Chapter 705 Recovering Jiankang

Chapter 705 Recovering Jiankang

In the spring of March, it should have been a beautiful scene of all things growing and thriving, but instead an extremely cruel and bloody scene was staged in Jiankang City.

In the square in Taicheng, there is a torture instrument that looks like a guillotine. The side of the guillotine is uneven, and the blade also has many canine-like gaps. Such torture will double the pain of the victim.

At this time, there was a person being tortured on the torture rack. The man's hands and feet were tied to the wooden board behind his back. The executioner inserted his body, together with the wooden board, under the guillotine inch by inch from feet to head, and the guillotine fell down mercilessly, killing the man. The skin, flesh, muscles and bones were cut off inch by inch.

The huge pain tortured the person until he was reduced to a human shape, and screams came from his mouth. Sometimes he fainted because he couldn't bear the pain. The executioner would temporarily stop the torture and use some method to wake the person up. Make them suffer the most pain.

"Spare your life, spare your life...please your majesty, your majesty still remembers the love when Shouyang received you..."

The person who was sentenced was named Liu Shenmao. In the old years, Hou Jing was defeated by Murong Shaozong in Guoyang, and Liu Shenmao led him to Shouyang. After the uprising in Shouyang, Hou Jing always treated Liu Shenmao as a confidant. He was defeated and returned last year. After Jiankang, Hou Jing also appointed Liu Shenmao to the high position of Sikong.

However, Liu Shenmao plotted a rebellion because of Hou Jing's failure in the Western Expedition and because he was worried about his impoverishment. Coupled with the instigation of the noble families in Wuzhong, Liu Shenmao united all the armies to occupy Dongyang in response to Jiangling and betrayed Hou Jing.

However, due to his own underestimation of the enemy and the betrayal of his subordinates, Liu Shenmao was defeated not long ago by Xie Daren and other generals sent by Hou Jing, and he was also sent to Jiankang.

Hou Jing, who has now proclaimed himself emperor, was sitting on the chariot with a gloomy expression. After hearing Liu Shenmao's shouts and begging, he became even more angry. He stepped forward and punched Liu Shenmao in the face. At the same time, he yelled: "Dog thief" How dare you talk about the past? If I don’t do anything to you, how can you be so ungrateful and unworthy of death?”

After beating Liu Shenmao several times, Hou Jing looked at the execution soldiers and said fiercely: "You must be careful with the punishment. If you don't cut it to the chest, the traitor will die. You will all receive this punishment!"

After hearing this, several executioners suddenly became panicked, and their men did not dare to use excessive force. Liu Shenmao's chopped muscles were directly exposed to the air, bouncing and squirming in a ball of blood, making him become The pain doubled and the screams continued.

Hou Jing had a cruel smile on his lips and watched the execution intently until the execution was completed.

Prior to this, his general Hou Zijian led his troops and was defeated in a battle with Jiangling's crusade. From then on, Jiangling's army approached Jiankang without any hindrance. Even though the situation was so critical, Hou Jing still put down his military duties and specially took a few hours to watch Liu Shenmao being chopped off, which showed how deeply he hated Liu Shenmao for betraying him.

Since Baling was defeated and fled back to Jiankang, people from all sides have resisted and betrayed Hou Jing in an endless stream. Hou Jing naturally hated this deeply and was extremely afraid. Among all this, what shocked him the most was Liu Shenmao's betrayal.

After returning to Jiankang, in order to re-establish his majesty, Hou Jing followed the advice of his mastermind Wang Wei to depose and kill his father-in-law, the emperor Xiao Gang, and soon established Xiao Tong, the legitimate grandson of Prince Zhaoming and Prince of Yuzhang. Dong is the emperor.

Under such circumstances, Hou Jing still did not forget to confer the title of Sikong to Liu Shenmao, who was then Dongdao Xingtai. He hoped that Liu Shenmao would be grateful for his kindness and help him maintain the situation in the hinterland of Sanwu. However, Liu Shenmao made matters worse and betrayed Hou Jing brazenly. , making Hou Jing's situation even worse.

In addition to the actual damage caused to the situation, Liu Shenmao's betrayal also plunged Hou Jing into a kind of hysteria, betrayal and alienation. Although he was not from Hou Jing's old tribe in Henan, he was the first person to lead Hou Jing to Shouyang. It can be said that it was Liu Shenmao who started a series of mysterious experiences and encounters for Hou Jing after the defeat of Guoyang. change.

But such a person actually chose to betray Hou Jing, which made Hou Jing feel even more fatalistic and desolate. He felt as if the whole world had abandoned him, and he could only torture the betrayer cruelly. To get the pleasure of having power.

The brutal killing of Liu Shenmao naturally did not help to reverse the current situation. Now Wang Sengbian, Chen Baxian and other Jiangling troops have already crossed the Qinhuai River and built a series of fortresses and barracks to the west of Stone City, forming a threat to Jiankang City. The situation of siege.

Nowadays, people in Jiankang City are in panic, and the dejected attitude of the soldiers and people is no different from when Hou Jing led the army into Jiankang in the old years.

Although he was already in desperate condition, Hou Jing was still unwilling to sit back and wait for death. He dreamed of making a comeback at the last moment. Therefore, after executing the traitor, he led the more than 10,000 armored soldiers gathered in the city to leave Taicheng. , set up a battle formation on the west side of Xizhou City to face the attacking army.

At this time, Wang Sengbian had also led his army to advance outside the Zhaoti Temple in the west of the city. Looking at the slightly chaotic formation of the rebel army, Wang Sengbian couldn't help but recall that he had to open the camp gate and surrender to Hou Jing last year. Soon all kinds of feelings came to my mind, and finally they turned into full of pride. Pointing to the banner of Hou Jing opposite, he said loudly: "Anbang will be settled and the chaos will be settled. Let's fight here! Kuangfu family, the famous Qingshi, Erlang, etc. You need to be brave!”

Just when Wang Sengbian was full of pride and prepared to order the troops to attack Hou Jing's rebellious army, Chen Baxian suggested: "Now the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. If we destroy it with a large army, the thieves will fight to the death. Even if they win, they will suffer casualties." What's more, it's better to spread out in various directions, each with its own characteristics, and then calmly annihilate the thieves!"

After getting along with each other for a period of time, Wang Sengbian was quite convinced of Chen Baxian's talents. He knew that although he did not speak lightly, his words were sure to hit the mark. After a little thought, he agreed to Chen Baxian's proposal and ordered the generals to lead their troops. Separate territory to one side, thus preventing the rebel army from gathering its elite and inviting a fight to the death. At the same time, Chen Baxian also personally led his troops to advance as a vanguard.

Hou Jing saw such a change in the enemy's formation. When he personally led his troops towards the slightly scattered enemy formation, he saw that the formation was about to be overrun. However, a team of thousands of crossbowmen rushed out from behind and fired with crossbows. The arrows of time were like rain, causing Hou Jing's rear formation to collapse and he had no choice but to retreat.

"Quickly attack with fine cavalry!"

After sending out crossbowmen to intercept the insurgents and seeing that they were effective, Chen Baxian immediately ordered the drums and horns to sound, and all the troops' elite cavalry came out to charge straight towards the insurgents.

"Don't panic, come closer to me!"

As the enemy cavalry entered the formation, Hou Jing's army became more chaotic. After several attempts to restrain it, he led hundreds of fine cavalry around him to charge towards Chen Baxian's position, intending to destroy the enemy's command center and reverse the defeat.

Chen Baxian, who was also holding a saber at this time, attacked the enemy several times. In order to buy time for the troops to attack the bandit formation, he fought to the death under Hou Jing's fierce offensive. Under his loud orders, the army formation was as stable as a rock.

Hou Jing rushed to the formation several times to no avail, but his own army formation had long been defeated by various elite cavalry. Seeing that the defeat was certain, Hou Jing had no choice but to sigh, and immediately led his troops to flee back to the city.

At this time, in Jiankangtai City, the people left behind were also eagerly waiting for the battle situation outside the city.

In the southwest corner of Taicheng, there was a rebel army of more than 300 people. When they heard the sound of fighting coming from outside the city, these rebel soldiers looked very nervous. Many of them looked at a tall governor in the team. The general asked in a low voice: "Captain Han, can His Majesty the Emperor defeat the enemy?"

The governor-general was Han Shao, a local hero who was kidnapped by rebels in Huainan last year. When Hou Jing besieged Taicheng, he took advantage of the chaos and killed the leader of the rebel army who had bloodbathed his village. He was also seriously injured as a result. After he was lucky enough to survive, he was unable to escape Jiankang and still joined the rebel army. Because of his bravery and loyalty, he gathered a group of soldiers to follow him. He established the Han Dynasty in Hou Jing and usurped Liang and granted a large number of people. On the occasion of becoming a minister, Han Shao was also awarded the title of governor.

Hearing the nervous questions from his subordinates, Han Shao sighed and said: "This traitor to the Han Dynasty is a joke. Senior officials and generals will rebel before they die. Even if they can cope with the present, they will not last long in the future. Instead of worrying about the outcome outside the city, , we might as well find a place to return as soon as possible. Those king masters who are trying to calm down the chaos are by no means benevolent people. After a hard fight, there will definitely be a chaos after entering the city. I am afraid that they will not give up if they are not satisfied with their money bags..."

Han Shao had seen with his own eyes how the so-called King Qin's army looted the civilians after they came to Jiankang. Now Jiankang City has been controlled by Hou Jing for a long time. The soldiers and people in the city can be accused of being thieves. Those Jiangling troops There is no psychological burden to rob them.

When everyone heard what Han Shao said, they all became more worried. Before they could think of what to do, suddenly a chaotic shout came from the north of Taicheng: "The officials have returned to the city..."

This shout immediately attracted all the soldiers stationed in Taicheng. When a team was passing by, the commander of the team stopped, pointed at Han Shao and shouted: "Han Erlang, you are a brave man. , do you want to make a contribution to me? The Han army was defeated, and the officials and marquis robbers fled back to the city. There were no armored soldiers to guard them. If we capture them and sacrifice them, not only can we absolve ourselves of the crime of being a thief, but it will also be a great achievement! "

After hearing this, Han Shao shook his head and said: "Han Erxiang is a talented man in the countryside. He thinks he is not so lucky. He only wants to survive and does not dare to take credit. General, please do it!"

After hearing this, the general sneered twice, and immediately tried to seduce Han Shao's subordinates. Naturally, some people couldn't stand the temptation and joined in. Seeing that all the rebel troops were heading towards the palace, Han Shao led the remaining troops to go back to the east along the south side of Taicheng City, hoping to escape from the palace while everyone was in chaos. Cannes.

At this time, the riots continued to expand, and a large number of Jiangling troops had already rushed into Jiankang City.

Suddenly, there was a loud killing sound in the north of Taicheng, with various sounds of fighting and begging for mercy. Han Shao and his party were trying to approach Xuanyang Gate in the south of the city. A group of soldiers fled in embarrassment from behind, including some who wanted to capture Hou Jing from the north. Those who seek great achievements.

"The traitors have fled out of the city, and the enemy is entering the stage through Ximing Gate!"

Han Shao stopped for a while to inquire, and then quickly ordered his troops to speed up. If they were still stranded in Taicheng, they might be killed by the enemy as a military achievement. At least they would have to move around a lot after escaping from Taicheng. With more space to hide, the chance of survival is also higher.

There are many people who hold such ideas. When Han Shao and his party arrived at Xuanyang Gate, the place was already overcrowded. If only soldiers were passing through, there would not be such a congestion in front of the city gate. However, because many soldiers took advantage of the chaos to collect a lot of property in Taicheng, various fights and robberies would inevitably occur, which would greatly affect the situation. The speed of escape.

"Hold your swords and guns, don't pick up a penny!"

Han Shao was a fierce soldier who crawled out from among the dead. Naturally, he knew the importance in his heart. He shouted loudly to the soldiers behind him. At the same time, he also drew out his sword and slashed through the crowd, cutting a path out of the crowded wall. passage, and then led the soldiers through it.

Because the people in his group did not carry any property with them, and each of them held swords, guns, and staffs in their hands, they looked like they were not easy to mess with. The other soldiers were too timid to fight, so they crowded like this. Out of the city gate.

At this time, the south side of Taicheng was also in chaos. As soon as Han Shao and others squeezed out of the city gate, several armored soldiers rushed forward from the opposite side, shouting and asking: "Who are you waiting for? Quickly follow me." Zhao Pingyuan leaves the city, and everyone will be rewarded greatly after leaving the city!"

Han Shao ignored the shouts and led hundreds of soldiers behind him towards Qingxi.

At this time, both sides of the Qinhuai River were already in chaos. Those Jiangling troops who first rushed into the city wandered around and looted the Jiankang people who fled in fear, not only looting their belongings, but even their clothes. Even the robes were not spared. These people ran naked along the Qinhuai River and cried, but no one showed mercy.

At this time, there was already a group of Jiangling troops stationed on the Qingxi Bridge. The high-spirited young general at the head was Wang Lin, a disciple of the King of Eastern Hunan.

Seeing her subordinates rushing onto the bridge, fighting left and right in the crowd of refugees, and constantly grabbing property from these refugees, Wang Lin laughed endlessly: "These ant people have never been chaotic or thieves, they have no integrity at all." , Now that Master Wang has entered the city, he actually expects to escape with his stolen goods out of the city! "

At this moment, the sound of fighting suddenly broke out in the crowd. Wang Lin took a closer look and discovered that there was actually a small group of rebels hidden among the fleeing crowd, who was currently resisting the plundering of his tribe.

"The thief is here to die!"

Wang Lin saw that one of the tall soldiers was extremely brave, waving his saber to block up and down, but several of his soldiers were unable to get close. They immediately rushed forward with their spears, and when they got close, they stabbed with their spears.

Han Shao saw that the enemy was approaching quickly and fiercely, and he hurriedly blocked it with his sword. Soon he felt a shock from the tiger's mouth, and the sword in his hand fell directly, and the sharp blade was still stabbing towards his shoulder. When his life was at stake, Han Shao used He used all his strength to hold the pole firmly, and he knelt heavily on the ground due to the huge impact of the pole.

Seeing that this blow failed to kill the man, Wang Lin couldn't help but be surprised for a moment. She even tried to swipe Ma Shan back hard but it didn't come back, so she laughed and cursed: "The thief is really powerful!"

"Someone was forced to become a thief, but he did not commit any evil deeds and only wanted to survive. I beg General to spare my life!"

Han Shao loosened his grip on the fist, and the skin and flesh at the tiger's mouth were already cracked, but he couldn't care about it at the moment. Seeing his subordinates being injured and killed one after another, he hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Wang Lin waved her hand and ordered her subordinates to stop killing. She looked down at Han Shao with interest and said with a smile: "Whether you have any killing karma, I don't care. But this body is very powerful. If the killing is real, It’s a pity that from now on, if you follow my command, you can show off your ambitions and have no taboos, and the vast land is a hunting ground!”

Han Shao had no choice. After hearing this, he bowed to the ground and said in a deep voice: "My name is Han Shao, and I pay my respects to my lord."