Chapter 172 The night is as dark as ink, and the fire snakes dance wildly! (Subscribe)

The night is dark and the fire is dazzling.

Even in the dead of night, Yunfu City was still brightly lit with candles, especially on the top of the city wall, where there was a torch every few meters, illuminating everything around, making it impossible for intruders to hide. The crackling sound of burning torches was mixed in the night wind, faintly revealing a bit of tension and uneasiness.

Three days had passed since the rebels announced their massive attack. During these days, they had only seen the rebels making frequent moves, but there had been no signs of a real attack. This made the soldiers guarding the city suspicious, and they began to wonder if this was just a smokescreen from the rebels.

However, even though they had doubts in their hearts, they still did not dare to relax at all, because no one wanted a tragedy like what happened in Leling City to happen to themselves.

At this moment, Yuan Chenghuan tossed and turned in the big tent, unable to sleep all night, and finally had no choice but to come to the top of the city to inspect. Even so, he still couldn't rest assured. Under the flickering candlelight, Yuan Chenghuan supported his increasingly painful forehead, sighed helplessly, and looked extremely ugly.

In the past few days, he was trembling with fear, always on guard against the sudden attack of the rebels, but what he waited for was a strange tranquility day after day. This made his nerves tense, and his heart felt like it was on the edge of a knife, tormenting him endlessly.

He knew that the enemy would not sit still for no reason, and Lin Zhongyun would never be a man of empty reputation. What was he planning? This unresolved situation made Yuan Chenghuan more and more anxious.

Not only that, what made him even more worried was the reply from Zhenbei King Liu Jiuren.

What smoke bombs, what pincer attack?
This was clearly an excuse for him not wanting to contribute. Even though the imperial court was in danger, Liu Jiuren was still thinking about preserving his own strength. He was really short-sighted. Yuan Chenghuan was angry, but he could do nothing about it.

At this time, he knew that Liu Jiuren was planning to let the rebels consume his court's military strength, but so what? What could he do?
Would King Zhenbei Liu Jiuren listen to Yuan Chenghuan?

If that were the case, the situation would not have deteriorated to this extent.

Now, let alone Liu Jiuren, even the disciples from the noble families under his command might not be obeyed by his orders.

Although he was given the title of Grand Marshal of the Three Armies, he was just a puppet-like marshal and had no control over anything.

It can be said that if the rebel army really wants to fight to the death, all he can mobilize are the 300,000 personal soldiers under his command. As for the children of aristocratic families and the militiamen who were temporarily recruited, they can't be relied on at all.

This is also the reason why he has kept his troops in place and defended Yunfu City.

Faced with this situation, all he can do now is to strengthen the city's defenses, raise vigilance, and prepare for this long-awaited war.

However, what he didn't know was that the real purpose of Lin Zhongyun's trip was Chuzhou City and the 400,000 soldiers under the command of King Zhenbei!
……

Leling City!
The night was as dark as ink, and the cold moonlight could only illuminate the scenery about five meters ahead.

Taking advantage of the cover of night, Li Zhongwu led the 50,000 newly trained Beiwei troops quietly out of the city and headed straight for Chuzhou City.

If it were an ordinary troop, the movement of 50,000 troops would certainly make a lot of noise and would definitely be known to the enemy's spies.

However, the 50,000 Beiwei troops under Li Zhongwu had already been trained strictly by him and obeyed his orders. In addition, the darkness of the night made it difficult to detect unless they were very close.

But even if a scout approached and discovered the army's movements, he would be immediately discovered and eliminated by the army, and the news would naturally have no way of getting out.

Li Zhongwu rode on his warhorse, his eyes as sharp as torches, inspecting the army behind him. Every soldier of the Beiwei Army wore black light armor, held a long sword, and had a bow on his waist, with a solemn and determined look.

He was very satisfied with the results of the training of these people. Although there was still a big gap between them and the real Beiwei Army, they were already much stronger than many imperial officers and soldiers.

"General, everything is ready. We can march at full speed!" At this time, a deputy general came up and said excitedly.

Like everyone else in the Beiwei Army, he came from a poor, lower-class background.

Before they met King Wu, they were refugees who suffered from natural disasters and man-made calamities and were forced to flee everywhere, living from day to day without food.

In addition, they must always be on guard against oppression from the government and aristocratic families, as they might be dragged onto the battlefield to die one day.

Those days were so hard, but now everything is different.

Not only do they have their own space and live a stable and prosperous life, they also have the opportunity to take revenge on those who once oppressed them. How can they not be happy?

Now, they can finally vent their anger for the hard life they had in the past.

And all this was because of King Wu, all because of Lin Zhongyun.

In order to protect King Wu and to preserve this hard-earned life, they are willing to give everything, even their lives.

Because, having once been penniless and without any worries, they now have nothing to lose!

"Ok!"

Li Zhongwu's eyes were cold, and he looked towards Chuzhou City with a murderous intent, saying, "Very good, the day has finally come for us to be proud. Order everyone to move forward quickly, we must arrive in Chuzhou City before dawn."

"Yes, General!"

The deputy general standing by had already developed the habit of following military orders, and he immediately passed the order down.

In an instant, the entire Beiwei Army responded quickly and marched rapidly like a huge machine.

The entire army, hidden in the night, was like a ghost in the dark, silent yet strange.

……

At this time, Liu Jiuren was completely unaware that danger had already arrived, and he was drunk and unable to extricate himself from the land of pleasure.

At this moment, all his generals were drunk, their faces flushed, and they looked like they had drunk a lot. The hall was filled with the aroma of wine and a slight smell of sweat, and the air was filled with a noisy atmosphere. The sound of wine glasses colliding came one after another, and there was constant laughter.

"Your Highness is really far-sighted and has calculated Yuan Chenghuan's reaction clearly." Someone, under the influence of alcohol, said flattering words to show his loyalty and show his face in front of Liu Jiuren. This person is Liu Jiuren's confidant, and is usually known for his wit. At this moment, he seized the opportunity to praise him.

"Yes, Your Majesty, you really make us look at you in a new light!" another general echoed with a flattering smile on his face.

"Now I want to see who dares to say that the prince is not as good as Shang Chuqing?" Someone else said loudly, his tone full of contempt and disdain.

"That's right. From now on, I'm afraid no one will say that our Northern Army is no good anymore..." Before he finished speaking, all the generals echoed him, and a warm atmosphere quickly spread.

Since the first person spoke, the others naturally did not want to be outdone and started to speak one after another, fearing that they would lose the opportunity to show their faces. For a while, the sound of flattery was endless.

"Your Majesty is wise and brave, and is truly a role model for our generation!"

"With the prince here, the Northern Army will be invincible!"

"Your Majesty's great talent and strategy will surely lead to eternal hegemony!"

……

Facing the flattery of the crowd, Liu Jiuren was in high spirits at the moment, and he was very pleased with what he heard, his face flushed, and he nodded continuously. He lay on the high platform, waved his hand, and signaled everyone to be patient.

"Don't worry, generals. When I become successful in the future, I will definitely not forget your contributions!" Liu Jiuren said in a loud voice, full of confidence and pride. "As long as you follow me loyally, you will definitely be rich and prosperous in the future." His eyes were bright, as if he had seen the glorious future.

At this moment, he was drunk and looked into the distance, feeling that the supreme position was waving to him. The desire for power was burning in his heart, as if it was within reach. There was constant laughter and joy in the hall, and everyone was enjoying this moment of joy.

However, Liu Jiuren did not know that at this moment, in the darkness outside Chuzhou City, the Beiwei Army was quietly approaching, like a sharp sword, about to pierce through this dreamlike tranquility.

……

Ten miles away.

Li Zhongwu has already led the Beiwei Army here.

Only when he actually arrived in Chuzhou City did he truly feel the rugged terrain of this place and how one man could hold off ten thousand.

The entire Chuzhou city had only one winding road leading into the city, which could accommodate two carriages. This road was enough for carriages, but it was too small for a large army to attack a city or capture a stronghold.

What's more important is that if they try to attack in such a small space by force, these people will become living targets for the defenders on the city wall. In short, they are just asking for their deaths.

Since Yue was like this, he admired Lin Zhongyun even more.

What kind of person could come up with such a brilliant plan, especially under such a situation where he was attacked from both sides.

This made him more convinced that he could realize his dream by following Lin Zhongyun.

The night is hazy, and a faint sunlight has shone through the clouds, but it is still dark all around. It is dawn in the east!

After taking a look at the sky, Li Zhongwu immediately ordered, "Go, follow King Wu's orders!"

"Yes, my lord!"

As soon as the order was given, several people immediately ran towards the mountains on both sides of Chuzhou City with torches and oil drums.

Since it was already winter, most of the grass and trees on the mountain had withered, leaving only dead leaves on the ground or bare tree trunks, so they could easily reach the top of the mountain.

Afterwards, they each found a position and poured the oil in the barrels along the wild trees along the way to the edge of Chuzhou City.

As the torches ignited the dead wood, the dry wood met the raging fire, and a beam of fire suddenly illuminated the sky and rushed straight into the sky. The flames spread rapidly, devouring the dead leaves and tree trunks, and the flames illuminated the entire sky red.

The dry winter air and the withered bark of the dead wood were simply the best fuel for the flames. The burning trees made crackling sounds, and the flames swept around like a dancing dragon.

In just a moment, the wind fueled the fire, and the fire took advantage of the wind's power. In an instant, the entire mountain range was engulfed in flames, and it was burning towards the direction of Chuzhou City, with a tendency to intensify.

At this moment, the flames were dancing and the fire was dazzling.

The night was pitch black before, but the next moment it was dispelled by the fire and became as bright as day.

The soldiers in Chuzhou City looked at the sudden flames with fear in their eyes and were in panic.

At this time, even if they had discovered the fire and wanted to put it out, it was too late.

In just a blink of an eye, the scorching flames had burned before their eyes. They looked at the raging sea of ​​fire outside the city, heard the roar of the burning flames in their ears, and were filled with fear in their hearts.

At this moment, all they could do was run to each other and roar hysterically, so that more people would wake up from their sleep and go to put out the fire.

As for defending the city?
In the face of the raging flames, they had already forgotten all of this.

The raging flames caught the defenders of Chuzhou City off guard.

The dazzling fire was clearly visible even to Li Zhongwu standing at the foot of the mountain, and his eyes were shining with excitement. He knew that the spread of the fire would not only disrupt the defense of Chuzhou City, but also create opportunities for the next siege.

Then it's time for them to appear on stage.

The speed at which the flames devoured everything was beyond imagination. Before long, the entire mountain range had turned into a sea of ​​fire.

The scorching air waves hit people in the face, making them feel suffocated. In addition, there was also the billowing smoke, which drifted towards Chuzhou City and covered a large area of ​​the sky.

Under such a fire, even if they were not burned to death, they would be choked to death by the thick smoke.

At this time, Liu Jiuren, who was drunk in the arms of a beautiful woman, was awakened by the thick black smoke. But when he was about to curse, what caught his eye was the overwhelming fire.

Since their Chuzhou City was surrounded by mountains on three sides, there was no need for the help of wind, and the fire spread naturally into the city.

Looking at the raging fire, he suddenly lost all his drunkenness. The blazing firelight made his face red, but this time the redness was not due to the strong liquor, but due to the scorching flames.

He didn't even have time to put on his armor before rushing out of the hall. He saw that the entire general's mansion was in chaos, with everyone covering their mouths and noses and fleeing in a hurry.

At this moment, how could they care about him, the King of Zhenbei?

If the general's mansion is like this, what about the defenders on the city wall?
"This...what's going on?" Liu Jiuren roared, with a slight tremor in his voice.

"Your Highness, it's bad. For some reason, the mountains on both sides of us suddenly caught fire. The fire was so big that by the time we discovered it, it was already difficult to put out!" a guard reported hurriedly.

"What, a fire? Why is there a fire at this time?"

"That is, what is going on?"

At this time, the generals beside them also woke up from their drunkenness, with panic and fear written all over their faces.

"Fire, damn it!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiuren's expression suddenly turned ferocious, his features distorted by extreme anger, and he gnashed his teeth and shouted, "What's the fire? I'm afraid it's the rebels' plan. They set the mountain on fire, and their real target is me!"

"The attack on Yuan Chenghuan was just a smokescreen!"

"What? The rebels set the mountain on fire?"

"Are they targeting us?" Liu Jiuren's words immediately made the people around him exclaim in surprise, with their faces showing defeat.

However, no matter how much they didn't believe it, the next second, bursts of sounds of fighting came from outside the dancing flames. If that sound wasn't from the rebels, whose else could it be?

Hearing the overwhelming sound of the charge, as if to surround them all, everyone was stunned for a moment, even Liu Jiuren's expression turned ashen...

(End of this chapter)