Chapter 219: Ruthless people don't talk much! (6k)

"Yes?"

"Ah."

Yang Chang nodded solemnly and ordered Sun An: "Brother Sun, you must gather your troops immediately and march to Xugou Town as soon as possible. Most of the Yisheng Army are infantry. If Geng Shouzhong dares to fight, you can use cavalry to move around and annihilate the lone enemy through mobile warfare."

"Yes." Sun An clasped his fists and accepted the order, then asked in a low voice: "General, if Geng Shouzhong holds his ground and refuses to come out, then we..."

"Then just bypass them and pretend to advance towards Yangqu, pretending to attack the rear of the Jin army. Geng Shouzhong is obviously monitoring us, and I don't believe he can sit still."

"General, do you want to put pressure on the defenders of Xugou and force the Jin army besieging the Song army to split up? This is a typical tactic of "Besieging Wei to Save Zhao", but Mr. Xiaozhong has fallen into the trap, and we only have 3,000 cavalry. I'm afraid we can't make much noise. Not only will we be working in vain, but we may also suffer losses. Don't forget that we only have 5,000 horses."

"hehe."

Yang Chang smiled, then said seriously: "How loud we can make a noise depends on whether we can hurt Geng Shouzhong, which depends on Brother Sun's ability. As for your worry about the loss of cavalry, it doesn't matter. A miser can't make a fortune. If the horses are gone, we can get more. But we are already mortal enemies with Nianhan. It's a good deal to eliminate the living forces in advance."

"I am the last one? Then you, General."

"The Jade Lion of Zhaoye travels fast. I plan to go alone to look for the team of the Seed Master, maybe I can help."

"Sanlang is alone?" Hu Cheng's eyes bulged, and he waved his hands to persuade him: "I was impulsive just now. The current situation is so unfavorable, how can I let you take the risk alone? If there is any damage, how can my sister and the brothers let me go? Just attack Xu Gou Yisheng Army together, so that you will not stand idly by."

"Brother, please don't worry. I will help you if I can, and I won't try to be tough if I can't."

Yang Chang held Hu Cheng's hand to comfort him, and said, "By the way, Brother Sun is enough to command the battle alone. Brother Sun will be responsible for scouts and guards. If the Jin army really sends troops to reinforce Xu Gou, they will all be cavalry. You can't fight hard at that time. You should retreat when you need to. According to Ruan Xiaoer's intelligence, Tu Hesu's troops are in Qi County. If he comes to reinforce, it will be very fast."

"Well, you must be careful."

Although Hu Cheng had never seen Yang Chang charge into the battlefield with his own eyes, he had heard from many people, including Hu Sanniang, Sun An, and Lu Zhishen, that his brother-in-law was almost invincible, so he no longer tried to stop him.

"Don't worry, the Jin army can't stop me."

After leaving these words, Yang Chang gave Sun An some instructions on the essence of guerrilla warfare, then he walked out of the camp in full gear.

Taiyuan Prefecture occupied the largest area in Hedong, with its main cities concentrated in the southern basin, while its seat of government, Yangqu, was located in the north, in a river valley surrounded by mountains.

Nianhan bypassed the capital Yangqu and was afraid to move south on a large scale because of Yangqu's special location. The city was nailed to the north like a nail. Once the defenders in the city counterattacked and harassed the Jin army, there would be a risk that the Jin army would not be able to return north.

Therefore, the siege of Taiyuan by the Western Jin Army was fundamentally different from the siege of Bianliang by the Eastern Jin Army.

Bianliang was located on a plain and the city covered a large area. Olib's army was limited. Even though he was at the gates of the city and won every battle, he had no way to stop people from entering and leaving.

Yangqu's success and failure were both due to its terrain. After Nianhan failed in his attempts to persuade the city to surrender several times, he built a large number of fortifications around the city, completely encircling the troops in the city and thus cutting off its external communications.

When Lu Yundi went to announce the imperial edict, Wang Bing ordered people to use a basket to lift it onto the city wall.

Zhong Shizhong first took Shouyang and then recovered Yuci County as a base. He originally planned to advance steadily, wait until he joined forces with Yao Gu, and then go north together to rescue Yangqu.

But in the end, he was urged by the court and forced to march lightly.

Not only did they not bring enough rewards, but they were also short of rations for the march.

If we join forces with Yao Gu, we can borrow food and other supplies from him.

However, before he could contact Yao Gu, Xu Han forced Zhong Shizhong to advance.

When Zhong Shizhong left Yuci and was blocked by the Jin army, Lou Shi divided his troops according to the plan and went around the rear and occupied Yuci city again.

The fact that Yuci changed hands back and forth is not important. What is important is Zhong Shizhong's true strength, which was discovered by the Jin army after the loss of Yuci.

Faced with the food-scarce and weak Song army, how could General Lou Shi, who was rich in combat experience, give up this God-given opportunity?

Yang Chang's army made unusual movements, and Geng Shouzhong urgently requested assistance.
At that time, Lou Shi was dispatching his main force to launch a decisive battle to encircle and surround the central part of the Zhong division. After receiving the intelligence, he only sent General Shi Jianu with 5,000 people to reinforce the Yangqu defense line, while the rest of the troops continued to advance as planned.

Yang Chang rode a fast horse and had a long vision. He arrived at Yuci only to find that the city had been lost. He learned from the secrets of the people he captured in the surrounding areas that the Jin army of about 60,000 troops were gathering in the direction of Shaxiongling.

Shaxiongling, the name sounds very familiar.

But for the exact location, you have to ask while walking.

Zhong Shizhong is a famous general of the Western Army, and this time he has more than 90,000 troops under his command.

Yang Chang didn't believe that he would be defeated in one battle, but the facts are often far from satisfactory.

Yuci is located on the edge of the Taiyuan Basin, and the surrounding area where Shaxiongling is located is a mountainous area with gullies and ravines everywhere. Even if Yang Chang had a thousand-mile horse, he could not run fast.

Rushing all the time, day and night.

When they arrived five miles south of Shaxiong Ridge, they saw Song soldiers running like a herd of beasts, numbering about several thousand.

Hmm? What happened? Did the master lose?

At that time, dark clouds gathered in the sky and the whole earth was shrouded in gloom.

Yang's golden chain mail armor was not noticeable without the sunlight, but the white horse he was riding attracted a lot of attention.

Although the defeated soldiers had no farsightedness, they could see the white horses moving from afar. They mistakenly thought that the Jin army was blocking their way and tried to avoid Yang Chang and escape by climbing the hillsides on both sides.

I'm alone, and I'm so scared?
Is he really a soldier in the division?
The defeated soldiers only have a pair of legs, and even if they intend to avoid the White Horse General, they cannot outrun the Zhaoye Jade Lion.

Yang Chang locked onto his target and galloped forward.

He just waved his gun and forced his way to the chest of a fugitive, preparing to ask him about the situation.

The fugitive was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he knelt down on his knees before Yang Chang could speak.

Then, the man begged for mercy: "Jurchen grandfather, spare my life, don't kill me."

"Ok?"

Yang Chang was startled when he heard this, then frowned and shouted: "Grandpa is a Han Chinese, not a Jurchen!"

"Han people? You scared me!"

The fugitive got up, clapped his hands, frowned and looked at Yang Chang, complaining: "Why are the Han people blocking the road? You don't look like a bandit, you are really messing up the matter."

"Mistake?"

Yang Changxu narrowed his eyes, revealing a look of contempt, and teased, "What did you delay? Did it delay your escape?"

"None of your business."

As soon as the deserter opened his mouth to curse, he was silenced by the boring head pressed against his throat. He immediately changed his words and asked in a low voice: "What do you want to do?"

"Anyone who deserts a battle must be executed. Answer my questions honestly, or I will execute you on your behalf, General!"

"No, we have a reason for you to ask. I will tell you everything I know."

For the rough men in the army, reasoning is not as effective as fists. Yang Chang threatened them with weapons, and the other party immediately became obedient.

"Where are you soldiers from? Why are you fleeing in such large numbers?"

"I am Fan Tong, and I am a member of the Central Army under the command of Lord Xiaozhong."

"Central Army?"

When Yang Chang heard these two words, he couldn't help but interrupt the "good-for-nothing" and thought to himself, the Central Army has fled on such a large scale, is this the only military management skill that Zhong Shizhong has? Isn't the Zhong family army disciplined?
"Yes, I am an archer in the central army, and I cannot defeat the Jin army."

"Run away if you can't win? Where is your general now?"

"Uh"

Fan Tong stared at Yang Chang and swallowed his saliva. After complaining, he added: "With no food to eat and no money, who would be willing to risk their lives? As for Mr. Xiao Zhong, he should still be on the mountain by now."

"Is this why you ran away?"

"Everyone is like this. It was Xiaozhong who was rude first. You are also a general of the Song army. You should know the rules of the army."

"Really?" Yang Chang's eyes shone, holding the boring bar in his right hand, and said coldly: "That's your rule. I have my own rules."

"What rules?"

"Kill those who are afraid of fighting! Kill those who flee from the battlefield!"

"But I am not your soldier. Mr. Xiaozhong did not stop us, so please do not make it difficult for me. I am leaving now."

Fan Tong put his hand on the boring blade and said this while swallowing his saliva, reminding Yang Chang not to meddle in other people's business.

But he couldn't push the boring head away, so he frowned and asked, "I have already explained the reason. Which general are you from? Why are you still trying to stop me? Isn't this breaking the rules?"

"Rules? My rules are the rules!"

As soon as Yang Chang finished speaking, the boring blade flashed a cold light, and Fan Tong's head fell to the ground instantly.

Is it reasonable to desert?
If Master Zhong doesn’t take care of it, I will take care of it!
[Gain gun and stick experience. Use it to improve your gun and stick skill proficiency. Please choose to use or discard.]

[Obtain the corpse's obsession. After using it, you can learn the biggest secret of this corpse before its death. Please choose to use it or discard it. ]

[Bah, you only brought a dozen silver bowls and you want us to fight for our lives? Zhong Shizhong is no better than that. Whoever is willing to fight can go. I can use the Divine Arm Bow. I can still eat well no matter where I go.]

Yao Gu brought several ships of treasures, and Zhong Shizhong only brought a dozen silver bowls?
What is he doing?
Besides, can you use the Divine Arm Bow so arrogantly?

The fugitives came in like a stream, and it was impossible for Yang Chang to kill them all. After dealing with Fan Tong, he mounted his horse and went against the crowd towards Shaxiong Ridge.

Even the archers in the central army are running away. There is no doubt that Zhong Shizhong will be defeated today.

Now that he was here, Yang Chang still wanted to go up the mountain to take a look so that he could report to Hu Cheng when he returned.

On this day, the atmosphere on Shaxiong Ridge was filled with murderous intent.

Zhong Shizhong marched here last night and was attacked by the Jin army at dawn.

Lou Shi first attacked the weakly defended right army. The Song army was hungry and encountered a surprise attack by the Jin army. They were defeated after a hasty battle of one hour.

The right army was in disarray and fled, causing the front army to flee as well.

Zhong Shizhong led the central army to the battlefield and engaged in a fierce battle with the Jin army that was involved in the encirclement. With his personal command and encouragement in front of the formation, they quickly stabilized the situation and used the Shenbi bow to repel the enemy's attack.

However, as the deserter Fan Tong said, the Song army had the custom of asking for rewards immediately.

Zhong Shizhong was unable to offer rewards at the time, and even though he promised to pay them immediately upon returning to Zhending, he was unable to stop the soldiers from abandoning him, mainly because a food crisis had already occurred.

Due to insufficient military rations, Zhong Shizhong could only control the amount of food rations.

In the past three days, each person has only one spoonful of beans every day, and the army is already in a panic.

If it were the original Zong family army, there might not have been a large-scale rout, but the army had trained a powerful fighting force to deal with the Western Xia, and it had been almost completely destroyed during the recapture of Yanjing.

This army of nearly 100,000 people consisted of half newly recruited soldiers from Shaanxi and half refugees recruited from the Central Plains. Their combat effectiveness and loyalty were incomparable to those of the original Zong family army.

If one is defeated, ten will follow; if ten flee, a hundred will follow.

This battle is bound to be a defeat, and a crushing defeat.

Seeing this scene, the 68-year-old Mr. Xiaozhong has decided to sacrifice his life for the country.

The generals reminded Master Zhong to break out many times, but they were all rejected outright by Master Zhong.

He thought that it would be better to die on the mountain and leave a good name behind than to flee back to the capital and suffer humiliation.

Thousands of soldiers remained and fought with Zhong Shizhong from early morning to noon, and in the end only less than a hundred were left.

In the afternoon, dark clouds rolled in.

The Song army was trapped on a small hill, surrounded by Jin troops on all sides.

At this time, the Jin army was like a cat that caught a mouse but did not kill it, but deliberately left it there to play with it. They suddenly stopped the attack just now and ate, drank and rested in front of the Song army.

The Song army had been fighting for the whole morning and was tired and hungry.

Zhong Shizhong sat on the bluestone to catch his breath, and wiped the blood off the knife with his battle robe. He saw that the exposed blade was curled and had several gaps.

"General, the sky is covered with dark clouds, and it is estimated that there will be a heavy rain soon. However, the Jin army has stopped to resupply, so we still have a chance to break out."

"Hmm?" Zhong Shizhong looked up at the adviser, a young man in his thirties, and frowned and asked, "This morning, I have noticed you for a long time. You are brave and willing to sacrifice your life to kill the enemy. Which battalion of the central army are you in? Why haven't I seen you before?"

"Reporting to the general, I am not from the central army, but from the right army."

"Right Army?"

Zhong Shizhong was stunned when he heard this. The right army was the first to be defeated by the Jin army because most of their troops were newly recruited refugees from all over Hebei.

During the battle this morning, several people came to persuade people to break out, but they were all simply persuading without any analysis. Only this person had clear rules, which made Zhong Shizhong look at him with admiration.

"The right army fled first, and the Jin soldiers didn't seem to try to stop them. Why didn't you follow them?"

"If everyone flees, who will stop the Jin soldiers?"

"You are brave, but I am not leaving now."

Zhong Shizhong sighed, his brows suddenly furrowed, and his left hand pressed on the side of his thigh where there was a knife wound. At this time, the pain crept up to his forehead again.

The soldier who was advising him saw blood oozing from Zhong Shizhong's palm and guessed that the other party's wound had burst open.

He immediately tore off the corner of his clothes, stepped forward to tie him up and stop the bleeding, and continued to comfort and persuade him:
"General, this is just a minor injury. We still have a few war horses. If it rains later, they will definitely be able to cover us and help us fight our way out. Don't give up like this."

"Haha, interesting."

Zhong Shizhong looked at the unfamiliar face in front of him, stroked his mottled beard and asked with interest: "Do you know why the Jin people stopped attacking?"

"Why?"

"There is no other explanation except the intention to surrender, so I can't leave."

"Ah this."

The soldier was stunned after hearing this.

Seeing this, Zhong Shizhong smiled kindly and said, "You are a good talent for being able to fight until now. You don't have to die with me. If it really rains heavily later, I will help you break through."

"How does this work?"

"Listen to me. By the way, what's your name?"

"Li the last general"

The soldier named Li was about to introduce himself, but was interrupted by a shout from the left front: "Sir, please come out and answer the question!"

"The one who persuaded me to surrender is here. Help me to answer the question."

"Oh"

Zhong Shizhong was supported and took two steps, then he broke free from the soldier and moved forward despite the pain.

On the eve of the storm, strong winds blew up the dust.

As the master walked slowly forward, he saw the leaves falling in the wind. He felt that not all leaves had to wait until autumn to wither, and many of them fell prematurely.

He felt sad for the leaves and also for himself.

"I, Li Siben, greet you, Mr. Xiaozhong."

"It's you?"

"Several years ago in Qinzhou, you taught me a lot. Thinking about it now, I have benefited a lot."

"Humph."

Zhong Shizhong sneered and said contemptuously: "I don't teach traitors. I don't know you."

"General, why are you doing this? With your military prowess, you shouldn't have suffered such a disastrous defeat. I already know the reason. The imperial court has been unfair to military commanders and has long used civil officials to oppress them. On the other hand, the Jin Kingdom highly respects military commanders. As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses the right tree to inhabit."

"If you want to be a beast, I won't stop you, but my family has been guarding the border for the Song Dynasty for generations, and none of us are afraid of death. Don't waste your breath!"

"Haha, this is one time, that is another time."

Li Siben was not angry, and still persuaded with a smile: "The Zhao Song Dynasty has run out of luck. The Song army can't even defeat the Liao army, how can it fight the Jin army? The Jin Kingdom can swallow up the Liao Kingdom, and it is only a matter of time before it destroys the Song Dynasty. The general is a smart man."

"Shameless boy, shut up!" Zhong Shizhong stopped Li Siben and scolded him harshly, "If it weren't for you traitors, how could the Song Dynasty be destroyed? How dare you speak so sweetly here? A real man should die in battle, so why should he fear death?"

"Humph."

Li Siben finally got angry. He looked at Zhong Shizhong and said sarcastically, "You have lived a good life. Why did you let your brothers be buried with you? From this morning till now, no less than 5,000 people have died. You are really cruel. Do you have a heart?"

"Nonsense! The comrades who died in battle today were all brave men of the Song Dynasty. They could have walked away but chose not to. They wanted to show a spineless person like you what it means to be a brave man and what it means to be loyal to the emperor and to love the country!"

"Bah! You think Emperor Zhao is a king, but he thinks you are a human? You still have the audacity to say you can leave? Open your eyes and take a good look. General Lou Shi is ambushing us from all sides today. If he hadn't left a gap, how could the defeated soldiers in front of him escape so easily? There is no chance now, not even in a heavy rain."

"Lou Shi!"

Hearing the word "rainstorm", Zong Shizhong's heart was filled with turmoil. He thought that Wanyan Loushi was indeed amazing and had even calculated this. If he couldn't even compare to him, how could he face Marshal Nianhan?
Is it true that the Song Dynasty has reached its end?

"So all this was planned by Wanyan Loushi? Is Nianhan in Taiyuan?"

“Want to know? Join us.”

"Get lost! The Zhong family only has beheaded generals, no surrendering generals!"

"Ignorant of current affairs!"

Li Siben cursed and turned away, thinking that he knew this would be the result.

If Zhong Shizhong surrendered to the Jin Kingdom, wouldn't it be unfair to his brother and nephew? He is a descendant of a general.

Since the old guy wants fame, it is better to fulfill his wish as soon as possible. In case it really rains later, the Jin army will not have to fight in the rain.

"Anyone who stands in my way will die!"

"who is it?"

Li Siben had just walked away for more than ten feet when he heard the crazy words and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a white shadow in the southeast moving quickly towards the hill.

Ok?
Who is this white horse general?
Lou Shi changed his mind again? But if he charged into the Song army alone, wouldn't that be courting death?

The Song army heard the shouts and saw the cavalry rushing up the hill, and hurriedly took up a defensive formation.

"Ready to fight!"

"Just one Jin soldier, do you really think we are easy to bully?"

"let me!"

Zhong Shizhong had no time to mount his horse, so he endured the pain in his leg and rushed to the man with a sword in hand. He saw the man's majestic warhorse and concluded that this man was no ordinary soldier. He thought it would be nice to take him with him before he died.

"Shut up!"

Yang Chang pulled the reins, and the Jade Lion of Zhaoye raised its front hooves and neighed loudly.

"I am Weisheng Yang Chang. Is Mr. Xiaozhong still alive?"

"Chief Yang?"

"Weisheng, the governor of Pingbei?"

The people around him were whispering, but Zhong Shizhong looked at the man on the horse and asked curiously, "I am Zhong Shizhong. How did Yang Jiedu get here?"

"On horseback, of course."

After Yang Chang finished speaking, he dismounted and looked at the old-looking Zhong Shizhong, and said seriously: "This mountain has been surrounded by the Jin army. Young Master Zhong, please mount your horse quickly. I will lead you to break through the siege. A rainstorm will come soon. Don't hesitate, leave now!"

“It’s raining so fast.”

Zhong Shizhong suddenly raised his head and a raindrop hit his nose. Although it was sparse at first, once this kind of rain started, it would soon turn into a downpour.

According to his many years of experience, strong winds would blow for a long time before a rainstorm, but today the wind had only started for a moment, and the raindrops actually followed Yang Changqi. Could it be God's will? He must have brought reinforcements.

Even if he didn't want to leave, it would be good if some of his soldiers could leave, especially the soldier named Li who just came.

"General Yang, how many soldiers did you bring?"

"Just me."

"What? You're the only one? The Jin army is surrounding us heavily. How did you get here?"

"He came in to kill me."

Yang Chang said it casually, but the audience opened their eyes wide. However, he did not have time to explain, and hurriedly clasped his fists to remind Zhong Shizhong: "There is no time to waste, and we must get going quickly. The rainstorm came quickly and left quickly, and we are very short of time."

"I will not leave. There are only a few war horses on the mountain. If General Yang is very capable, he can take a few young men down with him."

"We live and die with you!"

"We will live and die together!"

At such a critical moment, Yang Chang saw that the remaining soldiers of the Zhong family were still shouting slogans, and thought to himself that I didn't risk coming here just to save a few soldiers.

At this time, Master Zhong pointed at the soldier named Li and said sternly, "What's your name? Follow General Yang and fight your way out. You don't have to die with me in Shaxiong Ridge."

"Ah? I am Li Yanxian."

"General Yang, please."

Before Zhong Shizhong could finish his words, Yang Changyi slashed him on the back of the head with a knife, and he fainted immediately.

"Yang"

"Yang Jiedu, what do you want to do?"

"Don't worry, he just fainted. Since he doesn't want to leave, this is the only way to deal with it."

After Yang Chang finished speaking, he smiled calmly and lifted Zhong Shizhong onto his horse's back with one hand, which stunned the surrounding soldiers. They thought, how could this guy have such strange strength? He is really a ruthless man who doesn't talk much!

"If you want to live, get on your horse and follow me!"

"it is good!"

There were ninety-five men on the slope, but only five war horses were left.

Li Yanxian, who had just been named by Master Zhong, was the first to respond and ran towards the nearest warhorse.

This is like a game of musical chairs, where there are more people than porridge and first come first served. By the time the rest of the people react and start running, Li Yanxian has already taken a spot.

"This person is interesting."

Yang Chang glanced at Li Yanxian, then mounted his horse and pointed to the southwest, shouting, "The Jin soldiers are surrounding us. If you want to live, follow me!"

"Don't run away, you idiot!"

When Li Siben saw Yang Chang coming and fighting with the Song army, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

Just as heavy raindrops were falling, he immediately led a team of soldiers and rushed towards Yang Chang fiercely.

When Li Yanxian saw the Jin soldiers coming, he was worried that it would be inconvenient for Yang Chang to bring Zhong Shizhong with him, so he rode his horse and raised his spear to meet them to delay them.

"General Yang, you go first!"

"Ah"

Yang Chang smiled faintly, then he rode out like lightning and instantly arrived in front of Li Siben.

Li Yanxian wanted to help, but suddenly shook his head and asked, "What did I just see?"
What's going on? He was killed as soon as he met his opponent?
Li Siben is too weak? This shouldn't be the case.

If I had known that Yang Chang was so powerful, why would I have chosen to become a seed cultivator?

(End of this chapter)