Although it is the beginning of the Spring Festival, in the wilderness of Runzhou, there is still a sparsely populated scene of depression.
On the side of an unnamed wooden bridge where the road and the canal meet, a hastily encountered battle has also ended in a one-sided manner. Li Hanran, the leader of the Taiping Army's selection team, also let go of a corpse that he had passed through with a faceless expression, and re-examined his blood-splattered outfit and kimono.
Then he wiped a few fresh blood stains on his face, so that after it dries in a while, it's a better approximation that the officers and soldiers who desperately smashed a bloody path to get them back are defeated.
When the imperial court sent troops to aid and remotely defend Annan, some of them were sent from the Jiangdong children under the command of the Zhenhai navy; some of them were left in the local border for some reason, and now it has become peaceful again. Soldiers under the army's command. Li Hanran happened to be one of them.
Therefore, compared with the old soldiers from the north or the children from Lingnan, his utterly authentic Jiangdong Wu dialect and the usual verbal style of the officials and military are not hypocritical; therefore, under his presence and greetings, not only They deceived and trapped several waves of official army rangers and messengers; even the dozens of officers and army encountered on the road, almost caught off guard, were approached by them, and they broke out and killed them all on the spot. None of them escaped.
Looking at the corpse that fell to the ground in front of him, he didn't feel sorry or moved, even if these might be his nominal fellow villagers or former fellow identities.
Because he had already received news from his fellow villagers who had fled from the sea by chance; he had been fighting for the country and the barbarians for many years, but his hometown was suffering from a famine, and the imperial taxation was irreducible. Even more
As a result, most of the villagers starved to death, and the rest fled. As the saying goes, there are no eggs under the cover of the nest, and even his family, who is nominally exempted and reduced by the imperial court, is not immune to the wolf-like squires and subordinates; therefore, he has become a family. A lonely wild ghost who can't return.
Then his heart was completely dead, and he passed every day in a muddle-headed manner. It was not until I met the rebels who came to regain Annan; I was able to gain the hope of returning to my hometown, and slowly came back to life from those rough and unrefined truths.
So everything he did here was to give people who had the same and similar experiences as himself in the complaining meeting, and strive to create a place where future generations can live well.
"Brother Li, I really did a good job... just now I almost believed that I was an officer."
At this time, as the leader of this selection team, wearing a magnificent mountain armor, he also brought Luanzhu’s other general Lin Ming, and came over and patted him on the shoulder and praised:
"Looking back, I will ask you to drink sugarcane roasted and taro stuffed, and you will have enough of it.. After drinking for so long, let's use this to moisturize your throat first..."
Then he couldn't help but handed him an unsealed fine pottery can, which was filled with yellow peach flesh; this was especially rare in the southern part of the Yangtze River during the spring season; that is, the generals of the Taiping Army and the rear front. The severely wounded in China have rations at intervals of three to five.
"This... It's not necessary, it's really valuable..."
Li Hanran was a little dull and paused.
"Isn't precious or precious, isn't it for people to eat?"
However, Lin Ming held his hand in disapproval.
"If you give it to you, you can eat it quickly, and I have to expect you to continue to cover up for us, but don't let your throat become hoarse at a critical time, you really can't get back as many cans of fruit..."
Li Hanran stopped speaking and drank a big mouthful of peach water with deep feelings. The sweet and sour taste filled the taste buds in an instant, and it became the comfort and release that spread to the whole body, making him look like he was back again. In my hometown, the old days when I went up to the tree to pick green plums and ate sorely.
"Everyone quickly eat and drink more in turn, and I won't be able to carry more burdens later..."
Then Lin Mingtou intervened with some satisfaction, and shouted to the soldiers who had already cleaned the battlefield around them and folded branches to cover the corpses in the ditch.
"If there is anything that is important, we should bury it first. From the next moment, we will be the defeated soldiers with no possessions..."
"Don't be greedy and reluctant to expose your roots under the eyelids of the officers and soldiers, causing yourself and putting everyone in danger."
But after the reorganization of the team set off to remedy this wooden bridge, in the distance of the horizon inadvertently, where the several winding rivers converged, the outline of Jurong City appeared faintly in their vision.
Then, the team began to scatter in twos and threes, pulling apart, and checking each other's appearance; from time to time, there were people dusting themselves, rubbing their robe sleeves and trouser legs on the ground, or It is to add a few scratches to the opponent's armor with a knife.
Then he lowered his head, lowered his shoulders, hung his arms and slowed down, and dragged his weapon weakly, slowly walking towards the distant city;
However, Li Hanran, who was walking in the front, still saw from the corner of his eye, the city gate under Rongcheng was not completely closed, and from time to time there were groups of people in twos or threes running in hastily and panic.
Of course, if someone pays close attention to them, they will find that these people who have fled into the city one after another, although they are wearing shabby and inferior cloth and linen, but it is difficult to conceal the clothes that are different from most ordinary people, their faces are yellowish and thin. It is sturdy and white, dark and thin.
Obviously, following the arrival of the rebels, there was a wave of reconciliation in the four fields and eight townships; the squires, tycoons, large households, patriarchs, officials and subordinates who had to flee in the city to take refuge in the city.
"This is a good opportunity now..."
Li Hanran, who retreated a few steps behind to Lin Ming's side, whispered
"Just ask if the team leader is willing to take this risk..."
"How sure do you think this matter can be"
Lin Ming was stunned and stepped down.
"It can only be said that it is half right and half right..."
Li Hanran said sincerely.
"There is basically no problem in taking advantage of the situation to deceive into the city, but what kind of situation will be encountered in it, it is really hard to say or be sure."
After all, in order to move out of the investigative needs, their other contingent is far away from the rear brigade; if they can’t persist before the arrival of the backup, then this plan will only be futile after rushing in. It's annihilation.
"Then why not, it is not so easy to encounter a good thing to be the first to win a city..."
Lin Ming, who recovered his senses, said without hesitation.
"Since you have this mind and you must be sure of it, if I miss this opportunity for no reason, I am afraid I will regret it for a lifetime... I immediately send someone back to report the letter."
At this time, there was a carriage and several Tsing Yi servants riding mules and donkeys with it, drove slowly from another road.
"The army at the front, please let me...I am waiting for Wu Sima's family in Honzhou, and I rush to the city for business without delay..."
Some people were panting and shouting to them
"It's a coincidence..."
Li Hanran and Lin Ming couldn't help but glance at each other, seeing the happiness and determination in each other's eyes respectively.
. . . . . .
After half a day, the sky had gradually darkened, and the fireworks that had risen inside Jurong City Gate had gradually extinguished. And in the doorway full of blood and fireworks, a carriage that fell horizontally at the gate of the inner city, which was filled with arrows and burned off most of the roof.
Taiping Army Zheng Li Hanran's hands trembled slightly, and a feeling of detachment enveloped his whole body. Surrounded by corpses, there are not only the corpses of his loyal subordinates, but also the corpses of the officers and soldiers in the city. Just now, a group of officers and army cavalry rushed in recklessly and slammed into the spear and obstacles that were raised hastily.
It is stupid or desperate to charge with tall horse cavalry in such a narrow gate passage. It may be thought that we are stuck in the gate passage, and we have nowhere to dodge or evade. The result is to stick to it. The remaining soldiers of the squadron have added a lot of ready-made fortifications and obstacles.
Li Hanran wanted to split his mouth and smile, but the cheek that was cut by a cavalryman before his death made him unable to perform this action. Although the actions of this team of officers and cavalry were stupid, they were truly elite and sturdy. Just dismounting and fighting left his few subordinates with almost the same number of casualties.
I heard all kinds of dying wailing and the howling of arrows. It was another part of Lin Ming's hands who were fighting with the officials and soldiers in the city; they also parted the pressure of the officials and soldiers in the city and let them stay in the doorway. Here he was able to breathe for a moment.
How did things turn out to be like this? They had obviously encumbered the family of "Wu Sima" into the city, and successfully killed the officers and soldiers in this building; and set fire to the building near the city wall to cover the sky with fireworks. , They actually have only a few hundred people.
Then he blocked the door, and condescendingly repelled several waves of counterattacks. At this time, it was the other side of the city coldly, and suddenly there was reinforcements from the official army rushing; not only the downturn of the city's defenders was greatly boosted, but also a team of elites was assembled to slaughter them.
And this time they were more tactical. Not only did they cover up from both sides of the city wall, they also sent people out of the city to detour to the back to make a surprise attack.
As a result, they were getting more and more tired and could no longer resist them. They were broken into two battles on the city and under the city; they retreated to the doorway and relied on the narrow terrain to resist. But it doesn't make sense to him now.
Standing with his head bowed in the cave of the city gate, his hand that twitched so hard that he could hardly grasp the knife was still dripping blood; Li Hanran suddenly felt that it was a pity, he also wanted to find a girl Hu and several children to give the land he earned under his name. Pass it on. Now they can only find an orphan in the boy camp after death, and pass on their surname and family.
"In person, Brother Han Ran of the Li family..."
A somewhat familiar voice suddenly sounded outside the doorway, making Li Hanran almost unable to hold the broken knife, and shouted.
"Who are you..."
"Remember the friendship between us in the solidarity camp that year when we drank together in Chunchao Curie?"
The voice is still not hurriedly
"Isn't Brother Li going from the side of conquering the issue to the defense of the country? How can he help the thieves to be abusive... If I hadn't come with the army to help, I'm afraid I would have never expected such an encounter..."
"Now that you are about to fall, you can't catch it soon; at least I can take your life to atone for the country..."
Although the other party said so, but the tone in his mouth became a little impatient and anxious
Li Hanran suddenly sneered. He knew the virtues of these fellow officers and soldiers, where he could speak with a knife, he would definitely not have enough patience to persuade him. He suddenly roared out:
"Tianbu averages, rebuilds peace..."
"Tianbu averages, rebuilds peace..."
Suddenly, the wall above his head also faintly screamed; it was obviously Lin Ming and the others were still holding on in the gate tower. And the officers and soldiers also stopped their hands as if they were overwhelmed by the momentum.
Just after this suffocating and terrible silence for a long time; in the distant wilderness, shouts and shouts that seemed to be delayed for a long time came.
"Tianbu averages, rebuilds peace..."
"Qingping the troubled times, recreating peace..."
"Sweep away the demon atmosphere and recreate peace..."
In the last afterglow of the sunset, under the guidance of the blue flag, the billowing smoke and dust raised by hundreds of pawns are sweeping along the dimmed horizon towards the place of Jurong City.
(End of this chapter) (End of this chapter)