In Xiangyang City, Zhang Xun killed his concubine, cooked the meat and distributed it to the soldiers around him. He felt guilty and did not eat it himself.
The soldiers ate the general's gift with tears in their eyes, swore they would repay it with their lives, and each stood on the top of the city.
The Yong army intensified the siege of Xiangyang, raining artillery shells from three sides, and all the giant Kongming lanterns flew over the city, throwing fierce fire thunder at the Tang army that showed up.
Since Yong's army attacked the city with siege ladders from three sides, their defense was stretched thin. Zhang Xun divided the few hundred stones of grain left in the warehouse equally among all the soldiers to encourage their last courage.
Zhang Xun personally guarded the north gate, while Nan Ba and Lei Wanchun guarded the east and west gates. The south gate had a natural moat called the Han River, so Yong's army could only feign an attack at best.
Lei Wanchun was pierced by five or six arrows. He leaned on the pillar on the top of the city, holding a knife in his hand and fighting to the death. Yong soldiers had already climbed up the city wall, and the defenders rushed up and rolled down with the enemy in their arms.
More people rushed to the city.
After several hours of decisive battle, the West Gate was the first to fall, and all the soldiers defending the city died heroically. Tian Chengsi was overjoyed. He thought the siege would last three or four days. After all, Zhang Xun and his gang were tenacious.
Not like humans, it seems that even monsters cannot resist the powerful enemy of hunger.
But even after the city was broken, Zhang Xun still held on to the danger and refused to give up. Nan Ba led the remaining troops to join him and retreated to the south city tower until night.
The South City Tower has completely turned into an isolated island. All the stairs leading to the city wall have been destroyed, and only two observation towers are surrounding the tower. In fact, such persistence is meaningless, but they have decided to fight to the death.
Yong Jun deliberately opened a stove to cook at the base of the city wall. The aroma of the rice spread out and floated to the tower to torture the stomachs of the defenders. The fire chiefs struck the Diao Dou with their steel knives, making a clear sound.
"There are hot rice porridge and mutton down below! As long as you are willing to come down and surrender, these delicious foods are all yours, come and eat. Now we surrender and we will be more generous. After tomorrow, there will be no chance."
That night, dozens of people jumped off the tower. Some of them broke and fell back, but they also had a good meal. Many of them ate too fast and even died of starvation.
In the morning of the next day, Zhang Xunnan and eight dozen people were still standing alone on the tower. Tian Chengsi suggested to Li Siye that they should bombard the tower with artillery and Kongming lanterns from all sides, but Li Siye was eager for talent and insisted on killing Zhang.
It is impossible to force surrender by patrolling alive.
So, they persisted on the dilapidated tower for another six days, and even the sounds of hunger groans gradually disappeared. Tian Chengsi sent a few brave soldiers to act as death squads and climbed up the stairs with wooden ladders. What they saw was ten
Several people were dying against the wall. They carried these people down one by one. Li Siye ordered military doctors to go and treat them. Most of them were weak from hunger, so he sent someone to cook rice porridge and feed them one by one.
Zhang Xun gradually woke up in a daze, suddenly opened his eyes and rolled out of the straw mat. He put his hands on the ground and tried to get up, but he felt top-heavy and weak. Two soldiers had already put their knives on his shoulders.
He turned to look next to him. His good brother Nanba also fell to the ground like him, being pressed down by three samurai with the backs of their swords.
The medical officer hurriedly ran in and yelled at the few warriors: "Why are you still wielding swords and guns on my territory? They are already unarmed and weak. How can they break through your encirclement and run away!"
These murderous warriors seemed to be quite afraid of the medical officers. They put away their steel knives and forks, turned around and left the medical tent.
The medical officer came forward and helped the two men up, brought two bowls of soup and medicine to them and gave them to them.
Zhang Xuntie asked with a livid face: "Are you the medical officer sent by Li Siye? We would rather die than accept his favor."
The medical officer sighed and said expressionlessly: "I am a doctor. I only treat illnesses and save people. I have nothing to do with loyalty or enemies."
"If you don't distinguish between loyalty and treachery, you will end up helping the enemy."
The medical officer sat cross-legged on the ground and laughed: "Those of us who are medical officers, who cares who becomes the emperor? As long as fewer people die and no more blood is shed, why should I care."
…
After the two were nursed back to health, they were immediately moved to the rear on an ink cart. Li Siye placed them in the former Huainan Jiedushi residence in Nanyang County. The environment was elegant and quiet, and the architecture was magnificent. A dozen of them survived.
The subordinates who had not surrendered were also placed in a nearby building. It was heavily guarded and was just a relatively large birdcage.
Li Siye arranged for three groups of people to persuade him to surrender. The first group of people were his servant Yan Zhuang and Jiannan's chief of staff Gao Shang. They offered the high-ranking officials and generous salaries promised by Li Siye, as well as the beauties in the residence, and even the title of wife and son, promotion.
Family status. It's a pity that Zhang Xun always treated him coldly despite his death wish.
He also invited Zhang Xun's mother and patriarch over. Mother and son were in tears and looked at each other in silence. The old patriarch with a goatee persuaded him: "You sacrifice your life to defend Xiangyang and fight until the last person."
Being defeated and captured is already worthy of the Tang Dynasty and the emperor's favor. Now that we are in a desperate situation, we should turn around."
Zhang Xun looked out the window with firm eyes and said in a cold voice: "I have already decided to shed my passion for the Tang Dynasty and will never switch to the two masters. If I am worried about being implicated by me, then please take the initiative.
Cut me out of the family tree and kick Zhang Xun out of the clan.
The clan leader hid his face and walked away. How dare he do such a thing? The whole world admires Zhang Xun's loyalty. His tribe may not be able to produce a figure like Zhang Xun for thousands of years. Zhang Xun alone is enough to make him
The Zhang family in Puzhou was famous throughout the world.
The third group of people arranged by Li Siye took even more painstaking efforts. He searched for Puzhou, invited Zhang Xun's mentor who had taught him his profession and solved his doubts, and asked him to persuade him to surrender. This thought was already like Wen Tianxiang's.
However, Zhang Xun still did not change his original intention, and he treated his mentor with a cold face and treated him indifferently.
Li Siye was standing on the top of the attic not far from the mansion. After Zhang Xun's mentor retreated, he came to Li Siye and folded his hands helplessly: "Your Majesty, forgive me. The sinner Zhang Xun's heart is as solid as stone. I am afraid that even the fire cannot break him."
Burn."
Li Siye snorted contemptuously: "Go away!"
He walked up the stairs and stood at the highest point of the entire Huainan Jiedushi residence. He had a panoramic view of the intricate buildings below the attic. The house where Zhang Xun was under house arrest was at his feet. He lowered his head and looked down through the window.
, I saw Zhang Xun sitting at the desk in front of the window, holding a book in his hands and turning the pages slowly, smiling calmly when he saw something he understood.
This is not like a dying person in jail, but like a wise man living in seclusion in the mountains and forests. The Tao is tolerant and strong, and the lack of desire is strong. There seems to be nothing in this world that this person is afraid of, even human flesh can be eaten.
People are really scary.
Unless a monk abandoned his wealth and prosperity and fled to Buddhism, any mortal should have desires. But what desires does a person like Zhang Xun have? Li Siye did not believe that he only had pure loyalty, but this desire did not violate loyalty.
"That's it," Li Siye suddenly realized, and said to himself with a smile, "It turns out that your request is very big."
He said to Yan Zhuang and Gao Shang standing beside him: "Go and prepare a linen suit for me. I want to meet Zhang Xun for a while."
"My lord." Gao Shang quickly crossed his hands and said, "This card can't be compared to that of a scholar. My lord, there is no need to condescend to meet him. This man is not afraid of death. He is only afraid of bumping into the lord."