In Tumu Fort, there was a bleak scene after the war.

In this battle, more than 7,400 Tatar soldiers were wiped out, and all their heads were cut off as military merits.

But the only useful seizures are incomplete siege equipment, sandbags and logs that fill the gully, as well as broken crossbows, sabers, armor and other weapons and equipment. In addition, more than 1,800 war horse corpses that fell dead or were incomplete in the explosion can provide a large amount of meat to the city.

However, several big explosions outside the city and hundreds of small explosions consumed a large amount of gunpowder reserves. In this era without explosives, gunpowder is the most powerful weapon, which can make bullets of muskets, cannon shells, and cannons, and cannons and explosive packs.

But now as the stock of gunpowder has decreased rapidly, Chen Xi is very worried that if the Tatars attack again, Tumu Fort will be lost.

But the Tatars did not launch an attack in the next day. Yesterday's battle made the Tatars heartbroken, and the defenders in the city suffered a thousand people, which can be said to be a trauma.

This was a tragic battle. After the war, the soldiers were all in a state of depressed spirit. In addition to being tired, they also had no hope for the future.

The Tatar soldiers outside the city did not withdraw, and they would face another life-and-death battle. The happiest thing for the soldiers now is that they would drink a bowl of steaming horse soup for two meals every day, with meat and delicious salt inside, which made them feel the beauty of life.

The severe cold after the heavy snow and the continuous fierce wars, Tumu Fort no longer has the vitality. What the soldier shows on his face is either his confusion about the future or his deep longing for his family.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were used to fighting defensive battles and defended in a comfortable city. Even if they waited until the enemy retreated, they were not so easy to defend the city this time. The enemy was numerous and powerful, and they could make a comeback at any time. The entire city was already an isolated island, completely cut off contact with the outside world, and even knew nothing about whether the Tatars would transfer their main force.

The soldiers knew that the hope of reinforcements was very slim, and they were afraid that they would face a more tragic war next, and regarded the current peace as the tranquility before the storm. No one was willing to speak, and the whole city fell into a state of death.

Chen Xi used to patrol the military camp and could still see a little fresh and lively anger. At this time, he walked in the city again and saw depression everywhere. Many soldiers were sitting on the walls and sitting on the pit walls, without moving their bodies. After observing for a long time, Chen Xi could not tell whether this was a living person or a dead person.

"Sir, the situation outside the city is unclear. Last night it was another heavy snow, and even the fortifications were covered. No one cleaned up the bodies of the Tatars outside who had lost their heads. They were very tragic. In addition, many blasting points did not clean up the fuses, and they were in chaos everywhere. Please tell me if you can clean up?"

Hu Songyue has always regarded himself as Chen Xi's deputy. He sorted out all the big and small things in the city before submitting them to Chen Xi for information.

Zhu Lie and Liu Xu stayed outside the city. On the one hand, they urged the officers and soldiers on the positions not to be lazy, and on the other hand, they monitored the enemy's movements. If they were not promoted to the tent and discussed matters, they would not see the two of them at all.

Chen Xi stood at the door of the command post, holding a military map in his rough hands, looked up at the flying snowflakes, and sighed softly:

"It's a good thing to snow, so that our water source will always be guaranteed. Wait, clean up the things that can be packed outside the city first. If you really can't clean it up, store them on the battlefield first. Anyway, the weather is so cold that the corpses will not be broken for a while, and they will not cause plague."

"Remember to remove some artillery from the top of the city and send it out of the city to set it up in those artillery fortifications, walk from the trenches, and don't be discovered by the Tatars. The positions outside the city should be repaired in time. We cannot sit and wait for death. The time interval between the next round of the Tatars' offensive should not be too far!"

"Yes, sir."

Hu Songyue bowed his command and left.

After looking at the military map, Chen Xi thought about it and climbed back to the city. The Tatars camps in the distance were still the same. This was the third day after the Tatars joined forces and attacked the city in a large-scale manner. In the blink of an eye, it was October 18th.

Zhang Yong, wearing a thick winter coat, followed Shen Xi and went up the city. He looked around and found that there were a large number of Tartar corpses not far ahead, all of which had no heads. He looked very scary. He immediately shivered and said, "Mr. Shen, the Tartars outside the city suffered such a failure, should they all withdraw, right?"

Chen Xi was a little surprised and asked, "Eunuch Zhang, where did you see that the Tatars had withdrawn their troops?"

Zhang Yong said without thinking: "The day before yesterday and yesterday, we fought with the Tatars in succession, and the Tatars lost a lot of troops. Lord Shen is not unaware of the background of the Tatars. With their young and strong population, how many such wars can they withstand? In addition, it is believed that the news of the fall of Xuanfu has reached the capital. The court will definitely send a large army to encircle and suppress the Northern Territory. I believe that there are fierce confrontations everywhere. Perhaps in a few days, reinforcements will arrive. In this case, what else can the Tatars do besides withdrawing their troops?"

Chen Xi shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "Eunuch Zhang's idea is really optimistic, but according to the latest information, the Tatars outside the city are still 20,000. As for whether its main force will detour to attack Juyongguan, I don't know yet. However, judging from the current situation, the Ming Dynasty has basically no city blockage that can be defended from the road from Xuanfu to Juyongguan."

"If I expected it would be fine, the Tatars would choose one of the two next steps between attacking Tumu Fort and Juyongguan. If they were unfortunately chosen by the Tatars, how much chance will we have of surviving after another tough battle?"

Zhang Yong's face was full of fear. He remembered the hustle and bustle of last night. Recently, the Tatars almost rushed outside the command post in the west of the city, and then they fought and screamed. He was almost scared at that time, but now he still shuddered when he recalled. He looked at the Tatars camp in the distance again, then turned to Chenxi, and said in an almost pleading tone:

"Mr. Shen, you bring us here, you can't let go... The Tatars are very fierce, but they are not good at fighting such siege wars. If you can defend Tumu Fort under the Tatars' several attacks, you will definitely be able to wait for reinforcements! If you win in the next battle, I will definitely ask you for merit from the court!"

Chen Xi looked up at the snowflakes flying in the sky and smiled softly: "If I could return to Beijing alive, how could I care about fame and fortune? Even if I resigned from office and refused to do it, I would accept it. Eunuch Zhang would still go back and consider how to boost the morale of the army. Telling these things to me here is futile!"

Zhang Yong opened his mouth. He didn't quite understand Chen Xi's current mentality. He always thought that Chen Xi was a madman and dared to think about anything and try it out. But now he realized that Chen Xi was like him and regarded life more important than anything else.

Chen Xi turned his head alertly and looked at a carriage coming from a distance. The carriage was a little familiar, as if it was the vehicle A Wulu was riding in when he entered the city to negotiate. He was a little puzzled. Could it be that the Tatars still wanted to use the peace talks?

Unfortunately, the carriage stopped four or five miles away from the city. Chenxi was high and could see clearly. A few people got off the carriage, but because the distance was too far, it was not very real.

I picked up the telescope and looked carefully, but I saw that a woman seemed to get off the carriage and crossed the "bridges" built with wooden boards, and came step by step towards the Tumu Fort.

When the man walked to the trench area two miles away, Zhang Yongcai noticed it and turned his head and asked, "Are these Tartars going to come and persuade you to surrender, Lord Shen?"

Chen Xi thoughtfully and asked, "How do you think about the persuasion of surrender?"

Zhang Yong hesitated for a moment, looked at Chen Xi with eager eyes, and asked back: "What do you think of Lord Shen?"

Chen Xi smiled slightly, and he understood that if Zhang Yong asked him in reverse, it would mean that Zhang Yong had plans to surrender. After all, for eunuchs who had no life, life is the most important.

As for devoting all his efforts to the country and country of the Ming Dynasty, it was a matter for civil officials and military generals. There was basically no possibility of survival before. Now the Tatars are sending their hopes, so Zhang Yong naturally wants to seize them.

Chen Xi turned around and walked towards the horse path down the city tower, sighing: "It is not yet clear about the purpose of the Tatars entering the city. Let's take a step by step!"

Chen Xi didn't say he accepted, nor did he say he didn't accept it. It just made Zhang Yong's heart feel that he might accept the persuasion to surrender.

But at this stage of the war, Chen Xi knew that the result of surrender was the most tragic. Not only did his name remain on the pillar of shame in Chinese history, but his family would die without a burial place because of his surrender. Therefore, even if he fought to the last moment, he would not do such a thing. (To be continued., Your support is my greatest motivation.) 17-01-24 12:07:44
Chapter completed!