Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Within the city of Zhending, the majority of the troops are Han soldiers from Hebei,"

"The Khitan soldiers and Bohai soldiers combined only number two or three thousand."

"Why not take advantage of the Jin army's main force besieging Zhao Prefecture and move on?"

"Shall we launch a surprise attack on Zhen Ding?"

Zong Ze said worriedly, "Zhen Ding Prefecture is of utmost importance."

"Would Wanyan Zongwang secretly leave behind more elite troops?"

Chapter 269 Siege of Hejian Prefecture

Meng Bangjie said, "The Jin Kingdom's elite troops number only a few tens of thousands."

"We must defend both Zhen Ding and Luan Cheng,"

"It's time to guard the manuscript again,"

"We must also besiege His Majesty,"

"Where could we find extra troops?"

"But Zhen Ding City is even harder to conquer than Zhao Prefecture,"

Even if there are only two or three thousand Jin soldiers stationed there,

“Even if we launch a surprise attack, it will be difficult to capture it,” Zong Ze said.

Yue Fei, however, said, "We can attack Zhen Ding!"

Yue Fei then asked Meng Bangjie, "How many Han soldiers from Hebei are inside Zhen Ding City?"

"Five or six thousand, maybe seven or eight thousand,"

Meng Bangjie said,

"They are all soldiers commanded by the treacherous Liu Yu's trusted confidants,"

"I also stayed in Zhen Ding City for half a month."

"The people in the city are filled with fear,"

"Most of the soldiers were unwilling to fight."

"Liu Yu has a terrible reputation,"

"He's a master at instigating factional strife,"

"He was utterly incompetent in both governing the army and the people."

"His trusted generals,"

"They're just imitating what they see,"

"Eating salaries without working and drinking the blood of soldiers,"

"From officers to soldiers, there was widespread discontent."

Yue Fei said, "We only need two thousand cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Zhen Ding."

"At night, torches are used more often,"

"The city is bound to be in chaos."

Guan Sheng said, "Your military order is to freeze to death rather than dismantle the house,"

"We can't afford to worry about that this time."

"Our troops have made a rapid advance to the outskirts of Zhengding City,"

"A large number of the residential houses near the city should be burned down."

"A fire and chaos outside the city are more effective than carrying more torches."

"Then shout that Wanyan Zongwang is dead,"

"Countless officials and soldiers within the city have taken this opportunity to defect!"

Yue Fei did not refute.

It's the default.

Just as Yue Fei and others were discussing the true nature of the surprise attack,

The Ming army's eastern route was advancing with unstoppable momentum.

Because Wanyan Zongwang withdrew the elite Jin troops from the eastern route.

The remaining Han troops in Hebei collapsed at the first contact.

Li Cheng led his troops to attack Leshou.

While the moat was still being filled in,

Then an officer from within the city shot out a letter.

They said they were willing to use fire as a signal to help capture the city.

Han Shizhong led his troops to attack Qingzhou.

He personally led dozens of men to climb the city wall at night.

The thousands of Han soldiers inside the city were so frightened that they collapsed.

A large number of Han soldiers surrendered immediately.

Even the few most vicious and unruly individuals dared not fight.

He fled north and became a bandit.

Deng Chun then captured Beilin Town and Yongning Town.

When Li Cheng and Han Shizhong arrive with their troops to join them,

The three of them besieged Hejian Prefecture.

The army had just arrived outside the city when

There were officers who colluded.

Kill the garrison commander, open the gates, and surrender the city.

The Eastern Route Army then marched westward.

Together with Li Gong, Cao Cheng, and Yang Zaixing, they attacked Yongning Military City.

However, this area is defended by two thousand Bohai Navy soldiers.

The Han Chinese troops in Hebei dared not immediately surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

But once the moat is filled in, the siege can begin.

Most of the Han soldiers defending the city would likely defect.

It wasn't that Wanyan Zongwang was too stupid,

This led to the Ming army's rapid conquest of cities and territories.

Rather, it's because he has too few troops at his disposal.

From Youzhou to Liaodong and then to Liaonan

After more than ten years of war,

During this period, there were numerous uprisings, rebellions, suppressions, and massacres.

Nine out of ten houses were empty after the raid.

The Jin dynasty faced an extremely strained population.

However, the territory of the puppet Song dynasty was difficult for them to digest.

They even issued an edict requiring people to shave their heads and change their clothes, forcing people to yearn for the Ming dynasty.

They're all in such a terrible state.

They even engaged in internal strife, splitting into east and west routes.

The two Jin armies barely coordinated with each other.

Despite such a dire situation, they still dared to launch a nationwide invasion southward.

Wanyan Zongwang did not concentrate his forces for a decisive battle.

What other choice did he have?

.....

In winter, the soil is hard, making it difficult to dig trenches.

The civilian laborers who came with the army to the outskirts of Gaocheng

The quantity is not very large.

They didn't dig much in half an afternoon.

Chapter 270 Eat in Peace

Towards evening,

Smoke began to rise from the camp.

This is the Ming army setting up cooking pots.

Wanyan Zongwang suddenly launched an attack.

They prevented the Ming army from eating in peace.

They also prevented the Ming army from digging trenches and building fortifications at their leisure.

The Jin cavalry still operated in units of fifty men.

They patrolled back and forth outside the Ming army's chariot formation, firing arrows.

Ming archers and crossbowmen

Also relying on the car array and fence,

Counterattack against those Golden Cavalry.

Besides delaying the laborers' trench-digging activities,

Neither side achieved any significant results.

In the afternoon,

Jin infantry and Han troops from Hebei rushed over from Zhao Prefecture.

They set up camp on the west bank of the Qinshui River.

It faces the Ming army camp diagonally across the river for several miles.

Wanyan Zongwang stood on the city wall,

Looking at the Ming army camp in the distance, he said:

"The Liangshan emperor dared to set up his main camp outside the city,"

"They are also afraid that our army will raid their camp,"

"Let the soldiers guarding the perimeter,"

"They sit in formation without removing their armor and spend the night there."

“Fighting like this will exhaust the soldiers in just one or two days.”

Wanyan Chamu said, "I always felt that the Liangshan emperor was hiding something."

What else could he possibly be hiding?

“It’s nothing more than firearms,” Wanyan Zongwang said.

At night, Wanyan Zongwang continued to send cavalry to harass them.