"Five hundred steps...... Jiexuan, did you read that right? Li Zicheng was like a male duck who had been choked by the neck, and his throat made a sound like snoring, and his eyes widened.

And the people around him also looked at Liu Zongmin in disbelief, and Tian Jianxiu also asked in surprise: "Mr. Liu, you won't be dazzling, five hundred steps?" Are you sure the other side is using a firebolt and not a cannon? ”

"What do you mean?" Seeing the expressions of Tian Jianxiu and the people around him, Liu Zongmin, who had always wanted to save face, was annoyed, and he said with some annoyance: "Lao Tian, if you don't believe it, the more than 1,000 old camp brothers who came back with me are outside, you can ask them one by one, if I have a lie, I will twist my head off and let you kick it as a ball!" ”

Seeing that the atmosphere was a little embarrassing, Li Laiheng, who was sitting next to Tian Jianxiu, stood up and said: "Okay, Mr. Liu, don't blame Lao Tian, he is also anxious, you know, we have been dealing with the Ming army for so many years, and we have never heard that the fire gun can fight so far, and it is normal for King Chuang and Lao Tian to have doubts for a while." ”

"Humph!" Liu Zongmin also knows that this really can't be blamed for not believing it, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes today, he wouldn't have believed that the fire guns could hit so far, in the past, the Ming army's fire guns could hit sixty or seventy steps to the sky, and now these Xuan army's fire guns can hit five hundred steps, which is simply against the sky.

Liu Zongmin sat on the ground, picked up a precious purple sand teapot next to him and put tea in his mouth, and after drinking, he threw the teapot to the ground, and the precious teapot fell to the ground and became pieces, and wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve before he said lightly: "I know that Lao Liu and I are lying in order to shirk the blame, and deliberately exaggerate the strength of the Xuan army, and I don't want to explain anything." If any of you don't believe it, just take your own people out of the city, or wait here for them to come, and I guess the Xuan army will be here tomorrow. Then you can take turns to fight them, and then you will know if I am lying. ”

Everyone is silent, everyone has known each other for so many years, they still know Liu Zongmin's personality very well, although this person is tyrannical and murderous, but he rarely lies to his own people, it is estimated that this matter is true, not to mention that there are more than 1,000 people in the old camp who retreated with Liu Zongmin this time, and you will know the truth of the matter if you ask someone, Liu Zongmin will not be stupid enough to lie about this kind of thing.

After the outburst, Li Zicheng quickly returned to normal. Now that the losses have been done, it is useless to be annoyed, anyway, it is common for them to lose battles, and they have long been accustomed to this. The biggest question now is whether to stick to Qufu.

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng felt embarrassed for a while, and he knew very well in his heart that if the Xuan army was determined to be the first to assist Qufu, he would not be able to hold the county seat of Qufu with the tens of thousands of chaotic homeless people in his hands. After all, he knew very well what the virtues of his men were, and it might be okay for the hungry and ragged outcasts to let them be sent to death as cannon fodder, but it would be a dream to let them defend the city like a regular army and fight to the death against the invading Xuanda army. After all, it takes a lot of courage to hold on to the city and fight the enemy to the death. And talking about courage with a group of homeless people who picked up a hoe for the sake of their stomachs, he could only smile bitterly.

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng sighed lightly, glanced around at the generals and said, "Everyone, I see that the Xuan army is approaching. Are we now defending Qufu or retreating? ”

The generals glanced at each other, and finally lived a good life for a few days and ate a few days of food, but now they have to leave, and no one is reconciled.

Come to think of it. Tian Jianxiu hesitated for a moment before saying, "King Chuang, brothers. Everyone knows what kind of life we have lived over the years, and now we have finally won such a rich territory. The brothers were finally able to sit down and catch their breath, but when the Xuan army came, we were leaving, how long would we live? Besides, no matter how powerful the Xuan army is, there are only more than 5,000 people, no matter how powerful his fire gun is, he can't help us if we hide behind the city, can't we rely on the city tens of thousands of people to resist the Xuan army? ”

I have to say that Tian Jianxiu's words are very reasonable, and everyone was silent for a while. Although the rogues have long been accustomed to wandering days, the best thing about this kind of day is that they are home all over the world, but the bad thing is that they are wandering around, but no one likes to live this kind of day when it is normal.

Li Guo secretly glanced at everyone and said, "King Chuang...... Uncles, why don't we stay in Qufu first to see if we can stop the Xuan army, and if we can't violate it, it's not too late for us to leave. ”

Li Guo is Li Zicheng's nephew, he is only in his twenties this year, and he belongs to the small generation among the people, even if he says something inappropriate on weekdays, everyone will not blame him, and after he said this today, everyone couldn't help but groan.

After a long time, Gao Yigong also said: "I think Xiao Guo is reasonable, now we still have tens of thousands of horses, if it is just because of a defeat to abandon the city and flee, it is too unusual, anyway, there are not many people from the Xuan army, let's fight with them first, if you can't fight, it's not too late to escape, what do you say?" ”

"Yes, anyway, we have a horse team, and if we can't beat it, we can completely smear the soles of our feet and leave."

"I think it's okay, let's try Xuan Dajun's catties and taels first to see if he is really that powerful."

Everyone also began to echo their words, to be honest, if they had to do so, they didn't want to give up the comfort of Qufu and continue to live a bumpy and displaced, and they also had a fluke mentality, thinking that the Xuan army only came with 5,000 people this time, and with their tens of thousands of horses, they should be able to resist for a while, as long as they waited until the Xuan army ran out of food, it would naturally retreat.

Seeing that everyone expressed their attitudes, Li Zicheng also nodded slowly: "Since all the brothers don't want to leave, then let's stay for the time being, I also want to see if the Xuan army is really as powerful as the legend." ”

"Good...... Chuang Wang is wise! ”

"Right...... I want to see if those Xuan troops really have three heads and six arms. ”

Seeing that Li Zicheng finally agreed to stay and resist the Xuan army, everyone cheered, and there was a burst of joy for a while.

Unlike the people who cheered loudly, Liu Zongmin, who had just suffered a defeat, just looked at the cheering crowd silently, and sneered in his heart, these people said that they wanted to stay and measure the strength of the Xuan army, but they still didn't fully believe their own words in their hearts, thinking that they were making excuses for defeat. When the Xuan army comes tomorrow, you will know how powerful the Xuan army is.

Since it was decided that he wanted to stay and wrestle with the Xuan army, everyone soon began to disperse and began to make preparations. After they had been busy all night, the rogues in the city on the morning of the next day finally saw the vanguard cavalry of the Xuan army.

"Didi Da Da ...... Click-and-drop ......"

In a sharp and high-pitched sound of military trumpets, thousands of cavalrymen wearing green uniforms and stab-proof suits began to appear in the sight of everyone at the head of the city.

"Jiexuan, is this Xuan's army?" At the head of the city of Qufu, Li Zicheng pointed to the cavalry that was slowly galloping from a distance and asked.

"Exactly!" Liu Zongmin, who was standing beside Li Zicheng, nodded, looking at the familiar and unfamiliar green military uniform, his heart felt uncomfortable, that is, these people defeated his 30,000 army yesterday with only 5,000 people and fled.

"It seems really weird, and the Ming army we have seen in the past is very different." Li Zicheng looked at the cavalry slowly approaching and muttered. Finally, he turned his head to Li Dao on the side and said: "Xiao Guo, you immediately go to check everywhere and see if the city walls and city guards are ready, but don't wait for the chain to fall off when the Xuanda army is attacking the city." ”

"Yes!" Soon Li Guo took the order and left.

More than half an hour passed, and the rogues on the city wall watched the teams of Xuanda army enter the battlefield in a neat line, and their expressions began to become nervous, and there was even a slight commotion in many places.

It's mid-morning. All the men and horses of the Xuan army finally came to Qufu City, and thousands of people lined up in formation. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed man on the city wall pointed to the city and shouted, "Look, aren't those our people?" ”

Everyone fixed their eyes on it, yo...... Really. I saw that many people in ragged clothes poured out from the back of the Xuan army, holding hoes, shovels and other tools in their hands, and began to dig up the soil on the side, and there were no less than two or three thousand people in detail.

Looking at those who were digging trenches, Li Guo was so angry that he scolded: "These bastards. They actually surrendered to the dog officers and soldiers, how could they not be hacked to death by all the dog officers and soldiers. ”

These people who were digging trenches were the same rogues who were captured by the Xuan army yesterday, and these people didn't need to be urged at all. One by one, they wielded their hoes and dug so vigorously that they were screaming.

It turned out that after these rogues were captured by the Xuan army, Chu Di sent people to send most of them to Jinan overnight, and he left more than 2,000 people in good health to serve as laborers in the military camp.

At first, Chu Di was also a little worried about whether there would be any hidden dangers in leaving these rogues behind, after all, the rogues were notorious, and burning, killing and plundering were bad things, but after a day of observation, Chu Di found that most of these rogues were actually just a group of outcasts, as long as they were given a bite to eat, they were a group of people with the best jurisdiction, and they were rarely lazy and cheating.

And the rogues on the city wall watched the Xuan army swaggering and digging trenches under the city, and one by one they suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Nima's, so arrogant, really when we don't exist zài.

Li Guo, who had just checked the situation of the city defense, immediately said to Li Zicheng: "King Chuang, these Xuan troops are too arrogant, let me take someone out to rush." ”

"Shut up, what do you know?" Li Zicheng reprimanded Li Guo, pointed to the city and said: "Have you seen it, those officers and soldiers outside the city are waiting for you, if it is really as Jie Xuan said, their firearms can really fight so far, you can only go out and die." ”

"If you don't look at it, how can you know if those Xuan Dajun are really that powerful." Li Guo was young in the end, and he shouted softly in his heart, but he didn't notice that Liu Zongmin on the side was already blue with anger. If it weren't for Li Guo is Li Zicheng's nephew, he would have slashed over with a knife.

Due to Li Zicheng's order to prohibit leaving the city, the rogues on the city wall could only watch as the Xuan army outside the city slowly dug trenches and bunkers, and then set up a piece of artillery.

After the artillery was erected, the commander of the artillery battalion came to Chu Di's side and asked, "My lord, the artillery is ready, dare to ask if it is possible to attack the city?" ”

Chu Di nodded: "Is the hot air balloon ready?" ”

"Don't worry, a total of sixteen hot air balloons have already been prepared." The thousand general manager of the artillery battalion replied with confidence.

"Okay, the artillery will start attacking the city, and then the hot air balloons will be released!"

"Yes!"

on artillery positions. A twelve- and twenty-four-pounder steel-cast cannon had been erected, the swarthy muzzles pointed to the walls, and beside each stood a gunner with a torch.

Soon, the general strode to the front of the artillery battalion position, raised the small red flag in his hand and blew the whistle loudly.

"Beep beep...... Beep beep beep ......"

When the sharp whistle echoed in midair, the siege of Xuan's army officially began.

"Boom, boom...... Boom Boom Boom ......"

A cannon roared, and dozens of heavy projectiles slammed into the walls with speed.

"Bang bang bang...... Bang bang bang ......"

The heavy projectiles slammed into the walls or made a heavy sound on the battlements, and the force of the impact was so great that the rogues standing on the walls felt a shaking under their feet.

"Ah......h

There was a scream not far away, it was the hapless rogue who was hit by the projectile and did not die immediately. Missing arms and legs, they could only lie on the ground and scream incessantly.

"Quick...... Let those idiots get down on their stomachs, and don't poke their heads out! Listening to the screams that kept coming from the surroundings, Li Zicheng ordered impatiently, among these wounded, most of them were those who had never been on the battlefield, and as for those old oilmen, they had long been hiding in hidden corners, where was the need for him to remind.

After three rounds of test firing, the gun battalion outside the city nodded with satisfaction, and then said to his side: "Change the shell." Blow him up as a son of a bitch. ”

"Boom, boom, boom......"

After the first few rounds of shelling, the rogues behind the city wall gradually regained some confidence, and they all lay in hidden corners while dodging the shells while watching the Xuan army outside the city, and some of the bold ones also popped their heads out to watch the other party shoot the cannon and pretended to be disdainful. "The artillery fire of those officers and soldiers is really fierce, one by one they scared me to death, but if I didn't hit anyone, it didn't seem to be anything."

The companion on the side hurriedly pulled him back and scolded, "You kid doesn't want to live anymore." Quickly retract your head, if you are hit, your life will be gone. ”

"What are you afraid of, as long as you don't get hit, it's fine."

This one is still not convinced. Wu Zi retorted, but before he could finish speaking, he saw a black dot flying in their direction, and the little face immediately turned pale, and he rolled and hid next to his companion at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people, and then these people only heard a dull crash, and a huge projectile hit the city wall behind him, and then the projectile rolled towards them.

Seeing this projectile, a rogue was curious to reach out and pick it up, but before the companion next to him could stop it, it was as if he saw a spark flash in the swarthy projectile, and then he only heard a deafening explosion in his ears, and then he didn't know anything.

"Boom, boom, boom......"

Soon a series of explosions sounded on the city wall, and the unprepared rogues were blown up to a blur of flesh and blood, and many city bricks were blown up by the strong shock wave and flew around, and the rogues who were hiding in the corner and felt quite relieved found that there was no place on the city wall that was safe, and many people were blown up by the flying bricks and shrapnel everywhere.

"These Xuan armies actually use flowering bombs!"

In the corner of a hidden point, Li Zicheng looked at the projectiles that exploded everywhere and was shocked and angry, in this era, flowering bullets belong to "valuables", and the average Ming army can't even eat enough, so it is naturally impossible to use such expensive luxury jewelry. In the hearts of Li Zicheng and others, even if the army is rich, it will not throw flower bombs indiscriminately, because it is no longer a war, it is burning money. But the facts quickly educated him that when fighting with the Xuan army, you have to be prepared to be beaten by fat, only you can't think of it, you can't do it without them.

And before Li Zicheng could wake up from the bombing, someone pointed to the sky and shouted in horror: "It's not good to break the king, look at the sky!" ”

When Li Zicheng looked up at the sky, he was already shocked and angry, and he only felt a chill in his hands and feet, because in the sky less than five hundred meters away from them, more than a dozen silver-white round things were slowly floating towards them.

"Divine Punishment...... This is God's condemnation for us! ”

"God, the villain is wrong, the villain will never be a thief again!"

When they saw the balls floating in the sky, the rogues, who had been dizzy by the explosion, finally collapsed. Some of them ran around frantically on the walls, while others knelt down and worshipped the big balls, believing that the rogues, who had never seen a hot air balloon, thought that they must have been sent by God to punish them.

Soon, these hot air balloons floated above the city wall, and in the sound of inaudible gunfire, many rogues on the city wall were shot and fell, and the city wall became even more chaotic when they saw this situation.

"Let's go......"

Seeing this situation, Li Zicheng knew that Qufu couldn't stand it, so he sighed lightly and took the lead in going down the city wall...... (To be continued......)