Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 382 The Battle of the Security Army!
Security Forces.

Yongning Village.

Yongning Village is the largest fortress of the Bao'an Army and also the seat of its administration.

Zhe might be a little worried recently because the offensive of the Western Xia army was getting more and more intense and various forts were constantly asking him for help.

The news from the court was not optimistic either. According to the information he received in the court, the court seemed to be thinking of compromising with Western Xia and wanted to directly return the area north of Anjiang Village and Pingqiang Village in Qingzhou to the Dangxiang people.

Doesn't that mean that half of the Bao'an Army will have to be ceded to the Xixia people?

Zhe might not believe the news at first, but when he thought of the nature of the old party's literati, he dared not disbelieve it. Apart from anything else, he saw how the Suide Army was abandoned.

Humph, the old party in the court is not even as good as the traitor Su Yun. Although Su Yun is a rebel, he still knows to defend the country. Those insects in the court actually want to give the country to the Dangxiang people for free?
How infuriating!

And now I heard that we have to cede half of the Bao'an Army to Western Xia?
Of course, for his Zhe family, even if these lands were ceded, it would not prevent Zhe from continuing to be an official. However, these lands were conquered by their Western Army with every blow, and so many brothers died for this. Are they going to give them away now?
Zhe might be feeling depressed, but there was nothing he could do. Recently, the imperial court had provided less support to the border town, and the intervals between the delivery of food, fodder and military equipment were getting longer and longer. It seemed that the town was really going to be abandoned.

Ugh.

You may sigh.

Just as he was sighing, he suddenly heard the sound of vigorous footsteps. When he looked up, he saw that it was Wei Chun, the battalion commander under his command.

This Wei Chun was from the Jingsai Army. Later, the Jingsai Army was split up and Wei Chun was demoted to an ordinary captain. Zhe Ke appreciated his talents and recommended him by his cousin Zhe Keshi, so he was quietly promoted to the battalion commander.

Zhe Ke frowned. This was his detention center, and Wei Chun came in without reporting. What was he going to do?
Zhe Ke looked at Wei Chun and scolded: "Commander Wei, what are you going to do?"

Wei Chun knelt on one knee and said, "General Zhe, I have a favor to ask of you."

Zhe Ke sneered, "Coming in without asking for permission, wearing armor, this is not asking for anything, it's obviously coercion, right?"

Wei Chun smiled bitterly and said, "General Zhe, you have done me a favor, and I have no choice but to do this. Look at this."

Wei Chun took out the document from his arms and handed it to Zhe Ke Neng. Zhe Ke Neng took it and looked at it, and suddenly he breathed a sigh of relief.

There were two copies of the document, one was the court's document appointing Su Yun as the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture, and the other was the document issued by Yan'an Prefecture regarding the relocation of defense.

These two documents indicated two things. One was that the imperial court had handed over Yan'an Prefecture to the traitor Su Yun, and the other was that Su Yun was going to seize the Bao'an Army in a fair and open manner.

To listen or not to listen?
Zhe may have fallen into hesitation.

Suddenly, Wei Chun said, "General Zhe, my general has asked me to bring you a message."

Zhe Ke looked at Wei Chun, and Wei Chun said, "My family's general said that you are a general, and you should know that Bao'an Army is a strategic location. If you give it to Xixia today, there will be no peace in the Song Dynasty."

Zhe Ke sneered when he heard this: "But isn't Su Juzheng also a rebel?"

Wei Chun shook his head and said, "General Zhe, why was my governor labeled a traitor? With your status, you probably know something about it. It was just a frame-up by the villains in the court."

Zhe Ke Neng frowned when he heard this. He certainly knew the reason why Su Yun was labeled a rebel.

It was only because Su Yun advocated a tough confrontation with Western Xia in the court and opposed the old party's compromising policy, which angered those old party officials who advocated "peace is the most precious thing."

The so-called "rebels" are nothing more than victims of political struggle.

Zhe Ke was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "Su Yun...what exactly does Su Juzheng want to do?"

Wei Chun saw that Zhe's attitude might be softening, so he quickly said, "General Zhe, my governor is not really going to rebel, he just can't bear to see the Song Dynasty's territory being lost and the people being displaced.

Now the imperial court is compromising and ceding territory in exchange for peace, and the Xixia people are becoming more and more demanding. If we do not fight back, the northwestern border defense will surely collapse.

My governor hopes that you can join hands with him to protect the Baoan Army and resist Xixia!"

Zhe Ke sneered: "Join hands? Su Yun is now a traitor in the eyes of the court. If I join hands with him, wouldn't I be courting death?

Besides, why does he think I would believe him?"

Wei Chun said sternly: "General Zhe, the governor knows that you have great righteousness in your heart.

Over the years, you and your brother Zhe Keshi have worked tirelessly to protect the Bao'an Army, but the imperial court has repeatedly cut the food and salaries of the border troops and even wanted to cede the Bao'an Army to Western Xia.

Are you willing? Will the blood of those brothers who died in the battle be shed in vain? "

Zhe Ke was shocked when he heard this.

Wei Chun's words hit him where it hurts.

He recalled the tragic scenes of fighting with the Xixia people over the years, the brothers who fell on the battlefield, and the court's repeated disregard and betrayal.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

"General Zhe," Wei Chun continued, "my governor does not want you to express your opinion immediately, he just hopes that you can consider it carefully.

Bao'an Army is the gateway to the Song Dynasty. If it is lost, the Western Xia cavalry will march straight in and the consequences will be disastrous.

My family is willing to discuss major plans with you to defend our country!"

Zhe Ke took a deep breath, slowly unclenched his fist, and said in a deep voice: "Wei Chun, you go down first. Let me think about this matter...

Wei Chun felt relieved when he saw that Zhe's attitude might have softened. He clasped his fists and said, "I'll take my leave. General Zhe, please think twice!"

After Wei Chun left, Zhe Ke was left sitting alone in the detention room, with mixed emotions surging in his heart.

He knew that he was standing at an important crossroads.

On one side is the imperial court's order, on the other side is the righteousness of the family and the country; on one side is the possible reputation of betrayal, on the other side is the blood and tears of countless soldiers.

He walked to the window, looked at the wall of Yongning Village in the distance, and asked silently in his heart: "Brother, if you were here, what would you choose?"

Zhe Keshi, Zhe Ke's cousin, was a former commander of the Bao'an Army. He had followed Su Yun deep into Xia territory and captured several cities in succession. He was the pride of Zhe Ke's army.

Previously, Su Yun was transferred back to Bian Jing, Jingsai Army was disbanded, and his brother was transferred away from Yan'an Prefecture. Otherwise, the position of the garrison commander of the Bao'an Army would not have been his.

The Zhe family made Zhe likely to be influenced by it since childhood, and he deeply understood that defending the country was the duty of a military general.

But now, the court's compromising policy made him extremely disappointed.

"Maybe...Su Yun is right." Zhe Ke murmured to himself.

Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door again.

A personal soldier hurried in, knelt on one knee, and reported: "General Zhe, the Xixia army suddenly bypassed Shunning Village and approached Yongning Village. The vanguard is already ten miles away!"

When Zhe Ke heard this, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

He stood up suddenly and said in a deep voice: "Pass the order, the whole army is on alert and ready to meet the enemy!
Also, send someone to invite Wei Chun to see me!"

The soldiers took the order and left.

Zhe Ke tightly grasped the sword at his waist, having already made a decision in his heart.

“Since the court is unkind, don’t blame me for being unjust.

The security forces must not be lost!"

After a while, Wei Chun hurried over. As soon as he entered the detention room, he saw Zhe Ke was wearing armor, with a solemn expression and a resolute aura.

Wei Chun was delighted, knelt on one knee, and said loudly: "General Zhe, I obey your orders!"

Zhe Ke looked at Wei Chun with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice: "Commander Wei, I have decided to join forces with Su Jinglie to protect the Baoan Army.

You should immediately send someone to Yan'an Prefecture as fast as possible to inform Su Jinglüe that he is willing to obey orders and fight against Xixia together with him!"

Wei Chun's face flushed with excitement, and he responded loudly: "I obey your command!"

After saying that, he stood up and was about to go out.

"Wait!" Zhe Ke called Wei Chun, "Take my handwritten letter with me, detailing the current situation of the Baoan Army and the deployment of our troops, so that Su Jinglüe can have a clear idea."

After saying this, he quickly walked to the desk and started writing rapidly.

After a moment, Zhe Ke carefully sealed the letter and handed it to Wei Chun, saying solemnly: "This letter must be delivered to Su Jinglie in person, and it must not be lost!"

Wei Chun carefully put the letter away and said, "General, rest assured, I will live up to your trust!"

Then he turned around, strode away, and soon disappeared into the night.

Zhe Ke looked in the direction where Wei Chun left, took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, then turned around and shouted loudly outside the tent: "Someone come!" A personal soldier quickly walked in and stood at attention.

"Pass my order and summon the commanders of each camp to discuss the matter!"

"Yes!" The guards took the order and immediately ran to pass on the message. Soon, the commanders of the various camps arrived at the detention hall.

When everyone saw that Zhe Ke was wearing armor and had a stern expression, they were all startled and knew that something big was going to happen.

Zhe Ke looked at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, now that the Xixia army is approaching, the court is compromising blindly and even intends to cede the Baoan Army.

But as military commanders of the Song Dynasty, we have the responsibility to defend our territory and cannot watch our country being lost!"

Upon hearing this, the generals began to whisper to each other, their faces filled with indignation.

"I am willing to obey the general's orders and fight the Xixia people to the death!"

A battalion commander shouted loudly.

"Yes! We will never retreat!" Other generals also responded.

Zhe Ke nodded with satisfaction, "Okay! Now I have decided to join forces with the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture, Su Yunsu, to fight against Xixia together. Although our forces are limited, as long as we work together, we will be able to defend the Baoan Army!"

All the generals were stunned when they heard this.

One general was surprised and asked, "That's not right, General. The Su Jinglüe you are talking about is Su Yun from the Suide Army. Isn't he a traitor? How did he become the prefect?"

Zhe Ke sneered and said, "It's all the despicable tricks of the ministers in the court. Minister Chao Zhongxin wanted to negotiate peace with Xixia, and the Xixia people wanted to take away Yan'an Prefecture. The ministers in the court didn't dare to bear the blame, so they quickly issued an imperial edict to hand over Yan'an Prefecture to Su Jinglüe.

If Su Jinglie holds on, then the officials of the court will naturally know him. If Su Jinglie fails to hold on, then it is Su Jinglie's fault for defending the territory, and it has nothing to do with the officials of the court. Do you understand what I mean?"

When the generals heard this, they were immediately filled with indignation and began to curse the court for its stupidity and cowardice.

"These bastards! They treat the lives of our soldiers as a joke, and they treat our beautiful country as a joke!" A hot-tempered battalion commander slammed his fist on the table, shaking the teacups on the table so much that they jumped up.

Zhe Ke's face was solemn, and he continued: "Everyone, now is not the time to complain.

Although Su Yunsu Jinglüe was slandered as a traitor by the court, he was determined to resist the Xia Dynasty and advocated defending the country, which was consistent with our ambitions.

Now that the Xixia army is at the gates of the city, the Baoan Army is in danger. Only by joining forces with Su Jinglie can we defend this land and the mountains and rivers that our brothers have exchanged their blood for!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then an older battalion commander stood up and said, "General, we have the responsibility to defend our territory. Logically, we should not refuse, but Su Yun is a rebel after all. We all have families. If we are regarded as being in cahoots with the rebels, then..."

He didn't continue speaking, but everyone understood what he meant.

Everyone suddenly fell silent.

Zhe Ke Neng smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I have received the document. The court has appointed Su Jinglue as the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture.

Although they are trying to harm Su Yun, we can pretend we don't know and just follow the court's instructions. Even if they want to hold us accountable, they can't hold us accountable!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

One person said, "General, we all obey you.

But Su Jinglue is far away in Yan'an Prefecture, how should we cooperate? Please let me know, General."

Zhe Ke's eyes were firm, and he said in a deep voice: "I have sent someone to deliver a letter to Su Jinglüe at full speed, detailing the situation of our army.

Su Jinglue will definitely make some arrangements. During this period, we must make all preparations and defend Yongning Village to the death."

"General, the Xixia people are coming with great force this time, and they have brought a lot of siege equipment. Although the walls of our Yongning Village are strong, it is not easy to defend them!"

Some generals expressed their concerns.

Zhe Ke nodded and said, "It doesn't matter. We can't fight our way out, but defending the city is our strong point.

Even if the Xixia people have siege equipment, we have countermeasures.

He immediately sent people to collect huge stones and wood from the city to prepare rolling stones and logs.

Then gather all the bows and crossbows together, select elite archers, and form a crossbow formation.

I just don’t believe that the Xixia people’s iron hooves can easily break through our defense line! "

All the generals accepted the order and prepared to go back and make arrangements.

At this time, a soldier in charge of lookout rushed in and reported in a panic: "General, something bad has happened!

The Xixia army has arrived outside Yongning Village and is lining up. It looks like they are about to attack the city!"

Zhe Ke's face darkened, "They came so quickly! Everyone, take your positions immediately and prepare to meet the enemy! Today is the day for us to fight the Xixia people to the death, and we must make sure they never return!"

The generals received the order and quickly left the detention hall and rushed to their respective posts.

Zhe Ke Neng adjusted his armor, strode out of the detention hall, and walked towards the city wall.

At this time, outside Yongning Village, the flags of the Western Xia army were flying, and a large black crowd was surging like a tide.

The Western Xia general Weiming Awu rode a tall black horse to the front of the battle, looked at the wall of Yongning Village, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"No matter how bad it is, today is the day you die, and Yongning Village will belong to our Great Xia!"

Then, he raised the long sword in his hand high and shouted, "Attack the city!"

Following the order, the Western Xia army shouted loudly and rushed towards Yongning Village.

The soldiers in the front row pushed siege vehicles and ladders, while the soldiers in the back drew their bows and arrows and shot at the city walls.

On the city wall, Zhe Ke stood on a high place, commanding the Song army soldiers to resist tenaciously.

The archers of the Song army shot arrows one after another. For a moment, the arrows rained down like locusts, and the Western Xia soldiers fell to the ground one after another.

But the Western Xia army continued to advance, pushing siege vehicles and ladders closer to the city walls.

"Release the rolling stones and logs!" Zhe Ke shouted loudly.

Following this order, the Song army soldiers on the city wall pushed the prepared boulders and wooden beams down the wall.

Huge rocks and wooden beams rolled down the city wall and hit the Western Xia soldiers, causing them to scream in agony.

Siege vehicles were also hit by huge rocks, some were destroyed on the spot, and some lost their ability to move.

But the Xixia people did not retreat, they quickly organized a second wave of attack.

Weiming Awu personally beat the drum to cheer them on, the morale of the Western Xia soldiers was further boosted and their offensive became more fierce.

Zhe Ke looked at the fierce Xixia army under the city and knew that it would be a tough battle. But he was not afraid at all, and had only one belief in his heart: defend Yongning Village to the death!
Although the walls of Yongning Village were strong, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties under the fierce attack of the Western Xia army. However, they still resisted tenaciously and had no intention of retreating.

Zhe Ke led the Song army soldiers and held out for a whole day. When night fell, the Western Xia army retreated temporarily, but it was estimated that they would come back again tomorrow.

Sure enough, the next day the Western Xia army launched another large-scale attack. Although they successfully repelled the Western Xia army's multiple attacks, the soldiers were exhausted and casualties continued to increase.

The defensive facilities on the city walls were also severely damaged, and the situation became increasingly critical.

Zhe Ke looked at the Xixia army that was still surging like a tide under the city with a gloomy face, but he was actually secretly anxious in his heart.

He didn't know when the reinforcements would arrive, or whether there would be any.

Now the Song Dynasty has obviously abandoned them, and Su Yun has not made a decision yet, so no one knows whether Su Yun will come back to support them.

Zhe Ke sighed. He might have to sacrifice his life for his country this time, but he couldn't retreat. As members of the Zhe family, they would never abandon the city and flee, even if they died in battle!

"General, the Xixia people have started attacking the city again!" a soldier shouted.

Zhe Ke looked carefully and saw that the Western Xia army had reorganized and launched another fierce attack on Yongning Village.

This time, they seemed to have changed their tactics, concentrating their forces to attack a weak point in the city wall.

Zhe may have realized the danger, and he quickly mobilized troops to strengthen the defense of weak points.

At the same time, he personally picked up the bow and arrow and shot at the Xixia soldiers under the city.

Under the leadership of Zhe Ke, the soldiers of the Song army once again mustered up their courage and put up a tenacious resistance.

They used their flesh and blood to build an indestructible line of defense and repelled the attacks of the Western Xia army time and time again.

But the Xixia people seemed determined to capture Yongning Village, and they continued to attack regardless of casualties.

The battle entered a white-hot stage and both sides paid a heavy price.

(End of this chapter)