After hearing this, Qin Shouye's expression changed as if he was moved. He paused and said, "What do the other brothers think?"
Seeing the change in his expression, Wang Cheng probably didn't want to hold on to the city that had not yet been built. He was furious and was about to speak, but two hundred households jumped in before him and proposed to flee south together with the Mongols. "Master Qianhu, the city
We can't defend it at all, so withdraw your troops." "Yes, sir, withdraw your troops."
Wang Cheng and others were very excited, and immediately shouted with the people who suggested withdrawing their troops: "How can our soldiers of the Ming Dynasty flee without fighting?" Naturally, the people who proposed withdrawing their troops also had something to say.
Qin Shouye did not interfere with their roaring, but seemed to lower his head in thought. Everyone got tired after shouting for a while. Deputy Qianhu Zhang Sheng turned to Qin Shoushan and said: "Qin Qianhu, are you staying in the city or with the Mongols?"
Please make a decision as soon as possible to withdraw to the south. Otherwise, by the time the soldiers of the Samarkand Kingdom surround Tiemenguan City, it will be too late even if you want to withdraw."
"I think it is better to withdraw together with the Mongols. Staying in the city will definitely result in the total annihilation of the army." He couldn't help but say in the end.
Qin Shoushan stood up, glanced at the dozen people in front of him, and asked: "I just saw that all the brothers have expressed their thoughts? Among them, Zhang Sheng and you six proposed to withdraw south, and Wang Cheng and you six proposed
Hold on and have the numbers you want.”
"That's why Qin Qianhu needs to make his own decision." Zhang Sheng said again.
"I have made a decision." Qin Shoushan said this, paused, looked at Zhang Sheng's hopeful face, smiled, and shouted loudly: "Li Yuan, come in!"
His personal attendant Li Yuan walked in with a dozen other people, stood in the middle of the room, bowed and said, "Please give me your instructions."
Qin Shoushan pointed at Zhang Sheng: "Tie them up!"
"Yes." Li Yuan listened to Qin Shoushan's instructions. Although he felt surprised in his heart, his hands were not satisfied at all. He turned around and put the rope on Zhang Sheng, pulled it close and tied it; several other followers also tied him up in the same way.
and five other people.
Zhang Sheng originally thought that Qin Shoushan had been persuaded, and he was usually very easy-going. He didn't expect that he would be tied up. He was stunned when he was already tied up. He immediately understood his decision and shouted: "Qin Qianhu, I
If what you said is to protect the soldiers and people in the city, do you have to die in order to fulfill your name of loyalty?" Until this moment, he still did not give up his idea, although he understood that Qin Shoushan could not persuade him, but
Two of the people who had just supported the defense of Iron Gate City were not firm and wanted to alienate them.
"Haha!" Qin Shoushan chuckled: "At this time, you still want to alienate? In this case, I wanted to spare your life, but now," he turned to Li Yuan and said: "Push Zhang Sheng out
Behead!"
"Qin Shoushan, you!" Zhang Sheng wanted to speak, but before he could finish his words, he was pushed out by Li Yuan, who immediately started to curse: "I'm waiting for you to be beheaded by the Samarkand people down there!"
But the scolding did not last long. After a few soft sounds, the scolding stopped. Li Yuan walked in with someone holding his head, bowed and asked: "Sir, how should I dispose of the body?"
"Finally, it's just a matter of colleagues. There's no need to insult the body. Let's bury it in the ground. As for the other people, put them in prison." Qin Shoushan ordered. Li Yuan agreed, raised his head and left.
"Qin Qianhu, even if you want to hold on to the city, there is no need to kill them." Wang Cheng was frightened by this situation just now, and then he reacted and whispered.
Qin Shoushan glanced at him sideways and did not answer. He just said: "You guys should go back to your own households, call all the soldiers out, and gather in the school field. I have something to say to them." He also said to several followers.
Instructions: "For the hundred households whose heads have been beheaded, we order the trial hundred households to take over the duties of the hundred households. We also call all the officers and soldiers from our own hundred households to assemble at the school ground."
Naturally, his followers would not disobey him; several hundred households were frightened by his neat and tidy treatment, and they also bowed and agreed.
After they all exited, Qin Shoushan took out a hand towel to wipe his sweat, drank another cup of tea, and whispered softly: "I am not only doing it for my own loyalty, but also for everyone!" After saying this,
Then he walked out of the house and went to the school grounds.
He waited for a while in the school ground. Gradually, soldiers led by hundreds of households came over and slowly filled the school ground.
Qin Shoushan glanced around and saw that all the hundreds of households had come, and there were hundreds of people watching the excitement outside. He coughed and walked up to the high platform.
"Gentlemen, we have just received news that a force of about ten thousand soldiers from the Samarkand Kingdom is heading south towards Iron Gate Pass. This thousand families have decided not to escape or retreat, but to defend Iron Gate Pass to the death!"
Some of the soldiers below already knew the news, but most people didn't know it yet, and they suddenly became commotion. Of course they knew that there were only one thousand households in the city at this time, and the city was only built hastily and was not strong.
The possibility of breaking through is very high.
Qin Shoushan turned a deaf ear to the commotion below and continued: "Tiemenguan City is the choke point from the northern part of the Western Region to the southern part. Your Majesty, His Highness, controls the most important city in the southern Xinjiang. If this place is captured by the Kingdom of Samarkand, the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed."
In these days, all the efforts made in the strategy of controlling southern Xinjiang will be wasted. Therefore, we must hold on to this city."
"Besides, since Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty proclaimed himself emperor, although we have occasionally lost battles, we have never had to flee without a fight. Are you willing to be the first guard to flee without a fight in the history of the Ming Dynasty?
Isn’t it a good general?”
After hearing these words, several hundred households tried to calm down their slightly agitated hearts. They were the imperial generals. If they abandoned the city and fled, their future would be ruined, so they could not escape for the sake of their future.
But the ordinary soldiers were still restless. They were not officials, and Zhu Shangbing would never kill them all for escaping. It would not endanger the entire war situation.
"Sirs, you, like me, are all military households. You have served as soldiers and generals in the Ming Dynasty for generations. If you have the experience of abandoning the city and escaping, even if you survive in the end, you will be recorded and will be remembered by others from now on.
If someone points fingers at you, not only will you do this, but your wife, children, and children will also be pointed at and become an alien in the military."
Hearing this, all the soldiers fell silent. They were not recruited mercenaries. They were military households of the Ming Dynasty. They have been soldiers for generations. It is not terrible to be criticized, but the future of their children and grandchildren is not.
Without it, it would be very scary.
Seeing that they were shocked, Qin Shoushan paused and said: "To be honest with you officers and men, I, Qin Shoushan, have selfish motives for holding on to Iron Gate Pass, but this selfishness is not for myself, but for mine."
Children and grandchildren, also for your children and grandchildren."
"If you can defend the Iron Gate City with so few soldiers, it will be a great achievement. Not only me, but also all the soldiers will be rewarded. The imperial court will never begrudge what is cherished."
"If the city is captured and our entire army is annihilated, we will also die for His Majesty and for His Majesty's loyalty. You all know the imperial court's compensation for the soldiers who died in the battle of Annan the year before last. We will defend the iron gate and pass the city until we die of exhaustion.
The imperial court will definitely not treat us poorly. We will have a medal that will exempt our descendants from death penalty, and there will certainly be other pensions. Our descendants will also receive preferential treatment from the imperial court, and we don’t have to worry about food and clothing."
"So I decided that the entire army will stay in the city, stick to the iron gate and never retreat!"
The soldiers below were silent for a while, and several of them shouted: "Grandma, for the sake of my son's future, and for the sake of the family not to be embarrassed, I'm leaving this life here!"
"There was a famine in my hometown, and my father and eldest brother both starved to death. It was only when the imperial court recruited soldiers that I survived. Later, I married a wife and had children, so my life was sold to the imperial court!" someone else said.
Everyone immediately expressed their intention to defend the Iron Gate City. Qin Shoushan's expression softened a little, and after everyone calmed down, he said: "I, Qin Shoushan, will also stay in the city to defend the city with everyone, and will never escape privately to survive.
Wang Cheng and you guys, pick out dozens of soldiers and gather all the horses in the city together, including my good horse!"
After Wang Cheng and others agreed, Qin Shoushan gave a few more instructions and finally said: "For your majesty, for your highness, and for our family, we must defend the city at Iron Gate! Never let any soldiers from the Kingdom of Samarkand enter the city!"
"Everyone, please retreat and prepare to defend the city. If anyone wants to write a letter to their family, write it quickly. I will send someone to Yiwu City before the city is surrounded."
"Disband!"
…
…
Under the scorching sun, north of Tiemenguan City, billowing smoke and dust were floating in the air, almost covering the sky. An army of more than 10,000 people was moving south along the canyon, and the sound of neat footsteps made the whole earth...
Shake up.
At the front of this army, there were more than a dozen people galloping on horses. One of them had a high nose and brown hair and blue eyes. He asked the other person next to him: "Isn't the Iron Gate Gate City ahead?"
Although most of the people in this group have high nose bridges, the man next to him has an oriental appearance. At this time, he is riding on a horse wearing a Turkic robe and answers questions immediately when he hears the people next to him.
: "My lord, this is Iron Gate City."
"We have arrived." The man smiled, turned around and said, "Hakan, Bile, you two lead troops from the left and right sides of the city to the south, and surround the entire city. Tonight, we will rest in the city.