The Red Mansions

Chapter 1609: Chengdu Prefecture is Destroyed

Chapter 1609: Chengdu Prefecture was destroyed...

Chengdu

Because Gao Cheng had already led his troops to garrison at Jianmen Pass, the Chengdu city was temporarily under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Governor Zeng Shuhong.

Most of the Shu army's forces were transferred to the vicinity of Jianmen Pass and Jiameng Pass. Only nearly 10,000 soldiers were left in Chengdu Prefecture to maintain public order in Chengdu Prefecture.

Jia Yun led a large number of troops and advanced towards Chengdu Prefecture, preparing to launch a surprise attack on the city of Chengdu in one go.

At this moment, the gates of Chengdu City were wide open, and merchants and trader came and went, transporting goods into the city, completely unaware that the imperial army had already arrived right under their noses and was preparing to launch a large-scale attack on the city.

Because Chengdu City is still some distance away from Jiameng Pass where the great battle took place on the front line, the people of Chengdu City could not feel the tense atmosphere of the spreading war on the front line.

At this moment, Jia Yun's 5,000-strong army marched day and night, heading straight for Chengdu City. Moreover, Jia Yun found the uniforms of the Shu army at Jiangyou Pass, disguised himself as a Shu army, and headed towards Chengdu City in a mighty manner.

This was because after Gao Cheng started the rebellion, in order to make it easier to distinguish himself from the imperial troops when fighting on the battlefield, he wore different colors of uniforms and flags from those of the imperial court.

Jia Yun was riding on a maroon horse at the moment, his heart was filled with excitement, and the faces of the officers and soldiers accompanying him all looked exhausted.

Jia Yun asked: "How long will it take to arrive?"

After entering Chengdu Prefecture, the originally steep and rugged terrain became flat.

The deputy general said, "General Jia, we are still ten miles away from the city."

Jia Yun said in a deep voice: "Speed ​​up the march, be careful not to let the Shu army react and close the city gates."

Such a long-distance raid depends on taking the enemy by surprise. Once discovered by the Shu army, it would lose its surprise and become a battle of offense and defense, and Chengdu would not be captured.

Upon hearing this, the deputy general nodded and urged the soldiers to speed up the march.

If we look back at history, more than a thousand years ago, Deng Ai led his army to sneak across the Yinping Road to Chengdu City. Liu Chan, the last emperor of Shu Han, opened the city gates and surrendered to the Wei army.

And in today's Chen Han, Jia Yun sent troops directly to the city of Chengdu to quell the rebellion, which seems to be a reappearance of history.

In the Chengdu government office, Sichuan Governor Zeng Shuhong sat behind a black lacquered wooden desk, still unaware of the impending danger.

His dignified and resolute face showed a hint of haggardness, and it was obvious that he was worried about the war with the Shu army.

During this period, Zeng Shuhong was stationed in the rear. In addition to transporting food and fodder for the army, he also had to worry about calming the recent turbulent undercurrents in Chengdu City. It can be said that he was exhausted.

After Zhen Qing followed Jia Heng's strategy of winning over the heart and issued an imperial decree to recruit the officials and officers in Bashu who had defected to the Gao family, the atmosphere in Chengdu became weird in the past half month.

If Gao Cheng and others had not blocked the imperial army at Jiameng Pass for a month and demonstrated their ability to resist the imperial court, I am afraid that some officials and soldiers in Bashu would have already driven out the Gao family in response to the imperial court.

"Sir Governor, this is the military order delivered from Jianmen Pass." A tall young clerk walked into the government office and said in a deep voice to Zeng Shuhong.

Zeng Shuhong nodded, took the military order from the clerk, lowered his eyes, read it, and said, "Order all prefectures and counties to raise 500,000 shi of grain and fodder, and recruit 10,000 men to transport it to Jianmen Pass."

The clerk responded and turned and left.

Zeng Shuhong picked up the teacup, his face looking a little sad.

During this period of time, the people of Sichuan were already feeling resentful because of the collection of food and fodder and the conscription of men.

At this moment, a young official came hurriedly from outside and said in a gentle voice: "Sir, a Shu army is coming from the direction of Jianmen Pass."

Zeng Shuhong frowned and asked in surprise, "Jianmen Pass? When did the Shu army come from the direction of Jianmen Pass?"

Because it was Chengdu Prefecture that had rushed to Jianmen Pass for support before, Zeng Shuhong thought that it was the Shu army at Jianmen Pass that received Gao Cheng's military order to come to Chengdu Prefecture to escort food and fodder, but it turned out that no military order had been received.

Just as Zeng Shuhong was puzzled, a dark-faced general wearing black iron armor came running in from outside in a panic, his face covered in blood, and said, "Governor, it's bad, the imperial army has entered the city!"

As soon as these words came out, Zeng Shuhong's dignified and resolute face suddenly showed a trace of panic, and he asked loudly: "What is going on?"

The general who reported the incident said in a hurry: "The imperial army was flying our flag, and General Xiao, who was guarding the city, didn't notice it, so he let the imperial army enter the city."

Zeng Shuhong couldn't help but get anxious and said, "How can we let the imperial army enter the city? Come on, mobilize the Governor's Guards to drive the imperial army out!"

Afterwards, the soldiers of the Governor's Office, armed with weapons, organized 3,000 guards of the Governor's Office and marched out to meet the enemy in battle.

At this moment, on the streets of Chengdu City, among the densely packed houses, all the shops were closed, clearly frightened by the atmosphere of war outside.

On the streets, the sound of horse hooves was chaotic, and the shouts of killing were deafening and resounding through the sky.

Jia Yun, leading a large number of soldiers, had already rushed into the city of Chengdu. Along the spacious and well-developed streets, they charged towards the Shu army's troops.

The people of Chengdu had lived in peace for a long time and had never experienced war. But at this moment, seeing the ferocious troops from the Beijing camp, they were terrified and fled in all directions.

Jia Yun led the troops of the Beijing camp to charge towards the Shu army. Along the way, the elite soldiers of the Beijing camp fought back and forth along the city wall with the Shu army guarding the city walls.

In a short while, the elite soldiers of the Beijing camp firmly occupied the city gate, while Jia Yun led the soldiers and charged towards the Governor's Mansion, intending to capture the thief and the leader and take control of the Governor's Office.

Zeng Shuhong now dispatched troops to mobilize the guards of the Governor's Office, and hurriedly went to fight against the Beijing troops who were rushing into the city. The two sides suddenly met on Fengming Street and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

"Dangdang..."

The sound of weapons clashing was endless, accompanied by the shouts and groans of soldiers. The two torrents collided and a fight began.

The imperial army's troops from the capital camp charged towards the Shu army. The Shu army was unfamiliar with battle formations and naturally fell into a disadvantage in a head-on confrontation. A large number of Shu army officers were defeated under the attack of the imperial army's troops from the capital camp and were gradually forced to Fengming Street and Sanquan Street around the governor's office.

To sum it up in one sentence, the Shu army was weak and had almost no ability to fight back!

"Sir Governor, we can't hold on any longer." At this moment, a purple-faced officer saw the Shu army being defeated one after another, and spoke to Zeng Shuhong from the side.

Because the Chengdu government had no idea how many troops had arrived from the Imperial Army, when they suddenly saw the Imperial Army "falling from the sky", they thought that the Imperial Army was attacking Chengdu in large numbers, and they were naturally in a state of panic.

A large number of Shu army officers and soldiers had no desire to fight and just kept retreating towards the city gate, which undoubtedly disrupted the army's front line.

Jia Yun was riding on a horse at this moment, holding the goose-feather knife tightly in his hand. In a cloud of blood mist, he swung the knife to kill a resisting Shu soldier, and then approached the governor's office.

Zeng Shuhong was already running around in the yamen in a panic, with sweat oozing out of his forehead like soybeans and his face full of fear.

"Stop them! Don't let the Han army rush in." Zeng Shuhong said urgently.

"Sir, the Han army is so powerful that we can't stop them." An officer from the Governor's Office spoke up.

Zeng Shuhong sat dejectedly in the lobby, his face pale and his heart sunk to the bottom.

Chengdu City was broken...

How would he explain this to the eldest son?

Once the city of Chengdu was breached, it would mean that the retreat would be cut off, and food and fodder and supplies could not be transported. The morale of the army on the front line would inevitably be shaken, and if things went wrong, it would lead to another defeat.

If we add to that the imperial court issued an edict not long ago to persuade officials and soldiers from Bashu to surrender...

Zeng Shuhong felt a thick haze covering his heart.

The middle-aged officer with a purple face said, "Sir, you cannot stay in the city for long. We will escort you out of Chengdu."

Zeng Shuhong seemed to have reacted after hearing this, and said in a firm tone: "I was entrusted by the Gao family to guard Chengdu City. Now that my retreat has been cut off by the Han army in the Beijing camp, how can I still have the dignity to escape from the city?"

The Governor-General of Sichuan was paid by the emperor and served as an official in the imperial court, but it was really puzzling that he was referring to the Gao family at this moment.

Upon hearing this, the young officer's face suddenly turned pale. He looked at Zeng Shuhong in surprise and said, "Sir Governor, as long as there is green mountains, there is no fear of running out of firewood."

Zeng Shuhong showed an indifferent look on his face, and said decisively: "Go out through the back door and run for your lives."

At this moment, Zeng Shuhong had already made up his mind to live and die together with the city of Chengdu.

Zeng Shuhong said this, his face as pale as paper. Without saying much, he left the hall with heavy steps and went to the back court.

After a while, an officer came out from the back hall quickly and said to the officers of the Shu army who were returning from the bloody battle outside, "The governor committed suicide."

The generals and officers were greatly frightened.

The Governor committed suicide, the situation is hopeless!

"Dangdang..."

Then one could hear the sound of swords clashing, coming from far away and getting closer, in an extremely chaotic manner, accompanied by the hoarse shouts of killing, and a large number of Han troops from the Beijing camp, armed with weapons, poured into the governor's office.

Later, because Zeng Shuhong was dead, the Shu army was leaderless and they all surrendered to the imperial troops in the Beijing camp.

By evening, when dusk fell and the lights came on, one could hear the shouting and screaming gradually subsiding.

While Jia Yun was speaking, he quickly came to the hall of the governor's office. His heart was still filled with excitement. After his contribution this time, he should be able to be awarded the fifth rank of nobility.

And so Jia Yun came to this day!

Among all the young generals of the Jia family, Jia Fang has the highest official rank, followed by Jia Chang and Jia Ling. Jia Yun was actually not very popular before, but after the battle of Chengdu Prefecture in Sichuan, he would probably be on par with Jia Fang.

Jia Yun's handsome face was covered in blood. He shouted, "Where is Zeng Shuhong?"

"Reporting to General Jia, Zeng Shuhong committed suicide when he saw that the situation was hopeless." At this moment, an officer spoke up.

Jia Yun snorted coldly and said, "They were ordered by the imperial court to govern Sichuan and govern the people, but they joined the Gao family and became accomplices to the evil, opposing the imperial court. They deserve to die!"

"Come here, cut off his head and put it in a wooden box. When I go to the court, deliver it to the capital!" Jia Yun said in a deep voice.

A young officer walked up quickly, his face became stern, and he clasped his fists and said yes.

Jia Yun raised his eyebrows, looked around, and said in a deep voice: "All troops should guard the gates of the city to prevent the Shu army from returning from the front of the pass. Find the Jinyi Mansion in Chengdu Prefecture to investigate, and send a letter to the Duke of Liao by carrier pigeon, saying that Chengdu Prefecture has been taken."

Upon hearing this, the personal soldiers clasped their fists in agreement.

Jia Yun then ordered his soldiers to take over the city, count the food and fodder in the treasury, and post notices to reassure the people in Chengdu.

After finishing all this, Jia Yun looked at his deputy general Xiang Tai and said, "Xiang Youji, send people to look for the spies in the Jinyi Palace. Also, have people guard the city gates strictly and gather the Shu army. Those who originally defected to the court should all go to the governor's office. I will give them a lecture."

Xiang Tai bowed and said yes.

After Jia Yun gave these instructions, he sat down at the table, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Through the scouts of the Jinyiwei stationed in Chengdu City, some soldiers and officials who were originally loyal to the court were contacted to help pacify the situation.

Otherwise, with only the 5,000 soldiers he brought, if he did not persuade the Shu generals and soldiers to surrender or rebel, he would not be able to complete the front-and-back attack on the Shu army at Jianmen Pass.

On the third day of September in the first year of the Jianxing reign of the Han Dynasty, the Han army in the capital camp broke through the city of Chengdu. Thus, the stronghold of the Three Chen Rebellion in Shu was destroyed, and the long-lasting stalemate in the war finally saw a turning point.

……

……

At the time when Jia Yun led his troops to capture the Chengdu city, Gao Cheng, who was stationed at Jianmen Pass, knew nothing about it. He was urging his troops to reinforce the pass and set up city defense facilities to guard the city, intending to use Jianmen Pass as a barrier to fight to the death with the imperial court.

At this moment, Gao Cheng was wearing a black cloak on the outside and a maroon armor with mountain patterns on the inside. He was standing on the top of the city wall, holding the sword at his waist. After entering September, the hot weather that was originally like a furnace gradually returned to normal. In the distance, the green mountains were lush and green, and the cool breeze blew on his face, making people feel refreshed.

Gao Yong came closer and asked worriedly, "Brother, do you think we can stop the Han army's attack?"

As the war dragged on, Gao Yong was no longer as confident as before and began to worry about the bleak future.

Gao Cheng's face was as dark as water, his eyes were far away, and he said, "Whether we can stop it or not, we will stop it!"

Gao Cheng said in a deep voice: "Father worked hard for the Han Dynasty and served as governor of Sichuan for more than ten years, but he was killed by Jia Heng's child. This is unforgivable!"

Gao Yong said in a deep voice: "Brother, the hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable!"

Gao Cheng's eyes were cold and he said fiercely, "Even if my entire Gao family is wiped out in this battle, I will seek justice for my father!"

Gao Yong's expression paused for a moment, and he looked at Gao Cheng intently, saying, "Brother, for the sake of the continuation of the bloodline of our Gao family, we should send someone to send Sheng'er to the southwest for resettlement. Even if the plan fails in the end, we can still keep the incense flowing in the future."

Gao Cheng's face turned serious, and he said in a deep voice: "If my army is defeated, even if my whole family dies for the king's cause, what does it matter?"

Gao Yong said: "Brother, my Gao family must leave some blood behind."

Gao Cheng was silent for a moment, his eyes dimmed, then he nodded and said, "If the city is captured, you take your nephew and flee to Tibet."

Hearing this, Gao Yong said in a deep voice: "Brother, I will fight to the death with that little Jia Heng, and I will never give in!"

At this moment, tattered flags and armor suddenly appeared in front of the city gate. Seeing the chaotic army, Gao Cheng's heart sank.

Gao Cheng's eyes froze for a moment, and he studied the flag. His heart paused, and he shouted, "Where are these troops from?"

"They are the troops coming from Jiameng Pass." Gao Yong, who had excellent eyesight at this moment, spoke.

At this moment, Chen Yuan, King of Wei Chen Ran, King of Liang Chen Wei, and Gao Bo led two or three thousand soldiers and horses and rushed to the city in a panic.

When Jiameng Pass was breached, the four men acted decisively and led their personal guards to abandon the pass and flee along the Jinniu Road towards Jianmen Pass.

However, under the attack of the imperial army, the Shu army fled in all directions and headed all the way towards the Jinniu Road.

Gao Cheng saw this scene, his expression paused, his heart tightened, and he asked loudly: "Why are you so embarrassed?"

Previously, Gao Cheng had sent his personal guards to inform Chen Yuan and others to withdraw their troops quickly, but this was obviously not an orderly withdrawal, but a disorganized rout.

Gao Cheng's face was indifferent, and he said in a deep voice: "Tell the guards to camp three miles outside the city, and the commander will come to talk!"

"Brother, why don't you open the city gate? To welcome our army into the city?" Gao Yong asked doubtfully.

Gao Cheng turned his eyes to Gao Yong and explained, "First verify the identity of the soldiers and horses to prevent fraud."

After a while, the scout was lowered down the city wall with a rope. After a while, he came back and said, "General, it's Mr. Gao, the defeated army at Jiameng Pass."

Gao Cheng shook his head, shouted, and ordered: "Come, open the city gate!"

Gao Yong responded quickly at this moment, and without saying anything else, he ordered the officers and soldiers beside him to open the city gate.

At this moment, Chen Yuan, Chen Ran, Chen Wei, Gao Bo and others, led the soldiers who had discarded their armor and weapons and swarmed into the city.

Gao Cheng and Gao Yong went forward together, stared at Chen Yuan, Chen Ran and others, and asked: "King Zhao, King Wei, what is going on?"

Chen Yuan looked somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Brother Gao, the imperial army used explosives to blow up the city walls. After so many bombings, the city walls are no longer defensible."

Gao Bo also shook his head and said, "Brother, the imperial army suddenly launched an attack on the city. The city gate was blown up and collapsed. A large number of imperial troops entered the city. Our army could not resist them."

When Gao Cheng heard this, a trace of worry appeared on his resolute and calm face, and he asked, "Where are the imperial troops now?"

"The cavalry chased us all the way without stopping to cover their retreat, and only then did they get rid of the imperial troops. It didn't take long before the imperial troops caught up with us." Chen Yuan said loudly.

Gao Cheng's expression changed, and he was startled. He asked again, "How many troops did you bring back from this battle?"

Gao Bo showed a dejected look on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Brother, we only have 3,000 soldiers and horses, and they were almost all killed on the way. The imperial court's soldiers and horses chased us all the way, and we can't resist them at all."

Gao Cheng was silent for a moment, his eyes showing a solemn look, and he said: "First, we must defend Jianmen Pass to the death and resist the advance of the Beijing camp."

Although the troops were eventually withdrawn from Jiameng Pass, they returned in a state of remnants and defeat.

However, as long as we can hold off the Han army for a while, it should be almost time for a counterattack.

Afterwards, Gao Cheng welcomed Chen Yuan, Chen Ran and others into the city gate and sat down on the pearwood chairs in the government hall.

A large number of Shu troops entered the city gate in a cloud of dust, with flags covering the sky and their weapons and armors extremely bright.

Gao Cheng sat down behind a lacquered wooden table and said in a deep voice, "Third brother, send soldiers to patrol the city in the next few days to prevent spies from infiltrating."

As Jiameng Pass and Bazhong were lost one after another, Gao Cheng was also worried that some officers with ulterior motives would become accomplices of the court.

Gao Yong said: "Don't worry, brother. I'm on guard."

Afterwards, Gao Cheng hosted a welcoming ceremony for Chen Yuan and others.

……

……

Northwest, Hamiwei

Jin Xuan stayed in Hami Weicheng, while Xining General Pang Shili dispatched the Xining cavalry to support Qu Xianwei. During this half month, Pang Shili's Xining cavalry and the Junggar cavalry fought non-stop.

The two sides quickly engaged in battle, with their troops penetrating and fighting back and forth, resulting in losses on both sides, and neither side gained a major advantage.

On this day, Pang Shili led the cavalry and the army to approach Qu Xianwei.

At this moment, under the boundless blue sky, yellow sand was rolling and the sun was scorching. Pang Shili was riding on a chestnut horse with lush mane. Sweat was rolling down his rough and resolute face. Under his two thick dark green eyebrows, there was a bit of determination in his majestic tiger eyes.

"General, the Junggar tribe has retreated back to the Acropolis again." At this moment, a young officer with a resolute face spoke up.

Pang Shili frowned and said, "The Junggar tribe is not good at defending the city. After approaching the city, our tribe will quickly attack the city."

The young officer responded and said nothing more.

Inside the city of Quxianwei, more than 10,000 Junggar soldiers were left behind to guard the baggage and military supplies.

At this moment, the Junggar officers on the city wall suddenly showed a solemn expression on their rough and chapped faces, and said, "Inform the Khan that the Han army is coming."

Soon, a personal guard could be seen walking quickly, answering the call, and then walking quickly towards the Weicheng Gate in the city.

Baturhui sat behind a square lacquered wooden table, dozing off with his eyes closed.

This Khan, who once dominated the grassland, is now old, and as he gets older, he begins to feel sleepy.

"Khan, the Han army is attacking the city." A royal guard officer entered the city and spoke.

Baturhui's drooping eyelids moved, and his pair of tiger eyes, which were filled with a ferocious light, seemed to hide a hint of murderous aura, staring intently.

Compared to the timidity of the commander of Jiangyou Pass, Baturhui was much more indifferent at this moment. His tiger eyes seemed to burst out with fierce light, and he said in a cold voice: "Let the troops guard the city. Come, follow this Khan to the city to watch the battle."

As he spoke, Baturhui narrowed his eyes again, as if he was resting.

Although the Junggar troops were not good at defending cities, they could not be easily controlled by the Han army.

Afterwards, Baturhui, accompanied by several personal guards, came to the top of the Fuwei City and looked at the soldiers and horses that were attacking in formation outside the city.

The Han army was in neat order, and the sabers raised by a large number of cavalrymen flashed white light under the summer sunlight, seemingly able to illuminate people's eyes.

At this moment, the general of the Beijing camp, Pang Shili, holding a crescent-shaped sword that was usually six or seven feet long, led the Beijing camp army behind him to attack Qu Xianwei's city.

"kill……"

For a moment, the shouts and cries of killing shook the sky. At this moment, the sound shook the clouds.

The Han army carried wooden ladders and attacked the city wall. After a while, black arrows were shot at the soldiers on the city wall.

"Puchi..." Along with the sound of arrows entering the flesh, a cloud of blood mist could be seen exploding, and many Junggar soldiers fell in a pool of blood at this moment.

Baturhui's face was as solemn as iron. He said to the soldiers around him with a worried tone: "The Han army's archery ability is not inferior to ours."

At this moment, Pang Shili and his troops launched a tentative attack on the Junggar soldiers on the city wall.

The Junggar troops were not good at defending the city, and at this moment, they were caught in a dilemma and overwhelmed.