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

Chapter 65 Siege
Li Liyuan stood outside the military camp, his clothes fluttering in the night wind, his eyes bloodshot and filled with despair.

He turned to look at Shao Yong, his voice hoarse.
"General, please, just cut me down with one stroke."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"I can't go back. My family is destroyed and my loved ones are gone. Now that there's no hope of revenge, there's no point in living."

Shao Yongcai ignored him and pointed to the cliff beside him:

"If you want to die, jump down yourself."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Upon hearing this, Li Liyuan gave a bitter smile, shook his head, closed his eyes, and suddenly rushed towards the edge of the cliff.

The withered grass rustled beneath his feet. As soon as one foot slipped, his body began to fall, and he was about to perish at the bottom of the cliff.

Just at this critical moment, a large hand suddenly grabbed his collar and forcefully pulled him back.

Li Liyuan staggered and rolled to the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Shao Yong who had grabbed him.

Shao Yong had always thought this guy was using a self-inflicted injury as a ruse, so he wanted to see just how far he could go with his act.

It turned out that Li Liyuan really wanted to die, so they went forward and pulled him back.

Li Liyuan was panting heavily, still shaken, but a glint of wild joy flashed in his eyes:
"General, you believe me now?"

Shao Yong frowned, looked him up and down, nodded, and then shook his head.

Li Liyuan was stunned:
What does the general mean?

Shao Yong remained silent for a while before explaining:

"I do believe you, but not completely. You have no proof, so why should I believe you completely?"

"But judging from your suicidal attitude, you don't seem like a spy or traitor, so I'd like to hear more from you."

Li Liyuan panicked and quickly said:

"If the general doesn't believe me, you can send someone with me into the city to inquire! I know a dog hole that can be crawled through into Yan'an..."

Shao Yong raised his hand to interrupt him:
"Okay, I need you to do something."

"Didn't you say you saw a kid who was beaten up all over when you were in jail?"

"Go and rescue him."

"If you can get it done, I can put in a good word for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Liyuan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded:

"Alright! General, give me fifty taels of silver, and I'll get on it right away!"

Li Liyuan's idea was very simple:
That kid was locked in the same cell as his father; all we had to do was carry him out when they collected the body.

Shao Yong snorted coldly, turned and went back to camp. A moment later, he handed him fifty taels of silver and instructed him:
"Go on, and do your job well."

"Furthermore, I'll send a spy to follow you and see if what you're saying is true!"

Li Liyuan accepted the silver, nodded solemnly, and under the cover of night, led his scouts back to Yan'an City through the dog hole.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Liyuan arrived at the prison gate with several body collectors.

He shook his sleeves, took out some silver from his pocket, and stuffed it into the hands of several sleepy-eyed jailers.

Those guys yawned as they took the silver, examined it carefully, and then, too lazy to care anymore, let him carry the "corpse" out of the prison gate.

Because the body was covered with a white cloth, the jailer outside didn't pay much attention. He just glanced at it and waved for Li Liyuan to carry the "corpse" out.

Little did they know, hidden beneath the white cloth was none other than Yu Chengye.

To save lives and to avenge his father, Li Liyuan even hardened his heart and left his father's body in prison.

When no one was looking, he found a corner and covered his father's body completely with straw.

Li Liyuan's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and as he stared at the dark, empty prison cell, he silently swore an oath:
"Father! Once I've conquered the city, I'll definitely come back and give you a proper burial!"

After being released from prison, he found a secluded courtyard in the city and settled Yu Chengye in comfortably.

He waited until late at night, when no one was around, before hiring a beggar to carry Yu Chengye out of the city wall through a dog hole and stumble back to Jiang Han's military camp.

When Shao Yong saw that he had actually brought the person back, he couldn't help but believe him a little more, but he was still waiting for the spies he had sent out to return.

In less than half an hour, the scout returned, travel-worn and panting, and reported:

"My lord, I've inquired around the city several times, and it's true that the Li family's property was confiscated. It's all over the city, and everyone knows about it." "Furthermore, many people witnessed Li Lihui being beaten to death in the government office, so it can't be fake."

“This morning I went to the cell with Li Liyuan, and there was indeed a corpse inside. I looked at it carefully, and the person did look somewhat like Li Liyuan.”

After hearing this, Shao Yong nodded and led the scouts straight into the central command tent.

Jiang Han sat upright in the main tent, listened to the scout's report, and raised an eyebrow slightly:

"So, what Li Liyuan said was actually true?"

"Is he the only one left in the Li family?"

The scout nodded quickly:

“That’s right, Lord Jiang. This matter is widely known in Yan’an Prefecture. The common people are talking about it, so it shouldn’t be false.”

“I even went to the mass grave on Phoenix Mountain myself and saw Li Lihui’s body with my own eyes, which is why I came back a little late.”

Jiang Han nodded after listening, and after a moment of contemplation, he instructed the personal guard beside him:
"Bring Li Liyuan in! And go and call the other sentry captains over as well."

Before long, Li Liyuan was brought into the main tent.

As soon as he entered the tent, he saw several fully armed men standing inside, their eyes blazing as they stared at him.

He was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he stammered:
"General, what are your orders for summoning me here?"

Jiang Han didn't waste any words and went straight to the point:

"Tell me, which section of the city wall is the problem? And where is the problem?"

Upon hearing this, Li Liyuan's spirits lifted; he had finally gotten his chance for revenge.

So he hurriedly spoke up:

"General, this section of the city wall is located at the east gate of Yan'an Prefecture, also known as Dongsheng Gate."

“That place is next to the Yan River, and the foundation is soft. It collapsed once during the Tianqi period.”

“My second brother was in charge of the repairs in the first year of Chongzhen’s reign. Logically speaking, the city wall should be covered with two layers of bricks, and the foundation below should be dug to a depth of one zhang and filled with huge stones.”

"But he cut corners, only laying half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) of foundation and filling it with fragile soil and stones."

"Just this section of the city wall, if the general bombards it with cannon fire once, the city wall is guaranteed to collapse!"

(East Gate of Yan'an Prefecture, Dongsheng Gate)

After listening, Jiang Han nodded and waved for someone to take Li Liyuan out of the tent.

After everyone left, he turned to the squad leaders inside the tent and asked:

"So, do you think it's believable?"

Dong Erzhu and Hei Zi exchanged a glance and nodded in unison:

"Second Brother Han, I don't think it's fake."

“I went to see Dongsheng Gate myself, and there is indeed a section of the city wall that was newly built.”

Li Laowai also stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Jiang, since we're going to attack the city anyway, we can just divide our forces."

"Attack the north, south, and east gates together. The city's defenders can't handle it all; they don't have enough manpower."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han's gaze sharpened, and he made up his mind.

In that case, I will make the following arrangements:

The west gate is next to Phoenix Mountain, and the terrain is steep, so let's ignore it.

Zhu Zi and Hei Zi, you take a thousand men and surround Andingmen (North Gate). Zhu Zi, you bombard it with cannons for a few rounds first. Don't rush to attack. I want you to create a momentum and lure most of the defending troops over there!

Shao Yong, take the cavalry and two hundred infantrymen to Shunyang Gate (South Gate). Do not attack the city. Just guard the gate. If any defenders try to run away, chase them down and kill them.

Li Laowai and I will lead 1,800 men to Dongsheng Gate. After the cannons fire from the pillar, we will blow up the city wall and charge straight in!

The entire view of Yan'an Prefecture shows the North Gate, Anding Gate, at the top; the East Gate, Dongsheng Gate, next to the Yan River on the right; and the South Gate, Shunyang Gate, at the bottom.

The West Gate is on the left, and Phoenix Mountain is above it.

　Today is the last data comparison for the new book. My fellow readers, please help me out by going to the last page and giving me a chance to read on!

　　It's truly burned out, godfathers.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)