novelhk Chapter 220 Where is Lao Tzu's Halo?
Chapter 220 Where is Lao Tzu's Halo?
试？
Try and die.
Surrendering the city seemed to be the only option, but there was a ruthless man outside the city who massacred prisoners of war. What if the Xuan army did not follow through with their old tricks and showed no martial ethics?
Song Heng may betray the emperor's favor and the country's trust, but he must be responsible to the soldiers and civilians behind him.
"Given the lesson of Panshi Pass, if this prefecture opens the city gates, who knows if the Chishan soldiers won't follow in their footsteps?"
"I dare to pledge my life as proof, and Heaven and Earth bear witness to it all!"
"General, you are merely under Marshal Lu's command; how can you be trusted?"
Shen Qing choked. Now that Lu Zhen's credibility has plummeted, it's hard for people to easily believe his empty words anymore.
"I may ask the commander-in-chief to sign the alliance agreement..."
"A treaty signed under duress is nothing but a piece of waste paper."
Song Heng refused to budge, and the atmosphere became tense.
After a long silence, Shen Qing frowned and said in a deep voice, "Please state your conditions, Lord Prefect."
The situation is actually quite clear now; it's just a matter of finding a balance that both sides can accept.
Song Heng also knew that the initiative was not on his side. "This matter is of great importance, and I need time to consider it."
"Very well, one day. If the Prefect does not respond, then this time tomorrow will be the time to attack the city!"
Song Heng pursed his lips and remained silent. Shen Qing didn't need his permission either. After speaking, she turned around and leaped up, running down the city wall bricks as if walking on flat ground.
The Lu family army, who had been waiting anxiously below the city, collectively breathed a sigh of relief the moment Shen Qing flew out from the city wall. The guards on the city wall were also startled and all poked their heads out. Even Song Heng, who had been keeping a composed demeanor, momentarily forgot his posture and rushed forward to peek over the wall as well.
With a red cloak billowing, he gracefully landed from the five-zhang-high city wall. Lu Zhen, having witnessed Shen Qing's performance in the Imperial Guard competition, remained relatively calm, but the others had never seen such a skillful maneuver.
The soldiers gasped as they remembered to breathe, a commotion erupted, and a strange surge of emotion welled up within them, wishing they could take the place of the fallen soldiers!
General Shen is truly a woman among women! A female among females!
Even the garrison of Chishan City had to admire him. Song Heng's expression was complicated. It turned out that the masters who could fly over rooftops and walk on walls in the stories actually existed in reality. Commander Ji's death was not unjust.
Shen Qing moved back and forth between the two armies as if they were empty, returning to his own camp amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd. He casually tossed the spear and sword back to his subordinates, and immediately his personal guards presented him with their twin swords, their eyes sparkling with admiration.
The subordinate, holding the spear and sword with pride, decided to pass this highly commemorative spear and sword down as a family heirloom to his descendants!
Shen Qing ignored everyone and walked straight to Lu Zhen, her feelings quite complicated.
"Father, Commander."
Lu Zhen nodded. "Let's talk about it back in the camp."
The soldiers reluctantly turned away, whispering amongst themselves, only after watching Shen Qing follow Lu Zhen into the commander's tent.
"I wonder if General Shen accepts apprentices?"
"Go ahead and accept him, isn't the young master one?"
"Sigh, that's true, it wouldn't be our turn to collect them anyway."
Inside the command tent, after the two men briefly explained what had happened on both sides since their separation, an eerie silence fell over the atmosphere.
After a long silence, Lu Zhen finally broke it, "Qingxi, do you think I'm wrong?"
Shen Qing pursed her lips and did not respond immediately. Correctness is never the same as justice. When you reach a certain position, you no longer act according to right and wrong.
He finally sighed softly and said in a low voice, "The commander's order is right whether it's right or wrong."
As Shen Qing emerged from the tent, the starry night had fallen and the campfires were already lit. He stared blankly at the bright torches atop Chishan City, lost in thought.
He murmured, "Song Heng, don't disappoint me."
This was destined to be another sleepless night. The soldiers and civilians in Chishan City would certainly not be able to sleep tonight. The Lu family, however, were excited. With such a valiant general, they were sure to be invincible!
Time flies like water and sand, and a day quickly passed. When the appointed time arrived, the soldiers on duty were still on the city wall, and there was no sign that Song Heng intended to come out.
Shen Qing frowned, suddenly having a bad feeling.
"gather!"
"Siege!"
……
Shen Qing entered the empty Chishan City and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
The lesson humanity learns from history is that we never truly learn from our mistakes. I've read Romance of the Three Kingdoms so many times and I still managed to fall for the Empty City Stratagem! Hahahaha!
Seeing that the woman seemed to have suffered a great shock, Hei Zi did not dare to approach her for a moment. From a distance of more than ten feet, he could only see the woman looking up at the sky and scratching her head. He could vaguely hear her.
Where is my halo?
Halo? What is that? Hei Zi didn't understand and only thought that the woman was acting strangely because she was angry, so he stepped forward to persuade her: "General, we haven't lost. Song Heng has run away with his men, so let him run away. We can just fight back."
Shen Qing waved his hand, "Marching is not that simple."
Isn't that right? Kuroko was a little confused, but the girl was always very impulsive.
Meanwhile, Song Heng led nearly 10,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians on a frantic rush toward Xuanwu City. Because he had already taken control of the civilians in order to guard against Shen Qing's airdrop attack on the city again, they were able to assemble very quickly. With just one sentence, Panshi Pass was destroyed and people were killed. Without saying a word, except for the old, weak, sick and disabled who could not walk, those who could run immediately followed. In the face of life and death, family property was a small matter.
Fearing that the enemy would catch up, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians dared not stop and marched at full speed for nearly three days before finally arriving at Xuanwu City.
Seeing the situation, the guards at the city gate immediately closed the gate. The people, seeing the imposing city wall, eight feet high, tightly shut, finally erupted with their pent-up emotions from days of anxiety, crying and cursing the heavens and the earth.
When Ji Kang, the governor of Xuanwu City, arrived at the city wall after receiving the news, he was also taken aback. Although he had received a message from Song Heng a few days ago, he dared not open the city wall easily in the face of the situation. After all, several days had passed, and who knew if Song Heng had already betrayed them?
After a moment's thought, he ordered someone to lower the basket and pull Song Heng up first, to ascertain the situation before making any further plans.
"Huaizhang, why are you in such a sorry state?" Ji Kang asked, supporting Song Heng with a concerned expression.
“Sigh…” Song Heng said with a distressed expression, “The entire army at Panshi Pass was wiped out, and the Xuan army is at the city gates. To avoid unnecessary sacrifices, we devised a plan to hold off the Xuan army and bring the people to Xuanwu City for refuge. Only by cooperating with the two armies can we have a fighting chance.”
Ji Kang asked suspiciously, "If we hold the city, the Xuan Army will have a hard time breaking through it in a short time. It would be perfectly feasible to send someone by fast horse to tell me to lead troops to Chishan City. Why go through all this trouble and bring the people to Xuanwu City as well?"
"Chishan City's geographical advantages are not as good as Xuanwu City's, and its city defenses are also far inferior to Xuanwu City's. Only by fighting here can we maximize our home-field advantage and exert the greatest pressure on Xuan Army!"
Seeing that Ji Kang seemed unconvinced, Song Heng continued, "The most urgent task is to urgently report to Andu to send reinforcements. By the way, I have also brought Tao Jiasanlang with me."
Ji Kang's spirits jolted, a hint of anger flashing across his face. "Is that the Tao You you mentioned in your letter, the one who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country?!"
"Exactly."
"Bring him up!"