Fenghou

At four o'clock, Chen Qing began to deploy. The 15 troops went to the four city gates to block the escape route of the enemy. Since it was a war of annihilation, they would look for every opportunity to destroy the opponent's army and weaken the opponent step by step.

[-] troops were deployed outside the three city gates in the east, west, and north, while the main force of [-] troops lined up outside the south gate, ready to attack.

Tuoba Jing also noticed the change of the Song army. He immediately realized that the Song army was about to attack the city. He didn't care if it was the Baijia army or not. He pulled all [-] soldiers to the top of the city to defend. Even if the Baijia army was stabbed with a spear If they die, they have to use their corpses to smash each other into the city.

'Woo——' Song Jun's low-pitched horn blew, and there began to be a dull sound of war drums. The sound of the drums was very slow and not passionate. This was an order for the deployment of siege weapons.

Sixty chariots began to move out, and behind each chariot were dozens of soldiers, who pushed the chariot and at the same time used the chariot to cover themselves.

Behind the two chariots, dozens of soldiers dragged a flat-bottomed wooden cart slowly with ropes. A battering ram weighing nearly [-] catties was placed on the wooden cart. This battering ram is the same battering ram that captured Yingli County before. Now that the top is reinstalled with pig iron, the instantaneous impact force is even stronger.

But it is not the most powerful battering ram. The giant battering ram specially made for attacking Xixia is still in Lanzhou and cannot be transported until the Yellow River freezes.

The sixty chariots entered within [-] steps, and arrows began to fire from the top of the city. The crossbow arrows with a longer range were fired first, but they had no effect on the sixty chariots at all. The soldiers behind also raised their shields one after another. The use of chariots and shields constitutes a double insurance.

Tuoba Jing's eyes narrowed, he saw the battering ram being dragged behind the chariot, and the opponent was coming towards the south gate, he immediately ordered: "Add another layer of boulders to the gate!"

The four city gates in the city are blocked with huge stones. One huge stone weighs two to three thousand catties, and dozens of huge stones will block the gates tightly. This is indeed the way of thinking of the Xixia people. Blocking boulders in the city is one's own decision, one is passive thinking and the other is active thinking.

Hundreds of soldiers blocked an additional layer of more than a dozen boulders. The boulders were all picked from Mount Henan and transported by large ships. They had been placed for many years, and today was the first time they were used.

At this time, sixty chariots had entered within a hundred paces, arrows were fired from the top of the city, and thousands of arrows were shot at the chariots. In just a moment, the arrows on the chariots were nailed like hedgehogs.

At about fifty steps, a wide slit was opened on the top cover. The craftsmen thought carefully and did not open all the top cover, but only opened a wide slit three feet wide, so that the throwing pole could be projected out. Soldiers could still avoid the arrows with the help of most of the top cover, and amidst the dense arrows, thirty small trebuchets inside the chariot were fired at the same time.

The Song army is also constantly improving, from the initial rocket supplementary fire, to the current thin-skinned clay pots, special wooden boxes, and then projecting after ignition. Put a layer of fire oil mud mixed with gunpowder on the outside of the pottery pot, and it will burn when it is ignited. Throwing out is a thin skin can of burning kerosene.

Except for the five kerosene cans that hit the city wall, all the other 25 kerosene cans were thrown onto the top of the city, and the city tower was also hit by the clay pots.

Just as the small trebuchet was preparing for the second round, another thirty chariots also lifted the top cover, and the muzzle of the oil gun with a thick bowl mouth was poked out. Although the copper pipe was used to pump oil, the oil gun and the bottom The copper box is welded together, which is convenient for pulling and pushing the piston.

The two soldiers pushed the piston handle vigorously together, and sprayed the first tube of kerosene. About three catties of kerosene was sprayed on the top of the city, and nearly one hundred catties of kerosene was sprayed on the top of the city by thirty heavy oil fire cabinets, making the city The fire in the head was more violent.

The top of the city was in chaos, and the Xixia people had no experience in dealing with fierce fire and oil sieges. In the second round, thirty thin-skinned fire oil clay pots hit the top of the city, and the top of the city gradually turned into a sea of ​​flames.

Liu Cui shouted, "Attack the battering ram!"

Hundreds of soldiers hiding behind the chariot took their positions one after another. Among them, some soldiers raised their shields, and some soldiers held up the battering ram. The outer shields wrapped the entire battering ram, making it airtight.

The arrows at the top of the city did not stop, and arrows shot from both sides, but the arrows on both sides were completely blocked by the shields and could not pose a threat. The key was the rolling logs and stones on the top of the head. Hold, the battering ram has no external threat.

The fire was burning on the top of the city, and the smoke filled the air, and the tower was completely engulfed by the flames.

At the same time, 250 Huohuan army soldiers and [-] siege soldiers were also ready as a reserve army. They carried hundreds of simple siege ladders and gathered [-] steps away, waiting for the order to siege the city.

Chen Qing stood on a command chariot, watching the attack at the city gate from a distance. Two hundred soldiers were guarding the battering ram, and a hundred soldiers rushed for more than twenty steps with the hammer in their arms, and slammed into the city gate, "Boom!" !” There was a loud noise, and dust fell from both sides.

Chen Qing's eyes narrowed, and he could see clearly that although the impact was loud, the city gate barely moved. This is a force of tens of thousands of catties!In any case, it is unreasonable. There is only one explanation. The city gate was pushed to death by a huge stone from the inside.

Sure enough, Tang Qian guessed it, and he immediately ordered: "Twenty thousand crossbowmen, suppress the opponent's bows and arrows!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The sound of drums was loud, and twenty thousand crossbowmen rushed forward and shot arrows at the top of the city together. The arrows rained down on the top of the city, suppressing the enemy.

Chen Qing waved his saber, "The Huohuan army attacked the city!"

One thousand Huohuan troops rushed towards the city head carrying the siege ladder, and the enemy troops on both sides were suppressed by the [-] crossbowmen of the Song army, which greatly reduced the danger of the Huohuan army being shot by arrows from both sides.

Behind the [-] Huohuan army followed by [-] swords and shield troops, with large shields and swords on their backs, each of them carried a few wet quilts, and behind them were [-] elite spear troops. They were the ones who captured the southern city the elite.

The Huo Huanjun set up the siege ladder, and they climbed to the top of the city first.

Chapter 679 Street Fighting

It doesn’t mean that soldiers can defend themselves against fire by wearing fire armor. The fire armor made by craftsmen in the Song Dynasty was not so advanced. The craftsmen sewed a thick layer of fire cloth between the two layers of leather armor and leather boots. The output of cloth is extremely low, and it is impossible to completely use fire cloth to make armor. This kind of leather armor with fire cloth interlayer is slightly more fire-resistant than ordinary armor, and the rest mainly depends on experience.

After repeated experiments, Song Jun found that the fire and smoke were not too big near the outer battlements. This was because the fire oil tanks would not fall under the battlements, but generally fell in the middle of the city head, or even closer to the inside.

Therefore, after the Huohuan army went to the city, they would run along the city wall below the battlements to both sides, and shoot at both ends of the city wall with bows and crossbows, buying precious time for the soldiers who put out the fire. They had practiced countless times and cooperated very tacitly.

The soldiers of Huo Huan rushed through the flames, raised their crossbows and shot at the enemy soldiers on both sides, and shot down all ten soldiers who came to kill them. Then they assembled with shields and spears to form a dense wall of long spears. Tuoba Seeing that the situation is not good, the Song army actually went to the city, he shouted: "Rush over and annihilate them!"

Thousands of Xixia soldiers rushed up with spears in their hands, shouting, and fought fiercely with the Song Army. The large shield and spear formation formed by the soldiers of the Song Army's Huo Huan Army was very strong and difficult to break through.

At this time, two thousand soldiers had already extinguished the fire on the top of the city. Except that the tower was still burning, the fire on the ground had been extinguished. They drew out their sabers and shields in their hands, and rushed forward to replace the soldiers of the Huohuan army. The soldiers of the Huan army began to retreat down the city. In stark contrast to them, six thousand spear soldiers quickly went up to the city and joined in the fierce battle to seize the city.

More and more Song soldiers killed the top of the city, and they began to kill into the city. Tang Qian led three thousand soldiers to fight fiercely with the two thousand Xixia troops guarding the gate. His task was not to kill the enemy, but to open the south gate. , Tang Qian ordered [-] soldiers to remove the stone, and he led [-] soldiers to protect the [-] soldiers.

Three hundred soldiers tied the stones with ropes and dragged the boulders away. Xixia soldiers kept shooting arrows in the distance, or rushed to obstruct them, but they were stopped by the protective soldiers holding up their shields.

Seeing that the number of boulders blocking the gate gradually decreased, when the last boulder was dragged out of the door opening, the city gate opened with a bang.

Chen Qing, who was fighting outside the city, raised his sword and shouted: "Go into the city!"

Thirty thousand cavalry suddenly mobilized and rushed towards the city like a lightning bolt...

Just after dawn, the Song army finally broke through the south gate, but the war had just begun. Chen Qing underestimated the Xixia army, and no soldiers retreated. More than 8000 Xixia troops fought to the end. They took advantage of their familiarity with the city The brutal street fighting with the Song Army began, and some Xixia civilian men also attacked the Song Army soldiers in the dark, and the casualties of the Song Army soldiers expanded rapidly.

At this time, Chen Qing issued an indiscriminate order, as long as they were Xixia people who appeared on the street, no matter soldiers or civilians, no matter men, women, old or young, they would all be killed!

His reason is also very simple, real civilians should hide in their homes or cellars instead of appearing on the street.

In the government office, more than 1000 Xixia soldiers refused to guard it, lying on the roof condescendingly and shooting arrows at the Song army.

Liu Cui immediately ordered: "Push up twenty trucks with fuel tanks and attack with fire!"

Twenty chariots approached the official office and sprayed fierce oil into the official office together. Hundreds of gunpowder arrows also shot into the official office, and the official office began to burn rapidly.

The Xixia soldiers inside finally couldn't bear the scorching fire and the choking smoke, and began to break out, but they had no chance to break through or surrender, and they were shot and killed mercilessly by the Song army when they rushed out.

None of the more than 300 Xixia soldiers survived. They were all burned to death or shot in the official office, and the official office was completely burned and collapsed.

This tragic siege and street battle lasted until nightfall and finally ended. The Song army suffered heavy casualties, more than 2 casualties for the first time, and almost all [-] Xixia soldiers died in battle, and ordinary Xixia people also died. Ten thousand people, the tragic siege battle is over.

Chen Qing ordered to clean up the whole city, and asked all the surviving civilians in the city to gather outside the city. At the same time, he also promised not to kill innocent people indiscriminately. As long as they did not resist, they would not be killed.

Xiping Mansion is a major city in Xixia, with a permanent population of nearly 10 people. In addition to the large number of Xixia people who retreated from the south, there are nearly 20 people in the city, and a large number of slaves, more than 8 people.

The Xixia men who stubbornly resisted and went out to join the war were basically killed. The 28 civilians supported the old and the young, the women held the children, and the elderly led the children. They walked out of the city under the escort of the Song Army cavalry.

Chen Qing stood on the city wall, watching the mighty Xixia civilians leave the city expressionlessly.

At this time, Gao Ding asked from the side: "How does the general plan to arrange them?"

Chen Qing pondered for a while and said: "For the time being, they will not move them for the time being. The initial consideration is to distribute them after the war is over, send them to Xihe Road and northern Shaanxi, and use a generation to gradually Sinicize them and become the people under my rule. people."

"This is a good way to solve the problem of underpopulation on Xihe Road and northern Shaanxi, but what if they want to rebel?"

Chen Qing glanced at him, and said calmly: "As long as ordinary people can live and work in peace and contentment, no one is willing to rebel. The rebels are people with ulterior motives, such as the royal family, dignitaries, generals, ministers, wealthy families, and noble families in Xixia. Wipe them out completely and don't give them a chance."

"The humble office suggests setting up a government office to deal with this matter!"

"I've already figured it out. Huyanlei's intelligence battalion will be in charge of this matter. There is no need to rush this matter. Let them simmer slowly and let them perish without knowing it."

Chen Qing immediately issued three orders:

First, clear the dead bodies and debris out of the city.

Second, go door-to-door to search for enemy troops who have slipped through the net, but do not take the opportunity to steal or plunder civilian property, and those who disobey the order will be executed.

Third, do not kill innocent people indiscriminately, do not rape women, and those who disobey the order will be beheaded.

The clean-up and search of the whole city did not end until the fifth watch. A total of more than 300 people were found, of which [-] were hiding Xixia soldiers. More than [-] people were killed when they resisted. Apart from the soldiers, the other [-] people were all old and weak women and children who did not want to go out of the city.

Chen Qing immediately ordered to let the people outside the city go back to the city. More than [-] people outside the city were cold and hungry, shivering in the cold wind, but they were more afraid, lest they would be massacred by the Song army.

But there are also those who rejoice here, that is, more than [-] slaves, men, women and children, most of them are Han Chinese, there are also Qiang people, Tubo people, and even low-level party members who have gone bankrupt and sold themselves.

Most of these slaves are domestic slaves of Xixia people. Generally, each household of Xixia people has two or three slaves, cooking, washing, and doing rough work. Oppressed whores and more.

Since the Song army entered the city, all their slave status was abolished. After dawn, these slaves will be sent to Mingsha County by boat for temporary resettlement. After Xixia is destroyed, they will become the real masters of this land.

A group of Song army cavalry galloped to know, and shouted to more than [-] civilians shivering in the cold wind: "The search of the city is over, everyone can go home separately!"

Hearing that they could go home, the more than [-] people were relieved immediately, and many of them covered their faces with excitement and wept. They finally survived and were not slaughtered.

6 Chapter Eighty

The news that the Song Army had seized Xiping Mansion shocked the Western Xia court. Thirteen people, including Changping King Li Kan and Privy Envoy Cao Baozong, jointly signed a letter to Emperor Li Ganshun, requesting the removal of Jin King Li Chage from his military post. This dismissal letter attracted a large number of Civil and military court officials supported it.

It's no wonder that Li Cha's misjudgment caused the Song army to occupy Yingli County and Mingsha County successively. Xixia almost lost the entire south, and then the Song army swept more than 100 large manors, and at the same time defeated Xixia with [-] cavalry. The cavalry has now captured Xiping Mansion, and the [-] troops have been wiped out.

Even the officials who supported Brother Li Cha had to shut up in the face of a series of failures. What's more, Brother Li Cha used despicable means to kill the family of the political enemy King Chu and robbed them of their wealth. He actually lost Xiping Mansion, the second largest city in Xixia, how could he not let the government and the people boil.

Even the emperor Li Qianshun, who was bedridden, had to force his illness. He urgently summoned Brother Li Cha overnight to inquire about the situation of the battle, and announced that a military and political meeting would be held in the palace early the next morning.

Brother Li Cha was about to speak, but Li Qianshun waved his hands in dissatisfaction, "Today we don't care about brothers, we only talk about monarchs and ministers, please give me an explanation!"

Brother Li Cha knew that the emperor's brother was angry, and every time he was angry, he would not allow himself to call him elder brother, this was a sign that he was going to clean up himself.

Brother Li Cha also knew that the problem was more serious this time, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and said tremblingly: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I also guessed that the Song army would attack Xiping Mansion, and even went south to inspect the defense, and found that they were short of troops, so the humble post was transferred two more times." An army of 15 people enriched the defense of Xiping Mansion, but the Song army attacked the city with [-] troops, and they attacked the city overnight on the day they arrived, without giving us a chance to rescue. The [-] defenders in a city are not small anyway, and they did not underestimate the enemy. The lack of strength, no blame for the humble minister!"

Li Qianshun sighed, "It's a good one whose strength is not enough. Could it be that this is God's will, God wants to destroy me Daxia?"

"Your Majesty, we have been seriously dragged down by Xiao Heda's rebellion, and our strength is far worse than before. The key is Jin Guo's rescue. If Jin Guo is willing to send troops to support us, we still have a glimmer of hope. If Jin Guo refuses to support, then the prospect is a bit pessimistic. .”

Li Qianshun was silent for a moment and said: "The Kingdom of Jin has already agreed to send troops, but their conditions are very harsh. They want 100 million taels of silver in the treasury. We only have 120 million taels in total. I don't know how to respond to this request, but I still agreed."

"Should I give it first or give it after the victory?"

Li Qianshun smiled wryly and said, "Of course I demand that the payment be made only after the Song army retreats, but this is the property left to us by our ancestors, but I have completely defeated it."

"Your Majesty, Yakuyin is used in times of crisis. Now that we are facing the danger of destroying the country, it is no problem to take it out, but the premise must be that the Jin soldiers can really defeat the Song army and force them to withdraw. The 100 million silver is also worth giving them. It doesn't matter, we can wait for the opportunity in the future and kill Jingzhao to get it back, but if the Jin soldiers can't defeat them, we don't have to give them the money."

Li Qianshun sighed slightly: "If the Jin soldiers are also defeated, then we will be in danger. I want to use this money to buy Dongsheng Prefecture and Yunnei Prefecture, and unite with the Black Mountain Army Division as our way of retreat."

"Your Majesty's idea is good, you can discuss it with the other party."

"I spoke to the envoy of the Kingdom of Jin, Pucha Jingshan, yesterday. He dismissed this plan at all. He is very confident that the Jin army will definitely defeat the Song army in the Xixia Plain, so this matter can only be discussed after the war."

Brother Li Cha was silent for a moment and said: "Your Majesty really intends to hold a military and political meeting tomorrow?"

Once a military and political discussion is held, it is very likely that he will be impeached and dismissed. How can Brother Li Cha not be nervous.

Li Qianshun said helplessly: "You also know that Xixia is not my own Xixia. I can still say a few words about military and political affairs. If I ask to convene a party and tribal alliance to discuss matters, I am afraid that I will not even be able to keep my throne."

Li Qianshun is right. Xixia is a dynasty established by Dangxiang people, and Dangxiang is a nomadic people. Behind the Xixia Dynasty is a tribal alliance. If the Dangxiang clan faces a major survival crisis, not to mention Brother Richard, even the emperor will be replaced. Lose.

Brother Li Cha had no choice but to get up and leave!

……

Back in the mansion, brother Li Cha was pacing back and forth irritably. He could see that the emperor brother had already shown signs of compromising with the officials, that is, dismissing himself. As a result, how can you blame yourself?Could it be that another person can defeat Song Jun? It's wishful thinking. Why can't these people understand?

Another reason for Brother Li Cha's irritability is that his second son Li Hanzhong has not heard from him for a long time. Based on the time, they should have returned, but so far there has been no news. Even if there are any special circumstances, his son will send someone to send a letter to him. , not like missing.

Thinking of the word 'missing', he panicked for a while, did something really happen?

Han Feng, the aide next to him, advised: "In fact, the prince can also retreat and take the initiative to resign and hand over power to the emperor. When they lose a big battle, the emperor will use the prince again."

Brother Li Cha shook his head, "Things are not as simple as you think. It has been a day or two since the emperor wanted to cut my military power. His health is getting worse and worse. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that he is only a few years old, but the crown prince is young. My uncle is in his prime and holds military power, do you think Brother Huang will rest assured?"

Han Feng was speechless for a while, he really didn't think about it that much, but now that Xixia is in danger of destroying the country, he is still fighting secretly for the throne?It's just ridiculous.

Brother Li Cha walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, sighed and said: "And those bastards, once they find out that the wealth has not been sent to Montenegro and disappeared halfway, they will definitely suspect me, and those people are greedy for money , now that I have lost my money, I will be eaten raw, so I must not lose my military power."

Han Feng rolled his eyes and said: "The prince can transfer part of the military power, and then continue to retain the [-] troops of the right wing division, and transfer the [-] troops to the West Camp. The prince will personally sit in the military camp, and then send troops to protect the palace. If the Son of Heaven doesn't want internal strife to break out, he can only let the prince continue to serve as the commander of the right wing."

The [-] troops of the Army Division on the Right Side have followed Brother Li Cha for many years, and have always been his direct army. Originally, it was [-], but it lost [-] in fierce battles with the Song Army, leaving only [-].

At present, there are still 23 troops in Xixia, including [-] Tianzi Guards and [-] Right Wing Army. These [-] troops are elite troops.

Then there is the [-] White Armor Army, and the [-] Herdsmen Army. This is a newly recruited army. Most of them are veterans who have retired from the army. The combat effectiveness is not bad, but they are a bit older.

Brother Li Cha also agreed with Han Feng's suggestion that he could give up part of the military power. As long as he continues to hold the [-] troops directly under the Right Wing, forgive the emperor and the court will not dare to do anything to him.

Brother Li Cha nodded, "I will write a letter of resignation to Brother Huang right now!"

……

In King Changping's mansion, Li Kanzheng and more than a dozen dignitaries sat in the lobby to discuss the impeachment proposal to remove Brother Li Cha from military power.

Li Kan is also from the Xixia royal family, he is Li Ke's father, and has a lot of seniority in the army. If Brother Li Cha is dismissed, it must be him who will take over the military power, that's why he is so active in impeaching Brother Li Cha.

"The Son of Heaven has made it clear that as long as more than [-]% of the military and political discussions agree tomorrow, he will remove Brother Li Cha from his position as Marshal and take back the military power. Therefore, we must ensure that [-]% of the people agree to impeach Brother Li Cha."

At this time, a cold voice came from outside, "I can guarantee that everyone will strongly demand that he be removed, not only that, but also demand that he be cut into pieces!"

Everyone turned their heads together, only to see Xia Jinfeng, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, walking into the lobby with a gloomy face, carrying a bulging leather bag in his hand.

Chapter 681

Everyone in the room looked stunned. Although Brother Li Cha was hated by others, it was not so severe that he would be hacked into pieces. Everyone's eyes were on the bag in Xia Jinfeng's hand.