The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 120 Encircling Three Sides and Leaving One
Upon learning of the fall of Kelan County, Xu Dingchen could no longer remain seated. He immediately summoned all the civil and military officials of Jingle County to the county government office.

The sky was dark, and a mountain rain was imminent.

Inside the main hall, Xu Dingchen sat at the head of the table, his face gloomy, his fingers tapping incessantly on the mahogany table in front of him.

He scanned the civil and military officials in the hall and said in a deep voice:

"Tell me everything!"

"Now that Kelan County has fallen, the bandits will soon arrive at Jingle City."

"What should we do in this time of crisis?"

However, he was met with only silence.

The officials below the hall all frowned, their eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought, as if they were meditating monks, remaining silent.

Xu Dingchen waited for a long time, but when no one answered, his anger suddenly surged up!

He slammed his hand on the table and roared:
"Are they all mute?!"

"They're all usually so quick-witted, but when it comes to this life-or-death situation, they've all become like gourds with their mouths sawed off?"

"I have summoned you to the county government office so that you can pool your wisdom and efforts to discuss a plan to defend the city!"
"What are they all thinking about, not saying a word?"

Thinking what?
The officials below were all sneering inwardly. Their thoughts were simple and unanimous: run away as fast as they could!

Even a fortified city like Kelan County has been breached. Jingle, this small, dilapidated city, has neither natural defenses nor soldiers to rely on. What can it use to resist those ravenous bandits?
The best course of action now is to abandon the city immediately and retreat all the way to Taiyuan Prefecture!
They would only feel safe if they retreated to the tall and sturdy city of Taiyuan.

But in the end, no one dared to speak up. To do so would mean taking responsibility, and no one wanted to bear the guilt of losing territory.

After a long silence, Xu Dingchen's deputy, He Xiang, finally stepped forward:
"Lord Xu, the enemy troops are coming with overwhelming force and are unstoppable."

"Now that Kelan County has fallen, I'm afraid the rebels are already heading towards Jingle."

He paused, then cautiously glanced up at Xu Dingchen.

"In my humble opinion, we should temporarily avoid their attack, abandon the city, and retreat to Taiyuan Prefecture before devising a plan."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dingchen snorted coldly.
"withdraw?"

"I have been entrusted by Governor Song with the important task of defending Jingle and protecting Taiyuan. How can I flee without a fight?"

He roared in a hoarse voice,
"Don't you know that once Jingle falls, the enemy troops can advance unimpeded?"

"The entire Taiyuan and Fenzhou prefectures are flat as a pancake; what can we use to stop the bandits?"

"At that time, the land of Shanxi will be engulfed in flames of war, and countless lives will be lost. How will we face the Emperor then?!"

Xu Dingchen's words were passionate and righteous.

However, the people below the hall reacted indifferently, or rather, without any reaction.

The officials below curled their lip, secretly grumbling to themselves:

Meeting the Emperor? When has the Emperor ever even noticed insignificant figures like us?

What you're saying sounds nice, but isn't it all for your reputation and future, Lord Xu? You're just dragging us all down with you to our deaths.

Of course, they would never dare to utter such treasonous words, and their faces remained humble.

At this moment, Lin Yong, the garrison commander inside the city, stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Lord Xu is right!"

"But now the city is sparsely armed, and we are really outmatched by the tens of thousands of enemy troops."

"I wonder what good plan you have, sir?"

Xu Dingchen pondered for a moment, then slowly said:
"It won't be so easy for Wang Jiayin to enter Taiyuan Prefecture. You Shilu and Cao Wenzhao are still following him around!"

"Cao Wenzhao sent a battle report earlier, saying that he led the Guan Ning cavalry and killed the bandit general Wu Sanjing outside Yanmen Pass. After a short rest, he will head to Ningwu Pass."

"You Shilu of the western route, judging by the time, may have already arrived near Kelan County."

"As long as we hold our ground and do not come out, the two groups of government troops will attack from both sides and surely crush this band of rebels in the Lüliang Mountains!"

Xu Dingchen's analysis was so logical and persuasive that it seemed as if victory was just around the corner.

But the people below the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

After all that talk, it's all just empty words. To defend a city, you need soldiers, right?
Otherwise, how could we hold out until the imperial army came to our aid?
Lin Yong shook his head, utterly helpless:

"Lord Xu, that makes sense, but we don't have any soldiers."

"There are now fewer than 800 garrison troops in the city, and with all the militia, there are only about 1,300 people."

"Defending the city is as difficult as climbing to the heavens!"

Xu Dingchen seemed to have been hit where it hurt and immediately retorted,
"Who said there aren't any soldiers?!"

"I have already dispatched a fast horse to Ningwu Pass and urgently summoned Deng Yang, the garrison commander of Kulong Pass, to go south to join the battle!"

"Deng Yang has an elite force; they should be able to hold out for a while!" Hearing this, He Xiang smiled wryly and advised again:

“Lord Xu, it’s at least 300 li from Jingle to Ningwu Pass.”

"Even if Deng Yang runs himself ragged, it will take him three days to get here. Can we hold this city for three days?"

"It would be better to avoid direct confrontation for now and make plans later."

"enough!"

Xu Dingchen abruptly waved his sleeve, interrupting He Xiang.
"run?"

"He who receives the emperor's bounty shall guard the land and bring peace to the people; he who receives the emperor's favor shall govern the region."

"My mind is made up! If the city falls, death is the only outcome!"

These words were spoken with unwavering conviction and conviction, yet few responded.

Almost everyone was cursing under their breath:

That old bastard, he clearly knows things are hopeless, but he still insists on dragging everyone down with him. It's utterly incomprehensible!
But despite their internal grumbling, no one dared to openly oppose them anymore.

Left with no other choice, the crowd reluctantly accepted the order and dispersed to prepare for the defense of the city.

Just as everyone was preparing for the city's defenses, Jiang Han and Wang Jiayin's army had already arrived in Jingle County.

Outside the city walls, banners fluttered, swords and spears stood like a forest, and a vast, dark mass of people surged about, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The soldiers guarding the city wall were terrified, their legs trembling.

Wang Jiayin walked at the front, looked at the low rammed earth city walls of Jingyue County, sneered, and immediately prepared to order an attack on the city.

"Your Majesty! Brother Shangshanhu! How about we hand Jingle over to me?"

At the front of the battle, a tall, imposing, and bearded man rode out on horseback; it was none other than Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader.

He clasped his hands in a fist and said loudly to Wang Jiayin and Jiang Han:
"How can you kill a chicken with a bull's knife?"

"Jing Le is nothing to me! I, Gao, am willing to be the vanguard and help Your Majesty and Brother Shangshanhu take this city!"

It turned out that Gao Yingxiang had not been able to help much in the attack on Kelan and felt that he had not made any contribution, so he was quite resentful.

Upon seeing Jingyue County, he volunteered to show off his skills.

Wang Jiayin and Jiang Han exchanged a glance. Since Gao Yingxiang was willing to do it for them, they were happy to have some free time.

Wang Jiayin nodded and agreed to Gao Yingxiang's request to fight:
"With the might of King Chuang, Jing Le is surely within his grasp!"

"Then Brother Shangshanhu and I will wait here for good news from King Chuang!"

Gao Yingxiang laughed heartily and immediately ordered his men to surround the city on three sides, leaving only the east gate unguarded.

He learned this from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which is called "surrounding three sides and leaving one open," supposedly to break the morale of the defending army and cause them to flee without a fight.

After setting up the battle formation, Gao Yingxiang, imitating the style of opera, sent out several of his personal guards with loud voices.

The guards rode swiftly to the walls of Jingle City, repeatedly shouting messages back and forth:
"Listen up, soldiers in the city! Heaven cherishes life, and my king is merciful and does not wish to take any more lives!"

"As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender the city, my king will not pursue the matter!"

"The East Gate is now open. You may leave through the East Gate and return to Taiyuan Prefecture! We will not pursue you!"

"You have half a day to consider! Before nightfall today, either surrender the city or get out of the east gate!"

"If you dare to resist, we will slaughter you all the day the city falls!"

The shouts echoed across the city walls, startling the soldiers and civilians there, who began to whisper amongst themselves.

Not only ordinary soldiers and militia, but even some low-ranking officials and garrison officers in the city were tempted!
This city is clearly indefensible; we might as well pack our valuables and run back to Taiyuan!

Those bandit soldiers said that if they resisted, they would massacre the city, so they might as well surrender!
Anyway, if the sky falls, Lord Xu will hold it up; we don't need to die with him.

Various thoughts of self-preservation grew wildly like weeds, quickly taking over the minds of most officials.

For a time, undercurrents were swirling within the city.

Many officers began to secretly conspire and discuss how to surrender the city.

Some officials have already begun secretly packing their bags, preparing to slip away.

When Xu Dingchen learned of this news, he was immediately enraged:

"Inverted!"

"These scoundrels! They actually dare to try and persuade the imperial troops to surrender?!"

He drew his sword, and led a squad of guards, angrily heading towards the East Gate.

(End of this chapter)