dognovel Chapter 1952 Life and Death
Chapter 1952 Life and Death
Although the Chu soldiers were well-trained, the incident was sudden and they were caught off guard by internal spies, so they were unable to immediately regain control of the city gate.
More and more rebels poured in through the open city gates. Like poison injected into the veins, they quickly spread across the open space inside Zhengyang Gate, engaging in fierce fighting with the Chu army patrols that had come to reinforce them.
Flames erupted, illuminating the狰狞扭扭的faces and splattered blood.
Zhengyang Gate, a key node symbolizing the defense line of Chang'an City, fell on this seemingly peaceful midnight due to the cooperation of internal spies and the desperate attacks of external rebels!
Chaos, like a plague, began to spread rapidly from Zhengyang Gate towards the slumbering city of Chang'an.
The situation, which had just stabilized, was instantly pushed to the brink of collapse.
The carefully constructed facade of peace created by Li Bi and his associates was utterly shattered by the sudden attack of swords!
At midnight, Li Bi had just finished processing a batch of documents concerning the land survey in the surrounding counties and was preparing to rest.
The days of hard work had left him physically and mentally exhausted, but the thought that the situation was developing in his favor brought him a sense of relief.
However, this brief tranquility was instantly shattered by the sudden, thunderous sound of war drums outside the mansion and the faint sounds of battle cries!
"what happened?"
Li Bi suddenly stood up from his chair, his face changed drastically, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.
A strong sense of foreboding, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his heart.
Almost simultaneously, the panicked voice of the butler, Li Fu, came from outside the study, accompanied by heavy and disordered footsteps:
"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened! Lord Zhang Tao, he..."
Before he could finish speaking, the study door was kicked open with a loud bang!
Zhang Tao, dressed in full military attire, his armor stained with what appeared to be sweat or bloodstains, his hair disheveled, his face filled with unprecedented shock, anger, and anxiety, strode in.
He didn't even have time to bow before he gasped and said urgently:
"Lord Li! Something terrible has happened! Zhengyang Gate... Zhengyang Gate has fallen!"
"what?"
Li Bi felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He swayed and almost fell to the ground, but luckily he managed to steady himself by grabbing the desk.
He stared intently at Zhang Tao, his voice sharp with shock and fear:
"Zhengyang Gate has fallen?! How could this be! The city gate was heavily guarded, with new recruits assisting, how could this be..."
Zhang Tao gritted his teeth, his facial muscles twitching, and said hatefully, "It's a traitor! We've infiltrated the ranks of our new recruits with assassins who are remnants of the previous dynasty!"
"Taking advantage of their guard duty, they suddenly launched an attack, killed the brothers guarding the gate, and opened the city gate from the inside!"
"Outside the city... a large number of rebel troops have been lying in ambush outside the city, and they are now swarming into the city!"
Upon hearing this, Li Bi felt as if he had been struck by lightning; the words on that threatening letter seemed to reappear before his eyes, still carrying the scent of blood.
His worst fears have come true!
And in such a swift and deadly manner!
He forced down the metallic taste in his throat, grabbed Zhang Tao's arm, his nails almost digging into the other's nail beds, and hissed as he asked:
"How many people are on the other side?!"
Zhang Tao's face was extremely grim as he reported with a heavy heart: "The exact number is not yet fully clear, but according to the desperate reports from the scattered soldiers and lookouts, the rebel army outside the city is a dark mass, and the initial estimate is at least 30,000!"
"More than 10,000 people have already stormed into the city and are advancing along the long street inside Zhengyang Gate!"
"And the rebel army outside the city is still pouring in like locusts! The situation is extremely critical!"
"Thirty...thirty thousand?"
Li Bi gasped, his face turning deathly pale, and cold sweat soaked his back instantly.
Thirty thousand enemies!
This far exceeded his expectations!
All he had at his disposal were 10,000 Chu soldiers and 5,000 new recruits who had not yet developed combat capabilities!
The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is enormous!
The immense fear was like ice water poured over his head, but the instinct for survival and the heavy responsibility on his shoulders forced him to calm down immediately.
He knew that any hesitation or misstep at this moment would mean utter annihilation!
"quick!!"
Li Bi suddenly shoved Zhang Tao away and paced rapidly around the study like a trapped beast.
He stopped abruptly, a ruthless glint of desperation flashing in his eyes, and roared sharply towards the door:
"Pass on the order! Pass on my military order!"
He took a deep breath, using all his strength, his voice like tearing silk, yet carrying an undeniable resolve:
"All Chu soldiers stationed in Chang'an, except for those who are required to guard important locations such as government offices and treasuries, shall immediately abandon their original defense zones and assemble in the direction of Zhengyang Gate! To repel the rebel army!"
"We must stop them inside Zhengyang Gate and absolutely not allow them to spread throughout the city!"
"Yes!"
Zhang Tao knew that this was a matter of life and death, and without hesitation, he clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.
He turned and dashed out like a whirlwind, determined to personally deliver orders and organize a counterattack.
Li Bi's orders were carried out swiftly.
The mournful sounds of horns and urgent clappers echoed throughout Chang'an City, shattering the deathly silence of the night.
The 10,000 elite Chu troops, originally scattered in various barracks and outposts throughout the city, demonstrated extremely high military skills.
Despite the suddenness of the event, under the leadership of officers at all levels, they donned their armor and weapons at top speed, like several black iron torrents, rushing against the tide of the rebel vanguard surging towards Zhengyang Gate from different directions!
Soon, the fiercest battle of the night broke out on the long street inside Zhengyangmen, which was originally wide but now appeared extremely crowded, and the surrounding streets and alleys!
Although the rebel army that stormed into the city was numerous, its composition was complex. Apart from some trained officers and loyalists left over from the previous dynasty, most of them were a motley crew incited by their courage and restoration fanaticism.
Upon entering the city, they were full of momentum and thought victory was assured, so they charged into the city like madmen.
However, what they encountered head-on was the Chu army's battle formation, which quickly assembled like an impregnable fortress!
These Chu soldiers were elite warriors who had fought alongside Chu Ning in numerous battles, including the fall of several dynasties!
They had experienced countless battles, were highly disciplined, coordinated perfectly, and had extremely rich combat experience.
Faced with the rebel army surging forward like a tidal wave, howling and charging at them, the Chu soldiers did not panic.
Under the officer's frantic command, they quickly formed a solid defensive formation.
The heavy shield bearers in the front row held firm like rocks, while the spearmen thrust out from the gaps in the shields like venomous snakes, and the archers in the back row calmly launched their attacks towards the most densely packed areas of the rebel army!