After the patrolman Gao Mingheng settled Fang Han who came to the city to deliver the message, he returned to the Ximen Tower to take up the garrison.
It wasn't until the third watch that he lay down undressed in the city gate tower. He had been worrying about the city guard for the past few days and was really tired. When he was falling asleep, he was suddenly heard by a burst of people from the top of the city and outside the city. Awakened by shouts.
He opened his eyes, woke up suddenly, turned over, and cursed in his heart: "Damn it, it's really here!"
Then he took a group of personal guards with him and quickly rushed to the top of the city to see how the rebels were going to attack the city.
"Sir, the bandits are attacking the city..."
The person responsible for guarding the west gate was Li Guangxu, a wealthy gentleman in Kaifeng City. The city organized the soldiers and civilians of the 84th Covenant. The 84th Covenant assisted in guarding the five gates of Kaifeng, and each gate set up a headquarters for unified command.
Li Guangxuan led the civilian warriors of twenty communes to assist in guarding the city defense on the west gate side. He was the president of Ximen Headquarters and was called Li Zongshe.
Gao Mingheng saw that he was a little anxious, so he asked: "How can the thieves attack the city? How come they only hear shouts of killing and no thieves are seen?"
Li Guangyi said hurriedly: "Reporting to your lord, the thieves are digging under the base of the city wall. They are using door panels to protect them. It is difficult to drive them away!"
At this time, the official Huang Shu also rushed over. Hearing this, he said anxiously: "How about recruiting warriors to lower the city and kill these thieves who are digging into the city?"
Gao Mingheng didn't say anything. He hurried to the city wall and looked down from the crenellations of the wall. He saw a bunch of thieves gathered at the base of the wall, struggling to dig into the city.
He turned around and said: "The city is full of temporarily organized soldiers and civilians who are not good at fighting. If we go down to the city at this time, it may be difficult to drive away the thieves."
He turned around and said to Li Guangyi: "Quick, order people to get some firewood quickly. The more the better. We need quilts, cotton wool, all kinds of flammable things, and we need to pick up a few loads of oil."
Li Guangyi was also a smart man. He immediately understood what he meant when he heard the words. He hurriedly turned around and arranged for the soldiers to move everything.
Huang Shu also understood it and said loudly: "Sir, great move!"
Gao Mingheng had a calm expression on his face, showing no sign of joy. He said to Huang Shu in a deep voice: "There are still some 'thousands of enemies' in the city. I also ordered people to move to the crenels. After a while, I will let the thieves know that Kaifeng is not Luoyang." .”
At this time, the sky was gradually getting brighter. The rebels outside the city even carried out some artillery captured in Luoyang and were directing the hungry people to build forts outside the trench. Thousands of hungry people were driven towards the trench.
Many archers among the bandit soldiers were also among the hungry people. In this way, they could not only supervise and urge the hungry people, but also rush to the ditch and shoot bursts of arrows towards the top of the city.
Amidst the shouts of killing, Gao Mingheng once again stuck his head out of the crenel to observe the thieves digging the city. Huang Shu pushed him hard, and an arrow flew past his ear with a "whoosh" sound. The arrow feathers scraped his ears to pieces.
"Sir, be careful..."
Gao Mingheng ignored the arrow wound on his ear. He personally grabbed a brick and smashed it down with all his strength, but was blocked by the door panel held high by the thieves.
At this moment, another sharp arrow flew over his head and hit a soldier guarding the city behind him. Huang Shu hurriedly said to him: "Observe your lord, the bandits are currently attacking the city very urgently. Sir, The safety of the whole city is at stake, so we can't be in such a dangerous place at the entrance of the crenellations."
Gao Mingheng took two steps back and said to him: "Send the order and tell the soldiers and civilians guarding the city not to panic. Our Kaifeng city wall is more than several feet thick and it will be difficult for thieves to dig through it if it takes more than ten days.
Then send an order to recruit warriors. When the time comes, they will lower the city and kill the thieves. Anyone who comes down the city will be rewarded with ten taels. If you kill a thief, you will be rewarded with thirty taels. If you take the head of a thief, you will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver. "
…………
There were originally many huts under the city of Kaifeng for sleeping by the soldiers and civilians defending the city. For the convenience of everyone's heating and cooking, a lot of dry firewood was piled next to the huts.
Under the command of Li Guangxuan, the soldiers carried all the dry firewood piled under the city to the city regardless of the situation. Because they were so eager, they even demolished some huts and removed the quilts and quilts inside. The cotton wool was carried to the top of the city.
Some people even went to Shangfang Temple and brought back a lot of incense and lamp oil stored in the temple.
Gao Mingheng shouted loudly and ordered bundles of dry firewood to be thrown down into the city, then poured with lamp oil, and then threw down torches one after another. Under the wall of the west gate of Kaifeng City, wherever there were thieves digging into the wall, There were pieces of fire rising up.
After a while, black smoke was rising from under the city walls on the north and south sides outside the west gate. Fires everywhere were burning like a fire dragon that could swallow everything. As more and more firewood was thrown away, the fire dragon spread rapidly.
Seeing the bandits crawling and howling under the city, Gao Mingheng felt extremely happy in his heart. He loudly ordered the soldiers and civilians on the city to fire volleys of bows, arrows and cannons to bombard the hungry people and bandits who were pouring in outside the city.
…………
Liu Chengzu was still sleeping. He was confused and dreamed that a large number of officers and soldiers suddenly came to kill him, repelling the thieves and rescuing many hungry people including himself.
And he actually found a large family in Kaifeng city to serve as a tutor. When the spring comes and the flowers bloom next year, the emperor is so kind-hearted that he specially grants Enke. He wins the gold medal, and the whole family celebrates it. The position was shaken.
He was suddenly pushed awake. He was still immersed in the sweet dream just now and had not fully woken up.
Braving the biting cold wind, he got out of the small hole in the ground. A sudden inspiration instantly woke him up. Liu Chengzu, who was mixed in the crowd of hungry people, heard that he had to go to the city wall today and pick out three city bricks in exchange for two steamed buns. group.
He had just heard the news and felt extremely frightened in his heart. Filling the trench yesterday had cost him half his life, and today he had to rush to the city to pick out the bricks on the city wall. Wasn't this life-threatening?
Due to the small space in the diwo, Liu Chengzu and his wife lived together, and their two children lived with Uncle Wu in the diwo next door. Although the diwo was built close to the ground and there was no stove to use, it was It is the best choice for poor people to survive the winter.
There was a thick layer of cloth wrapped around Uncle Wu's shoulders, and there was a faint dark red color that had dried on the outside. His dark face was already covered with spots. Perhaps he was used to working hard, but he had not been able to eat or sleep well for several days. , but still full of energy.
After he came to Liu Chengzu, he quietly handed him a thick wooden board two feet square. Liu Chengzu asked doubtfully: "Uncle Wu, what is the use of this?"
Uncle Wu whispered in his ear: "I exchanged it with the military master for a silver lock. It will be of great use!"
He continued to say softly: "Keep it under your arm, keep an eye on it, and then put this on your head to block the crossbows and cannons at the top of the city. Then run directly to the bottom of the city, grab the city bricks, and then return."
He seemed a little worried and said: "Keep a close eye on it, this one is very rare. I don't dare to lose it again."
