Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

The mobilization of nearly 140,000 troops by the 12th Regiment was a grand and imposing event, and the nearby garrisons quickly became aware of it.

Tongzhou Guard was located directly east of Shenjing, only about forty li away, a distance that could be reached in half a day by fast horse. It was the first guard post to receive the news!

When Liu Shun, the commander of Tongzhou Guard, received intelligence that the 12th Regiment was marching towards Tongzhou, he was so frightened that he was stunned on the spot!

He did not expect the imperial court to be so determined this time. In just half a month, it did not hesitate to mobilize a large army to enforce military orders by force.

In a panic, they could only give the order to close the city gates, take down the drawbridge, and withdraw all the troops from the camps outside the city back into the city, putting on a show of defending the city to the death.

By the time Lan Yu led tens of thousands of vanguard troops to approach Tongzhou, it was already afternoon, and the autumn sun was shining brightly.

Tens of thousands of troops spread out along the canal road, their banners obscuring the sun and their armor gleaming. The vanguard cavalry had already approached the city moat, less than three miles away.

On the walls of Tongzhou, the defending soldiers, seeing such a scene, panicked and ran about, with bugles sounding one after another, and shouts and neighing of horses creating a chaotic mess.

Liu Shun stood on the city wall, looking at the dark army formation pressing in from the west. His face was pale and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Although the Prince of Nan'an and others had already told him that Jia Jing was a cold and domineering person and might mobilize troops, and that he should prepare in advance, he did not expect that the Twelfth Battalion would arrive so quickly and mobilize so many troops!

They only had a bunch of old, weak, sick and disabled people in Tongzhou City. Did they really need tens of thousands of troops to suppress them?

That's giving yourself way too much credit!

However, he could not surrender directly, because he had already discussed with the Prince of Nan'an and others the plan to purge the court of corrupt officials, and the Prince of Nan'an held incriminating evidence against him.

If we were to turn against them and surrender now, we would face certain death if the court found out in the future!

Now, all we can do is stall for time while praying that the Prince of Nan'an will send troops to our aid from Jizhou as soon as possible!

Fortunately, Tongzhou Guard was not just a simple military camp, but the defensive center of the entire Tongzhou city.

The northern end of the Grand Canal runs through the city. The city walls are covered with brick, and the city gates are thick and heavy, making it difficult to break in in a short time!

Outside Tongzhou City, Lan Yu, standing beneath the central army banner, reined in his horse, sword at the ready, his black armor gleaming with blood-red tassels, his tiger-like eyes wide open. Seeing the city gates tightly shut, he shouted sternly:

"Issue the order: surrender the city within one incense stick's time! The commander of the guards shall bind himself and leave the city to submit the register! Those who fail to surrender by the deadline shall be treated as rebels and executed without exception!"

A messenger galloped to the city walls and shouted out Lan Yu's final order.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city walls stirred into a commotion.

Liu Shunqiang, regaining his composure, leaned against the wall and responded loudly:

"This is a garrison town of the imperial court. The people of Tongzhou are not rebels. Why are you besieging the city? General, please calm down! We have not received an imperial decree and dare not open the city gates without authorization!"

Upon hearing the messenger's report, Lan Yu's thick eyebrows furrowed, and he shouted sternly:

"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Drag the cannon up here!"

Before the expedition, Jia Jing had given him instructions in person. He knew that the Prince of Nan'an and others were secretly plotting and that an uprising was imminent, so he would not be held back.

Tongzhou City is a strategic location and must be suppressed as soon as possible, even if it means using heavy artillery!

With the command flag waved, dozens of cannons were slowly pushed to the front of the battle line.

The cannon was heavy, and the wooden wheels made a creaking sound as they rolled over the loess road.

At the same time, Lan Yu ordered his men to use giant shields to protect the artillery, and the cavalry on both sides to spread out and protect the flanks.

Upon seeing this formation, many of the soldiers guarding Tongzhou City turned pale and their legs went weak.

When Liu Shun saw that Lan Yu actually dared to set up an artillery formation, all the color drained from his face, but he still gritted his teeth and held on.

He urgently summoned his trusted officers and generals for a meeting, and sternly said:

"What's the panic! I don't believe he'd actually fire! Tongzhou is the capital of the imperial court, with high walls and thick ramparts. Do you think a few cannons can break through it?"

"Furthermore, I have already sent word to the Prince of Nan'an that reinforcements may already be on their way. If the Prince sends troops from Hejian and Tianjin to harass the imperial army's flanks and rear, and sends troops from Baoding north to threaten the flanks, and another large army from Jizhou, we can encircle them from three directions. We might not be without a chance of victory!"

"Jia Jing has persecuted former officials, eliminated dissidents, bewitched the emperor, and plotted treason. We are not opposing the court, but a righteous army to purge the emperor's inner circle!"

"The Prince of Nan'an has said that if this purge of corrupt officials succeeds, he will not only halt all military reforms and the clearing of military settlements, but will also share wealth and honor with us!"

"Therefore, no one should even consider surrendering. If we surrender now, not only will our lives be in danger, but our families will also be doomed!"

It must be said that the Prince of Nan'an and others have not wasted these days; at the very least, they have won over the hearts of many officers and soldiers in the garrisons!

Liu Shun's words barely managed to calm the morale of the troops.

At the command of the officers, the soldiers on the city wall took up their weapons and stood at attention again, while the archers nocked their arrows and drew their bows, their expressions tense as they stared down at the city below.

Several cowardly officers tried to get their soldiers to open the city gates in the chaos, but they were all killed on the spot by Liu Shun's trusted officers, their blood splattering on the city gates.

Seeing Liu Shun shouting loudly from the city wall, and ordering men to bring arrows from the armory to the wall, they adopted a posture of defending to the death.

Lan Yu smiled coldly and pointed his long sword at the city wall:

"They're courting death! Bomb them!"

"fire!"

At a command, dozens of cannons roared in unison.

The solid projectiles whistled through the air as they slammed into the Tongzhou city gate.

The city walls of Tongzhou were made of rammed earth covered with bricks, and although the city gates were made of iron plates covered with wood, there were also barbicans protecting the gate openings.

However, the defending troops were caught off guard and the drawbridge was not broken, nor was the barbican gate completely sealed. Solid projectiles continued to hit the wooden pillars and door hinges outside the city gate.

After several rounds of shelling, the bricks and stones on the city wall cracked, raising a cloud of white dust.

More shells slammed into the junction of the city gate and the drawbridge, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a loud "crack" was heard.

The two iron-clad gates were smashed inwards, the hinges broke, and the gates tilted and half-fallen, revealing a dark, gaping hole.

Before the smoke of battle had even cleared, Lan Yu pointed his sword forward and shouted, "Charge in!"

The armored infantry in the front row shouted in unison, surging across the drawbridge like a black tide and crashing through the gap in the broken city gate.

The defenders on the city walls fired arrows wildly, the rain of arrows striking the iron armor with a clanging sound, but it could not stop the flood of arrows.

The ensuing army surged in like waves, encircling the south gate along the main street.

The few remaining retainers and garrison soldiers who put up a stubborn resistance were forced to retreat in the streets and alleys. Some were pierced by spears, while others were cut down to the ground.

Lan Yu immediately issued a military order: anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy; those who lay down their weapons will be spared.