Chapter 152 My Ancestors Also ate Jinlu

Under the gaze of thousands of Jin soldiers, General Li was thrown out, drawing a beautiful arc like a stone bullet, and landed heavily on the city of Jinyang. Then he gathered up his patchwork cloak, stood up and began to kill the enemy.

The Jin soldiers near the landing point were all dumbfounded. What’s the difference between this and being a god?
Asking them to resist the gods descending from the sky is simply asking too much!

The Jin soldiers on the city wall didn't even bother to stop the enemy general from getting up. They all had dazed looks on their faces and were almost kneeling down and kowtowing to beg for mercy.

"Hurry, hurry, help me escape from the city, flee to the north gate!"

Wang Jun stood with his mouth wide open for a long time, and only after he saw that General Li was rushing towards him did he urge his followers to help him escape.

To the north was the territory of Tuoba Xianbei. Wang Jun had already contacted Tuoba Yilu and was planning to marry one of his daughters to this western chief of Tuoba Xianbei.

The Tuoba clan is now divided into three major tribes. Although the western part of Tuoba Yilu does not have as many soldiers as the other two tribes, its base is in Shengle City in Dingxiang County, which happens to border Jinchang County controlled by Li's bandits, and has the greatest impact on the current situation.

Unfortunately, the other members of the Jinyang Wang family still had some shame and wanted to complete the three books and six ceremonies before they were willing to marry the Wang family girl. Wang Jun also originally thought that the situation had not yet deteriorated to the point where he had to demand the Solomon Islands to send troops, so he wasted time.

But with the enemy's fighting style, even if they attracted tens of thousands of Tuoba Yilu's soldiers, they might not be able to defend Jinyang City.

Having just witnessed the miracle of the enemy general descending from the sky, Wang Jun's followers were unable to move. Trembling, they supported their master as he walked toward the city. Unfortunately, they were caught up by General Li who was galloping towards them after only a few steps.

The remaining officials of the Jin court, including the Taiyuan prefect and Jinyang county magistrate, took advantage of the time when the enemy general was chasing Governor Wang and fled with their personal followers.

The Wei and Jin dynasties both implemented a policy of keeping the people ignorant. The uneducated soldiers regarded General Li as a god-like general and did not dare to form a formation to approach the enemy general and fight him.

In this situation, not escaping means waiting for death.

"Only the Wang family of Taiyuan will be killed. The rest of the people will not be killed if they surrender!"

After Li Hao gave a way out to this group of his followers and military soldiers who wanted to surrender, hundreds of Jin soldiers knelt down near this section of the city wall to surrender, calling themselves heavenly generals and kowtowing like pounding garlic.

Some of the smarter followers helped Wang Jun directly to General Li and said, "This is the traitor of the Wang family. We have captured him for you, General!"

The Bingzhou governor was a mediocre person, and few of his followers were loyal to him, which saved Li Hao a lot of trouble.

"My ancestors also enjoyed Jin Lu..."

Wang Jun turned pale with fright, the situation was hopeless, he knew he would die sooner or later, so he swallowed his words and hesitated to utter something that he thought was decent, but after being glared at by the enemy general, he dared not even utter the second half of the sentence.

General Li laughed out loud at the action of the Bingzhou governor. "Your ancestor Wang Shen also received the salary from the Cao family, and even before that, he received the salary from the Han Dynasty. Now you think of your ancestors also receiving the salary from the Jin Dynasty?"

"I beg you, I beg you, General, to have your men put their ring-handled swords on their waists, so that we can be a little more respectful."

Wang Jun knew that he could not escape death, so he managed to say a complete sentence.

The ring-handled sword at the waist refers to the soldiers using the iron ring at the end of the sword handle to break the lumbar vertebrae and spine of high-ranking officials. Compared with beheading, this is a quite decent way to die, and it is also a characteristic way of death during the Han, Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties.

General Li did not tolerate him and chopped off his head with a light swing of his sword. One of his followers, Wang Jun, crawled a few steps on his knees to pick up the head that was rolling away, then crawled back on his knees, held it in both hands and presented it to the general.

Seeing that he was smart, Li Hao ordered him to find a long spear and place Wang Jun's head on the top of the city wall.

The families of the soldiers defending Jinyang City were basically in Taiyuan County. After the death of the governor, the only ones left in charge were the captains who led the troops. Unfortunately, the Jin soldiers had no intention of resisting. After General Li charged a few times, the soldiers on this side of the city wall surrendered one after another.

Li Hao ordered the surrendered soldiers to lower the drawbridge and let the rebel soldiers into the city, and then quickly took over the four city walls. What followed was the part of killing the nobles that everyone loved to see.

Not only did the rebel army like to come to the homes of the gentry to kill them, but even the regular households, private households, and military soldiers under the Jin court liked to come forward to watch the fun.

Tens of thousands of people who heard the news gathered in front of the Boling Mansion of Jinyang Wang family. Taiyuan County was not far from the rebel army's territory, and the common people knew that General Li would never make things difficult for them. Therefore, even though the battle had just ended, the people of Taiyuan still walked out of their homes and squeezed into the street where the Boling Mansion was located.

When many people saw the previously high-ranking members of the Wang family being dragged out with disheveled hair, they cheered loudly and gave thumbs up.

Some people who were used to being bullied by the Wang family of Jinyang even untied their belts and waited on the roadside to urinate on the Wang family members.

The rebel soldiers did not stop them. They were busy executing military orders and had no time to abuse these nobles.

In the mansion of Duke Boling, Liu He and Liu Cong, together with the rebel soldiers, brought important members of the Wang family of Taiyuan who were captured in nearby mansions before the general.

"This is Wang Ji's son Wang Yu. His brother Wang Zhuo is currently serving in Luoyang."

Li Hao looked at the two brothers from the Liu family and asked curiously, "Why did you pick him out to answer me?"

After Liu Yuan surrendered, General Li only made him a leisurely captain, and his two sons were actually granted middle-level military positions such as Wubaizhu.

Liu He smiled and replied, "General, his father Wang Ji bought a horse farm outside Luoyang City and paved the ground with five-zhu coins. People at that time called it the Golden Ladder. He once competed with Wang Kai in luxury. Once, Wang Ji invited Sima Yan to a banquet. The dishes were so precious that even Sima Yan was quite surprised."

He was quite narrow-minded. When he was staying in Luoyang before, several families who participated in the wealth competition did not treat the Southern Xiongnu Liu family as serious friends. Every time there was a banquet, Liu Yuan's sons were the objects of ridicule by everyone.

At that time, Liu He secretly vowed to himself that he would kill all the Han dignitaries in Luoyang City in order to avenge the ridicule.

Now that he had the opportunity to kill the members of the Jinyang Wang family, he naturally tried his best to instigate General Li.

Wang Kai was a prodigal son who was competing with Shi Chong for wealth. After listening to a few words, Li Hao realized that Wang Ji's family had participated in the wealth competition in Luoyang.

"What else is there to say? Drag the men out and torture them to death, and keep the women to be divided among the rebel brothers as wives. How many mansions does he have? I will personally lead people to search them later." General Li ordered.

Liu Cong added, "Wang Ji's branch has three mansions in Jinyang, at least two mansions in Luoyang, and a horse farm."

"What about Wang Kai, who competed with Shi Chong in wealth? How many mansions did he have?" Li Hao asked again.

These high-ranking officials of the Jin Dynasty were all fat sheep. They could easily get millions of five-zhu coins by ransacking their mansions. The rewards given by the rebel army to the soldiers who were the first to reach the site were based on plundering the mansions of the high-ranking nobles.

"In reply to the general, Wang Kai is from Donghai and is Sima Yan's uncle. His family has residences in Luoyang and Donghai. When the rebel army reaches Donghai, I will take my brothers to search this house. I know the valuables in Wang Kai's house."

Li Hao felt very sorry, but just the various mansions of the Wang family in Jinyang would take him several days to plunder. After conquering Jinyang City, the rebel army did not continue to capture the various counties in Taiyuan County, but spent five days reorganizing the surrendered soldiers and confiscating the land and forts of the gentry.

Before General Li could satisfy his desire to confiscate property, Li Dai, who came from Jingxing City, chased to Jinyang City and brought the latest news on the situation in Jizhou to the general.

"Sima Lun of Luoyang sent out 30,000 soldiers and conscripted 20,000 civilians to accompany the army, claiming to be an army of 100,000. They conquered all the counties in Zhao County along the way. Currently, General Li Lian has led his men back to Jingxing Pass. Most of the people in the rebel army are safe, but they have nowhere to live, so they are making do in Leping County."

"The soldiers from Zhongshan and other countries joined forces with the soldiers from Yecheng, totaling about 40,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 civilian laborers. They successively captured the counties of Changshan County. Before I set out, General Li Ju had already gathered the brothers stationed in the counties into Jingxing City."

"The stupid emperor led the army in person, and the Luoyang army placed him on a chariot. Whenever they charged, they would place the stupid emperor's chariot in front of the battle. General Li Ju guessed that Sima Lun wanted us to kill the stupid emperor."

"The Youzhou soldiers are also gathering. They have joined forces with the Xianbei cavalry and seem to be preparing to attack our Changjun from the north. The situation is still unclear. A lot of Xuchang soldiers have also arrived in the south. My subordinates are incompetent and have not been able to detect the strength of the Xuchang soldiers."

Li Hao became excited when he heard the military intelligence.

"I was worried that they would fight among themselves and would not have time to deal with the rebels. Now, Sima Lun, Sima Ying, Sima Jiong, and Sima Zhong, all of them must die."

The Jin troops assembled in large numbers, saving General Li a lot of trouble.

Without further ado, the rebel soldiers reorganized in Jinyang City set out that day, preparing to cross the Taihang Mountains and return to the eastern territory to engage in a fierce battle.

……

On the east side of Mianshan Mountain where Jingxing Pass is located, the Jin army camp, which stretched for several miles, was bustling with activity. The conscripted laborers and craftsmen worked day and night to build ladders, siege vehicles, catapults and other siege weapons. Military officers on horseback galloped back and forth, conveying the military orders of various generals to the hands of lower-level military officers.

The soldiers armed with halberds and spears took the time to train, as sweating during training was better than bleeding during battle.

A team of cavalry came from the southeast and galloped towards the military camp of Yecheng.

Among them was Wang Dun, the Imperial Court Attendant, who came with his uncle Wang Yan.

What he saw and heard along the way made the 34-year-old consort of Emperor Wu of Jin sigh repeatedly, "The Fengwang and the Luoyang Central Army are not under the same command. On the day of attacking the pass, I don't know which one will fight the enemy to the death."

His uncle Wang Yan did not care at all and comforted his nephew, saying: "There are many armies gathered here, with thousands of brave generals leading them. There will always be people who can attack the pass. Why worry about it?"

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Jin army was now divided into two major camps, the troops under the command of the kings in the outer area headed by the King of Chengdu, and the central army in Luoyang controlled remotely by Sima Lun.

The Wang family of Langya had previously spent a lot of effort to arrange for several clansmen to serve beside Crown Prince Sima Yi. After the death of the crown prince, all the arrangements of the Wang family of Langya were in vain. Wang Yan and others were very dissatisfied, and a considerable number of clansmen supported Sima Ying's faction.

Members of the Wang clan of Langya had already come out to greet the King of Chengdu in the Yecheng army. After a brief greeting, Wang Yan took his nephew and entourage to meet the King of Chengdu.

In the central army tent, Lu Zhi, Zheng Qiu, Shi Chao, Fei Li, Yang Bin, Du Lie, Du Liang, He Yan, Du Pi and other staff and subordinates of King Chengdu were basically present, and there were even liaison persons sent by other kings.

"This is Zu Ti, the military officer of the King of Qi. This is Wang Cheng, the military officer of the King of Changshan..."

A member of the Wang clan of Langya named Wang Cheng introduced the people in the tent to his uncle Wang Yan one by one.

Wang Yan, Wang Dun and others bowed their hands in greeting, and then both sides knelt down according to their status. Then King Sima Ying of Chengdu came out from behind the screen in the tent, and everyone stood up and saluted again. After a while, they knelt down again.

"I wonder what Governor Wang thinks of the troops from Sizhou?"

Sima Ying first raised a difficult question. Although they were both Jin soldiers, the two major armies were now wary of each other like enemy forces.

The emperor was his biological brother, and the emperor led the army to war in person. As a younger brother, he should have gone to the Luoyang military camp to meet the emperor, but the King of Chengdu thought that he would be captured by the Sizhou soldiers if he went, so he quietly hid in his own camp and did not show up.

"I heard that the rebel general Li Hao is extremely brave. King Chengdu may stay in the fortified city at the rear, and leave the matter of suppressing the rebellion to the generals in the palace."

Wang Yanxian pointed out the most important point. Since King Sima Lun of Zhao was hiding in Luoyang City and refused to come out, there was no need for King Chengdu to go to the front line to supervise the battle in person.

Sima Ying said helplessly: "The emperor is in the military camp of Sizhou. If I don't come, it will be disgraceful!"

As soon as Wang Yan heard this, he realized that the King of Chengdu still had the intention of snatching the emperor away. This was good news.

He then came up with an idea, "The King of Changshan is very righteous and considerate of the overall situation. It would be better for the King of Changshan to supervise the battle at the front line and ask the King of Chengdu to return to Yecheng and wait for good news on the suppression of the rebellion."

What Wang Yan was worried about was that after hearing that the King of Chengdu had come to Jingxing Pass in person, the bandit general would rush to the military camp in Yecheng at all costs.

As long as Sima Ying is alive, no matter how many soldiers and nobles die, they can accept it.

Even the noble families hoped that the military households under the jurisdiction of the court and the Li family's bandits would be defeated. At that time, the noble families with their own private troops would be able to gain more benefits from the court.

This is exactly what Sima Ying was worried about. "The King of Changshan and the King of Zhongshan are besieging Jingxing City. If I call in the King of Changshan, what if he sends his troops to seize the emperor? Wouldn't it be a waste of my troops?"

Sima Ji, King of Zhongshan, was his man. Although Sima Yi, King of Changshan, also obeyed the orders of King of Chengdu, Sima Ying had always been secretly wary of this brother who was known for his virtue.

"It doesn't matter! It's better for the emperor to be in the hands of King Changshan than in the hands of King Zhao." Wang Yan continued to persuade Sima Ying to return to Yecheng.

He did not say it explicitly, but everyone understood that once the King of Changshan captured the emperor, and Yecheng had more soldiers and abundant food, the King of Chengdu would have the final say.

Sima Ying remained silent. Wang Cheng, the military officer sent by the King of Changshan, found the right moment to flatter him. "The King of Chengdu has put the overall situation first and invited Liu Bao, the governor of Youzhou, and the Xianbei cavalry. It is a sure thing that the rebellion of the bandits will be quelled."

Wang Cheng was born into the Wang family of Jinyang. Although this Jin army did not know the situation in Jinyang City yet, Wang Cheng had already prepared for the worst.

He planned to join the Chengdu Palace, which had more troops.

Sima Ying thought about it for a long time and felt that his life was more important, so he agreed to the proposal of Wang Yan and others.

PS: Please give me recommendation votes and monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)