Chapter 160 Battle of Xiangyang

Xiangfan is known as the "backbone of the world", with one shoulder to the south and the other shoulder to the north, connecting to Henan in the north, Bashu in the west, Huguang in the south, and Jianghuai in the east. It is the center of the neighboring areas of Hubei, Henan, Chongqing, and Shaanxi.

Since ancient times, when the north and the south fought, the first to be attacked was Guan Yu, who defeated Cao Ren, captured Yu Jin, and killed Pang De. The reason why he was known as "the most powerful in China" was because Xiangfan was too important in terms of geographical location. It could be used to attack the Central Plains in the north. Cao Cao wanted to move the capital immediately to avoid the sharp edge.

Guan Yu alone could influence the situation in the world, how could he not be feared by the whole of China? And the reason why Lu Meng of the Eastern Wu crossed the river in white clothes was because he could retreat here to protect the southwest.

During the Song Dynasty, Xiangyang fell to the Jin Kingdom. Yue Wumu believed that this was the key to recovering the Central Plains, so he reported to Emperor Gaozong and raised an army to take it back.

For more than 100 years since Yue Fei recovered Xiangyang, the Song people have worked hard to develop Xiangfan. When the famous general Meng Gong was guarding the Yangtze and Han Rivers, he devoted the whole country's strength to expand Xiangyang many times. The city is tall and strong, which is rare in the world. It is impossible to conquer it with ordinary siege methods.

But now the Mongolian army continued to attack fiercely.

Since Genghis Khan, Mongolian cavalry has come and gone like the wind. Western Xia, Jin Dynasty and Khwarezm were all trampled into ashes by the Mongolian cavalry.

In the following decades, the "eldest son" launched an expedition to the West, conquered dozens of countries, reached Europe, and even reached the city of Vienna.

The distance from east to west is 16,000 miles. When the moon is rising above the branches in the east, the sun is scorching in the sky in the west. Of course, this is the suffering of the people of all ethnic groups in Europe and Asia, but it is the golden age of the Mongols.

However, the Song Dynasty, which was ruled by corrupt scholars despised by Genghis Khan, was reduced to only half of the southwestern part, but the Mongolian army stopped at the gate of Xiangyang, which was also a great shame for them! "Boom boom..."

The sound of cowhide drums resounded like thunder on the city walls of Xiangyang, and the Mongolian army attacked again.

They had been attacking the city for more than three months and had carried out no less than dozens of large-scale sieges, simply because Xiangyang was located in the middle reaches of the Han River. Once it fell, the Southern Song border defense would be cut off, and the thousands of miles of land along the Yangtze and Han Rivers would be exposed to the Mongolian army.

Guo Jing, dressed in a grey robe and holding a long sword, stood on the top of the city wall, looking at a large group of people in tattered clothes, in a disorderly manner and in disarray, running towards Xiangyang below the city. They seemed to be refugees.

The guards on the tower bent their bows and pointed arrows at the refugees. The people shouted in unison: "Don't shoot arrows from the city walls, we are all citizens of the Song Dynasty!" However, the elite Mongolian cavalry lined up behind the people.

Guo Jing shouted, "Open the city gate quickly."

"Master Guo." The city defense general Wang Jian gritted his teeth and said, "The momentum of the Mongolian army these days is very different from before. They are advancing without retreating, like a group of lunatics. These refugees must be mixed with Mongolian spies. We must not let them into the city, otherwise it will cause great disaster."

Guo Jing shouted loudly: "Many civilians have been slaughtered by the Mongolian soldiers. How can we afford to kill thousands of civilians because of one or two spies? Open the city gates quickly."

Although Guo Jing was not an official, he had made many outstanding achievements and had a great reputation. In the past, he had even held the general defending the city hostage in Qingzhou.

Seeing the bright and resolute light flashing in his eyes, Wang Jian dared not disobey and had to open the city gates. At the same time, he sent someone to report to the pacification envoy Lu Wenhuan.

Since Genghis Khan, when the Mongolian army attacked a city, they always drove the enemy's civilians first. As long as the defending soldiers stopped shooting, the Mongolian soldiers would follow. This method could not only slaughter the enemy's civilians, but also shake the enemy's morale. It was a two-birds-at-one method. It was brutal and vicious, and often achieved miraculous results.

Guo Jing had been in the Mongolian army for a long time, so he naturally knew their methods well, but he had no good idea how to crack them.

The Mongolian elite soldiers were seen holding guns and knives, forcing the Song people to go up to the city. The people were getting closer and closer, and the first ones had already climbed up the ladder.

Lu Wenhuan, the pacification envoy of Xiangyang, rode a blue horse and inspected the four cities. Seeing the critical situation, he ordered: "Defending the city is important, shoot arrows!" The soldiers fired arrows like rain, and the people fell down one after another after being shot by arrows amid screams. The rest of the people turned around and left.

The Mongolian soldiers chopped off heads with their swords and stabbed holes with their spears, forcing the people to attack the city.

Then Lu Wenhuan shouted, "Shoot!" Another row of arrows shot down.

Guo Jing shouted, "No, don't kill a good man by mistake!"

Lu Wenhuan said: "In such a critical situation, even if he is a good person, he will be killed by mistake."

Guo Jing shouted, "No, how can a good man be killed by mistake?"

The Mongolian soldiers slaughtered the Han people like pigs and dogs. Outside Xiangyang City, there were people crying and shouting in chaos. Guo Jing bowed and said, "Brothers of the Beggars' Sect and friends from the martial arts world, follow me!" Then he ran down the city wall.

Everyone responded with a roar.

The west gate was wide open, and Guo Jing led the crowd out like the wind, like a sharp blade, attacking the Mongolian army's flank in a roundabout way. The Mongolian army, which was following the civilians, immediately divided its troops to attack the enemy.

Most of the troops led by Guo Jing were good fighters from the Beggars' Sect, and another small number were loyal warriors from various places who came to surrender. Everyone fought bravely, and when the two armies met, the screams of the Mongols suddenly resounded through the sky, and more than a hundred Mongolian soldiers had been chopped off their horses.

Seeing that a Mongolian thousand-man team could not resist, another thousand-man team rushed in from the side, wielding long swords, rushing and killing. The people who were forced to attack the city saw that the Mongolian army was concentrating on fighting and stopped attacking. They shouted and fled in all directions.

Guo Jing changed the formation of his army and led the way, holding two long spears in his hands, which fluttered like auspicious snow. He was invincible, and the army moved back and forth, smashing the Mongolian team of a thousand into pieces.

Suddenly, a loud sound of a ram's horn pierced the sky, and the battle under the city took a dramatic change. Two Mongolian teams of a thousand men rushed over with galloping horses, and then two more teams of a thousand men came from the west. The Mongolian army was a veteran army, brave and fierce. The four teams of a thousand men drew two smooth arcs on the battlefield and instantly surrounded Guo Jing and a group of people in the center of Gai.

When Lu Wenhuan saw the Mongolian soldiers moving as fast as lightning from the top of the city wall, he was so frightened that he dared not send troops to rescue them.

The drumbeats became more intense. Looking from afar, a cloud of dust rose in the distance. The Mongolian army was coming from the north with steps that shook the earth.

The Mongolian army let out a terrifying shout that shook the world. A huge banner fluttered in the wind. The army separated like long grass blown by the wind. Under the protection of iron cavalry, holding green umbrellas and yellow canopies, a group of horses and soldiers approached with clanging sounds. It was Kublai Khan who was supervising the battle.

When the Mongolian officers and soldiers saw the prince coming in person, their morale was greatly boosted.

Lu Wenhuan's mouth was already bitter and he almost vomited. Suddenly he heard someone say, "General Lu, please open the city gate and let us meet Hero Guo!" It was Zhu Ziliu.

Lu Wenhuan relied on Guo Jing like a great wall, and was very worried when he saw him surrounded. However, he heard the urgent sound of horns, and another four thousand-man Mongolian teams rushed to the city gate. They asked in a trembling voice, "How can we open the city?"

It was obvious that they were just waiting for the city gates to open, and the four teams of elite soldiers rushed in.

"Marshal Lu doesn't care about my father, but I can't!" Guo Fu's eyes were blazing with fire as she ran down the city wall.

Lu Wenhuan was surprised, but didn't know how to object.

Wu Dunru also stood up and said loudly: "My brother doesn't want to be a descendant either. Brother, let's compete with Fumei and the Tartars."

Wu Xiuwen responded and followed.

Zhu Ziliu, the Wu brothers and Guo Fu led their troops and wanted to go out of the city to provide support. The red flags in the Mongolian army were waving, and it was obvious that Kublai Khan had another plan.

Lu Wenhuan was horrified and shouted, "Do not open the city gate!" He also ordered two hundred swordsmen to guard the city gate strictly, and anyone who dared to open the gate would be executed immediately.

General Wang Jian led archers and crossbowmen to shoot arrows from the top of the city.

Guo Jing, relying on his superb martial arts, galloped on his horse, charged left and right, and fired his two spears left and right, like a spirit dragon out of the sea. In an instant, he killed dozens of Mongolian warriors! The strong men behind him formed a square formation and rushed forward, forcibly breaking a hole in the Mongolian iron barrel-like battle formation, and rushed to the city gate in a moment.

Guo Jing turned his horse around and personally guarded the rear. When his spears were raised, seven or eight Mongolian generals were knocked off their horses one after another. The Mongolian soldiers did not dare to approach for a while.

Seeing Guo Jing's bravery, Lu Wenhuan was overjoyed and shouted, "Open the city! Only open it slightly, never open it too wide!"

The gate was opened three or four feet, just enough for one horse, and the strong men rushed in one after another. The Mongolian flags were waved, and two teams of soldiers and horses rushed in from the left and right.

Lu Wenhuan shouted, "Master Guo, hurry into the city! We won't wait for anyone else."

Seeing that not all of his subordinates had escaped danger, Guo Jing was unwilling to enter the city first. Instead, he turned his horse around and assassinated the two Mongolian warriors who were closest to him.

Kublai Khan in the Mongolian army also leaned on his hands and looked at the fighting below the city. He saw Guo Jing riding his horse and every time he attacked, one person would fall down. His face twitched slightly and he sighed, "How can I, a Mongolian warrior, compare to Guo Jing's bravery!"

"Your Highness!" His adviser Zicong stood beside him and said cautiously, "The city of Xiangyang is strong and the generals are brave. We are being attacked by the Quanzhen Sect and the Beggars' Sect in the rear, and there has been a huge change in Helin. I'm afraid we have to retreat!"

"Zicong, although the Queen and Guyuk are dead, my brother and King Batu are still alive. The descendants of Genghis Khan are powerful, and to be their king, you will naturally be the greatest and most powerful.

They were invincible during their Western Expedition, and the two of them were very good friends. Now I am blocked in Xiangyang, what can I do if I go back?

Is it just like my father who had to watch others proclaim themselves Khan?"

Kublai Khan's face was blazing with light, like the scorching sun in the sky: "Besides, if we retreat now, the Song army will pursue us. We have no food and grass behind us, and there are pursuers in front of us. What should we do?"

Zicong was startled and asked, "Does the king vow to capture Xiangyang?"

Kublai Khan sighed deeply and said, "My grandfather Genghis Khan taught his descendants and generals the art of war: when the situation is favorable, advance and attack vigorously; when the situation is unfavorable, stop and wait for the right time to attack again.

The use of troops depends on the momentum. You cannot go against the momentum when you can. If you follow the momentum, you will win; if you go against the momentum, you will lose. Logically, I should order the troops to retreat temporarily and then decide on the advance or retreat."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Zicong said, "Yes, the rear is being harassed by the Han people, and the advance is not going smoothly. It is better to withdraw the troops temporarily, clear the rear and then advance. This will be a safe strategy."

Kublai Khan smiled faintly: "I heard that the people who caused the trouble in Khorin were martial arts masters from the Central Plains. They poisoned and killed many people. Our army chased them for hundreds of miles. Although we killed many people, the most powerful ones all escaped. Do you think they are just causing trouble in Khorin?"

Zicong was stunned, and Kublai Khan laughed and said, "Who do you think is capable of doing such a thing?"

Zicong immediately understood that the person causing trouble in Helin must be Feng Yi, who had threatened to kill Kublai Khan. A person like him would not make empty threats, and as long as he was alive, he would definitely deal with Kublai Khan.

The battle of attack and defense of Xiangyang lasted for a long time. The prince personally supervised the battle. If he retreated after losing the battle, the morale of the Mongolian army would inevitably be broken. If the Song soldiers pursued the victory, and if there were martial arts masters from the Central Plains to assassinate the prince, he might never be able to return to Mongolia.

Suddenly, the Mongolian army shouted loudly, and then a figure was seen, like a wild goose flying out of the clouds, flying up along the wall of Xiangyang.

The city of Xiangyang was more than ten feet high, and the soldiers of both armies could not help but shout in surprise, their voices like thunder.

It turned out that although Guo Jing was a skilled martial artist, the Mongolian soldiers were like a tide, and how could one person resist them? Zhu Ziliu, who was on the top of the city wall, saw the critical situation and quickly lowered a long rope, shouting, "Brother Guo, catch him."

Guo Jing turned around and saw that the last Beggar Gang brother had entered the city, but more than a dozen Mongolian soldiers followed him and rushed into the city gate.

The swordsmen at the city gate fought off the enemy while slamming the gate shut. The two-foot-thick iron gate slowly closed.

Guo Jing shouted loudly, stabbed a Mongolian centurion to death with his spear, leaped up and grabbed the long rope.

Zhu Ziliu pulled hard, and Guo Jing immediately rose several feet up.

A captain of the Mongol army saw this and shouted, "Shoot!"

In an instant, thousands of crossbows were fired at the same time. The arrows were free and unrestrained, like silver stars falling from the sky; dense and heavy, like waves hanging upside down at the mouth of the sea, all pounced on Guo Jing who was climbing the city wall.

Guo Jing had already anticipated this move when he jumped up. His mind was as clear as a mirror. Without even looking at it, he pulled the rope with his right hand and tore down the hem of his robe with his left hand. His strong force penetrated the robe, which danced in the wind like a large shield, blocking all the arrows.

The Mongolian soldiers fired thousands of arrows, but none of them worked, and their morale was crushed. Seeing this, the Song army cheered in unison, and their morale was greatly boosted.

Zhu Ziliu used both hands alternately to pull Guo Jing higher and higher, until he was only two meters away from the top of the city wall. The commander was shocked and was about to order another round of arrows to be shot.

Guo Jing stepped on the city wall with his left foot, and his body suddenly rose more than ten feet high. He followed with his right foot, and rose another ten feet higher.

There are very few people in the world today who can master this advanced martial art of "ladder to heaven". Even if someone has mastered it, each step only allows them to rise two or three feet.

When Guo Jing was a teenager, he practiced the "Golden Goose Kung Fu" with Ma Yu, and climbed up the Mongolian cliffs with light body kung fu. Later, he practiced the "Ladder to Heaven" kung fu. Because he had the foundation of "Golden Goose Kung Fu", his basis was more solid. He stepped on the smooth city wall and jumped more than ten feet in one step. His martial arts skills were so high that it was shocking.

In an instant, the city and its surroundings were silent, and tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on him.

In just a moment of distraction, Guo Jing had landed on the top of the city wall like a big bird. Tens of thousands of soldiers on and off the city wall all stared with their mouths wide open.

As soon as Guo Jing stepped onto the top of the city wall with his left foot, he raised his hand and grabbed the bow and arrow in the hands of the Song soldiers. He stretched his arms like an ape, and the bow became like a full moon. He shot a long arrow at the captain who gave the order.

Madam Wan was just about to send more troops to attack the city when she suddenly heard a shout and was greatly confused. With a whoosh, a feather arrow pierced through his armor and went into his chest.

The captain was a general, and his armor was made of cold-forged fine iron, so it was extremely hard. Even if an ordinary person was shot, he would not die. But the bullet went straight through his chest, and he fell off his horse and died instantly.

The morale of the Song army was greatly boosted, and tens of thousands of defenders shouted in unison for a long time.

"Swish", Guo Jing shot arrows continuously and killed the captain with one arrow. The arrow was shot directly at Kublai Khan under the big banner.

The shadow of the long arrow flashed in the air.

"Your Highness, be careful!" A guard was quick-witted and stepped forward to pull Kublai Khan off his horse.

The arrow pierced directly through the heart of one of Kublai Khan's personal soldiers, and its force did not stop, penetrating into the body of his companion behind him.

"How can this be possible? Where did he get this arrow?" Kublai Khan exclaimed in horror.

You have to know that the place where he was was a thousand steps away from the top of the city. Except for the powerful crossbows on the top of Xiangyang City, which could only be fired by multiple people, ordinary powerful crossbows could not shoot so far.

However, Guo Jing had been taught by the great archer Zhebie in Mongolia since he was a child. With his superb internal strength, his archery skills were unparalleled in the world.

How could others imagine this!

Before Kublai Khan could finish his sentence, he heard a "whoosh" and the third arrow arrived, which directly cut the rope of the large banner that was fluttering in the wind.

As soon as Kublai Khan's royal flag fell, the armies on and off the city shouted in unison again.

The Mongolian soldiers were frightened and didn't know what had happened to their commander, so their morale was low. The Song soldiers, on the other hand, were excited and shouted like a landslide.

Kublai Khan saw that Guo Jing was so powerful that he could not gain any advantage today, so he ordered his troops to withdraw.

Suddenly, a loud cry was heard: "Prince Kublai Khan is dead!"

(End of this chapter)