You have truly caused me great suffering!

Wanyan Zongwang stood beneath the walls of Pingzhou, clad in light armor, watching as Jurchen soldiers in the distance drove their auxiliary troops and tribal forces forward.

They still used the same tactics, using civilians they had captured from the area to pave the way.

On the battlefield, the mournful sound of horns rang out incessantly, and squads of Jurchen knights, kicking up dust and sand, galloped back and forth at the edge of the range of crossbows in Pingzhou City, driving the army of prisoners to their deaths.

The Jurchen Tartars on horseback shouted loudly, laughing and whistling in the direction of the fortress, showing off their power.

After briefly breaching the east wall of Pingzhou, Zhang Dungu led his men to retake it. The city walls were filled with auxiliary troops, and the Jurchen Tartars had not yet come up.

As several horns sounded, the Jurchen Tartars gradually gathered their mounts and spread out to both sides. Another reason for their strong fighting power was their strict command.

When the dust raised by the Jurchen cavalry settled, the defenders on the city wall could see a vast, dark mass of captives from the surrounding area, dressed in tattered clothes, pushing crudely made carts with difficulty across the ground.

After the carts, there were dozens of long ladders carried by the laborers. These ladders were not cloud ladders; they had neither a weighted base nor a top hook.

This was obviously a makeshift structure, because whether it was the Song or Liao dynasty, siege ladders had bases that could be moved, and some even had hanging doors that could carry more than ten armored soldiers directly to the city wall.

The Jurchen Tartars captured many artisans, killing them all at first. Later, they realized what was happening and gathered them together for their own use.

However, Zongwang was pressed for time and was waiting to return to command his eastern army, so he did not have the patience to make proper equipment before attacking the city. The equipment he used was extremely rudimentary, which was the siege weapon that the Jurchen army had painstakingly made in just a few days.

Behind these makeshift siege weapons was a dense, dark mass of people. In late autumn, their clothes had been stripped off and stolen, and everyone was frozen, their faces pale and blue, their expressions numb.

What they held in their hands, at best, were some hastily chopped and pointed wooden sticks, and some were empty-handed.

These unsuspecting people included men and women, young and old, including women who were too weak to even kill a chicken. They were stripped naked and driven forward, as well as seven- or eight-year-old children who were being driven away while crying.

They struggled forward on this brutal battlefield, many of them bleeding profusely, leaving behind shocking trails of blood as they walked.

The Jurchen cavalry galloped back and forth on both sides, shouting loudly and urging the large group of prisoners to move forward.

The whip cracked loudly, and every now and then it was like a firecracker going off, lashing the raw laborers across the face.

There was no one to shield them or escape; they simply endured the pain numbly, inching forward step by step. Everyone knew that even the slightest slowness could mean being shot.

If anyone dares to run away, all their relatives or associates will be singled out and brutally murdered.

It was impossible to tell how many people there were, but they formed a strange, dark army, howling and wailing as they marched forward.

Such a sight was enough to send chills down the spines of the soldiers guarding the city walls!
Whether it was the conflict between the Song and Liao dynasties or the mortal feud between the Song and Western Xia dynasties, it was always soldiers against soldiers and generals against generals. The conscription of civilians was only used for rear transport. No one had ever seen such a brutal method of siege before the rise of the Jurchen Tartars.

On the city wall, many of the Pingzhou garrison soldiers were born in chaotic times and were used to seeing people die in battle.

But the sight of the Jurchen Tartars sending thousands of people to their deaths and treating them like pigs and dogs was truly distressing.

Looking at the Jurchen army's nonchalant attitude in the distance, everyone knew that even if these thousands of people were all killed, they would not care at all.

It's just another round of searching everywhere, driving tens of thousands of people to their deaths, just like hunting prey in the Northeast.

In the eyes of these demonic Tartars, the death of everyone except their own Jurchen people was nothing out of the ordinary!
They would only think that there was plenty of prey and that it was a good hunting ground.

Zhang Dungu closed his eyes and ordered the shooting of the civilians who were pushing the siege ladders and siege equipment.
-
Cavalry commander Li Shi squeezed his way to Li Anbi's carriage and shouted, "Is Commander Zhang inside?"

Zhang Jue struggled to tear open the curtain and said, "Li Shi, I'm right here!"

Li Shi raised his spear, pointed it at Li Anbi, and cursed, "You've kidnapped Commander Zhang, do you intend to surrender the city?"

"The eastern city has been breached. I must protect Commander Zhang and continue the fight in Luanzhou!"

"Nonsense! The Second General has already recaptured Dongcheng, and we were on our way to its aid. With Commander Zhang gone, who has the will to fight anymore!"

As the two shouted at each other, they saw several figures in the crowd: one on horseback, followed closely by two or three servants.

The rider seemed too weak to even sit up straight; he simply lay there, clinging tightly to the horse's neck.

Li Shi recognized him; he was a minor official in Pingzhou City and also held the position of selection officer.

The dispatcher was in charge of the transfer of grain and fodder to Pingzhou City, and he was quite diligent and reliable in his work.

Li Shi immediately shouted at the clerk, "Xu Fugou! What's going on? How dare you abandon your post?"

Fu Gou straightened up with all his might, and facing Li Shi, whose face was full of anger, he bowed fearfully and said, "General Li, please put down your official post and leave! Even the secret agents in the tent have left, what can we, your humble servants, do?"

Li Shi angrily said, "Pingzhou is a high-lying and deeply fortified city. The Jurchen Tartars are nothing but defeated enemies. How could we not defend it! You, sir, deserted in battle. You deserve to die a thousand deaths. Are you afraid of death? I'll kill you first!"

Zhang Jue shouted, "Stop!"

Li Shi glared at him angrily, and Zhang Jue said, "With the fall of the East City, everyone thinks defeat is inevitable. Even ants try to survive, let alone humans! Li Shi, you have many cavalrymen under your command. Escort the civilians and civil officials through the South Gate to Luanzhou City. I will stay behind to guard the city!"

Li Shi looked incredulous and shouted, "General Zhang! To flee before battle, spread rumors and sow discord among the troops, is the most serious crime punishable by death under military law. Now, at this critical moment of life and death, this scoundrel should be executed to inspire courage in the army and the people, and to unite in defending the city to the death. How can such womanly compassion possibly defend the city!"

Li Anbi cursed, "Li Shi! How dare you!"

Zhang Jue remained silent, broke free from his personal guards, reached for the sword at his waist, and said, "Let them go. I am a native of Pingzhou. Even if I fail and die, how can I bear to have the people of this city die with me?"

Many people nearby heard the conversation between these people, and everyone cried out. Some strong young men immediately expressed their willingness to stay and live or die with Commander Zhang.

Li Shi was extremely disappointed. He snorted coldly and turned to head towards the south of the city.

Zhang Jue grasped Li Anbi's hand again and said, "Go to Yanshan Prefecture immediately and ask the Song Dynasty to send reinforcements as soon as possible. If I defend the city to the death, we might be able to turn defeat into victory!" Li Anbi said, "Go quickly, go quickly! Zhen Wuchen, the deputy commander of the Ever Victorious Army, is my brother-in-law, and Guo Yaoshi is my good friend. They will certainly not sit idly by!"

Li Anbi sighed, gritted his teeth, stood up in the carriage, clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed deeply, and then left.

"Follow me into the city to fight the enemy!"

After leaving the city, Li Shi pondered the matter and concluded that Zhang Jue was indecisive and overly sentimental, and that the Song Dynasty was slow to come to his aid, not even understanding the principle of mutual dependence.

Although somewhat reluctant, it now seems that the Jurchens will ultimately rule the world.

He glanced at his men who had come out with him, a total of more than two hundred, and said loudly, "General Zhang is not listening to my advice. I foresee that he will be defeated. He wants to go and join the Jurchens. Whether you stay or leave is up to you!"

"Li Shi! You spineless scoundrel, I'll curse your mother!"

Immediately, someone came up to kill him, but Li Shi held his gun horizontally and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions. Who wants to fight me?"

Of the more than two hundred people, only a dozen or so followed him to a small town on the outskirts of the city to move their parents and relatives and head north to seek refuge with the Jurchens.
-
Although Li Shi defected to the enemy, what he said was actually quite right.

Zhang Jue opened up the southern city, allowing the people in the city to flee to Luanzhou, thus temporarily saving their lives.

However, many officials with weak resolve also fled.

This greatly weakened Pingzhou's defensive capabilities.

The East City was breached so quickly that it terrified many people, but the situation was actually not as serious as it seemed.

When Chen Shao attacked Hongzhou City, the city walls on all four sides were breached, but the Western Xia defenders still held out and resisted to the death.

Despite the city walls changing hands several times, the people inside continued to defend them to the death, and even mobilized the entire city's population.

When Li Qianshun was guarding Xiping Prefecture, all children over the age of eight were conscripted to defend the city to the death.

Not to mention Yanjing, which, even after being captured, was always retaken.

Zhang Jue was a scholar by birth. Although he had some sense of morality and righteousness, he was indeed somewhat inept at military command.

Alternatively, since you intend to abandon Pingzhou, then listen to Li Anbi, retreat to Luanzhou, preserve your strength, and plan a counterattack.

At this point, allow the common people to evacuate, leaving behind only the loyal and righteous.

After the southern city was opened, the Jurchen scouts discovered that civilians were pouring out, and Zongwang immediately ordered them to be pursued and captured.

People rushed across the river, and many drowned.

Fortunately, Zhao Mixiao, the defense commissioner of Luanzhou, led his troops to meet them on the opposite bank.

Due to excessive rainfall this year, the water level of the Luan River has risen sharply, causing many people to drown in the river.

Coupled with the massacre by the Jurchens, the river quickly turned red.

Zhao, the secretary, looked ashen-faced as he gazed at the hellish scene in the river. He ordered his men to shoot arrows across the river, but the arrows did not travel as far as the Jurchen Tartars' arrows, and they lost dozens of soldiers in the process.

He had no choice but to order boats to be requisitioned from the riverbank to rescue people from the river and help them cross.

At this moment, some soldiers rushed out of Pingzhou City and drove away the Jurchen Tartar squad.

Suddenly, the bugle sounded, and this time even more Jurchen troops charged forward.

These Jurchen soldiers were all heavily armored, their horses wrapped in felt, and they carried stiff bows and long weapons. They detoured around the south city.

Especially the rear guard, a large group of over a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen, their armor gleaming in the cold light.

These heavily armored cavalrymen surrounded two tall black banners, beneath which stood Wanyan Zongwang.

The Jurchen cavalry escorted Wanyan Zongwang up a small hill.

Layer upon layer, they lay down, coldly facing the Pingzhou soldiers on the outskirts of the southern city. They were seasoned veterans, skilled in breaking through enemy lines, and had just managed to destroy the Liao Empire, which had a million armored soldiers and spanned thousands of miles.

They were truly the elite Jurchen army.

Just by being released here, a murderous aura bursts forth.

Seeing the Jurchen's most elite troops surge out, the defenders standing on the city wall couldn't help but lean back slightly. They were in Liaodong and had heard so much about the Jurchens' exploits that they couldn't help but feel a little fearful.

The soldiers looked at each other with increasing fear and apprehension.

Zhao, the secretary, clenched his fist as he looked at the Jurchen heavy cavalry. He knew that even if they crossed the river, they would not be able to win.

The people outside the city are doomed.

Sure enough, the Pingzhou garrison commander ordered the drawbridge to be raised with tears in his eyes to prevent the Tartars from taking the opportunity to enter the city.

Dozens of people fell from the deck of the suspension bridge, many of whom died from the fall or being crushed to death.

The others were left with only one path, howling in agony as they ran towards the Luan River. (End of Chapter)