Traveling through the mountains and farming

Seeing this, the imperial troops quickly launched a siege.

The soldiers shouted in unison, pushed siege vehicles, set up ladders, and launched a fierce attack on the city wall like a tidal wave.

The county officials and soldiers on the city wall and the private soldiers of the King of Chu were suddenly panicked. They had to deal with the surging people below the city, and resist the strong attack of the imperial army. They were caught in a dilemma and could not take care of both ends.

There is no way to spare anyone to report the situation.

The King of Chu never thought that with the continued freezing weather, the imperial court would have the energy to send troops to launch a surprise attack.

The imperial army was well-trained, and the archers fired thousands of arrows at once. The rain of arrows like locusts suppressed the defensive forces on the city wall.

Ladders were placed against the city wall one after another, and the soldiers climbed up bravely like nimble monkeys, engaging in fierce close combat with the county officials and soldiers.

For a moment, the sounds of shouting and weapons clashing resounded through the sky, deafening.

The county government officers and soldiers were gradually defeated, and the city gate was shaking under the impact of the siege vehicles.

With a loud bang, the city gate was knocked open and the imperial troops poured into the city like a tide.

The people stopped in the chaos and looked at the imperial army entering the city in horror.

At this time, the general of the imperial court said loudly: "Don't be afraid, folks. We are here by the emperor's order, only to suppress the rebellion of the vassal kings and relieve the people's distress!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, "It's the Gu family army, it's General Gu who has arrived, we are saved."

"Yes, the Gu family army has always been invincible and will definitely be able to save us from danger."

"Are we going to be under the jurisdiction of the imperial court like Jiangbei County? We finally have hope."

The people cried with joy and cheered loudly.

General Gu rode a tall horse and came to the crowd in a heroic manner, "Don't worry, folks, the court will definitely give you a peaceful and prosperous world."

The imperial army then quickly took control of all the important roads in the city and began searching for the King of Chu and his remnants.

At the same time, soldiers were arranged to distribute food and supplies to the people to appease the people.

~

Candlelight flickered inside the Xiaoshan County government office.

General Gu Yun looked tired, but there was always a faint smile on his face.

Several generals sat around and reported on the post-war situation.

He said with emotion: "Captain Li, thanks to your strategy this time, we took advantage of the severe cold weather and the freezing of Xiaojiang River to quickly launch a surprise attack from the ice. This is how we were able to catch the enemy by surprise and attack them when they were unprepared."

"This is the duty of our peace envoys. At that time, you spared us, the poor people who were forced to go to the battlefield, and asked me to set up a peace envoy team to rescue more people who were forced into the war. We all hope to end the suffering of this war as soon as possible."

A young man, eight feet tall and with an extraordinary heroic appearance, responded sincerely and modestly.

Then he clasped his fists and said, "General Gu, the King of Chu and his remaining followers have been captured. I want to go home to take care of my younger brothers and sisters. We, the group of envoys who are recruiting peace, should also disband and return home as you promised."

Gu Yun stepped forward and lifted up the arm of the young man in front of him. "Over the past year, you have repeatedly helped the court to instigate the soldiers sent by the King of Chu to rebel on the front line and have made great contributions. This general will certainly fulfill his promise. But Chongwen, are you really not considering continuing to follow me?"

Looking at Li Chongwen who was becoming more mature and steady, he couldn't help but recall the first time he met Li Chongwen, who was five years younger than him, which was about a year ago.

At that time, he was leading his troops in a fierce battle with the King of Chu and learned that the other side had sent a group of newly recruited soldiers as the vanguard.

Unexpectedly, this group of soldiers did not follow the orders of the King of Chu, but instead turned against their own side under the leadership of Li Chongwen.

At that time, he heard the report from below that a new soldier was able to convince and lead a group of soldiers to defect to the court, and he dared to ask for an audience with him directly.

He felt that this young man was not only brave and resourceful, but also had a keen insight into the situation in the court, so he met Li Chongwen in person.

Unexpectedly, Li Chongwen persuaded him to forge the illusion that this group of soldiers were completely wiped out, and set up a team of envoys to recruit people, specifically to incite the new soldiers recruited by the King of Chu to rebel, starting with the common people, so that the soldiers of the King of Chu's subsequent expeditions were all instigated to rebel one after another.

Afterwards, Li Chongwen was able to flexibly respond to the terrain and customs of Xiaoshan County and provide some combat strategies from time to time.

He wanted to keep Li Chongwen by his side.

Li Chongwen clasped his fists again and said firmly: "General, I appreciate your kindness. But my family doesn't know about my current situation yet. I want to go home as soon as possible so that they can rest assured."

Since the moment he became the envoy to recruit peace, he has been traveling around with the army and cannot appear in Xiaoshan County. He cannot let the King of Chu's spies know that their soldiers are still alive and are secretly instigating others to rebel.

Gu Yun sighed, "Well, I will give all of you recruiters five days off. Go back and think about it carefully, and then come to handle the formalities. If there are any who are willing to stay in the Gu family camp, this young general will welcome them."

As he said this, he took out a token from his pocket and handed it to Li Chongwen.

"If you need anything in the future, just bring this token and come to me, General."

Li Chongwen took the token with both hands, "Thank you, General Gu!"

He turned and left, and just as he walked out of the county government gate, a group of people came to meet him.

"Chongwen, what did General Gu say? Can we go home?" a middle-aged man asked anxiously.

"Uncle Changmao, the young general has given us five days of rest and asked us to consider whether to stay in the barracks."

"Then let's go back to the village quickly." Luo Dashan's eldest son Luo Xiaoshan said impatiently.

"I heard from fellow villagers who were forcibly conscripted that the village had suffered a disaster. I also heard a secret report that the King of Chu sent troops to capture able-bodied men. The village was almost destroyed. I don't know if I can see my relatives again." Li Changyi's eldest son Li Chongran said worriedly.

"Let's go back and take a look at the situation first." Li Chongwen said.

Li Chongran felt that his cousin Li Chongwen was becoming more and more independent-minded and responsible. If it weren't for his intelligence and decisiveness, they would have died long ago.

More than a year ago, they were the same batch of conscripts who were assigned to the same battalion. Without any training, they were used as vanguards and sent to attack the enemy without any veterans or generals to lead them.

It was obvious that they were being used as bait. The King of Chu had other plans, and they were obviously abandoned pawns.

Thanks to Li Chongwen who saw through the King of Chu's plan, he analyzed the situation in the court with everyone, explained the pros and cons, eliminated the restless elements, and led everyone to join General Gu.

Over the past year, they have experienced battles both large and small. They used their hometown ties and the interests of their country to incite the King of Chu's newly recruited soldiers to rebel, causing the King of Chu to suffer heavy casualties. In the end, they helped General Gu Xiao to successfully put down the rebellion.

Without waiting for dawn, everyone set out on the journey home with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.

Along the way, they imagined the possible tragic situation of the village and hoped that a miracle would happen.