gnovel Chapter 81 The "Massacre" in Nanchang
Chapter 81 The "Massacre" in Nanchang
After hearing Xu Sheng's plan, Zhuge Xuan couldn't help but hesitate:
"If we withdraw the city defenses, what if Zhu Hao makes his move first? Will we have enough time...?"
"The city's defenses are practically useless now," Jiang Qin said helplessly.
Zhuge Xuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly and remained silent.
What use are those few hundred newly recruited soldiers who haven't even had much training...?
Knowing he lacked military command skills, Zhuge Xuan simply handed over his few hundred men to Jiang Qin for command.
After Jiang Qin had arranged the defense matters, he said to Zhuge Xuan:
"My lord, Zhu Hao is about to attack the city. Please send your family out of the city as soon as possible. There is a risk of something going wrong if they stay in the city."
Zhuge Xuan nodded: "Commander Jiang is right, I will make the arrangements immediately."
Jiang Qin pressed down on Zhuge Xuan's arm and said, "This humble general can send three hundred naval troops by boat to send them out of the city. It will be faster and safer to travel by water."
"Commander Jiang's thinking is indeed thorough," Zhuge Xuan replied, then sent someone to summon Zhuge Liang and the others.
Before long, Zhuge Liang and his entourage arrived at the hall.
Leading the way was a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old.
He is now taller than most people, with a handsome face and a maturity beyond his years.
Behind him was a boy of about eleven or twelve years old, tightly clutching the boy's clothes.
Two girls walked at the back, the older one being eighteen or nineteen and the younger one sixteen or seventeen, both dressed in plain-colored dresses.
Jiang Qin looked over, his gaze finally settling on the boy at the head of the group.
The young man bowed and said, "Zhuge Kongming greets Commandant Jiang."
Jiang Qin looked at this unusually composed young man.
He couldn't help but recall Lu Yong's special instructions before his departure: "Gongyi, you must ensure Zhuge Liang's safety at all costs. He will be our future pillar!"
At the time, Jiang Qin was still somewhat skeptical.
After all, Lu Yong had never even seen the real person.
And the other person is just a child.
How can you be so sure that he will become a pillar of society in the future?
But upon seeing him in person, and witnessing the composure in his eyes and the intelligence in his brows, Jiang Qin immediately became more convinced.
Jiang Qin returned the greeting, saying, "Kongming, there's no need for such formalities. The boats are ready; please follow me."
He led the Zhuge family to the dock.
A small to medium-sized warship is moored on the shore.
Jiang Qin instructed the garrison commander on the ship:
"No stops are allowed along the way. We will go straight to Dangtu and then turn into the Shuiyang River to reach Wanling."
If they lose even a single hair, I'll hold you responsible!
The garrison commander clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Rest assured, Captain, we've never been afraid of anyone on the water!"
The boat sailed smoothly out of the city.
The brothers Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun stood at the stern of the boat, waving goodbye to their uncle.
After Zhuge Xuan could no longer be seen,
Zhuge Liang then turned around and whispered to his younger brother Zhuge Jun, "Let's go inside."
Zhuge Jun's eyes reddened slightly as he asked, "Second Brother, are Uncle and the others alright?"
Zhuge Liang was also unsure, but he could only reassure him, "Don't worry, the reinforcements my brother brought will definitely be fine."
Having said that,
Zhuge Liang gazed into the distance once more.
But this time,
He was looking northeast, towards Wanling.
elder brother Zhuge Jin,
In the letter, he went so far as to praise Liu Bei and Lu Yong as the contemporary Emperor Gaozu and Marquis Liu.
This made Zhuge Liang quite curious.
……
Three days later, outside Nanchang city.
Zhu Hao indeed gathered a large number of troops and lined up outside the city.
The information from Guo Jia's spies differed slightly from the actual situation. Zhu Hao had gathered 15,000 men, not 13,000!
Zhu Hao himself did not have any troops.
The vast majority of these people were private soldiers from various aristocratic families, as well as soldiers newly recruited by Zhu Hao himself.
Among the private armies, the Hu family, the Xiong family, and seven other families had the most private armies, all led by their respective aristocratic sons.
Outside the city,
Zhu Hao rode a white horse, gazing at the city walls of Nanchang.
The city wall was still sparsely populated, with only a few old officials anxiously looking outwards.
Zhu Hao sneered and decisively waved his hand, saying, "Attack the city!"
The Hu family's private soldiers, under the command of their young master Hu Pan, were the first to charge towards the city wall.
Ladders were erected on the city wall, and the private soldiers climbed up.
There were no rolling logs or stones on the city wall, no rain of arrows; it seemed that Zhuge Xuan had no intention of defending it at all.
The vanguard scaled the city wall and then opened the city gate.
Hu Pan was overjoyed and led his army into the city.
however,
He was completely dumbfounded when he came in.
It turned out that Jiang Qin's warships had already been deployed on the city's waterways.
Each ship was equipped with crossbows, trebuchets, and even catapults.
Even on the mast, there were two or three lookouts and archers, aiming at them.
A chill rose from Hu Pan's coccyx and shot straight to the top of his head.
This doesn't look like they've given up resistance at all!
This is clearly a trap to lure you into a snare!
Hu Pan wanted to leave.
However, the soldiers of the Xiong family and several other families outside the city were constantly pushing their way into the city gate.
The streets near the city gate were already packed with people and there wasn't enough room to squeeze in!
Zhu Hao's group may seem large, but they are all fighting their own battles and are a disorganized mess.
What Jiang Qin wanted was precisely this situation where they were caught in a dilemma!
Standing at the bow of the flagship, Jiang Qin roared, "Fire the arrows!"
As the order was issued
Suddenly, bows, crossbows, and stones were fired simultaneously from the warships.
Arrows rained down from the ship.
It covered every major street near the city gate.
The private soldiers were crammed into the narrow alley, with nowhere to hide.
Arrows pierced through the simple leather armor and into the body, eliciting screams of agony.
Under the cover of his guards, Hu Pan squeezed out of the crowd and hid in a corner of the city wall.
The Xiong family members who had just excitedly squeezed in were shot through the throat by an arrow and died on the spot.
The family retainers leading the troops and the eldest sons of each family all became sitting ducks at this moment.
Jiang Qin's navy specifically targeted those dressed in magnificent armor or riding tall horses.
A volley of arrows rained down,
Five of the family retainers who led the gentry died, and more than a dozen of their direct descendants also perished.
For this loss,
Even if he wins this battle, Zhu Hao will probably have a hard time explaining himself to everyone.
However, whether they can win depends on whether Jiang Qin agrees.
After the archers fired a volley, Jiang Qin gave the order: "Shoot the poles!"
These paddles are over two zhang tall and about the thickness of a bowl, made from a single piece of jujube wood.
At the top of the racket shaft, a stone ball the size of a human head is suspended by an iron chain.
The rear end is tied to an iron ring at the bottom of the mast with three strands of hemp rope.
Normally, the stone ball is pulled up by a winch and suspended high in the air.
In wartime, simply cutting or loosening the ropes would cause the stone ball to crash down using its weight.
This thing was originally used for destroying ships in naval warfare.
Even the strongest wood and thickest planks cannot withstand such a fall from a great height.
Now the boats are in the city's waterways.
Taking photos of the street from a high vantage point is far more dangerous than shooting arrows.
At Jiang Qin's command, the soldiers wielding the poles swiftly cut the hemp ropes with their swords.
With a loud "boom," the more than two-zhang-long pole plummeted down with the force of wind and thunder!
The stone ball at the end of the clapper struck the most densely packed area of the Xiong family's private soldiers without missing a beat.
A family general in armor,
A terrifying whooshing sound came from above, and I looked up.
In that instant, he saw the stone ball hurtling straight toward his head!
The man didn't even utter a sound.
The person was transformed into a mixture of armor fragments and human flesh.
It splashed out in a radial pattern.
Dozens of private soldiers in the vicinity were also affected by the swinging pole; some died, some were wounded, and their cries of agony continued.
However, immediately after the pole strike, another volley of arrows and stones followed...
The city instantly transformed into a hellish place.
They wanted to retaliate from a distance.
However, because there were so many people, and they were all crammed together,
Even raising a hand is extremely difficult, let alone drawing a bow and arrow.
Want to fight in close combat?
That would probably require jumping into the city's waterways and swimming to the boat first...
Just as the soldiers in the city were screaming and panicking,
What made him even more desperate happened.
The heavy gate at the city gate
I don't know when, but they were released by Guo Jia's spies!
With a loud "boom".
The heavy gate was lowered to the ground.
The thousands of private soldiers in the city were instantly trapped!