Chapter 526: Fire breaks out! Zhao Duan appears
When Zhao Duan entered the government office, the prefect Sun Xiaozhun who was stationed in the city immediately came out to greet him.
"Governor, why are you here?" Sun Xiaozheng asked in surprise.
Zhao Duan said with some amusement: "Why, I shouldn't have come?"
The dark and thin prefect in red was speechless for a moment, waving his hands and saying hurriedly: "No, of course not... I just didn't expect..."
Before Xue Shence's army set out, he sent a message to the Lu Mansion and informed Zhao Duan. Everyone thought that Governor Zhao would stay in the city to command the base camp.
Zhao Duan laughed and walked in:
"I've finished what I'm doing now. How long has the army been on the march? Give me a map of the route, I'm ready to rush over. Are the two priests from the Tianshi Mansion okay?"
Sun Xiaojun didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to chase after him, but he didn't ask and explained:
"The two priests, Yuxiu and Jinjian, have also left with the army. Mo Zhaorong has also gone. Now, apart from a few experts who stayed behind in the government office, I am the only one left."
Did they also go to the front line? Zhao Duan nodded and suddenly said:
"Where is the Shadow Guard White Falcon?"
"Sir, are you looking for me?" Just as he finished speaking, Nie Yurong walked out from the backyard not far away.
Her eyes were bright, with a hint of sweetness after bitterness. Who could have thought that after all her painstaking efforts to lurk here, she couldn't even see her target?
Zhao Duan glanced at the assassin from the palace, smiled, and said:
"Saddle up your horses and follow me to the front."
A moment later.
The south gate of the city was suddenly opened, and three war horses chased after the main army.
Zhao Duan took the lead, with Song Jinxi and Nie Yurong on his left and right.
The group was running very fast. After chasing for a while, they saw a large number of refugees pouring into the official road ahead. Every few steps, there were several officers and soldiers maintaining order.
"What's going on?" Zhao Duan reined in his horse and stopped in front of a familiar officer from the Shenjiying.
"Governor?" The latter was startled and hurriedly explained the situation.
Refugees blocked the road, and Wei Xianzong was making unstoppable progress? Did Xue Shence head straight for Ning'an County? Zhao Duan had a bad feeling in his heart.
Looking at the dense crowds of refugees, he urged the whip: "We have to hurry."
Fortunately, the refugee tide could stop a large army, but it could not stop a mere three war horses.
…
…
Ning'an County.
The once bustling city now has its gates tightly shut, an atmosphere of solemnity and despair, with flags erected on the city walls.
The Yunfu rebels were on high alert.
In the open space outside the city, the main force of the Beijing camp had already advanced and stopped outside the range of the enemy's city arrows. Officers at all levels began to deploy troops and prepare to attack the city.
War is imminent.
"It seems that Shi Meng's attack on Wenshui has had an effect. The rebels did not evacuate, but chose to stay and defend the city. Fortunately, we didn't arrive a step too late to let these people escape."
Xue Shence stood on a man-made platform, looking at the other party's posture of being on high alert, and said in a deep voice.
Mo Chou followed him. The clouds in the sky were blown away by the wind, little by little. The female prime minister said with some worry:
"With the wind speed today, if a fire starts, it won't be long before the entire city is reduced to ruins. We must capture the city as quickly as possible before the enemy is fully prepared. We can't delay."
The surrounding generals nodded and agreed with this view.
They don’t know the specific situation in the city at the moment, but it is always a good idea to capture the city as soon as possible.
"General Xue, the artillery of the Shenji Camp has been placed in place and can bombard the city gate at any time!" At this time, Chen Gui strode over.
However, Xue Shence shook his head, squinted his eyes, pointed at the city wall in the distance, and said:
"As expected, the artillery is temporarily unusable."
When everyone looked over, they saw that in addition to the rebels, there were also a large number of tied-up civilians on the city walls, especially women, children, the elderly and the weak. These were only the visible ones, and there were no telling how many more there were that were invisible.
Chen Gui cursed angrily, "You bastard! How shameless of you to use human flesh as a shield!"
Xue Shence, however, looked calm:
"On a battlefield, victory is the only outcome. Talking is pointless. Since the artillery can't be used for the time being, let's just attack the city. We're outnumbered, so as long as we keep fighting, it's only a matter of time before the city is taken."
Chen Gui's face was gloomy, but he could only accept it. As for the musket, it was also difficult to use during the siege.
The generals immediately took orders and left to make their own arrangements.
Mo Chou held a "thousand-mile tube" in her hand and looked towards the top of the city. As expected, Su Dan's face appeared in her sight.
At this moment, as the leader of the rebels in the city, this "Juren General" stood in the center of the city, surrounded by several generals for protection.
The most eye-catching ones are two people who cover their bodies with straw hats, one on the left and one on the right, and their identities are unknown.
"It should be a martial arts master in the city," Xue Shence said calmly with sharp eyes:
"Mr. Tang, please come to the city for the first time."
Tang Jinzhong, the imperial priest, stood at the back, followed by a dozen priests. Lang Shiba also put the wine gourd on the ground and picked up the scimitar.
They followed Zhao Duan's orders and joined the army to help suppress the rebellion.
Ji Yue floated beside Mo Chou like a ghost, looking at Mo Chou, then at Xue Shence, a little hesitant.
It was not until Xue Shence spoke up and said, "Sorcerers are not good at fighting, so stay and protect Mo Zhaorong," that the socially anxious female sorcerer breathed a sigh of relief.
There was no segment where the main generals of both sides came out to exchange verbal attacks and shout speeches, only the murderous aura of the advancing battle formation when the wind blew.
“Dongdongdong——”
As the war drums in the Beijing camp sounded rhythmically, the army, arranged in an attacking formation, advanced towards the city gate with low roars.
If you look down from the sky, these tens of thousands of troops are like a dark chariot, connected to each other in military formations, and the shouts of killing are deafening.
Even a cultivator in the world would be terrified when in this battlefield.
Any strong cultivator is not afraid of any soldier in a one-on-one fight, but if he is trapped in the military formation and cannot escape, once all his energy or magic power is exhausted, he will also be piled to death by the soldiers!
On the city wall, Su Dan looked down coldly at the soldiers pouring in like a tide, raised his hand, and waved fiercely:
"Shoot!"
"Swish swish——"
The archers on the city walls released their bowstrings at the same time, and arrows fell like rain.
The shield bearers of the Beijing camp army raised their iron shields at the same time to resist the clanging sounds, rushed through the rain of arrows, arrived at the foot of the city wall, covered the advancement of the chariots, and passed the long ladders to the top of the city.
Soldiers climbed up the ladders, holding daggers in their mouths.
The rebels picked up the prepared boulders and threw them down. Shouts, the smell of blood, and murderous aura filled the air, forming an iron curtain.
In the blink of an eye, the two armies entered the stage of siege and fighting.
And wait until the time is almost ripe.
In the imperial army, Tang Jinzhong and Lang Shiba, as well as a large group of attendants and military masters, mixed in with the soldiers, rushed to the foot of the city, jumped up, and stepped on the ladders to rush to the top of the city.
Tang Jinzhong let out a low shout, and wisps of energy rose from his body, condensing into a tall and illusory Buddha general. As soon as the latter appeared, he seemed to be stimulated by the murderous aura of the battlefield, and his illusory eyes seemed to come alive.
The Buddha god sank into Tang Jinzhong's body, and the worshiper immediately put on illusory armor, held a long sword, and rushed to the top of the city wall like an arrow, despite the falling rocks.
However, when he was halfway up, he heard a low roar and something came crashing down above his head.
Tang Jinzhong raised his knife to block, but with a "clang" sound, his whole body was knocked down like a cannonball. He fell to the ground and rolled over to get up.
Looking up, I saw a mysterious warrior wearing a conical hat and holding a long stick on the top of the city wall. He fell down like a god, his feet hitting the ground, and the ground sank and cracked into two deep pits.
"A warrior in the world!?" Tang Jinzhong's eyelids jumped and he clenched the long sword in his hand.
The warrior monk Fanlong of Shenlong Temple, with his face covered, tried his best to restrain the urge to put his hands together and chant Buddhist mantras. Without saying a word, he raised the long stick in his hand.
In order to avoid trouble, he needs to hide his identity as a monk, but as long as he does not use some signature Buddhist spells and relies only on martial arts, outsiders will not be able to tell where he came from in a short time.
On the other side, Lang Shiba jumped onto the ladder, swaying left and right, dodging the arrows and heavy stones above his head as light as the wind. However, at the moment he climbed to the top of the city wall, a sword suddenly stabbed at him!
"bite!"
The scimitar collided with the sword, and Lang Shiba leaped back as light as a feather, his eyes fixed on a sword-wielding general, who was standing on the top of the city wall with an expressionless face. It seemed that no matter which angle he came up from, he would be stabbed by the man's sword.
"He is a strong soldier under Su Dan. He may not be as good as Lang Shiba in terms of martial arts, but this is a siege, so he just needs to stop him."
In the distance, Xue Shence analyzed calmly.
Mo Chou bit her lip and asked, "What about Tang Gongfeng's opponent?"
On the ground in the distance, Tang Jinzhong and Fan Long were fighting each other, bombarding each other continuously. For a while, there was no clear winner. Both of them took a fierce approach, and the surrounding soldiers could not get close at all.
Xue Shence shook his head: "I can't tell for now, but it doesn't matter. Bring me my halberd."
Mo Chou was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise: "General Xue, you want to..."
Xue Shence handed over the command to his adjutant, and held a heavy Fang Tian Hua Ji in his hand. He bent his stance and lowered his knees, and a circle of dust was raised under his feet. He flew towards the army formation.
Mo Chou was stunned for a moment, then she remembered that Xue Shence was also a powerful warrior, but because he had been sitting in the command position for too long, he often forgot this.
At this moment, as Xue Shence fell into the battlefield like a meteor, the sound of war drums immediately became excited and rapid. The morale of the soldiers in the Beijing camp was greatly boosted, and the offensive became more fierce for a while!
The commander enters the battle!
On the top of the city wall, Su Dan looked down with a grim expression at Xue Shence who was constantly approaching the city gate. Suddenly, he realized something:
"He's going to break the door—"
"General Su, there's no need to be nervous," the last mysterious man beside Su Dan spoke calmly.
There were originally several masters behind him, and now they have rushed out to resist the priests.
Su Dan felt relieved: "Then I'll have to trouble General Lu."
The man took off his hat, revealing Lu Tong's thin face and eyes as sharp as an eagle.
At this moment, he stepped out and stood at the edge of the city wall. He took off an ancient wooden bow from his back with his backhand. It was made of unknown material. The bow frame was yellowish-brown and the bowstring was pure gold.
"Ding." Lu Tong casually put the quiver aside, picked up an arrow, and drew his bow to shoot.
“Crackle!”
Suddenly, there was the sound of wind and thunder!
Strands of dazzling electric snakes danced around the bow and arrow, finally converging at the tip along the arrow.
"boom!"
As Xue Shence was walking, he suddenly felt a sense of alarm. He looked up and saw a bolt of lightning falling from the top of the city wall!
He was horrified and swept the Fang Tian Hua Ji in his hand fiercely.
The tip of the halberd collided with the arrow.
“Boom boom boom—”
In the center of the battlefield, a blazing ball of electricity suddenly erupted. The lightning disappeared, and Xue Shence retreated several steps abruptly. The halberd in his hand drooped, and he slowly uttered a name while holding the arrow half-buried in the soil.
"Wan Tianqing, Lu Tong!"
At this moment, the second arrow whizzed towards them.
For a time, both sides fought with all their might, and the entire battle situation came to a standstill. The imperial army was forcibly blocked and had difficulty advancing.
However, if you look at it over a longer period of time, you will find that although the two armies seem to be evenly matched, the imperial army is still eroding the rebels' territory bit by bit.
Just as Xue Shence judged, without major changes, it was only a matter of time before the court won.
"We can't give them time," Su Dan said to the soldiers beside him, expressionless as he looked at the two sides fighting.
"Send the order immediately and start burning the city!"
If they continue to delay like this, they will definitely fail. They have already bought enough time, and the team they have assembled should be able to hold back Shi Meng who is behind them.
So, the next step is to burn the city and then withdraw the troops during the chaos.
At that time, Xue Shence will have to face a choice: continue to chase them or go to put out the fire.
The answer is most likely the latter.
The soldier nodded immediately, ran down the city wall quickly, and arrived at a building behind the city wall.
Soon, a wisp of smoke slowly rose up and pierced the sky, which could be seen from a long distance.
…
In a camp in Ning'an County.
Wei Xianzong cut the neck of the defender here with a knife, raised his hand to touch the warm blood on his face, and exhaled deeply.
"Boss, it's done."
He turned around and saw a soldier from the Death Squadron in the building behind him.
Yesterday, Wei Xianzong led his men into the city pretending to be defeated soldiers, but they were disarmed and put under custody.
However, it seems that this is not because the identities of himself and others have been exposed, but rather a rule set by Su Dan, the purpose of which is to prevent possible accidents.
Wei Xianzong used some tricks and finally took advantage of the opportunity when the rebels in the city were defending the city and the city was empty, and led the death squad out of the camp again to fight.
Occupied this small stronghold.
"Boss, what should we do next?" asked a soldier.
Wei Xianzong licked his lips and analyzed:
"Right now, the rebels are fighting with our people at the north gate, but the defense there must be tight. It's meaningless for us to rush in. And since there are strongholds prepared in the city to burn the city, there must be people left to guard them.
We will go to each stronghold one by one and kill all those who are waiting for the signal to burn the city. This will have the greatest effect."
The soldiers of the Death Squadron's eyes lit up when they heard this and they nodded immediately. They took their weapons and were about to leave.
However, as soon as they walked out of the barracks, they were shocked to see thick smoke rising from the north of the city.
In the strong wind, it floats obliquely into a column of air.
Wei Xianzong was stunned for a moment, his heart suddenly sank. A soldier suddenly pointed in a certain direction and said:
"Oh no! There's a fire! There's a fire in the east! No, there's a fire in the south too! Everything is on fire!"
At this moment, the rebels waiting by the kerosene in various strongholds in the city saw the smoke and immediately lit the wood, poured kerosene on it, and flames slowly ignited.
Looking down from the sky, the city looks like a bunch of bonfires.
A strong wind blew, and the fire took advantage of the wind and burned very quickly.
…
East of Ning'an County.
A large army was marching. It was the Fifth Army Battalion led by Yuan Feng. They were advancing at an unstoppable pace, but because the route was the longest, they were still some distance away from Ning'an County.
"Commander, look!"
Suddenly an officer pointed into the distance and exclaimed.
Yuan Feng was on his horse and looked up to see that outside Ning'an County in the distance, some villages and towns were on fire one after another, and in the distance there was a pillar of smoke.
His expression changed drastically: "Oh no!"
…
Southwest of Ning'an County.
After occupying Wenshui County, the Shenjiying team led by Shi Meng only left a part of the troops to defend the city, and the rest went to cut off Su Dan's retreat.
However, he was intercepted by the rebels. The two sides had just experienced a fierce battle, and Shi Meng had the upper hand with the advantage of his musket.
However, before he could catch his breath, he heard the young master Tang Ping's trembling voice:
"Not good. Look!"
Shi Meng looked over and saw smoke and flames rising in the distance.
He looked pale.
…
Further north, on the outskirts of the battlefield below the city, on a high slope, no one noticed as three horses arrived quietly.
Zhao Duan reined in his horse and stopped, frowning as he looked at the scene of the two armies facing each other under the city wall in front of him.
Song Jinxi exclaimed, "Wolf smoke, what signal are the rebels sending?"
"There's a fire." Nie Yurong murmured in an imperceptible voice, her expression slightly moved.
Zhao Duan took a deep breath and looked at the faint flames emerging in the city. The strong wind blew across the high slope.
At the foot of the high slopes are vast expanses of golden wheat fields that have matured in autumn.
At this moment, the wind blows the wheat waves.
If this fire breaks out, it will not only destroy the entire county, but the flames will also be carried by the wind into the farmland within a radius of dozens of miles, destroying the entire season's harvest.
"Song Jinxi, you wait here, I will be back soon."
Zhao Duan suddenly raised his hand and tore off his luxurious outer garment, revealing a white half-body armor underneath.
Nie Yurong's eyes flickered, and I don't know what she was thinking.
Song Jinxi subconsciously glanced at the female killer, quietly moved his body, and then asked doubtfully:
"My Lord, are you going to fight the enemy?"
"No," Zhao Duan stood up suddenly, bent his knees, and his horse whined and knelt on the ground. He flew into the sky with a roar, leaving only one sentence:
"Control the clouds and bring rain."
(End of this chapter)
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