Outside the ditch on the west side of Kaifeng Fucheng, Liu Chengzu was carrying a small bag of soil in a daze and staggering forward. Faced with Uncle Wu's kind reminder, he seemed to be unaware.
"Snapped!"
The whip hit Uncle Wu's shoulder, making a crisp sound.
Liu Chengzu was watched by Uncle Wu since he was a child. Although he was a servant, he respected him very much. Especially after his parents died, he regarded Uncle Wu as his own relative.
In desperation, he turned around and glared at the thief, and then there was a crisp "pop!" and said, "Damn it, look at your mother, hurry up and fill in the trench for me."
The traitor soldier couldn't understand his hatred, and after he finished speaking, he kicked Liu Chengzu hard. He staggered and almost fell into a dog-gnawing position, but Uncle Wu, with his quick eyes and quick hands, happened to catch him by running up.
"Sir, hold on tight, the young lady and the two children are still waiting for us to fill the trench and take food back."
"Didn't you say, 'Open the door to welcome King Chuang, and everyone will be happy when King Chuang comes'? Didn't you say, 'Only kill officials, not harm the people'?"
"Oh! Who says it's not the case? Let's go quickly. If you go slowly, you'll get whipped again."
Uncle Wu seemed to be worried about Liu Chengzu. He did not dare to look back this time. He kept whispering in front of him: "Master, you, a scholar, have never suffered this kind of crime. You must follow me. I am here." Follow closely behind you, don't run around and bump into each other."
"Um."
…………
"Master Gao, Thief Li is driving hungry people to fill the trenches." Cao Kun, the official of the Zhou Palace, said at the side.
"Humph, the bandits have always been like this. Every time there is a battle, they drive hungry people to rush into the first line. This consumes our officers and soldiers' cannons and arrows, and also depletes our army's morale. Every time they attack a city, they also use hungry people to rush forward to fill the trenches and holes.
He also said that 'only killing officials, not harming the people' is sheer nonsense. Today, we will teach our soldiers and civilians in the city how cruel the thieves are, so that our soldiers and civilians will be more determined to stick to Kaifeng. "
Gao Mingheng had a calm expression on his face, without any trace of panic. He had already taken off his official uniform and put on a short-game outfit, with fine leather armor on top.
He put his hand on the sword hanging on his waist and ordered in a deep voice: "Right and left, pass my military orders quickly. The archers and gunners are all ready. If you like the color of the military flag, shoot according to the order!"
Several junior high schools quickly ran to the walls on both sides to deliver the order. After a while, the originally panicked soldiers and civilians defending the city gradually calmed down, and those who could shoot arrows and fire muskets got ready.
As the military orders were conveyed, the hearts of the soldiers and civilians gradually calmed down.
Everyone is the same. When something unexpected happens when you get together, you will definitely be panicked at first, scurrying around like headless flies. But if the person in charge conveys the order in time, everyone will consciously obey it. If everything becomes orderly When you get up, people will not be so flustered.
This is the case on the city wall of Kaifeng. Although the Forty-Eight Clubs have organized bravery training, after all, there has been no formal training. At best, they have formed a team and everyone knows where they are.
Now seeing the bandits and hungry people outside the city slowly approaching, everyone was feeling nervous and panicked. However, as the military order came, people lined up behind the wall stacks with their bows and arrows drawn, blunderbuss and artillery fired, waiting for the bandits to approach.
Other soldiers and civilians were sorting out the large wooden bricks and stones that had been brought to the city, lighting up the piles of bonfires, and boiling the large pots on them. There were still people carrying the newly dismantled bricks, stones and wood to the city wall. .
…………
"Send the order, let's all run. Everyone has to fill in the trench three times. After filling it in early, let's have dinner early."
Zhang Nai rode his horse on a high slope and looked at the team of hungry people approaching the city wall. When he was less than 200 steps away from the city trench, he shouted an order.
Immediately, several bandits on horseback galloped forward, loudly conveying Zhang Nai's military orders. Behind the hungry people were more than 300 bandit soldiers. They either held bows and arrows, or held guns and knives to force the hungry people forward. Rush up with all your strength.
"Ah ah ah ah ah……"
A few timid hungry people walked a little slower and fell at the back of the team. "Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." After a few arrows were shot, they fell to the ground and wailed.
More than four thousand hungry people were so frightened that they rushed towards the trench with strange screams. Most of them were wearing thin and ragged clothes and staggered forward. Although they didn't have much strength, none of them wanted to be left behind. , was hacked by thieves with arrows, spears and bayonets.
"Boom...boom...bang...bang bang bang..."
When they were less than thirty steps away from the trench, the defending troops and horses on the Kaifeng city wall also began to fight back. Smoke rose from the city and arrows and cannons flew.
The team of hungry people who were rushing towards the trench also stagnated. In an instant, dozens of people fell to the ground and screamed repeatedly, making them hesitate.
At this time, the thieves supervising the battle from behind rushed up again, "You idiot, hurry up, fill in the trench, and then come back to get soil. If anyone turns around, I will chop him down first."
In the howling cold wind, thousands of hungry people shouted and rushed forward again. In their opinion, although the arrows and cannons on the city were dangerous, they would not necessarily hit them.
But the devil-like thieves behind them were different. As long as they walked a little slower, they would be immediately attacked by bows, arrows, swords and guns. They could also estimate in their hearts whether it was light or heavy.
Liu Chengzu followed Uncle Wu with his face covered in blood. Just now, a hungry man next to him had been hit in the head by a bullet fired from the city. The bright red plasma mixed with unknown viscosity splashed all over his head and face. .
At that time, he was so frightened that he was stunned and didn't know what to do. Fortunately, Uncle Wu went through some things and grabbed him in time and ran a few steps forward, saving him from being slaughtered on the spot by the thieves.
I heard Uncle Wu say: "Chengzu, follow me. If you take ten steps forward, you will throw the soil in the bag into the trench. Remember it, but don't dare to throw away the bag. It will be beheaded." Yes!"
As he spoke, he started running quickly. When he was still two steps away from the trench, he grabbed the two bottom corners of the cloth bag tightly with both hands and threw it forward with all his strength. Half of the bag of soil flew into the trench.
Uncle Wu turned sideways and shouted: "Chengzu, raise the soil quickly..."
Liu Chengzu was still a little confused. He also imitated the behavior of the people around him and ran up. He raised the cloth bag in his hand with all his strength. With a "chip", the cloth bag flew into the ditch together.
He panicked, thinking that he lost the bag and wanted to behead him, so he rushed down to snatch the bag back, but Uncle Wu grabbed him and said loudly: "No, go back."
Liu Chengzu's eyes were full of panic and he said: "The bag...the bag...without the bag...you can't replace it with steamed buns..."
"No matter...go back first...go back first...then...ah..."
Uncle Wu dragged Liu Chengzu back and ran back. Suddenly, a sharp arrow shot him on his left shoulder. He swayed but did not fall. Regardless of his bleeding shoulder, he endured the excruciating pain and dragged Liu Chengzu back. Sprint.
Suddenly, a hungry man on his left fell to the cold and hard ground, vomiting red blood foam from his mouth, and weakly holding an empty cloth bag in his hand.
Uncle Wu quickly bent down, stretched out his left hand to grab the cloth bag, and ran quickly towards the direction of the thieves. He handed the blood-stained cloth bag to Liu Chengzu: "Chengzu, take it, don't dare to throw it away again." It’s over!”
Only then did Liu Chengzu see the arrow on Uncle Wu's left shoulder. He shouted: "Uncle Wu, you have been hit by an arrow!"
