The terrain outside the valley is open. The Tang army rushed out of the valley and continued to chase the Xun soldiers. The Tang army's war horses galloped, and arrows and thunder exploded in the crowd of running Xun soldiers. The Xun soldiers were frightened and had no fighting spirit.
A desperate escape.
However, the deer soldiers were lucky. This area was surrounded by rolling hills. They escaped for more than ten miles, and there was another big mountain blocking the road in front of them. The horse soldiers fled into the mountains and forests one after another to save their lives.
Despite this, more than half of the 20,000 Xue soldiers were killed by the Tang army. In the end, about 8,000 people escaped. They climbed over the mountains and ridges and took the small roads to escape back to the tribe first. Jia Xiu also followed Penglu Anbo and fled back to Penglu.
department.
Two days later, the Tang army arrived at the Penglu tribe. Most of the low-level Yi people lived in the valleys or at the foot of the mountains and made a living by farming. However, the Yi people with a little status all lived in the mountains, forming villages from halfway up the mountain.
Naturally, King Penglu Anji also lived on the mountain. Although he failed in the first battle, he did not give up. He ordered the construction of tight fortifications on the mountain, pulled all the soldiers up the mountain, and confronted the Tang army from a high position.
The Tang army did not attack the Yi people living at the foot of the mountains or in the valleys. Their target was the Yi people on the mountains.
But for more than half an hour, the Tang army did not see any surrendered soldiers coming down the mountain. Li Sheng shook his head and said that people would accept death and not shed tears without seeing the coffin. It was really like this. He snorted heavily and said, "Bring me the two hundred artillery pieces."
Come!"
The Tang army had a supply team of 10,000 camels, and the camels also carried artillery.
Not long after, the Tang army built artillery fortifications and mounted two hundred artillery pieces. With the commander's order, the two hundred artillery pieces launched an offensive against the stronghold on the mountain.
This is the advantage of artillery. They have a range of two to three miles, completely covering the village halfway up the mountain. The shells exploded violently in the village.
This was the first time that the improved artillery was put into actual combat, and it showed great power. All the soldiers of the Tang Army were stunned.
However, the Yin people on the mountainside were devastated. Men, women, old and children were blown to pieces with blood and flesh, and the houses collapsed. The surviving Yin people cried and fled towards the mountain for their lives.
Many soldiers who fled back were placed in the fortifications, but they were also bombed and suffered heavy casualties, and many were buried by collapsed houses.
Although the artillery bombardment only bombarded the lowermost fortresses, it did not mean that the fortresses above would be spared.
Three thousand soldiers of the Tang Army gradually approached the village. They fired gunpowder arrows together. In just a moment, the village burst into flames. Almost all the houses of the village were made of wood and had straw roofs.
Supported by the mountain wind, the fire spread extremely quickly. In just a moment, it spread over a hundred feet and swept towards a large number of villages on the mountain.
The people were crying and shouting to the sky, helping the old and young and running desperately towards the mountains. Many people could not escape the fire, and were swallowed up by the fire that developed rapidly.
In less than half an hour, the entire mountain was filled with thick smoke and fierce flames, and even the surrounding mountains and forests were set on fire.
King Xiu hid in the cave with thousands of people. He knelt on the ground and cried loudly, regretting extremely. They were used to the comfort of the Tang Dynasty, and despised the huge Tang Dynasty. They always thought that the Tang Dynasty was weak and stupid, but once the Tang Dynasty thundered
Out of anger, they realized how insignificant they were, like ants being crushed to death by the Tang Dynasty.
Two days later, the fire was finally extinguished, and large areas of the village were burned to ashes. More than 20,000 people were burned to death. Only then did the villagers finally realize the terrible consequences.
King Penglu Anji brought more than 10,000 surviving people down the mountain and surrendered, as well as Jia's uncles and nephews who were tied up.
Penglu Anji, along with several sons and more than a dozen elders, knelt bare-chested in front of Li Sheng to plead guilty.
Li Sheng pointed his riding whip at Jia's uncle and nephew and said coldly: "For these two criminals, you did not hesitate to bury tens of thousands of your own clansmen with them. How will you explain it to your clansmen?"
Peng Luanji cried and said: "The villain didn't know the consequences were so serious. It's too late to regret!"
"I tell you, my 20,000 soldiers can kill your soldiers into rivers of blood without hurting a single soldier. This is the strength of the Tang army. It is definitely not comparable to the border troops like you. I hope you can recognize the reality.
"
Penglu Anji did not dare to say another word, so he bowed his head to apologize.
To deal with these Hu people, we cannot kill them all like in Liaodong, because there are many other tribes. If we really kill them, they will be forced to Tibet.
The only way to solve the problem is to use both kindness and power. Teach them a lesson, make them suffer heavy casualties, and then give them a chance to go to Hajj to admit their mistakes.
For at least a hundred years, the Ryu people will be obedient to the imperial court.
Li Sheng raised his voice again and said to the dozen elders behind him: "I don't care who you choose to be the chief in the end, but I want to tell you that within this year, your king must go to Chang'an for a pilgrimage and beg for forgiveness from His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
, only when His Majesty the Emperor forgives, the matter will be over, otherwise the Tang Army will come again next year!"
Li Sheng immediately put his uncle and nephew in prison cages and led the army back to Chengdu.
Ten days later, Jia Xiu's uncle and nephew were beheaded in public at Caishikou in Chengdu. The heads of important figures in the Jia family were all hung on the city wall to frighten other wealthy families.
Just three days after the Tang army returned to Chengdu, Li Sheng personally led an army of 50,000 men and marched south toward Hezhou.
A few days later, the Tang army arrived in Panshi County, the seat of Zizhou. Zizhou was also one of the twelve states that supported the Guo family. Xu Huining, the governor, was the son-in-law of Guo Huaiyan. The Yang family, a powerful family in Zizhou, was also a staunch ally of the Guo family.
The Yang family supported the Guo family in raising the army with practical actions. The Yang family also recruited 20,000 troops to defend Panshi County.
Li Sheng led an army of 50,000 to Panshi County. On the one hand, he used trebuchets to throw fireballs to attack the city. On the other hand, he stationed himself down, besieged the city and called for reinforcements, waiting for the main force of the Guo family to move north.
The chief general of the Guo family's Zhaolie Army is Guo Qianren, who is Guo Huaiyan's cousin. Like Jia Xiu, he was also liquidated and dismissed for supporting Yong Wang Li Lin. He has always controlled the Guo family's 20,000 villagers, and his status in the Guo family
Very high.
This time, Guo Huaiyan's rebellion received Guo Qianren's full support, and Guo Huaiyan appointed Guo Qianren as marshal.
Guo Qianren is over sixty years old. He had some experience in leading troops twenty years ago and participated in two wars against Tibet, but his actual combat experience is definitely not rich.
However, no matter how ordinary Guo Qianren is, it is impossible for the Guo family to let someone with a foreign surname control an army of 100,000.
At this time, Guo Qianren had learned that 20,000 Tang troops from Yunnan had crossed the Lu River and were advancing towards Luchuan County. Guo Qianren immediately detached 30,000 troops to station on the north bank of the Jinsha River in Luchuan County to guard against the Tang troops crossing the river.
At this time, Yang Qinying, the head of the Yang family in Zizhou, urgently asked Guo Huaiyan for help.
Guo Huaiyan did not abandon his allies and immediately ordered Guo Qianren to send troops to rescue Panshi County.
Guo Qianren originally did not want to rescue, but the head of the family, Guo Huaiyan, urged him three times. Guo Qianren had no choice but to leave 20,000 troops in Hechuan County. He personally led an army of 50,000 to Panshi County.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As the Tang army's fierce war drums beat, 10,000 crossbowmen rushed up like a tide, rushed to the 150th step, raised their crossbows and fired thousands of arrows at the top of the city.
Soon, dozens of large trebuchets arrived, and the trebuchets also joined the battle. Their long hurling arms accurately threw burning gunpowder cans onto the top of the city. The top of the city was ignited with blazing fire and thick smoke shrouded it.
Panshi County looks like the end is coming.
The soldiers, people and officials in the city were so frightened that they could hardly breathe. Everyone wet the towel with a towel and put it on their mouth and nose to filter out the smoke.
That morning, dozens of large trebuchets pushed towards the county town again. The soldiers on the city thought they were going to burn the city again, so they shouted and ran in all directions. Unexpectedly, the Tang army shot huge wooden balls one after another. The wooden balls flew over the city.
After the explosion, tens of thousands of leaflets fell and scattered all over the city.
The leaflet was a letter to the soldiers and civilians of Panshi County. The Tang army issued an ultimatum to the officers and soldiers in the city, requiring them to open the city and surrender before noon, otherwise the city wall would be blown open. The Tang army would rush into the city and all the soldiers would be executed without mercy.
The first general to surrender will receive amnesty and all crimes will be wiped out.
The leaflets had just been dropped, but before the tea time came, the governor Xu Huining led three thousand troops to Kaicheng and surrendered.
When it comes to seizing life in desperation, warriors are always less decisive than literati.