Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 287 Sister, be gentle, sister can't take it...

Everything happened so suddenly that even many soldiers on the city wall were dazed and puzzled as to why the Song people had come so suddenly.
Where did the Song people get these siege weapons?
How could they all appear overnight?
How did the Song people manage to prepare all these things? How did they suddenly arrange themselves into a queue?

Did the people of the Song Dynasty eat breakfast?
Did the Song people not sleep last night?
Wasn't the Song army supposed to withdraw?
Song people...

The Song people have arrived! They really have arrived; a long ladder is already hanging on the battlements.

The Song people are climbing!

The Western Xia soldiers on the city wall looked around and found plenty of logs and rolling stones on hand!

Smash it now!
Then one of the soldiers shouted, "Quickly, boil the oil, and bring more arrows!"

Why do we need to boil oil?

Because if the oil is not heated to a boil beforehand, it is not easily ignited!

Why were the arrows moved temporarily? Because arrows are actually very precious and cannot be stored in large quantities in an unprotected place; they can only be kept in small quantities as a backup.

This was also because the city walls were actually quite cramped, with not much space to store items, let alone pile up a lot of logs and rolling stones.

The Song people really came. They scrambled up the long ladder like ants, and the towering cloud ladder carts creaked and groaned as they arrived, pulled by horses in front and pushed by people behind.

Without these machines, it would be virtually impossible to capture a city.

Fires were still burning on the city walls, and large pots were set up to boil oil.

Before the oil had even begun to emit a single wisp of smoke, towering ladder trucks were already positioned beneath the city walls.

Bows and crossbows were being fired, and logs and stones were being thrown, but one after another, armored Song soldiers were jumping from the siege ladders onto the city walls.

The battle has already begun, and the first light of dawn in the east is still just a hint.

The nights at the end of a winter month are truly dark!
Su Wu had already ridden his horse and was looking around about forty or fifty paces from the city. He wasn't supervising or urging anyone; he was just looking around because there was no command platform built in the distance.

Furthermore, even if there were a command platform, the attack on the city could not be seen, so the only option was to ride closer on horseback to observe.

Accompanying Su Wu was a troop of personal guard cavalry, who were always there to provide support. Wherever the enemy on the city wall was fiercer, the hundreds of cavalrymen would desperately fire their crossbows at the city wall.

The arrow shot so directly that the defending soldiers didn't even dare to raise their heads.

In fact, a large portion of the soldiers guarding the city walls were originally from the Song army.

It is also said that the transformation of the identity of the ancient soldiers and Han people is far more complex than can be explained by the simple statement, "Han people learn to speak the language of the barbarians, but then curse Han people from the city walls."

It's actually quite interesting from ancient times to the present. When Cao Cao truly began to rise to power on a large scale, where did his elite soldiers come from?

In fact, the enemies that Cao Cao fought were the surrendered Yellow Turban rebels.

It is also said that Liu Bei borrowed soldiers from various sources on many occasions, and the soldiers he borrowed turned out to be elite and capable of being used!

It is also said that the big shots under Erzhu Rong rose to prominence one after another, and their armies followed whoever they were loyal to, and most of them were brave and capable.

It's said that the An Lushan Rebellion was the main source of the Jin Dynasty's army in its later stages, but it wasn't the Jurchens either; they were soldiers who surrendered from the Liao and Song dynasties...

It is also said that when the Manchus entered the pass, a large number of Ming Dynasty troops played a role in the process.

Furthermore, at this very moment, in this border region, in this former Song Dynasty prefecture, Xi'an Prefecture, the soldiers on the city walls were originally Song soldiers, but now they have become the Western Xia army. They are still incredibly brave and fierce in defending the city.

It refers to the issue of military loyalty in ancient times, which is an extremely complex problem.

This also illustrates that ancient soldiers, lacking ideological education and reading, did not have a deep understanding of loyalty to the country.

Therefore, for a state to control the military, it is actually more about controlling the officers, and secondly about building up the system.

At this very moment, Su Wu was watching this surprise attack from below the city walls, seemingly exploring or confirming some kind of question...

He was really looking at those former Song soldiers on the city wall, to see if they were truly brave and fierce now!
He needed to confirm this matter, and confirming it was also for the sake of future things, to see if one day, if Su Wu really spoke out, he could truly command a large following.

To put it more bluntly, Su Wu wanted to know if the lowest-ranking soldiers really didn't care that much about the Zhao or Li emperors...

Whether it's the Song Dynasty or the Western Xia Dynasty...

Today's battle made Su Wu truly realize something...

The battle continues, and even with the surprise attack, the enemy troops on the city walls seem to have the strength to fight back, and they fight relentlessly.

The situation on the city walls did not immediately turn one-sided; fierce fighting continued.

Su Wu's feelings were complicated. He was happy, but he was also anxious.

The reason for my happiness is self-evident.

The reason for their anxiety was that they feared that if this sneak attack dragged on, and the city reacted quickly enough and managed to hold off the attack, it would be troublesome.

We have already been stuck here for some time. If we don't break through the city soon, how can we enter the four prefectures of Hexi?

Su Wu turned around and shouted, "Send the order: beat the drums! Beat the drums!"

The pace has clearly quickened. In the past, when attacking a city, the second drumbeat would have been quite some time away. Now, the second drumbeat has been sounded almost as soon as the attack begins.

Inside the city, just as Su Wu had expected, Ren Dejing was bound to react. He was not an incompetent man; the reason he was successfully ambushed was not because he was bad, but because he was not bad, which made him overconfident.

At this moment, Ren Dejing was running wildly towards the city wall, issuing countless military orders and shouting incessantly, even in an orderly manner: "The vanguard shall immediately put on their armor and rush to the south city to provide support. The right battalion shall prepare, and the left battalion shall act as auxiliary troops. Quickly go and transport the logs, rolling stones, and arrows. The rear battalion shall look to the east and west to guard against the enemy's feint attack!"

Military orders were still being carried out smoothly, which also proved that the number of garrison troops in this city was not actually very large.

After several military orders, Ren Dejing came to ask, "Decong, why did the Song army suddenly attack the city?"

Ren Decong was indeed thinking, "Perhaps Liu Guangshi wants to steal some credit."

Ren Dejing nodded: "This Liu Guangshi is incredibly audacious. It seems that Su Wu's influence in the army is not that great. Well... how could Su Wu, a mere greenhorn, easily control these arrogant and fierce soldiers in the Northwest?"

Clearly, at this moment, Ren Dejing and Ren Decong were unaware of the urgency of the situation and were still analyzing it within their own minds.

"Just drive them away. It's Liu Guangshi who's courting death. If Su Wu's plan fails, won't he be able to pin all the blame on Liu Guangshi for acting on his own today?"

Ren Decong's understanding of the officialdom in the Song Dynasty was truly incisive.

The two brothers rode their horses at full gallop, chatting as they went. The city was not very big, and they were already not far from the city wall.

Ren Decong was the first to notice something was wrong, and frowned as he asked, "Brother, is that a stone cannon firing?"

The distinctive buzzing sound of the long arms cutting through the air, and the sound of the boulder shattering, were exceptionally clear at that moment.

Ren Dejing didn't speak, but his brows furrowed deeply. He spurred his horse on. There was a loud, unusual sound of something cutting through the air, unlike any other bow or crossbow. Could this sound be from a ballista?
Upon reaching the foot of the city wall, I quickly climbed the steps and looked out. The huge black shadow was right in front of me. I didn't need to stare too closely; it was clearly the siege ladder cart mounted on the city wall.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Ren Dejing was extremely anxious, but he bowed down and hurriedly ran towards the city tower.

Upon entering the city gate tower, Ren Dejing immediately went up two floors to look at the arrow slits.

He could only mutter repeatedly, "No, no, no!"

Ren Decong, watching from the side, was utterly dumbfounded. Amidst his stunned silence, he uttered, "This...this..."

What's this?
This is truly incomprehensible. He had seen it from the city wall last night, and the Song army was indeed retreating, with all sorts of things being loaded onto carts, and there were no such huge siege weapons.

How did things change overnight?
How can this be?

Didn't Su Wu leave? Weren't the armies all withdrawing? When did we see the Song people rebuild their weapons?
Last night, I didn't even see a shadow of a piece of equipment...

That's why I felt at ease going back to rest...

Ren Dejing turned to look at his younger brother.

The younger brother also turned to look at his older brother.

The two looked at each other in disbelief.

Whether he believed it or not was no longer important. Ren Dejing shouted, "Hurry up! What are you still standing here for? Go and defend the city! Take the troops and go defend it immediately!"

"Yes, yes, I'll go right away!" Ren Decong turned around hurriedly, anxious and impatient. When he got downstairs, he found that he was not wearing any armor, so he called out to those around him to put on armor first.

Ren Dejing looked around from the top of the city wall, but he couldn't see anything clearly. He could only see that there was a fierce battle going on to the left and right, and on the city wall.

It is unknown how many Song soldiers have come up, or how many are still defending the city, or whether the defenders or the attackers have the upper hand.

In the past, I always felt that the time from dawn to daybreak was always fast.

Today, however, the dawn is too dark, and the daylight is too slow.

Uptown! Uptown!

Even Wu Song has started climbing the city wall. This time, he brought 5,000 infantrymen who could ride horses. These infantrymen were already lined up in formation behind him, forming the second echelon. Wu Song was willing to climb first, so it was naturally Wu Song who was chosen.

Everything was in chaos, a complete mess. In fact, the attacking army was not in chaos. Several battle meetings had been held in advance, and they were proceeding step by step according to the plan.

Ren Dejing couldn't see anything clearly; the further away he went, the less clear it became. He calmed down considerably, but the question still lingered in his mind.

How can it be?

How could the soldiers and officers on the city wall not have noticed that the enemy had made so many preparations overnight?

Such a huge machine, how could it not make a sound when pushed or pulled?
How could that creaking sound not be heard in the quiet night?
Why is nobody paying attention?
Yesterday... the Song army retreated...

Ren Dejing seemed to have figured something out. Yesterday, the Song army deliberately retreated, and the carts were loaded with heavier and heavier loads, creaking back and forth. It was all a smokescreen.
These enormous machines couldn't have appeared out of nowhere; they must have been prepared for a long time, and they must have been hidden away...

Ren Dejing suddenly understood many things: Su Wu must not have really left!
He must still be outside the city!
He he he...

Aren't all those letters and words before him just a sign of underestimating the enemy?
Isn't it all a scheme that was planned long ago?
They've fallen for their trap!
Thinking of this, Ren Dejing suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He took a deep breath and then exhaled forcefully.

Still feeling stifled, he clutched his chest, turned around, and shouted at his personal guards, "Quickly, urge all the troops to come up to the city and help! Gather all the people in the city to come and help!"

The soldiers immediately rushed off.

After shouting a few times, Ren Dejing seemed to lack even more breath in his chest, and he tried even harder to breathe.

At this moment, Ren Deren and Ren Degong also rushed into the city gate in a disheveled state, hurriedly asking, "Brother, what happened? This...this..."

Ren Dejing succinctly remarked, "We've fallen into a trap! We've fallen into a trap! It's all Su Wu's scheme!"

"What plan of Su Wu?" Ren Deren asked again.

How could Ren Dejing explain it clearly in a short time? And how could he have the mind to explain it in detail?
He simply said, "Foolish, we are foolish, we are arrogantly foolish!"

"What? Brother, what are you talking about?" Ren Deren was naturally puzzled, not understanding what his brother was saying, nor what he had seen when he went up to the city.

Ren Dejing didn't answer, he just kept looking left and right, looking at the city wall on the left and then the city wall on the right.

As dawn broke, a faint glow appeared in the east, and the view from the city walls became increasingly distant and clearer.

I could see a lot, but the more I looked, the colder my heart became. I didn't know how many Song soldiers had already occupied a lot of sections of the city wall in groups.

Many soldiers and soldiers who came to reinforce the city began to scale the walls; logs and stones were being transported, as were arrows...

Even wounded soldiers are being transported...

In an instant, the city road and steps were completely blocked.

It is said that the oil was still boiling and had not yet been heated properly. This oil was really difficult to cook. The impatient soldiers guarding the city had already taken wooden ladles to scoop it up and poured it down the city walls without hearing any cries of anguish from below.

They even poured water on the ladder truck and tried to light it with torches, but all they could see was foul-smelling black smoke billowing out; it just wouldn't catch fire...

Is it because the winter is too cold? Or is it because the oil is too cold?

The soldier guarding the city, in a fit of anger, cursed, "Which damned bastard is harming people?!"

Just as he was about to scoop, splash, and fire again, the arrows from below the city walls, without any regard for sight, struck him squarely in the face. He clutched his face and let out a wail, shouting, "Help me! Help me!"

Where could anyone come to his rescue? Not far away, on the city wall, a group of Song soldiers were getting closer and closer. If they couldn't be stopped, the city steps were not far away, and the Song soldiers would be able to get down from the city!
No more logs, stones, or arrows could get up there.

Reinforcements couldn't get any closer! Just looking outside the city, there was an endless, surging enemy army, whose numbers were unknown. The drums outside the city were beating even more urgently, and the Song army was advancing wave after wave. Even just a glance at them made one's scalp tingle!
Defeat! It was a thought that came to mind in an instant.

Countless people have already entertained this thought, right at the moment their vision slowly becomes clearer...

Even Ren Dejing, who was inside the city tower at this moment, had this thought inexplicably arise in his mind.

He looked around and asked, "What should we do?"

The question is about Ren Degong and Ren Deren.

Ren Deren replied, "Brother, shall we break through? Once we break through and reach Xingqing Prefecture, His Highness Prince Jin will surely protect us!"

Breakout?

Ren Dejing looked up at the distance beyond the arrow slit, where the increasingly bright sunset shone on a troop of cavalry armor that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Breaking out... I'm afraid we won't be able to leave.

Ren Dejing's face turned ashen, and he uttered a single sentence: "It's too late to regret it..."

It is true that it is too late to regret, but what he regrets is not that he did not return to Song, but that he listened to the deceitful words of the immature Su Wu.

On second thought, if Master Zhong were in his presence, he would be more cautious.

Su Wu was too good at hiding, deceiving, and talking!

"Brother, what do you suggest we do?" Ren Deren asked as well.

"No rush, no rush!" Ren Dejing said repeatedly, telling him to calm down!

After calming down for a moment, Ren Dejing suddenly turned around and said, "I'll go back to the government office first. You all come with me and find Decong. We'll all go to the government office and wait there!"

"What are you waiting for?" Ren Deren asked hurriedly.

"Let's wait for Su Wu to come!" Ren Dejing's words seemed to indicate that he had made up his mind.

Just keep walking fast, or you might not be able to get out of this city gate.

On the city walls, the Song army naturally gained an even greater advantage.

This also shows that the success or failure of an event is closely related to the level of organization.

Just like this battle of attack and defense, if the defending troops in the city are well organized, it will be extremely difficult for Su Wu to break through the city in one battle.

It is also said that the core of Su Wu's plans and strategies was to make the army in the city unorganized, caught off guard, and unable to truly organize itself.

It is also said that Wang Bing, in history, held off the Jin army in Taiyuan for eight months, and his high level of organization is self-evident.

Ren Dejing went back to the government office to wait.

The city wall was about to fall into enemy hands, and the Song soldiers who were climbing the wall were like a flood, becoming more and more unstoppable.

The city gates were opened by removing debris, and the cavalry began to charge into the city. Killing was less important than looting.

Su Wu then rode into the city and headed straight for the government office, which was already packed with people.

As soon as Su Wu entered the main hall of the government office, he heard incessant weeping. It was Ren Dejing, who was wearing an undergarment and no shoes, sitting in the main hall and crying.

Sobbing, she cried, "Why is this happening? We had already agreed to surrender, why is this happening? My fervent patriotism has been betrayed!"

The other three brothers sat to one side, their hair disheveled, and followed along, weeping.

Su Wu entered the main hall, looked around, and immediately wanted to laugh.

Upon seeing Su Wu enter, Ren Dejing did not get up, for he did not recognize Su Wu.

As soon as the guards on the left and right stood still, Su Wu took his seat behind the table in the main hall. Only then did Ren Dejing ask, "Isn't that Commander Su right in front of you?"

Su Wu nodded: "Yes, it's me!"

"General Su, we've exchanged letters and agreed on this matter. Why the sudden attack? How can I explain this to the people of the city? And how can you gain the trust of the people of the world?"

Ren Dejing still has methods, but whatever those methods are, they are still methods.

Otherwise, why would the Western Xia leave him alive after conquering the city?
But Su Wu glanced left and right and asked, "Hmm? What was agreed upon? What matter was agreed upon?"

“The letters are written in black and white, how could Commander Su not recognize them?” Ren Dejing had no other choice.

“Oh, you mean I wrote you a letter urging you to surrender? Yes, I did, but you refused to surrender. You are a treacherous traitor, and everyone in the Great Song Dynasty wants to kill you. Today, we have breached the city to kill this former traitor. How can you presume to make excuses?” Su Wu asked.

"Commander Su, I was entrusted by Prime Minister Zhong, and this was a strategy of feigning compliance and enduring humiliation. How can it be considered treason?" Ren Dejing still needed to try harder.

After all, with many military officers present, Su Wu was afraid that the matter would be spread too far.

Su Wu smiled and looked around: "Gentlemen, what were the instructions given by Minister Zhong before the expedition?"

Han Shizhong immediately remarked, "Old Master Zhong said that we must exterminate the entire family of this traitor!"

Ren Dejing was taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly realizing that such a method was likely useless. Even if he produced a letter, it would be futile; it was meant to garner sympathy, but it seemed no one would sympathize with him...

that……

Ren Dejing immediately retorted, "Since this is such a grievance, then my entire family is willing to die together to show my determination to repay the grace of the Great Song Dynasty. You are all welcome to come!"

To be honest, Su Wu really "admired" Ren Dejing. To be able to do something like that was truly remarkable. Compared to him, Wu Yong was a step behind.

"Just grant his wish!" Su Wu raised his hand and waved.

The messenger went outside to relay the order. At this moment, Liu Guangshi also said, "Ren Dejing, it seems that we have met a few times before. I really didn't expect that your skin is thicker than a city wall. I admire you. It's just a pity that everyone here is waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. My Master Su is so wise. It's no pity that you lost. Just accept it!"

Can Ren Dejing admit it?

He couldn't admit it, and he wasn't the kind of person who wasn't afraid of death!

As soon as his family was brought in, Ren Dejing got up and went to embrace a woman, crying, "My daughter, I have wronged you, causing you to suffer such a calamity. I trusted the wrong person in the past and accepted this compromise, which led to my wrongful death today... In the next life, let us be father and daughter again!"

Why did they suddenly do this?
When everyone looked over, Su Wu was stunned. Ren Dejing's daughter was truly stunningly beautiful, with an indescribable beauty.

Many soldiers were stunned for a moment, and even Su Wu was taken aback.

What the fuck...

I'm waiting here...

The daughter cried, "Father, I don't blame you. It's alright if we die together. In the next life, I will still be your daughter!"

When she cries, her face is like a pear blossom in the rain, adding a touch of melancholy beauty that touches a man's heart!

Tell me, how many men can bear to see such a beautiful woman crying with tears streaming down her face?

Especially these soldiers, aren't they all bursting with male hormones? The more masculine they are, the more protective they are of the weak.

Upon hearing this, Su Wu knew in his heart that this girl was also extremely skilled.

She was destined to be the future empress of Western Xia, and was a key figure in the Ren family's power in Western Xia. How could she not be shrewd?
Su Wu looked at the soldiers on his left and right, and quite a few of them actually showed that pitying and distressed expression.

Damn it, what a scourge to the country and its people!

Whom are they trying to harm?

what?
Su Wu looked around, then looked at himself. Could this be someone trying to harm him?
Who am I, Su Wu?
Su Wu waved his hand and said, "Come on, drag this woman away and behead her!"

"Understood!" came the voice of the personal guard, but the voice... lacked the former imposing, solemn, and resolute quality.

Then look at the personal guard who received the order; he even swallowed hard, as if he was somewhat reluctant to part with him.

That's normal; these soldiers have never seen anything like this before.
Some couldn't help but think... if their husbands didn't want them, they could be given as a reward to their brothers. Killing them like this... is truly a pity...

Su Wu turned around and said, "Third Sister, come here!"

Third Sister was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Yes, sir!"

Third Sister may have hesitated. It wasn't necessarily out of pity or reluctance; she was just a woman of the martial world, and she couldn't bring herself to kill such defenseless women and children.

Then came the weeping woman who said, "Go ahead and kill me, my life is miserable, but it is my fate. Father! I will go first!"

As San Niang moved forward, her movements became less nimble.

But then a woman's sweet voice rang out: "I'll do it!"

It was Liang Hongyu, and she continued, "Such methods are only tolerable to men like you. There are plenty of them in that building. Only Master Su is a gentleman! Humph! I'll kill them!"

As she spoke, Liang Hongyu stepped forward, grabbed the woman's hair, and dragged her away.

Everyone in the room wore a wry smile, saying and doing nothing, while Liang Hongyu unleashed a torrent of abuse.

Everyone then went to their husband, Master Su, who was grinning and jokingly saying to those around him, "You people are really hopeless!"

The woman then cried out, her voice a mixture of sobs and whimpers: "...Sister, please be gentle, I can't bear it..."

She had only cried a few times when her voice abruptly stopped. Liang Hongyu had killed her so quickly, she really killed her. Her neck had already been cut open, and her head was still being cut. The knife scraped against her neck bone with a grinding sound.

What a pity, what a pity...

Countless men in the audience felt a pang of regret...

Ren Dejing was stunned. Was he really going to kill him?
Is this really a way to kill someone?
Looking up at Su Wu, he was young and full of vigor. He even had women by his side when fighting. How could he really kill?

Looking around, why didn't anyone say a word? Seeing the reluctant expressions on so many faces, why didn't anyone say anything?
But then Su Wu pointed and said, "It's your turn. Do you have anything else to say?"

Ren Dejing turned his head and looked. Right outside the door, there was a pool of blood, and the incomparably beautiful face had been separated from the body...

In a moment of daze, Ren Dejing turned around and his head was already on the ground: "General Su, spare my life!"

Su Wu was somewhat disappointed. Had he run out of tricks?

"Drag them all out and execute them!" Su Wu waved his hand, and the matter was considered closed.

This city will be restored to its Song name, Xi'an Prefecture.

This will be Su Wu's rear base on his journey to the four prefectures of Hexi, and Liu Guangshi will be stationed here.

All that could be seen was a large number of soldiers dragging the Ren family members out to fight.

For a moment, everything was in complete chaos. Su Wu didn't bother to look any further and simply turned and left.

Wu Song followed beside him, laughing, "Brother, I thought you were going to use that woman to warm your bed. That woman is really quite nice! Hehe..."

"Do you want it? If you do, I'll send it to you tonight!" Su Wu laughed.

"I don't want it, I already didn't want it, isn't it too late now?" Wu Song shook his head repeatedly.

Many soldiers behind him also burst into laughter...

There's also Liang Hongyu's comment: "Men, humph!"

"I didn't!" Han Shizhong immediately replied.

"Who knows if you have it or not?" Liang Hongyu said, then added, "I think only Master Su is a true gentleman!"

Hu Sanniang was standing to the side, smiling slightly and lowering her head, so that no one would notice the joy in her heart.

"I really didn't!" Han Shizhong said firmly, as if he were making a vow.

(Brothers, here it comes... The next chapter will be fast-paced!)

(End of this chapter)