The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 354 Opening the City Gates to Welcome the King of Wu

The desert is located two miles north of Bianliang City.

Qi wanted to seize the Nine Tripods of Zhou, but Yan Shu said, "The ruler and ministers of Daliang have long desired the Nine Tripods and have been plotting on the desert for some time."

This is the venue where the traitors of Wei always plotted to steal the Nine Tripods.

In the early Sui Dynasty, in order to conquer Jiangnan, the Sui army diverted the Bian River into the desert to train its navy, adding to the magnificent spectacle of the vast ocean.

Due to climate change and regional hydrological design, it has now dried up, leaving only a green grassland.

When Zhu Quanzhong governed Bianjing, he planted thousands of peach and cherry trees here to please his beloved wife. Now, in late spring, the peach trees are budding and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The pale pink cherry blossoms seem to have been scattered from the sky, dancing all over the mountains and fields, creating a truly enchanting scene.

"Your Majesty, the Wei army has arrived!" The King of Wu, who was sharpening his knife by a stream, received the report.

"Oh?" King Wu was excited upon hearing this. He composed himself, stood up, and said, "Please come in quickly! I am eager to find talented people and cannot wait a moment longer!"

Yuan Xie's expression changed drastically.

What nonsense is Your Highness spouting!
Seeing the soldiers around him looking at each other, Yuan Xie quickly whispered in their ears, "Don't say anything that's detrimental to unity. If someone hears these words—"

"What I mean is, I can't wait to meet with talented people."

"What was said in jest was taken to heart by the listener."

"Alright, alright, I understand." King Wu waved his hand and left the stream.

On the open ground covered with leather carpets, the officers and soldiers of the Wei Bo and Yi Cheng armies, having already removed their armor, waited for a long time among the cherry blossom trees.

King Wu stepped into the woods, his leather boots making a "clattering" sound.

"Hahaha! A guest has come from afar, bringing me a piece of brocade. Though we are separated by more than ten thousand miles, your heart remains as warm as ever!" King Wu looked up at the dark mass of officers and soldiers from the two towns, opened his arms, and greeted them warmly.

"Your Majesty, Tian Heng, the Chief of the Imperial Household Department of Wei Bo, pays his respects!" Tian Heng led his men in bowing.

"To inherit the lineage?"

"...I am guilty of original sin."

"Haha, what original sin? The Tian family has produced so many loyal and virtuous officials. How is Commander Tian doing?"

"All is well. I originally intended to come to Bianliang in person to join forces, but unexpectedly I was struck by a sudden illness."

"Are you alright? I heard earlier that I have an aunt, the late emperor's Left Consort, who is now living in exile in Ye City..."

The worst thing is when the air suddenly goes quiet, and the buzzing disappears the moment the words are spoken.

The vassal lords and court officials all cast stern glances at them.

"You treacherous dogs, you rebels!" Zhao Cun knelt with his hand on his sword: "To blaspheme against Heaven and Man is a capital offense!"

After Zhao Cunfa got angry, the court officials present were first stunned, and then flew into a rage.

A subject who has disgraced his lord shall die! Even a sage has a sister-in-law who has suffered such a fate. Civil and military officials alike drew their swords and cursed loudly.

Tian Heng was extremely embarrassed and hurriedly stepped forward from his seat, knelt down and explained, "We deserve death! We were placed in Ye Palace by Luo Hongxin... After we killed these people, we sent Zhaorong to Changsheng Temple to cultivate. When Your Majesty mentioned it, I sent troops to escort Zhaorong back to the capital as soon as I returned to my post."

What kind of arrangement is this? It was clearly taken over by Luo Hongxin, and he even invited her out to sing erotic songs.

"Ahem, what are you doing?" King Wu patted his palm. Tian Heng deliberately covered up his embarrassment, and he immediately went along with it, pretending not to know: "It's wartime, it's normal that we can't spare the time to send people back."

"Shouldn't you change your name? It's against the taboo of Emperor Ling." Before Tian Heng could answer, King Wu, as if nothing had happened, smiled and knelt down in the main seat, nodding and saying, "Please sit down."

He nearly lost his life the moment they met. Tian Heng was drenched in sweat, and a surge of anger and resentment welled up inside him.

The generals rose, their eyes showing surprise.

I never expected that the King of Wu, so young, would have such an appearance and demeanor.

As expected of a son of the Li family.

"Didn't Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong also start fighting at this age?" someone praised.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering who this person was in such a hurry!
King Wu hesitated for a moment, then quickly changed the subject, glancing around at the assembled guests before getting straight to the point: "The Zhu family has ruled Bianliang for over ten years. The city is fortified and large, and they have a number of warriors. Bianliang has a large population, but the people of the Central Plains are not loyal to it, and the people of Bianliang are fierce. I'm afraid it won't be easy to take it. Since dawn today, I have been trying to persuade them to surrender for two hours, but there has been no response. I intend to seize the city this afternoon. Please share your thoughts."

Zhao Cun, Qi Yanshuqiu, and other civil and military officials sat to his left.

Generals and officers from various departments of Weibo, Chengde, and Yicheng were positioned in the lower right corner, while other officers and soldiers stood on the periphery as there were not enough seats available.

Upon hearing the question, everyone looked up.

"May I ask Your Majesty, how many troops are garrisoning the city?" asked Gao Yuan, the commander of the Yicheng army, breaking through the ice.

"I don't know," King Wu replied bluntly. "During Zhu Wen's time, the army inside and outside Bianjing, along with the troops from the five garrisons of Chen, Hua, Xu, Cai, and He, numbered approximately 300,000. At Tongguan, Hezhong City, Shouyang Mountain, Jincheng, Juyangchuan, Hengshui… about 100,000 were annihilated by the Emperor and the warlords who fought the Jingnan Rebellion. Since the Zhou dynasty rebelled, this group has taken several thousand, that group tens of thousands, and probably tens of thousands more. Zhu Dalang entered Guanzhong with 100,000 troops…"

The King of Wu was somewhat annoyed.

Having spent most of his time in the palace and having little experience with military affairs, coupled with the vast size of the Bian Army system and the constant replenishment of personnel, he couldn't possibly understand it all. Therefore, he got stuck while talking.

He simply pointed at Prince Mei and said, "Prince? You tell me."

“I don’t know either,” Prince Mei shook his head and said, “but if I make a rough estimate, the Imperial Guard plus the outside troops would be no more than tens of thousands of people, which is similar to the number of our army.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuan frowned.

The most annoying thing is attacking a city! Especially a fortified city defended by so many people.

"Your Majesty," Shi Shenxiao advised, "Bianliang City is undoubtedly difficult to attack. Your army, including ours, numbers only about 20,000 armored soldiers. We also have no idea about the situation of the remaining rebel forces in the neighboring area. I do not agree with wasting our soldiers. It would be better to cut off the water supply and build tunnels to besiege the city."

"Didn't Your Majesty bring 20,000 barbarians? Can you drive the barbarians to attack the city?" someone said.

"Difficult! Those barbarians, I observed them when I passed by just now, they're all idiots, expecting them to fight is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree. Even without us, three thousand Bian soldiers could easily handle them. If we were to force them to attack the city, they'd all be wiped out, and the moat wouldn't even be able to be filled in." Someone mocked.

"Then let's train them first."

"Ahem, your thinking is dangerous. The might of the Holy Tang Dynasty is to give the strength of its own people to foreigners rather than to those within its own borders."

"Yes, especially these newly assimilated barbarians, they're practically indistinguishable from savages." "Who are you calling a foreigner? Aren't I a Tang person?"

"Stop!" King Wu raised his hands slightly, signaling a halt. "The tribal armies are unreliable; they can only do things like cleaning up the battlefield, transporting supplies, and harassing the enemy with mounted archery. Proceed as planned! Lord Tian, ​​the Wei army is responsible for cutting off the water supply. General Gao, I'll send you 10,000 mixed-race soldiers. See if the Yicheng army can build an earthen mound somewhere outside the city, like Hou Jing did when he besieged Jiankang. I'll launch a city-seizing operation at the north gate later, to test the strength of the defenders."

The Wei army, unable to endure the arduous battles and fighting away from home, went to repair dikes and cut off the water supply.

Yi Chengjun, judging from his limited experience on the plateau, seems to have decent execution capabilities. He can be entrusted with more challenging tasks.

This way of assigning tasks should be reasonable, King Wu thought to himself.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"By order of the King!"

"Raze Bianliang to the ground and rob the hell out of it!"

"If you want to make a name for yourself in this world, you have to risk your life! Either you enter Bianliang in glory, or you die under the city walls. I don't care!"

The ministers and generals were in an uproar, and even the King of Wu was somewhat excited.

Even though I've seen battles before, my heart still races when a major battle begins.

Looking at the dejected, awe-inspiring, fanatical, and excited military generals and ministers, only at this moment did he deeply feel how alluring power was, and only then did he realize how correct his decision to insist on Zheng Yanchang in Jincheng Palace had been.

If the emperor wants to sit on the throne, it seems he can only compete with the emperor for influence and authority in the military.

"With both civil and military prowess, victory is assured!" King Wu laughed heartily, summarizing his victory. He slammed his hand on the table, rose to his feet, pounded his chest, strode up from his seat, and raised his hand: "Sound the horns, advance!"

On the sixth day of the third month, Wei Botian Heng's troops and Yi Cheng Jun Gao Yuan's troops arrived at Bianliang.

The King of Wu once again attached numerous letters of surrender to arrows and shot them into the city, but to no avail.

In the afternoon, the royal army began constructing heavy machinery and building massive structures to launch an attack on the city.

Meanwhile, the chaotic city of Bianliang was also making intensive preparations for defense.

After Zhu Dalang's family was sent to the secluded and remote Tongtian Tower in Bianliang Palace for safekeeping, the garrison commander Zhang Jilong was busy running around inspecting military affairs.

"If the royal army fights head-on, how long can it hold out?"

"Judging from the scale, the enemy outnumbers us several times over, and I really have no confidence."

Seeing the soldiers carrying earth and stones whispering to each other, Zhang Jilong scolded them and urged them to get to work quickly.

"Our city is a renowned stronghold, far superior to tens of thousands of soldiers. We will not take it easily! You should stop with your petty schemes!"

He racked his brains, calculating the outcome of the battle.

Of course, as a military man of the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, Zhang Jilong also spread rumors about the relationship between Sheng Tang and Da Lang.

With Dalang defeated, it seems that the Tang Dynasty's recapture of the Central Plains is just around the corner.

After three hundred years of rule by the Li family, and with the fall of the Zhu family, it is only right that we return to the imperial court.

However, the whereabouts of the defeated army of Dalang were unknown, which made Zhang Jilong cautious again:

The brutality of the Bian army is known throughout the land.

If we surrender rashly, what if the defeated army marches down to the city walls, or if reinforcements arrive, defeat the King of Wu, and we return to Bianliang? Wouldn't that be a disaster?

Therefore, he revealed to his confidants that as soon as news came that his eldest son had died, or that the entire army had collapsed and could not be rebuilt, he would surrender the city and hand over everything.

When the King of Wu finally launched a fierce attack below the city, Zhang Jilong was on the city wall, watching intently.

Seeing the Imperial Guard infantry assembling outside the trench, he could only shake his head and sigh: "The son of an old friend, how could he be so foolish! Can a city be captured like this? Without heavy weapons, without the cover of cannon fire, arrows, and flames, infantry charging alone is just standing at our doorstep, letting us beat them up like sandbags, only to breed resentment among the troops. If you all had a little more guts, this kid would have realized the danger and given up on attacking the city, and we would have taken our time to deal with it..."

"If we wait a few more days, perhaps we'll see the same thing as Dalang!"

Outside the trench, the infantry had finished their preparations and were advancing steadily with their shields in place.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The roar reached straight up to the city wall.

Zhang Jilong stroked the brickwork at the edge of the wall and laughed, “Very spirited! Men, go easy on them, just teach them to back down, and don’t pour oil on them. It’s tough for Dalang, sooner or later, the sage will probably be the ruler of the Central Plains. Let’s be nice to them first, so we’ll make fewer enemies… Listen to me! Once we get through this, I’ll be like Wang Yanzhang, leading the men to a bright future.”

As he was laughing and talking, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist.

He subconsciously reached out and touched it, and found the steel knife stuck in his ribs.

Zhang Jilong stared wide-eyed at the blood-covered hands and slowly turned his head, only to see several junior officers or colleagues staring coldly at him.

One of his closest confidants was gripping the steel knife that was embedded in his back, pulling it out forcefully.

Zhang Jilong winced in pain and bent over.

The surrounding soldiers watched the scene in stunned silence. One of the guards, having just stepped back, shouted, "All..."

The officer, who had drawn his sword, raised his hand and roared, "Revolt!"

A large group of soldiers rushed out, brandishing their swords and spears, and, surrounded by officials, soldiers, and civilians, cut his personal guard to pieces on the city wall.

"Why is this happening?" Zhang Jilong, leaning against the edge of the battlement, glared at the wound, blood gushing from his eyes.

"You're out of touch with reality! You've lost your mind and forgotten what we did to get to where we are today! If you hear the Way in the morning, you can return to it in the evening. The Great Liang is completely finished. We heroes have no patience to be buried with the Zhu family! Go to the Yellow Springs and serve your country!"

Zhang Jilong chuckled bitterly: "Am I really stupid? In this day and age, it's all about you killing me and me chopping you up. Nobody trusts anyone anymore... I'm down here, watching... you guys!"

"Pfft!" The broadsword slashed down, spraying blood all over the nearby soldiers, making them look bright red.

Someone had already lifted Zhang Jilong's head and screamed in alarm, "Jilong is dead! Open the North Gate to welcome the King of Wu!"

"Wise one, heed my command! Charge into the palace and capture the entire Zhu family!"

(End of this chapter)