After waiting like this for two hours, suddenly, snowflakes began to float in the sky again. For Zhuo Bufan, the wind and snow at this time were just beautiful.
The drifting wind and snow seemed to add to the fun, and the Tatar soldiers started to stir up some fights. At this time, the patrolling officer came over and said something sternly, and the Tatar soldiers muttered and stopped laughing. , shift after shift, sleep after sleep, and soon, those bonfires gradually weakened and extinguished. []
If he didn't leave now, he would wait. Zhuo Bufan made a slight gesture. In the snow, among the romantic snowflakes all over the sky, a few inconspicuous snowpacks slowly and continuously moved towards the Songshan Mountain, passing by the extinguished trees without any danger. The bonfire passed through the gap between the patrols and sped up in the empty space in front of the city.
At this time, there was an oppressive silence in Songshan City. Up and down the city wall, the officers and soldiers of the Great China who did not dare to slack off were squatting silently in the corners. Very few people could fall asleep. Most of them looked blankly at the falling snowflakes in front of them, wondering if it was Thinking about what fate he will face.
In the center of the city, around a relatively strong and large building, the soldiers on guard were different from the officers and soldiers near the city wall. They were very alert and on tight guard. Near the gate, there were more than a dozen horses tied up, which had not yet been captured. The hoof prints covered by snowflakes indicate that these horses have not been here for a long time.
In the main room, a man of about forty years old wearing armor sat in the middle, and below him, six officers also wearing general uniforms sat separately.
"Everyone." The one who spoke was Hong Chengchou, who was sitting in the seat. At this time, he looked slightly haggard and frowned, and he had long lost the high spirits he had when he came out of seclusion. His voice also seemed a little hoarse: "The city cannot be defended. I have summoned all brothers today because I want to hear your thoughts and what you have to say. At this time, don¡¯t have any other worries.¡±
After Hong Chengchou finished speaking, the room fell into silence again. The six general officers who sat down were either thinking hard, or staring blankly, and they were all silent.
After a long time, a white-faced and beardless general who was also in his forties or fifties said: "Your Majesty Governor, our army has been besieged for half a year. We are short of food and grass, and our troops are exhausted. Fortunately, we have persisted until now with the help of the food stored in the pine mountains and the sharp cannons. Now the Tatars The artillery is so sharp, how can we still resist?"
Hong Chengchou frowned and said displeasedly: "I have made it clear just now. There is no need to talk about these nonsense. Let's be straightforward. Tell us what you think."
Everyone below looked at each other, and one of the younger general soldiers said: "I believe that the current plan is to break through with all our strength to have a chance of survival."
This conversation seems to have opened up the conversation of others. Another person retorted: "The enemy's army is several times larger than mine, and the Tatar cavalry is sharp and moves quickly. Our army is short of horses and most of them have been slaughtered to satisfy hunger. How can we escape?" .¡±
The man before was so angry: "What if we don't break out of the encirclement? It's hard to surrender!"
The other person was furious when he heard this. He stood up and slapped the table and said, "What do you mean? I'm just telling the truth. Since you can say it, I'm afraid you have such an idea!"
"Fart!", the official rank was the same, the person before did not show any weakness, jumped up and cursed.
"Shut up!" Hong Chengchou couldn't bear it any longer and slapped him, which calmed everyone down.
Shaking his head, Hong Chengchou said helplessly: "The enemy is in chaos before it invades. You are all my right and left arms. You are the commander-in-chief of ten thousand soldiers. How can you behave like that?" He paused and spoke in a lower tone. : "We, who have received our salary from the imperial court, shall serve our country. I believe that all of you are loyal ministers of Dahua. The current situation is indeed serious. In my opinion, there are only two options: breaking out and holding on. Breaking out requires facing Against the Tatar cavalry, they are weak in the field and cannot carry artillery baggage, so they will naturally escape death. If the Tatar army suddenly emerges with a large number of artillery, it may not be able to sustain it for long, hey" At this time, Hong Chengchou also He didn't care about anything else and told the truth. No matter what he chose, he seemed to have a narrow escape from death.
Everyone fell into silence again. Several people looked in different directions, and they didn¡¯t know what they were thinking. They really agreed with those words. They all flew away from each other in the face of disaster, each with their own small calculations.
Seeing this scene, Hong Chengchou sighed heavily in his heart. Normally, he was an easy-to-use governor, but at this time, most of his headquarters had entered the pass to encircle and suppress the rebels and were unable to return. Now he could only rely on the various generals who deployed his command. When the soldiers faced this life and death situation, they felt so alienated and unable to command. When disaster strikes, they all fly away. It's enough for these people to persist until now. What else can they ask for?
After an unknown amount of time passed, Hong Chengchou sighed heavily and could only say clearly: "I'll make it clear. I think it's better to stick to Songshan. To the east is the sea, and to the south is the Tatar brigade blocking everything. Give up." The hope of breaking out of the siege with baggage is really slim, so it is better to occupy the city.Stay safe, or there may be a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, it won't be long before a large army comes to help from the pass! "
Hong Chengchou spoke frankly, and the six generals also began to think seriously. One of the old generals sighed: "Your Majesty Governor, in this situation, I don't want to talk nonsense anymore. Our army has been besieged for almost half a year, and I have never seen a single soldier coming to help. I think in this situation, you can only rely on yourself. I think there is still a chance of breaking out."
"It's not that there is no rescue in the pass, it's not successful." However, Hong Chengchou's confidence is not enough. No matter how he calculates it, it has been enough to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops. It is hard to say whether he can defeat the Tatars or rush to Songshan to rescue everyone from danger. It's not difficult. Regarding some of these things, such as the filthiness of certain people in the court, Hong Chengchou still knew something about it, but these things were absolutely unmentionable at this time.
Seeing everyone looking around again, Hong Chengchou said helplessly: "Okay, everyone, don't have any worries. Let's do this. Whoever wants to break out of the encirclement will stay with me."
This time it came to the main topic, and everyone looked at it seriously. Soon, the results came out. Three of the total troops were responsible for breaking out, and the other three were willing to defend the city and wait for reinforcements. It was average.
Hong Chengchou was silent for a long time, and said with sorrow in his eyes: "Okay, that's it. The three of you will take your subordinates, as well as the various departments in Songshan's jurisdiction, and break out before dawn. All the horses will be allocated to you. I wish you a breakout. Success. After breaking through the siege, please be sure to report to the imperial court for urgent help. The lives of the ten thousand brothers in the city, as well as my life, Hong Chengchou, are entrusted to you." There were more than 20,000 troops allocated for the breakout, and in the city, there were only There are more than 10,000 troops left.
The three commander-in-chiefs were all old and cunning. They were naturally overjoyed when they heard this. They thanked Hong Chengchou and then went out to get ready. As for whether they could think about people like Songshan after breaking out of the siege, only the devil knows.
Hong Chengchou and the three younger general soldiers who stayed behind looked at each other in silence for a long time. It was not until Hong Chengchou sighed that the three general soldiers left sadly. However, Hong Chengchou did not move for a long time, just sitting on the chair motionless. .
The wind and snow outside have become stronger again, and the cold wind is blowing the whistle again. In this ice and snow, the breakout team, which lacks clothing, food and horses, can escape the pursuit of tens of thousands of Tatar cavalry. I am afraid it really requires the blessing of God. . And even if they stay here, even if the breakout troops can buy themselves some time, how long can they last in the face of the Tatars' superior firepower. Hey, how did the two hundred thousand high-spirited elites of China end up in this situation? Is it because our army is clumsy and has low combat effectiveness? Or is it destiny that sets the sun on the sky? Or maybe natural disasters are not as good as man-made disasters, but foreign enemies are not as good as domestic thieves? Where is the majestic China that has stood proudly for hundreds of years among the four kingdoms? Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou lowered his head in pain, closed his eyes tightly, and rubbed his temple painfully with his right hand on the armrest.
Suddenly, there was a burst of cold air in the well-sealed room where the burning brazier was burning, as if the ice and snow outside had sneaked in at an inappropriate time. Hong Chengchou weakly raised his head with a splitting headache, and then opened his mouth in surprise.
I saw that in the room where there was no one else except myself, there was a strange big snowman. On the same big white head, a pair of big black eyes were looking at me.
"Who is it!" The soldiers kept their swords from their bodies. Hong Chengchou stood up, drew his sword, and slashed furiously. The sword was so powerful that it was obviously very tough in his hands.
At this time, an even weirder scene appeared. The big snowman shook and split into two. A petite snowman did not dodge but dodged forward. He lifted his palm like lightning and struck a powerful and heavy knife in the air. At this time, the guards outside had already heard the noise, and a dozen people rushed in through the door. The closed windows on both sides also slammed open, and seven or eight able-bodied soldiers jumped in.
"Sir, we are friends, not enemies. Don't panic." The snowman who remained in place suddenly lifted his hood, revealing a bearded face. Although his appearance was haggard, it could be seen that he was not very old. Big, but his eyes are charming and lively.
The soldiers did not stop and rushed over. However, the little snowman was right next to Hong Chengchou and could threaten his life at any time. Seeing this, the soldiers who rushed forward could only stop. pace.
Hong Chengchou was secretly frightened at this moment. His right hand was sore and numb as he was being held up. Let alone movement, the whole half of his body could not move. However, he did not show any timidity and shouted loudly: "Who is coming and what is your intention?" for?"
The snowman who took off his hood suddenly laughed, showing his snow-white teeth. The childishness of the boy was finally revealed, and he said with a smile: "The last time I left seclusion, I was just observing the grace of the adults at the school grounds in the capital. I guess you don't know me. After the battle at Haishan Pass, I received a lot of attention from you, and it was only now that I had the opportunity to thank you in person."
Hong Chengchou frowned when he heard this, and suddenly frownedHe picked it up and said in surprise: "It's you!?"