The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 465 Breaking Yanjing

Upon returning to his army, Zhao Ti immediately ordered a direct attack on Yanjing City.

Now that the great formation is gone, the scene above Yanjing City can be seen. This Nanjing Xijin Prefecture of the Liao Kingdom is the largest city of the Khitan, the economic, cultural and even political center, and the most prosperous place in Liao.

But at this moment, the city walls appeared somewhat desolate and bleak, and the expected scene of fierce battle and imposing defenses did not appear.

At this moment, the army was at the city gates, and everyone was watching. Cai Jing asked doubtfully, "Your Highness, why do the Liao soldiers on the city walls look so few, and they seem listless, as if they have no will to fight? Could it be a trap?"

Zhao Ji, who had been released, said from behind, "I don't see any trickery. It must be that our army broke the Zhuxian Sword Formation, and the Khitan soldiers were so frightened that they dared not go up to the city to fight."

Cai Jing said, “Prince Duan, the Liao army already had hundreds of thousands stationed in the city. Half a month has passed, and it’s hard to say whether they will send reinforcements. Our army may not have more men than theirs. They have the advantage in defending the city, and even if they go out to fight, they will not be at a disadvantage. I’m afraid... there’s nothing they wouldn’t dare to do, right?”

Zhao Ji waved his hands repeatedly, and said triumphantly, "Lord Cai, this is what you don't understand. Before I came to the army for the Northern Expedition, I listened to the storyteller Huo Sijiu in Tokyo talk about the Three Kingdoms. There was a story called the Empty City Stratagem. It said that Zhuge Liang split up his troops to do other things. Then Sima Yi led his troops to attack. In desperation, Zhuge Liang set up the Empty City Stratagem. Sima Yi was fickle and suspicious. He was afraid of being ambushed. In the end, he dared not attack the city and left. He did not know that he had lost a great opportunity."

“This…” Cai Jing pondered, “The Records of the Three Kingdoms does not mention such a thing. If it is true, Zhuge Liang was too bold, and Sima Yi was too cowardly.”

“That is to be expected,” Zhao Ji said. “I think the current situation on the city wall may not be a trick by the Liao army. It is possible that the soldiers inside the city have been sent to other tasks and are short-handed. They do not want to put on a show of strength to provoke our army into a strong attack and lose the city in one fell swoop. Therefore, they are showing weakness to make our army suspect that there is a trick and dare not attack the city in the short term, in order to buy time for the main army to return!”

Zhao Ti said calmly from the front, "Do you think Sima Yi didn't see through the Empty City Stratagem?"

Zhao Ji was immediately taken aback: "How could he have seen through it? If he... if he saw through it, why didn't we attack, capture Zhuge Kongming, take the city, and then march our army forward invincible? Shu Han would be destroyed in no time. Wouldn't that be a great achievement?"

Zhao Ti turned and glanced at him, saying, "If you were Sima Yi, would you do it this way?"

"That's for sure! Sima Yi might not be able to see it, but I certainly could. If I had led the troops back then, I would have stormed into the city, captured Zhuge Liang alive, made a great contribution, and earned a place in history, where I would be praised for generations to come!" Zhao Ji said eagerly.

Zhao Ti shook his head: "It's a pity that Sima Yi isn't you. Even if he saw through it, he wouldn't have attacked the city to capture Zhuge Liang!"

"I, I don't believe it. He definitely didn't see it. Who would let such a great achievement go to waste..." Zhao Ji said unconvinced, but seeing Zhao Ti's deep gaze, his voice grew softer and softer.

Zhao Ti said, "It's unlikely that we'd resort to trickery in Yanjing right now, and as for the empty city ploy, that's utter nonsense. Yanjing is the largest and most important city in Liao, the most prosperous and wealthiest place. How could we treat military matters like child's play? However..."

He narrowed his eyes: "Judging from the appearance of the soldiers on the city wall, they don't seem to be faking it. I'm afraid something really has happened inside the Liao Kingdom. They took advantage of setting up the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation to transfer troops to deal with the situation elsewhere, and they haven't returned yet."

“Your Highness…” Zhang Jie frowned and said, “Once Liao mobilizes for war, all able-bodied men can serve as soldiers. Two million troops can be mobilized on the vast grasslands. What important matter would require the mobilization of troops from the important city of Yanjing?”

Zhao Ti stroked his chin and pondered, "The so-called great matters are nothing more than the stability of the nation and the consolidation of the country. But at this moment, our Great Song is launching a northern expedition, attacking Yan and Yun, intending to recover them. Is there anything greater than this? If there is, then unless..."

"Unless what?" Zhao Ji asked anxiously, "Eighth Brother, don't keep me in suspense, tell me quickly."

Seeing all the generals looking at him, Zhao Ti's expression was somewhat strange: "Unless... something happens in the north of Liao, or something major happens in Shangjing Linhuang Prefecture. Shangjing is the capital of Liao. Considering the importance of Liao territory, only the matter there is more urgent than that in Yanjing."

"Something happened in the capital of Liao?" Upon hearing this, the generals were all shocked, exchanging bewildered glances, quite shaken.

Zhao Ti nodded and said leisurely, "It's just a guess, and it may not necessarily be true, but the fact that Yanjing is currently empty and the morale of the soldiers is low seems to be true."

“Your Highness, I think Your Highness’s speculation is reasonable!” Cai Jing said, “Only if something happens in the capital, it would cause troops from all sides to be mobilized to maintain order. Even if there is a crisis in Yanyun, there will be no time to attend to other matters.”

“That’s right!” Zhang Jie continued, “This kind of thing would only happen if something changes in the capital of Liao. But… what kind of changes could happen in Liao’s capital? Even if it’s just internal strife within the royal family and someone rises to power, it’s unlikely that they would mobilize troops from Yanjing at this time.”

"Lord Zhang, what if the capital is also under attack and in dire straits?" Cai Jing blurted out, then was startled by his own words: "Your Highness, I spoke nonsense. Please forgive me. How could the capital possibly be under attack? Moreover, the capital itself is heavily fortified; how could it be unable to cope..."

"The capital was attacked?" Zhao Ti raised an eyebrow, his eyes gazing northwest, and slowly said, "It's not impossible that it could happen..."

He wondered to himself, could it be that the matter had been brought forward? Had the Jurchens rebelled against the Liao ahead of schedule, taking advantage of his northern expedition against Yan and Yun to march directly on Shangjing?

It should be understood that Shangjing is not the same as Yanjing. Yanjing is geographically strategic, with other prefectures and counties surrounding it, making it impossible to attack the city directly in one fell swoop. It would have to be attacked step by step. But Shangjing is surrounded by grasslands, with no cities to protect it and no natural defenses to defend. If a large army were to be raised from there, it would indeed be possible to reach the central strategic location directly.

The problem is that the Liao Dynasty was not completely weak in terms of military strength at this time, and the court was corrupt and incompetent. Although the Jurchens had grown stronger, they were not as numerous and powerful as they would be twenty years later. What resources did they have to directly rebel against the Liao Dynasty or even attack the capital?

Zhao Ti had some doubts in his heart. If something really happened in the capital and troops from Yanjing were dispatched to provide assistance, the most likely reason would be that the Jurchens had rebelled. No other reason was as convincing as this. He wondered what the specific reasons and process were.

He thought for a while, then glanced at the Liao army on the city wall. By this time, the Liao army had grown considerably, but they were still disorganized and demoralized, barely managing to put on a defensive posture.

Zhao Ti looked back at his generals and said, "Attack the city immediately. Commander Zhang, feign an attack on the northwest and southwest sides, then launch a surprise attack on the east side while actually attacking the south side. Advance now!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jie immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate obeys!"

They then began to mobilize their troops. Because they had long planned to attack Yanjing, they had many contingency plans and outlines in mind. The army was ready in a short time and quickly marched to besiege the city of Yanjing.

As the soldiers reached the edge of the city, Zhang Jie swung his command flag down fiercely, and the hundred or so ballistae at the front line fired in unison.

The Eight-Ox Crossbow roared like a giant beast, and the massive arm of the three-bow tandem suddenly snapped back. The ten-foot-long "One Spear, Three Swords Arrow" pierced the southern city wall of Yanjing with a violent whistle, penetrating half a foot into the stone. The iron fletching trembled incessantly, and several "Peg Arrows" were precisely nailed to the bottom of the crenellations.

Double crossbows and tiger crossbows were positioned on both sides, with crossbowmen in groups of thirty taking turns to nock their bolts. Dense crossbow bolts swept across a thousand paces like black rain, instantly turning the Liao army's arrow shields on the city wall into a sieve.

Catapults followed closely behind, sending stone projectiles and ignited oil bombs into the air alternately, crashing down on the city walls like dark clouds pressing down on the city.

The first wave of incendiary bombs exploded, and the south gate tower of Yanjing was instantly engulfed in flames. Stone projectiles followed one after another, smashing into the city bricks and shattering into countless fragments. Liao soldiers who could not dodge in time were directly smashed into mincemeat. The flags on the city wall were instantly blown away, and only terrified screams remained behind the crooked shield posts.

"Beat the drums!" Zhang Jie's voice was cold and sharp, and immediately the drums thundered, deafeningly loud, reaching straight to the heavens. At this moment, in the eastern city of Yan, Liu Zhongwu led 30,000 troops in formation, with cloud chariots and ladders lined up one after another. The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted, creating a powerful offensive momentum.

The Liao army on the city wall panicked and dared not reinforce the south city. Meanwhile, outside the west and north city walls, generals such as Zhong Shizhong led light cavalry to patrol and shoot at the city walls, keeping the remaining Liao army tied down and unable to defend themselves.

At the southern gate, Liu Fa, leading the charge from the left gate, shouted loudly, "Assault team, advance!"

Thousands of soldiers, holding sturdy wooden shields, formed an impenetrable barrier, protecting the siege ladders and siege vehicles as they slowly moved forward.

The Song army's siege ladders were all double-ladder structures. The main ladder was fixed on a six-wheeled chassis, while the secondary ladder could be raised and lowered flexibly via a pulley. The iron hooks at the top gleamed coldly. When unfolded, they towered like buildings, level with the city walls. There were arrow slits on the vehicle, where crossbowmen would nock arrows and wait to fire.

After being stunned by the ballistae and catapults, the Liao army on the city wall finally came to their senses and unleashed a fierce barrage of arrows. Rolling logs and stones tumbled down the city wall, crashing into the Song army's shield formation with a dull thud.

The Song army bravely advanced, one after another, and began to build siege ladders as they reached the city walls. Hot oil bottles were constantly being thrown down from the walls, and the leather shields were soaked in the hot oil, emitting a burnt smell. Several soldiers were accidentally splashed with hot oil, screaming and rolling on the ground, but no one retreated even half a step.

"Attack!" Liu Fa ordered, and the crossbowmen on the siege towers began their attack. The siege towers approached the city wall, and the secondary ladders quickly rose, their iron hooks firmly securing the crenellations.

"Climb the city wall!" The front-row Song soldiers climbed up the ramps, short swords in their mouths and shields in front of them.

As soon as a soldier climbed onto the city wall, his helmet was struck by a mace from a Khitan soldier, and he fell with a scream. The soldier immediately took his place.

Zhang Jie personally supervised the battle on the left flank. Seeing that several ladders had been broken by rolling logs, he immediately dispatched two reserve troops to flank and advance from the side.

The Liao army then attempted to counterattack, unleashing volleys of arrows, but they were firmly suppressed by the Song army's crossbow bolts.

Just as a Khitan soldier was about to light a fire bottle, a crossbow bolt pierced his throat.

"Fire again!" Liu Fa's eyes were sharp. He adjusted the angle of the crossbow again, and this time, the arrows accurately pierced the two sides of the crack in the city wall.

"Boom!" With a loud noise, the cracks widened instantly, and the bricks and stones of the city wall, several meters wide, collapsed, revealing the rammed earth inside. The Liao soldiers on the city wall immediately cried out and retreated.

Liu Fa wiped the dust from his face, looked at the Liao army fleeing from the city wall, and shouted, "Prepare for the second wave of attack! Clear the way for the siege ladders!"

The soldiers immediately cocked the ballista again, and the behemoth-like ballista was ready to strike once more.

On the right side of the south gate, Zhong Shidao shouted, "Raise the ladders!" More than a dozen ladder trucks with six-wheeled chassis were steadily placed against the city wall. The soldiers turned the pulleys, and the iron hooks of the auxiliary ladders slowly rose and locked onto the crenellations.

The Song soldiers gripped the horizontal bars of the siege ladder tightly and climbed upwards. The ear-piercing sound of their armor rubbing against the ladder mingled with the shouts of the Liao soldiers on the city wall, echoing across the battlefield.

A burly man with a thick beard, incredibly brave, was the first to scale the city wall. As soon as he peeked out, he saw a Khitan soldier swinging a mace and bringing it down. He dodged to the side, but the mace grazed his helmet and struck the ladder, sending splinters flying. The burly man then drew his short sword and slashed open the soldier's chest. Blood gushed out, staining his armor crimson.

The Liao army's rolling logs and stones rained down from the city walls like a storm. A log as thick as a water bucket crashed down on the middle of the siege ladder with a whistling sound, breaking the ladder in two. Three Song soldiers screamed as they fell, crashing onto the shield formation below. The rolling stones that followed were even more ferocious, slamming into the shield formation with dull thuds. Several swordsmen and shield bearers were shaken so badly that their hands were split open, but they still held their shields firmly.

The burly man stormed the city alone, but no matter how fierce and brave he was, he was no match for the sheer number of enemies. Although he managed to kill a few, he was soon hacked to pieces.

"Hot oil in the lime bottles! Pour it down!" shouted the Liao general on the city wall. The Khitan soldiers picked up earthenware jars filled with lime and smashed them down on the climbing Song soldiers. The lime powder exploded, blinding the Song soldiers, and screams of agony rose and fell.

Even more deadly was the hot oil. Boiling oil from an iron pot was poured down, instantly seeping into the armor. Soldiers with scalded skin rolled and fell, and the air was immediately filled with a pungent, burnt smell.

A Song soldier was splashed with hot oil on his cheek, gritted his teeth and continued to climb until he grabbed the edge of the crenellation. Then, a Liao soldier chopped off his finger with a knife and he fell heavily to the ground.

"Crossbows provide cover!" Zhong Shidao roared. The ballistae behind him immediately adjusted their angles. Under the cover of the crossbow bolts, the Song army's climbing attack became even more ferocious. More soldiers surged onto the city wall, and swords and maces clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

As the Liao army on the city walls saw the siege ladders attack becoming increasingly fierce, they began to rush forward to fight. Several Khitan soldiers, holding wolf-tooth maces in both hands, used the cover of the battlements to strike the Song soldiers as they climbed into the air. The maces smashed into their helmets, instantly denting their armor, and the Song soldiers fell to the ground with a muffled groan.

Several other Khitan soldiers carried long-handled lasso sickles with crescent-shaped blades and iron hooks at one end of the rope. They wrapped the ropes around the ankles of the climbing Song soldiers, pulled them down the ladders, and threw them onto the pile of rocks below the city.

A Khitan centurion wielded an "armor-piercing cone," a weapon about three feet long with a diamond-shaped spike at the end of its iron handle, specifically designed to break through the armor of the Song army.

He stared at a Song army junior officer who had just climbed onto the city wall, and suddenly thrust his awl forward, the sharp point piercing through the gaps in the armor and embedding itself in the soldier's ribs.

The junior officer glared angrily and slashed the centurion's arm with his backhand. The two wrestled and eventually rolled off the city wall together.

The battle raged on the city walls, a brutal and chaotic affair. Often, a Liao soldier would cut down one enemy only to be pierced by a Song soldier's longsword. The fighting reached a fever pitch, with the Song soldiers fighting fearlessly and advancing wave after wave. Although the Liao army put up a stubborn resistance, they could not withstand the overwhelming numerical superiority, and their defensive line gradually collapsed.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Go up! Go up!" Liu Zhongwu roared on the left side of the city gate, wielding his sword and personally climbing the ladder. He took the lead and attacked upwards, entering through the gap created by the ballista earlier. The soldiers behind him followed and surged forward, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Liao army on the city wall.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows now!" The Liao general on the city wall roared, his eyes bloodshot, brandishing his sword. But the Song army was growing larger and larger, and there was no way to keep up with the arrows. Moreover, the battle was so chaotic that there was no distinction between the two sides, and it was impossible to shoot at all.

One, two, ten... More and more Song soldiers leaped onto the city wall and engaged in a fierce battle. The two sides were huddled together, slashing with knives and spears, punching and biting, and blood instantly stained the city wall red, with corpses piling up in layers!

Zhang Jie, who had a clear view from below the city walls, immediately ordered: "Press forward! Break through in one fell swoop, and don't give the enemy any chance to breathe!"

As more and more troops were deployed, the number of Song soldiers on the city walls increased. The Liao army, which was already small in number and had low morale, relied entirely on its own Khitan officers to hold the line and fight to the death. Under the Song army's relentless attack, their lines began to collapse and retreat.

About half an hour later, the Song army had completely occupied the southern city of Yanjing, forcing the Liao army back to the ramp leading to the city.

(End of this chapter)