Chapter 1034
Shui Rong had a plan
Chapter 1034 Shui Rong had a plan
The next morning,
When the morning light pierced through the thick clouds, the black battle flags on the top of the city were already stained with thick, dried blood. Luo Yunhou, who had risen early, stood beside the battlements with his sword in hand. The morning mist, wrapped in some smell of corruption, drifted over his gilded armor with beast-face patterns, and condensed into tiny drops of water between his brows.
Looking at this city once known as the "Pearl of the Ru River", now only some foggy desolation remains, shivering in the morning light.
Behind him, there followed the King of Jin and the four sect masters. Although Luo Yunhou had taken Runan City without a single drop of blood, the ruins and thick bloodstains inside and outside the city all spoke of the brutality of the siege. The King of Jin touched the cold battlements of the city wall and asked;
"My Lord, it is said that Wei Xiangping, the governor of Runan City, is a man of both civil and military talents. Why couldn't he hold out for even ten days after gathering more than 100,000 soldiers? I have seen that the city defenses here are extremely strong, and there are sufficient supplies to defend the city. How did the enemy army do it when they only have numbers but no elite siege equipment?"
This puzzled the Prince of Jin. After all, he had seen with his own eyes on the day when the Marquis attacked the city that no matter how brave the attacking soldiers were, they were still at a disadvantage compared to the defending soldiers. The casualties were so great that they had never seen anything like it in his life. But how did those evil people from the White Lotus Sect and the Taiping Sect manage to take down these fortified cities?
These questions, not to mention King Jin, even the four sect leaders behind him were full of curiosity and their answers were true.
"Your Highness, look at the buildings inside and outside the city. They are almost stained red with blood. I have told Your Highness before that the Taiping Sect and the White Lotus Sect, with their numerical advantage, almost overwhelmed these cities. They went to each place and robbed it. There are refugees and rebels everywhere. When the number of people reaches a certain level, they cannot be treated according to common sense."
The so-called quantitative change has turned into qualitative change. As the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant. I wonder if the people in the Central Plains know this. No matter how talented and capable the Wei governor is, how can he defend the city with the soldiers of the government army who can no longer lift swords or wear armor? The so-called 100,000 soldiers, among whom are elite, are probably only 30,000.
"My Lord, what you mean is that as long as the number of people reaches a certain level, no matter how strong the city is, it cannot be defended. What's the point of having a strong city?"
Prince Jin frowned. If that was the case, there would be no city in the world that could be defended. Seeing that Prince Jin did not believe him, Zhang Jinyu just smiled and recalled the records in the books of his previous life. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was a peasant uprising. There were so many refugees that the imperial court was beaten without any chance to fight back. Especially in the northwest, there was only cannibalism. The key lies in people.
"According to military books, whether to defend or not is not something a commander can easily decide. If there are refugees everywhere and the troops are depleted, how can they not be defeated?"
Zhang Jinyu shook his head and did not explain why. Even if those gentry were killed, they would not easily take out their money and grain. Human greed is not formed in a short time. If the court has no money and grain, even the gods cannot save it.
A group of people walked on the city wall and looked around. The morning light swept across the wild grass outside the city and shone on the morning dew, startling a few crows. The flapping of wings broke the silence. In the distance, the official road meandered like a faded ribbon, and scattered there were straw mats and baby swaddling clothes left behind by the people when they fled, as well as a bronze hairpin half stuck in the mud, which shone coldly under the morning sun. It was a desolate place.
On one side of the city, wooden beams of collapsed houses lay across the city, with sporadic sparks still remaining between the burnt beams and pillars. Further away, on the bluestone road that was once a bustling market, cracked wine jars lay on the ground, with dark red wine mixed with mud and winding around, surprisingly similar in color to the morning glow surging in the sky.
For a moment, everyone was silent.
Just at this time,
There were hurried footsteps from the soldiers at the foot of the city.
"Report, Lord, the army in the city has assembled. General Duan asks for instructions on whether to go north."
"Report, Lord, the scout camp has received news that the White Lotus rebels have re-fortified the defenses of Shizhou City, and their number is about 100,000."
"Report, Lord, the White Lotus rebels in the city have taken off their armor and are being held in the East City Camp by Guard General Song."
The successive reports also made the atmosphere on the city wall suddenly tense. Zhang Jinyu took a deep breath, looked at the towering mountains in the north, and muttered that the day of returning to Beijing was not far away.
I wonder if I can make it back to the capital in time to see the birthday banquet for the retired emperor held in the palace. Looking back at His Royal Highness Prince Jin, he still looked a little worried. I wonder if these princes can make it back in time.
"Send an order. The army will set out immediately and head north to Shizhou City. Then quickly send out scouts to find out the situation in Yangping and Xihe County City."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
As Zhang Jinyu gave the order, everyone on the city wall was moved. Could it be that the decisive battle would take place in the next few days? Especially the several sect leaders, their eyes were full of excitement. If the imperial court won a great victory, those who were attached to them might be able to make further progress.
"My Lord, if this battle goes well, the day of returning to the capital will not be far away."
The King of Jin patted the stone wall in front of him. He missed his mother and his own palace. He didn't know whether his father and mother were in good health. As for his second and third brothers, Zhou Ding's eyes flickered. Whether they would get help from the North Palace and the East Palace, he could only wait and see.
"Your Highness, rest assured. The battle has been decided. The day of returning to the capital is not far away. It all depends on how the White Lotus Sect breaks through. If everything goes well, we should be able to return for the birthday banquet of the Emperor. Let's go."
Zhang Jinyu nodded and was the first to go down the tower. At the foot of the city, the imperial guards had already stopped the carriage at the gate. After several people got on the carriage,
Then, the army set off, and the atmosphere in the car seemed a little light. The King of Jin seemed to have let go of many things. Zhang Jinyu saw all this, but did not investigate it. To this day, with the rebellion being surrendered, the only ones left in the pass were the princes and the military governors, and the remaining two rebels could only be ranked second.
Unfortunately, these top issues cannot be resolved without war.
"Hurry, follow us, march faster along the official road."
With a shout from the general outside the camp, the army's pace gradually increased.
Xihe County City,
Although it was early in the morning, the city and the outside world were filled with shouts of killing. Outside the city, the White Lotus Sect, under the supervision of the religious army, began to charge forward fearlessly. After one battalion was killed, another battalion rushed forward, and the battle continued.
Especially the Left Protector of the White Lotus Sect, who rode his horse into the front of the battle and announced loudly on the spot;
"Anyone who reaches the summit first will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be made a hall master. Anyone who retreats or is afraid of fighting will be killed without mercy."
"The guardian has ordered that anyone who reaches the summit first will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be made a hall master. Anyone who retreats or is afraid of fighting and refuses to advance will be killed without mercy."
As the order from the Left Protector spread throughout the army, the White Lotus Sect's troops inevitably caused a commotion. Following the order from the Northern Leader Qian Tanghai, the elite of the sect began to advance slowly.
"Gather the archers and crossbowmen, protect them with a shield formation, and throw arrows at the top of the city walls. All troops and horses, continue to attack the city."
Afterwards, the elite of the White Lotus Sect, 30,000 in a dense array of shields, pressed behind the slave army and began to advance slowly, pressing forward like a tidal wave.
On the south tower of the county city, Jiao Ke's face was pale. The battle had only lasted for less than an hour, but his soldiers' clothes were already stained with blood. Those strong new soldiers could hardly survive half an hour. Looking around, there were dangers everywhere.
On the top of the city wall, Deputy General Wu Kuang was still leading the army and directing the battle to defend the city.
"Quick, pour the kerosene down, set fire, set fire,"
As the officers and soldiers on the top of the city poured pots of golden juice and kerosene down, screams could be heard. When torches were set on fire, an even more tragic scene came into view. Many thieves were covered in flames and rolled on the ground frantically. After a while, they were burned to charcoal. However, as the supervision team joined in, the people in the slave army camp had to climb the ladders.
"Bowmen, get ready. 150 steps. Shoot as many as you can. Release."
Seeing the elite troops of the enemy approaching, almost at the same time, the soldiers and archers on and under the city walls, following the order of the battalion commander, almost at the same time, a black cloud rose from the battle formations of both sides, and quickly flew out, covering the other side. Almost instantly, people fell to the ground, and screams were heard. However, the battalion commander was unmoved and shouted;
"Gather the formation, keep shooting, quick,"
It was almost an exchange, with corpses thrown from the city walls like rain.
Ever since the county city was besieged two days ago, the White Lotus sect members have been like crazy, and have been attacking the city almost as soon as the sun rises, regardless of life or death. Although they have been prepared for this, when the day finally comes, almost all the officials in the city are silent.
Even the usually courageous King Zhou Long of Wei, when he stood on the attic and looked at the city wall from afar, could not help but feel terrified by the brutal fighting.
inside the house,
Many officials gathered here in silence, except for Beijing Prince Shui Rong, who hung a geomancy map of the county city on the wall behind him and drew a circle at the south gate.
"Report, Your Majesty, urgent news from the South Gate. The enemy army climbed up the city wall three times, but General Jiao fought hard to suppress them. However, the city gate has been continuously hit by the enemy's siege vehicles and has cracked. Moreover, the enemy's strength has not decreased, but has increased. The soldiers guarding the city have been rotated three times and are exhausted. General Jiao requests Your Majesty to reinforce them."
At this time, everyone in the room was already in a panic. They looked at the captain who came to deliver the message. Not only was he covered in blood, but the bloody smell hit them in the face, causing several officials in the county government office to sneeze.
"So fast, Your Majesty, the enemy army is fighting like this, the defenders of South City will definitely not be able to hold on, Your Majesty, please mobilize the troops quickly."
Seeing that there was no movement in the house, King Wei Zhou Long frowned. The military affairs were urgent, so how could he neglect them? So he asked if there were enough troops at the West Gate and the East Gate, maybe he could transfer some troops to the South City for support.
Hearing the question from the King of Wei, many officials agreed with him. They were all worried about the South Gate. If the enemy army broke into the city, their lives and property would be in danger. Seeing that the King of Beijing Shui Rong did not speak, everyone became increasingly anxious.
Fortunately, after just a short while, Shui Rong finally spoke.
"Send an order, order Xue Shou to lead 20,000 troops to rotate the guards at the South Gate. Tell Xue Shou to make sure everything is safe. Also, send another 5,000 troops to Yunguang's West Gate."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will pass the order immediately."
The lieutenant wiped the blood off his face, agreed grimly, and then quickly ran out of the room. After he left, the tense expressions of the people in the room seemed to be relieved.
The prefect Li Chengliang slowly stood up and bowed to Beijing Prince Shui Rong and the Third Prince.
"Your Highness, there are only 30,000 soldiers available in the city. The South Gate is in a tight spot, so it goes without saying that 20,000 soldiers have been sent. Why do we need to send 5,000 soldiers to the West Gate? If the South Gate is in a tight spot again, there will be no soldiers left in the city."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I think that these 5,000 soldiers should all be sent to the South City to assist General Jiao in defending the city to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Tongzhi Yu Fei emphasized the last few words. At present, the battle at the South Gate was fierce, and General Jiao was so young. As the saying goes, a young man with no hair on his mouth cannot do things well. Even if there are several deputy generals who can be of great use, the key is that they are not at ease.
"It doesn't matter. Even if there are few bandits climbing the city wall, Xue Shou is there to stop them. The position of the west gate is also tight. Yun Guang is not mentioned, and the pressure is also great. Today is the third day of defending the city. We have suffered heavy casualties, and the bandits have suffered even more. If we fight like this every day, even if the bandits have a large number of people, they will not be able to hold out for a few days. The young and strong men in the city, as well as the guards of the merchants and the guards of the wealthy families, have all gathered together."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong was not worried. Even though he had been exhausted in the past few days, the young and strong men recruited in the city, as well as some of the servants and guards of the aristocratic families, were not just a few. When they were assembled, there were as many as 10,000 people. As for why so many people were needed, Shui Rong did not want to ask more. The situation in Xihe County was almost known to the world. If one did not have a few means to save his life, he really could not survive here.
"Your Highness, the people gathered from various families and mansions, as well as the young and strong refugees recruited, total 50,000 people, have all been sent to the city walls to defend the city. After a few days of fighting, they have almost been wiped out. Even if we forcibly recruit young and strong people, it will only be a drop in the bucket and the fighting power is insufficient."
The person in charge of this matter was Tongpan Liu Yunze, who personally handled everything from military equipment and supplies to the raising of food and wages, and did not dare to slack off in the slightest. As soon as these young and strong men were assembled, they were escorted by General Xue Shou to the city walls to defend the city. Although some soldiers were dissatisfied, facing the enemy army's siege, they would only die under the sword if they did not resist.
Upon hearing this, the King of Wei could no longer sit still. Thinking back to before, Prince of Beijing Shui Rong had been trying to persuade him to stay in Jinzhou, but he refused to leave. This time, he was left in a dangerous place. Fortunately, there were enough supplies in the city, so as long as the troops could keep up, there was no need to worry about losing the city. But where would the troops come from?
"Your Highness, the enemy's offensive has continued for three consecutive days. The corpses of the enemy soldiers under the city have been piled up layer by layer, but there is still no reduction. So, whether there will be any changes in the south is something we don't know about."
King Wei was also somewhat surprised. They all said that the White Lotus Sect was crazy. Now that he saw it, it was indeed true. Fortunately, there was a strong city to defend, but such behavior would not arouse suspicion from others.
The King of Wei's question was like an explanation. The other people in the room looked at each other. Maybe the King of Wei was right. Could it be that the imperial court's reinforcements had arrived?
"Yes, Your Majesty, could it be that the situation in Jingnan has changed? Marquis Luo Yun has already swept across Jingnan."
The prefect Li Chengliang had a look of disbelief on his face, and his words were mostly speculative. Unexpectedly, the co-prefect Yu Fei beside him shook his head.
"How is that possible? Even if Marquis Luo Yun is a master at using his military skills and destroys their main force, the city of Linshan County is much stronger than where we are. If the Taiping Sect gathers a large number of troops to defend the city like we do, how many days will it take for Marquis Luo Yun to conquer the city given the madness of those rebels in the Taiping Sect?"
Yu Fei didn't say these words intentionally, it was the truth. If it was a small town, it would be fine, but the county town is not so easy to fight.
"Yes, as long as the rebel army occupies the important places in the county city, the imperial army will never dare to easily detour to the south, so I can't think of where the change is."
Fortunately, Tongpan Liu Yunze took a look at the geomancy map behind the prince. The scattered cities were like stars, painted red. Needless to say, they must have been occupied by the enemy army. Unfortunately, after the county city was besieged, there was no more information from the outside world, or in other words, almost no news came.
Shui Rong turned around and sat in the main seat, looking at the several adults in the room. Although they looked worried, they did not try to escape, which meant they were loyal to the court.
"Everyone, no matter what happens in Jingnan, the main force of the White Lotus Sect is right outside the city. As long as the main force of the White Lotus Sect does not return to Jingnan, I have completed what Marquis Luo Yun ordered. There are still 10,000 elite troops in the city, and they must not be used at will. Yesterday, the Imperial City Department reported that Qi Yun's 20,000 vanguard troops and Jinzhou's 10,000 troops have almost reached the vicinity of the county city. If General Qi can judge the situation, this battle will not be lost."
Shui Rong didn't want to say this, but the enemy army attacked the city very urgently today. Except for the 10,000 elite soldiers left in the city, everyone has already gone up to the city wall to defend. The defense line is shaky. If it weren't for calming people's hearts, he would definitely not say these words.
The King of Wei was startled, but then he was delighted. The Northern Prince's Mansion's vanguard corps was once the trusted corps of the old prince of the Northern Prince's Mansion. They once used 30,000 vanguard troops to kill through the White Lotus Sect's main flank formation, causing the main force on the flank to collapse, and even won the initiative for the main force of the Beijing Camp.
Especially General Qi Yun, who was a brave general. With him in command, the county city should be safe. However, only King Beijing knew when to send out troops to fight.
"Okay, since General Qi is here, at least the official road north of the county city is safe. Your Majesty, when do you think it is appropriate to send troops? I think the troops led by General Qi are too few. Even if they come here, the difference in numbers cannot be made up."
The joy on everyone's faces just now gradually disappeared with the words of King Wei. Yes, the White Lotus Sect had so many people. With only 30,000 reinforcements, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to kill them all without even a wave. Even the heavenly soldiers and generals couldn't kill through the main formation of the White Lotus Sect and capture the leader of the White Lotus Sect alive, thus winning the battle in one go.
If this is true, inside the pass, it will not only be Marquis Luo Yun who will become famous. By then, Prince Beijing will surpass Marquis Luo Yun and become famous throughout the world!
(End of this chapter)