As soon as the smoke of gunfire rose from the fort, the second round of shelling of the artillery battalion began.

The roar was endless, and the entire fortress was covered by heavy gunsmoke, and it was impossible to see the civilian army on the fortress clearly, and could only hear the non-stop wailing and screaming of the civilian army inside.

The iron gate of the fortress finally rotted after several rounds of artillery bombardment by the general.

Xu Liang looked at the top of the fortress and raised his hand. Seeing this, the commander of the artillery battalion waved his flag and shouted: "Stop attacking!!" ”

Seeing this, Luo Rucai, the guerrilla general of Pingliang, pointed his spear forward, and the Liang army, which was already ready, rushed to the fortress behind him. Shielded by the smoke of gunpowder, the Liang army did not shoot down a few scattered arrows from above until they rushed to the edge of the fortress gate, and the Liang army shouted, successfully broke through the iron gate that had been shattered by artillery fire, rushed into the fortress, and then launched a sweep of the remnants of the people's army.

Beside Xu Liang, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, and Cao Wenzhao, the deputy commander-in-chief of Shaanxi, watched as a fortress that seemed to them to be difficult to conquer was broken in less than a quarter of an hour under the artillery attack of the Liang army.

Hong Chengchou and Cao Wenzhao's faces turned pale, and they looked at the top of the fortress in a daze, and in the smoke of gunpowder, a large banner of the Liang army was erected. Obviously, the Liang army that attacked the fortress had already controlled the situation inside the fortress.

Hong Chengchou sighed: "Guozhong has such a divine weapon, why worry about the unrest of the northwest!" ”

Cao Wenzhao sighed: "If Liaodong is also equipped with the Governor's Flying Eagle Cannon, why be afraid of the Tartar soldiers!" The governor has such an artifact, why don't he sacrifice it to the court? ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he just smiled and said, "The early drawings of the Flying Eagle Cannon, this official has already been presented to Emperor Chongzhen through Xu Ge Laojin. It's just that the court is worried that the cost of the Flying Eagle Cannon is too high. The court couldn't bear it, so it was abandoned. ”

Cao Wenzhao was silent, and then his eyes lit up and encouraged Xu Liang to say: "Lord Xu, Lord Sun Chengzong, the governor of Jiliao, is very far-sighted, and the last general is willing to ask the governor to recommend the drawings to Sun Ge Lao." With Sun Ge Lao's vision, he will definitely be able to recognize the benefits and disadvantages of the flying eagle cannon and promote it. When the time comes, the governor will be the hero of my Ming Dynasty! ”

"Hero?" Xu Liang tilted his neck and looked at Cao Wenzhao, sneering: "General Cao, you are still too simple." If this official listens to your words and contributes the Flying Eagle Cannon, I am afraid that he will not be a hero at that time, but will become a dead man! ”

Cao Wenzhao sneered awkwardly: "The governor said that he was joking. ”

Xu Liang looked at Cao Wenzhao seriously, shook his head and said, "I'm not joking, I'm serious." General Cao probably didn't know. Since this official took office as the governor of Shaanxi and recruited troops, Emperor Chongzhen and the three old killers in the cabinet have been worried that this official will rebel and do everything possible to get rid of me! Oh, Emperor Chongzhen sent all the top ten killers of the East Investigation Factory to Shaanxi! ”

Cao Wenzhao stared at the adults when he heard this, Xu Liang looked at the trilateral governor Hong Chengchou, and chuckled: "Governor Hong should know about these things." Governor Hon. You say, don't you? ”

Cao Wenzhao looked at Hong Chengchou in amazement, and Hong Chengchou was embarrassed for a while. His face turned red, and he sneered: "Guozhong, it's been so long, why mention it again?" ”

Xu Liang sneered, raised his feet and walked in the direction of the fortress, while walking. He said faintly: "Hong Chengchou, I, Xu Liang, also saw that in the early years, you had a great favor for me, so I didn't care about you. At the beginning, Yu Huatian, the governor of Dongchang, and Yang He, the governor of the three sides, wanted to calculate me in Guyuan City. You Hong Chengchou also got involved, right? ”

Hong Chengchou was suffocated when he walked in his footsteps, and then he was extremely embarrassed, standing there and walking, nor retreating.

Cao Wenzhao listened, and his expression was very complicated.

After a while, a Liang military captain ran to Xu Liang and reported: "Lord Yu, the first fortress has been fully captured by our army, and General Luo respectfully invites you to enter the city. ”

Xu Liang nodded lightly and said, "Open the road ahead." ”

At that moment, Xu Liang and the others entered the first fortress and rested in a relatively well-preserved wooden house, and after Luo Rucai reported the battle situation to Xu Liang, he continued to advance with the artillery battalion and the Liang army.

In the rear, the Qingyang guerrilla general He Renlong happened to enter the fortress together with Wang Qinian, the political counselor of Shaanxi, who was responsible for transporting grain and grass supplies. After He Renlong heard about the whole process of the Liang army's conquest of the fortress, he couldn't help but bow his hand to Xu Liang with a shy face: "My lord, the Liang army's flying eagle cannon is so sharp, when will it be equipped with ten or eight doors for the last general, and it will also make the last general have a good time." ”

Xu Liang looked at He Renlong with a smile and did not answer. He Renlong also knew that the Flying Eagle Cannon was a secret weapon of the Liang Army, and it was never used by outsiders except for the Liang Army's internal mastery.

Xu Liang looked at Wang Qinian and said, "Qinian escorted grain and grass, and it was hard all the way. ”

Wang Qinian said with a smile: "This is all a matter of subordination, and I dare not say that it is hard." However, the subordinate grain team captured more than a dozen hunters at the foot of Taibai Mountain, and how to deal with it, please ask the adults to show them. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, his face became serious, and he asked He Renlong: "General He, has the order of comprehensive martial law in Taibai Mountain been issued by the Yamen of the Qingyang Prefect?" ”

He Renlong grinned and said affirmatively: "Your Excellency, before the last general set off with the army, I knew that the Qingyang prefect had issued a martial law order according to the will of the governor. It stands to reason that at this time, Taibai Mountain was surrounded by officers and soldiers, and it should be impossible for hunters to appear. ”

Xu Liang sneered, and said with his hands down: "So much, most of those people are spies of the people's army on the mountain. He looked at Wang Qinian and said solemnly: "At this time, those who appear around Taibai Mountain, whether they are spies or not, will be executed on the spot!" ”

Wang Qinian listened to it and gave it up.

Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides on the side, couldn't bear it when he heard it, and couldn't help but speak: "That, Guozhong, Taibai Mountain is high and dense, and it is not necessary for an unwitting Orion to break in. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he looked at Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, with a cold face, and shouted in a resolute tone: "The martial law order has been issued, even if it is really Orion, these people ignore the military order, and they have no king's law, even if they are killed, it is not too much!" ”

Hong Chengchou frowned, still waiting to be dissuaded, but Xu Liang didn't want to listen to Hong Chengchou's persuasion at all, and said to He Renlong: "Pass the order, surround the armies of Taibai Mountain, and strengthen inspections." Anyone who finds someone approaching, regardless of men, women, and children, will be killed! ”

He Renlong's heart trembled, and he hurriedly gave up his hands and responded solemnly.

Hong Chengchou swallowed back the words that came to his mouth.

Outside, the Liang army was cleaning up the city wall in the fortress to replenish the artillery blow-up, Xu Liang sat in the wooden house for a while, and then came out casually to breathe. He Renlong. Wang Qinian and others walked out with them. Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, and Cao Wenzhao, the deputy commander-in-chief of Shaanxi, somehow lagged behind and did not follow.

In the wooden house, Hong Chengchou shouted angrily: "Xu Liang is so murderous, this governor really misjudged him before. ”

Cao Wenzhao sat on a simple wooden stool, boredly playing with a small dagger in his hand, listening to Hong Chengchou's words, Cao Wenzhao pulled the corners of his mouth, and said self-deprecatingly: "Lord Governor." It's too late for you to say that. Now Xu Liang has tens of thousands of soldiers, and he is decisive, you, I are standing here, surrounded by Xu Liang's people, we all have to look at his face! Cao doesn't care, originally my official rank was not as good as Xu Liang. It's Lord Hong. As the governor of the three sides, you have such a strong and rude person as Xu Liang under your command. It's inevitable that I will panic! ”

Hong Chengchou was stimulated by Cao Wenzhao, and immediately slapped the shore angrily, shouting: "This governor is here to see with his own eyes how Xu Liang quells the chaos and suppresses the bandits, not to suffer his idleness!" Xu Liang despised Bendu so much, hum. Ben Du will go back to Guyuan! ”

After that, Hong Chengchou really raised his feet and left, and when he passed by Cao Wenzhao's side, he saw that Cao Wenzhao was still sitting leisurely on the stool without lifting his buttocks, and couldn't help but ask angrily: "What." You're still going to stay here? ”

Cao Wenzhao looked at Hong Chengchou idly, spread his hands and said: "The three thousand iron horsemen brought by the last general from Liaodong are all dead and wounded, even if I go back to Guyuan with the governor, there will be no soldiers to bring, and there will be one idler!" Rather than that, why not stay and witness Xu Liang's journey to quell the chaos with your own eyes? ”

Hong Chengchou pondered for a moment, flicked his sleeves and said, "Whatever you want!" ”

Xu Liang walked casually in the fortress, and the Shaanxi political counselor Wang Qinian and the Qingyang guerrilla He Renlong followed step by step. Xu Liang looked at the stone walls around the fortress and sighed: "This king is not all stupid for his own use, he has set up such a fortress here, if it were not for the help of our army's artillery, it would not be easy to fight down." ”

He Renlong smiled and said, "It's not." The location of this fortress set up by the people's army is also quite critical, just stuck on the Shaanxi Changshan Road up the mountain, and only two or three people are allowed to pass side by side in the middle! If it weren't for the Liang army's artillery to show its might, this battle would have been fought hard by officers and soldiers, and I don't know how many soldiers and horses would be lost! ”

Shaanxi political Wang Qinian suddenly said: "Hey, Governor Hong is going down the mountain?" ”

Xu Liang and He Renlong turned their heads to look, only to see Hong Chengchou and a group of guards from the Governor's Mansion passing through the doorway of the fortress, heading down the mountain without looking back, the three-sided governor Hong Chengchou seemed to feel the gaze of Xu Liang and others, turned his head and glanced in the direction of Xu Liang, and then quickly turned his head.

He Renlong was stunned and said, "This king hasn't been caught yet, and Governor Hong is leaving?" ”

Xu Liang looked thoughtfully, and he didn't mean to send someone to ask. After a while, Cao Wenzhao, the deputy chief soldier of Shaanxi, walked out of the wooden house, walked to Xu Liang's side casually, and said, "Your Excellency the Governor has urgent matters, go back to Guyuan first." ”

Xu Liang looked at Cao Wenzhao and asked playfully, "Hong Chengchou is gone, why don't you follow?" ”

Cao Wenzhao tilted his head and asked, "He left his, why should I go?" ”

On the mountain, another series of artillery fire sounded ten miles away, Xu Liang and the others all raised their eyes to look at the mountain in the distance, and vaguely saw the smoke rising from the next fortress.

The sound of the cannon lasted for about two quarters of an hour, and the smoke became thicker, and then the shouts of killing rang out.

Cao Wenzhao looked at the gunsmoke on the mountain, and said with a complicated expression: "Another fortress has been captured, and I don't know if the king on the mountain is ready to escape!"

On Baxian Terrace, in a row of wooden houses, the news that the first fortress had been breached by the official army had just reached Wang Ziyong. When Wang Ziyong heard the report from the soldiers under the mountain, he was stunned for a full quarter of an hour before he asked the person who reported the news in disbelief: "You mean that the official army bombarded the fortress with artillery?" ”

The soldiers of the People's Army turned pale and panicked, and trembled in front of Wang Ziyong, gesturing: "Yes, General, the artillery of the officers and soldiers is too powerful," he gestured with his two hands to the size of a basin, and shouted: "The shells of the officers and soldiers are so big, so big, and when the two cannons hit, the city gate will be shattered......

When the king heard this, he raised his foot and kicked the soldier of the people's army to the ground, snorted a mouthful of saliva, and scolded angrily: "Nonsense! Can your cannonball be the size of a washbasin? You're going to put it in the barrel and try it?! ”

The soldier of the People's Army fell to the ground and replied weakly: "General, maybe it's not so big, but it can smash the city gate!" It's absolutely true, little one saw it with his own eyes......"

Wang Ziyong roared angrily: "Useless waste, get out!"

When the soldiers of the People's Army heard this, they used their hands and feet together, crawled with their hands, and escaped from the house.

The king scratched his head with one hand, and walked around the house twice worriedly, and then beckoned to a personal hand, and instructed: "Go down and see for yourself, see what is going on!" Most of the bastards under the mountain don't want to fight, and deliberately say something scaring to deceive Lao Tzu! ”

When the soldiers heard this, they hurriedly withdrew their hands.

Wang Ziyong walked around the room for a while, and the two beautiful concubines stepped forward timidly, and said to Wang Ziyong: "General, the concubine heard that this time Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, mobilized tens of thousands of troops to besiege Taibai Mountain, and the officials and soldiers even brought artillery, and I am afraid that Taibai Mountain will not be able to hold it...... Do you want to pack up your things and prepare first, and if the situation is not right, you might as well go down the mountain immediately? ”

When Wang Ziyong heard this, he immediately became angry, shook his hand and slapped one of the two beautiful concubines, and scolded angrily: "The official army hasn't hit the mountain yet, you two sluts are scared like this?!" Let me tell you, this Taibai Mountain Lao Tzu has set up several defensive fortresses, and it is still a question whether the officers and soldiers can kill them on the mountain! This Taibai Mountain, it's still up to my king to use it for his own use! ”

The two beautiful concubines stroked their cheeks with their hands, looked at Wang Ziyong in horror, and cried profusely.

Wang Ziyong was upset for a while, shook his hand and said, "Go back to the house for Lao Tzu!" ”

After driving the two beautiful concubines back to the back room, Wang sat on a tiger skin chair and pondered the battle under the mountain with his chin on his back. In order to test the function of the fortress, Wang Ziyong also deliberately conducted two actual combat exercises, and the results showed that the role of the fortress was quite obvious, and at least in the two exercises, the party responsible for the attack was unable to break through the fortress after all the "casualties" were exhausted.

Therefore, Wang Ziyong was not in a hurry at all for Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, to mobilize tens of thousands of troops to besiege Taibai Mountain. Wang Ziyong has been operating in Taibai Mountain for two or three years, and forts have been set up in dangerous places on the mountain roads, and enough grain and grass have been stored on the mountain, so Wang Ziyong can completely rely on the dangerous terrain of Taibai Mountain to keep the officials and soldiers out.

However, with Wang's own experience in fighting with the officials and troops over the years, the officers and troops could not afford to delay, and as long as a war dragged on for three or four months, there was basically no need to fight, and the officers and troops themselves could not support the retreat.

It seems that General Ben's Diagondai is still very safe. Wang Ziyong thought to himself.

Bang! There was a faint sound of artillery fire at the bottom of the mountain!

Wang Ziyong suddenly couldn't sit still. (To be continued.) )