On October 20, the sixth year of Guanghe's reign, the outer city of Ye City was destroyed.
The first person to attack the city was Xu Huang. He was the vanguard of the assault cavalry in this battle. In the previous battle at Xingyang, he killed one Han military captain, three powerful commanders, and six Han army flags. The general from the team was promoted to the general of the garrison.
When leading the vanguard to gallop across the Jin Bridge in Zhangshui, he keenly noticed that several Han army officials were piling firewood and soaking it with grease, preparing to burn the Jin Bridge.
Xu Huang's hands were like lightning, and he shot three arrows from his horse, directly killing the Han soldiers who were about to burn the bridge. Then he rushed across Jinqiao with his troops without stopping.
The Han soldiers at the city gate were closing the door hard, but Xu Huang and others came too quickly. Facing the high-speed galloping horses, the Han soldiers at the gate collapsed without a fight.
The Han soldiers were still fleeing. Xu Huang's subordinate Yue Jin swung off his horse like an ape, and then rushed to the city gate with a few people to open the passage for Xu Huang's Tuqi Tun behind.
At this moment, two Han soldiers suddenly jumped out, one with a sword and the other with a sword, attacking Yue Jin from the left and the right. Obviously, when Pao Zedu abandoned the door and left, these two people chose to stay and be loyal to their duties.
Facing the sudden attack, Le Jin didn't panic at all. He grabbed the spear with his left hand and kicked the opponent over with one kick. He used his right hand to knock off the opponent's knife with his ring-shaped sword, and then knocked the man over with the ring of the knife.
The Taishan cavalrymen who caught up behind them immediately captured the two Han soldiers. Apparently after having been under Le Jin for a long time, he knew that he could kill without killing anyone, and he particularly admired such brave warriors.
In fact, this hobby is not only because of Le Jin's nature, but also because he has benefited from it.
On the same day, he was picked out from the pile of dead people on the battlefield by Zheng Da. Le Jin also asked Zheng Da to come out with one of his men. This person was Wuqiu Xing, a Hedong official of the Han army.
When Guan Qiu Xing was demonstrating his power in front of Guan Yu's formation, Yue Jin on the right side of the battlefield saw this man. Later, when he followed Xu Huang to charge the Han soldiers' left formation, his horse general hit Guan Qiu Xing. It flew away. Later, he himself was knocked over and fainted.
So after Le Jin was rescued by Zheng Da, he immediately thought of this person. Because he understood that this person was his destiny.
Sure enough, because he captured a distinguished enemy general as a soldier, Le Jin not only was not punished for being knocked unconscious and left behind after the war, but was also promoted to the position of a general. Who would not call him good luck?
But it was a pity that Guanqiu was angry. After he was captured alive, he not only cursed the Taishan army, but also bit a doctor who was treating him, and then the man was executed.
In fact, even if this person hadn't been like this, he probably wouldn't have survived.
Why? Because he killed prisoners in front of Guan Yu's formation. He had fought fiercely before, causing Wu Zibu to suffer heavy losses. Guan Yu wouldn't mind it at all, because this is the battlefield, and everyone has his own master. But he dared to kill in front of Guan Yu's formation. Captured? Guan Yufei chopped him up alive.
Le Jin casually dealt with the two loyal and brave Han soldiers, pushed open the city gate with his men, and then retreated to both sides.
After that, Xu Huang pinched the horse's belly and took the lead, leading the troops to rush in.
When one of the military officials passed by Le Jin, he threw the water bag on his horse's neck to Le Jin, and then rushed into Yecheng without looking back.
Le Jin took a look and saw that the knight was his old official Chang Mao Shao, and the one next to him was his personal companion Jia Bao. This Jia Bao still had time to turn around and smile at Le Jin.
Le Jin felt warm in his heart. He picked up Mao Shao's water bag and took a big sip, then handed it to his subordinates.
Looking at Mao Shao, Le Jin could only envy Xiao Jia's ability to enter the city. The military order he received was to guard the city gate with people at the gate.
After Xu Huang led his troops in, he was very happy to see the battalions of the assault cavalry also entering from the city gate. Only then did he have the opportunity to really see the majestic appearance of their assault cavalry.
The one carrying the flying dragon flag is the cavalry general Li Hu, who is also his immediate minister. It is said that the old officer was one of the seventy-five people who followed Qu Commander in the Yiyi Rebellion, and he led one of the most skilled troops in the cavalry army.
Seeing Li Hu looking at him, Le Jin subconsciously raised his chest and saluted. Li Hu nodded approvingly and continued into the city with the guards and flags. Only Le Jin, who was blushing, stayed in the east of Yecheng.
Door.
After the flying dragon general Li Hu entered the city, he was followed by a tiger flag. It was obvious that the cavalry general Yan Gangbu was coming.
This cavalry army was as arrogant as their generals. They ignored Le Jinshi who was guarding the city gate, leaving only hoofs full of gravel and sand for Le Jin and the others to eat.
Le Jin's men yelled at the knights of the Yan Gang Department, but no one stepped on them.
Soon, the cavalry unit with a giant clam flag also entered the city following Yan Gang's unit. This was Xu Zhong, the cavalry unit general.
This cavalry was newly formed, and most of the soldiers were prisoners from Yingyang and Xingyang wars. Xu Zhong was a hero in Yingchuan. After the war in Yingyang, he led the Yingchuan rangers to join the army and now he became a general of cavalry.
Looking at these flags embroidered with various patterns, Le Jin was filled with ambition.
What is the most basic combat unit of the Taishan Army? For example, when performing some specific tasks, the unit is based on the unit. For example, when he enters and pushes the city gate, the unit is based on the unit.
Further up, the most important thing is the generals. Each unit of the Taishan Army is an independent battalion, with its own number, military flag, and golden drum. Each unit of the Taishan Army can perform independent combat missions.
Therefore, for grassroots military officials like Le Jin, the biggest dream is to be promoted to general, to lead an army alone, and to raise their flag on the battlefield.
Now there are three kinds of military flags walking past Le Jin, which means that three assault cavalry have entered the city. One has four hundred cavalry, which is a total of one thousand two hundred cavalry. How long has it been? How long has it been since our assault?
The ride is really as fast as lightning.
Suddenly, Le Jin saw a large banner with the words "Hurious Invasion" written high on it. He became very excited and knew that this was Tian Jun, the general of Mount Tai's sudden cavalry.
Sure enough, under the banner stood a heavily armored general. Although he looked small in stature, he was full of killing blows. It was Tian Jun, the general who Zhang Chong relied on as a pillar.
Four years ago, Tian Jun was just a riding slave with a wretched figure. Not to mention his murderous aura, his existence itself was a joke. But now, why can everyone see that the current Tian Jun has the aura of a dragon and a tiger?
On the one hand, it is to maintain one's position and nourish one's energy. People like Tian Jun who kill many people have a cold disregard for life. People are also killed from nature. This kind of temperament of natural enemies and beasts cannot be conscious of.
In addition to this, there is also the aura that comes with the superior. When the inferior sees the superior, no matter how unruly they feel, they still feel that the superior must be a hero, otherwise how could they occupy such a high position? So in the end, they still feel
There is a feeling of inferiority to others.
At this time, Le Jin looked at Tian Jun with such a color, with respect and admiration in his heart. This time he did not dare to look directly at Li Hu like he did before, but consciously lowered his head.
After Tian Jun's banner was placed at the gate of the city, he stopped entering. This position was just right. It could not only boost morale, know the situation in the city at any time so that he could dispatch his troops, but it was also relatively safe and not in danger.
Tian Jun stood under the banner, waving his riding whip casually, and then the guard pointed in the direction of Le Jin and said something to Tian Jun.
Then, a guard called Le Jin to come forward, and General Tian wanted to see him.
Le Jin hurriedly went up to the foot of the big banner to pay homage to Tian Jun.
Then I heard Tian Jun smile heartily:
"Are you Le Jin?"
Le Jin was flattered and quickly said yes.
Tian Jun then encouraged Le Jin, gave Le Jin a Huanshou knife, and then let Le Jin go.
Le Jin excitedly went back to guard the city gate, while Tian Jun watched him go down with approval. In fact, Tian Jun already knew about Le Jin.
Commander Qu had a booklet in his hand, which recorded the names of some people in the army. Some were already well-known generals in the army, and some were unknowns like Le Jin. It was unclear what Commander Qu's criteria were for selecting people.
In short, Qu Shuai specifically took care of Tian Jun and asked him to pay more attention to cultivating Le Jin. It was because of Qu Shuai's suggestion that Tian Jun handed over the task of seizing the city gate to Le Jin and the others. Otherwise, what do you think?
, can this kind of military exploits be awarded to anyone casually?
Whenever a person in a superior position employs people, he will definitely give the people below him the opportunity to perform meritorious deeds, so that when he rises to the top, he can convince the public. This is deliberate training. Of course, if he wants to take down someone, he will also give people the opportunity to do something. Because he has done something.
Only then will mistakes be made.
So, doing things can be done for meritorious service or for punishment. This is the way of employing people based on reality and reality.
Soon, the three cavalry units that entered the city sent battle reports one after another. Li Hu's troops, who were the first to enter the city, defeated a small group of enemies and successfully captured the grain warehouse in the northeast of the city. They then bypassed the county governor's office, which was a way for the troops who entered the city later to
Of the Ding Sheng Department.
Tian Jun is not a solitary person, otherwise his popularity in the military would not be so good.
There was a group of brave men who were urgently recruited in the city. When they saw that both the south gate and the east gate had fallen, they could no longer be used and fled in all directions.
When Zhang Ze, the prefect of Wei County, lost the southern city gate, he was supported by the guards and retreated to the inner city.
The inner city had enough grain and armor. When the Hebei Yellow Turbans attacked Yecheng, they also captured the outer city, but in the end they were defeated in the inner city.
This time Zhang planned to repeat his old tricks.
However, the county official Feng Fang saw that his prince wanted to return to the inner city to defend the city, so he urged him to withdraw from the city temporarily and go north to Handan first to catch up with the 3,000 Yecheng soldiers who had been mobilized here, and then go south with the Handan soldiers to suppress the bandits.
Now the disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great. We cannot focus on the gains and losses of one city, so we should quickly retreat from this dead place.
Obviously, this is a very pragmatic suggestion. Let Zhang Ze keep his body available and come back later.
Zhang Ze was obviously also moved, but he felt that he was the prefect of Wei County and had the responsibility to defend the territory, so he did not dare to abandon the city and escape. He only ordered a group of soldiers to rush out from the north city gate to catch up with Yecheng, which had set off two days ago.
The soldiers returned to assist, and he planned to hold on in the inner city.
But the despair of the war exceeded Zhang Ze's expectation. He had just entered the inner city and was preparing to recruit the disciples from the inner city into an army with a heavy sum of money. Almost all the people living in the inner city were government officials. In addition to the officials, there were thousands of government disciples.
Slave.
But before Zhang Ze could give the order, Chengbei Lieutenant who was guarding the north of the city led hundreds of city gate officials and abandoned the gate and left. The rest also abandoned their armor and surrendered their armor to the oncoming Taishan Army.
Because the North City was empty, the families in the city did not want to resist, so they ran out of the North City with their relatives. For a while, people in the city were panicked and in chaos.
When Zhang Ze returned to the inner city, the officials in the southeastern city did not know at all. After seeing that the east gate was lost, they each looked for a way out.
Chief Jin Cao, who was guarding the county treasury, took the lead in fleeing in the name of going to the inner city to pay his salary. But in fact, he did not carry any gold or coins with him. He even saw Zhang Ze on the top of the city after passing through the inner city.
, he did not enter the inner city, but left the city without any hesitation.
Obviously, there are many smart people in the city. They know that this time is different from before, and defending the inner city will definitely lead to death.
Chief Jin Cao was making proof, and more than a hundred other officials, big and small, imitated the example, either changing into single clothes and sneaking into private houses, or setting up bullock carts and taking their families to flee north. For a time, those who walked towards the north city gate felt like they were rushing into the sea.
These doomsday scenes were all seen by the disciples in the inner city. Seeing that the great figures in the past were like bereaved dogs, these disciples were unwilling to work for the Han Dynasty. Even the elites of the Han Dynasty were unwilling to do it.
When there is blood, wouldn't it be ridiculous to expect these cattle and horses to work hard? The soldiers dispersed in a hurry, and even opened the inner city gate to welcome the Taishan army.
Zhang Ze on the top of the city looked desperately at the farce below. He smiled sadly and said to Feng Fang beside him:
"I regret that I didn't listen to you, which caused you and me to suffer this disaster."
Feng Fang sighed, bowed deeply to Zhang Ze, then untied his seal and lowered his ribbon, took off his sleeves, and hurriedly left the city to escape.
Zhang Ze looked in the direction of Kyoto and seemed to see Mangdang Mountain. He sighed, turned around and jumped down from the top of the inner city.
Over there, after defeating a wave of dizzy Minzhuang soldiers, Yan Gang fought his way to the government office area of Yecheng. The household registration, gold warehouse, and money warehouse are all here, which is also a key point in the city.
There are still some county officials in the government district. They are polite and honest, but what can they do to the situation without a chicken? They can only die to thank the emperor for his kindness. Some commit suicide by swallowing gold, and some commit suicide by taking medicine. As for why there is dove wine in the official temple
, which is naturally used by some criminals to show their dignity.
But there is great terror between life and death, and many hardships are worth death. Many county officials took half of the medicine, shook like chaff, and fainted directly. The servants at home wanted to escape with their husbands, but they were killed as soon as they left the official temple.
When Yan Gang and others came, they were all killed and their bodies were abandoned by the roadside.
As soon as Yan Gang entered, he wanted to find the chief of the warehouse. Under the guidance of several crying servants, Yan Gang cut open the wall and took out the chief of the warehouse, and got the key to the treasury.
After the war, after counting, the Taishan Army seized a total of 300 million yuan in the Yecheng warehouse, 60,000 shi of corn in the Fu warehouse and Changping warehouse, as well as a large amount of armor and equipment, and countless military supplies.
Before long, the Taishan Army defeated the last wave of powerful tribes and rebels in the city, and finally captured all the important places in the city. After that, the various tribes that entered the city began to designate camps and recruit soldiers to calm the people.
The Taishan Army's military discipline has always been very good. This time in Yecheng, it once again demonstrated the king's style of being a righteous soldier without committing any crime.
As soon as they settled in the city, the ministries hired guides from Yecheng and began to preach to the people in each district the Taishan Army's policy of entering the city. Not only did they promise not to take a grain of grain from the people, but they also promised to treat everyone equally, and all officials and people were given three years' tax.
Whenever a group is preached, a yellow cloth is posted, and those who come forward and are willing to serve are immediately appointed as group leaders and village leaders to supervise each other with security guards.
At the time of Shenshi, the Taishan Army's generals entered the city, and Zhang Chong established the military headquarters in the county government. Once the backbone arrived, the Taishan Army officially began to open warehouses and release grain, and began to provide relief to the poor in the city.
Some people who could not survive in the city were still attached to the former official and temple disciples. After knowing that the Taishan Army was an army for poor people like them, they decisively joined the army and became the first batch of Hebei people under the command of the Taishan Army.
At this time, the name of the Taishan Army was Taishan, but there were people from all over the country. Some were from Yanzhou, some were from Qingzhou, some were from Xuzhou, some were from Yuzhou, some were from Sili, and now there were also people from Jizhou. One day, this Taishan Army General
With the ambition of the world, we can conquer all the poverty in the world and create peace in this world.
The news of Yecheng's destruction quickly spread throughout Wei County. Especially Lu Zhi, who was presiding over the siege of the city, was even more horrified when he received the news.
The Taishan thieves deployed their troops so quickly. The battle lasted hundreds of miles and lasted only twenty days. The direction of the troops was unpredictable. They thought they would appear in Hanoi, but they flew across Yecheng directly. This made Lu Zhi doubt the soaring sky.
The general is as powerful as the overlord of Western Chu, just like the Battle of Pengcheng.
In fact, the reason why Zhang Chong was able to maintain such an efficient march during the movement was because the Taishan Army was good at mobile warfare.
Zhang Chong pays attention to discovering fighter opportunities in movement and destroying enemies in movement. Therefore, whether it is the Battle of Two Rivers, the Battle of Yingyang, or this Battle of Yecheng, the Taishan Army has traveled hundreds of miles, and at critical moments
Intersperse into weak and critical areas of the enemy, and always pay attention to seizing the initiative in combat.
Moreover, this time they made use of nearly a thousand canal boats parked in Xingyang and Aocang, and used the water network of Heshuo as transportation to go down the river, fully preserving the physical strength of the soldiers, and there were sufficient Aocang millets on board.
Fully fed, the morale of the whole army was high. Later, the Taishan Army replaced the exhausted Guan Yu's troops in Liyang. While streamlining the team, their combat effectiveness was significantly improved.
Precisely because the Taishan Army was always faster than the Han Army, the so-called strategy of blocking in the north and pursuing in the south planned by Zhang Wen, the general of Zhendong, was completely turned into a paper theory.
Lu Zhi's emotion was on the one hand, and his fear on the other. He knew that he had lost the battle with Lieren. He had not lost to the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans in the city, but to the Taishan soldiers in Yecheng.
Because Yecheng's position on the Zhang River is too important. It is just upstream of Liren. As long as the Taishan army moves south along the Zhang River, Lu Zhi cannot stop it.
If Lu Zhi does not retreat now and lets the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans in the city know that Yecheng upstream has been captured by Taishan bandits, the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans will definitely come out of the city to bite him.
When the time comes, when the Taishan bandits come down and join forces with the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, the Han soldiers in Hebei will definitely lose.
In fact, with the appearance of the Taishan Army on the Hebei battlefield, Lu Zhi had clearly realized that the Yellow Turban Army had completely overwhelmed the Han army in terms of military strength on the Hebei battlefield.
In terms of quantity alone, there are 100,000 Yellow Turbans in Hebei and 50,000 Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. The number of Taishan bandits is unclear, but more than 10,000 is still small, so there are 160,000 troops. In terms of the quality of the soldiers, only the Taishan bandits are
Their troops are comparable to the Han troops in Hebei. No matter what, the Han troops in Hebei are absolutely at a disadvantage.
Therefore, not only did they immediately retreat from Lieren, they even had to retreat directly to Handan and hold on until the Han soldiers in Henan arrived on the battlefield. No matter how ugly it is, if things go wrong, they would have to retreat from Handan and retreat from Taihang Mountain to Shangdang
, build a second line of defense there.
In short, the loss of Yecheng will cause the Han army to be in big trouble.