Chapter 455: Dispatching troops and the beginning of defeat

The sounds in the valley gradually died down, leaving only the sound of hurried footsteps. The crowd was divided into two parts. One group was lined up neatly, and they were the participants in the battle. The Red Flame Taoist soldiers led the way, followed by thirty-six hosts who had taken the Foundation Establishment Pill, and finally more than two hundred ordinary people.

On the other side were family members, the elderly and children. They were watching their loved ones go to the battlefield, sobbing from time to time, but were immediately stopped by the people around them. After a few sobs, the sobs stopped abruptly.

Li Shu, as the commander of the Taoist soldiers, stood at the forefront of the army. Zhang Wuji stood on a high place, his fiery red armor was like the brightest rainbow, gorgeous yet deadly enough.

Without saying anything to encourage morale, he waved his hand and said, "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are in the hands of God. Let's go!"

At the same time, the battle in Xuanfu City has become fierce and the intensity is constantly increasing. After all, this is just a city with limited armaments. How can it deal with the Jurchen tribe that has come out in full force?

"General, the soldiers on the top of the city are beginning to lose strength. Three waves of rotations are not enough to ensure the recovery of the soldiers' strength. The enemy's ladders have reached the top of the city twice. Fortunately, the soldiers pushed back and pushed the ladders down, but the situation is not optimistic."

A lieutenant general stepped forward and said to Luo Hengxin that Luo Hengxin was standing on the highest drum tower behind the city wall. From this position, the enemy army could see him, and the defenders in the city could also see him. As long as the drum tower did not fall down, the morale of the army would not be in chaos, and the soldiers could continue to fight.

The heavily armored soldiers holding large shields raised their shields to block the incoming stray arrows. The heavy force made these fully armored iron men retreat a few steps. They shook their numb hands and waited silently for the next wave of arrows. After all, the Jurchen tribe was not fools. The obvious target was standing there, and these barbarians were good at using bows and crossbows, so they were naturally given special care.

Luo Hengxin poked his head out from under the thick shield, scanned the battlefield, and then shrank back: "Xuanfu is not a military town after all. It is rare that it can withstand the first few waves of attacks. At other times, we can light beacons, and surrounding cities will come to support us, and the court will also send supplies, but now, I am afraid it is..."

As he spoke, he sighed. The current court was in chaos due to the Emperor's actions. There were deserters roaming everywhere. The remaining organized capital had to defend the capital, and the border troops were too far away.

The deeper reason is that in previous years the foreign tribes on the grassland would not have made such a big move and gathered so many troops, and all the high-ranking officials in the court were upright and looked down on the peasant warriors. They suppressed them several times, and when the country was established, civil officials and military generals had equal status, but now military generals have to perform great courtesy when they meet civil officials.

The pay and establishment of the major camps such as the border troops and the garrison troops were drastically cut, and their various foolish moves that undermined their own military strength finally made them suffer the consequences.

"No, the officials in the court are now enjoying peace in the imperial city, and the ones who suffer the consequences are the garrisons and the people in the cities and towns."

Luo Hengxin's face darkened as he heard the sounds of fighting. Although they were well-rested as the defenders and had a much better casualty ratio, the disparity in armaments and numbers was unavoidable and would eventually become the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"General, the city's rolling stones and battering rams have all been used up, and even the boiled gold juice is almost gone."

The messenger suddenly arrived and climbed up to the drum tower. Upon hearing what was said, Luo Hengxin punched the wooden board, and his knuckles turned white from being pinched.

To make matters worse, the boulders and battering rams used to defend the city were almost completely used up, which meant that Xuanfu had lost a major weapon for defending the city. What would follow would be the most brutal battles on the city walls, hand-to-hand combat, and close combat. Once the situation became unsustainable, it would turn into a rout, followed by street fighting that would destroy the entire Xuanfu, and ultimately a major defeat.

The lieutenant general naturally knew what this meant and licked his lips, "General, why don't I lead a group of soldiers to escort you through the South Gate, where the defense is the weakest. The barbarians only besiege but don't attack. The most intense battle will still be at the city gate. The South Gate is the last chance of survival!" Luo Hengxin shook his head, "I believe what you said. This is a retreat route left for me by the Jurchen barbarians. As long as I lead the troops to break through, even if there are ambushes, I will not be killed, but captured alive."

He turned around and said, "Can't you see? They just want me to escape. As long as I escape, the morale of the entire Xuanfu will collapse, and they can take advantage of the opportunity and take control of the entire Xuanfu."

"This is the barbarian soldiers' suspicion strategy. It's an open plot. As long as I'm afraid of death and as long as I don't want to die, I have to listen to their arrangements and jump into the cage. After all, the lives of their soldiers are also lives. If we can kill fewer people, the chances of winning in the future will be greater."

"General..." The lieutenant general hesitated.

Luo Hengxin snorted coldly: "Don't fool yourself. This time we are not going south to forage for food and plunder some people. After years of feeding, the appetite of the wolves around us has grown. They are no longer satisfied with a few people. They want to annex the entire court and occupy the most fertile land. They are no longer satisfied with being wanderers on the grassland, the savages we call them, but want to be the masters of the Han people!"

He made the final decision: "This war is not only fought for our lives, but also for our descendants. This is a war that will lead to the destruction of our country and our race. But now it seems that we, the Han people, are not the ones who have the upper hand."

With a clang, Luo Hengxin drew out his sword and looked at the lieutenant general: "I know you value your life and are reluctant to leave your newborn son and third wife, but now I am still the chief officer of a city. As long as I am alive, you are not allowed to say the word retreat."

The blade flashed, illuminating Luo Hengxin's cold eyes: "Since the weapons are empty, then use human lives to pile up and block. One more barbarian killed here means more Han people will live in the future. You have to block it if you can, and you have to block it if you can't. You don't want your newborn child to have a slave tattoo printed on his face, and be used as a consumable for charging and a human target for consuming arrows, right?"

The lieutenant general sweated profusely as he looked at the blade on his neck, and then he heard Luo Hengxin continue, "To be honest with you, Luo's life is worth living. I have enjoyed gold, silver, treasures, fine horses, and beautiful women. This life is worth living, but I am still greedy. I want a good reputation before and after my death. I don't want to beg for life as a surrendered soldier. The smell of those barbarians makes me sick."

"I would rather have my name recorded in history as Luo Hengxin defending Xuanfu against the Jurchens and dying in the city than be scolded by my descendants in the future. Now, do you understand?"

"I understand. I will lead my troops to the city wall and fight to the death!"

After saying this, the lieutenant general moved, and seeing that Luo Hengxin did not move, he carefully dodged the weapon, hurriedly went down the drum tower, gathered his troops, and climbed the city wall.

"Humph, you really think that my Xuancheng is a good place to gild yourself. Normally, I turn a blind eye and let you go. But now in wartime, I dare not let even the emperor into the city, let alone you, a young soldier from Kyoto!"

Luo Hengxin snorted coldly and suddenly said, "Keep an eye on him. If he has any intention of escaping, kill him immediately. Anyway, no one dares to investigate my fault now."

The shield-bearing heavy-armored soldier did not speak, but a few strange shadows in the corner of the drum tower gradually receded.

(End of this chapter)