Li Guang was right. That night, Xiang Shangjin led his remaining troops in a desperate escape, like stray dogs, back to Panzhou. At this point, less than three thousand men remained.
Someron was taken aback by this sight.
Two nights ago, he sent a general with two thousand Jin soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the Northern Dynasty's naval camp in an attempt to rescue Khan Moda. However, none of the men who went to launch the attack returned, and it is estimated that the entire army was wiped out.
Just as he was getting angry about this, he saw Xiang Shangjin return with his defeated troops.
After learning the situation, Someron was furious. He said that it would be understandable if the two armies were defeated on the battlefield, but the Northern Dynasty's army entered the city through tunnels and breached the city walls while he was sleeping.
The commotion of digging a tunnel into the city was enormous, yet you, Xiang Shangjin, knew nothing about it. Of your 20,000 troops, less than 3,000 remain. How dare you come back?
"Guards, take Xiang Shangjin out and behead him!" Someron roared in fury.
Everyone was shocked and quickly stepped forward to plead for Xiang Shangjin.
"General, please calm down. This is a time when we need capable men. Executing a general would be detrimental to our army."
"Please, General, show mercy and spare Xiang Shangjin's life, allowing him to atone for his crimes through meritorious service."
In fact, Someron did not want to kill Xiang Shangjin. He was just putting on a show to scare the other generals. If anyone failed to perform their duties again, they would be punished according to military law.
“Xiang Shangjin, if we lose Merlin, our army will lose control of the rich land of the Great Northern Dynasty. We no longer have the ability to take Merlin back. Even if we kill you now, it will not help.”
"If it weren't for the pleas of your officers, I would have executed you without hesitation. You'd better think twice. You may leave now."
"Thank you for sparing my life, Commander." Xiang Shangjin knelt down to express his gratitude.
Someron was also unclear about what was going on. In just a few days, the Jin army suffered setbacks everywhere, losing more than half of its men and horses. If this continued, he would surely be defeated.
He asked Xiang Shangjin to recount the details of the loss of Meilin, and as he expected, it was Li Guang again.
Previously, his capable general Lü Chuang went to Lingzhou, but before he even arrived, he was attacked by Li Guang's fire, which basically wiped out the entire army.
Furthermore, his vanguard, Hanmo Da, encountered Li Guang while pursuing the sailors of Panzhou Lake. They entered Li Guang's well-prepared four-gate encirclement formation, and more than 10,000 soldiers were either killed or taken prisoner.
The fall of Meilin this time was also related to Li Guang. He had been leading troops in many years of battles and had never been so humiliated.
Who exactly is this Li Guang? How is he so powerful? It seems I'm no match for him.
"Do you know who Li Guang is, and what his background is?" Someron asked.
After thinking for a while, Xiang Shangjin said, "When I was fighting Meng Liang, I was about to capture him alive when Li Guang arrived on horseback. He called Meng Liang 'Father Commander.' Could he be Meng Liang's son?"
Upon hearing this, Somelon shook his head and said:
"Impossible. Meng Liang comes from Nancha Ancient Castle and is a true Southern Barbarian, while Li Guang came from the capital. How could he be his son?"
You are to closely monitor Li Guang's movements and report any findings to me immediately.
"Yes, sir."
Li Guang stayed overnight at the naval camp. The next morning, he and Yue Heng led 10,000 men, along with Meng Liang's 20,000 rattan armor soldiers, and marched in a grand procession toward Shitai.
Shitai City is located in the western part of Panzhou, on the edge of the mountains, and is two days' journey from Panzhou.
This is an ancient city with a history of thousands of years. It is one of the oldest cities in the Northern Dynasties and has a rich cultural and historical heritage.
As Li Guang marched, he considered how to capture this ancient city, which was a treasure of the Great Northern Dynasty and must not be destroyed.
However, once a city is attacked, it is hard to say that it will not cause damage to Stone Terrace. While tunneling can be used to attack Merlin, this method cannot be used to capture Stone Terrace.
In an ancient city like Shitai, digging a tunnel under the city walls would definitely damage them, and Li Guang would not do such a thing.
How to capture Shitai City will depend on the situation later; in any case, this ancient city must not be destroyed.
Two days later, the 30,000-strong army arrived at Shitai City and set up camp three miles away from the city.
The general guarding the stone platform was Ke Deng, a great general of the Jin Dynasty. He was skilled in martial arts and strategy, and was a very famous figure in the Jin Dynasty.
For this invasion of the Northern Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty dispatched its strongest lineup, bringing out all of its most valuable assets.
Like other cities, the inhabitants of Shitai City had long since fled, and the city was now filled with Jin soldiers.
The city is full of historical sites; I wonder if any of them have been damaged.
With a large army stationed outside the city, the Jin soldiers inside immediately became uneasy, estimating that they already knew of the fall of Merlin and began to strengthen the city's defenses.
After setting up camp, Li Guang did not immediately go forward to challenge them, but instead led a few men to survey the Shitai City.
Shitai City is not large. It is built against the mountain, and a large number of mountain springs converge into a small river that flows through the city. Li Guang nodded. He seemed to have found a way to eliminate the Jin soldiers in the city.
The group continued to inspect the city wall. The Jin soldiers patrolling the wall became very nervous upon seeing this, and they held bows and arrows, ready for battle.
Li Guang and his companions ignored them and continued to inspect the city wall. On the western side of the city wall, the side closest to the mountain, the wall was covered with vines.
Some are ancient vines that are hundreds of years old, thick and long, growing all the way to the top of the city wall. After hundreds of years of growth, they have embedded themselves in the wall and become one with it.
Upon seeing the vines on the city wall, Meng Liang immediately burst into laughter.
"These rattan canes are like ladders for the rattan armor soldiers to attack the city, making it easy for them to break into the city and turn the tide."
Li Guang nodded. To others, these vines growing on the city wall were just ordinary plants, but to the rattan armor soldiers, they were ladders to climb the city wall.
This gives us another option for storming the city, and the decision will depend on the specific circumstances.
Back at the military camp, Li Guang selected two short rattan armor soldiers and had them disguise themselves as ordinary civilians. At dusk, they climbed the city wall using rattan armor and then sneaked into the city.
After entering the city, survey the terrain and see if there are any hidden ambush sites.
The two rattan armor soldiers left to carry out their orders, and Li Guang continued his discussion with the others.
It wasn't until it was completely dark that the two rattan armor soldiers returned. Li Guang immediately asked them what they had seen in the city.
The rattan armor soldiers told Li Guang that they climbed up the city wall along the rattan and sneaked into the city while the patrolling Jin soldiers were not paying attention.
No civilians were found in the city; it was full of Jin soldiers. They did not set up camps in the city but lived in government offices and the homes of ordinary people.
In the northwest corner of the city, there is a dense forest where ambushes are hidden and difficult to spot.
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