PFC Chapter 041 Siege
Chapter 041 Siege
The rebels acted swiftly and their siege equipment was also well-made.
The next morning, seeing that everything was ready, Gao Yingxiang did not delay and immediately ordered the entire army to march toward Anding County.
The excitement of capturing the town yesterday hadn't subsided yet, and when Wang Er heard that they were going to attack Anding today, he was even more eager and enthusiastic. He took the initiative to run up to Gao Yingxiang and volunteer to be the main attacker.
"Brother Wang, attacking Anding is not the same as attacking a town. Cities are not so easy to conquer, so how about..."
Before Gao Yingxiang could finish speaking, Wang Er patted his chest and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, rest assured! What's a little peace? Besides, our men have already infiltrated the city. With inside help, it won't be difficult! Just watch, I'll lead the attack, and you can just wait to smoothly enter the city!"
Gao Yingxiang hesitated for a moment, then laughed, "In that case, the main attack will be left to Brother Wang Er." He patted Wang Er on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Fight well, we'll cheer you on from behind. Once we take Anding, you'll be the one to take the credit!"
Wang Er was overjoyed and readily agreed, then turned around and called his brothers to make preparations.
Zhou Lun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was initially worried that Gao Yingxiang would send his troops to lead the main attack.
Now that Wang Er has volunteered, that couldn't be better. Anding City is no ordinary stronghold, much less the town we captured yesterday.
This was a county town with city gates, walls, and government offices. Although the rebel army had prepared a lot of siege equipment and even sent people in to infiltrate the city beforehand, taking it down wouldn't be easy.
After arranging Wang Er's main attack, Gao Yingxiang continued to make arrangements.
He ordered Huang Long to lead 500 men to bypass Anding and ambush the city from the east, planning to surround three sides and leave one open. Anding was not a large city; the entire county only had two gates, east and west. Wang Er was in charge of the main attack, naturally targeting the closer west gate; Gao Yingxiang assigned Huang Long to be in charge of the east gate.
In addition, Gao Yingxiang also had Li Wanqing cooperate by patrolling the perimeter.
On the one hand, they were to support Huanglong in the east, and on the other hand, they were to guard against government troops that might come to their aid.
Their force was quite formidable, and Anding was certainly prepared. The city would inevitably request reinforcements from the prefectural government. Gao Yingxiang wanted to ensure everything went smoothly. With Li Wanqing in charge of the outer perimeter, even if the government troops did arrive, they wouldn't be caught off guard.
Li Wanqing had no objection to this. He left Zhou Lun and Wang Tieniu behind, and took Li Shoutian and nearly half of his men to make arrangements.
Once everything was arranged, the rebel army that had arrived in Anding began preparing for the attack.
Wang Er's troops have been deployed. Thousands of men have gathered together, forming a vast, dark mass.
His rebel army was poorly dressed, armed with a motley collection of weapons, and lacked proper training. Although there were many of them, they looked rather disorganized.
However, it must be admitted that Wang Er's group is in high spirits. Especially after taking over the town yesterday, his men looted the town extensively and each of them got some benefits. They are currently in high spirits and full of enthusiasm.
Gazing at the distant city of Anding, everyone's eyes lit up. In their eyes, Anding was much larger than the town they had just visited, and the treasures within were naturally far superior to those of a mere township. Once they stormed Anding, they could take whatever wealth they wanted from the city, and the thought of the beautiful wives and daughters of the wealthy families fueled their burning desire.
Wang Er may be a reckless man, but he's not completely brainless.
Although he had managed to snatch the main attack mission from Gao Yingxiang, and the rebel army had worked through the night to build a lot of equipment, he himself knew in his heart that with his ragtag group of over a thousand men, it wouldn't be easy to take Anding head-on.
After arranging their troops, Wang Ershou shaded his eyes and looked towards the city wall. He could vaguely see the soldiers standing guard on the wall.
"Come on! Bring them all up!"
A sinister smile crept across Wang Er's lips as he waved his hand. His men, leading over a hundred weeping civilians, shoved and jostled them to the city walls.
"Listen up, you on the city walls!"
Wang Er swaggered forward and shouted at the top of his lungs toward the city wall: "My righteous army has arrived! Why don't you surrender the city immediately? If you surrender voluntarily, you will be spared! If you resist and hold out to the death, once I break through the city, I will make sure not a single chicken or dog is left alive!"
He shouted several times, but no one on the city wall paid any attention.
Enraged, Wang Er waved to his men. They immediately understood and grabbed a few civilians from among the prisoners, dragged them to the front, and beat them mercilessly.
"Spare me! Spare me, Your Majesty!"
"Er Gouzi! I'm your uncle! Er Gouzi, please save me! Officials in the city, please save us..."
"It's me, Xie Laosan! Eldest brother! Second brother! It's me! Help! Help me!"
"Your Honor! We beg you to open the city gates! Please, for our pitiful state, open the gates and save our lives!"
The few civilians who had been dragged out collapsed to the ground, wailing and pleading. Their cries echoed on the wind, drifting towards the city wall.
The cries of the people outside the city rose and fell, and the garrison inside the city felt uneasy. In particular, the able-bodied men who had been conscripted by the government to help all showed expressions of reluctance on their faces.
Some even heard the cries of their own loved ones in the sounds they heard. In their panic, they disregarded everything else and rushed to the city wall, peering out. When they saw that it was indeed their family outside the city, they burst into tears.
"Open the city gates immediately!"
Wang Er's men shouted at the top of their lungs towards the city wall. Their shouts were mixed with the cries of the people outside the city and on the city wall.
Just then, with a "whoosh," an arrow suddenly shot out from the city wall, heading straight for Wang Er outside the city.
Wang Er was startled by the sudden arrow and instinctively shrank back.
But after flying a distance, the arrow lost its strength when it was still a dozen steps away from Wang Er, and it floated lightly to the ground.
Although the arrow didn't cause Wang Er any harm, he felt incredibly embarrassed. How could he, the leader of the rebel army, be so frightened by an arrow in front of everyone? How could he tolerate this?
His face flushed red and then pale, and Wang Er, enraged and humiliated, had no desire to continue pressuring the city to surrender. Besides, this arrow had already demonstrated the attitude of the city's defenders. Since they wouldn't listen to reason, then he'd make them taste his punishment!
Enraged, Wang Er immediately ordered an attack on Anding.
This guy is not only ruthless, but also wicked.
Instead of sending his men directly to attack the city, he ordered his subordinates to hold back the captured civilians and force them to carry ladders and battering rams, charging to the front lines.
Wang Er made it clear that as long as they helped take Anding, they would be spared. If they couldn't take it, or dared to escape, they would have to see how sharp their knives were.
Under Wang Er's threat, no matter how scared or terrified the people were, they had no choice but to grit their teeth, carry the ladders, and charge forward. Wang Er's men hid behind the people, using them as shields, and shouted as they rushed toward the city wall.
Zhou Lun saw clearly what Wang Er was doing.
Although Zhou Lun had long known that Wang Er was a scoundrel, he never expected him to use such tactics to attack the city.
He had originally planned that Wang Er would volunteer to lead the main attack, and that they would suffer heavy losses during the siege, losing many soldiers and men on the city walls, thus teaching the scoundrels who had looted and massacred the towns and villages the day before a lesson. But to his surprise, Wang Er did not play by the rules at all, and actually forced the local people to join the siege in front of everyone.
That kid is ruthless.
Zhou Lun knew that in chaotic times, human life was as cheap as grass. But he had never met a guy like Wang Er who didn't care about human life at all.
Although Zhou Lun is now also a rebel leader, he and Li Wanqing have been distributing grain from granaries to relieve the people since they raised their banner, and they have tried to organize their troops in a legitimate way. Even if they have used some methods, they still have their bottom line.
This is perhaps what distinguishes Zhou Lun from the rebels of his time. Furthermore, Li Wanqing is upright, and his rebel army is fundamentally different from Wang Er's. This is also why both Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing dislike Wang Er.
But to everyone's surprise, Wang Er went to such lengths today. Even though Zhou Lun had anticipated this, witnessing this scene firsthand still made him feel unbearable.
Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters.
Just then, Gao Yingxiang's voice rang out beside Zhou Lun.
Zhou Lun subconsciously looked at Gao Yingxiang, who was staring blankly at Wang Er, who had already launched an attack. Gao Yingxiang was talking to himself, as if he were talking to Zhou Lun.
"Brother Li is a kind and honest man, and I, Gao, have always admired him. But in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Although Wang Er was a bit ruthless, how can a siege be completed without casualties? Rather than sending our own men to their deaths, it's better to replace them with others. Besides, this way, the resistance in the city won't be too fierce, and the chances of taking Anding will naturally be much greater..."
Gao Yingxiang's words made Zhou Lun seem thoughtful.
Suddenly, he remembered Gao Yingxiang's arrangement for Li Wanqing to go to the eastern outskirts of the city. Could it be...?