Those who feel that their talents are underappreciated are more arrogant.
The reason why Yan Zeng left the eastern border and went to the imperial army to conquer the west was to let those in the Yan family who looked down on him see what kind of clothes he had returned home. Although his father is a direct descendant and he is also a direct descendant, his status in the family is far from being comparable to that of Yan Li. Yan Li's father is the eldest son, and Yan Li is also the eldest son, which has an unshakable position in the family.
Yan Li entered the Mu residence as soon as he joined the army, and was soon promoted to general. And even if he entered Mu's residence, he would at most get the military rank of a school lieutenant, and he didn't know when he would be promoted to a fifth-rank general. Seeing Yan Li get so much helplessly, Yan Zeng didn't have a moment of peace in his heart.
On the day he left Dongjiang, Yan Zeng told himself that he would never come back if he did not achieve great success. The great achievement in his mind is to climb higher than the highest position he has ever been in the family. Someone in the Yan family was a father-in-law when the Sui Dynasty was established, but unfortunately it was not hereditary.
It is precisely because of such a goal that Yan Zeng never thought about going back to Dongjiang during such a difficult time, even though he knew that he might die. When the Northwest Army was defeated, he really knew that he might never open his eyes if he closed his eyes when he fell asleep, because no one knew whether Meng Yuan's cavalry would appear when he fell asleep.
That was an experience he would never forget, fleeing all the way back from the vast grassland, not daring to walk in the daytime, not daring to appear in any place with people. But the moment he saw Wolf Milk Mountain, he was so excited that he almost jumped up. He believed that not everyone could understand that feeling.
There has always been a saying among the people of the Central Plains that those who survive a catastrophe must have good fortune.
Yan Zeng did not die in that fierce battle, he thought it was a test from the heavens.
Then, he waited for the emperor of the Sui Dynasty to personally conquest, the kind of ambition that a man must do something returned to his heart, and at that moment he understood what it means to be reborn from the ashes. He firmly believes that after experiencing so much, he has become more mature, and he will never experience another fiasco in Northwest China.
Unfortunately, what he was waiting for was Gao Kaitai's rebellion.
"Yan Li... Are you a Marquis now?"
Thinking of his own Yan Li who was better than him in every way, and thinking of his cousin enjoying the awe and admiration of others in the barracks at this moment, Yan Zeng felt a little blocked.
"When you were in the Mu Mansion, you always said that you would help me, that you would not let me be buried, that you would not let the people of the Yan family lose their heads, but Yan Li... It's you who make me unable to hold my head up. Since childhood, your life and mine have been completely different. The only thing in common is that your parents and my parents love their son so much. Both your parents and my parents are so I hope my son will achieve great things."
"Unfortunately, it is the only similarity that makes you and me more and more different. You have a father who can help you the most, and my father can't do 100% of what your father can do even if he tries his best One. The start is different, how come the same?"
Yan Zeng sat by the window, talking to himself.
"Actually, I always admired you when I was young, because I always thought that you were more responsible than me. When we were young, we went out to steal other people's plums, and we had to change into the clothes of the servant's child for fear of being recognized, but when we were caught, it was you. Stay and ask me to go back and get money to redeem people, but I dare not tell grandparents to hide in the corner and cry, and I only spoke out when people found out and questioned me."
Yan Zeng sighed slightly: "Then my grandfather asked me why I took you out to do such a despicable thing, and you stood up and stood in front of me and said that you took me there, and you were the one who came up with the idea. You I always want to defend me, but it’s still a pity that no matter how responsible you are, I will be punished instead of you. I was almost broken that time. It was my father who beat me, and it was my father who hugged me and cried after returning home. My father, when I was so young, I suddenly understood that my father's tears must be bitter, although I have never tasted it."
"Actually, sometimes when I think about it, my experience is much better than those of the concubine children. They live in the mansion with low eyebrows all day long, and they always flatter and flatter the housekeeper just to get the monthly salary smoothly. However, if there is no comparison in life, then it is like a rotten wood."
"I can do it!"
Yan Zeng, who was talking to himself, suddenly stood up and slapped the table heavily: "I won't lose, I will stick to the choice I made myself. I will definitely go back to Dongjiang with glory, and let me live in the Mu Mansion." Be a dog, look at how I behave as a human!"
He looked back at the iron armor hanging on the side, his eyes gradually became ferocious.
"Come on!"
He yelled outside: "Uptown!"
…
…
Standing on the city wall, you can clearly see the team coming from the other side of the moat. It is as if the thick dark clouds in the sky have fallen to the ground, but the sense of oppression has not diminished, but has become heavier. Soldiers in black leather armor lined up neatly, with fierce red battle flags flying above their heads.
The defenders on the Liyin city wall looked at each other involuntarily, and saw fear in the eyes of their companions. To tell the truth, they were all thankful that they were left behind to defend Li Yin instead of attacking Chang'an City with a large group of troops. They now all know how many corpses are lying under Chang'an City.
"I heard that the Black Banner Army has never lost a single battle?"
Someone asked dryly.
The fellow robed man beside him also had a burning pain in his throat: "I heard that Fang Jie, the commander of the Black Banner Army, is really amazing. He has never lost a single battle from the beginning to the present. Luo Yao, he has never lost against Meng Yuan's iron cavalry, or against the barbarians in southern Xinjiang. Moreover, I heard that he never spares his enemies... as long as he dares to resist, he will kill them all."
"Is that all a rumor?"
Not far away, a soldier lowered his voice and said, "Fang Xie has just defeated the court troops in the south of the Yangtze River. Didn't the surrendered soldiers not all be killed?"
"All they want is food. If we surrender, nothing will happen, right?"
The speaker used the word affirmation in his words, but there was no affirmation in his tone
"Anyway, this battle is not easy to fight. You all know it. I heard that our Liyin is already an isolated city. The surrounding areas have been captured by the Black Banner Army, and only our Liyin is surrounded. Hold on. Without reinforcements, we can only resist. But the more we resist, the more violent the massacre of the Black Banner Army will be when the city is destroyed, right?"
"cannot!"
Another person said: "We have plenty of food and grass, and 20,000 horses. In addition, we all know that General Yan is capable of leading the army, and we have done the best in defense. It is not a problem for us to hold on. As for what to say The surrounding cities have been breached, nine out of ten are rumors spread by the Black Banner Army."
The soldiers talked a lot and said everything.
Yan Zeng boarded the city wall and frowned as he watched the formation of the Black Banner Army outside. He raised his clairvoyance and had to admit in his heart that the Black Banner Army was better trained than his soldiers. A team can know its combat strength by looking at the marching formation.
"There are a lot of siege equipment."
One of his generals said in a heavy tone: "Look, general, many of those auxiliary soldiers are carrying the burden. If there is no accident, the Black Banner Army intends to fill in a section of the moat. Our moat is far away. In the river, the river is too gentle... Whether it is building a pontoon bridge or filling the river to pave the road, it is not too difficult. Now it depends on whether our archers can suppress the enemy."
"Um."
Yan Zeng nodded: "The enemy can only attack in this direction, so it is not difficult to suppress the enemy when defending. It is not so easy for the enemy to cross the river if all the ballistas are gathered here."
"The enemy did not bring a catapult."
Another general put down his clairvoyance and said in surprise: "A large catapult can throw stones up to the city wall at a distance of 500 paces. There is no need to cross the river at all. As long as the enemy builds a pontoon bridge or fills up the river with a catapult Suppress the archers on our walls, and the enemy will not suffer too many casualties."
Yan Zeng frowned, and raised his clairvoyance to see that there were no catapults in the Black Banner Army.
"this is a good news."
The general who spoke before smiled and said: "The enemy must not be familiar with our Liyin's terrain, so they didn't bring a catapult. That thing is sharp enough to attack the city, but it is too difficult to transport."
"It's not urgent to say these things now, there is something more urgent."
Niu Ben, the captain of Yan Zeng's personal army, said solemnly: "Before, my subordinates walked among the soldiers, and many people were talking about the fact that our Liyin is already an isolated city. Although there is nothing too much to say, But people are in panic. If you don’t want to find a way to make the soldiers feel at ease, you will lose your fighting spirit before you start fighting.”
Yan Zeng nodded, and looked back at the soldier who reported the letter not far away.
"Call him over, and I'll ask him how the Black Banner Army attacked the city."
The personal soldiers hurried over to call the soldier who reported the news from Ming'an, but the man still had a bad expression on his face before he had rested. Yan Zeng inquired carefully about the attack method of the Black Banner Army. The soldier knew that it was related to the survival of Liyin City, so he described it in great detail.
"Thank you."
After listening, Yan Zeng solemnly thanked: "Although I can't send troops to help Ming'an, I admire you and your comrades for fighting to the death. My soldiers and I will be like you, preferring to die on the city wall You won’t surrender to the enemy either. But you can’t go back now. If nothing else happens, your homeland has been breached by the enemy. The only thing you can do now is to try your best to avenge your comrades and friends, do your best... Maximum effort."
The soldier who reported the letter sighed: "Now, what else can I do?"
"able."
Yan Zeng glanced at him and said seriously: "My soldiers are guarding Li Yin to death. The longer they guard, the more enemies they will kill. This is equivalent to revenge for your comrades. But now because you brought The bad news, my soldiers are in panic, how can they fight to the death?"
The soldier's face changed, and a look of guilt appeared on his face.
"Grand General, humble position... wrong."
"It's okay, you made a mistake but you can make up for it, and it's up to you to restore the morale of my soldiers."
"ah?"
The soldier who reported the letter didn't understand, and when he was about to ask a question, he saw Yan Zeng salute him with his fists in his arms: "I want to thank you again, thank you for restoring the morale of my soldiers."
After saying this, Yan Zeng waved his hand: "Take this person down, take off his jaw, take him to the school grounds and behead him! This person is a spy sent by the Black Banner Army to spread rumors in order to make my Liyin defenders lose their fighting spirit. .”
The face of the soldier who reported the letter changed drastically. Before he could shout anything, Niu Ben, Yan Zeng's personal soldier, grabbed his jaw and took off his jaw. Then several soldiers rushed forward, tied him up and took him away, shouting as he walked. This person is a spy of the Black Banner Army, spreading rumors and the like.
Yan Zeng looked at the backs of those people and shook his head: "If it weren't for the death of tens of thousands of people, how dare I do such an outrageous thing."