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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 183 Jinyang
Li Jian Cheng’s tone and demeanor were undoubtedly filled with contempt for them, a stark contrast to the humble and benevolent Li Langjun that Wang Xuba remembered. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel that such a Lord was indeed worthy of ruling the world.
Wang Xuba bowed deeply several times, saying, “Lord, Rascal would never harbor any second thoughts; I will assist Lord in eliminating Wei Daor.”
“Go, and in the future, you shall have your wealth and honor.”
Qin Shubao gazed fervently at his Lord. Upon seeing him this time, he realized that Lord had changed; the unrestrained desire to conquer the world as the State Protector burned brightly within him.
They were like moths drawn to a flame, eager to help Lord ascend to greatness!
After Wang Xuba left, Zhang Hutan scoffed, “What four or six thousand battle-ready troops? If they truly had such elite soldiers, they would have swept through several counties and taken Chang'an long ago. How is it that after two years, they still haven’t captured Taiyuan County?”
Most of the rebels defeated by Zhang Suduo over the years were like Wei Daor, each commanding tens of thousands. Yet before Zhang Suduo’s twenty thousand elite soldiers, they fell apart with a single blow.
The three mounted their horses and returned to the Military. In truth, their Troops, aside from six or seven hundred Hundred Riders from Liaodong City, were mostly a ragtag bunch. However, they were all willing followers of the Young Adventurer, and their morale was decent; if they survived just two battles, they could be considered elite.
These men were trained by Zhang Hutan, who was superior to Qin Shubao in this regard. As for martial prowess, whether in mounted spear combat or foot combat, Qin Shubao excelled. But when it came to mounted archery, Zhang Hutan had a slight edge.
A few days later, Li Jian Cheng led his elite cavalry back and selected from over three thousand Young Adventurer, choosing those who had killed and seen blood and could ride well to fill the gap of over three hundred men, forming a total of one thousand cavalry.
Among them, the most elite Hundred Riders were fully equipped with armor and horse gear as the vanguard. The remaining nine hundred riders wore only light armor. With such a thousand-strong cavalry launching a surprise attack on a disorganized rear guard, it would surely be devastating!
Meanwhile, in Jinyang City, Wang Tian said to the weary-looking Pan Changwen, “General, not only for yourself but also for the citizens within the city, you must not hesitate any longer.
His Majesty is indulging in wine and pleasure in Jiangdu and has long abandoned the people of the realm. Wei Daor and his ilk are nothing but rabble—brutal and bloodthirsty. If all of Taiyuan falls into their hands, what a dire situation it would be.”
Pan Changwen sighed deeply. “Then I shall heed the words of the Prince. I hope that Li Langjun does not speak carelessly.”
Wang Tian breathed a sigh of relief. “What kind of person is Li Langjun! His loyalty and virtue are known throughout the land. Besides, during the siege at Yanmen, didn’t you also serve under our Lord, working together to save the kingdom?”
Speaking of the Yanmen Siege, the guilt on Pan Changwen's face dissipated somewhat. They had been loyal to the emperor, not shying away from the Turkic army's onslaught, fighting hard all the way to the city under siege.
As a result, His Majesty had actually given the Grand General to the Turkic forces, which they found deeply shameful.
On this day, Wang Xuba commanded the troops to attack the city. After a day of unsuccessful attempts, they sounded the retreat. After consulting with Wei Daor, he left with a calm expression.
After he left, Wei Daor turned to his trusted confidant and said, "Once we take Jinyang, we'll kill this guy and swallow his troops. Hmph, what a joke, Manticore King. I haven't even claimed kingship or emperorship."
The next day, they still failed to breach the city, but this time they managed to ascend the city wall. They engaged in back-and-forth skirmishes several times, indicating that Jinyang City had reached its limit.
Seeing this, Wei Daor hurriedly requested an attack, but was refused by Wang Xuba. As they were about to occupy all of Taiyuan's territory, Wei Daor didn't want an internal conflict to give Pan Changwen a chance to breathe, so he held back.
Late at night, Wang Xuba summoned his confidants. He first spoke about the difficulties of recent years and then began to criticize Wei Daor for his ambitious nature and disregard for their shared efforts in raising troops, wanting to seize his military power.
His subordinates were naturally filled with righteous indignation, voicing various opinions. Wang Xuba finally slammed the table and declared, "Tomorrow we will breach the city. We will enter directly and close the city gates. I have already contacted Wagang Panshan Duke..."
The next day, as usual, they attacked the city and finally broke through the gates at noon. Wang Xuba immediately led his troops inside and even took the time to inform Wei Daor that once they cleared out any remaining resistance inside, they would invite him into the city.
Wei Daor sneered and killed the messenger with his sword before ordering, "Kill everyone inside who is armed. Whoever brings me Wang Xuba's head will be heavily rewarded; I won't seal my sword for three days after taking Jinyang!"
Those under Wang Xuba who were already envious of his position immediately charged toward the open city gates with red eyes, eager for plunder—money, food, women—anything they desired!
Upon entering the city, Wang Xuba quickly commanded his confidants to eliminate the traitors and urged those troops still willing to follow orders to advance further while leaving an opening for Wei Daor's troops to enter.
At this moment, Wang Xuba had no choice but to admit that they were indeed a rabble; nearly half of his men had scattered like wild horses into the grand estates of the city, solely focused on looting for themselves.
However, he also knew that Wei Daor's troops were similarly chaotic. Thus, he wasn't worried about their dwindling numbers. He no longer concealed anything and immediately clarified the truth to his confidants.
Some agreed while others did not understand; yet at this point, they had no choice. But Wei Daor's troops were already attacking their rear guard; if they didn't want to die, they had to fight back.
Half of Wei Daor's forces had already surged into Jinyang City, while the rest were stuck at the city gate, shouting and clamoring, fearing that if they entered late, there would be nothing left for them to grab.
In the distance, Li Jian Cheng's thousand riders approached slowly, coldly observing the chaotic throng of bandits at the city gate, who had no semblance of defensive formation as a rear guard.
Zhang Hutan and Qin Shubao closed their visors and gently urged their armored horses forward, followed by ninety-eight other riders. They were heavy cavalry, not as fast as light cavalry and required time to build up speed.
Once they charged a certain distance, nine hundred light cavalry launched their attack, quickly flanking the heavy cavalry on both sides to form a sharply pointed wedge formation. The sound of thundering hooves startled Wei Daor's rear guard.
However, they showed no intention of forming a defensive line. Instead, with remarkable agility, they swiftly cleared the city gate and ran towards the open spaces on either side. They knew all too well how to survive.
More and more people began to react; more and more fled in panic. There was no one to restrain them or stand against them; they only regretted why they hadn’t grown two more legs.
But those trapped in the middle of the city gate had no way out. With people in front and behind them, they could neither advance nor retreat, only pushing and shoving in a frenzy.
As the light cavalry drew near, they nocked arrows from their backs and began shooting while riding forward. A dense rain of arrows fell upon the bandits who couldn’t escape in time, further intensifying their panic.
This was profoundly unfair to them; these were not the opponents they should have been facing.
………………
(End of Chapter)
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