There weren't many people on the streets.
The Uto were waiting outside the city, and the commoners couldn't sleep at night. The street vendors had long since closed, and the streets were deserted and desolate.
The rice shops had closed several months ago, and from time to time, women with children could be seen digging for wild vegetables to eat. Unfortunately, the people inside the city couldn't leave, and the people outside the city couldn't enter. Everything that could be eaten had long since been eaten, so how could there be any wild vegetables to be seen? Occasionally, they would see a mouse, and they would happily assume that there was meat to eat.
Although everyone was worried about when the Uto outside the city would attack, hunger had long since spread to every corner of the city. When the last grain of rice was eaten, even if the Uto didn't attack the city, something big would happen in the city.
In this bleak street, someone was walking slowly. It was a man and a woman, and both of them were extremely good-looking. The man wore an indigo robe, and he looked gentle and handsome. The woman had gorgeous features, and she was charming and moving.
Ying Xiang took out a piece of rations from his bag and handed it to Chu Zhao. "Fourth Young Master, the shops here have all closed. Eat some rations to fill your stomach first."
This was the rations that the soldiers in the Liang Province Guard had eaten when they were out. It had always been stored in a bag, so it was dry and hard. Now that there were no inns to eat at, they could only make do.
Chu Zhao took it and was about to eat it when he caught sight of a little girl standing under a tree. The little girl was about five or six years old. Her face was dirty, and her clothes were tattered. She wasn't wearing any shoes and was barefoot. He didn't know whose child she was, but her eyes were fixed on the rations in his hand without saying anything.
Chu Zhao smiled and walked forward. He crouched down and handed the rations to her.
The little girl stared blankly for a moment, then looked around. As if she was afraid that Chu Zhao would go back on his word, she snatched the rations and stuffed them into her bosom. She turned around and ran, quickly disappearing at the end of the deserted street.
Chu Zhao stood up and Ying Xiang said, "Fourth Young Master …"
"It's fine." He shook his head. "The Rundu won't last much longer."
Ying Xiang was somewhat worried. The two of them left the Liangzhou Guards and hurried back to Shuojing. As soon as they arrived at the Rundu, Uto followed them. The city chief soldier Li Kuang gave the order to guard the city gate. They could neither enter nor exit, and were trapped here instead.
"We have to leave the Rundu as soon as possible," Ying Xiang said softly, "Uto has been trying to attack the city for the past few days. I think the main attack will be in the next few days. Once the city is breached … we will also be in danger. "
Those Uto were cunning and ruthless. Even if Chu Zhao had a way to escape unscathed, she was still a woman after all, and an extremely beautiful one at that. Beautiful women in troubled times always met with tragic ends. Ying Xiang could not help but shudder.
Chu Zhao seemed to have read her mind and said, "We'll leave tomorrow."
Ying Xiang relaxed and said gratefully, "Thank you, Fourth Young Master."
"Before that, we have to look for the city chief soldier Li Kuang." Chu Zhao smiled. "Without his help, we won't be able to leave the city."
Ying Xiang nodded. Even though the city gate was sealed, she did not doubt that they would not be able to escape unscathed. Every city had a secret passageway. The family members and important people of high ranking officials would be sent out at critical times, so that they could survive.
Li Kuang could not disregard Prime Minister Xu's reputation.
"Sneak attack? Impossible, that's too risky! "
"That's right, it's easy to say, but it's clearly suicide. Even though we Rundu people are not afraid of death, we can't just become targets for others!"
In the room, everyone who heard He Yan's words spoke out.
Li Kuang looked at He Yan. This young man spoke with confidence, but he did not know what he was planning. The various deputy soldiers of the city gate army, as well as He Yan's other brothers, were all in the room.
He Yan waited for everyone to calm down a little before he said, "I know that you don't trust me now. However, I have already asked Lord Li. In the past ten days, there were a total of five nights where the Uto attacked the city gate at night. Even though they gave up in the end, they seemed to be probing. In the past three days, the Uto did not make any moves. "
"Based on my experience of fighting against the Uto, it's not a good thing to be quiet at this time. The Uto are probably planning an all-out attack. They have already figured out the situation in the Rundu City. The soldiers in the Rundu City have been exhausted by the Uto for a long time. Their morale and stamina are not as good as before. If the Uto launches an all-out attack, the city gate will definitely be breached. "
"What makes you say that? Are you cursing us? "A deputy soldier who looked a little irritable said angrily.
"Can the truth be called a curse? Can you only listen to good words? " Wang Ba immediately said sarcastically, "Then I can say right now that the city gate of the Rundu City is as stable as stone and iron. It's impossible for the city to be breached, not in this lifetime. Do you believe that? Ask anyone on the street if they believe it or not! "
"The Rundu City's defense is based on self-deception. I've never seen such a f * cking funny thing!"
He originally came to the Rundu City with He Yan because he was willing to sacrifice himself for righteousness. Now that his hot-bloodedness was not being cherished, he immediately turned his hot-bloodedness into anger and scolded that person until he was speechless.
The atmosphere was a little tense.
Huang Xiong looked at Li Kuang and said, "Lord Li, my Brother He is not simple. He is very proficient in the art of war. In the Liang Province Guard, he is the best besides Military Governor Xiao." He spared no effort to flatter He Yan. "Since he said that we can launch a sneak attack, then he must have his own way. Since you all are rejecting his idea so arbitrarily, why don't you listen to what he has to say first and discuss it peacefully?"
He spoke very amiably and maturely. However, when he spoke, he occasionally stroked the treasured saber at his waist that was emitting a murderous aura. It made people shudder.
Someone boldly said, "He … Lord He, it's not that we don't want to launch a sneak attack. It's just that we don't have many soldiers to begin with. If we launch a sneak attack, we won't be able to return. There will be even fewer soldiers guarding the city. Moreover, those Uto are watching the city gate very closely. I'm afraid that before we even leave the city, we will be shot full of holes by their arrows. How can we sneak into their camp at night? "
"Arrows?" He Yan paused and looked at the person who just spoke. "Do the Uto have a lot of arrows?"
"A lot." That person replied with a bitter face. "Actually, when the Uto first came, we were fighting with them on the city gate. However, later on, our arrows became very few, but they still had a lot of arrows. Previously, someone had planned to ambush and assassinate their commander, but he didn't expect that the moment he stepped out of the city gate, he would be shot full of arrows before he could even sneak in. Those Uto chopped off his head and hung it on a tree outside the city to make fun of him. "At this point, everyone present was so angry that their eyes were about to burst.
This kind of provocation was really unbearable.
"You mean, we have very few arrows, but they have a lot of arrows?" He Yan asked.
The other party nodded.
He Yan looked at Li Kuang again. "If we lure those Uto to the city gate when we launch a sneak attack, and the archers on the city gate tower are ready, how many Uto can we kill?"
"Thousands to ten thousand," Li Kuang replied. "But we don't have that many arrows."
"We do."
Everyone was stunned.
"Then let those Uto make arrows for us." The young man smiled, his eyes were shockingly bright. For a moment, Li Kuang thought of another person. He didn't see the face under the mask that year, but he remembered that pair of eyes, just like the eyes in front of him, confident and calm. No matter how chaotic the situation was, it was a miracle that he could kill his way out of a siege.
With him, the morale of the army was stable, and they would never give up.
"What do you want to do?" He came back to his senses and asked.
"I need to gather all the craftsmen and women in the city to make straw dolls for me."
It was late at night. In the wilderness outside the city gate, thousands of tents stood quietly. Looking from afar, the wilderness seemed to have turned into endless hills, and the atmosphere was astonishing.
Patrolling soldiers were walking around nearby.
Huyat, the leader of the Rundu that led the army to attack the Rundu, was holding a jar of wine and pouring it into a bowl. The fragrance of the wine was strong, and after drinking a bowl, he patted his stomach and smacked his lips. "This is the wine brewed by the Rundu people? What's the difference between it and sweet water? It's just a woman's preference. Everyone in the Da Wei likes to drink this, no wonder they're so weak and timid. One slash and they're broken! "
The trusted aide said flatteringly, "Yes, yes, yes, how can the wine of the Da Wei compare to the strong wine of the Uto!"
Huyat laughed and said, "Go to the captives and pick a few women!"
The Rundu people had closed the city gates, but when they were stationed here, there were still many people wandering outside the city. This included the villages nearby. The Uto soldiers swept these villages clean, leaving only the women behind and killing everyone else, not even sparing the children. The wine had also been stolen from the village. The commoners did not even have the strength to truss a chicken. They easily destroyed the entire village as if they were chopping melons and vegetables.
The Uto envied the Da Wei people, but they also looked down on the Da Wei people. They envied the Da Wei people for their beautiful silk, exquisite porcelain, vast land, and beautiful houses. They lived in the desert, beside the grasslands, and there was nothing but the sound of the wind.
They looked down on the Da Wei people for being weak and timid. They didn't even have the ability to protect themselves. They defended their so-called "benevolent government" and waited for others to invade. A piece of meat that no one protected would always attract all kinds of gazes. The Uto had been silent for many years, and finally couldn't take it anymore.
"We've already waited here for a month," the trusted aide said, "He Rufei still hasn't come. Just as the King said, He Rufei won't come again."
Huyat laughed, "That's great!"
The Da Wei valued the civil and despised the military. After so many years, they had produced many generals, but the ones that remained were General Feihong and General Fengyun. That idiot Maka took advantage of his status as the King's cousin and volunteered to take Jiyang. Who knew that he would meet Xiao Huaijin. He was unlucky. Unfortunately, the 150 thousand troops were all wiped out in the Uto Empire, causing the Uto Empire to suffer greatly.
He wasn't Maka. Since he chose the Rundu, it must be because he had absolute confidence.
"There's a saying in the Da Wei, 'Busy as fire on the other side of the river, cold as ice on the other side of the river.' What we're doing now is' watching the fire on the other side of the river '. So what if General Feihong can't be killed in a head-on clash. He'll have other weaknesses. Using power and beauties, that's all there is to it. "
"Sometimes, I really don't understand the Da Wei people," Huyat's face was filled with genuine confusion, "Why do they always like to kill each other? If there were people like Xiao Huaijin and He Rufei, the King would definitely give them the best treatment. They would become the two sharpest swords of the Uto Empire. With them, the world would be ours. However, the Da Wei people can't bear to see such good generals. Once someone rises, they'll trample them into the mud. However, this is good. If Xiao Huaijin and He Rufei really are invulnerable, it'll be a disaster for the Uto Empire. "
The trusted aide also said, "That's right, this is good. This is all thanks to the King's many years of planning. He let the fire grow bigger and bigger. Now that they don't need us, the Da Wei people are helping the Uto Empire fight their own people."
Unbridled laughter came from within the tent. At this time, the Uto soldiers who had just left brought back a few Da Wei women. They were all captives from the nearby villages. These women were still young and had some beauty. The moment they entered, they trembled.
Huyat had a cruel personality, and many women had been trampled to death by him.
He laughed sinisterly and grabbed a woman beside him. Before he could do anything, the sound of a horn came from outside. Everyone was stunned.
"What's going on?"
"Someone's coming out of the city!"
The tent was immediately thrown into chaos, and Huyate lost interest in continuing. Pushing the woman aside, he stood up and walked out. A Utuo soldier hurriedly came forward to report, "General, there's someone coming down from the gate tower!"
"What?" Huyat was shocked.
The Rundu people were as cowardly as mice, only daring to hide in the city and not making a sound. They had tried to sneak attack once, but before that person could come down, they were shot by their Uto. Now, they actually dared to come again? This was somewhat out of Huyat's expectations. Logically speaking, the Rundu people should not be like this.
Could it be that they were at the end of their rope and had decided to fight to the death? Huyat walked out of the wilderness with large strides, "Let's go and take a look!"
Outside the pitch-black city gate, there were indeed hundreds of ropes hanging down. It seemed like there were people coming down from the city gate one after another. From afar, there were quite a number of people.
"Are these people crazy?" A Uto soldier said, "If they're not here to die, then what are they?"
"Our Uto country has a type of dog badger that is as cowardly as a mouse. It's said that when it meets a hunter, not only will it not run, it will even rush towards the hunter's arrows. I think these Rundu people are like that. They're already scared out of their wits, they can't even tell north from south! "
"Prey that's delivered to our doorstep, how can we not hunt it?" Huyat was also pleased. The battle had not even started, and these Rundu people were already scared out of their wits. This showed how powerful the Uto army was. He immediately said, "Order the archers to prepare! It's a good opportunity to practice their aim. Those who didn't get enough last time can practice their archery this time. There won't be many such good targets in the future! "
The Uto archers immediately went to prepare.
Arrows flew towards the people on the ropes. In just a moment, those people were turned into porcupines. One person was hit by countless arrows. The Rundu people seemed to have realized this and quickly put away the ropes and replaced them with new people.
Huyat was amused. "I think they've really gone crazy."
"This is … … what the Da Wei people call it, the courage of the ignorant!" His trusted aide racked his brain and came up with a phrase.
"What courage of the ignorant, I think it's the stupidity of the ignorant!" Huyat laughed and ordered loudly, "Next batch of archers, get ready!"
On the city gate tower, ropes were constantly being hoisted up. Each rope had many "people" on it. These people's chests and backs were full of arrows. When they were fished up, they did not look like humans at all. They looked like targets, which made one's hair stand on end. But if one looked closely, one would realize that these were all straw men. They were dressed in black and under the cover of the night, they were no different from real people.
Xiao Mai excitedly said, "So many arrows, so many arrows. A He Ge, we're rich!"
"Rich my ass." Wang Ba was disinterested. "These aren't money. They can't be eaten."
On the other hand, Li Kuang was very excited. He was almost in tears. They didn't have any arrows and could only be beaten by the Uto. They didn't even dare to show their faces on the city tower during the day. The sentries patrolling on the city tower would be killed by one or two arrows every day. They didn't have enough arrows to fight back.
But now, they had.
This batch of black-clothed scarecrows brought out countless arrows. He Yan released another batch. Before the Wu Tuo people discovered them, they would be able to harvest a lot. What kind of miracle was this? This was a business without any cost!
During the day, He Yan asked Li Kuang to gather all the craftsmen and women in the city to make straw men. When the people heard that it was to deal with the Uto, even the children joined in. In just one day, they made a lot of straw men. He Yan also asked Li Kuang to borrow a lot of black clothes for the straw men to wear.
When this plan was first proposed, Li Kuang was still skeptical. Would the Uto really be so stupid? Would they really obediently send the arrows over?
The scene in front of him had already confirmed his doubts. The Uto was really that stupid.
He looked at the young man standing on the city gate tower and felt admiration in his heart. No matter what Rundu's future was like in the future, at least tonight's scarecrow borrowed arrows could allow Rundu to resist for a few more days. Li Kuang walked to He Yan's side and said, "Brother He's amazing foresight. I'm ashamed of my inferiority."
He Yan turned his head and looked at him. The wind blew the young man's hair around his ears. He smiled carelessly, "It's just a fluke. These Uto think that they have a lot of people and are arrogant. They are determined to get the Rundu. When they see the straw men, they won't think of anything else. "
"The Uto thinks that we have nothing. We have no foreign aid, no weapons, and no troops. So we'll give them a surprise attack."
"What if we fail?"
The young man said, "Then we'll think of another way. In this world, there's always more than one way."
Li Kuang was speechless. He always felt that this young man gave him a feeling of deja vu. He shook his head and threw away the ridiculous thought in his mind. He only knew why these thoughts appeared. It was because the situation today was very similar to the situation in the past. It was even more difficult.
Tonight was just the beginning.
He Yan looked down the city tower. On the field in the distance, he could faintly see the sparks of fire. That was the Uto's camp.
If there is something from nothing, then there is also something. If there is something that cannot last long, then it is easy to sense. If there is something from nothing, then it will become real from nothing, and it will become real from nothing. If there is nothing that cannot be defeated, then there will be defeated enemies.
Back then, when He Yan read this paragraph in the military book, he was also very puzzled. He took the military book and went to find Liu Buwang. Liu Buwang only said, "'Nothing' is fake. The purpose is to cover up the 'truth'. If you want to successfully 'create something from nothing', you have to grasp the other party's mentality. This is the highest level of the battle of wits between generals. "
He Yan had fought with the Uto three times. Every general of the Uto looked down on everything and was especially proud and arrogant in their hearts. Perhaps it was related to their country's worship of powerful military force. They thought that they had everything with troops and horses, but they forgot that arrogant soldiers were bound to be defeated.
She looked at the arrows flying over endlessly, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Change to the next batch."
The arrows flew in the direction of the Rundu city gate aggressively.
"What's wrong with the Rundu people? Aren't they afraid? How many people have we changed? "a Uto soldier asked.
Huyate also had some doubts in his heart. These Rundu people … seemed to be coming endlessly to die. It had already been several hours. Were they going to kill all the Rundu soldiers here?
The sky was already bright. They had been shooting arrows here for the entire night.
A bird flew across the sky and landed on a tree branch. It chirped, breaking the silence in the surroundings. It was also at this time that Huyate suddenly thought of something. He asked, "You have been shooting arrows all night. Have you heard those people scream?"
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
It was very quiet, too quiet. They had shot so many arrows, and those Rundu people had died miserably. Why did they not scream? Why was this? Were they afraid that the people in the city would hear their screams and panic, or were they afraid that it would affect the morale of the people? It would be fine if it was because of this, but if it was because of other reasons … A trace of uneasiness flashed through his heart.
"Stop!" Huyate shouted. "Stop shooting immediately!"
The Uto stopped their actions and waited for Huyate's next order.
The arrows stopped at the same time. He Yan, who was sitting on the city wall, yawned and shook his head regretfully. "Aiya, we've been discovered."
Li Kuang was already very satisfied. In this night, they had harvested at least 100,000 arrows. This was faster and less laborious than craftsmen. The soldier on the city wall pulled up the last scarecrow covered in ropes and rubbed his sore wrist. He turned around and asked He Yan, "Sir, do we need to put down more scarecrows?"
"Do it." He Yan said. "Put down a clean one for them to see clearly."
Li Kuang was shocked. "Brother He, won't this let the Uto know our background? It will be difficult to get more arrows in the future."
He Yan smiled. "Lord Li, I didn't make scarecrows to borrow arrows. After this night, the Uto have already discovered that something is wrong. We can't hide it. "
"They've bullied us for so long. Now, let's anger them to death!"
The first ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone on the plains, illuminating the vermilion city wall of the Rundu.
Outside the city gate, a figure was quietly hanging. This figure was hanging in the air, swaying. At first, it was blurry, but then it gradually became clear under the sunlight, landing in the eyes of the Uto in the distance.
A … scarecrow wearing black clothes.
"Fuck!" Huyate was furious.
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