After the imperial army captured Quancheng, Chen Xizhen woke up slowly and found that he was already being supported in the carriage. He opened the curtain and looked outside, only to see devastation and scenes of fire burning everywhere.
Among the ruins, there is also the smell of sulfur released by the cannonballs of the Dragon King Cannon.
Gou Ying and others were leading the mages in the army. They each found some high places, danced, called for wind and rain, cast spells to extinguish the flames everywhere, and reserved more places for garrisoning.
After the wind and rain washed away, the firelight disappeared and the yellow smell gradually faded, but this dilapidated city looked even more decadent.
Chen Xizhen looked all the way on the carriage. On both sides of the street, he didn't see a few dilapidated houses that were slightly higher than the carriage.
How many shells were needed to turn an entire city into this state? Chen Xizhen knew without asking that the gunpowder shells specially used for the Dragon King Cannon had been almost consumed.
What is hateful is that those who were buried under the gunfire were just some paper people and horses.
"These paper men and horses are able to hide their flaws under the eyes of Master Jiang Mo. They should not be ordinary heretical means. It must be Zhang Wanxian who dares to attack the army and has such ability."
Xiantian General Feng Hui came to the carriage and said with consolation, "Although we did not kill the Liangshan bandits, we also destroyed 20,000 elites who dared to attack the army. After all, the fire of the Dragon King Zun Cannon was not in vain."
Chen Xizhen's voice was hoarse and he said: "Order the three armies to station themselves in the city for training, be on strict guard, stay still, and send Kang Jie to the ten military governors to inquire about the movements of the rebels in various places."
At that moment, 100,000 elite soldiers were ordered to station themselves in this empty and ruined city, sorting out their baggage and rebuilding their fortifications.
Kang Jie, the son of the divine horse, practiced a pair of wind and fire wheels. He stepped on two wheels and moved very quickly. He also had an accurate map drawn by the imperial court in his hand. He could travel at high altitudes and move freely as he wished.
Within three days, he visited the places where many generals fought, and the news he brought back said that recently many rebel soldiers, who were originally a ragtag group of soldiers, also wore red clothes similar to Liangshan's. He was actually quite elite, traveling around and fighting with the imperial generals, which made it much more difficult to deal with.
Especially at Daming Mansion, Lu Junyi used a small skill to defeat Wang Huan, the leader of the top ten military governors. He actually charged into the battle alone many times and killed an unknown number of soldiers, big and small, by gunfire. Wang Huan also almost died. Instead, Wang Huan's army was forced to retreat and stand firm.
"It seems that in the past few days, the Liangshan thieves have made great moves while remaining calm."
Chen Xizhen said, "However, except for Zhang Wanxian's dare-chi army, no other rebels can easily abandon their territory in such a short period of time and rush here with their troops."
This is indeed the case.
The soldiers and horses under Zhang Wanxian, except for the warlocks, are basically paper men and horses. When they use their magic power, they look like real soldiers, generals, swords and guns, but they can also be stored as light paper-cuts. There are just a few bamboo baskets. Can hold tens of thousands of copies.
The other men and horses under the rebel army are not so convenient, and there is no need for them to travel long distances to gather them all.
Guan Luoyang gave them fighting life fibers that could be continuously devoured and multiplied. In addition to strengthening the combat power of their original rebel members, they also needed them to recruit more people who were willing to resist from various places and conquer those who did not participate in the Thousand Buddha Cave Alliance. of the rebels.
Chen Xizhen sat in the dilapidated manor owned by Liu Guang in the past. He lowered his eyes and was silent for a few breaths. He had recently been recovering from his injuries and had always maintained his Taoist heart. He had given up his previous excessive arrogance and eagerness for quick success and was finally able to face the water. These enemies in Boliang Mountain.
"The remaining five states on Jingdong East Road have not been captured or looted."
Chen Xizhen breathed out slowly and said, "Send five generals, Tang Meng, Yan Shun, Kong Hou, Fan Chenglong, and Zhen Dayi, each with a small group of troops, to notify the local government and famous families to protect their private soldiers. Bring all the people from the hospital and gather in Quancheng to fight against the rebels with me."
"Tell them not to be soft-hearted. If there are really people who are violating the rules, they might as well cut down a few to scare the monkeys."
In the next period of time, the imperial army rebuilt the fortifications in Quancheng and dug deep trenches. Six more Taoist officials led their thousands of magicians to chant incantations and cast spells, gather earth and rocks, repair the city walls, and open up the blockage of the moat. place to redirect the water flow.
The city and outside were very busy. From time to time, one could see a large number of bricks and stones that had collapsed on the ground and piled up like hills. Under the influence of magic, they rose into the air and were piled on top of each other to form a brand new city wall.
Demon soldiers all over the mountains and plains were sent out to cut down trees. The peaks outside the city were all chopped down in just a few days, leaving only short tree stumps that could no longer hide people.
Thousands of trees were transported day and night, their branches and leaves were used as fuel, and their timber trunks were built into flying chariots.
Chen Xizhen, who had regained his prudent attitude, brought into full play the strength of the imperial court's 100,000-strong army, showing a power that could transform the face of mountains and rivers.
During this period, Liangshan soldiers and horses tried to attack the city several times, but Chen Xizhen could not defend the city. Liangshan's people stopped attacking several times without success, so they stopped.
On this day, Chen Xizhen called Guan Sheng and others to the mansion and said: "Marshal Han Shizhong once said that all the twelve generals have old injuries and must rest for a month before they can make achievements. Now, the first line of troops has arrived at the border. It’s been more than a month since the military decree was issued.”
"Are all your injuries completely healed?"
Chen Xizhen's expression was as calm as ever, and his temperament was very different from that of the previous period. He looked dignified and dignified.
Guan Sheng and others heard the meaning of his words, and their hearts shivered slightly. They clasped their fists and said, "The general and others will obey the orders and will do their best."
"good!"
Chen Xizhen praised, "The spies reported that Liangshan soldiers and horses were stationed on the shore beyond the water. There was also a military camp that stretched for several miles. It was expanded from the remnants of Yan Shude's army."
"Brother Yan is also an old friend of mine. I have always known his tactics and style of arranging troops, and I can infer some of the flaws and key points in the military camp."
He took out a stack of sheepskin drawings and distributed them to Guan Sheng and others.
"Twelve generals will set out today and lead the flying tower chariots that have been built in the city to attack their military camps as shown in the picture."
"This battle is mainly about harassment. You can adapt to the situation and protect yourselves. However, the effect of harassment has not been achieved, so that the Liangshan bandits still have other concerns. I am afraid that I have no choice but to ask you to engage in military law."
The generals listened to his last few words, calmly and slowly, but the chill was overwhelming. They did not dare to neglect and immediately went to check those flying tower chariots.
The so-called flying building chariot is a rough wooden building built by using a large number of tree trunks, digging gaps in the wood, fitting each other, and binding them together, and is generally about ten feet high.
Every outward-facing floor and every edge of this kind of wooden building is made of sharpened wooden rafters. If it were hit, or fell down, or was crushed over, it would probably be a mess of blood and flesh, and it would be terrible to see.
At the bottom of the wooden building, there are huge wheels made of multiple logs, and there are warlocks in the army who never sleep and write the cloud-pushing spell. Once the spell is activated by the turbid air of the devil, the clouds will naturally be lingering and lubricated, even if you walk on it. It can also roll quickly on uneven dirt and stone roads.
In this way, each flying building chariot only needs eight soldiers to stabilize its balance and four ore-feeding horses to drag it out before it can run out.
One hundred thousand elite demonic soldiers, each with great strength, built four thousand flying tower chariots in less than a month.
In order to prevent Guan Luoyang from resorting to some crude means to disrupt the march, this time Wang Laozhi and other monks and mages with keen senses were also invited to follow the army.
When Guan Sheng and others left with these flying tower chariots, Chen Xizhen led people to watch on the top of the city.
Thousands of wooden buildings, taller than the city walls, were seen moving away, as if a whole moving town was about to attack the Liangshan military camp.
"Kang Jie, you can tell Tang Meng and the others to bring back the private soldiers from various places."
Chen Xizhen's tone was low, "I want to see how many people there are in Liangshan and how much energy they have. They can fight with me, the six armies, one after another?!"
At dusk that day, Feilou chariots arrived outside the Liangshan military camp.
Liangshan soldiers and horses have already noticed that the colorful flag soldiers will pour out from every corner of the military camp, and they will come out of the camp like a tide to intercept them.
This time, the soldiers and horses of both sides were close enough, and Wang Laozhi and others were sitting on the guard. It was obvious at a glance that the soldiers and generals with colorful flags were not alive.
But there are so many soldiers and horses that even if the Taoist officials take action, it is impossible to break the spell and return them to their original paper form.
The Taoist officials were also afraid that they would be surprised by the enemy's warlocks when they targeted the paper figures. Fortunately, they did not rush to take action and just confronted the spellcasters in the opponent's military camp from a distance.
Under the indulgence of these Taoist officials, colorful flag soldiers, horses and flying tower chariots charged together without any fancy.
I saw the wooden building trembling and making a loud noise. The colorful flag soldiers and generals who were hit by them, including men and horses, flew backwards and their bodies were broken.
But the horses responsible for dragging the wooden building were also shot with the swords of the paper man and horse, bleeding profusely, and fell to the ground one after another.
The next moment, inside the trembling wooden buildings, the soldiers worked together to turn the huge winch, and the hemp rope as thick as an arm was tightened, turning the wheels at the bottom of the wooden buildings.
Stimulated by the blood of the demon horse, Buyun's spell was stimulated to the limit. At every moment, the spell words engraved on the wooden wheel could not bear it and collapsed and deformed on their own.
But in exchange, these ten-foot-high wooden buildings began to rotate as a whole. They rotated slowly, approaching forward as they rotated.
Many flag soldiers were hit by sharp pieces of wood and hung on the corners of the wooden building. After struggling for a while, they turned into broken pieces of paper.
The tidal wave of troops and horses with colorful flags roared silently and were still coming.
The Flying Tower Chariot looks majestic, tall and ferocious, but it is a disposable war equipment. Whenever the wheels are cut and broken, the wooden building is about to collapse.
The branches and leaves accumulated on the upper floor of the wooden building will be ignited, shrouding the upper half of the wooden building in black smoke and light, and falling down, causing greater damage.
When each wooden building fell, the soldiers inside would rush out. Some of them were able to escape back to the officers and soldiers, while others were overwhelmed by the colorful flags and horses.
Some soldiers and horses with colorful flags, half of their bodies had been ignited by the fire, were still charging and chasing them.
In the battlefield in front of us, the main participants were obviously paper and wood, but they exuded an extremely tragic momentum.
When several flying tower chariots really approached the military camp, the general with six flags on his back jumped up from the camp, his horse hooves stepped on the wind, and he used his halberd to fly towards the tower.
The wooden pillars were broken and scattered, and the wooden building fell towards the outside of the camp.
The Taoist officials behind the officers and soldiers were all moved at this moment. They felt as if they were hearing the sound of gongs and drums and the murmur of shaking.
Those generals who rode their horses into the air were still paper figures in nature, but they were able to roar with sound and quality.
The breath of the battlefield brought a severed hand.
Hu Sanniang stretched out her hand and caught the black smoke-filled arm.
The part above the broken wrist, as well as the wrist guard and arm armor, had no blood at the break and no flesh and blood inside, but it made Hu Sanniang feel a bit of real weight.
"It's not like I haven't seen the heretical skills of paper men and horses before."
Hu Sanniang asked in confusion, "But why do these confetti soldiers have such ferocity, and seem to have a sacrificial pride that is no less than that of real soldiers?"
Wang Laozhi, who was sitting next to him on the chariot, said: "In ordinary paper saber and spear skills, the wizard himself or his servants cut out paper figures, and some cut them into ghosts. From the moment they were cut out, they were just to ward off evil spirits. Just harming people."
"But these paper figures are different."
He chuckled and said, "When these paper figures were cut out, they should have been filled with longing. All kinds of longings, all kinds of expectations, all kinds of bitterness and hatred for the husband, the father, the children. Later, these paper-cuttings were gathered into the mastery of magic." Only in the hands of someone can such a spirit of resentment be inspired."
"The man named Zhang Wanxian is using the hands of these paper figures to avenge thousands of families on the court!"
Gou Ying and others' faces changed color when they heard this, and they all said, "Mr. Dongwei, be careful what you say!"
"What does it mean to seek revenge from the imperial court for the common people? It is clear that there are some unruly people and some monsters who are stirring up trouble and misinterpreting public opinion."
"That's right, I, the Great Song Dynasty, am the current sage and emperor of tomorrow, and I am destined by destiny..."
The mixed words were interrupted by laughter.
"Hahahaha, you people are really interesting. What the officials care about is a lifetime of plunder, and they don't care about EMI's reputation, but you all have to deceive yourself and others to dress him up."
Wang Laozhi smiled and said, "I kind of understand why he likes you. After all, you look much more interesting than some courtiers."
After all, watching a monkey show is always more enjoyable than a long period of serious discussion.
Gou Ying understood what he meant and was so angry that she could not speak. She thought to herself that after returning home, she must invite all her friends to read this Wang Lao Zhi to the emperor.
Wang Laozhi looked in the direction of the military camp and thought: Borrow the hearts of the people and entrust them to the paper figures. There are thousands of different kinds of luck in the world, but there are all kinds of similarities in misfortune. Therefore, the armies of paper figures created by harvesting the sorrow and hatred in the hearts of all the people can be uniformly dispatched.
"This kind of handwriting is similar to the most superior alchemy method."
He carefully felt the true form of the surging spirit opposite him, rubbed his fingers unconsciously, and said with a greedy and curious light in his eyes, "This Zhang Wanxian must be a good medicine!"
Although he had great expectations in his heart, Wang Laozhi still did not take action.
He is a person who can be indifferent to anything else. Even if he sees through it, he still has no emotional waves. He is only extremely patient in alchemy and has invested a lot of emotions.
So he can wait until the battle becomes more intense, and wait until Zhang Wanxian on the opposite side makes the first move.
You can even wait until the end of the entire war against Liangshan to look for this opportunity.
Unfortunately, he really couldn't wait for Zhang Wanxian to show up today.
Because when the sky was completely dark, the Feilou chariot was finally almost destroyed by the colorful flag soldiers.
Guan Sheng and the others had been harassing them for long enough and were ready to retreat.
The colorful flag soldiers pursued for three miles and then gradually withdrew.
Guan Sheng and others successfully returned to Quancheng.
A few days later, the imperial army attacked the military camp in Liangshan again.
This time, there were far less Feilou chariots than the last time, but more elite soldiers were sent, and there were also private soldiers from other states mixed in.
These private soldiers are good at bullying the people, but they have not really been on the battlefield. Chen Xizhen used this method to hone them.
In this way, the soldiers and horses of Liangshan and the imperial court often fought with each other. As you come and go, there will be fewer and fewer colorful flag soldiers in the Liangshan military camp. People like Lu Da, Lin Chong and others have to go out in person to lead the troops in battle.
On the other side, while Liangshan had no time to take care of him, private soldiers from various states were on the road with confidence, and they all gathered in Quancheng, with more and more people in attendance.
One ebbs and another ebbs and flows, but Chen Xizhen does not relax because of this.
He summoned Feng Hui and others and reminded: "Nowadays, there are more and more private soldiers in various places, with a total of more than 30,000 people. Their origins are too complicated, and it is difficult to completely clarify their origins, but we must ensure that among them No soldiers and horses from Liangshan can get in."
Feng Hui took the order: "Don't worry, Daozi, we will screen carefully."
To identify this kind of thing, Feng Hui and other generals would already have a clue.
Liangshan's soldiers and horses currently have three components. First, they are ordinary young and strong people with little knowledge. Only after putting on red clothes can they have the strength equivalent to elite soldiers.
The second is the soldiers who were captured by Liangshan after the imperial army was defeated.
If this group of people sneaked in, it would be a bit difficult to distinguish, but that is almost impossible. They originally belonged to the government, how could Liangshan dare to let them back into the government army.
Even if Liangshan really dares to do this, someone among these people will definitely expose it to the general.
After all, the treatment of officers and soldiers is much better than that of bandits with no bright future.
Third, they are paper people and horses, which can be easily detected by Taoist officials at close range.
After Feng Hui and the others made daily inspections, they sent people to break up the private soldiers and mix them into the official army.
Chen Xizhen still maintained the most prudent style and sent these soldiers and horses to attack the Liangshan military camp. In Liangshan, more living soldiers had to be sent out to resist.
Even Guan Luoyang personally launched a surprise attack, and was besieged by Wang Laozhi, Gou Ying and other six Taoist officials, as well as 300 court magicians. They pestered him for less than half an hour, forcing him to return to the Liangshan military camp.
After Chen Xizhen heard the news, he finally showed a little joy, but it also passed away in a flash.
"The many thieves and bandits are being eaten away by us step by step. They must be anxious. There must be something strange happening recently. You must be careful and watch out."
Chen Xizhen's warning was so foresight that Feng Hui hurriedly came to report that something strange happened in the military camp that night.
Many soldiers can no longer find themselves.
