At the top of Cangwu City, the wind was blowing fiercely.
The soldiers who were preparing the city defense were in a hurry, and the wooden and rolling stones were placed all over the city, and the ballistae and bed crossbows were also placed in place.
The busy Ordnance Office officials were busy going back and forth, inspecting ordnance and debugging crossbows.
The peasants shouted slogans, pulled large bundles of rolling logs up to the top of the city, and then drove donkeys to pull them to various places around the city. It was a busy scene.
Hua Xun led several generals on patrol. When they saw Su Lu at the top of the city, he walked a few steps quickly and reported:
"Your Majesty, please help the general take a look. Are there any omissions?"
The surrounding generals dispersed in an orderly manner, separating the busy sergeants and civilians.
Seeing that the subordinates around him couldn't hear his words, Hua Xun's face relaxed, his shoulders slumped, and he stood leaning against the city wall, his face full of exhaustion:
"Sir, you've been so busy these days. I'm almost exhausted. The mobilization of the armies, combat preparations, marching orders, ambushes in front and behind, the general's head is almost getting big."
"I used to see that Your Majesty, Your Majesty, commanded with determination, dispatching troops and generals as easily as a flip of a hand, but now I know that Your Majesty, you are a talented person, and you have too many skills in this war."
Su Lu pointed at the Huai River, and several black spots appeared on the river:
"There is no easy thing in this world, but you have not realized the hardships involved. The Mali people are coming. Go upstream. It seems that the army of Mali people has arrived."
When Hua Xun heard this, he immediately stood up straight, put up a tent with his hands and looked into the distance. After he was convinced that the black spots were warships, he immediately geared up and said:
"It's finally here, mother. I've been waiting for so many days and it's finally here."
"Master, let's fight?"
Su Lu patted the blue bricks at the top of the city and said casually:
"There is news from the capital that General Xiao Cong is ill and that Mrs. Xiao has left the Chu rebels and returned to the capital. It seems that General Xiao Cong is not very ill this time to get Mrs. Xiao to put down the resistance.
light."
"If General Xiao Cong dies of illness, one of the generals listed by the Ministry of War will be vacant. If he can fight well, let me give you this vote. You can't always ask me about these battles.
."
Hua Xun became excited when he heard this, his dark red face was full of excitement, and he suppressed the excitement in his voice:
"Sir, this...General Su Ping hasn't been promoted to general yet, can it be my turn?"
"Now, depending on how long I have been with you, Your Majesty, it should be General Su Ping's turn."
Su Lu patted Hua Xun on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"The Ministry of War still looks at military merit. If you stay with me long enough, you can become a general. Then Lu Zhan Gao Dabao has stayed with me long enough. It's not Su Ping's turn this time."
Hua Xun smiled broadly and stood up straight:
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, in this battle, most of the Mali people will be killed under Cangwu City, so that the Mali people will hunt Cangwu and come to Cangwu to die."
Su Lu waved his hand: "Go ahead."
After a while, the horn sounded from the top of the city.
The originally lazy sergeants at the top of the city immediately became busy and organized the civilians to retreat down the city wall in an orderly manner. While shouting and scolding, they mercilessly knocked out the barrels of their guns.
The civilians were quickly driven off the city wall, and the top of the city was filled with guards.
Under the organization of the generals, the guards quickly rushed up to the city wall in battalions. In the large camp in the city in the distance, the guard battalions continued to drive out of the city and ran towards the city walls in all directions.
The swords were at war, and the whole city was in motion.
Lu Zhan and Gao Dabao came over with Su Lu's guards. Lu Zhan's face was full of nervousness:
"Your Majesty, let's go down to the city and don't put pressure on General Hua Xun."
Su Lu took a look at the Mali warships that appeared in the distance, and the Mali infantry that appeared in the north of the city, and said with a smile:
"Ma Li is tired from coming a long way. There will be no war today. There is no need to be so nervous."
As expected by Su Lu, when the Mali people arrived, they dispersed the villagers around the city, demolished the houses outside the city, and directly set up military tents.
"It seems that the Mari people did not attack Qidu."
After Su Lu estimated the number of Mali's army, he sounded a little annoyed. He didn't even do the first thing of capturing the capital of Qi that he had agreed upon before.
Hua Xun, who was busy fighting at the front, was stunned when he heard this and looked at Su Lu in confusion:
"Attack Qidu?"
Hua Xun couldn't react for a moment. What did the prince mean?
But Su Lu patted the green bricks on the city head angrily and said angrily:
"Hit me hard, even if I use a crossbow, I will beat the quick ones to pain and death, so that they will know the consequences of not keeping the agreement."
A messenger rushed to the top of the city in a hurry, his voice urgent:
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the Huaishang navy."
The messenger stumbled around, his breath unsteady, and he had obviously traveled a long distance.
Gao Dabao took a few steps forward, stopped the ordering soldier, received the urgent report, and turned his eyes. Two guards came up and supported the ordering soldier. They came to take care of it, and it was also easier to monitor.
Su Lu unfolded the emergency report, glanced at it, his face immediately turned ugly, and asked the messenger:
"Have you ever heard of your captain catching up with the escaping Maritime Marines?"
The messenger shook his head, his voice hoarse:
"No, there is no point in killing the navy on the spot. However, there are several sailors who escaped. The commander-in-chief dispatched Vice Admiral Liu in advance to block the entrance to the sea. I don't know what the current situation is like."
Su Lu frowned, took a few steps back and forth, and suddenly his brows relaxed again.
"My misunderstanding was wrong. Since there is a war, there is no need to talk about reservation methods."
"Send the order and ask the Ordnance Department to send powerful crossbows. Crossbows must be deployed at Dongji Port and Nannan Port. Since the war has begun, we will fight until the Mali people surrender."
"Send our military order to Jiameng Pass, saying that our army has started a war with the Mali people on the eastern front, and tells them to be careful to guard against the Mali people's crossbow attack, strictly guard the pass, and be careful."
Hua Xun was a little confused. What happened? A crossbow was used?
Su Lu handed the urgent report to Hua Xun with a helpless tone:
"The battles in the future will be difficult to fight. Once the strong crossbow comes out, it depends on whose strong crossbow and flying bird it is, otherwise it will be beaten to the point of annihilation of the country."
Hua Xun read the emergency report and looked at Su Lu anxiously:
"Your Majesty, we have used crossbows here. If the Taixi people use crossbows against us, we have no way to counterattack."
Su Lu nodded. There really was no way to counterattack, and we couldn't rely on the agile people to be able to throw the crossbow.
"There is only one way now, throw the crossbows at the heads of the Mali people, let the Mali people eat a few crossbows, hurt them, beat them to tears, let them know that they can't afford to offend us, and they won't dare to make trouble again.
"
Su Lu said, glanced at the agile army outside the city, turned around and walked towards the city.
"End the battle as soon as possible and keep all the prisoners. When the time comes, these people will be not only money, but also hostages to restrict the quick and powerful people from throwing their crossbows."
That day and night, the Han army came out of the city and attacked Mali's army.
Mali's foothold was not stable, and two camps were directly burned by the Han army. The main camp retreated ten miles in a row, relying on the bend branched off by the Huai River, and with the help of the navy, the camp was re-established.
Shantes was furious and said that when the reinforcements came from the south, he would cut off Su Lu's head and play it with a ball.