Chapter 248: Battle of Xi'an 4
At the end of the day, the Han army suffered countless casualties. The north gate remained in the hands of the Chuang army, but both sides suffered heavy casualties. Furthermore, more soldiers fell ill in both armies, with coughs, runny noses, and tears streaming down their faces. Even many war horses began to fall ill.
Zhao Xiaofei was not in a hurry. He thought these people couldn't leave now. Where could they run to without many horses?
As the saying goes, those who treat others as fools are often fools themselves. Do you really think the wisdom of the ancients is inferior to yours?
Wu Sangui could no longer sit still. If he continued like this, not only would his strength be weakened, but he would also be defeated here. This was most likely Zhao Xiaofei's evil plan to lure him, the Jianlu, and Li Zicheng in the city into one pot.
Wu Sangui summoned Prime Minister Xia and said, "Get ready tonight! The entire army will march to Shanxi! Arrange your death squads, and before I leave, I want Duoduo's head!" Wu Sangui wanted Duoduo's head simply because, in case he could return to the Ming Dynasty, it would be a gift and a token of his loyalty. The Ming Dynasty would likely spare his life in recognition of his contribution to Duoduo's execution. With his sister, Wu Sanmei, he still had a future in the Ming Dynasty.
"Yes!" Prime Minister Xia left to make arrangements.
That night, Wu Sangui arrived at Duoduo's tent. Duoduo didn't wait for Wu Sangui to speak, saying, "Prince Pingxi, if you're suggesting we withdraw tomorrow, then don't bother! The Qing has spent so much money and food. You can't just withdraw at this point! We still have one more day to go, and the city will surely fall!"
"But if the city is not broken, we will not only lose strength, but also our lives!" said Wu Sangui.
"How many cavalrymen does Zhao Xiaofei have? Can he catch up with us? The report from the front says that he is still crawling slowly towards us! Even if he arrives, can he really eat us up if we haven't taken Xi'an? Don't think that Zhao Xiaofei is a famous general just because he captured Haoge! Even tigers can take naps. We have now concentrated half of the artillery of the Qing Dynasty and the former Ming Dynasty. It can be said that our firearms are so sharp that no one can match them. I want to see if Zhao really has such a good appetite?" Duoduo said.
Wu Sangui cursed inwardly, "Foolish! A frog in a well!" But he remained calm and said, "Since Your Excellency has made up his mind, I will obey your orders! I have other matters to attend to in the army, so I will not disturb you any further."
"Why are you in such a hurry? What's the matter with King Pingxi going back? Is he organizing a rebellion? Or does he want to withdraw his troops to Shanxi?" Duoduo suddenly asked.
Wu Sangui was so frightened that all his pores exploded and his hair stood on end. But he said, "You are joking, my lord. I am loyal to the Qing Dynasty!"
"Loyal to the Qing Dynasty? Fine! Kill Prime Minister Xia and I will believe you! This bastard must have given random orders behind your back, and even let your Guanning Iron Cavalry be ready to withdraw at any time. This is simply rebellion!" Duoduo said.
Wu Sangui's mind went blank when he heard this, and he thought: It's over! My plan has been exposed! Although Duoduo said that it was Xia Guoxiang who gave the order privately, it seemed that he was considering his face and wanted him to continue to fight with the Jianlu. But no matter what, Duoduo didn't believe that Xia Guoxiang would give the order privately. Now he had only two choices. One was to kill Xia Guoxiang himself, and no one would be on the same side with him anymore. The other was to run away, and there were still assassins outside to support him. But he didn't have much capital, how many Guanning Iron Cavalry could he take away!
These thoughts flashed through his mind in a split second, and Wu Sangui made his decision. He wanted to run! He had to get out first. He knelt on one knee and declared, "Prince Yu! I am innocent! I will execute Prime Minister Xia right here!" At that moment, Wu Sangui prepared to pull out the small pistol hidden in his boot, intending to fire a single shot and then flee.
Just as he was about to draw his gun, a man suddenly stepped out from behind Duoduo and said, "King Pingxi, your crime has been exposed!"
Wu Sangui looked up and saw someone walking out from behind the screen. It was Jiang Xiang. Wu Sangui looked at the head in Jiang Xiang's hand with hatred. The head was still dripping with blood. The head was none other than the Prime Minister of Xia.
Wu Sangui took out the pistol from his boot without hesitation and shot Duoduo. Jiang Xiang felt that Wu Sangui was acting strangely and reacted instantly, throwing the head in his hand over.
The spear hit Xia Guoxiang's head, smashing it into pieces. He happened to block the spear for Duoduo.
The musket in Wu Sangui's hand was a disposable one, powerful yet small. He used it to save his life in a crucial moment. Realizing he'd missed, he immediately threw the musket forward, striking Jiang Xiang squarely in the head. Jiang Xiang's head was instantly shattered, and blood gushed out. Jiang Xiang lay on the ground, clutching his head. Wu Sangui had already taken advantage of the chaos to escape.
I don’t know if the death warriors outside are still alive. It is very likely that they have been killed or besieged by the elite soldiers of the Jianlu!
When Duoduo's personal soldiers heard the noise outside, they immediately blocked Wu Sangui's way. Wu Sangui was a very capable man with many years of battlefield experience, and it was not something these personal soldiers could kill.
Wu Sangui also snatched a spear from a Jianlu soldier and rushed out of the camp, killing his way left and right. He heard the sound of fighting outside the camp, and Wu Sangui was overjoyed! He knew that the death squad was waiting outside the camp, fighting with the Jianlu. If he could just get outside the camp, he would be saved.
Wu Sangui was like a stimulant, his spear flying up and down. A dozen Jianlu soldiers could not get close to Wu Sangui, and Wu Sangui was getting closer and closer to the camp gate.
At the camp gate, Wu Sangui's assassins had already slaughtered the soldiers at the gate. The gate was already open, and Wu Sangui shouted loudly: "Brothers! The Jianlu are ruthless and have rebelled today! Leave here alive, and you will all be my brothers. You can choose the money, women, and official positions you want!"
After hearing Wu Sangui's promise, the soldiers became more energized and quickened their pace. They soon surrounded Wu Sangui and began to retreat westward with him.
But just as they took two steps, a group of soldiers rushed towards them. First, a row of muskets fired a volley, and the soldiers in front fell to the ground like wheat being cut. Then a row of soldiers threw bombs into the crowd of soldiers. Boom boom boom, another wave of casualties.
At this time, there were only about a hundred people left around Wu Sangui, and the Jianlu and Han troops on the opposite side began to slowly surround them.
At this time, Duoduo and Jiang Xiang rode over on horseback. Jiang Xiang had a cloth wrapped around her head. Duoduo said, "Wu Sangui! You are such a fickle villain! If it weren't for Lord Jiang's denunciation, I would have died at your hands!"
"You ignorant boy! So what if I die? Do you think you can get out alive? With so many soldiers and horses sick, you still insist on attacking Xi'an. That's the way to death! Hahaha! I'm just going ahead to reserve a place for you in the underworld!" Wu Sangui knew that he would die today, so he spoke without any scruples.
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