Chapter 1038
: The Defeat of the White Lotus Sect
Chapter 1038: The Defeat of the White Lotus Sect
Xihe County,
On the official road to the north,
This time,
Qi Yun, the governor of Ping'anzhou, has led 30,000 troops to the northern border of the county town. Since yesterday, they have set up camp in the valley. After a day's rest, they gathered their troops again and ambushed behind a small hill in the north to block the view. They have been ambushing since noon, and there has been no movement.
"Report, Jiedushi, the enemy troops have sent reinforcements again. They have been rotated twice. The defense of the county city is still going on."
In front,
Qiyun's deputy general Song Hao, wearing heavy armor, ran back from the front with sweat on his forehead. Although the defenders on the city wall were tenacious, the enemy army was endless, which was rare in the world.
General Qi had a calm expression on his face. He was wearing a black iron chain mail and a breastplate on his chest, which reflected a faint light. On the side of his horse hung a gilded goose-feather knife. His fingers were covered with calluses from years of holding the knife, and the protruding blue veins made him look even more weathered.
"Well, it's almost time. The White Lotus sect has been attacking three times a day, with about 40,000 people each time. So far, this has been going on for three days in a row, so the losses of the enemy army have exceeded half. Today is the day to defeat the enemy."
Qi Yun's face darkened, how could he not know the fighting style of the White Lotus Sect? Back then, it was he who led the elite troops of the Northern Palace and attacked the main formation of the left wing in one fell swoop, causing it to be defeated.
Now, the vanguard of the Northern Palace was in his hands, and the opponent was an old rival. Although he was not panicking, he was a little scared.
"Jiedushi, the White Lotus Sect has been using slave soldiers to consume the soldiers defending the city so far, and the number of slave soldiers is unclear. It is obvious that the White Lotus Sect has already made preparations. If we attack now,
The left general Zhao Yan opened his mouth, feeling a little embarrassed. Even the most elite soldiers would be afraid of a pack of wolves.
"Yes, General. The enemy army has just received reinforcements and is in high spirits. If we attack them now, we may be able to break the siege, but once the main force of the White Lotus Sect comes to support us, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on."
Perhaps knowing what the old general was thinking, Deputy General Song Hao also advised that the enemy was numerous and we were few, and we could not defeat them with force.
However, what these two said aroused Qi Yun's heroic spirit.
"You have indeed withdrawn your troops for too long. My troops have already reached this border. We can't hide for long. We might as well take this opportunity to attack from behind and head straight for the central formation of the bandit army in the south city. If we can break it, Your Majesty can send reinforcements from the city. Together, we can lift the siege of the county city. If that doesn't go well, we can return to the city and kill the bandit leader in battle."
Qi Yun's eyes suddenly flashed with ferocity. If he succeeded, the prince would be famous all over the world, and the Northern Prince's Palace might be rebuilt in the northern border.
"Yes, Your Majesty, we will move forward vigorously. Old General, we will go and prepare."
The two were also greatly encouraged and nodded heavily. Then, they went to the army formation to prepare for the attack. Others went to the valley to light the smoke and send out a signal.
On the city wall of the county town,
Prince Beijing Shui Rong had already led his troops to the top of the west city gate. The palace's shadow guards held shields in front of them. Even Leng Lao followed behind him with his head lowered. At this moment, the top of the city was already filled with swords and arrows flying.
The chief guard Sang Shouyi held a large shield and followed closely beside the prince. He watched the prince climb up the tower. Although he was puzzled, he followed him quickly. Only after he climbed up the tower did he take a breath and ask;
"Your Majesty, this place is dangerous and not a place to stay for long. If Your Majesty has any orders, please tell me and I will do it myself."
"Don't worry, just follow behind. Do you see the valley in the north? General Qi has led 30,000 troops here. If my guess is correct, General Qi will send out troops today. I am here waiting for the general's signal. If the general leads his troops to attack us, it will be time for us to leave the city to fight."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong's eyes narrowed. Since yesterday, he had recruited young and strong men to guard the city walls, and trained 30,000 soldiers who were replaced to rest in the inner city, all for this day.
"My Lord, please think twice. The enemy army is numerous. If we use a small force to defeat a large one,
Sang Shouyi was shocked. The prince actually wanted to take a risky move. The battlefield was so dangerous. How could he do such a gamble?
"If it doesn't work, I will never retreat. Shouyi, the Northern Palace is not the Eastern Palace. Back then, the Eastern Palace was the most powerful of the four kings, but in the end, even if we seized the military power, the Eastern Palace's power in the Jiangnan area cannot be underestimated. But how many people can be left in our Northern Palace and the northern border troops? Old Leng, what do you think?"
Shui Rong was wearing silver armor, with a stern face, holding a long sword in his hand, his eyes fixed on the northern valley. But Leng Shiwen, the military advisor behind him, hesitated until this moment. He looked at the top of the city wall. Soldiers from both sides were fighting, and people were dying almost every moment. Even Yun Guang personally led his troops to guard the top of the city wall. The disparity in military strength was obvious. If they broke out at this moment, would they really succeed?
"Your Highness is ambitious, and I am very pleased with your words. However, what General Sang said was also to share my master's worries. The White Lotus Sect's offensive is continuous, and their numbers have not declined. Especially in the past few days, the siege has been very intense. I think there may be changes in the White Lotus Sect."
Leng Shiwen hid behind the pillar of the attic, while outside, arrows were stuck on the pillars from time to time, making tinkling sounds, which showed that the battle was fierce, especially in the past three days. The White Lotus Society would not be too impatient.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong looked out through the gap in the shield. The White Lotus bandits below the city were already dead all over the ground, but the army in the rear kept sending reinforcements, which was a bit strange.
"What Elder Leng said makes sense, but now the arrow is on the string and must be shot. We won't be able to hide in the valley to the north for long."
Just as Shui Rong was speaking, a light blue smoke suddenly rose from the valley of Beishan. The smoke seemed invisible at first, but only when it reached a high place did a hint of blue appear in it. If it had not been prepared in advance, it would not have been visible to others. It seemed that the old general was well prepared.
"Even if the White Lotus Sect really has a conspiracy, we have no choice but to do it now. General Qi has made preparations. If we don't take action, the letter won't be delivered. We can only fight to the death. Send a message to Xue Shou to gather 30,000 troops and prepare to charge out from the south gate to attract the main force of the rebel army and buy a chance for the old general."
After pondering for a while, Beijing Prince Shui Rong decided to give it a try. If he succeeded and reversed the situation, then his hopes would be fulfilled. Leng Shiwen and Sang Shouyi beside him were both silent, and then they bowed with their fists clasped together.
"Yes, my Lord,"
Then he sent people to the city to pass on the message. The 30,000 soldiers in the city, all wearing armor and holding swords, slowly advanced towards the South Gate. At this moment, on top of the South Gate,
Major General Jiao Ke was already standing there covered in blood. The soldiers around him fought back desperately and finally killed all the Taiping Religious thieves who had climbed onto the top of the city wall.
"Major General, something is wrong. These are the elite soldiers of the White Lotus Sect. Are they asking for help from the prince? The rebel army has mobilized its elite soldiers."
Deputy General Wu Kuang had already driven all his remaining assets to the top of the city wall. More and more bandits had already climbed up the city wall. Soldiers from both sides fought desperately on the city wall, and it looked like they were about to be defeated.
"Help, quick, help, the South Gate cannot be lost, immediately send an order for all soldiers to go up to the city."
Jiao Ke was already blood-thirsty, and didn't care about anything else, just wanted to lead his troops to retake the city, but Wu Kuang smiled bitterly.
"Major General, the brothers are all here, and there are 30,000 young and strong men, almost all of them have been lost,"
"What,"
Just when Jiao Ke was distracted, suddenly, a soldier shouted,
"Under the orders of the prince, open the city gate immediately,"
"Under the orders of the prince, open the city gate immediately,"
Just when the people on the top of the city wall couldn't hear clearly, there was a creaking sound from the entrance of the city gate. A group of soldiers had removed the top wood and pushed the city gate open. Then, Xue Shou's 30,000 armored soldiers rushed out directly. Many White Lotus soldiers looked at the open city gate in disbelief. Before they could react, they were attacked by swords and guns and died.
Xue Shou took advantage of this surprise attack to attack the elite White Lotus Sect troops under the city, catching the rebels off guard and turning the tide of the battle almost instantly.
The right guardian behind the White Lotus Sect had seen everything under the city. This Beijing King Shui Rong was indeed as good as his reputation. He actually dared to rush out of the city and caught him off guard.
"Right Guardian, are you mobilizing the elite troops of the religious army to encircle them?"
Qian Xihai, the leader of the North helm, saw that the front army was already in a state of collapse, and hurriedly asked,
Unexpectedly, Ying Hufa shook his head.
"Let the central army advance and surround and kill them. The elite of the religious army has already sent 30,000 men, and there are only 20,000 left. We need to use them as a support. Let the slave army's right camp lead 50,000 troops to surround them."
These 30,000 people may seem brave, but they lack stamina. As long as there are enough people, they will certainly be exhausted. However, the camp behind them has long been empty of soldiers. The original 100,000 religious troops have already moved westward and split into small groups to hide, leaving only them for cover. The hall masters and incense masters of other branches have also gone into hiding. The retreat has been decided, and they are just waiting for the court to make a move. "This is the Dharma Protector,"
The North Leader nodded and immediately sent someone to pass on the message, but he was still a little confused. Why hadn't he seen the leader in the past few days? In addition, the Dharma Protector's behavior was not as anxious as before. He also didn't know how the martial arts conference held by the leader in Yangping was going.
Qian Xihai and his men were moved, but they did not ask any more questions. As the flag was raised, the 50,000 slave soldiers from the right camp rushed over and, together with the elite troops from the front army, encircled and suppressed the imperial officers and soldiers.
Seeing that the imperial soldiers' advance had been suppressed, the right protector had a bad feeling in his heart. The fighting style of the King of Beijing was really weird. For the past few days, he had been closing the city gates and defending the city to the death. Now, he was acting in an abnormal way and ordered the elite troops to go out of the city to fight. What was he up to? To be on the safe side, he immediately gave orders.
"Master Bei, gather the personal guards of the sect and bring all the remaining horses here."
Qian Xihai was still a little suspicious at the moment. He couldn't understand the behavior of the Right Protector, but he didn't drag his feet. He waved his hand and asked a confidant beside him to go out and make arrangements. At this time, Captain Qian had already noticed that something was wrong.
"Protector, does the leader have other plans? Isn't it inappropriate to change troops so hastily?"
Ying Xiancai glanced at the North Leader. What the leader had ordered was extremely secretive, even the North Leader had kept it a secret.
"Don't ask any unnecessary questions, just follow me. Also, send a secret message to Lu Chuanjiang, saying that if the city cannot be defended, break out and hide immediately, and don't linger."
This sentence made Qian Xihai tremble and his face turned pale. He was going to escape. Didn't the leader have already arranged a retreat? He wanted to see something from the right protector's face, but found nothing. In an instant, it seemed as if he had lost all his strength. In the eyes of the protector Ying, he could only say words of comfort.
"Don't think too much. The leader has his own considerations. Luo Yunhou's army has already headed north to Runan. Lü Chuanjiang led his army to retreat northward and has deployed defenses under Shizhou City. Fortunately, Master Tian of Qinzhou still has 30,000 elite troops. The order given by this protector is to hold out for ten days. If that fails, you can retreat."
Although it is ten days, no one can guarantee that they can really hold out for ten days.
Just when the North Leader was still a little suspicious, he heard shouting and killing coming from the west gate. What was going on?
Under the West City Gate,
A large number of officers and soldiers emerged from the valley, with the Tiger Wing Formation as the vanguard, like a tiger rushing down the mountain into the flock of sheep. At this time, the bandit army that was still struggling to attack the city saw that many hall masters and incense masters were frightened and at a loss. They shouted to form a formation to resist, but there was no time. The situation was in chaos. Some hall masters saw that the situation was not good and took their personal soldiers to their main formation.
But Qi Yun would never miss such an opportunity. He led his troops to charge directly into the main formation of the West City bandit army. With just one charge, he broke through the formation. General Qi did not want to fight any more and immediately gave the order.
"Quick, gather the troops, ignore those people, and go to the South Gate, quickly."
"The Jiedushi has ordered the army to march south."
After the order was passed, the Xiandeng Army immediately turned around. The 20,000-man army had the momentum of a mighty army, and with the Jinzhou Prefecture Army behind them, they rushed straight to the South City Gate.
The commotion here naturally fell into the eyes of Yun Guang, the guard of the west city gate. Seeing the rebel army under the city being defeated, how could he let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
"Meng Qingyue, check how many people are left. All of them, go down to the city, open the gates and follow me to fight your way out. Quickly,"
"Yes, Jiedushi,"
With a loud shout, Meng Qingyue swung his sword and killed the last bandit on the top of the city wall. He immediately put away his sword and ordered his men to gather their troops. Then he followed the governor down the city wall until the city gate was opened and they rushed out. The bandit army had already been defeated and fled all over the mountains and plains.
"Qingyue, hurry, hurry, don't worry about these bandits, order the army to march south and follow General Qi."
Seeing that the enemy army had already fled in all directions, it was useless to chase them. As long as the main force of the White Lotus Sect in Nancheng was defeated, the battle would be won. Fortunately, there were still 10,000 soldiers and horses on the top of the city, so there shouldn't be any problems. Looking back, there were only 5,000 soldiers and horses following closely behind him, all of whom were his old brothers. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and headed for Nancheng.
Not for a moment,
Qi Yun's vanguard troops first appeared at the south city gate. Qi Yun took a look at the besieged imperial army, and then ordered the Jinzhou Prefecture troops behind him to attack from behind. He himself led the vanguard troops to attack the front of the bandit army, and then went straight to attack the rear of the bandit leader.
Wherever they went, blood and flesh flew everywhere. The elite guards of the White Lotus Sect were almost unstoppable. Until this moment, the Right Protector and the North Leader finally reacted. Looking at the erected flag, Qian Xihai said in a lost voice,
"It's the vanguard troops from Heian Province. How did they get here? How is this possible?"
The right guardian suddenly raised his head and looked at the vanguard army that was rushing at him like a tiger. He then understood why Beijing King Shui Rong was so calm. Looking at the formation of the central army, it was already beginning to collapse. If nothing was done to stop them, the main formation would surely be broken.
Seeing this, the North Leader was anxious.
"Protector, how many elite soldiers are there in the rear camp? I will lead the troops to stop them and let the slave soldiers in the left camp surround and kill them to consume their strength."
Just as he was about to mobilize his personal soldiers, he heard the voice of the Right Protector.
"Captain Qian, prepare to withdraw your troops to the east and enter the mountains north of Yangping. There is a fork in the valley behind Qingfeng Village. There is a camp there. Also notify Captain Lu in Shizhou and ask him to transfer 30,000 elite troops to the area overnight and rush them as fast as possible. Don't worry about the rest."
Perhaps, the time has come, why not try to conceal the truth? However, Captain Qian widened his eyes, almost unable to believe it. He was defeated. There were still 20,000 elite soldiers in the front camp to block him.
"Protector, we have not been defeated yet, and there is still a trend of recovery. I dare to lead the troops myself."
"Captain Qian, all the elite members of the sect are here, and there are no more soldiers in the rear camp."
Helplessly, the Right Protector could only tell the truth. Qian Xihai almost lost consciousness for a moment and murmured:
"So that's how it is. What about the religious troops in the front camp?"
Qian Xihai almost lost consciousness for a moment, and he no longer insisted. The soldiers around him were ready. Seeing that the imperial officers and soldiers had already killed their way through the central army, the ferocious face was almost within reach.
"Don't worry about it. Once they are defeated, someone will naturally lead them to withdraw. Let's withdraw first."
The right protector did not hesitate any longer and mounted his horse. Then, he and his personal soldiers returned directly to the rear camp. Soon, thick smoke and flames rose from the camp. Even if the fast vanguard soldiers could catch up to this place, they could only stop here. Soon, the fire spread and blocked the pursuit.
The remaining followers also saw that the Right Protector had disappeared, and their morale was completely gone. The first elite members of the religious army almost retreated while fighting, and took advantage of the large number of slave soldiers around them to hide their bodies and evacuate. The remaining slave soldiers, more than 100,000 people, all surrounded them in a mess, and only heard General Qi shouting,
"Kill,"
As the reinforcements behind them continued to rush up, the slave army of the White Lotus Sect could no longer hold on and almost scattered. At this moment, even General Qi, who was covered in blood from killing, was shocked and looked ahead in disbelief. How could the enemy army be defeated so quickly?
Although he didn't believe it, he looked around and saw the defeated army all over the mountains. It couldn't be fake. The deputy general Song Hao behind him was even more shocked and murmured;
"Jiedushi, the enemy army was defeated. We won, we won,"
At the end, he almost roared, and a large number of soldiers and generals followed behind him, shouting together. This scene was seen by Beijing King Shui Rong on the top of the city.
"How is that possible? We win already!"
(End of this chapter)