It dawned late in winter, and it was still dark at five o'clock. The rebel army sent out so early to prepare for the siege, such as assigning men and horses to their respective positions, transporting siege baggage, etc.
Therefore, there is still some time before the real attack, and Chang Yu uses this time to mobilize his troops to respond flexibly.
Taiyuan City has now entered a first-level wartime state, because all departments had previously held communication meetings and assigned responsibilities to people. At this time, the military order was issued and it was implemented in an orderly manner.
The government is responsible for maintaining stability in the city, strengthening patrols in the city, and calling on people to close their doors and try not to go out.
The military was responsible for city defense and began to mobilize troops to deal with the rebel army.
In just one breath of incense, the sky was getting brighter, and at this time, three miles outside the Great South Gate moat, the bandit army had gathered tens of thousands of troops here, with a huge momentum, and they were peering at Taiyuan City with eager eyes.
It seems that Li Zicheng has been staying behind closed doors these days to recharge his batteries.
At the same time, thieves were also gathering outside Zhenwu Gate in the West City, and the same was true at Yichun Gate in the East City, with more than 10,000 troops in total.
Seeing that the thieves outside the Great South Gate are still gathering in a steady stream, numbering nearly a hundred thousand, it is now completely certain that the Great South Gate is the main point of attack.
The faces of the generals headed by Zhou Yuji were all heavy. In fact, even Chang Yu also put aside his relaxed attitude. After all, the scale of 100,000 people covered the sky and the sun. Just the overwhelming momentum would make most people weak in the knees!
According to the report from the messenger, there was a horse outside the west city with Ren Daqi. Chang Yu guessed that it was the two generals Ma Chongxi and Ren Jirong.
Dongcheng is still led by Bai Guangen and Chen Yongfu.
To the south, there were a lot of handsome people in the bandit formation, and the biggest ones especially blinked, Liu and Li!
Damn, he couldn't lose his momentum. Chang Yu immediately asked people to hang up the flag of Gongzi Camp, which made Zhou Yuji secretly laugh. This is a child's habit.
"Commander Zhou, what kind of fighting method will your bandits use to break the moat?"
Chang Yu narrowed his eyes into a thin line as he looked at the dark crowd of rebels under the city.
Zhou Yuji had a heavy expression on his face: "Cannon fodder is on the road, and if you don't work hard, you will throw stones to clear the way!" He and Chang Yu spent a long time together and learned many new words.
Using cannon fodder to travel and consume the strength and armament of the officers and soldiers is the best and most commonly used method among thieves.
At this time, the moat is frozen, and there is a secret numb wood on the ice. When water is poured and frozen, it is as sharp as a sharp knife. It cannot be burned by fire, and the knife keeps cutting. It will not be easy for the bandit army to come over easily. Li Zicheng will never waste himself. If you want to pass the test with elites, you can only use the cheapest cannon fodder.
But even if they are cannon fodder, the officers and soldiers on the other side will not let them come over easily. Thousands of arrows are fired, and it is heartbreaking to be a hedgehog.
Of course, it is easy to break this level. As Zhou Yuji said, you can break it in a blink of an eye by hitting it with a trebuchet.
But breaking through the level and passing the level are two different things. Although the trebuchet can destroy the sharp wood on the ice, it will also break the ice layer. On this cold day, the water surface is several meters deep. It is as difficult as the sharp wood array to get over. How different.
"The trebuchet has broken the ice, but it is still difficult for thieves to cross the river. They shouldn't be so stupid," Cai Maode asked as expected.
"It depends on the intruder's decision and what good ideas he may have worked out in the past two days." Chang Yu smiled lightly and turned to ask Zhou Yuji: "How long do you think we can guard this moat, General Zhou?"
"The general doesn't dare to make a conclusion, what about the opinion of the factory boss?" Zhou Yuji asked rhetorically.
Chang Yu touched his nose: "It depends on his offensive and determination. It can be as fast as half an hour, or as slow as an hour!"
ah! So fast!
Zhou Yuji, Cai Maode and others were all shocked. The trench formation had blocked the rebel army for several days. It was really surprising that the moat, which was almost a natural moat, could not hold up for half a day.
Looking at the reaction on the expressions of several people, Chang Yu knew what they meant and took a long breath: "Since the intruders are determined to attack the city, their offensive will definitely not be the same as before. Everyone, prepare to face the fiercest storm."
The red sun has risen, and a new day has just begun. Chang Yu, who has been blowing cold wind on the city for almost two hours, has a complexion that is not inferior to that red sun.
The rebel troops and horses have been assembled, and a large number of siege baggage, ladders, siege engines, trebuchets, and even artillery are faintly visible.
Beside the moat outside the south gate, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers were waiting in full formation, with bows and arrows drawn. Behind them, dozens of trebuchets and two artillery pieces were silently waiting for the arrival of the rebels.
However, there is no sign of attack by the bandit army at this time, as if what are they waiting for?
"What are they waiting for?" Niu Yong rubbed his hands and muttered in a low voice.
"Waiting for the cannon fodder to be in place." Chang Yu looked towards the direction of the camp. A dark crowd was slowly walking over there, with a large number of cavalry behind them waving whips to drive them away.
"We're also waiting for the east and west city gates to take the lead," Zhou Yuji added.
The bandit army mainly attacked the south gate, attacking from the east and west side to distract the officers and soldiers. If both sides started fighting first, it would definitely distract the generals defending the city.
"Mr. Factory, someone is looking for you below the city." At this moment, a guard in golden clothes ran over.
Chang Yu raised his eyebrows: "Who?"
"Prince Shen, the guards will not let him go to the city."
What was he doing? Chang Yu was startled. He glanced at the rebel army in the distance and hurriedly walked towards the city.
As soon as he got off the city, he saw Zhu Huihong pacing back and forth anxiously outside the penalty area. After catching a glimpse of Chang Yu, he suddenly ran over, but was blocked by officers and soldiers.
Chang Yu yelled at the soldiers, and Zhu Huihong ran over quickly, with tears in his eyes and a look of sorrow on his face: "Father..."
Shh! Chang Yu was shocked and turned pale. He immediately stopped him and pulled him to the corner of the city wall: "You are going to die. I warn you not to do this in front of others!"
"Yes, yes, yes, my child is wrong." Zhu Huihong apologized quickly.
No wonder Chang Yu was so nervous. To be honest, he couldn't be happy at all about having such a son out of thin air, because he knew very well that this was not something to be proud of, but was instead a crime of being stabbed one more time.
The reason is very simple. He has offended all the nobles in the capital, and accusations of impeachment against him are piling up in the court. There are many people who want him dead. Everyone calls him the second Wei Zhongxian, who recognizes him as his godfather. If the matter spreads again, it will basically be a coffin. Moreover, his status as a godson is not ordinary. After being a prince, it would be humiliating the royal family to recognize an eunuch as his adoptive father. Although when Wei Zhongxian was at the peak of his power, the emperor's relatives recognized him as his adoptive father. It's not like he doesn't have a godfather, but how deep-rooted is Wei Zhongxian, and what about him, Chang Yu? Apart from the eunuchs in the palace, who else is willing to support him?
Therefore, only the three of him knew about this matter, and even his friend Zhu Shenxuan and his confidants had never leaked it.
Some people will ask, if that's the case, even if you refuse, why do you need to be this godfather?
This is Chang Yu's other plan. It would be nonsense to say that a person who has traveled through time has no ambition. Even if he is determined to go through fire and water for the Ming Dynasty, he still has to leave some way out for himself, so as not to die in the end.
At this time in Prince Shen's Mansion, when the country was ruined, the family was ruined, and the family was lost, it was the time to take control and show kindness. Of course, Zhu Xiaoyong was willing to do things that humiliated his ancestors because he relied on Chang Yu, not wanting him to lose the lineage of Prince Shen.
Of course Chang Yu is well aware of this. Everyone is just using each other. Prince Shen’s Mansion wants to use him to continue to thrive, and even re-open the branches. He also takes a fancy to the status of Prince Shen’s Mansion. No matter what, he is still a vassal king, and the thin A dead camel is worth more than a horse.
"What are you doing here at this time?" Chang Yu asked after scolding him for a few words.
"My...father is gone!" Zhu Huihong said, covering his face and crying bitterly. He was extremely miserable. You can imagine what a blow it was to have his family and country destroyed, and to live in a foreign land and live under the shelter of others. At this time, his backbone passed away again, which is unbearable for most people.
He is dead, Zhu Xiaoyong is dead, he died just before the bandits attacked. Is this a coincidence? Chang Yu was a little confused.
"Prince Jin wanted to come to you with his children, but Queen Jin did not allow him to leave the palace..." Zhu Huihong cried bitterly.
He is the eldest son, and coming to Changpingyu is commonly known as mourning.
This was not a good sign. Even Chang Yu, a person who came from a later time and did not believe in ghosts and gods, couldn't help but shudder and felt strange in his heart.
"At this time, the rebel army is approaching the city. The funeral has been postponed for a while, and we will lead the rebel army back. Fortunately, the weather is very cold, so it doesn't matter if Prince Shen stays away for a few more days. If you want to go back and appease the whole family, don't go out casually if you have nothing to do."
Chang Yu sent Zhu Huihong away and returned to the city uneasy. Everyone saw his expression and asked about him.
Everyone was shocked to hear that King Shen had passed away.
"Master Cai, could you please go to Prince Jin's Mansion? The death of Prince Shen is not a trivial matter. Please handle it."
Chang Yu thought over and over again and felt that no one was more suitable to handle this matter than Cai Maode. The old man was prudent in handling matters and knew the key to it.
"But..." Cai Maode glanced outside the city.
"The soldiers are coming to block him. You just want to stay here to see if you can help. It's not too late to go to Prince Jin's Mansion first to comfort him and then come back. This will save the people of Prince Shen's Mansion and blame us for leaving." Chang Yu said.
Cai Maode agreed, clasped his fists and left.
