Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 724: In and Out of the City
The two armies tacitly cleared out the five counties of Yucheng, Xiayi, Gushu, Chuqiu, and Ningling, and then joined forces to march on Songcheng.

Commander-in-Chief Kong Yanzhou, upon seeing this, dismissed it with disdain. He addressed his trusted generals, saying, "To punish in accordance with Heaven's will, based on the principles of Yin and Yang and the four seasons, is why the Sima Code states: 'No war should be waged in winter or summer.' These people outside the city are nothing to fear. Their horses are without fodder, and their soldiers have no will to fight. You all just need to guard the city walls. In three to five days, these people will surely be defeated. At that time, I, the commander-in-chief, will personally lead my elite troops in a surprise attack, and we will surely achieve a great victory."

“The five lost counties of Yucheng, Xiayi, Gushu, Chuqiu, and Ningling can be recovered in a single day.”

The general below flattered, "The commander-in-chief is knowledgeable in military affairs. He has gathered soldiers and provisions in advance and assembled them in Songcheng, anticipating the enemy's moves. We will now go up to the city to defend it. We will not allow a single person to climb the city walls."

Upon hearing this, Kong Yanzhou burst into laughter.

Outside the city, veteran generals Pang Yi and Liang Heng patrolled on horseback. Upon seeing the defenses on the city wall, Pang Yi remarked, "This fellow is quite knowledgeable about military affairs. The defenses on the city wall are well-managed, and the soldiers are steady and reliable."

Liang Heng nodded and said, "It's not without flaws. This guy is audacious. He gathered all his soldiers and supplies in one city. We captured five cities in a row, and many soldiers and their families in those cities are now in our hands."

"Have men write many military proclamations and shoot them into the city to disrupt the morale of their army. Then bring out the [Flying Divine Thunder] and various cannons and bombard them all at one city gate, using a two-pronged approach."

Pang Yi said, "Perhaps we can withdraw the main camp at the south gate and leave one side open in the encirclement."

"Hahaha, it seems Commander Pang has heard of this fellow's habits: he's arrogant when faced with weakness, and servile when faced with strength," Liang Heng laughed.

Having devised a plan, the troops from both locations began to be mobilized.

As the military proclamation was fired into the city, outside the north gate, fifty or sixty cannons of various colors aimed at the city walls and began to bombard them fiercely.

Inside the government office, Kong Yanzhou looked at the military proclamation in his hand and ordered his trusted soldiers to confiscate it. Hearing the booming cannon fire outside the north gate, he sent men to investigate.

The next day, military orders were still fired into the city, and cannons bombarded it.

Kong Yanzhou has changed color.

Looking at his trembling subordinates below, Kong Yanzhou roared, "Lu Mazi, you've only been up there a short while and you've already routed us. If I hadn't made thorough preparations, wouldn't the North Gate have been handed over to us without a fight?"

"General, it's not that I, Lü Mazi, am incompetent, but the artillery outside the city is too fierce and accurate. In just over half an hour, my troops have suffered 30% casualties. Qu Silang, who replaced me, is not much better off. He will collapse in at most half an hour."

"What? Lü Mazi, although you said there were many soldiers and cannons outside the city yesterday, only about one or two out of ten could probably get onto the city walls. How come they are so fierce today?"

"This... Steward, why don't you go and take a look?"

Upon hearing Lü Mazi's words, Kong Yanzhou kicked him and said, "Get down and prepare your troops."

After dismissing Lü Mazi, Kong Yanzhou's expression shifted, and he cursed inwardly: "These Liangshan guys have really gone too far. They're as stupid as pigs. They're clearly Zhao Gou's enemy, yet they're making things difficult for me."

Kong Yanzhou summoned his steward and quietly instructed him, "Kong Er, have the servants pack the valuables and load them into the carriage. If anything happens, they will come with me out of the city and head south to Bozhou."

After giving his instructions, Kong Yanzhou shouted, "Wang Dengbang, prepare the horse, I'm going to the north gate to check the enemy situation."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dengbang immediately ordered his personal guards to prepare horses.

This Wang Dengbang was none other than a subordinate of Gao Shide, son of Gao Qiu, also known as the "Playboy." After Gao Shide's death, Gao Qiu found a pretext to exile him to Lingnan. On the way, Kong Yanzhou killed the escort and took him under his command.

This man came from an official military background. Although he was good at flattery, he was not lacking in the ability to organize and train troops. He quickly distinguished himself among Kong Yanzhou's gang of bandits and robbers and was taken in as a confidant by Kong Yanzhou.

When Kong Yanzhou arrived at the North Gate, he didn't need to climb the city wall. He could see flames on the city wall from afar, and soldiers were running around in a panic, with screams coming from time to time.

Cannonballs pounded the city walls, occasionally whipping up a storm of blood and gore. Even from a distance, Kong Yanzhou knew that Song City was about to crumble.

Kong Yanzhou shouted, "Wang Dengbang, you lead your men to block the city gate with sand and gravel. We must not allow the cannons to break down the city gate."

Wang Dengbang received the order and led men to conscript local militia to transport sand and soil to block the city gates.

Kong Yanzhou hurriedly returned to the government office and urged Kong Er to pack up the valuables.

Kong Er whispered to Kong Yanzhou, "My lord, Madam Xu is unable to walk properly, this..."

Kong Yanzhou was furious. "That bitch still won't admit that the girl she gave birth to isn't my own? I snatched her away back then, and she gave birth to Caiwen in less than ten months. Caiwen is definitely not my daughter. I'll give her another beating and make her admit it."

As he spoke, Kong Yanzhou stormed into the inner courtyard in a fit of rage.

Seeing the servants hurrying away, Kong Yanzhou kicked open the door to his concubine Xu's room. Xu, seeing him, cried out in fear, "Master..."

With a gloomy face, Kong Yanzhou grabbed Xu's hair and threw her to the ground.

"You bitch, you still won't admit that Caiwen isn't my biological daughter?"

Madam Xu cried out, "My lord, how could I dare to commit adultery?"

"Bullshit! When I robbed you, I killed your husband. You gave birth to Caiwen less than ten months after you entered the family. How could Caiwen be my daughter? You slut, how dare you deny it?"

As he spoke, he began punching and kicking Xu.

Xu curled up on the ground, clutching her head, pleading desperately, daring not to resist in the slightest.

Tired from beating her, Kong Yanzhou shouted, "I'll give you one more day. If you still don't admit it, I'll send you to the camp to be a camp prostitute."

Outside the door, the steward Kong Er saw Kong Yanzhou push the door open and hurriedly stepped forward, "Master, Madam Xu has fallen and injured herself. Should we call a traditional Chinese medicine doctor specializing in traumatology?"

"Ignore this bitch, let her reflect on her actions."

Kong Yanzhou stormed into the camp and began to mobilize his troops.

Most of these people were Kong Yanzhou's trusted confidants when he was a bandit in the mountains. Knowing that Kong Yanzhou was irritable, no one dared to say a word, otherwise, Kong Yanzhou would lash them with his horsewhip.

After everything was arranged, He Lei, nicknamed "Scarface Dragon," quietly approached Kong Yanzhou and asked, "Leader, are we moving?"

Kong Yanzhou nodded and smiled, "That's right, this Liangshan army has fierce artillery; I'm afraid we can't withstand them. You should quickly reorganize the army, and we'll head south to Bozhou."

As he spoke, Kong Yanzhou sneered, "I'll have Wang Dengbang block the north gate. Tomorrow I'll send a troop of defeated soldiers to guard the north gate, while we'll leave the city through the south gate. Once this gate falls and the city gate tunnel is cleared, we'll be twenty miles away by now. We'll leave some men along the way to cover our retreat. It's freezing cold, so as long as we get out, we won't be afraid of Liang chasing us."

"When I get to Bozhou, I will still have my trusted men and men under my command. I will gather some able-bodied men and still be wealthy."

"Don't worry, leader. We old brothers are all tough as nails. Mules and carts are readily available, so we won't hold you back."

(End of this chapter)