Chapter 141: Counterattack

But before going to bed last night, Xiao Jinbao sent someone to the Western Route Army to inquire about the situation.

This morning, at dawn, Xiao Jinbao had just opened his eyes when his personal soldiers came to report.

"Yesterday, the Western Route Army suffered a large-scale attack using gunpowder and muskets, resulting in nearly 10,000 casualties. General Wu was also shot in the right shoulder by a musket, and he may not be able to fight in the future."

"The Western Army then engaged the 30,000-strong Xia Army. The Great Xia commanders killed eight of General Wu's personal guards, resulting in over 6,000 casualties."

Xiao Jinbao closed his eyes, slammed his fist on the table, and uttered through gritted teeth, "Waste!"

Even though Shaoqing Prefecture saw through the murderous intent behind the plague and prepared for war in advance, giving Du Qingtang ample time to prepare gunpowder and muskets, if Wu Yi had not underestimated the enemy, how could Da Qi have lost more than 20,000 soldiers?

but--

"Shaoqing Prefecture actually opened the west gate to welcome the battle?"

Xiao Jinbao originally thought that the Western Route Army would suffer a severe setback like the Southern Route Army.

"What exactly is Du Qingtang's intention?"

Xiao Jinbao paced back and forth in the main tent, staring into deep thought.

The guard hesitated for a moment, then dared to remind him, "General, Shaoqing Prefecture only has tens of thousands of defenders."

A flash of white light flashed through Xiao Jinbao's mind, and in a flash, he suddenly realized: "So that's it! Du Qingtang has concentrated all his troops at the west gate!"

Because of insufficient troops, Du Qingtang tried every means to block the South Gate, and there were only a few defenders on the city wall.

"You're quite clever! If you hadn't reminded me, I would have been fooled by that woman Du Qingtang." Xiao Jinbao clapped his hands and laughed. "Well done! I'll reward you handsomely later!"

The personal guards repeatedly said they dared not: "General, now that we have seen through Du Qingtang's trick, will you lead the southern army to join forces with the western army and attack the city together?"

Xiao Jinbao pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "The most urgent task now is to verify whether this general's conjecture is correct."

The guard rolled his eyes and said, "You mean..."

Xiao Jinbao said in a deep voice, "Pass on this general's order. Have Lu Ying and Han Ren each lead 5,000 troops to attack the East and North Gates respectively."

At the command of the deputy general, 10,000 Qi troops immediately split into two groups and headed straight for the east gate and the north gate.

Watching the Qi army leave in a cloud of dust, Xiao Jinbao's eyes were deep: "Du Qingtang blocked the southern army outside the city gate, and at the same time, he trapped the Xia army inside the city."

Once his guess is verified, it won't be too late to join forces with the Western Army and launch a joint attack on the city.

"A turtle caught in a jar cannot escape even if you have wings!"

......

When the Qi army appeared twenty miles away from the east and north gates, spies immediately reported it.

The garrison commander Wan immediately dispatched 2,000 female soldiers and infantrymen, led by Lin Yu and Zhang Bazong, to the east and north city gates respectively to repel the enemy together with the people.

When the government soldiers arrived, the people had already climbed onto the city wall. They were all full of fighting spirit and sharpening their knives to attack the Qi bandits.

On the east city wall, Lin Yu raised the telescope and saw five thousand Qi troops coming towards him with great momentum.

Lin Yu raised his hand, his clear voice as steady as a mountain: "All parties should prepare."

The female soldiers and the people responded in unison: "We are ready!"

A cup of tea later, the Qi army arrived at the city.

The Qi army pushed the ladder truck to the foot of the city wall, and the hook on the top firmly hooked the city wall. Accompanied by the deafening sound of war drums, a thousand Qi soldiers began to climb the city wall.

At the same time, the Qi army pushed the battering ram to the front of the city gate and bombarded the city gate frequently and continuously.

At the front of the 5,000 Qi troops, dozens of catapults were lined up, throwing huge stones weighing dozens of pounds at the city walls.

Despite the simultaneous attack from three directions, Lin Yu showed no sign of panic. He raised his right fist high, and the rumbling sound of war drums rang out.

"Soldiers of Shaoqing Prefecture, follow me! Repel the Qi bandits and defend our homeland!"

"kill!"

The shouts and cries of killing shook the earth and resounded through the sky.

The female soldiers held scimitars or spears, and when the Qi army appeared, they thrust the blades into the enemy's chest and the spear tips into the enemy's abdomen.

Warm scarlet blood spurted out, splashing all over the female soldier's face.

The female soldier's eyes were firm and fearless, and she repeated the stabbing and pulling movements as if she was tireless.

The common people who participated in the martial arts competition also held knives and shouted as they slashed at the Qi army.

Even if they were defeated, they had their companions to help them. The scimitars slashed across the throats of the Qi army, and the sharp blade cut the throats, bringing out a string of blood.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which made everyone's blood boil and their bodies tremble with excitement.

They are killing the enemy!

They are defending their homeland!

They are brave and fearless soldiers!

There were also many civilians who were not good at martial arts in this battle to defend the city, but this did not prevent them from holding high the banner of defending the city, picking up their own weapons, and resolutely joining the team to defend the city.

Zhang Meihua took the pottery jar from her sister Zhang Lihua and poured all the liquid inside onto Qi Jun on the ladder truck.

“Ahhhhhhh!!!”

The boiling hot chili oil made the Qi army scream in pain, and their exposed skin was instantly covered with blisters.

Zhang Meihua handed the pottery jar back, and Zhang Lihua took the empty pottery jar and handed over the pottery jar that was 70% full.

Zhang Meihua did the same thing and gave the Qi army another barrage of hot oil.

Watching Qi Jun screaming and falling from the ladder truck, Zhang Meihua laughed heartily: "This is the secret recipe of Shixiang Pavilion. Ordinary people can't have it. Today I'm giving it to you!"

On the city wall, the women in charge of heating the chili oil also laughed out loud, their laughter full of joy.

"Burn them to death! Spicy to death!"

"But it smells so good, it makes my mouth water."

"Why are you still speaking so elegantly?"

"My daughter T would mumble a few words every day after coming back from school. I just listened and memorized it."

"After we defeat the Qi bandits, I will send my daughter to school. She will be six years old in the twelfth month."

Jin Qiushui poured the chili peppers into the hot oil. With a crackling sound, an extremely overbearing aroma burst out from the iron pot.

She smiled, waved a copper spoon, and scooped chili oil into the clay pot.

Two years ago, the prefect vindicated her and brought Sun Shizhong, who had killed her husband, to justice. He also gave her some banknotes and allowed her to leave the city to avoid disaster.

Jin Qiushui took his daughter to the poorest Heyang County and settled down there.

When the Qi bandits invaded, all the neighbors left Shaoqing Prefecture and went to Changtai Prefecture.

Jin Qiu Shui did not leave.

Shaoqing Mansion is facing a devastating crisis, how can she abandon her benefactor?

Two years later, Jin Qiushui returned to the provincial capital with his daughter.

Today, the Qi bandits attacked the city again. After the news spread, Jin Qiu Shui volunteered to become a member of the city defense soldiers.

Despite hearing the constant shouts and screams, Jin Qiu Shui was not affected at all. He quickly boiled chili oil and poured the boiling hot chili oil into the clay pot.

She firmly believed that Shaoqing Prefecture would be able to survive this disaster.

"Zhongqi, I'm running out of cement powder. Can you give me some?"

Zhou Jizhong responded, Gao Lin picked up the pottery jar and poured the gray powder on Qi Jun, then poured a bucket of water on him. Qi Jun screamed and fell off the ladder truck.

Seeing this, Gao Lin smiled with satisfaction.

Just as he was about to continue sprinkling cement powder, he glanced inadvertently and found that a Qi soldier suddenly jumped high in front of him, with the scimitar in his hand flashing coldly in the sunlight.

"careful!"

Gao Lin shouted loudly, his body moved faster than his brain, and he grabbed the wooden barrel with lightning speed and smashed it at the Qi army that was planning a sneak attack.

"Bang!"

The wooden barrel hit the Qi army in the face, and the Qi army paused, then was stabbed off the city wall by Lin Yu's spear.

Zhou Jizhong was still in shock and gasped for breath as he said, "Thank you."

Lin Yu nodded slightly and went to the other side with the gun.

Gao Lin reminded: "Be careful."

Zhou Jizhong poured out a bucket of water and responded loudly: "But Brother Zhou, that move you made just now was really powerful!"

Gao Lin smiled but said nothing.

He couldn't say that this was something he had learned from fighting with people during those years of decadence.

Fortunately, Zhou Jizhong just said it casually and continued to devote himself to the battle to defend the city.

......

The Qi army, who climbed up with the help of ladders, fell down into the city wall like dumplings, some dead and some disabled, with screams incessantly.

On the other side, the battering ram continued to pound the city gate.

However, half an hour later, the vermilion city gate was covered with cracks, but it still did not collapse.

Following Xiao Jinbao's orders, Lu Ying had been paying attention to the changes in the city gate. Seeing this, his eyes changed slightly and his excitement disappeared in an instant.

What a bunch of idiots.

He had been fighting for more than ten years and had never seen anyone trap themselves in a city.

Even if there is enough food, there will always be a day when it runs out.

At that time, either the city will be opened and surrendered, or everyone will starve to death.

In short, the result is the same, Shaoqing Prefecture is destined to become the possession of Da Qi!

Lu Ying looked at the catapult again.

Huge rocks weighing dozens of pounds hit the city wall. Although the wall was damaged, it was far from collapsing.

Lu Ying pondered for a moment and ordered, "Withdraw."

The Qi army had no suspicion and struck the bronze bells vigorously.

“Ding ding ding—”

The five thousand Qi troops retreated like a tide, leaving only piles of corpses under the city wall.

At the same time, the Qi army, which was ordered to attack the north gate, also sounded the retreat.

The soldiers who had fought for half an hour cheered, while the common people sat down on the ground as if exhausted, grinning.

As I laughed, tears started to fall.

"Great, we succeeded!"

“Another win!”

Lin Yu leaned his spear on the ground, his dark eyes filled with tears of excitement.

She glanced at everyone present. Although Shaoqing Prefecture still had the upper hand in this battle, the female soldiers and the civilians who participated in the battle were inevitably injured.

"Everyone remember to go to the casualty unit to treat your wounds."

"good!"

After an incense stick of time, another batch of wounded soldiers arrived at the infirmary.

Fortunately, most of these people only suffered minor injuries. After the wounds were sutured and some medicine was applied, they would be able to heal in three to five days.

In the infirmary in the west of the city, Doctor Fang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the military and civilians had jointly defended the east and north city walls.

"Just hold on, just hold on!"

Doctor Fang wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned around to see Liang Chuxia hurried over: "Doctor Fang, have you met my master?"

Doctor Fang was stunned for a moment: "Didn't you leave together earlier? I've been at the wounded camp and haven't seen her come back."

Liang Chuxia twisted her fingers, her lips pale as she pursed them: "I did leave with Master before, but Master went back to the government office, so I went to Xinglin Hall to get medicine for my injuries."

"Master said he would be back after noon, but it's already 1:30 PM. I've searched the entire infirmary and can't find a trace of Master."

Doctor Fang saw Liang Chuxia was about to cry, so he tried to comfort her: "Maybe the village head is still in the government office. Why don't you go there and ask?"

"But Master has always been very punctual and has never been late..." Liang Chuxia bit her lip, lifted her skirt and ran out, "I'm going to the government office to take a look!"

Doctor Fang stood there for a moment, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Doctor Liang peeking over here, shook his head, and went to the other side.

Several people with broken limbs were sent to the hospital yesterday. He had to go and see how serious the injuries were and whether there was any fever or suppuration.

Doctor Liang and others watched Doctor Fang walk away, sighing and looking worried.

"If I had known her identity was so special, I would never have messed with her even if I were beaten to death."

Du Qingju is not only the prefect's sister, but also the lord of Deyang Township appointed by the imperial court. Her status is extremely noble.

Just one word from her could destroy the families of ordinary people like them.

Doctor Liang regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. He shouldn't have taken his anger out on Du Qingju because of Liang Chuxia.

Now that he had offended Du Qingju badly, he didn't know how to deal with the Liang family given the prefect's protection.

Besides being frightened, I also felt resentful.

"She's so insidious that she kept it a secret from everyone for two years."

When Xinglintang opened earlier, no one was optimistic about it.

Because Du Qingju was young and lacked medical experience, and more importantly, because she was a woman.

Even though few people in the city knew about the Lord of Deyang Township and Tianju Drink, as long as people were given a little guidance and Tianju Drink was linked to smallpox, which had a very high mortality rate, the people would definitely deify Du Qingju. How could Xinglin Hall face so many doubts and criticisms, and how could they offend the prefect and the Lord of Deyang Township because of this?

"Doctor Liang, has your Chuxia already known the identity of the village chief?"

"I doubt it too. Otherwise, why would she rather sever ties with you and insist on taking the village master as her teacher?"

Doctor Liang's expression froze. Thinking about the confrontation between the two sides in the morning and Liang Chuxia's words, the veins on his forehead throbbed wildly and a fire ignited in his chest, burning his internal organs.

So Liang Chuxia knew her master's identity, but hid it from her family and allowed them to become enemies with the Lord of Deyang Village?

Doctor Liang's eyes went darker and darker, and he wished he could strangle that evil creature Liang Chuxia to death!

-

However, after Zhang Caiwei knocked Du Qingju unconscious, she took her to the granary to meet up with Liu Bazong.

Although Liu Bazong was curious about Du Qingju's identity, he also knew that time was running out and there was no time for nonsense. He set fire to the granary, carried Du Qingju on his back, and headed straight to the west of the city with Zhang Caiwei.

The three of them came to a private house and walked into the study. Zhang Caiwei gently turned the vase on the antique shelf.

“Click—”

With a crisp sound, the bookshelf slowly moved away, revealing a secret passage behind it.

The secret passage is long and dark, with oil lamps hanging on the wall. The faint light dispels the darkness and illuminates the way ahead.

Liu Bazong handed Du Qingju over to Zhang Caiwei and said respectfully, "You go in first, I'll cover the rear."

Zhang Caiwei carried Du Qingju on her thin body and walked into the secret passage with steady and quick steps.

Liu Bazong looked out the window at the study, the shrewdness and cleverness in his eyes faded away, leaving only inorganic indifference.

After making sure that no one was following him, Liu Bazong stepped into the secret passage.

Behind him, the bookshelf slowly closed.

“Click—”

The crisp sound dissipated in the air, and everything returned to normal, as if no one had ever been there.

After an incense stick of time, someone pushed the door open and walked in.

The man in black held the sword in his right hand, and his hawk-like sharp eyes searched every inch of the study, not missing any details.

This house seemed to have been uninhabited for a long time, and all the furnishings in the study were covered with a thick layer of dust.

The man seemed to be pacing aimlessly, measuring the not-so-large space with his footsteps.

He walked past the desk, crossed the bookshelf, and finally stopped in front of the antique display case.

There were several blue and white porcelain vases on the antique shelf. The man examined them one by one and finally stopped at the vase in the corner.

The man raised his hand and turned the porcelain vase.

“Click—”

The bookshelf was moved away, revealing a long and secret passage.

......

Zhang Caiwei and Liu Bazong strode quickly in the secret passage.

The secret passage is very long, leading from the west of the city to a remote village on the outskirts of the city.

Liu Bazong...or rather, after Shi Guang killed the real Liu Bazong, he bought a house in the west of the city in the name of Liu Bazong's wife.

Since then, Shi Guang secretly sent people to dig secret passages.

During this period, Shi Guang had been looking for a suitable candidate - someone who was dissatisfied with Du Qingtang and could be pushed forward at a critical moment to dispel Du Qingtang's suspicion.

Shi Guang observed for a long time and finally chose Ma Boren.

Ma Boren is a man of courage but no strategy, narrow-minded and extremely jealous.

He was jealous of Wan Guiyu, who was able to easily become a captain after surrendering from a bandit, while he had to work in Shaoqing Prefecture for more than 20 years to climb from a small soldier to the position of a captain.

That day, on the eve of the county exam, Shi Guang knew that his chance had come when he learned that Du Qingtang had arranged for Wan Guiyu to go to Qingyang County and Ma Boren to go to Heyang County.

Shi Guang promised huge profits, and Ma Boren really took the bait.

In fact, Shi Guang originally planned to spread smallpox in Shaoqing Prefecture, and then take advantage of the chaos in the city for the Qi army to capture Shaoqing Prefecture in one fell swoop and capture Du Qingtang alive.

——Although Du Qingtang is hateful, he has great talent and can be used by the Great Qi.

Who would have thought that Du Qingtang would arrange for all the people in the prefecture to be vaccinated with cowpox.

Shi Guang was secretly resentful and had to give up his plan to spread smallpox.

For several months thereafter, Da Qi kept urging him to act as soon as possible.

However, the city was heavily guarded, and it was not until last month that Shi Guang found an opportunity to throw the plague-infected corpses into the Changxing River.

After just two weeks, when eight or nine out of ten people in Shaoqing Prefecture were infected with the plague, the Qi army could easily capture Shaoqing Prefecture with a single attack.

Unexpectedly, plans cannot keep up with changes. Under Du Qingtang's control, the plague was quickly brought under control, and someone even developed a cure for the plague.

Shi Guang knew that something was wrong, so he instructed the palace soldiers through Ma Boren to put the rats carrying the plague virus into the quarantine center.

Unexpectedly, this action directly led to the exposure of Ma Boren and others.

Du Qingtang killed Ma Boren with his own hands, and then ordered the military camp to be sealed off, with garrison commander Wan to thoroughly investigate any spies in the army.

The incident happened too quickly, and Shi Guang had no time to send a message to inform Da Qi Shaoqing Mansion that they had already discovered their plan and the location of the secret passage.

In the next few days, Shi Guang did not dare to alert the enemy, for fear that his identity would be exposed and affect the next plan. He could only watch Shaoqing Prefecture enter a state of preparation for war.

Shi Guang knew how important food and grass were during marches and battles, so when Guard Wan was assigning tasks, he took the lead and took the job of guarding the food and grass warehouse.

Last night, the Qi camp fired a flare.

The granary was located next to the west city gate. Shi Guang could see it clearly and immediately decided to find an opportunity to burn down the granary.

The Xia army had no food to eat, so how could they have the strength to fight the enemy? They would naturally be defeated without a fight.

Two hours ago, Shi Guang received news from Zhang Caiwei...or Ding Wushuang.

Ding Wushuang asserted that the Qi army would attack the city again today, so he asked him to take advantage of the chaos to burn the granary and then withdraw from Shaoqing Prefecture through the secret passage.

Although Ding Wushuang is a woman, she is Shi Guang's superior.

Shi Guang naturally obeyed her orders unconditionally.

As expected, around noon, the Qi army attacked the city and the entire city was instantly in chaos.

Shi Guang sent away the palace soldiers guarding the granary and poured two barrels of kerosene into it. As soon as Ding Wushuang appeared, he set fire to the granary and evacuated through the secret passage.

......

The experiences of the past two years flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope, frame by frame. Shi Guang glanced at the woman on Ding Wushuang's back.

If I remember correctly, she seemed to be one of the only two female doctors in the city.

"Sister Ding, why did you bring her here too?"

Ding Wushuang's eyes were cold, and his tone was calm: "She is Du Qingtang's sister. She can be a hostage if necessary."

Shi Guang understood and immediately asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to withdraw from Shaoqing Prefecture?"

Ding Wushuang remained silent.

Last year, Ding Wushuang killed Zhang Caiwei and pretended to be her to get close to Du Qingtang, hoping to find an opportunity to bring Du Qingtang back to Da Qi.

However, Du Qingtang was too wary, so Ding Wushuang had to give up his plan to be her slave and settle for the next best thing, going to the charity house.

So far, Ding Wushuang has not been able to find an opportunity.

Before this morning, Ding Wushuang's target had always been Du Qingtang.

It was not until Du Qingju confessed her identity that Ding Wushuang decided to withdraw from Shaoqing Prefecture.

Du Qingtang seems cold, but he is actually the softest-hearted person.

As long as we can grasp her weakness, we can make her work wholeheartedly for Da Qi.

In fact, Du Qingju is the top priority, and burning the granary is only secondary.

When Shaoqing Prefecture runs out of food and is on the verge of starvation, Da Qi can use Du Qingju as a hostage and force Du Qingtang to open the city and surrender.

If Du Qingtang refused, he would kill Du Qingju directly and send troops to attack the city.

If this happens, I don’t know how many people from Qi will die.

But that had nothing to do with Ding Wushuang. She only cared about completing the task on schedule and didn't care about anything else.

Seeing that Ding Wushuang was silent, Shi Guang did not dare to ask more questions. The two of them rushed in the secret passage for an hour and finally reached the end.

Shi Guang stepped forward and pushed open the secret door.

Sunlight rushed into the secret passage, but Shi Guang stopped there.

Ding Wushuang said coldly: "Go quickly."

Shi Guang did not respond, his breathing was heavy and his body was stiff.

Ding Wushuang lowered her head as if she had realized something, and saw Shi Guang with one hand behind his back, gesturing at her.

Ding Wushuang narrowed his eyes and immediately took a big step back.

Just as he was about to return the same way, a cold weapon was pressed against his carotid artery.

Warm breath hit my ears, and a clear female voice echoed in the secret passage: "I advise you not to move~"

Ding Wushuang's eyes were cold and his tone was flat, as if he was stating a fact: "You are not Du Qingju."

The woman on his back giggled: "Of course I am not her!"

Ding Wushuang threw the person on his back out. The woman did a somersault and before she landed on the ground, Ding Wushuang attacked her.

The woman was calm and composed, her clear voice like pearls falling into a jade dish: "Oh, Miss Zhang, you are so fierce! Why would a girl start a fight over a disagreement?"

He sounded aggrieved but was ruthless in his attack.

The two men started fighting in the secret passage with bare hands.

When Du Yi arrived, the woman was grabbed by the ankle and thrown out by Ding Wushuang. She twisted in mid-air and almost fell to the ground.

The woman screamed and slid behind Du Yi like a fish, complaining loudly: "Brother Du Yi, she bullied me, hit her!"

Du Yi: “…”

Du Yi pushed the woman aside and started fighting with Ding Wushuang.

Not long after, the woman recovered her breath and joined in again.

After dozens of rounds, Ding Wushuang was kicked out of the secret passage by Du Yi. His thin body rolled a few times and hit the low cabinet with a loud "bang", which made people's teeth ache.

The woman leaped over and sat on her back.

“Crack—”

A fishy and sweet taste surged in Ding Wushuang's throat, and her spine broke.

......

This is a very ordinary house.

A long kang, a low cabinet and a square table are standard equipment for a farmhouse.

Ding Wushuang and Shi Guang were tied up and thrown on the brick floor, staring at the tall and graceful woman in ochre clothes standing beside the square table, the murderous intent and unwillingness in their eyes almost solidified into reality.

"Why are you glaring at me? Don't you want your eyes anymore?" Mu Yuanzhu put her hands on her hips and threatened fiercely.

Ding Wushuang closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "I thought my disguise was perfect."

Du Qingtang gently stroked his waist belt, and said calmly: "I never trust anyone."

She paused, then added: "The biggest problem is having no problem."

Ding Wushuang and Shi Guang were both stunned.

With the previous experience of Nanping as a lesson, Du Qingtang sent someone to investigate Zhang Caiwei as soon as she appeared.

The information about Zhang Caiwei was too clean, so clean that it was weird, with the four big words "the more you try to cover up, the more obvious it becomes" clearly written on it.

Du Qingtang never relaxed his surveillance on Zhang Caiwei. He knew everything she did and where she went every day.

So when Zhang Caiwei appeared in the west of the city and lingered near a private house for a while, Du Qingtang immediately sent people to investigate the house, and by chance discovered the secret passage.

No matter how well a counterfeit disguises himself, there will still be flaws.

Du Qingtang quickly found evidence of Liu Bazong's murder and handed it over to his wife.

In the following three months, Zhang Caiwei and Liu Bazong became the key targets of surveillance.

This morning, Du Qingtang received the news from Liu Bazong's wife, and Zhang Caiwei also delivered a letter to the house. She knew that the time had come.

Asking Mu Yuanzhu to pretend to be Du Qingju was just a precaution, but unexpectedly, Ding Wushuang really set his sights on her.

When Du Qingtang learned that Du Qingju was missing, he immediately brought people to guard here, which led to the scene just now.

Shi Guang suddenly burst into laughter. "So what if they discovered it? All the food and fodder has been burned. The Xia bandits have no food to eat. Sooner or later, they will starve to death. If you don't want to die, then you can only open the city and surrender, and become prisoners of the Great Qi!"

Mu Yuanzhu also laughed out loud: "You idiot, if the prefect has already suspected you, why would he let you guard the grain warehouse?"

Shi Guang's smug smile froze on his face.

Du Qingtang smiled, meeting the murderous gazes of Shi Guang and Ding Wushuang: "Except for the outermost layer which is real food and grass, the rest is all yellow sand."

Shi Guang's eyes rolled back and he fainted from anger.

Mu Yuanzhu tutted in disdain and looked at Ding Wushuang: "Why don't you bite your tongue and commit suicide?"

Ding Wushuang: "...I can tell you anything you want to know."

Du Qingtang: "Conditions?"

Ding Wushuang: "I don't want to die."

She worked for Da Qi in order to survive the famine.

Similarly, in order to survive, she could turn around and sell Da Qi.

Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows slightly: "Okay."

That night, an urgent letter concerning Da Qi was secretly sent from Shaoqing Prefecture and delivered to Xiajing at an express speed of 800 miles.

Along with the urgent report, there were also methods for making cement and telescopes, prescriptions for plague, and letters of complaint from the governor and prefects of surrounding prefectures who refused to provide support.

-

At 3:00 p.m., the Qi army retreated to the camp.

Han Ren and Lu Ying told Xiao Jinbao their respective discoveries.

Xiao Jinbao's guess was confirmed, and he immediately ordered the army to break camp and join the Western Route Army.

Wu Yi was still recuperating in the main tent. Due to excessive blood loss, his dark face looked slightly pale.

Seeing Xiao Jinbao, he didn't look happy and asked in a cold voice: "We agreed to split the troops into two groups. Why did you come here without my permission?"

Xiao Jinbao told Wu Yi all of his findings, and Wu Yi was delighted: "According to what you said, Shaoqing Mansion is seeking its own destruction, isn't it?"

Xiao Jinbao nodded: "You can say that."

Wu Yi's wound suddenly stopped hurting, and he felt refreshed. "This general will send troops to attack the city now. A hundred thousand troops are enough to break through the west gate, march straight in, and capture them alive..."

"No!" Xiao Jinbao ignored Wu Yi's displeased look and patiently explained, "We don't know how much gunpowder Du Qingtang still has. Attacking rashly would be suicide."

Wu Yi snorted coldly: "Shi Guang, Ding Wushuang and the one who was instigated are all useless. The three of them tied together can't even defeat a woman like Du Qingtang!"

If the conspiracy behind the plague had not been exposed, the Qi army could have caught Shaoqing Prefecture off guard, and Du Qingtang would have had no time to make gunpowder and muskets, resulting in over 10,000 casualties for the Qi army.

"This woman should not be underestimated. If it weren't for her, our army would have captured Loushan Pass and marched straight to Huanglong two years ago." Xiao Jinbao, unwilling to dwell on the past humiliation, suggested, "Didn't Du Qingtang rely on the city's abundant food and fodder to blockade the three city gates? Then find a way to contact Shi Guang and have them burn the food and fodder..."

Wu Yi interrupted him, "I sent out a warning arrow last night. If nothing unexpected happens, they should take action soon."

Xiao Jinbao smiled slowly: "That's great."

As soon as he finished speaking, his personal guards rushed in like a gust of wind: "General, the spies reported that there are two human heads hanging on the west wall of Shaoqing Prefecture. They seem to be spies planted by our army in the prefecture."

Wu Yi: “???”

Xiao Jinbao: "......"

The air suddenly became quiet. Wu Yi and Xiao Jinbao looked at each other, and no one spoke.

After a long time, Wu Yi finally found his voice: "Did you say... did they succeed?"

Xiao Jinbao suppressed the urge to curse and put his hand on his forehead. "The only plan now is to trap the Xia army in the city. When the food and grass are exhausted, it will be the day for our army to attack the city."

Wu Yi's brows were furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly: "Then how long do we have to wait?"

Xiao Jinbao spread his hands, rather desperately saying, "The Xia army has gunpowder, but our army doesn't, unless you want all 140,000 soldiers to die from gunpowder."

Wu Yi shook his head like a rattle. If he dared to do so, His Majesty would probably chop off his head and feed it to the dogs.

"Then wait?"

"Well, wait."

......

"Sir, since Ding Wushuang confessed everything, including what she knew about the spies planted by Da Qi in Da Xia, why did you still kill her?" Zhou Tongzhi asked puzzledly.

Du Qingtang stood in front of the government office, looking up at the sky: "This man is a man of few words, and he will cause endless trouble. It is better to kill him directly to deter the Qi bandits."

Zhou Tongzhi suddenly understood: "Your Excellency is wise, it is me who is short-sighted."

Wu Tongzhi yawned. He hadn't slept for a whole day and night since the Qi army arrived at the city gates.

One is that I am busy with official duties, and the other is that I can’t sleep and dare not sleep.

"The Qi bandits attacked twice in one day, suffering heavy casualties each time. They shouldn't come again in the next two days, right?"

Du Qingtang returned to the government office, and Zhou, Wu, Zheng and Wang followed.

"The Southern Army has tested three city gates and confirmed they are blocked from the inside. They will undoubtedly reunite with the Western Army..."

Wang Tongzhi's face turned pale. "Hundreds of thousands of troops are attacking the west gate. What should we do?"

Du Qingtang: "...Don't panic. The Qi bandits are afraid of gunpowder, so I don't think they'll attack rashly. They probably share Shi Guang's idea and want to trap us in the city."

"Our army has sufficient food and fodder to last at least six months. If they're willing to wait, they can wait and see who can afford it."

Zheng Tongpan rolled his eyes and offered Du Qingtang a bad idea: "Sir, why not send people outside the city to cook delicious food every day? The Qi bandits want to eat but can't, and they will be worried and sleepless every day, suffering from torture. Wouldn't that be a pleasure?"

Du Qingtang glanced at him and said, "I really didn't realize that Lord Zheng is such a sentimental person."

"puff--"

King Zhou, King Wu and the other two laughed out loud.

Judge Zheng Tong didn't blush, and said confidently: "The Qi bandits have come to my door. I don't care about the gentleman's way. I just want to make them die of anger!"

"Excellent!" Zhou Tongzhi praised. "Master Zheng is absolutely right, but who would be the best person to assign this task to?"

Du Qingtang curled his lips and said, "Go and invite the professors and students of the prefectural school."

......

Two days later, it was a sunny morning.

Having decided to trap the Xia army in the city, the Qi army set up camp fifty miles away.

There was still a thin mist in the early morning.

A group of men in round-collared robes walked out of the city gate under the escort of palace soldiers. They walked thirty miles away and lined up facing the Qi camp.

The scout who was responsible for observing the enemy situation saw this and alarm bells went off in his head.

"What do they want to do?"

"Those guys in the middle are as skinny as monkeys. They look like scholars."

"We will hold our ground for now. Go and tell the general."

One scout quickly returned to the camp, while the rest of the scouts locked onto the Xia people, ready to fight a desperate battle at any time.

Ten men in round-necked robes, like magicians, each took out a trumpet that was thin at the top and thick at the bottom and put it to their mouths.

"You are nothing but dogs, pigs, rats and insects..."

"...Why not drown yourself to reflect on yourself?"

"…Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall of dung cannot be plastered!"

Normally, the scouts should not be able to hear the other side's voices at a distance of twenty miles, but this time they could hear it exceptionally clearly.

"They're really loud."

"No, it's probably because of the trumpets they hold that the voices are amplified several times over."

"So what are they yelling about?"

The scouts looked at the only scout who could read.

The man's face turned pale and blue, and he suppressed his anger and said, "They are scolding us."

"What are you scolding?"

The man closed his eyes and spoke very quickly, afraid of profaning himself: "They call the people of Qi rats, worse than pigs and dogs... Let's take a piss and look in the mirror... They also say that the people of Qi are stupid rotten wood, like a wall covered in manure that cannot be painted, because... because..."

"Why?"

"Because no matter how much you paint it, it will still stink."

Scout: “??!”

"How dare they insult the Qi people like this!"

"Come here, cut off their tongues for this general and throw them to the dogs!"

When Wu Yi found out, he was so angry that he overturned the table on the spot, walked out with a knife in hand, and looked like he would not stop until he killed them.

"General, calm down!"

"Those Xia people are protected by thousands of Xia soldiers. You must not act impulsively!"

"We're twenty miles away, and we can't hear you. Why bother getting angry with a bunch of villains, General?"

It took the personal soldiers much persuasion to convince Wu Yi to give up the idea of causing trouble for the other party.

As a result, the next day, another ten men in round-collar robes left the city under the escort of palace soldiers.

This time the distance was not twenty miles, but fifteen miles.

The man in the round-necked robe held up the trumpet and fired in the direction of Qi's camp.

He used up all his life's knowledge to curse at everything dirty and ugly.

Wu Yi: "Don't stop me, I'm going to kill them!"

No one stopped him this time.

It was really because those men in round-collar robes cursed so rudely that it was unbearable to listen to, and they were unworthy of being scholars.

However, in just a cup of tea, Wu Yi and the Qi army returned in disgrace. Many of the Qi soldiers were injured and looked very miserable.

"What's going on?"

The Xia army had at most a thousand men, while the Qi army had two thousand. It made no sense for them to be the defeated and fleeing party.

"Damn it! They have muskets. They're shooting at us before we even get close... Ouch! It hurts so much!"

Qi Jun looked at his colleague who was being held down by the military doctor to remove the bullet and was thrashing around in pain: "..."

For the next half month, ten men in round-collar robes appeared fifteen miles away from Qi Camp on time every day and launched a barrage of attacks on Qi Camp.

The curses are very dirty and almost never repeated.

During this period, Wu Yi could no longer tolerate it and sent troops to cause trouble for them. As a result, the Xia army fired a barrage of muskets at them, and in the end, five to six out of ten Qi troops were carried back.

Wu Yi was so angry that he jumped up and down: "I can't stand with that stinky woman Du Qingtang!"

Xiao Jinbao: "......"

Qi Jun: “…”

On the sixteenth day, the round-necked robe did not appear.

The 140,000 Qi troops all breathed a sigh of relief.

Thanks to Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Three Pure Ones, I don’t have to be scolded from morning to night anymore!

As a result, on the seventeenth day, the round-necked robe appeared again.

Qi Jun: “…”

Not only did they appear, they also went five miles west.

Qi Jun: “…”

The most outrageous thing is that there are twenty people wearing round-necked robes this time.

Ten of them were responsible for greeting Qi Jun himself and his family, while the other ten actually brought a low table, sat on the ground, and ate the pot leisurely!

Qi Jun: “…”

"This red oil pot bottom is really beautiful, the oil is bright red, and the spicy smell is drilling straight into my head."

An east wind blew, and an overbearing spicy smell rushed into my nose.

Qi Jun swallowed his saliva.

"And these lamb rolls are as thin as cicada wings. They are tender and full of meat. They are cooked in the red oil pot for more than ten breaths. When they are taken out, every inch of the meat is covered with red oil. When paired with the secret sauce, it is simply a delicacy!"

The Qi army swallowed twice.

"And this sweet potato noodle, it's soft, smooth, chewy, and has a hint of spiciness. It's just delicious!"

The Qi army swallowed three times.

“It’s so delicious!”

"We are so happy that we can enjoy such delicious hot pot every day!"

"This delicious pot is too good to be tasted by Qi Zei, not even a single bite, eh hehehehehehe!"

Qi thief: “…”

Faced with the delicious food, the Qi army automatically ignored the scolding of the round-collared robe and looked at the steamed bun in their hands, feeling very uncomfortable.

"I heard that the general and his men can eat meat and drink wine every day."

"They are generals. How can we compare with them?"

"But we are also human beings. I don't want to eat steamed buns and drink rice soup every day."

These words dealt a fatal blow to the Qi army.

For the first time in half a month, they did not respond to Xia Zei's insults.

-

For the next two weeks, every day twenty men in round-collared robes appeared on time ten miles away from Qi camp.

Ten of them spoke to Qiying, while the other ten sat on the ground, tasting various delicacies and describing their taste and flavor vividly.

The Qi army was forced to endure both physical and psychological torture every day, and everyone complained. The resentment above the Qi camp was enough to feed ten thousand evil sword immortals.

"Recently, the Qi army has been involved in frequent clashes. Wu Yi and Xiao Jinbao have dealt with many people, but the situation has only intensified..."

Du Qingtang listened to the spy's report on the Qi camp, tapped the table with his fingers, and instructed Zhou Tongzhi: "Notify the prefectural school that there is no need to go there anymore."

Zhou Tongzhi responded and asked, "So what's next..."

Du Qingtang smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in his eyes: "The Qi bandits have murdered thousands of my people in Daxia. It's time to fight back."

She had prepared enough gunpowder to blow the entire Qi camp into the sky.

Zhou Tongzhi perked up and grinned like a flower.

......

In just one hour, the news that Shaoqing Prefecture would launch a counterattack at midnight spread throughout the city.

The people ran around to tell each other and were overjoyed.

"Great! The Qi thief is finally going away! No need to worry anymore, wuwuwu..."

"I can finally go home. Although the capital city is bigger and more prosperous, I feel more at ease where I am at home."

Everyone is full of confidence and firmly believes that Shaoqing Prefecture will win this battle!

A tense atmosphere permeated the military camp. The soldiers from the prefecture and county had solemn expressions and lined up to ask people to write letters home.

War is cruel and swords are merciless. No one can guarantee that they will return safely from this battle.

Even if their families were in Shaoqing Prefecture, the soldiers still followed the convention and left a letter home, writing down what they wanted to say but dared not say out loud.

If they unfortunately died on the battlefield, the government would give their families a letter and a pension.

Yang Tianchuan also planned to write a letter home.

When it was Yang Tianchuan's turn, he pondered for a long time, so long that the people behind him urged him repeatedly before he left a word.

"Just this one sentence?"

"Yeah, that's it."

After writing the letter home, Yang Tianchuan left the military camp and returned home.

It's still early, only noon, and there are still six hours before we go to the battlefield.

Before that, he wanted to see his family.

When he opened the door, his son, who had just learned to walk, ran over and threw himself into Yang Tianchuan's arms.

"father!"

Yang Tianchuan held his son in his arms as if he were holding a ball of cotton. He looked at his mother and wife with a smile.

My mother and wife were also laughing.

"Why are you back at this time? We've already eaten."

"Have you eaten yet? I'll make you a bowl of dumpling soup."

In fact, Yang Tianchuan had already eaten, but he shook his head: "Then I'll trouble you, mother."

He hasn't been back for a long time since the plague broke out in Shaoqing Prefecture, and he misses the taste of the dumpling soup made by his mother.

The mother made a big bowl of dumpling soup. Yang Tianchuan held his son and ate until his belly was round. He even burped when he put down his chopsticks.

My mother and wife sat opposite me, covering their mouths and laughing.

Yang Tianchuan also laughed. He looked at his mother's gray hair and suddenly called out "Mom".

"What?"

Yang Tianchuan opened his mouth but shook his head: "Nothing, I just called you."

His mother glared at him unhappily.

Yang Tianchuan stayed at home for two hours and returned to the military camp when it was getting dark.

I'm going to the battlefield tonight, so the dinner is very sumptuous, with two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and one soup.

The soldiers ate to their heart's content and then lay in the tents chatting.

"I've lived for almost thirty years. The first twenty-eight were a slog. In the past two years, I've gotten married and had children, and my life has begun to look forward to something. I never expected to go to the battlefield again. But I'm not afraid. Isn't it just killing the Qi bandits? If I can survive, my heroic deeds will be passed down to eighteen generations of descendants!"

"To be honest, I'm afraid of pain, but there's nothing I can do. My parents, brothers, and sisters all live in the city, so I have to go to the battlefield to protect them."

"I went back home this afternoon. My wife is pregnant. I will be a father next year."

"I remember that you and your wife were married by the prefect himself?"

"Yes, the marriage certificate written by the prefect is precious to my wife. She won't let me touch it. I have made up my mind. No matter whether my wife is pregnant with a girl or a boy, I will teach her to ride a horse..."

Yang Tianchuan listened, thinking of his mother, daughter-in-law and son, and grinned in the darkness.

-

At midnight, a hundred soldiers flew across the sky on wooden kites and entered the sky above the Qi camp.

The wooden kite is huge, and its wingspan is enough to cover the sky and the sun.

The palace soldier took out gunpowder from the cloth bag hanging in front of him, lit the fuse, and threw it down from a high place.

"boom--"

Countless huge fireballs rose up, and many Qi soldiers were still asleep when they were blown into the sky along with their tents, turning into dust.

The Qi army was awakened by the deafening roar and rushed out of the tents. They saw the camp was littered with debris and blood flowing like a river, and their eyes were bloodshot.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The Qi camp was in chaos, with curses and screams interweaving into a melody symbolizing death.

After a round of bombing, the wooden kites carried the palace soldiers away from the sky.

Underground, Guard Wan led 80,000 Xia troops, pointing his sword at the 140,000 Qi troops.

"All soldiers, listen to my orders! Follow me and charge into the Qi camp to avenge our previous humiliation!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The soldiers raised their scimitars and spears and charged into the Qi camp with an unstoppable force.

The infantry battalion where Yang Tianchuan was located rushed to the front.

He brandished his scimitar, screamed, and slashed at the Qi army with all his might.

Red knife goes in, white knife comes out.

Blood splattered and the sharp blade light illuminated the endless night.

Yang Tianchuan saw that Lu Wude, who always said that he was afraid of death, had half of his head chopped off by a Qi army soldier, and red and white blood were scattered all over the ground.

The severe pain brought tears to Lu Wude's eyes. He roared, thrust the scimitar in his hand into the belly of the Qi army, and then fell down laughing.

He also saw Wu Kangnian, whose wife was pregnant, pierced through the chest by a long spear from the Qi army.

There were drops of blood on the tip of the spear, soaking into the yellow earth.

"ah!"

Wu Kangnian screamed, staggered a few times, and slowly pulled the spear out of his flesh and blood.

The Qi army was shocked by his actions and was caught off guard, and was pierced through the chest by the scimitar.

Wu Kangnian laughed heartily: "You never thought of that? This is called making a feint to the east and attacking in the west!"

He fell to the ground with a smile, with half of the spear still stuck in his chest.

The moment before closing his eyes, a look of regret seemed to flash across Wu Kangnian's eyes.

It's a pity that I can't see his child being born or teach her to ride a horse.

Yang Tianchuan only felt that an invisible big hand was stirring his chest, making him almost nauseous and tears streaming down his face.

His right hand mechanically swung the scimitar, killing one Qi soldier after another.

......

The moment he was kicked away by the Qi army's warhorse, Yang Tianchuan felt that the sky and the earth had lost their color and all things had lost their voice.

The Qi army rode up on horseback and trampled over him.

For a moment, Yang Tianchuan seemed to forget the pain.

He lay on the pile of corpses, staring quietly at the dark sky.

Someone shouted in my ear: "I have captured your commander alive, and your deputy commander has been beheaded. Why don't you throw down your weapons immediately?"

Yang Tianchuan rolled his eyes and looked towards the source of the sound.

He didn't see anyone.

All I saw was a hint of dawn in the east.

It's dawn.

Yang Tianchuan suddenly remembered the letter from home that contained only one sentence.

"Will I be your pride?"

——You always have been.

Yang Tianchuan smiled and closed his eyes contentedly.