Huangming

Chapter 305 Divine Soldiers Descend from the Sky, Conquering the Enemy Capital

next day
Before dawn, a campfire had already been lit in the makeshift camp deep in the forest.

The campfire was blocked by the dense forest of tents, and not a single ray of light shone through.

Zu Dashou was discussing matters in hushed tones with Mao Wenlong, Zhao Shuaijiao, and Huang Degong around an unfolded map. The firelight cast flickering shadows on their faces, reflecting the solemnity in each of their eyes.

"Although Hetu Ala is not as high and deep as Shenyang, its city walls are exceptionally strong. Without enough artillery, it would be very difficult to take it by force."

Zu Dashou, as a general who arrived in Hetu Ala ahead of time, explained the situation of Hetu Ala to everyone.

He pointed with a twig to the city and wall markings on the map.

“The nine hundred armored soldiers in the city are all veteran Jurchen soldiers who followed Nurhaci in conquering the world. They are all fearless and valiant. If we launch a direct attack, they can hold out in the city until noon at the latest.”

"What's even more troublesome is the armory in the city. According to the defense map, it contains at least three thousand suits of armor and five thousand swords and spears. Once they open the armory doors and arm those bondservants, their strength will increase several times over in an instant. At that time, let alone attacking the city, we might be tied up here."

Zu Dashou looked around at everyone and said:
"The situation inside Hetu Ala is not a concern. What I'm most worried about is the reinforcements from the surrounding areas! Maldun Village is the closest, and a fast horse can reach it in an hour; the cavalry from Gule Village is even more ferocious and can arrive within half a day; Jiefan City and Sarhu City are home to the elite troops of the Bordered Blue Banner, and if they were to come out in full force..."

Before he could finish speaking, the tent fell silent.

Everyone knew that Hetu Ala was the so-called birthplace of the Jurchens, and the surrounding strongholds were scattered like stars in the sky, like a pack of lurking wolves. As long as the siege of this city was loud enough, they would swarm in before long.

Zu Dashou stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "We came here with the intention of launching a surprise attack. We can't afford to drag this out. Once the Jurchens realize what's happening and reinforcements surround us from all sides, our few thousand men will be like meat buns thrown to a dog."

Mao Wenlong pointed heavily at Hetu Ala on the map: "Therefore, we must act swiftly and decisively!"

He looked up at the crowd, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Hu Xue and Li Yangeng have already set up a trap inside the city and will make their move at 3:45 AM sharp. Zhao, the military commander, will lead 2,000 infantrymen to block the four gates, while Huang, the military commander, will lead 300 elite troops to join Zu, the military commander, in the main attack on the inner city. Artillery may be used if necessary. As for the rest of the troops, Zhao and I will ambush any Jurchen reinforcements that may come."

That's right.

After learning that Hetu Ala could be captured, Mao Wenlong had many different thoughts.

Once Hetu Ala falls, the surrounding cities and strongholds occupied by the Jurchens will surely send troops to attack.

If they could also devour the reinforcements, they could inflict even greater casualties on the Jurchens.

And their contribution will be even greater!
Thinking of this, Mao Wenlong paused, lowering his voice even further: "Remember, from the time you trick the city gates open to the time you take over the entire city, you have a maximum of two hours. Before noon, you must set fire to the granaries and armories, and then withdraw from Hetu Ala."

"Two hours?"

Huang Degong was somewhat surprised.

"Even heavenly soldiers and generals might not be able to finish everything in two hours."

"It must be done."

Mao Wenlong interrupted him, tapping his finger heavily on the spot where Maldun Village was located.

"The garrison here can reach the city walls before noon if they hear any commotion. We have no time to waste."

The generals in the tent exchanged glances, and each saw a resolute determination in the other's eyes.

Zu Dashou was the first to clasp his hands in greeting: "Zu Dashou obeys!"

Mao Wenlong gave him all the credit for capturing the city and didn't try to claim it, so Zu Dashou was naturally willing to cooperate with Mao Wenlong.

In Zu Dashou's view, Mao Wenlong is a down-to-earth person.

Zhao Shuaijiao and Huang Degong exchanged a glance and agreed that Mao Wenlong's arrangement was fine.

The two responded in unison:
"Follow the order!"

Moments later, the various Ming army units began to move quietly.

The campfires in the forest were extinguished one by one, and two thousand elite soldiers moved stealthily like raccoons, gathering in the direction of Hetu Ala.

Zhao's infantrymen quickly formed ranks below the city walls, while archers nocked their arrows and aimed at the walls.

The breech-loading cannons brought by Huang Degong were secretly set up in a hidden mountain valley, with their muzzles pointing directly at the city gate.

They were fully prepared.

Once the inside help proved ineffective and Zu Dashou was unable to open the city gates, they launched a full-scale attack at top speed.

Zu Dashou mounted his horse, gazed at the Hetu Ala city walls faintly visible in the morning light, and took a deep breath.

This battle not only needs to be swift, but also ruthless.

If you're even a step too slow, the whole army will be wiped out.

"Pass down the order: proceed according to the original plan!"

The clapper sound had just struck the city tower at the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), and the world was still shrouded in thick darkness, with only a faint glimmer of dawn appearing on the eastern horizon.

This is when the guards at the outer east gate of Hetu Ala are sleeping the most soundly.

Last night, Li Yangeng, the eldest son of the Fushun imperial son-in-law, brought more than a dozen jars of liquor to the city tower to "treat" the soldiers guarding the city. He played drinking games with them until the second watch of the night before leaving drunk.

At this moment, the Jin soldiers on the city wall were either snoring by the arrow stalks while holding wine jars, or curled up in the corners of the city wall and fast asleep. Even the patrolling sentries were leaning on their gun barrels and nodding, their snores rising and falling, which were particularly clear in the quiet early morning.

The surface of the moat shimmered with a dim light, reflecting the yellow lanterns atop the city walls.

In the shadows, Zu Dashou led over a hundred elite assassins, who approached the riverbank like ghosts. They were all dressed in tight-fitting night clothes, their faces smeared with soot, and clutching oil-soaked wooden planks in their hands.

This is a "flying bridge" used to build over the moat.

"Release!" Zu Dashou ordered in a low voice.

More than ten planks were simultaneously laid across the moat, making a few soft "click" sounds as they landed precisely on the stone piers on both sides. The assassins filed through, the planks beneath their feet making only slight creaking sounds, and soon they reached the foot of the east gate.

One of the most agile assassins suddenly swung out his grappling hook, the iron claw carrying the rope "whoosh" as it flew over the city wall and snapped into the crack in the crenellation.

He tugged hard to make sure it was secure, then grabbed the rope and started climbing.

The rustling sound of the hemp rope rubbing against the palms was perfectly masked by the snoring from the city wall.

Zu Dashou followed closely behind, his fingers gripping the rope tightly, observing the movements on the city wall in the dim light of day. Just as his toes touched the top of the wall, he saw a Jin soldier carrying a wine jar turning over, muttering, "Another bowl, please."

He held his breath and waited until the Jin soldier fell asleep again before crouching down to land.

The sight on the city wall made Zu Dashou secretly spit out his saliva.

More than thirty Jin soldiers lay sprawled about, some with gourds of wine stuffed in their boots, others with half-eaten meat bones in their arms, and even the gong hanging on the arrow tower was swollen from being soaked in wine.

Born in sorrow, die in happiness.

The Jurchens have occupied Hetu Ala for many years, yet they have become so lax. If you don't die, who will?

"Do it."

Zu Dashou's hand gestures swept across the darkness.

The assassins pounced like cheetahs, covering the Jin soldiers' mouths with their left hands while their right hands wielded short swords with precision, aiming for their necks.

The "splat" sound of a throat being slit was extremely faint, almost indistinguishable from the distant barking of dogs.

Those Jin soldiers, still in their drunken stupor, didn't even open their eyes before their heads fell to the ground, their scalding blood splattering onto the wine jars, bubbling and gurgling.

The most dangerous task was dealing with the guards inside the city gate.

A platoon leader was awakened by the urge to urinate. Just as he was about to get up, two assassins pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. Before he could struggle, a short knife pierced his ribs, and after a couple of twitches, he fell silent.

It almost made a sound for him.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the Jin soldiers guarding the eastern city had been eliminated.

Zu Dashou walked to the winch on the city wall, glanced at the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, and said to the assassin beside him, "Open the gate and lower the drawbridge."

The winch creaked as it turned, and the heavy city gate slowly opened inward. The drawbridge slammed onto the moat, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At this moment, the Ming army, which had been waiting outside the city for a long time, surged in like a flood breaking through a dam, following the lowered drawbridge.

Zu Dashou's two thousand elite troops led the way, followed closely by Zhao Shuaijiao's two thousand infantrymen. The four thousand men marched swiftly through the streets, still bathed in the morning light, the clanging of armor and the hurried footsteps echoing through the empty city.

"Follow the plan, and encircle them from different directions!"

Zu Dashou shouted orders from his horse, the defense map in his hand already damp with sweat, yet it still guided the direction of each team.

The first to act were two teams of swordsmen, who rushed along the base of the city wall like two black lightning bolts toward the other three gates.

The guards at the west gate had just been choked awake by the morning mist and hadn't even had time to figure out what was going on when a long sword came crashing down on them.

Before the drawbridge at the south gate could be raised, Ming soldiers' spears pierced the fence like a forest. The Jin soldiers at the north gate struck the gong, but before the sound faded, a suicide soldier who had scaled the city wall cleaved the gong in two with a single blow.

In less than half an hour, all four gates of Hetu Ala had fallen into the hands of the Ming army, and the banners erected on the city walls were cut down and replaced with the banners of the Ming army generals.

Another group of men, led by Huang Degong, headed straight for the armory in the city.

The gate to the courtyard hidden to the west of the Drum Tower was tightly closed. Just as the two guards in front of the gate were about to draw their swords, they were shot through the throat by arrows.

The Ming soldiers smashed open the heavy wooden door and found a mountain of armor, swords and spears inside, as well as more than a dozen brand-new iron-framed bows.

"Guard the entrance; no one is allowed to approach!"

Huang Degong gave a stern order, and his personal guards immediately lined up to guard the courtyard gate. The flashing of their swords terrified several bondservants who tried to approach, causing them to run away in panic.

As long as this place is controlled, the Jurchens will never be able to arm those temporarily conscripted cannon fodder.

Meanwhile, Zu Dashou personally led five hundred elite troops, which plunged straight into the inner city like a sharp knife.

They galloped along the main street, their hooves clattering loudly as they trod on the cobblestones.

The scattered resistance from the Jin soldiers encountered along the way was either knocked down by the cavalry or pierced by the spearmen behind them, and they could not slow down the Ming army's advance at all.

"kill!"

Zu Dashou's longsword cleaved down a white-armored soldier who rushed at him, and blood splattered on his face, but it only made his eyes sharper.

By this time, the unrest in the city was already out of control.

The cries of bondservants echoed through the streets and alleys, and chaotic lights lit up the mansions of Jurchen nobles. Some people rode horses erratically through the streets, trying to gather troops, but were shot down one by one by the Ming army's arrows.

Just as they were about to reach the inner east gate, Zu Dashou suddenly pulled on the reins.

The sight before him both surprised and delighted him:
The inner city's east gate, which should have been tightly closed, was now ajar, with half a broken bolt still hanging on the hinge.

"Li Yangeng has succeeded!" the bodyguard beside him exclaimed.

In the shadows beneath the inner east gate stood a dozen or so men, each wielding a sharp blade, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

The leader was a young man in his twenties, wearing a light red armor.

It was a standard armor with a red flag, gleaming softly in the morning light.

Seeing the Ming army arrive, he quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement: "This sinful general, Li Yangeng, has been waiting for the arrival of the heavenly army for a long time, like parched seedlings longing for rain! Please, General, enter the city quickly, or things will change!"

Zu Dashou reined in his horse and looked at Li Yangeng.

Although the young man's armor was new, his brows showed signs of fatigue, and the bloodshot eyes indicated that he had not slept all night.

He recalled the intelligence Shen Lian had brought back from the Dragon King Temple.

Li Yangeng's willingness to act as an inside agent suggests that his words were not unfounded.

“Stand up and speak,” Zu Dashou said in a deep voice.

Li Yangeng slowly stood up.

"Last night, the guilty general drank until the second watch of the night in the outer east city to lull the outer city guards into a false sense of security. This morning at dawn, he brought twenty jars of liquor and a hundred catties of cooked meat to the inner east gate to 'reward' them. The liquor was laced with 'sleeping potion,' and those guards are probably still fast asleep in the city tower, unable to even loosen their belts."

As he spoke of these things, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

"The sinner has already ordered his men to guard all the key roads in the inner city, waiting only for the heavenly army to enter."

Zu Dashou's eyes flickered.

This siege is urgent and the task is heavy, so we must act quickly.

He immediately asked, "Tell me, where should we begin the killing?"

Li Yangeng was prepared and immediately stepped forward, pointing to the northwest: "The first target is Tabai's residence! He is the garrison commander of Hetu Ala, holding the last personal guard in his hands, and is also a member of the Jurchen royal family. As long as we kill him, the Jurchens in the city will be like headless flies, and it will be difficult for them to organize a resistance!"

"it is good!"

Zu Dashou clapped his hands and said to his guards behind him, "Leave one hundred men to guard the inner east gate. No one is allowed to enter or leave! The rest of you, follow me!"

"As ordered!"

The remaining four hundred Ming soldiers immediately formed a square formation, drew their swords and nocked their arrows, and followed Li Yangeng into the depths of the inner city.

The streets and alleys of the inner city were narrower than those of the outer city. The houses on both sides were mostly inhabited by Jurchen nobles. At this moment, the doors were tightly closed, and occasionally a window was quietly pushed open a crack, revealing frightened eyes, but they were quickly closed again by the murderous aura of the Ming army.

Li Yangeng led the way, his steps quick, showing he knew the layout of the place like the back of his hand.

After turning through a crescent-shaped gate, a large courtyard house made of blue bricks appeared in front of us. Two stone lions stood at the entrance, and a blue flag was hanging on the flagpole.

Li Yangeng lowered his voice: "We've arrived. This is Tabai's residence!"

Zu Dashou raised his hand to signal, and the four hundred Ming soldiers scattered instantly like wheat waves blown by the wind. The swordsmen guarded the stone steps at the front gate, the spearmen blocked the exit of the back alley, and the archers climbed the wall of the neighboring house, their bowstrings fully drawn.

The entire Thabai mansion was completely surrounded, and not even a bird could fly out.

At this moment, Tabai was fast asleep on the carved bed, embracing his newly acquired concubine.

His round belly was visible under the brocade quilt, and there were still wine stains from last night's banquet at the corners of his mouth.

This Taiji of the Bordered Blue Banner has never been ambitious. He has neither the bravery of Daishan nor the shrewdness of Huang Taiji. He was disliked by Nurhaci from a young age and was sent to Hetu Ala as a garrison commander at an early age.

But he was happy to have a peaceful life, spending his days either feasting in his mansion or hunting birds outside the city, living like a carefree prince.

"Um……"

Tabai frowned at the faint commotion outside the mansion, turned over, and hugged his concubine even tighter.

He assumed it was some ignorant servant making a fuss again and planned to settle accounts with that person at dawn.

Until a deafening crash resounded as the front door was flung open, shaking even the bed. He sat bolt upright, his hair disheveled, and bleary-eyed, he cursed, "Which dog of a servant dares to run wild in my mansion?"

Before he could finish speaking, the bedroom door was flung open, and the steward stumbled in, his robe torn in a large tear, his face covered in blood: "Master! It's terrible! It's the Ming army! The entire mansion is surrounded by Ming soldiers!"

"Ming army?"

Tabai seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He kicked the steward to the ground, his fat face full of disdain.

"Are you out of your mind? The Ming army is currently fighting Father Emperor outside Shenyang. Do you think they've grown wings and flown over here?"

He jumped off the bed barefoot, about to order someone to drag the rambling steward out and beat him, when he heard screams coming from outside the courtyard, along with the clanging of metal, and even the faint roar of Ming soldiers shouting "Kill the Tartars!"

"No...it can't be..."

Tabai sobered up considerably in an instant, and his bulky body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He stumbled to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked outside.

The guards in the mansion were being cut down like wheat being harvested. The soldiers in bright armor were all bloodshot, killing anyone they saw. Blood stained the bluestone slabs in the courtyard, and even his most treasured century-old crabapple tree had its branches cut off.

"Bang!"

The bedroom door was kicked open, and Zu Dashou walked in carrying a blood-dripping longsword. Behind him, the Ming soldiers were all covered in blood, their eyes fierce as if they wanted to devour people.

Tabai's legs went weak with fear, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud. His fat face turned ashen, and even his voice trembled as he cried out, "General Ming... General Ming, spare my life! I... I surrender!"

Only now did he truly believe that the Ming army had actually stormed into Hetu Ala!

This place, which he thought was an impregnable stronghold, this haven of carefree joy, suddenly became a death trap overnight.

Zu Dashou looked at the lump of fat at his feet without the slightest ripple in his eyes.

He waved his hand, and the guards behind him stepped forward, grabbed Tabai, and tied him up tightly with thick hemp rope like a pig.

"Master?" The concubine, startled awake, huddled in the corner of the bed, trembling with fear.

Zu Dashou's gaze swept over the woman, and he said coldly, "Leave no one of the Jiannu family members alive."

A flash of light, and the screams abruptly ceased. Tabai watched helplessly as his concubine lay in a pool of blood, terrified out of his wits, soiling himself in his bladder and bowels, completely losing any semblance of his former Manchu lordly demeanor.

Zu Dashou didn't bother to look at him again, and turned to his guards, saying, "Cut off Tabai's head and hang it above the city gate."

He wanted all the Jurchens in Hetu Ala to know.

Their commander is dead.

Hetu Ala has been conquered by the Ming Dynasty!
(End of this chapter)