weaving

Chapter 114

In the 11th year of Chongzhen, on the ninth day of November, at the end of Shenshi, the sky was dark and the wind died down, but there were pieces of snow falling. On the ground, there were pieces of withered yellow and white snow, reflecting the hazy half-moon that had just risen on the eastern horizon.

Gaoyang is said to be the former capital of Zhuanxu. To the north are Baiyangdian and Xin'an County. Most of the territory is plain, with fertile land and dense population.

Three miles to the north of the city, in Lu Xiangshengxuan's army camp, piles of bonfires were lit. Except for the sergeants who were in charge of guarding and sentrying outside, most of them gathered around the piles of bonfires.

After a day's journey and another afternoon of fierce fighting, the cavalry in the three towns of Xuanda were very tired. At this moment, the camp guards, patrols, and sentries were all undertaken by infantry.

The knights took off their armor, sat around the bonfire, drank broth, and ate freshly steamed buns. There were also noodles over there, all cooked in broth. Everyone could eat whatever they wanted. which.

The wounded sergeants were all placed in warm sheds, and were taken care of by special sergeants. Bowls of broth, noodles, steamed buns, and rice porridge were served. Pork and mutton in the broth for wounded soldiers were also better than those outside. a little more.

Today, the Qing army was victorious, and the grain and grain seized was more than [-] shi. Sun Chengzong led the army of Gaoyang gentry and common people, and sent more than [-] shi of grain, dozens of live pigs and sheep, and grain and grass for Xuanda's army and horses. The problem is solved for the time being.

…………

Zhang Cheng rode his horse and stopped outside the north gate of Gaoyang City, looked up at the mottled and dilapidated city walls everywhere, and sighed in his heart, Gaoyang is not a strong city, and there is no army stationed there, it depends on the youth and strength of the people, so it will definitely not be able to hold on.

Looking at the bloodstains on the city wall in front of you and the mess under the wall, you can guess the tragedy of the Qing army's attack on the city.

Right now, beside Lu Xiangsheng, he once heard from Sun Yao that when he defended the city for two days, the young and strong in the city suffered more than a thousand casualties, but only killed more than a hundred slaves and thieves. It can be seen that the young and strong in the temporary organization could not defend against the Qing army's attack at all. city.

If there is no foreign aid, it is only a matter of time before Gaoyang City is destroyed.

Therefore, Sun Chengzong, on behalf of the gentry and common people in Gaoyang, warmly invited Lu Xiangsheng and the generals of the three towns of Xuanda to a banquet in the city. He wanted to toast Lu Xiangsheng and other Xuanda generals in person.

Lu Xiangsheng was going to decline politely, but he had no intention of going to the city for the banquet. He was afraid of disturbing the people in the city, but he couldn't bear the sincere pleas of Sun Chengzong and the gentry and people of Gaoyang, so he agreed to lead the generals and officials of the three towns of Xuanda into the city to attend Sun Chengzong's celebration banquet .

Zhang Cheng has also taken off his armor, and put on a full suit of regular clothes. Without the shackles of armor, he feels extremely comfortable. Sitting on the horse, he vigorously shook the snow on the cloak and cloak, and greeted Chen Zhong and the five behind him A guard said, "Let's go into the city."

…………

Although the wind is biting, and there are still pieces of snowflakes falling in the sky.

In Gaoyang City, however, it is still very lively. The streets are full of people in the city, and there are also villagers who have fled from outside the city. The Qing army retreated, avoiding the danger of being slaughtered and looted. Everyone's face is filled with a trace of happiness. .

On the side of the street, teams of young and strong defenders organized temporarily to maintain order. They also kept looking at the Xuanda generals riding on their horses. Their eyes were not only grateful, but also full of envy. .

During the two days of defending the city, they personally fought against the attacking Qing army. Seeing their former playmates or relatives fall on the city wall one by one, they felt sad in their hearts, and they also knew the brutal fighting power of the Qing army.

Just when they were exhausted, Lu Xiangsheng led the Xuanda Jingqi, galloped thousands of miles to help, fought hard for half a day, and finally drove back the Qing army. How could they not admire and envy them, and some even wanted to join this army in their hearts. Go with them to fight the Qing army together, to avenge the dead relatives and friends, but for a while, I don't know who to ask, and I don't know how to speak.

Every twenty steps or so, a young hero held up a torch to keep a glimmer of light on the dark street, so that the people on the street could see what these reinforcements from heaven looked like.

That night, Sun Chengzong entertained Lu Xiangsheng and other Xuanda generals in his mansion. Several large square tables were set up in the atrium courtyard. The soldiers and guards brought by the generals gathered around the table. dishes.

Originally, Sun Chengzong still had drinks, but Lu Xiangsheng was worried that the military situation would change at any time, so he strictly ordered all the soldiers under his command not to drink alcohol. Sun Chengzong wanted to persuade him, but seeing the resolute look on Lu Xiangsheng's face, he stopped talking.

He also supervised Ji Liao in the past, so he naturally understood the fact that the military situation is changing rapidly when he is out on an expedition, so he ordered his servants to remove the wine and replace it with clean water, which made the soldiers feel rather dull.

Fortunately, there were plenty of dishes on the table. For more than a month, they had never enjoyed such delicacies like today, but they also ate them to their heart's content, and everyone ate with great joy.

In the inner hall of the atrium courtyard, four large tables of the Eight Immortals were set up. Sun Chengzong sat at the head of the first Eight Immortals table, Lu Xiangsheng sat next to Sun Chengzong on the left hand side, and Yang Tinglin sat next to Lu Xiangsheng.

But Zhang Cheng was called to go to the table of eight immortals at the top, and sat on Sun Chengzong's right hand. This made the generals of Xuanda and the three towns envious, but what else could he do besides envy?
Who told Zhang Cheng to be commended by the current emperor twice, and he is the brave champion of the three armies that the emperor personally conferred!
The generals of the three towns of Xuanda led their respective generals and sat at the lower three tables of the Eight Immortals, each of which had a few staff members from Lu Xiangsheng, and some famous gentry in Gaoyang City sat at the table of the Eight Immortals side with each other.

The banquet was very harmonious, even though water was used instead of wine, everyone was still pushing and changing glasses, especially the table held by Datong General Soldier Wang Pu was even more lively.

Wang Pu also went to the banquet in regular clothes today, but he was from a wealthy family and was very particular about his clothes. Compared with the generals in the hall, he was indeed handsome and heroic. He was sitting at the banquet, telling his glorious deeds of single-handedly fighting against the Tartars.

All the people at the table looked sideways, bursting into exclamation from time to time, which attracted the other seats to listen carefully from time to time, applause, cheers, and continuous sound.

Zhang Cheng looked sideways, feeling in his heart, no matter how slow Wang Pu was in history, at least today's performance is understandable. Maybe after today's battle, he can change a little, so that he won't lose his life because of leading the army to flee , and left a notoriety.

However, after he got to know Wang Pu and observed his various actions, he couldn't help feeling that this Wang Pu was indeed a good communicator. He had high and low eyebrows, and the ability to speak eloquently and boast, not everyone has it.

During the banquet, Sun Chengzong kept asking Zhang Cheng about the two battles between Mafang and Shiqiao against Luqi. He had already known the two victories and the name Zhang Cheng in the mansion newspaper from the capital.

So today I inquired about this person with Lu Xiangsheng, and specially invited Zhang Cheng to sit beside him. Although Sun Chengzong was no longer in the imperial court, he still cared about the imperial court. He also admired Zhang Cheng, a rising general.

(End of this chapter)