July 15th is commonly known as the Half of July among the people. It is called the Ghost Festival in Taoism and the Obon Festival in Buddhism.
According to old legend, on this day, the Underworld Palace opens the gate of hell, and countless dead souls return to the human world. Those with owners go home to enjoy sacrifices, while those without owners wander around crying and looking for food.
However, on July 15th of the first year of Jingkang, at least in the Taiyuan area, the souls who have left the ghost gate will be very surprised:
I'm waiting for the annual return, and I'm about to enjoy some sacrificial cigarettes. Why are there so many wild ghosts competing for food? How is this world so troubled? How come there are so many fierce fighting spirits? What a wonderful Hungry Ghost Festival, why do you roll it up like this?
What do you think? It turns out that on this day, two places that are forty or fifty miles apart are busy -
One place is under Taiyuan City.
The Xixia army has been besieging the city for more than eighty days, and countless soldiers and civilians died on and off the city wall.
Fortunately, two veteran generals, Lao Zhong and Xiao Zhong, led troops into the city one after another. The people's morale was not at all low, and they were all willing to risk their lives to deal with the enemy.
On the day of the Zhongyuan Dynasty, I don’t know if the Jurchens and Dangxiang people were not able to do this, but they suddenly raised their troops to attack from all sides——
The remaining three sides were all focused on containment. Only the south of the city was the main attack. The mountains of earth were piled almost as high as the city. The famous Poxi Army of Xixia was based on it. The cyclone cannons shot out rocks like rain, suppressing the defenders. Difficult to lift.
The Poxi Army is the ace in the Xixia army. It is a bit more valuable than the Iron Kites. There are only a few hundred people in total. They all lead camels to fight. On the backs of the camels, they all carry small stone cannons, which are the so-called whirlwind cannons. .
The stones fired by this cannon are about the size of fists, and they are hit hard and fast. Even if they hit a person's armor, they will suffer internal injuries and vomit blood. People in the Song Dynasty described it as "moving stones like a fist, and the lungs and intestines will be broken", which shows its power. .
There were also many crossbowmen, aiming their crossbow arrows carefully. If any defenders showed up, they would shoot them with powerful crossbows.
After several rounds of this, "Chong Gongzi" was sent out to attack the city.
Those who attacked the son were from the Xixia military branch. They were all captured Han people. The strong and brave ones were selected as the front army, and they were the first to attack in battle. Most of the young masters used today are the Song troops who surrendered at Yongxing Military Road.
The river outside the city wall had long been filled in. The young masters pushed the ladder cart and rushed to the bottom of the city. They raised the ladder and climbed up until they reached the top of the city. Only then did the Song army guarding the city jump up. Both sides raised their swords and guns. He gritted his teeth and killed fiercely on the city.
It turns out that after the earthen mountains were built in Xixia, the Taiyuan defenders were completely at a disadvantage. They could not take advantage of the superiority as before. They could only fight the enemy on the wall with their flesh and blood. They could only be entangled in one place, and the earthen mountains were whirlwind. It is difficult for cannons and crossbows to exert their power.
After a bloody battle, relying on several brave generals in the city, Prince Chong hurriedly abandoned three to four hundred corpses and retreated. However, the cyclone cannon fired out rocks again, scaring the defenders into hurriedly hiding.
In recent days, this scene seems to have become the norm.
Li Qianshun was quite satisfied with this. Although he still failed to defeat the city, with this style of fighting, the casualties of the defenders increased sharply. He had a strength advantage and was confident that he would be able to defeat the city in a few days.
Unfortunately, time never waits for anyone. Every time we count "how many more days" we have, the deadline has secretly arrived.
I just pity Li Qianshun. He has no idea what will happen tomorrow and has no clairvoyance. He thinks he is invincible and only focuses on attacking the city. He is too lazy to send out scouts twenty miles away. Who knows that at this time, dozens of miles away, there is a newly built embankment on the Fenhe River. , a new Dharma platform has been built according to Gongsun Sheng's request!
Ladies and gentlemen, this Dharma platform is an unusual building. It has a standard——
He found the location of Tai Sui, made good use of loess, and built three floors. The lower floor is three feet wide, the middle floor is two feet eight, the upper floor is also two feet four, and each of the three floors is one foot three inches high.
At the four corners of the table, use four new porcelain bowls, each holding a newly broken tree branch. Five large vats are placed under the altar, all filled with clear water. A branch of willow floats on the water. Each of the willows holds an iron sign with a message written on it. It is the symbol of Thunder City.
On the three-story platform, there is an incense table in the center, an incense burner on it, and two candlesticks on both sides. Only the mist of incense and dim candlelight can be seen. There are memorial tablets for the three ministers and the generals of the Lei Department. In front of the tablets, there are also orders. Five cards.
It was just arranged. Mr. Gongsun calculated with his fingers that it was noon, so he put on a fairy dress with purple ribbon and eight trigrams, and wielded a bronze sword with ancient pine patterns. His hair was scattered, swaying, and he walked on the gang steps. It is the "flying dragon that brings rain and thunder", also known as "the water that summons thunder and lightning", and it comes from the local household.
Come up to the stage, turn left nine times, recite the "Spell to Summon the Dragon to Bring Rain" nine times, burn nine lines of yellow paper, and recite the "Spell to Pray for Rain" again, with a loud voice that reaches heaven——
"Taiyuan Hao master's thunder and fire spirit combines yin and gathers yang to guard the thunder city. Uncle Yan's wind and fire climb to the island court, and his style stirs up ghosts. The floating Taihua orders the guests, God has the edict to proceed quickly. When the sun collects, the rain will occur instantly, driving away The dragon pulls the lightning out of Xuanhong. I am going to hurry up now according to the curse. Binai Jade Emperor orders your name. Anyone who dares to refuse will not be punished lightly. Hurrying is like a law."
After reciting, he struck the tokens with his sword one after another, and the sound was loud and clear. But with one sound, black wind blew up from all directions, roaring in the mountains and forests, and the grass and trees danced wildly.
Hearing two more sounds, dark clouds covered the sunny sky, and air-conditioning suddenly appeared. Cao Cao had goosebumps all over his body while waiting at the stage.
After hearing three sounds, lightning flashed like dragons and thunder shook like drums, silver snakes shuttled in the dark clouds overhead, and wild beasts in the mountains and forests all around fled away one after another as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
Listen to four more sounds, it’s amazing! At first, only a few raindrops fell, and in the blink of an eye, there was a crash, as if the Tianhe River had overturned, and the heavy rain fell from the ground to the sky, and it was difficult to see a person beyond a foot away.
Cao Cao exclaimed: "Unexpectedly, Mr. Gongsun's technique is so amazing! Brother Qiao Daoqing, who is most used to playing with water, may not have such methods as him. He is really the authentic Xuanmen and is extraordinary."
At present, the water of the Fenhe River can be seen rising with the naked eye, like a surging dragon, blocked by the dam and unable to vent its anger. After a wave, it suddenly turns around and the turbid current flows upstream, and then rushes straight into the Zhibo Canal. The river flows towards Taiyuan.
Lao Cao looked up to the sky and laughed, shouting loudly: "God help me! It's time to destroy the Xixia army!"
Seeing a big wave coming from high up, Lao Cao first picked up a bamboo raft and threw it into the water when the water slowed down a little.
Zhang Liang, a Hu man from Guiyi, saw it and shouted: "General, wait for me to control the boat!" He jumped on the raft first and held on to the raft with a bamboo pole. Lao Cao drew his knife in his hand. , jumped onto the bamboo raft, Hu Sanniang, Shi Qian, and Jiao Ting jumped on at the same time. As soon as Zhang Liang's pole was loosened, the raft moved along with the current.
Seeing that Lao Cao is taking the lead, who among the others dares to fall behind? They all went into the water in the rain and rushed straight away on the bamboo raft.
There are different teachings:
Flying water falls from the sky, and flood waves arise from the earth. The wood and bamboo are used as rafts and the waves are used as horses, and the soldiers ride on the waves at will.
The ghosts cry and the gods howl, the wind is wild and the sun is dim. Yue shakes the mountain, collapses and becomes angry, dragons fly and ride on black clouds.
Trees are uprooted and boulders are rising from the ground. The flags rolled with murderous intent on the waves, and the fighting surged across the city.
Dangxiang opened his mouth in shock, while Jurchen wept silently. No matter how strong or brave you are, you will turn everything into a pot of soup!
But the soldiers and horses attacking the city were taking shelter from the rain. Unexpectedly, disaster fell from the sky. They heard a loud and earth-shattering noise, and fear could not help but radiate from the bones. They came out of their tents tremblingly to see, only to see a wave of The water rushed from the south to the north, and the waves lifted up several feet from the ground. They were forced towards me like a silver wall. They were so frightened that they stared at the water without blinking, and they didn't know where their souls had drifted.
As soon as the big wave broke out, the mountains of earth that had taken many days to build suddenly collapsed and came crashing down. Not to mention people, even war horses and camels turned into dust when swept by the wave.
This big wave crashed onto the city, spreading from both sides, and the city gate that Xixia had been unable to conquer for a long time suddenly opened.
People all over the city were horrified when they saw the water coming in. They climbed onto the walls of houses and climbed up logs and beams in order to escape.
But pitiful for the old, weak and obese people in the city, they had to go to the table to avoid each other. As soon as the water came, the tables also floated, the houses collapsed, and they were all transformed into fish and turtles in the water. There were countless casualties in that time.
On the altar in the distance, Gongsun Sheng showed a look of compassion and struck the fifth token with his sword. In an instant, the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, and the sky was still clear and clear.
The water lost its stamina and spread to the vast space outside the city. It flooded in all directions and then stopped after a while. At this time, the water depth on the flat ground was only four or five feet. Anyone taller than Lao Cao would not be easily drowned.
Taiyuan was protected by city walls, but the water rushed in and many people died. How could it be good for the soldiers and generals outside the city, who were empty and unprotected?
At least half of the more than 100,000 troops were drowned and killed on the spot, while the rest were struggling in the muddy water.
At this time, countless bamboo rafts and wooden rafts roared in. Everyone on the rafts shouted in unison, charging around with bamboo poles, stabbing with spears and knives. Jun and Chuang Gongzi, how can they have the slightest ability to fight back? Even killing a chicken is not so easy.
The generals in the Xixia army were all despairing. Knowing that the situation was difficult to deal with, they all thought about their own lives and waded into the water to escape.
In this massacre, those who were swept away, drowned, and hacked together, at least more than 100,000 people, risked their lives at the gates of Taiyuan City. The Ghost Festival on this day was indeed very lively.
In Taiyuan City, a group of generals and civilians who had escaped gathered on the city wall. They were stunned to see soldiers and horses coming from nowhere outside and killing like Shura.
Some people also guessed the reason. For example, Lin Chong patted Hu Yanzhuo. The two of them were filled with ecstasy and laughed loudly: "Brother, what a trick! How to cause such a flood! This battle was thought to be long-lasting, but unexpectedly in a moment , the victory has been decided.”
On the other side, Mr. Souchong pulled his brother and exclaimed: "In the past, when I read the section about Guan Yunchang flooded the Seventh Army, I could never imagine the scene at that time. Only today do I know how cruel the power of heaven and earth is."
The old Mr. Zhong was sick and had been fighting for many days. At this time, he was so thin that he had only a handful of bones left. After listening to his brother's words, he turned to look at the miserable situation in the city and sighed: "This strategy is too cruel! Today's water, The number of civilians drowned may not be less than the number of enemy soldiers who died."
Zhang Xiaochun, the prefect of Taiyuan, squeezed over from the side. He was a good civil servant, but his face was flushed with excitement. Hearing this, he quickly shook his head: "Ah, what Mr. Zhong said is ridiculous! This poisonous plan to flood the Seventh Army, although It harmed my city, but it also destroyed the entire country of Xixia! Moreover, the water comes and goes quickly, and there are many houses in the city. Although casualties are inevitable, most people will definitely survive."
Mr. Xiaozhong also nodded and said: "That's exactly what you said! Brother, Xixia wants to complete its achievements in one battle, and has mobilized an army that will overwhelm the country. Now this battle will stop ten times and nine will stop. We will take advantage of the situation to cover up and destroy the country." Why is it so difficult to sacrifice?"
Mr. Lao Zhong didn't say a word, he just shook his head and sighed.
Han Cunbao and other generals did not care much. They had been beaten by Xixia in the city for many days, and they were already angry. At this moment, they began to gather their troops to take advantage of the chaos to go out and fight.
After another half an hour, the water level dropped again, and there was water on the ground, no more than calf level.
Wanyan Wushu and other Jin soldiers and generals, because they were on high ground in the north of the city, suffered little damage even though they were affected. Now they ordered their troops and horses to circle the city and kill——
Wu Shu originally had more than 2,000 soldiers and horses, but Lou Shi arrived and brought more than 8,000 people. Together, they had 10,000 men, of which nearly 5,000 were Jurchen soldiers.
This flood killed more than a thousand people in the Jin Kingdom. At this moment, there are still nine thousand people, all following Wanyan Wushu to save his father-in-law.
Lao Cao here killed the Xixia soldiers and the surrendered troops of the Song Dynasty to pieces, but he surrounded the Xia Lord Li Qianshun on a mound.
There were only one or two thousand men around Li Qianshun, who defended the mound and fought fiercely. All the soldiers in Lao Cao's camp jumped off the raft and besieged and killed him from all sides.
The two sides were fighting lively when the Jin soldiers came out from the side. When Lao Cao saw the large number of people and the formation, he was shocked and shouted: "Shi Bao, Yao Xing, stop him for me!"
Shi Bao and Yao Xing were covered in blood from the killing. When they heard the words, they responded in unison, raised their arms and shouted, each leading more than a thousand people to stop him. Jiao Ting also rushed forward, brandishing his two swords, and was the first to kill.
When the two armies met and saw Wanyan Wushu approaching on horseback, Jiao Ting recognized him as the prince of the Jin Dynasty. He was so happy that he jumped forward and wanted to chop off his horse's feet.
Jin Wushu roared loudly, struck with his big ax, and opened Jiao Ting's swords. The horse jumped forward. His body was limited in the muddy ground of Jiao Ting, so his reaction was a little slow. As a result, the horse was hit in the chest. Without saying a word, he raised his head and flew backwards three to four feet, landing in the muddy water without knowing whether he was alive or dead.
When Lao Cao saw Jiao Ting being knocked away by a horse from a distance, he felt pain in his heart and shouted: "Hua Rong, Sanniang, you two will lead the army for me, and you must capture Lord Xia alive! Shi Qian will follow me to rescue Jiao Ting!"
Shi Bao in front was shocked when he saw Jiao Ting flying out, and said to himself: This person is my brother's confidant. If he is killed, my brother will definitely be sad. If he doesn't kill this golden general to take revenge, how can he have the face to see him?
With a loud roar, he jumped up and slashed Wushu with his sword. Wushu saw that he was coming with extraordinary force and did not dare to underestimate him, so he hurriedly swung his ax to parry.
Shi Bao had few opponents with his sword. Wu Shu also practiced hard with Pu Feng after he became enemies with Cao Cao. He became more and more powerful with his axe. The two horsemen stepped down and fought for seven or eight times, but they were unable to defeat each other.
Unexpectedly, Yao Xing suddenly ran out from beside him, his swords danced into a ball of brilliance, he rushed in front of Wushu's horse, and chopped off the horse's feet with a backhand sword.
Wu Shu quickly moved his ax to block it. However, Yao Xing's two swords were beyond Jiao Ting's ability. However, with the blade folded, he gently and deftly passed the axe, and removed the horse's hoof with one blow.
The pitiful horse lost its front legs and fell to the ground with a roar, knocking Wu Shu off the saddle and rolling into the muddy water. He shouted anxiously: "It belongs to a hero, don't take advantage of it... ah!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly let out a long scream, but Shi Bao's wind-splitting knife fell and cut off his left leg at the knee!
(End of chapter)
