Chapter 151
According to the mountain city.
Qu Dubian rested for two days and took the opportunity to get a thorough understanding of the situation in the city.
There are about 15,000 defenders here.
These included reserve personnel such as cooks and militiamen.
The official defenders totaled about 10,000, including more than ten thousand captains and a hundred centurions.
According to Qu Dubian's rank, he could lead more than 5,000 soldiers, but he only selected a team of 1,000 people and planned to train them to be his direct soldiers in the northern border.
Ersen showed him the list of centurions: "There are eleven in total. Their military names and other information are all here. You can choose a centurion as your deputy general, and then select the rest of the soldiers."
Of course, he couldn't tell anything from the list, so Qu Duan randomly pointed to a name and said, "Take a look at this first."
Nisen: “He…”
Qu Watanabe: "What's wrong?"
Nisen: "There's nothing wrong with him, but he's a troublemaker."
Qu Watanabe was curious: "How prickly is it?"
-
Military camp.
An incredulous voice floated out from the tent: "What did you say?!!"
"The Seventh Prince chose me?!"
Ye Lianyang pointed at his nose and asked, "Am I going to be his deputy general?"
He was about twenty years old, with a somewhat ruffian look. His face was filled with astonishment, and the withered grass he was biting fell out of his mouth.
There were also several centurions around him who were good friends with him. Seeing his appearance, they laughed out loud: "That's you! Wouldn't it be better for you to follow the Seventh Prince? Maybe you can just accompany him instead of fighting."
Ye Lianyang said angrily, "What do you know? It's no good having an extra boss for nothing."
Moreover, he heard that the Seventh Prince was not even seventeen years old, not yet twenty, just a half-grown child, what did he know about marching and fighting? Should he find a deputy general or a wet nurse?
Perhaps the soldiers on the northern border have a stereotype of the pampered princes in the capital, that they are precious porcelain dolls that they need to place on the table as tribute. If the dolls are broken by accident, their heads will probably be broken as well.
So everyone should stay away from it as much as possible unless it is necessary.
As early as the night when the news came out that General Nisen was going to select a deputy general for the Seventh Prince, they had already been silently worried.
Don't get chosen!
Someone gave him an idea: "When the Seventh Prince asks you to do something, just act clumsy, and he will definitely not want you anymore."
Ye Lianyang: "What if he takes a fancy to the clumsy deputy general?"
"Then you just pretend to be sick."
Ye Lianyang: "Do you think you can hide this from General Ersen?"
"Well……"
One of the seniors said slowly, "The Seventh Prince is not as arrogant as you think. He is also capable."
I guess they didn't even ask about the Seventh Prince's bandit suppression, but they accused him of being spoiled. Maybe they did ask, but they only believed it three or four points, after all, the border soldiers' stereotypes about the princes of the capital can't be changed in a short time.
The soldier who came to escort Ye Lianyang to the commander's tent urged helplessly, "Sir, why don't you go over first?"
It's not a good idea to drag it on like this and make the commander and the prince wait.
Ye Lianyang jumped down from the table and patted his butt, "Let's go. I just don't want to work with him, so I'll just refuse openly."
"No way, Brother Ye, you are going to fight the prince head-on."
"The Marquis's little grandson, aren't you afraid that he will make things difficult for you?"
Ye Lianyang: "I am just this kind of person. I have been bullied many times. He can suppress me but he can't kill me. After he leaves, I can still show up."
General Nisen pays attention to the conduct of his soldiers, and only those with qualified conduct are promoted based on their abilities. As long as they do not make mistakes on major issues, capable people will be noticed.
After he left, the other centurions and captains who were on different patrols that day pushed and shoved each other, and finally they all squeezed through.
"Come on, come on, there's something exciting to watch."
"Oh hurry up, you stepped on my shoe!"
Inside the commander's tent.
Qu Dubian heard the noise outside.
A young voice came through the tent: "I am General Ye Lianyang, meeting the Seventh Prince."
Nisen: "Come on, get out."
Qu Dubian lifted the tent curtain and saw a general in light armor half-kneeling in front of him. He was quite young, with some ruffian features and his hair was a little dry and yellow. His hair slanted to the left and formed into bangs, covering one of his eyes.
“…”
The shape is a bit non-mainstream.
He said, "Get up."
Ersen said calmly: "You are late, what are you doing?"
Ye Lianyang clasped his fists and said, "General, I do not want to be the Seventh Prince's deputy general, nor do I want to be a soldier under the Seventh Prince! Please choose someone else."
Qu Duanbian looked thoughtfully at the soldiers around him.
It is estimated that there are quite a few thousand captains and centurions among them.
The aura of these people is different from that of the soldiers from Qingzhou and Jeju states, and they have a much more murderous aura.
Ersen: "Ye Lianyang, you are a soldier, soldiers follow orders, you are qualified to choose your superiors?"
Ye Lianyang muttered, "For soldiers to obey orders, the people above them must be worthy of our obedience. If the commander cannot convince us, won't the chances of something going wrong be even greater..."
Ersen was worried that Qu Watanabe would be angry, so he said with a serious expression, "Go down and receive twenty military sticks."
If you get beaten, you don’t need to be chosen.
Before Ye Lianyang could show any joy, Qu Duanbian said, "Don't, he said it very well."
He walked up to Ye Lianyang and walked around.
"You're right, but according to what you said, the selection of generals and deputy generals should be a two-way process. Since you are picky about me, what ability do you have to make me feel that you are qualified to select me?"
Ye Lianyang puffed out his chest and said, "We have attacked the enemy six times and won all of them! I am the best fighter in the barracks and no one can be second to me!"
Qu Watanabe: "Uncle Ersen, has he ever fought with you?"
Ersen nodded: "He is very talented in martial arts. Even though neither of us used any killing moves, he was half a move better than me." But he was too arrogant and everyone in Jushan City only listened to him.
Qu Dubian became interested: "Have you ever fought with Xia Fuyang?"
Ye Lianyang hesitated and said, "We have fought, but General Xia defeated me with just ten moves with his bare hands."
Qu Dubian patted his shoulder and said, "I'll let you use one hand and only use ten moves. If you can knock me down on the fighting stage, I will admit that you are qualified to choose me."
"Give me a hand??"
"Ten moves?"
There were suppressed exclamations from all around.
After being surprised for a moment, Ye Lianyang immediately agreed and said, "Okay, that's what you said, but I think we can just fight normally."
Ersen frowned: "Ye Lianyang!"
Yi Twelve stopped him, shook his head and whispered: "Your Highness is very strong."
Qu Dubian had already taken the initiative to drag Ye Lianyang to the arena. Along the way, countless soldiers who had heard the news sneaked over to watch the fun.
By the time the two men stood on the arena, there were already many people standing there.
Ersen had not expected that the Seventh Prince would take the initiative to fight Ye Lianyang, "Are you His Highness' personal guard? Ye Lianyang is different from others. He sometimes goes crazy when fighting."
He becomes more courageous as the battle goes on.
"What if His Highness gets hurt?"
B12: "I'm here, I won't."
On stage.
Qu Dubian raised his hand to tighten the colorful hair tie on his head, then put one hand behind his back and said to Ye Lianyang who was also unarmed: "You can still choose a weapon."
Ye Lianyang: "That's too much of a bully."
Qu Dubian thought to himself that not letting you use weapons is bullying: "You'd better choose one. If you lose, you have to be my deputy general. From now on, when I say east, you don't go west."
This fight must be fought. If not, the soldiers selected later will not be convinced.
Grandpa is right, everything on the border is based on strength, just like when Xia Fuyang first came here, all we have to do is defeat all the voices of disobedience.
Ye Lianyang still didn't choose a weapon. "Okay! If you lose, I'll be your deputy general. Not only that, I'll wash your stinky socks for a month and brush your shoes for two months!"
At the end of the words, the 'little general' who had been pretending to be someone else directly turned into 'the boss'. Once he got into a fighting posture, his reckless temperament was completely revealed.
Ersen's face also turned completely dark.
What does "I" mean? You dare to call yourself that in front of the prince, you bastard, are you really not afraid of losing your head!
Qu Watanabe: "Come on," after a second of silence, he couldn't help but say, "Your socks are the ones that stink."
Ye Lianyang raised his fist and stepped forward. Qu Dubian tilted his head and the sharp wind from his fist brushed past his nose.
He raised his hand and grabbed Ye Lianyang's wrist. Ye Lianyang immediately pulled away, but his wrist seemed to be firmly sucked by something and he couldn't get it free. Then Qu Watanabe took the opportunity to elbow him.
Ye Lianyang was hit in the chest and took two steps back.
He was secretly shocked.
Such a strong internal force, seemingly non-aggressive, but with an extremely terrifying pulling force.
"One move."
The moment Qu Dubian grasped his wrist, he had already figured out his strength: "I use my internal strength to bully people, can I compete with you using only my fists and feet?"
Ye Lianyang is indeed good.
Born as an ordinary person, he was able to successfully open his Dantian, which obviously shows that he has a certain talent.
People who were several years younger than him kept saying things that would make him do so. Ye Lianyang's ears turned red, and he gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't want it, I won't want it either. Your Highness doesn't have to give in!"
Roll your knees and push your chest forward, then step forward and turn your elbows back.
The two quickly entered close combat.
Qu Watanabe learned a wide variety of things, including various types of boxing and palm techniques, as well as the close combat techniques taught by Liu Liu, which allowed him to attack with agility and react quickly.
His and Ye Lianyang's way of attacking are completely different.
Ersen looked more and more seriously, "Did the Seventh Prince learn a few moves from Ting Feng? Some of his moves are very military-style."
B Twelve said: "Not sure."
When His Highness was suppressing bandits, he also learned a few of Zuo Tianlang's signature moves, and even learned the offensive and defensive methods that Lieutenant General Zhang was good at.
However, there are very few people who dare to fight against His Highness, resulting in most people not knowing exactly how strong His Highness is, except for him who occasionally practices against His Highness.
Qu Dubian grabbed Ye Lianyang by the collar, threw him up, and then pressed him hard on the stage.
"Six moves, do you still want to fight?"
Ye Lianyang took a breath for a moment, then turned over and did a scissor kick, "Come on!"
Qu Duanbian didn't even give him a chance to get up. He grabbed his ankle and threw him down hard again.
Bang!
Ye Lianyang's eyes went dark for a moment and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The centurions who were watching around turned their faces away, unable to bear to watch.
Wow.
This is a good guy.
How long has it been since I saw Ye Lianyang in such a miserable state?
Qu Watanabe: "Count seven moves, continue?"
"I lost a long time ago," Ye Lianyang lay on the ground for a long time before he looked up, his face pale. He said, "I will be your deputy general, but I still want to fight with you. Let's use weapons."
Qu Duanbian let him go, "Okay."
Ye Lianyang jumped up and asked, "What weapons do you want?"
Qu Watanabe thought for a moment and said, "All is fine."
He is not picky about weapons, but his favorite is archery, because if blood splashes when killing someone, it is less likely to splash on him.
Ye Lianyang threw him a long knife.
Qu Duanbian weighed it and said, "Come."
Ye Lianyang chose a spear himself to avoid being hurt by the blade. He was a little bit prudent, after all, he didn't really want to be beheaded.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and then started fighting the next second.
We fought from morning to noon, and from noon to dark.
The soldiers below the arena came and went, holding their bowls and eating while watching. They were nervous at the beginning, cheered in the middle, and finally sighed in boredom at the end.
"When will they finish fighting?"
"I don't know. Aren't you all hungry?"
“Really…”
It's outrageous.
The two men on the arena changed weapons one after another until the sky was dark and the stars were densely populated.
Ye Lianyang was soaked in sweat, half-kneeling on the ground, trembling. The palm of his right hand was cracked slightly from the shock, and blood was oozing out.
Qu Dubian squatted down and looked at him. The three-colored rope used to tie his ponytail slid to his chest. A small rabbit was hanging on the rope, swaying back and forth.
After a moment, he reached out and poked Ye Lianyang's shoulder, "Are you still strong?"
Ye Lianyang raised his head with difficulty. The young man in front of him had been fighting for such a long time, but there was only a little sweat on his forehead, his cheeks were slightly red, and he didn't even breathe heavily.
He stared at the harmless little rabbit pendant for two seconds. He strangely saw a hint of cruelty in this ornament that only children wore.
Ye Lianyang knelt down and kowtowed to him, "I lost. From now on, Ye Lianyang is your highness's deputy general. If your highness tells me to go east, I will never go west!"
Qu Duanbian also breathed a sigh of relief. He was tired after fighting for a whole day. Even though his internal energy was holding up his breath, if he continued to fight, he would probably fall asleep on the stage.
Uncle Ersen was right. Ye Lianyang was a little crazy. Otherwise, who would fight for a whole day with such desperate energy?
"You are very tired. Go down and have a good rest. Come over tomorrow and help me select soldiers."
He not only personally selected his deputy generals, but also the soldiers.
"yes!"
Ye Lianyang limped away.
Qu Watanabe also said something to Ersen, and returned to his tent under the astonished gaze of the soldiers. Then all the energy in his body disappeared, and he fell on the bed.
My eyes widened with sleepiness: "Liuliu ah..."
Yi Twelve brought in a basin of hot water and said, "You've been boiling for too long, Your Highness. You'll definitely feel sore tomorrow."
Qu Duan shook his head: "Is there any news from Northern Xinjiang?"
B12: “Not yet.”
Qu Dubian sighed slightly, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Try to contact the dark web in Northern Xinjiang these two days to see if there is anything you can use."
"good."
Qu Dubian shook his head, ate quickly, washed up, and then went to sleep.
-
The second day.
Early in the morning.
Ye Lianyang carried a wooden basin and walked all the way to the outside of Qu Dubian's tent.
He was full of energy: "Is your highness awake?"
B12: "Just woke up."
Ye Lianyang: "Your Highness! Can I come in?"
Qu Watanabe was still getting dressed, "Anything? If it's not important, just talk outside."
Ye Lianyang took a deep breath and said, "I'll wash your socks for you!"
Wash your socks -
Washing socks——
sock--
The lingering sound echoes in the military camp.
Qu Watanabe: “…”
Many people burst out laughing and said, "No way, that sound was from Ye Tou?"
"I lost the duel yesterday, hahahaha. I have to take a bath for a month."
Inside the tent.
Qu Watanabe endured it and said, "No need. I was just joking yesterday."
Ye Lianyang: "No, I said I would wash it! Your Highness, it's okay, I keep my word, even if your socks are still…"
A hand pulled him directly into the tent.
A moment later, Ye Lianyang came out with a bruised face and nose, and left dejectedly carrying a wooden basin.
It once became a fun way for everyone to enjoy their meals during wartime.
-
The man from northern Xinjiang who was responsible for fighting Xu Jin was the Right Wise King under Jizhigla.
He had a pair of eyes that could see very far. At this moment, he was riding on a horse, holding a half-drawn defense map in his hand, looking at the city of Zhongyi from afar.
There were people from the Great Zhou Supervisory Office working in groups of three or four, conducting routine inspections of the soldiers guarding the city.
He would come here every time it was time for a routine check-up.
With every day he looks at it, the defense map in his hand will be made more perfect.
After the people from the Supervisory Office came down from the city wall, the Right Wise King stopped painting today. He then turned a page and wrote two words on the paper: Xu Jin.
After writing, he tore off the paper and crushed it into powder using his inner strength.
Xu Jin.
This towering stone tablet, which guards the junction between Northern Frontier and Great Zhou and is hated by the pro-war faction in Northern Frontier, is old.
It’s better for old people to die quickly.
-
I stayed in Jushan City for two months.
During this period, Qu Dubian selected his own soldiers.
The soldiers were reassigned to a team and began to get acquainted with each other.
Qu Dubian set aside a separate training ground and spent most of his time every day to coach them and select new centurions.
In his remaining free time, he took time to draw designs for a new large crossbow, while conducting small-scale research on improving the quality of gunpowder.
He already had a rough idea of the best ratio in his mind, and he would be able to work it out in seven or eight days at most.
However, he actually wanted to replace the saltpeter in the ratio with potassium chlorate, which was called yellow medicine in modern times. Modern wars relied on imports, and the gunpowder produced was several times more powerful than domestic ones.
The difficulty is that potassium chlorate was almost impossible to synthesize artificially in ancient times, so it was only something you could think about.
The place where Qu Dubian researched and prepared gunpowder was in a small courtyard in the city, on the edge of the military camp, mainly because the noise during the research and development process was too loud and dangerous.
After witnessing an explosion, Ersen moved his research area to the edge of the city with his research pot.
Qu Dubian was sitting at the table in the yard preparing medicine. He pinched his neck and moved his ears. "Are you here? Tell me if you have anything to say." His hands were black, and the two bangs on his forehead were curled up a lot due to the fire.
Ye Lianyang stood at the door and didn't come over, "Boss, why don't you light the fire now?"
Qu Watanabe: "No, come in."
Ye Lianyang seemed to be relieved, "Boss, it's our turn to patrol tonight, do you want to go?"
Qu Duan clapped his hands and said, "Of course I will."
The outer patrol is a team of one hundred or one thousand people patrolling the area within thirty miles around the city. They are responsible for checking whether the corpses on the battlefield have been cleared up, and also for checking whether the enemy has set traps around the city or is spying.
He washed his hands and went to find Nisen.
Nisen has been under a lot of pressure lately.
In two months, the northern border attacked the city six times, but all were stopped by the mountain city.
But even if it was stopped, the situation would not be good.
"It seems like they have an endless supply of gunpowder. The amount has been increasing over the past few times. Even the strongest of our cities cannot withstand such a long-term attack."
Qu Dubian stood on the city wall and looked ahead, "Is there any news from Grandpa?"
Ersen: "Yesterday, they sent me a message asking me if there were any movements of the Northern Frontier troops in Shancheng. Last time, I sent someone to investigate, and their guards were even stricter than usual."
Qu Dubian's heart skipped a beat, and he subtly sensed that something was wrong.
He seemed to have grasped something vaguely, but the thought was fleeting.
"Grandpa, why are you asking this for no reason?"
Ersen frowned, "I don't know either. Maybe it's just a routine inquiry from the Marquis, because there's only this one sentence, nothing else." He patted Qu Watanabe's shoulder, "Your Highness, don't think too much about it. I'll send a letter to ask in the evening. There will be news in a day at most. It's your turn to patrol today, so be careful."
"good."
Qu Dubian put the matter aside for the time being. In the evening, after a simple meal, he led his soldiers out of the city.
-
East one city.
Xia Fuyang felt something was strange.
The Northern Frontier soldiers who attacked the city these days seemed to retreat too quickly.
and……
Although the attack was fierce, it mainly relied on gunpowder, but the number of people sent was small. Could it be that they wanted to reduce casualties and fight a war of attrition first?
But the problem is that it is a battle of attrition, and they were not consumed much, it was more like a diversion.
Xia Fuyang frowned and pounded the scabbard at his waist with his fist.
"General, what are you thinking about?"
Xia Fuyang touched his right eyelid: "The left eye twitches for wealth and the right eye twitches for luck. It's okay, it's okay..."
Lieutenant General: "...?"
Xia Fuyang still felt something was wrong, "Call someone with good skills to go out and check what's going on on the other side."
Deputy General: "Now? We just finished fighting during the day."
Xia Fuyang: "Go when I tell you to, be careful."
Deputy General: “Okay.”
-
The other side.
The moon is rising above the branches.
Qu Dubian led the team on patrol.
The area thirty miles around the city was very quiet. Because of the war, there was rarely any sound of insects. There was only the occasional cry of a crow or a vulture.
The lingering smell of gunpowder, the smell of burning flesh, and the chill of the dreary night seep into one's bones little by little in the silence.
Qu Duanbian could only smell a little bit of the scent.
I haven't had acupuncture for a while, so the effect has slightly diminished.
He used the tip of his sword to pick out a severed arm from the bushes and said, "It's a soldier from the Great Zhou."
Ye Lianyang raised his hand, and immediately a soldier dug a hole in the ground and buried the severed arm in it.
If the patrol team encounters severed limbs or arms, they must not take them back but must bury them on the spot.
Qu Dubian let out a breath of cold air.
It is April now, but once night falls, the northern Xinjiang is still very cold. The only things that are growing stronger and stronger are the wild grasses on the roadside and the northern Xinjiang's war horses, cattle and sheep.
After walking for thirty miles, they stopped at Qudubian. The terrain in this place was higher, and the enemy camp could be seen.
They occupied the western 20% of the Great Zhou, with tall towers lit with torches and strict guards.
Ye Lianyang whispered, "We'll be discovered if we go any further, Boss, let's go around in a circle."
Qu Duanbian squatted down and thought for a moment, "I remember Uncle Ersen said that the enemy troops we explored last time only had about 3,000 people defending the perimeter?"
Ye Lianyang: “Yeah.”
Qu Watanabe: "But the number of their garrison troops outside the city is at least 4,000. And did you notice that some of them are injured?"
As soon as he said that, Ye Lianyang also felt something was wrong, "Let's go take a look? But the guards are so tight, can we get in?"
Qu Watanabe: "We can't, but there is someone who can."
Ye Lianyang: "Who is it?"
Qu Watanabe: "Wait a moment."
About a quarter of an hour later, Yi Twelve nimbly landed in front of Qu Watanabe.
Ye Lianyang: “You, you, you are that personal guard!” A pretty inconspicuous personal guard!
Yi Twelve glanced at him, then said seriously: "Your Highness, it's empty inside."
Qu Duanbian's heart sank, "All empty?"
B12: "It's completely empty, just an empty shell with only 4,000 defenders."
"Where did the enemy go? How could they be so concealed and attacked..."
After Ye Lianyang asked this question, he suddenly stopped talking and his face looked grim.
Qu Dubian looked in the direction of his grandfather, "Zhongyi City."
This was a diversionary tactic that had been planned for who knows how long. The plan for the Northern Frontier to disperse its forces to attack the cities on the east, west and center sides was perhaps a cover from the very beginning.
The purpose of taking the two cities on the west side was to better cut off the support of the western defenders to the central city.
Perhaps, it also slowed down the speed of message transmission.
Ye Lianyang became anxious: "What should we do now?"
Qu Watanabe: "Liuliu, go back to Uncle Ersen and ask him to leave enough soldiers to defend the city, and the rest will go to support the middle city."
Yi Twelve didn't even stop and quickly returned to the city to deliver the message.
"Boss, what about us?"
Qu Dubian took a deep breath, bloodshot eyes.
"Go to Central City immediately!"
The distance was great, and they had to go at full speed.
-
Zhongyi City.
The war rages.
Jizhigla, the Left Wise King, and the Right Wise King were all riding on their horses, squinting their eyes to watch the siege ahead.
The air was filled with smoke.
Almost all the elite troops in the Northern Frontier gathered in front of Zhongyi City that night.
They surrounded Zhongyi City on all sides, turning it into an isolated city.
Of course, they would rather turn it into a real, deserted city.
Xu Jin stood with his hands behind his back. The sparks from the war could not burn away the frost on his temples.
His expression was still as calm as ever, just like in countless previous wars. He stood there like a stabilizing force, reassuring countless soldiers.
Lang Qing quickly climbed up the city wall and wiped the blood off his head: "My Lord, the West Gate is about to be lost."
The people of Northern Frontier seemed to be very familiar with their deployment and rotation of defenses, but during the war preparation period, those in the city who were familiar with the deployment had absolutely no chance to come into contact with outsiders. Even those from the Supervisory Office, in accordance with the Marquis's request, stayed in their tents after the inspection and did not come out.
Under the city, Jizhigla curled his lips coldly.
He twisted his neck, making a crackling sound, and said in a murderous voice:
"Two hundred thousand troops besieging the city, Xu Jin, Beijiang will kill you today!"
Xu Jin laughed loudly, with glaring sneer in the corners of his eyes and brows. In Jizhigla's view, his expression was annoyingly rebellious and arrogant.
His voice spread out through his internal energy and echoed in the night wind.
"I'm right here! Come and kill me if you dare!"
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