Outside Shanhaiguan, in Zhao Shuaizhen's main camp.
"Bang!"
With a metallic clang, Zhao Shuaizhen, the usually composed commander, was now trembling with rage.
He even smashed his metal helmet on the ground.
Standing before him were the generals of the Jizhou garrison, including Yuan Wenzong.
At this moment, each of them wore the same anger as Zhao Shuzhen.
In his extreme anger, Zhao Shuaizhen clutched his chest and, with the help of his generals, struggled back to sit on his command seat.
Sitting in his command seat, he took a deep breath and pointed to the military report in front of him, saying:
"Eunuchs, treacherous officials, they ruin the country!"
At this point, Zhao Shuzhen angrily pounded his legs.
Zhao Shuaizhen then pointed to the military report in front of him and said:
"That treacherous Wang Zhen actually bewitched the Emperor, wanting him to lead the army on a detour to his hometown, to let a eunuch show off his power."
Moreover, after arriving at the hometown of that eunuch, in order to show off his power, he actually allowed hundreds of thousands of troops to be stationed there.
Let him save face in front of his former neighbors and relatives, and let them see how he returns home in glory with hundreds of thousands of troops.
The military situation was extremely urgent, yet he was still doing something so disastrous for the country; he truly deserved to die a thousand deaths.
You should know that our 70,000 troops were cautiously confronting Li's main force of more than 100,000 rebel troops at Shanhaiguan.
Our strength was already inferior to that of Li the bandit inside Shanhaiguan, so why didn't they hurry to come and support us?
But they would take a detour to that treacherous official's hometown to support him and show off their power.
General Zhang Fu, and so many other ministers, wasn't there even one who offered some advice to His Majesty?
At this point, Zhao Shuzhen felt his blood pressure rise and his chest started to hurt again.
The generals around him hurriedly advised him not to get angry, saying that his health was the most important thing.
"General, you are now leading tens of thousands of troops in Jizhou against more than a dozen rebels. The responsibility on your shoulders is as heavy as a thousand pounds. You cannot afford any mistakes."
Otherwise, what will happen to the tens of thousands of soldiers in our Jizhou garrison?
Please take good care of yourself.
Yuan Wenzong immediately came up and advised Zhao Shuaizhen.
Listening to the advice from his generals to take care of his health, Zhao Shuaizhen gradually suppressed his anger.
He then addressed the generals before him:
"I must submit a memorial to His Majesty. My army is locked in a difficult stalemate with the traitor Li here. The army from the capital should come to our aid as soon as possible and quell the traitor Li's rebellion."
Otherwise, with an army of 300,000 and hundreds of thousands of laborers, the daily consumption would be enormous.
There's simply no time for this nonsense; it's best to hand over command of the army back to General Zhang Fu.
As he spoke, Zhao Shuaizhen picked up his pen, preparing to write a letter to Zhu Qizhen, requesting that the troops of the three major camps in the capital come to Shanhaiguan to support him as soon as possible.
However, while Zhao Shuaizhen and the generals in the camp were focusing all their attention on Shanhaiguan and the more than 200,000 troops in the capital.
Right outside Xifengkou, their hometown of Jizhen, Wanyan Jian's tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry were preparing for battle.
They prepared to break through Xifengkou and enter the pass.
Wanyan Jian personally donned armor, mounted his horse, and watched the army, who had just slaughtered fat sheep and were feasting on meat to replenish their strength.
He nodded with a smile.
He then said to a Jurchen general with a raven-tail hairstyle:
"Ma Cha, once the army has eaten and drunk its fill and replenished its strength, we will immediately break through Xifeng Pass and enter the pass."
After that, they headed straight for Jizhou, a key border town of the Southern Dynasty.
Based on my judgment, the defense of Jizhou should be extremely weak at this time.
Moreover, based on our rest period, we can infer that the troops of Jizhou should have arrived at Shanhaiguan several days ago and have already joined forces with the three major camps of the Southern Dynasty to fight against Li Qin.
The main force of the Southern Dynasty is currently under Shanhaiguan Pass. If I launch a surprise attack on Jizhou at this time, it will certainly not attract too many reinforcements from the Southern Dynasty to support Jizhou.
Once we take Jizhou and control the families of the soldiers there, their morale will waver, and they will lose their will to fight.
After that, we cut off the supply lines of the three major camps of the Southern Dynasty to the south.
"When the time comes, a combined attack from the east and west will surely result in a great victory."
As Wanyan Jian spoke, his eyes gleamed, as if he could already see himself and Li Qin joining forces to annihilate the Southern Dynasty's army.
After the tens of thousands of Jurchen troops were fully prepared, Wanyan Jian turned his gaze to Xifengkou in the distance.
He immediately raised his riding whip, then slammed it down, pointing towards Xifengkou in the distance, and said:
"attack."
As soon as Wanyan Jian finished speaking, tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalrymen marched in a mighty force toward Xifengkou.
Meanwhile, Wu's troops at the Xifengkou pass were scattered across the city wall.
Most of the garrison troops inside Xifengkou Pass were transferred away by Zhao Shuaizhen and taken to Shanhaiguan on Wang Zhen's orders.
At this time, there were very few soldiers guarding the Xifengkou pass.
Moreover, the garrison inside the pass knew that the Tatars they were facing had long since gone to graze their livestock in the distance.
There were no large Tatar tribes opposite them.
Therefore, their defenses were extremely lax at this time.
Until they heard the rumbling of warhorses coming from afar.
Then they saw an endless expanse of cavalry.
They instantly became extremely panicked, and one of the new recruits even said in a trembling voice:
"Tatar soldiers? How can there be so many Tatar soldiers?"
Haven't the Tatars already gone to graze their livestock in a distant place?
How could there be so many Tartar soldiers?
One of the veterans, clad in armor, immediately realized what was happening and said:
"The 'money-tailed rat' is a Jurchen. The Tatar army simply couldn't have that many armored soldiers."
Aren't they in Liaodong?
How did I end up here?
"Hurry, hurry!"
Before the veteran could finish speaking, a sharp arrow pierced his face through the exposed part of his armor.
He died on the spot.
Chaos ensued on the city wall.
During the time Wanyan Jian was resting and waiting, he was not idle.
He immediately ordered the ladders and other simple siege weapons produced during this period to be used in the attack on the city.
Although time was tight, large siege engines such as cloud ladders could not be built.
However, these simple siege weapons were sufficient.
The Jurchen cavalry rode up to the city walls and immediately suppressed the scattered Wu soldiers on the walls with a dense rain of arrows.
Then the elite Jurchens began hanging ladders on the city walls and quickly climbing them to engage in fierce fighting with the Wu army inside the city.
They quickly opened the city gates from the inside.
As the city gates opened, the Jurchen cavalry quickly rushed into the pass.
Because the main force had been transferred away, the Wu army inside the pass was unable to mount any effective resistance.
The Jurchens quickly took control of Xifengkou.
Wanyan Jian didn't linger, but pointed south towards Jizhou and said:
"Jurchen warriors, follow me into the pass, our target is Jizhou."
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