Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 303 Who dares to spread military secrets and mislead the public?

On the walls of Yanggu, many ladders were hung up, but countless others were pushed down. The siege ladder finally made its way up, only to be engulfed in flames.

These Liao soldiers who climbed the walls were indeed many brave and fierce. Even with the siege ladders burning fiercely, some still leaped over the flames onto the city wall.

The constable could no longer maintain a relaxed demeanor and was already anxiously shouting, "Follow me to kill!"

He began to scream with all his might, his weapon flashing rapidly. The young men behind him immediately followed, unleashing a barrage of spears and thrusting relentlessly.

The battlefield became increasingly fierce, and quite a few people jumped from the siege ladders onto the city walls. What motivated these brave men to serve the Jurchens so diligently?

Rather than saying they were serving the Jurchens, it would be more accurate to say they were serving themselves. The rewards for their merits were unimaginable. Anyone who achieved such merits would immediately rise through the ranks, acquiring wealth, land, and slaves.

There is plenty of land outside the Great Wall; a simple sketch can yield hundreds or even thousands of acres. What is lacking is manpower. As long as slaves are in hand, one can reclaim wasteland, cultivate the land, and become a landlord, or even a large landlord.

With such a generous reward, how could they not be fierce and courageous?
Moreover, it is not difficult to make meritorious contributions after fighting all the way from Yanyun to here; it's just that most people didn't have the opportunity to do so.

Isn't Yanggu, right before our eyes, another opportunity?
However, the soldiers on the city walls of this small county town were no longer as easily defeated as those in the previous city. They were actually quite fierce and brave. When they saw someone coming up the city walls, they not only did not run away, but also took the initiative to meet and kill them.

They were outmatched and suffered heavy casualties!

After the siege ladder was completely engulfed in flames, no one came to help, and the Song people were unable to hold on any longer. They were surprisingly brave and fierce in battle, and they killed people with great efficiency.

The bone hammer smashed into his forehead, making him see stars...

Even worse, it sounded as if they could hear the sound of gongs sounding outside the city. Seeing stars, they turned around to look, but there was no way out.
How do I get a refund?

In a daze, all he could do was leap down from the not-so-high city wall...

In fact, it was also a way to escape.

Outside the city, Wanyan Zonghan was also frowning. One of his generals spoke up, "Your Highness, this city is truly different from the one before!"

Wanyan Zonghan nodded: "Su Wu's army is quite formidable!"

Someone else said, "Your Highness, the battle has only just begun, why sound the retreat? The outcome is not yet decided, just let those Liao people crawl away!"

Wanyan Zonghan shook his head: "The city's defenders are very well prepared. Most of their equipment has been destroyed, and they lack reinforcements. They won't be able to climb up."

"Then let's besiege and rebuild again. By attrition like this, we'll eventually break through the city!"

Wanyan Zonghan shook his head: "Enough, this small town isn't worth so many deaths!"

When the Jurchens wage war, they nowadays also pay attention to the return on investment. If they don't have a lot of money, it's not worth investing too much in this small county town, as they really can't recoup their costs.

"So, are we just going back like this?"

Wanyan Zonghan shook his head again: "Let's try to lure the Jingdong army out of the city for a field battle!"

"What is Your Highness's plan?"

Wanyan Zonghan looked around and said, "The terrain here is fairly flat. Let's go around to Dongping Prefecture, the capital of Jingdong. I heard that Su Wu's family lives there. If we rush there, the people in Yanggu County will panic and probably have to come out of the city to rescue them... So..."

"Brilliant plan, Your Highness! Once they leave the city, how can they possibly stop our iron hooves?"

Wanyan Zonghan sat on his horse, watching the receding tide of infantry before him. On the city wall, the Song army cheered continuously. He remained silent, straightened the reins, and rode back to camp, ready to set off!
On the city wall, those young men who were fighting for the first time had also experienced a battle. Regardless of whether they were scared or frightened just now, none of them retreated. Now that they had won, how could they not speak out?

How could he possibly hold back his excited words?
"Captain, the enemy is also afraid of death and easy to kill. They're not all that great!"

"Yes, yes, I can stab with force, this guy, he'll fall down with just one stab..."

"I stabbed him too, he wasn't the only one who stabbed him..."

"They're quick to kill, they just kill without warning!"

The head constable also said, "That's for sure. Anyone can be killed. Killing people is really not difficult! You won't be worried when you go into battle next time!"

"I'm not panicking this time either!"

The head constable laughed, "You're just bragging. I saw you couldn't say a word just now..."

"I just didn't want to talk!"

“Now you’re talking a lot more, haha…” the constable added.

"Captain, I refuse to believe that you're so brave on your first battle! Next time, I'll be all smiles with you!"

The captain frowned slightly, not because he was recalling the fear of his first battle, but because he muttered to himself, "I really don't know how these people managed to fight their way from Yanyun all the way to our Dongping Prefecture. It's truly perplexing!"

These words caused confusion throughout the room. Indeed, how could the Jurchens have managed to conquer so many cities and towns along the way, all the way from Yanyun to Yanggu County?

Is fighting a war really that difficult? Is defending a city really that difficult?
no……

Before long, the Jurchens outside the city began to break up their camp, and someone laughed, "They're running away already?"

The commander was quite insightful. Judging from the appearance of the Jurchen cavalry, they were clearly not retreating, so he said, "I'm afraid they're heading towards the prefectural city!"

"If we can't even break through Yanggu County, how can we expect to avoid defeat if we head towards the prefectural city?"

"Exactly, these people don't seem to be very bright!"

The head constable then laughed and said, "Let them go! In a couple of days, we'll see them back!"

"Should we go out of town and chase after them, and give them a good spanking?"

The captain immediately straightened his face and said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense. We won a small victory. How dare we be ignorant of our own limitations? The master is not at home. All the cavalry went with the master. We must never engage in open battle with the enemy cavalry. Look at those cavalrymen's iron armor. It must be good. You just haven't seen it before. If you had really seen the master lead the cavalry to charge, you would know the dangers!"

"Oh……"

The Jurchens outside the city were marching, intending to try their luck in the prefectural city. Wanyan Zonghan was unwilling to accept this, as Daming Prefecture had already fallen, yet they had achieved nothing here.

In Daming Prefecture, after the city fell, Wanyan Zongwang did not rush into the city. Instead, he led his cavalry in a continuous pursuit, not entirely for the purpose of killing.

If we're talking about good slaves—young, strong, capable workers who are also easy to manage—then the Song soldiers and men are the best. Sometimes you can capture hundreds or even thousands at once, saving you time and effort...

On the contrary, the able-bodied men in the Song Dynasty cities were really bad... They couldn't even walk long distances and had to be whipped from time to time. If they weren't whipped, they really couldn't walk. It would be a pity to kill them, and I also asked around, and most of them were not good at clearing land and farming.

The military was different; many of them were craftsmen, and quite a few knew how to reclaim wasteland and farm.

Now that Wanyan Zongwang understands these things, he pursues the Song soldiers with great enthusiasm.

He then divided his 40,000 cavalry into many groups and relentlessly pursued them southwards... mainly because he did not seriously besiege the city, so the Song people fled, covering the mountains and plains, and there was no choice but to pursue them.

In other words, besieging such a large city as Daming Prefecture would not be an easy task; the project would be enormous, time-consuming, and labor-intensive…

When the Jin army came, their intention was to win quickly and decisively, like killing two birds with one stone; they had no intention of wasting time and effort.

In fact, Daming Prefecture is also a place crisscrossed by waterways, some of which even lead directly to the Yellow River. The main channel of the Yellow River is not far away, only a hundred miles away.

The fast horses took turns galloping along, and when Wanyan Zongwang reined in his horse, he found himself on the banks of the Yellow River, where there was a city called Puyang.

This city guards a crucial ferry crossing on this section of the Yellow River.

There were quite a few soldiers guarding the city walls, but what did they see?
The fleeing soldiers and the pursuing Jurchen cavalry were in a state of panic on the city walls. Countless officials and generals came up to see what was happening. Iron armor was constantly being added to the walls, indicating that there were several thousand soldiers inside the city, mainly the imperial guards from the capital region.

People in the south city have already left the city to escape. Why should we hurry and cross the river?

Daming Prefecture has fallen. How could we not immediately send fast riders out of the city to cross the river and report to Tokyo?

There are a large group of officials and soldiers on the city wall. What should we do?
Even Daming Prefecture has fallen. Daming Prefecture had 60,000 to 70,000 imperial guards from the capital region, and originally had 20,000 to 30,000 garrison troops. The entire army of 100,000 was like paper. Now, with only a few thousand soldiers in Puyang City, how can they possibly defend it?

The crowd chattered incessantly, and what they saw before them was only two or three thousand cavalry, clearly the vanguard.

How to do?
What else can I do?
Run!

Daming Prefecture fell in a single battle, and it seems that abandoning Puyang and fleeing is not so bad. An army of 100,000 is nothing more than this, and a few thousand men are not enough to resist it.

They should leave the city immediately. What should they do there? Their first priority was to burn the ships and prevent the enemy from crossing the river, thus ensuring the safety of Tokyo.

Isn't this a great achievement?

This was a desperate gamble, leaving the city and risking their lives to fight against tens of thousands of enemy cavalry!

Go, go, go...

Wanyan Zongwang was still outside the north city, looking at the city and wondering whether to continue the attack. Little did he know that the south city gates had already been opened and the entire city was fleeing.

When he saw that there seemed to be fewer and fewer soldiers on the city wall, he wondered what kind of strategy the Song people had.
Could it be that all the soldiers have gone down from the city to regroup? Are they preparing to open the city gates and fight to the death?
Wanyan Zongwang looked back and saw that he didn't have many men and horses around him, only two or three thousand cavalry. Did the Xu Song people really want to take a gamble?
That's fine. Fighting in the open outside the city is Wanyan Zongwang's specialty.

All that was needed was for the scouts to gallop back at full speed and loudly report: "Your Highness, the Song people are fleeing! Countless have escaped from the southern part of the city!"

Wanyan Zongwang was stunned. He had been preparing to wait for the Song army to come out of the city to fight... and they had abandoned the city without a fight?
"Chase! Chase quickly!" Wanyan Zongwang had already mounted his horse. In fact, he couldn't quite understand why even the Liao people of the past had to fight so hard to conquer various cities.

The Liao people did abandon cities, but that was always because they had no soldiers left to defend them. I've never seen thousands of armored soldiers abandon a city and flee...

Along the way, Songcheng ahead was easy to attack, but it still required some fighting. Now, Songcheng is so easy that there's no need to fight at all...

Wanyan Zongwang was unaware that during the second invasion of the Song Dynasty in history, the abandonment of cities was rampant, and the number of cities that needed to be attacked was far less than the number of places where cities were abandoned and fled.

They kept chasing until they reached the Yellow River and the ferry crossing. Wanyan Zongwang regretted his actions too late. There was a raging fire at the ferry crossing. If they had arrived a moment earlier, the fire would not have started. Why did they burn all the perfectly good boats?

Wanyan Zongwang had seen great rivers and mountains before...

Could it be that the people of Song are afraid I will cross the river?

A thought suddenly occurred to Wanyan Zongwang, and he knew that after crossing the river, the location of the Song emperor would not be far away...

There... I've heard that over a million people live there, and that it's a land of gold and silver...

Of course, it was all just hearsay, and even Wanyan Zongwang himself didn't quite believe it. He knew it was true, but he just couldn't quite believe it...

How will millions of people live together? How will they eat? How will they get food? How will they get water?

With so many people, how much feces and urine do they produce every day? Where is all that feces and urine stored?
Just recently, the entire Jurchen nation, including all its inhabitants, numbered less than a million.

How can a city house a million people?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Wanyan Zongwang couldn't help but wonder: should he really go and see for himself?
"Fire! Fire!" Wanyan Zongwang shouted, and many knights rushed towards the ferry.

Wanyan Zongwang then said, "Quickly, notify all the cavalry around here to head to the river and search upstream and downstream. Gather all the boats along the river!"

Wanyan Zongwang suddenly became anxious, as if at this moment, the plundering, capturing slaves and seizing money and grain were no longer important; the ships were the most important thing.

Their pace was truly too fast, so fast that even Wanyan Zongwang himself could hardly believe it. It seemed like they were always on the move, traveling every day, without fighting any battles...

He'd arrived here from Yanyun so quickly; there seemed to be plenty of time, enough for him to cross the river and take a look...

Now that we've come this far, how can we resist going to take a look?

Even just a glance?

At the foot of Dongping Prefecture, Wanyan Zonghan frowned again. The distance was not far; the infantry and cavalry from Yanggu had come in half a day and a night, and they were already used to traveling day and night.

The garrison in Yanggu County did not leave the city, so Zonghan frowned and did not fall for the trap.

Before them stood the city, its walls atop numerous armored soldiers, banners fluttering in the breeze, while outside the city walls, a group of officials and generals watched with utter composure…

There's something inexplicable about them—it could be their demeanor, their military bearing, or even their imposing presence. It's quite obvious, though: the soldiers here are just different from the soldiers in the cities of Hebei.

"Your Highness, shall we fight?" a general asked Zong Han.

Wanyan Zonghan didn't answer, only saying, "Let's set up camp and eat first! Let's rest..."

The army set up camp and prepared meals at a leisurely pace. They knew that the Song army inside the city would not come out. They had heard that Su Wu had a strong cavalry force, but they also knew that they were all in Dangxiang and not at home.

On the city wall, Cheng Wanli looked again and again. This was the second time he had seen such an army besieging the city. The last time it was bandits, but this time it was countless armored soldiers and cavalry like clouds.

"Oh dear..." Cheng Wanli sighed, but he sighed very carefully and quietly.

Because his beloved daughter was also shouting at the front: "Soldiers, your husband is not at home, but your family and children are behind you. This time, we are here to protect our country and safeguard our people. We must fight to the death and never retreat!"

The soldiers around them began to shout, "We are willing to die for our lord!"

This is a common practice in the army before battle. Veteran soldiers all know it, and new recruits also learn it. Now that the master is not here, what we see is the master and his wife, so it is the same!
The lady is a hero! She bravely stands atop the city wall, and the husband has married a fine wife!
But where had this lady ever seen a battle? She had only ever been surrounded and killed by bandits... The flashing of swords and the life-or-death struggle were right beside her. It was Su Wu who fought Dong Ping and Lin Chong. How could she not have seen the world?

How could that not be considered courageous?
The obedient daughter was still shouting, "Soldiers, my husband is not here, I dare to die and defend the city with you all!"

"I am willing to die for you, my lord!"

In an instant, the hearts of the people were moved.

Cheng Xiaoniang had no idea how much benefit her actions today would bring her in the future.

At this very moment, which of JD.com's infantry commanders isn't looking at this with a sidelong glance?

And what about the future, a decade or two from now? In the hearts of these generals, and even in the hearts of the rising new generation of generals, will they all dislike or resent this kind of matriarch?
But Huyan Zhuo praised Cheng Wanli in his ear: "My lord has raised a fine woman!"

Cheng Wanli also smiled, but it was a somewhat awkward smile. He was actually flustered inside, but he managed to keep it to himself. He was flustered, but at this moment, no matter what, he had to maintain a calm and composed demeanor.

Stay calm!

She took a deep breath and waved her hand, saying, "Hey... just kidding, actually she's always been quiet and elegant, and full of knowledge!"

But the obedient girl was still shouting in a sweet voice, "Although I am powerless to even kill a chicken, I am willing to follow you all to fight the enemy and make contributions!"

Where does this tranquility and elegance come from?

Huyan Zhuo praised further: "Your family is known for producing brave and fierce men. I've also heard that the young master of the Cheng family is quite capable in the army!"

Hu Yanzhuo was genuinely praising him, and he was also flattering his superior. How could he not say nice things to his own husband and father-in-law?

Cheng Wanli waved his hand dismissively: "That fellow? He rarely does anything worthwhile! It's probably just a rumor..."

Huyan Zhuo took Cheng Wanli's words as mere modesty and chuckled, "I'll be sure to drink and chat with you when I see you, my lord!"

“Hmm…” Cheng Wanli nodded.

"Rest assured, my lord, if the enemy attacks the city, we will fight to the death. Our men's lives are at stake, and the city will not fall!" Huyan Zhuo expressed his stance on the battlefield!

"I am completely at ease! With the strong army of Dongping Prefecture here, the city is as solid as a rock and as stable as Mount Tai!" Even if he had worries in his heart, Cheng Wanli still had to express a sense of composure.
To be honest, Dongping Prefecture and Mount Tai are not far apart, only about 150 li apart. At that time, a large part of Mount Tai was under the jurisdiction of Dongping Prefecture, but Cheng Wanli had never been there.

Huyan Zhuo was even more eloquent: "Lord Cheng, you are indeed as imposing as Mount Tai!"

This sentence, with its double entendre, made Cheng Wanli laugh again: "Haha..."

"My lord, there's no need for you to linger here. Just return to the city. If there's a battle, we'll fight to the death!"

We've observed enough...

Cheng Wanli nodded, then called out, "My dear girl, come back..."

Unexpectedly, the obedient daughter turned around and replied, "Father, go back first. I will stay with the soldiers!"

"Alright, alright," Cheng Wanli nodded, turned around, and walked down the city steps.

The girl not only shouted from the city tower, but also walked along the city road, looking around everywhere.

Most of the soldiers had never actually seen this husband and wife before. Today was their first time meeting them, and they all wanted to take a few more glances, but they were too embarrassed to look too closely. How could they be so rude as to stare at the husband and wife for too long?

The scene was rather strange as the lady passed by. She had to look, but she also had to turn her head and lower her head. She was both looking and avoiding the view.

Madam Cheng, however, was very generous. She kept calling out along the way, "Soldiers, you have worked hard. We women and children thank you all!"

"Don't dare, don't dare..."

One after another, people bowed deeply in respect.

Huyan Zhuo followed behind, assuming he was also on patrol of the city...

After Cheng Niangzi completed her rounds, it actually took her an hour or two. Hu Yanzhuo, who was following along, was secretly surprised by Cheng Niangzi's remarkable tenacity.

They were inevitably covered in sweat and looked utterly exhausted!
“Madam, please return home…” Huyan Zhuo said.

But Madam Cheng added, "If we're going to fight today, I'll stay in the city tower. I'll go back after nightfall!"

Huyan Zhuo didn't say much, but he was moved. With such a good wife, how could he not be happy?

As if on cue, drums were indeed beaten outside the city!

"Madam, hurry inside the city gate!" Huyan Zhuo's face had darkened.

Not wanting to cause trouble for anyone, Madam Cheng went into the city tower and shouted through the arrow slits, "Soldiers, I will stand here with you!"

Everyone looked up to look, and when they turned back, the Jurchen army was lined up!

Wanyan Zonghan was still unwilling to give up and wanted to try again.

Perhaps after the battle, the people inside the city will become anxious, and the high-ranking officials and nobles will panic and actually order the garrison of Yanggu to come to their aid?
As long as the garrison of Yanggu comes out of the city, they will not have returned empty-handed.

Now that we're here, we have to fight!
War broke out!

South of the Yellow River, in Bianjing (Kaifeng), a troop of fast horses suddenly entered the city, galloping wildly and shouting, "Make way! Make way! Urgent military situation!"

Bianjing is such a prosperous city, with crowds thronging the streets. If you don't have the guts to actually bump into someone, do you think the Lord of Bianjing will easily give way to you?

The soldiers galloping on horseback were originally from the capital region, but they dared not actually charge. They could only shout again, "Make way! Let me quickly report that Daming Prefecture has fallen and the rebel army is about to cross the river!"

The soldier was in a hurry to report, but he was also eager to get home...

One stone caused a thousand waves!

All the people on the street stopped in their tracks, and some even asked, "What? Daming Prefecture has fallen?"

The soldiers rushed off, shouting along the way: "Urgent military situation! The enemy is about to cross the river! Make way!"

all the way...

The entire city of Bianjing was in an uproar!

Military intelligence reaches the Privy Council, and then the Left Gate of the Imperial City.

Throughout the inner city of Bianjing, all government offices, the Privy Council, the Imperial City…

In an instant, countless panicked footsteps were running!

Old Tong Guan couldn't get on his horse, so he had to be helped onto it.

The emperor was rushing from Genyue to the Chuigong Hall. The following year, his turban fell off, and he kept saying, "It must be a false report, it must be a false report! Who is so bold as to be beheaded!"

The emperor did not believe it. He wanted to see everyone, especially the person who brought the news!
The strongest armies in the land have always been located in the capital region. The imperial guards protecting the capital region, from the time of Emperor Taizu onwards, are the emperor's most elite troops. Two hundred thousand of them, how many days? It's only been a few days.
How could the army have been defeated and the city fallen?
Rushing into the Chuigong Hall, a buzzing sound filled the air. Old Tong Guan was at the threshold of the hall, using both hands and feet to enter.

The emperor ascended the high platform in a few steps, his face filled with anger: "Who dares to spread military secrets and mislead the public?"

(Brothers, see you tomorrow...)
(End of this chapter)