's guard. went directly to attack Yang Xuezhong's lair. ”

"I've got you in the news, Amin. You're going to change your mind. I smiled mysteriously.

Amin frowned: "What's the matter?" ”

"When I came, I ran into the messenger. He came from the White Lotus Sect, and it just so happened that I was coming to you, so I asked him to go back. I said, "You don't know yet, the White Lotus Sect has already defeated Tashanwei. ”

"What, the White Lotus Sect captured Tashanwei?"

Amin's face suddenly changed greatly, he stared at the child, and said with a gloomy face: "Why didn't you say such important news earlier." ”

This kind of tone, this kind of demeanor, such Amin, made me feel very strange, he couldn't help but feel a little panicked in his heart, and said: "This, I ......"

"What are you?" Amin slammed the table and yelled at him, "You dare to call the shots in such a military matter, do you know the severity?" The messenger has come to report to me, and what right do you have to stop them to inquire into the secrets, and send them back? With this article alone, I can cure you of a crime of discourse on military discipline! DID YOU KNOW? ”

I looked at Amin in a daze, with an incredible look in his eyes.

After a long while, he sighed deeply and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Amin, I was wrong this time. Never do it again next time. ”

Amin didn't expect that he would be soft, who had always been arrogant, and he was also stunned in his heart, and he did become more and more irritable, he snorted coldly and strode out of the big tent.

To be honest, although this time I was a little reckless, it was not so serious, but Amin had long been dissatisfied with him, so he just used the topic to play.

Amin knows this, and I am not a fool, so I can naturally see it.

I looked at his back, and the expression on my face was very complicated, there was disappointment, sadness, sadness, anger, all kinds of emotions were mixed together.

After a long time, he muttered to himself in a low voice: "Uncle is right, Amin, it has indeed changed, indeed, it is not the same person as before." ”

He still vividly remembered the scene when he rushed back to Jiahewei to visit his uncle more than half a month ago - the place where his uncle lived, surrounded by high walls and heavily guarded outside, there were hundreds of people, all of whom were Amin's henchmen. Ordinary people are not allowed to approach at all, even if they are themselves, they can only enter with Amin's warrant. Where there is a place of recuperation, it is clearly a prison! My uncle's range of activities was limited to the small courtyard that was no more than three feet in circumference, and he was not allowed to leave the hospital at all, and he could not see a single person all day long.

The uncle was very happy when he saw him, and he said good things vigorously, but he took advantage of the staring people not paying attention. The look-and-seeer said, "Amin has changed." ”

Yes, Amin has changed.

Uncle's health is obviously already well. But Amin announced that his uncle was still seriously ill and in a coma.

I know in my heart that Amin has tasted the sweetness of a person in power and taking ideas. I don't want my uncle to be above him anymore.

Uncle, the handsome, was actually imprisoned by him.

The thoughts were planned, and Amin was already shouting outside: "Send the order to all the slave soldiers to assemble, and after half an hour, attack the city!" ”

"At all costs, before the sun sets today, you must take down Tashanwei!"

Vultures.

Liaobei General's Mansion.

The middle position of the north-south central axis of the Wuzhewei is the Liaobei General's Mansion, a square made of big bluestone in front of the door. It is hundreds of meters long and wide, facing the door of the house, is a side with a length of ten zhang, a height of three zhang, a huge wall with a thickness of one zhang, all made of large bluestone, wrapped with white marble outside, the top ridge roof, inlaid with glazed tiles. In the front with glaze inlaid into a huge tiger pattern, the tiger head and tail are six zhang long, two zhang high, the inlay technology is extremely exquisite. Lifelike, delicate, standing on this wall. It is really majestic, with a pair of tiger eyes shining fiercely. In the midst of his anticipation, a violent feeling of brutality was about to come out. It seems that this fierce beast wants to jump down from above, choose people and devour them!

This is the Tiger Wall, and the Nine Dragon Walls in other places in the Ming Dynasty, it is not famous when it comes to fame, but in fact, it gives people a sense of majesty!

The white marble steps of the Liaobei General's Mansion, the vermilion gate, the high gate, the houses inside are stacked on top of each other, I don't know how many there are, and it is also extremely luxurious.

It's just that at this moment, this luxurious mansion is no longer proud, arrogant, and seems to be invincible, surpassing the millions of subjects under the jurisdiction of the general of Liaobei, and these are all gone.

The atmosphere here is dreary, panicked, and uneasy, like the earth before a storm, and like a hare that is about to pounce on an eagle that has been flying in the sky, and my heart is full of melancholy and worry. Perhaps, there is more than one eagle flying in the sky.

In fact, not only in this mansion, but also in the entire Wuzhiwei, and even in the entire small area controlled by the Ming army now, these cities are permeated with this kind of emotion.

It's a tough time!

The strong enemy Jurchen came from the north, and there were White Lotus Sect rebels from the people, sweeping the world, under the attack of the two armies, our little ground, just like the meat bun between two vicious dogs, but how is it good? Not to mention how ferocious and cruel the Jurchens were, as long as the city was captured by them, all the old and weak were killed, the men were reduced to slaves, and the women were reduced to the lowest prostitutes. It is the White Lotus Sect who are also the people of the Ming Dynasty, and now they have also established themselves as kings, these clay legs are different now, and they are attacking the city, and we can fall again?

Don't you look at the cities that were captured by the White Lotus Sect, how many of the civil and military officials, gentry and wealthy businessmen in them can have a good end?

On the whole, Wu Zhiwei is now in a panic, not knowing where the road ahead will end, and not knowing when he will die. The only thing that can be counted on is the tens of thousands of soldiers who defend the city, hoping that they can keep the White Lotus Sect and the Jurchens out. If not, it would be death.

And today's news has greatly exacerbated this panic.

Tashanwei was attacked by the White Lotus Sect's traitors!

After the news spread, everyone didn't believe it at first - it's really a joke, Tashanwei has Lord Zhou, who is known as defending the iron wall of the city, and there are 30,000 elites, Duoyanwei can't attack it after several eastward invasions, can those White Lotus Sect's mud legs be taken down? Then, when the authenticity of the news was confirmed, the panic and fear in my heart immediately reached a peak.

God, how strong is the White Lotus Sect? Are we their opponents? The three cities of Tashanwei, Wuzhiwei, and Wuzhiwei are each other's horns, and now one of the three is gone, isn't it the end?

For a while, all kinds of rumors spread everywhere in the Wuzhiwei, some of them publicized how the White Lotus Sect treated the people well and called on the people to join the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, and some said that the Jurchens were our saviors, and they would rather be friends than domestic slaves, right? …… In short, there is everything to say, and it is so noisy that people can't make up their minds.

On the luxurious hall of the Liaobei General's Mansion, Yang Xuezhong was wearing a long robe and was walking around irritably. His face was full of heaviness and boredom. It wasn't too hot at this time, and he wasn't wearing much. But there was already a layer of sweat on his forehead, which obviously showed the impatience in his heart.

Except for him. The hall was empty, and the people below hid far away, for fear of touching the mold and causing fire.

As the highest military governor in the local area, he naturally knew more than ordinary people - Tashanwei was breached, 30,000 soldiers surrendered either to death, even if the whole army was wiped out, not a single one escaped, and Zhou Kui, who was extremely trustworthy, actually surrendered!

Without the barrier of Tashanwei. The White Lotus Sect could directly attack the Acropolis of the Vultures, and after losing these 30,000 soldiers, the power in his hands became even weaker! Excluding the soldiers trapped in the death site of Ali Zhiwei, how many troops do you have at your disposal?

One thought after another was circling in Yang Xuezhong's head, he only felt extremely irritable, but he was overstretched and had no choice, this helpless feeling further escalated his irritability.

"Zhou Kui, I'll join your mother. You bastard, I believe you so much, master! How dare you be a thief! If I catch you, I'll cut you with a thousand knives! ”

Yang Xuezhong thought of Zhou Kui again, and immediately scolded angrily. If there was no Zhou Kui, he wouldn't have to worry about it so much, and now he seems to have been forced to the edge of the cliff. A few curses. I was angry and annoyed, and I just felt thirsty. Reach for the teacup on the table, only to find it empty. When I mentioned the teapot, it was light in my hand, and it turned out that the inside was empty.

The anger in his heart finally couldn't be suppressed anymore, and he slammed the precious purple sand teapot that he loved to the ground, and smashed it with a bang. Yang Xuezhong roared frantically: "Get out of here, you are such a cheap girl!" ”

Under his roar and roar, the waiting maids finally did not dare to hide anymore, and came out one by one, knelt in a row, kowtowed like pounding garlic and begged for mercy. They also knew that they had caused a big disaster, but they just begged for mercy, hoping to escape. It's just that Yang Xuezhong is crazy now, and he only thinks that these cheap women dare to bully themselves.

The tyranny in his heart rose, and he walked to the sword-wielding guard standing at the foot of the hall steps in three or two steps, snatched the waist knife, drew the knife out of its sheath, and stomped it down fiercely towards the handmaidens.

Blood splattered, screams and screams abounded, and the click of flesh and bone being cut off made people feel chills.

"Let you bully Lao Tzu, you, dare to bully me like this! Lao Tzu chopped you to death! Yang Xuezhong's eyes were blood-red, and the whole person was almost on the verge of madness, scolding angrily and slashing wildly. No matter how weak his body was, he was a ×-year-old man after all, and he was holding a sharp blade, and those maids didn't dare to resist, just cried and begged for mercy, and he cut down several of them at the moment.

killed someone and vented his strength, and Yang Xuezhong's anger seemed to have disappeared a lot. He only felt that his legs were weak, and the whole person was already sitting on the ground, and with a clang, the steel knife fell to the ground.

The soldiers were shocked, and hurriedly came over to help him, but Yang Xuezhong waved his hand and drove him away, and the cold voice made people's bones miserable: "These intend to stab me, chop up, and leave their flesh and bones behind." ”

"Yes!" Even the guards couldn't stand his behavior, but they didn't dare to say a word of superfluity, and when he answered, he dragged down the half-dead maids who were screaming to themselves.

At this time, an officer with a somewhat gloomy face strode into the second gate, and when he saw this scene, he was immediately shocked, and hurriedly walked two steps over, and said to Yang Xuezhong with concern: "My lord, what's wrong at this time?" ”

Seeing the person in front of him, Yang Xuezhong's eyes suddenly lit up, grabbed his arm, and said eagerly: "Is there any news, has Wu Yibo sent troops?" ”

The person who came was Fan Sihuai, the former commander of the Tunhe Guard, he was defeated by the Jurchens in Suntang Town, and fled in embarrassment, Yang Xuezhong did not dispose of him, but entrusted him with another important task, responsible for scouting and finding out the news.

Fan Sihuai's face darkened, and he said in a low voice: "There is no news yet." ”

"As I expected!" Maybe it was the venting just now that poured out all his anger, but Yang Xuezhong was much calmer at this time, he sighed faintly, and said with a miserable face: "Lian Zining, that bastard, this is to watch me die!" ”

"Adults may be overly worried." Fan Sihuai comforted him, but he also knew in his heart that Yang Xuezhong was telling the truth, the truth.

"Forget it, these comforting words don't need to be said." Yang Xuezhong waved his hand and sighed, he sat on the ground in a daze, and the depression and despair on his face finally faded away. After all, after being an official for so many years, Huan Hai has been up and down for decades, and his mind has long been exercised quite hard and tenacious, and he will never sit still.

What's more, it's not like there's no power to survive right now.

He sat up suddenly, strode towards the hall, and commanded, "Come with me."

Fan Sihuai hurriedly followed behind.

Yang Xuezhong didn't even have time to wipe the blood and sweat stains on his body, so he sat down on the chair and asked, "How many soldiers do we have?" ”

"Ali Zhiwei still has 80,000 ......"

Before the words fell, he was interrupted impatiently by Yang Xuezhong: "Don't mention Ali Zhiwei, it is already a dead city, and the soldiers in it don't count." ”

"Yes." Fan Sihuai replied and said, "We now have a total of 68,000 soldiers in the Vultures, the Vultures, and the Right Guards. ”

"There are more than 60,000 soldiers." Yang Xuezhong nodded, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, he suddenly slapped the table heavily, and ordered: "You immediately send an order, give up the two cities of the right guard of the vultures and the guard of the vultures, and transfer all the food, ordnance, materials, and inventory in the city to the guards of the vultures." The gold, silver, jewelry, grain, and medicinal herbs, silk and satin, livestock, poultry, in a word, all the valuable things in the people's homes were looted and transported, and the soldiers guarding the two cities abandoned the cities and came to guard them, and at the same time all the men in the prime of life in the two cities were escorted over. ”

"Huh?" Fan Sihuai was shocked when he heard this.

This trick of an adult is absolutely enough, but it's too ruthless, right?

As the capital of the general jurisdiction of Liaobei, the Wuzhi Acropolis is high and deep, far more than the ordinary city, and the terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is indeed a greater certainty to defend this city. Moreover, abandoning the other two cities and concentrating more than 60,000 troops here can also ensure the sufficiency of soldiers, and the relocation of all food and ordnance materials can also be sufficient supply of materials. If the supplies and soldiers of the three cities are concentrated in one place, then the Wuzhiwei can hold out for at least three or five months or even a year and a half, which is not a big problem, but it is also a good idea to put it to death and survive.

But the problem is that the adults still have to bring in all the middle-aged men and loot all the materials in the people's homes, isn't this forcing those people to die?

Although Fan Sihuai is corrupt and mediocre, he is not ruthless to this extent.

"This official will never sit still!"

Yang Xuezhong's face showed a touch of madness, he slapped the table fiercely, and when he saw that Fan Sihuai was still stunned, he immediately roared angrily: "What are you still stunned about?" Go to herald! ”

Fan Sihuai's heart sank, and he secretly said that it wasn't my luck anyway, so why bother saying more? Hurriedly answered, and hurriedly went down to give the order.

The incident of the White Lotus Sect's capture of Tashanwei seems ordinary, but in fact it is like an extremely crucial link in a series of locks, which really affects the whole body.

The entire battle situation has been turned upside down because of the change of this node (to be continued.) )