Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 388 The ultimate showdown!

Diligent in managing the city.

Duan Shao stood on the top of the city wall.

This famous general who was once glorious in his lifetime now has white hair.

He was not wearing a helmet, and his gray hair was extremely eye-catching.

A messy beard grew wildly on his face, and he looked much thinner. There were cries of grief coming from outside the city. The soldiers were forcing the temporarily conscripted laborers to dig ditches.

This kind of ditch is very laborious to build, but once it is built, it becomes a nightmare for cavalry.

It is half a person's width and covered with spikes on the bottom. War horses cannot jump over it. If they fall in, they will die. It must be filled up before the attack can continue.

Duan Shao has always disdained using this kind of defensive means in the past.

It was dark.

The soldiers on the city wall stood alone.

The elite soldiers of the Baibao on both sides had taken off their masks, their faces were gloomy, and they did not even look at their commander.

Duan Shao sighed, then looked down at his hands and squeezed them hard a few times.

Lian Baibao began to abandon Duan Shao.

Duan Shao remembered the city beneath his feet, and also remembered the official roads in the distance.

Decades ago, he followed the Shenwu Emperor and led troops through here more than once. At that time, he followed behind King Gao, listening with a smile as the many generals commented on the world and showed off their martial arts.

He once vowed to protect this world.

But when I guarded to the end, everything seemed to betray me.

The old comrades in the past are now generals in the hands of the rebels, and the younger generations in the past are now pioneers in the rebels.

Even his former subjects are now cursing at him.

Duan Shao picked up the cold helmet and put it back on his head.

Dugu Yongye has completely fallen out with Duan Shao.

The emperor's edict came down, requiring Duan Shao to defeat the enemy's vanguard army and not to withdraw.

Duan Shao was not foolish enough to confront Yao Xiong head-on. He took the opportunity to capture Dugu Yongye's Qinzhang City and killed the rude defender in the city. He then incorporated the army here, expanded the army, and actively set up defensive fortifications for a last-ditch effort.

He had really wanted to have a military showdown with Liu Taozi, but unfortunately, Dugu Yongye did not give him this opportunity.

Now, he could only rely on his demoralized defeated soldiers to fight against Liu Taozi's tens of thousands of elite troops.

He originally thought that Dugu Yongye would not dare to do this.

The ground began to tremble slightly.

The soldiers under the city suddenly screamed.

They abandoned the civilians they were guarding and turned around to rush into the city.

Duan Shao understood something, raised his head and looked into the distance.

A large army appeared in the distance.

Vast and vast.

They held their flags high, blocking out the sky and the sun. As far as Duan Shao could see, all he could see were enemy soldiers.

They were fully armed, wearing armor and carrying sharp weapons, and they advanced slowly in a unified pace.

Their speed is neither too fast nor too slow.

But it carries a great sense of oppression.

The city was in chaos. The people outside had nowhere to hide and could only kneel on the ground and beg for mercy. Many people cried in despair.

The enemy was approaching little by little, and the huge Qinzhang City seemed as small as an insignificant reef in the vast ocean.

Duan Shao looked at the enemy's formation, then at the uniform armor, and his eyes twitched again.

No matter how many times he saw it, Duan Shao would say: This armor rate is really too high.
They advanced all the way until they were outside the city and beyond the hills and valleys.

The Qi army climbed up the city walls one after another, with their bows and crossbows pointed outside, ready for a fierce battle.

The enemy suddenly stopped.

The shield in his hand was placed on the ground, making a loud noise, and then there was silence in an instant.

Then several knights rushed out from the enemy camp, running back and forth horizontally, shouting in a fluent Heluo accent: "The Han army has arrived! The people don't need to panic! Leave quickly! "

"The Han army has arrived! The people don't need to panic! Leave quickly!"

Between the Han and Qi armies were the abandoned civilians who were digging ditches.

The knights shouted along the way, and the Han army's formation gradually separated, revealing several passages.

The knights urged again and again.

The laborers stood up doubtfully and walked out through the gaps.

Many people are ready to die.

However, until they walked past and ran far away, the troops remained unmoved and did not behead them or torture them.

Duan Shao looked at this scene with an increasingly complicated expression.

After the laborers had evacuated, the scene became extremely quiet again.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!!"

The Han Dynasty made no achievements in any aspect. Everything was directly borrowed from its neighbors, not only in major policies but also in small details.

For example, the marching drum was used exactly as it was from Qi State, without any changes at all.

This is the sound of the war drums of attack.

The next moment, the Han army launched an attack, and the first to come out were archers.

Rows of powerful crossbows were aimed directly at the city walls.

"Whoosh~~~"

The crossbow shot as it moved forward.

The sword and shield soldiers protected them and kept moving forward. After suppressing the enemy's firepower, they began to fill the trenches, otherwise they would not be able to move forward.

After the effective advancement, the military craftsman began to push the catapult forward.

Many of the weapons brought by the Han Kingdom this time were assembled movable projectiles.

This catapult is so large that it requires six people to push it.

It is universal and the effect is very obvious.

The Han army did not choose to charge the city directly with its numerical advantage, but instead began to use its large amount of money to launch a massive bombardment on the city.

In this situation, even Duan Shao had no way out.

This is not Yubi City, and there is no natural defensive terrain.

The two sides were not engaging in a skirmish, they were just shooting at each other.

There were constant screams on the city walls. The enemy was suppressing us at all costs. Perhaps in their eyes, the lives of the soldiers were more important than the wasted arrows, catapults and the like.

After rounds of shooting, the city wall was completely unrecognizable.

The enemy successfully filled up several gullies.

Duan Shao drew his sword and prepared to fight.

The enemy's infantry finally launched an attack. Many ladders rushed towards the city wall. The catapults stopped attacking, but the arrows continued. The archers were getting closer and closer. They even got on the ladders and fired at the enemy opposite at eye level.

Duan Shao's troops were originally small, and they seemed increasingly insufficient as they were consumed repeatedly.

The enemy did not attack from a single side, but from three sides, which was a standard siege tactic.

"kill!!"

Duan Shao took the lead and ordered his men to shoot at the Han army under the city.

The enemy's armor was riddled with arrows. Some fell, while others continued to fight.

Duan Shao also ordered people to hit them with stones.

This effect is more obvious.

However, the number of enemies was too great.

Duan Shao saw several powerful generals of the Han army personally leading the way to climb the city wall, and he thought to himself that something was wrong.

These fierce men are the vanguard and are generally difficult to stop. They can wear extremely heavy armor and take the lead in tearing open the defense line.

With emergencies coming from three sides, Duan Shao had no one to use.

At this moment, Duan Shao understood to some extent that he might not be able to hold on.

Liu Taozi is no longer the same as before.

Sure enough, the western city wall was breached first. The defenders no longer paid attention to the commander's orders and began to flee from the only north gate that was not surrounded.

Gao Yanzong, wearing heavy armor, rushed up the city wall from the ladder like a tiger, entering an unmanned area and no one could stop him.

Shi Wansui followed closely behind, waving his spear, knocking down enemies one after another.

There is no shortage of brave warriors in the Han army.

Duan Shao held his sword in hand, watching the increasing number of enemies around him.

The number of personal soldiers around him was also decreasing.

Duan Shao went forward to hack and chop several times, but was forced back by the Han army. A not-so-strong city and some soldiers with no morale could not stop the fierce and ferocious Han army.

Duan Shao's face was calm as he stared at the enemies around him vigilantly.

Gao Yanzong walked out slowly, holding a spear, covered in blood, staring at Duan Shaomeng.

Seeing the familiar face again, Duan Shao lowered his sword slightly.

He stared at the young man in front of him with a complicated expression.

Not long ago, he always thought that this young man could take over his spear and continue to protect the country.

Duan Shao spoke.

His voice was hoarse.

"Yanzong is a member of the royal family, the grandson of Shenwu and the son of Wenxiang. Why would he betray the country?"

Gao Yanzong's eyes were sharp, "I have never rebelled, I have truly accepted the will of heaven."

"Destiny??"

"Where is destiny?"

"Heaven's Mandate is in Hebei, the people are prosperous, the officials are honest, the soldiers are brave, the wise are not harmed, and the common people are not burdened."

Duan Shao said something else, but his voice was so low that Gao Yanzong couldn't hear it clearly.

Suddenly someone pushed Gao Yanzong away. Gao Yanzong was stunned and looked over again. The person who came was Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi was also wearing armor, but it was not covered in blood like Gao Yanzong's.

He held a sword in his hand and slowly walked towards Duan Shao.

Gao Yanzong and Shi Wansui hurriedly followed him and protected him on both sides.

Duan Shao looked at Liu Taozi in front of him and sized him up and down for a long time.

"Liu Taozi, I haven't seen you for a long time. Yes, you look like a king now."

There was no joy from an old friend on Liu Taozi's face, but only anger that could not be concealed.

Duan Shao saw that Liu Taozi was not in the mood to greet him, so he raised his sword again with a complicated expression.

"I have always been looking forward to the duel with you."

"I thought it would be a very exciting duel, with both armies charging out, you leading 100,000 troops, I leading 100,000 troops, and the place where we fought would be revered and praised by future generations."

"Alas, I didn't expect it to end like this. It's not very glorious."

"I have no men, no food, and not enough weapons."

Liu Taozi said indifferently: "In my opinion, this is the most brilliant duel."

"This is a showdown between the cannibalistic Qi and the brand new Han."

"It's a showdown between kindness and inhumanity."

"You have no one under your command. That's because you guard against the army like guarding against wild beasts. You don't allow Han people to serve in the army. You also withhold military pay and food, and cut corners on military equipment. How can there be soldiers willing to fight for you?"

"And my subordinates, regardless of whether they are Han or Hu, are all of one mind, and many are brave warriors willing to kill the bandits."

"Your subordinates treat the people like cattle and horses, killing and slaughtering them everywhere, not considering them as human beings. They can't even preserve the farmland, so where will the food and grass come from?!"

"Under your command, the nobles are immoral, spending their days drinking and reveling, the big families collude with each other, occupy official positions, frequently impose corvée labor, and impose heavy taxes and levies. Where can you find craftsmen to make weapons for you?"

"Compared to the duel between the two generals, isn't this duel more exciting?!"

Duan Shao's eyes were wide open, staring at Liu Taozi, unable to speak.

Liu Taozi's face was grim. He shouted angrily, "You keep saying that you want to protect the country, but what is your country? Is it those crazy emperors? Are they those nobles who exploit the people? Or are they the inhumane clans?!"

"The title of a country may change, the emperor may change, but will the people living on this land change? You led the army to burn the farmers' farmland, but did you know that the food grown on these farmlands has also been eaten by you?! You destroyed their villages and killed the elderly? Did you know that they were once soldiers and followed you to protect the territory?!"

"Henan, the precious land, has been tossed around by you guys, what has it become?!"

“How many people have been displaced and how many have lost their lives?”

"Is this your protection?"

"I am a traitor to the king, and you are a traitor to the people!"

Liu Taozi looked around and said, "This time, I am here to kill all the thieves who are harming the people, so that the people of the world can live in peace!!"

The generals shouted loudly and the sound of killing shook the sky.

Duan Shao just shook his head and spoke hurriedly.

"Without a ruler, there is no country"

"Without a ruler, there are no people"

"How can a person who does not know loyalty and filial piety claim to be benevolent?"

The next moment, he suddenly threw the sword in his hand towards Liu Taozi.

The sword whizzed past, and Liu Taozi easily avoided it and fell to the ground.

Duan Shao rushed out, but not towards Liu Taozi, but towards the wall.

He stepped on the parapet with one foot, and then exerted all his strength, and he flew up.

And then it fell down very quickly.

Almost in the blink of an eye.

The last guardian of Qi State jumped off the city wall.

Liu Taozi stuck her head out.

I saw a body lying motionless on the ground.

The helmet had fallen off, revealing gray hair.

Liu Taozi slowly put away his sword. A trace of pity flashed across Gao Yanzong's eyes, and he lowered his head again.

After Duan Shao's death, the defenders in the city surrendered one after another.

There was not even any resistance, not even the few remaining Baibao.

They were really exhausted during these days, fighting all day long but not getting any actual rewards. After experiencing the period when titles were rampant under Gao Wei, they did not attach much importance to titles.

No goal, no way out, nothing.

Even the most powerful army is not worth mentioning if it has no intention of fighting.

Liu Taozi captured Xunzhang City, and then made repairs again, preparing to go south to take Huaizhou.

Dugu Yongye was currently leading his troops stationed in Henei County.

Hanoi is very close to Xunzhang City, very close.

The journey by horseback is only two days.

When the warriors rushed in to inform him of the fall of Xunzhang City, Dugu Yongye was hosting a banquet in the city to entertain many generals.

After hearing the report, the drunk Dugu Yongye suddenly sobered up.

"what?"

"one day?"

"Only one day?"

Dugu Yongye had known for a long time that Duan Shao would die in battle. After all, that was what he had pushed for. He turned Duan Shao into an isolated soldier, pushed him to the front line, and made him face Liu Taozi alone. There was no reason for him to survive.

But isn't this death a bit too quick?

Previously, Duan Shao had captured Xunzhang City and captured more than 4,000 people guarding the city. Together with his own troops, his total force should be close to 10,000.

These troops, even if they can't stop Liu Taozi forever, should at least be able to stop him for ten or twenty days, right? ?
That’s Duan Shao.

The most famous general of the moment.

It was taken down in one day?

For some reason, Dugu Yongye suddenly felt a sense of horror in his heart. Once this feeling appeared, it was difficult to make it disappear. His whole body was cold, and the wine he had just drunk disappeared without a trace.

He suddenly looked at Yang Su standing beside him.

But he found that Yang Su was also a little shocked.

Yang Su noticed the uneasiness in Dugu Yongye's eyes, cleared his throat, and said, "General, it seems that we pushed Duan Shao too far."

"He originally led several thousand men out, and they have been fighting for such a long time that he cannot return. He also fell out with the general. I am afraid that his troops have lost their morale. If they meet Liu Taozi, they will naturally be easily defeated."

"However, Liu Taozi can easily take down Xunzhang City, but he certainly can't take down Hanoi."

"Hanoi is a place you have managed for many years. There are more than 60,000 soldiers in the city, and there are many fortifications outside the city."

"Liu Taozi's army will definitely not exceed 50,000 people. It's wishful thinking for him to take over Hanoi!"

Yang Su continued to encourage him, saying, "I have already started to urge Zhou Guo. Zhou Guo has already known about Liu Taozi's dispatch of troops. I heard that he is going to appoint the Duke of Shu as the commander-in-chief and lead many elite soldiers and generals in the country to join Wei Xiaokuan and capture the enemy's Lingzhou!"

"If Lingzhou is taken, the Zhou army can directly attack Liu Taozi's Shuozhou and Hengzhou. This is the core of Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi will never dare to spend too much time here. He will rush back in less than half a month!"

"When they are defeated and retreat, it will be the time for the general to establish a country and become the king!!"

After listening to Yang Su's words, Dugu Yongye's uneasy heart finally calmed down a lot.

"This is the best. This is the best."

"Spread the news of the Grand Marshal's death to the imperial court, and have the court officials discuss the issue of posthumous honoring. Also, have the army bury the Grand Marshal, and tell everyone that this time, we want to avenge the Grand Marshal, and we must kill Liu Taozi and use his head to sacrifice to the Grand Marshal!!"

(End of this chapter)