Shang Xiuxun and Kou Zhong came to Xu Ziling who was at the helm in the stands. Xu Ziling smiled calmly and said: The owner of the mall still has five miles of waterway to reach Jingling. This is a golden opportunity to see the enemy's situation! There are dozens of people on the hill. A military camp.
The two of them followed his instructions and saw that there were at least seven or eighty military camps on a hill a few miles away on the left bank.
Kou Zhong pretended to be surprised and grabbed Xu Ziling's shoulders and said with a trembling voice: You should know that you are still a master-level helmsman, but you are not concentrating but looking around. If the boat is overturned, will it mean that the two heroes of Yangzhou will lose their reputation?
Shang Xiuxun laughed dumbly and said: "Everyone is extremely nervous at this time, but you are still in the mood to joke, and you are so presumptuous that something bad will happen."
The sound of hoofbeats suddenly sounded on the right bank. Seven or eight Jianghuai Army cavalry chased them along the bank and shouted and cursed at them, making the already tense atmosphere even more tense.
Xu Ziling's eyes moved from Liang Zhi, Xu Yang and others who were waiting on the ship to both sides of the strait. He saw farmland, abandoned villages and towns, only rubble fragments were left, and the desolate forest was everywhere. He couldn't help but feel strong sadness in his heart. At this time, the cargo ship made a sharp turn to the enemy. The rider was blocked by a dense forest and was left behind.
When we entered the straight river again, Jingling City suddenly appeared in front of us.
Even the arrogant Kou Zhong stopped breathing when he saw this scene.
On the upper reaches of the river outside the city were anchored more than thirty warships, half the size of the cargo ship they were traveling on, with flags flying and spears dazzling and imposing.
On the shore, there are camps everywhere, surrounding the southeastern area of Jingling Ling.
Shang Xiuxun cried out sweetly: "You haven't docked yet!"
Xu Ziling shook his head and said: If we dock here, we will only end up in a bitter battle and annihilation. The only way to survive is to risk passing through the enemy's ship array and reaching the dock outside the city.
Kou Zhong glanced at the situation on the enemy ship and said: This method of surprise may seem dangerous, but it is actually the most feasible method.
Just as a gust of wind blew, the cargo ship slid across the water like a galloping horse and rushed towards the enemy ship array.
Shang Xiuxun shouted: Prepare the rocket!
When Kou Zhong saw that everyone on the enemy ship was bending their bows and aiming arrows at his own ship, but they were like fat sheep sent into the tiger's mouth, his heart was moved and he couldn't help shouting: "Set the ship on fire!"
When everyone heard this and responded in astonishment, he had already jumped down from the stands and kicked over the bag containing kerosene.
Luo Fang woke up first and hurriedly raised another piece and threw it towards the bow of the boat.
When the child burst, fire and oil poured out.
Peng!
Raging flames arose from the entire bow of the ship, and a large plume of thick smoke was blown out to cover the enemy ship array with the wind.
Only then did Liang Zhi wake up and hurriedly threw debris onto the bow of the ship to increase the fire. Even the two old guys Shang Peng joined in the action of setting fire to the ship.
The sound of war drums filled the sky and rain of arrows rained down on them.
Kou Zhong raised his arms and shouted: Brothers, set up a shield array.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The cargo ship tilted to the left, splinters were flying on the right side, and it had endured an unknown number of boulders thrown by enemy ships.
At this time, everyone hid behind the shield formation and used their shields to block the enemy's arrows -
The topsail was snapped, and the whole sail fell forward, crushing the fire that shot into the sky at the bow of the ship.
Fire flakes flew up all over the sky, and then the sails also ignited, adding to the fire and thick smoke rolling into the enemy lines. The situation was extremely chaotic.
boom!
In the thick smoke and flames, the warship and cargo ship that collided with the opponent's ship suddenly turned around like a crazy galloping horse and hit another enemy ship before continuing to slide into the enemy ship array.
Three ranch soldiers were shaken and fell to the deck. The other two were shot through the chest by a sudden arrow and fell into the river.
The river surface was thick with smoke and fire debris, and the boat capsized and people were in the air, making it difficult to distinguish the scenery.
Xu Ziling, on the other hand, remained calm and relied on his earlier impression to control the fireboat, whose front half was engulfed in flames, to rush downstream.
Kou Zhong waved Jing Zhongyue to fend off a steel spear thrown from the smoke for Shang Xiuxun, and then shouted: The stern of the boat is also on fire!
Shang Xiuxun looked toward the stern of the ship and saw two flames rising into the sky and a loud roar of people.
boom!
The entire cargo ship tilted sideways and sank to the bottom of the river.
When the cargo ship regained its balance, it had rushed out of the enemy ship formation and arrived at the wide river outside Jingling City.
Xu Ziling sailed the fire boat towards the river bank and shouted: Prepare to escape!
boom!
The stern of the ship was hit by a boulder and splinters of wood were thrown at it. The cargo ship, which was already riddled with holes, was devastated and finally capsized.
Shang Xiuxun gave a sweet scolding and led the way to the shore, grabbing away the others who dared to hesitate and jumping off the cargo ship at the same time.
Arrows rained down on them like a torrential rain. Their bodies were exposed due to their leap in the air. Even with the skills of Gao Zhong, Xu Ziling, Shang Xiuxun and other outstanding people, they could only save themselves. Immediately, five more warriors were hit by arrows and fell into the river. It was unbearable to witness.
Tragic situation.
At this moment, the two veteran masters of the ranch, Shang Peng and Shang He, finally showed their true skills. Together with the great deacon Liang Zhi, they formed a formation in the air, protecting Shang Xiuxun in the center and blocking all the incoming arrows.
The arrow landed safely on the shore.
Together with the previously injured warriors, only eleven of them were left with their feet firmly on the ground and immediately flew towards the Jingling City Gate.
As the war drums sounded, two groups of Jianghuai troops with about 300 men each rushed out from the two camps outside the city and near the river and rushed toward them from both sides.
For a moment, the sound of hoofbeats shook the sky and filled the air with murderous intent.
Before the enemy's cavalry arrived, powerful arrows shot through the air.
Kou and Xu's spiraling bird crossing technique may not necessarily be able to surpass Shang Xiuxun's lifting technique, but it is not difficult to escape from danger. However, both of them are heroes and have already stepped out to meet both sides.
Enemies are coming so that their way out will not be intercepted by the enemy, and they will be trapped in a tight siege.
Between the dock and Jingling City is a vast open space of several hundred feet.
Du Fuwei set up two strong wooden fences on both sides of the dock near the river, with wooden palisades, pits, arrow trenches and other defensive facilities to cut off the water transportation in Jingling City.
When the sergeants guarding the city wall of Jingling saw that they had managed to break into the enemy's ship array with only a dilapidated cargo ship and successfully landed on the beach, they burst into cheers that reached into the sky and made the blood boil.
However, although everyone was waiting with their bows and arrows ready to fire their crossbows, because the battle site was far away from the shooting range, they could only cheer them up with shouts and cheers, and lit beacon fire to notify Fang Zetao, the commander-in-chief, who came to take charge of the overall situation.
Seeing the invaders, Shang Xiuxun and Xu fought hard to defend themselves against the enemy, so they turned back to help Liang Zhi and others. Shang Peng, who had always been taciturn, shouted: "If the owner of the field turns around and goes back, none of us will be able to climb the wall alive."
Shang He said: If only the two heroes Kou and Xu can stop us, we still have a glimmer of hope.
Shang Xiuxun knew the truth and had no choice but to hold back his tears and continue to rush towards the city gate.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling braved the rain of arrows to intercept the two leading enemy groups at the same time.
Kou Zhong first jumped into the air, and the moon in the well turned into a lightning-like yellow light and slashed at the four or five spears that were thrust towards him.
The sword reflects the radiance of the sun above it, adding to its irresistible momentum.
The seven or eight Jianghuai troops in the lead were all as brave as tigers and leopards. But when Jing Zhongyue came towards them, not only were their eyes blinded by the sharp light of Jing Zhongyue, but their ears and drums were filled with the roar of Jing Zhongyue breaking through the sky.
It is no longer difficult to grasp the enemy's incoming position.
Then he felt something in his hand. When he realized that only half of the spear was left in his hand, he was so horrified that he was about to retreat. Blood was splattered on him and he fell to the ground. He died without even being able to figure out where he was injured.
For a moment, the men were on their backs and their horses were overturned. The majestic army was suddenly in chaos.
The knights rushing from behind collided with the frightened and leaping horses in front of them. Several horses stumbled and fell, throwing their owners to the ground.
Kou Zhong retreated as if he had cut off the incoming flood.
Xu Ziling's side is even more exciting.
When he was about ten feet away from the enemy's cavalry, he dropped his whole body to the ground, then thrust his feet forward like arrows and shot straight into the enemy's formation. His two palms struck out more than ten times in the blink of an eye.
Every palm was slapped on the horse.
The force of his palm penetrated the horse's body and attacked the enemy on horseback. Wherever he went, the knights spurted blood and fell off their horses, causing the enemy's vanguard to collapse.
When more than ten people fell to the ground, Xu Ziling had exhausted all his energy and suddenly felt that there was nothing he could do. He flipped upside down and left the enemy's formation to chase after Shang Xiuxun who had already reached the city gate.
The defender of the city was Qian Yun, a general under Fang Zetao. At this time, he had already ordered people to lower the suspension bridge to allow Shang Xiuxun and others to cross the moat and enter the city.
When the soldiers on the city wall saw how brave and brave Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were, their morale was greatly boosted. Everyone cheered and cheered, making people's blood boil inside and outside the city.
Shang Xiuxun climbed up the wall first and saw that the two of them blocked the enemy's offensive and killed the opponent's opponent. Yi Wangqing cheered and Fang felt unprecedented concern in his heart.
At this time, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had met about a hundred feet outside the city gate. Because they had exhausted their efforts just now, their hearts were beating and they hurriedly fled towards the city gate.
The enemy cavalry reorganized their formation and pursued them wildly. Their galloping horses joined the crowd at the top of Jingling City, and their cheers and cheers made the sky and the earth change color.
The two people's shoulders touched each other, and their qi complemented each other's strength. The distance between them and the enemy suddenly widened from about ten feet to twenty feet away.
The Jianghuai troops who were chasing after them bent their bows on their horses and fired more than ten powerful arrows at their backs like lightning.
When Shang Xiuxun and others on the city screamed in horror, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling moved sideways as if they had eyes on their backs, and their powerful arrows could only hit the empty space.
Before the enemy could catch up, they fired powerful arrows and threw stones from the city wall, knocking people off their feet and forcing them to retreat.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them crossed a distance of tens of feet, climbed onto the suspension bridge, and ran into the city gate, causing loud cheers and applause.
Finally arrived at Jingling.
※※※
Everyone stood at the top of the city and watched with condescension as the Jianghuai army retreated to Muzhai before heaving a sigh of relief.
Several streams of black smoke and flames were still rising on the river, and they were far less dense and fierce than before. The two warships had their bottoms raised to the sky, and the other one slowly tipped over and sank.
Qian Yun still didn't know the identity of the two people, but thought they were Shang Xiuxun's fierce generals. He said respectfully: I didn't expect that the owner of the ranch suddenly came to visit. On the same day, he heard that the four major bandits had joined forces to attack the ranch. The owner wanted to send troops to help, but because of the Jianghuai Army, I was forced to give up this idea after breaking the law.
Shang Xiuxun and others looked at each other in confusion when they heard this. They obviously dominated the villa and sent people to ask for help. Why did they say this?
Liang Zhi frowned and said, "General Qian, doesn't he know that the owner of your village sent a man named Jia Liang to us to ask for reinforcements?"
Does he still have a letter signed and stamped by the owner of your village?
Qian Yun's expression changed: "This is happening. I have never heard of it from the village owner, let alone a man named Jia Liang. Besides, we are always using flying pigeons to send messages to each other, so there is no need to send people for help."
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances, knowing clearly that it was Huan Huan who was behind this.
Shang Xiuxun said calmly: Where is Master Fang?
Qian Yundao said: The general has sent someone to inform the owner of the village that he is coming soon.
Kou Zhong interrupted: "We will immediately go to visit the owner of Fang Village and ask Brother Qian to send someone to lead the way."
Qian Yunyou clasped his fists in embarrassment and said: I haven't asked the two famous names yet.
Shang Xiuxun lowered his voice and said: He is Kou Zhong and the other is Xu Ziling, both of whom are friends of the village owner.
Qian Yun's expression suddenly changed, he took two steps back, drew his sword and shouted: "It turns out that you two are the village owner who has ordered us to kill you without mercy!"
Shang Xiuxun and others were all shocked.
Half of the more than ten generals accompanying Qian Yun drew their weapons and the other half were undecided.
Shang Xiuxun also drew his sword with a clanging sound and shouted angrily: I will kill anyone who dares to attack!
Shang Peng and Shang He guarded Liang Zhi with Shang Xiuxun on the left and right, and Xu Yang and others also took out their weapons and formed a formation to protect Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling in the center.
The other soldiers who defended the city were confused by this situation and didn't know what to do.
A burst of ear-splitting laughter came out of Kou Zhong's mouth and immediately drew everyone's attention to him.
Kou Zhong held his belly with one hand and put his other hand on Xu Ziling's broad shoulders and laughed loudly: "Ling! You really made me laugh to death!"
Zhuangzhu Fang wonders if there is another person nicknamed Hu Tu Chong who actually tricked the demon girl Huan Huan of the Yin Gui sect. He first killed his own brother, then killed his most powerful general, and even stole the talisman and wrote a fake letter to her.
Is it funny to you that Trap now regards friends as enemies and insists on killing our two good people?
Qian Yun's already ugly face turned red and white in turns, his eyes flashed sharply and he yelled: How dare you falsely accuse Mrs. Hanhan... I...
Shang Xiuxun pointed his long sword at his chest and cut off his words. He scolded: "Shut up! Nowadays, Dufuwei Zhenjun has a witch in power outside and inside the city. You fool, you not only don't know the advice, but you have to come and fight with us first."
Killing each other. Humph! If we just stand aside and see how you end up.
Kou Zhong moved to Shang Xiuxun's back and poked his head out from her shoulder, saying with a smile: Isn't General Qian also infatuated with that enchantress from the Yin Gui sect?
When Qian Yun was speechless, Su Rong, a veteran in his sixties, walked out from among the people behind him and said, "Master Kou keeps saying that Mrs. Huanhuan is a witch from the Yingui sect. I don't know what evidence is there?"
Xu Ziling said calmly: As long as we confront Huan Huan, the truth will be revealed, General Qian can't even do this, right?
Liang Zhi sneered and said: If you go to war rashly and only make your relatives and enemies hurt, General Qian Qian should think twice whether this is the action of a wise man.
Most of Qian Yun's people and others agreed.
The sound of horns in the distance outside the city was still coming and going, adding to the sense of crisis.
Qian Yun lowered his sword and sighed, "Since the owner of the venue is standing in for him and the other two, it's hard for him to make the decision. He can only wait for the owner of the village to make a decision."
He was about to ask people to urge Fang Zetao again when Shang Xiuxun said displeasedly: "Qian Yun, when did you become so timid? Open your eyes and look outside the city. Jingling City is about to be destroyed and you still don't know how to make a prompt decision. Immediately."
Get out of here and I'll kill that witch with my own hands.
Kou Zhong raised his arms and shouted: If it weren't for the demon girl Jing Ling, how could he have ended up in such a precarious situation? Jing Ling's survival depends on your thoughts.
The veteran took a decisive step forward and bowed: Everyone, please follow me!
Qian Yun said angrily: Feng Ge, you...you are rebelling...
Before Qian Yun had a chance to finish his words, he put two swords on his back and cut him in half.
Shang Peng dodged from the side and stabbed a vital point on the side of his neck with one finger. Qian Yunying pointed at him and fell to the ground.
Shang Xiuxun ignored Qian Yun and walked up the stone steps to the lower city. Everyone hurriedly followed.