Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 264 Breaking Juyong Pass and Reclaiming Yan and Yun (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
—The situation changed drastically.

Gu Jin's core plan was to take advantage of the information gap created by the obstruction of information to launch a pincer attack on Juyong Pass.

He has to be quick.

This is for sure.

The news about Gubeikou could not be kept secret forever.

Even if he could block all the news, the information network that Wang Yingchen had built in Liao would still expose everything, not to mention that Gu Jin simply couldn't block all the news.

The army sped off at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, the Battle of Juyong Pass was still raging.

—Gu Jin was clearly determined this time, leaving these people with the task of launching daily assaults.

He didn't know if he would succeed, or when he would succeed.

To realize all the ideas.

Only in this way can soldiers risk their lives for this sliver of opportunity.

At Juyong Pass, the battle was raging.

The main force of the Song army continued to carry out the order left by Gu Jin to "attack every day," launching wave after wave of offensives as if they were tireless.

Despite the heavy casualties, the soldiers were filled with a burning desire for revenge and secretly hoped that the Grand Tutor's surprise attack could create a miracle. Meanwhile, the Liao army in the pass, under days of intense pressure, was still struggling to hold on thanks to the natural defenses, but their nerves were already stretched to the limit.

Everyone thought Song Jun had gone mad.

In their eyes, the Song army was like a mad dog, attacking them day and night without regard for anything else.

Even with the advantage of natural defenses.

However, after such a long battle, exhaustion still permeated the hearts of the entire Liao army.

But they couldn't give up.

Wang Yingchen has now changed his approach, constantly telling his soldiers that if they are so exhausted, then the Song army attacking the city will be even more exhausted.

Most importantly, the effectiveness of the farming and warfare system was fully demonstrated under these circumstances.

Killing the enemy represents military merit.

This is also a great help.

At Juyong Pass, the smoke of battle had temporarily dissipated, but the air was still filled with the smell of blood and burnt flesh.

Taking advantage of a precious lull in the Song army's offensive, a group of Liao soldiers collapsed under the battlements, catching their breath.

Their armor was tattered, their faces were covered in soot and blood, and their eyes were filled with undisguised exhaustion.

"Pah!" An old soldier with a scar on his face spat out the sand in his mouth and complained in a hoarse voice, "Are these damn Song dogs made of iron? They attack day and night, they don't sleep, and I have to stay with them!"

He rubbed his bloodshot eyes, looked down at the densely packed Song army camp below, and sighed, "When will this attack ever end?"

A younger soldier beside him, his hands trembling, pulled out half a piece of dry rations from his pocket and began to eat. Hearing this, he smiled bitterly and said, "Boss? Didn't Prime Minister Wang say that Song Gou is more tired than us?"

"If this drags on, they'll be the first to collapse."

He paused, his voice lowering, "But I've been dragging this out for so many days. I can't hold on much longer."

"We have to hold on, even if we can't!" a man who looked like a squad leader shouted, but his tone was also full of weariness. "Holding this position will earn us military merit. Cut off the head of that Song dog, and we'll get fields, cattle, and sheep! Think of your wives and children at home!"

However, this time, the word "military merit," which used to be the most motivating, seems to have lost much of its effect.

The scarred old soldier chuckled and patted the leather pouch at his waist, which was heavy and contained what appeared to be some severed ears.

"Military merits? I have enough in this bag to exchange for dozens of acres of good land."

"But you have to be alive to get back and claim your reward!" He pointed to the area beyond the pass. "Look down there, those are people who don't care about their lives!"

"No matter how many military merits you have, you still need to be alive to enjoy them, right?"

"Right now, all I want is to get a good night's sleep. That would be better than ten of Song Gou's heads!"

Another veteran, who had been silent all along, spoke up quietly, staring blankly at the sky: "Yes, we've earned enough military merits, and we've killed enough."

"Now, every time I close my eyes at night, all I see are the faces of Song soldiers climbing up, and the images of our brothers falling down."

"This military merit is too hot to handle."

Listening to his seniors' words, the young soldiers slowed down their eating, and the last trace of excitement from their military achievements disappeared from their faces, leaving only fear and bewilderment about the endless war.

He murmured, "If... if they could stop for just one day, even just one day... that would be good."

The platoon leader opened his mouth, wanting to boost morale again, but found his throat dry and unable to say anything.

How could he not be tired himself?
Why don't we all hope this damn siege will end soon?

He simply waved wearily in the end: "Stop talking nonsense, let's take a break while we can, or we'll be fighting tooth and nail again when Song Gou starts beating his drum."

A deep sense of powerlessness and weariness of war permeated the group of soldiers who had fought so long and bloody battles.

The allure of military merit is gradually losing its luster under the pressure of extreme exhaustion and constant death.

Amidst these sighs...

The quartermaster quickly sent someone over to skillfully distribute the daily rations.

The soldiers were completely indifferent to this and did not experience much emotional fluctuation because of the food.

Including—the war drums that followed!
Another great war has broken out.

The Liao army stood numbly in front of the lines, repeating what they did almost every day.

That's how people are.

When you first face death, you might tremble or feel excited; the surge of adrenaline can evoke different feelings in many people.

But once this became the norm, everything changed.

Even if they are facing death.

But that feeling of exhaustion can also make them feel numb.

The same applies to the Song army.

At this point, the Song and Liao armies are actually fighting based on their own willpower!

Rumble.
The war drums thundered, and the battle cries rose again.

Song soldiers surged towards the Juyong Pass walls like a tidal wave, ladders were erected, and arrows rained down like locusts.

Although the Liao army on the pass was exhausted and numb, their survival instinct and strict military discipline still drove them to mechanically repeat defensive actions—firing arrows, pushing down rolling logs and boulders, and using spears to stab down the Song soldiers who had climbed the city walls.
The battle seems to have returned to the same old, desperate cycle.

The Liao soldiers had empty eyes and were just numbly swinging their weapons; even their roars sounded weak and powerless.

At this stalemate, when both sides were on the verge of their limits—

North of Juyong Pass, in the direction connecting to the heart of the pass, suddenly came a series of rapid and orderly hoofbeats, followed by a cloud of dust!

The Liao army commander and some soldiers on the gate tower subconsciously looked back, but their expressions showed no panic.

A sizable cavalry force was rapidly approaching the pass, and the flags of the Liao army were prominently displayed among them!

Although the armor was stained with dust and a little blood, making it look somewhat disheveled, the flags and armor style were undoubtedly those of the Liao army.

At the front of the procession, a man dressed in the uniform of a Liao army general, his face mostly obscured by dust and the shadow of his helmet, shouted loudly towards the pass in Mandarin with a heavy Khitan accent:
"Open the city gates quickly! We are reinforcements sent by Prime Minister Wang!"

His voice was urgent and carried an unquestionable commanding tone.

Upon hearing the news, the Liao army commander on the city wall first took a careful look, then waved his hand, signaling to open the gate.

—This is the side effect of numbness.

Under normal circumstances, the Juyongguan Pass would not have been so easily deceived into opening.

But things are different now.

No one could have imagined that the Song army would take a roundabout route to launch a surprise attack, and no one could have imagined that Gu Jin would dare to use such a basic military tactic to trick the city gates open immediately after the surprise attack.

Such courage is something that others can hardly match.

Of course, the most crucial point is that Wang Yingchen has indeed been continuously sending troops to Juyong Pass these days.

Almost every ten days or so, a group of people would arrive. At first, they would conduct a thorough investigation before opening the gate.

But who cares about that now?
The soldiers in the city were eager for some new recruits to arrive soon to relieve their pressure.

Click——

The huge door was slowly pushed open under these circumstances.

In the very center of the crowd, Gu Jin was gripping the spear tightly in his hand, watching the slowly opening door before him, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn't fear, it was excitement!

If Juyong Pass is breached, Yan and Yun can be recovered!
This is a milestone for Gu Jin and for the entire Song Dynasty.

How could he not be excited?
Even time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The shouts of battle gradually subsided at this moment, and Gu Jin could only hear her own heavy breathing.

Until the door was completely pushed open.

"Come in quickly! The Song army is attacking the pass!"

"The time has come for you to prove your worth!"

The moment the commander's voice rang out again, everything around him suddenly returned to normal.

Without saying a word, Gu Jin simply waved his hand.

The next moment, the army slowly marched into Juyong Pass.

What followed was the sound of battle cries echoing from inside the pass, and the ever-rising flames!
—The firelight was a secret signal left by Gu Jin for the Song army.

He told them this before he left.

Whenever a fire breaks out inside Juyong Pass, they fight with all their might without regard for anything else!

—A murderous intent suddenly appeared!
The sudden blaze and the shouts of battle completely disrupted the fragile balance within Juyong Pass!

Gu Jin was the first to tear off his Liao army uniform.

The soldiers behind him also immediately followed.

Then came the slaughter without any warning!

The shouts of killing were deafening.

Accompanied by raging flames, they became the most dazzling starlight under the thick darkness of the night!

Outside the pass, the main camp of the Song army.

The observation sentry who had been keeping a close eye on the direction of Juyong Pass rushed back almost at the same moment the flames shot up.

Although he didn't know why he had to observe Juyong Pass every day.

But even at this moment, he couldn't help but feel excited!

"General!! Your Highness!!"

"Fire has broken out inside the pass!!!"

When Zhao Guangyi heard these shouts, he immediately stood up, disregarding all decorum and even leaving his shoes behind, and headed straight out of the tent.

He rushed to a high place and saw the fire inside the pass!
Then, he burst into wild laughter, tears streaming down his face as he laughed!

"Send the order!"

"Notify all battalion generals to mobilize troops immediately!"

"We will surely break through Juyong Pass today!!!"

"."

Drums sounded one after another in each camp.

The Song army employed a rotation system in Gongcheng, which was the only way they could withstand the attack for many days.

And now.

Zhao Guangyi and the others naturally would not hide anything from these soldiers!
Grand Tutor's Surprise Attack—

There is already internal strife within Juyong Pass!

When the soldiers heard the news, their fatigue almost instantly vanished!

If it were someone else, they might not believe it.

But Gu Jin is different!

This is the Gu family!
A surprise attack from the Gu family!
Even those who are illiterate have heard the story of Gu's surprise attack.

In addition, Gu Jin has not shown up for many days.

How could they possibly doubt it?
The army marched out in an instant.

At this moment, the Song army's offensive suddenly changed.

It's not that there's any difference in tactics.

From beginning to end, the Song army fought with the same relentless ferocity.

But in the current situation of chaos both internally and externally, all of this seems particularly different!

And the most important thing is——

Under the Song army's continuous offensive for several days, the Juyong Pass had already been greatly affected. Although the Liao army was constantly repairing it, it was simply too late.

In the past, none of this had much of an impact.

After all, Juyong Pass is a natural fortress.

As long as the natural barrier remains, there shouldn't be any major problems with Juyong Pass!

But now it's completely different!
Under attack from both inside and outside, the Liao army's formation was thrown into chaos instantly!
Especially when they heard the Song army, which was constantly charging and setting fires inside the pass, shouting "Lord Gu is here," these words instantly shattered all their will to resist!

This is the prestige of the Gu family!

—Actually, if Wang Yingchen or Yelü Xian were here, things might not have turned out this badly.

After all, one of them was the emperor of the Liao Dynasty, and the other was the prime minister of the current dynasty.

The prestige of these two in the Liao Kingdom was unmatched by others.

But how could anyone else compare to Gu Jin?
The situation suddenly became chaotic.

Gu Jin continued to lead his troops to cause trouble inside the pass. He did not directly attack the pass because that was impossible, as the Liao soldiers were mainly guarding this area.

His forces are not enough to contend with.

All he needs to do is cause trouble!
As the saying goes, "a defeated army collapses like a mountain falling down." When the screams and the flames grew stronger and stronger inside the pass, it was destined that all of this could no longer be stopped!

Boom——Boom——Boom——

The slamming of the battering ram echoed one after another.

When the last barrier at Juyong Pass was breached with a deafening roar, the outcome of the battle was already decided.

This was a massacre with no suspense whatsoever.

The routed Liao army was simply unable to mount any decent resistance.

Just like at Gubeikou, Gu Jin did not restrain the soldiers' fighting spirit—the resentment accumulated from days of bitter fighting needed such an outlet.

For several days, Juyong Pass was transformed into a meat grinder.

Only when the last clash of weapons ceased did Gu Jin finally get a chance to catch his breath.

"Repair the fortifications immediately to prevent a counterattack by the Liao army."

"Reorganize the troops and allow them to rest."

He forced himself to finish giving instructions to his generals, his voice so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable, "Once the soldiers have recovered their strength, we will march straight for Yan and Yun!"

Before the words were even finished, the tension that had been building for months finally snapped. Amidst the gasps of the generals, Gu Jin could no longer hold on and fell straight backward.
(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes during the double reward period! I'd be incredibly grateful for your support!)

(End of this chapter)