Chapter 34: The enemy is at the gates, the gray sky is oppressive and makes people breathless, ...
The gray sky made it hard to breathe, and snowflakes as small as fluff fell to the ground. The cold air was inhaled into the lungs, bringing with it a chill like rust.
On the city gate tower, Xiao Wangshu stood side by side with the newly appointed general, Lord Li, looking solemnly at the enemy camp not far away where thick smoke was rising.
"Report! The messenger has returned and is here to see you!"
A soldier came galloping over, his voice distorted by the biting cold wind.
"Quick! Bring it up!"
Lord Li urged.
Soon, a messenger who was exhausted and had a pale face and purple lips, perhaps because of the heavy snow, was brought up.
"What's the situation? What do those Southern Shu barbarians say?"
The messenger didn't even have time to salute before he was interrupted by General Li.
Unexpectedly, when the messenger heard the question, he knelt down firmly with a thud and said in a trembling voice:
"General, General! The Yi leader said that the two countries are on good terms. Now that Nanshu is in trouble, Zhongshan must help... Zhongshan, Zhongshan must pay a tribute of 1,000 dan of grain, 10,000 taels of silver, and... 20 boxes of jewels and several beauties to help Nanshu survive the cold winter."
"You bastard! You're talking bullshit! You're going too far! This is just blatant robbery!"
After swearing, Tao Hean's eyes widened with anger, his face flushed red, and his black beard trembled up and down with his mouth.
Not only him, General Li was also very angry, but he knew the seriousness of the situation and did not show it directly. Instead, he suppressed his anger and looked at Xiao Wangshu who remained silent.
"Sir, what do you think we should do?!"
"Nian Yue, how much food and grass is there in the city? Are the people in the city properly accommodated?"
Without replying to General Li's words, Xiao Wangshu turned to ask Nianyue, who had arrived earlier. Unlike Tao Hean, Nianyue had a more detailed understanding of the situation. She was clear and organized, and spoke slowly:
"If we save a little, the military rations can last for more than two months. As for the civilians, since we discovered the unrest outside the city, we've posted notices imposing martial law within the city. Only exits are allowed, not entry. The city gates were sealed half an hour ago. For the civilians still inside, Miss Tao is leading a house-to-house population check and organizing young men and women into a guard team."
"Yeah, not bad."
Nodding his head in appreciation, Xiao Wangshu then turned to General Li and said:
"We'll report this to the court first. However, they're coming with such force, their request for help is fake, but their real intention is to start a war. We may not be able to wait for His Majesty's order, so we still need to make plans early.
Now that we have sufficient food and fodder, I and my colleagues will take care of all other matters in the city, so we won't have to worry about anything on the front lines. Only you and Captain Tao will be responsible for defending the city and deploying troops. If we work together, Southern Shu will not gain a single advantage."
General Li felt a little relieved upon hearing this. Although he held the position of general, his previous post was right under the feet of the emperor. He was outstanding in theory and martial arts, but this was his first time to actually march and fight. Although he had the talents recommended by Xiao Wangshu, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
Before coming here, he knew that Xiao Wangshu was a member of the prince's party and a new noble in the court, with great talent and wisdom, but he was also afraid that Xiao Wangshu would be afraid of death and escape in the face of danger.
If there is any mistake and the reckoning comes in the future, Xiao Wangshu may not die, but his nine clans as the general will probably not be able to escape. Now that Xiao Wangshu has promised to stay in the rear, it will indeed allow him to focus more on the war.
Thinking of this, he quickly clasped his fists and said, "With Lord Xiao's words, I feel at ease. Since the situation is urgent, I will go ahead and inspect and deploy the city defenses."
After saying that, he hurried away with his personal soldiers behind him. Tao Hean also bowed and left.
Not long after, Tao Meixiu quickly climbed up the city wall with a girl.
The woman looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a slightly thin coarse cotton coat, with curved eyebrows and a kind face, a slim figure, and although her appearance was not outstanding, her temperament was outstanding. She held a few rolls of names in her hands and followed Tao Meixiu's steps closely, but she had a unique beauty. After a few seconds, the two of them were close.
"grown ups!"
After performing an extremely awkward salute, Tao Meixiu said to herself:
"The 372 households in the city have been checked, and there are now 235 people left. The list is here."
She took the list from the woman and handed it over, without stopping her mouth.
"Of these 235 people, more than half are elderly and infirm. All the young and strong have been assigned duties in exchange for food. Those over 45 who are unable to move, and children under 10, are entitled to one ration per day. As for the source of food for these civilians, Mr. Chihua led me to requisition the warehouses left behind by the grain merchants."
Tao Meixiu didn't feel she had done anything wrong, and even felt quite justified. Of course, Xiao Wangshu wouldn't blame her, as this was an extraordinary time. However, Xiao Wangshu looked at the woman behind Tao Meixiu and said with a certain scrutiny:
"This girl looks unfamiliar."
"Oh, her name is Chu Tao. She was originally a maid in Wang Shouyi's mansion. He ran away and confiscated all his property. Chu Tao has no parents and was trafficked here by a human trafficker. I felt sorry for her and she could read, so I redeemed her and made her my helper."
The woman named Chu Tao stepped forward at the right moment and bowed gracefully. Her voice was as melodious and clear as a mountain lark.
"Your servant Chu Tao greets the Master."
She raised her head and revealed her pretty face, especially her eyes, which made people feel pity when they saw them. Their eyes met in the air, and Chu Tao lowered her head as if she had been electrocuted, and her ears turned slightly red.
Nian Yue, who witnessed all this, felt helpless. The young master was good in every way, but his appearance was too attractive. She still remembered the instructions given by the prince before he left, and she suddenly felt even more headache.
However, Xiao Wangshu was not aware of it at all. He only paused for a moment and then nodded calmly.
"In that case, then follow Miss Tao carefully."
"yes."
Hatsumomo responded softly.
But no one noticed that Chu Tao, with her head down, looked from the white wrist exposed at the side of Xiao Wangshu to his slender waist. There was a hint of interest and determination in her eyes, which was very different from her previous timidity.
The heavy snow that had been falling for several days stopped for a while, and the midday sun dispelled some of the chill.
The originally peaceful county town was broken by a deafening roar, followed by a hoarse and strange horn that awakened the "evil beast" from under the horizon.
"kill!"
"kill!--"
The shouts and cries of killing rose one after another, accompanied by the passionate drum beats, rushing towards the people in the city.
Southern Shu, attack the city!
For several days in a row, thick smoke obscured the sky, blood mixed with the stench of gunpowder, and wounded people were constantly carried back from the battlefield. The broken limbs and arms all told of the cruelty of this war.
“What’s the situation now!”
On the top of the city wall, Xiao Wangshu was still in the front, and below the city wall were the general and An and the others who were leading their men in a fight. Xiao Wangshu's face was not in a good state, as he had grown several white hairs from the running around and hard work for several days. He rubbed his slightly aching eyebrows and temples. If he had not been needed to form a battle formation in the rear, and if he was not really a fighter, he would have fought side by side with the soldiers below the city wall.
"Nan Shu attacked the city three times today, and Zhongshan killed more than ten thousand enemies. The situation is really not good now. Zhongshan has only ten thousand soldiers who can fight, but Nan Shu soldiers are probably still left with at least half of them."
Her voice was soft but her speech was fast and steady as Chu Tao was reporting while holding the roster.
Before any deployment was made, the next wave of siege horns had already sounded. In a moment, the fearless soldiers of Southern Shu climbed up the city walls with ladders and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders.
Seeing that they were getting closer, the guards around Xiao Wangshu hurried forward to resist. Xiao Wangshu also drew out his sword and protected Chu Tao.
While trying to dodge in a panic, Chu Tao accidentally fell down and her face turned pale. Seeing the cold light coming towards her, Xiao Wangshu deflected it with his sword and she started to fight with the Southern Shu soldier.
However, these Southern Shu soldiers were a hundred times stronger than the personal soldiers that Wang Shouyi had brought before. Their eyes were red like those of mad beasts, which was terrifying.
After a fierce battle, Xiao Wangshu retreated to the edge of the city with Chu Taoyi. The enemy's offensive slowed down a little. Xiao Wangshu was about to make new deployments for the soldiers defending the city when something unexpected happened.
A soft but extremely clever force came from behind him, hitting his lower back. He lost his balance instantly and fell directly from the parapet.
"grown ups--!"
The woman's scream drew everyone's attention over here. An, who was fighting among the enemy troops, wanted to fly over here using his Qing Kung Fu, but was tripped by the soldiers who swarmed over.
Seconds before falling off the battlement, Xiao Wangshu tried to pierce the wall with his sword, but he obviously failed.
But the expected pain did not come. Several people had gathered at the foot of the city, caught him, tied him up, gagged him with white cloth, threw him on a warhorse, and carried him towards the enemy camp.
The author has something to say:
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Modify language logic.
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