"Quick, gather the team immediately and rush to the south gate for support."

Yeli Wangrong knew that once the Song army broke into the city, they would definitely rush in to fight, and they would be forced to fight in the streets.

There were less than 30,000 defenders in the city, and they were definitely no match for the Song army, which had more than 40,000 defenders outside the city and was armed with muskets. Therefore, they had to defend the area near the city gate.

However, the distance from the North Gate to the South Gate is obviously longer.

Especially when it comes to temporarily assembling a team.

By the time Yeli Wangrong led the hastily assembled 10,000-plus troops to the South City Gate, the South City had already fallen. A large number of Song troops rushed into the city and were firing everywhere.

The sound of "bang bang bang bang" from musketry continued to ring out.

Firearms cannot be used on rainy days, but the Song army's design has a waterproof cover, and the ignition device relies on flint, not a match, so there are naturally not so many restrictions.

Under the sound of gunfire, the Western Xia soldiers were defeated, especially in the tight alleys, where people gathered together and became sitting ducks.

The Song army poured into the city like a tide, and the Western Xia army was unable to stop them. The chaotic battle lasted less than an hour, and a large number of Western Xia defeated soldiers fled out from the direction of the west gate.

"Commander-in-Chief, the enemy has been defeated."

It was not yet noon, it was almost the end of the morning Chen hour and the beginning of the morning Si hour. After an hour and a half of fighting, the Western Xia army finally collapsed.

The scouts came quickly to report the results of the battle to Zhang Kang.

Zhang Kang narrowed his eyes and asked, "What is the current situation in the city?"

"The enemy's defense at the South Gate collapsed, and they are now fleeing towards the West Gate."

"Let them go."

"yes"

The scout was a little surprised, but still obeyed the order.

Fan Ke, the deputy chief of Qinfeng Road, was puzzled by Zhang Kang's order and asked, "General, why did you let them go?"

Zhang Kang glanced at Fan Ke and asked, "Do you remember our mission objective?"

Fan Ke replied, "Destroy Xixia and recapture Qingtang."

"Recovering Qingtang, are we recovering it for Zuo Silu or for the Song Dynasty?"

"this"

Fan Ke opened his eyes wide, instantly understanding Zhang Kang's intention. He hesitated and asked, "Is this the imperial court's intention?"

If the imperial court wanted to annex Qingtang, that would be easy to do. They were just following orders from above.

If this is Zhang Kang's own idea, then it needs to be discussed.

After all, if the imperial court does not want to be known for annexing its allies, they will most likely be held accountable in the future if they act on their own.

"How could I dare do this without the order of the Constitutional Council? Besides, why do you think the court summoned Zhao Youlu, the Defense Commissioner of Tongzhou?"

Zhang Kang's simple words made Fan Ke suddenly realize.

Yes.

Miaochuan City is a city located on the south bank of the Huangshui River. The Huangshui River is outside the north gate of the city, and the hills are on the other side of the Huangshui River.

The Song army came from the east and attacked the city from the south gate.

Then the Western Xia army could only run westward.

Where is the west?

Qingtang City.

If the Western Xia army did not flee westward, what reason would the Song army have to continue pursuing them?

Although the situation of the top leaders of the Zuo Siluo regime is very bad now, Zuo Siluo was seriously injured and his wound was said to be infected, and his life or death is still unknown.

Zuo Siluo's youngest son Dong Zhen was captured by the Western Xia army and is now missing, with no one knowing whether he is alive or dead.

However, the Zuosiluo regime still had some troops led by General An Ziluo and others.

If the Xixia people were annihilated here, An Ziruo and others could take over Qingtang and Miaochuan, and Qingtang would still belong to the Tibetans.

But it would be different if we continued to pursue.

Zhao Youlu, the defense envoy of Tongzhou, was the eldest son of Zuo Silu, Xia Zhen, who had already surrendered to the Song Dynasty.

At this time, the Song Dynasty, in the name of continuing to annihilate the Western Xia army, successively recovered Lanzhou, Miaochuan, Qingtang and other cities, and appointed Xia Zhen as the lord of Qingtang.

At that time, give Xia Zhen some benefits, such as letting Zuo Siluo's descendants enjoy wealth and glory, and the same treatment as Li Jibang, and he can donate Qingtang to the Song Dynasty in the name of the Lord of Qingtang.

In this way, the Song Dynasty could legitimately recover Qingtang.

After all, this time the Zuosilo regime itself was crippled by Li Yuanhao. The upper class was almost wiped out, and the lower class also suffered heavy casualties. Many people from small tribes fled, and the people were very divided.

Under such circumstances, if the Song Dynasty did not bring Xia Zhen over, it would be very likely that the Qingtang regime would be occupied by the generals under Zuo Siluo.

If Xia Zhen was brought here and the Song Dynasty did not intervene, Xia Zhen would be unable to defend Qingtang due to internal and external troubles.

Therefore, the strategy of the Song Dynasty is the best way.

There was no armed conflict, nor the bad reputation of annexing allies. Zuosiluo's descendants were also properly resettled. Everyone was happy, and it was a win-win situation for everyone.

"This is a brilliant strategy by the imperial court."

Fan Ke couldn't help but give a thumbs-up and said, "The ministers of the Political System Council are truly far-sighted. Even from thousands of miles away, they can formulate strategies for the future."

"How can the foresight of the officials in the Constitutional Court be compared to yours and mine? All we have to do is obey the imperial court's orders and do our jobs well. We must not mess up and lose face for the officials."

Zhang Kang smiled and said, "Okay, you go to the city yourself and tell the soldiers to slow down their pursuit and leave a gap for the Xixia people to escape."

"yes."

Fan Ke agreed and then went into the city in person.

The drizzle was still falling, and the ground was wet and muddy. After about an hour, a large number of Xixia people escaped from the west gate and rushed towards Qingtang.

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