The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 215 God doesn’t help Dajin!

Arrows flew like locusts, falling in a staggered manner in the air. Figures were constantly falling down from being shot by arrows on the top of the city walls and under the city walls. Behind the parapet, an archer under a large shield narrowly avoided a flying arrow. He gritted his teeth, took out a feathered arrow from the quiver behind him and put it on the string. He stood up with a loud roar, leaned half of his body out, and shot an arrow at the Han soldiers rushing down from below.

The archer on the city wall shot at the enemy, retracted behind the shield and put the arrow on it. The moment he stood up, the running cavalrymen under the city wall shot with longbows. The arrows were like meteors, just glancing through the gap in the shield and hitting him in the face. When his body fell, the archer defending the city did not die immediately. His hands and feet twisted with convulsions and he uttered a few miserable groans. After a few breaths, he finally stopped in pain.

There are countless scenes like this on the battlefield. No one will pity them, and no one is willing to help them. On the battlefield, life and death are determined by fate. No matter how powerful and wealthy you are, in front of the cold blade, you are still just a matter of a knife.

"kill!"

Outside the city wall that stretched for more than ten miles, densely packed Han soldiers like ants were climbing up the ladders frantically to the top of the city. More ladders were approaching from behind. Arrows and ignited rockets were fired back and forth. Thick battering rams were pushed down by the Jin soldiers defending the city. Several climbing figures screamed and fell to the ground from mid-air, unrecognizable.

However, the Han army's offensive was like a tide, launching fierce attacks from the northeast, west and three sides of the city wall, leaving only the south wall empty.

Surrounding the enemy on three sides and leaving one side empty has been a common tactic used by military strategists since ancient times. Even if all the Jin troops in the city have been sentenced to death, necessary means must still be used as long as it can reduce casualties.

The Han army was the main force in this siege. Its organization and morale made the Jin soldiers defending the city feel terrified.

During the fierce attack, in the cavalry formation on the field outside the city, Guo Jing looked out at the tragic siege with no expression of sadness or joy. He had seen such scenes countless times and his heart had long been as hard as iron. Arrows were shot at each other, and soldiers kept falling from above with screams. He squinted his eyes, and the light of heaven was piercing through the clouds. After a moment, he waved his hand.

The two brothers Guo Chengping and Guo Chengan, who were nearby, supported each other and walked over tremblingly. Their little faces were pale and their black and white eyes were full of anxiety.

Guo Jing took their hands and looked towards the city in the distance. "Do you know why I left one side of the city wall unattacked?"

Guo Chengping pursed his lips and answered hesitantly, "Dad once said that whether it is encirclement or siege, we must not block the road. We must leave a way for the enemy to survive, so that they will not fight back even if they are trapped."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Chengan beside him echoed, "This is what the military books say about surrounding three and leaving one."

Guo Jing patted their heads, his eyes showing kindness, "Dad brought you here today so that you can remember this day well. Some of them are soldiers from Guanzhong, and some are from Hebei. Ping'er, do you know why they are willing to die for me?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the guards beside him and said, "No strangers are allowed within a hundred steps."

"As ordered!"

Guo Chengping, a teenager, naturally didn't understand this kind of question. He thought about it for a while and shook his head, "I don't know."

"Because Dad can give them the opportunity to be rich and give their families a stable life. They fight with their lives, and they will receive pensions in the army. If they win meritorious service in the war, they will receive rewards and promotions."

"Ping'er, An'er, you must remember what Dad said. Whether they are civil officials or military generals, they are loyal to you not because of your status, but because you can give them benefits. What people want is nothing more than fame and fortune."

"On the contrary, your father's status as a marquis is not worth mentioning. The struggle in the world is only about fame and fortune. When you grow up, you will be able to find people to use. As long as you hold on to fame and fortune, you will not be afraid of being controlled by them."

Su Ming had taught him these principles subtly when he was explaining history books. Now, it was his turn to teach his own children.

A trace of confusion flashed across Guo Chengping's young eyes, but he still nodded, "I'll remember it!"

Seeing their ignorant looks, Guo Jing smiled and stopped talking. He believed that too much is as bad as too little. Rather than teaching with words, he was more suitable to lead by example. When he handled government affairs on weekdays, he asked Guo Chengping and Guo Chengan to accompany him to sort out memorials.

There are special people doing these things, and the two children are not only unable to help, but they even make things more complicated. However, he still insists on doing so. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. This is what his teacher taught him.

His son will definitely inherit his career in the future. If he is not familiar with government affairs and military affairs, how can he lead his subordinates?
Maybe these things are still too heavy for them, but these are things they have to go through and they have to do it.

……

The fierce siege continued. Guo Jing was the main force in this siege. Mu Huali's army suffered heavy losses when charging, so they temporarily went down to rest. The attack on Xuzhou was led by the Han army.

Arrows flew overhead, rolling logs and battering boulders were lifted up by the soldiers and thrown down from the city walls like raindrops, and occasionally there was burning oil and golden juice pouring down. Heart-wrenching screams fell from the ladders outside the city walls, but it still couldn't stop the Han army from climbing up to the top of the city walls from different locations. The fierce shouts and sounds of fighting, mixed in the brilliant skylight, spread over the entire city wall.

There were shouts and clashes of weapons, and countless figures fighting on the city walls, falling to the ground with thick blood.

Arrows were flying up and down from the top of the city wall. The soldiers in the front row immediately raised their shields to protect the spearmen and archers in the back. In the gaps, stray arrows would fall on their heads. Occasionally, someone would fall down and be unable to get up again. His companions around him would pick up his weapons and continue to follow him. After a while, they would fight with the surging enemies.

It was already afternoon and the sun was slanting.

The flames spread to the top of the city wall. The soldiers who were on fire screamed miserably and fell from the top of the city wall. Some were pushed back continuously, pierced by spears, and nailed to death. Dozens of soldiers defending the city rushed over and pushed down the ladder hooked on the parapet. Dozens of people on the ladder fell to the ground in a long line along with the ladder.

The flames burning on the top of the city wall were extinguished, and thick smoke swept across the sky. Under the numerous torches, the soldiers defending the city silently pushed the corpses down from behind the parapet. The vision spread out from far and near, and the city and the outside were mottled with dark red blood, intertwined with the corpses. Some were soldiers in the city, and some were young and strong men in the city. The corpses pushed down from the city wall were piled up at the base of the wall, quietly staying in the night.

"Retreat and attack again tomorrow!"

Guo Jing looked at the dim setting sun, frowned slightly, and ordered the troops to withdraw.

"Woo!"

The horns and drums vibrated and resounded throughout the battlefield. The Han army on the city wall heard the sound and retreated while fighting. Soon they retreated from the city wall, and the chariots and cavalry under the city also withdrew like a tide.

"Retreat, they retreat!"

The Jin soldiers looked at the direction they left, overjoyed and shedding tears on the spot. They looked at their comrades who died in battle beside them, and a feeling of surviving a disaster surged in their hearts. It was not easy.

On a section of the city wall, soldiers with happy faces hurriedly ran to the tower, where a figure was standing. Amid the sad atmosphere of wounded and dead bodies being carried away on the entire city wall, the enemy's retreat was a rare piece of happy news.

Wanyan Saibu looked at the Han army camp outside the city in the night, and his frown relaxed. The war had just ended, and there were too many wounded people around. Painful groans continued to be heard. He turned his head slightly. All the soldiers in this city were just struggling to survive. After today, there will be tomorrow, and the Han army will never let go of this city.

What made him even more sad was that he was not sure what the future of the Great Jin Dynasty would be. The Mongolian army was powerful and unstoppable. In this battle, they lost 250,000 troops, and many generals were also killed in the army.

Only the navy can rely on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, but the river is so vast that it is extremely difficult to find a place to cross the river. Without Xuzhou and a large army, the entire river is full of defects and they cannot defend it at all.

Wanyan Saibu looked at the dark night and couldn't help crying, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent!"...

In the south of the Yangtze River, in Jiankang, there was a solemn atmosphere.

The news of the defeat spread throughout Jiankang within a day. The wealthy families in the city fled one after another, and the once prosperous city became dilapidated in a short period of time.

Imperial city, main hall.

"Father, I have failed!" Yang Kang hung his head, looking dejected and extremely disappointed.

Wanyan Honglie sat on the dragon throne, looking as if he had aged twenty years overnight, with a listless look on his face. "Kang'er, you're back. It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back!"

Yang Kang no longer had the same spirit as before, and said in a low voice, "Father, what should we do?"

"Kang'er, the Great Jin Dynasty has not yet perished, so why act like a child?" Wanyan Honglie stepped down from the dragon throne, came in front of him, put his hand on his shoulder, with some concern in his eyes.

Yang Kang's voice was filled with tears, "That was a full 250,000-man army, and they were gone just like that!"

He was on the battlefield and witnessed the entire battle situation. The strength of the Han army was deeply engraved in his mind, especially the Iron Pagoda who was covered in black and wearing heavy armor, which became his lingering nightmare.

A cold light flashed from Wanyan Honglie's old eyes, like an old tiger, but still powerful despite its age. "It's gone, but we still have the navy, we still have people in Jiangnan, and we can recruit soldiers. The Great Jin Kingdom will not fall just like that!"

"The battle report is too vague. Please tell me the whole process again."

Then, Yang Kang recounted everything he had seen on the battlefield.

When he heard about the Han army's Iron Pagoda, his eyes were slightly moved. Their Great Jin's Iron Pagoda was once famous throughout the world, but now they were defeated by others using Iron Pagoda. It was really a pity.

He sorted out the clues and then said, "Next, Jingkou is the top priority. We must not make any mistakes. Wanyan Chen Heshang and Wanyan Heda are back. I have ordered them to lead troops to guard the place. A large army has been deployed by the river. The Han soldiers cannot attack it for the time being."

"The Iron Pagoda can be used in the north of the Yangtze River, but it is completely useless in the south of the Yangtze River. We don't have to be afraid. With the navy in hand, we may not be unable to fight."

Hearing this, Yang Kang's chaotic mind seemed to have found its backbone, and he quickly came back to his senses, "What can a son of yours do?"

"In a couple of days, I plan to inspect the river defenses. You can come with me."

Wanyan Honglie consoled him, "The defeat in this battle is not your fault. Guo Jing and Mu Huali are not easy to deal with. They defeated our 250,000-man army and suffered losses themselves. We still have time."

"My son understands."

……

Many people came and went around him, cleaning the city walls and rearranging the equipment for defending the city. Several groups of messengers came over to report the situation and left with orders. Wanyan Sai did not go back.

Late at night, a riot broke out in the city. The Jin soldiers, who had been fighting all day, became nervous at the slightest sign of trouble and blew up their camp.

Tens of thousands of Jin soldiers broke through the camp and burned, killed, looted, raped and plundered in the city. A fire was burning in the city, houses were set on fire, and the flames shot up into the sky.

"Marshal, something bad has happened!"

Wanyan Saibu, who was sleeping peacefully, was awakened by his personal soldiers. His old face was full of fatigue. "What happened?"

The guard said anxiously, "The people of the third and fourth battalions rebelled. They left their promises and set fire and killed people in the city. They were so bloodthirsty that we couldn't stop them."

Wanyan Saibu knew what was going on as soon as he heard it, but now, they were exhausted and couldn't do anything about it. This kind of "camp roar" had happened many times in ancient times, and each time was very tragic.

Under normal circumstances, he could calmly mobilize the army to suppress the rebellion, but now, the soldiers were exhausted and could not deal with these bloodthirsty soldiers at all. Instead, they were easily coerced by them.

He immediately made a decision, "Quickly mobilize the soldiers to guard the main roads in the city and not let anyone get close. As for those people, let them kill as many as they want!"

"As ordered!"

After the personal guards left, Wanyan Saibu continued to lie down, but he could not fall asleep no matter how hard he tried, so he stood up, put on his robe, and walked to the door of the mansion with the help of his personal guards.

In the distance, there was a blazing fire in the sky, and faint wailing and screaming could be heard. A trace of pity flashed in his eyes, but he stood there without moving. After a long while, he sighed, "God does not help my Great Jin Kingdom!"

After saying this, he burst into tears and couldn't control himself.

The next day, Wanyan Saibu beat the drum to gather his troops and counted the number of people. He found that there were two thousand fewer soldiers!

These people may not all be dead. They may be hiding in the city and unwilling to come out, but at this juncture, he can't care less.

After this night, it became more difficult for Wanyan Saibu and his men to defend the city. The soldiers' morale was still there, but the people in the city became hostile to them. At night, patrolling soldiers disappeared into a street somewhere.

When they were defending the city during the day, some young and strong men rebelled and charged back against their lines.

As a last resort, he could only send more people to strengthen the defense and no longer use the young and strong people in the city to guard the city.

Having lost the support of the people and relying only on these defeated soldiers, Wanyan Saibu struggled to hold on. On the seventh day, the Han army broke through the city wall and opened the defense line.

The people in the city also rebelled. The young and strong men took their farm tools and went out to fight with the Jin soldiers. In less than two hours, the Jin soldiers were surrounded by a vast sea of ​​people.

At this point, the city was naturally broken.

(End of this chapter)