Chapter 404: Night Raid
Chapter 404: Night Raid
After listening to the reports from Zhou Hu and others, Xiao Xia paced back and forth in the big tent with his hands behind his back.
Xiao Xia would not be fooled. He would not believe that Wang Long would surrender to the Dangxiang people. Wang Long had the support of Prince of Qi Yang Ling. Wouldn't he be a fool if he surrendered to the Dangxiang people?
Wang Long was really cunning. He even deceived his most trusted generals. This also shows that Wang Long actually didn't trust anyone.
At this time, Chang Sun Sheng's voice came from outside, "I want to see His Royal Highness Prince Jin!"
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "Please let General Changsun in!"
After a while, Changsun Sheng rushed into the tent and said urgently: "Your Highness, Wang Long is an extremely cunning man. He must have pretended to surrender to the Tanguts, but in fact he fled back to Jiaohe County."
Xiao Xia nodded, "I actually thought of that, he should flee to Luoyang to seek refuge with the King of Qi!"
"I have determined that he will go to the other side of the Yellow River. I am willing to lead an army to intercept him."
Xiao Xia said calmly: "Let him go!"
"This is too cheap for him."
Xiao Xia smiled, "After all, his daughter is the favorite concubine of the King of Qi. Although I am not afraid of the King of Qi, if Wang Long is really killed, the King of Qi will be instigated by the pillow talk and will definitely take revenge on you or your family. General Changsun, I don't want you and your family to be harmed by the King of Qi."
Chang Sun Sheng was stunned for a moment, and was truly moved. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, I will always remember your kindness!"
Xiao Xia smiled. There were some things he couldn't say to Chang Sun Shengming. It was actually a good thing that Yang Ling had a treacherous and despicable person like Wang Long by his side.
Since Wang Long is going to seek refuge with the King of Qi, why not do it?
After eliminating the noise of Wang Long, Xiao Xia set his sights on Chishui City.
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia called Pei Xingyan over and said to him with a smile: "Chishui City is the northern gate of Jishi City. We always attack Chishui City first and then Jishi City. I guess the Dangxiang people also have this habit. Let's just do the opposite. You lead 3,000 soldiers to attack Jishi City by surprise and catch them off guard."
Pei Xingyan was overjoyed and clasped his fists, saying, "I will definitely complete the task!"
Pei Xingyan led 3,000 cavalrymen southward, and he also brought 300 soldiers with high martial arts skills. They captured Jishi City in one fell swoop.
At two o'clock in the morning, Pei Xingyan led his troops to twenty miles west of Jishi City. They dismounted and continued to march on foot.
At about three o'clock in the morning, the army arrived at Jishi City.
Jishi City was also built on a cliff, with the majestic Jishi Mountain at its back. Melted water from ice and snow flowed down from the mountain and flowed right into Jishi City.
Jishi City is about the same size as Shudun City, and its garrison also numbers 500 people. Because it is built on a cliff more than ten feet high, the city wall is not very high, only a little over ten feet.
Jishi City was obviously easier to attack than Tree Stump City. It had a slope where horses could go up and down, so a Sheep and Horse City was built on the cliff. Unlike Tree Stump City, the Sheep and Horse City could only be built on the ground.
Although there is a crescent moon tonight, the weather is clear and the moonlight is still very bright, illuminating the plateau brightly at night.
Pei Xingyan had experience in attacking cities. He used the clairvoyance given to him by Xiao Xia to observe for a while. Jishi City was an earthen city with wide walls that soldiers could walk on, but no patrolling soldiers were seen on the top of the city walls. It was now three o'clock in the morning and the soldiers were probably asleep.
Just as His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin said, if Chishui City is not conquered, Jishi City will not feel a sense of crisis. Pei Xingyan handed the Clairvoyance to his men and took the long-handled horizontal sword, which was also the long-handled straight sword Xiao Xia gave him. It weighed less than 20 pounds and was very light. He could carry it on his back. He also carried a shield on his back.
According to the old rules, the three hundred soldiers temporarily lay on the ground, and he led fifty men to climb up the ramp and soon arrived at Yangma City. Yangma City was actually a cattle pen built with stones, with tens of thousands of sheep raised in it, and the war horses were raised inside the city.
Pei Xingyan led fifty soldiers along the Yangma City and went around to the west city. This place was right between Yangma City and Jishi City, with only a ten-foot-wide alley. Pei Xingyan waved his hand, and everyone quickly built a ladder. The city was only a little more than ten feet wide, so two layers of ladders were enough. Pei Xingyan had just climbed up the ladder when someone suddenly shouted. The sound came from behind him. He turned around and saw a Dangxiang soldier standing in the sheep and horse pen. He should be a soldier feeding sheep at night. From his angle, he could clearly see the ladder.
Pei Xingyan cursed himself in his heart for being so stupid. He was still careless. He should have dealt with the soldiers in the sheep and horse folds first. He couldn't take any chances! If he took any chances, something bad would happen.
But it was too late to regret. Pei Xingyan climbed up the city wall directly and jumped onto the top of the city wall. Just then, a dozen soldiers heard the shouting and got up sleepily to check. They saw a black shadow jumping onto the city wall. With a flash of cold light, two heads were chopped off.
The other soldiers were suddenly frightened awake and turned to flee. Pei Xingyan swung his straight knife and killed them, slashing each of them in the back of the neck. In an instant, he killed more than a dozen people, but two people still escaped, shouting as they ran.
"Dang! Ding! Ding! Ding!" The alarm bells sounded in the city.
At this time, more than a dozen soldiers had followed Pei Xingyan to rush up to the city. They threw down the rope ladders, and the rest of the soldiers climbed up the ladders. The three hundred soldiers who were ambushing at the foot of the mountain also rushed up the slope.
In the distance, three thousand Sui army soldiers rushed up in a black mass.
On the top of the city wall, three hundred soldiers from the left and right rushed towards Pei Xingyan and his men. Fifty Sui soldiers were divided into two teams and, under the leadership of the main general Pei Xingyan, fought fiercely with the enemy to protect the ten-foot-wide passage to the upper city.
Arrows came like raindrops, and the soldiers raised their shields to block them. Then, the enemy rushed up with shouts. Pei Xingyan simply threw away his shield, and with great power, his long-handled straight sword flew up and down. Anyone who was touched died, and anyone who was touched died. The enemy's corpses piled up and the blood flowed like a river.
The three hundred Sui soldiers finally began to climb the city wall, one after another, and then engaged in battle. The number of Sui soldiers increased, and the enemy troops on the city wall were killed and retreated step by step. The number of people became fewer and fewer. In the end, there were less than a hundred Dangxiang soldiers left. Seeing that the number of the enemy far exceeded theirs, they were scared and scattered, fleeing for their lives.
The city gate opened, and two hundred Dangxiang defenders rushed out of the city on horseback, running down the slope, but they were greeted by a dense rain of arrows. The enemy soldiers were thrown to the ground, and they were surrounded by three thousand Sui troops, unable to get out at all, and in the end they had no choice but to die.
As dawn approached, the war finally ended. All 500 Dangxiang people in the city were killed, and none of them escaped. The Sui army occupied Jishi City.
At the same time, Xiao Xia's army also arrived at Chishui City. The 50,000-strong army surrounded Chishui City and stationed troops outside the north and south gates. Xiao Xia ordered the army to rest on the spot and attack the city at dawn. At the same time, he ordered 300 craftsmen to assemble catapults all night and they must be used tomorrow morning.
At this time, the Sui army had captured three of the four cities in Heyuan, and the fourth city was also the largest, so the Sui army was determined to win.
The next morning, as the war drums sounded, "Boom! Boom! Boom!" teams of Sui soldiers came out, and five neat formations appeared in the wilderness outside the city.
The top of the city was also filled with Dangxiang soldiers, about two thousand of them.
Xiao Xia snorted coldly. They refused to surrender despite the overwhelming force of the army. Well, he would use the Tangut soldiers in the city as sacrifices to his sword!
He turned around and asked, "Is the trebuchet assembled?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, everything has been assembled!"
"Order the trebuchets to attack the city!"
"Woo——"
The trumpet sounded, and ten large siege ladders gathered one hundred and fifty steps outside the city gate.
(End of this chapter)