The moon and stars are sparse and the spring is cold.
South of Wuchang Prefecture, there are luxuriant grasses.
The skinny old horse carried an old pawn on its back, stepping on the new grass that submerged the horse's hooves, and moved forward slowly.
The moonlight was like water. The old soldier raised his wine gourd and drank two sips. When he drank happily, he hummed a few local tunes.
"Winter plum blossoms in winter, pomegranate flowers in summer, there are people everywhere on sunny days, and there are people walking around on rainy days. Those passing by are looking at the scenery, and those staying at home are selling tea!"
The old horse was not interested in the song. He just buried his head and snorted into the grass as he walked, secretly dozing off with his master.
Only when the horse's hooves scrape against the rocks or tree trunks, making some rustling sounds, or when the nose is hanging on the branches and dew is sprinkled on the face, will the horse shake its neck and wake up.
In a moment, he fell asleep again.
"A sleeping man rides a dream horse and goes to war in the middle of the night." This is probably the case.
The grass beside the path suddenly moved, and two black shadows flashed out. The old horse was frightened by the black shadow, raised its hooves and neighed, completely sleepless.
The old soldier quickly reached out to draw the sword, but before his fingers touched the scabbard, he was knocked off his horse by a force like a bull, rolled to the grass, and his drink spilled all over the floor.
“Good wine!”
"ah?"
When he opened his eyes, he saw a short and sturdy man pressing on him. Under the moonlight, his accomplice, a tall man, was holding an old horse and grazing by the roadside.
"Hero, spare your life! I didn't bring any money, but the wine is good. Take it, there's still a lot left..."
The short, strong man had his free hand to get the wine gourd. When the tall man saw it, he cursed:
"Xu Jing, hello, hurry up and get down to business!"
Xu Jing threw away the wine gourd, snatched the saber from the old soldier's waist, pulled the collar of his mandarin duck coat, and said angrily:
"My uncle, who are you going to chop with a broken knife? Just answer whatever you ask, tell me! Who are you, where are you from? Where are you going?!"
The old soldier had been sober for about seventy-eight minutes. Judging from the appearance of these two people, they did not look like rogues (similar to Beidi Qingpi) who were blocking the road. They were still hesitating whether to tell the truth. Xu Shao punched him in the face. His scalp was bruised and his mouth and nose were bleeding.
"Our brothers are in the business of licking blood from the edge of a knife. We don't have time to sharpen our teeth. Hurry up!"
The tall man leading the horse came over, took a look, and said lightly:
"Xu Jing, you are an immortal, what do the instructors usually say? Respect the old and love the young. If he is dishonest, you can chop him into pieces with a knife. Why do you beat him?"
The old pawn trembled, and his speaking speed suddenly increased:
"Don't kill me, I'm just delivering a message."
"Deliver a message?"
Xu Jing loosened the edge of the knife slightly:
"Tell me the truth and I won't kill you! Tell me!"
"Say, I say, I say, the little old man is the security guard of Zhifang Street in Fucheng. The Tatars have been attacking the city intensively in the past few days. Guo Tong ordered me to transport grain to the surrounding counties. The little old man was sent Chongyang...”
"Tatars?"
"That's Thief Liu, a traitor from Qi State."
The old soldier probably guessed the identity of the two big men in front of him at this time, and said cautiously.
The two looked at each other for a long time, and Xu Jing continued to interrogate:
"How many Ming troops are there in each of the two cities of Jiangxia and Wuchang? Who is the general guarding the city? Are there reinforcements around? Where is the food hidden?"
The old soldier cried: "Young Master, Young Master! I am just a caretaker of sesame and mung beans. I only take care of dozens of families in Lijiaxiangfang. How can I know these important things? The military master let me live. This horse is given to two people." You two, I just pretend that I have never met you two..."
Xu Jing picked up the old soldier and stared wide-eyed:
"Who wants your useless horse!"
"You are here to fool me! My father, your uncle, has also served as a security chief! He usually collects taxes, arrests thieves, and knows everything about the affairs of the county. How dare you say that you don't know! Believe it or not, I cut out your tongue."
With a clang, Wan Shao pulled out his shining white waist knife, and the blade glowed coldly in the moonlight:
"It's okay to pack a bag. I told you to respect the old and love the young!"
The Sichuan soldiers swung their swords at night without hesitation, and cut them down without any explanation.
"I said, I said!"
"Say it!!"
"There are more than 30,000 soldiers in Jiangxia and 50,000 or 60,000 in Wuchang. The generals guarding Jiangxia are General Ma and General Jin, Ma Jinzhong and Jin Shenghuan, and Prime Minister Hui Deng, Wang Yuncheng, and Li Cheng guarding Wuchang. These five generals are called "Colonels of the Five Outer Battalions." They are all He is Marshal Zuo’s confidant..."
"Where's the beautiful lady Zuo Liang?"
"In Chongyang, he was originally stationed in Wuchang. He heard that the Tatar...Qi army was powerful, so the commander-in-chief of Zuo stopped in Chongyang. Young master, I heard this from Guo Tongpan's servant, I don't know whether it is accurate or not."
Xu Jingcheng nodded and waved to his companions. Wan Shao came over and interrogated him again. The old soldier said the same thing before and after. When he asked for food and reinforcements, the old man couldn't tell.
The two stayed a few steps away, standing under the moonlight, discussing in low voices.
The old soldier was tied up and couldn't escape. Looking at the glaring knife, he gave up and just wanted the two Tatars to give him a good blow.
After a while, after the two Tatars finished their discussion, the short man with a Beijing accent came over and said:
"Old man, if you fall into our hands today, you should respect the old and love the young..."
"Do not kill me."
Xu Jing untied the rope around the old man and said with a smile:
"do not kill."
"I'll ask the old man to take us to Chongyang. I want to kill Zuo Liangyu and earn military honors. As long as you don't play tricks, when we get to Chongyang, I will not only let you go, but also give you money."
~~~~~~
In the middle of the night, more than 800 soldiers selected from 10,000 refugees to die on the city secretly sneaked into the moat of Nancheng.
Outside the north gate and west gate, the Qi army's artillery was already in place, with its muzzles aimed at the city wall.
Before the night attack begins, the two northwest sides will launch feint attacks at the same time to distract the defenders.
On the way to the south gate, the training officers had already told these refugees about the rewards of the night attack:
Those who participate in the night attack, as long as they go, regardless of life or death, will be allocated fifty acres of farmland. Those who climb the city can also join the Sixth Corps and enjoy the treatment of soldiers.
Most of the refugees who came to the city had their children and their families with them.
In the troubled times, a man with a desperate life decided to risk his life at the last moment to give his wife, children and children a way to survive.
The refugees were divided into teams of ten, each riding a ladder.
There were eighty ladders, and eight hundred cannon fodder carried the ladders into the night.
A group of ragged children suddenly ran out of the Qi army camp, falling down as they ran, crying and rushing to catch up with the adults who had fled into the night, calling them daddy.
Xing Zhongyi wiped away his tears and sighed.
Pu Gang comforted the instructor and said that in wars, people will always die. After fighting together for so many years, why are they still crying like a girl?
Xing Zhongyi’s eye circles were slightly red:
"Yes, we have been fighting for more than ten years. Lao Pu, we will no longer fight, but we must let the people live a good life."
~~~~~
It was already three o'clock in the morning to send off the dead soldiers who climbed into the city.
Floating clouds cover the stars and moon, and no lamps are allowed anywhere.
Xing Zhongyi shuddered when he thought of the verses in "Yi Shui Ge".
He wanted to move closer, but was stopped by the guards.
"Mr. Xing, be careful of stray bullets. The fighting will start soon. You can't be outside."
So he returned to his tent, restless, and read over and over again the "Minutes of Officers' Training Code" compiled by the Supreme Emperor under the whale oil lamp covered with black cloth.
When the sky was getting brighter, the earth-shattering sound of cannons suddenly sounded outside the tent.
"here we go."
The sound of cannons lasted for a while and then subsided, and then, the sound of some firecrackers was heard sparsely in the direction of the south gate.
Finally, everything fell silent.
The night attack plan obviously failed.
The guards ran in in panic and said that after the refugees crossed the moat, they stepped on a mine cannon. The Ming army was ready. Zuo Liangyu lowered the northwest gate and dispatched heavy troops to guard the south.
At this time, the sky was getting slightly brighter, and the sound of artillery started again. The artillerymen from both sides bombarded each other, and then the gunmen began to shoot at the top of the city.
Soon the soldiers who had been hit by stray bullets were transported to the tent behind them.
Behind the Chinese army tent, under a huge white tent, there were dozens of camp beds. A group of student soldiers who had just graduated from the academy were pressing the wounds of the wounded soldiers hard, and the surroundings were filled with the howls of the wounded soldiers.
Xing Zhongyi walked out of his tent and walked south for a while. He raised his telescope and saw that enemy soldiers were vaguely visible in Xiaochun Field and on the wall east of Tongxiang Gate.
There were some short ladders lying around on the side of the road. It was obvious that the bindings last night were not strong enough and they were freed on the way.
In order to avoid the artillery fire on the front line, the Fuguo residents in the Binyangmen area fled to the countryside carrying their wealth.
There is an endless stream of men and women on the fields.
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