flstandardbreds Chapter 839 The Cold Dugu Hong
Chapter 839 The Cold Dugu Hong
On the city wall of Luoyang, Dugu Hong stood in front of the arrow tower like a stone sculpture.
He was wearing heavy armor, his eyes scanning the Fengtian Army formation in the distance, which was busy like an ant colony.
Flags with dark red dragon patterns fluttered in the summer breeze, and countless black-armored soldiers were skillfully digging trenches and setting up tents.
Further away, one could vaguely see soldiers whipping pack horses to transport heavy objects to the front line.
That was what Dugu Hong feared the most - the Fengtian Army's artillery!
Behind Dugu Hong, all the generals defending Luoyang had solemn expressions on their faces, and some were even swallowing their saliva unconsciously.
The Fengtian Army's reputation is well-known, and its battle records along the way are deeply rooted in people's hearts. Huge pressure exists in everyone's heart.
"General... the Fengtian Army is powerful and their artillery is sharp. We..." A deputy general couldn't help but speak with worry.
Without turning around, Dugu Hong interrupted him coldly, "So what? Luoyang has high walls and deep moats, and ample grain reserves. How can it compare to smaller cities like Mianchi and Xin'an?"
"As for the artillery..." Dugu Hong said calmly, "If the Fengtian Army bombards the city walls with artillery, the civilians will be driven onto the walls."
Dugu Hong sneered, "Doesn't Li Che love his people like his own children? I want to see which he will choose, Luoyang City or the people!"
When the generals heard this, they were all shocked and looked at Dugu Hong with even more fear.
Dugu Hong suddenly turned around, his cold gaze sweeping across the generals: "Pass my order! From now on, Luoyang City will be under the strictest military control!"
"All food stored in the homes of all the people in the city, no matter how much, will be confiscated and distributed uniformly."
"Anyone who dares to hide will be treated as a traitor and killed without mercy!"
When these words were spoken, all the generals were shocked.
A more experienced lieutenant general couldn't help but advise: "General, this move...isn't it too much?"
"The city is now under siege. If we continue to confiscate the people's food supplies, we might cause civil unrest!"
Hearing the lieutenant general's words, Dugu Hong's eyes were cold: "If we don't have enough food, we can't defend the city. If the soldiers don't fight to the death, everyone will die."
"Collecting the grain now can at least guarantee food for the soldiers defending the city and maintain the city walls. As for the civilians..."
He paused and said slowly, "If the fighting gets intense, they will also have to go up to the city walls to help defend it."
"If the city wall is damaged, I will even tear down their houses to get bricks, stones and timber."
The generals were shocked, but Dugu Hong remained calm.
The so-called generals who are good at defense are generally much more ruthless than those who are good at attacking.
The battle to defend the city is like having one foot in the coffin. Once the city is breached, all lives will be lost. At this moment, all the resources in the city must be turned into usable chips.
Not to mention demolishing houses and collecting food, even when the situation was desperate, killing civilians and using their flesh as military rations was not uncommon in ancient times.
What Dugu Hong did was far from cruel, and as for kindness...
"Talking about mercy to them now? Childish!" Dugu Hong glanced coldly at the Fengtian Army camp ahead. "As the saying goes, a merciful man cannot command an army. I, a general, have received Your Majesty's grace and will die for my country. How can I say anything about ordinary people?!"
He said no more, waved his hand and gave the order, leaving no room for doubt: "Follow the order, anyone who dares to disobey will be punished by military law!"
All the generals responded in unison: "Yes!"
. . . . . .
As the saying goes, military orders are as heavy as a mountain. The orders were quickly passed down. Regardless of whether the soldiers accepted them or not, they could only hold cold swords and guns and violently break down the doors of the houses.
"By order of the General, confiscate the food and fodder. Those who disobey will be killed!"
The sounds of crying and begging instantly filled the streets and alleys of Luoyang City.
"Master, please leave us three days' worth of food."
"You can't take it! You can't take it! That's for next spring's crops!"
"Military officer, please be kind! Leave some rice soup for the child!"
"My son is serving in the army. How dare you attack the family of your fellow soldiers?"
No matter how the people begged, the soldiers received a death order. Not to mention that their sons were serving in the army, even if three generations of their family were in the army, they still had to hand over a lot of food.
The soldiers were like bandits, rummaging through boxes and drawers, stealing all the rice, grains and even dried vegetables that the people relied on to survive.
If you meet someone kind-hearted, they might even deliberately leave some out to barely provide enough food for a few days.
If you encounter a soldier with a bad temper, any hesitation or resistance will be met with beatings and kicks, and even blood will be splattered on the spot.
For a moment, Luoyang City was filled with wailing, as if the city had already been breached.
In a low and dilapidated house in the east of the city, Zhao Laoshuan, his wife, his old mother, and their two young children sat around the cold stove.
The pot was empty; the little millet that was left had just been snatched away by the search-and-grab soldiers.
The children cried with hunger, the wife shed tears silently, and the old mother sighed.
Zhao Laoshuan squatted on the ground, holding his head, his eyes full of despair: "How can I live like this..."
"Defend the city, defend the city. Before we even see the enemy, our own people are starving to death..."
The wife held the child in her arms and sighed, "Didn't the soldiers say that rations are distributed collectively every morning? You should go to bed early and go to collect rations early tomorrow."
"If we're late, the food will be distributed and no one will leave any for us."
In this era, there is no concept of queuing. Once the porridge is served, people will rush over to eat it.
Zhao Laoshuan sighed and nodded.
He looked up at his elderly mother lying on the bed, then at his two children who were staring at him eagerly. He gritted his teeth and stood up.
"Don't wait until night, prepare my bedding, I'll go now and sleep outside tonight..."
I have elderly parents and young children to support, and the whole family is waiting for food to be cooked, so I can't be careless at all.
The wife hesitated for a moment. Although she felt sorry for her husband, she nodded when she thought of her family. "I'll go and clean it up for you."
"Ah... I just hope that the King of Feng is really as you said, and we stay in Luoyang City and can wait for better days."
Zhao Laoshuan nodded vigorously: "Big brother wouldn't lie to me. Those who went to Feng State were all given land, and the King of Feng also exempted them from taxes for three years."
"I really regret not going north earlier, just for this little piece of land at home. As a result, now..."
As Zhao Laoshuan spoke, he stood up.
suddenly!
boom! ! !
A dull thud came from outside the city, the earth shook, and dust fell from the beams.
Then comes the second and third tone.
Zhao Laoshuan's family was so scared that they were trembling all over. The two children ran over crying, and Zhao Laoshuan quickly hugged them tightly.
The Fengtian Army began to attack the city?!
"What's going on?" the wife cried out in a sobbing voice, "Boss!"
Zhao Laoshuan gritted his teeth and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. His Majesty the Prince loves the people like his own children. He won't smash any houses."
However, the next second.
boom! ! !
wow-
There was a loud bang, accompanied by the sound of tiles breaking, and a big hole was smashed into the already dilapidated roof of their house!