Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 394 Surprise Attack on Qin Prefecture
"Susu..."

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the seventh year of Xiantong, at the same time that Wang Shi of Longxi decided to withdraw his troops and switch from offense to defense.

Outside Chengji County in northern Qinzhou, countless people are working hard in the fields.

In front of the city gate tower, the soldiers stationed in Chengji couldn't help but yawn; the hot weather made them drowsy.

It wasn't just him; the entire Chengji County and state army were like this.

More than half a month ago, after the military rations stockpiled in Chengji County were transported to Shanggui County in the south, the defensive strength of Chengji and Longcheng counties in northern Qin Prefecture inevitably began to decline.

Chengji County is located on the southern slope of Shenxianliang Mountain. The terrain is high in the west and low in the east, and high in the north and low in the south. The terrain within the county is mainly composed of loess ridges, gullies and mountains, and narrow river valley basins.

The arable land within the territory is mainly the river valley plains carved out by several tributaries of the Wei River, such as the Wating River and the Long River.

These valleys and plains, large and small, have a considerable amount of land available for cultivation, but due to the sparse population, even though the Tang Dynasty had been operating in this area for nearly twenty years, only three to four hundred thousand mu of arable land had been cultivated.

The grain production of the entire Qin Prefecture mainly came from the Wei River Valley, where Shanggui, Fuqiang, and Wushan counties were located.

Even so, the annual grain output of these three counties is only about 300,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). Including the three counties of Chengji, Longcheng, and Qingshui in the north, and Qinling County in the east, which serves as a retreat route, the output is only about 500,000 shi.

With enough food to sustain the local population of over 100,000, the amount of grain available to feed the army was negligible, and they could only rely on grain transfers from Shannan West Circuit and Guanzhong.

Therefore, after the military rations were transferred to the south, the defense of Chengji and Longcheng counties became less important.

Of course, the reason for this emptiness was mainly because Liu Jilong's main force was at Xiaoguan, more than 700 miles away.

In terms of distance, the journey Liu Jilong took from Xiaoguan to Chang'an was not necessarily as far as the journey from Xiaoguan to Chengji.

With the government troops controlling Mupan Pass and Shimen Pass, they could easily take a shortcut to Xiaoguan Pass, a distance of only about 300 li, less than half the distance Liu Jilong took by detouring through Chengji.

Given the distance between the two sides, Wang Shi dared to send troops to Xiaoguan, simply because he felt that once Li Chengxun realized something was wrong, he would have enough time to withdraw his troops to defend Chengji.

However, in hindsight, Wang Shi realized something was wrong, and Liu Jilong seized the opportunity.

"what sound?"

"What sound is that? You must have misheard."

"Could it be that you're thinking of Lord Cao?"

Outside Chengji County, the people who were working diligently all looked up, and they were all women, with no men among them.

All the men in Qin Prefecture were conscripted to the front lines, including even those under the age of eighteen. All the farm work fell on the shoulders of the women in the family.

In the fields, a woman weeding looked in confusion toward the north bank of the Wating River. There was a vast expanse of uncultivated plain that stretched for miles, but there was no movement in that direction at the moment.

Women from the same village who knew the woman well couldn't help but tease her. The woman, unashamed, retorted:
"Who doesn't want to? Don't you?"

"Life is tough these days, and the only thing worth talking about every day is the stuff in bed."

“All the men have been conscripted, and I don’t know if they will ever come back. If my Cao Lang comes back, I’m going to give him a good beating.”

"Hahahahaha..."

The women found joy amidst hardship, their smiles tinged with bitterness.

They knew perfectly well that if a man went to the battlefield, he would most likely not come back.

I heard that the fighting in the west is very fierce, and many people are dying every day.

They couldn't understand why the court would send troops against the benevolent ruler of Longyou, who was also renowned far and wide.

It should be noted that the reason why the price of grain in Qinzhou was lower than that in Guanzhong was largely due to the fact that Longyou sold grain to Qinzhou, which prevented the people of Qinzhou from suffering from famine.

In their limited understanding, they only felt that once the Tibetans were driven away, the world would be at peace.

Although life is tough now, it's still better than living a precarious existence under Tibetan rule.

But war eventually broke out, making life even harder for these ordinary people.

With no men at home, whether this year's autumn harvest can be completed on schedule and whether the autumn taxes can be paid are all questions...

"Buzzing, rumbling..."

Amid the laughter, a commotion gradually arose on the north side of Wating River. The women stopped laughing one after another and looked inquisitively at the river valley plains to the north, which were often used for grazing.

Gradually, the buzzing sound grew louder and louder, and many elderly women cried out after hearing it.

"It's cavalry! Run!!"

"run……"

The sound of the Tibetan army's hooves left these old women with unforgettable memories.

Each time the Tibetans invaded the Tang Dynasty, they seemed to wage war from the east and north, while the sound of horses' hooves signified their return.

Now that Huizhou in the north has been lost, even these old women know that the government troops cannot possibly march south from the north.

In an instant, thousands of women outside Chengji County picked up their farm tools and hurriedly ran towards the county town.

"Get into the city quickly! Hurry!!"

The soldiers at the city gate also heard the sound of horses' hooves. Instead of closing the city gate immediately, they kept urging the women who were busy with farming, because their wives, daughters and sisters were among them.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder in the valley, and at the same time, the soldiers stationed in the city tower saw the Five-Colored Flag and the Three Stars Flag fluttering in the distance.

The banners of the rebels and the government troops were mostly the same, but the colors of their armor were different.

The Longyou army mainly wore silver armor and black coats, while the government troops mainly wore red coats, making them easily distinguishable from a distance.

So when the government troops saw the Longyou army in silver armor and black coats emerging from the plains of the northern river valley, they immediately blew their wooden whistles and sounded the alarm.

"Beep--"

"Dang Dang Dang..."

The piercing sound of wooden whistles and the clanging of bells urged the women outside the city to hurry. By the time they had fled through the city gates, the Longyou army had already reached the north bank of the Wating River.

They briefly measured the depth of the Wating River, and then boldly and confidently rode their horses across the river.

The city gates of Chengji County were tightly closed, and a fast horse was immediately dispatched south.

However, their fast horses had not gone far when they were overtaken by the elite cavalry from Longyou who had just crossed the river.

To save his life, the fast horse immediately dismounted and surrendered.

Seeing that the fast horses could not deliver the message, the government troops in the city immediately released all the carrier pigeons in the city. At this time, nearly a thousand soldiers of the Longyou army had already crossed the Wating River.

Standing in front of the city gate, the government troops could clearly see that the Longyou army's ranks stretched for several miles, with civilian laborers following behind.

"They came from Huining via a detour..."

The government troops inside the city quickly made a judgment, but then wavered.

It would be easy for a force of tens of thousands to take down Chengji County, which was defended by only a thousand soldiers and whose men and middle-aged men had all been mobilized.

Two hours later, nearly 10,000 soldiers from Longyou had crossed the river. The laborers following behind the army began to build a simple wooden bridge to facilitate the crossing of the supply wagons.

After the first batch of supply wagons crossed the river, the Longyou army showed no intention of negotiation. Three thousand cavalry and infantry dismounted and began directing laborers to dismantle the supply wagons, adopting an attack posture.

The cavalry and infantry began assembling the wagons, while the laborers dug up sand and filled it into sacks.

Half an hour later, as the horn sounded, more than thirty shield carts equipped with shields were pushed forward, with laborers carrying sandbags on their backs following closely behind them.

The speed was so fast that the government troops in Chengji County did not have time to set up defensive equipment.

"What are they trying to do? Use battering rams to ram the city walls?"

"The walls of Chengji are two zhang thick. Did they use this to ram the walls?"

The government troops who had been hastily assembled on the city wall looked at the Longyou army outside the city and felt completely bewildered.

"Don't worry about what they're up to. Archers, get ready! When the enemy is 120 paces away, fire crossbow bolts; when they're 70 paces away, shoot arrows!"

A general, who appeared to be a commander on the city wall, began to give orders while also encouraging morale.

"Shanggui County is only a hundred li away from here. Reinforcements from the town will arrive in three days at most. Holding out for three days should be enough!"

The words of the generals did indeed rouse the spirits of these usually poorly trained soldiers, and their morale gradually rose.

Under their watchful eyes, the shield carts of the Longyou Army entered within 120 paces. Less than 100 crossbowmen began to fire their crossbow bolts, but because the Longyou Army was tightly hidden behind the shield carts and the shield carts were high, it was difficult to interfere with the Longyou Army's advance.

The distance of sixty paces was quickly reached, and the other two hundred archers among the thousand state soldiers began to harass the Longyou army's advance with their bows and arrows.

However, at this moment, the Longyou army stopped and began to raise their shields and form a straight line on the north bank of the moat, while the Longyou army in the back formed a curved line and began to exchange fire with the government troops using bows and crossbows.

"Beep--"

A piercing whistle rang out, and apart from the shield-bearing warriors, the remaining two thousand dismounted infantrymen, in squads, retaliated with arrows in response to the whistle.

Arrows rained down like locusts, and in an instant, the government troops on the less than two-zhang-high horse path in Chengji County were suppressed.

At the same time, the whistle blew again, and the Longyou army outside the city voluntarily made way for them, while the laborers carried sandbags forward and began to pave the road.

The moat, which was only two zhang wide, was quickly transformed into a road for the Longyou army by a thousand laborers carrying sandbags on their backs.

They then began to withdraw to their base and ceased participating in frontline combat.

More than a hundred soldiers, armed with hoes and pickaxes, quickly paved the road created by sandbags. "Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

As the bugle sounded, the three thousand infantrymen at the forefront of the battle began to push the shield carts across the river.

Five hundred men pushed the shield carts, while the remaining two thousand five hundred men, in squads of fifty, under the command of the captains, brigade commanders, and squad leaders, continued to suppress the government troops on the city walls with arrows.

"Damn it, how come the rebels have so many crossbows?!"

"I saw it. Every one of them had a strong bow, and at least 30% of them had crossbows, and even fully drawn ones!"

Hidden behind the parapet, the Chengji soldiers discussed the equipment of the Longyou army. Meanwhile, at the Longyou main camp outside the city, Husi Guang shook his reins and stepped forward to inquire:
"General, the shield carts have crossed the river. Can we send firearms soldiers to blow down the city walls now?"

"Be careful, if it doesn't collapse, retreat," Liu Jilong warned.

Husiguang bowed in agreement, then waved his command flag, and more than a hundred soldiers in the formation, carrying gunpowder packs, rode their horses to the front line.

When Gao Pian served as the governor of Qinlong and the military governor of Tianxiong Army, Huizhou was still firmly in the hands of the imperial court. Therefore, Gao Pian's main defensive direction was along the Wei River.

His chosen approach was to focus limited resources on four counties: Wushan, Fuqiang, Shanggui, and Qinling, as well as Qingshui County and Anrong Pass, which were withdrawn from Longzhou.

These cities and passes were mostly rammed earth and brick walls, or simply stone walls, to ensure that the Tianxiong Army could both attack and defend.

Time flies, and so many years have passed, but Li Chengxun still relies on the defensive line left by Gao Pian, turning a blind eye to Chengji County and Longcheng in the north.

Even when Chengji County was threatened by Husiguang's 5,000 cavalry and infantry, Li Chengxun's only arrangement was to build a camp in a narrow section of Husiguang's southward route to defend against them.

Because of his neglect, Chengji County and Longcheng County still have rammed earth structures.

For the Longyou army, a city with a rammed earth structure was practically equivalent to having no city walls at all.

More than a hundred cavalrymen dismounted 120 paces from the city wall, carrying gunpowder pouches, and quickly advanced.

On the opposite bank of the moat, 2,500 elite soldiers used crossbows to suppress the state troops on the city walls, while firearms soldiers quickly crossed the moat and rushed into the shield carts.

The cavalry and infantry responsible for digging the soil had already dug the tunnel. After the artillerymen buried the gunpowder packs, they immediately backfilled it with sand and then retreated immediately after the artillerymen lit the fuses.

Without the slightest hesitation, the more than three thousand soldiers of the Vanguard Team immediately retreated.

When the government troops on the city wall reacted and looked out of the city, they only saw the retreating figures of the Longyou army.

The state soldiers guarding the city were completely bewildered. Before they could even speak, they felt the world spinning around them.

"Rumble--"

Dust billowed up as the force of the two thousand catties of gunpowder exploding one after another directly destroyed a section of the city wall, killing and burying more than a hundred soldiers on the spot.

"Lightning struck?"

The remaining surviving soldiers thought it was a sudden explosion, but as the dust settled, they discovered that a hole about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) had been blasted into the city wall.

"The city wall has collapsed?!"

"Uuuuuu——"

Before the disheveled soldiers could react, they heard the dull blast of the bugle.

The more than 3,000 Longyou troops who had originally retreated have now transformed into a vanguard and returned.

"Go down from the city wall and guard the breach!!"

The ashes-covered men drew their swords and shouted, but the surrounding soldiers had not yet come to their senses.

He hit and kicked them, which finally woke up many people.

Everyone rushed down from the city wall and formed a six-flower straight formation at the gap that was less than two zhang wide.

The thousand men were divided into five teams, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front, spearmen in the middle, and archers and crossbowmen in the rear, tightly blocking the gap.

However, the vanguard of Longyou did not take this group of state soldiers, whose armor coverage rate was less than 50%, seriously.

The first group of soldiers to cross the river immediately formed a wedge formation, carrying 13-foot-long spears, and charged towards the gap with a running start.

Although they were running, their formation remained intact, their footing as stable as if they were five hundred people as one.

Faced with five hundred men charging in a wedge formation, the state soldiers, who couldn't even hold their ground at the breach, had absolutely no chance of winning.

"kill!!"

"boom--"

"Um..."

"help me!!"

"Don't step on me, pull me up, save me!"

"Um..."

In an instant, the Zhanfeng team tore through the two hundred state soldiers guarding the breach. Countless state soldiers fell backward, struggling to get up, but were ultimately trampled by the Zhanfeng team.

The other four teams of eight hundred soldiers were also terrified, but they instinctively surrounded and attacked.

"Beep--"

Those soldiers in the vanguard team who dare to be at the forefront naturally have the confidence to do so.

As soon as the whistle blew, the five hundred vanguard soldiers immediately formed a straight line, with spearmen on the outside, blunt weapons in the middle, and crossbowmen at the rear, and began to attack from three directions, in brigade units.

As the spear thrust forward, the soldiers, gripped by fear, faltered and their formation was instantly breached.

Five hundred against one thousand, and it became a one-sided massacre in less than half a cup of tea's time.

"They broke in so quickly?!"

Outside the city, even generals like Husi Guang and An Pohu couldn't help but show surprise.

Seeing their surprise, Liu Jilong pointed out:

"The middle and lower-ranking soldiers in my corps and brigade are of extremely high quality. If they do not have exceptional skills, we should not restrict them too much. Giving them a certain degree of autonomy on the battlefield will actually help them achieve better results."

The generals of Longyou basically followed suit. People such as Li Ji, Shang Duoluo, and Husi Guang, although they had different personalities, all imitated Liu Jilong's way of fighting.

Liu Jilong maintained strict control over the army on the battlefield down to the regimental and brigade levels, so they followed suit.

They didn't realize that Liu Jilong maintained such strict control over the army because many of his generals were impulsive, and Longyou lacked a strong foundation. If they suffered a defeat, it would easily demoralize the entire army.

Liu Jilong could command tens of thousands of people with ease, but they might not be able to control even a few thousand people well, which limited the actions of middle and lower-level generals when facing emergencies.

That is why the Longyou army suffered such heavy casualties over the past month and a half.

Thinking of the deaths and injuries in the army, Liu Jilong couldn't help but grip the reins tightly, feeling helpless and distressed.

"kill!!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Those who abandon their weapons may surrender; those who surrender will not be killed!"

Shouts of killing echoed through Chengji County, followed by calls for surrender.

The people of Chengji, who had lived under Tibetan rule, knew very well that if calls for surrender were made, the fall of the city would not be far off.

For a time, many people fell into despair, because they knew the nature of the government troops and the Tibetan army.

Many young women, unwilling to be captured and enslaved, attempted suicide, but fortunately, their elders quickly dissuaded them.

Although Liu Jilong's reputation was demonized by the government, the people of Qin, Hui and other prefectures couldn't possibly be worse than the Tibetans, could they?

What does a little reputation matter as long as one can survive?
They are all Han Chinese. Could Liu Jilong be more bloodthirsty than Lun Kongre of Tibet?

Moreover, Liu Jilong often sold grain in Qin and Long, and had an excellent reputation. There were no slaves in Longyou. Even if the Longyou army wanted to plunder Chengji, it was unlikely that they would take all the people of the city as slaves.

Despite persuasion from their elders, the younger generation who have grown up over the past two decades did not choose to commit suicide.

Meanwhile, the thousand state soldiers stationed in Chengji, after suffering more than two hundred casualties, decisively chose to abandon their troops and surrender.

The bells and drums rang out, and Husi Guang and the other generals looked excitedly at Liu Jilong:

"General, we've taken it!"

The two men were so excited for a reason. They had led their troops to the outskirts of Chengji City and captured the city in less than three hours. This speed was much faster than when they attacked the city themselves.

Liu Jilong nodded upon hearing this and looked at Husiguang: "Rest for one night. Tomorrow you will personally lead two thousand elite cavalry and three thousand infantrymen, along with all the laborers, to attack Longcheng County."

"If we can take Longcheng County as easily as we did today, then the Longshan Pass, Liupan Pass, Mupan Pass, and Shimen Pass in Jingyuan will all be yours to take."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Husiguang's eyes were filled with excitement; he understood what Liu Jilong wanted to do.

After capturing Chengji and Longcheng counties, they then took all six passes of Longshan and closed the gates to the remaining five counties of Qinzhou.

Thinking of this, he immediately ordered his army to enter Chengji, and at the same time repeatedly issued orders to strictly prohibit the soldiers from causing trouble.

A quarter of an hour later, as the Longyou army entered Chengji, Wang Shi, who had not yet retreated to Wushan County, had already lost the best opportunity to withdraw...

(End of this chapter)