Chapter 706: Sneak Attack on Liyang
Chapter 706: Sneak Attack on Liyang (Part )
Zhang Jue was surprised and asked, "Didn't Lord Meng Hai surrender to Zhang Xutuo?"
Fang Yanzao smiled and said, "Zhang Xutuo didn't trust Meng Haigong, so he imprisoned him and more than a thousand of his men in Dong'e County. Later, Zhang Xutuo was defeated by us, and Meng Haigong took the opportunity to kill the guards and fled to Hebei with more than a thousand men, and fled to Dou Jiande. Dou Jiande had an old relationship with him and thought highly of him, so he appointed him as the general manager of Liyang Warehouse and led 30,000 troops to guard Liyang Warehouse."
Zhang Jue smiled and said, "Mr. Meng Hai is a mediocre man. Dou Jiande used mediocre generals to defend Liyang. Mr. Fang thinks highly of him."
At night, a patrol of thirty soldiers was lined up on the east city wall, patrolling back and forth. Suddenly, a volley of arrows was shot from behind the battlements. The soldiers were caught off guard and fell down one after another. Zhang Jue led his men to jump out, slit the throats of all thirty soldiers, stripped off their armor, and threw their bodies into the courtyard.
At this moment, someone in the south suddenly shouted loudly. An accident happened. A dozen soldiers ran to the east city to sleep and happened to see the scene of the surprise attack on the patrol team.
A dozen soldiers jumped up and shouted. Zhang Jue saw that things were going to get bad, so he immediately ordered, "Fire!"
The soldiers lit three torches and placed several ladders outside the city.
At this time, the alarm bell rang at the South City Gate, and countless soldiers rushed over. Zhang Jue shouted, "Follow me!"
He swung his spear and led three hundred soldiers to attack the enemy with spears, and the two armies immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
At this time, a large number of soldiers rushed in from outside the city and climbed up the ladders. Hundreds of troops from the north also rushed over, but were intercepted by the soldiers who climbed up to the top of the city first. The two armies fought on the east top of the city.
As more and more soldiers entered the city, the soldiers defending the city could no longer hold on and began to retreat.
Lord Meng Hai was sleeping soundly with his concubine in his arms when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of an alarm. His personal guards shouted outside the door, "Marshal, it's the South City alarm!"
Meng Haigong was shocked and stood up quickly, not even bothering to put on his armor, and shouted, "Return to the barracks immediately!"
Duke Meng Hai was well aware of the serious consequences. If he was blocked at the city gate by the enemy, the 30,000 troops guarding Liyang Warehouse would undoubtedly be defeated.
Lord Meng Hai mounted his horse and rushed towards the North City with his five-year-old son Meng Jin and more than a hundred personal soldiers. His two sons had died in the battle, leaving only his youngest son born to his concubine, who was his dearest to him.
At this time, the Wagang Army had already occupied the east city wall, and a large number of troops had rushed into the city, causing chaos.
Meng Haigong ran to the north city and shouted: "Open the city gates quickly!"
What responded to him was a volley of arrows. His personal soldiers were shot and fell off their horses one after another. The north end of the city had been captured by the Wagang Army. Meng Haigong had no choice but to turn around and leave, but it was too late. Suddenly, an army rushed out from behind him, led by the general Shan Xiongxin. Three thousand soldiers surrounded Meng Haigong.
Meng Haigong recognized Shan Xiongxin and shouted, "Brother Xiongxin, I am Lao Meng, do you remember me?"
Shan Xiongxin laughed, "If Brother Meng surrenders, I will know you!"
Shan Xiongxiong waved his hand and three thousand crossbows were aimed at Meng Haigong. Meng Haigong looked at his young son and had to dismount and surrender.
While taking over Liyang County, Li Mi personally led an army of 80,000 to surround the defending camp. Meng Haigong was released into the camp, and his young son Meng Jin fell into the hands of the Wagang Army, so there was no need to worry that he would be dishonest.
Soon, a white flag was raised above the gate of the military camp, and teams of soldiers came out with their hands raised in surrender. Li Mi stroked his beard and laughed triumphantly. With a little trick, he not only captured the Liyang warehouse, but also gained 30,000 surrendered soldiers.
On December 15, half a month before the New Year, the Wagang Army successfully captured Liyang County and Liyang Warehouse. The 30,000 defenders surrendered, and the Wagang Army immediately occupied Ji County. After obtaining Liyang Warehouse, 200,000 Wagang recruits were immediately equipped. The Wagang Army exceeded 300,000. Li Mi did not stop, and the army continued to march north, defeating Dou Jiande's Wei Army and capturing Wei County on the last day of December.
This undoubtedly dealt Dou Jiande a heavy blow.
Dou Jiande had no intention of celebrating the New Year. On the first day of the New Year, he immediately summoned important civil and military officials to discuss matters.
Dou Jiande's Prince of Wei's Palace was in Changle County, Xindu County. Although it was far away from the Wagang Army, if he sat back and did nothing, soon Qinghe County, Wuyang County, Xiangguo County, and Wu'an County in the south would be lost.
Dou Jiande was very dissatisfied and said, "I didn't expect the Wagang Army to move north so quickly. In just one month, they captured two of our important counties and also seized Liyang Warehouse. It was useless for me to deploy 30,000 troops in Liyang Warehouse. Are my men so incompetent?"
The counselor Ling Jing said: "Your Highness, don't be discouraged. Although the Wagang Army succeeded in their surprise attack, it doesn't mean we are incompetent. The Wagang Army had been planning for a long time, but we were not prepared. They were caught off guard, so the Wagang Army succeeded quickly. But if we had been prepared, the Wagang Army would not have been so successful."
The Minister Song Zhengben also said: "Victory and defeat are common in the military, and a defeat is normal. Your Majesty must not lose your composure. I have an idea for dealing with the Wagang Army!"
Dou Jiande had gradually calmed down, and said, "Please speak, Minister!"
Song Zhengben stroked his beard and smiled, "Wang Shichong also hates the Wagang Army. Moreover, the Wagang Army's occupation of Ji County poses a great threat to Henei County. Why don't we form an alliance with Wang Shichong and deal with the Wagang Army together? Even if we can't destroy the Wagang Army for the time being, we can still drive them out of Hebei."
Another strategist, Kong Deshao, also said, "When Wang Shichong ascended the throne, the prince did not send anyone to congratulate him, so this time he sent people to Luoyang in the name of congratulations to discuss an alliance!"
Dou Jiande hesitated and said, "The Wagang Army has already captured Ji Wei and cut off our way to Luoyang. We can't go to Luoyang with a big fanfare, so we can only send people there secretly."
Although Dou Jiande was very reluctant to acknowledge Wang Shichong, considering the aggressiveness of the Wagang Army, Dou Jiande decided to acknowledge Wang Shichong's ascension to the throne and sent his trusted men disguised as merchants to Luoyang.
The military operations of the Wagang Army at the end of the year also disrupted the New Year celebrations in the south of the Yangtze River.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Xiao Xia also convened a meeting of advisors. The number of advisors had increased from six to seven, and Pei Ju was appointed as the cabinet advisor by Xiao Xia.
The 19 ministers rescued by the inner guards this time were all given important positions. Not only did Pei Ju become an advisor to the cabinet, but another veteran minister, Cui Junsu, was also appointed as an inspector by Xiao Xia. Cui Junsu was famous for his impartiality. Other officials were also given real positions.
Xiao Xia said slowly: "Before, Li Mi gave up attacking Luoyang and withdrew from Luokou, I guessed that he might want to develop towards Hebei. Now he has led his army to capture Ji County and Wei County in succession and has established a foothold in Hebei. He will inevitably be counterattacked by Dou Jiande, and even Wang Shichong will send troops from Henei County to attack the Wagang Army. This means that the time is ripe for our second Northern Expedition. Regarding the Northern Expedition, I would like to hear your opinions!"
There was a moment of silence in the hall, and Gao Jiong spoke up, "Your Highness, we all support the Northern Expedition, but we hope that Your Highness can consider it more carefully. For example, Your Highness mentioned the struggle between Wang Shichong, Li Mi, and Dou Jiande, but did not mention Li Yuan in Chang'an. Did Your Highness overlook it, or do you have other plans?"
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "Li Mi is a member of the Guanlong nobles. If he is in a critical situation, he will definitely ask for help from the Guanlong nobles. However, Li Yuan sent 50,000 troops to station in Shan County, but Li Mi took the initiative to withdraw from Hulao Pass. This is undoubtedly a betrayal of the tacit cooperation with the Tang Wang army. Li Yuan may not be willing to help him at this time. Of course, if Luoyang is empty and Li Yuan sees an opportunity, he may send cavalry to raid Luoyang, but Li Yuan's sending of troops has nothing to do with my second Northern Expedition."
"What is the goal of your highness's second northern expedition?" Su Wei asked puzzledly.
Xiao Xia said calmly: "Take over all the land south of the Yellow River and east of Hulao Pass."
Everyone was very excited. If the Second Northern Expedition was successful, wouldn’t it mean they could take over the Central Plains?
(End of this chapter)