The sound of bangs resounded throughout the city, and the huts inside the wall were ignited by rockets. The fire began to spread. The rockets outside the city still did not stop. They flew over the city in waves, landing on the tiles and splashing out countless sparks. Some arrows were missing.
If it can penetrate the tiles, it will continue to burn on the roof.
Pang Yu looked from the top of the wall and saw that there were fires everywhere in the city. In the light of the fire, countless people carried hemp bags to beat the flames, while others used buckets to fetch water from large water tanks. There was the sound of pouring water everywhere.
The social soldiers and government officials who had brought water to the top of the city returned to put out the fire. The water at the top of the city ran out quickly, and the burning curtains were blazing with fire and emitting a lot of thick smoke. Some of them burned the outside, lost their balance, and began to fall down the city.
The fire under the city had not yet been brought under control, and people were running wildly on the streets. Pang Yu felt a little anxious and came to the city ladder to prepare to go down the city wall.
When he first touched the parapet, Pang Yu stopped and turned to look at the city wall. The smoke obscured his sight. The city walls on both sides were a little blurry. The firelight and high lamps penetrated the smoke and turned into hazy light and shadow.
Pang Yu paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around and returned to the tower. There were two squads of strong men here, who had been transferred from the 5th Squadron during the day. Because the terrain and location of the north wall were not suitable for formation, the threats encountered were relatively small.
, so Pang Yu did not return it.
It turned out that the fourth squadron guarding Dongzuo Gate was sent to the city wall. These two teams were the reserve teams. Although the city wall was in a mess, Pang Yu did not let them out. In addition to these strong men, there were also those led by He Xianya.
The ten quick players are basically used as messengers.
"You patrol the north wall." Pang Yu pointed at a young man squad leader. He didn't even remember his name, nor which team of the fifth squadron he belonged to. There was a strong squad, but they were all new. Pang Yu
I don’t even have time to remember it.
The team leader hurriedly led the team to set off, but Pang Yu stopped him again and said, "You are not allowed to put out fires. A group of people cannot be separated and must stay together. If they encounter rogue bandits coming to the city, attack them together."
The squad leader nodded and led the team away, leaving only one group of people.
"Your team is following me to Xiangyang Gate."
Pang Yu grabbed a seven-foot short spear and walked out first. He squatted down first and then came to the edge of the battlement. Then he quickly looked around. His head was only exposed for a moment, and then he retracted it. This kind of
He was so fast that even a prepared archer couldn't hit him. If he wasn't prepared, he wouldn't even have raised his bow.
The strong men around looked at Pang Yu in confusion. They doubted what Pang Yu could see in such a short time. In fact, Pang Yu only needed this little time. At that moment, he didn't need to judge what he saw, he just needed to record it like a photo.
Come down and retract before recalling the scene you saw to reduce the time you are exposed to enemy attacks.
Dongzuo Gate was deserted, and no one attacked the door. I think the bandits also knew that attacking the city gate would have little effect after the door opening was blocked.
After confirming that the gate tower of Dongzuo Gate was safe, Pang Yu led this small group of strong men and walked along the city wall towards Xiangyang Gate.
The number of rockets fired from the city has decreased, but some archers are still firing. The rockets are roaring overhead. The heat wave is scorching on the road. The sight is filled with thick smoke from burning quilts. People around Pang Yu are coughing.
.
Half of the thatch plants at the top of the city were on fire, and the soldiers were busy moving out the things inside. Some of them used spears to poke the burning thatch under the parapet, which caused a burst of curses from the people in the city.
Not only was there a fire inside the city, but there were also many huts on fire outside the city wall. I don't know if it was shot askew. The smoke was heaviest in the middle of the two city gates, and the smoke above and below the city overlapped.
Pang Yu coughed as he walked, tears kept flowing, and he cursed in his heart the bad idea that some gangster came up with.
Enduring this kind of torture, Pang Yu used the rapid observation method to investigate the city. He did not find any rogues approaching the city. Before they reached Xiangyang Gate, there was a section of thick smoke. A group of soldiers were hiding outside the smoke and using water tanks.
The water wetted his sleeves and covered his mouth and nose. The high lights in this section were also shot out, and nothing could be seen clearly inside. Even the firelight in the distance could not penetrate this section of thick smoke, just like a black hole on the bright city wall.
Pang Yu also wet his sleeves, turned his head and said to the squad leader, "Follow closely."
After the team leader agreed, Pang Yu covered his mouth and nose and entered the smoke first. His wet sleeves could not block the thick smoke. When Pang Yu couldn't help but cough again, two coughs suddenly came from the smoke in front of him.
Pang Yu quickly held back, let go of his sleeves and asked loudly, "Who is in front of you?"
There was another cough on the other side, but there was no answer. Pang Yu squatted down lower, the smoke was rising upwards, and it was really not that choking down there.
"From that shop?"
There was still no response from the smoke.
A feeling of danger came over him, and Pang Yu said loudly, "Listen, Zhuang Ban, your family members are all in the city. No one is allowed to retreat. Anyone who comes in front and doesn't speak will be stabbed to death."
The strong men behind him all responded, and someone lined up next to Pang Yu. Pang Yu squatted down, held the short spear in front of him, and moved forward carefully.
There was another cough in front of me, closer than the last time, and it seemed to be approaching here too.
"Just thrust forward!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure burst out of the thick smoke and suddenly appeared in front of him, waving his right arm violently, almost scattering the smoke in front of him.
Before Pang Yu could react, a gust of wind passed over his head. Pang Yu knew without even thinking that it was a sharp blade, aimed at his neck. Because he lowered his body, he just managed to avoid the fatal knife blow.
The man was already within the length of the short spear. Pang Yu quickly put away his gun. Some strong man blocked him from behind. The man slashed the air with his sword. He clamped Pang Yu's spear shaft with his left hand and slashed back with his right hand.
Unable to retreat, Pang Yu immediately prepared to take a step forward to hold the man's arm. As soon as he moved his left hand, a spear whizzed past his sleeve and stabbed the man in the ribs.
The man screamed and stepped back, and another figure rushed out from the smoke behind him. This time Pang Yu had the distance and stabbed at the shadow. The man directly hit the spear blade, and the spear blade was halfway in. Pang Yu
Pulling it out hard, the figure stopped in place with a howl.
Pang Yu's scalp was numb, and there was no thought in his mind. His whole body reacted almost mechanically, and stabbed the figure with another spear. The two strong men around him also followed the figure and kept stabbing him. The man was stabbed in the blink of an eye.
Seven or eight shots.
There was liquid sprayed on his face. Pang Yu didn't have time to think about what it was because the figure had already fallen down.
There was a roar in the smoke ahead, and it was not a Tongcheng accent.
"There are bandits on the city wall, go forward and kill them if you meet them!"
After Pang Yu shouted, he walked forward. There was a whooshing sound above his head, and rockets were still shooting intermittently into the city. Fortunately, the strong men did not escape. Pang Yu felt that someone was catching up with him and moved forward side by side with him. Everyone coughed as they moved forward.
Tears were streaming down Pang Yu's face, and his eyes were red and swollen, but he still tried to open them. The smoke ahead was full of dangers. He didn't know how many bandits took advantage of the chaos to come to the city, but he knew that they must be driven down from the city, and the sooner the better.
good.
There is a cough in the smoke, not far away.
Pang Yu held back her cough and said loudly, "Get in line!"
There was a shout from the opposite side, and several figures rushed at the same time. The strong men shouted and stabbed with more than ten short spears. Under the stimulation of danger, the speed was much faster than usual training.
Blood surged wildly in the smoke. Those people were holding one-handed weapons, most of which were short-bladed. The waist knives were all long. They were no threat in front of the dense seven-foot short spears. The figures in front fell to the ground in the blink of an eye.
Several other people were also injured and retreated back.
Pang Yu's confidence greatly increased, and he led the strong men forward, keeping the team in formation. Pang Yu trained these strong men in formation just to cultivate their discipline. Only at this moment did he feel the actual effectiveness of the formation, not just discipline.
Suddenly there was a sound of wind and something flew by. There was a loud shout from behind, and then there was the sound of a spear falling to the ground.
Then there was another object, this time it almost rubbed Pang Yu's face. Pang Yu only saw in the smoke that it was something with a round head and a short handle, which should be a special throwing weapon.
"Follow me!" Pang Yu howled and ran forward.
The retreating figures soon appeared in front of him. One of them was raising his arm and preparing to throw. Pang Yu rushed forward desperately, while the other person waved his arm to throw first.
With a sneer, Pang Yu felt a blockage in his hand. The spear hit the man's chest, pushing his upper body forward backwards. The thing in the man's hand just happened to be released, and he flew up into the sky with a cry.
The strong men from behind caught up and chased the few people to assassinate them. Not far from the front, there were some shouts with a Tongcheng accent. The few people could not resist. Three of them were stabbed and fell to the ground. The last figure howled and moved towards the outside of the city wall.
Jumped out.
Although he didn't make many moves, Pang Yu was already sweating profusely and didn't dare to let down his guard. He walked out of the thick smoke and almost collapsed on the ground when he saw a group of soldiers holding short spears outside.
Tuesday waited outside with the javelin raised. When he saw it was Pang Yu, he put down the javelin and led three teams of strong men into the smoke again. After a while, several people dragged two people out.
"There are two ladders, and they were both pushed down by subordinates." Tuesday whispered to Pang Yu, who was washing his face with water, "Two of the squad leaders are still alive."
"Take him to the city tower." Pang Yu said sternly, "I will interrogate you soon."
…
In the Xiangyang Gate Tower, Pang Yu sat at the top with red eyes, He Xianya was beside him, and a table was placed in front of him.
"You dog officials are the thieves and official thieves!" a young man in red howled, "When my master bullied me and waited for my family to have a son, when did you dog officials ask me about my life and death? I just want to kill all the gentry in the world.
Dog difference."
He was covered in blood and had been shot twice, but his eyes were still fierce.
Pang Yu said to Tuesday, "Change to another one."
On Tuesday, the boy was dragged away and another gangster was dragged in. This man was only shot in the thigh and could not move. He seemed to be in good spirits. As soon as he came in, he kowtowed to Pang Yu. However, he could not curl his thighs, which seemed a bit awkward.
Pang Yu knew that this person was easy to confess, so he said seriously, "If what you say is useful, I will spare your life. If you don't confess honestly, my squad leader will torture you."
The man looked at Pang Yu in surprise and said, "You villain, please explain. Why don't you explain?"
Pang Yu was stunned for a moment, coughed awkwardly, then sat down, "Where are you from?"
"Yangcheng, Shanxi."
"When do you become a thief?"
"The year before last, in the sixth year of Chongzhen, I didn't want to be a thief. I was fighting with people in the field and was imprisoned in the South Prison. The bandits came and released everyone. I had nowhere to live, so I went with them.
"The man didn't put up much resistance, and he didn't let the torture that Pang Yu had prepared in his mind take effect.
"Which bandit leader should I follow?"
"The Eighth King, the Eighth King of Xiying, Zhang Xianzhong, we all call him Master."
It turned out to be a famous person. Pang Yu remembered that this person was outside the city. He wondered if he was the person under the yellow flag. He wanted to meet him, but it was of no use. So he continued to ask, "How many of you are there?"
"You don't know, the Eight Kings have nineteen sentries."
"prepared by."
"What is establishment?"
"It's just how many people are under each post, what generals are there, etc."
"Each sentry post has a different number. Each sentry post has a leader called a general. The general has two assistants, one is called Baohuqi and the other is called Gao Zhao. Under the sentry is the control plate, which is used to control the team.
eldest family."
Pang Yu listened carefully, but didn't hear what was going on. He raised his head and said to the bandit, "Where is the elder's family down there?"
"Down below are the servants of each family, ranging from seven or eight to dozens. The servants should not be killed. Every time we fight against the army, only the elders and above go into battle."
Pang Yu touched his chin. It sounded like a bandit was a bit like a knight in Europe. He fought alone and had dozens of servants to serve him.
"What's the origin of the group that attacked the city in the daytime? And what's the origin of the one in red?"
"Those who carry the ladders are all working together, waiting for their meritorious service to become a family member. I only know that those who shoot arrows in red during the day are on five posts, but those who shoot rockets at night are all three posts from the old camp."
"What is Laoying?"
"The eight kings' personal soldiers always follow him. Each of them has at least three to five horses and mules. They only ride mules on weekdays and only ride horses when fighting. The horses are treated as treasures and are only taken care of by their own aunts."
Pang Yu and He Xianya looked at each other. No wonder their organizational skills at night were much higher than during the day. They turned out to be the Imperial Guards of the Eight Kings.
"Tell me where you entered Southern Zhili and which states and counties you conquered along the way."
"The villain followed the Eight Kings from Gushi to Huoqiu. Three sentries went directly from Gushi to Lu'an Prefecture, as well as the Sweeper King, and Ge Liyan went from Yingzhou. There were three routes in total. They defeated Gushi along the way.
There was a powerful township official in Yingzhou, Huoqiu, and Shouzhou. He failed to defeat him, so he went to Fengyang. The villain followed the master to Hongxinyi, and intercepted a hundred thousand taels of silver, but it was of no use. Later he came to Luzhou.
, the urn city was destroyed, and there was a strong man holding a spear to guard the entrance to the city, killing one by one. I don’t know what the man was made of, but he couldn’t knock down just a few steps of the ladder. It was a pity. Luzhou
The three sentinels broke through Chaoxian County and then Lujiang River." (Note 1)
"Are you going to kill people after breaking the city?"
"The villain never kills people. I wasn't originally called to go to the city today. My boss said he could break the city, so he told me to come up."
Pang Yu glared at him and said, "I want to ask if you have killed the Eight Kings."
"The killing in Yingzhou was terrible. The whole city was full of dead people." The bandit shook his head, "Huo Qiu was afraid of killing half of them. I don't know how many in Fengyang. Chaoxian County was destroyed in one attack. He was afraid of killing 70% of them. On the day of the killing in Lujiang,
It’s foggy, and I don’t know how many people have been killed by the villain.”
Pang Yu looked into his eyes and asked, "If everyone has been killed, who will produce food? What can you grab next time you pass by here?"
"If you don't kill, who will let you rob? Kill Qingjing." The gangster tilted his head and said, "We only want things to survive, and those Boy Army want to kill people. The Eight Kings like the Boy Army the most because they know they are easy to deceive."
He Xianya was also recording. He kept observing the bandit. He had no expression when he spoke, as if he was chatting with a neighbor. He felt quite surprised in his heart.
The bandit took advantage of the two men's leisure time to record and asked tentatively, "Do you want to kill me?"
"That's not necessarily the case." Pang Yu put down his brush and said, "I just said that as long as what you tell the truth is useful to us, I will report it to Mingtang Zun, and when it comes to the court, the magistrate will absolve you of your guilt."
He Xianya came over and whispered, "Zhixian Yang really wants to go to court to interrogate these bandits? In this war, why don't they just kill them if they want to?"
Pang Yu nodded affirmatively and said, "We are not an army. Your Majesty said that if we are caught, we can only follow the "Da Ming Law", "Regulations on Penalty", and "Ming Huidian". What can we do?
For these bandits, just ask what the crime is, and they will be beheaded after a review by the Ministry of Punishment." (Note 2)
He Xianya showed a ridiculous expression, shook his head and continued recording.
Pang Yu said to the bandit, "Last question, are you going to attack the city tomorrow?"
"Of course we will attack," the man said flatteringly. "Tomorrow, the sweeper king, Ge Liyan, will join forces with my master. There will be tens of thousands of people from the three families, and they will massacre Guangtong City tomorrow."
….
Note 1: A real person who defended the city in Luzhou was named Lunengsuo. At that time, the rogue bandits had conquered the wall of Wengcheng. The main city wall of Luzhou was slightly higher than that of Wengcheng. The rogue bandits attacked the main wall along the Wengcheng wall. This person had a long
He guarded the stairs with spears and killed all the bandits until no more bandits dared to go up. He had no choice but to retreat back to the city, almost holding Luzhou by himself.
Note 2: At that time, when local yamen captured bandits, they had to interrogate them according to the procedures and report them to the Ministry of Punishment after conviction according to the law. This was still the way of local governance.