Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 448 Are You Asking About the Living One?

Zhang Enyi asked his subordinates to pass on the order quickly.

He mobilized all the troops, selected 30,000 elite soldiers, and led the team out of the camp in half a day.

The vanguard of the army, 5,000 cavalry, was still led by Ren Duoliji.

This guy may not be good at anything else, but his bravery and tenacity are unmatched among all the generals in the palace army.

The vanguard moved quickly, advancing rapidly from the provincial capital to the northeast.

At this time, Lin Feng had already captured the Tatar camp and eliminated the less than 300 Tatars guarding the camp.

After a short rest, the troops were stationed there.

In addition, several cavalry teams were sent to search for Nu Xilie everywhere.

Wei Bao's intelligence force also sent many intelligence agents to survey the terrain, mines, forests, etc. of the entire Yinzhou.

Lin Feng must be clear about what he wants when he negotiates with Li Jiping, and his target must be accurate.

The troops here plan to rest for a day and then go to the canal engineering department to check the progress.

On the city wall of Qing County, less than ten miles away from the main camp, the general guarding the city was a short and strong man in his thirties.

He leaned forward, lying between the battlements of the city wall, and carefully observed the front.

Although he was dizzy and dazed from hunger, he still tried hard to adjust the focus, trying to see clearly the situation in the camp ahead.

His name was Tai Lu, and he was the right military officer of Yinzhou Prefecture.

Tai Lu led 8,000 provincial troops to defend the city of Qing County for more than a month.

The city had long been out of ammunition and food, and the civilians could not be taken care of for the time being, and some soldiers even starved to death.

The Tatars did not besiege the city, but simply plundered around Qing County.

At night, many Tatars did not return to the camp, but spent the night in uninhabited villages or fields near the city.

Many people who escaped from the city in search of food were discovered by the Tartar cavalry. Having their heads chopped off was considered a good fate, while being tortured to death was the most miserable.

Without horses, they couldn't run far. The brutality of the Tartars frightened people and they dared not leave the city.

Tai Lu refused to leave the city and insisted on fulfilling his duties.

He looked back at the soldiers guarding the city, who were sitting on the ground with their backs against the city wall and their heads hanging weakly.

"Louzi, come over here and take a look. What's going on up ahead?"

A thin young soldier turned his head to look at Tai Lu.

"My Lord, I can't seem to stand up anymore."

Tai Lu was helpless. He ate everything he could swallow, including tree bark and grass roots, both inside and outside the city.

He pointed weakly in the direction outside the city.

"Louzi, it seems the Tartars have left."

This sentence made a gleam of light flash in the young man's eyes.

He struggled to get up, stuck his head out from the battlement, and squinted his eyes to look into the distance.

Sure enough, it turned out that Tartar cavalry passed by the city from time to time.

At this time, not a single Tatar disappeared, and there were figures busy in the camp in the distance, but they looked a little different from the Tatars.

Tai Lu couldn't see clearly, so he asked Lou Zi to confirm it.

He was very confused. If they were not Tartars, then who could they be?

No one from the Yinzhou government army dared to deliver food. After finally waiting for the army to arrive, they were defeated in one battle.

Tai Lu was almost in despair.

Louzi is young and has good physical skills. The reason he doesn't move is to reduce consumption.

He rubbed his eyes and stared intently at the figures in the Tartar camp in the distance.

"Sir, they are not Tartars, nor are they our Yinzhou Prefecture Army..."

Tai Lu became more active after confirming that the people outside the city were not Tartars.

"Go, take a few people over to take a look."

Louzi looked at the city in embarrassment.

"Sir, the war horses have all eaten, so we just have to rely on our two legs."

"Hurry up, damn it! I've already told you we're not Tartars, what are you afraid of?"

Tai Lu originally had a good personality, but hunger had worn away his patience.

As the two were talking, they saw a group of horses galloping towards them in the distance.

The two men stared nervously at the team of more than two hundred riders.

Gradually, the cavalry team came closer, and they could see clearly that they were dressed in cavalry uniforms that they had never seen before.

Tai Lu said doubtfully, "This... seems to be a large army."

Louzi was smart: "Is this the reinforcements we invited?"

Tai Lu slapped the city wall and said, "Who cares? As long as they're not Tartars, let's see what they're going to do first."

Two hundred Qingshui troops, led by Tao Jinwang.

He took orders and brought people to Qing County to check the situation.

After arriving at the foot of the city, I looked around and saw that the whole city was dead silent, the drawbridge was hanging in the air, and the city gates were closed.

Between the battlements of the city wall, a head could be vaguely heard moving.

"Listen up, everyone on the city walls! We are the Qingshui Army, and we are here to rescue you. If anyone is still alive, come out and speak."

Tao Jinwang shouted at the top of his voice.

Tai Lu heard it very clearly. He and Lou Zi looked at each other and saw the moisture in each other's eyes.

It has been more than a month, from hope to despair, and then to complete giving up.

What a sad process this is.

Now in a desperate situation, Tai Lu suddenly saw a ray of hope and almost fainted from excitement.

Louzi was smart and leaned forward to take a deep breath.

"We are still alive, come down immediately."

Tao Erhu, who was following behind Tao Jinwang, laughed.

"Shit, it would be scary if you were dead."

In order to maintain defense, Tai Lu prioritized ensuring food for the army and no longer cared about the common people.

Therefore, the soldiers of the government army were still able to move.

Tao Jinwang and others immediately waited at the foot of the city for a long time before they saw the city gate slowly opened a crack.

It was not because Tai Lu was slow, but in order to consolidate the city, the city gate was blocked with rocks.

Tai Lu led a dozen soldiers out of the city gate and came to the moat to look at Tao Jinwang and others.

"Excuse me, General, are you here to rescue us?"

"The Tartars have been driven away. Open the city without worry."

Tao Jinwang was already getting impatient waiting.

Tao Erhu shouted angrily: "Can you hurry up? What's wrong with not eating?"

The soldiers following Tai Lu were already dizzy and dazed from hunger. When they heard them talking, they felt sad and tears came to their eyes.

Tai Lu smiled bitterly, and although his hands and feet were shaking with excitement, he still replied.

"Generals, it's been a while since I last had a meal."

Tao Jinwang had long noticed that these soldiers walked lightly and looked dazed.

"Open the city, I'll send you food later."

He turned and shouted to the soldiers, "First, give them some dry food to fill their stomachs."

Tai Lu and others stared eagerly at the grain bags hanging on the backs of the Qingshui soldiers' horses, as if two small hands had already reached out of their eyes.

"Lower the drawbridge, lower the drawbridge quickly."

Tao Jinwang ordered people to go back and report the news and gather food.

The other soldiers followed him on horseback into Qing County.

As soon as they entered the city gate, they smelled a sour odor. The city was very quiet, as if there were no living people.

Tai Lu took a few bites of dry food and immediately felt stronger and more energetic.

Without waiting for them to catch up, Tao Jinwang led the cavalry team around the city.

There were many dead bodies in the corners of the street, and their bodies were badly decomposed.

The whole city gave them an extremely miserable impression.

After a circle, return to the city gate.

Tao Jinwang jumped off his horse and saw that Tai Lu looked much more energetic.

"How many people are still in the city?"

Tai Lu smiled bitterly: "General, are you asking about the living?"

Louzi cried at the side, "I don't even know how many people are dead or alive."