Chapter 348 Flying Stone
Feng Shili led the Chu army to flee all the way. When he returned to the camp, there were only more than 17,000 troops left. When he thought of those fierce Huns, he still had lingering fears and made up his mind to stay here, unless the court made it clear Ordered not to leave the camp for half a step.
The imperial court's order did not come, but a group of scholars came.
When Qu Zixi set out from Luoyang and rushed to the front line, the seventeen disciples behind him did not decrease, but increased by more than ten. They were stopped by the Chu army scouts and sent directly to the barracks.
Qu Zixi is young, his official position is not high, but his reputation is very strong. Although Feng Shili is a military general, he has already heard about it. Hearing that Qu Zixi is coming, he immediately leaves the camp to wait, and welcomes him into the main hall with the courtesy of the master.
Qu Zixi was not polite. After a few words of greeting, he asked, "Your Majesty is trapped in Jincheng, does the general have any plan to rescue him?"
Feng Shili let out a long sigh, "Mr. Qu came from Luoyang, he should have heard the arrangement of the court, the Chu army outside the Great Wall is in Mayi City, and the Chu army in Guan is the general who supports the state of Yan, or guards the cities east of Luoyang, here I am. A small checkpoint is only one of the cities, with a force of less than 20,000 troops—more than enough, but not enough. Even so, we still went out to fight the Huns a few days ago.
Qu Zixi nodded, he did hear about these things, and knew that Feng Shili's troops were insufficient, but this was still the most powerful Chu army outside of Mayi City and Yan State.
"Knowing that you can't do it, the general's defeat is not a crime of war, and everyone in the world admires the general's courage and strategy."
Feng Shili suddenly became vigilant. At this time, touting is more lethal than scolding, and asked carefully, "Is Mr. Qu here on an order?"
"Your Majesty is in Jincheng, and the court is in chaos. Where did I get the imperial decree? Now that everyone is doing their own thing, the general should have made plans earlier."
Feng Shili wondered, "What do you mean by Mr. Qu?"
"It is said that the Huns gave His Majesty an ultimatum. Tomorrow is the deadline. What did the general think about the situation in the DPRK and China after the first battle of Jincheng?"
Feng Shili smiled without saying a word, it was not his turn to discuss this kind of thing.
Qu Zixi was not afraid, "There are only two outcomes, either Your Majesty is safe and sound and rewarded after returning to the capital, or His Majesty sacrifices for the country and a new emperor is established in the capital. When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will definitely avenge the previous emperor. No matter what the outcome is, the general is the closest to Jincheng, and keeping the troops in motion is the best strategy.
Feng Shili took a deep breath, "But...but...I've already..."
Qu Zixi sneered softly, "The general came from an aristocratic family and has been an official in the court for a long time. Don't you understand the importance of 'timing'? Tomorrow is the time of the decisive battle, and the usual one credit will become five or ten credits. If the general does not believe it, you can go and find out, the Chu army of Mayi City and Yan State will definitely attack the Huns in the next two days to show the world."
Mayi City and Yan Kingdom are far away from here, Feng Shili has nowhere to inquire, but when he heard Qu Zixi, he suddenly realized, stood up, clasped his fists and said: "If it weren't for what Mr.
Qu Zixi hummed, took a sip of tea, and said, "The general will handle the rest of the matter, please send me to the Xiongnu army."
"What, why is this?" Feng Shili asked in surprise.
"Your Majesty will stick to Jincheng, and the general will challenge you. I am going to persuade the Huns to retreat."
Feng Shili was even more surprised, "Mr. Qu, I advise you, if the besieger is Da Danyu, there may be room for persuasion, but now the Huns outside the city are ruled by King Youxian, who has never supported the siege, and wanted to attack the city long ago. won't listen."
Qu Zixi smiled lightly, "If others can't persuade him, he will definitely listen to my words."
Feng Shili was completely shocked by Qu Zixi, thought for a while, and said, "Okay, I can send someone to take Mr. Qu, but I can't guarantee whether the Huns would like to see Mr. Qu."
"It's up to people to make things happen, and things to happen in the sky. The general is willing to send someone to escort him. Qu is very grateful. By the way, my students-they are willing to come here with me, which shows the love between teachers and students, and I will leave them in the army. , ask the general to take care of him."
"Mr. Qu Gaozu will be the pillar of the court in the future, and Feng should be regarded as a guest of honor."
Qu Zixi thanked him and was about to leave the camp immediately, without saying goodbye to his disciples, and under the escort of ten soldiers, he went straight to the Xiongnu camp as an envoy.
Feng Shili ordered the entire army to prepare for the war. More than 30 disciples waited for a long time to see their master. They all asked to see General Feng. When they heard that Qu Zixi had left, they were all heartbroken. In the Huns army, sacrifice your loyalty for Your Majesty."
Feng Shili was stunned for a long time. He had no intention of sacrificing his loyalty, but Qu Zixi's words still made sense. Tomorrow's battle will not be a dead one, but a live one. He only needs to put on a posture and then lead his troops to flee back in time. No matter what the outcome of the emperor is, he will Can get rid of blame.
Qu Zixi soon encountered the Huns. He heard that they were the envoys, but the Huns were not embarrassed. They asked the soldiers of the Chu army to return to the original route. inside.
At the same time, the emperor was having lunch with the officers and men at the head of the city.
As time passed, the signs of the Huns sieging the city became more and more obvious. The sun was only halfway down, and a dozen tall rock-throwing siege machines began to slowly move towards Jincheng under the impetus of many slaves.
The Huns probably didn't want to waste time. They already understood that the Emperor of Chu had no intention of accepting the humiliating terms of peace talks.
The Chu army in the city also began to prepare for the defense. Fan Congshan and Cai Canghai were responsible for the city walls in different sections. The Chu army under the city was commanded by several experienced veterans and military officials. They used the materials in the city to temporarily build five throwing towers. Stone tools, demolished the houses near the city, and freed up a large space to accommodate these utensils.
Someone at the top of the city was responsible for observing the distance and positioning, and the people at the bottom of the city fired stones, hoping to deter the Huns outside the city.
The Huns' siege machines stopped, far beyond the range of the bow and crossbow at the city head. They could load and launch them calmly. A large number of Huns cavalry guarded nearby. If the Chu army dared to go out of the city to fight, they would be in their arms.
The time before each battle was the most tense, and the King of the East Sea forced a laugh.
"Oh, you are so bold, you can still laugh at such a time." Cui Teng said with half admiration and half doubt.
Donghai King laughed again, "Aren't you surprised?"
"No, I just think there are too many Huns." Cui Teng said in confusion.
The two stood side by side behind the emperor, Han Ruzi said without turning his head: "Look at those Huns, they are calm, as if they are out hunting. Who would have thought that a battle of life and death will be launched later?"
The King of the East Sea nodded. This was what he felt strange. The war was full of cruelty and chaos, but before the war it was always so orderly. Even the Huns who were not good at battle were lined up neatly. As for the inner city This is even more the case with the Chu army, so detailed that the position of each soldier is arranged in detail.
It's like two people neatly dressed and ready to go into a sea of fire.
The Huns were ready, and it was still a while until it was dark. They did not intend to wait any longer, nor did they intend to send someone to ask the emperor.
The first stone bomb flew far away and landed in the moat, causing a big splash, but it did not threaten the city wall.
A group of veterans took the lead, and the Chu army at the head of the city booed.
In fact, most people understand that this is nothing, it is difficult for the siege machine to aim at the target, and it needs to be positioned multiple times.
The same siege machine threw a stone bomb for the second time. This time, it swept past the city and landed in the city. There was only a loud noise, and it was unknown whose house was damaged.
There are still boos from the city, not as loud as the first time.
The third and fourth stone bullets both landed outside the city. The fifth stone bullet hit a section of the city wall. With a bang, the gravel splashed and the dust mist rose. Everyone on the southern city felt a clear vibration. The soldiers hurried to dodge to both sides.
The city wall did not collapse, but there was a huge depression that people on the city couldn't see, but the Huns could see clearly.
More than a dozen siege machines began to attack at the same time, and the hill-like stone bullets flew in the air. Everyone felt that it was going to fall on their heads. face the same danger.
Han Ruzi ordered that the five rock-throwing siege machines in the city began to counterattack.
There were also boulders flying out of the city, which really surprised the Huns. They had no protection from the city wall.
The Huns immediately retreated a certain distance, leaving only a small number of cavalry to supervise the slaves to continue firing stone bullets.
The two sides shot stones at each other. The number of Chu military equipment was too small and could only be used to frighten. It was almost impossible to hit the opponent's siege equipment. For the Huns, the city wall was an extremely obvious target. Attack as much as you like.
This is a battle without suspense. Chu Jun's insistence is not to win, but to refuse to give in like this.
A dozen steps away from Han Ruzi, a boulder smashed into the city wall, and several soldiers at the front of the city were shaken up and fell to the ground.
"Your Majesty..." Several people spoke at the same time, trying to help the emperor leave the dangerous place.
Han Ruzi quickly stabilized his body and ordered, "Notify the city and prepare to repair the city wall."
The city wall won't last long. There is a team in the city, and a large amount of earth and stones are prepared to block the bad city.
As the sun went down, the attack outside the city continued, and they didn't need to re-target, just throw stone bullets over and over again.
There were few casualties among the Huns, but the number of casualties in the city was gradually increasing. The city wall also collapsed in two places. Although it was blocked in time, it was an expedient measure.
The Huns were in a good position to win, and they were not in a hurry to send troops to attack.
The stone bullets are still flying, and the defenders have become numb to them, doing their own things, not even looking up or talking to each other.
Cui Teng murmured: "Why do we have to defend the city, why don't we rush out and fight to the death."
Han Ruzi put his hands on the city bricks and said plainly: "Death is easy, but let the Huns know that it is not easy to kill the people of Chu, and it is even more difficult to seize the territory of Great Chu. This is the only thing we can do."
He didn't know yet that many Chu people were fighting for him.