Chapter 348: Bombardment of Featherless Arrows

Gong Wang escaped with injuries, but unfortunately he did not survive and died of blood loss before reaching the camp.

When Zhang Qing returned to the camp, he found that his deputy general was gone. After asking, he learned that he was seriously injured by Li Zhong. He cried for a while and buried the general next to the camp.

He sat in front of the small mound for a long time and thought for a long time. Finally, he came to the conclusion that Suo Chao's analysis was correct. The martial arts of all the brothers who followed Yang Chang had improved compared to before.

Anyway, Wu Yong and Song Jiang are not around, so there is no need for me to work so hard.

Two days ago, Wu Yong saw that there was no news from She County and his troops were running out of food, so he squeezed out a portion of the food and left it to Zhang Qing and a thousand men to keep an eye on the defense, in order to create psychological pressure on the defenders and monitor the situation of external reinforcements.

Zhang Qing followed Wu Yong's plan and set up a fake camp outside Licheng to confuse the defenders, and then took the cavalry out for reconnaissance every day.

On that day, Gong Wang was killed in battle beside the Zhang River, while Zhang Qing was conducting reconnaissance near the mouth of the valley west of Licheng in order to monitor the reinforcements from Xiangyuan and Weisheng, while Gong Wang's mission was to monitor the reinforcements from Shangdang.

Having lost his deputy general inexplicably, Zhang Qing had no intention of continuing his reconnaissance. He stayed in the Licheng camp for another three days, but also retreated due to food shortage. This gave Li Zhong the opportunity to take advantage of the time difference and successfully transport the artillery into the city.

When Zhang Qing was on his way back to Shexian County, he unexpectedly met the vanguards Hua Rong and Xu Ning. Both sides seemed very surprised.

"Two brothers, what are you doing?"

"Yesterday, Shexian was breached and Sun Li escaped here. We are here to catch him. You should stay in Licheng to monitor. Why are you returning now?"

"The food is almost gone."

"Right."

Hua Rong finally realized that Wu Yong retreated because of lack of food, but the bulge on his forehead did not relax. "Since you came from Licheng, didn't you meet Sun Li on the way?"

"Sun Li? No."

Zhang Qing spread his hands and thought that although the soldiers were dizzy from hunger, their eyes were not blind.

“That’s weird.”

"Flower defense, Sun Li may have taken a small road. In addition to the official road in the south, there are several mountain roads at the north gate."

"I'll just say it"

After hearing Xu Ning's reminder, Hua Rong nodded and agreed and asked: "Sun Li is the garrison commander here and is more familiar with the terrain than we are. Should we continue chasing him or go back to report to the Grand Commandant?"

"It depends on what you think. But it took more than ten days to capture Shexian County. The general seems to be in a bad mood. I guess the army won't rest for long and will soon send troops to Licheng. We don't have to go back."

"Then I'll listen to you and go directly to Licheng to wait."

Hua Rong accepted Xu Ning's suggestion and continued to ask Zhang Qing: "By the way, the food we brought is enough for a few days. Your soldiers should not be short of food and drink. Do you still need to go back to Shexian?"

"Of course I won't go back. I'm more familiar with the area around Licheng. If we go faster, maybe we can stop Sun Li."

"So what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

"it is good."

Zhang Qing immediately turned his horse around and led his team back to Licheng, but as Xu Ning had just said, Sun Li was more familiar with the terrain of Luzhou, and they had basically no hope of intercepting him.

Sun Li had only 3,000 defenders. Even if he mobilized the people to help defend the city, the city of Shexian was indeed too small, which greatly reduced the difficulty of the siege.

Despite the disparity in strength between the enemy and us, Sun Li held out tenaciously for ten days. The defenders were almost exhausted and suffered heavy casualties, so they abandoned the city at the last moment.

Of course, he was able to drag it out for so long only because Gu Dasao used sparrows to send messages, which relieved him of his worries and made Song Jiang's psychological tactics ineffective.

On May 13, Sun Li fled back to Licheng.

Originally they thought they could hold the city, as only a few of the original thousand men were left. However, they did not expect that 90% were still alive, and Li Zhong also brought artillery, which was an unexpected surprise.

On that day, Madam Le prepared a table full of dishes to comfort Sun Li upon his safe return.

After a few bowls of wine, Sun Li looked at Sun Xin and others and suddenly sighed: "Song Jiang is well prepared this time. If we follow his fighting style in She County, Licheng will not be able to hold out for long even with the help of artillery."

"Brother Xiaoyi is recruiting soldiers and has also asked for help from Chief Steward Lin. Zezhou is closer to us, and the reinforcements should come faster than Yangqu. As long as we hold out for a while, when King Jin returns from the Kingdom of Jin, Hei Sanlang will die."

After hearing Mrs. Gu's consolation, Sun Li still felt unsure.

Because he had recently been defending She County and had heard too much negative news about Yang Chang. Although he knew that Song Jiang was deliberately trying to influence his mentality, he made his words sound convincing.

The Jin people gathered the power of wizards from all over the country to curse Yang Chang. Can Lu Zhishen really help him resist?

The key point is that Yang Chang has to travel thousands of miles and brave the severe cold to go to Shangjing to solve this problem. Isn't this something a normal person can do?
If the princess had been with them, with her magic help perhaps the mission could have been accomplished, but the King of Jin chose to leave the princess behind to guard the house.

Of course, if the princess does not stay at home, Sun An will not be able to stop the Jin army. It will be a dilemma.

Thinking of this, Sun Li sighed again, "Prince Jin has not returned yet, I am worried that he is really in trouble. Without his help, we will have a hard time dealing with Song Jiang, not to mention the Jin people are colluding with him."

"Absolutely not!"

"Ok?"

Sun Li did not expect Sun Xin to be so excited. He knocked his fist on the table and said solemnly, "The King of Jin is absolutely fine. I have no doubt about him. If the Jin Kingdom's witchcraft is really that powerful, wouldn't it have been brought out long ago? Why wait until Wulibu and Xieye died before bringing it out to curse? It must be Song Jiang bluffing!"

"Why do I notice that your way of speaking has become different since your martial arts skills have improved?"

"Hehe, only when you have confidence can you have a temper."

After Sun Xin responded with a smile, he looked at Mrs. Gu's smooth talk and asked, "Madam, do you think it is or not?"

"If you kill a few more generals, you will be more confident."

“Safety first, safety first”

"correct."

Sun Li interrupted the flirting between Sun Xin and his wife and asked, "You all received guidance from the King of Jin, and your martial arts improved by leaps and bounds. How does it feel? I'm really curious."

"How should I put it? When King Jin cast a spell on us, it was as if he had learned Kung Fu in a dream. The moment he moved his body, he had memories. He could have such a spell, how could a mere witchcraft curse hurt him?"

"The master is right. Anyway, I became stronger in the blink of an eye, as if I had practiced for more than ten years. It can be said that I took a shortcut."

“Hey, I really want to experience it once.”

"Uncle, that won't work. Your martial arts are already very impressive, and King Jin said he can't improve them."

Everyone talked about Yang Chang for a long time before they stopped. Sun Li also put aside all distractions and continued to defend the city with firm confidence. However, before they finished their meal, someone reported that the enemy had arrived.

Sun Li slammed the table and stood up, saying in a deep voice: "The pursuing army must have arrived, most likely Hua Rong and Xu Ning. These two led their troops in pursuit, but unfortunately they went in the wrong direction. How can they catch up with them by following the official road? I will go and repel the enemy now!"

"Uncle has traveled a long way, the head of the family and I will go and repel the enemy." Mrs. Gu hurriedly stopped him.

Sun Li was unwilling to give in and quickly waved his hands, "How can that be possible?"

"Even Wu Yong was scolded away, what are Hua Rong and Xu Ning?"

"Neither of these two are as good at martial arts. The most important thing is that Hua Rong can shoot arrows from a hundred steps away. Be careful not to be injured by his hidden arrows. I have experience, but I am better."

"uncle!"

Mrs. Gu's arms were very strong. She pushed Sun Li back to his seat and consoled him with a smile, "Uncle, accompany me to reminisce about the past. I will go with the head of the family to repel the enemy. As for Hua Rong, who you are worried about, I will take Li Zhong with us. Let's just fire the cannon!"

"Well, you guys were able to defeat Wu Yong, which shows that you have great abilities. Go ahead."

"Boss, Brother Li Zhong, let's go!"

Soon, everyone appeared on the top of the city wall. Sun Xin knocked Yan Shun off his horse, and Gu Dasao threw him off the city wall. Li Zhong seriously injured Gong Wang to death.

These three people all had "blood debts" on their backs, and Hua Rong was the one who shot and killed Zou Run, so the enemies were particularly jealous of each other when they met.

Hua Rong and Yan Shun had never known each other before. Seeing Sun Xin and his wife gritting their teeth, Hua Rong shouted with a silver spear in hand, "Don't you feel guilty for killing our former sworn brothers?"

"What a joke! You didn't kill anyone?"

Mrs. Gu was about to retort, but the confident Sun Xin got the better of her, pointing at Hua Rong's nose and cursing, "You're not worthy of saying that when I attacked you from behind? Ugh!"

"What? You don't agree? Come out and fight me!"

Hua Rong deliberately said something to provoke him. Sun Xin was not calm at this time because of Zou Run's death. "Do you think I don't dare? You'd better cover your head. Grandpa's steel whip is not light!"

"Stop talking nonsense and come down to fight!"

"You wait!"

Sun Xin was about to turn around after replying, but Mrs. Gu was so anxious that she grabbed him and reminded him in a deep voice: "Boss, are you crazy? Do you dare to approach anyone?"

“I feel like I can do it”

"Is it useful to just feel it? That's Little Li Guang! What if he shoots a sneak attack? There's also Zhang Qing, his flying stones are also powerful, and he can also launch a sneak attack. How can you escape unscathed?"

"Uh, I was careless."

After hearing Mrs. Gu's reminder, Sun Xin was a little embarrassed for a moment, but calmed down and asked, "My wife, please think of a way. I just made a bold statement, and it would be a bit embarrassing if I don't fight."

"Are you embarrassed now? Go hide in the back and leave them alone for a while while I show you how to play with you."

"well."

Li Zhong saw the two of them singing the same tune and thought to himself, how can you two be so fierce?

One said he wanted to challenge Hua Rong to a duel, and the other threatened to play a trick on him. Is Hua Rong so despicable?
"Brother Li Zhong."

"Gu Commander, please speak."

"Call two gunners, and while Hua Rong and I are talking, secretly push the cannon into position, and then fire at the city."

"Huh? Okay."

Li Zhong swallowed his saliva and thought to himself, is this your idea? The woman who could beat Wu Yong back must be very smart and sinister.

By the time Li Zhong disappeared from the top of the city wall and Sun Xin had not shown up yet, the people down below were getting impatient.

Hua Rong frowned and thought for a moment, then pointed at Mrs. Gu and asked, "Wicked woman, where is your husband? How long do you have to wait?"

"No hurries?"

Mrs. Gu asked coldly, "Why does it take time to put on the armor? Besides, he is wearing it at home."

"You want to go home and put on your clothes? Are you kidding me?"

"What? Is there something wrong with my man's attire? Didn't you ask him to fight you one-on-one? Wait, what's wrong? I don't understand."

"you"

Hua Rong couldn't win the argument with Gu Dasao, so Zhang Qing came up to remind him, "Hua Fangyu, don't argue with this woman. She has sharp tongues and even the military advisor can't do anything with her. You should go all out to capture Sun Xin, and then Licheng will surely be conquered."

"As long as he leaves the city, I have a way to deal with it, but this guy has to go back and wear it. Can't I just take out one temporarily?"

“I always feel like something is wrong.”

"not good."

Xu Ning suddenly became excited and turned his horse around, shouting, "Everyone, hurry up! There are artillery on the city! That evil woman is going to attack!"

"What?"

"This vicious woman! Go away!"

The three men pulled the reins and turned their horses, and just as they spread out like a fan, fires flickered on the city wall.

There was a bang.

A shell landed right next to a man, causing dust to fly everywhere and knocking the man and his horse to the ground in an instant.

Xu Ning and Hua Rong turned around at the same time when they heard the sound, only to hear the warhorse wailing in pain as it could not get up, and Zhang Qing struggling to get up but unable to.

"Zhang Qing!"

"Brother Zhang Qing!"

Although both of them were shouting, Xu Ning stood there without moving. Only Hua Rong urged his horse to turn back and rescue.

The accuracy of the artillery improved by Ling Zhen has been greatly improved, but it is extremely difficult to hit a moving target in this era. In addition, the power of the artillery shells is limited, and the explosion range is also extremely limited, and it did not directly kill the nearby targets.

Mrs. Gu's original intention was just to withdraw her troops. She had just asked Li Zhong to use artillery to scare the enemy. She had no intention of continuing after the first attack, so there was no risk for Hua Rong to turn back and rescue people.

"How are you?"

"I broke my leg and couldn't get up"

"let me help you."

After Hua Rong finished speaking, he dismounted and rescued the people. Several personal soldiers also followed to rescue the people. Xu Ning watched from a distance for a while and found that the cannons were no longer fired from the city. He also planned to follow to pretend, but he saw Zhang Qing being helped onto the horse.

These three men were all from the regular army and were also the Eight Horsemen of Liangshan Cavalry. Their strength was second only to the Five Tiger Generals. They had come to Licheng to show off their might, but they didn't expect that they didn't get what they wanted and were ambushed by Gu Dasao with artillery, causing Zhang Qing to break his leg.

If we talk about their status in the martial arts world, they have suffered a great humiliation today, but the battlefield is more cruel than the martial arts world, and embarrassing things happen from time to time. The most important thing is that Wu Yong did not get anything good, so this can be considered as a certain psychological comfort.

After experiencing a terrible situation, Zhang Qing still led the way with his injuries and came to the willow forest where he had camped before, and continued to set up camp and wait for help.

At this time, there was no doctor in the team under Hua Rong and Xu Ning, and Zhang Qing's broken leg could not be treated. The wound soon swelled up, and he broke into sweats in pain at the slightest movement.

Zhang Qing had a broken leg and could not move easily. Hua and Xu had no intention of fighting anymore, so they set up camp on the spot and waited for help. At the same time, they sent someone to inform Song Jiang and called in a military doctor to treat his injuries.

He was willing to wait a few more days, but Song Jiang's army arrived the next day. He had been tied up in She County for too long and was impatient to make up for it from behind, so he only rested for half a day before ordering the army to set off.

When Song Jiang arrived at the Licheng camp, he saw Zhang Qing's broken leg and asked about Gong Wang's death in battle. He felt indescribable pain in his heart.

Mrs. Gu, how could this woman be so powerful? Was I blind before?
Seeing the examples given by Wu Yong, Hua Rong and others, Song Jiang would not go and persuade them to surrender and suffer humiliation again. So after visiting Zhang Qing, he left Wu Yong alone in the big tent to ask for advice.

"I thought that if we took Shexian, Licheng would be ours. I didn't expect that the defenders also had artillery. It must be that reinforcements had arrived from the rear. The Jin army had not made any progress. I suddenly felt uneasy."

"Once we start, there is no turning back. Since we have torn our relationship with Yang Chang and opened the Fengyue Pass, we have to continue even if there are some losses. How about letting Dai Zong go again?"

"But he went to Pingding to see that with Xiao Longnu in charge, the Jin army couldn't take the city at all. What's the point of urging them to do that?"

"If the Jin army can't take Pingding, they can divide their troops to attack Luzhou. As long as we have enough troops, we can attack multiple cities at the same time and won't be as passive as we are now."

Song Jiang nodded and stroked his beard, "That makes sense, but the problem is the artillery."

"I have a solution!"

(End of this chapter)