Xie Ming

Chapter 427 At stake

Chapter 427 At stake
Let’s talk about two different things!
The night wind in Yangzhou is cold and sad, and in Dezhou in the north, the smoke of war is flaring up again, and the battle is getting fierce again!
Sometimes we go back in time and pull it back to more than ten days ago, on July 19th!

After the grand banquet held in the back hall of Pingyuan County government office to reward the soldiers that day, another eight days had passed!
On July 27th, troops and horses gathered in the small county of Gucheng, north of Dezhou. It was the arrival of reinforcements from Shi Tingzhu and Bahana!

Also returning with them was the military order from Prince Rui Dorgon, which ordered the Shi and Ba tribes to gather all their forces and capture most of northeastern Shandong on the north bank of the Yellow River before the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15!

Upon hearing the new order, the two commanders of the Jiannu army, who had rested for seven or eight days, regrouped and planned to join forces to attack the south!

At this time, the enemy's army, horses, food and grass were fully equipped, and the reinforcements were in full force. After the two armies had their full military flags and brave soldiers were reinforced, there were nearly 20,000 of them!

The number of Han army flags and miscellaneous units who surrendered to the Qing also increased to 50,000!
It can be said that the army is strong and the momentum is increasing rapidly!
Then it was the 28th day!
The northern gate of Dezhou began to rejoin the enemy and the war resumed!

Moreover, the enemy's force is as fierce as the first time they came from the south, making it even more difficult to deal with!
Once the two sides took over, the attackers and defenders fought fiercely for the city!

The sound of artillery and crossbows firing continuously, and the almost crazy shouting and roaring of soldiers on both sides, were endless!
The battle lasts from day till night!
Then they fought from early morning till dusk!
Under heavy siege, Dezhou defender Sun Peizhong led his troops to hold the city and put up a desperate resistance!
Even though there was a huge disparity in troop strength, the general was determined and the soldiers were not afraid of death. Despite the dangers surrounding them, they managed to hold out for another two days!
Until the enemy's force was pressing forward until half past ten on the evening of the 28th, there was still no sign of the enemy's momentum in attacking the city abating!

Boom boom boom.
The smoke of war and the prolonged battle had lasted for a long time. At this moment, the entire North Gate was covered with broken walls and corpses, and it was a mess everywhere!
In the moonlight and firelight, Sun Peizhong held a sword in his hand, slashing left and right, and hacking and killing with all his might at the enemy soldiers who swarmed up the city gate like a tide of ants!

But even if the generals and soldiers fought to the utmost, it was still difficult to completely resist such a powerful attack from the enemy!
The enemy's artillery fire on all sides of the four passes had already blasted through many gaps!

In addition to the enemy soldiers who were climbing the city walls like mad dogs, there were also several teams of brave enemy soldiers who broke through the breaches and charged into the city!
As night fell, the troops fighting in the streets of the city had already hastily engaged the enemy!

The four cities were on the verge of collapse, with flames rising into the sky from all over the city!

Clank clang clang!
“Don’t retreat!”

"Kill me!"

"Hold on to the city and beat the enemy army down!"

Seeing that the city was about to fall, General Dingyuan's lieutenant general Sun Peizhong, with bloodshot eyes, fought desperately and shouted the final order!
Hearing that the commander was not afraid of death, the soldiers present were inspired and their fighting spirit was instantly rekindled!
The generals and soldiers are all fighting like trapped beasts, making a desperate attempt to make their last stand!
Come on, the fighting power is off the charts again!
After a round of attacks, the Jiannu rebel army's repeated offensives were interrupted by a short break, showing signs of weakness!
On the city wall of Dezhou North Gate, the barbarians are still unable to advance and are finding it difficult to capture!
at the same time!

Less than five hundred steps away from the battle formation outside the pass, Shi Tingzhu was riding his horse and looking at the situation, his eyes narrowed with a gloomy look!
"Humph!"

"The stones in the toilet are so damn smelly and hard!"

"Send the order!"

"After half an hour, we will charge with all our might!"

"Leave no defense!"

"Anyone who is afraid of fighting will be killed without mercy!" Shi Tingzhu gritted his teeth and gave the order!
"Yes!" The messenger replied, and hurriedly sent a message to the back to continue the preparations!

"Hmm."

"Ming Gou can no longer hold on!"

"The city will be broken at any moment!"

"After conquering the city, be sure to kill the city's commander!"

"spit!"

Bahana spoke, and after saying such vicious words, he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground!
"Haven't your people checked it out?"

"This damn Ming dog army is following the northern shore of Shandong, and its leader is a barely-there kid named Xiao!"

"And the city garrison officer Sun Peizhong of Dezhou is the core commander of their faction!"

"His grandma's!"

"Kill him first, tear his head off, and stick it on the front of the battle!"

"I predict that if they continue to move south, the morale of the Ming dog army will be shaken!" Bahana has a vicious mind!

Time passes by minute by minute!
Under the concerted and fierce attack of the Jiannu army, the city of Dezhou was in ruins and in imminent danger. The defeat was becoming increasingly obvious!

Just on the eve of the total collapse, Duan Hongcai, deputy general under Peizhong, limped to the middle section of Beiguan, holding a knife wound on his waist with blood dripping from his hands, and met with Sun Peizhong to make a remonstrance!

"General——"

"General!"

"General Sun!" Hongcai gritted his teeth with a ferocious look on his face, and limped towards them from afar!

Sun Peizhong, with his ears now affected by the huge noise, could hardly hear clearly, so he quickly turned his body away!

At this time, Hongcai had already arrived, and Peizhong saw this and helped him over!
"Hongcai!"

"You" "You are injured?!" Peizhong asked worriedly.

"Hi! No"

"I won't die!" Hongcai shouted loudly.

"Can we still fight?!" Peizhong asked again, with great heroic spirit.

But at this moment, Hongcai hesitated and had something hidden in his mind!

"Ugh!"

"Hey General!"

"Our troops have suffered numerous casualties at the four passes, and the enemy has already rushed into the inner city through the cracks!"

"The defeat is certain, General," Hongcai told the truth.

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhong gritted his teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of his eyes.

"Nan, is there any news of reinforcements at the South Gate?!" Sun was not giving up and continued to ask.

But Hongcai is also waiting for this inquiry!

Helpless, he shook his head and sighed, responding clearly with a look of unwillingness!
Seeing this, Sun Peizhong sighed, and with a fierce force, he immediately thrust his sword into the ground!

Later, he made up his mind, bit his finger, pulled the lining of his clothes at the collar, and wrote a letter in blood!
"Take it!"

After finishing the task, he slapped the book into Hongcai's arms!
"Duan Hongcai obeys orders!"

"I order you to lead the remaining 200 light cavalry of our unit and break out from the Hounan Pass!"

"Remember, hand this letter to the Overseer in person!"

"Tell the Overseer!"

"If the reinforcements don't arrive tomorrow, the entire army in Dezhou City will be wiped out!"

Peizhong knew that he had run out of ammunition and food, and the city was about to fall, so he hurriedly wrote his last letter, also wanting to give Hongcai a chance to escape!

After all, my brothers and sisters have been through the blood and fire of the battlefield, and I really can't bear to see them accompany me and die here together!
But even though the chief officer had such affection, Hongcai was unwilling to accept it alone!
"what?!"

"General!"

"What do you mean?!"

"Hongcai is definitely not a coward!"

"The reason I came to look for you is... yes"

"General, General!"

"Withdraw!"

"Please!"

"Leave some seeds for our troops!"

"It's already been ten days!"

"Texas City, we, we're doing our best!"

"We can't hold it, General!"

After trying to persuade Hongcai, he banged his head hard on the tiles of the city wall!