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

Chapter 3428 Ruthless Bandits

This is just a replay of the old story; the people of Liaodong have their own way of surviving.

Meanwhile, the Jurchen soldiers fled in disarray, and Wang Zheng rushed into the city to pursue them for a while, then hurriedly inquired about the whereabouts of his own people.

Then he saw corpses everywhere, and even the boy in his house was gone.

Only young women and girls remained; the older, less attractive women were also killed.

Upon finding the body of an elder in the clan, Wang Zheng knelt down with a thud, speechless for a long time.

Gao Jingshan also saw the corpses scattered all over the ground. Instead of kneeling down to blame himself, he turned around and looked in the direction of the Jin capital.

On the contrary, the members of the other major clans were all completely unharmed.

In the middle of the night, Wanyan Zongfu led the main force of the Jurchens and finally rushed back to Liaoyang after traveling day and night.

They were exhausted, with only a few days' worth of rations, and before them lay a fortified city whose flags had been changed.

...

North of the Yalu River, lies Posu Road City.

While the Ming infantry and cavalry were still on their boats, Wanyan Zongfu's messenger had already arrived.

Upon seeing Jin Wuzhu, the messenger immediately handed him a secret letter.

Jin Wuzhu opened the letter and read only a few lines before his expression changed drastically.

The various ethnic groups of Bohai rebelled, and Hesuguan City was abandoned. Wanyan Zongfu ordered him to lead troops back to Liaoyang because Posulu would definitely be attacked from both sides.

If you don't leave now, you're not leaving at all!

Jin Wuzhu summoned his generals and, without explaining the situation, directly ordered: "Pack up the provisions and supplies, and withdraw the army back to Liaoyang at midnight tonight."

That afternoon, Zhang Xian led three thousand vanguard troops and landed by boat on the north bank of the Yalu River estuary, about forty miles from Posulu City.

While constructing fortifications with chariots, he sent someone to inform Zhe Yanzhi of Baozhou, instructing him to attack Jiangxinzhou the next morning.

The day after tomorrow morning, once the reinforcements arrive, the two armies will be able to attack Posuru City from both sides.

When Zhe Yanzhi received the news, all his generals were overjoyed.

They were well prepared and couldn't even wait until tomorrow to attack the island; they launched their attack directly at dusk.

"Boom boom boom!"

River ships and shore positions fired their cannons together, bombarding the Jin soldiers' fortified stronghold on the island in the middle of the river.

Jin Wuzhu originally planned to withdraw his troops in the middle of the night, and had already loaded the grain and fodder onto carts. In order to lull the Ming army on the opposite bank into a false sense of security, the troops on Jiangxinzhou did not withdraw.

The Jin soldiers on the island in the middle of the river have been living in constant fear and unease these days.

Hearing that they could evacuate tonight, everyone relaxed and just waited for time to pass.

The Ming army launched a sudden attack, catching the Jin soldiers on the island off guard.

Under the cover of artillery fire, Li Cheng, Zhao Li, and Yelü Yudu led their troops to attack Jiangxinzhou from three sides.

The Jin soldiers in the fortified village reacted immediately to flee!

Why should they stay behind and fight to the death when the main force is withdrawing tonight?

Zhao Li was the first to lead his troops to the island. He thought it would be a fierce battle, but he found that the Jin soldiers were fleeing in panic.

"My men, follow me and kill!" Zhao Li shouted hoarsely.

Fearing that Zhao Li would steal all the credit, Li Cheng anxiously urged, "Beat the drums! Beat the drums! The whole army lands on the island!"

Most of the Liangshan heroes who were still serving in the army were scattered and reorganized.

Song Jiang had only Li Kui left under his command, and the two of them jumped ashore and rushed away at lightning speed.

Especially Song Jiang, he was not as cowardly as he was in "Water Margin".

This fellow is a cunning and ruthless bandit. After serving as a low-ranking general in the Ming Dynasty for several years, he lost some of his ferocity but became more composed and cunning.

"Don't let our allies steal our credit! Charge straight at the enemy general's banner!" Song Jiang ran quickly, completely disregarding the formation.

On the north bank of Jiangxinzhou, there were many small boats. The fleeing Jin soldiers crowded onto the boats, and some even pushed and shoved each other into the water.

"Boom boom boom!"

The riverboats had already sailed over and fired a barrage at the river, then, taking advantage of their larger size, they rammed the river directly.

The Jin soldiers, who had not yet boarded the ship, realized that they could not cross the river back to the city and were forced to gather on the bank and turn around to face the enemy.

"Archery!"

The Ming army stationed in Goryeo did not have many archers, as archers require long-term training, so most of them were equipped with crossbows.

Those Jin soldiers who had nowhere to escape seemed to still want to form ranks and fight, so the crossbowmen stopped and started firing at the crowd in front of them.

Zhao Li had already led his troops to fight the Jin troops on the east side. In the chase, neither side had any formation left.

However, the Jin soldiers were already terrified, while the Ming army was in high spirits. The battle was completely one-sided, and some Jin soldiers even jumped into the river to escape.

It's not just a matter of morale!

The Jin soldiers on the island in the middle of the river were planning to retreat in the middle of the night. They did not put on their armor, but disassembled it, folded it up, and prepared to transport it away.

The Jin soldiers weren't even wearing armor, and a single volley of crossbow bolts killed or wounded many of them!

Jin Wuzhu stood on the city wall of Posuru, observing the battle through a telescope, but after a while, he lost interest in watching.

The battle ended quickly, because the Jin soldiers who were still alive knelt down and surrendered in droves.

"I captured an enemy general!"

Song Jiang cheered and jumped for joy, holding up a fine iron sword in his hand. Anyone who could wield such a thing was definitely not a common soldier.

Zhe Yanzhi, who was stationed on the south bank, leisurely took a boat to Jiangxinzhou.

He ordered his soldiers to capture the fortified village and take the prisoners back to Baozhou for safekeeping. He then summoned a personal guard and said, "Go and inform General Zhang that Jiangxinzhou has been captured."

Chapter 3429 Conscripting the Army

"Whether we attack the city tomorrow or the day after, I'm ready to cooperate at any time."

In high spirits, Zhe Yanzhi cursed loudly the next morning: "The Jurchen traitors are all cowards! Hunt them down!"

The city of Posuru is now empty.

The Jin army retreated north in the middle of the night, passing through the direction of Fengcheng City in later generations, and fled to Liaoyang via mountain passes.

They also deliberately left supplies along the way to slow down the Ming army's pursuit.

They even sent troops to the hillsides on both sides to cut down trees and roll them down the slopes, blocking the narrow and rugged mountain roads.

Zhe Yanzhi grew angrier the more he chased after him, wasting all his time clearing obstacles!

Many Han Chinese from the Youyan region were forcibly relocated by the Jin dynasty.

Most of them, including the Han Chinese families who had invested in gold, were relocated to Xianping.

That is, Kaiyuan!

By the mid-Jin period, the population of Kaiyuan had even surpassed that of Liaoyang.

Moreover, its agriculture and commerce were comparable to those of Liaoyang, which demonstrates the Han people's exceptional management skills.

However, it had not yet developed at this time because the Jin state was constantly conscripting men and levying taxes.

As for the Khitan people, most of them migrated to the Jinzhou and Guangning areas.

The troops recruited from these three places were transferred to Jinzhou by Wanyan Zongfu.

The general defending Jinzhou was Wanyan Talan, with a total force of over 20,000.

Among them, there were more than 6,000 Jurchen soldiers, more than 7,000 Khitan soldiers, more than 8,000 Han soldiers, more than 3,000 Xi soldiers, and some Khitan and Han laborers.

Jinzhou has rammed earth city walls, which were built during the Liao Dynasty and have been expanded twice since then.

When it was first built, the perimeter was only 2700 meters. Later, it was expanded to more than 3000 meters. Then, a side wall was built next to the city wall.

In recent years, the Jin state has added four barbicans, as well as parapets and crenellations.

Li Jinyi led his troops along the Liaoxi Corridor, and they were almost able to fill in the moat on the west side.

After Zhu Ming captured Hesuguan City, he immediately ordered Yang Yun and Li Shifu to lead cavalry by land, speeding towards Jinzhou.

Deng Chun led his infantry by boat, carrying supplies and provisions, to land on the eastern coast of Jinzhou.

Wanyan Talan wanted to withdraw his troops from Jinzhou, but the mountainous area north of the Yalu River was not as easy to traverse!

...

Wanyan Xiyin personally led 500 elite cavalry to Jinzhou to deliver the message.

By the way, keep an eye on Wanyan Talan.

All signs indicate that Wanyan Talan has become involved with the eldest prince, who was historically a "peace advocate" in the Jin Dynasty.

"Peace faction" is just an adjective; the accurate term is "Taizong faction".

After the Taizu faction massacred the Taizong faction, Wanyan Talan chose to head south, intending to seek refuge with Zhao Gou and Qin Hui.

Meanwhile, Wanyan Talan's eldest son, Wanyan Shengdu, led his personal guards to the northern desert, attempting to seek refuge with the Mongol Khan Khabul.

Both father and son were killed while fleeing.

"With Hesuguan City gone, we'll find an opportunity to burn the grain and retreat," Wanyan Xiyin said.

Wanyan Talan asked in surprise, "They've only been guarding for a few days?"

Wanyan Xiyin explained simply, "The Bohai troops have rebelled."

"When did this happen?" Wanyan Talan asked.

Wanyan Xiyin said, "Last night, someone set fire to the camp and caused a disturbance. Gao Jingshan and Wang Zheng led their troops straight to Liaoyang."

"At dawn today, the Marshal executed all the powerful leaders of Bohai and led the Jurchen men eastward to Liaoyang."

Wanyan Talan shook his head: "We can't leave."

Wanyan Xiyin said, "If the whole army rides on horseback and burns the grain to delay the enemy, we should be able to take the Jurchen soldiers away."

Wanyan Talan questioned, "The military rations in Hesuguan City are gone, and Liaoyang may also fall into our hands."

"If we burn the grain supplies in Jinzhou, even if there are still 20,000 Jurchen soldiers left, where will they get military rations?"

Wanyan Xiyin remained silent.

Wanyan Zongpan did not tell his ally, Wanyan Talan, about his outrageous plan.

Even now, Wanyan Talan is unaware that the Jin Dynasty's overall strategy has been acquired by the Ming Dynasty.

He has no intention of betraying the Jin dynasty and joining the Ming dynasty; instead, he is constantly thinking about how to win.

Wanyan Talan said, "We must defend Jinzhou to the death and wait for Nianhan (Wanyan Zonghan) to lead the main force back to reinforce it."

"Otherwise, we will undoubtedly lose this battle, and all our military supplies will be lost, leaving us starving to death!"

Wanyan Xiyin asked, "Are there any signs of rebellion among the Han and Khitan people in the city?"

"Not yet,"

Wanyan Talan was filled with worry.

"But if the news of the fall of Hesuguan City reaches Jinzhou, both the Han and Khitan soldiers will likely waver."

After repeated discussions, the two decided not to withdraw their troops and to hold Jinzhou to the death, waiting for Wanyan Zonghan to come to their aid.

About half an hour later, Yang Yun and Li Shifu's cavalry had arrived at the west of Jinzhou City.

Wanyan Talan said, "These are the vanguard cavalry of the Ming army's main force; we must give them a head-on blow!"

.......

The Han army commander in Jinzhou was named Wang Bolong, who was a notorious bandit during the late Liao Dynasty.

When Aguda attacked Liaodong, Wang Bolong led 20,000 men to join him, bringing with him a large amount of supplies.

Aguda was overjoyed and immediately granted him the hereditary title of Meng'an, and appointed him as the governor of both Yinzhou and Shuangzhou, giving Wang Bolong complete control of the military and political power of the two prefectures.