Chapter 176: Conquering the City
When Zhao Xiao received the news from the scouts, he asked again in disbelief.
"You said that the soldiers in Wucheng are preparing for battle?"
The scout nodded, "Yes."
"Which general of the Jin Kingdom is stationed in Mocheng?"
"It should be Harun wood."
Fang Xin stepped forward with his horse's belly between his legs and said, "General, I am familiar with this man. When General Ye was alive, I fought hundreds of battles with him, big and small, with half of them winning and half losing."
There are not many people who can fight Ye Qing to a draw, so Zhao Xiao became alert.
Fang Xin continued, "But there was a reason why they were able to win. The Sheng Dynasty did not allocate military pay, and the soldiers were hungry and cold in the winter. Their hands lost their aim, so it was naturally difficult to defeat them."
Now Daqi's soldiers are well-rested, and with so many artillery pieces, defeating him will be a piece of cake!
Zhao Xiao nodded: "It would be better if he came out to fight, so as to avoid bombing the city into pieces and then spending money to repair it."
The two armies met at Langya Slope, thirty miles away from Meicheng. The Jin soldiers on the other side had the upper hand, and the cavalry had a natural angle to charge. This was also planned in advance by Alunmu. He intended to use this steep slope to charge the other side and route them.
He knew that artillery was only suitable for long-range combat, and the Central Plains people were no match for the Jin people in close combat! Because they all grew up on horseback and had superb riding skills and combat experience.
As a horn sounded, the Jin soldiers rushed towards the Qi army like sharp swords drawn from their sheaths.
"Divide!" Zhao Xiao shouted, and the Qi army split into two groups at a rapid speed, luring the Jin soldiers into a trap.
Harunmu's eyes widened, and he was confused. Why didn't Daqi confront him head-on? Was there a trick here?
But once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. It is impossible to stop now. We can only charge forward and kill as we go.
However, Qi Ren separated quickly enough, and they rushed in alone. Only the soldiers on the sides fought with Qi Ren, and the ones in the middle couldn't even see their opponents.
After all the Jin soldiers rushed into the camp, the war drums of the Qi army were sounded.
"Close!" Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted at the same time, and the soldiers on the border gradually closed the entrance, wrapping all the Jin people inside.
Immediately afterwards, Ge Zhongshun led the musketeers to start shooting. There were a series of crackling sounds, and the Jin soldiers in front fell down instantly.
Harunmu was shot in the shoulder. Before he felt the pain, blood flowed down his sleeves. His hands holding the reins were sticky. He looked down and his heart sank to the bottom.
Fell into a trap!
I don’t know what kind of hidden weapons Qibing used, but they were so powerful that the soldiers were no match for them.
The deputy general beside him said anxiously: "General, we are surrounded!"
Harunmu swallowed his saliva and said, "I was careless."
"I will escort you out first!"
Harunmu nodded silently. Now that the defeat was inevitable, it was better to have as many people as possible escape than to have the whole army wiped out.
"Gee! Everybody gather here!" The deputy general gathered his men and rushed towards the northwest, because there seemed to be the least people there and perhaps they could break through the encirclement.
Harunmu was protected in the center. He had lost his fighting spirit. It was the first time in his half-life of military service that he suffered such an ugly defeat. The Khan knew that he would probably be killed as a sacrifice. He closed his eyes and let the horse carry him forward.
Just when they thought they were about to break out of the encirclement, a black horse blocked their way.
The man on the horse was wearing silver armor and holding a long sword that flashed with cold light. Just by looking at his attire, one could tell that he must be the commander-in-chief of the Qi army!
Harunmu's fighting spirit was instantly ignited. He grabbed the sword at his waist and rushed forward, saying: "You brat! How dare you fight me!" He had been guarding the border for many years and spoke the Central Plains dialect fluently.
Zhao Xiao raised his long sword: "Please teach me."
Harunmu's brows showed joy. The people of Central Plains always liked to show off their power, but they didn't know that all is fair in war on the battlefield. As long as they could capture the opponent's commander, there might be room for recovery in this battle.
Harunmu pretended to fight, but when he saw the other party taking the bait, he suddenly turned his horse's head and shouted, "Catch him quickly. If we can capture the Han commander, we will win!"
The surrounding soldiers rushed towards Zhao Xiao.
Zhao Xiao seemed to have noticed it already. He curled his lips slightly and rushed towards them alone.
Four or five Jin soldiers slashed at him at the same time, but the man on the horse suddenly ducked and slid under the horse's belly, and the blades missed and fell on the steel saddle.
The horse's hooves were raised high, making a Herodian neighing sound.
Zhao Xiao was seen holding the saddle with one hand, hanging sideways on the horse, taking the opportunity to rush to the enemy, and with a swing of his long sword, he took away four or five lives.
Blood splattered, dyeing the snow red.
Another person rushed over, and Zhao Xiao easily parried him. Fighting one against ten was no problem at all. After killing the people here, he turned his horse around and attacked Harunmu.
Harunmu's eyes were red, and he was already timid. Who was this young general? How come he had never seen him before? He actually had such courage and skills.
He swallowed his saliva, and his injured arm trembled unconsciously. No, he couldn't be afraid of fighting! If he was afraid, all the other soldiers would die here!
Harunmu mustered up his courage and fought with Zhao Xiao, waving the scimitar in his hand.
Unfortunately, he chose the wrong opponent. The young and strong Zhao Xiao was not only good at leading troops but also good at fighting.
In one exchange, the scimitar in his hand was chopped off, and when he attacked again, half of his arm was cut off. The pain made Harunmu fall off his horse, and rolled on the ground holding his arm.
Zhao Xiao rode on his horse, looked down at him and said, "We must take the city."
Harunmu's eyes were filled with fear. He had never seen such a Central Plains person before: "You...what's your name?"
Zhao Xiao took off his helmet and said, "General Daqi Fuguo, Zhao Xiao." After saying that, he ended his life with a single blow.
Without their leader, the Jin soldiers rushed around like headless flies. The battle lasted for two days and one night. Nearly 30,000 Jin soldiers were strangled by the Daqi army, and the entire land was dyed red with blood.
Fang Xin was so angry that the blade of his knife was bent. How many brothers were killed by the Jin soldiers in the past? Now he can finally get revenge!
After the battle, Bai Yizhou led 5,000 soldiers to clean up the battlefield and hunt down the remaining soldiers, while the rest of the troops headed towards Meicheng.
After Harunmu led his troops to the battle, there were almost no soldiers left in the city. Only the old, weak, sick, disabled, women and children were left. After guarding the city gate for half an hour, it was breached. The people were so frightened that they fled in all directions.
In the past, if the Jin soldiers invaded the Central Plains, they would slaughter all the men and rape all the women in every city they passed through, and steal food and treasures.
They thought that the people of Daqi would do the same, and many women were even prepared to hang themselves in advance.
Unexpectedly, the Daqi army did not kill them, but drove them out of the city directly, not allowing them to carry anything and leave the city. When the Jin people heard that there was such a good thing, they ran away without looking back.
Fang Xin looked at the Jin people running out of the city and couldn't help spitting: "General, you are too kind. The Jin people didn't treat us like this in the past."
"General, do you know Yuncheng? It used to be the most prosperous city in Beiguan, with tens of thousands of people. It was looted by the Jin people thirty years ago and became a ghost town."
Many of the local soldiers in Beiguan were orphans from Yuncheng, and they hated the Jin people to the core.
Zhao Xiao patted his shoulder and said, "Women and children are unarmed, it's easy to kill them. Bullying the weak is not what a real man does. We are different from the Jin people. Daqi only fights with a legitimate reason."
Ge Zhongshun and Chen Jing standing by were in awe of Zhao Xiao. Even if they were asked to kill him, they couldn't do it.
However, the capture of Xiamei City is good news. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is also the only way for the Jin soldiers to go to Daqi.
Ge Zhongshun said: "General, if we release these people, won't they spread the news to Jindu City?"
Zhao Xiao smiled slightly: "I'm just worried that they won't be able to pass on the message. If the Jin soldiers dare to come, they will never return."
Taking advantage of the support of the Jin army in the past few days, the soldiers quickly moved the artillery shells onto the city wall.
The walls of the city were very strong, and with the artillery defense, they were impregnable. Even if the enemy came with an army of 200,000, they would not be able to break in.
*
On March 25th, the news that Harunmu was killed in battle and the city had fallen was transmitted back to the capital of Jin.
Yelu Khan was so angry that he threw his bowl.
"That's 30,000 soldiers, and they're all gone?!"
The soldier who delivered the letter fell to the ground and trembled: "Report to the Khan... No, no, General Harun led his troops to attack the city, but they fell into the enemy's trap and all the people were trapped to death..."
"Idiot! Idiot! This old guy has been a husband all his life, but he can do such a stupid thing!" Yelu Baorong was almost mad with rage. He never thought that Daqi would dare to take the lead in attacking the Jin Kingdom.
"Pass the order down, order the leaders of the 17 tribes to enter the palace immediately!" He will lead an army of 300,000 to drive out those Qi people!
Upon hearing about this, Amudan immediately sent a memorial to the palace to advise the emperor that sending troops at this time might just fall into Qi's evil plan.
Although the city was lost, the people in the city had all escaped and there was no rush to attack it.
Moreover, it is early spring now, and the ice and snow in the north have not melted yet. The cattle and horses are all thin, and many mares are already pregnant with foals, making them completely unsuitable for fighting.
It’s not too late to wait until May when the water and grass are lush.
Yelu Baorong was so angry that he didn't care about anything else. He ordered people to throw Amudan out of the palace and banned him from entering the palace in the future.
Amudan sat outside the palace wall with a gloomy face. He had made his last effort in this persuasion, but not only did he fail to convince the Khan, he also lost the Khan's support. It seemed that he had only another way to go.
He immediately took a carriage to the Fourth Prince's residence, and the two of them talked all night long by candlelight, and did not leave until dawn.
No one knew what Amudan said to the Fourth Prince, but when the army set out three days later, only twelve of the seventeen tribes came.
The other five groups of soldiers who did not come were all from the fourth prince's maternal tribes. They refused to obey the Khan's order and march south.
Yelu Khan was furious. He didn't expect his son would hold him back. He rushed into the Fourth Prince's mansion with a sword, but unfortunately the house was already deserted, with only a few people cleaning the place.
Yelu Khan said angrily: "This boy is a coward. He is not fit for the big responsibility, nor is he worthy to be a son of my Yelu family. From now on, there is no father-son relationship between us!"
If Amudan were still alive, he would definitely advise him not to sever the father-son relationship with the Fourth Prince, because once the relationship is severed, it means that the five tribes in the north will also split from the Jin Kingdom, which is like cutting off one's own arm!
Unfortunately, Amudan has already left Jindu City. He followed the fourth prince to the north to build his ideal home.
The eldest and second princes hoped that their father would not recognize the fourth prince, so that there would be one less strong competitor for the position of Khan.
At the end of March, Yelu Baorong led 150,000 Jin soldiers south, and the two sides began a sixteen-month-long battle.
(End of this chapter)
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