The wind blew the yellow sand alluring eyes, and the clothes of the soldiers guarding the city were blown up. Looking up at the flag that was whistling by the wind, it was unrealistic to see it covered by yellow sand from a distance.
In the three years of Yong'an, everyone's heart was covered with a heavy layer of sand.
The Northwest has never been peaceful in the past few years. Liangzhou is bordered by various small countries, and they used to check and balance each other for many years. Until a few decades ago, Rong Lu's army swallowed up the surrounding small countries little by little, and now one family dominates. Those small border countries could no longer satisfy Rong Lu's ambitions, and they set their sights on the vast and abundant Central Plains. This rich land is undoubtedly attractive fat, which makes Rong Lu's heart itch.
Just as the day is changing, the new emperor ascends the throne, and he still has to stabilize the situation in the middle of the court, and has no time to take care of the frontier everywhere, which makes Ronglu think for no reason.
In the past two years, Rong Lu tried a few times at first, but recently he became more and more rampant.
The Liangzhou army suffered repeated defeats and their morale was greatly reduced.
In the autumn of that year, Rong Lu raised his army to attack again, and the attack was fierce. Outside Liangzhou City, there were still dozens of miles of land and several small towns. Ding'an General Song Chi was furious, fed up with the endless harassment from the Ronglu army, and immediately led the army to the front again, deciding to send the Ronglu army back to his hometown in one go.
On the day the army set off, Qin Zheng approached Zhou Qianhu and expressed his willingness to be a pawn.
Zhou Qianhu did not agree. Qin Zheng is a good seedling. Unfortunately, he has a problem with his background. As an exile, he is doomed to be a small soldier, but he sees Qin Zheng's hard work and growth, so he shouldn't be like this...
What a pity, Zhou Qianhu said in his heart, if he really died in front of the battle like this, it would be a waste. All Dodge goods can live in, if there is a good opportunity in the future, maybe they can turn around.
After making up his mind, Zhou Qianhu did not agree with Qin Zheng to accompany him.
…
The sky has been very gloomy for the past few days, and in the evening, there is finally a posture that the wind and rain are about to come.
The herbs drying on the shelf were overturned by the wind and scattered all over the ground. Dan Yu was so angry that he stomped his feet, hurriedly collected a few dustpans, and in the blink of an eye, another dustpan was overturned.
The gate squeaked and was pushed open, and Qin Zheng saw the little military doctors walking around the yard looking like they were about to cry.
"Brother." Dan Yu called out, not daring to stop.
Qin Zheng lowered his head and picked up the herbs, then turned around and pushed Dan Yu into the room: "Go in, it's windy."
Dan Yu took a breath, gathered his long hair that was blown loose by the wind, and tied it up again.
Qin Zheng tidied up the yard before entering the door. Dan Yu poured a cup of tea and handed it to him, then tugged at his sleeve: "Brother, are you alright?"
Qin Zheng let him talk, waved his hand and said, "What can be the matter."
Dan Yu looked around and was relieved to see that Qin Zheng was not injured. In the past, as long as Qin Zheng came back, he must be wounded. Now half a year, the scars are less and less, and now I can go out with good arms and come back with good legs.
Qin Zheng patted Dan Yu on the head: "Don't worry, no one in the army can beat brother now."
If you want not to be bullied, you can only be stronger, and stronger.
Dan Yu nodded vigorously, and was about to speak when a thunderstorm exploded outside, followed by a downpour of rain.
Qin Zheng got up and looked at the sky outside, he couldn't help frowning, feeling a little heavy in his heart...
The rain has not stopped for two days, as if it wants to drown the world.
On the third day, good news came from the front. The battle was a great victory, and the Ronglu army was beaten to the ground and fled in all directions.
The Yan army took advantage of the victory to pursue and was ready to vent their anger severely, so that the Ronglu army dared not raise their troops to attack again.
Everyone in Liangcheng cheered, even such a cloudy weather could not reduce the joy of everyone.
Now the person guarding the city is Zheng Baihu. He ordered the soldiers in the city to celebrate for three days. On the surface, he wanted to get a good omen for the good news on the front line, but in fact he wanted to take the opportunity to extort a lot of gifts from the wealthy families in the city. Zheng Baihu has always been greedy, and his subordinates are all soldiers like Zhao Hu. In the past, when the general was here, he didn't dare to be too rampant. Now monkeys are the king, and bullying the people in the city to ask for gifts is common.
Thinking of earning another fortune, Zheng Baihu felt extremely happy, and led the few remaining soldiers in the city to sing happily every day.
The sky is getting darker, and the heavy rain has not stopped.
Qin Zheng looked at the empty city, and the uneasiness in his heart became more and more intense...
When the heavy rain fell on the seventh day, something happened.
In the early morning of this day, it was Qin Zheng's turn to defend the city. The sky was gloomy and there was no light at all.
The veteran guarding the city handed Qin Zheng a cup of hot tea: "Warm up your body."
Qin Zheng took it, covered it tightly with his cold hands, and said in a low voice, "Uncle, why are there so few people today?"
A few people stood sparsely on top of the city wall, wrapped in thick coir raincoats because of the rain, looking like haystacks from a distance.
The veteran sighed and said, "We have won the battle ahead, it's not like you haven't seen what's going on in the city these days."
"You should be happy if you win. Uncle, what are you sighing for?" Qin Zheng drank a cup of hot tea and felt his body warm up a lot.
The veteran took the empty glass and shook his head: "I'm not at ease..."
Looking at the veteran's back, Qin Zheng was silent.
Today's rain was exceptionally heavy, and it was still dark at noon. Qin Zheng took out a pancake from his bosom and ate a few mouthfuls of hot tea.
The two bites were halfway down, revealing the red hot peppers. When he was about to take the third bite, he suddenly saw a flame flickering in the distance. He thought it was raining heavily and his eyes were dazzled, so he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, almost rubbing the hot pepper on his fingertips into his eyes.
After a moment of dazed effort, the flames became more real. There were sporadic spots at the beginning of the period, and then there were more and more, more and more...
But in a few breaths, it condensed into a fire dragon showing off its might in the rain!
Qin Zheng's heart skipped a beat, Ning Mei stood up, turned around and walked outside, leaning on the city wall, the firelight could be seen more clearly, and the fire dragon seemed to be wandering, getting closer and closer.
Could it be that the army is back
But the battle report from the front line was only received three days ago. Isn't the army going to take advantage of the victory to pursue Rong Lu's defeated army? Even if the troops were withdrawn and returned, they shouldn't have come so quickly!
The seeds of uneasiness germinated in his heart, Qin Zheng's heart was beating like thunder, and there was only a long dragon in front of him approaching like fire. After three gasps, he turned around and ran to find the general in the city.
This thing is too strange!
Zheng Baihu drank too much last night and was sleeping soundly with his head covered. When Qin Zheng went, Zhao Hu stopped him outside.
"Who was I at that time? It turned out to be the eldest son of Qin. What kind of wind blows you out?" Zhao Hu's words were full of sarcasm and ridicule.
Qin Zheng wiped the rain off his face, and said with frowned: "Mr. Zhao, is Zheng Baihu in there? I have a military report."
"Hey, this city is still guarding the military situation? It's amazing to follow General Zhou." Zhao Hu sneered and blocked the door tightly.
Qin Zheng frowned: "The military situation is important, get out of the way."
Zhao Hu's complexion changed: "You bastard, you really think that you will ascend to heaven with General Zhou? I'm so good. What qualifications do you, a criminal, have to mess with me!"
Qin Zheng's eyes darkened, and he didn't speak. He knocked down the chattering Zhao Hu with a sweep of his long legs.
Zhao Hu screamed, was caught off guard and was knocked down. He turned over and wanted to get up to fight back, but his waist sank and Qin Zheng stepped on him, and he grabbed his arm from behind. He heard a bone crack, and Zhao Hu almost burst into tears in pain. .
Qin Zheng knocked Zhao Hu down twice, walked in directly, and said in a deep voice, "Your subordinate is reckless, is Zheng Baihu here?"
Zheng Baihu was woken up by the commotion outside. He was so angry that he got up, and he threw a porcelain pillow at him without looking at it.
Qin Zheng stepped aside and said, "Hundred households, there is an army outside the city."
"Go, go to his mother's army, it's important to have this general to sleep?" Zheng Baihu gritted his teeth, and when he looked up, he saw that the soldier in front of him, who hadn't even had time to take off his coir raincoat, had come to him.
"You!" Zheng Baihu was about to lose his temper when he suddenly remembered what the person in front of him said just now, and couldn't help but startled: "What? The army is back?"
Qin Zheng had already walked up to Zheng Baihu and bent slightly.
Zheng Baihu was stunned. The person in front of him smelled like rain and wet earth. The rain soaked his long hair, and the hair on his forehead was tightly attached to his pale cheeks. His thin and young face was dazzlingly handsome. , a pair of deep pool-like jet-black pupils were staring at him with chills, making people shiver for no reason.
"It's not our army." Qin Zheng's pale lips moved slightly, and his voice was cold.
Zheng Baihu's mind buzzed, and his heart skipped a beat.
problem occurs!
…
That night, Rong Lu's army approached the city.
This move caught everyone by surprise. First, they sent out a large number of troops to lure the Yan army out, and then pretended to be defeated and used some soldiers and horses to lead the army deep into the enemy's hinterland, and fought frequently. Rong Lu's army took a detour to attack Liangcheng, which was empty of troops, and occupied the Yan army's lair in one go.
At this time, there were only a few old and weak soldiers left in Liangcheng who were useless. How could they stand up to Rong Lu's army, and the people in the city were panicked for a while.
At noon the next day, when the heavy rain did not stop, Rong Lu's army began to attack the city. The Yan army who defended the city suffered heavy casualties when they met for the first time.
Rong Lu's army was fierce and brave, and there were only less than a thousand soldiers left in the city, and half of them were killed or killed in three days.
The heavy rain gradually stopped, the flames of war filled the air, the bones were mixed with mud, and the eyes were full of bones. Black crows and vultures flew and hovered in the sky, making hoarse and unpleasant calls, covering most of the obscure sky.
Qin Zheng licked the dry corners of his lips, and a bitter taste melted away in his mouth. He swung his knife to cut off three arrows, his arms tightened, and someone pulled him back. He turned his head and glanced, saw that it was the veteran guarding the city, and let him drag him into the beacon tower.
"Ah Qin!" The veteran panted heavily and shook Qin Zheng's shoulder.
Qin Zheng's ears buzzed for a while, and then his vision became clearer: "Uncle, what are you doing pulling me back, the army is overwhelming the city outside, I have to go back quickly."
The veteran coughed violently, grabbed Qin Zheng's hand, and said with difficulty, "You haven't gone down the tower for three days. Zheng Baihu can't stand it anymore and wants to abandon the city."
During the past three days, Qin Zheng watched Liu Ya pass by, and watched the surrounding soldiers either die in battle or fall off the city wall and be turned into flesh. Isn't this all for defending Liangcheng and waiting for the army to rush back from the front? .
Abandon the city? How dare Zheng Baihu do this!
Qin Zheng's pupils shrank sharply, and he stood up suddenly: "Liangcheng is a pass. If the city is broken, the west of the river will be in danger! If the city is abandoned, what is the difference between giving up the nineteenth city in the northwest? How dare he!"
After finishing speaking, Qin Zheng turned around and went down the tower. In any case, he will prevent Zheng Baihu from abandoning the city.
Zheng Baihu paced back and forth in the tent, his face clouded over. The beacon fire has been lit for several days, and the letters of pleas sent out seem to have disappeared. Who knows if they were all robbed by the Ronglu army. The remaining soldiers and horses in the city are only a few hundred. It is simply impossible to defend the city. .
Rong Lu's army has always been brutal, who knows if they will slaughter the city after they break the city, do they want to stay and wait for death if they don't abandon the city and flee
Zheng Baihu made up his mind, he was about to go out to see how the chariots and horses were getting ready, but before he got out, he saw a person entering the account, he regarded him as his own soldier, and immediately angrily said: "It's packed?"
Qin Zheng just went down the tower, smelling blood on his body, he slowly raised his head when he heard the words, his eyes were almost red, bloodshot and full of hostility after staying awake for three nights. Hearing Zheng Baihu's words, he knew that his uncle had never lied to him, and that Zheng Baihu really wanted to abandon the city.
"You are..." Zheng Baihu was startled when he saw that the person coming was not his own soldier, and then he remembered who the person in front of him was: "As a soldier, if you don't go to defend the city, what are you doing here!"
Qin Zheng's voice was hoarse, and he slowly clenched the knife in his hand: "As a hundred households sealed by the imperial court, instead of defending the city, you have the intention of abandoning the city. What are you doing?"
Zheng Baihu was furious: "Little offenders, offenders below, come here!"
Qin Zheng's brows tightened, and he immediately lowered his body and knelt down: "Zheng Baihu, if you leave, what will happen to the people of Liangcheng, what will happen to the eighteen cities behind Liangzhou? What will happen to the soldiers fighting on the front line! Liangcheng Never lose it."
Zheng Baihu has always been timid and selfish, and he inherited the military rank thanks to the protection of his ancestors. Seeing Qin Zheng kneeling down to beg him, he was completely unmoved, and said, "You mere exile have no right to beg me! Get out!"
Qin Zheng's five fingers tightened suddenly, the veins on his wrists popped up, and his head lowered a little: "Think twice!"
Zheng Baihu was furious, and kicked Qin Zheng away: "Get out! If you want to die on the tower, don't drag me!"
Unkind for officials, unfaithful for generals.
That kind of people…
Qin Zheng's eyes were full of murderous intent, Liangcheng could not be lost.
Zheng Baihu suddenly felt numbness in his back and subconsciously wanted to go out. He had just taken two steps when his chest suddenly felt cold. He lowered his head... and saw half of the blood-stained blade piercing through his heart.
Zheng Baihu's throat clicked a few times, but he returned to the west without saying a word.
Qin Zheng slowly drew out the knife, shook off the blood on the blade, took out the military amulet from Zheng Baihu's waist, and held it in the palm of his hand...
The city was in turmoil, the people's houses were closed, and corpses and wounded soldiers were constantly being carried down from the city tower.
Dressed in blood, Qin Zheng summoned the few remaining soldiers with military talismans, and said: "Ronglu attacked the city, Zheng Baihu fell into a coma, and entrusted me with the military talismans. From today onwards, the remaining people will form small teams and take turns Defend the city. Those who flee before the battle, beheaded. Those who utter discouraged words, beheaded. Those who disturb hundreds of households recuperating, beheaded. After five days, the army will definitely come back, and the danger of Liangcheng will naturally be resolved by then!"
As soon as the words fell, someone questioned him immediately, refusing to believe that Zheng Baihu was ill, and several people clamored to go to the tent to see Zheng Baihu.
Qin Zheng's face turned cold, and the almost curled knife in his hand was faster than their movements, and he killed them immediately.
The blood left along the blade, making Qin Zheng's face look like Shura's.
"Defy the military order and hang your head in front of the city gate to warn others." Qin Zheng's armor was stained with blood, and his black hair was scattered all over. people.
Those who resist will naturally have supporters. Many bloody soldiers have lived in Liangzhou for decades, and would rather die in battle than surrender the city. They don't care whether Zheng Baihu lives or dies, as long as Qin Zheng has the ability to gather his general's heart again, they will hold their noses and recognize this soldier talisman!
With supporters, Qin Zheng no longer struggled so hard. He almost killed Zheng Baihu's soldiers headed by Zhao Hu, and then chopped down a few soldiers who fled the battle. A row of heads hung on the tower, blowing in the wind.
Qin Zheng's ruthlessness made people feel chilling. In addition to these ruthless methods, he also fabricated a sealed battle report, which pretended to say that the army would return, so that everyone could persist for a few more days.
With this reassurance, the defenders also have hope. However, it was still not enough... The casualties were increasing, Dan Yu was so busy every day that he didn't have time to close his eyes, and he lost several laps of weight.
Later, Qin Zheng had no choice but to instigate the people to defend the city. Liangcheng was not only a military important place for them, but also their home and their roots.
Even on the fifth day, all men, women and children, all people are soldiers...
Blood stained the sky in Liangcheng.
There was no light.
On the evening of the fifth day, when Qin Zheng opened his eyes, he saw Dan Yu staring at him with red eyes like rabbits.
"Brother, you're awake!" Dan Yu hurriedly handed over a bowl of water, carefully lifted Qin Zheng up and fed it.
Qin Zheng's whole body was almost unharmed, and his mind kept buzzing: "How long have I been in a coma."
Dan Yu wiped his face vigorously with his dusty sleeve, and choked up like a cat, "One hour."
Qin Zheng coughed twice, blood flowed from the corners of his lips, he reached out and pressed his chest, wondering if he hurt his internal organs.
"Brother..." Dan Yu's voice was a little trembling: "Will the army really come?"
Qin Zheng struggled to get up, his lies would not survive today, and everyone's hopes would be smashed to pieces today. But…
He can't fall, he can't fall.
The blood-stained fingertips draw out the vermilion rope, and the Jade Guanyin close to her body is compassionate.
Qin Zheng put it between his lips, kissed it reverently, and then pressed it tightly against the beating part of his heart. He squinted his eyes, and said in a soft but firm voice, "Yes."
…
The curled knife was cut off, and at dawn, Qin Zheng drew his bow like a full moon.
Almost everyone focused their attention on him, the gasping soldier, the lame uncle, the sergeant who lost his hand, the two sons killed in battle, the old woman who simply climbed the city wall to fight the enemy, and sold wontons on the street. An old couple, an old man who runs a pastry shop, a butcher who kills pigs in the north of the city, and a young man who carries burdens in the south of the city...
Some of them have never touched a long knife, but they waved their wrists jerkyly, fighting for Liangcheng. The eyes of these people were like a mountain, pressing on Qin Zheng's shoulders.
Qin Zheng's shoulders were as heavy as a mountain. He tried his best to straighten his spine, the arrow flew off the string, and the black feathers were like lightning, piercing General Rong Lu's shoulders with a tricky arc and tremendous strength.
The general was carelessly wounded, cursed something loudly, reluctantly raised his hand and waved, the siege of the city intensified.
When the rain breaks, a white streak suddenly appears on the horizon.
The boundless sound of horseshoes is deafening. On the sixth day, the army returns!
A ray of light breaks through the clouds...
"Is it daylight?"
Through the window, Chu Yu raised his hand to cover his eyes, and said softly.