The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 139 The Imperial Capital Falls
On the grassland, the cavalry galloped like the wind.

Li Xiao was wearing white armor and had a sharp scimitar at his waist. Behind him were 15,000 soldiers on the left, looking very powerful.

After three days of marching, the army crossed the Hasupo Mountain and finally reached the left wing of the Hala Mountain.

Looking into the distance, the outline of the city wall of Husiwoerduo gradually becomes clear.

However, Li Xiao's brows were still slightly furrowed.

According to the agreement, the three armies should meet at Halakan Mountain and encircle the main force of the royal court at Husiwoerduo, in order to achieve the goal in one battle.

But when Li Xiao led his troops to arrive, there was no trace of the other two troops.

Now they have reached the outskirts of Husiwoerduo City, but the two armies have not yet appeared, and even the expected ambush by the Pi Shi Army has not occurred.

A sense of foreboding arose in Li Xiao's heart.

"Is there any news? Where are the troops of Lord Xiao and Commander Xiao Tuladuo?" Li Xiao asked directly when he saw the scouts returning.

"General, there is no sign of the other two armies."

"We have searched the entire area, and there are no signs of an ambush by the Pishi Army."

"Except for the city in front of us and the people outside the city, there is no one around." The scout reported truthfully.

Hearing this, Li Xiao's brows furrowed even tighter.

"The other two armies may be intercepted by the main force of the Pi Shi Army." Jiu Meng Anhe whispered.

Li Xiao nodded slightly and thought so too.

Now there is no trace of the Pi Shi army, they must have gone to intercept Xiao Simo's main force.

The left-wing army led by Li Xiao did not become the primary target of the Pi Shi Army because it took a detour via Hasupo Mountain and the journey was long.

After all, the royal court was short of troops and unable to divide its forces into three groups to intercept at the same time.

"In that case, let's first capture Hu Siwoerduo and then go to support Lord Xiao and Commander Xiao Tuladuo." Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Now that we have come this far, there is no reason to retreat. We must first capture this city.

"it is good!"

Jiu Meng'anhe nodded heavily.

In his opinion, Xiao Simo's main force had more than 20,000 men, and they had superior manpower. Even if they were blocked, there would be no danger.

As long as Hu Siwoerduo was captured, the morale of Wang Ting's army would be severely damaged. Then, they could join forces with Xiao Simo to encircle Pi Shi's army and accomplish their goal.

After discussing the next purpose, Li Xiao turned around.

Wearing white armor, with the white tassel on his helmet fluttering in the wind, he stood on the top of the hill, overlooking Hu Siwoerduo.

Beside him, the golden sun and moon battle flag fluttered. He looked solemn and said in a deep voice, "Send the order to all the troops!"

"Surround Hu Siwoerduo."

"Rest for a day and build siege equipment."

"We will attack the city early tomorrow morning, with the Curry Army as the vanguard."

"Those who resist will be killed without mercy."

"As ordered!"

All the generals responded in unison.

……

Husiwoerduo was only the nominal capital of Western Liao.

The real center of power was the royal court.

The Khitans, who retained their nomadic traditions, did not like to live in cities.

Instead, they live a nomadic life in the vast Chu River basin according to seasonal changes.

At this season, Yelu Zhilugu should have taken the Khitan people to Muye River.

Therefore, the people living in Husiwoerduo City now are mostly local people and descendants of the Han people who followed Yelu Dashi on the Western Expedition.

The east and north of Husiwoerduo are surrounded by mountains, which are the Hala Mountains that Li Xiao led his army to cross.

The west and south are vast plains, home to a large number of people.

After all, Husiwoerduo is the capital and has a dense population. A mere city cannot accommodate all the people.

There are more people outside the city.

However, as the news of the left-wing army entering Halakan came, the people outside the city all fell into panic.

They either fled with their families to a farther place, or fled into the city in the hope that the left-wing army would not be able to break through the tall city walls.

The area outside the city is empty, with only a large number of houses left.

"Woooooo~"

As the low horn sounded, the army on the left rushed forward violently, as if a black storm was sweeping in from the horizon.

Fifteen thousand soldiers were filled with murderous intent, tens of thousands of war horses were neighing and roaring, the sound of horse hooves was like rolling thunder, shaking the earth.

And rushing at the front were naturally the one thousand white-armored soldiers.

It is like a silver snow mountain, rushing on the land outside the city, with surging waves, majestic momentum, and dust all over the sky.

The bloodstains remaining on the white armor appeared dark red under the sunlight, like strange blooming flowers, telling of the brutal battles they had experienced.

The cavalry army advanced rapidly and surrounded the city tightly.

They galloped back and forth outside the city, and the strong wind they brought blew the weeds outside the city flat on the ground.

The dust raised by the horses' hooves covered the sky and the sun, making the entire city seem to be shrouded in a huge yellow smoke.

"Coming~"

"What should we do if they come?"

"We're surrounded."

"There are at least 20,000 people. We can't get out."

"Where is His Majesty? Where is the main force of the Pishi Army? Has it been defeated by the rebels?"

The defenders in the city were horrified. The soldiers looked at the dense and aggressive cavalry outside the city, their faces filled with fear and tension.

Husiwoerduo was only the nominal capital, so there were not many soldiers stationed there on a daily basis.

The real main force is in Yelu Zhilugu's royal court.

At most, there were only five to six thousand soldiers in the city.

Facing an attack from a force several times larger than their own, they probably won't be able to hold out for long.

"Don't panic."

Just when the soldiers were in panic, two generals stood up.

With a solemn expression, he loudly reassured the soldiers: "We are not defeated!"

"The main force of the Pishi Army is safe and sound. Together with the Kangli Army, they are encircling the main force of the rebels inside Black Rock Mountain."

"We have a strong city wall to rely on. As long as we hold the city and wait for the royal court's rescue, the enemy will be unable to do anything to us!"

After hearing this, the soldiers calmed down.

Concentrate on preparing to defend the city.

On the other side, the left-wing army had completed the encirclement of Hu Siwoerduo, and the city walls on all four sides were heavily guarded.

Soldiers on horseback rode around each wall, shouting to the defenders on top of the walls, "Listen up, people in the city!"

"Lay down your weapons, open the city gates and surrender immediately. Our army promises not to kill a single person."

"If you continue to resist, we will destroy the city and leave no one alive."

Hearing the threats from the left-wing army, the soldiers on the city wall were indeed in a panic and looked terrified.

But fortunately, with the suppression of the generals, there will be no problems for the time being.

"The rebels have a lot of troops, nearly ten times as many as ours. Without reinforcements, we probably won't be able to hold out for long."

A middle-aged general said in a deep voice.

His name is Guo Sanhuai, and he is a descendant of the Han army that marched westward.

It’s just that his ancestors were not resettled in the northern border, but stayed in Husiwoerduo.

After three generations of struggle, the Guo family became a powerful Han Chinese family in Western Liao.

Currently, Guo Sanhuai serves as the deputy garrison commander of Hu Siwoerduo.

The garrison commander of Hu Siwoerduo was also known as the garrison commander, and his name was Daha Hudaan.

He is Ohga Irota's father and the current head of the Ohga clan.

He was wearing armor, had a gray beard, and narrowed his eyes as he scanned the army outside the city.

He said in a deep voice: "Ten days!"

"Your Majesty will surely be able to wipe out Xiao Simo within ten days."

"By then, the rebels outside the city will not be a threat."

His tone was quite firm.

Because he was one of the few people who knew Yelu Zhilugu's plan.

So in his opinion, even if Xiao Simo did not die this time, the Dongdu Army would definitely suffer heavy losses.

His mission was to defend the city until the main force of the Pi Shi Army returned to provide support.

"Pass the order."

Da Hehuda'an's expression was stern. He glanced at the messenger beside him and said word by word, "The entire army must strictly defend the city wall."

"Every battlement and every section of the city wall must be guarded by soldiers, without the slightest slackness."

"Every hour, the guard posts will be rotated to ensure that the soldiers remain alert at all times. Any violation will be dealt with by military law!"

"The catapults must also be ready. Load them with boulders and fire them at any time to inflict heavy damage on the enemy!"

It is obvious that Da He Hu Daan is also a veteran general who has arranged the defense of the city in an orderly manner.

At the same time, the issue of spies came to mind.

After all, there have been quite a few nobles who have been fawning over Xiao Simo in recent days, and there must be some in the city as well.

In order to prevent these people from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos, the city gates were opened to let the enemy troops outside the city into the city.

Daha Hudaan arranged personnel in the city to patrol day and night. Anyone found deliberately sabotaging or creating chaos would be killed without mercy.

……

On the second day, at the first light of dawn, the trumpets of the left army blew long, and tens of thousands of cavalrymen surged like a black tide, surrounding the Husiwoerduo City tightly.

The cavalrymen were dressed in black leather armor, which shone coldly under the crimson clouds. The spears in their hands and the bows on their backs flashed with cold light.

The war horses neighed and pawed the ground with their hooves, stirring up layers of dust. Looking around, the dense cavalry and war horses were endless, surrounding the city layer by layer. The scene was shocking.

Li Xiao, wearing white armor and riding a black horse, stood outside the city.

Surrounding him were the personal guards who were also wearing white armor, guarding on both sides and protecting Li Xiao's safety.

He stared at the walls of Husiwoerduo and smiled faintly: "A wall like this finally has some of the grandeur of a capital city!"

Unlike Yemili City, Husiwo City has large ears and high city walls, almost reaching ten meters.

It is almost no different from some big cities in the Central Plains.

In the Western Regions, it is already the largest and most solid city.

This time, Li Xiao took the South Gate as the main attack direction and personally supervised the battle.

Jiu Meng An He led his troops to surround the other three city gates and defend them strictly.

Seeing that his troops were almost ready, Li Xiao drew his cavalry sword and shouted, "Today we will attack the city and we must capture Hu Siwoerduo!"

"kill!"

As Li Xiao gave the order, the low horn sounded again.

The army began the general offensive.

"attack!"

"The first person to climb the city wall will receive a reward of 100 taels and be promoted three ranks."

"Kuri Army, kill!"

Li Dashan waved his cavalry sword and roared loudly.

He was leading his own army of thousands of soldiers and personally supervising the battle on the front line.

In front of him, there were more than 3,000 Kuli soldiers responsible for attacking the city.

Kuri means slave in Turkic.

The more than 3,000 Kuri troops were the royal court troops captured in the Battle of Saksu.

It is mainly composed of soldiers from some nomadic tribes and soldiers from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate.

With weaker combat power and the lowest status, he was used as cannon fodder by Li Xiao.

Under the threat of death and the desire for money, the Curry army rushed to the city wall with ladders.

Because they only had one night to prepare, the left-wing army was unable to manufacture siege weapons such as catapults.

They just demolished the houses outside the city and built a batch of ladders and a few battering rams.

The Curry soldiers carried ladders and weapons and approached the city wall step by step.

Anyone who dared to flee or was afraid to fight would be immediately shot at by Li Dashan's cavalry.

On the city wall, the defenders were already on full alert, drawing their bows and arrows, and shooting a dense rain of arrows at the Curry army like locusts.

The soldiers of the Kuli army were shot by arrows and fell to the ground one after another. In an instant, there were heavy casualties.

As the attacking party, they are naturally in a weak position.

If you want to capture a big city like Husiwoerduo, you will inevitably suffer casualties ten times that of the defenders.

Finally, several ladders successfully reached the city wall, and the soldiers of the Curry Army climbed up the ladders regardless of the danger.

The defenders on the city wall immediately surrounded them and attacked the climbing Curry army with spears, stones and other weapons.

Some soldiers of the Kuli army were pierced through the body by spears and fell from the ladders screaming; some soldiers were hit on the head by stones, their brains bursting and they died on the spot.

On the battlefield, the sounds of shouting, screaming, and weapons clashing were intertwined and deafening.

The blood dyed the ground red, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which made people nauseous.

Li Xiao had already been mentally prepared for the tragic scene before him and looked at it indifferently.

Those who died were all slave soldiers of the royal court, so I didn't feel sorry for them at all.

Besides, Li Xiao didn't expect to be able to break through Hu Siwoerduo with the help of this group of slaves.

Seeing that the defenders' forces had been drawn in by the Kuli army, Li Xiao ordered, "Send the message to Erhu, take action."

"As ordered!"

After receiving the order, Erhu led a group of people and rushed towards the city gate on horseback.

These people were fully armed, their bodies covered in thick wart armor, even their war horses were the same.

The arrows shot from the city wall hit them, making crackling sounds, but could not hurt them at all.

The group braved the rain of arrows and successfully arrived at the city gate.

"Dig for me~"

Erhu shouted loudly.

A few people simply dug a few holes under the city gate, and then took out a few square packages from their horses.

Stuffed it into the hole.

"Everyone go away, stay away."

Erhu shouted loudly at his men.

He himself stayed where he was, took a deep breath, and muttered.

"God, I leave my life in your hands."

"Please bless me!"

As he spoke, he took out a lighter, lit it, and slowly moved closer to the fuse.

This is exactly the explosive pack that Li Xiao made.

However, due to insufficient raw materials, Li Xiao only managed to produce less than ten explosive packs and brought them all with him just in case.

Unexpectedly, it was actually used during the siege.

When they were in Hexi Fort, Li Xiao had already taught Erhu how to use explosive packs.

Moreover, Erhu still remembers the tremendous power during the first experiment.

So, when he really started to do it, Erhu couldn't help feeling guilty.

"Hiss, hiss~"

When the fuse was lit, Erhu's eyes widened as he looked at the sparks.

Without saying a word, he turned around and rode away on his horse.

This thing is very powerful.

At this moment, Da He Hu Da'an on the city wall was commanding the soldiers to defend the city.

"Hit me hard!"

"Let these rebels know that our city walls are impenetrable. If they want to break through Hu Si Oerduo, they must first leave 10,000 lives behind!"

His voice was like a huge bell, echoing on the city wall, inspiring the morale of every defender.

They bent their bows and drew their arrows. Every arrow shot was accompanied by the enemy's screams. The Kuli army under the city was knocked to the ground one after another by the dense rain of arrows.

"Haha, they think they can break through our city walls?"

"It's just a pipe dream."

"As long as I, Dahe Huda'an, am here, no one can climb the city wall."

Da Hehu Daan, holding a spear in his hand, personally understood a soldier who had just climbed up the city wall, laughed out loud, his face full of pride.

But at this moment~
"Boom~"

A deafening roar was heard, and the entire city wall began to tremble violently.

The surrounding defenders were shaken to pieces by this powerful force, and some even fell directly from the city wall.

The smile on Da He Hu Daan's face froze instantly, replaced by horror and disbelief.

"what happened?"

"Where is the thunder?"

The loud noise made his ears buzz. He looked up at the sky, but it was clear and there was no sign of rain.

But what's with this thunder?

And the shaking of the city wall, is it the result of a dragon turning over in the earth?

Da He Hu Da'an was horrified and felt a sense of fear.

The soldiers on the city wall were even more unbearable, and many of them began to shout and scream.

"God is angry."

"This is a punishment from heaven. Is God going to strike us to death?"

"Not God, but our Allah."

"It must be Allah who came and helped us to kill the rebels."

At this time, some soldiers with green lights in their heads were still arguing about their beliefs. Da He Hu Daan just felt it was ridiculous.

Although I don’t know what’s going on.

But he felt that it must be related to the rebels outside the city.

Sure enough, a general soon came up hurriedly, his face full of fear, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Sir, something bad has happened."

"The city gate is broken."

Upon hearing this, Daha Hudaan felt a buzzing sound in his head, as if he had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

His eyes went dark and he almost collapsed to the ground. He managed to steady himself by holding onto the parapet beside him.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

He roared, his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot, staring straight at the general in front of him, as if he wanted to eat the other person alive.

"The city gate... was broken open."

The general trembled in fear at his look, and his voice became weaker and weaker.

At the same time, he said with a sad face: "General, I don't know what's going on either."

"There was a loud bang, and the city gate collapsed."

Daha Hudaan's mind was blank. He could never have imagined that the sturdy city gate could be breached so easily.

"How is that possible? That city gate is several feet thick and blocked by stones. How could it be..."

He muttered to himself, as if questioning the general, or as if questioning himself.

Is it really God who is helping the rebels?

A divine thunder struck down and broke the city gate?
After coming to his senses, Da He Hu Daan suddenly drew the long sword from his waist: "Pass the order, all soldiers gather at the city gate!"

"Even if it takes my last drop of blood, I must drive the rebels out!"

His voice was hoarse, but it was filled with a determination to go all out.

At this moment, Li Xiao looked at the thick smoke billowing from the city gate, mixed with the strong smell of gunpowder blowing in his face.

Then Erhu was heard shouting excitedly: "The city gate has been broken."

A smile appeared on his face, and he immediately drew his cavalry sword and ordered, "White Armor Army, charge."

"Fight into the city."

As soon as the words fell, accompanied by the sound of a low horn, the White Armor Army began to charge.

"kill!"

They were clad in blood-stained white armor, holding long spears in their hands, and rode their war horses forward, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Like a sharp arrow shot from a bow, it was unstoppable and rushed towards the city gate.

Luo Ping and his men followed closely behind, pouring in like a tide. They brandished their weapons, with bloodthirsty gleams in their eyes. Wherever they went, the defenders were beheaded or stabbed in the chest.

Hu Siwoerduoduo, the city was broken.

"Miss, Miss, something terrible has happened."

"The rebels have entered the city."

In a house in the city, a maid rushed into the room and shouted.

His face turned pale with fear and his body was shaking.

Upon hearing this, the girl in the room was also panicked.

"how is this possible?"

"Didn't they say it could last at least ten days?" the girl said in disbelief.

How come the rebels entered the city on the second day?

"I don't know either, miss."

"Second Master said that we should pack up and leave Husiwoerduo."

"If it's too late, it'll be too late."

As they spoke, several maids began to search the room.

Pack up all the gold, silver, and valuables, as well as food and drinks for the journey.

He changed the young lady's clothes and left the house in a hurry.

After all, when the rebels entered the city, the first people they looted were these wealthy families.

Staying in the house is the most unsafe thing.

But when the girl just walked out of the yard, she found that the city was in complete chaos.

There were crowds of people running around everywhere, shouting constantly. Although there was no sign of the rebels, everyone in the city was terrified.

But soon, the girl saw the legendary rebels.

Those people rode tall war horses and wore white armor covered with stains and bloodstains, looking dirty.

But it is very fierce.

Several rebels rode on their horses and rushed in front of several soldiers in the blink of an eye.

The soldiers were ready to resist, but were stabbed through the body by a rebel with a spear.

Seeing this, the other soldiers either knelt down and begged for mercy or turned around and ran away.

The rebels gave chase again, holding a long scimitar, and swung it from behind the fleeing soldier, directly chopping off the soldier's head.

When the girl standing on the other side of the street saw this scene, she was so frightened that her face turned pale and her heart started beating wildly.

Passed out directly.

Seeing this, her family quickly threw her into a carriage.

Then prepare to find an ordinary house to hide in.

Wait until the storm has passed, then find an opportunity to leave the city.

(End of this chapter)