In an instant, more soldiers poured into the North Gate and began to charge. In the brief silence, Lu Xu opened his eyes wide. The cavalry was armed with spurs and rushed over like an avalanche. Hongjun felt that he could not stop them. Just as he was about to go down to rescue them —
"Dang!" A bell rang. The enemy began to charge on the long street. Hongjun condensed his Qi and was about to fight to the death with them. Behind him, ten thousand horses galloped. It was earth-shattering!
A group of Tang soldiers that came from nowhere charged towards the long street at the same time as reinforcements!
Luoyang's vast main street was like a river. The two groups of cavalry charged at each other like a flood. The battle cries had already covered all the shouting.
Hongjun turned around and saw that the sky was dark. The leading general held a spear in his left hand and stretched out his right hand towards him. In a flash, the two of them reached out and grabbed each other. Hongjun jumped onto his horse.
Li Jinglong roared, "Hold on tight! Charge! "
Over a thousand Tang cavalrymen raised their spears and charged toward the rebel army!
Lu Xu felt his collar tighten and was instantly bitten by Grey Wolf. Grey Wolf leaped over the roof and threw Lu Xu. Lu Xu made a big turn in the air. Atay, who was on Grey Wolf's back, reached out and dragged him down!
Atay asked, "Where's your sister-in-law?!"
"I don't know!" Lu Xu shouted.
Li Jinglong brought Hongjun along and swept his spear horizontally. With the Tang Army's charge, the vanguard of both sides were in a complete mess. Even more Tang Army's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as they charged over with their Mo Sabers.
Not far behind them, there was a whistle. Hongjun turned around and saw Ashina Chong wearing Tang armor protecting Li Jinglong's back.
The North Gate had collapsed and the rebel army was increasing. Li Jinglong shouted, "Don't use magic! Don't worry about anything! Just follow me! "
The more they fought, the fewer the Tang troops were; they could not hold on any longer. Lu Xu, Mo Rigen and Atay, three people stood in a row on the roof. Lu Xu and Mo Rigen shot arrows at high speed, while Atay picked up some tiles and threw them down.
Mo Rigen roared, "Atay!"
"I don't know how to shoot arrows!" Atay said, "And I can't use magic! How do you expect me to help? "
"Just stand there! Don't throw the tiles! "Lu Xu shouted." If you throw away all the tiles, where am I going to stand?! "
The main street was like a meat grinder, the Tang Army and the rebel army were endlessly filling the middle of the street. In a short period of time, no one knew how many officers and soldiers lost their lives here, only blood and flesh could be seen flying everywhere. The rebel army swore to enter Luoyang, but the Tang Army was willing to pay any price to drive them out of the city.
This was the first time Hongjun saw Li Jinglong in full armor on the battlefield. In the past, even when he fought against the Ghost King in Dunhuang, he could only watch from afar. This time, he was sitting behind a horse and saw with his own eyes how he charged. The two of them were splashed with blood. Li Jinglong held his spear with both hands and forcefully opened a path of blood. Countless rebel soldiers charged at him, but they were all cut down in a single blow.
"We can't hold on any longer!" Ashina Chong roared. "Officer Shi!"
"Marquis! Fight to the death, don't retreat! "A Tang soldier shouted.
"Fight to the death, don't retreat!" All the Tang soldiers roared together.
Li Jinglong roared, "Fight to the death, don't retreat! If we die, we die together! "
Hongjun: "…"
Hongjun turned his head and saw that the Tang Army was dwindling as they fought, but the rebel army seemed to have no end as they continued to charge into the city. The Tang Army was like a moth flying into a flame. Nearly a thousand people came forward, but there were less than a hundred left. As their military strength decreased, they were exhausted faster and faster.
Ashina Chong shouted, "Hongjun! Knock him out! Take him away! "
Li Jinglong did not wait for a reply. He shouted again and charged into the infantry's shield formation. At this time, the rebel army had already formed an encirclement. First, they spread out from the entrance of the city to the two sides, then they continuously climbed onto the roofs and shot arrows at the center.
"We can't fight anymore!" Mo Rigen roared. "Let's go!"
Li Jinglong's horse had already been shot down. Its front knees went weak and it knelt on the ground. Hongjun hurriedly flipped over from the horse's back and dragged Li Jinglong down.
The exorcists landed one after another. The Tang Army's warhorses had all been taken care of. Their hair was disheveled, their bodies covered in blood, and they gathered together with long swords in their hands.
The rebel army's infantrymen surrounded them from all directions, but they did not charge forward. They raised their shields. The cavalry appeared from behind the shield formation, holding their spears and preparing to charge. The rebel army completely occupied the main street inside the city gate. Nearly three thousand people formed an encirclement, surrounding the exorcists and the remaining hundred Tang Army in the middle.
Everything was silent. One could hear a pin drop. Only the rolling dark clouds in the sky could be heard.
A general rode his horse into the city. He walked out of the crowd and said, "Who is guarding the city?"
Bi Sichen rode a horse. Her face was pale as she followed behind the general.
"Marquis Yadan Li Jinglong. Who are you?" Li Jinglong held his sword with both hands. The Tang Army and the Exorcism Department gathered around him.
"Da Xi Xun." The general said in a low voice, "Marquis Yadan, surrender. We can't keep this city."
"Bi Sichen." Li Jinglong said, "You live off the Tang Dynasty's salary and are an official of the Tang Dynasty. You guard Luoyang City, but you came out of the city to surrender to the enemy. Do you believe that I can kill you right now?"
Bi Sichen could not help but tremble. She could not even speak. He was the one who led the troops out of the city in the vain hope of defeating the rebel army in a single battle. In the end, he was also the one who was shot and fell off his horse. Now that the rebel army had captured Bi Sichen to attack the city, Li Jinglong was burning with anger!
"I'll count to three." Da Xi Xun was also a surrendered general. He had already surrendered when An Lushan led the army down south. He was much more senior than Li Jinglong in the army, so he was not afraid of this young man. He said coldly, "One."
As the word "one" fell, nearly a hundred Tang soldiers took off their helmets and threw them on the ground. They neatly held their long swords across their necks at the same time.
It was the first time that the people of the Exorcism Division had seen such a cruel scene. Hongjun's heart was instantly filled with mixed feelings. In this Tang Dynasty, some people surrendered after a single battle and were worse than dogs. However, there were also people who had seen through life and death and only wanted to fight to repay their country!
Li Jinglong was silent.
"Two." Da Xi Xun said again.
Hongjun stood beside Li Jinglong. Both of them slightly bowed. At this moment, Hongjun suddenly felt the handle of a flying knife being stuffed into his hand. It was a flying knife from Ashina Chong!
"Kill him." Lu Xu said in a low voice, "It's up to the two of you."
Hongjun's Immortal Flying Knife was enchanted and could not be used. However, Ashina Chong's knife was not.
"Tang Dynasty's Luoyang Divine Capital Cavalry! Listen to my command! " Li Jinglong said in a low voice, "Today, even if there are thousands of disgrace and helplessness, and the country is in danger, I don't want to die heroically. I only want to drag out an ignoble existence to avenge my previous disgrace!"
The Tang soldiers panted. Li Jinglong drew his Wisdom Sword and took a deep breath.
"Three."
"Retreat." Li Jinglong's lips moved and spat out two words.
In an instant, Hongjun and Ashina Chong raised their hands at the same time. Hongjun threw the flying knife with his wrist at the same level as his shoulder. He let go of the knife forward and pinched the handle between his fingers. He spun it twice and threw it out! On the other hand, Ashina Chong flipped his hand and pinched the blade with his index and middle fingers. He swept the blade from his waist up. With a flash of silver light, he threw it out!
One in the opposite direction, one in the opposite direction, one in the Yin and one in the Yang. The combination of the two was simply a masterpiece! Hongjun's flying knife was like lightning, while Ashina Chong's knife was like a flying bird. They shot towards Da Xi Xun and Bi Sichen at the same time!
Just as Li Jinglong gave the order to retreat, the two surrendered generals saw a flash of white light in front of their eyes. Da Xi Xun's neck was sliced by the flying knife. Blood spurted out and covered the heads of the surrounding soldiers. Bi Sichen's throat was pierced by the flying knife. He couldn't even shout "Charge!" and fell down!
The soldiers were in an uproar. Li Jinglong took this opportunity to roar, "Break out!"
Both sides were waiting for the commander's order. Even though it was so slow, the morale of the Tang soldiers was high. They turned around and fought their way out!
The people from the Exorcism Division opened up a path at the front. They tore a hole in the encirclement almost effortlessly. Under Li Jinglong's lead, they rushed to the side of the long street. At this time, the enemy's archers were shooting at them in all directions!
"Run!" Li Jinglong roared. He grabbed Hongjun's wrist tightly with one hand to prevent the two of them from being separated by the chaos. He waved his sword with the other hand. Hongjun ran in a hurry. He was afraid that he would hurt his own people in the chaos, so he didn't dare to act recklessly.
"Activate the Five-colored Divine Light!" Li Jinglong shouted.
"Didn't you say that it can't be used?" Hongjun asked.
"It doesn't matter when you're running!" Li Jinglong shouted.
When the Five-colored Divine Light was activated, the pressure was immediately reduced. Although the remnants of the army were defeated, they didn't panic at all. They followed Li Jinglong through the alley and instantly shook off their pursuers. They rushed to the east of the city. Along the way, there were still fleeing civilians and scattered soldiers that flocked into the city. They killed and saved people along the way and rushed to the Tianjin Bridge.
"Follow me, follow me!" Li Jinglong shouted.
However, just as they left the alley, the scattered soldiers of the rebel army rushed towards them. They were caught off guard and could only pull out their weapons and block them in panic.
Arrows were shot randomly. Hongjun shook the Five-colored Divine Light and helped Atay block them.
"Hey, monkey!" Atay shouted at Hongjun in the midst of the chaos, "Brother Hongjun! "
"Where's the dagger?!" Hongjun shouted at Atay, "Use the dagger!"
"Wear it to look good!" Atay took a big step forward and hid behind Hongjun and Li Jinglong.
"You have to practice a weapon!" Li Jinglong had to kill the enemy and take care of the civilians behind him, so he shouted at Atay.
Atay said, "I already have a knight! Who told you that priests have to practice weapons? "
"Where's the knight?" Mo Rigen said.
"Here!" Atay dragged Ashina Chong and used him as a shield in front of him. Ashina Chong had no choice but to pull out his scimitar and shouted, "I'll fight you to the death!"
Ashina Chong had one less throwing knife after throwing it away. He had already thrown away two before, so now he had to keep them to protect his life. He didn't dare to throw them away, so he could only use the rolling knife to cut down the horse's legs. Mo Rigen and Lu Xu chased after him and continuously shot arrows from behind. After the scattered soldiers were shot down, Li Jinglong led the crowd and the civilians to cross the bridge.
However, as soon as they crossed the bridge, another group of people aggressively came out from the front. They were the old, the young, and the women of Luoyang. Some were using washboards, some were using rolling pins, and some were using clothes-drying poles. With a shout, they charged toward them. The leader was glaring at them with a long whip in his hand. It was Trando.
"We're on the same side!" Li Jinglong saw Trandol and hurriedly shouted.
Trandol was originally buying braised food at the market. When she saw the merchants who escaped into Luoyang selling cloth cheaply, she looked at the cloth and cosmetics for a while. She didn't expect that the city would be destroyed while she was shopping. She could only protect the elderly, women, and children who escaped to the market and wanted to bring them out of the city.
Trandol came up and grabbed Atay's ear to scold him. She angrily said, "How did you defend the city?!"
"I was wrong!" Atay hurriedly begged for mercy.
"It's not his fault …" Li Jinglong hurriedly said, "Everyone, follow me! Quick! They'll be here in a while! "
Li Jinglong jumped and slid down from the Tianjie River. He said, "Enter!"
That place happened to be the Shili River that they had been to before. The exorcists and the others stood guard in front of the ancient river gate. The common people, one after another, retreated in succession. After a full hour, nearly a thousand people had retreated. Li Jinglong left the Tang army to guard the entrance and entered with Hongjun and the others.
In the formerly bustling land of smoke and clouds, everyone had fled. Only a few dim oil lamps were left in the long river. The tents of the people of the Western Regions were thrown on the ground. There were boxes, boxes, and other things scattered everywhere. Cosmetics were scattered all over the ground.
The common people dragged their families into this place and gradually quieted down.
Everyone, without exception, was either sitting or standing. They all looked at Li Jinglong.
"Luoyang City has been destroyed." Li Jinglong took off his helmet and said, "Elders, we can't leave yet. We have to live and die with this city. You …"
"… Go find your own way out."
After he finished speaking, he threw his helmet on the ground, making a clanking sound.
This sound seemed to unlock some kind of restriction. Immediately, the sound of crying spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, spreading out in the dark underground.
Bi Sichen and Da Xi Xun had defected to the enemy. Nearly twenty thousand Luoyang soldiers had turned into ghosts on the battlefield. The former Dongjing had been burned to the ground.
Hongjun walked out of the Shili River and looked at the distant horizon. The dusky sky was drizzling. The rain carried the smell of blood. Frantic barking came from somewhere.
"You're back." Trandol came behind Hongjun and said.
"I'm back." Hongjun said.
"That's good." Trandol said, "Everyone is still alive."
Hongjun's eyes reddened. He turned around and hugged Trandol. In the past, when they lived in Lanling Amber, although Trandol was about the same age as Hongjun, she was like everyone's big sister. She took care of them carefully and meticulously. When they met again, they suddenly felt a sense of estrangement.
Atay also came over and patted Hongjun's head.
On the other side, Li Jinglong assigned tasks. He let the few remaining Tang soldiers cover the evacuation of the people. They went along the other side of the Shili River and walked through the dry waterway.
"When you see the reservoir, turn southeast." Li Jinglong explained to the Tang soldiers. "Be careful when you go out the first exit. It's close to the South City Gate. They should not have occupied the South City Gate yet. Hurry up. There's still time."
The Tang soldiers were silent. It seemed that no one wanted to leave.
"Go." Li Jinglong said, "This is an order."
"What about you?" A Tang soldier asked.
"Next, it won't be your battlefield." Li Jinglong was afraid that these Tang soldiers would sacrifice their lives for the city. He said, "Send them to Chang 'an …" At this point, he suddenly remembered that if they entered Chang' an City, they would be beheaded according to military law. He changed his words and said, "… Send them to the outside of Chang 'an City. Let the people enter the city. You guys wait for me at the foot of Mount Li.
The Tang soldiers moved one after another. They either helped or carried the people, letting them leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the rebels took control of the city and Luoyang was completely sealed, it would be difficult to escape.