Chapter 1017
: The Defeat of Runan City
Chapter 1017: The Defeat of Runan City
"Hurry, come this way,"
"Everyone, move faster. Don't let the enemy scouts target you."
On the official road leading to Runan City,
There was a group of remnants of soldiers running southward at a high speed. They did not take the official road but only took the small roads. Their number was not large, but not small either, more than a thousand people.
As the group of people were running along the path, the scouts from Luo Yunhou's army had already spotted them.
"Let's go and see where these defeated soldiers came from."
"Yes, Captain, men, gather around."
The officers and soldiers in the battalion immediately kicked their horses and chased after them. Only the fleeing soldiers were still rushing back without knowing anything. At this time, the first few people realized something was wrong and immediately squatted down.
"There are cavalry, squat down quickly, quickly,"
Following the order from the leading lieutenant, the thousand or so defeated soldiers behind them immediately drew their weapons and formed a battle array on the side. Fear flashed on everyone's face. Now they were no longer wearing armor, only had sharp blades in their hands. If they met the White Lotus Sect, there was no doubt that they would not be able to escape.
As if he was determined to die, Deputy General Xiao Lin drew out his long sword and looked at the black shadows that appeared on the official road ahead with a firm face.
Just at this time,
The ground was shaking, and the shadows were getting closer. Looking closely, they were cavalrymen with imperial armor. Could they be imperial soldiers? But this was Qinzhou, where did the imperial soldiers come from? Just as he was wondering, a captain shouted from behind.
"General, they are imperial cavalry, probably a scout battalion."
This shout made the whole team agitated. Xiao Lin quickly put down his hand and said;
"Don't take it lightly. The White Lotus Sect has seized so many imperial weapons and armors. It's easy for them to gather these. Be careful."
This sentence silenced the whole team. Yes, the armor used by the White Lotus Sect was all sent by the imperial court. Seeing the cavalry getting closer and closer, everyone's hands holding the weapons were sweating slightly and dared not make a sound.
Seeing the cavalry approaching, he was about to attack, but he saw the man pull the reins and ask;
"Whose army do you belong to?"
The deputy general was so delighted that he almost cried for joy.
"We are under the command of General Duan of Runan City. When Runan City was destroyed, the remaining defenders fled in all directions. We fled from the south gate and are now hiding in various manors. I don't know why you came from the south, brothers. Wasn't Qinzhou taken away by the White Lotus Sect?"
Although I was happy, I couldn't relax. I still asked for clarification.
Several scouts looked puzzled. It was a bit strange that the defeated soldiers from Runan City would roam around here after so many days. But fortunately, this group of people did not look like members of the White Lotus Sect.
"The bandits in Qinzhou City have long been frightened by the Marquis and have retreated north. Now there are no bandits in the entire southern part of Beijing."
The words were spoken lightly, shocking the group of people in front of him, who were full of disbelief.
"Brother, which Lord are you talking about?"
Several people hid here for more than half a month, and they didn't know what happened next.
"Who else could it be? It must be Marquis Luo Yun and His Royal Highness Prince Jin. The imperial army has already defeated the main force of the Taiping Cult."
The scout camp leader was a little emotional. These remnants of soldiers in front of him looked almost like human beings. They were still alive, which showed that they were determined.
"That's good, that's good. The imperial court will send troops. After the defeat of Runan City, the governor retreated to Shizhou to garrison. The White Lotus Rebellion army followed behind. I don't know how the governor is doing now."
At this point, the deputy general's face was full of regret. He should have fought to the death that day.
"General, don't feel guilty. It's good enough to be alive. Brothers, please follow me back to the camp and give you a horse."
"Yes, boss,"
Following a call, the scout behind him freed a horse and led it over. Xiao Lin did not hesitate and jumped on the horse.
"Lead the way,"
"go!"
A cloud of dust rose up, and a few people returned to the camp first. The rest of the people followed the scouts and moved forward slowly.
I don’t know how much time passed,
Inside the army camp, Zhang Jinyu was not in a hurry. After breakfast, he left the tent and ordered the army to continue moving forward. They had set up camp earlier yesterday so that the brothers could rest for a while. They were not in a hurry to march this morning just to ask about the vision yesterday.
As soon as I left the tent, I looked up at the sun hanging in the east. It was normal, the weather was good, with a few clouds passing by occasionally. There was nothing strange like yesterday.
"My Lord, the army has received the order and is packing up the camp."
In front of him, Ning Bian had sent back a message, and the surrounding soldiers began to collect the tents on the main camp. The Prince of Jin and his entourage also walked out of the tent, and when they saw the Marquis and others here, they walked over quickly.
"My Lord, is there anything unusual today?"
Seeing the two of them sitting here, Zhang Jinyu nodded and yawned.
"Your Highness, there is no need for such an incident. It must have been a coincidence yesterday. The army has been camped since then, and scouts have been sent out more than 30 miles away. If there was any movement, they would have reported it long ago, and they would not have waited until now."
He winked at Ning Bian, who nodded in understanding and took his personal soldiers to prepare a carriage for the King of Jin. King of Jin Zhou Ding then reached out and touched his chest and abdomen. Not only had he not slept well since yesterday, but his eyelids were also twitching. What did the Marquis say about eyelid twitching before?
"With what the Marquis said, I am not worried anymore, but I tossed and turned all night, my right eyelid kept twitching, and I felt a little nervous."
Zhang Jinyu turned around quickly and saw that King Jin looked a little listless, with a dimness around his eyes. Perhaps he had just had breakfast and was still a little excited. As the saying goes, if the left eye twitches, it means good fortune, but if the right eye twitches, it means disaster. But there was nothing wrong with either eye, so he tried to comfort him.
"Your Highness, don't think too much. The strange thing that happened yesterday was so sudden that we were naturally a little panicked. That's why I ordered the soldiers to have more rest time. We are not in a hurry to move on. Now that the army has eaten and drunk enough, it's time to pack up and move on. Once you get on the carriage, Your Highness should lie down and rest for a while."
The carriage of the King of Jin was originally spacious, and Zhang Jinyu modified it inside so that two people could sleep on both sides of the carriage. As for the remaining two eunuchs who were guarding, they had long been driven to the carriage at the back by Zhang Jinyu. After all, he really couldn't agree with the smell of eunuchs.
"Well, I am worried. I will follow the Marquis's arrangements."
Zhou Ding also felt that he was making a fuss out of nothing. Since last night, he had followed the Marquis to inspect the camp and found nothing wrong. Today, the sky had cleared up and he felt much more at ease. However, he was still worried about the situation in the capital.
Just as everyone was packing up their tents, suddenly, a team of scouts came running over from the front camp. The leading scout commander immediately dismounted and ran over, "Report, Lord, I went 20 miles ahead and found the defeated army of Runan City in a village. There was also a deputy commander of the battalion alive. After I found him, I brought him back directly."
A trace of solemnity flashed across his face. He learned from Deputy General Xiao that the White Lotus Sect was unfathomable.
"Oh, there are still people alive, please come in."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
The battalion commander immediately stood up, clasped his fists in response, and then led a man to the front. He was stopped by Zhang Jinyu's personal soldiers and allowed to approach after a body search. Zhang Jinyu looked at the man, whose almost shabby appearance did not look like a human. He was wearing exposed clothes, had a dark complexion, and was so thin that he was almost inhuman. He was no different from those starving people. If it weren't for the last bit of red official robe on his body, he might have been a savage from somewhere.
"I am Xiao Lin, the deputy commander of the south gate of Runan City and the general of the defeated army. I greet the Marquis and His Highness."
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed obediently. His body was stiff and he could not stand steadily. It seemed that he would be blown away by the wind. Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu felt that he was lucky to be alive until now. He ordered,
"Come here, bring some bowls of porridge to Deputy General Xiao, and then bring some dry food."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
Ning Bian responded and asked his personal soldiers to go to the carriage to get some porridge. Xiao Lin swallowed his saliva, took the bowl of porridge without avoiding people, drank it all in one breath, and licked the bottom of the bowl clean. When the personal soldiers brought the naan wrapped with meat,
He almost pounced on it, grabbed it in his hand, and swallowed it up ravenously.
"Don't be in a hurry, eat slowly, there's plenty of meat."
Seeing the man in front of him in such a mess, Zhang Jinyu couldn't help but remind him that people who have been hungry for a long time can only eat some light food, and then eat some food to fill their stomachs. They must not overeat, otherwise, they will easily choke to death.
"Uh, hiccup, thank you, Lord. I lost my composure."
Following Zhang Jinyu's reminder, the deputy general Xiao Lin in front of him regained consciousness, took the water bag and drank a sip of water, then slowly held the naan and began to eat.
"Well, don't worry. I want to ask you, the walls of Runan are high and strong, and the governor of Wei is very talented, so how could they lose the city in less than ten days? What's the reason?"
They had seen the fighting style of the Taiping Sect. They were fearless and brave, and their battle formations were well-organized. They could almost be said to be a strong enemy. The White Lotus Sect had always been boasted about, but they had never seen it with their own eyes. So far, they had not even seen a single person since they came here. They always felt that it was mysterious.
Seeing what the Marquis asked, King Zhou Ding of Jin was also full of curiosity. Could it be that the Wei governor did this on purpose?
"My Lord, I dare not hide the fact that Runan City had prepared defenses long before the White Lotus bandits came. Governor Wei recruited young and strong men to strengthen the city defenses, and also prepared a lot of rolling logs and rocks. General Duan even personally led the troops to inspect the city. It can be said that the city is as solid as a rock."
After a pause, a trace of fear suddenly flashed across Yun Ben's still numb face. Zhang Jinyu was surprised. If they had been prepared for this, why couldn't they hold out for ten days? Could there be an insider?
"Since they were well prepared, why didn't Runan City hold out for less than ten days? Even if the White Lotus Sect besieged it, Governor Wei would have been able to deal with it calmly if he was well prepared."
Zhang Jinyu also knew Wei Xiangping of Runan. The reason why he was able to become the governor of Runan was because he had a younger sister sent from the palace. However, he was also quite talented. Of course, without talent, it would be difficult for him to hold this position. As for General Duan, if I guessed correctly, he should be Duan Kaiyuan, the garrison general of Runan. Zhang Jinyu didn't know much about him.
"My Lord, I had the same idea at the time. However, that day, after dawn, hundreds of thousands of White Lotus soldiers came from the west. They should have come from Huaizhong City. When they approached the city, they did not wait and directly surrounded it from all sides. Within a day, corpses were scattered all over the city. They would not stop until sunset. This continued for three days. The soldiers in the city suffered great losses and there were almost no soldiers left."
Xiao Lin's face turned pale, and he was so frightened that he even put down the naan in his hand. He recalled the day when the city was captured, and the 3,000 soldiers under his command who defended the city barely lasted an hour before retreating to the inner city.
"It's the same fighting style. It's really a tradition. The Taiping Cult has learned 70% to 80% of it. Since you didn't hold on, how did you escape the encirclement of the White Lotus Cult? I don't believe that the White Lotus Cult will let you out."
"Don't blame me, my lord. I led my army to guard the east gate of the inner city that day. Most of the outer city had already fallen. Governor Wei gathered the last of his troops and broke out from the north city, attracting a large number of pursuers. I stayed behind in the inner city. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, I led my men to fight my way out from the east gate and fled eastward. Unexpectedly, no enemy troops followed me. Fortunately, I had a lot of dry food with me, so I was able to endure until today."
Xiao Lin's face was full of doubts. It seemed like a dream in the past half month. King Jin touched his chin, then raised his head and looked at the Marquis, as if asking something. Zhang Jinyu nodded in understanding and continued to ask;
"How many soldiers did the White Lotus Sect leave in Runan?"
"Including the White Lotus Sect's slave army, there are no less than 100,000 people."
After all, on the way out, I did some reconnaissance and gained some results. Although I couldn't guess how many people were still in Runan City, I could roughly estimate it. When I said it casually, the faces of the people around me tightened. There were actually so many people.
"Alright, Ningbian, have someone take Lieutenant General Xiao down to have a good rest. Also, take good care of the brothers who have returned. Pass the order, and the army will set off."
"Yes, my Lord."
Following the response, the sound of horns rang out from the imperial army's camp. After Zhang Jinyu helped the King of Jin onto the carriage, he followed in. The army went ahead, and the baggage followed behind.
Following this north-south official road, we continued to slowly head north. In the wilderness, we saw green grass. The closer we got to the north, the more lush the trees became.
As the army set out, dust rose up on the official road, covering the sky and the sun. In the yellow dust, flags stood in a forest, and a momentum of choosing who to kill came towards them.
The carriage of the King of Jin was still at the front. Inside the carriage, Lan Yue'er and Xia Yu sat on the soft couch at the back of the carriage. On the contrary, the King of Jin and Marquis Luo Yun, one on each side, lay flat in the carriage, their bodies swaying from side to side with the swaying of the carriage, enjoying themselves in a special way.
However, this official road had been in disrepair for a long time and was full of potholes. Zhang Jinyu had just felt comfortable for a while before he couldn't sleep well due to the bumpy ride on the road. So he simply got up, took out his water bag and took a sip of water.
"My Lord, the deputy general Xiao just said that there are heavy troops left in Runan City. If we attack the city, the casualties will be great. It is better to siege it. If my Lord does not attack the city, the army will go north and enter Xihe County. Can we attack the main force of the White Lotus Sect from the north and south to reduce casualties?"
No wonder the King of Jin was so cautious. It was because of what the Deputy General Xiao said just now that he was a little shocked. The White Lotus Sect actually had so many soldiers and horses. Wasn't it just another Taiping Sect? If that was true, who knows how many people in the imperial army would die.
Zhang Jinyu, who had already sat up, stroked his chin and thought carefully. There was nothing wrong with what King Jin said, but on second thought, if he left Runan City as a thorn, if the enemy's garrison commander got carried away and led his troops to break out to the south, or to follow to the north, it would be a disaster. Even if he left troops to besiege, how many soldiers would be needed? The battle had been going on until today, and the court's army of hundreds of thousands had suffered so many casualties that they were already tired. If he did not intensify his efforts and dragged on, they would lose their fighting spirit.
"Your Highness's words make sense, but Your Highness has not considered whether the bandits in Runan City can hide in peace in the city. Whether it is the Taiping Sect bandits or the White Lotus Sect witch, they are all very easy to bewitch people. If the bandits in Runan City break out and think of going north or south, it will be a big trouble. Even if we leave troops to besiege the city, Your Highness, how many people do you need?"
With a gleam in his eyes, he stared into the eyes of His Royal Highness Prince Jin and asked in return, "What Prince Jin was thinking was too straightforward. The fight between two armies is not a joke."
Perhaps knowing that he had said something wrong, Jin Wang Zhou Ding showed a hint of shyness on his face. He stopped lying on the couch and sat cross-legged like the Marquis.
"I didn't think much about these. After all, the White Lotus Sect is famous and its main force is still there. Its fighting power is not weaker than those of the Taiping Sect. If we fight head-on, the casualties will inevitably be too great. If we can reduce the casualties, we should give it a try."
Youyou sighed. The court had its own difficulties, and he also had his own difficulties. He had only completed one of the tasks assigned by his father, and the rest were almost invisible. Not only had the bandit leader not been caught, but the casualties of the army remained high. How could he not be worried?
"Your Highness, please be at ease. I understand."
Zhang Jinyu didn't explain too much. Just agree to it. It was nothing more than a promise to comfort. If they really fought, there would be deaths.
Think about the rumors about the White Lotus Sect. It is said that there are many martial arts sects involved in the White Lotus Sect. I don't know whether it is true or not.
Just thinking,
Just at the intersection north of the official road,
Many sturdy figures appeared on the official road, all wearing black clothes and bamboo hats. All of them were wrapped in turbans, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
Behind him were a group of warriors in black, looking extremely powerful.
Looking at the yellow dust covering the sky and the dull footsteps on the official road not far away, the eyes of the leaders suddenly changed. One of the slim women spoke in a clear and beautiful voice,
"It is said that the imperial army is made up of lords. Now it seems that the rumor is untrue. I don't know what means Luo Yunhou used to train the imperial army to be so elite. No wonder the Taiping Sect, which claimed to be the king, hastily retreated south. Even the arrogant White Lotus Sect had to avoid its edge. It is true that there is no false reputation under the great name, isn't it, Pavilion Master Tang?"
The smiling words still lingered in his ears. The man called Tang Pavilion Master gathered the reins in his hands and did not even turn his head.
"It is said that Master Fang of Xuanbing Palace is cold and ruthless. From Tang's perspective today, it is just a rumor. The imperial army is one of the best in the world. How can they be called old soldiers? It is just a rumor spread by those villains. Marquis Luo Yun is a rare famous general in the world. He has never been defeated when he has met a strong opponent. The Taiping Sect has now retreated to Lingnan, leaving only the White Lotus Sect trapped in Xihe County. It will not last long. Master Fang, what do you think?"
(End of this chapter)