You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 67 Western Xia Cattle and Horses
After the rain stopped, the roads became even more muddy.

The turbid waters of the Baima River simply rushed across the road ahead.

The Xia Army pontoon bridge that once spanned the river has been completely destroyed, with only a few remaining bridge piers standing in the darkness.

Several Western Xia scouts were lying in ambush not far away, waiting for the Song people to come out and destroy the bridge piers.

Richard anticipated that the Song army would come to sabotage the operation, so he made preparations well in advance.

However, the surroundings were quiet and didn't seem to be occupied, so the scouts didn't dare to be careless and continued to observe their surroundings vigilantly.

Han Shizhong originally intended to remove the bridge pier, but after thinking it over, he realized that if he destroyed the pier, the other side could reinstall it.

Moreover, if the other side isn't stupid, they might lay an ambush beforehand, so it's better to attack the camp again than to destroy the bridge piers.

He had no intention of going to the Western Xia's military camp; the people there were practically desperate to fight them head-on.

Han Shizhong certainly wouldn't give them this opportunity for nothing.

He set his sights on the Western Xia's supply and logistics convoy.

The Western Xia didn't have much grain, and even destroying just a small portion of it would be enough to give them a headache.

Han Shizhong knew better than anyone how thorough the scorched-earth policy had been in place around them.

The time the defeated Song army came, they practically dug up the ground three feet deep, barely managing to dig up bones to make soup.

Han Shizhong had dealt with the Western Xia people too much; the number of Western Xia soldiers he had killed could probably form a 300-man squad.

Among the Western Xia people, the most skilled fighters were the Iron Falcons, who were heavy cavalry. However, the current terrain and roads were not suitable for them to perform well.

The supply trains were mostly composed of low-ranking tribal men, who were essentially slaves of the Tangut nobles.

Richard's desire to cross Hengshan and cause trouble probably stems from the belief that once he breaks through this defensive line and reaches the relatively flat prefectures and counties, his iron hawk will have a place to be used.

Therefore, attacking the logistics is the best option.

On the path behind the mountain, Han Shizhong was surrounded by more than a hundred soldiers, all of whom were veterans who had fought many battles.

In the darkness, they made no sound, like hundreds of ghosts quietly scattered around.

Han Shizhong whispered, "Be careful, and follow the instructions to avoid the traps."

The home team, defenders, and scouts on both wings were already assigned in an orderly manner without Han Shizhong's orders.

Veterans are more useful than new recruits, especially in the Northwest, a region that has been the site of centuries of warfare.

Originally, these people were soldiers from various routes in Shaanxi, belonging to the private troops and retainers of various military leaders. No one else could get involved, let alone command them.

This disastrous defeat at the New Year came too suddenly, which gave Chen Shao and Han Shizhong the opportunity.

Han Shizhong waved his hand, and the raiding squad set off again. After walking for a short while, they saw several unlucky guys who had triggered the trap lying in a mud pit next to a trap.

Judging from their clothes and appearance, they were scouts from the Western Xia. One of them had been pierced through the chest with a bamboo pole and was already dead.

There was another one, still breathing, submerged in a blood-red puddle. Hearing the noise, it struggled to lift its head, its eyes filled with hatred.

The first soldier stabbed him, ending his life.

Han Shizhong sneered repeatedly, still thinking of launching a sneak attack from the mountains behind. If this place could be used for a sneak attack, why bother building a fortress in front?

The reason this place was able to hold off the Song Dynasty army for decades was precisely because of its treacherous terrain.

Even if you know the road well and are aware of the traps, it would take a whole night to find a way out.

The Western Xia had limited supplies, and their plan was to sustain themselves through warfare after crossing the Hengshan Mountains.

Just like the Khitans of the Liao Dynasty.

The Liao army's custom was not to provide logistical support; all supplies had to be obtained by the soldiers themselves. Although, after the mid-Liao period, the commanders of each battalion began to provide some rations as rewards to their troops—military pay was still not provided.

The Western Xia were slightly stronger than them, but only by a limited margin. As for the Song Dynasty, its people were all in the hands of people like Tong Guan, who had to levy extra taxes on the people in their own territories when the Western Army was fighting.

The three brothers, Song, Liao, and Xia, once again tacitly agreed to not pay their troops.

The Song Dynasty was wealthy, and even in impoverished border villages, there were always a few rich households; slaughtering one of them would be enough to feed them.

The grain storage area was not far from the central command tent, so no raid was anticipated.

However, protecting food supplies remains common sense for leading troops.

Richard set up multiple outposts around the perimeter as outer defenses, and then assigned a commander from the Yeli tribe to guard the granary.

Although Richard was young, he had a lot of experience in commanding troops. The reason he didn't take too many precautions was because he had seen through the enemy's strengths and weaknesses early on.

There weren't many people in the fortress, and its defenses were already inadequate, so why would it take the initiative to attack?

Even if we take the initiative, these arrangements should be sufficient.

His idea was not wrong; if he were facing an ordinary military general, this would be the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, he was facing Han Shizhong and Chen Shao.

One dares to fight, the other dares to criticize.

Moreover, there are a lot of internal problems with his military expedition this time.

In the southwest, the troops responsible for guarding the grain supplies were from the Meizang tribe of the Western Xia Tangut people. They were originally one of the eight major Tangut tribes and were very powerful.

Later, due to their defeat in internal strife, they were purged by the Weiming clan and thus became a third-rate tribe.

This leader of the Lu tribe, named Meicang Pangge, actually had forty-two men under his command, six bows, and more than forty swords and spears, but not a single piece of armor.

It was extremely shabby.

Their base was a long-abandoned, dilapidated village. Five years had passed since the Battle of Hengshan began, and the surrounding villages had long since been deserted.

The wheat fields are no longer being cared for; what used to be the most precious land for the people is now submerged in water.

Through the rain, there were still several villages, with every house open to the sky, completely ravaged and stripped of its roof.

They were responsible for guarding the supplies, but not for guarding them. The people of the Yeli tribe were responsible for guarding and distributing the supplies.

These days, Brother Pang and his people have been surviving by gathering the seedlings that grow on their own land. As a result, they are all suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, weak and listless, shivering in their thatched huts covered with damp straw. Who cares about guarding the outer perimeter anymore!
Inside the thatched hut, a fire pit burned damp firewood, producing thick smoke. The smoke made everyone lying inside cough, but no one bothered to get up and clean up the mess.

Water was constantly dripping from the thatched hut, chilling everyone to the bone.

Pang Ge lay in the driest spot, his eyes rolling as he stared at everything before him. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he roared, "You bunch of bastards, get up right now! Add some straw to the roof and throw away all this wet firewood! Find some dry firewood, it's suffocating me, I'll kill you all first!"

After shouting, he couldn't help but cough violently again. After a few coughs, he turned to the other side and roared, "If you feed me green grass again today, I'll skin you alive! We worship the Aries God, but we don't actually eat grass like sheep!"

Those he was scolding were all members of the Meicang tribe, who shared a thatched hut with him, their leader. Hearing his words, the four bare feet sticking out from under the straw didn't even bother to move, pretending not to hear.

Someone else muttered under their breath, "We're not going to make it back alive this time. Even if we don't starve, those bastards will beat us to death."

“It’s not like we don’t know how to fight. Give us a good meal and we’ll go fill the moat for the Prince of Jin. It’s better to die well than to starve to death here.”

“This Prince of Jin is really cunning. He didn’t let us see those Song people, otherwise he would have surrendered long ago.”

"This fool is still complaining about the spiciness, he only dares to bully his own people. Even when the Yeli tribe whips him in the face, he doesn't dare to utter a sound." This group of people have completely gone all out, they don't treat themselves as living people, they don't care about the future consequences, they just want to have some fun first.

Everyone was in despair, feeling they had no future.

Pang Ge was furious that he couldn't get his men to do anything and that he overheard them whispering amongst themselves.

Thinking about my situation, I really felt discouraged. Lying under the damp straw, I became more and more depressed, and my stomach was growling with hunger.

He got up in a huff, without taking any weapons, and walked barefoot out of the thatched hut.

"How about we slaughter the horse and have a meal?"

Just as he was about to kill the horse, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves pounding in the mud in the distance.

Pang Ge squinted in the rain and looked ahead.

Almost instantly.

Without realizing it, Pang Ge knew that the Song people had arrived; these were Song cavalry.

Then look at their precautions, the tiny sentry post they're leading. The fence surrounding the camp is crooked and dilapidated, unable to keep even wild boars out.

Inside were just a few thatched huts that looked like a beggar's den.

He immediately made a snap decision, tearing off his clothes and waving them around.

"This way! This way! Those who are robbing the grain, follow me!"

For him, surrendering to the Song Dynasty was not a psychological burden at all.

Just as Zhao Liangsi abandoned Liao and surrendered to Song, the people and soldiers of Western Xia were also utterly disappointed with Western Xia.

There is a saying among them that the people of the Song Dynasty were wealthy and every household had enough to eat.

Every winter, there are free meals delivered to each household by designated personnel.

In this era, there are very few, if any, ways to debunk rumors, so such rumors actually have a large market.

Because everyone has seen with their own eyes that the Song people sent so much tribute to the Western Xia every year, and also to the Liao Dynasty.

They must be incredibly wealthy, otherwise, why would they give it away for free?

What they said wasn't wrong, but only the people of Bianliang enjoyed this treatment.

They had to be people whose household registration was in Bianliang.

Of course, the local tyrants and bullies lived more happily than gods.

However, the lives of ordinary people were similar across the Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties, with the Song dynasty being slightly better off.

The people of the Three Kingdoms were better off than the Jurchens who endured freezing temperatures and snow, and the Mongols who suffered mostly freezing to death in winter, but they still lived a life of hardship like cattle and horses.

Han Shizhong rode his horse, taking the lead.

Discovered?

He was about to draw his sword when he saw that the man didn't seem to be resisting, and there was only one of him, who wasn't armed.

He was both skilled and daring. After surveying the area, he wasn't worried about any ambushes and rode straight ahead, crashing through the fence.

Pang Ge knelt down with a thud, fearing that these Song people wouldn't hear him and would chop off his head.

This action is quite obvious.

Looking up, I saw that the person was wearing an iron helmet, the red tassel on the helmet was completely wet and stuck to the helmet.

He was clad in half-body soft-leaf iron armor without shoulder plates. The breastplate on his chest was washed clean by the rain, only exuding the coldness of the steel itself. In his hand was a straight sword, dripping with rainwater, which only added to the chill.

This outfit is worlds apart from my tattered leather armor!

Could he be a general of the Song army?

In fact, Han Shizhong had only just enjoyed two good days. This suit of armor was specially obtained for him by Chen Shao, and he usually treasured it very much.

Every night before going to bed, I have to wipe it down myself first.

The burly man met his gaze, and seemed to be grinning at him. Then, with lightning speed, a straight knife was placed against his shoulder, and Pang Ge's neck immediately broke out in goosebumps.

“If you move even slightly, you’ll have a scar the size of a bowl on your neck!” Han Shizhong said coldly, his voice booming and clear no matter when you hear it.

"We surrender! We surrender! We are willing to lead the way for the general!"

The Western Xia, especially the tribes that originally belonged to the five southern prefectures, were all subjects of the Song Dynasty and spoke Chinese.

Pang Ge even had a slight Shaanxi accent.

In the heavy rain, Han Shizhong added an oilcloth over his cloak and wore a Fanyang hat wrapped in oilcloth.

He sheathed his knife, surveyed the makeshift outposts before him, and asked, "Are you here to guard the grain supplies?"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

Why are you the only one?!

"They're all lying inside," Pang Ge told the truth.

"Are you playing a joke on me?" Han Shizhong was about to draw his sword again.

"Really! Really!" Brother Pang was furious. He had been outside with a knife to his throat for half a day, and none of these guys had moved.

Inside the dilapidated house, someone was peering through the crack in the door.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

Mei Zang Pang Ge breathed a sigh of relief. They were still somewhat rational and did not forcefully break down the door, otherwise they would have alerted the Song people and might have started killing on the spot.

One by one, people in tattered clothes came out, some with tears streaming down their faces.

These people are in a state very similar to refugees fleeing famine.

Han Shizhong said sullenly, "What a bunch of bastards, they look like a bunch of beggars."

As soon as he finished speaking, those men suddenly knelt down and cried out at the top of their lungs, "Master Song, please give us some food!"

Without hiding Pang Ge's anger, one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven.

The treatment you receive when you surrender with a group of soldiers is quite different from the treatment you receive when you beg with a group of beggars.

He was determined to surrender to the Song Dynasty. He couldn't rely on these inferior people now. If he wanted better treatment, he would have to rely on himself.

Without hesitation, Pang Ge stood up and said, "The guards protecting the grain supplies are treacherous dogs from the Yeli tribe. I am willing to trick them into opening the gate and help the general succeed!"

P.S.: I've released both chapters together, brothers. It'll be available for purchase tomorrow, so I hope everyone will support it with a first-day subscription!
I'm waiting for the exact time; it hasn't been available for a while, so it'll probably be around noon.

I'll try my best to update frequently after it's published!

(End of this chapter)