Most of the grain in Nanyang City was not stored in the government office, but in the new treasury of the former Tang Dynasty palace. Wang Jiazhen still had the right to use it before the court issued a decision on the place.
The palace of the Tang Dynasty was very large and spacious, which was used to store large amounts of money and grain. Its importance was naturally extraordinary, so Wang Jiazhen, the prefect of Nanyang, deployed heavy troops to guard it.
Because it was properly defended and it was the strongest house in the city, after the officers, soldiers and government officials climbed onto the eaves and ridges of the roof, the defenders took advantage of the terrain, making it difficult for the rebels to capture the place for a while.
"Quick! Pour the food with oil quickly!"
Wang Jiazhen rushed to his destination in a hurry and whipped his whip. As soon as he arrived outside the treasury door, he ordered people to open the door and prepared to burn all the food in the palace according to Zhang Guoqin's instructions.
"Prefect, this is..."
The county magistrate Yao Yunxi was responsible for guarding the money and food in the palace. He had not known what was happening outside the city. Before that, he had only received reports of bandits emerging from some houses, and then heard a loud noise.
"The city gate has been blown down by the bandits. I'm afraid it won't be able to hold on for a while!"
Wang Jiazhen didn't have time to talk nonsense, but simply stated the matter in a concise and concise manner. As the county magistrate, Yao Yunxi also had the right to know about the matter.
"Huh??? This... this..."
Yao Yunxi was so shocked when he heard this that he stuttered when he spoke. He did not expect that the war would take a turn for the worse. Listening to the prefect's tone, the huge Nanyang City could no longer be defended.
"Don't hesitate! We must not leave food to the bandit army!"
After Wang Jiazhen finished his instructions, he took the torch lit by his personal followers and personally lit the bags of food in front of him. Although he was extremely painful in his heart, this had to be done.
"Prefect! What to do with the money in the treasury?"
Food can be burned with a fire, but money cannot. In desperation, Yao Yunxi didn't know how to avoid capitalizing on the enemy.
"... Throw it into the well and then fill it up with stones and earth!"
Since the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver cannot be burned and cannot be obtained by the thieves, the better to hide them as deeply as possible. Now Wang Jiazhen only came up with this method.
"Okay! Just do it like this!"
Yao Yunxi nodded hurriedly in agreement. If he couldn't even save his life, it would be completely useless to ask for money. Bury as deep as you can.
Time was running out, so a group of followers immediately ran into the warehouse, carried out the boxes filled with silver ingots one by one, carried them to the well, opened the boxes, and dumped the entire box of silver ingots into it.
It really comes easy and goes quickly!
Wang Jiazhen was extremely distressed. Nanyang Mansion had been worrying about disaster relief money before.
It took a lot of effort to get the 200,000 taels of silver left by King Tang, but before half of it was spent, he encountered such a disaster.
The bandit army mobilized a large number of troops to besiege Nanyang Mansion, and they probably got information about the sufficient money and food in the city.
If not, after days of failure, they will definitely look for someone else to attack, otherwise they will most likely be trapped under Nanyang City.
At present, these scoundrels cannot get food no matter what. As for money, if they have the ability, then go get it.
Wang Jiazhen could no longer care about what happened after his death. He did not fulfill his original intention of serving as an official to benefit one party.
I didn't expect that at the last moment, even the people in the city would be affected. I really felt so worried and anxious.
Nanyang City held on for less than half a month before it was breached by the bandits.
He was ashamed of the emperor, and he was ashamed of the people.
The weather was extremely hot, but Wang Jiazhen's heart was freezing cold.
"I, Wang Jiazhen, have failed the emperor's favor and I am ashamed of the Ming Dynasty! Now that things have come to this, I can only die to thank the world!"
The despairing Wang Jiazhen knelt in the courtyard, slowly took off his official hat, took out the sharp knife hanging from his waist, and prepared to kill himself.
"Absolutely not! Prefect! The officers and soldiers everywhere in the city are still resisting the bandits' attack. As the chief official of this city, how can the prefect take the lead?"
The county magistrate Yao Yunxi rushed forward, grabbed Wang Jiazhen's knife-holding arm, and began to persuade him earnestly.
"Yes! Prefect! Killing one more bandit can relieve the pressure on the court!"
The followers around him also began to persuade him. If there was no way to save the situation and it was difficult to turn the tide, they should do their best at the last moment.
"Yeah yeah!"
"...Okay! Since you are so loyal and brave, I will go into battle with you!"
Although Wang Jiazhen was not as brave as a man, he was not a weak scholar without the strength to tie a chicken. After hearing what everyone said, he also planned to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
The "Jingshi Daily" published His Royal Highness the Prince's instructions to officials from various places, and all measures must be taken to delay the rebel attack.
At this point, most of the methods that can be thought of have been exhausted, and there is only one last method left, which is to die together with the traitors!
Even if we know that our troops are weak and unable to reverse the current situation of the war, we must do our best for the Ming Dynasty and the court and strive to kill more traitors.
After all the silver deposits were thrown into many wells and buried, Wang Jiazhen gathered all the available soldiers in the palace.
No matter what kind of errands they were engaged in before, they were now used as soldiers, including himself and the county magistrate Yao Yunxi.
"You are our warriors of the Ming Dynasty. Now you have to go to the country to face the crisis. You should be worshiped next!"
"Prefect..."
Facing Wang Jiazhen and bowing deeply, everyone present was immediately deeply moved.
If the officials are not afraid of death, they, the petty officials and soldiers, will naturally follow suit.
Since the thieves are not going to let the people of the city go, they might as well just kill them all.
After thinking for a while, the group was not stupid enough to rush to the street, but decided to stick to the palace.
In this way, the favorable terrain can be used as much as possible to kill the thieves who come to attack, which is twice the result with half the effort than opening the door and going to the streets to fight.
The number of defenders stationed at the palace was about a hundred, while the number of thieves besieging the place was as high as five or six hundred.
Following the guidance of the surrendered people, they quickly learned about the affairs of the palace and were able to quickly approach the place.
However, because the outer walls of the Tang Prince's mansion were so high and thick, they didn't even bring a ladder, and it was extremely difficult to climb up the wall from the outside.
The defenders in the mansion were not only prepared in advance, but also placed dogs around, especially near the base of the inner wall.
As long as someone jumps in from outside, the defenders can quickly kill the invading enemy with the help of dogs.
This arrangement made the thieves who attacked the mansion extremely uncomfortable, and they couldn't think of a countermeasure for a while.
They lacked ladders, and they didn't carry firecrackers, so they didn't even have the confidence to fight head-on.
As soon as one's side charges, the other side will use blunderbuss and bows and arrows to block it.
As a result, hundreds of people were killed and injured, and the paint on the main entrance was not even removed...
"People inside, listen! You will surrender as soon as possible! My general will spare your life!"
Since a strong attack will not work for a while, we can only try another method to see if we can succeed in persuading them to surrender.
"I'm not dead! You don't need to be spared by your general! Who appointed your general? He's not from the imperial court, so we won't recognize him!"
After hearing what was said outside, the meddlesome government officials inside were not idle either, and started to play with the thieves outside.
"If you don't return quickly, when the army breaks through the city, this place will be razed to the ground!"
Having been taken advantage of by the other party, the leader who shouted did not want to mention the matter of conferring a general, so he could only raise another topic.
"Have the army eaten enough golden juice? If not, how could they be so weak when attacking the city? Hahahaha..."
As soon as these words came out, everyone inside immediately burst into laughter. Even Wang Jiazhen and Yao Yunxi were stroking their beards and grinning.
"Don't use your words, this city has been captured by the army! If you are seeking your own death, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Although the people in the palace are still resisting stubbornly, the rebel army is about to break the city, and they can rest in the city tonight.
"You came to attack just for the money and food in the palace. The food had been burned before, and the money was shipped to Luoyang long before Nanyang City was besieged. You came here in vain, you are very lucky. !”
The defenders knew that the rebels wanted the Shenzi gadget. If they didn't have money and food, they wouldn't attack the strong palace.
In this case, it is just enough to stimulate them.
Whatever they want on the outside, they don't have what they want on the inside.
"Don't be smart! We have already figured it out! When the army breaks through the palace, we will cut you to pieces with thousands of swords!"
The thick smoke rising into the sky just now may indicate that these dog officers and soldiers may have really burned the food. As for the money, as long as they can attack it, they can find it slowly.
"If you kill me with a thousand cuts, you won't get any money or food! Are you waiting for Qi Shaer? Hahahaha..."
The defenders in the palace had no intention of living at the moment. While they still had some breath, they went out to look for fun with the thieves outside.
The moment of pride is temporary. It is a great feeling to have enough to eat and drink before death, and to be happy for a short while.
"Fuck you! Give it all to your forehead!"
The leader couldn't help but feel angry after hearing this. After talking for a long time, the other party not only refused to surrender, but repeatedly gained the upper hand.
This is just a bullshit, let’s be serious!
If you are still stubborn, I will beat you until you are convinced!
Although the rebels in the city lacked firecrackers, their advantage was that they had strength in numbers.
So what if hundreds of people were killed or injured?
Even if the number of troops killed or injured is ten times that, as long as they can break through the palace, it is still worth it.
The rebels only found a dozen ladders, some of which were not high enough. It was ridiculous to climb to the top and still not reach the top of the wall.
What's more, they actually moved tables, chairs and benches from nearby and planned to use the method of stacking Arhats to climb up the wall.
After all, there are only a few people who can use flying claws, and the claws just touch the wall.
When the defenders saw the situation, they cut it off with their waist knives, so that the flying claws had little effect.
Just like a tiger gnawing at a bastard, he tried his best to defeat the defenders of this majestic palace.
In desperation, he brought in a big tree that he had cut down, and wanted to use a thick trunk like a battering ram to hit the palace door.
However, there are various decorations inside the door, especially many water tanks. These are prepared to prevent the palace from catching fire.
Now it is used to defend against the bandits' attack. It has to be said that it is a mistake.
There is a pile of jars weighing hundreds of kilograms holding up the door. It would be very difficult for people outside to use tree trunks to force it open.
Moreover, the defenders will not stare at you and let you knock on the door. Once an emergency is discovered, they will immediately release blunderbuss and arrows.
What's even worse is that there are many people stationed in the palace itself, and these people also have to eat, drink and defecate.
This means that there will be a lot of by-products, so there will be no shortage of golden juice...
Anyway, I won't survive tomorrow, so I might as well use the golden juice to my heart's content.
Whoever knocks on the door will be unlucky. No matter how strong the guy is, he can't hold a pound of gold juice!
There is an earthen jar right in front of you. Not to mention eating a catty, it would be a big deal if half a catty falls into your mouth.
To be precise, even one or two gold juice can make a strong man gag on the spot and instantly lose his fighting power.
The defenders had little education and did not know anything similar, but Wang Jiazhen and Yao Yunxi could not think of any history books where there was a guy who could fight bravely while eating gold juice.
"ah……"
"It's scalding me to death!"
"It really stinks!"
"Wait until you have the seed!"
"What's the point of splashing gold juice???"
The rebel army suffered a golden attack, and the offensive collapsed immediately.
It was too late for everyone to escape, so how could they still think about knocking on the door, running away while yelling in anger and embarrassment.
"If you have the guts, jump in!"
"Grandpa has been waiting here for a long time!"
"It's no one else's fault for having short legs!"
"Ah ha ha ha ha..."
The defenders were determined and determined to kill the enemy. Even if the gold juice, bullets, and arrows in the palace were all used up, they would not go out.
If the thieves have the ability, just attack them. If they don't, just stare at them. Anyway, there is still some food in the palace, which is enough for them to survive for a while.
"Why don't you come over quickly!"
"Grandpa, there's no food here! There's plenty of gold juice!"
"Determined to take charge!"
"My dear grandson, please open your mouth quickly?"
"Ah ha ha ha ha..."
If these thieves don't come to knock on the door, the defenders will still have to worry about how to deal with the stinky golden juice. Now that it's done, it can be given to them for free.
No one wants to keep things for a long time, because the weather is already very hot, and the stench of gold juice dissipates very quickly, which will really make anyone smell it.
The only thing that made the defenders in the palace, the prefect Wang Jiazhen, and the county magistrate Yao Yunxi feel lucky was that the rebels did not dig into the palace when they dug holes in the ground.
If this is the case, at this moment, the palace has changed hands, and the thieves will also receive an extremely considerable amount of money and food. This can be considered a blessing among misfortunes.
Probably because the thieves committed many evil deeds and lacked moral integrity, they were destined to not get the money and food from the palace. Even if they occupied the entire city, they would not be able to plunder much supplies.
"Put them all on your forehead!"
"quick!"
"Whoever dares not to leave will be killed on the spot!"
The attack resulted in heavy casualties, but they still could not knock on the door of the palace. In desperation, the rebels had to capture hundreds of people who were taking refuge around them and let them walk in front of their own soldiers.
"People inside, listen! If you don't open the door of the palace within a stick of incense, all these people will die for you! If you open the door, they can survive!"
It is not the first time that the rebels have used this method to threaten the defenders by holding people hostage. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
But you can give it a try today. If it doesn't work, you can continue to attack the palace.
"Let me think about it for a while!"
When the defenders saw that the people were about to die at the hands of the rebels, they felt a little soft-hearted on the spot.
"this……"
Wang Jiazhen began to hesitate. If he could exchange his own life for the lives of the people, he would be willing to do so, but he was afraid that the rebels would not keep their word.
"Prefect! Don't fall into the bandits' trick!"
The county magistrate Yao Yunxi did not think that the rebel army would keep its promise. The previous words were just a perfunctory expedient.
"Yes! If the thieves resort to deception! Not only will the palace not be saved! The people will also be massacred!"
The soldiers have seen too many such things, and they should never believe what the enemy says on the battlefield.
