The Jin army was indeed about to escape.
Moreover, they acted very quickly. The Jin army besieging the city took only half a day to withdraw from the city wall.
Early the next morning, 100,000 Jin troops divided into three groups and hurriedly retreated northward, escorting the looted supplies and members of the Song royal family.
The speed was so fast that the National Protection Army had no time to react.
Zhang Shixun acted decisively and led the main force of the National Protection Army in a rapid pursuit.
When they arrived at Qingchengzhai and Liujia Temple, they were deserted.
Due to the hasty retreat, the Jin army abandoned a lot of food and other supplies that could not be transported.
In addition, there were many corpses of women from the Song Dynasty.
Among them, some committed suicide because they could not bear the humiliation, but more were tortured to death by the bestial Jin army, and their deaths were horrific.
Zhang Shixun's face turned pale as he ordered all the soldiers of the National Protection Army to watch these tragic scenes.
The soldiers were filled with righteous indignation and asked to fight.
Zhang Shixun also wanted to lead the National Protection Army to pursue the Jin army, but his current strength did not allow it.
There were three Jin armies, each with more than 30,000 people, and most of them were cavalry.
On the other hand, the National Protection Army, including the National Protection Army in Taihang Mountains and the farmhands in several villages, had less than 5,000 people in total.
With this amount of troops, what can we do even if we catch up with the Jin army?
The most important thing is that Zhang Shixun has few homemade grenades and explosive packs left.
Wang Dong still had a lot of explosives, but there was no time to make grenades and explosive packs.
Zhang Shixun clenched his fists and looked towards the north.
The generals stood behind him, waiting for his orders.
After a long moment, he sighed secretly, turned around and ordered, "Follow me into the city."
We must go into the city.
Zhang Bangchang, the pseudo-Chu emperor, has just ascended the throne, so let’s get rid of him first.
Although all the property in Kaifeng City was looted by the Jin army, the East and West workshops under the Military Equipment Bureau and most of the craftsmen were still there.
Must get it as soon as possible.
Wang Dong couldn't wait any longer. Only with these workshops and craftsmen could he officially implement his grand plan.
Thousands of national protection troops marched into Tokyo City with great fanfare.
The pseudo-Chu "defenders" in the city were caught off guard.
When the people in the capital learned that Zhang Tianshi had returned with his troops, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to welcome his return.
The news of the great victory in Zhang Xiaozhuang was immediately spread by Gao Yanei and He Ji in the city, who inevitably exaggerated the story and magnified the victory infinitely.
"Great victory! Heavenly King Zhang borrowed the heavenly soldiers and set up a net in Zhang Xiaozhuang, north of the city, annihilating 50,000 golden dogs in one fell swoop!"
"Wanyan Zonghan, the commander of the Jin army's western corps, was struck down by a single blow from Zhang Tianwang."
"Nianhan's general Wanyan Loushi was killed."
"The traitor, Pharmacist Guo, suffered a crushing defeat and fled, his whereabouts unknown."
"A great victory was achieved at Zhangxiaozhuang, scaring off the Jin army."
…
In a short while, the people in the capital city rushed to tell each other, and the news spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, and from one person to another, until finally the withdrawal of the Jin army was entirely attributed to Zhang Tianwang alone.
The soldiers of the National Protection Army had all undergone basic training, and they marched with their heads held high and their spirits high.
Among these soldiers, except for a few farmhands from Zhangxiaozhuang and Gaolaozhuang, most of them were bandits from Taihang Mountains. They never dreamed that one day they would be able to walk into the capital so openly.
Zhang Shixun was fully dressed in military uniform, riding a horse at the front of the team, smiling and waving to the people who lined the streets to welcome him.
As soon as he entered Nanxun Gate, Wang Dong informed him via wireless communication: Attention! Fan Qiong is leading his troops towards you.
Zhang Shixun's heart trembled, and he quickly turned to Li Moulue behind him and whispered, "Pass on my order, prepare for battle."
Fan Qiong came from a military background. When the Jin army besieged the city, he was appointed by Song Qinzong as the inspector of the four walls of the capital and the governor of Wenzhou.
This guy is a typical traitor. After the capital was captured by the Jin army, he was wholeheartedly loyal to the Jin army.
Following the orders of the Jurchens, he led his troops to force the retired Emperor Zhao Ji and more than 3,000 members of the royal family, concubines, etc. to be escorted to the Jin camp one after another, either in sedan chairs, ox carts, or on foot.
When Huizong was forced out of the city, some people along the way burst into tears, and Fan Qiong actually executed several of them immediately. Afterwards, he led his troops back and forth in front of the city, announcing to the people that the Zhao family had lost the country, meaning that the Song Dynasty was doomed, and ordered the people not to prevent the imperial family and concubines from leaving the city.
Zhang Bangchang established the Great Chu with the support of the Jurchens. Fan Qiong, as a military official in charge of military power, and Geng Nanzhong responded with all their might and were willing to be the Jurchens' running dogs.
"Lao Wang, what should we do about traitors?"
"Haha! Do you even need to ask? One word: kill!"
"Yeah! We've reached an agreement. I thought so too."
"It looks like you're going to kill Fan Qiong."
"Yes, to use his head to establish authority."
"support!"
…
The two teams collided head-on in the city and stopped.
Zhang Shixun, holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji, urged his horse forward and shouted, "Is that the traitor Fan Qiong coming over here?"
One sentence can define the other person's character.
When Fan Qiong heard this, she was so angry that her nose was crooked.
"Zhang Shixun, stop slandering me. I, Fan, am devoted to my country and loyal to it. It is..."
"Bah!" Zhang Shixun didn't wait for him to finish and shouted angrily, "You have forgotten your ancestors, sold out your master for personal gain, and murdered the people. You are willing to be a running dog for the Jurchens. You are a despicable and shameless traitor. Everyone has the right to kill you... Stop talking nonsense and give me your life!"
As Zhang Shixun spoke, he brandished his Fang Tian Hua Ji and rushed towards Fan Qiong.
Fan Qiong didn't expect that he would start fighting without even saying a few words. He was so frightened that he circled his horse and tried to run away.
Zhang Shixun's extraordinary bravery was known to everyone in the world, and Fan Qiong was of course also familiar with it. Even if he was given a hundred courages, he would not dare to fight Zhang Shixun.
It happened so quickly that as soon as Fan Qiong turned his horse's head, Zhang Shixun caught up with him.
“Stop…stop him!”
Fan Qiong said this to his subordinates.
He never expected that when these subordinates heard his order, not only did no one step forward to stop him, but they all retreated to the side at the same time.
Zhang Shixun raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji and chopped off Fan Qiong's head.
“Mercy…”
As a military general, Fan Qiong did not think of resisting, but begging for mercy, which shows how weak he was.
"puff!"
Fan Qiong's huge head left his neck and rolled to the ground, and his headless body fell off the horse with a "thump".
Zhang Shixun held his Fang Tian Hua Ji horizontally and shouted at Fa Qiong's men, "The ringleader has been eliminated, and the rest will not be pursued. Will you surrender or not?"
"drop!"
"We surrender!"
Fan Qiong's men hurriedly dismounted and knelt on the ground.
"Zhang Tianwang." A brave man kowtowed repeatedly, "We have long been disgusted with Fan Qiong's behavior, but we have elderly and children at home, and we have to bow our heads under the eaves."
Others followed suit.
Zhang Shixun didn't have time to argue with them. He pointed his Fang Tian Hua Ji forward and said, "Since that's the case, follow me into the palace to capture Zhang Bangchang and eliminate this traitor."
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