Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 291 Yiling is conquered
The north gate of Yiling suddenly burst open.

The Han army's Longxiang, Huben, Fubing, and Xiaoshanhu detachments split into two routes.

Long Xianglang and the Yingyang Prefecture soldiers, who were skilled in special operations and had exceptional personal martial arts skills, immediately seized several cloud ladders from the Jingzhou soldiers under Liao Shi's command, and urgently transferred dozens of the most primitive and simplest climbing ladders from the Northern Enclosure Camp.

They successively climbed the ladders from the area occupied by Liao Shi's troops on the city wall, seized the city wall positions, and engaged in a bloody battle with the swarming reinforcements of Zhu Ran.

Guan Xing's Tiger Legion and Xiaoshan Tiger's detachment filed straight into the open city gate, engaging in a battle for control of the gate with Zhu's troops who had rushed in from the west and east sides of the city.

In fact, in accordance with the principle of leaving a gap when besieging an army, the siege of the north of the city was arranged with a battalion of Han troops and surrendered soldiers from Jingzhou under Liao Shi's command.

The siege unit had the fewest personnel and the weakest military strength. Apart from symbolically firing a few arrows at the city walls, they hardly participated in today's siege probing.

Zhu Ran could see that this was a gap deliberately left in the "besieging the army" strategy, but he was also worried that it might be a feint by the Han army. So he sent Zhongli Mu, who was always calm and steady, to be in charge of this section of the city wall.

Unexpectedly, it was the North Gate, which was the least stressful and least likely to be breached, that was first broken through by the Han army.

The so-called four families of Jiangdong, Gu, Lu, Zhu and Zhang, formed after the Sun family took control of Jiangdong. However, the Zhu family was not a native of Wu County. They were not known for their classical studies, but for their military prowess, and their family tradition was martial.

In the face of danger, Zhu Ran, who was forty-eight years old, completely disregarded his personal safety and directly donned his armor and went into battle. He raised his general's banner and led his core troops to attack the north gate in an attempt to stabilize the morale of the army.

The Wu people might not be good at expanding territory, but when it comes to protecting their homes and businesses, their fighting spirit is greatly aroused, and they can truly become fearless.

In Yiling City, aside from the majority of the local Jingzhou garrison soldiers and rabble who were just filling in, the Zhu family's own troops, seeing their patriarch Zhu Ran in full armor, wielding a spear and fighting the enemy, were immediately roused to their ferocity.

Not only did the Han soldiers understand the meaning of "a subject dies for his lord's disgrace," but these soldiers, who had been born and raised in the Zhu family for generations, also understood the principle of "shared glory and shared loss."

Thus, when Zhu Ran raised the banner, the tug-of-war between the Han army in the north of the city and Zhu's troops over the city gates reached a fever pitch.

Who opened the city gates is now unknown, because as the Han army was repeatedly repelled and then stormed into the city, the area around the city gates was almost entirely occupied by Guan Xing's Tiger Warriors, Liu Tao's Howling Tigers, and the core troops of the Zhu family's main force, led by Zhu Ran himself.

However, no matter how difficult the battle for the city gates was, on the city walls, Zhu Ran could not take care of the areas that were beyond his reach, and Long Xianglang Ji Bazhi and Wei Qi and other Yingyang Prefecture soldiers had completely established their foothold.

The Han troops, who were waiting in formation below the city, were able to scale the walls using ladders without any risk.

Seeing the Han army growing larger and larger on the city walls, Zhongli Mu, who was in charge of the defense of this area, fought with bloodshot eyes, but was also almost in despair.

This section of the city wall and the reserve forces below it were filled with a large number of soldiers and laborers conscripted from Yiling.

Whether they were truly unable to distinguish the Jingzhou Han soldiers clad in Wu armor and bound with red turbans, or lost their will to fight due to being surrounded by enemies on all sides, or both, they either turned on each other under immense pressure and panic, or scattered and fled towards the city walls.

It was precisely because of this that the north gate of Yiling, located beneath the city wall, was opened by the combined efforts of the Wu Jia Red Turbans and the mob that rushed into the city. He was trapped on the city wall by the crowded and chaotic crowd and the Han army that was seizing the city, and could not get away. He could only watch helplessly as the city gate opened.

This situation continued until Zhu Ran finally arrived with his troops, which brought some relief.

Zhu's troops did manage to stabilize the situation for a time, but the Han army reinforcements, carrying the magnificent banners of Guan and Zhao, arrived just in time and their fighting strength was truly astonishing.

In terms of size, fighting style, and ferocity, each of them was no less than, and perhaps even more so than, the Zhu family's own troops. As a result, the situation that had been so hard-won took a sharp turn for the worse.

Some of the Wu soldiers guarding the city walls began rummaging through the corpses of Han soldiers on the ground, scrambling for red handkerchiefs, hoping to blend in with the Han army.

Some people already had red cloth or red rope on them, and they tied them all on without thinking twice. After all, the red turbans of the Han army were not uniform, so who could recognize whom?

In such a chaotic battle, both Han and Wu soldiers would mistakenly kill each other due to their similar armor styles. However, the Han soldiers from Jingzhou were well-prepared and took the initiative to attack, so they were ultimately much more composed.

Together with his soldiers, Zhongli Mu cut down a charging Han soldier. He grabbed a personal guard and said, "Go to the city and find the Right Commander! Ask him to send reinforcements immediately, or the city walls will fall!"

Zhu Ran, who was fighting a bloody battle under the city walls, was nearly exhausted, but still could not drive the Han army out of the city gate. Through the gate, the banner with the character "关" (Guan, meaning pass) on it outside the city seemed to be about to enter the city.

Upon hearing that the city walls were about to fall, Zhu Ran was instantly filled with shock. He paused for a moment, then took a few steps back and looked around.

Bloodshed was taking place everywhere, in all directions.

The chaos and commotion created by the mob in the city left him feeling completely lost.

Even though Sun Quan praised him as the "Iron Wall of Jiangdong" in front of his ministers, he was at a loss as to how to deal with the chaotic battlefield he had never experienced before.

It's not that reinforcements haven't been sent to the city walls; he has already sent them. It's just that at this moment, nearly a quarter of the two-mile-long section of the city wall in front of him has already been occupied by the Han army.

If the few staircases leading down to the city hadn't been controlled by the Wu army, Yiling City would probably have been completely doomed once the Han army had broken through.

No matter how cautious and serious he was before the battle, common sense dictates that today's battle should be seen as a probing attack by the Han army for the vast majority of soldiers and civilians in the city.

And yet, this probing attack nearly caused the fall of Yiling City. Who could still retain the will to fight? Who wouldn't want to follow the proclamation and offer the reward, surrender the city to the Han, cut off his head, and gamble on a thousand bolts of Shu brocade and a title of nobility?
East of the city.

On the earthen hill.

The news that the north gate of Yiling had been opened finally reached the General of Chariots and Cavalry.

Liu Shan's mind went blank for a moment, then he was stunned.

Just now, he heard the deafening battle cries and drumbeats from the north of the city, and saw that the number of Wu soldiers on the east city wall had decreased and the defenses had weakened. He guessed that it must be General Zhaoyi, who was so intimidated by his kingly aura that he bowed down and climbed the city wall. How could he have imagined that the north gate would be opened?!

Not to mention Liu Shan, even Zhao Yun showed surprise at this moment. Not to mention the young second-generation officials such as Zhuge Qiao, Huo Yi, Fa Miao, and Zhang Biao who were standing behind the emperor, they were all dumbfounded and overjoyed.

"Your Majesty might be able to go to the north of the city to oversee the battle!" Zhang Biao, eager to prove himself, spoke first.

Although the location of the late emperor's defeat at Yiling was not the city of Yiling in front of us, but rather Yidao in the south of the Yangtze River and Xiaoting in the north of the Yangtze River.

But everyone refers to that crushing defeat as "Yiling".

Therefore, Yiling City held a special significance for the emperor, his ministers, and his soldiers of the Han Dynasty.

If the emperor himself were to go to the north of the city with the banner and lead the army to recapture Yiling, this highly symbolic victory would greatly boost the morale of the Han army and make the people of Jingzhou, who were still in enemy-occupied territory, and even the people of the whole country, know what it means to be awe-inspiring in the will of Heaven.

Zhuge Qiao and Fa Miao were on good terms due to their fathers' relationship. After exchanging glances, they both looked at Zhang Song's son but could not find any words to refute him.

Huo Yi opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by Liu Shan, who spoke first.

"I will stay here and oversee things; I will not go anywhere else."

Liu Shan, clad in armor and with his sword hanging at his waist, had already stood up from his couch. He was now leaning on his sword and gazing steadily westward, his posture upright, almost comparable to Zhao Yun, displaying the demeanor of a scholar-general. The short, stiff mustache under his chin added to his heroic appearance.

He turned and looked at Zhao Yun, finally speaking solemnly: "Whether Yiling can be won in one battle depends entirely on General Chariot and Cavalry!"

Zhao Yun froze for a moment, his face turning red with embarrassment, and he bowed deeply with great effort:
"Your subject Yun will certainly not fail in his mission!"

After saying this, he straightened his helmet and walked down the earthen hill without looking back, leaving Zhang Biao, Fa Miao, Huo Yi, Zhuge Qiao and other young second-generation members looking at each other in bewilderment.

Although Dong Yun was also by the emperor's side, he did not utter a single word from beginning to end.

It's true... even if he wanted to offer some criticism, he really couldn't find anything to criticize. He knew he was not familiar with military affairs, so he shouldn't interfere in military matters. What he feared most was that this ever-victorious emperor in front of him would become arrogant because of his victories and do something that would make people dizzy or even lead to the destruction of his army and the killing of his generals.

Now it seems that this emperor, who had argued with Jiang Wan before his personal campaign to be a "horse-riding emperor," even though he has recently become somewhat unrestrained and disregarded the dignity of an emperor, is remarkably calm in the face of important matters. He truly possesses an indescribable yet palpable imperial demeanor.

North Gate of Yiling.

The protracted battle for control of the city gates has entered its most brutal phase.

Inside the doorway, corpses were piled up like mountains, blood flowed almost like a river, the stench was overwhelming, and the blood mist was as thick as a morning fog.

Guan Xing, wielding a long sword, led the charge. His blue robe was already soaked in blood, obscuring its original color. Every step he took into the city required stepping over several corpses.

"Hold on! Reinforcements are on their way!" Guan Xing cleaved aside the halberd thrusting towards him with a single stroke, then with a backhand, he felled another Wu soldier to the ground.

The elite warriors behind him, their eyes bloodshot, stood as shields, fiercely protecting the newly opened city gate passage.

Right beside Guan Xing was Liu Tao, the commander of Xiaoshanhu's separate division, who was only a little over six feet tall, but was strong yet exceptionally agile.

At this moment, he was wielding two halberds, weaving through the chaotic army like a monkey, breaking into the enemy ranks from unbelievable angles, and throwing the Wu army's formation into chaos.

Zhu Ran shouted at the top of his lungs to form a battle formation and try to reorganize the defenses, but the Han army's offensive was like a tidal wave, one wave after another, giving the Wu people no chance to catch their breath. As the Han army penetrated deeper and deeper, Zhu Ran, who was fighting bloody battles, had no time to think.

Above the city wall.

In terms of numbers, the Han army was almost equal to the Wu army on the city wall.

Although surrounded by Wu troops on both flanks, he was not afraid at all and fought bravely against the enemy.

Ultimately, they were unable to break through the Wu army's encirclement and reach the steps of the lower city.

The Tiger Warriors under Guan Xing and the Zhu family's troops were locked in a tug-of-war. If they could break into the city from above and attack the Wu army's rear at the city gate, they might be able to secure victory in one fell swoop.

Sima Ji Bazhi, the commander of the Longxiang Army, repeatedly ordered Longxiang Lang and his soldiers to pull simple ladders up the city wall, intending for people to climb down the ladders directly.

But the area below the city was swarming with Wu soldiers. Without anyone guarding the ladders, it was a zero-sum game where every one of them would die. Moreover, these makeshift wooden ladders, barely lowered into the city, would be overturned by the swarming Wu soldiers. Ji Bazhi killed one man, took a few deep breaths, and helplessly retreated back into the ranks, letting his comrades take over.

His suit of iron armor, weighing over a hundred jin (approximately 50 catties), was practically impervious to swords and spears, but it also greatly depleted his physical strength.

After a short rest, my strength has recovered somewhat.

He first looked down at the city walls, then seemed to think of something. He glanced at the nicked broadsword in his hand, tossed it aside, and bent down to pick up a relatively intact Han-style iron sword from the ground.

"Remove my armor!" Ji Bazhi roared at the soldiers beside him.

Long Xianglang was taken aback, but then he didn't hesitate and hurriedly stepped forward to help him untie the heavy armor straps. The iron armor fell to the ground, and Ji Bachi picked up a light armor from the corpse on the ground and put it on. He stretched his muscles and bones slightly and felt that his whole body was indeed light.

"Change them all into light armor!" He glanced around at the nearly one hundred Longxiang soldiers and guards around him. "Quickly!"

Although the group of Longxiang Lang and the garrison soldiers did not understand what was going on, no one questioned it. They simply took off their rather cumbersome iron armor, put on the lighter Wu leather armor, and tied red scarves around their necks.

Ji Bazhi said no more, but bent down and peeled off a few pieces of clothing from the corpse on the ground, and quickly twisted them into a thick rope.

Seeing this, the other Longxianglang knew exactly what Ji Bazhi was planning. They all followed suit and quickly braided dozens of long ropes.

"Grip the knife tighter!"

Ji Bazhi tied one end of the rope securely to the crenellation, then threw the other end off the city wall, shouting, "Come down with me and slaughter them until the blood flows like a river!"

Before he finished speaking, the eight-foot-tall, burly man had already grabbed the rope and leaped off the city wall.

He fell extremely fast. When he was still more than ten feet off the ground, he spotted a Wu general who was holding a long sword and giving orders. He then leaped and pounced straight at him.

With a muffled thud, the man slammed down on the Wu general like a boulder. Caught off guard, the general was knocked to the ground by the sudden pressure and then killed instantly by Ji Bazhi's casual slash to the neck.

Ji Bazhi rolled over and quickly got up, his head and face covered in scarlet blood, a truly terrifying sight. The Wu people around him were stunned by this scene and forgot to attack for a moment.

Ji Bazhi was extremely burly, standing out like a crane among chickens among a group of Wu people. Before the Wu people could react, he had already swung his hand chop. His skillful killing technique made him instinctively strike the neck of the nearest Wu soldier.

After killing this man, he didn't engage in chaotic fighting. He quickly leaned against the city wall and slashed left and right, instantly killing two more Wu soldiers who rushed up.

"Wu dogs, come and die!" Ji Bazhi roared, his voice like thunder. His fierce and menacing manner terrified the surrounding Wu soldiers, and for a moment no one dared to step forward.

Just then, the Longxianglang on the city wall slid down the ropes one after another. They were all lightly armed and agile. As soon as they landed, they quickly moved towards Ji Bachi and soon formed a crescent formation with their backs against the city wall.

They have trained and practiced this formation countless times over the past year; it has become muscle memory and requires no conscious thought.

On the city wall, Wei Qi saw this scene and without hesitation took off his heavy armor and shouted to the Eagle Flying Guards around him, "Change into light armor and come down with me!"

In a short while, Wei Qi had changed into light armor, grabbed a rope and slid down the city wall. After landing, he rolled over and quickly joined the army formation formed by Ji Bazhi.

The city guards gradually followed.

With the addition of this new force, the Han army's formation became even more stable.

"Advance towards the city gate!" Ji Bazhi shouted, pointing his long sword directly at the city gate.

More than two hundred Han soldiers formed several crescent-shaped formations with their backs against the wall, slowly rolling towards the north gate of Yiling like spiked iron balls.

Although their numbers were small, each soldier was an elite force with high morale and the city walls behind them, which forced the Wu army, which outnumbered them several times over, into a series of defeats.

The Wu army at the city gate was clearly thrown into disarray by this unexpected force. They were already struggling to cope with Guan Xing's strong attack, and now they were in complete chaos.

Just now.

Suddenly, a deafening shout rang out outside the North Gate.

A tall banner bearing the character "Zhao" appeared prominently on the battlefield.

Beneath the great banner, an old general rode a white horse and wielded a silver spear.

If it's not a chariot and horse from the Han Dynasty, then who is it?!

"General Zhao is here!" The Han army's brave and fierce soldiers cheered.

Zhao Yun charged into the city gate, his agility as sharp as ever, his spear like a dragon, each thrust bringing down a Wu soldier.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight Wu soldiers had already died under the silver spears.

Upon hearing the sound and seeing the situation, Guan Xing was startled and rushed to Zhao Yun's side, anxiously trying to stop him:
"General of Chariots and Cavalry!"
"There's no need to put yourself in such danger!"
"Yiling is nothing but a small city; we can conquer it at will. Let us take it!"

Zhao Yun's spear never stopped moving, his expression grim and murderous:

"A soldier should die on the battlefield, wrapped in his horsehide, and return home, rather than grow old and die on his sickbed!"

"Besides, what is there to fear from mere rats?!"

After speaking, disregarding Guan Xing's astonishment, Zhao Yun continued to advance and kill the enemy with unparalleled ferocity, just like the great battle against Cao Wei at Changban in Dangyang back then.

The silver spear in his hands was like a living thing, sometimes like a nimble snake emerging from its hole, cunning and ruthless; sometimes like Mount Tai pressing down, unstoppable. Wherever it passed, the Wu army was utterly routed and terrified.

Seeing the old general's incredible bravery, one of the Wu soldiers around him finally exclaimed in surprise, "Zhao Yun! It's Zhao Zilong of Changshan!"

This shout further shattered Wu Jun's courage, causing him to retreat in disarray.

Zhu Ran, who was fighting fiercely on the front lines, saw Zhao Yun charging into the city from afar. He was even more shocked. He had been fighting hard for a long time and was almost exhausted. Now, seeing the Han army reinforcements coming in one after another, while his own morale had collapsed, he couldn't help but feel despair.

Just then, his son Zhu Ji rushed over, panting and anxious:

"Captain! Sir!

"Something terrible has happened!"
"Several thousand rioters from the west of the city saw that Emperor Liu Shan's dragon banner was in the west of the city and had already stormed onto the city wall. No matter what they did, they could not be suppressed!"

"They colluded with the Shu people from within and without, and the western part of the city is almost lost!"

Just as Zhu Ran was in shock, Luo Xu's personal guards rushed over: "Commander, something's wrong! The east of the city is about to collapse!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ji was terrified and turned pale:
"Father!
"If this continues, we will all be captured alive by Liu Shan!"

"Yiling cannot be defended!"
"Hide first! It's getting dark! We'll head...to the south of the city! We'll hold our ground against the walls! We'll break out at night!"

Zhu Ran tried to struggle, but his son Zhu Ji had already summoned more than a dozen personal guards, who forcibly lifted Zhu Ran up and retreated towards the south of the city.

Sun's family retainers and troops protected Zhu Ran and his son as they fought and retreated, gradually distancing themselves from the battlefield north of the city.

As the Wu soldiers at the North Gate watched their commander's flag disappear, their last shred of will to resist completely collapsed.

Some people dropped their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy.

Some people scattered and fled, searching for a way to survive.

The entire defense system of the North Gate collapsed at this moment.

With the disappearance of Zhu Ran's banner, the morale of the Han army soared.

Zhao Yun and Guan Xing led the troops of Ji Bazhi, Wei Qi, and Liu Tao, and took advantage of the situation to join forces, pouring into Yiling City like a flood bursting its banks.

into the night.

dark.

In Yiling City, small-scale street fighting continues, but the overall situation is already decided.

The Han army divided its forces, set fire to the enemy's remaining forces, and gradually took control of the streets and important strongholds such as armories, granaries, and government offices.

It was around the second watch of the night.

The shouts of battle in Yiling City gradually subsided.

At midnight, the Han army completely controlled Yiling, and this city that had been a source of great resentment for the Han Dynasty was now under different control.

The emperor's dragon banner was raised atop the city wall of Yiling, fluttering fiercely in the southeastern river breeze.

Zhu Ran, Zhu Ji, Luo Xiu, and others, taking advantage of the darkness and the street fighting of the Han army, broke through the encirclement from the south of the city under the cover of hundreds of Zhu family retainers and fled in panic towards Jiangling.

(End of this chapter)