Chapter 905 Coercing Mother Zhang to persuade her to surrender
The Tang army initially stood still, waiting for the enemy troops to climb up with siege equipment, and then came out of the towers to launch an attack. At this time, the Kongming Lanterns flying in the sky naturally did not dare to drop bombs rashly, for fear of accidentally injuring one of their own people.
The Yong army's siege battalion approached the city wall with a new siege ladder truck. The ladder consisted of two parts. One part was inside the vehicle body, which could effectively block attacks by stone throwers. The other part could be folded and erected outside the vehicle.
The soldiers needed to turn the windlass to put the ladder up on the city wall.
The Tang army made many effective preparations to restrain these siege baggage. Although they did not have a large number of gunpowder production workshops and a perfect gunpowder ratio like the Yong army, they also searched for a lot of sulfur and grease. They removed oil barrels from the city wall.
It rolled down and splashed on the siege ladder, and the black grease exuded a pungent smell. Then a torch was thrown from the city wall, and suddenly the siege ladder ignited a raging fire, and there were people lying on the car inside.
The soldiers who went up to attack the city turned into burning men, screaming and rolling around.
Li Siye stood on the observation deck in the distance and watched the battle on the city wall. He couldn't help but frowned and waved his hand: "Ming Jin withdraws the troops!"
The clanking sound of the copper pipe rang out, and the soldiers who were driven forward seemed to be suffocating in the water. They floated to the surface and breathed in happily. They survived today, but what about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow? This Xiangyang
The city is like a gate of hell, and countless corpses are stuffed in it, even if they are not taken out.
When night fell, the campfire crackled in Yong's camp. Li Siye moved the bed in the open air, sat on it and asked the generals: "Do you have any good ideas?"
Everyone was silent. The siege was just a dead end, and there was no good strategy.
He tugged at his beard and asked, "Where is the general of the Kongming Lantern Camp?"
General Zhang Yao stepped forward and crossed his hands and said: "The last general is here."
"About a hundred Kongming lanterns were launched into the sky today. Why are the enemy still able to unscrupulously throw stones and shoot arrows at the outcroppings on the city wall?"
Zhang Yao knelt down and crossed his hands and said: "Lord Mingjian, the enemy troops are hiding in the corridors and watchtowers behind the city wall. They are unwilling to show their faces early. They only wait for our troops to climb up the siege ladder before they rush out to kill the enemy. This
At that time, we did not dare to throw the ammunition randomly above our heads, for fear that the ammunition would fall on our own people.
Li Siye tugged on his beard and thought: "Whether it is explosive bombs or fierce fire thunder, there is a fear of accidental damage. If this is the case, then go ahead and wrap the ammunition in a long strip shape and tie it to the arrow, and select sharpshooters from the army to board the Kongming Lantern.
, shoot down the enemy soldiers from a high position, I want to see how they resist."
On the morning of the next day, Yong's army began the second round of siege. The flying Kongming lanterns increased in number and quantity. The crossbowmen stood in hanging baskets and fired arrows downwards, but the lethality of crossbows and longbows was
It is really limited. Even if the paper roll on the arrow explodes, the damage range will only be within one person.
The Tang army bravely rushed out of the watchtowers and corridors, began to throw logs and stones at the city wall, and controlled the crossbows to shoot at the tide of enemy troops below the city. The archers in the sky lanterns above their heads were injured by them.
It is negligible, but once the enemy retreats and they hide a little late, they will be mercilessly bombarded by the sky lanterns above their heads.
Yong's army attacked the city for thirteen consecutive days, with more than 10,000 soldiers killed. Xiangyang City still stood proudly like a giant. Not only did the city show no signs of being breached, but the defenders seemed to be getting more and more courageous.
Guo Ziyi and Zhang Xun took the lead and patrolled the city walls in person every day. They never slacked off for a moment, and it became impossible to conquer Xiangyang.
At the moment when both sides were suffering, Li Siye felt that the heat was on, and he thought that he should play the family card to persuade Guo and Zhang to surrender.
Zhang Xun's mother and tribesmen had been provided with good food and drink in the camp. Now it was time to squeeze their oil and water. He ordered his personal guards to bring Zhang's mother to the big tent.
After a while, the guards pushed an old woman who was tied up with ropes into the tent. Li Siye was furious when he saw it: "You bastard, I asked you to invite Mrs. Zhang to come here, I didn't ask you to tie someone up!"
Li Siye personally came forward to untie the old lady, and ordered someone to bring her a bed. He bowed his hands and said, "The old lady has raised a good son. Zhang Xun's name is famous all over the world."
The woman snorted and ignored Li Siye. She also did not sit on the bed that the soldiers had moved.
Li Siye waved his hand and ordered all the soldiers to retreat, and sat back on the bed. He waved his hand and ordered two more talkative staff to come out, trying to brainwash and persuade the old lady: "It turns out that this is the wife of the famous Zhang Xun, alas, son
As an old mother, she is naturally happy to have a promising future, but madam, what worries you the most is his safety. Although the old madam is already over sixty years old, she should be able to see the situation clearly. The Tang Dynasty has exhausted its power, and only a corner of Jiangdong is left.
I have been lingering for a while, but now my army is passing through, destroying the city, and no one can stop its power. Zhang Xun is actually abandoning the light and turning to darkness to help Tang Dynasty defend the city. He will end up dead in the end if he resists our army.
The fate of destruction. The reason why I invited the old lady here today is to persuade your son in front of the two armies, to persuade him to recognize the situation and surrender as soon as possible, and he will not lose his position as a duke and prime minister, and can also keep the Zhang family rich and prosperous for a hundred years. I
It’s better for a person to have children and grandchildren and enjoy the happiness of a family, than for a white-haired person to leave a black-haired person miserable.”
Zhang Xun's mother shot a cold look at him and asked in a cold voice: "You keep saying that the Tang Dynasty is exhausted, and you keep attacking Tang Zhuni, but you don't ask your King Yong who is sitting on the throne.
Whose name is he using now? Why hasn’t he become independent? What is he afraid of?"
Li Siye's eyes widened. He never expected that a womanly family could be so sharp-tongued.
The staff member was at a loss for words. He raised his finger and pointed at her, but he was speechless.
"The spirit of the Tang Dynasty has not yet been exhausted, and the prosperous age has only been a few decades ago. You have all received the favor of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and you are not as good as a woman like me. Isn't this traitor Li Siye just like Cao Cao in the past? Although he pretends to be a Tang minister, he is actually a traitor of the Tang Dynasty.
, support the false emperor, accept the emperor's favor and disobey, you will become a sinner for the ages! My son has read articles about loyalty since ancient times and knows the etiquette and integrity. How can he sacrifice his life to become a thief like you and leave an eternal infamy!"
She turned around and fluttered her sleeves in an extremely cool gesture, which made the faces of the two lobbyists and staff turn the color of pig liver.
Li Siye sat aside and applauded leisurely. All the staff were dumbfounded. He waved his hands angrily and said: "Get out of here."
He clapped his hands and came to Zhang's side, and said with a smile: "She is indeed a mother who can teach loyal ministers and adopted sons. She even scolds people with such righteousness. It can be seen that the old lady loves her reputation more than her life. What a pity, what a pity.
"
The old lady didn't say anything, but it didn't stop Li Siye from talking to himself: "It's a pity that you, mother and son, are so selfish. For the sake of a mere reputation of loyalty, you actually want to drag so many people to be buried together?"
"You fart!" Zhang's mother scolded angrily.
Li Siye stretched out his hand and knocked on the wooden pillar, and the soldiers lifted the curtain of the tent. Not far away, a row of Zhang clan members were kneeling, wailing and crying with fear on their faces. Behind them stood the executioner, holding the execution tool in his hand.
Horizontal knife.
"Old madam, our army will besiege the city soon, and Xiangyang will soon become a dead city. How many days can the food in the city last? Half a year, a year or two years? It doesn't matter. What can Guo Linggong and your son do without food?
What's going on? People cannibalize people, kill their own concubines and cook meat for the people to eat? Let the people in the city eat each other? "
"It's like asking your son to be a so-called loyal minister and watching the entire Zhang family die tragically under the knife."
"Haha," Zhang's mother laughed sadly: "You, a butcher with a knife, can accuse us who refuse to cook fish. The lives of the Zhang family are in your hands. Whether they live or die, it all depends on you."
Your King Yong’s decision. Could it be that the world is so absurd that instead of blaming the perpetrators who take people’s lives, we should blame the good people who refuse to submit?”
"Yes, that's the truth. I am labeled as a villain. Everything I do is taken for granted by them. Even a little good deed can be remembered by others. Your son is a flawless loyal minister and filial son who will do good deeds throughout his life.
This is all as it should be, but if you do anything out of the ordinary, you will be criticized. Which is more important, being a loyal minister and a filial son, or the lives of your entire family? Come on, kill two people first to open Mrs. Zhang’s eyes!"
The executioner raised the blade in his hand, and the tragic wails of the Zhang clan rang out. After all, the woman was not hard-hearted enough, so she shook her head and said: "Don't kill anyone. I will go to the city wall tomorrow to persuade him."