Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 177 Invading the Song Kingdom and Forcibly Obtaining Passage!

"The artillerymen have mutinied! The artillery corps has mutinied!"

"Open the city gates and welcome the Zhao Emperor from the north!"

"Open the city gates and welcome the Zhao Emperor from the north!"

……

Wang Alu and Fan Qiao, leading five hundred of their trusted followers, shouted in unison. A group of them, led by Wang Alu, drew their swords and slashed at the three hundred unarmored Jin soldiers in front of them.

Led by Fan Qiao, a group rushed towards the hidden troop shelters inside the city gate, attempting to block their exit. If the Jurchen soldiers resting inside emerged, they would be utterly unable to withstand them. Artillerymen operating ranged weapons would certainly be no match for the regular Jin army in a direct, hand-to-hand combat.

Ten more artillerymen opened the east gate and rushed towards Zhao Shuo's camp to deliver a message!

At this point, the effectiveness of their slogans became apparent.

In the dead of night, Zhao Shuo received a report. Would he immediately send troops, or would he suspect a trap and leave the Fengxiang artillery unit to fend for itself? Wang Alu and Fan Qiao were unsure.

However, they alone could not hold the east gate of Fengxiang for long.

We must rely on other soldiers and even Han Chinese civilians within the city who are inclined to surrender!

"Open the city gates and welcome the Zhao Emperor from the north!"

The shouts of battle echoed for four or five miles in the dead of night, reaching the nearby Jurchen soldiers, conscripts, and civilians!

"Damn it! The Han people have rebelled!"

"Charge!"

"Take back the city gate immediately!"

……

The two hundred fully armed Jurchen soldiers on the city wall were both angry and terrified. They quickly grabbed their weapons and went down the wall to attack the city gate.

"Wake up! Wake up! Someone's rebelling and surrendering the city? What do we do?"

"Nonsense! Kill the Jurchens! Do you really think Fengxiang can be defended if the artillery rebels?"

"The artillerymen might not have really rebelled... No, after shouting like that, even if they haven't rebelled yet, they'll have to! We need to switch sides immediately!"

"Yes, kill the Jurchens! Otherwise, if the city falls, will the Zhao... Zhao Emperor spare us?"
"It's either helping the Jurchens or helping the Zhao Emperor, is there even a need to ask?"

"Kill! Kill! Kill the Jin dogs! Welcome the Zhao Emperor from the north into the city!"

……

After a brief discussion, the conscripted soldiers understood their role. Late at night, the soldiers near the East Gate hastily donned their armor and headed towards the East Gate to reinforce it.

As they sent reinforcements, they shouted, "The artillerymen have rebelled! The conscripts have rebelled too! Welcome the Zhao Emperor from the north into the city!"

This shout quickly roused the conscripts and regular troops further away.

For the Han Chinese majority of the conscripted soldiers, the siege of the city by Zhao Shuo's more than 200,000 troops and his brutal methods against the conscripted soldiers of Jingzhao Prefecture placed immense psychological pressure on them. The chaos within the city became the final straw that broke the camel's back. Moreover, the fact that they were "welcoming the Zhao Emperor from the north" relieved them of any psychological pressure, allowing them to begin their assault on the other city gates.

For the Jurchens, it was clear that the final moment had arrived.

They held the city gates and walls, engaging in fierce battles with the conscripted soldiers.

"Kill the Jin dogs! Welcome Emperor Zhao to Fengxiang!"

"Kill the Han people, protect the Great Jin!"

"The city stands, and we stand; the city falls, and we fall!"

……

The conscripted soldiers were numerous but weak in combat. The Jurchen soldiers were powerful but few in number. Furthermore, many Han soldiers within the Jin regular army began to defect.

For a time, it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe within Fengxiang City. People could only judge the inclination of the opposing side by their slogans, and they fought each other.

Then, some people took the opportunity to set several large fires. It is unclear whether the signatory soldiers intended to create chaos or whether the Jurchen soldiers were desperate and resorted to violence.

In short, shouts of battle filled the air in Fengxiang City, flames soared into the sky, and chaos reigned!
At that moment, Zhao Shuo met with the messenger sent by Wang Alu and Fan Qiao.

"Oh? The artillerymen defected?"

Zhao Shuo was both surprised and delighted to hear this news.

Wang Alu and Fan Qiao were the ones who caused Mu Huali great losses. These two defected voluntarily, adding two more artillery talents to his ranks. The artillery unit they formed was also a considerable fighting force.

As for whether there might be a scam involved?
Zhao Shuo didn't believe that Fengxiang City had made such a commotion just to sabotage a portion of his troops. With over two hundred thousand soldiers, what was the point of sabotaging a small number? It would only provoke a severe revenge later.

Furthermore, as long as the enemy's artillery doesn't intervene, Zhao Shuo's army can simply press forward, preventing any tricks from being used within Fengxiang City.

"Issue my military order: all troops on duty tonight, immediately reinforce! Two commanders of the Plain Red Banner and two commanders of the Plain Blue Banner, assemble immediately, and follow up. We will capture Fengxiang tonight!"

"According to the order!"

At Zhao Shuo's command, the 8,000 regular troops on duty that night were immediately mobilized and attacked the east gate of Fengxiang.

Immediately afterwards, the four commanderies of the Zhenghong Banner and Zhenglan Banner launched a fierce attack on Fengxiang from four directions.

As expected, Fengxiang's artillery units were paralyzed, and the city gates were engulfed in fierce fighting. Zhao Shuo's troops entered Fengxiang without much effort.

Seeing the situation was dire, Yang Woyan hastily gathered eight hundred Jurchen soldiers and began a breakout attempt. However, how could they possibly escape?
Zhao Shuo's 40,000 regular troops had already entered the city, and with the defection of 30,000 conscripts, this small breakout force was unable to leave the city despite its efforts to break through.

Helpless, Yang Woyan led two hundred remaining soldiers back to the Fengxiang Prefectural Government Office at dawn, killed his entire family, and then set himself on fire.

By noon, the entire Fengxiang had fallen into Zhao Shuo's hands.

"Wang Alu and Fan Qiao pay their respects to Your Majesty!"

Inside the central command tent, Wang Alu and Fan Qiao, the greatest contributors to the capture of Fengxiang, knelt respectfully before Zhao Shuo.

After a night of fierce fighting, Wang Alu was only extremely tired, but not injured. Before meeting Zhao Shuo, he quickly changed into clean clothes.

Fan Qiao wasn't so lucky. Her left leg was slashed by a Jurchen, and it was wrapped in thick white cloth. Not only did she walk with a limp, but she also grimaced in pain when she knelt down.

Zhao Shuo did not order them to stand up, but instead asked, "Last night, you were shouting about welcoming the Zhao Emperor from the North into the city. Why do you now address me as 'Your Majesty' instead of 'Your Majesty'?"

"Uh……"

Fan Qiao said, “Your Majesty is wise. The Emperor’s words have two meanings. One refers to the court, and the other refers to the Emperor. What we shouted last night could be interpreted as either joining the court you have established or joining the Emperor Zhao. We do not know Your Majesty’s true intentions, and we dare not presume to use such terms now.”

Wang Alu, with a simple and honest expression, said, "If Your Majesty feels that this title is inappropriate and you cannot explain it to the Great Khan of the Mongols, then please punish us. This matter was entirely our own doing, and it has affected Your Majesty's reputation. No matter how you punish us, we will have no complaints!"

"Slippery!"

Zhao Shuo saw right through Fan Qiao and Wang Alu's thoughts and sneered, "If I can't even protect the greatest contributor to the fall of Fengxiang City, what face do I have to rule over nearly 30 million people in Shandong, Hebei, Khorasan, Tokharistan, North India, Bagrajionni, and Western Rus'? What face do I have to destroy the Jin? You two are simply fearless!"

He paused, then waved his hand and said, "Get up. You are all talented individuals. From now on, lead the artillery well and keep your minds on the right path. If you continue to engage in the opportunistic and manipulative practices of the Jin Dynasty's officialdom, trying to guess the emperor's intentions, I will execute you without mercy!"

"Thank you for your instruction, Your Majesty!"

"Furthermore, I promised Genghis Khan that I would make Ögedei the Great Khan of the Mongols. I cannot hear what you call me in private. But in public, you should still call me Your Majesty."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Alu and Fan Qiao looked at each other, both seeing intense excitement in each other's eyes.

When they initially agreed on this slogan, they were partly struggling to come up with a short and suitable name for Zhao Shuo, and partly taking a gamble to gain another "advancement" credit.

This move certainly carries some risks.

However, according to traditional views, the future benefits will be enormous! In the future, when it comes to who was the first to persuade them to join, it will definitely be the two of them, as they have a very promising future.

They even risked everything, like staging a rebellion in the dead of night and surrendering Fengxiang City. They would be even more willing to do something with such low risk and high reward.

They really want to improve.

Furthermore, it must be noted that in the history without Zhao Shuo, Wang Alu and Fan Qiao's choices were not like this.

They surrendered only after the Mongol army captured Fengxiang. The Mongols valued these two artillery talents highly and appointed them as commanders of ten thousand artillery units.

Nevertheless, they were filled with resentment towards the brutality of the Mongol army and remained loyal to the Jin dynasty.

When the Mongol army launched a fierce attack on Bianliang, they managed to destroy the Mongol army's catapults, returned to the Jin side, and ultimately died for the Jin.

However, Zhao Shuo changed history.

The massacres perpetrated by Zhao Shuo's army were merely normal killings during a dynastic change, far less brutal than the Mongol armies of history.

Most importantly, Zhao Shuo had Han Chinese blood and treated Mongols and Han Chinese equally. Were they out of their minds to be forced to die for the Jin dynasty?
In any case, after conquering Fengxiang City, Zhao Shuo spent another twenty days bringing the entire Fengxiang Road under his control.

Besides Fengxiang City itself, the fortified city of Fengxiang Road also includes Qinzhou City, which was coveted by the Southern Song Dynasty.

Back then, taking advantage of the Jin state's "Great An Humiliation," the Song state sent an army of 100,000 to attack Qinzhou, only to be taught a lesson by the Jin general Shu Hu Gao Qi.

Now that the Jin state is fiercely defending Tongguan Pass, a significant number of troops have been drawn from Qin Prefecture. Zhao Shuo's army of over 200,000 entered Qin Prefecture, and the city surrendered without a fight.

After capturing Fengxiang Road, the Jin Dynasty only had Lintao Road to the west left in Shaanxi.

The garrison commander of Lintao Road was named Tuomanhu Tumen. He had passed the imperial examination for the Jurchen people and was skilled in both literature and martial arts. He was brave and fierce and loyal to the Jin Dynasty.

He could neither adopt a desperate tactic like Wanyan Qingshannu, nor did he trust the conscripted soldiers because of the Fengxiang Incident. So he simply moved all the people and conscripted soldiers in the city to other cities.

Then, all the Jurchens from Lintao Road, regardless of age or gender, were gathered in Lintao City to resist to the death.

Then die.

Although Lintao City was built against the Min Mountains to the north and had the Tao River as a natural barrier, Zhao Shuo not only had an army of over 200,000, but also added the artillery units of Wang Alu and Fan Qiao.

After twenty days of fierce fighting, Lintao fell.

At this time, Zhao Shuo had already raised the black tent, and everyone in the city, including Tuomanhu Tumen, except for children who were not taller than a cartwheel, was killed, regardless of age or gender.

After another ten days of sweeping through the other cities along Lintao Road, the entire Shaanxi province fell into Zhao Shuo's hands.

At this point, Zhao Shuo had two choices.

First, launch a strong attack on Tongguan, enter Henan from Tongguan, capture Bianliang, and destroy the Jin Dynasty.

Secondly, they launched simultaneous attacks from the grasslands and Shaanxi, marching into Shanxi, and ultimately needing to capture Tongguan Pass to enter Henan.

Shanxi, with its mountains and rivers and complex terrain, was far more difficult to conquer than the vast Qin Plain of Shaanxi. Once the Jin dynasty was destroyed, Shanxi could naturally be pacified with a mere proclamation.

After resting and reorganizing his entire army for another month, Zhao Shuo led an army of over 200,000 to attack Tongguan.

However, Tongguan Pass is indeed not easy to conquer.

This place is bordered by the Yellow River to the north and nestled on a mountainside to the south. Historically a strategically vital location, it ranks second among China's ten most famous passes, second only to Shanhaiguan, known as the "First Pass Under Heaven." And yet, Shanhaiguan hasn't even been built yet!

Over the course of nearly ten years, the Jin Dynasty built thirty-six passes of varying sizes in the high mountains and deep valleys near Tongguan, stationing 60,000 regular troops and 100,000 conscripted soldiers, for a total of 160,000 troops to defend the Tongguan defense line.

Zhao Shuo attacked the Tongguan defense line for half a month, and the Eight Banners soldiers suffered more than 6,000 casualties, while the local militia also lost more than 10,000, and only managed to capture seven passes.

The main body of Tongguan Pass remains firmly in place!

This made Zhao Shuo sigh, Tongguan truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most dangerous passes in China, it was indeed difficult to conquer.

However, he was not without options.

If he couldn't take it, there was no need for him to fight the Jin Kingdom to the death at Tongguan.

Playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses is the key to victory.

Historically, even a Mongol army of 400,000 failed to capture Tongguan. The renowned Mongol general Subutai was even defeated by Wanyan Chenheshang in the Battle of Daohuigu during the Tongguan campaign.

Later, the Mongols bypassed the Song Dynasty and directly invaded Henan Province, thus destroying the Jin Dynasty.

Zhao Shuo's current strength is greater than that of the Mongol army in history; he is merely attempting to capture Tongguan.

It would be better to conquer it, of course. If we can't conquer it, we can use the old Mongol strategy of asking the Song state to let us pass through.

"Someone, bring Wang Ji to me."

Inside the central command tent, Zhao Shuo issued his orders.

Wang Ji, courtesy name Juchuan, was a native of Guo County, Fengxiang.

Historical records indicate that Wang Ji repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, so he sought another way: he submitted a memorial to the Jin Dynasty court, discussing the most pressing national issues of the time.

Emperor Jin Zhangzong thought he was a talented person and appointed him to a position at the Jinshan Marshal's Office.

Genghis Khan led his army south, and Wang Ji was captured after three days of fierce fighting with the Mongol army and surrendered to them.

This person was indeed a talented individual, skilled in both literary and military arts. He eventually rose to the rank of Grand Master of the Silver Seal and concurrently served as Imperial Censor, with a hereditary title of Commander of a Thousand Households.

Zhao Shuo's butterfly effect changed history. Genghis Khan besieged Zhongdu three years earlier than planned. Wang Gui did not submit a memorial to the emperor, so he had no chance to become an official and continued to study in his hometown of Fengxiang.

Now that Fengxiang has fallen into Zhao Shuo's hands, Wang Ji has taken the initiative to join him.

Zhao Shuo was unaware of Wang Ji's historical status, but Wang Ji was highly respected in the area, so he still received him.

After a conversation, I felt that this person seemed to be a talented individual and could be put to use.

This time, he was sent as an envoy to the State of Song.

"Wang Ji, you can go in peace. If you are killed by the Song people, I will not only raise an army to avenge you, but I will also ensure that your descendants enjoy wealth and honor!"

Wang Ji's mission this time was fraught with danger. Zhao Shuo remembered that in history, envoys sent by the Mongols were killed by Song border generals.

For this reason, Zhao Shuo was reluctant to send one of his important ministers as an envoy, and instead sent Wang Ji, who had just surrendered.

Wang Ji bowed slightly and said, "I would not regret dying. There is only one question that remains unanswered: if the State of Song refuses to form an alliance, how should I respond?"

"Tell them that if they are willing to form an alliance, I will not harm them five years after I destroy the Jin. If they refuse to form an alliance..."

After a pause, Zhao Shuo smiled coldly and said, "I will immediately attack the Song Kingdom, forcibly pass through, and will not delay the destruction of the Jin Kingdom in the slightest!"

"According to the order!"

(End of this chapter)