There are only three crossing bridges on the Bianhuan River.
The nearest crossing bridge to Li Kuo's army is the Qingliang Bridge.
Since the Qingliang Bridge could only accommodate two riders riding side by side at the same time, the army began to cross the river in the afternoon, and it took half an hour to complete the crossing.
At this time, the army was less than a hundred miles away from Puyang City, and it was obvious that the tense battle atmosphere could be felt.
Li Kuo led the army all the way to see many rebels. In this case, Li Kuo will be ordered to shoot all of them to kill him. On this issue, Li Kuo would not hesitate. If these whistle -scattered riding escapes, even if only one person, the army of the army will be exposed.
Although he knew that he had to meet the main force of the rebels sooner or later, Li Kuo still hoped that the battle would happen. After all, Puyang City is urgently needed for support. Even if it is just a front -line hope, it may allow the robeers in the city to support it.
Such ideas are thoroughly implemented, and the army is very safe all the way. Until the eighty miles away from Puyang, Li Kuo encountered the first trouble.
Tian Chengyi seemed to find his whereabouts and sent a cavalry with more than 10,000 people to follow him. However, the distance between them is very subtle, and there are not many or many distances.
This distance is enough for the two generals to temporarily strain the command scheduling, which is also the lasting security limit of security.
Although it feels bad to be closely followed by such a cavalry, as long as they don't take the initiative to cause trouble, Li Kuo will not fight with them.
On the battlefield, knowing where you are going and what to do is the most important thing. Blind impulse and blood will only pay a painful price.
Li Kuo has long passed the period of blind impulsiveness. Now every decision he makes is discussed with the military generals to minimize the impact of wrong decisions.
The two sides maintain a delicate balance, and no one is willing to take the first step to break the balance.
Of course, with the approaching of Li Kuo to Puyang City, the final balance will definitely be destroyed, and there must be a battle between the two sides.
Looking at the gray hills in the distance, Li Kuo secretly said, I am here!
In the yamen of Suiyang City, Zhang Xunzheng stood with his hands behind his back.
Since July, the supply of food and grass in the city has become increasingly tight, and each soldier can only receive one spoonful of rice per day. The soldiers were so hungry that they had to find tea paper and tree bark to satisfy their hunger. By the end, the soldiers even peeled off the skins from their armor and arrows, cooked them, and ate them.
Although the army is like this, the situation of the people in the city is even worse. Many frail women died of illness one after another, and some men were as hungry as skin and bones, like skeletons. The city was filled with a gloomy and sad atmosphere, and Suiyang City, which was originally prosperous, turned into a ghost.
After reaching such a field, all the soldiers in the city could only breathe. But as long as this tone is there, he will persist.
Because Zhang Xun is here, because the faith of the Tang Dynasty is here!
Nan Jiyun did not bring back good news when he went to Linhuai. That Helan Jinming had no intention of rushing to rescue Suiyang. He even said that even if he sent troops to rescue, Suiyang would have fallen by the time he arrived. On the contrary, Ningling City sent 3,000 cavalry and infantry to assist Suiyang. Although these soldiers were less than 1,000 when they entered Suiyang, they finally brought a glimmer of hope to everyone who was in desperate situation.
No matter what, everyone has his own ambitions. Since He Lan Jinming has no intention of rescuing, let Zhang Xun be the martyr by himself.
"If Zhang Xun died for his country and could preserve the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, he would have died nine times but still not regret it.
"Sir, they, they all brought it!"
Lei Wanchun walked in with red eyes, hugged Zhang Xun and choked with tears.
Zhang Xun looked at the generals in the hall, cleared his throat and said: "When the country is in turmoil, everyone is willing to assist the king to quell the rebellion and restore a bright and prosperous world to the Tang Dynasty. It's just that Zhang is not talented. Not only can he not lead you to find He has gained fame and made his wife a shadow, but now he can't even protect everyone's lives. Zhang apologizes to everyone here!" Zhang Xun bowed to all the generals present with a very respectful attitude.
The generals were all old men who had followed Zhang Xun from Yongqiu and Ningling to fight fiercely. Seeing this scene, they could not help but cover their faces and cry bitterly. They all knew that Zhang Xun was a great hero who sacrificed his life for righteousness and destroyed his family to help people in trouble. From the moment they followed him, they had thought of the final outcome. How could they blame him now?
Looking for fame? What a big joke!
As the saying goes, if there is no skin left, how will the hair be attached? Being granted the title of wife and yinzi is a blessing that can only be enjoyed in peaceful times. Now that the Tang Dynasty is about to fall, what's the use of them just seeking fame?
Xu Yuan sighed and said: "Master Zhang, don't say that, you are loyal to the Tang Dynasty."Xiong, everyone is really proud to have fought with you to this point. Don't say anything more. At this point, if anyone takes a step back, he will be the enemy of Suiyang and the Tang Dynasty! "
"A few days ago, a military general wanted to give me advice, hoping to retreat to the east. But Suiyang is the barrier of the Jianghuai River. Once Suiyang is not protected, the rebels can march straight in and occupy the Jianghuai land. Moreover, our army will die of hunger and We are tired and sick, and we cannot escape if we retreat at this time. It is better for us to stick to Suiyang City and fight until the last moment!"
Zhang Xun clenched his fists, raised his arms and shouted.
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
After a long time, Zhang Xuncai sighed: "I also know that you don't have enough to eat now, so you naturally don't have the strength to defend the city. Therefore, I have decided, ahem, I have decided to dedicate my beloved concubine to everyone! Very special At that time, you can also kill women, the old and the weak for food. I just hope that you can share the same hatred and fight against the enemy!"
This statement immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
eat human? Master Zhang Xun actually wants them to eat people?
And he was so calm when he said these words?
All the generals present were stunned by Zhang Xun's remarks.
¡°When there are no cold dishes, you can eat tea paper, when there is no tea paper, you can eat war horses, when there are no war horses, you can even catch mice and eat them, but when these are gone, do you have to eat people?
The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans have a moral bottom line and code of conduct while animals do not, but are they going to break through this bottom line now?
Even during the chaos in the Central Plains at the end of the Sui Dynasty, we had only heard of rebels killing civilians and drying human flesh to use as military rations. But now, they are actually actively killing civilians in order to defend the city!
They are the guardians of the people in the city!
If they do this, how are they different from the brutal and bloody rebels? Is the Tang Dynasty they protect still pure and clean?
Xu Yuan and other generals showed their arms and sighed: "Master Zhang, this is also a helpless move. Please don't blame me." After a pause, Xu Yuan continued: "I will also dedicate the slave boy to you for food. , everyone must remember that we, we are all doing this for Your Majesty, for Datang!"
After Xu Yuan finished speaking, his face felt sad for a moment, and everyone present burst into tears.
ps: Zhang Xun¡¯s cannibalism is a real thing in history, and it can be considered a stain on his life.