Chapter 159: Tianjie tramples all the bones of the prince

The fifth day of December.

The cold wind was howling and dark clouds covered the sky, making it hard for nearly 100,000 people in Yecheng to breathe.

"Be quick!"

On the northern city wall, which is about seven miles long, the conscripted men were repairing and reinforcing the wall. The Jin army officers walking back and forth would occasionally swing their whips and whip those who were slow.

The fear caused by the bandits outside the city to the Jin army officers turned into strength when they were beating the civilians. They could not defeat the bandits outside the city who were led by the bandit general Li Hao, so they could only vent their anger on the civilians.

Tens of thousands of bandits had already arrived to five miles north of Yecheng. By leaning out of the battlements, one could clearly see the bandit scouts two or three hundred steps away outside the city. The north gate had been closed for several days, but the other three gates were still open. The Jin army in Yecheng was desperately trying to stockpile civilians, stored grain, coal and firewood outside the city into the city.

The Jin army in the city was facing a formidable enemy, but the common people did not have much energy to fight against the enemy. They were not from the aristocracy, and if they fell into the hands of the rebels, they would not suffer, and their lives would even become much better.

"Zuo Changshi has arrived~"

Suddenly, a group of heavily armored soldiers holding halberds ran to this section of the city wall, and then several important figures wearing armor on their straight-hem robes came over.

The repair and reinforcement of the city wall was still in progress, but under the supervision of the Left Chief Secretary Lu Zhi, the military officers no longer beat and whipped the civilians, but only scolded them.

When Lu Changshi was the magistrate of Ye County, he had a reputation for loving the people, and the military officers did not want to be punished by this Yecheng governor.

After ordering the laborers to make way for a few battlements, Lu Zhi personally leaned out and looked at the bandit camp in the distance, but could only vaguely see a silhouette.

The scouts outside the city could see quite a few bandits.

"The enemy troops are coming so quickly, Governor Wang is in great danger." Lu Zhi sighed in a low voice.

The news that the bandits had captured Julu County came fifteen days ago. The 260-li distance from Julu to Yecheng would take the bandits seven or eight days to march. Taking into account the days spent on detours and sieges, the bandits only had enough time to capture one city.

"No soldiers from Handan City have fled, and my uncle is still holding on. You can send armored cavalry to pass on the order and order the Handan soldiers to harass the enemy's food supply route."

Wang Cheng was quite optimistic about the situation. The Yanzhou governor Wang Yan was his distant uncle. The two were not very closely related, but they were both under the command of the King of Chengdu, so they should support each other.

This makes sense. According to the current situation, the city of Xindu was breached by the enemy troops in one fell swoop, and the fleeing Jin soldiers and officials have all retreated to the city of Handan.

"I'm afraid the Yanzhou soldiers in Handan are afraid of fighting. Moreover, the enemy troops are very powerful. If Governor Wang can defend the city, he will have done a great service to the court. Don't expect too much."

Lu Zhi did not place his hope on cutting off the bandits' food supply. He had many dealings with the bandits before. Based on Lu Changshi's understanding of the bandits, he was afraid that the bandits would rob many aristocratic strongholds along the way when they marched south, and there was no need to transport military supplies from the rear.

"Uncle has thousands of soldiers under his command. If we defend the city in vain, we will miss the opportunity. It would be better to ask the Left Chief Secretary to pass on the order and order uncle to lead the troops north to attack the enemy's nest directly, or to unite with the soldiers of Youzhou to attack and kill the bandits who followed the bandits to cause trouble."

After becoming famous at a young age, Wang Cheng loved to discuss the general situation in the world. Regardless of whether it could be implemented or not, he would first express his own views.

Now the officers and soldiers in the city were afraid of the bandits and did not dare to propose going out of the city to fight. He did the opposite and always advocated sending troops out of the city to suppress the bandits.

Hearing this, Lu Zhi pulled back his body, sighed and advised: "What is the fault of the people? The soldiers of Yanzhou are not elite, and Li the thief is very brave. The soldiers of Yanzhou dare not go to the north to fight. In this situation, it is better to hold on and wait for help."

News came a few days ago that the Yecheng army led by King Chengdu had crossed the Yellow River and joined forces with the 50,000 Xuchang troops under King Sima Jiong of Qi, and were preparing to attack Luoyang.

If Yecheng can hold out for ten days to a month, the stabilized imperial court will surely send a large army north to fight against the bandits. Now the news that the bandits are approaching Yecheng cannot be passed on to King Chengdu, in case the soldiers in Yecheng become demoralized and lose the battle.

As long as the Prince of Chengdu defeats the central army in Luoyang and captures and kills the Prince of Zhao Sima Lun, the imperial court will dispatch troops from all over the country to the north to quell the rebellion.

"Yecheng is high and has deep moats. The enemy has only 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and cannot surround the four walls. Please ask Lu Changshi to send me 1,000 elite cavalry. I will lead the troops out of the city to clear out the enemy scouts and boost our momentum."

Wang Cheng proposed again that his grandfather Wang Xiong was the governor of Youzhou, and his father Wang Yi was the general of Pingbei, both of them were from a family of generals. Wang Cheng himself was also very brave and thought it would be easy for him to lead troops to kill the bandits.

"Not right! The thief Li is also good at chasing and killing with elite cavalry. What if he leads his troops to kill our elite cavalry and follows the defeated soldiers into the city?"

Lu Zhi shook his head and rejected Wang Cheng's proposal.

Zuo Changshi knew the background of Wang Cheng and his brother Wang Yan. The two came from prominent families, and their grandfathers and fathers had been highly valued for two generations, so they were regarded as celebrities by their peers when they were young.

Wang Cheng just didn't want people to think that he gained such a high reputation by relying on his father's protection, so he always did absurd things to attract attention.

"This is inappropriate, and that is inappropriate. Is Zuo Changshi going to let the bandits besiege the city? I still have 20 soldiers who can go out of the city to fight the bandits. If we fail, I will commit suicide under the city and will never disrupt Zuo Changshi's city defense plan."

Wang Cheng volunteered to fight without hesitation.

Including the civilians gathered by the soldiers of Yecheng, the number of people in the city has now exceeded 100,000. He will not miss such a good opportunity to show off.

"Please go on your own, Mr. Wang, and don't say any more!"

Lu Zhi bowed with a cold face and, regardless of Wang Cheng's reaction, took his guards to check the repair and reinforcement of the rest of the city walls.

Wang Cheng, who was left alone, glared at Zuo Changshi, then turned away.

He originally thought that this action of his would win some praise from Lu Zhi.

Of course, even without praise, he would still go out of the city and ride his horse happily. It would be best if he circled outside the enemy camp and then came back. This would, on the one hand, mock the enemy soldiers for their lack of manpower, and on the other hand, show Lu Zhi's incompetence of staying in the battle.

What Lu Changshi thought was completely different from his. The conscripted laborers were wearing thin clothes and were still working hard in the severe winter.

"Can you hold on? Can you eat enough every day? Do you have matches to keep warm at night?"

He walked up to a few civilians and asked.

These people usually only wear a linen or ramie shirt, straw sandals on their feet, and the bottom of their trouser legs only covers their calves, revealing their dark ankles.

Even if some civilians had extra clothes, they did not dare to wear them when they were called up, for fear that they would be spotted and snatched away by the soldiers.

"I can hold on, but it's a little cold at night."

"Can you give us more wheat rice every day? We have been doing heavy work every day and we are very hungry."

A few brave civilians suggested this.

The Left Chief Clerk Lu Zhi agreed to all of them. Now was the time to recruit people, and he couldn't let the people who were doing the work feel discouraged.

The laborers who were repairing the city wall cheered. In today's world, being able to eat a few more bites of food every day is a great happiness.

Wang Cheng, who was ready to make a big splash, gathered his twenty or so followers and first rode his horse around in a show of force in crowded places such as the Yecheng Governor's Mansion, the County Government, and the East Market, attracting passers-by to look back. Along the way, he also recruited two or three hundred ruffians, idlers, and knights.

When leaving the city, the Jin soldiers did not stop him, and they even took the initiative to help lower the drawbridge in front of the city gate. Who made the Wang family of Langya famous? This Wang Cheng was a descendant of an official, and his brother Wang Yan was an important official in the court. It was a natural thing for him to open a government and become a prime minister. The military officials did not need to make things difficult for him. "Just wait and see how I, Wang Cheng, play tricks on the thief Li Hao."

Wang Cheng, dressed in heavy armor, shouted loudly.

He originally wanted to gather a group of celebrities or scholars to witness this moment, but he didn't expect that only some ruffians had the courage to run out of the city, which made Wang Cheng lose interest.

But he had just shown off his prowess on the street and his momentum was high. It would be embarrassing to go back without killing a few bandit scouts. He just hoped not to get entangled with the large group of bandit cavalry.

In order to escape back to Yecheng conveniently, Wang Cheng only took a large number of ruffians and idlers and traveled along the flat official road. The bandit scouts also avoided him when they saw his group.

"With you here, how dare the thieves get close? Just wait here on the official road and watch me kill the thieves to my heart's content."

Wang Cheng asked the audience to stay on an official road and took only twenty soldiers to hunt down the nearby bandit scouts.

None of the ruffians rode horses, only a dozen of them rode skinny donkeys. If a large group of bandits attacked, he would be ready to abandon the spectators to block the bandits' horses' hooves so that he and his men would have time to escape back to the city.

After galloping for a while, Wang Cheng's wish came true. There were only a dozen or so bandits coming to meet him.

After drawing his sword, he took the lead in the charge. The cold wind blowing on his face forced him to squint his eyes. After just a moment, the official found that his sword had been taken away and his body was under the armpit of a certain bandit soldier.

"General, please spare my life. General, please spare my life."

The reality was completely different from what he had imagined. Most of the twenty fierce private soldiers fell after only one charge, while only a few of the bandit scouts were injured.

"Wang Cheng, have you ever heard of the name of Flying Leopard?"

Wang Mi laughed. He knew the man under his armpit, but the shivering man under his armpit might not know him.

"I've heard it, the general's reputation is so far-reaching that it can make a child stop crying."

Wang Cheng said a few flattering words with trembling lips, which made General Feibao laugh continuously.

The rebel cavalry gradually gathered, and under the leadership of Wang Mi, they rushed over and surrounded the group of ruffians.

This group of ruffians did not resist, but followed General Wang Mi, the Flying Leopard, to the rebel camp with a grin on their faces. There were still many Jin soldiers in Yecheng. If the rebels broke through this fortified city, they could also follow the rebels to rob some money.

"General, I have captured an enemy general under the city. His name is Wang Cheng, the son of Ningbei General Wang Yi and the brother of Shangshu Ling Wang Yan. I have also captured 20 war horses and driven more than 270 ruffians into the camp."

In the central army tent, Wang Mi reported the captured spoils to the general.

This achievement came so strangely that Wang Mi was a little surprised.

"Twenty horses?"

Li Hao was a little surprised. Wang Mi's luck was too good. He could capture so many enemy horses just by patrolling outside the camp.

Throwing Wang Cheng under his armpit to the ground, Wang Mi clasped his fists and pleaded, "This man is Wang Cheng, born in the Wang family of Langya, and is quite famous. The general will be able to use him in the future."

The implication of his words was obvious. He was begging the general not to kill Wang Cheng as a sacrifice now, but to give him a chance to make meritorious service.

After hearing that the burly man in the tent was the rebel general Li Hao, Wang Cheng quickly turned his head and prostrated himself before the general, shouting:
"General, the Yanzhou governor Wang Yan stationed in Handan City is my uncle, and his subordinate Wang Dun is my cousin. If the general is interested, I can enter Handan City to persuade these two to surrender."

"I see that the tent where the great general lives has the aura of an emperor. The change of ownership of the artifact is the will of heaven. Yecheng must be the foundation of the great general's enthronement."

"The Sima clan is constantly fighting among themselves, and many of the princes are incompetent and immoral. Sima Ying is even more of a layman, and is far from being able to win the support of the people. With such a kingdom, when will the general take it?"

This man had said all he could say. His words were quite heroic, but his kneeling posture was timid, which made the rebel officers in the tent laugh.

"You also want to persuade him to come?" Li Hao ordered his men to take him away and detain him. "Next time when we attack the city, let him and that group of ruffians climb the ladder first to attack the city."

Persuading the emperor to ascend the throne and following the emperor are both top-level merits. It is impossible for General Li to let any prisoner get the credit for persuading the emperor to ascend the throne.

Wang Chengru was hit hard. He had never thought from childhood to adulthood that he would have to climb ladders and attack the city like the lowly soldiers.

This blow made him dazed for a moment, and even his speech became clumsy.

After the rebel guards took Wang Cheng away, they began to discuss the details of the siege again in the central army tent.

It is now the 39th and 49th day of the winter solstice. The moat of Yecheng has frozen, but it is not completely frozen. A line of people may be fine if they walk across it, but it is hard to say about the siege equipment.

Although the rebels also brought trench bridges that could cross the moat, the moat of Yecheng was about ten to twenty feet wide. Most of the trench bridges of the rebels were captured from the Jin army and were only three to five feet wide. Multiple trench bridges had to be pieced together to cover the moat.

As a result, the time it takes to push the siege weapons to the city was delayed a lot.

"I still advocate the previous proposal to wait for a few days until the moat is frozen solid before attacking the city."

The person who spoke was Li Ji, a man of mild temperament who only cared about doing things in a safe way.

"The trench bridge has been successfully assembled, with a total of four bridges. We can attack the city before dawn and catch the enemy off guard." Zhonglang Jiang Lu Rong suggested.

In order to successfully capture Yecheng, the rebel army brought all the surrendered soldiers with them on their way south, and also conscripted a large number of civilian laborers, so they had sufficient manpower.

The catapult specially made for the general has also been made. The rebels only used this tactic when attacking Jinyang. The Jingxing Road between Jinyang City and Jizhou, Yecheng and other places was also occupied by the rebels. Separated by the Taihang Mountains, Mianshan Mountains and other mountains, the defenders of Yecheng probably didn't know about this.

Of course, even if they knew it, it wouldn't hurt, as they couldn't do anything effective.

"Give the civilians enough clothes to keep them warm, then we can cook at four o'clock in the morning and attack the city at five o'clock. Slaughter all the chickens, ducks, geese and sheep looted from the fort today, and give the soldiers and civilians two good meals tonight and tomorrow morning."

After capturing various cities and forts, the rebels seized a considerable amount of clothing, some of which were stripped from dead bodies.

But in today's world, no one is averse to these things. Some civilians who followed the army south were wearing thin clothes, so Li Hao ordered the extra clothes to be distributed to ensure that everyone's clothes could withstand the severe cold.

This practice has greatly enhanced the loyalty of the civilians to the rebel army. A middle-aged man who can survive to this day must have a strong character. A piece of clothing is indeed not a valuable item, but it can reflect the attitude of the rebel army towards the people.

This attitude was much better than the Jin government's collection of three kilograms of hemp and cotton from every household every year.

After deciding the time to attack the city, Li Hao emphasized again: "After the city is captured, all the Zhonglang Army, Xiaowei, and Wubaizu must manage their subordinates well and remember not to set fire. The brocade clothes and silks in Yecheng are ours."

The bones of nobles may be trampled on the streets, but the fine goods in the inner treasury cannot be burned to ashes, as they still need to be worn by the living.

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(End of this chapter)