Inside the ruins of Old White City, there was a sea of fire. Everywhere was scorching fire, choking smoke, and the unpleasant smell of burnt Horse Gang corpses. Of course, there was also the fragrance of horse meat and the special smell of burned grass and trees.
In short, the ruins of Old White City had become a purgatory on earth. There was no safe place in the whole city. Everywhere was full of terror and traps, which made the Horse Gang uneasy.
Under such circumstances, the mentality of the Horse Gang was close to collapse. Therefore, when they heard the officers and soldiers calling for surrender, they naturally had no choice but to surrender.
However, not all horse bandits had a mental breakdown. There were a few ferocious diehards who would rather die than surrender. They would not allow the horse bandits under their command to surrender because they were the leaders. They were worried that they would be punished if they surrendered. Therefore, it was better to die in battle. This way, they would have more face. If they surrendered and were executed, it would be too shameful. If they were tortured, it would be even more unlucky.
"Second leader, we can't rush out. Why don't we …"
Before a Horse Gang finished speaking, his head was chopped off by the tall scar-faced man.
When the rest of the Horse Gang saw this, they were so scared that they did not dare to speak. In the face of this living hell, they really did not dare to use force. Otherwise, they would lose their heads before they surrendered. That would be a great loss.
"Listen up, the officers and soldiers will not treat us well. Have you forgotten that we are Horse Gang, thieves? If we surrender now, even if we are not executed by the imperial court, we will be sent to prison for the rest of our lives or be sent to do manual labor for the rest of our lives. What's the difference between being alive and being dead? Everyone, follow me. Let's rush out together. The officers and soldiers are not enough. Otherwise, we would have rushed in long ago."
The tall scar-faced man loudly reprimanded the Horse Gang who wanted to surrender around him. He did not allow them to surrender, otherwise, he would kill them.
Under the threat and brainwashing of the tall scar-faced man, the Horse Gang behind him no longer dared to surrender. They had to bite the bullet and run back and forth in the ruins where they could not tell the direction. When they met with obstacles, they would change direction and rush blindly like this.
These Horse Gang who followed the tall scar-faced man were really unlucky. They did not even have the chance to surrender. The scattered Horse Gang were luckier. Under the powerful words of the officers and soldiers, their minds were completely broken. They threw away their weapons and came out to surrender obediently. Then, according to the officers and soldiers' request, they raised their hands high and walked along the road to the nearest city gate.
In fact, the ruins of Old White City were in their territory. They could often see the ruins of City, but because it was ruins, they seldom came in. At most, they looked at it from afar. Therefore, they were not familiar with the internal streets..................... and...........
If they had known this, they would have explored every corner of Old White City. Then, they would not be in such a sorry state and suffer losses today.
There were only more than 30 officers and soldiers in the city. They were divided into five groups, with six to seven people in each group. They used the time before dusk to explore the internal streets and buildings of the ruined city. They were more familiar with the terrain than the Horse Gang who lived here. Therefore, they were able to set up an ambush in the city with ease. Moreover, the traps were dug by the officers and soldiers. They naturally knew where the traps were and how to attack the Horse Gang. They could also attack the Horse Gang very effectively and make the Horse Gang suffer heavy losses.
However, the ruins of the city were mostly broken walls and the terrain was not so complicated. If it were not for the darkness and smoke, the Horse Gang would have been familiar with the terrain. Therefore, the longer the officers and soldiers stayed in the city, the more dangerous it would be for them.
After a few rounds of continuous attacks on the Horse Gang, more than 30 officers and soldiers left the city and came to the city wall. They were prepared to use the city wall to stop the Horse Gang from escaping Old White City and completely trap them in the ruined city.
With the departure of the officers and soldiers, the remaining Horse Gang quickly figured out the direction. They divided into at least a dozen groups and broke through the city gate and the city wall from different positions. As long as they crossed the last barrier, they would be free.
However, this was obviously not an easy task. The city gate had been blocked by the officers and soldiers with rolling logs and hay. The whole gate was filled with dry wood and weeds. They could even smell the smell of oil. Therefore, as long as they dared to rush over, the officers and soldiers would immediately set fire to them and burn them alive. If they ran over the city wall, they would have to give up their horses. This way, after they left the city, it would be difficult for them to leave this dangerous place quickly. Perhaps they would be caught by the officers and then, it would be troublesome.
The group of mounted bandits led by the tall scarred man was the main force. After a series of traps and ambushes, there weren't many of them left. There were about seventy to eighty people left. Among them, more than half of them were injured, and many of them were seriously injured. They had already arrived at the west gate of the city and stopped fifty steps away.
There were more than 20 officers and soldiers on the platform of the city gate tower in front of them. They were pointing their bows and arrows at them. Inside the city gate, there were dead branches and weeds piled high. Even if they did not set fire to them, the tall firewood and weeds were enough to make it difficult for the horses to move. Moreover, they did not know what was behind the city gate. Naturally, they were worried.
"Second leader, the road ahead is blocked. Let's go!"
A Horse Gang said.
"If this place is blocked, the other gates must be blocked too. It's the same whether we change or not. Let's climb over the city wall! There are not many officers and soldiers. They can't defend so many city walls. "
Another Horse Gang said.
"Second leader, we can't run far without horses. Let's just rush out!"
Another Horse Bandit said.
The tall scar-faced man was deep in thought. He did not know what to do. He did not have the confidence to win if he rushed over. If he gave up the horses and climbed over the city wall, he needed someone to attract the attention of the officers and soldiers. He needed to pin down 20 to 30 officers and soldiers to defend the city gate to reduce the number of officers and soldiers on the city wall.
Ang Lee stood on the platform of the city gate tower. Looking at the Horse Gang rushing over, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Do you think the Horse Gang will rush over directly from the city gate?"
Ang Lee asked with a smile.
"How is that possible? There are so many tree trunks and weeds in the city gate. How would the Horse Gang dare to rush over?"
"It would be best if the Horse Gang really rushed over. In this way, we only need to set fire to roast these Horse Gang. Hahaha!"
"I guess the Horse Gang will sneak away and try to find a loophole to leave."
"Didn't anyone think the Horse Gang would surrender?"
The officers and soldiers were in a good mood. How could they not be excited since they were sure to make a contribution? With Li An's forthrightness, he definitely wouldn't treat them unfairly.
"Won't my wife make a guess?"
Ang Lee looked at Li Hanlu and asked.
"My husband, there are galloping sounds. There are at least one or two thousand horses in the southeast, less than two miles away."
Li Hanlu said seriously.
Hearing that, Ang Lee said happily, "There are more than one or two thousand horses in the southeast. They must be Lao Guo's reinforcements. But Lao Guo is a little late. I'll give him a good scolding later."
"It's good that General Guo came all the way here for some soup. My husband, don't embarrass him."
Li Hanlu said.
"I'm kidding. How can I embarrass Lao Guo? Don't you know the relationship between me and Lao Guo? "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Now that Lao Guo's reinforcements were about to arrive, none of the Horse Gangs trapped in the ruined city would be able to escape. This battle was bound to be a total victory for the Horse Gangs.
"I'll give you a chance to make a contribution. As long as you can persuade the people below to surrender, you'll make a great contribution."
Ang Lee looked at the Horse Gang with tied hands behind him and said.
There were more than ten of these mounted gangsters who had surrendered under the command of the soldiers. Now that they were on the platform of the city gate tower, it was indeed a good idea to let them be in charge of surrendering. This way, the effect of surrendering might be better.
"I'll do it."
A Horse Gang member stepped forward, looked at the Horse Gang below and shouted, "Brothers, the officers and soldiers have surrounded this place. Put down your weapons and surrender! The officers and soldiers will treat us well. If we don't surrender, we will die. "
"I want to make a contribution, too."
Another mounted bandit came over and tried his best to persuade the other mounted bandits to surrender.
However, with Scar Face, this stubborn mounted gangster, these mounted gangsters really didn't dare to surrender. They were worried that if they weren't careful, they would be beheaded.
"Horse Gang, what are you hesitating for? Surrender now!"
The officers and soldiers couldn't help shouting.
The tall Horse Gang member was so angry that his beard was crooked. He stared at the Horse Gang behind him and shouted, "No one is allowed to surrender. Don't be fooled by these officers and soldiers. You'll suffer a fate worse than death if you surrender. You must not surrender."
Seeing that the Horse Gang members were frightened, the tall Horse Gang member ordered, "A dozen of you stay with me to distract the officers and soldiers. The rest of you escape from both sides. The city wall is damaged everywhere. As long as you want to escape, you can always find a gap. Go!"
This was not the tall Horse Gang member's conscience, but a trick. He wanted to use these Horse Gang members to distract the officers and soldiers so that he could have a chance to rush out from the most dangerous city gate hole.
When the mounted bandits heard this, there was nothing else to consider. They immediately split into two groups and fled. They wanted to find an opening in the city wall and then escape through the opening. After all, many of the openings were less than the height of a person, so it was easy to climb over.
After all the Horse Gang members had left, the tall Horse Gang member looked at the officers and soldiers of the Tang dynasty on the city gate and then looked at the dozen elite Horse Gang members under his command. He said, "Let's go and hide first."
"Second Leader, shouldn't we stay to distract the officers and soldiers?"
A naive Horse Gang member asked.
"Don't talk so much nonsense. Just go when I tell you to go."
The tall Horse Gang member roared angrily and then rode away from the officers and soldiers. But in fact, he didn't go far. He just waited under the broken wall not far away.
"Assistant Minister Li, these Horse Gang members intend to find a gap from both sides of the city wall. The city wall is so long that I'm afraid it can't be defended. Moreover, the Horse Gang members also have bows and crossbows in their hands. They are not lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Should we reinforce both sides?"
An officer asked.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Five or six people will be enough. The rest of you reinforce both sides of the city wall! Block as many Horse Gang members as you can. Pay attention to safety. I'd rather let some Horse Gang members escape than let the officers and soldiers lose their lives. "
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li."
The officers and soldiers were moved. Then they immediately divided into two groups to reinforce both sides of the city wall. Although the old White Town was not very big, the city wall was not particularly short. Moreover, the city wall was uneven. It was very difficult to defend such a city wall. It would be easy for the Horse Gang to find a gap to break through.
The situation of the officers and soldiers reinforcing both sides was naturally seen by the spy sent by the tall Horse Gang member. This made him immediately understand the tall Horse Gang member's painstaking efforts. It turned out that his second-in-charge didn't want to sacrifice himself to cover the Horse Gang members. Instead, he let the Horse Gang members attract the officers and soldiers so that he could break through the city gate.
"Second Leader, the officers and soldiers have begun to reinforce both sides of the city wall. Only five or six people have left the city gate."
Hearing this, the tall Horse Gang member said happily, "Wait a little longer. When the officers and soldiers are farther away, we'll break through the city gate."
"Second Leader, but the city gate is full of tree trunks and withered grass. How can we break through?"
A Horse Gang member said.
The tall Horse Gang member stared at him and said, "Don't be afraid. We're all good horses. We can cross the two-foot-high obstacle."
"But these are all easy to burn. What if the officers and soldiers start a fire? Won't we be burned to death in the city gate?"
Another Horse Gang member asked.
"Don't be afraid. As long as we rush there as fast as lightning, even if the officers and soldiers start a fire, it'll be too late. The fire can't be set ablaze all of a sudden. It takes some time!"
The tall Horse Gang member said.
"Second Leader, you're right. Let's wait a little longer."
A Horse Gang member said.
However, they were a bit whimsical. Ang Lee did not hesitate to send out the soldiers in the city gate. It was not that he neglected the defense here, but because Lao Guo's troops were already in front of him. He even saw Lao Guo's bright armor.
"You two stay here and guard. The rest of you, follow me down to welcome General Guo."
While saying this, Ang Lee led the others to carefully climb down from the gap on the side. The ladder of the ruins was inside the city. The wall outside the city used to be smooth, but because of the corrosion, it was not completely smooth anymore. It was not difficult to climb up and down, especially at the gap, where the angle was only about 50 degrees. A few daggers could be used as a ladder.
"Madam, why are there only three hundred soldiers? Didn't you say there would be one or two thousand?"
Ang Lee looked at Lao Guo and his men, who were a hundred steps away, and asked.
"Maybe they divided the soldiers. General Guo has been on the battlefield for a long time, so he knows to surround the whole Old White City."
Li Hanlu said.
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