The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 315 Xingqing Prefecture may fall, but the Great Xia Dynasty must not perish.

"Boom boom boom~"

Outside Xingqing Prefecture, dozens of Tiger Cannons roared simultaneously, their black iron shells trailing thick smoke as they streaked across the sky and crashed into the city walls like meteors.

Standing atop the city wall, Li Chunyou felt the thunderous roar and involuntarily staggered back half a step.

He would have fallen to the ground if the guards hadn't caught him in time.

His eyes widened, his pupils contracting in utter shock, as he stared intently at the whistling shells, muttering unconsciously, "What...what are those?"

Prior to this, he had heard more than once that the Northern Frontier Army possessed terrifyingly powerful firearms.

The complete annihilation of the Xia army in the Battle of Hexi was directly related to the firearms of the Northern Frontier Army.

As a result, Si Cong was seriously wounded by the Northern Frontier Army's firearms and died from his injuries.

Although Li Chunyou was mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he saw the power of the cannons with his own eyes.

The moment the cannonballs struck the city wall, the violent explosion shook the tower, bricks shattered and flew everywhere, and rubble rained down on the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.

"Hide now!"

The general on the city wall roared, but the cannonballs were too fast, and many soldiers were buried under the collapsed bricks and stones before they could react.

A flag embroidered with the Xia Kingdom script was snapped in two by shrapnel and slowly fell.

"This...this is the artillery of the Northern Frontier?"

Li Chunyou's face turned deathly pale at that moment, and his lips trembled slightly.

He had seen the roar of catapults and the dense array of crossbows, but he had never imagined that such terrifying weapons existed in the world.

That was a force that no human could resist; it was as if a thunderbolt from the heavens had been brought down to earth. Every explosion shook the foundations of Xingqing Prefecture and all his trust in the city walls.

Outside the city, after three rounds of artillery fire, Mo Jun, seeing the tightly closed city gates, had no choice but to order a halt to the attack.

"Damn it, are these Tanguts turtles?" Mo Jun cursed angrily, his face full of impatience.

"I've already put cannons in their faces and blasted them, and they still hold back, not daring to utter a single word!"

His personal guards chimed in, "The general is right, these guys are complete cowards!"

Mo Jun snorted coldly, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Why not just stop calling him Bald Dog and start calling him Green-haired Turtle? He just stays in his shell and won't come out!"

He arrived ahead with several thousand cavalrymen, intending to lure the Xingqing Prefecture cavalry out of the city by bombarding them with artillery. He was 80% confident that he could annihilate them if they dared to come out.

Unexpectedly, Xia Jun was so patient, staying in the city and not moving an inch, which thwarted his plan.

Left with no other option, Mo Jun had to order a halt to the attack.

He knew in his heart that with only a few thousand cavalrymen, it was impossible to break through the strong city walls of Xingqing Prefecture. Rather than wasting ammunition here, he should make other plans.

Therefore, Mo Jun ordered his men to firmly seal off the four gates of Xingqing Prefecture, awaiting the arrival of Li Xiao's main force.

The next day, Li Dongjiang led the Second Division army to the city of Xingqing, where they joined forces with Mo's troops, making the Northern Frontier Army outside the city even more formidable.

On the third day, Li Xiao led the main force of the Northern Frontier Army to arrive.

In an instant, banners covered the sun outside Xingqing Prefecture, armored soldiers filled the sky, and a massive army surrounded the entire city.

At this point, Xingqing Prefecture was completely surrounded by the northern frontier army and became a truly isolated city.

Li Chunyou stood on the city wall for a long time, looking at the army outside the city with an extremely solemn expression.

When he saw the golden sun and moon battle flag fluttering in the wind in the distance, his heart sank.

He knew that it was the banner of Li Xiao, the ruler of the Northern Frontier.

"Li Xiao has come in person." Li Chunyou's hoarse voice rang out with difficulty.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, including anger and resentment.

It is because of Li Xiao that the once powerful Great Xia Kingdom has fallen to its current state.

The rise of the Northern Frontier was predicated on sucking the blood of the Xia Kingdom.

If we were to say who he hates the most, Li Xiao would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

He wished he could have Li Xiao shot dead immediately.

Unfortunately, Li Xiao was located far outside the defenders' attack range.

The Xia soldiers on the city wall turned pale with fright when they saw the commander's flag, and their hands holding their weapons trembled uncontrollably.

Li Xiao's name was like a nightmare in their hearts. In the battles of Dunhuang, Keyimen, and Hexi, the Northern Frontier Army was invincible under his leadership and never suffered a defeat.

At this moment, Li Xiao stood on horseback beneath the Sun and Moon Battle Banner, his golden armor gleaming in the sunlight.

Holding a telescope, his gaze, sharp as a hawk's, pierced through the crowd and landed on Li Chunyou on the city wall.

"Li Chunyou, the ruler of Western Xia?" Li Xiao murmured.

He didn't know Li Chunyou; he judged his identity based on his intuition, Xia Jun's attitude towards him, and the clothes he was wearing.

He looked to be around thirty years old, exuding the regal aura of a ruler, much like the Li Chunyou that Li Xiao had imagined.

This person is quite capable, but unfortunately, he has bad luck.

Historically, we encountered the rising Mongol Empire; now, we are facing the increasingly powerful northern frontier.

It was destined to be a stepping stone.

But why was he standing so blatantly on the city wall? Did he think that the artillery fire from the northern frontier couldn't kill him?
We still lack understanding of the power of artillery in northern Xinjiang.

"All cannons, aim at the position eighty feet west of the city gate."

"Bombard them hard!" Li Xiao put down his telescope and shouted in a deep voice.

They're preparing to focus fire on Li Chunyou.

If they are truly lucky enough to kill Li Chunyou, then Xingqing Prefecture will completely fall into the hands of the Northern Frontier Army.

"Boom—boom—boom—"

As Li Xiao gave the order, dozens of cannons roared simultaneously, and black iron shells flew with a whooshing sound as they flew towards the city wall two hundred meters west of the city gate.

On the city wall, Li Chunyou was staring intently at Li Xiao outside the city, pondering how to take Li Xiao's head amidst the vast army.

Suddenly, the deafening sound of cannons came from outside the city, followed by an increasingly piercing whistling sound.

"Oh no!" Li Chunyou was terrified and instinctively tried to dodge.

The guards around him reacted quickly, immediately tackling Li Chunyou to the ground and protecting him with their bodies and shields.

"Boom - boom -"

Shells pounded the city wall one after another, the enormous impact causing the wall to shake violently, bricks and stones to fly, and dust to fill the air.

Li Chunyou felt a deafening roar in his ears, as if the whole world was trembling.

When the shelling stopped and the smoke gradually dissipated, Li Chunyou struggled to get up from the ground, looked around, and immediately gasped.

The spot where I had just been standing had been largely destroyed by the collapse of the city wall, and the surrounding soldiers were either dead or wounded—a truly horrific sight.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" A surviving guard rushed forward to help him up.

Li Chunyou waved his hand, his face pale, and looked out of the city with lingering fear.

Without a doubt, this shelling was aimed at him. If it weren't for the guards risking their lives to protect him, he would probably be dead by now.

But the question is, how did the Northern Frontier Army outside the city determine its location?

"Go, get out of here quickly."

Li Chunyou spoke in a flustered manner, and with the help of the remaining guards, he quickly left.

At the same time, he took off his dragon robe and put on the clothes of an ordinary soldier, finally avoiding the threat of being targeted by concentrated fire.

Unfortunately, the guards recognized his clothes, not his face.

Without the dragon robe, who would know he was the emperor?
The effect of boosting morale is greatly reduced.

In the following period, the Northern Frontier Army did not directly attack the city, but instead began a relentless bombardment of Xingqing Prefecture.

Every day at the crack of dawn, the cannons outside the city would fire on time, and cannonballs would whistle towards the city walls, blasting the bricks and stones to pieces.

The artillery fire in northern Xinjiang will only temporarily cease during heavy rain.

At the same time, Li Chunyou also sent people out of the city several times to negotiate, wanting the Northern Frontier Army to withdraw.

However, the gap between the two sides' conditions was too large, and the negotiations have not made any progress.

That afternoon, amidst the continuous roar of cannons outside the city, a negotiating envoy returned to the palace, still covered in dust.

The palace had long lost its former majesty, now empty and desolate, with only the dragon throne in the center of the main hall barely maintaining its last vestige of dignity.

"How is it? Have the people in the Northern Frontier softened their stance?" Li Chunyou asked, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

The envoy knelt on the ground, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling with sobs: "Your Majesty, the barbarians of the Northern Frontier... the conditions they have proposed are far too harsh..."

"Speak!" Li Chunyou said, his face instantly turning grim.

"they said……"

The envoy swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty: "Your Majesty must personally come out of the city to surrender, kneel before the army and be bound; the Great Xia must cede all the lands of Hexi and Hetao."

"His Highness the Crown Prince must go to the northern frontier as a hostage; and... and also offer treasures, warhorses, cattle, sheep, and grain, as well as five million strings of cash in reparations for military expenses..."

"That's unreasonable!"

Li Chunyou suddenly stood up, his chest heaving violently, veins bulging on his forehead: "These barbarians from the northern frontier! They've gone too far!"

“Ceding territory and paying reparations is tolerable, but they dare to ask me to surrender prisoners? Do they really think my Great Xia has been destroyed?” “My Great Xia still has the prefectures of Hedong and Xingqing Prefecture with 100,000 troops that can still fight. Tell those barbarians in the northern frontier not to be too arrogant.”

"Boom~"

Just as he was cursing, a loud bang suddenly came from outside the city, causing a few specks of dust to fall from the roof of the main hall, which landed right on Li Chunyou's dragon crown.

That was the Northern Frontier Army starting to shell again, as if mocking his anger and helplessness.

However, this time the roar was much more intense than before.

Shortly after, a member of the Imperial Guard stumbled and crawled into the hall, his armor askew, his hair disheveled, and he knelt on the ground, shouting incoherently, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Li Chunyou suddenly raised his head, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart, and asked sharply, "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"

"The west... another section of the city wall at the west gate has been breached, and this time... this time it's a full ten zhang wide!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chunyou's face turned deathly pale. He staggered back two steps and crashed heavily into the armrest of the dragon throne with a dull thud.

"what?"

He screamed, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror, "More than ten feet?"

"Indeed...it was more than ten zhang long. The Northern Frontier Army's cannons were bombarding us like madmen, and the city bricks were falling down like tofu." The Imperial Guard lay on the ground, not even daring to raise his head.

Previously, the artillery bombardment by the Northern Frontier Army had also achieved some results, but these were only the collapse of a few meters of city walls.

Xia Jun could also use armored soldiers to block and firmly block the Northern Frontier Army's attack, and speed up the repair of the city walls.

However, this time, the heavy rains that lasted for several days temporarily halted the Northern Frontier Army's offensive, but also made the foundation of Xingqing Prefecture's city walls unstable.

Under the continuous bombardment, a section of the city wall, which was over ten feet long, was actually blasted open.

Now, Xingqing Prefecture is truly in danger.

A gap several dozen feet wide!
Li Chunyou felt dizzy and his ears were ringing.

This meant that the Northern Frontier Army could flood in through the breach like a tide, turning Xingqing Prefecture's defenses into a sieve.

He had been stubbornly insisting that he would fight to the last moment, but this breach was like a slap in the face to the word "defeat".

He clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm, the pain bringing him back to a sliver of clarity.

Don't panic!
He is the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty. If even he loses his composure, this city is truly doomed!
"Issue my decree!"

Li Chunyou's voice was hoarse like a broken gong, yet it carried a ruthless edge born of desperation: "Order Li Anquan to plug the breach at all costs."

"Tell all soldiers: Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

"Those who die on the battlefield will be posthumously granted noble titles for three generations, and their families will be supported by the national treasury."

He paused, a glint of mad determination flashing in his eyes: "Tell Li Anquan that even if it means piling up corpses, you must plug that gap."

"Anyone who dares to retreat in the face of battle will have their entire family executed."

"Yes, yes!" The Imperial Guards scrambled off to obey the order.

Li Chunyou stood up, supporting himself on the dragon throne, and looked out of the hall with a sorrowful gaze.

He knew that Xingqing Prefecture could not be defended.

The foundation laid by our ancestors over a century ago may be destroyed in an instant today.

"Xingqing Prefecture can be captured, but the Great Xia Dynasty cannot perish." Li Chunyou's face twisted in a ferocious expression.

He had already planned his escape route.

The reason they stayed in Xingqing Prefecture to fight to the death was simply out of a sliver of hope that they could turn Xingqing Prefecture into a graveyard for the Northern Frontier Army and force them to retreat.

Unfortunately, his plan failed.

The Northern Frontier Army remained valiant and skilled in battle, and their firearms were so powerful that the walls of Xingqing Prefecture could not withstand them at all!

We have no choice but to implement Plan B.

Outside the city, the soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army, looking at the city wall that had been bombarded and collapsed, burst into a wolf-like cheer.

"Hahaha, the city wall has collapsed, Xingqing Prefecture is about to fall."

"Let's storm Xingqing Prefecture and show those Tangut bald dogs what we're made of."

They had been waiting outside Xingqing Prefecture for more than half a month, enduring either sunburn and peeling skin or being drenched in torrential rain and wind, and were already seething with anger.

These days, all they hear is the daily roar of the Shenji Battalion's cannons, while the other units can only watch helplessly as they either fill in the moat or reinforce their camps. They've been itching to get back to work.

Previously, the Shenji Battalion had also breached several sections of the city wall, but the area was too small. The city's nearly 100,000 troops could easily block the breaches with a single elite force, leaving them no room to maneuver.

But today is different. The gap, which is more than ten feet wide, is difficult for the Xia army to defend, even if they have extraordinary abilities.

In the central command, beneath the sun and moon battle flag, Li Xiao, fully armed, gazed ahead with a hearty smile on his face.

"Xingqing Prefecture's tortoise shell has finally been shattered."

Historically, the Mongols besieged Xingqing Prefecture twice.

The first battle lasted for several months. When they were forced to their wits' end, they decided to breach the Yellow River and flood Xingqing Prefecture.

However, the Mongols' technology was really terrible, and they lacked skilled water conservancy workers.

While flooding Xingqing Prefecture, they also flooded their own army.

The direct casualties were negligible, but the ensuing plague was quite terrible, forcing them to retreat.

The second time, after a siege that lasted for half a year, the Eternal Heaven finally appeared.

Just as Xingqing Prefecture was running out of food supplies, an earthquake struck, which led to its capture by the Mongols.

Now, with the Divine Might Cannon at their disposal, the Northern Frontier Army breached the walls of Xingqing Prefecture in just half a month.

Li Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. If it had gone on any longer, the Northern Frontier Army's food supply would probably have been disrupted.

So he gripped his cavalry saber, pointed it forward, and shouted in a deep voice.

"Black Armor Army, attack!"

Li Xiao's order resounded across the battlefield through the bugle call; the few words exploded like thunder.

"Woooooooo~"

The heavy infantrymen of the northern frontier could no longer contain themselves and took the lead in pushing the "trench bridge".

It was a wheeled, mobile bridge that could steadily span the moat.

Another group of soldiers rushed directly to the previously filled-in area, carrying ladders to build them up on the city wall.

Li Xiao's gaze, however, was focused on the gap that was several dozen feet wide.

A square formation of a thousand heavy infantrymen advanced like an iron torrent. They wore double-layered iron armor, their helmets covering most of their faces, revealing only a pair of eyes burning with fighting spirit.

"kill!"

The commander at the very front of the formation roared and was the first to step into the breach.

Seeing this, the Xia army on the city wall desperately threw down logs and stones, and arrows flew like locusts, but were deflected by the heavy infantry's iron armor.

Meanwhile, the Tiger Cannon unleashed its power once again, bombarding the city walls on both sides to cover the Black Armor Army's attack.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow quickly!"

The Xia general on the city wall roared, but arrows were almost ineffective against heavy infantry.

As the northern soldiers drew ever closer, he drew his sword and roared, "Fight them to the death!"

The fighting at the breach suddenly escalated, with the Xia army having a large number of soldiers, including many heavy infantry.

However, it was impossible to cover all areas at once, and most importantly, after so many days of bombing, the garrison inside the city was already in a state of panic.

They couldn't stop the ironclad advance of the heavy infantry from the northern frontier, and the defensive line gradually retreated.

"Warriors of the Black Armor Army, kill!"

"The city is about to fall."

Shouts rang out from the heavy infantry formation as they charged forward, stepping over corpses. Blood splattered on their armor, yet nothing could stop their advance.

More and more moat bridges were built across the city, and more soldiers from the northern frontier surged up the city walls through the passages. Soldiers on the siege ladders climbed like ants. The Xia army on the city walls was attacked from both sides, and screams of agony rose and fell.

The soldiers, who had been putting up a stubborn resistance, quickly collapsed.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

The chaos on the city walls spread like a plague. Xia soldiers scrambled to escape into the city, pushing and trampling each other, with screams and cries filling the air.

A general brandished his sword in an attempt to stop the fleeing soldiers, but was knocked to the ground by the panicked crowd and instantly trampled into silence.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

On the west city wall, a Xia army general looked at the swarming Northern Frontier Army, threw down his sword in despair, and shouted down to the city below.

Upon seeing this, the dozens of soldiers behind him also lowered their weapons and raised their hands.

On the north city wall, a military commander looked at the approaching Northern Frontier Army, then at the scattered soldiers around him, and a trace of despair flashed in his eyes.

He knew that the situation was hopeless, and further resistance would be futile.

He slowly lowered the knife in his hand and said to the few remaining guards beside him, "That's enough, surrender."

More and more generals and soldiers surrendered.

Xingqing Prefecture has fallen!

(End of this chapter)