Chapter 64
Lingzhou.
Fifty thousand red-armored soldiers were at the gates of the city.
They had found out in advance that after the previous disastrous defeat, the Mu family army's combat effectiveness was much weaker than before, Mu Yunqing was seriously injured, and even the retired General Mu was forced to come out of retirement. It was obvious that he was just trying to hold on to the situation.
More importantly, the "friend" in the capital gave him a generous gift - a batch of military equipment that should have been allocated to the Mu family army!
In return, they will fulfill their agreement and send troops to tie down the forces of Lingzhou and even Chenzhou camp, clearing the way for the great changes that are about to take place in the capital.
But the Red Armor Army was not satisfied!
Such a golden opportunity is before them, but it is just a "diversion"! They must seize the opportunity to capture Lingzhou and take this city they have coveted for many years into their pockets!
So the Red Armor Army almost came out in full force, choosing this early morning when the thick fog had not yet dissipated, and divided into several routes, marching quietly, and finally suddenly gathered at the foot of Lingzhou City, preparing to catch the Mu Family Army off guard!
The Mu family army was indeed unprepared.
The dense fog limited the scouts' vision, and by the time they realized what was happening, the enemy had already descended from the sky. They didn't even have time to signal the alarm before they fled in panic, completely betraying their former well-trained demeanor.
It seems that the army has lost its morale after losing Mu Yunqing.
The commander of the Red Armor Army, Dato, was very satisfied. He gave an order and immediately began to attack the city!
What surprised him even more was that the Mu family army's resistance could only be described as a pile of loose sand. Most of the soldiers only put up a token fight before retreating back into the city.
Within half an hour, the city gate was breached!
Dato couldn't believe it. How could the city, which was once as strong as an iron wall, open its gates so easily?!
Faced with victory, he had his first confusion in mind.
However, the ecstasy of having his long-cherished wish fulfilled made him ignore this strange feeling. He thought, even if there is an ambush in the city, so what! The fighting power of 50,000 Red Armored Army is enough to crush any opponent!
With this confidence, Dato rode his horse and rushed into Lingzhou City first!
The second confusion follows.
The city is empty!
The smiles on the faces of the Red Armored Soldiers gradually turned into anxiety. Some speculated, "They must have been scared away!"
Really?
Datto sent a team to conduct reconnaissance, but the soldiers soon reported that not only was there no trace of the Mu family army in the city, but even the houses were empty and ordinary people were gone!
This wasn't a sudden escape, it seemed like it was premeditated!
Dato looked at the city wall that was barely visible in the fog and thought to himself that something was wrong. His years of combat intuition told him that this was a trap!
He did not dare to take credit for himself anymore and immediately issued an order: Everyone leave the city immediately!
The Red Armor Army has always been disciplined, but this time, after a commotion was heard from the front, the team stopped moving forward.
"What's going on!" Dato was furious.
The messenger, looking panicked, came on horseback to report, "Marshal, the city gates are closed! We can't get out!"
*
In the watchtower at the corner of the city, Mu Yunqing saw that all the Red Armored Army had entered the city and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Yuanxi said happily: "It's done!"
Deng Fan laughed and yelled, "These bastards finally fell for it! I was so frustrated fighting just now! I couldn't just fight to win, I had to fight and run at the same time... Damn it! In all these years, when have I ever been a deserter?"
"Old Deng, your acting was too fake. Who would take someone's weapons while running away?" Pei Yuan chuckled.
"That machete of his is really good! My camp was short of weapons, so I couldn't resist and just stole it... Hehehehe! Don't blame me, young commander!"
Mu Yun glanced at the knife in his hand and said, "It's a good knife! It will come in handy later!"
His voice became serious: "Are you all ready?"
Everyone's expression was horrified: "Don't worry, Marshal, I will make sure these barbarians never return!"
"Everyone be careful! Action!"
Mu Yunqing gave the order, and several people quickly rushed off in different directions. Mu Yunqing took one last look at the blurry city, a hint of sadness rising in his heart, and then left without looking back.
*
Yue Mingming was assigned to support outside the city, and he was very resentful.
Mu Yunqing originally wanted her to leave with Su Dingrou, but Yue Mingming refused to let her go. Finally, he had to compromise and reluctantly let her follow Deputy General Zheng Rong and guard the retreat route.
The incense stick used for timing burned silently. As the planned time was getting closer and closer, Yue Mingming felt nervous, and Zheng Rong beside him also looked unhappy.
She knew that Zheng Rong could not go into the city with Mu Yunqing and others to carry out the plan because of his injury, and she felt guilty about it.
"It will succeed!" Yue Mingming comforted.
"Yes." Zheng Rong nodded heavily. "I'll go check the horses and the team again. Nothing can go wrong!"
Yue Mingming knew that he was nervous and wanted to find something to do, so he didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "That's right! Even though we can't go to the battlefield, we can't lose to them!"
As soon as Zheng Rong left, someone came over.
Yue Mingming looked up in surprise: "Brother Huo?"
Huo Lianying's face was pale and sweat was on his forehead. He seemed to have been waiting for a long time. Finally, Zheng Rong left, but he hesitated and didn't know how to start.
"What's wrong with you?" Yue Mingming saw him constantly looking in the direction Zheng Rong had left, obviously afraid of being discovered, so he pulled him to a secluded place and said, "What happened? Don't worry, I won't tell Lieutenant General Zheng."
"It's... it's my wife! She sneaked back to the city!"
"What?" Yue Mingming was shocked. "Are you sure she is in the city now?"
Huo Lianying said with a bitter face, "We were in such a hurry to evacuate that we forgot to take a bag. It contained the child's longevity locket, some of her dowry jewelry, and the land deeds from her hometown... She left secretly last night and left me a letter saying she was going back to the city to get them... She hasn't come back yet!"
"...Could he be lost?" Yue Mingming held on to the last glimmer of hope.
Huo Lianying shook her head: "She comes from a hunter family and has been hunting in the mountains with my father-in-law since she was a child. She will definitely not get lost!"
Yue Mingming fell silent.
Huo Lianying was a sobbaby, tears streaming down her face. "The child is only one month old and has lost his mother. What can I do? I dare not tell Lieutenant General Zheng... I can only come to you... Madam Yue, can you help me think of a solution?"
"You did the right thing... You can't talk about this!"
At this critical juncture, neither Zheng Rong nor Mu Yunqing would change their plans for a woman.
But...are we just going to watch him die without helping?
Yue Mingming glanced at Xiang Zhuan. There was less than a quarter of an hour left. With her current lightness skills, it was not impossible!
"We can't ride horses, or we'll be discovered!"
She made up her mind, "I need your directions! The shortest way back to the city, and the way to your house... You have to keep up with me later, can you do that?"
Huo Lianying's eyes flashed with disbelief: "Are you really willing to go back with me to save people?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Is that okay?" Yue Mingming glared at him and said, "There's no time to lose, let's get going right away!"
"Thank you, my lady, for your kindness!" Huo Lianying fell to his knees and kowtowed.
"What are you doing...get up!" Yue Mingming helped him up: "She will be fine! So will we!"
*
Everyone felt it, the earth was shaking!
The war horses began to trot restlessly, neighing from time to time. The soldiers of the Red Armor Army shouted in fear: "The earth is shaking! The earth is shaking!"
Datuo's face was ashen, and he couldn't help but feel confused: How could the Mu army know about such a natural disaster as the earthquake in advance? Could it be that...the earthquake was caused by them?
That's why... they evacuated the people from the city!
He finally figured it out, but it was too late! With a loud rumbling sound, the frightened warhorse raised its front hooves high and threw Dato over. He was about to stand up from the ground when his eyes suddenly widened.
On the distant horizon, there is a strange, endless yellow and black shadow, rapidly spreading in this direction!
Not an earthquake!
This is... a flood!!
Dato cursed, jumped to his feet, and frantically shouted at the Red Armor Army, "They're going to flood the city! Climb the walls!"
Lingzhou is located in a low-lying valley amidst mountains. Yet, it happens to be next to a large river, the Yeqiang River. The upper reaches of this river are a glacial lake formed by melting snow from the mountains. The flow is small in winter but voluminous in summer.
In the past few years, the people living near Lingzhou always suffered during the flood season. Later, General Mu repeatedly petitioned the court to build dams and water diversion channels, which not only solved the flood problem, but also ensured that the border areas, which had always been short of water, had water available even in the dry season.
Even Dato understood that the dike was as vital to Lingzhou City. He never expected that the Mu family army would be so cruel as to destroy it with their own hands just to divert water to flood the city and kill them all!
This price... is too high!
When Zhao Congyun proposed this idea, he was strongly opposed by General Mu and Mu Yunqing. General Mu even said that he would rather abandon the Mu family army than destroy the dam!
But Zhao Congyun finally convinced them.
Only when you are in danger can you survive.
In times of great difficulty, there is no progress without destruction. This is true for both the Mu family army and Lingzhou City!
Dams can be rebuilt if they are destroyed, houses can be rebuilt if they collapse, and people can move back if they move away. However, once the Red Armor Army cavalry enters the country and Lingzhou falls, not only will homes be lost, but Chenzhou and even the entire border will face a crisis of mutual destruction.
"Use an empty city as bait to completely annihilate the Red Armor Army and eliminate future troubles!" Zhao Congyun finished speaking, then added calmly, "Even if I can't return, even if the dynasty changes... I can still ensure ten years of peace in Lingzhou."
At this point, the three of them made a plan to relocate the people, divert water, and seal off the city. The entire Lingzhou decided to fight a desperate battle!
Today, the plan was successful!
The powerful Red Armor Army was powerless to fight back against the sudden flood, while the Mu Family Army, which had previously "fled in all directions", suddenly appeared on the city wall, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the soldiers who tried to climb up!
The water level was getting higher and higher, and the battle for the city wall was getting more and more fierce. No one knew that at this moment, another battle was taking place in a house in the city.
When Yue Mingming and Huo Lianying arrived at the Huo family, they thought there was still time.
But there is no one in the Huo family!
The yard is not big, and the doors of the three rooms are all open, so you can see the end at a glance.
"Brother Huo, has my sister-in-law really come back?" Yue Mingming asked doubtfully. She saw a thin layer of frost and snow on the steps, without a single footprint on them.
"Could it be that they were stopped by our scouts?" Yue Mingming saw Huo Lianying's serious expression after he entered the room, and couldn't help but comfort him: "Don't lose heart! Let's split up and look for him. We'll meet outside the city later. There's still time--"
"It's too late." Huo Lianying interrupted her.
"We are very fast, I calculated it..." Yue Mingming stopped talking halfway. She saw Huo Lianying draw out a knife and point it coldly at her.
"Don't dream! I tampered with the incense seal. It's longer than normal. When we set out, it took less than a quarter of an hour."
Huo Lianying continued, "Listen, there's the sound of water! Die by my sword, or be drowned by the water. You choose one... For the sake of our past friendship, I'll grant your wish."
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