Just after noon, a wall of Zhongqiu City finally showed signs of complete collapse.
"After the city is destroyed, all the women and property will be returned to you and you can take it for yourself!"
"Anyone who resists Jie Hu and other party members will be killed without distinction between young and old!"
Several Han cavalrymen holding red flags were galloping back and forth in front of the formation, shouting.
The loud voice let everyone know how rich the rewards of this victory would be.
Further ahead of the Han army's formation, there were soldiers in several square formations who were ready to charge at any time to seize the gaps in the city wall.
From the flags of these phalanxes, it can be seen that these are all powerful soldiers and horses like Zhang Jack who are ready to make meritorious deeds.
Although the responsibility of the pioneer is dangerous, it can not only "atone for one's sins", but also share the most generous rewards.
Therefore, these former "accomplices" of Jiehu were all full of energy and showed no timidity at all when facing the upcoming fierce battle.
"Hey, these parts are like this, how can Jiehu be undefeated?"
Zhang Jackal, who was wearing armor, was in the square formation. He had also noticed the changes in these private soldiers, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Zhang Jack quietly turned his head and looked back, and saw that the Han soldiers had returned to their most organized formation. The neat formation and flying flags gave him an endless sense of oppression.
Zhang Jackal had no other way out except to rush forward and strike hard.
If you still think about being like a house outside the city, cowering to protect yourself when intercepting the dolphins, your own head will definitely be in danger.
Suddenly, Zhang Jack heard a frightening sound coming from the front, and the soldiers in the phalanx let out bursts of exclamations.
He immediately turned to look.
I saw that the Zhongqiu city wall in front was wrapped in a large cloud of gray-yellow dust.
The rising dust obviously meant that the rammed earth wall had collapsed.
Sure enough, after the dust dissipated a bit, the crumbling rammed earth wall turned into a low, gentle slope.
"The time has come to fight for your life!"
Zhang Jack gritted his teeth and thought in his heart.
At this time, the sound of majestic war drums came from the Han army camp behind him.
Among the Han army, "if you hear the drum and don't respond in front of the enemy's formation, you can immediately kill him." How dare Zhang Jack respond?
Zhang Jack immediately sent an order to respond with horns and small drums, and then loud orders sounded around him.
The soldiers in the front row raised various shields in their hands to cover their heads, and then charged towards the gap in the city wall that appeared in front of them.
After walking quickly for a moment, a bang-bang-bang sound came to Zhang Jackal's ears from the front.
He knew that after entering Jiehu's shooting range, the enemy's feather arrow hit the shield.
"ah!"
"oops!"
Several screams were also heard. Although there were shields to protect them, some unlucky people were still shot.
A hundred steps behind these phalanxes that were the first to attack the city, Liu Yu was looking intently at the battle ahead.
At this time, the soldiers and horses led by Zhang Jack and other "Gui Zheng" powerful men had arrived at the foot of the gentle slope of the gap.
On the gentle slope caused by the collapse, many Jiehu soldiers had already appeared. On the walls on both sides of the gap, there were many Jiehu soldiers taking advantage of their superior position to fire arrows.
"What a pity. It would have been better if we had been closer to the formation!"
Zhao Kun, the guard general next to him, said with some regret.
Liu Yu knew that there was some truth to this. If he could line up in front against the crossbows of the defenders when the city wall was about to collapse, he could seize the gap as soon as possible.
"Haha, what you said makes sense. I should write it down. When I get old in the future, I can make a book called "Zhao Zi's Art of War."
Liu Yu had just teased Zhao Kun when he heard a high-pitched scream from ahead.
Zhang Jack's powerful troops had climbed to the top of the gentle slope with arrows, and the attacking and defending sides began to stab each other with spears, spears, and swords.
Although they were nearly a hundred steps apart, Liu Yu and the others could still clearly hear the bloody fighting ahead.
The sound of the war drums in the Han army's formation was getting faster and faster, as if it was about to knock out everyone's hearts.
Liu Yu pursed his lips tightly and stared at the battle ahead.
There is no strategy to use in this kind of battle, and there is no other way except to fight with human lives.
Only the most primitive killing can defeat these enemies, and the real weapon is your own life.
"Zhang Jack and others' songs are also not inferior?"
Cavalry Commander Wu Xin said with some surprise.
He had never been happy with Zhang Jack and other powerful generals who had "surrendered Hu", and he also despised them.
Unexpectedly, in today's brutal battle to seize the city, these powerful tribes actually showed such tenacity.
"Generals are the most courageous soldiers. Now Zhang Jackal is very courageous!"
Zhang Jack and others are naturally very clear about Liu Yu's attitude. If they don't fight hard in today's battle, it is most normal for them to lose their heads.
Just like the Han army princes of the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties and the "Sanshun" and "Liaoxi" soldiers of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties in later generations, as long as there are huge profits in front and a butcher's knife in the back, the combat power of people like Zhang Jack can definitely be stimulated.
"Your Majesty, look!"
Suddenly, Zhao Kun next to him reminded him.
Liu Yu then looked around and saw that a large piece of rammed earth had just fallen from another rammed earth city wall, which meant that another gap was about to appear.
At the same time, a thick column of black smoke also rose high from the east side of Zhongqiu City.
"It seems that there is also going to be a breakthrough in the direction of the east gate!"
When Liu Yu looked away, he saw that Zhang Jack's first attack had been repelled.
The Jiehu soldiers blocking the gap let out wild beast-like howls of victory.
Among the arrows falling from time to time, Zhang Jack and others immediately sent forward the second group of soldiers who had been prepared.
Until the wall on the other side collapsed and the attack by the military soldiers began, Zhang Jack's troops still did not capture the small gap.
Liu Yu frowned, he was about to lose his patience.
"Go and give Zhang Jacky an order. If the army soldiers on the east side enter the city before him, I will take his head!"
The guards immediately took the order and left.
When the Chinese army guard holding the tooth flag told Zhang Jacky what Liu Yu had said, Zhang Jacky's heart suddenly tightened.
He struggled to tear off the fur wrapped around his body and threw it to the ground, revealing a suit of shiny iron armor.
Zhang Jack raised the sword in his hand high, looked around at the surrounding soldiers, and shouted with all his strength.
"This time, I will take the lead personally. If we can't defeat the thief again, you will all be buried with me!"
=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·
When the blood-like setting sun finally set, the small Zhongqiu City had already turned into a flesh-devouring purgatory.
After Liu Yu threatened him with "beheading," Zhang Jack reached the front line first with his sword in hand, seizing the first breach of the city wall in one fell swoop.
Immediately afterwards, the army soldiers attacked the city from the other side.
After learning that the city walls on both the north and east sides were lost, some Jiehu people in the city secretly opened the west gate and fled toward the Taihang Mountains.
The Xianbei cavalry, which had been waiting outside, immediately launched a pursuit.
Among the tens of thousands of Jiehu who stayed in Zhongqiu City, in addition to women, young and old, there were nearly ten thousand strong men, and they all burst into madness like a trapped beast still fighting.
In order to reduce their own casualties as much as possible, the Han army did not immediately go deep into the city to fight in the streets after seizing the passage into the city.
Under Liu Yu's order, Han soldiers began to set fire to all parts of the city, forcing those Jiehu who were hiding to show up.
When all four city gates fell into the hands of the Han army, elite men wearing double-layered iron armor poured in from the city gates and began to attack the city.
These Jiehu people who are accustomed to riding and shooting on horseback can hardly shake these armored monsters.
Jiehu in Zhongqiu had to retreat gradually, and finally only the government offices and a few other strongholds in the courtyard were left.
The powerful Han people who were coerced into the city by the Jiehu people, except for some who were killed by the red-eyed Han army, have now become the vanguard of the counterattack.
"Let these people wash away their sins with the blood of Jernus."
When night fell, in order to see clearly what was going on in the dark, the Han army set fire to some houses as a source of illumination.
When all hopes of breaking out of the encirclement were shattered, the Jiehu soldiers and civilians in the city's government office erupted in bursts of wailing and crying. The tragedy of their feelings and the trueness of their feelings made Liu Yu feel bursts of sadistic pleasure in his heart.
In the red light that filled the sky, a Jie man emerged from the wall, bringing with him the will to surrender.
"Your Majesty, we Jie people are good-natured and should not be deceived and driven by Tugehu. As long as Your Majesty forgives the sins of the slaves, we are willing to be the pioneers of His Majesty's hawks and dogs!"
Liu Yu saw this guy kneeling on the ground and knew that he must have some ink in his belly, otherwise he wouldn't call himself "good".
"I know that there are not only soldiers here, but also women and children. As long as you abandon your weapons and surrender, all the women will be assigned to other soldiers. I can save the lives of all the women and children. As for the other men, they will all be slaves. It can be considered that I can save life!"
By this time in today's battle, the Han soldiers had killed enough people, and even many were injured.
If these last few thousand Jiehu could be captured without any effort, it would actually be the best deal for Liu Yu.
After all, this would not only save a lot of dead and wounded soldiers, but also obtain at least a thousand strong slaves, and many of the women would also survive. After being distributed to Han soldiers, they would be able to give birth to many children in the future to replenish the population.
However, Liu Yu's condition of "saving one's life and becoming a slave" had already plunged the envoy into despair.
After receiving Liu Yu's unwavering attitude, the envoy returned inside.
Liu Yu knew that the Jie Hutou people inside would definitely have to discuss whether to fight or surrender, life or death, which would be a matter of a few moments.
Suddenly, bursts of women's exclamations and children's cries came from the high wall.
"boom"
"boom"
After a series of soft sounds, women's heads were thrown out one by one.
Under the bright red light, all the Han soldiers in the front row could clearly see the heads of these women. Among them were not only female faces with Jiehu appearance, but also many female faces of Han or other ethnic groups.
At this time, a high-pitched and crazy voice came out from inside the high wall.
"Han'er, give me your women!"
"Han'er, give me your women!"
The Han soldiers suddenly burst into angry shouts and shouts.
Although these Han soldiers were all proud of killing, they always treated women so cruelly.
Liu Yu's face suddenly turned livid, and against the firelight, he showed a frightening cruelty.
He ordered bitterly.
"Slaughter all the Jiehu people in this city, do not distinguish between old and young!"
"As long as one Jiehu is alive, the sword will never be sealed!"
After receiving this order, the already angry Han soldiers immediately broke out into even louder shouts of killing.
The crash logs and crude ladders that had been prepared long ago were quickly brought out and used to capture the high wall.
The gate of the government office had also been set on fire by Han soldiers with gunpowder, and it would not take long before it was crumbling.
When the first Han soldier rushed through the gate, scalp-numbing sounds of fighting and howling came from inside.
Under the siege of the swarming Han army, these Jiehu had no chance to surrender. No matter whether they resisted stubbornly or knelt down and begged for mercy, they would die in the end.
Although some Han soldiers were lost in dealing with these nearly exhausted 'trapped beasts', it did not take much time.
Only half an hour later, the entire Zhongqiu City was completely engulfed in fire and blood.
"Your Majesty, many Jiehu have escaped from the south city wall."
The cavalry commander Wu Xin who had just been chasing outside came to report at this time.
"how many people?"
Liu Yu knew that after dark, even with cavalry, it would be difficult to pursue the fleeing Jiehu. As long as the number of people was not too large, Liu Yu had no intention of pursuing them.
"About hundreds of people." Wu Xin said immediately.
"Humph, let them escape. On such a cold winter night, they will definitely not dare to light a fire. Let's wait until tomorrow to find their bodies."
On such a cold night, when water drips and turns into ice, it is absolutely difficult for a runner to survive the severe cold as long as he stops.
At this time, the battle in Zhongqiu City was almost completely over.
Only a few Han soldiers were left and began to search for the hidden Luodan Jiehu from house to house.
Zhang Jack, the governor of Jizhou, who had bravely fought to be the first and won the "first to the summit" in person today, came to Liu Yu covered in blood to report.
"Your Majesty, Jie Hu has been crowned in Yamen, and he has acquired many women and children. Please forgive me!"
In the spacious courtyard, under the light of torches and oil torches, he saw the women and children Zhang Jackal mentioned.
When Liu Yu saw the women and children who had been rescued or captured, he felt mixed feelings in his heart.
Judging from the faces of these women, most of them are not Jie women, but Han women who have intermarried with Jie and Hu, or they were robbed.
However, most of the children in their arms and following them looked more or less like the Jie people from the Western Regions.
Although these children looked immature, their faces showed extreme fear, and they looked completely harmless.
However, Liu Yu couldn't help but think of something in his heart.
"Non-my family, its heart must be different!"
Zhao Kun, the guard general next to him, heard Liu Yu's muttering and said immediately.
"Your Majesty, it would be better to kill these Jie people's cubs with one knife!"
After hearing what this young Han general said, most of the women only protected the children around them.
After seeing this scene, Liu Yu frowned and couldn't help feeling even more disgusted.
"No women will be killed,,,"
Liu Yu only said this halfway before he suddenly stopped, as if he was thinking about something.
Several generals nearby waited patiently, but still did not hear the second half of the sentence.
The guard general Zhao Kun answered again and said loudly.
"No women will be killed, but all the boys will be chopped down!"
A group of Han soldiers immediately stepped forward and dragged the Jieren boy out of the arms of the women.
The guard general Zhao Kun held a long knife and walked towards the boys, ignoring the cries of the women who had just died of Jiehu men.
Suddenly, Liu Yu's voice came from behind him.
"Wait!"
Zhao Kun turned around in shock, "Your Majesty, you won't kill again?"
"Although he is a Jienu, he is still a child. I can't bear to watch him being killed with swords!"
Liu Yu sighed softly.
"The trap should be in a secluded place."
