Chapter 367 Friendly Forces Are Enemies
Chapter 367 Friendly Forces Are Enemies
As the night drew to a close, the lights in Dingbian City were still bright.
The lights in every street and even in every house are lit,
It illuminates the busy streets and the busy people.
The end of the war brought about countless follow-up disposals.
At this moment, all the side doors of the four city walls have been opened.
Laborers swarmed out and cleared the piles of corpses in the dark.
They covered their faces with sackcloth, hoping to block out the foul stench.
But unfortunately, the smell in the air seemed to be everywhere, making many civilians feel nauseous frequently.
They want to leave here, but they have to stay here.
This is Dingbian, Dali, their home.
If there is an epidemic, everyone will suffer.
In addition to them, there were some soldiers working hard to fill the road and repair the potholes caused by artillery fire.
It was extremely busy outside the city, and the same was true for the Dingbian City government office.
At this moment, the generals of the three guards of the capital and Mu Sheng of the Hongfu Guard gathered here.
Many dignitaries from Dingbian City also came here one after another.
The government office, which had been quiet and deserted these days, was gradually becoming lively.
The initial battle was over, but the Luchuan army was still at hand.
They cannot rest for even a second and must prepare for subsequent battles without stopping.
At this time, the main hall of the government office was filled with the pungent smell of blood and the strong smell of herbs.
The generals sitting at the top were all bandaging their wounds, looking listless and drowsy.
The most serious one among them was Deng Zhizhong, who faced the Luchuan camp to the east.
The soldiers there worked the hardest because they were watched by Si Lunfa.
At this moment, his naked upper body was tightly wrapped in dense white linen, and blood could be seen seeping out.
The soldiers were waiting on the side with a large basin of hot water, ready to change the linen at any time.
Jianghuai Guard Zhao Anfeng and Heyang Guard Lin Shian were not much better.
Although he was wearing casual clothes, he spoke and moved very carefully, and his body was covered with wounds.
The only one who is better may be Mu Sheng,
At this moment, he opened his clothes, allowing the breeze to blow on the dried wound.
As time passed, no more adults came.
Deng Zhizhong opened his eyes tiredly, glanced around, and asked softly:
"Why didn't Master Gu come?"
The atmosphere in the room became a little dull. After a while, someone at the bottom spoke in a deep voice:
"Lord Gu died in the last wave of attack in Luchuan."
Deng Zhizhong was stunned, a bit sad on his face, his mouth opened slightly and then quickly closed, he nodded gently:
"understood."
Gu Jingcheng is the defender of Dingbian City. He has been in charge of the allocation of food and fodder and the rotation of laborers in the city.
Deng Zhizhong didn't know how he died, but dead was dead.
On the battlefield, everyone will die.
Deng Zhizhong looked down and asked softly:
"Who will take over?"
A general in his thirties stood up and clasped his hands:
"Master Deng, I am Ke Fang, Master Gu's deputy general, and now I am taking over Master Gu's military duties."
Deng Zhizhong looked over with bloodshot eyes, looked him up and down, and nodded tiredly:
"Please sit down. Lord Ke, please take care of the subsequent war."
"Yes!"
Ke Fang sat down with a serious expression.
For a moment, the main hall fell into silence.
After a long pause, Deng Zhizhong looked conflicted, as if he had made a great decision, and then he spoke in a deep voice:
"All departments report damage."
Jianghuai Guard Lin Shian's face darkened and he spoke in a deep voice:
"Five thousand five hundred of my troops participated in the battle, one thousand and one were killed, three thousand were injured, four hundred were seriously injured, and three thousand were still able to fight."
Heyang Guard Lin Shian spoke in a deep voice:
"Four thousand nine hundred of my troops participated in the battle, fifteen thousand died, two thousand were wounded, three hundred were seriously injured, and there were two thousand soldiers who could fight."
As soon as these words were spoken, the main hall suddenly became solemn and murderous, and you could hear a pin drop.
Some of the officials in the government office have begun to tremble.
They knew that many people had died, but they didn't expect so many people to die.
They couldn't help but feel a little scared.
If it weren't for the elite troops of the Beijing Army guarding the city, Dingbian City might have been breached long ago.
They turned their attention to the extremely young Mu Sheng and Deng Zhizhong.
The two of them guarded the southern wall, which had the largest number of people.
The eastern city wall, which was under the most intense attack, suffered heavy losses.
Mu Sheng looked tense and sighed:
"Six thousand of our troops participated in the battle, two thousand and two were killed, and the entire army was wounded, six hundred of them were seriously injured. We still have three thousand soldiers who can fight."
Everyone just felt their hearts being pulled.
Lin Shian and Zhao Anfeng cast their eyes over.
There was no more contempt towards the younger generation in his eyes, but instead there was caution!
Treat your comrades with respect.
Finally, Deng Zhizhong, who was sitting at the top, laughed bitterly:
“It seems that my Dragon and Tiger Guards are the most miserable.
There are 4,500 of us participating in the battle, and another 2,000 Dingbian garrison troops are jointly defending.
Two thousand of our men were killed, and the entire army was wounded, with five hundred seriously injured. There were less than a thousand soldiers capable of fighting.
In addition, more than half of the Dingbian garrison troops were killed or wounded, and there were less than 500 soldiers capable of fighting. "
The cold wind whistled past, adding a touch of eeriness to the main hall.
Some adults who are proficient in mathematics have already started calculating in their minds.
The number of casualties alone is close to 8,000, and this number will continue to increase.
For those who were seriously injured, it was a blessing to be able to survive 20%.
So, doesn't it mean that,
In just five days of attack, the Ming Dynasty lost more than 10,000 elite soldiers.
Many people began to breathe rapidly, some unable to accept such a loss.
More than ten thousand elite soldiers are the backbone force capable of defending a region no matter where they are deployed.
Now, in this small Dingbian town,
In five days, it was reduced to ashes.
Especially the three guard commanders in the capital,
They are so heartbroken that they can't breathe, only they know,
The imperial court and they spent a lot of effort to train these elite soldiers.
Mu Sheng, who was sitting next to him, also fell silent. He no longer had his previous arrogance, but became more stable.
For the first time, he felt so intuitively the cruelty of war.
At this time, Deng Zhizhong, who was sitting at the top, looked around.
He let out a miserable laugh, his voice was hoarse and lonely.
"Haha, you don't have to do this. The elite are meant to die."
"Over 10,000 casualties, enough to hold off Luchuan's entire nation's attack for five days."
Deng Zhizhong's voice was long and echoed in the main hall like a breeze, ringing in everyone's heart.
Makes them more bitter.
Everyone understands the truth, but when it really falls into their own hands, they still can't bear it.
What's more, there will be even more brutal battles to come.
Heyang Guard Lin Shian slowly raised his head, laughed at himself, and said in a hollow voice:
"Haha, Old Deng, we may have to leave all our wealth here."
Jianghuai Wei Zhao Anfeng didn't say anything. He supported his head with his arms and buried his head even lower.
Deng Zhizhong laughed dryly:
"The Beijing troops are not afraid of death. What are your rules for tomorrow's battle?"
The scene fell silent again. Several officials in the government office, like Zhao Anfeng, lowered their heads.
They hurriedly cleared the corpses outside the city and filled the roads in preparation for tomorrow's battle.
But now, with such heavy losses,
They were forced to take the initiative to advance, which made them feel very uncomfortable and they didn't know what to say.
One of the middle-aged officials, wearing a blue official uniform, said in a trembling voice:
"Master Deng, how about we defend the city?" Deng Zhizhong sneered after hearing this.
In the past, he would have been furious, but today he couldn't get angry.
He just shook his head slightly:
"My Lord, this is not the way to fight a war. You can't win by defending."
"Lord Mu has arrived with a large army, and we are in the rear of Luchuan.
If we live in the city and let the opportunity to fight slip away, you and I will be sinners for eternity."
The official looked gloomy. Ke Fang, who was sitting not far from him, spoke in a deep voice:
"Master Deng, we still don't know when Luchuan will fight with Lord Mu.
Is it too early to make such a hasty decision? "
Deng Zhizhong chuckled again, his face turned extremely pale, and he shook his head slowly:
"As long as the Luchuan people are not stupid, they will launch an attack as soon as possible.
The earliest is tonight, the latest is tomorrow, we don’t have much time left.”
When these words were spoken, several adults present were shocked and surprised.
Deng Zhizhong did not explain to them why Luchuan attacked in such a hurry.
Instead, he looked at Mu Sheng and the other two commanders:
"Since more than half of our soldiers have been killed, why not gather them together tomorrow?
Concentrate your forces to break through the eastern defense line and disrupt Luchuan's rear."
Mu Sheng's face was solemn and he was worried:
"Master Deng, the eastern defense is too tight.
There are Luchuan soldiers blocking the city a hundred feet away, and behind them are numerous defensive fortifications, stretching all the way to the entrance of the Luchuan camp."
Mu Sheng hesitated, not knowing how to express himself. Finally, he said slowly:
"This road is not easy to walk on."
After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the main hall. Lin Shian, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly laughed:
"Being the last one in the line of fire is what the elite troops should do.
After so many years of fighting, there is no easy road ahead."
As he spoke, Lin Shian suddenly straightened his back, showing his sharp edge.
The voice was not as weak as before, but rather sonorous and powerful:
"If we cannot win this battle, then the brothers who died will have died in vain.
Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, we will go through it."
Zhao Anfeng, who was standing by, slapped his palm on the table.
The wound on his arm burst open instantly, bleeding, but he didn't care:
"Si Lunfa is like a dying grasshopper now, we can't let them escape.
The rear of Luchuan must be blocked at all costs."
Deng Zhizhong, who was sitting at the top, moved slightly.
He could only move one hand, and it took him a long time to straighten his body.
He nodded with a smile:
"You're right. Even if we all die, we have to block Luchuan here."
Before he finished speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the main hall.
Guan Wenzhi, deputy general of the Dragon and Tiger Guard, walked in hurriedly.
Seeing him coming, everyone became nervous.
Guan Wenji should be cleaning up the battlefield outside the city at this moment.
Why did he come here suddenly? Could it be that Luchuan called again?
Guan Wenji was in a hurry, and without bothering to greet, he quickly walked to Deng Zhizhong's side, bent down and whispered softly,
At the same time, he handed over a blood-stained letter in his hand.
Everyone's eyes turned to me.
An incredible scene happened.
Deng Zhizhong's originally listless state disappeared in an instant, a gleam of light appeared in his eyes, and there was disbelief and shock on his face!
In the end what happened?
Just when everyone was confused, Deng Zhizhong gradually returned to normal and spoke in a deep voice,
This time, his voice was more powerful and not as weak as before.
"My Lords, let's disperse today."
The quiet main hall suddenly became noisy, and he continued:
"Lord Lin, Lord Zhao, General Mu, please stay. I have important military matters to discuss with you."
There was a hint of doubt in the eyes of the three people.
For some reason, they felt a little uneasy.
Even though they were confused, the adults present slowly left, and soon there were only five people left in the main hall.
"What happened?" Mu Sheng asked first.
Deng Zhizhong showed a rare expression of joy. He covered the wound on his body and laughed a little bit, looking extremely happy.
At this time, Guan Wenji spoke in a deep voice:
"My Lords, just now when we were cleaning up the bodies outside, we received a message from General Lu.
They are currently in the Luchuan military camp on the south side.
Or maybe the Luchuan military camp is them!"
A single stone caused a thousand waves, and the nervous expressions of the three people disappeared in an instant.
He then became confused, with his mouth slightly open, standing there in a daze.
Swish-
Lin Shian and Zhao Anfeng turned their eyes to Mu Sheng.
They remembered that Mu Sheng once said that there were endless lights in the camps south of Luchuan, and there were countless soldiers fighting.
Mu Sheng was also bewildered at this moment.
This news was too shocking for him.
While guarding the city these days, what he was most worried about was that the Luchuan southern camp would join the battlefield and break through the southern city wall in one fell swoop.
He was extremely cautious, and even if many people died, he would leave some reserves to prevent subsequent enemy forces.
Now, suddenly tell him that they are one of our own.
A great sense of absurdity enveloped Mu Sheng.
He had wondered where his brother-in-law was and how difficult the war was.
Could you spare half an hour to help him disrupt the enemy's battle formation?
Now, the friendly forces that I have been thinking about all the time are actually the enemy?
"Okay, now is not the time to be in a daze.
The Luchuan camp on the south side is indeed General Lu’s troops, and there are also some Siamese soldiers and miscellaneous soldiers.”
Deng Zhizhong quickly came to his senses, his face solemn.
He handed the letter in his hand to Guan Wenzhi and asked him to pass it around.
The letter circulated among the three people so quickly.
Their expressions became more and more strange, and finally became as solemn as Deng Zhizhong.
If there had been some room for maneuver in the previous war,
Now, I have no choice but to try my best.
They even had to fight hard, causing heavy casualties, to make Luchuan feel that they were no longer capable.
Lin Shian was the last one to receive the letter. After reading it, he clenched his fists and cursed loudly!
"You bastard, you're using us as stepping stones!"
He had a conflict with Lu Yunyi and felt very uncomfortable at the moment.
Zhao Anfeng on the side quickly comforted him:
"Brother Lin, don't say that. No matter who it is, we will ask him for help."
Lin Shian said nothing more and just sat there dejectedly.
He racked his brains but couldn't figure it out.
How could five thousand soldiers break through a camp of more than 100,000 people? It was cavalry!
Moreover, he appeared in the Luchuan army so openly, ready to deal a fatal blow to Luchuan.
Not only him, but everyone present also felt relieved.
You can feel the immense pressure and impossibility.
The complexity of the matter almost overwhelmed them.
How? I don't know.
Deng Zhizhong only felt the pain from his wound surge up at this moment.
The skin on his upper body was throbbing a little, making him feel more energetic.
He laughed, full of joy:
"Okay, the last big stone in my heart has fallen. We don't need to rush together tomorrow.
According to the normal arrangement, first remove the defenses in the north, west and south.
Then we will join forces and attack the east side together!
When the time comes, there is no need to pretend to be weak, just behave normally."
Although Deng Zhizhong's words were lighthearted,
But the five people present were already extremely depressed, and when it came to the final attack,
It is still unknown how much will be left. There is no need to pretend to be weak, as we are already extremely weak.
After an unknown amount of time, the candle in the main hall went out and it became pitch dark.
On the dark city walls, there were more lights moving.
Slowly, a little bit more.
(End of this chapter)