Chapter 640 Help
When Taiyuan was first besieged, everyone in the city was actually in panic.
Not only the wealthy people in the city were in a panic and wanted to leave, but the leftists who had nothing left were also infected by this atmosphere and were eager to escape from the city.
Why do you think these people are afraid? Rich people are afraid, but they are even more afraid.
They would also rather believe what the right-wingers preached, that those Taishan Army were just a group of bandits who raped, burned and killed, and came to Taiyuan just to sell all the people in the city to the barbarians in the grassland as slaves.
This rumor reached its peak as the Taishan Army actually appeared outside Taiyuan City.
The auxiliary soldiers who came down from the city wall always told the neighbors that they really saw the Hu people among the Taishan Army, and how ferocious and terrifying the Hu people were.
When the rumors became a matter of seeing and believing, it became even more unquestionable. So at that time, the people in the city would rather live and die with the right-wingers than fall into the hands of the barbarians outside the city and become pigs and dogs in captivity.
So in the beginning, this was the biggest reason why the Taishan Army repeatedly succeeded in defeating Taiyuan.
At that time, in order to capture Taiyuan as soon as possible, the Taishan Army built various siege equipment. Weaving bridges, ladders, nest carts, and artillery carts were all built in turn.
Every day, thirty artillery trucks would hit hundreds of stone bombs on the top of Taiyuan City. However, with the support of Taiyuan people, the city wall was destroyed here and repaired there.
The artillery vehicle does not perform meritorious service, and the same goes for the nest vehicle.
The nest carts of the Taishan Army were improved in countless wars. Not only were they covered with thick rawhide, but they were also wrapped with a layer of iron sheets, making these nest carts indestructible for crossbows.
After that, the Taishan Army behind the nest car hid in the car, pushed the car close to the city trench, and then lowered the suspension bridge at a suitable distance to kill directly towards the city head.
Originally, Chao Chai had repeatedly accomplished extraordinary feats in several siege battles in the past, but it was ineffective in Taiyuan.
Some smart people in the city thought of a way, which is to also arrange a suspension bridge on the city wall. When those nest cars come, they can first hang the suspension bridge on the nest cars, so that the suspension bridge in front of the nest cars will be blocked. .
In short, the nest car also failed during the siege of Taiyuan.
It was precisely because all the above efforts were defeated one after another in Taiyuan City that Zhang Chong realized that Taiyuan could not be broken in a hurry, because the people's hearts are stronger than the city walls.
However, the efforts of the people of Taiyuan did not receive the rewards they deserved.
Originally, when these young men were recruited to go up the city wall, they were promised two meals a day. But the actual execution was on the first day. In the following days, one meal became less and less, and now it has become one meal a day, and even this meal is still sparse.
The reduction of rations is not only a change in physical fitness, but also a collapse of confidence in the government.
Just as we said before, whoever can think of a way to destroy the enemy's nest car will be rewarded with ten gold coins.
So, when a carpenter named Zhang Ernan, who lived in the area not far from the city wall, thought of a plan to defeat the thieves, he got five gold out of the ten gold he had ordered, and the hardware was stolen by the military officials on the city wall.
In the end, there was only one chance left for Zhang Ernan, which was to leave the city wall and go home to reunite with his family.
So, what can Zhang Ernan do? You can only accept it silently.
During the ten days of siege, the authority of the government was almost lost in the hearts of these Guizhou leaders. What they saw were the treasury officials who were enriching their own pockets, and the military officials who were fierce and cruel, but what they couldn't see was the figures of Hao You and the personal presence of Ding Yuan and Wang Yun.
But they saw something different outside the city.
Over the past ten days, they gradually realized that the Taishan Army's military discipline was actually very good, and it was actually very benevolent and righteous to the people of Taiyuan. For example, they found that where Guizhou leaders were gathered together, there were fewer stone bullets.
Even some who accidentally fell under the city did not die. They watched as the Taishan Army carried these people down for treatment.
In short, what the Taishan Army and the government said were completely different.
……
That night, Zhang Ernan sat quietly on the mat, listening to his child's cries of hunger, and his heart was torn.
After thinking about it, Zhang Ernan finally decided to go out.
But just as he was about to leave, his wife suddenly rushed over, closed the door, her eyes were red, and she couldn't cry:
"You can't go out. If you are caught on top of the city again, where can you come back?"
Zhang Ernan didn't say a word, just pulled his mother-in-law aside, and then walked out of the house amidst the cries of his wife and children.
Men need to stand up at this time, otherwise they are called men?
After walking out of the house, carefully keeping the door open, Zhang Ernan walked along the wall of Fangshi.
He had already thought about where to get food before he came out.
There was a banquet in the whole city tonight, and with those right-wing people's behavior, a lot of food would be wasted, so he decided to go to these people's houses to look for swill, and he would definitely gain something.
But Hao You, who is closest to Zhang Ernan's home, also needs to cross half of the city. The divide between the poor and the rich is not only literary but also physical.
The rich all live in mansions in the east of Taiyuan, while the poor all live in shacks in the west.
Traveling half the city to the east of the city was undoubtedly a risky undertaking for Zhang Ernan, who was already too hungry to walk, but for the sake of his wife and children at home, he could only do this.
Zhang Ernan is a very famous carpenter in the west of the city. It was precisely because of his superb skills that he married the most beautiful and virtuous wife in their area. Even without the support of the clan, he still relied on his skills to build a small house in the west of the city. Single courtyard.
Because of his good craftsmanship, Zhang Ernan was often invited to do work by the rich slaves in the east of the city, so the second man was very familiar with the east of the city.
Before going out, he had already planned the route. He also realized that even his own family had no food left, and the Guizhou leaders in the west of the city should be even worse off, so he had been very careful and chose a road with fewer people.
But even so, what he saw along the road still frightened Zhang Ernan.
It's not like he has never seen death before. He was at the top of the city a few days ago, and the ones that were hit by those stone bullets were like flesh. But if that kind of death was like a ball of fire, then what the two men saw at this moment was just a ball of ice.
It is already approaching the twelfth lunar month, which is also the coldest time of the year, and this year's twelfth lunar month is even colder than in previous years.
One can imagine the plight of the Guizhou leaders who had no firewood for heating in such cold conditions.
Zhang Ernan walked along the wall, and every few steps he could see a body that had been frozen solid.
He knew that most of them were not people from the city of Taiyuan, but people from Yangqu who had fled with the powerful forces from the north. They believed Guo's words and thought that Taiyuan would have a way to survive and avoid weapons, but the result was obvious. .
In the dark night, as Zhang Ernan continued to move forward, all he could see were cemeteries. The streets were filled with corpses, and frozen dead people could be seen huddled in the corners everywhere.
After stepping on countless corpses, Zhang Ernan finally walked out of the shanty town in the east of the city and was about to cross the Zhengnan Road, the widest avenue in the city.
After passing this road, you will see the west side of the city where rich people gather.
And just by looking at it, Zhang Ernan knew that here and there were two different worlds. There was no death, no frozen corpses, and every mansion was decorated with lights and full of warmth.
In the past, the second man would have been fascinated by this kind of magnificence, but now he only gave a cold snort.
Wrapped up in a winter coat, this is the only one the family has. Zhang Ernan's confidence in walking half the city in this cold winter comes from this winter coat.
But just as Zhang Ernan was about to take a step forward and enter Zhengnan Road, he suddenly heard a burst of rapid footsteps and the familiar sound of armor plates rattling, so he didn't dare to move any more and stayed frozen like that. .
……
Pang De and Ma Dai walked in the front, followed by fourteen generals who followed them to seize the goal.
Together with sixteen people, sixteen sets of armor, and sixteen swords, they walked quickly on the due south road.
The conflict at the shogunate in the middle of the night did not bring much trouble to Pang De and the others. With Taiyuan Governor Pei Ye as a guarantee, he would not allow Wang Yun to mess around. And what about Wang Yun? After all, there are only more than a thousand Bubu in hand, which is inferior to the county soldiers of the Taishou Mansion in terms of absolute numbers. So Pei Ye insisted, and Wang Yun had no choice but to give up.
Pei Ye is a good official. He is not from Taiyuan, but he is from Taiyuan in his heart.
In fact, when recruiting Taiyuan people to help defend the city, Pei Ye gave them three meals a day. The governor's office also ordered that in order to help the Guizhou leaders in the west of the city survive this cold winter, they decided to save money from the treasury and distribute grain and firewood.
But unfortunately, Pei Ye is not from Taiyuan, and he has no clan here.
These orders of his were either ignored or violated, and the few that were implemented to a limited extent were severely compromised.
For the huge city of Taiyuan, Pei Ye's power alone is so small.
But he still couldn't allow Wang Yun to kidnap the entire city in front of him. How could Pei Ye not understand what Wang Yun did?
Precisely because he understood, Pei Ye became even more angry inside.
Do you, Wang Yun, think that these more than 100,000 people are the resources to realize your ambitions? What qualifications do you have, Wang Yun, to be above everyone else?
As the instigator of this conflict, Pound, he also had a clear mind.
He didn't expect to see a good official in Taiyuan City. At this moment, his heart was quite heavy, and he felt that his behavior had taken advantage of Pei Ye's conscience.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, Pang De took a deep breath.
The breath was misting in the cold night, appearing and disappearing.
At this time, Ma Dai seemed to have thought of something and whispered to Pound:
"Old Pang, is this going too smoothly? We have to leave the city overnight, and those people really let us out of the city? Are they not defensive at all?"
Pound shook his head and asked:
"We are now a thorn in the flesh to some people, but to others we are a rare commodity. And there are far more people who want us to live than to want us dead."
Ma Dai seemed to understand, but after thinking for a long time, he suddenly realized:
"So Wang Yun has made people angry?"
Pang De chuckled and then said nothing.
At this moment, a general walking in the outermost corner suddenly pulled out his knife, facing the darkness on the right side of the road, and shouted:
"Who is it? Come out!"
This Hengliang general is called Han Gang. Last year he was admitted to the Yecheng Lecture School of Martial Arts from the lower camp. This year he was admitted to the Hengliang general with exceptional results.
As Han Gang drew his sword, Pang De's team immediately started to move. Pang De and Ma Dai did not move, and the remaining twelve people formed three circular formations. Then Han Gang and another comrade Then he ran over.
After a while, Han Gang carried Zhang Ernan and walked out, while his colleagues continued to follow Zhang Ernan's footsteps to see if there were any accomplices.
Han Gang carried Zhang Ernan and walked into the formation. Under the cover of the robes, he threw the two men on the ground.
At this time Pang De came over and said with a smile:
"Who are you? Why are you there eavesdropping on us?"
Zhang Ernan struggled to sit cross-legged on the ground, looked carefully at the soldiers around him, and said as if he had made a lot of determination:
"My name is Zhang Ernan."
The first words he spoke made many generals look at him sideways, because they knew this name so well.
Now the biggest support person in the army is the king's second uncle, his name is Zhang Ernan.
These collisions will often involve dealing with the second father.
But if the first sentence this person said made everyone want to laugh, then the second sentence this person said made everyone change their minds.
"I know, you must be the Taishan Army, right?"
When he heard Zhang Ernan reveal their identity, Pang De's smile disappeared, and there was a dangerous murderous intent on his face.
He just looked at Zhang Ernan quietly, waiting for him to say the third sentence, which would determine his life or death.
"I want to help you."
This is the third sentence Zhang Ernan said.
Ma Dai exhaled, turned to look at Pound, and saw that Pound also exhaled in one breath, with a smile on his face again.
……
Taiyuan City, outside the south gate.
In the distant sky, a thin layer of red is trying to rise from the horizon, but somehow, there is always a strange force dragging the morning sun, unwilling to let this land regain warmth and new life.
At this time, Zhang Chong was looking at Taiyuan City not far away. While the Fen River flowing from north to south passed through the city, it also blocked the cavalry on the east bank.
To be honest, this operation does not actually require Zhang Chong to appear in person.
When he defeated the Kansai army in Dusohara, after he arranged this plan, the war was actually over.
But Zhang Chong decided to come in person because he wanted to meet the Taiyuan governor Pei Ye.
As for that Wang Yun? Forget it.
At first, Zhang Chong was indifferent to Pei Ye, because Zhang Chong had never heard of this person's name not only in later generations, but also in this life.
Until he fought at Shiling Pass, Gao Shun and the rest of Xun Cheng surrendered to him.
Zhang Chong was naturally full of curiosity about this general who was famous for his loyalty. After the war, he had a detailed chat with Gao Shun.
Gao Shun once said that he admires two and a half characters.
Half of them were his former commander, Guo Lin. As for those two, one is Xun Cheng, who is already loyal, and the other is Pei Ye, the governor of Taiyuan.
With Gao Shun's character of cherishing words like gold, he still said a lot of nice things to Pei Ye.
This made Zhang Chong initially curious about Pei Ye.
After that, the people in Taiyuan City showed good fighting spirit, which made Zhang Chong think that it was Pei Ye's fault, which made Zhang Chong's curiosity even deeper.
Zhang Chong has always attached great importance to the acquisition and cultivation of talents.
For Zhang Chong, Taiyuan is certainly a strategic target, but it is also important if he can recruit a good official like Pei Ye.
So in this raid, Zhang Chong came.
And while he was waiting, not far away, the south gate of Taiyuan was slowly opening, as if a giant beast was opening its huge mouth towards the Taishan Army, revealing a danger that would invite you to enter the urn.
(End of chapter)