How could Song Ai let everyone behead Wu Wending in a daze? It would be strange if Xiao Wu didn't fight her to the death when he returned.
But as soon as she shouted, the officer immediately said righteously: "Official Song, the Supervisor of Grain overstepped his duty, broke into the commander's tent and reprimanded his superior. He has already committed three of the Seventeen Prohibitions and cannot be pardoned. If Official does not punish this person severely today, how will he be able to command the army in the future?"
"Ah? This person … seems to know the military laws so well … really … annoying! "
Song Ai swallowed and said quickly: "Beheading a general in front of a battle is a taboo in the military. We are about to go to battle, this … come, take him into custody for now. I will deal with him when I return. "
Hearing the officer's words, Song Ai could not immediately release Wu Wending in front of all the generals and could only brace herself and say.
On Ling Xiao Mountain, Wu Hanchao led more than three hundred people, disguised as men, women, old and young. Some carried bags and baskets, some carried poles on their shoulders. They followed the forty-eight turns and fled up the mountain in a panic.
The scouts of the barbarians on the mountain had seen them in the dark and immediately sent a warning up the mountain. These days, there were often tribesmen escaping up the mountain and the Ming army's attacks were extremely weak. The barbarians on the mountain had long become lazy. When they heard there were only three hundred people going up the mountain, the chief guard did not care.
The scout threw a stone from high up the mountain and shouted a few questions. Someone in Wu Hanchao's army replied in the barbarian language. The scout's suspicions were mostly gone and the group managed to sneak past the barbarian guards and swaggered up the mountain.
When they reached the first checkpoint of Ling Xiao, Wu Hanchao secretly observed. He saw that the walls on both sides were as sharp as knives. In front of them was a city. The city was tall and the walls were thick. Everywhere was barren. He couldn't help but shiver.
There was a stone plaque on top of the city wall. On it were two large characters, 'Ling Xiao'. The characters were mottled and there was no signature. It should have been written by a general who built the city in the Song Dynasty, but he did not know who wrote it.
On top of the city wall, a few barbarian generals were sitting on the mirror-like wall, drinking wine and eating meat. Looking up, on top of the dozens of feet high wall, these people were barefooted and bared their chests, revealing their tanned skin. Wu Hanchao's skin and appearance didn't look like a barbarian, so he didn't dare to look at him for too long. He quickly lowered his head and pressed down the bamboo hat on his head.
Vaguely, human language could be heard from above. Soon after, someone shouted a question down the city wall. The person who had been arranged in advance answered in the barbarian language, claiming that they were refugees who had escaped from the Shao Er Stockade Village. Because the smaller stockades nearby had all been destroyed by the soldiers, they had to cross the mountains and cross the ridges to come here to seek refuge with Lord Ah Duck.
Shao Er Stockade was located in the neighboring county. Although it was not too far away, it was extremely difficult to travel through the mountain roads. The local barbarians usually did not have many dealings with that place. Wu Hanchao deliberately spoke from a distance. First, it was because most of the local barbarians had already fled up the mountain. Second, he was afraid that if he pretended to be from a nearby village, he might run into the common people of the village. If someone asked him, his name would not match and he would inevitably give himself away.
Even though it was a long way off, Wu Hanchao still sent people to Shao Er Stockade to check out every grass and tree there, as well as the situation of the residents. This was to prevent them from giving themselves away when they were interrogated. When the people on the mountain heard that they were from the neighboring county, they did not seem to be willing to accept them. They muttered for half a day, but no one came down.
Wu Hanchao whispered a few orders to the people beside him. Some of the wolf soldiers who were disguised as old men pretended to be physically weak. They threw down their bags and baskets and sat down below the city gate without any wariness. One by one, they stumbled left and right, some lying down and some sitting down. Some deliberately scattered their bags, revealing the gold and silver inside, which shone brilliantly under the sun.
These wolf soldiers were used to being barefooted. Their feet were full of calluses. Even on the rubble, they could run as if they were flying. The soldiers did not have this kind of ability. Their skin and appearance were similar to the barbarians. They deliberately used the barbarian language to complain loudly and converse with each other. Not only from the top of the city gate, but even from the bottom of the city gate, there was not the slightest flaw.
The wolf soldiers who were disguised as women were all young men with delicate and pretty faces and thin bodies. The Zhuang men had been singing folk songs since they were young. Each of them had trained their voices to be very high pitched. At this time, they deliberately spoke in women's voices, or cried. Although in Wu Hanchao's ears it sounded like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves, it was extremely unpleasant to hear. But when it fell on the top of the city gate, it inevitably sounded like the voices of birds and swallows, the sounds of nature.
The barbarian generals on the city gate were drinking wine. They also saw the gold and silver and the women. For a moment, they were quite tempted. They saw a tall and sturdy man poking his head out to look down the city gate. Suddenly he threw down a big bone club and at the same time he shouted something in the barbarian language.
A wolf soldier with disheveled hair and a black face quickly rushed over and picked it up. He nodded and bowed to the people on the top of the city gate. He did not mind that it was dirty and picked it up to eat. The man on the top of the city gate laughed and raised his voice to ask, "How is your chief now?"
The chief of the Shao Er stronghold was not a tribesman. It was no wonder that the barbarians of Lingxiao City were not so close to him. But they should know each other. A wolf soldier replied loudly, "Duba head man was killed by the soldiers. Our people were scattered. We brought our families and hid in the mountains for three days to avoid the soldiers' search. Only then did we come to seek refuge with Lord Ah Duck. Lord Ah Duck is our great hero who controls the barbarians. Only he can protect us. "
The man on the city gate laughed. He turned his head and gave a few orders. Then he disappeared from the top of the city gate.
After a while, the huge city gate rumbled. Someone shouted from inside, "The chief has allowed you to enter the stronghold. Step back, step back. Women and old people come in first. Prepare the gifts for Ah Duck head man."
Wu Hanchao was ecstatic. He put his hands behind his back and quietly made a gesture. The city gate was only half opened. Just as it opened a gap that was about the width of a person, Wu Hanchao leaped over and stomped heavily on the heavy city gate.
With a loud "Peng" sound, a scream came from behind the door. The city gate was only kicked open for a distance of two people before it bounced back. Wu Hanchao was shocked. He immediately held his sword in his hand and dodged through the gap in the door.
Wu Hanchao dodged through the gate and quickly glanced at the back of the city gate. He could not help but secretly curse at how cunning he was. It turned out that the city gate was not only reinforced with a crossbar, but there was also a stone behind the gate. With such a strong city gate, it meant that the barbarians did not have the opportunity to carry the wooden crossbar up the mountain. Even if they could carry it up, the steep stone path from the front to the city gate would not allow them to use all their strength to break through the city gate. With such an arrangement inside, it was really an impenetrable iron wall.
If Wu Hanchao did not make a prompt decision to attack the city gate, the barbarians would only need to poke their heads out to see that there was something wrong with the old people and women at the gate. Then they would not have the chance to break through the city gate.
Wu Hanchao's kick was so forceful that the burly man who was carrying the stone behind the gate had just lifted the stone from the bottom of the gate when Wu Hanchao's kick sent him flying backwards, pressing him against the wall of the city gate. The end of the stone was deeply embedded above his chest. Blood spurted out from his nose, and his collarbone and chin were completely smashed by the stone. The other end of the stone was pressed against the lower part of the city gate. That was why the city gate did not open.
Wu Hanchao swung his sword like a dragon. His body was like a graceful swan. His shadow was like a phantom, and his sword was like a shuttle. He quickly took the lives of three barbarians who bore the brunt of the attack. The barbarians who had recovered from the shock roared and rushed over. A wolf soldier who had just squeezed through the gap of the gate could not dodge in time. He was pierced through by a barbarian's bamboo spear.
Wu Hanchao roared and swung his sword, cutting the bamboo spear in half. He crouched down and ran forward. With a sweep of his leg, he swept the five approaching barbarians away. The barbarians rolled on the ground. Two of them had their ankles broken. They hugged their knees and screamed.
Wu Hanchao did not stop. He immediately jumped back and kicked the stone to the ground. He then grabbed the barbarian's corpse, whose chest was caved in and swayed, and threw it out. He blocked the barbarian's attack. At the same time, he held the city gate with one hand and shouted, "Open!"
The paulownia wood door that weighed more than a thousand pounds was pulled open by him with one hand. Then, Wu Hanchao flicked his sleeves, and a dozen or so golden coin darts were thrown out with the technique of Overwhelming Wind and Rain. Then, he lifted his sword and leaped into the sky. Like a flying bat, he plunged into the chaotic crowd of barbarians.
The city gate at the back was opened. The wolf soldiers shouted and rushed in. They fought with the barbarians inside the city gate.
"Finish the battle quickly!" This was Wu Hanchao's order.
The wolf soldiers admired heroes. When this hero was the future son-in-law of their leader, their admiration became love. Not only did they want to take down the city gate, they also wanted to protect Wu Hanchao's safety with their lives. Everyone fought to be the first. It was not their usual weapon, nor was it the seven-man coordinated attack and defense formation. But they were still the bravest wolf soldiers.
The barbarians also knew what it meant to lose the pass. One by one, they rushed forward. They wanted to take advantage of the narrow space under the city gate. The soldiers could not spread out to suppress them here until they were driven out. But who could deal with the Qingfeng sword in Wu Hanchao's hand? What's more, his other hand had an endless stream of gold coins.
Although the Wolf Soldiers were using short weapons, they were equipped with a quiver of arrows worth ten taels of silver. They were equipped with a quiver of arrows on each of their arms, and they were able to shoot without any hesitation. At such a close distance, it was impossible for a human body to resist. The ferocious Wolf Soldiers stepped over the dead bodies on the ground and rushed into the checkpoint. The first checkpoint fell into a full-scale melee …
※ ※ ※
When the smoke rose from the top of Ling Xiao's city wall, the barbarians in the inner pass had already received the news that the soldiers had taken the pass. They panicked and were organizing their men to take back the pass before the Ming army arrived. Garrison Jin, who had already rushed to the 'Broken Neck Rock', saw the smoke and immediately ordered his soldiers to attack the 'Broken Neck Rock'.
The seven meter wide crack in the canyon was so deep that the bottom could not be seen. When they saw the soldiers rush out from their hiding place, the barbarians immediately pulled up the pontoon bridge. The Ming army had already cut down dozens of tall trees from the forest. They ordered people to carry them and shout as they rushed to the mouth of the rock. The soldiers at the back continuously shot arrows to suppress the barbarians, covering them as they laid the ten meter long tree trunks across the broken rock.
This place was too dangerous. The passersby were still trembling as they passed the pontoon bridge. If these scattered tree trunks were not tied together, it was impossible for anyone to rush over. But the Ming army acted very realistically. There were even people holding ropes and wooden planks, as if they were going to kidnap the pontoon bridge. This time, the barbarians guarding the mountain were really anxious. They immediately raised a fire and released an emergency signal, asking for help from the city.
The barbarian army that had just gathered in the city was just about to rush to the city gate when they suddenly saw the fire at the back of the mountain. They could not help but panic. The army immediately split into two groups. One group rushed to the back of the mountain for reinforcements, the other group rushed to the front of the mountain.
The barbarians who had just come to serve had all experienced the power of the Ming army. The loose ruling style of the barbarian clans could not control them very well. At this time, it immediately had a strong opposite effect.
Panic, crying, cursing, running, and scurrying everywhere immediately affected the morale of the soldiers in Lingxiao City who had never fought against the Ming army. Infected, the old, the weak, the women, and the children panicked even more, causing the barbarian leaders to be even more furious. A fierce barbarian leader cut down six or seven cowards who were screaming, "The Ming army is coming up the mountain, run for your lives!" Only then did he temporarily control the situation.
There were only about three thousand soldiers in Lingxiao City who could fight. The first mountain pass had more than four hundred people. Relying on the dangerous location of this place and the method of warfare that relied on cold weapons, these four hundred people were enough to deal with the attack of an army of forty thousand. But even if it was a crocodile with sharp teeth, if it was crawled into someone's stomach, it would be useless. Not to mention that Wu Hanchao's three hundred soldiers were all carefully selected brave warriors.
A group of barbarians swung their bamboo spears and long spears down from the city wall. A dozen Wolf Army soldiers immediately went up to meet them. Thirty feet away, the densely packed spears had just been raised when the Wolf Army soldiers raised their hands horizontally. It looked very strange.
A series of soft 'Keng Keng' sounds were heard, followed by the pleasant sound of the mechanism. Rows of crossbow bolts were shot out, and the barbarians who had just gathered together and rushed down were immediately struck dumb by the rain of bolts. A large number of barbarians fell to the ground.
The remaining barbarians did not know what other things would come out of the sleeves of the Ming army, who were dressed like them. They screamed and tried to dodge to the side. The Wolf Soldiers had already taken advantage of the disturbance to raise their swords and blades and charge into the gaps in the spear formation.
The courageous won. The moment the weapons clashed, the prepared killed the unprepared. As a cold light flashed, a path paved with blood appeared in the spear formation.
There was a thunderous roar. A barefooted man with a nine-ringed broadsword in his hand jumped down from the top of the city wall. He swung his sword like a waterfall. The Wolf Soldiers who were used to using bamboo spears were caught off guard and two heads flew into the air, creating a rain of blood.
The surrounding Wolf Soldiers leapt forward with angry roars. But when the light blades collided with the heavy nine-ringed golden broadsword, there was a screeching sound of friction. Not only did three of the broadswords break on the spot, one of the Wolf Soldiers did not retreat in time and lost half of his arm. He screamed and retreated.
This barbarian was extremely strong and fierce. He swung the broadsword in his hand and leapt forward again. None of his subordinates were a match for him. More than a dozen Wolf Soldiers were killed in succession. Under his leadership, the Barbarian army desperately charged forward again.
At this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared. The barbarian wielding a saber had just swung his saber at a wolf soldier whose bamboo spear had been cut in half. His sword moved like lightning, and a cold light touched the edge of his saber, creating a streak of sparks. The big saber was tilted, and the wolf soldier narrowly escaped death. He retreated a few steps with a pale face, and was supported by his comrade.
Wu Hanchao flew down and smiled disdainfully. He said to the barbarian, "What great strength, but it is only great strength."
The barbarian saw that he was holding a light sword in his hand and with a loud roar, he swung his broadsword again. Wu Hanchao's movements were light and graceful. He moved his sword as if it was flying. He was calm in the whistling of the broadsword. The whole battlefield could only see the barbarian's broadsword twirling everywhere.
But in this exchange, it was the barbarian who was forced to retreat step by step. The sword tip that kept appearing was miraculous. Sometimes it was at his throat, sometimes it was at his shoulder. There was even a time when it narrowly brushed past the corner of his eye. It made him dizzy and he could only swing his broadsword wildly. The two weapons almost never collided. Other than the whistling of the broadsword, there was an occasional "ding ding" sound.
The barbarian waved his broadsword very quickly and retreated even faster. Suddenly, he felt his heel tighten. There was a stone staircase behind him. The barbarian's body could not help but stop. But in this short moment, the sharp tip of the sword had already reached his throat. It went half an inch into his flesh and blood flowed out. The barbarian immediately froze in place.
"This man is the leader, tie him up!" Wu Hanchao noticed the golden earring on his left ear, the silver ring on his neck, and the small bronze drum on his waist. He ordered his wolf soldiers.
When the barbarian was captured, it was like a shockwave that quickly destroyed the will of all the people who were resisting. Some people shouted, "The Duckhead Man has been captured by the soldiers" as they threw down their weapons and turned to run.
When the soldiers who understood the barbarian language heard this, they felt that something was wrong and quickly reported to Wu Hanchao. Wu Hanchao was very surprised. He quickly brought two captives over and after identifying them, he found out that he had picked up a great bargain. Ling Xiao City's Evil Duck was the barbarian that he had captured alive. This guy had gone to the pass to drink with the guards and did not expect that he would be captured alive by Wu Hanchao.
With the Evil Duck captured, the first pass of Ling Xiao City quickly changed hands. More than two hundred barbarians were killed, and the rest quickly escaped to the second pass and closed the gate tightly.
The barbarians' stupidity was exactly what Wu Hanchao wanted. The frightened barbarians held on tightly to the wooden planks while Wu Hanchao ordered his men to pile up stones outside to block the gate. Both sides worked together to block the gate tightly.
When the barbarian army in the mountain stronghold arrived at the pass, they couldn't help cursing at the scene and immediately ordered their men to open the gate. But by this time, a stone wall as tall as a person had already been piled up outside, and firewood and hay were thrown in. As soon as the gate was opened, a fire was immediately set outside, and there were also people shooting arrows behind the fire. They would not be able to rush out of the gate for a while.
Now the situation was reversed. It was the soldiers guarding the pass, and the barbarians attacking the city.
Wu Hanchao quickly organized the remaining wolf soldiers and treated the wounded. At this time, there were more than two hundred people left. He arranged for a hundred and fifty people to guard the pass and stop the enemy. The rest helped the wounded, bandaged their wounds, and carried the corpses of their dead comrades.
Wu Hanchao climbed up to the top of the city wall and looked down the mountain. He saw that the soldiers of Ming Destiny had received the news and were rushing over along the winding stone path. He couldn't help but feel relieved. This pass was finally taken.
He walked in front of the tied up Evil Duck and looked at him coldly. He said, "You are the Evil Duck? The army of the imperial court is coming up the mountain. In order to prevent the people from being plunged into misery and suffering, I will give you one last chance. Immediately order the stubborn people in the city to surrender. I will not kill the prisoners. "
The Evil Duck's eyes widened. After hearing the explanation, he couldn't help but laugh. "Hahahaha, you are dreaming! Although I have been captured, my brother Ah Ying is still in the city and can still fight with you. Ah Da has ordered that even if everyone dies, we cannot give up Ling Xiao City. I want to see how many lives you soldiers will use to fill the city! "
Wu Hanchao saw Song Ai rushing at the front with a knife in her hand. She was about to reach the foot of the city with the soldiers. He shook his head and turned to leave. He said, "The situation of attack and defense has changed. You have already lost your advantage, but you still don't know it. Idiot, you brought this upon yourself. You can't live! "
The Evil Duck stared at him with its egg-like eyes and asked fiercely, "That dog official, what did you say? Hey, what did he say? "
The wolf soldier in charge of translating saw that the Lord had left and was too lazy to talk to him. He said directly, "The Lord said, you are very stupid! You are seeking death! You are dead meat! "
The evil duck was furious and spat on his face. The Wolf Soldier was furious and stepped forward to slap the duck's face until his palms were swollen and painful. Only then did he stop. When he looked at the evil duck again, it looked like there was a pig's head on its shoulder.
* * *
Seeing Wu Hanchao appear at the city gate, Song Ai's heart was finally relieved. She was drenched in sweat from running and her body was on the verge of collapsing. Now that she saw Wu Hanchao, she felt relieved and her legs gave way. Her toes tripped on the stone steps and she couldn't help but cry out in alarm as she fell forward.
Seeing this, Wu Hanchao hurriedly leaped forward, grabbed her, and held her in his arms.
Song Ai's heart was beating like a drum and her clothes were soaked in sweat. Her plump and slender thighs were close to Wu Hanchao's lower abdomen. Wu Hanchao could feel the hot thighs and the muscles were still jumping uncontrollably. It was obvious that she was exhausted.
Song Ai was worried about his safety and had tried her best. Otherwise, as a girl, no matter how good her body was, how could she be at the front of the army?
Wu Hanchao was so touched that his eyes turned red. He hugged Song Ai's delicate body tighter and said softly, "Xiao Ai, your … your thighs are so strong …"
"Ah!" Song Ai's face turned red. She raised her little fist and was about to hit him, but when it landed on Wu Hanchao's chest, it just slid down. Although Wu Hanchao knew that he was teasing her, how could he hide the touched and love in his eyes?
Love did not have to be said out loud. They preferred to use this kind of playful and playful way to express the infinite joy in their hearts …
The arrival of the Ming reinforcements turned the first pass into an iron wall. Ying, who had ordered people to fill the earth to extinguish the fire and was about to rush out of the second gate, saw this and immediately ordered the gate to be sealed. Then he put the wooden planks on top of the stone wall again.
At this time, it was the Ming army's turn to fill the earth to extinguish the fire, move the stone planks, clear the barricades, and prepare to attack the city. The archers who kept rushing in used their advantage in numbers to shoot arrows at the top of the city wall, suppressing the barbarians and covering the soldiers at the gate. The barbarians' weapons were outdated and could not defend themselves, so they gathered their men and kept piling up the blockage at the city gate.
Song Ai briefly understood the situation and ordered people to tie the evil duck to the front of the city gate to ask for it to be closed. The evil duck croaked and cursed in slang. The soldiers who understood the barbarian language pretended to be deaf and did not translate it. It seemed like it was cursing that was hard to say.
The evil duck refused to call for the city gate to be opened, and Ying defended inside. He did not open the gate, nor did he go up to the top of the city wall to answer. The two sides were in a deadlock when General Lin led his men with hooks and rattan ropes towards the wooden ladders and other siege equipment.
When Song Ai saw the sieging soldiers, she raised her eyebrows and said, "Kill him and use him as a sacrifice to attack the city!"
Most of these wolf soldiers were relatives or old friends. Just now, the evil duck killed the most wolf soldiers, so these wolf soldiers hated it to the bone. As soon as Song Ai arrived, some of them started to snitch, saying that one of the people killed was Song Ai's distant cousin.
Song Ai first hated him, and then she saw that the barbarian leader was disgusting and full of curses. She had already lost her patience, so when she saw the reinforcements arrived, she immediately ordered her men to chop off his pig head.
As soon as the wolf soldiers heard the leader's order, one of them rushed forward excitedly. He raised his knife and with a 'pu' sound, a human head flew up. Looking at his skillful technique, this brother was most likely from the 'Beheading Three Men Group'.
Wu Hanchao looked on coldly, but did not stop him. The evil duck relied on the fact that the imperial court did not want to cause a rebellion, and repeatedly tolerated them, looting the surrounding villages, raping the women, causing nine out of ten households to move. The desolation of Rong County can be said to have been caused by this person, and he deserved to die.
The strong wolf soldiers picked up the head, swung it around a few times, and then threw the head up the city wall. When the people on the city wall saw the leader's body, there was a burst of crying and cursing, and then some rolling logs and stones were thrown down.
The Ming army attacked the city. At this time they were attacking the city from inside the pass, the natural stronghold could not be relied on, and the second barbarian army guarding the pass did not prepare too many siege equipment. More and more soldiers arrived and gathered inside the stone city. There were more than ten thousand people inside and outside the city, while there were only one thousand four hundred to five hundred people guarding the pass. It was only a matter of time before the city was breached. Only the barbarians, who were caught in the middle of the battle, still wanted to defend the city to the death.
The Ming army organized people to climb the vines and ladders, and at the same time ordered people to hit the city with logs. Song Xiao Ai, General Lin and the others interrogated some of the prisoners, and those who were afraid of the dead obediently confessed the situation inside the second pass. Song Xiao Ai found out that there were wooden houses, granaries, firewood, and trees in the second pass, so she ordered the archers to shoot fire arrows, and in a short time, the city was set on fire everywhere.
The barbarians were besieged from both inside and outside, and their morale was in chaos. After fighting for three hours, the roasted paulownia gate was smashed into pieces, the city gate was lost, the barbarians fled in all directions, and the army of nearly ten thousand charged into the inner pass of Ling Xiao City.
Ah Ying led the troops and retreated until they reached the 'Broken Neck Rock', and then they reached a dead end. On the other side of the river was the army guarding the Jing Pass, like a tiger watching its prey, and behind them was the Ming army chasing them relentlessly. The barbarians were all over the mountains and plains, and some of the barbarians even lost their footing and fell into the deep abyss.
Ah Ying held his knife and cried, and looked in the direction of Nine Thread City, saying: "Ah Da, Ah Da, Ling Xiao City has been lost, I'm afraid it will be difficult to defend Nine Thread Treasure City."
Wu Hanchao leaped as if he was flying, and was the first to reach the front of the mountain. It was this man, alone on a horse, with a green-edged sword in his hand, advancing and retreating as if there was no one around. Ah Ying had never known that there was such a brave warrior among the Han people, such a fearsome warrior. He pointed to Wu Hanchao and shouted in Chinese: "You have gone too far, do you want to exterminate my tribe?"
Wu Hanchao ran all the way, but his face was not red, and he was not out of breath. He calmly and leisurely replied: "The imperial court is rich, and accommodates the world, there are too many tribes in the universe to count. A mere Du Barbarian, the territory is only a few counties, the population is not more than several tens of thousands, but for more than a hundred years, the imperial court has been using troops unceasingly, spending millions. Don't tell me you have never thought about what you have done? The imperial court can accommodate so many tribes, why did you keep using troops for more than a hundred years against a small Du Barbarian? "
Ah Ying was speechless. Wu Hanchao indifferently said: "If you win, you flaunt your military prowess and do whatever you want. If you lose, you accuse the strong of bullying the weak, taking advantage of the weak, shameless to the extreme. The funny thing is, except for this moment, you have never really felt that you are weak, so you have never stopped causing trouble, flouting the law, bullying men and women, doing all kinds of evil deeds! "
The officers and soldiers caught up and stood next to Wu Hanchao, coldly staring at these desperate wolves who were pretending to be sheep and begging for mercy. Ah Ying flew into a rage out of humiliation, he raised his saber and roared in despair, "Follow me and kill, kill!"
Ah Ying rushed to the front, his brave subordinates who used to kill, plunder and rape women were still howling and following closely behind him, but no one believed that they could win, believed that they could leave alive.
Broken Neck Rock, Broken Soul Gorge, Broken Soul Gorge below Broken Neck Rock.
Of the two thousand barbarians who retreated to the top of the mountain, nearly half were beheaded, nearly half fell into the gorge, the rest were kneeling on the ground begging to surrender.
When the battle was over and the battlefield was cleaned up, Ah Ying's body was not found, most likely he was a dead soul at the bottom of the gorge.
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Ling Xiao City and Du Du Walled City were the two main barriers of Jiu Si City, they were also the most dangerous place, second only to Jiu Si City. Once this place was broken, Jiu Si City's gates would be opened, the three cities would stand on equal footing, the conditions for mutual support would disappear, the Ming army could continuously advance into the mountains, directly to Jiu Si City.
Victory was imminent in the battle to suppress the rebellion, the officers and soldiers in the army were all excited. But they did not know that the other army led by Li Sen, nearly fifty thousand strong, was now deep in the battle of Du Du Walled City.
The battle situation on both sides was unprecedentedly tragic, fighting and killing, during the day the Ming army advanced ten li, at night the barbarians launched a sneak attack and forced them back eight li, the battle was at a stalemate, at every step there were countless corpses.
Du Du Walled City was a chain of mountains, Da Du Du, Second Du Du, Third Du Du, Fourth Du Du, Fifth Du Du. The mountains were majestic, the cliffs steep, the trees shaded the sun, thorns and thorns, and the roads were barren.
The Du Du Walled City and Ling Xiao City were the left and right arms of Jiu Si City, but the Du Du Walled City was more dangerous than Ling Xiao City, and even more vast. Fifty thousand soldiers entering the mountains was like throwing a stone into the sea, it was difficult for them to cause any waves, but because of this they were deep in the jungle guerrilla warfare, danger at every step, danger everywhere, the number of casualties continuously increased. When imperial envoy Yang Ling heard the news, he traveled day and night and personally went to the Du Du Walled City to direct the battle.
In Ling Xiao City, the Ming army swept away all the valuables in the city, leaving behind a group of soldiers to guard the city. They took the captives, old and young, and happily went down the mountain back to camp. Halfway there, Song Ai remembered Wu Wending's roar in court and hesitantly told Wu Hanchao about it.
When Wu Hanchao heard this, he was anxious and angry. In terms of justice, his father had trespassed into the commander's tent and reprimanded the commanding general. Just offending a superior official was enough to be punished. But he was his father, and after this incident, his father and Song Ai had become enemies. Wasn't it even more hopeless for the two of them?
Seeing the situation, Song Ai hurriedly comforted him, "Xiao Wu, I know he is your father, how could I mistreat him? Don't worry, because we were in a hurry to send reinforcements, I temporarily ordered your father to be kept in custody and had people take good care of him. Today, our army has achieved a great service, the generals are happy and no one will remember this matter. When I go back, I will quietly release him and find a chance … to apologize to him. "
Since it had come to this, Wu Hanchao had no other choice. Besides, this matter was indeed his father's fault. Wu Hanchao had been in the army for many years and knew that military orders were like mountains and military discipline was strict. It was very rare for Song Ai to do this. He could only nod his head and sigh.
The army returned to camp victorious. The spoils of war, the captured Brute soldiers, and their families were escorted into the camp. When the soldiers who had stayed behind saw this, they were extremely happy. The entire camp was filled with thunderous cheers and the joy of victory was everywhere.
Wu Hanchao and Song Ai walked side by side to the commander's tent. They wanted to take advantage of the time when the generals were settling the captives to go and see the hot-tempered old man. But just as they walked to the front of the commander's tent, a strange scene came into view and both of them were stunned.
At this time, the sun was already setting in the west. Under the setting sun, a bare-chested man was tied to the flagpole under the flag with the word "Song" next to the tent. His hair was messy, and his long hair and beard were messy, as if someone had splashed water on him. He was only wearing a pair of tight-fitting trousers, which were also stuck to his body. He looked very miserable.
Wu Hanchao was shocked and cried out, "Father?"
He glared at Song Ai and said angrily, "This is what you mean by taking good care of him?"
"I …" Song Ai found it hard to explain. Wu Hanchao angrily swung his hand and walked over to untie Wu Wending. At this time, there was an endless stream of soldiers entering the stockade. Wu Hanchao was afraid that more people would see him and embarrass his father. He did not have time to settle the score with Song Ai and hurriedly helped his father to his own tent.
Song Ai was tongue-tied and stood there in a daze. The general who stayed behind came forward with a smile and saluted, "Congratulations to Daren for making a great contribution and returning triumphantly."
When Song Ai saw him, he was unable to restrain his anger and said, "You … who told you to make a decision and treat Daren Wu like this?"
The officer blinked and said with a strange smile, "Daren, didn't you tell me to take good care of that ignorant grain transport officer? What do you think of what I did? Hehe, on account of the fact that he delivered the rations in time and didn't let our brothers starve, this can only be considered a small favor. Otherwise, this general will definitely take better care of him and make that old fellow obedient. "
"You … you …" Song Ai wanted to cry but had no tears. If she had known that the word 'care' was used in the army like this, she would not have said so much at that time. Who would have thought that before they set off, she would specially call him over and hurriedly leave behind the words' take good care of him for me '. Was this how this awesome person actually understood it?
Song Ai really wanted to take out a knife and cut this bastard. She gritted her teeth and stomped her feet. Finally, she let go of this general who came to ask for credit and chased after Wu Hanchao.
Wu Hanchao was shocked and angry as he helped his father into his own tent. He helped him sit on the couch and immediately knelt in front of the couch. He prostrated and said, "Father, it is your son's sin to let father suffer such a disaster. Father, please punish me."
Wu Wending habitually stroked his beard. Unfortunately, his beard was already tied up and tangled, so he could not stroke it freely. Wu Wending could not help but sigh with distress. The handsome and awe-inspiring bearded duke in the past, who didn't praise me as long as the clouds were alive? Look at him now. Even walking in Maicheng is not this miserable.
He put down his hands and asked, "Has Lingxiao City been captured? Was it that girl's plan and command? "
Wu Hanchao hurriedly said, "Yes, the plan to capture Lingxiao City was indeed Song … She was the one who planned it. Father, please calm your anger. It is your son's fault for humiliating Lord Father. Father, please punish me. "
Wu Wending glared at him and shouted, "Pei! You stinking brat, what does it have to do with you? You're still helping her now! "
Wu Hanchao hurriedly bowed his head and said, "Your son does not dare, your son is unfilial!"
Song Ai hesitantly appeared at the door and said timidly, "Lord … Lord Wu …"
"Get out of here!" Wu Hanchao turned around and shouted. Song Ai was shocked. Wu Hanchao had never said anything harsh to her before. These words were like a knife stabbing into her heart. It hurt so much.
Tears quickly covered her eyes. Song Ai looked at Wu Hanchao with tears glistening in her eyes, then turned around and left in despair.
She heard Wu Wending also shout, "Get out of here!" Song Ai's body trembled, but her heart was already numb from the pain. Wu Wending's words could no longer make her feel more sad and hurt.
Wu Hanchao saw that Song Ai was crying because of his scolding, and his heart softened. Hearing his father scolding her, he couldn't bear it anymore. But Song Ai treated her father like this. As a son, what else could he say? Disobedient and unfilial!
He bit his lips until they were about to bleed. He decisively turned his head away and steeled his heart not to look at Song Ai again. Unexpectedly, Wu Wending raised his leg and kicked him. He scolded, "Bastard, Father told you to get out, did you hear him?"
"Ah?" Wu Hanchao raised his head and looked at Wu Wending in shock. Could it be that Father was so angry that he became crazy?
Wu Wending said loudly, "Lord Song, please wait!" He then glared at Wu Hanchao and said, "Get out of here and get a bucket of water. With Father's behavior, if he doesn't take a bath, how is he going to change?"
"Ah?" Wu Hanchao, who was in a daze, took two more kicks from his father before he got up in a daze and walked out as if he was sleepwalking.
Wu Wending's voice softened. He said, "Miss Song, please come into the tent."
Song Ai hesitantly walked into the tent. After a moment of silence, she suddenly knelt down and cried, "Old Master, it was Xiao Ai's fault. Xiao Ai apologizes to you. Old Master Wu, please don't blame Xiao Wu anymore. I... I don't have the fortune, and I won't have the extravagant hope of becoming your Wu family's wife in the future. "
After she said that, she kowtowed three times. Two streams of clear tears finally flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably. Song Ai pursed her lips and wiped her tears. She said, "Goodbye!"
Song Ai stood up and was about to leave when Wu Wending hurriedly stopped her. He said, "Miss Song, please wait."
Song Ai stared at Wu Wending with a pair of tearful eyes. Wu Wending touched his beard out of habit. After touching it for a while, he put it down in embarrassment. He laughed and said, "Taking down Lingxiao City in one day? And the losses were so small... Yes! Good job, you have the air of a general, a woman not inferior to a man! "
He held his stomach and laughed dryly. "Hehe, other people give their newly married wives a show of strength, but you, you haven't even taken the first step and you already tied me, Old Wu, to your commander's flag, steamed and dried, giving me a big show of strength. Good job, hahaha, really good job."
Song Ai hurriedly explained, "I know Lord Wu won't forgive me, but I still have to say it. Before I left, I ordered people to take good care of you. I … I meant to take good care of you. Who would have thought that they would twist my words and turn things into this. I … I have nothing to say …"
Wu Wending glared and said, "Who cares whose meaning it is. Today, I misunderstood you and also offended you. You are the commander-in-chief of the three armies, so you should punish me for my crime. Yes, what I should be punished for is this old man having eyes but not seeing. Yes, this old man will buy it. If such a rare good child were to go to someone else's family, then wouldn't I, Old Wu, be even more blind? I can't accept this! I can't take this loss, I definitely can't take it. "
"Huh?" Song Ai was also a little confused. She couldn't wrap her head around this and looked at Wu Wending with a puzzled expression.
Wu Wending's tone changed and he said slyly, "But no matter what, in terms of fairness, although I have offended you, what about personal matters? But in terms of personal matters, you have greatly offended me. Tell me, should I not pursue this matter? "
Song Ai hung her head dejectedly and said, "Wu Daren can punish me however you want. Song Ai will definitely not complain."
"Good! This is what you said. A gentleman's word cannot be taken back. You can't go back on it! "Wu Wending hurriedly reminded.
"Of course, Song Ai may be a woman, but I will also keep my word!" Song Ai stubbornly raised her head.
Wu Wending was overjoyed and quickly said, "You said it, you said it, don't go back on it. My son likes you, I don't care. You like my son and are willing to be his wife, I also agree. But there is one condition. Once you are married, you have to obediently be my daughter-in-law and enter the Wu family.
Although you are the leader of the Zhuang family and have a high status, the Wu family only has one seedling. I am still counting on him to take care of me in my old age and to pass on the family line. You can't let him be a 'husband'. If he takes away my son and even my grandson, how will I have the face to meet my ancestors in the underworld? "
"Eh?" Song Ai was stunned at first, but then she couldn't help but laugh through her tears.
She was bashful for a long time before she lowered her head and rolled up the corner of her clothes. She blushed and said, "When … when did I say … say I want Little Wu to be a 'husband'? I like Little Wu, naturally … naturally I will enter the Wu family's door … "
Wu Wending's heart was lifted. He beamed and said, "You don't need to be a son-in-law? That's good, that's good. I heard that the Zhuang people have the custom of 'not leaving behind the husband's family'. It has been a custom since ancient times, especially for people like you who only have women in their family and are the head of a clan … "
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but worry again. He stared at her and said, "Are you serious? You really don't need my son to marry into the family? "
Seeing Song Ai nod shyly, Wu Wending let out a long sigh and said, "I asked around, why did all I heard was … Then there is no problem. My son has grown up. If he changes his surname and has children in the future, they will all have to follow his mother's surname. I won't do it even if you kill me! "
At that time in Guangxi, it was common for the Zhuang family to marry into the family. No one would look down on it. But it was different for the Han people. Nowadays, it was a shameful thing for a man to marry into the family, let alone during the Ming Dynasty, when people paid special attention to carrying on the family line.
Because Wu Wending had seen his son and Song Ai being intimate at the Qingyang Palace, he didn't feel good about it. When he came back, he asked around. When the neighbors heard that he was a chieftain, they insisted that his son must marry into the bride's family. Then they patted him on the shoulder and said sympathetically, "Old Wu, you've raised your son for nothing. You've raised him for someone else."
When Old Wu heard this, he was furious. The more he looked at Song Ai, the more he disliked her. How could he let them meet? This time, he had a bad temper and was taught a lesson. He thought it was Song Ai who had ordered him to do so. But this time, not only was he not angry, but he was also obedient. It was rare to see such a straightforward girl who dared to love and hate.
When Song Ai won the battle, Wu Wending thought about it again and again. He felt that this girl was really pleasing to the eye. Except for the problem of marrying into the family, she was perfect. Only then did he send his son away to negotiate with her. He wanted to take advantage of his seniority and use the fact that he, an elder, had been taught a lesson by her to force her to give in. Now that he had received an accurate answer, Old Wu was finally relieved.
"Then … you are the chieftain of the tribe. Can you really marry?"
Although Song Ai was generous, she was still a little shy when it came to marriage. She said shyly, "Although I don't have any siblings, I have cousins. I don't care for the position of chieftain, but it's not impossible for me to give it up."
Wu Wending was overjoyed. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw his son standing at the door with a bucket of water. He couldn't help but scold, "What are you hiding there for? Hurry up and bring the water in. "
Wu Hanchao, who had eavesdropped on the second half of the conversation, happily brought the water in. He stood there happily, his smile reaching his ears.
Wu Wending looked left and right. The more he looked at the beautiful couple, the more he looked at them. Wu Wending rubbed his hands and nodded. "It's done! Yes, it's done! You guys go out. Haha, I want to take a bath and change my clothes. Yes! "
Song Ai blushed and bowed to Old Wu, then left with Wu Hanchao. Wu Hanchao put down the curtain and turned around happily. Seeing that Song Ai had already walked far away, he quickly chased after her and pulled her sleeve. "Hey, why are you walking so fast?"
Song Ai turned around. Her face was as cold as ice. She coldly scolded, "Let go!"
Wu Hanchao was shocked. He quickly let go and said embarrassedly, "What now? Weren't you fine just now? Why did you change your attitude faster than flipping a book? "
Song Ai looked straight ahead and said indifferently, "Change my attitude? How could I dare? Didn't I listen to a certain someone and obediently scram? "She snorted heavily, flicked her sleeves, and swaggered off.
"Oh no! How could I have forgotten about that? Women are so petty. I … I … "
He tilted his head and heard Wu Wending's' savage 'laughter coming from his tent. He turned around and saw that Miss Song did not even turn her head.
Wu Hanchao stomped his foot heavily and slapped himself. "I'm really unnecessary. I'm the one who's in the wrong because of this."
...
The setting sun was like blood and the sky was filled with afterglow.
The soldiers who were celebrating the victory noticed that General Song had a gloomy face and was patrolling the camp with his hands behind his back. There was not a trace of joy on his face. Young Master Wu nodded his head and bowed with a face full of flattery. He followed behind General Song and kept mumbling and bowing. No one knew what he was talking about.
The setting sun dragged the shadows of the two of them. Sometimes they were still and sometimes they were separated. It was as if they were performing an exaggerated and funny shadow play.
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