Chapter 470
The Queen of Dali
...
Guo Jing and his party soon encountered a Song army.
Fearing being accidentally injured by this Song army, Guo Jing quickly took out two flags he carried with him (one white flag and one Song flag) and had his men pick them up with weapons.
Seeing this, it's certain that no Song soldiers would attack Guo Jing and his men.
Guo Jing soon met the commander of this Song army and said to him, "I am Guo Jing, a secret agent under General Zhao Li, and also belong to the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."
After Guo Jing revealed his identity, he was immediately taken to see Wang Yan, but that's another story.
It is said that when Guo Jing fled straight towards the Song army, the Song army, which was already prepared, rushed towards the gate of Yangjumei City.
The people of Dali standing inside the city gate panicked at the sight and urged the guards to close the gate immediately. The city gate was then quickly shut.
The people of Dali in the city heard the sounds of war outside the city and began to discuss the matter.
Some said that Guo Jing had already fled and the Song army was about to enter the city; others said that Guo Jing was actually a spy for the Song Dynasty, sent to trick the city gates into opening and letting the Song army in; still others said that Guo Jing's escape was no big deal, the garrison would definitely be able to hold Yangjumei City...
Just then, the Song army's Li Lin cannons began bombarding the city walls.
At the same time, hot air balloons in various monster shapes began to rise and fly towards Sheep City.
Just see:
Li Lin cannons were the first to attack, with dozens of them lined up outside the city, their muzzles pointing directly at the top of Yangjumei City. The crackling sound of tinderboxes igniting their fuses rose and fell, and in an instant, thunderous roars reverberated throughout Cangshan and Erhai.
The cannonballs whistled as they crashed into the bluestone of the city wall, sending shards of stone flying like rain. The battlements of the city wall collapsed in response. The soldiers and civilians of Dali in the city were caught off guard and were thrown into the air with screams. The figures that were running and shouting just moments before were instantly swallowed up by the dust and smoke.
After a volley of fire from Li Lin's cannons, the city wall was riddled with holes. The people of Dali were so frightened that they huddled at the base of the city wall, not even daring to raise their heads. How could they possibly care about defending the city?
Before the cannon fire had even subsided, the monster-shaped hot air balloon arrived, blotting out the sun.
The Taotie with its blue face and fangs, the Golden Roc with its wings about to take flight, and the Flood Dragon with its scales and claws flying, all hung in mid-air with their fangs bared and claws outstretched. Under the sunlight, their ferocious beast faces made the city walls appear pale.
The soldiers and civilians of Dali in the city were already terrified by Li Lin's bombardment. When they saw this "monster descending from the sky," they were even more terrified. Some collapsed to the ground on the spot, crying out "the mountain god is punishing us!" Others abandoned their armor and fled down the city walls, trampling each other. Their cries drowned out the sound of the cannons.
As the hot air balloon hovered, explosive charges and bombs rained down like raindrops.
Some crashed onto the city walls, exploding with a deafening roar; flames and shockwaves swept away entire swathes of the defending troops. Others landed in the city's streets and alleys, igniting houses and sending thick smoke billowing into the sky.
Most importantly, Gao Liangcheng and his men believed that with the Six Jia regular troops already engaged in battle and their power boundless, the Song army would have no chance to attack the city again. Therefore, they were somewhat lax in their city defenses, and the city walls were not even prepared with battering rams. They never imagined that Guo Jing and the Six Jia regular troops had not only escaped, but that Guo Jing was also a spy for the Song Dynasty.
What's more troublesome is that before leaving the city, Guo Jing tricked all the guards into coming down from the city wall under the pretext of deploying the Six Armies.
Just as the people of Dali were furious with Guo Jing, the Song army had already set up ladders below the city. The Song soldiers, wearing double-layered armor, climbed up the ladders with great effort.
Before long, hundreds of Song soldiers climbed the city wall, and more and more followed.
The people of Dali on the city wall were shocked to discover that the Song soldiers had already climbed the wall.
Some Dali officials and generals urgently ordered the Dali garrison to advance and fight, driving the Song soldiers off the city walls.
At this time, there were still many Dali garrison troops on the outskirts of the city.
However, between the Dali people and the Song army's ascent of the city wall, there was a wide open platform, about ten or twenty feet wide. At this time, Li Lin's cannons were whistling as they bombarded the city wall, and terrifying-looking hot air balloons were flying towards the city.
This terrified the people of Dali, and not a single one of them was willing to step forward to stop the Song army from climbing the city wall.
Upon learning that Song troops had already scaled the city walls, Wang Yan immediately ordered the drums to be sounded and the troops to launch a full-scale attack.
Thus, amidst the deafening sound of war drums, tens of thousands of Song soldiers carried ladders and rushed towards the city wall, climbing up the walls in an endless stream.
Seeing the Song army's unstoppable offensive, the Dali people on the city walls were terrified and dared not approach.
Seeing the critical situation, Gao Liangcheng and the others all left the city one after another.
At this moment, Song soldiers came one after another to scale the city walls, while the Dali people on the walls all abandoned their armor and weapons and fled in panic.
Because Yangjumei City is vast and the scouts in each defense zone are unfamiliar with each other, and information cannot be communicated in a timely manner, rumors spread amidst the chaos, and these rumors could not be suppressed.
The guards at the east gate, wanting to escape, lied and said, "His Majesty has surrendered the west gate."
The guards at the north gate, wanting to escape, lied and said, "Prime Minister Gao has surrendered the south gate."
Upon hearing this, the general public and soldiers alike stirred up a commotion.
As a result, the people of Dali abandoned their armor and defected, leaving chaos on the roads; they fled in all directions, not knowing where they were going.
At this moment, people were filled with fear and anxiety, and Yangjumei City was plunged into extreme chaos, as if the end of the world had come.
After the Song soldiers stormed the city walls, they immediately dispersed to both sides. Along the way, all the watchtowers and towers were set on fire by the Song soldiers. The flames stretched across the sky, illuminating the entire city in a crimson glow.
At this moment, the spring breeze rises, the wind swirls and roars, like the sound of thunder.
The fire was fueled by the wind, and the wind fanned the flames, and the fire quickly engulfed the city walls.
Although the Song army had scaled the city walls, they did not descend. They continued to set fire to the walls, burning watchtowers and other defensive structures. The flames would sometimes leap into the sky in the strong wind, and sometimes be driven to their deaths, billowing thick smoke.
Occasionally, the Song army would encounter the Dali army, or even large units of the Dali army.
Ironically, even when only a few Song soldiers encountered hundreds of Dali soldiers, it was the Dali soldiers who fled.
Almost no one from Dali dared to step forward and fight against the Song soldiers.
The Dali army dared not fight the Song soldiers, but they were ruthless when it came to killing their own men.
After the army was routed, more than a hundred Dali officials and generals were killed in a short period of time.
The soldiers and civilians of Dali trampled each other, and the number of the dead was countless.
Some defeated soldiers took the opportunity to plunder the people of Dali. Armed with weapons and armor, they rushed into the homes of the people in the alleys and forced them to bring out firewood, rice, wine and food for them to enjoy.
Many more defeated soldiers ran alongside civilians from the south of the city to the north, shoulder to shoulder.
By this time, all the inner city gates were closed, so they climbed onto the top of the gates and passed through the front gate into the inner city.
Some chose to escape by crossing the river. Others, high-ranking officials and nobles, took their wives and children, changed into coarse clothes, and hid in the homes of ordinary people in humble alleys.
Despite the smooth offensive, the Song army remained cautious and methodical, first securing all the outer city walls and gates, and preventing anyone from leaving the city.
It is worth mentioning that the 30,000 Dali cavalry who had observed this scene outside the city also arrived at the battlefield and tried to stop the Song army from capturing Yangjumei City.
But Wang Yan and the others had been preparing for this for a long time.
Upon seeing the Dali cavalry arrive, he immediately ordered the Song cavalry to advance and engage the Dali cavalry in battle.
The Dali cavalry was based on the Cangshan horse farm and the rural military system that combined soldiers and farmers. They were conscripted during wartime and farmed during peacetime, which was low-cost and quick to mobilize.
Their elite "Wang Juzi" were even more valiant, barefoot and short-armored, with helmets tucked into yak tails. They could gallop swiftly without saddles or bridles, and were accurate with their spears on horseback. They often served as the vanguard of large armies, and during the Nanzhao period, they were used to sweep across the west of Lancang.
The Dali cavalry also understood elephant tactics, and could harass the elephant formation with mounted archery and then launch a surprise attack with elite cavalry.
In the southwest, and even in the Indochina Peninsula, the Dali cavalry were quite formidable, especially suited for mountain and plateau warfare, making them a "regional powerhouse."
However, the Dali cavalry also had obvious weaknesses. Dali lacked good iron, and its cavalry mostly wore light armor, making them vulnerable to group charges by heavily armored cavalry. Their size was limited, with only 30,000 cavalry in the entire country. They were not adept at strategic cavalry group attacks of tens of thousands, and their tactics were more inclined towards ambush and pursuit, rather than large-scale mobile cavalry warfare on plains.
The Song Dynasty cavalry survived battles against the cavalry of northern nomadic and hunting tribes, many of whom were themselves nomadic or hunting tribes. They were undoubtedly the best cavalry in the world, capable of sweeping across the globe.
Therefore, when the Song cavalry and the Dali cavalry clashed, the Song cavalry easily employed a flanking maneuver to put the Dali cavalry at a disadvantage.
Seeing that the Dali cavalry was only capable of such a task, Yang Zheng, the commander of the Song cavalry in charge of this battle, immediately changed his strategy to ambush and annihilate the main force of the Dali cavalry in one battle, killing thousands of riders and wiping out the entire main force of the Dali cavalry.
The outer city of Yangjumei was breached by the Song army, and the people inside were trapped like turtles in a jar. The only hope, the Dali cavalry, was easily defeated by the Song cavalry. It was obvious to anyone that Dali was finished, completely finished.
Upon seeing this, Gao Liangcheng decisively sent someone to discuss the surrender with Chen Kangbo, stating that the entire Duan family of Dali was in his hands. He said that as long as the Song Dynasty was willing to accept Dali's surrender, he would immediately allow the entire Duan family to leave the city, and all the people in Yangjumei City would lay down their weapons, which was essentially equivalent to unconditional surrender.
Their only hope was that the Song Dynasty would spare the Gao family of Dali.
Chen Kangbo talked with the Dali people who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty and completely grasped the status of the Gao family in Dali.
In Chen Kangbo's view, the Gao family of Dali was more troublesome than the Duan family of Dali.
Fundamentally, the Duan family had been nothing more than puppets in the hands of the Gao family for a century. Although they bore the name of the royal family, they had no real military or political power. Although the people of the country recognized the legitimacy of the Duan family, they feared the Gao family's iron fist of military might even more.
The Gao family has controlled the military and political affairs for generations. From Gao Zhisheng's suppression of the rebellion and his seizure of power to Gao Shengtai's usurpation of the country and return of power, their influence has been deeply entrenched for over a hundred years. Most of the generals in the army are Gao family nephews and confidants, and half of the local prefects and governors are from the Gao family. Even the barbarian tribes between Cangshan and Erhai have intermarried and sworn oaths with the Gao family and obey their orders.
This kind of power has long been deeply ingrained in the very bones and blood of Dali, far surpassing the empty imperial title of the Duan family.
Chen Kangbo believed that as long as the Song Dynasty agreed to the Dali Gao family's conditions, the Dali Duan family would be completely eradicated and disappear from the annals of history.
Therefore, the Duan family of Dali is not a cause for concern.
The real threat to the Song Dynasty was the Gao family of Dali.
They hold military power and are well-versed in the strategic importance of Dali's mountains and rivers. If they were truly willing to surrender, that would be one thing. However, the Gao family has been obsessed with power for a century. How could they willingly submit? Today's surrender of the city is merely a result of military pressure. If the Song Dynasty relaxes its guard in the future, or if there is unrest on the border, the Gao family will surely raise their arms and call upon their former subordinates and allied tribes to rise up in response. At that time, the flames of war will reignite on the southwestern border.
"What this land of Dali needs is long-term peace and stability, not to nurture a tiger that will cause trouble. Gao Liangcheng's idea of exchanging the entire Duan clan for the survival of the Gao clan is wishful thinking. The Gao clan must not be allowed to go unpunished. Only by eliminating the Gao clan can we sever the foundation of the old clans of Dali. Our Great Song should send officials to govern, deploy strong troops to defend, and implement benevolent policies to govern. In this way, the entire Yunnan region will be incorporated into our territory, and the southwest will never be disturbed by war again."
Thinking of this, Chen Kangbo's eyes grew cold.
However, Chen Kangbo did not reveal his true thoughts. Instead, he said to the envoy sent by Gao Liangcheng, "If Prime Minister Gao can protect everything in the city, he will naturally be a great contributor. His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty has always rewarded those who have merit and punished those who have committed wrongdoing."
Gao Liangcheng was somewhat uneasy after receiving only this one sentence from Chen Kangbo.
Gao Liangcheng didn't bother to argue or speak up, because he had no leverage left. Now, he could only hope that Chen Kangbo was telling the truth, that Zhao Yu was fair in his rewards and punishments, and that he wouldn't forget his contributions.
Gao Liangcheng was also a ruthless man. Without hesitation, he led the army loyal to the Gao family into the palace, which he had already taken control of. He said to Duan Zhengyan, who seemed calm, "Dali is dead. Your Majesty, please lead the entire royal family and clan to surrender and save the lives in the city."
Duan Zhengyan showed no anger, nor even surprise.
As early as the negotiation stage between the Song Dynasty and Dali, Gao Liangcheng had already expressed on behalf of Duan Zhengyan that as long as the Song Dynasty was willing, Duan Zhengyan could go to Beijing to receive the investiture of the King of Yunnan, without giving any consideration to Duan Zhengyan's personal safety.
Anyway, there are other members of the Duan family. If Duan Zhengyan is imprisoned or killed by Zhao Yu, the Gao family can simply install another member of the Duan family as emperor. Moreover, if things really develop in this direction, the Gao family can use this to promote themselves, garner some sympathy votes, and incite public opinion to rally the people of Dali to resist the invasion of the Song Dynasty.
In short, Gao Liangcheng never considered Duan Zhengyan's personal safety, nor the safety of the Dali Duan family, from beginning to end.
Duan Zhengyan knew perfectly well that he was actually a puppet in Gao Liangcheng's hands, and that he and the Dali Duan family could be sacrificed by Gao Liangcheng and the Dali Gao family at any time.
Duan Zhengyan didn't say anything else, only asking, "Will the Empress come out of the city with me?"
Hearing Duan Zhengyan ask this question, Gao Liangcheng clearly hesitated!
Do not!
It should be said that Gao Liangcheng looked troubled.
Empress Gao was also from the Gao clan of Dali, and was the daughter of Gao Taiming, the former Duke of Dali.
Gao Taiming was the son of Gao Shengtai, who had deposed and installed the Dali Duan family as emperor. It was under Gao Shengtai's instruction that he returned the throne to the Dali Duan family.
The lineage of Gao Shengtai, Gao Taiming, and Empress Gao has always been the main lineage of the Gao family in Dali, and the people of this lineage are the true rulers of Dali.
Empress Gao was the undisputed legitimate daughter of the Gao clan of Dali. Her status as Empress of Dali made her one of the most powerful members of the Gao clan, and even Gao Liangcheng had to act according to her wishes to a certain extent.
To put it simply, although Duan Zhengyan was the emperor of Dali, the highest power in Dali was actually held by Gao Liangcheng and his niece, the Empress Gao, and in many cases, the latter was even the one in charge.
If Gao Liangcheng could make the decision for Empress Gao, he would definitely be willing to send her out of the city as well.
The problem is, Gao Liangcheng can't afford to offend his aunt.
Moreover, everyone knows that as long as Empress Gao leaves the city, she will definitely be taken into Zhao Yu's harem and become his plaything, just like the queens and empresses of other countries.
Would Empress Gao agree to this?
The most troublesome thing is that Empress Gao is indeed a member of the Dali Duan family.
So, seeing Duan Zhengyan pass the buck to him, Gao Liang was in a real bind...
...(End of chapter)