Zhao Xing looked bitter.
He never expected that the county magistrate would entrust the important task of defending the city to the commander of the Zhenwu Guard, but the commander only waved on the city wall, showed his face once, and then hurriedly went to the city without any guard at all. The commander should have the demeanor of a general.
Zhao Xing, who looked helpless, could only watch the Yuan family and his son descending the city wall, but there was nothing he could do.
The other party was the commander of Zhenwu Guard, and he was just an inspector in Nao County. There was a huge disparity in status between the two, and he couldn't stop him even if he wanted to.
The only thing we can do is to follow the other party first, then look back and find a way to tell what the other party did on the city wall, and inform the county magistrate who is in charge of the yamen to see if we can change the main guard of the city.
Whoever would be the commander of the city defense, he felt, would be better than the commander from Zhenwu Guard.
Soon, Yuan Chao lifted down the city wall and walked towards the bottom of the city where the horses were parked.
"Father, are we leaving?" He followed Yuan Chaoju to the place where the horses were parked and said in confusion, "The outside of the city has fallen into the hands of bandits, and we can't get out of the city."
Seeing his father pulling up the horse, he thought his father was going to run away.
Yuan Chaoju glanced at Yuan Feng and said: "Lead the horse to a safe place. As for whether to leave, we will wait and see."
As he spoke, he led his horse away from the city wall.
Yuan Feng had no choice but to lead his horse and follow him.
"Commander Yuan, who will defend the city if you leave! You can't leave!" Zhao Xing followed closely behind the two men.
No matter how much he shouted, Yuan Chaoju ignored him and just led the horse away.
boom! boom! boom!
Not long after they were far away from the city wall, there was a thunderous sound of cannon outside the city.
Zhao Xing, who was following Yuan Chaoju and the others, was startled by the sound of gunfire.
There were no cannons in Guoxian County, so he had no chance to use cannons during this inspection. In the past, he had only seen cannons a few times in Daizhou City, and heard the sound of cannons only a handful of times.
The sound of gunfire heard in Daizhou in the past was far less deafening than this time.
At this moment, more than a dozen cannons outside the city exploded one after another, which made the back of his head numb with shock.
"You heard the sound of the cannons. If you stay on the city wall now, no one can guarantee that you will survive." Yuan Chaoju said to Zhao Xing calmly.
He had already expected the thieves to bombard the county town.
The bandits are not short of cannons, so it is impossible to use such a powerful siege weapon to attack the city. Even if Guo County is not a big county, it still has city walls several feet high.
"This!" Zhao Xing suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say.
With the intensity of the cannon fire, it was definitely very dangerous to stay on the city wall. Logically speaking, the other party's move down the city wall saved his life, but without the general to guard the city, he didn't know how long the guards on the city wall could hold on.
He even suspected that after this round of shelling, all the people on the city wall could escape, and no one would risk their lives to continue to defend the city.
After all, there are no serious defenders in Guoxian County, otherwise the position of the city defender would not have been left to this commander who came from Zhenwu Guard.
"Get on the horse, let's go." Yuan Chaoju greeted Yuan Feng to get on the horse.
Yuan Feng said hesitantly: "Let's leave like this. What should we do about defending the city? Otherwise, let's wait until the sound of cannons stops and then go back."
"We can't go back. How long do you think those soldiers on the city wall can hold on? I'm afraid they've all dispersed by now, and it's useless for us to go back." Yuan Chaoju didn't think highly of the guards on the city wall at all.
A group of young men in the city and officers from the yamen formed a temporary garrison. He did not think that relying on these people could defend Guoxian County in front of the rebels.
An ordinary bandit army can easily capture a county like Nao County, let alone a bandit army that is more elite than the border army.
"How about we go back and take a look. If we really can't defend it, it's not too late to leave?" Yuan Feng still wants to continue to defend Guo County.
Unlike his father, his wife, children, and his father-in-law's family are all in Nao County. Once Nao County is lost, his father-in-law's family, his wife and children will be in danger.
Yuan Chaoju, who was riding on horseback, glanced at Yuan Feng and said, "We can't defend Nao County, and we will die in vain if we go to the city wall. I will remember to follow my father and find a way to escape from the county."
Zhao Xing, who was following the two people, looked at Yuan Chaoju helplessly.
The other party openly expressed his idea of abandoning the city and fleeing, and even he didn't shy away from it.
"Several city gates in Guo County have been blocked by the order of the county magistrate. Only the city gate here can be opened. Once the thieves capture this city gate, we will not be able to leave the city at all." Yuan Feng wanted to persuade his father Leave.
As a son of a man, he knew what his father was capable of. If even his father was not willing to defend the city, then no one in Guo County could defend it.
Yuan Chaoju's expression changed when he heard this.
No matter what, he didn't expect the county magistrate of Guo County to be so ruthless, leaving no room for him, which gave him no chance to escape from the city.
"Father, please stay. We can all be safe if we guard Guo County." Yuan Feng continued to persuade.
Yuan Chaoju, who came back to his senses, shook his head and said: "We can't defend it. If it were so easy to defend, Daizhou City wouldn't be lost. It's a pity that we can't leave either. I don't know how your elder brother is doing outside the city." .”
The city gate was blocked, which made him understand that he had only one option: staying in the city.
"Commander Yuan, I can prove that what Deputy Yuan Qianhu said is true. It is impossible to get out of the city through other gates. Only the gate in front of you has the chance to get out of the city." Zhao Xing also hopes that Yuan Chaoju will stay and help. Guoxian defends the city.
And he felt that there was no way out now, and the other side should put their hope in defending the city.
"Dismount, let's find a way to hide in a house." Yuan Chaoju decisively gave up riding. He couldn't get out of the city. For him, the horse had become a burden.
Once Guoxian County falls into the hands of bandits, keeping a horse with him will easily become the target of bandits.
"Commander Yuan, the situation is like this. We can only defend the city. Why are you still thinking about escaping!" Zhao Xing said speechlessly.
If he hadn't been able to confirm that the person in front of him was indeed the commander of the Zhenwu Guard, he would have even suspected that someone was impersonating him.
"Yes, father, we can only be safe if we hold on to the county seat." Yuan Feng also advised from the side.
Yuan Chaoju, who dismounted, sighed and said: "To tell you the truth, Guo County cannot be defended, and these bandits in Datong are not ordinary bandits. Even if I go to the city wall, in addition to losing one more life, It’s of no use.”
The fall of Daizhou City had made him understand that the manpower of Guo County alone was not enough to withstand the invading army of thieves from outside the city, even if the defenders in Guo County were replaced by thousands of soldiers and horses from Zhenwu Guards. He didn't even have the confidence to defend Nao County.
"Father, how will you know if you don't try?" Yuan Feng said unwilling to give up.
In fact, the father-in-law's family, his wife and children were all in the city, and Guo County fell into the hands of bandits. Ordinary people were fine. As the magistrate of Guo County, his father-in-law's family was naturally in more danger than others.
