In late November, in the thirteenth year of Jinghan's reign, it was snowing heavily in Bianliang.
Compared to the heavy snow, the Jurchen's attack on the city was the biggest disaster facing the entire Bianliang, and even the entire Wu dynasty. Over the past few months, the Lady Daoist's sudden advance to the south was like a calamity to the people of the Wu Dynasty. Zong Wang had led less than a hundred thousand men in a rampage and brazenly defeated an army of hundreds of thousands outside Bianliang City. From a certain perspective, it was like a fierce lesson to the people of the Wu Dynasty in their twilight years.
For a long time, under the appearance of peace and prosperity, the people of the Wu dynasty did not ignore military affairs. Scholars and soldiers invested a lot of money, but what they got in return was all kinds of military theories. There were actually many people who knew how to fight a war, how to guarantee logistics, and how to use overt and overt plots. Because of this, if they couldn't beat the Liao people, they could buy a victory, and if they couldn't beat the Jin people, they could sow discord and drive the tiger to swallow the wolf. However, at this point, everything was useless.
Wanyan Zongwang's actions had crushed all the extravagant hopes of the military theorists in the past few months. Every time he sent out an army, he was resolute and resolute. The boldness and courage of a founding army was enough to destroy almost all schemes and schemes. This was especially true when he launched the general attack on Bianliang City on the twenty-second day of the eleventh month. The Jurchen army pressed forward like a raging inferno. Every strike of Zong Wang's was like a knife firmly cutting the vital points of the Wu Dynasty. There were almost no feints.
And the only thing that Bianliang could compete with was the real national foundation that had been accumulated over the past two hundred years.
The scholars had been ruling the country for more than two hundred years. After all, there were still some things that could be called a national foundation. Loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and sacrifice for righteousness, coupled with real personal interests as the impetus, Bianliang was finally able to mobilize a large number of people to join the defense team in a short period of time like moths to a flame.
If Zong Wang's every strike was aimed at Bianliang's vital points, then as a bloated and weak giant like Bianliang, the only way to deal with Zong Wang's attacks was to sacrifice a large number of lives to fill the gap. From the twenty-second day to the twenty-fifth night, when Zong Wang made the heaviest cut on Bianliang, hundreds of Jurchen broke into the city. In order to take back the wall and clear the Jurchen soldiers who had entered the city, more than six thousand soldiers and civilians had lost their lives near the new Jujube Gate. The top of the city wall was covered with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
There was no time to think about the meaning of life and death. In such a battle, the soldiers and a large number of people who had been mobilized were thrown into the abyss of death one after another. It was hard to say whether the people should be moved, or should they reflect on themselves and grieve. But at least at this moment, the old people who were responsible for defending the city were indeed carrying out the responsibility of defending the city at the cost of their lives. Li Gang once rushed to the top of the city wall with his steel saber. In the rear, Qin Siyuan, after learning about the huge casualties, sat on a chair with the number in his hand. After a long time, his hands were trembling, and he couldn't even speak.
When a country lost its strength, it could only fight with lives.
On the Bianliang front, the Female Daoists had sacrificed a lot of lives. Outside Bianliang, the many teams that had been beaten to a pulp could hardly break the siege. They didn't even have the courage to face the Female Daoists' army. However, on the twenty-fifth night, a battle suddenly broke out in the camp of the Jurchen army, which was also resolute and fierce. In a sense, after more than three hundred thousand soldiers were crushed by the Jurchen soldiers, the sudden attack of more than four thousand people was so resolute and fierce that it was shocking.
At the same time that Zong Wang led his army and heavily brandished his saber at Bianliang City, the spies hiding in the shadows finally made their move, launching an equally resolute blow at the vital points of the Jurchen soldiers' back!
The appearance of these four thousand people and the opening of the heavy cavalry were a powerful blow to the Jurchen soldiers who were defending Camouflage Hill. This style was completely different from that of the ordinary Wu dynasty army. The Jurchen army was somewhat startled, but they weren't afraid. Even though they had suffered a certain degree of casualties, the Jurchen army was still able to contend with the attacking Wu dynasty army outside Camouflage Hill under the excellent command of their generals.
Meanwhile, the attacking Wu dynasty army swiftly launched an attack on the outer wall of Camouflage Hill's camp with the same resolute attitude. After a moment of struggle, the two groups of light cavalry outside the camp once again collided.
At the same time, the heavy cavalry and infantry that had paused for a moment in front of Camouflage Hill charged at the Jurchen camp. In the blink of an eye, the entire battle reached its climax.
In a numerical comparison, more than a hundred heavy cavalry was definitely an enormous strategic advantage. It wasn't that they couldn't be restrained, but this kind of army that had been built up with a great deal of strategic resources could only contend with a great deal of resources and lives in a head-on confrontation. The Jurchen cavalry were basically light cavalry because the heavy cavalry was used to attack enemy positions that had to be rescued. On the plains, the light cavalry could easily exhaust the heavy cavalry to death, but right now, Pulu's more than one thousand infantrymen had become the first sacrifices.
The camp in the rear could indeed support them with bows and arrows, but the threat of bows and arrows against heavy cavalry was negligible. Even against infantry, if the enemy began to disregard casualties, the casualties caused by bows and arrows would definitely not be unbearable for a while.
In front of Camouflage Hill, iron hooves were arranged in a row, rumbling like thunder. In the rear, nearly two thousand infantry had begun to charge while shouting. In front of the camp, Pu Lu turned his head to look at the formation on the wall, but the order he received left him in despair. He turned his head back and shouted in a deep voice, "Hold for me!" The Jurchen infantry under his command gazed at the black heavy cavalry that was pushing over like a giant wall, their faces paler than the snow in the night. At the same time, the rear gate of the camp began to open. The last five hundred light cavalry boldly charged out, intending to bypass the heavy cavalry and assault the infantry's rear!
On the other side, nearly four thousand cavalry were engaged in a fierce battle, sweeping over the battlefield!
Amidst the swirling snow, the battle lines clashed together like a tidal wave. Waves of blood surged out as the equally powerful Jurchen cavalry attempted to avoid the heavy cavalry and tear apart the enemy's weak points. But at this moment, even the comparatively weaker light cavalry and infantry possessed a considerable fighting spirit. The junior general called Yue Fei led eighteen hundred infantry and used spears, blades, and shields to meet the charging Jurchen light cavalry. At the same time, he attempted to join up with his own cavalry and squeeze the Jurchen cavalry's space. Ahead, the heavy cavalry led by Han Jing and the others had already crushed through Pu Lu's infantry amidst the waves of blood. At a certain moment, he turned his gaze to the sky behind the walls of Camouflage Hill.
Shu Liesu turned his head.
There seemed to be noise and the sounds of fighting.
Flames and pillars of smoke rose from the rear of the camp.
"Brothers!" In the wind and snow in front of the camp, someone yelled in excitement and hysteria, "Follow me! Follow me! Follow me! Kill!"
"Wah! Ah!"
At this moment, it was like a pot of old soup had finally been boiled. The frenzied atmosphere that usually belonged to the Jurchen army when they defeated the enemy reappeared in this boiling and bloody battle.
Although they had been determined to fight, the light cavalry were still not experienced enough in battle. At this moment, they crazily pounced forward like a pack of wolves. In the infantry formation, the young and calm Yue Fei had also become excited. As if he had drunk alcohol, his eyes turned crimson. He gripped his spear and laughed loudly. "Follow me! Kill!" He organized a forest of spears and fiercely pushed them toward the cavalry formation. The moment his spear stabbed into the body of a warhorse, the figure of that old man Zhou Dong who had died trying to assassinate Zong Han flashed through his mind. His master …
The knotted muscles on his hands seemed to explode with flames. As the Jurchen cavalry hesitated for a moment, the warhorse and its rider were sent flying by this young general and several people next to him. The warhorse neighed, the snow was churned, and thick blood sprayed all over the soldiers at the front. In the surroundings, warhorses fell and people were pushed away. The slaughter had reached its climax …
Not long after, as darkness descended, more than a hundred figures crossed the frozen lake and headed straight for the rear of the Jurchen camp.
Although they were doing their best to defend the front of the camp, the Jurchen Enlightened Masters were not lax in their defense of the three sides of the lake. Even before the lake had frozen, the Jurchen Enlightened Masters had been able to keep a close watch on these areas. After the lake froze, they had increased the intensity of their patrols. There were also watchtowers in the high walls of the camp responsible for monitoring the surface of the lake.
However, at this time, when the snow was falling and the curtain of night had fallen, the soldiers who had gotten used to the calm conditions of the past few months still had some blind spots.
In the distance, several people in white had dug holes in the ice and quietly entered the water. In the blink of an eye, they had slitted the throats of three patrolling Jurchen soldiers. They changed into the clothes of the Jurchen soldiers and pushed the corpses into the water. Then, they took out ballistae and ropes wrapped in oilcloth and shot at the Jurchen soldiers on the watchtowers. Then, they climbed up and took their place.
More than a hundred white-clothed people sneaked into the camp of the Jurchens in the next moment.
This group of people trained at Mount Lu Liangshan had undergone a lot of training in infiltration, destruction, concealment, and decapitation. In a sense, there were many experts of the Greenwood Forest who were good at such operations. It was just that most of them were unorganized and liked to work alone. Ning Yi had a grandmaster like Lu Hongti as an advisor, and after systematizing everything, it had become the prototype of the current special forces. This time, all the elites had been mobilized, and with Hongti as the leader, they had paralyzed the defense of the rear of the Jurchen camp in the blink of an eye.
Normally, when most of the Jurchen army was stationed here, such an operation would be very difficult to accomplish. But this time, nearly five thousand Jurchen Enlightened Masters had left the camp and were engaged in a fierce battle with Qin Shaoqian's group. The defense of the northern wall was the most important, and when Qin Shaoqian's group showed a determined attitude of attacking the camp, Shu Liesu and the others wished that they could call over all the craftsmen and put them to use. There were not many forces that could be allocated to the rear.
After all, if it wasn't for Ning Yi, even if other people organized a large group of soldiers, they wouldn't be able to infiltrate without a sound. Even if one or two Greenwood Forest experts racked their brains to sneak in, it would be meaningless.
They then found the warehouse where the Jurchen Enlightened Masters stored their rations. When Hongti and the others sneaked in, Ning Yi led a few people back and found the barracks where the Jurchen Enlightened Masters kept the Han captives. The defense here was quite weak. They killed a few guards and Ning Yi cut open the lock of the barracks door. Then, he threw the Jurchen Enlightened Masters' corpses and weapons in front of the captives who had been tortured for a long time.
"Listen outside. The Jurchen Enlightened Masters have gone to attack Bianliang. The army of the imperial court is attacking this place. Those who can still move, take your weapons and follow me to kill more people. Get more weapons, or wait for death. "
At this time, there were several thousand captives locked up in the camp by the Jurchen Enlightened Masters. The first batch of captives were still hesitating, but Ning Yi ignored them. He took out a bamboo tube filled with kerosene and poured it around, then directly lit a fire in the barracks.
The whole camp was in chaos in an instant. On the other side, the Jurchen Enlightened Masters' rations warehouse was set ablaze. Small-scale fighting began. When Wanyan Jaimu led a small number of elite soldiers to attack, half of the camp had already exploded. The fire in several of the rations warehouses had already begun to burn and spread. Most of the Han captives were released. They either organized a desperate massacre or scattered in all directions. Many of them no longer dared to resist and fled, only hoping to survive. However, more than a hundred people who had sneaked in were mixed in with them. How could they control this matter?
A quarter of an hour later, the main gate of Mou Tuogang Camp fell. Inside and outside the camp, there was already a river of blood …
*****
It was already late at night. The new Suanzao Gate in Bianliang City had slightly calmed down.
Shishi stood in front of the pile of burned ruins. The embers of the fire floated past her eyes.
Her face was covered with dust. Her hair was burned and curled a little. There were vague traces of water on her face. It was unknown whether it was because of the snowflakes that fell on her face or because she was crying. Her footsteps also became unsteady.
After half a night of fighting, the Jurchen Enlightened Masters temporarily retreated. Under the towering city wall near the new Suanzao Gate, people began to do their best to treat the wounded and collect the corpses. The smell of blood and burning flesh filled the air.
Many, many people had died.
She felt so tired …
Li Yun rushed over from the tower. When she found her, she was sitting in a corner under the city wall. She was in a daze, and no one knew what she was thinking. She looked sad, and her eyes were dull. One of her shoes was missing. Li Yun was so scared that she thought she had been raped, but fortunately, she was not.
"I can't move anymore. I'm so tired, I'm so tired …" She sobbed in a low voice. "I want to rest … I'm so tired …"
Li Yun squatted down and hugged her sadly …
…
Mou Tuogang.
The battle had stopped. There was blood everywhere and a large number of burn marks.
Shu Liesu stood high above the ruins with a long sword in his hand. The long sword was covered in blood. Below him, a pile of fire was still burning, illuminating his face.
"Do you know who it is?"
He asked.
The Han captive who had been tied up and pushed to the front cried and shook his head desperately.
"Spare me …"
Shu Liesu kicked the man into the burning pit of fire. Then the most mournful scream rang out.
"Do you know! It's those people who killed you! You're courting death … "
His face had been handsome and masculine, but now it was twisted and vicious. The voice rang out above the camp. Then another person was pushed down.
In the previous battle, as the rear of the camp had been burned, the more than four thousand Wu dynasty soldiers at the front had exploded with astonishing combat power. They had directly defeated the Jurchen soldiers outside the camp and even seized the camp gate. However, in terms of strength, Shu Liesu's side had more than ten thousand people. Although the enemy had defeated the Jurchen cavalry, it was impossible for them to completely wipe them out. They had only temporarily raised their morale and gained the upper hand. In terms of strength, Shu Liesu still had the upper hand.
But this time, it was not a battle on the battlefield.
The moment he saw the rations warehouse go up in flames, Shu Liesu knew that he had lost.
The camp was thrown into chaos by the fierce fighting. The captives who had been locked up in the camp were all released, and the Wu dynasty soldiers who had sneaked into the camp were mixed in with them. In the end, the Wu dynasty soldiers held out at the gate for a long time and rescued about a third of the Han captives. Most of these Han captives were weak, and many of them were women. After they left, Ta Lai gathered all the cavalry — apart from the wounded, there were about twelve hundred who could still fight — and suggested to Shu Liesu that they follow behind the enemy and kill them. But Shu Liesu knew that this was meaningless. If the enemy had arranged an ambush, the twelve hundred people he had might be killed.
"Send scouts to follow them and see who they are," he ordered.
Many of the remaining Han captives in the camp had been killed in the chaos. About a third of them had survived. With the current mentality, Shu Liesu did not want to leave a single one alive. He was prepared to kill them all.
"If you don't resist, you won't die. You were all harmed by those Wu dynasty people. "
After saying this, he killed them all.
At the same time, in the Jurchen camp outside Bianliang, Zong Wang, who had failed to attack the city, had heard the whole story of the attack on Mou Tuo Gang. He sat in his seat and was frighteningly quiet.
At this moment, someone finally made a move and stabbed him in the heart.
"How much rations are left?"
"I … I don't know the exact number. The camp is still counting. Not all of it has been burned. There … there must be some left …" The messenger was frightened by the appearance of the commander in front of him.
"Who did it?"
"I don't know. I'm already following them. "
"Where's Medicine Master Guo?"
"Uh … General Guo went to find the western army …" Zong Wang knew about this, but he didn't know if the scout was asking him.
"I mean, why hasn't he done anything yet? Someone, send an order to Medicine Master Guo. Tell him to defeat the western army as soon as possible! Rob their rations. Find these people for me. I'll tear them to pieces. " He took a deep breath. "Fortify the walls and clear the fields, burn the rations, and drain the Yellow River … I think I know who he is …"
The Emperor of the Wu Dynasty was an idiot when it came to battles between the upper echelons of the Wu Dynasty. At this time, the old men fighting him in Bianliang City could only say that they were staking their lives to block his attacks. It was not easy, but they could not cause him any pressure. Only this time, he felt a little pain.
Four thousand people …
Defeated Shu Liesu …
At this thought, he punched the table in front of him.
"… Tomorrow, continue the attack!"
…
In the dark night, in the wind and snow, there was a long procession.
There were many wounded soldiers, and behind them were many civilians in ragged clothes who were trembling all over. They were all rescued prisoners. But in terms of overall morale, the procession was still very high because they had just defeated the most powerful army in the world — well, that was the way to put it.
A scout on horseback caught up with them. The scout was injured and rolled down from the back of the horse, carrying a head in his hand. A warrior in the procession who was good at knife wounds hurried over to bandage him.
"The Jurchen scouts have been following us. I killed one, but for a while, cough … I'm afraid we can't chase them away …"
"They won't let us go …" Ning Yi looked back at the snowstorm in the distance. In fact, it was dark everywhere. "Inform Wenren Buer that we won't go back to Xia Village for now. We'll go to the previous town and settle down. Send out scouts. On the one hand, we can practice with them. On the other hand, keep an eye on Medicine Master Guo and Bianliang. When they come to attack us, we'll run. "
He paused for a while and then asked, "Has the news reached Bianliang?"
…
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