Li Xincai was wearing his eldest brother's blood-stained battle coat, and he couldn't help trembling... He was afraid that two brothers born from the same mother, Li Xincai and his eldest brother Li Xinshan were completely opposite.
The eldest brother has been naughty since he was a child, and when he got a little older, he would get into fights and do anything. On the contrary, Li Xincai was an honest man, following behind his father all day long, raising horses, driving carts, and helping people sell goods.
Li Xincai is able to endure hardships and is diligent. He takes good care of the horses and his coat is shiny. When anyone mentions the second son of the Li family, everyone will give him a thumbs up.
But when it comes to the boss Li Xinshan, everyone shakes his head, even his own parents look down upon him.
Just over a year ago, Mr. Li told his second son that the money would be enough for this trip, and that he would find a wife first, which made his elder brother stare.
Li Xincai was quite happy, but who knew that his father died this time, at the hands of Yuan Bing.
They were transporting goods, but they were stopped by Yuan soldiers on the road. When they saw the cloth on the cart, the Yuan soldiers tried to snatch it away. Dad went to argue, but the Yuan soldiers beat him up, and then not only the cloth, but also the carriage was taken away.
Already.
Dad vomited blood and died that night.
Li Xincai carried his father's body on his back and returned home. Facing his dead father, he could do nothing but cry.
The eldest brother Li Xinshan rarely made a trip home. He just kowtowed a few times in front of his father's coffin, turned around and left without even shedding tears.
Neighbors said that he was unfilial, but who knew that a few days later, everyone would know the news. Li Xinshan had defected to the Red Scarf, and he wanted revenge!
From then on, Li Xinshan fought bravely and treated Yuan soldiers without mercy in every battle. Until this time, he killed five Tatars, bled them dry, and did not flinch or fear until his death.
Today, who would still doubt Li Xinshan’s courage and filial piety?
This street kid who was not favored by his parents used his courage to prove what a real man is!
"Your father was killed by Yuan Tatar, your eldest brother died in the battle, you still have a sister, and your mother... If you are greedy for life and afraid of death, let the Tatars come in and behead us all!" Li
The mother hugged her son, cried bitterly, and beat his chest hard with her fists.
"You're a worthless thing. You've only been hiding behind your father since you were a child. You're a loser who can't be helped!"
His mother's scoldings made Li Xincai's face turn red. In the past, he was a good son in the eyes of his parents, but in the blink of an eye, he became a waste?
Li Xincai's face turned red, and he turned from fear to confusion. What is right?
"Little brother, do you want to hear a few words from us?"
Zhu Chongba reached out and patted Li Xincai on the shoulder, and then said earnestly: "We used to be tenants in Haozhou. Ten years ago, drought and plague destroyed our family. The imperial court did not care about the life and death of the people, but imposed excessive taxes and forced the big guys to
The bones were smashed and dedicated to them!”
"If we can still live, who would be willing to raise their heads and rebel. Now that they are besieging Haozhou, they are going to kill everyone. At this time, whoever dares to come out, kill Tatars, and protect the folks, no matter what he has done before, he will be killed.
They are heroes, and they are all good men! Think about it, is this the truth?"
Li Xincai was stunned for a long time, thinking over and over again, and he seemed to understand, "Well, then I want to join the army! Avenge my elder brother!"
Zhu Chongba waved his hand, "Don't be busy yet. Let me ask you, who else is at home?"
"The only ones left are my mother, my sister, and me." Li Xincai's voice became softer and softer, and his head lowered.
Zhu Chongba sighed: "That's it. You only have one man in your family now. If you join the army, what will happen to your mother and sister? We won't say no, just go home and cook well. If you think about it carefully, if you are willing to join the army, come back to us."
we."
The old woman still refused and wanted her second son to join the army.
Zhu Chongba said with a smile: "We also have a blood feud, but we can't ignore the living...Aren't we fighting to protect our relatives and the elders in our hometown?"
The old woman opened her mouth, finally nodded, with tears in her eyes, and asked her second son to carry the eldest son on her back and return home... Zhang Ximeng had been watching. These words were not what he taught Lao Zhu. Facts have proved that Zhu Chongba was very good at many issues.
Go up, you really can stand it and think clearly.
His last words made many people nod involuntarily.
Well said!
That’s right!
The exhausted soldiers cheered up, and among the crowd, some young men were also thinking. At this juncture, joining the army might be a way out.
Mr. Zhu is considerate of the people and understands justice well. He is really a good leader.
At this moment, a big man squeezed out from the crowd.
"Master Zhu, my name is Fei Ju. There is no shortage of successors in my family. Please accept me!"
This man named Fei Ju is tall and has strong muscles. He looks like a warrior at first glance.
Zhu Chongba was very happy. At this time, many people stood up and shouted: "Master Zhu, you are good. Everyone obeys you, let us follow you!"
The crowd was noisy and enthusiastic, and there seemed to be no less than a hundred people.
Zhu Chongba was also a little overwhelmed. Who doesn't know the benefits of military power? But the question is, he is just a captain of nine. Should he take the initiative to be promoted to a centurion without the permission of the commander-in-chief?
Zhu Chongba was in trouble. At this time, Zhang Ximeng ran over with a smile.
"My dear benefactor, it goes without saying that when the army employs people, the thoughts of the villagers go without saying. However, fighting a war is not a casual matter, so I will temporarily integrate them into the civilian population and equip them with weapons, just to supplement them."
Zhang Ximeng's words were reasonable and reasonable, and there was nothing wrong with them. Zhu Chongba nodded, "Okay, let Mr. Xiao register and make a register!"
Zhang Ximeng nodded quickly, and Le Dianding agreed. These people were not included in the Red Scarf Army, so they were naturally Lao Zhu's private soldiers. He had been planning to develop independently, but it was impossible without anyone under his command.
There is no doubt that these people are Lao Zhu's team.
When Zhang Ximeng registered, he was extra careful and inquired carefully. He found out that Fei Ju and Lao Zhu were from the same hometown as Zhongli, and he was immediately elated.
"Fei Zhuangshi, you must understand that these are Mr. Zhu's soldiers!"
Fei Ju did not hesitate and said with a smile: "We are not surprised that Marshal Guo wants us to serve him!"
"Okay!" Zhang Ximeng was overjoyed and immediately wrote quickly.
After working hard for most of the day, Zhang Ximeng gathered more than 170 people in one fell swoop. In a daze, his waist became stiffer.
Zhang Ximeng was happy, but the Yuan soldiers outside the city were crying.
…
Counting the losses in the past few days, not counting miscellaneous soldiers, the number of imperial elites who were lost alone exceeded 3,000. Especially in the decisive battle of returning artillery, the total number of gunners and armored soldiers who died was more than 2,000, and there were many more.
When burned by fire, the skin on the body erodes and is difficult to heal.
The fate of these people would be worse than dying in battle immediately. Most of their wounds would rot, become pus-filled, and bleed, and they would die of pain.
Such losses have shaken the morale of the army, and the Yuan soldiers are unable to attack the city.
You must know that today's Yuan soldiers are not the Mongolian cavalry that swept the world a few decades ago, let alone Genghis Khan's men. They are greedy for life and afraid of death, and like to enjoy themselves. If they are not satisfied, they will get emotional.
If Jia Lu's prestige hadn't been high enough and Yue Gecha'er was willing to support him, the army would have been in chaos.
"The only plan for now is to build a fort, besiege Haozhou, and waste time with them." Jia Lu thought to himself.
Yue Gechaer nodded and agreed: "What the boss said is that attacking a city is nothing more than a quick victory or a long-term siege. Since the thieves in the city are treacherous and stubborn, we should surround the city on all sides and trap them alive!"
They both meant this, but Cheribuhua shook his head slightly.
"Master Jia, there are more than 100,000 of us in total. We eat horse chews every day, and we consume a lot of food and grass... There is not much food around Haozhou, and the government will not stop us from moving forward, and will definitely urge us.
If we advance into the army and fail to capture Haozhou, I, I'm afraid I'll be blamed!"
Yue Gechaer didn't want to hear it, "You are now afraid of being blamed by the court, so why do you dare not take back Haozhou when the red scarf thieves have just emerged?"
In one sentence, the question was so thorough and without words, what else could he say? But he was dissatisfied in his heart. This month, Gochaer, the court asked you to supervise Jia Lu, but you vented your anger on the same nose as Jia Lu. You are blind.
The imperial court trusts me so much, why not give up your position to me!
Disagreements quietly emerged among the leaders of the Yuan army.
Jia Lu sighed slightly and took the responsibility, "I underestimated the red scarf thief. Now Lu Gong's car has been destroyed, and Huihui artillery has also suffered heavy losses. If he wants to rebuild it, he lacks key materials, and there is not much fire oil left."
Let me think of ways to defeat the enemy."
The two Mongolian generals left, leaving Jialu alone. He couldn't help but sigh slightly.
Was it my fault that I ended up like this?
When the Mongolian army marched westward, they used thirty artillery pieces to blast open the city. They also used three hundred artillery pieces to capture a city and won a complete victory.
Why did he fail so miserably?
It has been impossible to conquer Haozhou for a long time. Just the villains in the court can make me drink a pot... Is it possible that Tianshu is really on the side of the red scarf thief?
Jia Lu was flustered for no reason. There seemed to be a sound in his ears. Jia Lu couldn't hear it clearly. He tried hard to listen carefully... It seemed to be Lu You's "Shi'er".
His heart suddenly became irritable. A standard scholar-official cherishes his feathers and regards his reputation as more important than his life. Even if he dies, he will not forget to restore the Central Plains. This is Lu Fangweng's state.
On the other hand, should you think about yourself, work hard for the Mongols, and then watch the dynasty change?
How will future generations view me at that time?
Are they both shameless traitors like Liu Mengyan?
Jia Lu's heart became more and more panicked, anxious, and the war was not going well. In addition, he was not young anymore. Jia Lu only felt more and more powerless and couldn't sleep at night.
But he couldn't give up the challenge, so he had to work hard and personally take a few guards out to explore the situation in Haozhou and look for loopholes.
Jia Lu circled half a circle around Haozhou and returned to the most heavily guarded West City, which was also the direction of Zhu Chongba's defense and the place where the Yuan soldiers suffered a disastrous defeat.
At the moment, at the top of Haozhou City, the city wall is being reinforced and supplies are being transported... Soldiers and civilians are resting against the city wall, and a group of children are standing opposite.
"Uncle Tang, let us recite poems for you!"
Tang He laughed, "Okay, if you memorize it well, we will reward you!" Tang He really took out a handful of treasure notes, "Speak louder so that everyone can hear it!"
"Okay!" Mu Ying agreed quickly. He cleared his throat and took the lead in reciting: "The heaven and earth have righteousness and are mixed with manifolds. Below are the rivers and mountains, and above are the sun and stars..."
The children recited it together, and the sound once again spread outside the city, followed by the wind, and reached Jia Lu's ears.
Righteous song!
In fact, Jia Lu also read it in his early years, and Wen Tianxiang was a role model for scholars, and he also admired it very much. However, when he heard it at this time, he had mixed feelings, especially the taste, and he felt guilty and timid for no reason.
In addition, the north wind was blowing hard, so Jia Lu could only return to the military camp in a hurry. That night, Jia Lu felt hot all over his body and dizzy. He didn't want to cause trouble, but he was afraid of disturbing the morale of the army.
But the next morning, Jia Lu was too sick to get up. In his sleep, he seemed to see Prime Minister Wen holding shackles in his hands and glaring at him angrily.
"Shameless thief, surrender to the enemy!"
Jia Lu quickly shook his head, "I, I am not a Song official. When I was born, the Southern Song Dynasty had been destroyed for twenty years... Prime Minister Wen, you will become a god after death, so you must be reasonable!"
Wen Tianxiang still sneered disdainfully, "Aren't you a Song minister, or a Han Chinese?"
Jia Lu was stunned, screamed, and suddenly woke up, only to find a dream. However, he was sweating all over his back, and his illness became a little worse...