met free Page 2162
Page 2162
Legend has it that prayers for rain at Zhanggong Temple are effective.
It is because Zhang Yong once managed floods and droughts here.
After Lin Chong finished reading the inscription,
I felt inexplicably moved.
The people of Yiyang have already forgotten Zhang Yong.
But everyone in the family has known that Master Zhang is a deity.
Zhang Gong stayed here to bless them.
Therefore, the common people did not allow Manichaeism to destroy temples.
They also forbade cutting down the pine and fir trees planted by Zhang Yong to build warships.
"Marshal, the enemy general still refuses to surrender!"
A soldier ran to report.
Lin Chong left Zhanggong Temple,
Looking at the city wall across the moat, he asked the farmer:
"This Yiyang garrison commander, Li Shi,"
"Are you a local from Yiyang?"
The farmer replied, "He's a local."
"I used to be a boatman in Qiaokou Town."
Lin Chong immediately summoned some soldiers with loud voices.
Let them take Zhong Quan and the other prisoners as their guards.
They took turns crossing the moat to shout messages.
"Don't shoot arrows!"
"This is your Western Sage King Zhong Quan!"
"Do the soldiers of Yiyang know about the Zhang Gong Temple outside?"
"It is a shrine dedicated to Zhang Yong, a virtuous official of the previous dynasty."
"When our Great Ming Dynasty was founded, it conferred the title of Marquis on five people."
"One of the marquises was Zhang Tang, a descendant of Zhang Gong."
"Zhang Gong is capable of governing Yiyang well,"
"Zhang Gong's descendants can certainly do it too..."
"As long as you open the gates and surrender,"
"I guarantee not a single person will be killed."
"All soldiers may go home to irrigate the rice paddies!"
"I, the Duke of Shu of the Great Ming Dynasty, am right here,"
"The Duke of Shu swore an oath to Heaven,"
"If I break my promise, may Zhang Gong strike me dead with lightning..."
"If we do not surrender today,"
"We will be attacking the city tomorrow."
"The moat is almost dry,"
"It will be filled in a few days,"
"I wonder how many people will die then."
"If you die,"
"What will happen to my wife and children at home?"
"How are we going to survive on the rice at home?"
"Quickly put down your weapons..."
Huang Zuo, Liu Rui, Quan Cong, and others who had previously surrendered,
They also took turns stepping forward and shouting:
"Brother Li, don't hold out any longer,"
"We all know you're out of food."
"Even if we surround them without attacking,"
"How many more days can you hold out?"
"Let's hold out for another month or two,"
"I'm afraid we'll have to resort to cannibalism..."
They shouted for a full half hour.
The defending general, Li Shi, finally wavered and said to one of his personal guards:
"You go out of the city,"
"Look at that so-called Duke of Shu,"
"I made a vow in front of Zhanggong Temple to come back!"
The guards immediately carried baskets out of the city.
Find Lin Chong and explain your purpose.
Lin Chong said seriously, "Come with me."
Back in the small temple,
Lin Chong swore an oath before the statue of the god.
Guarantee not to kill those who surrender.
And release the soldiers and send them home as soon as possible.
Such childish behavior
Surprisingly, he gained the trust of the Chu army within the city.
After a while,
Li Shi then led his troops out of the city.
They surrendered by handing over their household registration and maps.
Lin Chong dismissed most of the Chu army in Yiyang.
But he also left five hundred soldiers for Li Shi.
Take this person with you to besiege Xiangyin.
It's impossible to persuade Xiangyin to surrender.
Prime Minister Zhong Yi personally stationed there.
Moreover, the troops were well-trained and the supplies were plentiful.
We have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack.
Chapter 1917 Deer Horn Village
Wang Yuan has been besieging the area with his troops for many days.
All kinds of siege equipment have been completed.
The county seat of Xiangyin during the Northern Song Dynasty.
It is called White Thatched City.
It is forty miles away from the Xiang River.
The city wall by the Xiang River in front of us,
It was built by Zhong Xiang in a large commercial town.
It's more like a fortified village like Lujiaozhai.
There are water fortresses and castles.
A three-dimensional defense system combining land and water.
"Xiangyin has two water fortresses and three castles,"
Wang Yuan pointed to the opposite side and said,
"Those two water fortresses have been completely destroyed by cannon fire,"
"They then used rockets to set it ablaze and destroy it."
"The remaining three rammed-earth castles,"
"The moats are all natural tributaries of the Xiangjiang River,"
"It's extremely troublesome when the water rises,"
"It's very difficult to fill in the moat."
"Thank God!"
"It's been dry for over a month,"
"There's not much water left in the moat,"
"Our army has filled in several places."
Lin Chong exclaimed, "When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength!"
"Zhong Xiang's defeat and death were not unjust."
Wang Yuan then said, "Outside the northernmost castle,"
"Several earthen platforms have already been erected,"
"We can deploy wooden cannons to bombard the city."
"If we bombard the city walls with arquebuses again,"
"We should be able to demolish one or two places within ten days."
When Lin Chong fought in Chenyang,
Only thirty wooden cannons were used.
Wang Yuan's side, however, had even more.
First, attack the water fortress with arquebuses.
Then set up a large number of wooden cannons.
To protect their own people, they filled in the moat and built earthen platforms.
The elite Chu troops inside the city launched several attacks.
They were all driven back by cannons fired with shotgun shells across the moat.
The Chu army from the other two castles came to their aid.
They also used a large number of wooden cannons.
They then used a combination of archers and infantry formations to repel the enemy.
"No need to wait any longer, let's attack the city tomorrow," Lin Chong said.
There are eight earthen platforms built.
It is the same height as the city wall.