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As the deputy commander of Guizhou, Chen Guimin was not actually very loyal to Zhu Ming. He was defending Pingxiwei, the gateway to Guizhou, just because he did not want his current life to be disrupted and did not want to lose his power.
If we submit to the Qin State, it means we will have to face many new things and many uncertain factors.
He subconsciously fears this kind of change, just like most people, who are content with their familiar circles and afraid of change.
The unusual movements of the Qin army made him feel a little uneasy. He patrolled the city gate and ordered all 2,000 soldiers in the city to go up to the city and be ready for battle.
Ma Liuliang was in a hurry to seize Pingxi Weiguan City. Deputy General He Jinan did not even set up camp, but was already working hard to build a siege ladder. Tang Yue had no power to stop him, so he had to make his last effort and came to the gate to shout to Chen Guimin:
"Is Lord Chen Guimin here? I am Tang Yue, the deputy commander of the Qin army. Lord Chen, can you please listen to what I have to say?"
"I am Chen Guimin, the deputy commander of Guizhou in the Ming Dynasty. What do you want to say?"
That's quite polite! Tang Yue heard that there seemed to be a chance, so he quickly dismounted and saluted from a distance, saying: "Sir Chen, as the saying goes, a man who knows the times is a hero. My king is a benevolent and righteous ruler. He comforts the people at home and drives out the Tartars abroad, winning the hearts of the people. Looking at the descendants of the Zhu family, they only fight against each other and fight for power and profit. Why should Sir Chen continue to work for a Ming Dynasty that has already perished
Let’s not compare things that are far away. Pingxi Wei is separated by a pass. Sir Chen should know what kind of life the people of Guizhou and Huguang live.
Since ancient times, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. The destiny of Qin is unstoppable. If Lord Chen is stubborn and goes against the will of heaven, he will only bring about his own destruction!
Lord Chen, as long as you can surrender the city, not only can you keep your current position, but my king will also give you generous rewards. The soldiers under Lord Chen's command will also be treated better than they are now. If they join our army and help my king pacify the four directions, it will be normal for you to be granted a title of nobility and appointed as prime minister in the future.
If you continue to resist our Great Qin Army, when the city is broken, you will either die by the sword or be reduced to slavery for generations. Lord Chen, for yourself and your family, and for the soldiers under your command, think about it. Stop resisting in vain! "
Chen Guimin was confident that the fortress was strategically located. He replied fearlessly: "If you want to fight, then fight. It is wishful thinking to use your eloquence to persuade me to surrender."
Tang Yue also knew that if Chen Guimin was so easy to persuade, it probably wouldn't have to come to this point.
In fact, he shouted a lot, mainly targeting the soldiers on the city. This place borders Huguang, and without Tang Yueyue saying anything, they will also compare the lives of the people in Huguang with their own. Once the psychological gap is formed, the morale will be lost.
"Soldiers on the city wall. The Ming Dynasty has fallen. Submit to the Qin Dynasty. Whoever surrenders the city will be rewarded with high positions, generous salaries, gold, silver, and treasures, and endless wealth and glory..."
Tang Xiucai was about to start a massive incitement when an arrow came flying at him. Fortunately, a guard nearby blocked the arrow. Although it was dangerous to continue persuading them, Tang Xiucai was resilient and continued to shout fearlessly: "Soldiers on the city, surrender quickly. As long as you surrender to the Qin, you will have food to eat, clothes to wear, salaries to receive, and countless wealth and glory..."
Ma Liuliang saw Tang Xiucai running back and forth in the city, trying hard to persuade people to surrender, and couldn't help laughing, "Wu Xiaoliu!"
"exist!"
"Go and bring back the sour scholar, but don't let him get shot to death. He said a lot all the way here, but I didn't remember a word he said. He can't die."
"Yes." Wu Xiaoliu responded, grinning and running towards Tang Yue.
At this time, Hou San was already close to the top of the isolated peak. Looking up from below, only his tiny figure could be seen. Everyone was becoming more and more nervous. At such a height, if he slipped, he would surely be crushed to pieces.
Fortunately, Hou San lived up to everyone's expectations and finally climbed to the top successfully. Ma Liuliang and others couldn't help but cheer.
Soon, Hou San let down the thin rope he had brought up, and Ma Liuliang quickly asked someone to tie the medium rope up. After Hou San pulled the medium rope up, everyone continued to tie the large rope to the medium rope and let Hou San on top continue to pull it up.
There was no other way around it. Hou San had to climb up with his bare hands and could only bring a small rope. The small rope was not strong enough to support the weight of the large rope, so he had to pull up the medium rope first.
And so on, once the large rope is pulled up, it will be enough to support people climbing.
With the rope, most of the three thousand soldiers could climb to the top of the mountain. But not so many, Ma Liuliang and two horses were enough for a dozen people to climb up.
After everyone climbed up, Ma Liuliang found some sacks and hung bags of thunder bombs up...
Deputy General He Jinan had already built 20 to 30 ladders and waited patiently. When Ma Liuliang finally came back, he did not rush to order an attack. Instead, he ran to Tang Yue and said jokingly, "Sour scholar, you have been farting for a long time under the city gate. Did you suffocate the enemy? No, it's my turn now. Just watch and see how I blow them out of their lair."
Tang Yue worked for a long time and was so tired that he leaned against a tree trunk to catch his breath. He was too lazy to argue with Ma Liuliang and finally advised: "General Ma, it is not a skill to turn the enemy into a corpse, but it is a skill to turn the enemy into a helper.
General Ma, think carefully. You don't want to wait for General Cui. You have few troops. If you want to achieve something big, it won't work with just our three thousand troops. So, it would be best if we can turn the enemy into a friend.
If you kill all the defenders in the city, we will have to fight at the next place. If we can make them surrender, we will let them surrender or help us fight at the next pass.
If we can achieve this effect, we can still achieve a lot without waiting for General Huo's army to arrive. So it is best not to kill too many people when General Ma comes down, as long as we can force them to surrender, which will be of great benefit to us. "
"Hehe, what the sour scholar said is more like human words. I like to hear it. You should take a rest first. I will send someone to take you to the city to eat hot meals later." Ma Liuliang threw his water bag to him, and then shouted to the soldiers: "My men, what are you waiting for? Do it the same way you usually train for siege. Before dark, take down Pingxiwei for me. Then we can go into the city to eat big chunks of meat and drink big bowls of wine..."
"Prohibition! General Ma, don't forget that there is a prohibition on alcohol in the army."
"Ban it!" Ma Liuliang was choked by Tang Yue, and he looked back, drew his sword and shouted, "I'm too lazy to talk nonsense, my men, follow me!"
Ma Liuliang led the charge, which was one of the reasons why the soldiers obeyed him. Even though they were usually a bit gangster-like, when it came to the actual battle, the army formation immediately became strict.
Under the command of officers at all levels, the soldiers formed a siege formation, with those carrying ladders and wearing shields walking in front, followed by archers and musketeers to suppress the enemies on the city walls.
The soldiers who were going to climb the ladder first took off their heavy armor, because the defenders were mostly using rolling stones and battering rams, and armor would not provide much protection, but would only slow down their movements. Therefore, the attacking soldiers only had a shield in their left hand and a sword in their right hand, and went into battle lightly.
Ma Liuliang made all the preparations, then blew a whistle loudly, and the sharp sound echoed endlessly among the mountains and rivers.
Hou San and others on the mountain heard the whistle and stood up, throwing down lit bombs one after another.
This city wall was built on the mountain. At that time, the defenders at the pass were all paying attention to Ma Liuliang and his men who were preparing to attack the city. It was not until the thunder bomb dropped from the sky and exploded violently on the top of the city wall that the defenders woke up from their dream and panicked.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions instantly enveloped the city walls in smoke, and the defenders were so frightened that they fled in all directions, looking miserable. Chen Guimin's helmet was blown off, and his ears were buzzing. "Hold on! Hold on!" he yelled hysterically.
What a joke, this bomb dropped from the sky, who can withstand it
After dozens of thunder bombs exploded, Ma Liuliang blew the whistle loudly again, and the people on the mountain heard it and stopped the "air raid".
Ma Liuliang immediately led his troops to the foot of the city. Amidst the wave-like shouts, ladders were placed on the city walls, and strings of Qin soldiers climbed up the ladders as fast as monkeys.
The city gate, which was known to be a place where one man could block the passage of ten thousand, could not hold out for even a day under Ma Liuliang's unique attack.
The Qin army easily registered at the city gate and opened it. In the entire Pingxiwei, only people were seen running away, but few people were willing to resist... ... ... .
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.(To be continued..)
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