As time passed, the sky began to turn pale, and the sounds of the pursuers behind them gradually faded away. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Even now their hearts were still pounding. Tonight was really exciting. Their blood was swelling with excitement and their palms were sweating with nervousness.
When they returned to the entrance of the secret passage, the first thing that greeted them was several sharp arrows.
Everyone's faces changed instantly and they all became alert. Some people even had tears in their eyes. If the secret passage was occupied by someone, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Stop, we are all family." Li Yaonan quickly turned around and found that his group was still wearing enemy clothes.
Wang Erniu felt relieved: "Stop, stop, I am Wang Erniu."
Several people hiding in the woods finally revealed their figures. Someone ran up and punched Wang Erniu: "Damn, why are you dressed like this? It's scary." He almost thought that Captain Yan's sneak attack had failed and the secret passage had been discovered.
"Haha." Wang Erniu touched his head and began to talk incessantly about his great achievements, showing off how he sneaked into the enemy camp.
The people who listened were fascinated and only regretted that they could not participate in it. Especially when they heard the enemy's fire, they were so excited that they could not express it in words, their eyes sparkling: "Really? Captain Yan really succeeded in the sneak attack?"
"Of course. Don't you see who we are?"
"That's great. That's great."
"Finally I got my revenge."
"It's a pity that we can't kill a few more people."
"It's a pity that I didn't go with Captain Yan."
The soldiers were both crying and laughing, and it was unclear whether they were sad about the loss of their loved ones or happy about the success of this night attack.
Everyone's mood unconsciously became heavy, and the joy just now was swept away. Yes, what did it matter if the night attack was successful? It was just a delay of time. The dead will not come back, and in the future there will be more people closing their eyes forever. What joy can there be in a small victory
Li Yaonan immediately asked, "Is the medicine ready?"
The soldier nodded: "It's ready. The stretcher is also here."
Li Yaonan was silent for a while, then ordered, "Go prepare some dry food. When Captain Yan comes back, rescue those who need to be rescued and rest those who need to be rested. We still have a tough battle to fight today."
"yes."
The soldiers who stayed behind in the secret passage began to get busy. Not long after, the sky became bright and the sun shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves onto the forest. After waiting for about another hour, Captain Yan and his men finally appeared in their sight.
There were originally a thousand soldiers, but now half of them are gone. Li Yaonan felt uncomfortable in his heart. Looking at the prepared stretchers, a feeling of powerlessness came over him. None of the troops brought back by Captain Yan were seriously injured. So where did the seriously injured people go
Captain Yan had no expression on his face, only a pair of desolate eyes: "Reporting to the Lord, I have completed the mission. The sneak attack was successful, and 433 soldiers were sacrificed."
As he finished speaking, some people's eyes turned red, some sat on the ground in silence, some sobbed, and some cried loudly in grief.
"Ayan, Ayan, you could have saved him, you could have saved him."
“Woo woo woo—”
"I want revenge. I must kill all the damned Qiang people."
"Wow-"
"Brother Xiaoqiang was just injured, why didn't he come with us? He has never been a burden, no—"
"I can carry Heizi on my back. He's only seventeen."
"Aqi's son is only one month old, woo woo woo—"
"Xiao Shanzi asked me to bring his savings back home."
Captain Yan remained silent, allowing them to vent their emotions. The air was filled with deep sadness, and the atmosphere became heavy, but now was not the time to relax. The soldiers who stayed behind hurriedly took out the wound medicine and bandaged them one by one. They had cried enough, they were tired, and after venting their emotions, the expressions on their faces became more determined, and hatred took root in their hearts.
"Have a good rest." Captain Yan said lightly. Without resting for a moment, he immediately discussed the next sneak attack with Li Yaonan.
There was no time to be sad. After crying bitterly, the soldiers quickly calmed down, filled their stomachs, and immediately sneaked into the cave at the entrance of the secret passage. They found a place to lie down and sleep. They were too tired. The others did not dare to delay. They quickly cleaned up the surroundings, wiped out the traces on the ground, and surrounded the cave entrance with branches and vines.
At noon, Sun Ruisi brought over two thousand men. Seeing that Li Yaonan was safe and sound, a look of "as expected" appeared in his eyes.
Captain Yan was shocked: "What about the city gate?"
Sun Ruisi made a calming gesture and said slowly, "Master Yan, don't worry. The people of Nanquan have enthusiastically signed up to resist the enemy. Now two thousand people have been recruited. This morning, when they saw the red light of the enemy all over the sky, the people were very excited and everyone was trying their best to take revenge."
Captain Yan's lips moved, his heart filled with mixed emotions, some were touched, some sighed, but mostly was deep admiration. He and Magistrate Yang were at a loss, but Lord Li was able to turn the situation around in an instant. He clearly only brought thirty people to disrupt the enemy camp, but not only did he come back unscathed, he also threw the entire enemy camp into chaos. That gorgeous firework attracted the attention of a large number of enemy troops, otherwise even if he had wings on his back, he probably wouldn't be able to escape from the camp of tens of thousands of troops.
Captain Yan felt deeply regretful. It was a pity that Lord Li was not a military general. He planned every step perfectly and figured out the enemy's mind very well. If it were him, he would never dare to act like this and actually blatantly infiltrate the enemy camp.
Li Yaonan did not stay here for long. He relied on Lord Yang in the city. He was afraid that the well-planned layout would be ruined. The civil servants could only use pens at most. He was not at ease leaving the fighting to him. After agreeing with Captain Yan to use fireworks as a signal, Li Yaonan quickly returned to the city.
Compared to the chaotic county town yesterday, it looks orderly today. The elderly and women all join the battle. Even if they cannot kill the enemy, they can wash clothes, cook, and do other things within their ability. The streets are bustling with people excitedly talking about the red light of yesterday. Captain Yan and Li Yaonan have become heroes in the hearts of the people of Nanquan.
Li Yaonan was in a heavy mood. How could he deserve the title of hero? The 433 soldiers who died were the real heroes and the martyrs of Nanquan.
Standing on the high city wall and looking at the enemy camp, seeing that they had no intention of attacking, Li Yaonan imitated the soldiers and found a corner to sit down and rest. He had been exhausted all night yesterday and was now very tired.
"Lord Li, you should go back and rest. The enemy won't be able to defeat us in a short time. We are watching here."
"It's okay. I'll just take a nap. The enemy won't give up easily. If there's any movement, we'll be able to know it in time."
Seeing that they could not persuade him, the soldiers all fell silent and did not dare to speak loudly for fear of disturbing him.
After taking a short nap, Li Yaonan slept very uneasily. Even his dream seemed to be full of red, and he could hear constant shouting and screaming in his ears.
Not long after he fell asleep, he was awakened by a burst of angry noises. He suddenly opened his eyes and saw the soldiers looking angrily outside the city wall. Their anger made them lose their minds and they let out mournful cries.
"I'm going to get the body back."
"Shut up, do you want the people to be buried with you?"
"Are we just going to watch like this?"
"They deserve to die. The Qiang people deserve to die."
The enemy's arrogant laughter could be heard from afar. Li Yaonan stood up and soon his eyes turned red with anger like the soldiers. A raging rage surged in his heart. He felt that he had never been so calm before. The Qiang people really deserved to die. The bodies of the soldiers who died last night were torn into pieces and thrown in the open space in front by the enemy as a demonstration. The enemy also whipped them at will with whips in their hands.
"How dare they whip the corpse." The soldiers on the city wall burst into tears.
"Ah, I'm going to kill them--" the soldier shouted heartbreakingly.
"Hahahahahaha!" The enemy laughed more and more wildly, and the team of several hundred people whipped the corpse more fiercely.
Li Yaonan's eyes were cold. He raised the crossbow and aimed it at the enemy who laughed the loudest. "Swish, swish, swish!" He shot three arrows in succession. The first arrow was to deceive people, the second arrow was to be on the safe side, and the third arrow was aimed at the chest to kill him with one shot.
The enemy's laughter stopped abruptly, and he looked at the sharp arrow in his chest with disbelief. He had clearly dodged it, so why did it hit him? He couldn't figure it out until the moment of his death, and he fell straight to the ground with his eyes open.
Li Yaonan's actions completely aroused the enemy's anger. He chopped off the head of a corpse and kicked it out in a show of force.
"Open the city gate." Li Yaonan ordered calmly.
"Sir." The soldiers became anxious. Although they were also very angry, how could they protect the city if they opened the city gates
"Your Excellency cannot."
"No problem." Li Yaonan's face was gloomy, a dangerous light flashed in his eyes, and his voice was cold without a trace of warmth: "The enemy wants to provoke us and make us open the city gate. What's wrong with doing what they want? Ask people to prepare tung oil and sprinkle it all under the city wall. Be quick. We must kill him today. Those who are good at fighting, follow me and take back the body."
"Yes, sir."
The soldiers responded loudly, with an unknown confidence coming from somewhere, as if as long as it was what Lord Li said, they could trust it wholeheartedly.
The enemy was also surprised: "Wow, the city gate is really opened."
"The general's strategy is good."
"Hurry back and report. We will make sure that no one in Nanquan survives today."
"How dare you burn our food supplies?"
As the city gates opened, the enemy troops also began to form their ranks. The hundreds of enemy troops left behind in the front were even more prepared to kill the enemy, as they were sure that Nanquan would not dare to leave the city in large numbers.
"Everyone, take cover and don't let the enemy notice anything." Li Yaonan asked everyone to disperse and quietly put up ladders and wooden boards on the trench to ensure that everyone could pass.
“Kill!”
The soldiers rushed forward frantically. Li Yaonan was unwilling to fall behind. This was his first time to fight in the battlefield. He felt indescribable joy in his heart. The bright red blood of the enemy stung his eyes, as if only this could extinguish the rage in his heart.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the enemy did not want to fight and retreated quickly.
Li Yaonan ordered everyone not to chase and only asked them to carry the body back quickly. He knew that a large group of enemy troops were about to arrive.
As the enemy's horns sounded, a dark mass of people gradually approached.
On the battlefield, every second counts. A slight mistake can lead to a huge error. Li Yaonan shouted at the top of his voice, "Hurry up."
The soldiers were sweating profusely. They wanted to hurry, but there were too many corpses and they would never make it in time.
The enemy was getting closer and closer, and Li Yaonan gave the order: "Retreat."
"But-"
"Leave, don't you want to live?"
"The bodies haven't been cleaned up yet."
Li Yaonan said sternly: "After this battle, we will have a chance later. Now, immediately, retreat. Those who disobey orders will be punished according to military law."
The soldiers were startled and suppressed their grief. They glanced reluctantly at the corpse on the ground, turned around, and ran quickly towards the city wall, followed by a rain of arrows.
"Hurry up, hurry up."
The situation was extremely urgent and critical. The people on the city wall were terrified, fearing any accidents. This time, the city gate was opened according to Lord Li's order. It was also a fight with their backs against the wall. Nanquan was betting everything on it and could not afford any mistakes.
"Swish, swish, swish!" Dense arrows surrounded them like a dragnet.
"My lord, be careful."
Li Yaonan's pupils suddenly contracted and he broke out in a cold sweat. For the first time, he felt that death was so close to him.
"Puff!" A figure blocked his way.
"Xiao Liang."
Li Yaonan didn't have time to think too much and quickly retreated with his men. As long as they crossed the trench in front, they would be safe. Another soldier hurried over and carried Xiao Liang on his back. Although the distance was only less than ten feet, they felt like they had been walking for a very long time.
Finally returning to the city wall and removing the ladder bridge over the trench, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and quickly retreated back into the city. Li Yaonan hurriedly lit the agreed fireworks, as he knew Captain Yan must be paying attention all the time.
Sun Ruisi walked up and started scolding Li Yaonan. God knows he was almost scared to death just now. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Doesn’t he even understand this principle
Li Yaonan was terrified and still couldn't calm down. He didn't want to lure the enemy with himself, but what could he do? In the whole Nanquan, except for Captain Yan, there was no one with the same status who could make the soldiers obey and quickly analyze the enemy's situation. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb. This time, he was the first to open the city gate. If he didn't go into battle himself, the soldiers had deep feelings for the dead. If he wasted time in the action, it would be too late to regret.
Sun Ruisi glared at him fiercely, but didn't blame him much, because time didn't allow it. The enemy army approached quickly, and then there was a scream. The enemy army ran too fast and stepped on the trench, and people and horses fell down in an instant.
"Close the city gate and shoot with all your might now." Li Yaonan gave an order and rushed to the top of the city wall at lightning speed.
"kill-"
The soldiers kept shooting arrows, and were blood-thirsty.
The trenches could not stop the enemy for long. The sharpened bamboos pierced the bodies of the enemy vanguards, causing their deaths to be extremely miserable. The enemy was furious and quickly came up with a solution. They rushed to the city wall quickly and set up ladders to climb up.
"Ignite!" With an ice-cold voice, the enemy was thrown into a purgatory of fire.
"Boom!" A ferocious fire snake scurried around at the foot of the city wall. The high temperature caused the enemy's second wave of attack to fail. The soldiers kept adding flammable materials, and the archers did not stop, aiming and shooting arrows at high speed.
This was a protracted war. They all knew that the gap in strength between the enemy and us was too great. Under the powerful attack of the enemy, this situation could not be maintained for long. It was only a matter of time before the city was broken.
Unlike the previous attacks, this time the enemy was ruthless and didn't care about casualties at all. It seemed that their only goal was to capture Nanquan.
Li Yaonan was unconsciously filled with a murderous aura. Seeing that the situation was getting worse and worse, thick smoke rose above the sky above the enemy camp.
Li Yaonan suddenly laughed out loud: "Success, success, our reinforcements raided the enemy's lair, look, the Qiang camp was raided, kill—"
Some people didn't understand why and just thought that reinforcements had arrived, so they killed even more excitedly.
Someone immediately understood what he meant and started shouting, "Reinforcements are here, reinforcements are here, let's attack from both sides and we must wipe out the enemy without leaving a single piece of armor behind."
“Kill!”
The enemy camp became chaotic and the offensive gradually eased. Seeing a cloud of smoke rising above the camp again, the enemy generals were shocked and angry. They hurriedly beat the drums to call back their troops, not daring to delay any longer. The enemy retreated like a tide, fearing that Nanquan would really have reinforcements arriving, and then they would be attacked from both sides, leaving them with no chance of survival.
The soldiers shouted excitedly: "Reinforcements are here, reinforcements are here."
The people were so happy that they danced with joy: "Nanquan is saved, Nanquan is saved."
Lord Yang was puzzled and asked for advice: "Lord Li, where are the reinforcements? Why haven't I heard of them?"
"Yes!" Some people were also full of doubts. Wasn't it Captain Yan who launched the sneak attack
Li Yaonan twitched his lips, and once again had a deep understanding of the rigidity of the ancients. He rolled his eyes at Lord Yang and said, "Where are the reinforcements?" If they didn't lie that the reinforcements had arrived, the Qiang people would not retreat easily. They might even go all out because their camp was occupied. But with reinforcements, the Qiang people would become wary and would not dare to take risks without knowing the enemy's strength.
Lord Yang was speechless, feeling very ashamed of Lord Li's contempt. The soldiers and civilians were filled with disappointment, as there turned out to be no reinforcements.
Li Yaonan comforted him, "Don't worry. After this battle, the enemy will need at least two days to recuperate. I estimate that Big Brother's troops should be here soon."
Hope rose in everyone's hearts again, and then they began to count the number of people. More than 600 people died in this battle.
Li Yaonan was silent for a while, and asked them to collect the bodies and bury them properly. It was not until this moment that he realized how much he had taken for granted in his previous plan. The battlefield was not a joke, and it was not a place for competition. Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance, and fortunately he really cared about the people. Otherwise, he was afraid that he would not be able to get over this psychological barrier. So many lives and blood were shed just for the governor's selfishness. It was really hateful.
Captain Yan returned with his troops quickly. Of the more than 2,000 soldiers, only about 1,500 were left, all of them ragged and wounded.
Li Yaonan couldn't describe his feelings, and everyone was silent.
The people of Nanquan were so moved that they cried. They hurriedly took out medicine to bandage their wounds, and kept repeating their heroic deeds.
There were also people who lost their loved ones and burst into tears on the spot, but they remained steadfast in their gratitude, thanking the soldiers for defending their homes, and proudly told everyone that their son (husband) died to protect Nanquan.
The soldier smiled slowly and suddenly felt that everything was worth it.
Li Yaonan asked them to go and rest quickly, and then went to see the wounded. He remembered that if Xiao Liang had not blocked it for him, he would not have been able to stand safely.
The author has something to say: Thank you. I would like to apologize to everyone first. I will take a day off tomorrow and will not be able to update the two-chapter-in-one chapter. Please don’t complain that it is too little.
I will continue to work hard. o(n_n)o
Mint is not cool and threw a grenade. Throwing time: 2014-09-02 00:09:27
Miaomiao threw a mine. Throwing time: 2014-09-02 02:01:45