The prince is more stable

Chapter 222: Capture of the Enemy Capital
Xingqing City is engulfed in flames tonight.

The fire broke out so suddenly. It was late at night and the officials and people in the city were all asleep. They found it was getting hotter and hotter. They woke up suddenly and found that there was fire all around them.

He got up and fled the house with his family in a hurry, only to find that the whole city was on fire. The raging flames and thick smoke enveloped the capital in fear.

Officials fled, civilians cried and wailed, and the defending soldiers ran around like headless flies. Many of the posts that were supposed to be manned had to be withdrawn because of the fire, and troops were dispatched all over the city to put out the fire and hunt down the criminals.

Just when the city was in chaos, in the corridor of Xingqing West Gate, hundreds of people crouched down, holding sharp knives, quietly climbed up the city wall and approached the gate.

Then, there was a fight that reaped lives.

The gongs rang and the horns wailed. Inside the west city gate, the defenders realized something was wrong and hurriedly rang the gong to sound the alarm.

However, the hundreds of people who came forward moved too quickly, and seemed to be well-trained. They did not engage with the defenders at all, but went straight to the city gate.

After eliminating all the defenders in the city gate corridor, they quickly climbed up the city wall and fought with the defenders on the city wall. At the same time, they occupied the arrow tower, turned the capstan, and the heavy city gate slowly opened.

The Western Xia defenders were extremely anxious. They believed that the crime of losing the city should be punished by the execution of three generations of their clan. At this time, the defenders also fought bravely and desperately, launching desperate attacks on the arrow tower again and again, trying to recapture the arrow tower and close the city gate again.

When the enemy and our side were fighting, Zhang Xiaoyi rushed out. He had no experience in fighting the enemy, but he had his own mission.

Outside the arrow tower above the west city gate, there was a pile of kerosene for the defenders to keep warm in winter. Zhang Xiaoyi threw the kerosene onto the roof of the arrow tower, and then threw a torch over, and the arrow tower immediately caught fire.

Flames shot up into the sky in an instant, lighting up half of the night sky. The fire was so raging that it could be seen from more than ten miles away.

After doing all this, Zhang Xiaoyi breathed a sigh of relief, then found a place to hide and hid himself in the darkness.

If you encounter a lone defender, launch a surprise attack. If you see a defender lying on the ground, go forward and give him a finishing blow at the right moment.

The rhythm of the gong became more and more rapid. The defenders who were putting out fires all over the city came to their senses and rushed to the west gate in a rage to seek help. The situation of Zhang Xiaoyi and the five hundred men became more and more dangerous. Many of them had fallen under the swords and guns of the defenders.

Just when they were in a stalemate in a fierce battle, they suddenly heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves coming from outside the city.

Zhang Xiaoyi was very sharp-eared and after a moment of shock he was immediately overjoyed.

"Here he comes! The Marquis of the County is here!"

…………

Zhao Xiaoqian's troops ran along the firelight and soon arrived outside Xingqing City.

Seeing the fire on the city wall, the fire shone as bright as day, and you could vaguely see people fighting on the city wall.

Below the burning arrow tower, the city gate was opened a little, only wide enough for one person and one horse to pass through.

But, enough is enough.

At this time, the gates of Xingqing City were open, like a naked beauty, waving at him seductively, inviting him to go to Wushan.

Although I was a little confused as to why there were so many people fighting with the defenders on the city wall, I didn't know where these people came from.

But the opportunity is fleeting, so everything will have to wait until we capture Xingqing City.

Drawing the long sword from his waist, which was almost decorative, Zhao Xiaoqian shouted from his horse: "For the first to reach the summit, there will be a reward, land, and a title!"

"What are you waiting for? Let's see who will get this overwhelming wealth first!"

Zhong Jianzhong was extremely excited and rushed out first, shouting in the biting cold wind: "Zhong, I will take on the responsibility. Who else can be the first to reach the top?"

Behind them, thousands of soldiers who had reacted quickly spurred their horses to catch up.

"I'm sorry, General Zhong! I'd like to claim the credit for being the first to reach the summit!"

"Oh my! I want to be an official! I want to be a noble! No one can stand in my way, not even a general!"

Five thousand soldiers, like wolves and tigers, rushed towards the city gate like crazy. In the blink of an eye, they had rushed to the gate. Looking at the thick gate wall that was only wide enough for one man and one horse to pass through, the soldiers smiled contemptuously, unhooked their flintlock rifles and fired a round into the city gate. Hearing screams from inside, dozens of them dismounted and struggled to push the gate open.

Zhong Jianzhong rushed in first, without slowing down at all, and passed through the city gate corridor quickly.

In the chaotic Xingqing City, Zhong Jianzhong's wild laughter was heard.

"The capital of Western Xia, the Song Dynasty has taken it!"

A larger melee broke out in the city.

Zhao Xiaoqian still stopped his horse and stood where he was. He had a clear understanding of himself. Since he was not good at fighting and was particularly afraid of death, he should not rush forward to join in the fun.

Once Zhong Jianzhong finishes his work and the city changes hands, wouldn't it be more impressive for him to walk in openly?

Staring at Xingqing City shrouded in flames in front of him, Zhao Xiaoqian's expression was still full of disbelief.

He did plan to capture the capital of Western Xia and did draw up a plan of action, but it was not until this moment, when Zhong Jianzhong led his troops into the city, that he dared to believe that he had really captured Xingqing City.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know how great the merit of capturing the enemy's capital was since ancient times, but looking at the extremely excited expressions of Chen Shou and others who were guarding him, he thought that this merit must be very great, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was an unprecedented achievement.

As for the extent of this contribution, Zhao Xiaoqian would go back and find out from the relevant people. At least...

"After returning to Bian Jing, I will order eight hot dishes, four cold dishes, and two soups. Don't ask me if it's a waste, I deserve it!" Zhao Xiaoqian muttered as he stared at the fire on the city wall.

Gunshots rang out in Xingqing City.

Zhong Jianzhong and the soldiers of the Longwei Camp killed anyone they saw like crazy. They did not care to distinguish between defenders and civilians. No matter who rushed forward to resist or blocked their way to escape, they were all killed indiscriminately by the Song army.

The essence of war is indiscriminate, so why do so many people yearn for world peace? Because once the flames of war reach our doorstep, we will be killed indiscriminately.

The fire in the city was still burning, corpses were everywhere in the streets and alleys, and the people who had lost their homes and loved ones knelt on the roadside and cried in pain, but the Song army soldiers were unmoved. They were divided into several small teams by the generals, and each rushed in different directions to search for and eliminate the defenders in the city.

Zhong Jianzhong stared at the huge imperial palace not far away, narrowed his eyes, and suddenly shouted, "Send out two thousand soldiers and occupy the imperial palace!"

The Song army immediately assembled two thousand soldiers and rode towards the palace.

It has been nearly sixty years since Li Yuanhao of Western Xia proclaimed himself emperor in the fifth year of Jingyou.

Over the past sixty years, the world has changed dramatically. On this ordinary and cold night, the capital of Western Xia was captured by the Song army.

An hour later, the defenders in the city were basically wiped out.

The Song army still did not dare to relax its vigilance. The teams carefully shuttled through the streets and alleys, searching for scattered resistance forces, and broke into the mansions of the powerful and wealthy in the city to loot money.

At this time, human life is less valuable than a dog's.

The Xixia imperial palace was also breached half an hour ago.

The palace encountered fierce and desperate resistance from the Western Xia imperial guards, but everything was in vain in the face of muskets.

After several rounds of volleys, the imperial guards were defeated, and then the Song army rushed into the palace, killing many people.

All the grass and trees in the Summer Palace turned to ashes. The eunuchs, palace maids and concubines were dragged out by the Song army and made to kneel outside the main hall, and were tied into strings with long ropes.

The worst hit was the national treasury. The Song army soldiers were overjoyed as they moved the money, pearls and jade from the treasury, but they could not move all of it.

Only after confirming that Xingqing City had fallen into the control of the Song army did Zhong Jianzhong laugh out loud.

"We've captured the city! Send someone to report the victory to the Marquis immediately. Brothers, go wash your faces, get ready, and line up outside the city gate to welcome the Marquis into the city!"

(End of this chapter)