Chapter 30: Conquering Yanshan Prefecture (9)

  At this time, the air in Yanshan Prefecture seemed to have solidified, with a strong smell of gunpowder floating in the air. Zhao Jiong and the imperial guards were busy on the city wall, transporting the Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon and carrying military equipment. Seeing Zhao Jiong here, the soldiers' morale was immediately boosted, as most of them had seen too many battles where the commander fled before the fight even started. Now, seeing that Zhao Jiong had made up his mind to share the fate of the city, they also gained the courage to fight with their backs to the water.

  Yanshan Prefecture City's defense is solid, the city wall is about three zhang high. The construction of this wall adopted advanced rammed earth method, first using rammed earth to build the inner wall, and then reinforcing it with a protective slope on both sides. This method can increase the height while suppressing the simultaneous growth of the slope, making the city wall steeper and harder to attack.

  Zhao Yun ordered people to fill the long-dried moat with water, calling it a moat, but in fact, it was only a ditch, directly dug out and not flowing. The water source of Yanshan Prefecture is not developed, so the moat is very narrow, only three meters wide and two meters deep. Such a small moat can't play a big role in war, but it's better than nothing. Zhao Yun carefully took out the crossbow arrows coated with poisonous frog poison and threw them into the ditch. A streak of blood red instantly dispersed and dissolved in the water.

  Zhao Kuo had originally intended to set up a barrier of sharpened stakes, but then thought better of it and decided to leave some gifts for the Jin people instead. A gentle breeze swept across the land, carrying the breath of spring, as the Song army's officers stood solemnly on the city walls, awaiting the arrival of the great battle. Although it was broad daylight, the city walls were hung with torches and adorned with military flags.

  Zhao Song stood on the city wall, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, enjoying the tranquility before the war. Hou Yi stood by and repeatedly thought about what Zhao Song had just taught him to say. That day, Zhao Song learned a sentence of golden words from optics, "Open the door for your father". If the other party asked a few more questions, he would definitely be exposed, but fortunately, his luck was not bad, and he successfully took down the Yan Mountain Mansion.

  Suddenly the earth shook, and a massive cloud of dust appeared in the distance, as the mighty Jin cavalry charged forward with a fierce battle cry. Zhao opened his eyes to see three Song scouts sprinting down the road. As they caught sight of the towering walls of Yanjing City in the distance, their faces set in determination. The three men exchanged a glance, giving each other a encouraging look, before turning their horses around, drawing their swords and charging into the Jin cavalry's waves with a loud battle cry. Like a drop of water in the ocean, they vanished instantly. They deserved respect, for they died on the battlefield.

  Zhao Kan's eyes were slightly moist, but his gaze quickly became resolute. The commander-in-chief of the Golden State led a vanguard of 10,000 cavalrymen to arrive at the foot of Yanshan Prefecture, and was delighted to see the 'Guo' character flags inserted all over the place. He shouted in the Jurchen language: "Quickly open the city gate, I am Wanyan Zongwang's vanguard general Wanyan Mufeng."

  Hou Cheng hastily stepped forward and replied in a flattering tone, "My family's General Guo has long been waiting for your arrival, and at this moment is busy collecting beauties for you. He cannot come to welcome you personally, which is truly embarrassing."

  "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Hearing Guo Yao Shi say this, it seems that this repetitive little person still has some use. Although Wanyan Mufeng found it strange that the Song army was lighting torches in broad daylight, his desire for battle ultimately overcame his rationality, and he ordered the cavalry to slowly enter the city.

  The Jurchen general's golden soldiers were also gleaming with excitement, attacking and plundering Song cities was what they loved to do best - pillaging, massacring innocent people, they had long since become accustomed to looting and had lost all sense of humanity.

  The city gate slowly opened, and the cavalry divided into three teams to advance slowly due to the narrow road. However, the Jin soldiers couldn't wait any longer, and if it weren't for the general leading the army rushing in first, they would have started killing already. Wanyan Mufeng had always been fond of Han women, and although he could capture some during his raids on Song, how could they compare to the young ladies from a big city? This time, he easily took over Yan Mountain Mansion, and he was determined to enjoy himself thoroughly; otherwise, when Wanyan Zongwang arrived, he would only be left with leftover soup.

  Before long, thousands of Jin troops entered Yanshan Prefecture. As the chaos continued to unfold, it seemed that even if they arrived late, there would still be something to gain. Just as Wanyan Mufeng rode his horse slowly into the city, completely absorbed in his own fantasies, a large number of iron blocks suddenly flew down from the city walls. Wanyan Mufeng was taken aback - could this be Guo's way of welcoming the Jin army? Ah no, these things even exploded!

  Not far away, the cannons fired simultaneously, and thousands of thunderbolts were thrown into the dense Jin army cavalry. Suddenly, a deafening roar and thick smoke burst forth, and the Jin army cavalry was completely stunned by this sudden attack. Blood splattered everywhere, severed arms and corpses were seen all over, the front cavalry hastily retreated backwards, while the rear cavalry, unaware of the reason, continued to push forward, trampling more and more people to death in the chaos.

  Wanyan Mufeng was also quite talented, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to become the vanguard of the front army. In a rage, he drew his horse knife and shouted: "Charge for me, retreat and die!"

  The Jin cavalry, retreating to the gate, finally regained some morale under the leadership of Wanyan Mufeng, waving their sabers and shouting as they charged forward. They soon discovered that they were met with tens of thousands of infantrymen in neat formation, advancing steadily under the cover of thunderous cannons. The Jin cavalry's eyes were filled with frenzied enthusiasm, charging recklessly into the gun array, blood flying everywhere, their bodies pierced through, and the Jin army immediately took out bows and arrows to shoot at the gun array, instantly causing Song soldiers to fall to the ground, fortunately, only a dozen or so Jin cavalrymen fell.

  Zhao Jiong seized the opportunity, using his crossbow to aim at Wanyan Mufeng. Wanyan Mufeng was also a seasoned general, and a sense of danger made him pause for a moment. As Zhao Jiong's arrow arrived, he swung his sword to block it, deflecting the arrow, which only grazed Wanyan Mufeng's shoulder, tearing his skin. Wanyan Mufeng gritted his teeth, glaring at Zhao Jiong who was sneering at him from atop the city wall.

  Wanyan Mufeng was about to shout, but suddenly felt that the blood in his body seemed to have stopped flowing, his eyes rolled back, and he clutched at his neck with both hands in agony. He fell off his warhorse, and the last thing Wanyan Mufeng realized was that the arrow was poisoned.

  The commander-in-chief had died, and the Jin cavalry suddenly lost their courage to fight on. Although the Jin army was powerful, they were more skilled at fighting battles that were advantageous to them. The saying "one drumbeat and then decline, three drumbeats and then exhaustion" also applied to them. Moreover, at this time, the Jin army had already lost their courage to break through the enemy lines, and could only retreat. The Jin army retreated in disarray, while the Song army used thunderclap bows, arrows, and cannons to greet them with a loud welcome. Many of the cannon operators were bare-chested, yet still drenched in sweat.

  The collision between the two armies this time gave the Jin army a big gift, and the Jin army retreated in disarray, with many people falling into the moat. If it were not for the fact that they were already frightened out of their wits, they would have simply gone around it. Those who fell into the moat without injury were lucky, but those who had even a slight wound suddenly died mysteriously, which made the Jin army even more terrified, thinking that the Song army had used some kind of sorcery. The battle lasted for several hours before it finally stopped.

  Zhao Kan received the battle report, and the Song army had only a few dozen casualties, most of whom were shot by the Jin army's mounted archers. The losses of the Jin country were roughly estimated to be over 3,000, Zhao Kan thought for a moment and left dozens of wounded prisoners, and killed all the remaining Jin cavalry with one more knife. Zhao Kan ordered his troops to clean up the battlefield immediately, replenish supplies, and wait for a larger-scale siege.

  In the afternoon, Wanyan Zongwang led his army to arrive and saw the vanguard cavalry hanging their heads in despair and without any will to fight. He was suddenly furious and after learning about the situation, he angrily beheaded several tens of soldiers who had delivered the order from Guo Yao-shi in front of tens of thousands of soldiers.

  "Mr. Fang, our military morale has been low, what should we do?" Wanyan Zongwang's face was full of worry.

  "Don't worry, sir, I have a plan to break into the Yanshan Prefecture City." Mr. Fang said with a smile.

  "I'd like to hear more about it." said Wanyan Zongwang with interest.

  Mr. Fang walked up to Wanyan Zongwang and whispered in his ear: "So, so..."

  Wanyan Zongwang's eyes lit up as he listened, and he smiled: "Sir, you are a man of great talent. After the city is taken, sir should be the first to receive credit."

  "It was all General Zongwang's idea, I'm just following orders." Mr. Fang said with a faint smile.

  Wanyan Zongwang felt that this Mr. Fang, although originally a Han person, didn't seem so detestable after all.

  "Bring in the captives of those Song dogs and drag them before the formation." Wanyan Zongwang ordered.

  Zhao Kuang led the army to stand on the city wall and saw a dozen or so Song Dynasty generals who had been tortured beyond recognition, their heads, hands tied together with two feet each tied with a thick rope, the other end of which was tied to five war horses. Zhao Kuang's pupils slightly expanded, understanding what the Jin people wanted to do, he fiercely pounded his fist on the wall.

  These Song soldiers were all on their last gasp, their eyes dim and unfocused, having long since lost any desire for life.

  Zhao Yun gritted his teeth and said, "Go and bring those Jin captives over."

  "It is Your Highness." Hou Yi led the order and left.

  Mr. Fang from the Jin army stepped forward and said, "Listen up, Song army above! In no time, our great Jin army will attack the city. If you surrender now, General Wan-yen Zong-wang will give you a way out. But if you dare to resist, these people will be your fate." Mr. Fang waved his hand, and five Jin soldiers galloped forward on horseback. The central soldier struggled to lift his head and looked at the distant Yanshan Prefecture, with a hint of relief in his eyes.

  A "chi" sound, blood mist and broken bones scattered everywhere, the lives that were once full of vitality instantly became fragmented. Many city guards vomited while leaning against the wall.

  "Are you going to surrender?" Mr. Fang asked again. Seeing no movement on the city wall, he raised his hand once more, and Zhao Jiong angrily shouted: "I will surely grind your bones into powder."

  Mr. Fang burst out laughing: "Do you think I'm afraid of your threats? The Great Song will be destroyed, and you will die without a place to bury."

  As they spoke, another Song army soldier's body was cut into six pieces.

  Hou Yi brought the Jin captives up onto the city wall. When these Jin people saw that the Song army below had been torn to pieces, they all burst out laughing wildly.

  "Throw them down." Zhao Xian said coldly. The five Jin people were thrown off the city wall by the Forbidden Army, three of whom died instantly, and two miraculously didn't die, twisting their bodies to try and escape. Zhao Xian glanced at Hou Yi and said: "Use the oil cauldron."

  Hou Yi led several soldiers carrying a large pot of boiling oil over. Zhao Yan said calmly: "Pour."

  Boiling hot oil poured down, pouring all over the two Jin soldiers who had not yet died. In an instant, the skin and flesh of those Jin people were roasted to perfection. The shocking cries of despair shook the heavens, many people covered their ears to prevent themselves from hearing these inhuman wails, and soon the two Jin soldiers were dead.

  Mr. Fang killed one Song army, and Zhao Jie abandoned five Jin people, pouring boiling oil on them, until the soldiers of both armies were numb to the scene in front of them like hell.

  Wanyan Zongwang rushed up to grab Mr. Fang: "Mr. Fang, please stop quickly, otherwise I'm afraid our army will collapse first. It's better to follow the plan."