ten 3
Dan Ying was a little tempted, but she looked at Meng Hu and stopped: "Uncle Meng, what do you think we should do now?"
Meng Hu thought for a moment and said, "It's the same. We can't attack the city head-on, otherwise we will just become a target for the Junggars. Since they can bring water into the city, there must be a canal. Let's split up and have one group of people lead the Junggars to gather on the tower and shoot arrows at us, while another group of people go around to the back, find the water source, and block it. By then, there will be chaos inside and the city will fall without a fight!"
Dan Ying hesitated for a moment—Liu Qingye knew that such a plan was totally against her temper—but still nodded and asked, "Then... who will lead the Junggar people here, and who will go to the back to find water?"
Meng Hu smiled in surprise and approval at Dan Ying's cautious question, and said, "In order to lure the Junggars to fight here with all their strength, we have to look threatening. I and your uncles will lead them here, and Asu, you lend me the arrows. I want him to shoot arrows. You go to the back with the others, and especially consult this Kazakh father. Make sure you find the water source and block it."
He explained these few words simply and clearly, and only after he finished did he look at Wang Chunshan. Wang Chunshan always trusted this resourceful sixth brother, and nodded and said, "Let's do it this way." Meng Hu glanced at the Junggar military advisor again, and although his expression was still cold, a trace of panic could no longer be concealed on his face.
Darkness quickly engulfed the entire Gobi Desert. Liu Qingye, Dan Ying, Cheng Anren, and a group of people from the Ale tribe and the Kazakhs went around to the back of the city of Hatai.
This place is somewhat similar to Chelegou, covered with red willows and other shrubs, dark and hazy, but mixed in with clumps of reeds, shining silver under the moonlight.
Cheng Anren wanted to stay in front to attack the city, but he really hated Meng Hu's cautious nature, so he followed Dan Ying to the back. He looked around, but it was pitch dark and he couldn't see anything clearly, so he said, "What city is Dad talking about? Isn't there a hole in the wall? I can't see anything here."
Dan Ying glared at him and said, "Keep your voice down. Do you want the Junggars to hear you?"
Cheng Anren said, "Damn it, what if they heard it? I've wanted to get in a long time ago - Danying girl, why did you change your personality?"
Dan Ying ignored him and only asked the Kazakh father: "Do you think there will be a river here?"
Dad squinted his eyes and looked at the vast and desolate Gobi Desert: "The rivers in the Gobi Desert are unpredictable. They are here this year and there next year. I think the source of this water must be an underground river."
"Underground river?" Wu Tan scratched his head when translating this word, "What is this?"
Dad said, "This thing is very strange. I can't explain it clearly at the moment. Anyway, the river is not flowing on the ground but has flowed underground. If there is such a place, I think the reeds and red willows are most aware of water. It should be under there!"
When everyone heard him, they all looked towards the flamboyant bush. Cheng Anren was the first to shout, "It's best to dig down there! I'll try!" Then he rushed over with his machete in hand.
Seeing him so impatient, the old man smiled and said, "This young man is really interesting. I haven't finished yet - reeds are not as drought-resistant as red willows. This river is probably where there are a lot of reeds. In addition, the sand is easy to seep water, so the river water cannot be retained. The underground river should be covered with rocks."
After hearing this, everyone knew what was going on and went to dig in the rocky ground with dense reeds. This kind of ground was the hardest to dig. Liu Qingye's blunt knife was inserted into the cracks in the rocks. Every time he exerted force, the wound on his chest would be pulled, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. But he didn't care at all, and was determined to do one thing: he would use Moller's strength as well.
The thorns scratched everyone's limbs until they were bloody. I don't know how long it took, but I had been digging deep into the ground when I suddenly heard Cheng Anren laugh and say, "Damn it, water is coming out!"
Everyone was overjoyed and gathered to see that there was indeed a clear spring gurgling out from under the rocks in the reed field. Everyone hurriedly helped the old man up to confirm it. The old man immediately instructed: "Keep digging, dig a little further east, and dig half a man deep." Everyone did as he said. Soon, a six-foot square hole was dug in the ground. When they dug half a man deep, they inserted a knife into the crack of the stone and found that there was nothing underneath, with no resistance. After knocking hard a few times, the broken stones collapsed, and the sound of water could be heard below.
After working for a long time, they were hot and thirsty, so they jumped into the pit and scooped up water to drink. Dan Ying saw Liu Qingye standing with a pale face and leaning on his knife, so he scooped up a handful of water to his mouth. Liu Qingye was stunned, and the cool river water had already moistened his lips - he and Dan Ying had not spoken since Moller left - but there was no need to say anything.
Dan Ying smiled slightly in the darkness, and turned to look at the situation on the other side of the city - the people from the Lantern Festival were obviously still dealing with the Dzungars, and the firelight illuminated half the sky red.
"Ms. Dan Ying, shall we block the water source?" Zai walked up and asked.
Dan Ying seemed to be thinking about something and did not answer.
" Damn it, why block it? It will take them three or two days to die of thirst!" Cheng Anren said, "I think it's better to put some croton seeds in it, so that they can have diarrhea until their legs are weak... Oh, it's a pity that I have always been upright and honest, and I don't have these things on me." After saying that, he added: "Who knows, maybe Meng Hu has them on him."
When Liu Qingye heard his suggestion, he couldn't help laughing in his heart: It seems that Cheng Anren and Meng Hu really can't get along.
"It will take another three or two days..." Dan Ying muttered to himself, and jumped into the pit again, groping for something. Liu Qingye was about to step forward to help, but he heard Dan Ying excitedly shouting in the pit: "Let's go, let's go into the city from this river and catch Junggar off guard!"
Zai didn't understand and asked, "What? Go into the city? Didn't Uncle Meng ask us to block the water source?"
Dan Ying said: "Follow my orders - Wutan, your hands are not convenient, you protect your father to the side of the city to find Uncle Reiza, and ask him to attack the city from the side! Everyone else, follow me!" As he said that, he dived into the underground river.
"Dan Ying--" Liu Qingye had no choice but to jump down: this was the second time she changed her mind and disobeyed Meng Hu's order. He had to hold her back, otherwise Moller would have died in vain.
But once he was in the water, how could he do anything? He first dived for a while, and then he felt that the space around him was wide. He poked his head out of the water, and surprisingly, he didn't hit the stone wall on top, but it was pitch black, and he couldn't see the red eagle. Instead, there were a few splashes behind him, and several people jumped down one after another. They all swam for a while and then popped up beside him, saying, "Oh, this is what it is like down there!"
Liu Qingye waded through the water and groped forward a few steps: "Dan Ying, don't do anything stupid!"
"I'm not doing anything reckless..." Dan Ying's voice was not far away, "Isn't this exactly Uncle Meng's plan? He led the Junggars to fight randomly in the front, and no one would notice us. Now we sneak in like this and attack from behind. The Junggars will definitely be in a panic. At this time, no matter whether Master and Uncle Meng attack from the front or Uncle Reiza attacks from the side, we will definitely take it down!"
"Oh, good, good plan!" Cheng Anren patted Liu Qingye's shoulder and said, "Dan Ying girl, what a good plan! I just want to go into the city and kill these bastards. As expected, the one who knows me best is Dan Ying girl!"
Liu Qingye slapped him so hard that he staggered. He said, "Uncle Cheng, I'm not Dan Ying!"
"Ah... hehe..." Cheng Anren smiled in the dark to hide his embarrassment, then strode away into the water.
Liu Qingye was stunned for a moment, and felt that several people rushed past him. He didn't bother to think about whether Dan Ying's plan was appropriate, and followed closely.
A group of people were groping their way forward in the underground river. After walking a short distance, they felt that the river was getting narrower and narrower. The stone walls on both sides were close to their bodies, and only one person could pass through. After walking a few more steps, their heads were against the stone walls. They could not stand upright and had to move forward with their waists bent. Gradually, they could not even bend over. Everyone simply held their breath and swam forward in the river. When they were about to run out of breath, suddenly the surroundings became clear again. Everyone poked their heads out of the water and saw that they were in a pool of water.
At this time, the surroundings were still very dark, but when they looked up, they saw a bright light in the sky above their heads, which was the exit of the waterway. Everyone was overjoyed, and they heard the creaking sound of the wooden wheel turning, knowing that there was a huge waterwheel in front of them. So Dan Ying gave an order, and everyone climbed on the waterwheel one by one and climbed towards the exit.
Dan Ying was still walking in the front, and Liu Qingye followed closely behind. When they were close to the exit, he gently pulled Dan Ying's sleeve and called out, "Wait a minute."
Dan Ying was stunned: "What?" At this moment, Liu Qingye had already stepped on the wooden wheel, jumped up a few steps, and came out first.
That was the reservoir in Hatai City. Liu Qingye hid behind the waterwheel and looked around. There was no Junggar soldier, only the shouting and killing sounds from the tower. It seemed that everyone was busy dealing with the people in the Lantern Festival in front of the city.
Dan Ying wiped the water off his face, came up and gently squeezed Liu Qingye's hand, then let go immediately, looked around, and said, "Great, their food and fodder are all here!"
Cheng Anren then jumped out of the water, cursing, "Damn it, I'm dying of suffocation!" But he was kicked by Dan Ying unexpectedly, "Keep your voice down, or I'll cut off your tongue!" He hurriedly covered his mouth, looked around, and smiled softly, "Dan Ying girl, you just said that the food and grass of that bastard are all here? Let's burn it!"
Dan Ying thought for a moment and shook his head: "So much food and fodder is enough for us to eat for the whole winter. What's the point of burning it? The Junggars robbed our cattle, sheep and horses and burned our fodder, so we robbed theirs too!"
Cheng Anren said: "Okay, that's great. I just want to have a fucking ten-day Hatai and three massacres of the Dzungars!"
Dan Ying said: "Don't spend ten days, let's kill all these bandits in one night!"
As they were talking, the others also came to the reservoir. Dan Ying looked up at the crowded tower and said, "Come on, everyone, move some fodder to the ladder and burn their ladder!"
Without Wutan, the Kazakhs could not understand her orders, but when they saw Liu Qingye, Cheng Anren, Zai and others quickly rushed into the storehouse nearby and brought out hay, they followed suit, each carrying a large bundle of hay and piling it on the wooden steps leading to the building. Dan Ying took down a torch from the wall and threw it onto the haystack, and flames suddenly jumped up.
The Junggars on the city wall were still unaware, so Dan Ying waved his hands again and again, signaling, "Quick, burn the ladder over there too!"
Everyone seemed to be inspired by the fire, and they were excited, thinking that they would win this time. They moved very quickly, and in a blink of an eye, another staircase was also set on fire, followed by the third, the fourth... Soon, all the steps up and down the tower became a sea of fire. At this time, the Junggars vaguely realized that something was wrong, and turned around to see that the backyard was on fire and out of control.
There was a moment of chaos on the tower, some Junggars turned around and shot arrows into the city, and some tried to jump down to fetch water to put out the fire. But the tower was several feet high, and the enemies who jumped down all broke their hands and feet and screamed in agony.
Cheng Anren was overjoyed upon seeing this and said, "Damn it, now I feel relieved!" As he said that, he leaped onto the roof of the water wheel, rushed towards the city wall, and said, "Danying girl, I can't bear it anymore, I want to meet these bastards!" Before he finished speaking, he had already stood still on the city wall, waving his sword wildly, and instantly chopped down a group of enemies.
Dan Ying saw that he couldn't stop them in time, and this was a great opportunity to kill the enemy, so he ordered, "Okay, let's find a way to open the city gate!"
As she was speaking, a feather arrow flew straight towards her temple. Fortunately, Liu Qingye was quick-witted and flicked it away with his fingers, so the arrow only grazed her temple. However, the burning pain ignited the fire in her blue eyes. "Zai! Climb up the waterwheel and tell Uncle Reiza outside to attack the city immediately! Everyone else, let's go open the gate!"
Zai said, "Yes," and immediately ran towards the waterwheel. Arrows whizzed past him. Seeing that he was in a critical situation, Liu Qingye took a deep breath and leaped up, snatched a torch from the wall, and stepped on the wooden wheel to the top of the waterwheel. The soldiers on the side tower saw him suddenly attacking and quickly shot arrows. Liu Qingye dodged the arrows one by one on the wooden wheel, and at the same time waved the torch and shouted to the outside of the city: "Chief Reiza! The city is under siege! We are coming in!"
At that time, Reiza outside had received the news of Wutan but did not dare to act rashly. After hearing Liu Qingye's shout, he immediately ordered an attack on the city. The place they were guarding was where Menghu thought the wall was low and the enemy could easily escape. At this time, the warriors of the Kyakhta tribe rushed forward, braved the arrows flying like locusts, rushed to the bottom of the city, and attacked the city with one person stepping on the shoulders of another.
The Dzungars defending the city were shocked and hurriedly shot arrows towards the city. However, they had to guard against Reiza while also worrying about Liu Qingye and Zai, so they were in a panic.
Liu Qingye looked into the city from the waterwheel and saw Dan Ying leading everyone to rush towards the city gate. The Junggars on the city wall were raining arrows, but Dan Ying and everyone had already brought a large bundle of hay from the warehouse, tied it into a thick straw target and carried it on their backs. Everyone rushed to the city gate together, and the arrows were all stuck on the straw target, which could not stop them at all.
Liu Qingye did not look at it any more. He jumped onto the tower from the wooden wheel, grabbed a saber, and chopped down the enemies who attacked him one by one. At the same time, his left hand was not idle. He punched and palmed, pushing the enemies who were close to him off the tower. Cheng Anren, who was on the other side, was even more happy when he saw him coming. He chopped down the Junggar archers who were shooting arrows at Dan Ying and others with a few more slashes. For a while, many corpses fell on the top of the city. Some had their heads and bodies separated, and some had their chests and limbs broken. The arrows shot at Dan Ying and others were not as dense as before. After a while, there was a loud rumbling sound, and the city gate opened. After everyone at the Lantern Festival outside the city was startled, they immediately attacked the city.
The battle after that was unstoppable. Reiza climbed onto the top of the city wall almost at the same time as the city gate was opened. The warriors of the Kyakhta tribe instantly wiped out the enemies on the side of the city, and then attacked the front of the city tower without a moment's delay. The enemies on the other side were trying to escape by killing their way down the burning stairs, but the people from the Lantern Festival were already waiting for them in the city. Leyuan's Buddhist beads were played with great force, and wherever Chi Yunzi pointed his whisk, the enemies' heads were shattered one after another. Yan's iron pen and silver hook were used to strike east and west, and Wu Shuiqing's long sword was sharp, and thousands of silver flowers bloomed...
The battle lasted only half an hour before the moon reached the zenith. The fierce battle was over, and there was no Junggar holding a weapon in the city. There were a few people kneeling dejectedly among the corpses, a few people surrendered on the tower, and a few people fell half to death after abandoning the city and fleeing... Everything suddenly became quiet. Then, Cheng Anren shouted at the top of his voice, which was naturally his catchphrase: "Damn it! We won!" Cheers rose up in all directions, in Chinese, Uyghur, and Kazakh, echoing the wind in the vast Gobi Desert.
The smell of blood made Liu Qingye a little dazed, but then he saw Dan Ying's face, reflected in the firelight, which immediately attracted all his attention - Dan Ying stood at the highest point of the city wall, shouted loudly, raised her golden whip, and hit the top of the city wall hard.
