"Foolish! If he sends troops, what will he use to stop our army from retreating?" Fu Rong sneered.
Wei Yao frowned slightly, staring into the distance.
The large crowd trapped by the fire was like a stream flowing into the sea. The once spacious stone-paved road on West Street was now crowded with people, jostling and pushing, for fear of being burned by the burning houses and shops.
The waves of sound were so loud that even they felt their eardrums ringing and their heads throbbing.
"Do you feel sorry for them?" Wang Zebang asked him from the side.
Wei Yao glanced at the general's back and said calmly, "No, it just suddenly occurred to me that if one day, the armies of other countries would treat our Ye army's people in the same way, a complicated feeling welled up in my heart."
Wang Zebang was taken aback.
Yuwen Sheng smiled and told him, "It's not a hypothetical. Once Ye Kingdom is conquered by them, your sentimental thoughts at this moment will become a reality. You feel that they are innocent, but the intricate network of tunnels dug in this city, the oil and weapons hidden throughout the city, and the means that will be used to deal with Ye Kingdom in the future, are all their joint masterpieces."
"Since they can stand by and watch their own country's army be cruel to others, do they suddenly feel they deserve sympathy and pity now that it's their turn?"
Knowing that the general was determined to make Julu Kingdom and Moye pay a heavy price, and that no amount of persuasion could change anything, Wang Zebang and Wei Yao chose to remain silent.
Wei Yao thought to herself, if Sang Xuan... no, Zheng Quchi were here, she certainly wouldn't have just stood by and watched these people be burned to death.
Thinking of her, back when the camp was being built in Fuxian County, the general deliberately found some picky and harsh reasons to find and kill the spies who had infiltrated the camp. He didn't care that there might be innocent people or people killed by mistake among them.
Just then, a woman named Sang Xuanqing appeared. They thought she was a spy, but unlike those spies who only knew how to tremble and were unsightly, she bravely stepped forward and, in a way that others could not do, fulfilled the general's harsh conditions, saving herself and the group of craftsmen.
She often said strange things, had interesting thoughts, and frequently came up with ingenious ideas. He found her quite interesting and tried to get closer to her.
The more time he spent with her, the more he saw a glimmer of hope for life and the future in her eyes.
She seemed to live in a different world from them. She was not prejudiced or extreme, she did not fight evil with evil, she would not back down because of setbacks, and she would not be timid because of fear.
Difficulties are only temporary; we should always maintain an optimistic, even naive, mindset.
But he didn't dislike her. He treated her like a little brother and cared for her. Even though she killed Gongshu Lan and offended the powerful Gongshu family of Beiyuan, he still couldn't blame her.
If she were there, and if the general felt the same way about her, like something dark unconsciously drawn to the sun, perhaps... the general wouldn't be so crazy right now.
Below, Mo Ye waved the banner, calling on the army to split into three groups from the west gate, launching simultaneous attacks on the Ye army shooting arrows, the Ye army blocking the South Street, and Yuwen Sheng's troops.
This time, Julu Kingdom was well prepared. Gongchenya knew that he was outnumbered and unable to rescue people, so he secretly sent a message to Moye. They worked together to secretly open a tunnel connecting the inside and outside of the city, which was unknown to anyone. They smuggled out the hidden items inside, while causing trouble outside to attract attention and cover for them.
After some time, they brought out a series of large machines, which were wheeled and could be pushed. They were a modified version of a giant crossbow cart, using the tension of rattan as the power source. They placed black stones into a six-row spoon-shaped loading device.
"put!"
The large black stones were all thrown out, and they shattered as soon as they hit the ground. The contents inside automatically emitted a thick smoke upon contact with the air, which was extremely irritating to people's eyes and caused them to sneeze constantly.
The soldiers of Ye army quickly covered their noses, surprised: "What is that?"
Fearing the unfamiliar weapon, they quickly retreated, not daring to approach.
"Their Julu Kingdom doesn't have the Mo family's fire bombs; this is just a smokescreen. All soldiers, step back and push the crossbow carts!" a general shouted to reassure the troops.
The soldiers in the front row moved swiftly and immediately changed formation. Dozens of heavy crossbow carts were pushed out from the rear. The crossbow carts were mounted on carts and drawn by pulleys. The arrows were "ten feet" long and the ends were connected to ropes. Once the arrows were drawn, they could be fired.
These dozens of heavy crossbows not only have enhanced performance, far exceeding the "hundred paces" of ordinary crossbow carts, but can also fire in rapid succession, capable of shooting more than ten people with a single shot.
"shoot!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" The arrows shot out with a whooshing sound, and the white smoke spread out to form a hole. The Julu Kingdom cavalry on horseback were charging. The long arrows strung together several people, with amazing power, and both the horses and the men were shot away.
Seeing that the troops on that side were temporarily tied down, Mo Ye quickly led his men to rescue the citizens of Fenggusha City who were engulfed in flames.
To rescue these people, he did not hesitate to set fire to the tails of a hundred warhorses, causing them to rush into the fire and extinguish the flames.
These warhorses pulled chariots with roofs made of sturdy ironwood and bronze. Each chariot could hold about ten people and was generally used for siege warfare. People could be hidden inside the chariots and attacked at the city walls because they could avoid attacks such as arrows and falling rocks.
But then, it was used to save people from the fire.
The horses neighed and trampled in the fire, which gradually subsided. The soldiers of the Julu Kingdom inside the carriage pushed open the door and jumped out quickly to organize the rescue of the people. Seeing that there was a way to escape, they rushed out in a rush.
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