PDLP Chapter 1232 I Didn't Run into Him
Chapter 1232 I Didn't Run into Him
Unexpectedly, just as the pirate soldier was about to touch the city wall with one hand, he leaned back slowly, as if in slow motion, and then suddenly his body gave way, and he fell straight down the city wall.
His fall knocked down many pirate soldiers who were climbing up behind him.
A gasp of astonishment arose from below the city.
The pile of human bodies fell to the ground below the city wall with a thud, and remained motionless.
The soldier on the city wall, holding the butt of his spear, looked around and, seeing that everyone else was looking at him, blinked and forced a smile.
"I...I didn't touch him..."
Everyone laughed: "We saw it, we're not blind."
This was the closest the pirates had come to the city walls since the siege began.
Of the dozen or so ladders, only a few could be climbed more than halfway; all of them fell down suddenly when they reached the halfway point.
Then, amidst the leader's angry curses, soldiers continued to climb the ladder, only to fall backward again when they were almost halfway up.
This made all the pirate soldiers standing on the opposite bank of the moat look like they were watching a magic trick.
There was no counterattack from those on the city walls; they were just making things difficult for themselves.
As darkness fell, countless torches were lit on the city walls, their bright light reflecting off the armor and blades, making the eyes of the pirate soldiers below dazzle like stars in the sky.
Tokugawa Iemochi had already slid off his warhorse. He felt a little dizzy. Although he wasn't hungry, he couldn't bear the psychological blow.
The Zhenxi Army did not fire a single arrow, nor did it even launch a counterattack. Instead, its own troops were torturing themselves repeatedly in a meaningless manner.
Tokugawa Iemochi felt that his 10,000-plus men probably wouldn't last until tomorrow.
The arrival of night presented them with even greater obstacles.
At this moment, everyone's hearts, like the sudden darkness, saw no glimmer of hope.
Seeing that the city walls were not retaliating, many pirate soldiers found their leaders' shouts and curses growing weak and listless.
With their only hope shattered, the pirate soldiers lost their morale and simply lay down on the ground, no longer wanting to waste their energy. The more they struggled, the hungrier they became, so they might as well lie down and let things be.
More and more soldiers lay down, unable to see the situation in the darkness. Under such hunger and exhaustion, their reverence for military orders had eroded. Since they were going to die anyway, whoever cut them would only shorten their suffering.
Tokugawa Iemochi turned around and walked away, pondering how to salvage the current situation. Taking Funing Castle had become an impossible task.
So, what should we do next?
Lin Feng had already left the city. He left orders for the three thousand soldiers to take turns on duty on the city walls.
Those who need rest should take a good rest, and those who need to eat should go eat.
Anyway, just keep an eye on the pirates below the city, and report back immediately if anything unusual happens.
When Lin Feng returned to the command post, Ye Liangcai ran in from outside.
"Boss, we've found out that the pirate who fell wasn't attacked by us. He just ran out of strength and fell on his own."
Lin Feng laughed: "Well, this can be considered as not firing a single shot."
Pei Qiyin shook her head and smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, is this some kind of obsession?"
Lin Feng touched his nose and gave a wry smile.
I realize I did go a bit too far.
Hu Jincai led 3,600 cavalrymen around Yingjianxia County three times, constantly charging and killing the scattered pirate soldiers.
Those pirates, who possessed extraordinary physical strength, struggled to reach the dock outside the county town and plunged into the water.
More often than not, the pirates were too exhausted to run and collapsed to the ground while running, ignoring the thunderous hooves of the horses and not wanting to move a single finger.
In the military camp below Ganqing Prefecture, 2,000 of the 4,000 Zhenxi Army infantrymen were divided into two groups and stationed in Ganqing City. The other 2,000 left the main camp and headed west.
After resting for a night, Hu Jincai ordered 3,600 cavalry to march towards Funing City on the morning of the second day.
In just over half a day, more than three thousand cavalrymen arrived at the city of Funing.
The situation before them left all the Zhenxi Army cavalrymen stunned.
All that could be seen were large numbers of pirate soldiers lying beneath the walls of Fuling City. Even inside the moat, at the foot of the tall city walls, hundreds of pirate soldiers lay there, their fates unknown.
The gates of Fuzhou were tightly closed, and many Zhenxi Army soldiers stood on the city walls, looking down to observe the pirates below.
Hu Jincai frowned as he looked at it, muttering to himself.
"What...what's going on here?"
A lieutenant stood beside him, his brows also furrowed.
"General Hu, has the Prince not gone out of the city to counterattack the enemy?"
They could all see clearly that although the pirate soldiers were lying scattered all over the ground, there were no traces of the battles that had taken place in the past.
There was no glaring bloodstains. Although the pirate soldiers were disheveled and looked listless, they had no wounds or severed limbs.
Hu Jincai was a little confused: "What is the boss up to?"
Just as they were wondering, Lin Feng received a report and came to the city wall.
Upon seeing Hu Jincai's more than three thousand cavalry arrive, he waved to the people below the city.
"Old Hu, go after those escaped pirates. You don't need to worry about them."
Hu Jincai cupped his hands and asked, "Boss, which way did they all escape to?"
"You split into two teams, one heading towards the dock and the other heading north of the city. They won't have gone far. Keep an eye out for the pirate leader. Capture him and you'll be credited with the greatest achievement."
Hu Jincai nodded in agreement and turned to give instructions to the deputy general beside him.
“Take a thousand cavalrymen and head towards the river; I will pursue them to the north.”
At a single command, the more than three thousand cavalrymen split into two groups and charged off to the left and right.
Before long, the Zhenxi Army cavalry saw the pirate soldiers lying dead in the fields.
Heading north, you'll frequently find dead pirates.
None of them had any injuries; they all died of cold and starvation.
These pirate soldiers wanted to escape from Fuzhou with their leader, but they could not hold on any longer and collapsed and died on the ground.
The thousands of pirate soldiers below the city were too weak to move and had resigned themselves to their fate. No matter what the Zhenxi Army did, they were already in a daze.
At this time, Lin Feng had already ordered the Zhenxi Army troops inside the city to go out from the north of the city and begin to clear out the scattered pirate soldiers.
Throughout the entire Fu Ning Prefecture, there were Zhenxi Army troops everywhere, clearing out the enemy. Even Lin Feng's two hundred guard cavalry were dispatched.
According to Lin Feng's orders, all pirate soldiers who died in the fields must be buried in deep pits to avoid affecting the ecological environment.
Two hundred guard cavalry, led by Qiao Jushan and Ye Liangcai, were tasked with finding the pirate leader Tokugawa Iemochi.
Based on Lin Feng's judgment, this guy couldn't have gone far.
Even if he still had food, having abandoned more than 10,000 pirate soldiers, he probably wouldn't dare to run back.
Such a serious crime would only result in his head being chopped off upon his return.
Perhaps beheading was a relatively merciful punishment for him.
There were still two thousand engineers in Fuling City, all of whom were sent out to clear the bodies of the pirates outside the city.
Those who are dead or dying should be dragged to the wilderness, far from the city, for disposal.
Lin Feng had only one principle: do not take prisoners. Those who were not yet dead were to be waited for, as those who were already on their deathbeds would not last long.
After two days of clearing, pirates from near and far were found, and many who had been hiding in dilapidated villages were also discovered, starving to death in corners.