On the top of Xizhou City, Tian Hongbin and Gong Langzhi stood side by side with hands on the crenellations of the city tower. Their eyes were looking down at the narrow area under the city gate. They watched the huge suspension bridge slowly being lowered, and a flat road suddenly appeared on the wide ditch. channel.
The city gate immediately opened wide, and countless nobles, common people, merchants, and tens of thousands of barbarians who had already crowded in the doorway all looked lucky to have escaped. They were like a dam bursting. Like a flood, they rush towards this avenue that symbolizes vitality.
Something happened in the Governor's Mansion last night. Tian Hongbin relied on the tiger head gold seal in his hand and the prestige he had accumulated in the army for many years. After killing only a few generals who were loyal to Tian Hongyou, he successfully took over the military power and then immediately summoned all the tribes. The leaders and officials of Xizhou, large and small, announced their succession to the position of deputy governor of Xizhou.
Everyone was naturally worried. Although the phenomenon of power struggle and killing each other was not only among the Han people, but also among the barbarians, the overthrow of the Peng family a month ago was still vivid in their minds, and now it has happened again.
Compared with the scheming and well-known Tian Hongyou, the armored and sharp Tian Hongbin became famous in the military. From his conversation, it can be seen that the newly appointed deputy governor is obviously a bit jerky, and now he is... In times of extreme crisis, with powerful enemies outside and new chaos within, we really have to teach everyone how to behave.
Tian Hongbin first told Tian Hongyou's evil deeds in the past with a serious face, and then straightforwardly explained the truth of last night. Everyone present was shocked when they heard that Tian Hongyou had tried to divert water into the city, and then began to viciously curse the dead man. Man, the look in his eyes that looked at the person above him was obviously much gentler.
After the excitement of the crowd, Tian Hongbin did not hesitate and issued the first order after taking office. He changed Tian Hongyou's previous attempt to drag the whole city to be buried with him, and prepared to open the city gates and let the relatives and common people return to the tribal forests. The warriors of the tribe, except for the warriors of the Tian clan, the other four tribes can be led out of Xizhou City by their leaders, at least retaining some effective strength for each tribe to try to revive in the future.
Everyone was even more shocked. The Tang army was approaching fiercely, and Xizhou City was already in danger. Seeing that Tian Hongyou wanted to defend the city by dying together, in such a desperate situation, Tian Hongbin threw away all the cards in his hand. It was really It's puzzling, not to mention that his words obviously have a strong sense of defeat. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, it is indeed unusual and strange.
There were many scheming nobles from various tribes present. Naturally, they assumed that Tian Hongbin was pretending to be a test, so they did not dare to make any move. After a moment of stalemate in the lobby, Zhu Yanji, the empress official of Xizhou, was also the weakest among the five major tribes. The leader of the Zhu clan finally couldn't hold it any longer, and he handed over his hands and asked to lead his clan son out of the city.
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was worried, thinking that he was asking for trouble, and they were waiting to see a good show. The result was unexpected. Tian Hongbin nodded readily and agreed, and sent him to the door with a sincere expression, allowing him to lead his guards and leave gracefully.
When they were dumbfounded, an explosion immediately broke out in the lobby. The nobles with their own hidden agendas no longer hid their secrets and rushed to ask to leave, but Tian Hongbin agreed to them all.
After a while, the previously noisy hall was almost empty. Except for Tian Hongbin, who was still sitting in the upper position, there were only a dozen tribal generals of the Tian family and Gong Langzhi, the leader of the Gong family.
Tian Hongbin stood up, held the sword tightly on his waist, looked at the situation around him and sighed helplessly. Needless to say, there are more than ten tribal generals of the Tian family. With their surnames clearly displayed in front of them, the leader would not dare to abandon them no matter what. What’s more, the newly-in-power leader has granted permission to the sergeant’s family records. But when he left the city and returned to the tribe, everyone bowed in admiration with tears in their eyes.
Gong Langzhi's stay undoubtedly gave Tian Hongbin a huge surprise in this desperate situation.
Seeing Tian Hongbin asking questions with an ecstatic expression, Gong Langzhi was as calm as before. He smiled indifferently and did not explain much. He only said that not only he would not leave, but not even the five thousand soldiers of the Gong family would withdraw. The Gong family will never violate the brotherly alliance with the Tian family...
Therefore, Tian Hongbin and Gong Langzhi, the two tribal leaders, became the last two remaining pillars of Xizhou City.
After a morning of large-scale evacuation, Xizhou City, which had been prosperous for decades, became so lonely and gloomy for the first time because it was too empty. On the top of the city, Tian Hongbin witnessed the scene in the city, but couldn't help turning around and looking sideways at the mountains and forests in the distance, and asked in a deep voice: "Mr. Gong, how many soldiers are left in Xizhou City now?"
Gong Langzhi frowned slightly, cupped his hands and replied: "Captain, except for you and me, the other three tribes have left completely. Now we still have about 12,000 soldiers."
Tian Hongbin breathed a sigh of relief, shook his head in a self-deprecating manner and said, "I don't have any intention, so why force it? It doesn't matter if we leave, after all, we are all Dongxi tribe, and our ancestors share the same origin. Today, I leave them a way to survive, which is worthy of the gods of Wuxi!" If you die in battle, you don’t have to worry about leaving a bad reputation behind you..."
Gong Langzhi suddenly felt that the face in front of him had become so different in just one night. After staring for a moment in surprise, he said in a deep voice: "Captain, do you really want to rely on these more than 10,000 people to fight to the death against the Tang army? You should understand that after the fall of Huixizhai, Xizhou City was already an isolated city. The Tang army was good at attacking the city. Now that there are so few people in the city, I'm afraid they won't be able to defend it for a few days... It's better to abandon the city and return to the tribe. ..."
Tian Hongbin responded with a wry smile: "Ever since General Tian Hong withdrew his army to Xizhou City that day, I had a premonition that Xizhou City would fall sooner or later... My Tian family is different from you, and I have been with Peng Shiyu for a long time. It is impossible to turn back from the irreconcilable relationship. Can you escape for a while or hide for the rest of your life? You must end it with him!
The Tang army is about to approach the city, and now there is no choice but to defend the city to the death. As the lord of Xizhou and the leader of the Tian family, should I abandon the city and surrender? Wouldn't it be an insult to our ancestors? Maybe with the protection of the twelve thousand loyal and brave men under your command and the ancestors of Dongxi, we might be able to defend ourselves in a bloody battle with them..."
Not only did Gong Langzhi shake his head secretly at these somewhat self-deceptive words, but even Tian Hongbin himself didn't believe it. He stopped speaking mid-sentence, and then secretly squinted at the light in the sky.
Today's sunshine was obviously a bit harsh. Gong Langzhi suddenly felt extremely hot all over his body. He couldn't help but take off the iron helmet on his head. After wiping the sweat from his forehead with one hand, he said in a calm voice: "Captain, if we can't hold on, you should know." What will happen to us... You asked me earlier why I insisted on staying and defending the city with you? In fact, in addition to the oath of our two clans, there is another biggest reason, even if I, Gong Langzhi, Even if he dies, there will still be descendants under his knees who can inherit the ancestral legacy. Our Gong clan may continue to extend in the mountains and wilderness...
But Commander, if you die in battle, the consequences for Tian will be disastrous! As far as I know, all the sons under Tian Hong’s right knee have passed away, leaving only a baby born to his daughter, which is Peng Shiyu’s son. And you, the governor, have no children, and now all the young and strong men of the Tian family are left here. The day Xizhou City is destroyed, I'm afraid your Tian clan will be destroyed..."
