Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 84: The beginning of the war, mutual game

The sun is rising in the morning.

In the rebel army, as the drums sounded, groups of rebel soldiers, holding long spears, advanced in formation, and finally stopped on the plain.

The rebel general Zhen Zhai'er rode a war horse and came to the front of the army.

Behind Zhen Zhai'er, also riding horses, there were seven lieutenant generals, twelve junior generals including the General of Cavalry, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the General of Cavalry, twenty-seven captains, as well as counselors, Sima, and chief academicians, etc.

Most of the positions and personnel that a military should have are now in place in this large army.

"Send someone to persuade the city's defenders to surrender!"

Zhen Zhai'er rode on horseback and gave orders.

"Here!"

After hearing Zhen Zhai'er's order, a trusted soldier who was protecting Zhen Zhai'er took the order and rode towards East City with a few people.

However, not long after, under the gaze of everyone, they saw that the soldiers who went to persuade the surrender were shot back by arrows from the top of the city wall before they got close to the city wall, and one of them even fell off his horse and fell to the ground.

Seeing this scene, all the generals and captains in the rebel army frowned.

Everyone knew that the East City defender was behind this action, leaving no room for negotiation.

"General, why bother trying to persuade us to surrender? We have an army of 100,000 now, and we will be able to capture this East City in no time!"

The burly Tang Zhenhao rode his horse and looked at Zhen Zhaier.

The other lieutenant generals and junior generals around could not help but nod their heads at this moment. In everyone's mind, even if the East City was prepared, looking at the towering chariots, ladders, and catapults around, no one thought that the East City could withstand the attack of the army.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. The defenders in this city are extraordinary!"

Zhen Zhai'er said.

Looking at the high platforms built everywhere on the top of the East City of Jinyang, with people coming and going continuously without any sign of panic, Zhen Zhai'er, as an enemy general, couldn't help but admire the methods of the East City defender.

"Unusual?"

After hearing Zhen Zhai'er's words, Tang Zhenhao, Xiang Yifeng, Yang Boyao, Tu Ye, Qin Guangzhi and others couldn't help but look at each other. Although they did not refute Zhen Zhai'er, they did not take it seriously.

What's so special about it?
How long can a small city like Jinyang East City hold out against an army of 100,000?

"Bring the people up!"

Zhen Zhai'er looked to the side and gave an order to a captain.

"Here!"

After hearing Zhen Zhai'er's words, the captain took the order and then turned around on his horse to go behind the army.

After a while.

In the huge army of rebels, next to the densely packed soldiers armed with long spears, bows and arrows, swords and knives, there were groups of old, weak, sick and disabled people, as well as some dusty men and women, who were driven to the front of the army by the rebel soldiers one by one.

These people all had messy hair and looked terrified. They were obviously the rebel army. They were locals captured in the villages around Jinyang City in the past two days.

"Come on!"

"go!"

The rebel soldiers looked at the old men walking slowly, and went up to them with their spears to drive them away, some even kicked them directly.

Faced with all this, the elders among the people did not dare to curse back and could only quicken their pace.

In the past, the elders in this group of people were all respected people in their respective villages. Relying on their reputation in the village and their acquaintance with some Jinyang officials, they usually looked down on Jinyang's soldiers and yamen officials.

Even if there was a bandit disturbance in Taiyuan, the elders in these villages would not be afraid. After all, if there was a bandit disturbance in Taiyuan County or the surrounding counties, there would definitely be people from their village among the bandits. They would know them more or less. If the bandits really came, they would use their connections to talk to them, give them some food, and hand over the men and women in the village, and they would not do anything.

All the resentful villagers in the village have been arrested, and the remaining villagers are even more grateful to them, knowing that it is they, the respected people, who are protecting the villagers, not the officials of the Sui Dynasty.

This is also the reason why, when the Jinyang soldiers went to the village the night before and wanted to move people into the city, these old people were very opposed to it, and even kept urging other people in the village not to move no matter what.

In the eyes of these old people, the countryside and the village are their territory, not the city. No one is willing to leave the good life outside the city and move to the city with their family. The large amounts of money, food and valuables in the homes in the village are not so easy to move.

However, these old men never dreamed that the current rebel army was not the bandits from the surrounding counties at all.

This group of rebels didn't care who they were. After entering the village, they just burned, killed and looted. Not only did they kill the men in the village, they also looted all the food and money in their homes. Even the women in their families were raped and abused.

"If you want to live, go to the top of the city wall and tell everyone you know in the city not to resist the Sui army in the city. As long as the city gates are opened, they will not be killed!"

A captain wearing armor and riding a horse came up to the group of people and shouted at them.

As soon as he finished speaking, the rebel soldiers holding shields stood in front of these old and weak people, and escorted them, as well as those dusty men, towards the East City in a protective manner.

In front of the rebel army.

Zhen Zhai'er watched this scene, and then looked towards the distant East City with interest.

Zhen Zhai'er wanted to see whether the defenders in East City dared to shoot and kill these people in public.

As long as we don't dare to shoot them, these people will keep shouting outside the East City. Then we will have to see whether the people in the city are firm enough.

If it was to rescue people, Zhen Zhai'er would like to see how the other party would rescue them. The army has already prepared cavalry, and as long as the order is given, they will charge towards the top of the city.

"Keep sending bulldozers to fill up all the pits on the plains!"

Zhen Zhai'er tilted her head and gave the order.

"Here!"

When a confidant heard Zhen Zhai'er's order, he hurriedly carried the command flag and delivered the order to the endless formation of the rebel army.

Soon among the army, earth-filling trucks covered with a thick layer of wet mud and loaded with thick soil, pushed hard by the armored rebel soldiers, slowly moved towards the plain in the direction of East City.

Around each earth-filling vehicle, there would be groups of rebel soldiers holding shields, accompanied by rebel soldiers holding bows and arrows advancing.

On the city wall of Jinyang East City.

Fu Zihou also saw this scene and immediately gave instructions to others.

"Let the elders from the noble families in the city go down and appease the villagers from the countryside, and tell the other people in the city that all the village pavilions outside the city have been looted by the rebels, and even those respected elders have been brought to the battlefield!"

Fu Zihou knew clearly that attacking the city was inferior to attacking the heart, and the enemy commander obviously knew this as well, so he used the clan leaders, elders, and a few women.

Thinking of the people in the city behind me.

Even though he had already controlled the noble families and public opinion in the city, Fu Zihou still did not dare to be careless. Any slight chance might allow the enemy to find a fatal flaw.

As long as there is a slight flaw that is exploited by the enemy, it will be a disaster for the people in the city behind him.

The enemy commander would not care about the lives of these civilians, and Fu Zihou also understood that at the moment of life and death, it all came down to who was more ruthless and who could hold on until the last breath.

Thinking of this, Fu Zihou felt the wind direction and then looked at Hu Jingyuan.

"Have people gather hay and rotten wood in the city, the more the better! I will lead the troops out of the city to rescue the people later. Remember, after I leave the city, you must start to light the hay inside the city and push it across the moat as soon as possible! Line up in a row, prepare 500 archers, hide behind the thick smoke, and shoot arrows when ordered!"

Fu Zihou gave orders and decided to lead the troops out of the city personally.

Since the enemy commander had already made his move, Fu Zihou would not sit still and wait for death. "Captain, it's too dangerous outside the city, let me go!"

"Captain, let me take the men with me!"

When Hu Jingyuan, Yin Tianzong and others heard what Fu Zihou said, they all looked at Fu Zihou with concern, and were willing to lead the soldiers out of the city on behalf of Fu Zihou to rescue the people.

Seeing that Fu Zihou was still willing to take risks to rescue the people in such a situation, as a Taiyuan native, not only the generals, but also the other soldiers around him and the men who were temporarily recruited were all deeply moved.

Especially those people who had lived in the township pavilions before, they all saw with their own eyes that Fu Zihou had sent people to notify the township overnight and asked all the people in the township to move into the city.

When the rebels had not yet arrived, the person who went to inform them was not sent by the Jinyang magistrate, nor by any other official, but Fu Zihou, who would rather bear the consequences alone.

Now, those people outside the city were unwilling to listen to Fu Zihou's words and move into the city, which is why they ended up like this.

Now Fu Zihou is actually willing to lead his troops to take risks and go out of the city personally to rescue the people.

It's a pity that they were deceived before and are still complaining about such a captain!
"You don't need to say anything more! I am the captain of the East City. Now the people and soldiers in the city need to see my determination!"

Fu Zihou turned around and sighed deeply, then said to Hu Jingyuan and the others.

The prepared thick smoke was not only used to deal with the rebel army, but also to block the archers and cover the civilians with thick smoke.

Hu Jingyuan and the others didn't know all this, so how could they leave the city on behalf of Fu Zihou?

Thinking of this, Fu Zihou's heart gradually became heavy.

Before today, Fu Zihou had always believed that "a merciful person cannot command an army" means that in the army, when facing soldiers or generals who have made mistakes, one cannot remain calm and replace military discipline with kindness.

From the moment those people walked towards East City, Fu Zihou realized how naive he was.

Inside the city gate.

Fu Zihou came to the bottom of the city wall, looked at the two hundred riders that had been selected before, and then came to a horse.

Looking at the strong horse in front of him, Fu Zihou had always believed that the noble families in East City were just poor families compared to the noble families in West City. He never thought that in this critical moment, let alone food, the noble families in East City could even provide these horses.

Fortunately, Taiyuan was rich in horse breeding and had been in contact with the Turks for many years, so the children of the noble families in Dongcheng cared a lot about their reputation and were willing to raise horses.

"Colonel Captain!"

"Captain!!"

Cao Yong and Xia Jia stepped forward and saluted before Fu Zihou.

Fu Zihou nodded.

Because all the usable items in all the houses in the city had been registered before the war, when they learned that hay and rotten wood were needed, groups of women quickly brought them in and tied them into large bundles that could generate thick smoke.

Fu Zihou saw that the number of bundles was increasing, so he jumped on his horse and took Cao Yong and Xia Jia to look at the two hundred riders behind him.

"Leave the city! Fight!"

After two simple sounds, Fu Zihou looked at the slowly opening city gate.

At the moment when the city gate just opened a crack, more than ten soldiers rushed out of the crack and ran towards the suspension bridge outside the city to lower the suspension bridge for Fu Zihou and his men.

"kill!"

Fu Zihou picked up the lance, and the moment the gate opened, he rode his horse first, leading Cao Yong and Xia Jia to charge out of the city.

Behind him, two hundred brave soldiers, holding swords and lances, followed behind him and rode on horses to charge out of the city with Fu Zihou.

On the plain outside the East City.

In front of the mighty rebel army, General Zhen Zhai'er was riding on a horse. When he saw the city gate of the east city in the distance open, his eyes were full of surprise.

Not only Zhen Zhai'er, but also Tang Zhenhao, Xiang Yifeng, Yang Boyao, Tu Ye, Qin Guangzhi and others, as well as counselors Cai Ran and Yu Lichuan, all did not expect that the defenders in the city would dare to leave the city.

"I am willing to capture the Sui army's garrison commander alive!"

Tu Ye raised his hand and said to Zhen Zhaier.

Tu Ye was a strong man. He had been a soldier in the Sui army in his early years. Later, he made great contributions and became a general. He had a premonition that the Sui Dynasty would perish, so he led a few close confidants to join Wei Daoer. He was appreciated by Wei Daoer and was granted the title of general.

At present, the moat outside the east city of Jinyang has not been filled yet. The army cannot cross the river even if they rush over, and will only be shot and killed by the defenders. Facing the defenders leaving the city, Tu Ye is very willing to show his skills, establish his prestige in the army, and gain credit.

"I am also willing to go. You don't need a thousand cavalry. Give me eight hundred men. I can lead eight hundred men and kill the Sui army! Leave no one behind! Cross the moat! Charge into the city!"

At this time, Tang Zhenhao also raised his hands and said to Zhen Zhaier.

Tu Ye suddenly looked at Tang Zhenhao.

"I am also willing to lead the troops. I only need 700 men! 700 men, charge into the city!"

Xiang Yifeng also spoke at this time, requesting to lead the troops to kill the enemy.

"I am also willing to lead the troops to destroy the Sui army..."

"The last general..."

Yang Boyue, Qin Guangzhi and others were also unwilling to lag behind. They were all generals, and everyone wanted to make achievements and establish prestige in the army. When the Duke of Wei became emperor, they would be rewarded according to their merits and obtain higher status and official positions.

Fortunately, the generals behind were not as arrogant as Tang Zhenhao and Xiang Yifeng, who actually wanted to rush into the city with hundreds of cavalry.

"General Zhen, five hundred men are enough for Tu Ye. With five hundred men, we will definitely break into the city!"

Tu Ye looked at Zhen Zhai'er, raised his hand, and said with a cold face.

Tang Zhenhao and Xiang Yifeng couldn't help but snort when they heard this, then looked at Zhen Zhai'er. Just as they were about to speak, they saw Zhen Zhai'er speak.

"The Sui army has already left the city! General Tu will lead a thousand cavalrymen to fight!"

Zhen Zhai'er felt somewhat helpless. There were various factions under the Duke of Wei, and these people had never submitted to each other in the past. After thinking it over, she decided to let Tu Ye encircle and suppress the Sui army.

Upon learning that the Sui general guarding the city was the one who had killed Zhang Jincheng's confidant Xu Jinpeng in Qinghe County, and that he had been in the city some time ago, ignoring the ridicule and insisting on defending the city, this was already the style of a famous general, so Zhen Zhai'er did not dare to be careless.

Tu Ye might not be good at leading troops and deploying troops, or strategizing on the battlefield, but in terms of martial arts, Tu Ye's skills still make Zhen Zhai'er feel at ease.

This first battle concerns the morale of both sides. Even if the Sui army garrison commander does not come out in person, he will send brave men.

"Here!"

When Tu Ye heard Zhen Zhai'er's words, a smile appeared on his face. Before taking the order and leaving, he did not forget to glance at Tang Zhenhao and Xiang Yifeng.

Seeing this, Tang Zhenhao and Xiang Yifeng couldn't help but look a little gloomy, but fortunately they controlled themselves.

Since General Zhen Zhai'er gave Tu Ye a thousand cavalry, the two of them wanted to see if Tu Ye could defeat the Sui army and then charge into the East City in one go.

It is easy to destroy the Sui army leaving the city, but it is not so easy to rush into the east city and break the city.

　Note: Today's update is 4,000 words, so please take a day off.

　　There is too much information about this period of the Tang Dynasty. Not to mention those people from different counties, even many aristocratic families played an important role in inconspicuous places.

　　Since this is the first time I write about the Sui and Tang dynasties, the information about the character Daidao alone has exceeded 100,000 words. Every time I write about a character, his historical information comes to my mind. That's why I often misspelled the name Daidao without realizing it. I have had a cold these two days and feel groggy, so I will start with a 4,000-word update today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)