In the long night, Liu Chong was sitting on his bed, and Yang Hu was sitting on the chair in front of his bed. The two of them looked gloomy, and their faces looked even more gloomy under the flickering candlelight.
"Brother Yang, you have worked hard these past few days. You have been putting out fires all over the city, running here and there, and suppressed them." Liu Chong said softly.
"Why did the Generalissimo say this? Do our brothers still say this?" Yang Hu said softly.
Liu Chong smiled, nodded and said: "Yeah, what are we brothers talking about? I'm very happy that we met each other when we were urinating, and in the end you are still by my side. If we can get through this disaster this time, I want to The position of Generalissimo Fengtian is given to you. You are more suitable than me."
Yang Hu was startled and stood up to speak.
Liu Chong waved his hands and said: "Sit down, sit down, I'm telling the truth. Liu Chong's incompetence has allowed the Fengtian Army to reach this point and made the situation so unbearable. This is all my responsibility. I have no shame anymore." Generalissimo."
Yang Hu hurriedly said: "Generalissimo, there is no perfect path for mankind. We still have an army of 60,000, and we still have..."
Liu Chong looked at him with a wry smile and interrupted him: "Are there only 60,000 left? Are there five or six thousand soldiers who have escaped in the past few days?"
Yang Hu was silent for a moment, nodded and admitted: "Yes, there are many who escaped, the morale of the army is unstable, and the people are panicked. But it doesn't matter, I will stop them. Those who escaped have names and surnames and know their roots. I will go back and liquidate them one by one."
Liu Chong sighed and said: "Brother Yang, please speak your mind. Can we survive? The food is running out, the soldiers are running away, and the people regard us as enemies. Can we survive?"
Yang Hu stared at Liu Chong blankly, frowning and thinking for a long time, not knowing how to answer.
Silence is the best answer. Liu Chong naturally understood what he was thinking. In fact, he also thought that he could not survive. In a few days, food would be cut off and the soldiers would have to run away again. The situation would only get worse. And it won't get better.
"Brother Yang, it's time to make a decision. All this should be over. If we hold on any longer, we won't even have the capital to challenge them. We still have an army of 60,000, twice as many as the enemy. Qi Yanming is right. , from the beginning, we cannot stick to defending the city, but must take the initiative to attack. Although it is a little late now, we must fight against the odds. We must make a break with them." Liu Chong's voice became louder and brighter.
Yang Hu said: "Do you mean to leave the city for a decisive battle? Or go south to break out?"
Liu Chong said: "Of course it's a decisive battle. We can't escape southward. They have cavalry. We have been harassed all the way. We can't catch up with them and can only be beaten by them. Besides, we don't have enough food and grass, and we can't last more than three or five days." When they reach the edge of the Yellow River, they will run out of food. At that time, the soldiers will scatter and flee. They will run away all over the mountains and plains, and even if they can't be caught, it will be all over."
Yang Hu nodded silently.
"We can only fight to the death with Zhang Yanling's troops. Their camp is there. If we defeat them, it will be over. They have food, equipment and supplies. If we eat them, we will make the world look at us again. I believe that as long as we defeat Zhang Yanling , the imperial court no longer dares to send troops to encircle and suppress us. They only dare to defend Bazhou and prevent us from entering Beijing. The land of Hebei will be at my disposal. The situation will be reversed."
Liu Chong became excited. His eloquence was really good, and his drawings were very provocative and made people's blood boil. Yang Hu just fell in love with him.
"Then do it. What are you waiting for? If you wait any longer, the soldiers will all run away. There is no way out." Yang Hu said loudly.
Liu Chong nodded and said: "Okay, since Brother Yang thinks so too, let's let go. Let's do whatever we say. Tomorrow morning, let's take action. Let's go all out and give it a try."
"Tomorrow? So urgent?" Yang Hu said in surprise.
"Yes, it's tomorrow. Has it rained when you came?" Liu Chong asked.
Yang Hu was stunned and suddenly said in surprise: "It's raining. It's raining hard. I'm afraid it won't stop for a while. The sneak attack on a rainy day was the same as that day. The weapons of the official army couldn't be used, and the ground was muddy. Our people fought harder.
smoothly."
Liu Chong smiled and said: "Exactly. What I've been waiting for is the rainy day. When I heard the thunder rolling outside, I knew that God was giving us a chance. Tomorrow morning, I ordered the brothers to go barefoot, just like last time. Let's start a fight, officials.
Their military boots and wet armor will make them look like stupid pigs."
Yang Hu laughed loudly and said: "Okay. Old method, old strategy. Tomorrow you and I will each lead 30,000 troops, one on the left and one on the right."
Liu Chong nodded and stretched out his palm towards Yang Hu. Yang Hu reached out and the two held hands and laughed.
…
At dawn, as Liu Chong and Yang Hu wished, the rain not only did not stop, but intensified.
There was silence in several military camps in the city. Today's breakfast in the army was very rich, including meat that had not been seen for a long time. All the cattle, horses and mules that had been hauled in the city were slaughtered and stewed for the soldiers to eat.
Today is the decisive battle, the order has been issued, and everyone knows that today's battle will determine life and death. They silently eat their meals, drink broth, and numbly follow the leader's instructions to sharpen their weapons and organize their equipment.
Everyone was given a piece of white cloth to wrap around their heads. It was said to prevent rainwater from getting into their eyes. It was used to bandage wounds when they were injured. But in the eyes of many people, this was a filial piety scarf, a way of wearing mourning for oneself.
This is in line with today's situation. I don't know if I can survive today.
After eating and drinking, soldiers and horses gathered on the Long Street of Beicheng. During the heavy rain, 60,000 troops crowded the entire long street.
The soldiers saw Liu Chong galloping towards him on horseback. Just like themselves, Liu Chong had his head wrapped in white cloth, his feet were bare, and a steel knife was stuck in his waist. His eyebrows were cold and calm.
I thought Liu Chong was going to make a long speech on mobilization, but today Liu Chong didn't say much and only said a few words.
"Everyone, today's battle is not for me, Liu Chong, nor for anyone else. You are fighting for your own lives. If you win, you will live. If you lose, you will die. So, in order to survive, you have to fight hard. Risk your life first.
, can you take your life back."
The soldiers stood quietly in the heavy rain. They looked at Liu Chong and the man they once looked up to. At this moment, they knew that everything could only be done by themselves. This man had fallen from the altar.
"Open the city gate! Put down the drawbridge and go to battle." Liu Chong shouted.
The suspension bridge was lowered with a bang, and the thick and scarred city gate was pushed open. The heavy and dull sound of rubbing the door mortar was heartbreaking.
The city gate is open. Outside is another world. Is it freedom or death? Is it victory or defeat? No one knows.
But at this moment, no one thought about this. They had nothing to think about, because after leaving the city gate, there was a fierce battle.
"Kill!" Yang Hu shouted loudly. He drew his weapon first and rushed out of the city gate.
Behind him, the dark mass of rebel soldiers followed closely.
Countless pairs of bare feet stepped on the splashing mud and water and rushed out of the city gate. These feet once stepped on the sky and the earth, stepped on the workshop, stepped on the dock, stepped on the belly of the official lady. But at this moment, they are carrying their master,
Stepping on the battlefield, they rushed towards the military camp several miles away. Taking their master with them, they rushed towards the depths of uncontrollable destiny.
The decisive battle begins!!
[Author's digression]: I'm a little tired today, so this chapter is a little short. Sorry!