Xiahou led his troops into the mountains. When they arrived outside Zhuangzi, they did not attack the city. Instead, they ordered the soldiers to chop wood.
Peng Mao didn't understand and asked Master Xu what he thought.
Master Xu looked at it for a long time and said: "They want to cut down the front and set up camp on the spot to block our passage out."
This is all Master Xu can think of.
Peng Mao sneered and said: "I had expected that they would block the passage out? Let them block it. Let's see how long they can hold on."
It's winter now, and the winter rain will fall soon. Then the ground will be covered with water, freezing the officers and soldiers half to death.
Peng Mao watched for a while, then turned back to Zhuangzi to rest.
Master Xu was worried and kept watching from the top of the city.
Peng Li said: "Master, it's windy outside, let's go back."
Master Xu shook his head slightly and said, "I don't think they want to block us."
Peng Li asked: "Then what are they doing? Leaving us without firewood?"
Master Xu shook his head again and said, "I always feel that I can't understand it."
Peng Xing smiled and said: "Master, you are always too narrow-minded. They are just chopping firewood. What else can they do? Don't think too much."
The brothers also went down the city wall and ignored what was going on outside.
Master Xu was on the city wall watching the imperial troops outside cutting down trees.
Xiahoulian and Chutian's army were instructing the soldiers to cut down the surrounding trees while the rain was not falling and the firewood was still dry.
Long Chen was chopping down trees with a hunting knife, looking very skillful, much like a hunter.
Xia Houlian saw it in the distance, walked over slowly, and asked with a smile: "Is there a lot of firewood in the mountains?"
Long Chen stopped and said with a smile: "Sir, we have to build a house in the mountains. Sometimes it snows and we can't get out of the mountains for a whole winter. Cutting firewood is a basic skill."
Xia Houlian looked Long Chen up and down and said, "Let me look at your hands."
Long Chen inserted the hunting knife on the ground and stretched out both hands.
Xia Houlian observed carefully that there were calluses on the joints of the palm of his left hand and on the index and middle fingers of his right hand. This was caused by holding a bow with his left hand and pulling strings with his right hand all year round.
"Is there no master?"
After looking at the calluses on his hands, Xia Houlian looked at Long Chen and asked. Long Chen said: "We are all taught by hunters. We practice whatever we know. Anyway, it's just for hunting."
Xia Houlian looked at Long Chen suspiciously, and finally just smiled and said nothing else.
After the people left, Long Chen continued to chop wood.
Zhang Yong came over and asked, "What did Mr. Assi tell you?"
Long Chen said: "Tell me to marry two beautiful wives, one will sleep on the left side and the other will sleep on the right side."
Zhang Yong's face darkened and he cursed: "You little bastard, you have learned how to amuse me. How can you afford two wives like you?"
Long Chen chuckled and continued to chop wood.
Xia Houlian was already suspicious, but there was no way, Long Chen couldn't waste time here.
Soon, the firewood was ready.
Xiahou Lian commanded the imperial troops to pile up the firewood and push it to the bottom of the city.
The villagers on the city immediately fired arrows, but with firewood blocking their heads, the arrows could not penetrate, and the imperial army kept moving forward.
Seeing this, Master Xu finally understood what the officers and soldiers were going to do.
"They want to burn the door through."
Master Xu saw the firewood blocking the door and immediately thought of this problem.
Peng Mao heard the cry of killing and rushed out immediately.
Looking at the firewood blocking the door, Peng Mao sneered: "It's useless to burn the door through!"
"Hurry up and block the door with rocks. It's useless even if it burns through the door."
Peng Xing immediately ordered people to block the door with stones.
Peng Mao smiled and said: "Master, you see, these people are not as smart as you think."
Master Xu looked at Xia Houlian outside and said, "Maybe I'm overthinking."
At this moment, Xiahou fired dozens of rockets, igniting the firewood, and the fire began to burn. The villagers in the city couldn't stand the fire, so they all avoided it.
The north gate of Zhuangzi was quickly burned to carbon, but the stone behind blocked the gate, and Peng Mao felt safe.
Outside Zhuangzi.
Chu Tianjun looked at the firewood and asked, "How long will it take to burn?"
Xia Houlian turned to look at Long Chen and asked: "Liu An, how long will it take to burn?"
Long Chen thought for a while and said: "When we dig mountains and dig canals, the stones will be burned for several days and nights. I don't know how long this will take."
To be honest, Long Chen knew that burning would cause thermal expansion and contraction, but he didn't know how long it would last.
Xia Houlian glanced at Long Chen and said, "Keep burning until the city wall collapses."
Chu Tianjun was a little speechless, but he did not dare to disobey the order and let the soldiers continue to chop wood and pile it up.
The fire burned continuously for two days, and the officers and soldiers camped outside.
Anyway, there was a fire blocking the door, and Peng Mao couldn't get out.
At the beginning, Peng Mao also sent people to monitor, and he came up to check from time to time.
Later, Peng Mao got used to it and stopped caring.
The fourth son, Peng Cheng, walked to the north gate. The fire was still burning underneath, and black charcoal was piled high.
"Why do I feel like the stone wall is a little cracked?"
Peng Cheng felt the soles of his feet were heating up, and the stone wall showed signs of cracking.
The third son Peng Hao also said: "Yes, do you think the top of the door is cracked?"
The two discovered that cracks had begun to appear in the stone wall in the middle of the north gate.
"They're not trying to burn the stone wall down, are they?"
Peng Cheng suddenly felt something bad. Peng Hao immediately rushed down the stone wall and ran into Peng Mao's room, where Master Xu was playing chess with him.
Peng Mao dropped a piece and said with a smile: "Master, I won your game for the first time."
Master Xu came back to his senses and said with a smile: "I lost."
Peng Mao smiled and said: "Master is absent-minded and still worried about the outside world?"
Master Xu said doubtfully: "The gate is blocked. Why are you still burning it when you know it's useless to set it on fire?"
At first, Master Xu thought that Xiahou Lian's intention was to burn through the gate and then storm into the city.
But now, the gate is blocked, and a strong attack is useless.
If so, why Are you still going to continue burning the wall?
"Dad, it's not good, the wall is going to collapse."
Just when Master Xu was confused, the third son Peng Hao rushed in and shouted.
Peng Mao asked: "The wall is going to collapse? What's going on?"
Before Peng Hao could answer, Master Xu stood up suddenly and suddenly realized: "Yes, they don't want to burn through the door, they want to burn down the stone wall."
Peng Mao thought it was impossible and said, "My wall is made of stone strips. How could it possibly burn down?"
Master Xu said: "Master, do you know how to burn mountains and dig canals?"
Peng Maodun felt something bad and immediately rushed out of the room and went to the north gate city wall.
There are already cracks in the stone walls, especially the stone wall near the north gate. The outside is burned red and the stones inside are hot.
Master Xu stood on the city wall, looking at the swollen and cracked stone wall, and said worriedly: "Sure enough, there are experts who have given advice, but I didn't expect it."
Peng Mao was so anxious that he shouted: "Get water and put out the fire!"
Peng Xing was about to put out the fire, but Master Xu immediately stopped him and shouted: "If you splash water, one cold and one hot, the stone wall will burst!"
Peng Mao became anxious and asked, "What should we do?"
Master Xu said: "Bring the pole and pry open the firewood."
Peng Mao immediately asked the banker to find a pole, but the stone wall was too high and difficult to reach.
Outside Zhuangzi, looking at Peng Mao instructing the villagers to pry open the firewood, Xia Hou even put away the monocular telescope and said with a smile: "Peng Mao is in a hurry, I can see the same thing."
Deputy Chief Tu Gang looked up at the dense dark clouds and the cold north wind, and said, "It's just going to rain!"
Xia Houlian looked at Long Chen in the distance, who was roasting a rabbit.
"Is this guy just a hunter?"
Xia Houlian squinted his eyes and looked at Long Chen.
Deputy Chief Tu Gang said: "It's too smart to be true!"
Xia Houlian said: "Go back and find out his details thoroughly, if there are any problems."
Both of them had the same idea, they both guessed that Long Chen was a spy of Da Zhou.
