The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 256 Burning the City, A Great Victory

At the West Gate, the battle between the Western Xia army and the Northern Frontier army had reached its final moment.

Although the Xia army had superior numbers, the Northern Frontier soldiers occupied the city walls high up, firing arrows down into the city, turning the area within the city walls—a few dozen meters wide—into a vacuum.

The Western Xia army grew increasingly anxious as they failed to capture the city. Just then, Li Anquan's order arrived.

"His Highness has ordered the entire army to withdraw from the city."

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The messenger roared in a hoarse voice, then hurriedly rode off to relay the order to the other units.

The Xia army soldiers inside the city were completely bewildered by this order.

"Let us retreat?"

"How could His Highness issue such an order?"

"We're about to take over the entire Shanle City. If we retreat now, what will become of all the brothers who have died?"

"Li Anquan is an amateur!"

Just as the Western Xia soldiers were complaining and expressing their confusion about the order, Luo Meng's order arrived.

"The Deputy Commander-in-Chief has ordered: Light the fire."

"The Deputy Commander-in-Chief has ordered that the fire be lit immediately."

Outside the west gate, two yellow-armored guards beside Luo Meng rode up on horseback, galloping along the foot of the city wall, their roars echoing across most of the west city wall.

Upon hearing this order, the soldiers from the northern frontier on the city wall immediately changed their attitude.

"Damn it, we can finally fight."

"I've fought alongside the Grand Protector for so many years, and this is the first time I've been chased and beaten."

"If I don't kill these Tangut bald dogs today, I'll change my surname to something else."

Wang Cunxiao, the commander of the Fourth Town, was covered in blood, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, and he shouted loudly.

"Light the kerosene!"

The soldiers in the northern frontier began to move, taking out the arrows they had prepared long ago.

A soldier carrying a torch ran past them and quickly ignited the oil on all the arrowheads.

"Fire arrows!"

Wang Cunxiao brandished his cavalry saber and shouted loudly.

"Rustling sound~"

With a series of ear-piercing whistling sounds, hundreds of rockets, trailing scarlet flames, pierced the sky and shot towards various parts of the West District like a shower of falling meteors.

The Western Xia soldiers inside the city walls stared blankly at this scene. Some of them suddenly realized something, their faces turning pale, and they looked at a pile of hay not far away with expressions of horror.

"No, we fell into a trap."

A Western Xia general cried out in alarm, but it was too late.

An arrow struck the haystack precisely, and flames shot up more than ten feet high with a "boom," quickly spreading to the surrounding area.

Because the Northern Frontier Army sprinkled a layer of gunpowder on the hay.

After all, China's largest sulfur and nitrate mines are under the control of the Northern Frontier Army.

Gunpowder is inexpensive; the main expense is manpower to mine it, and it doesn't need to be used sparingly.

So, guided by the gunpowder, the dry grass was quickly ignited, and the fire around the west gate grew larger and larger.

Wang Cunxiao shouted again, "Divine crossbow, fire!"

The range of cavalry archers was only a few dozen meters, and their coverage area was limited to the area around the west city wall.

However, the range of the crossbow could reach four or five hundred meters, enough to ignite the dry grass throughout the western half of the city.

"Rustling sound~"

The crossbow bolts rained down like a storm, setting the burning haystacks ablaze like giant, fiery beasts, with thick smoke and sparks shooting straight into the sky.

"Fire, fire, fire~"

"Fire! Fire! Run!"

"We've fallen into a trap, let's get out of here!"

Countless Western Xia soldiers watched helplessly as the surrounding haystacks were set ablaze, forming a massive sea of ​​fire in just a few breaths, and spreading rapidly in all directions.

There was no time for the soldiers to react; it was too late.

"Quickly splash water, quickly splash water!"

A hoarse voice of a Western Xia centurion shouted loudly, but the next second, the sound of arrows from the crossbow piercing the air rang out like the wailing of death.

With a "whoosh," the sharp crossbow bolt pierced through his iron armor and embedded itself in his shoulder blade. Oil spread along the gaps in the armor, instantly turning him into a burning man of fire.

He rolled and knocked over several soldiers, then set the haystacks he had knocked down ablaze, and flames spread across the street.

They quickly set fire to the dry grass inside the house, making the fire even more intense.

By this time, no one was going to put out the fire anymore.

After all, the fire had already spread to this point, and it couldn't be extinguished by just a few buckets of water.

Moreover, since the Northern Frontier Army wanted to burn down Shanle City, they had already blocked the wells in the city.

It's too late.

Large numbers of Western Xia soldiers rolled around in the sea of ​​fire, the scorching heat baking their iron armor and scalding their flesh.

Thick smoke, mixed with the smell of barbecue, spread to every corner of the city.

"Run, run! Cough cough cough~"

A young Tangut soldier endured excruciating pain as he removed his armor and tore off large chunks of flesh. But at that moment, he could no longer feel the pain; all he could think about was escaping.

He had given up hope of the promised rewards from the imperial court and his fantasies of plundering the cities of Hexi were completely shattered. Now, all he wanted was to go home.

However, with raging fires all around, he couldn't find any way out.

As I ran, I felt dizzy and my vision blurred, and I finally collapsed to the ground.

Not only will the thick smoke choke people to death, but once the entire city is ablaze, it will consume a huge amount of oxygen, turning the city into a near vacuum.

Even if some soldiers were lucky enough to find a cellar or well to hide in, they would eventually die.

"Thousands of households~"

On the city wall, the soldiers from the northern frontier who were the instigators were all stunned by what they saw.

Some people looked distressed, some couldn't breathe, and some felt like vomiting from the smell of barbecue in the air.

They didn't care about killing, but this method of killing was something they had never experienced before.

Wang Cunxiao let out a soft breath and said in a deep voice, "This is war; it allows no room for leniency."

"If they don't die today, we will die."

Having said that, he shouted, "Withdraw!"

The blast of air from the city hit them hard, and even those wearing cotton armor were scorched by the heat, sweating profusely.

Most importantly, they also felt a sense of suffocation.

We can no longer stay at the city wall.

So the soldiers of the northern frontier used their iron hooks to hook onto the city wall and jumped out of the city along the ropes.

Meanwhile, the Western Xia soldiers outside the city who hadn't yet entered were all stunned by what they saw, grateful that they had escaped with their lives.

Ignoring the orders of their generals, they all scattered and fled, as if Shanle City were a giant den of demons.

Li Anquan escaped under the protection of his personal guards, running a long way before finally stopping.

He ripped off his charred cloak, revealing his scorching hot chainmail underneath. His chest heaved violently, and his personal guards were scattered and broken, half of them with bloodstains and soot still clinging to their faces.

His face was pale and his expression was terrified. He seemed oblivious to the burns on his body, his eyes fixed on the inferno behind him.

At this moment, Shanle City is like a furnace overturned by the gods, with every street and every house burning with raging flames.

Thick black smoke obscured half the sky, and the entire city was twisted and deformed in the flames.

Countless Western Xia soldiers crowded at the city gate like ants being roasted, the sounds of clashing armor, cries, and pleas for mercy mingling together.

Not only the East Gate, but the other three gates were experiencing the same thing.

Some were pushed to the ground and instantly trampled to a bloody pulp; others had their braids on fire and charged at their companions like madmen.

But the more anxious they were, the more crowded the city gates became.

The small city gate simply couldn't accommodate so many soldiers.

Meanwhile, screams echoed from the city walls. Unable to pass through the city gates, the city walls became their only option.

The soldiers who jumped over the wall fell heavily to the ground; some were lucky enough to be unharmed, while others had their bones shattered.

Even so, many more soldiers disregarded their own lives and climbed over the city wall. Compared to the sea of ​​fire spreading behind them, the pain of broken bones in front of them became a "lifeline".

"It's all over, it's all over!"

"Your Highness, the army is gone!"

The guards cried out in terror.

Li Anquan's eyes were also bloodshot as he stared intently at the burning city, his gaze filled with terror and despair.

He muttered to himself, "Yes, it's all over."

He staggered back half a step and sat down hard on the sand, a bitter, rusty taste rising in his throat.

He never imagined that his proud army of over 20,000 men would now be like a candle flickering in the wind, struggling desperately in the flames.

Although there are still several thousand soldiers outside the city who haven't had time to enter, what use are these people?

At this moment, Li Anquan was filled with nothing but regret.

It's just that the barbarians of the northern frontier are too cunning, actually coming up with such a vicious method to deal with me, making it impossible to guard against.

Just then, the commander of the personal guards suddenly turned terrified, as if he had seen something horrible: "Your Highness, the Northern Barbarian cavalry are here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Anquan's face turned pale with shock, and he suddenly looked up.

Under the crimson sunrise, the mountain peaks on both sides were stained blood red.

Countless soldiers from the northern frontier, clad in bright yellow armor, surged up the hillside like a tide, looking down upon the burning Shanle City and Li Anquan's defeated troops.

This cavalry force was naturally the two commanders of ten thousand men sent by Li Xiao to support Shanle City.

Iron Head stood on horseback amidst the army, most of his face covered by cotton armor.

He revealed a pair of equally shocked eyes as he looked at the raging fire in Shanle City.

It's too cruel.

This fire killed at least tens of thousands of Western Xia soldiers.

But it must be admitted that this is the fastest way to end the war.

Otherwise, in order to defeat this Western Xia army, the northern frontier would likely suffer thousands of casualties.

After all, the infantry under Li Anquan's command were different from other armies, with a high rate of armor wearing, and belonged to a heavy infantry corps.

Cavalry did not have a significant advantage over them.

Composing himself, Tie Tou drew his cavalry saber and shouted fiercely, "Kill!"

"Woooooooo~"

"kill!"

When the first bugle call ripped through the sky, the roar of the Northern Frontier cavalry echoed throughout the valley. The sound seemed to come from the deepest hell, carrying a chilling killing intent that swept over us.

Meanwhile, Mo Jun also led his men to launch a final siege against the defeated Western Xia army in the valley.

At this point, the Western Xia army had completely lost its will to fight. After realizing that they could not outrun the Northern Frontier cavalry, all the soldiers raised their weapons and surrendered.

Even Li Anquan himself was captured by the Northern Frontier Army. ...

The fire in Shanle City continues to burn fiercely and is expected to last for at least another day.

At first, Western Xia soldiers would rush out or jump down from the city wall, but gradually, all of these figures disappeared.

Everyone knows that if you can't get out at the beginning, you'll never be able to get out later.

Luo Meng stood on a distant hillside, gazing solemnly at the town, and said in a low voice, "From this day forward, Shanle City will be removed from the Hexi Corridor."

Soon after, Tie Tou and Mo Jun arrived one after the other and reported their respective results to Luo Meng.

The number of enemy soldiers burned to death in this battle is countless.

However, they captured more than 8,000 people, including Western Xia soldiers who did not have time to enter the city, as well as people who escaped from the city in the early stages of the fire.

The latter were mostly injured.

The biggest gain from this battle was the grain supplies for the Western Xia army.

All of it was left in the Western Xia army camp outside the city. There were more than 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), enough to feed an army of 40,000 for a month.

"In addition, our troops also captured Li Anquan, the deputy commander of the Xia army and the Prince of Zhenyi. I heard that he is the cousin of the Xia emperor," Tie Tou said.

Luo Meng nodded slightly: "Let's keep him locked up for now and wait for the Grand Protector to decide what to do."

He then ordered the entire army to rest and reorganize, and to clean up the battlefield.

Although Shanle City is now defunct, it still contains many valuable items.

First, there are the warhorses of the Western Xia army. After simple processing, the soldiers in the northern frontier can cut them up and eat them.

Secondly, there's the armor worn by the Western Xia soldiers.

Because of the advanced military industry of Western Xia, many of these soldiers were elite troops from Xingqing Prefecture, and the armor coverage rate was very high for both cavalry and infantry.

Moreover, the quality of these iron armor materials is so good that even if they are melted and deformed by high temperatures, they can be reused after a second forging process.

It is much more efficient than smelting iron directly from iron ore.

After a day of rest, Luo Meng left a small number of soldiers to continue cleaning up the battlefield on the morning of the second day, and led the main force of the Fourth Division eastward out of the Yanzhi Mountain Ancient Road.

They set off towards Liangzhou City.

Their goal was to cut off Wei Ming Shi'an's supply lines and completely annihilate this large army on the southern slope of Yanzhi Mountain.

……

The melting snow and ice of the Qilian Mountains nourished the Hexi Corridor and created numerous oases.

Liangzhou (Wuwei) and Ganzhou (Zhangye) were in particular, and were among the most important granaries of the Western Xia Dynasty.

Historically, there are records stating that "the springs are fertile and abundant, and even without waiting for the right time, they can yield 400,000 bushels of water annually."

Since the Han Dynasty, Han people have been carrying out large-scale land reclamation here.

Upon entering Liangzhou, one is greeted by an endless expanse of crisscrossing fields, with snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains seeping into every inch of land like veins through ancient irrigation canals.

It can be said that the annual grain production of Gansu and Liangzhou accounted for more than one-third of the total grain output of Western Xia.

Meanwhile, a large grain transport convoy was traveling through Wuwei.

Looking at the vast farmland in the distance, an old man pulling an oxcart couldn't help but feel heartbroken and angrily cursed:
"These damned northern barbarians have ruined such good fields like this. They're really asking for trouble."

The person next to him nodded and said, "Yes, such good land, if it were given to me, I would be willing to sleep in the field every day."

"Hey, all this fighting will just leave no one with anything to eat. Let's all starve to death."

"Stop complaining, these are newly planted crops, there's still hope."

"If the horses and men trample it too much, the seedlings might not be able to emerge."

As the group of old men walked, they muttered that while they weren't good at fighting, they were all experts at farming.

They came here because they were summoned by the imperial court to serve as laborers delivering military provisions to Hexi.

Because Liangzhou was originally the granary of Western Xia, the initial military rations were all allocated from the Liangzhou granary.

The Western Xia court was prepared for a protracted war, so it was constantly transporting grain from places like Xingqing Prefecture to Hexi.

As soon as the laborers arrived in Hexi, they received an order from the Liangzhou governor's office that they should not return to the granary but be sent directly to the military horse farm battlefield.

So this huge group of laborers appeared here, but they were completely unaware of the gravity of the situation.

"Sigh, I wonder how long this war will last. If the autumn harvest isn't completed, it will cause serious problems."

"Who knows? Anyway, I've heard those Northern barbarians are quite difficult to deal with."

"Didn't they say we won a great victory and wiped out tens of thousands of Northern barbarians?"

"Are you stupid? Do you really believe the nonsense those officials spout? If they really wiped out tens of thousands of Northern Barbarians, they wouldn't have sent our grain to the military horse farm; they would have sent it directly from Dunhuang to Heishui City."

A veteran who had fought in the war when he was young said with a disdainful look.

The so-called military reports are all fake; they're just used by those officials to fool the people. The real battle situation can only be seen on the front lines.

The imperial army, a bunch of useless soldiers, were cornered at the military horse farm by the barbarians of the northern frontier and they started fighting.

We're about to reach Liangzhou City. Who would still believe the imperial court's nonsense about a great victory?
"I think Liangzhou might also be doomed, and the entire Hexi Corridor might fall into the hands of the Northern Barbarians," the old soldier sighed.

These words sent chills down the spines of the others: "What? It's that serious?"

"you do not say!"

“When I was young, I fought against the Naiman and the Kereit. Those steppe barbarians would just rob and run away on the border. They were nothing like the Northern Barbarians.”

"Now we just hope our army can show some spirit and not be defeated by the barbarians before we even get back."

The veteran muttered to himself, having served in the army for so many years, he knew all too well what kind of lousy government troops were.

It's no longer the massive army that swept across the Hexi Corridor back then.

However, just as the veteran finished speaking, chaos suddenly broke out in the ranks ahead.

"What's going on?"

The old soldier pulling the oxcart was suddenly startled and quickly looked up. The next second, his face turned pale with shock.

It was because he seemed to hear the sound of warhorses, and there were many of them.

"No way, did my jinx really come true?"

"No, no."

"It must be the imperial cavalry," the veteran reassured himself.

But the laborers and grain transport soldiers in front of them had a different feeling.

"Look, it's cavalry, lots of cavalry."

“That’s not our cavalry, that’s not our battle flag.”

On the vast Liangzhou land, thousands of northern frontier cavalrymen rose from the horizon and charged madly toward the grain transport team.

"Gee, gee, gee~"

"Drink~"

"Ho ho ho~"

Yellow banners with white borders and the sun and moon symbolized the sky tore through the air. Soldiers brandished their spears and swords, letting out high-pitched roars to intimidate and intimidate the enemy, putting psychological pressure on them.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The dust they kicked up was like a thick yellow fog, obscuring most of the blue sky over the grassland.

The laborer Wang Erzhu's legs trembled like leaves, and the reins in his hands fell to the ground with a "thud." The old horse pulling the cart was startled and neighed, raising its front hooves and almost kicking him over.

"It's the Northern barbarians! The Northern barbarians are here!"

Someone shouted something, and the crowd instantly erupted in chaos.

Whether they were laborers or soldiers escorting grain, they all abandoned their oxcarts laden with provisions and scattered wildly, like a swarm of headless flies, densely covering the entire wilderness.

The leading Northern Frontier Army general was none other than Tie Tou. He swung his spear forward and shouted sternly.

"Get them."

The sounds of battle flags fluttering, horses' hooves pounding the ground, and soldiers shouting mingled together.

Thousands of northern cavalrymen, like a golden torrent of steel, relentlessly crushed the fleeing laborers.

Before long, the laborers from all directions were intercepted, driven by spears and whips, and gathered together like a flock of sheep.

"Who's in charge here?" Tie Tou spurred his horse forward and shouted.

The laborers looked at each other in fear, none of them daring to utter a sound.

"If no one speaks, then shoot them all."

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged man who looked like a minor official was shoved forward. His legs trembled, and he knelt on the ground in terror, kowtowing to Tie Tou and saying, "Grandpa Northern Frontier, spare my life! Grandpa Northern Frontier, spare my life!"

"Get up!" Tie Tou roared.

"Tell me, how many laborers are there in this place?"

"How much grain is being transported, and are there any other grain transport teams following behind?"

The clerk hurriedly replied, "Laborers? Yes, there are 10,000 men and 30,000 bushels of grain."

"There is another grain transport team behind them, also with 10,000 people, who should have just left Liangzhou City."

Upon hearing this, Tie Tou was immediately relieved, as the Western Xia army's supply lines had finally been cut off.

Without this grain, without these laborers, and most importantly, without these livestock and wagons to transport the grain, let's see how long the Western Xia army can hold out.

He then sent someone to inform Mo Jun to go to Liangzhou City and intercept another grain transport team.

……

Liangzhou City.

Governor Supinaluo stood on the city wall, watching the grain transport team slowly leave until the last person was out of sight. Only then did he walk down the city wall with a worried expression.

"How much grain is left in the city?" Supinara asked his subordinates.

"My lord, there are less than 200,000 shi left," the official said.

"However, in two days, another batch of grain will arrive, about 30,000 shi."

Supinara nodded slightly, but his brows remained furrowed.

Liangzhou and Ganzhou are both important grain-producing areas. The northern barbarians captured Ganzhou and seized a large amount of grain and fodder, so they certainly won't withdraw their troops in the short term.

This war is far from over.

"Bring the grain merchants from the city to me," Supinara instructed.

As the governor of Liangzhou, his most important task was to ensure the smooth flow of supplies for the army and to do everything possible to raise more grain.

But just as the grain merchants in the city arrived at the governor's mansion at the invitation, before the meeting had even begun.

A general hurriedly dismounted in front of the governor's mansion, rushed inside, found Supinaluo, and said in a panic, "Something terrible has happened!"

"Your Excellency, our grain has been robbed."

Upon hearing this, Suvinara was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed drastically: "What?"

"The grain has been looted?"

"What's going on? Who dares to rob our grain?"

This is military rations that concern the fate of tens of thousands of troops in Hexi. Who would dare to be so audacious as to rob grain within Liangzhou territory?
Supinara thought it was bandits or local tyrants, but the final result shocked him.

"It's the Northern Barbarian cavalry. The Northern Barbarians stole our grain, and they're just ten miles outside the city," the general said in a trembling voice.

Upon hearing this, Subinara's face instantly turned deathly pale, his body swayed violently, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible?"

"How could the Northern Barbarian cavalry possibly come to the outskirts of Liangzhou City to rob grain?"

The next second, a terrifying thought instantly surfaced in his mind.

Wei Ming Shi'an's army has been defeated?

In an instant, everything went black before his eyes, and he heard his personal guards shouting, "Sir, sir!"

(End of this chapter)