Chapter 986
: Shizhou City Cannot Be Defended
Chapter 986: Shizhou City Cannot Be Defended
"Kill! Anyone who dares to retreat will be beheaded!"
"Everyone climb up the city wall. The first one to reach the top will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be named the incense master."
Under Shizhou City, the fierce siege had lasted for three hours. After three rounds of attacks by the White Lotus slave army, the defenders on the city were already on the verge of collapse. At this time, the Right Protector of the White Lotus Sect waved the flag.
The 50,000 elite soldiers of the sect, ready to go, had already set up ladders and swarmed towards the foot of Shizhou City. Ladders were erected one after another, and the elite warriors of the White Lotus Sect climbed up fearlessly. The officers and soldiers on the city fought hard, but the logs and stones needed to defend the city had long been used up and had not been replenished yet. The arrows had been used up in recent days. Now that the elite troops of the rebel army were attacking the city, it was no longer possible to defend it.
The guard general Duan Kaishan turned pale, and immediately grabbed the guards around him and shouted;
"Quick, go inform Lord Wei to prepare to break out and retreat northward. There are still 3,000 elite soldiers in the city who can escort the governor out of the city."
"General, what about you?"
The soldiers were covered in blood. After what had happened, only a few of the general's soldiers were left.
"I will retreat later. Lead the brothers to hold out for a while. Don't say too much. Remember, take a short break in Yangping. I will come to find you. After we meet up, we will retreat straight to the county city."
Duan Kaiyuan had already tried his best. The Shizhou defender had already fought to the death on the city wall and died of exhaustion. If he escaped now, there would be no one to stop him.
"Yes, General. I will go and inform the governor of Wei. I hope you will stay here and serve the court for the friendship we have shown you. I am leaving now."
The trusted personal guard wiped the blood off his face, and rushed down the city wall with a few people, heading towards the inner city. The personal guards who stayed behind quickly gathered around General Duan.
"General Duan, we can't hold the city anymore. The soldiers below can't come up. Why don't we go down the city wall, organize our forces, and retreat slowly? At least we can buy some time."
The lieutenant of the personal guards brandished his sword and slashed fiercely at a White Lotus Sect soldier who rushed over. The sharp blade instantly cut through the chest and abdomen of the bandit soldier, breaking through the light armor and piercing into the abdomen. The bandit soldier vomited blood and fell to the ground, and it seemed that he was dying.
As one man was killed, more and more bandits climbed up from the city. Although the soldiers on the city fought desperately, they were exhausted and could not resist.
Duan Kaiyuan's face darkened and he shouted loudly;
"Go down the city, go down the city, retreat to the inner city street entrance, retreat to the north city gate."
A shout,
The officers and soldiers on the city wall were all relieved in one breath, and the defeated soldiers could not escape. In the chaos, the captain of the personal guards immediately ordered someone to carry General Duan and retreat with the army. He rode on the warhorse that had been prepared long ago and headed directly for the north city gate. Behind him were the Taiping rebels who swarmed in and chased after him closely. Anyone who fell behind was slaughtered. It was a brutal scene.
Therefore,
The officers and soldiers who were fleeing almost threw away their weapons and armor, retreated hastily from the north gate, and fled north along the official road.
inside the city,
A group of soldiers had already opened the city gates to welcome the Right Protector Yingxian into the inner city. Not long after he arrived, a messenger came.
"Report, Right Protector, the leader has ordered us to immediately organize our troops, capture Yangping, gather the supplies, and go to the hills where Qingfeng Village is located to set up hidden strongholds as a retreat route. Send all the food and fodder from Yangping quickly."
Ying Xiancai's expression was startled, then changed. The leader actually gave such an order. It seemed that something big had happened in the Taiping Sect. He looked at his left and right and gave orders;
"Tell Hall Master Gu to immediately gather an army of 50,000 and set off for Yangping. Be quick, as this Dharma Protector will be there soon."
"Yes, Protector, I will pass the order immediately."
After the great victory, everyone was still excited. Only Ying Xiancai, who was riding on his horse, felt a chill in his heart. The young marquis was too fast. How could the Taiping Sect be so strong? It turned out that they were so vulnerable. Xihe County had just broken in. Perhaps they could give the leader more time.
He gave a wink to Hall Master Lu behind him, who immediately led his troops to the treasury to check the food and other items.
Not to mention that Wei Xiangping, the governor of Runan, hastily retreated northward. The 30,000 soldiers who set out from the Jiangnan camp in Suzhou have already disembarked in batches at Xi'an Yangping on the canal under the escort of the Caoyun Guards' tower ship. At this moment, the commander of the Jiangnan camp, Jiao Xiong, did not follow him. Instead, he asked his nephew Jiao Ke to lead 30,000 soldiers to serve under Beijing Prince Shui Rong.
It had not been a day since they arrived in Yangping, and most of the time had been spent arranging for the soldiers to rest. As soon as they had settled down, they took their personal soldiers to the government office, chatted with several prefects and co-prefects, drank some tea to warm themselves up, and accepted the silver presented by the gentry and wealthy families in the city.
It is said that the White Lotus Sect is as fierce as a tiger, but Jiao Ke disagrees. They are just some refugees. No matter how fierce they are, they are no match for his soldiers. Besides, the soldiers in the Jiangnan camp are fully staffed. His uncle trains his soldiers very strictly. Although his soldiers may not be as elite as the imperial guards, they are unmatched in Jiangnan. This time when he came to Yangping, his uncle also sent his trusted general Wu Kuang. How can Jiao Ke not be proud?
"I wonder if General Jiao is stationed in Yangping, or is he taking his troops to the county town to serve?"
The prefect Li Ran asked carefully, the tribute money has been given, and even they have contributed a lot. This ten thousand taels of silver is also a pathfinder for them. Shizhou is in danger, and it is less than half a day's journey away from Yangping. It will arrive in a flash. Who wouldn't be afraid?
But I can't leave my post, it's a life-threatening position, what can I do?
Jiao Ke sat on the chair, leaned back, put the banknotes in his arms, and felt comfortable on this trip. When he heard what Li Zhifu asked, he waved his hand.
"Don't worry, Magistrate Li. I am here with my troops, but we can't leave in a moment. We need a few days to prepare the weapons, armor, and food. We will stay here for now. Of course, there is no fixed time, but we will need to go to the county city and join the prince later."
This statement was also a clear statement, that he would go, but it was unknown when he would go. The key point was that Jiao Ke also knew that he and his uncle belonged to the East Palace, and the prince had not stipulated when to go to serve, so he had relatively ample time. If he stayed in Yangping, he could also earn more money.
Seeing that General Jiao's words were ambiguous, several adults understood. Tongzhi Chang Yin waved his hand to the back, and a steward came over with a box and put the box on the table. After leaving, Tongzhi Chang opened the box and took out a stack of banknotes, saying;
"Then I'll trouble General Jiao to bother you for a while in Yangping. Here are some loose silver bills. Yangping is built along the river, and there are many sects in Xihe County, so there is a lot of trade, and there are many rare items from all over the world. These are just pocket money for General Jiao. I hope General Jiao will keep them as a token of my appreciation."
It sounded nice, Jiao Ke was all smiles, and there was an unexpected surprise, so how could she not accept it?
"Okay, I appreciate your kindness. May I ask, Commander Song, how many troops are there in Yangping?"
After receiving the silver, Jiao Ke was happy, but he was not a brainless person. He still needed to find out more about Yangping's financial situation. Shizhou had the governor Wei guarding the city, and the prince was preparing the military in the county city. He was safe and secure in Yangping and could leave at any time. But if there was any omission, he had to have a plan to deal with it.
Looking across, I saw a short but very strong man wearing armor, who stood up, clasped his fists, and saluted.
"General Jiao, the army of Yangping Prefecture has only 5,000 soldiers. Because of the lack of money, there are less than 2,000 soldiers left. In the past few days, with the guarantee of the government office, we have been able to recruit the full number of soldiers. In addition, we have recruited 5,000 young and strong men to transport supplies."
Song Kai smiled awkwardly, but he didn't feel embarrassed. All the counties were the same, except for the border troops. Even in the border troops, there were many shortages.
After hearing this, Jiao Ke's mouth twitched. Damn it, the soldiers' blood that they drank was almost gone. What five thousand government troops, five thousand young and strong men, who were just recruited, are not as useful as the White Lotus Sect's slave army. But the silver has been accepted, and I can't just walk away.
"Ahem, General Song, we should prepare for the city defense now. Thunder stones, rolling logs, kerosene and other things. Also, prepare barracks and doctors. Gather the herbs in the city and grind them into hemostatic powder. Guard the city gates. Be prepared for any eventuality."
Being able to say this, it can be seen that General Jiao is not a person who does not keep his word. Several adults stood up together and thanked him.
"Thank you General Jiao for your guidance. I have prepared everything. Even the food and grass reserves on the dock have been stored in the treasury. It is enough for the military expenses. General Jiao, please rest assured."
Song Kai was really not vague. As it concerned his own life, he had already prepared everything. In addition, he and several adults in the inner city had prepared a retreat. There were nearly a hundred crossbows and horses in the stable behind the government office. In addition, several merchant ships had already been parked at the dock. Even in hidden places, there were several speedboats left there in case of emergency.
Seeing that the officials did not seem to be lying, Jiao Ke felt relieved. After all, Yangping had 10,000 defenders, plus his own 30,000 troops. Although it was not impregnable, he could rest assured. However, Yangping's walls were too short and irregular, and it was located at the canal port, where all kinds of people mixed together. It was not a place to stay for long. Just wait and see.
"Okay, it's good to be prepared. Don't end up fighting an unprepared battle. My uncle once said that if you are unprepared, you can only rely on bravery. You may win temporarily, but you can't win forever."
"Ah, what General Jiao said is thought-provoking. Come, General Jiao, we will set up a banquet and invite General Jiao to taste the specialties of Xihe County." "Haha, okay, please,"
Several people then exchanged polite words, and then entered the backyard. In the inner hall, a banquet was set up. Looking at it, there were both southern and northern specialties, and stewed meat. It was indeed a blend of the north and the south. After everyone entered and sat down, a maid brought the best sake and served them, filling their wine cups.
The prefect Li Ran winked at the others and raised his glass together. Just as he was about to speak,
Outside the palace,
Suddenly, a steward rushed in, ran in in a panic, and knelt down in the hall.
"Master, gentlemen, something bad has happened. A messenger has arrived from the south. He has already arrived at the front hall and is heading this way."
As soon as this word comes out,
Everyone's heart trembled, as if they felt something wrong had happened, but the wine cup had already been picked up, how could they not drink? Li Ran smiled and said;
"Wait a moment, General Jiao, it's not right to raise the cup without drinking. Come, let's have a drink, General Jiao."
"Yes, General Jiao,"
The rest of the people were the same. Although Jiao Ke's eyelids were twitching, he didn't care. He picked up the wine cup and brought it close to his mouth and drank it.
At this moment, a group of people suddenly rushed in from outside the hall. Upon closer inspection, they were carrying flags on their backs. They were messengers. They seemed to be covered in bloody clothes, and the bloody smell was overwhelming. It was not only horrifying, but it was obviously not a good thing.
Jiao Ke was worried at this time. He just led the troops here, but he didn't say that he would fight as soon as he arrived. Looking at the messenger in front of him, he looked gloomy and his face was not neat. He didn't have the arrogance he had in Suzhou.
Li Ran's face changed and he quickly asked,
"what happened?"
As the saying goes, good things don’t work, but bad things do. The messenger took out a red letter from his arms and replied;
"My Lords, Generals, Shizhou City has been lost. Governor Wei is desperately heading towards Yangping with his remaining troops. Behind them, there are 50,000 elite soldiers of the White Lotus Sect chasing them. In addition, the governor of Shizhou and officials at all levels of the government have already served the court loyally. No one has survived."
The cold words almost petrified everyone present, especially Jiao Ke, who spit out the sake he had drunk. It was unbelievable. The Wei governor had at least tens of thousands of troops under his command, so how could he be defeated so quickly? Shizhou City was a strong city, and it was built on a high place. If it could be conquered, then Yangping was almost indefensible. No wonder Beijing King Shui Rong hid in the county city and did not go south.
What to do?
Now Jiao Ke has already backed out, but unfortunately, the officials in Yangping Prefecture would not let him leave, and all of them knelt on the ground.
"General Jiao, the rebel army is about to come. I hope General Jiao can lead the Yangping garrison to guard the city."
Even the servants in charge were so frightened that they fell to their knees and kowtowed continuously. They hung Jiao Ke over the fire and roasted him. When they were in a dilemma, Wu Kuang, the deputy general of the Jiangnan camp, stood up and prepared to rescue the adults.
"General, the prince has ordered that we must gather in the county city and wait for orders. Please see."
"Yes, everyone. It's not that I don't want to stay. It's just that I can't obey the king's order. So, you still have to find another way."
Jiao Ke put down his wine cup and was ready to run away, but these gentlemen were all veterans in the officialdom, so how could they let the person who saved their life go? Li Ran hurried over to block his way.
"General Jiao, Yangping is a river transport port with a lot of food and supplies. If these fall into the hands of the enemy, wouldn't it be aiding the enemy? Besides, since the Wei governor is retreating north, he must pass through Yangping. No matter what, the Wei governor will not fail to bring troops. If the general leaves and the Wei governor is captured by the enemy, who will be responsible for this, or will it be ours?"
"Yes, General Jiao, you have a duty to defend the territory. If you are afraid before the battle, how can General Jiao save his reputation if it gets out?"
The judge Cheng Xi, who had been silent all this time, also spoke out to help, which put Jiao Ke in a dilemma. It would be fine to say these words here, but if they were spread out, it would be troublesome. Wei Xiangping was the emperor's confidant, and his sister had entered the palace. He had heard these things from his uncle. Now he was really leaving, Wei Xiangping and Yang Ping were missing, how could he explain to his uncle?
Coincidentally,
Another group of messengers came in hurriedly.
"Report, my lords, the governor of Wei is still two miles away from here. In addition, the 50,000 vanguard troops of the White Lotus Rebellion are in hot pursuit and will reach Yangping in less than two hours."
As soon as the voice fell, the hall fell silent. Jiao Ke's eyelids had been twitching, but after hearing this, his eyelids finally calmed down. Not to mention two hours, even if he was given a day, the 30,000-strong army would not be able to leave. After all, the last group of troops had just disembarked.
I saw that the adults looked determined to die and couldn't leave.
"General Wu, immediately take over all the troops in the city and prepare to defend the city. Also, let General Gui take control of all merchant ships and warehouses at the docks and strictly prohibit anyone from snatching supplies and food from the docks. Also, General Song, Lord Li, the White Lotus Sect is extremely cruel. No matter what the people are like, it is a hidden danger for them to stay in the city. Do not open the city gates and let them escape to the county town. How about that?"
"Okay, I'll follow General Jiao's instructions."
How could they dare not disagree? They clasped their fists in response. As time was pressing, they did not delay and left with their men. Jiao Ke hurried to the dock to organize his troops, but he was still a little suspicious in his heart. How could it be such a coincidence?
"General, are you really staying?"
Behind him, Wu Kuang asked helplessly.
"I can't leave, or I can't leave now. If I didn't know that the governor Wei would come, I would definitely leave. But he came anyway. What if something happens under my nose? My uncle has specifically instructed me to protect Wei Xiangping's life. I can only wait for an opportunity. Go."
Waving his whip angrily, he ran straight to the dock, followed by a large number of personal soldiers.
So far,
As evening approached, the sky darkened.
There was an undercurrent of turmoil everywhere in the pass, and many people felt something strange in their hearts. Time passed in a flash.
The day has gone, leaving only the dark sky.
now,
Zhang Jinyu was inspecting the camp, and he went to the rear camp first. What he saw was the ground full of wounded soldiers, and the smell of blood. Bloodstained clothes and brocade were hung on bamboo poles everywhere. In the tents erected and under the simple tarpaulins, doctors called in from Daliang City were stepping up their treatment, but it was a drop in the bucket. There were not many medicinal materials left.
"Da Lang, what if the medicine in the camp is not enough?"
Behind him, Song Da, the logistics officer, also followed him. When he heard the Marquis's question, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He didn't know how hard he worked. His originally fat body had become much thinner now. The wide robe he wore looked like a costume.
"My Lord, almost all the doctors in Daliang City have been invited back, and the hemostatic powder and other medicines have been prepared and will be delivered tomorrow. However, there are too many wounded soldiers and we cannot take care of them all."
Song Da felt extremely wronged, and only the Marquis valued him so much. In the past, he would have shouldered all the burdens by himself.
"What do you mean you can't take care of them? Send someone to General Song and ask him to take out 3,000 men to help the rear camp. Tonight, make sure all the wounded soldiers are given medicine. Those who can be saved should be saved, and those who cannot be saved should also be saved as much as possible."
Zhang Jinyu sighed. He had thought yesterday that the wounded soldiers would be treated and recover quickly. But when he came here for inspection today, he found that many wounded soldiers still could not get treatment. As a result, their wounds would get infected and their lives would definitely not be saved. No wonder those generals included the wounded in the war reports. They are all waiting to die!
(End of this chapter)