Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 637 The East Wind Sweeps the Moon over the Su Causeway

As it turns out, there are very few people who can save ordinary people from suffering, but there are countless people who want to save themselves from suffering.

Moreover, when it comes to revolutionary fervor, Cheng Feng and his gang of local tyrants are not even in the running.

Just as Cheng Feng had finalized the plan but had not yet launched it, the first uprising broke out on the canal boats.

These lowly commoners were originally just transporting grain for the Jin army, but when they saw a large number of laborers being driven to the Su Causeway to start digging, they almost all became agitated.

The soldiers of the Wujie Army guarding the grain supplies immediately began to suppress the unrest.

Only after killing several people did the canal gang calm down.

However, this calm turned into an undercurrent. More than ten large ships had just left the port when three of them became agitated, stopped on the river, and then slowly sank.

None of the Jin soldiers guarding the grain rations on the ship, nor the canal workers on board, escaped.

These rough-and-tumble men, with their江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit, actually scuttled the large ship by sacrificing themselves.

At the same time, thick smoke gradually rose from the other large ships, and shouts of battle arose on the decks, with people jumping into the river or falling into the water.

The soldiers on duty at the dock were caught off guard and immediately ordered their men to keep an eye on the canal workers and prevent them from getting close to the military rations piled up on the dock.

However, he was a little slow to react. By the time the soldiers had dispersed, several grain stacks were already emitting thick smoke.

Enraged by this, the Jin army officer immediately ordered a massacre of the laborers, canal workers, and merchants on the dock.

"Hahaha, you Jin thieves, didn't you want to drown us?"

"Why don't you warm yourselves up by the fire first?"

Amidst the bloodshed and cries, some still launched a resistance using substandard weapons. Large amounts of oil were spilled everywhere, and makeshift torches flew about, quickly setting the entire dock ablaze.

The once bustling Pengcheng Waidu was also set ablaze by the fire.

Wu Jiejun had no choice but to withdraw from the dock.

The fire seemed to be a signal for the people of Xuzhou to launch a counterattack, and soon the entire city of Pengcheng was in turmoil.

Wu Jiejun, on the other hand, was like a lone boat adrift in a vast ocean, teetering on the brink of collapse.

"Go and tell Steward Guo to leave Pengcheng and return to Ximatai."

Upon receiving the report from the scouts and combining it with his own observations, Pucha Shijie immediately made a judgment.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay in Pengcheng any longer.

It's alright during the day, but night will soon fall, and the powerful figures of Pengcheng can take advantage of the darkness to carry out conspiracies, tricks, and even murder and arson.

Although in theory, Wu Jiejun is not afraid of ordinary people or powerful private armies, if he really hardened his heart and used his sword to kill them all, wiping out those powerful manors, blocking the four gates, and emptying a city, it would be easy for him.

However, Wu Jie's army was about to withdraw at this time, and they were not there to pacify Xuzhou. Why would they want to mess with everyone in Xuzhou?

It would be easy to stage a massacre like the "Ten Days of Pengcheng". When Zhang Baiyu and Xin Qiji surrounded them from the south and north respectively, Wu Jie's army would be like a turtle caught in a jar.

Since that's the case, it's pointless for Guo Anguo to stay in Pengcheng with two Meng'an soldiers. It would be better to combine the troops in one place, which would make marching easier.

"Report! My servant Meng'an sent me to inform the steward that many laborers have fled the Su Causeway. He asked me to beg the steward to conscript more laborers, otherwise it will be difficult to breach the causeway."

Pucha Shijie frowned and said, "Tell Pucha Ping, are his men only good at wielding knives and not hoes? Even if they have to use their hands, they have to dig up the Su Causeway for me!"

The military envoy who came to request orders dared not argue any further and immediately bowed and left.

Pucha Shijie climbed the watchtower and, squinting in the afterglow of the setting sun, looked around.

The reason why Ximatai was able to become a military garrison is because the terrain here is relatively high, but not so high as to be dangerous.

The area is surrounded by gentle slopes on all sides, with a flat area in the middle, resembling a platform on a mountain, hence the name Ximatai (Horse-Playing Platform).

Since Xima Terrace served as a military camp during the time when Xiang Yu established his capital in Pengcheng, the camps here are semi-permanent military fortifications, so there is no fear of any oversights.

However, as Pucha Shijie watched the setting sun, listened to the messages delivered by the scouts, and heard the obvious perfunctory attitude of some powerful families who had previously been close to the Jin Kingdom, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Tonight will be tough.

As Pucha Shijie had predicted, Guo Anguo, upon receiving Pucha Shijie's message, did not delay for a moment and immediately led two Meng'an out of the city to meet up with the main force at Xima Terrace.

Even though he rushed as fast as he could, by the time Guo Anguo left the city, the last rays of the setting sun had already disappeared below the horizon.

However, Guo Anguo did not expect that he would be ambushed on the journey of less than two miles between Pengcheng and Ximatai.

As the Jin army was passing around lit torches, whistles sounded simultaneously from both sides of the official road, followed by deafening battle cries: "Kill the Jin traitors!"

"Kill the thief!"

Guo Anguo did not panic, but simply frowned.

He didn't understand how the men from Xuzhou had laid an ambush.

Because there are many scouts and horsemen along this route, and the Xima Terrace high ground provides a commanding view, even if the men of Xuzhou are very familiar with the local area, they can sneak over without anyone noticing.
Has Wu Jiejun degenerated to this state in just over six months?
But this was not the time to worry about such things. Guo Anguo immediately took down his horn and began to blow it.

The Wu Jie Army was well-trained and quickly understood the military orders at night, and immediately formed a defensive formation to prepare for battle.

Immediately, drums thundered on both sides of the official road, and the shouts of battle intensified. Arrows and short spears were also thrown at the enemy, clanging and clattering against the armor of the soldiers on the outer perimeter of the Wujie Army.

Guo Anguo was protected in the center by armored soldiers holding large shields. Listening to the commotion outside, his brows furrowed even more.

These ambushes... all bark and no bite!

They only dared to fire arrows from afar, but dared not take advantage of the moment when the Jin army's formation was in disarray to engage in close combat. Could they just be a bunch of chickens and dogs?
However, it is absolutely impossible for a brute like a chicken or a dog to maintain discipline in an ambush under the noses of so many scouts.

Thinking this through, Guo Anguo made a plan and shouted, "Aliben! Take two armored cavalrymen, light torches, and charge straight at them! Let me see what kind of demons and monsters they are!"

Aliben was taken aback upon hearing this.

In the darkness of night, if the ambush troops are already in full battle array, the armored cavalry who charge out will be nothing more than easy prey, dying without even knowing how they died.

But military orders are absolute, and there is no room for argument. Aliben immediately gave a loud shout, and the armored cavalrymen mounted their horses and charged westward through the gaps in the armored soldiers' formation.

Aliben had originally planned to fight to the death, but as soon as he stepped into the field beside the official road, he heard a chorus of shouts, which immediately subsided, followed by figures fleeing in all directions.

This really got Aliben excited. He was like a god descending to earth, fighting his way from east to south and then from west to north along the official road. In no time, he had scattered the ambushers around him.

"General! I'm back!" Aliben shouted at the front of the battle, carrying his spear. "These Han bastards are utterly pathetic!"

Guo Anguo, however, did not smile. He still frowned and asked, "How many were killed?"

Aliben was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at the other officers. After a brief exchange of whispers, Aliben said with a forced smile, "It's too dark to record merits."

That means there were no gains.

Guo Anguo didn't waste any more words and immediately ordered, "Aliben, clear the way ahead and return to the Ximatai camp."

Soon, the Wujie Army gathered together. The soldiers returned to their respective camps, and Guo Anguo went to the watchtower where Pucha Shijie was standing. He recounted the ambush they had encountered on their way there, and then followed Pucha Shijie's gaze to the north.

That place is where the Su Causeway is located. Although it has already disappeared into the night, you can still see a huge shadow and a few lights on that shadow.

"Can the Su Causeway be breached?"

"I think it's quite difficult."

"Are your military orders to Pu Chaping appropriate?"

"What's wrong with that? Hundreds of armored cavalry, if they really want to leave, who can stop them?"

"You should know that since the Han traitors didn't attack Xima Terrace, they can only attack Su Causeway."

"I know."

Pucha Shijie and Guo Anguo exchanged only a few words before falling silent.

The Jin Dynasty did not possess the technology to use explosives and therefore could not breach the dikes. During the high-water season, digging a gap of one or two meters might have been enough to cause the flood to burst the dikes. However, this was the dry winter season with thin ice covering the water surface. It was conservatively estimated that it would take digging down seven meters to create the urge to breach the dikes.

The laborers of Xuzhou preferred to risk heavy casualties and scatter rather than do the work, so the Jin army had no choice but to do it themselves.

The Jin army only had a few hundred men on the Su Causeway, and they had to spare some manpower for guard duty. The success rate of digging through the Su Causeway in one night was not high.

After all, the Su Causeway is the lifeblood of Pengcheng. It is made of high-quality materials and has just been renovated, making it as solid as a rock. The Jin army would have to expend a lot of effort to break through the rammed earth at the top.

Pucha Shijie stared intently in the direction of the Su Causeway, and soon the scene he had been hoping for appeared there.

Several long dragons of torches appeared out of nowhere, like giant pythons coiling up and surrounding the Su Causeway. Shouts of battle immediately resounded through the sky, and even from several miles away, Pucha Shijie could hear them clearly.

Neither Pucha Shijie nor Guo Anguo panicked; instead, they breathed a long sigh of relief.

Pucha Shijie immediately ordered the entire army to light torches and set off under cover of night.

(End of this chapter)