The reconnaissance platoon was all composed of killers who had followed him from Liaodong. They all disappeared into the darkness with daggers in their hands and blowpipes in their mouths.

After lying in wait near the sentry post for a while, I discovered the secret whistle. I slowly crawled over and blew the blowpipe hard and nailed it to my head. The sharp needle was coated with anesthetic, and the secret whistle stopped moving without even humming.

.

After killing the hidden sentry, it becomes easier for the open sentry. Just touch it quietly, and then jump up like a leopard. The sharp dagger cuts across the neck, and the force is so strong that half of the neck is almost cut off.

After clearing the obstacles, Zu Kuan led his battalion and rushed inside.

The Yangzhou Pier was brightly lit because of the light. Zu Kuan could see everyone on the pier clearly, but the people on the pier couldn't see Zu Kuan. Until a group of guys yelling "Ouch" and "Ouch" fired guns and charged.

When we entered the pier, the people on the pier were in chaos!

Zu Kuan was a little surprised. There were only a few soldiers guarding the dock. Most of the remaining people were civilians, so he didn't care about so many people at this time. It was serious to burn the boat and the food and leave!

Hundreds of cavalrymen were like tigers descending from the mountain, killing the guarding soldiers. The civilians all knelt on the ground, shouting loudly: "Grandpa, good man, have mercy on me! Grandpa, good man, have mercy on me!"

Zu Kuan couldn't laugh or cry, he was treating me like a bandit. What he didn't say was that he asked people to gather the peasants together. He asked them to gather the sacks and prepare to burn them on fire before going back to sleep.

When Zu Kuan saw a man carrying a sack in each hand and stacking them together, he felt something was wrong. The sack of grain probably weighed no less than a hundred kilograms, and the man looked so skinny that he didn't seem to have great strength.

appearance.

In a flash of lightning, the machete in his hand split open the sack. When he saw clearly what was inside, Zu Kuan felt his scalp go numb!

Those yellow things are not rice, but straw! Damn it, these sacks are filled with straw. I can pick up four of these sacks by myself.

The sacks that were supposed to contain rice are now filled with straw. Even a fool knows what's going on.

"Remove! Trap!" Zu Kuan shouted in fear.

Almost at the same time, the first mortar shell fell.

"Boom!" The artillery shell landed about thirty meters away from Zu Kuan. Two cavalrymen who were driving the civilians to work were directly lifted off their horses. They didn't know how many shrapnel were hit on their bodies, and they felt like they were in danger all over their bodies.

Blood.

The civilians were even worse, and screams could be heard in the smoke.

"Let's go north." Zu Kuan roared loudly, stretched out his hand to grab a torch, shook it, and took the lead in galloping north.

In the darkness, I saw the swaying torches. All the cavalry immediately followed. At this time, mortar shells rained down like raindrops. This time, the Yangzhou defenders also spent a lot of money. They must kill this cavalry battalion!

He didn't know how many of his subordinates were engulfed by the scattered shrapnel. Zu Kuan just waved the torch and ran out. When he ran outside the pier, he immediately threw the torch away. The pier behind him had become a sea of ​​fire, and he

Damn, these Yangzhou defenders are really insidious. Some of the straw inside the sacks was filled with kerosene, and when it was ignited by the shells, it immediately burst into flames.

When Zu Kuan looked back, Yangzhou Pier was already burning like a big torch. From time to time, burning men covered in fire rushed out of the fire, and their miserable howls made people tremble in their hearts. It was so suspenseful! Just slow down a little bit.

At one point, he was probably swallowed up by the fire. I don’t know how many brothers were trapped in the fire, but no one would go back to save them at this time.

Can't be saved!

Zu Kuan only felt the sound of wind in his ears, and guns were being fired from all directions in the darkness. The cavalry behind him fired back randomly, and from time to time someone was shot and fell under the horse. Zu Kuan's heart was bleeding, he didn't know this time

How many brothers can go back alive?

Relying on instinct, Zu Kuan's men fled north. The Liao army's camp was in the north of Yangzhou. When they heard the sound of gunfire, Cao Wenzhao would definitely organize people to respond.

The damn Yangzhou defenders seemed to have calculated it well. There were ambushes everywhere along the way. The cavalry running at the front even stepped on a mine! Zu Kuan's heart dropped. This was a trap set and waiting for him.

Get in. Now I'm like a wild boar in a trap. Even with all my strength, it's not easy to get out alive.

Suddenly, a row of guns came from the front. The thirty-odd riders who were running at the front fell off their horses like dumplings. Zu Kuan hurriedly lowered his body and felt the bullets flying past his head. Damn it,

How many people are doing volleyball?

"Hit me! Beat me hard. You must leave all the Liao army's cavalry for me." Sun Kewang shouted loudly with a command knife in his hand.

The roar was drowned in the roaring volley of gunfire, and even he himself couldn't hear it. But he still roared at the top of his lungs because he didn't know what to do at this time.

The volleys of guns were firing non-stop, and his men kept turning on their backs. Judging from the muzzle flames, the human wall on the opposite side must be very dense. If the Liao army had set up such a military formation, there must be trenches or traps in front of the formation.

If you rush over by yourself, you will simply die.

But the speed of the war horse has reached the extreme, and it is absolutely impossible to stop now. Even if there is a cliff on the other side, I can only jump down with my eyes closed.

Just when Zu Kuan was desperate, a cannonball suddenly exploded among the Yangzhou defenders.

Then came the second one, the third one...!

The artillery shells fell one after another, causing the Yangzhou defenders to fly into pieces. One thousand people were arranged in four rows, originally to exert continuous firepower. But the artillery shells falling in such a dense formation was like a nightmare.

At this time, no one has the intention to shoot, everyone is running away like crazy. I don’t know where to run, but there is only one thought in my head now, and that is to run!

The military formation in front of him dispersed in a flurry, and Zu Kuan could hardly believe his eyes. Now he had no time to think about where the shells came from. The revolver in his hand kept pulling the trigger. Shooting the fleeing Yangzhou defenders, if

It is estimated that this should be the last line of defense with the largest number of people. As long as you rush through it, there is hope of survival.

"Kill!" It was useless to say anything at this time. Zu Kuan shouted "Kill" in a hoarse voice.

The sound of horse hooves thundered, and the cavalrymen who had already lost more than half of their casualties rushed into the scattered military formation. They used sabers to cut those who were close, and shot those who were far away with pistols. The sharp sabers could leave a mark on a person's body with almost no effort due to the power of the galloping horse.

A hideous and horrific wound.

Sun Kewang's carefully assembled military formation collapsed almost instantly.

"Fire artillery wherever you go." Sun Kewang looked at the scene in front of him in astonishment. Just a moment ago, he thought he could annihilate all the Liao army cavalry. Unexpectedly, in just a few minutes, his soldiers became waiting for them.

Lamb for slaughter.

"Commander, let's go quickly!" The soldier dragged the stupid Sun Kewang to escape for his life.

If it were in the past, it would have been very fatal for the Yangzhou defenders to escape like this. Zu Kuan would command the cavalry and madly hunt down these fleeing soldiers. In the end, it is very likely that not a few people would survive, but now what Zu Kuan wants to do most is to escape.

.God knows how many Yangzhou defenders are gathering towards him.

At the top of Yangzhou City, the officers and soldiers of the patrol battalion were watching the fierce battle below the city with great interest. For the Yangzhou defenders who had not experienced war for many years, this was their first time on the battlefield for most of them.

"Who are they?" Everyone was watching with interest when suddenly a group of people appeared on the city wall. There were about twenty people, all wearing the uniforms of the Nanjing Forbidden Army. Tonight, there should be no Nanjing Forbidden Army on the city wall.

Talent is right.

"The members of the Tenth Division of the Forbidden Army are going down to the city to support you. Get out of the way!" A big man in the lead roared angrily and began to tie ropes to the battlements.

"This...!" The people in the patrol camp were a little confused. It is true that the city gate is not allowed to be opened these days, especially at night. When there is an emergency military situation, a rope is passed down from the top of the city.

But for this kind of thing, you need to have a warrant from the garrison master. I have never met these people in front of me, but I want to walk down the city wall with just one word.

"My lord, do you have the warrant to guard our lord?" a young man asked bravely.

"Quack! Without the warrant from your guard, how can we go down privately? Look carefully!" He casually pulled out a piece of paper and waved it in front of the commander.

The commander didn't know how to read at all. He only saw a bright red seal at the end, which looked like the seal of a garrison master. He quickly nodded and bowed to let him go. The officers of the Nanjing Forbidden Army were very angry and did not dare to offend.

When Li Dingguo saw the official seal engraved on the turnip, he frightened the little chief. Without any nonsense, he immediately put on his gloves and led the group of people down the city wall.

"Look at them, they are the Nanjing Forbidden Army. The people below have become so virtuous, yet they dare to go down to support them."

"That's right, how can I be an elite if I don't say that?"

"I heard that new recruits can earn two taels of silver a month just after joining the army."

"Chief, why don't they take something in their hands when they go to support?"

"That's right! Why didn't they take the guy?"

Everyone slid down the city wall, and then the soldiers in the patrol camp remembered that they had never seen these people holding weapons.

Li Dingguo didn't care about this. He got off the city wall and took the people with him and ran towards the Liao army camp.

It was he who had just led these artillery fire to save Zu Kuan, who was waiting for death. These people who fired the artillery privately would definitely be investigated and dealt with by the police. Li Dingguo could only take them to the Liao army overnight. Of course, Li Dingguo still had

Another important thing is the city defense map of Yangzhou City. It shows the layout of Yangzhou City in detail.

************************************************************************ ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

"Yangzhou must be defended, otherwise Nanjing will definitely not be preserved." Wen Tiren roared with a sullen face.

In less than half a year, the situation has undergone tremendous changes. The Yongli regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty went from owning most of China to now losing half of it. The Liao army in the north was almost pointed by the front, and the cities and towns in the Southern Ming Dynasty fell into the wind.

Now, only Yangzhou, an important town in the north of the Yangtze River, has not been lost. If Yangzhou is lost again, Nanjing will be completely exposed to the Liao army. No matter what, Wen Tiren does not want this to happen. Even if all the Nanjing Forbidden Army is destroyed,

We also have to fight with the Liao army to conquer across the river.

"Mr. Ge, I have sent two divisions of the Jiangnan Forbidden Army to help defend Yangzhou. Some people must be left to guard Nanjing no matter what. If there is any accident, the imperial court will have to have troops to move south." Ma Shiying spread his hands and said,

He was unwilling to send any more troops to Yangzhou. Ma Shiying had read the battle reports coming in these days, and he determined that no matter how many troops he sent to Yangzhou now, they were all sending meat into the wolf's mouth.

"Nonsense! Ma Shiying, don't think that I don't know. Your family has packed up all the clothes and sent them to Yunnan by the carload. I can tell you that Nanjing is the foundation of the imperial court, and no mistakes are allowed. If Nanjing is lost, even if it is

Even if we flee to the ends of the earth, it will be difficult to stand up." Wen Tiren looked at Ma Shiying fiercely. Now he wanted to strangle this capitulator to death, but unfortunately his strength did not allow him to do so.

Ma Shiying doesn't care whether you can stand up or not. If his foundation is not too fashionable, he is ready to join the Liao army. In Ma Shiying's view, it doesn't matter where he is an official. The important thing is to enjoy the glory and wealth.

.

He has worked so hard and conscientiously to embezzle so much money, how can he do it without a good place to enjoy it. If he were not afraid that he could not control the group of soldiers under his command, he would even want to resign as Minister of the Ministry of War right now, and quickly rub his feet with grease. He would have already

It can be seen that it is absolutely impossible for the Nanjing Forbidden Army to defeat the Liao Army.

"Don't be angry, Mr. Wen Ge. I think what the Horse and Soldiers Department said makes sense. Nowadays, money and food are tight for soldiers and horses. Although the imperial court now controls the provinces south of the Yangtze River, Fujian and Guangdong are actually controlled by Zheng Zhilong. Yunnan and Guizhou have always been the territory of the Mu family.

!

The situation is difficult! The imperial court is also showing signs of collapse, and we have to keep a back-up. If the Liao army captures Yangzhou and then marches to Jinling, it will be impossible to defend this golden land of the Six Dynasties with the current Nanjing garrison.

I feel that the imperial court should make a plan in advance. If the Liao army really advances to Jinling, we have to retreat. We should accumulate strength for future generations!" Ruan Dacheng stood firmly on Ma Shiying's side.

This brother left earlier than Ma Shiying, let alone packing up the family's things. His eldest son has already escorted some of the family property and left for Yunnan. If he hadn't wanted to use this position to gain some benefits, Ruan Dacheng would also be preparing to leave!

Wen Tiren was so angry that his head was dizzy. These two bastards were thinking about themselves, not the court at all. When he was not the chief minister, he felt that this position was inferior to that of ten thousand people, and it was extremely majestic. Now he has really reached this position.

Only then did I realize how heavy the burden of the world is on me.
Chapter completed!