Chapter 34: The First Battle

Outside the city, Yang Yuanqi and Yang Yuanzhen were sitting in their tents, with General Ge Hongtao, who was leading the troops, as well as two deputy generals and military advisor Zhang Li.

Yang Yuanzhen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the brightly lit Xuzhou in the distance and asked, "Are you sure all the soldiers in the city have left?"

Zhang Li nodded and said, "The spies in the city reported that most of the soldiers in the barracks left in the direction of Jinzhou a few days ago. Now there are less than 5,000 soldiers in the city."

"They want to occupy Jinzhou?"

Yang Yuanqi sneered, "The Chengtian Army has a big appetite. I don't know where General Zhao came from, but he is so bold that he dared to kill Lao Ba and seize his military power."

Zhang Li said, "That Zhao Xiao used to be with Yang Yuanjing in Jinzhou. I heard he was a tough guy. After King Jing was assassinated, he defected to the Eighth King."

Yang Yuanqi rubbed his nose. When he sent people to hunt down King Jing, he did hear that there was a guard with good kung fu around him, who finally let them escape. He didn't expect that person to be so capable. This could be considered letting the tiger go back to the mountain.

Yang Yuanzhen said: "Since there are not many defenders in the city, we will prepare to attack the city tomorrow."

This matter should be done sooner rather than later. The enemy's night defense means that they have known about their arrival, and they will definitely send soldiers to Jinzhou to inform them. They must capture Xuzhou before the enemy returns to defend!

*

The next day, at dawn, a large number of soldiers gathered outside the East Gate of Xuzhou! These soldiers wore leather armor, helmets on their heads, and held a large flag with the word Sheng in their hands.

Song Yuzhu and Xu Bing changed their clothes immediately after receiving the news and hurried to the tower. At a glance, the endless enemy troops made people tremble.

Xu Bing said: "It seems that the other party came prepared..." They even used horses to pull a battering ram.

Song Yuzhu was also startled by the huge thing: "Sir, what is that?"

"That's the battering ram used to break down the city gates." The battering ram is about thirty feet long and one foot wide, with four huge wheels underneath and a long pestle-shaped column covered with iron sheets on the body. It can be pushed and rammed by dozens of people and can easily break down the city gates.

The gate of Xuzhou City is made of wood and iron. The wood is three inches thick mahogany, surrounded by iron sheets and painted with palm oil. It will not rot even after hundreds of years. But it still cannot withstand the impact of the ram.

The deputy general who stayed in the city to defend the city was named Du Chong, who was about 27 or 28 years old and was an experienced veteran on the battlefield. He had not been given important positions before because of his dull personality, but was promoted after Zhao Xiao took office.

He hurried up to the tower and bowed to the two men, saying, "Greetings to Military Advisor Xu and Master Zhu."

"General Du, please stand up! Is there still no news from General Zhao?"

Du Chong shook his head: "Not yet."

Song Yuzhu had already sent Tian Xiaobo to deliver the letter yesterday. Logically, it should have been delivered to the destination by now. Could something have gone wrong along the way?

Song Yuzhu frowned: "Send two more people to deliver the letter!"

"Yes!" Du Chong quickly arranged for someone to deliver the letter.

Thirty miles is not far, but it is not close either. The roads are covered with snow these days and are difficult to travel on. Even if you ride a horse at full speed, it will take half a day to walk. I’m afraid that if I come back too late, my house will be robbed!

Suddenly, the sound of war drums was heard outside the city. A man in armor rode forward and shouted, "Listen, people in the city! You killed King Qing and seized the military power, which is a heinous crime punishable by the death of all nine generations of your clan! Considering that you did not kill innocent people in the city, the Fourth King and the Seventh King have decided to spare your lives, as long as you put down your weapons and open the city gates obediently..."

Xu Bing frowned and said, "It's Yang Yuanzhen's subordinate Ge Hongtao!"

Song Yuzhu asked quickly: "Do you know him?"

"I can't say I know him, but I've heard of him a little bit."

After Yang Yuanqing captured Xuzhou, Yang Yuanqi fled to Dongzhou. Xu Bing was afraid that the four kings would come to reinforce and launch a surprise attack, so he sent someone to check on this person.

"His father's name is Ge Bin, and he was a brave general. When the previous emperor was in power, he ordered him to go north to fight against the Hu people. He led his troops to kill the two Hu tribes and reached the Wusun territory. I wonder if this man resembles his father."

Song Yuzhu broke out in a cold sweat in his heart. He didn't know what had happened to Zhao Xiao. If he rushed in, the few thousand people in the city might not be able to stop him.

The people outside the city were still shouting, "Call your leader to come out! Are you pretending to be a turtle and afraid to see me?!"

"Hahahahahaha..." The soldiers burst into laughter.

Just as Song Yuzhu was about to open his mouth to curse back, the deputy general stopped him and said, "Sir, don't take the lead, let me do it!"

Du Chong has a nickname called Du Big Voice, and his loud voice is no less than Pavarotti's!

He was standing on the city wall, holding his waist and shouting, "Bullshit! Can King Qing be beaten?! How many civilians has he killed, how many innocent girls has he harmed! Let's kill him and rid the people of harm!"

"That's right, get rid of harm for the people!" Song Yuzhu and Xu Bing clapped their hands in cheering at the same time.

Du Chong raised his head and continued to shout: "If you want to be the running dogs of the imperial court, go ahead! But we don't want to!"

Ge Hongtao shouted angrily: "Are you planning a rebellion?" His voice was not as loud as Du Chong's, and he didn't sound as imposing as before.

Du Chong pinched his waist and said, "What's wrong with treason? I'm going to rebel today! Even if you kill us, there are still thousands of people who will rebel against you!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" The soldiers defending the city waved their weapons with increasing momentum.

Song Yuzhu couldn't help but sigh that in ancient times, to be a general, one had to have a good voice!

Ge Hongtao retreated back to the army with a look of surprise. Yang Yuanqi said angrily: "Old Five, why are we wasting time talking to him? Why don't we just attack and kill the rebels!"

Zhang Li shook her head. "The moat has been broken open by them. Now there is only a thin layer of ice on the river surface, which cannot withstand the weight of the battering ram. It is too difficult to attack the city without a battering ram. We will charge in tomorrow when the ice is solid."

Yang Yuanzhen nodded with a sullen face, fearing that waiting for a day and a night would lead to many nightmares...

*

Zhao Xiao had been waiting outside the city for five days but received no news from inside the city. With nothing to do, he led a horse, carried a bow and arrow, and went hunting nearby.

The snow on the road melted after it fell, and the next day it froze into ice, making the horse slippery. He simply got off the horse and walked forward.

After walking less than two miles, he saw a person lying in the snow in front of him. As he got closer, Zhao Xiao looked at the person and found him familiar. He used his whip to turn him over, but he didn't expect it to be Tian Xiaobo!

Last night, Tian Xiaobo fell down the hillside and woke up after an hour. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked by the sight of three or four wolves surrounding his horse and eating it! Tian Xiaobo didn't dare to move, lying on the ground until the wolves were full and left, then he quietly got up.

Perhaps because the horse was fat enough, Tian Xiaobo survived, but the fall was quite severe and he felt dizzy and had stars in his eyes.

He relied on his perseverance to walk towards the military camp step by step until dawn. When he was about to reach the camp, he slipped and fell again, and this time he fainted completely.

Zhao Xiao helped Tian Xiaobo up, his heart skipped a beat, and he thought something must have happened in the city!

"Xiaobo! Xiaobo, wake up!" He probed with his hand and found a faint breath at the tip of his nose. He picked up the man, mounted his horse and ran towards the camp.

"Arm the troops and return to defend! Arrange the troops and return to defend!"

The soldiers immediately broke camp upon receiving the order and set off in less than half an hour!

Along the way, Zhao Xiao's mind was filled with the tragic scene when Yang Yuanqing broke into the city that day.

If I go back late...

If Song Yuzhu died...

Just thinking about it made his heart clench and he couldn't breathe! He roared in anger and whipped the horse he was sitting on. The horse kicked its hooves in pain and ran forward madly.

Ma Zhenwei, who was following next to him, was startled and quickly quickened his pace to catch up: "General, don't be in a hurry. Be careful that the horse might break its leg!" The most taboo thing when marching in the snow is to march fast. If the horse falls, the person will fall down as well. That is no joke!

Zhao Xiao forced himself to suppress his anger and slowed down, but Ke Xin felt like she was being fried in boiling oil. Only he could understand the feeling.

After marching for three hours, they suddenly saw two people on horseback coming towards them. These two people were the ones sent to deliver the letter.

Zhao Xiao hurried forward to stop the two and asked anxiously: "What's going on in the city?!"

The two men dismounted and knelt down, saying, "Reporting to the general, the Sheng army is already stationed outside the east gate. When we came out, General Du was challenging us!"

Zhao Xiao pulled the two of them together: "Haven't you started the siege yet?"

"No, we broke the ice on the moat. The water is not frozen solid yet, so we should be unable to attack the city."

"Good! Good! Ma Zhenwei!"

"I will be here!"

"You lead 5,000 troops back to the city immediately to provide support, and the rest of you follow me to outflank the rear!"

As soon as the military order was given, the army was immediately divided into two groups. Ma Zhenwei hurried back to Xuzhou with the baggage carts and a small number of people, while Zhao Xiao took Bai Yizhou and the large army to the side.

Zhao Xiao also had a topographic map of Xuzhou, which Song Yuzhu had given him before he set out. The map clearly recorded all the roads around Xuzhou City. Even the distances of the roads were marked. It was simply a powerful tool for marching and fighting!

He led a group of soldiers along a small path and advanced as quickly as possible, hoping to get behind the enemy before daybreak.

*

At this time, Sheng's army was continuously shooting rockets at the moat. The impact force of the ten-stone curved bow was huge. If the arrow pierced the river surface, the fire at the tail of the arrow would be extinguished, indicating that the ice had not yet frozen solid, otherwise it would be frozen solid.

At three quarters past the hour of Yin, a lit rocket shot onto the ice surface. The arrow head pierced into the ice but did not penetrate the ice layer.

Sun Li put on her mink hat and said, "My Lords, the time has come."

Yang Yuanqi and Yang Yuanzhen immediately stood up and ordered an immediate attack on the city!

A low horn sounded, and the soldiers shouted slogans in unison.

The huge noise frightened the soldiers who had been guarding the city wall all night.

The archers quickly put on their quivers and bows and lined up on the tower. Others put on their armor and rode on their horses, ready to go out of the city to meet the enemy at any time.

Song Yuzhu had not slept all night and was not sleepy at all. Seeing that the city was about to be attacked, she immediately went to the city wall with Xu Bing.

Liu Yanzi followed them and was responsible for protecting the safety of the two people.

It was still dark outside. The sky was dotted with stars and the cold wind was blowing the torches, making crackling sounds.

Song Yuzhu took a deep breath, and the dry and cold air filled his nostrils, carrying a smell of rust.

This is their first battle. If they win, Dongzhou, Xizhou, and the already captured Xuzhou will all be in his pocket!

If we lose... I'm afraid we'll be back to the days before liberation.

With the sound of a low horn, the Sheng army finally launched an attack! Tens of thousands of soldiers escorted the battering rams and rushed towards the city gate!

The soldiers on the city wall drew their bows and shot arrows, and the whistling sound of the arrows cut through the sky!

The gates of Xuzhou were wide open, and Lieutenant Generals Ma and Du rushed out with 8,000 soldiers and horses!

Song Yuzhu watched the fighting on the battlefield with a determined gaze. This battle can only be won, and must be won!

(End of this chapter)