Chapter 52 Destroy Linying

Linying City is a small city.

The city is not big, and it is not a famous city. It is just an ordinary county town. Although there are many households, it is said that there are 22 li, with 110 households in each li. In the county town alone, there are 2

There are more than a thousand households, ten or twenty thousand people, but that was the situation in its heyday, not now.

After years of war and drought and locust attacks, it is hard to say how much will be left.

At this moment, countless civilians poked their heads above the city wall. Under the city wall, thousands of horses were seen galloping around the city. The billowing smoke and dust were like a long dragon, covering the entire city.

"King Chuang has an order: Kaicheng surrenders, Qiu will not be invaded, resist stubbornly in the corner, and leave no armor behind."

A louder shout shook the city.

Yao Wenheng looked at the people around him, all shivering, and suddenly pulled out his sword and said: "The country has been raising scholars for more than two hundred years, and we are determined not to surrender to thieves." As he spoke, he looked at the people, the gloriously dressed people,

There is still an air of hatred and hatred on their faces, but most poor people don't even bother to raise their eyes.&1t;i>&1t;/i>

"It has been more than two hundred years since the dawn of time, and the people's hearts have not been as solid as this." Yao Wenheng felt a sharp pain in his heart. The real gentry is only the servants of the gentry, and a dozen of them can only count as more than a thousand strong men. How can these people guard a city wall that is several miles long?

?The people can no longer count on it. The city today will definitely not be able to be defended.

"If you can't hold on, you have to hold on." Yao Wenheng gritted his teeth and said to himself: "This is how you can live up to your family and country."

Luo Yulong threatened and persuaded to surrender, but the top of the city remained motionless. He knew that the city was determined to attack with real swords and plunder.

"Dismount and rest." Luo Yulong ordered.

He finally remembered that cavalry could not attack the city. When he was marching, he felt that Zhang Xuan's troops were marching too slowly, so he led the cavalry over alone. In just one morning, the troops came to the city. Linying was only sixty miles away from Yancheng.

.I just didn’t expect that Linying County Magistrate is still a tough guy.&1t;i>&1t;/i>

In the afternoon, Zhang Xuan's headquarters finally arrived.

Zhang Xuan's troops were not just infantry, he wanted to take root in Linying County, so Zhang Xuan brought a lot of things, such as craftsmen, grain, and other supplies, so he walked sixty miles for almost a day to arrive.

"Brother-in-law." Luo Yulong said directly: "I looked at the top of the city, but there are only thousands of old and weak people. It's okay to keep up the face, but I won't be able to hold it up once a fight starts. I've been waiting for you to come here to give you a share of the credit."

.”

Zhang Xuan said: "Thank you, brother." He said this in his mouth, but he understood very well in his heart. It was just that Luo Yulong was worried that the cavalry would suffer too many casualties. After all, no one would die in the siege of the city. In Luo Yulong's eyes,

The value of cavalry is much greater than that of infantry.

Zhang Xuan didn't say much, and immediately arranged for the soldiers to get into position, with several tiger cannons lined up in a row.

&1t;i>&1t;/i>

Then from the carriage at the back, the parts were removed. Several siege equipment were assembled amidst the clanking assembly of the craftsmen.

After Zhang Xuan's troops experienced the battles of attacking Huoshaodian, attacking Xiangcheng, attacking Shangshui, and attacking Yancheng, they gradually matured and formed a set of siege routines in Zhang Xuan's style.

Zhang Xuan also understood very well that attacking the county town did not require much effort at all. Firstly, the walls of the county town were not very strong. Secondly, there were not many tenacious defenders in the city. As long as they got the first move, they could break through the city, just like now.

Several small cannons were placed directly at a distance of dozens of steps below the city. The rear half of the cannons was buried in the soil and the muzzles were raised high. These cannons were obtained from the fire shop, and after the fire shop

, during these twenty days, Zhang Xuan was fighting in various places, and Zhang Xuan really had no intention of building an artillery truck, and in Zhang Xuan's opinion, this artillery was too small.&1t;i>&1t;/i>

However, although this artillery is small, it is enough for the people on the city.

As soon as several artillery pieces opened fire, solid shells hit the city head.

However, most of these shells were blocked by the female wall. But for these people, it was enough. Someone shouted: "Run." For a while, the people at the top of the city turned around and ran away.

Yao Wenheng was furious, holding a sword and saying: "Don't run, don't run. Go back, go back."

While he was shouting, he was bumped by someone. His hand was loosened, and the sword fell on the city head with a clang, and he was kicked off the city head by someone.

The people didn't look at Yao Wenheng at all, and ran past him. After a while, even the government officials on the top of the city fled. Yao Wenheng's face was pale, as if he was a walking corpse. He suddenly calmed down. He knew that the city could not be defended.

.&1t;i>&1t;/i>

Yao Wenheng smiled sadly, turned around and walked towards the county government office.

How could the movement on the top of the city be hidden from Zhang Xuan's eyes? Zhang Xuan immediately sent Deng and his troops forward. Deng and his troops did not use any long ladders, but used ropes with iron hooks to hang them all at once.

On the top of the city, Deng He held his long knife in his mouth, climbed up to the top of the city, killed a few soldiers who were still resisting on the top of the city, and then opened the city gate, and a large group of people rushed in. Linying City became

It’s Zhang Xuan’s.

As soon as Zhang Xuan opened the city gate, he sent Luo Dai's horse team to take the lead and occupy the county government office and treasury to prevent others from setting fire to them.

But when Zhang Xuan came to the county government office, he was furious and said: "Luo Dai, what did I say? Don't kill indiscriminately, don't kill women and children, what did you do?" As soon as Zhang Xuan came in,

Then I saw a dozen corpses in the backyard of the county government office. They were not young men, but women and children.&1t;i>&1t;/i>

Zhang Xuan was particularly in favor of the military laws promulgated by Li Zicheng, so killing civilians without authorization was a first-rate crime for Zhang Xuan's subordinates.

"General." Luo Dai said aggrievedly, "I did not kill these."

"Didn't you kill him or commit suicide?" Zhang Xuan shouted harshly.

"It was really suicide." Luo Dai said, "This has been the case since I came here. I asked the survivors in the county government and it was the county magistrate Yao Wenheng who killed his entire family."

"Yao Wenheng?" Zhang Xuan said somewhat unreasonably: "Where are they?"

"It seems that he ran to the Confucius Temple." I don't know who said it.

Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go and have a look. Let me see how hard-hearted he is?"

To Zhang Xuan, such a person who kills his wife and children with his own hands is simply inhumane.&1t;i>&1t;/i>

In the Confucius Temple.

Yao Wenheng was covered in blood, his face was pale, and his head was spread out. He no longer looked like the old Fengyi. He looked at the portrait of Confucius and said: "Confucius said Cheng Ren, Mencius said Yi. Since Wen Heng's death, he has been studying for more than thirty years.

Do you dare to bear this lesson now?" He then heard the sound of footsteps outside.

He knew that Linying County was now owned by thieves, and the people who came in now were definitely thieves. He put the blood-stained sword in his hand on his neck and said, "I would rather kill myself than humiliate the thieves." Heng Jian.

With a touch, blood spurted out, dyeing a corner of Confucius' portrait red.

With a sound of "Boom.", Luo Dai kicked the door open.

Zhang Xuan walked in and saw Yao Wenheng's body lying on the spot. He didn't know what to say for a moment, he just raised his head and looked at the portrait of Confucius with an inexplicable smile.

This is not the first time. Zhang Xuan encountered this situation when he conquered Xiangcheng, Shangshui, and Yancheng, but today he was particularly shocked.

"Is the Ming Dynasty really exhausted?" Zhang Xuan thought to himself. Many of the reasons he summarized said that the Ming Dynasty must die, but only now did he see what the power of people's hearts is. With the support of so many people, the Ming Dynasty actually has a comeback.

of ability.

"Regardless of whether Ming has the ability to make a comeback, I will not allow him to come back." Zhang Xuan thought to himself. He understood his current situation very well. If Ming does not die, he must die. This situation of irreconcilable forces requires him to do his best.

Mieming, what do you mean, the threat of the Manchus. Sorry, all Zhang Xuan wants is to survive. Not to give up his own life to let others survive.

"Report, General Luo invites you to come over." A messenger came over to report.

"Bury Yao Wenheng's family together." Zhang Xuan turned away from looking at the portrait of Confucius and said. He asked the messenger, "What did General Luo want to do with me?"

"It seems that General Zhang would like to ask someone to surrender." The messenger scratched his head and said.
Chapter completed!