northernbook Chapter 471: 1 Unification (2)
Chapter 471: 1 Unification (2)
Chapter 471 Unification (II) Lin Shiqi suddenly had a sense of illusion, thinking back to the past, he was just a nobody in the Guanning Army, but Wu Sangui was once his boss among his bosses, and now Wu Sangui's trusted adviser Fang Guangchen was right in front of him.
In response to Fang Guangchen's words, Lin Shiqi hesitated for a moment before saying, "The king has ordered me to be the leader of the army, so how can I arbitrarily suspend the attack? However, I can send a team of light cavalry to escort the envoy to the capital as soon as possible!"
Fang Guangchen frowned and said, "General Lin was born in the Guanning Army. You and I are from the same lineage. If you and I were to serve in the court together in the future, I think it would be of benefit to the general!"
"It is useless for the envoy to say more. I am a military man, and the future is too far away. I don't want to think too much about it. It is better for the envoy to reach the capital as soon as possible. That is the right way."
After Lin Shiqi finished speaking, he signaled Fang Guangchen to leave. However, before leaving, Fang Guangchen suddenly said to Lin Shiqi: "General, can you stop fighting for a day? I need to return to Wuguan and rest for a day. Is that possible?"
Lin Shiqi pondered for a moment, then agreed to Fang Guangchen's request. After all, the outcome of the Wuguan battle could not be decided in one day. Moreover, Wu Sangui's main force was still in Kunming. He could not fly back in one day. So a one-day ceasefire was a good way to give the three armies a day to rest.
On the other hand, Fang Guangchen, who was returning to Wuguan, repeatedly warned the defending general Xue Kun to do his best to defend Wuguan for at least half a month.
Afterwards, Fang Guangchen immediately wrote a letter to He Jinzhong, the Defense Commissioner of Shaanxi, asking him to defend Guanzhong before he returned.
There is a huge difference between owning Guanzhong and losing it, at least in terms of price. If Lin Shiqi were allowed to easily capture Guanzhong, Wu Sangui himself would not be taken seriously, let alone his subordinates.
In fact, deep down, Fang Guangchen hoped that Wu Sangui could fight for the world so that he could display his life's talent. However, in Xiangyang and Nanyang, except for Gao Qilong who defended Xiangyang for several days, almost no other city resisted. In addition to insufficient troops, the bigger factor was the people's hearts. No one could fail to see that Meng Zhou was far superior to Wu's army.
After arranging everything, Fang Guangchen rode non-stop to the Zhou army camp and galloped towards the north under the protection of a team of Zhou army light cavalry.
After a day's rest, Lin Shiqi led his troops to attack the Wuguan fortress. However, outside Wuguan, the terrain was narrow and not enough for the Zhou army to fully utilize its superior forces.
For three consecutive days, there were deafening cries of killing and thick smoke outside the Wuguan City, but Wuguan still stood firm. Xue Kun believed that as long as he was careful and did not give the enemy a chance to attack the city, then Fang Guangchen's half-month defense was obviously an underestimate.
Xue Kun was obviously optimistic. The mountains and rivers had not changed, and Wuguan was still a fortress leading into Guanzhong from Nanyang. It was just that the way of attacking the city had changed greatly.
After Lin Shiqi's idea of quickly capturing Wuguan was shattered, he had no choice but to decide to bombard the city with cannons.
More than seventy cannons were deployed in front of Wuguan. Lin Shiqi bombarded day and night within the range of the gun barrels, regardless of the loss of gunpowder.
Xue Kun had never seen a bombing of such intensity. After only two days of bombing, the gate tower was completely destroyed. The battlements on the gate wall were missing pieces, and even the gate was beaten to pieces. However, Xue Kun had sealed the door with stones.
Xue Kun saw that the situation was not good, so he immediately asked He Jinzhong for reinforcements. He Jinzhong was also in a state of panic. He knew that Wuguan was in danger, but he could not do anything without rice. Not only Wuguan, but the defenders of Tongguan also reported three times a day that the Zhou army's offensive was very urgent. If reinforcements were not sent, the city would be in danger. Relatively speaking, Xue Kun asked for less help.
In particular, Yunyang Prefecture also sent an urgent report, saying that Zhou's army appeared nearby and asked He Jinzhong for help. He Jinzhong had no choice but to report to Yunnan and ask Wu Sangui for help.
Meanwhile, Xue Kun in Wuguan had been working without sleep for two days. The reinforcements had not arrived yet, and the artillery fire below the city was still going on, and it had been going on for five days now. The city of Wuguan was thick and the foundation was still solid, but the battlements on top were almost flattened.
As time went by, Xue Kun's premonition became stronger. He knew that the Zhou army under the city was about to attack.
December 17th, the fourth year of the Yongli reign.
As the gunpowder in the army was exhausted, the Zhou army launched another strong attack. After days of preparation, countless siege weapons began to gather under the city wall, and after days of bombardment, the artillery and battlements on the top of the city wall had been completely flattened.
As a horn sounded, the Zhou army surged towards Wuguan like a tide, with shields stacked up and spears like a forest. The loud shouts of the soldiers resounded through the sky. Siege towers and ladders began to be pushed up to the city gate one after another. Row after row of musketeers were lined up at the foot of the pass, taking turns shooting at the defenders who had no battlements left.
The fighting lasted until the afternoon. The Zhou army was large in number and they attacked the city defenses wave after wave without regard for their lives. Xue Kun saw that the situation was hopeless and immediately took the remaining defenders, abandoned their weapons and surrendered to the Zhou army.
The Zhou army fought for fourteen days at the gate of Wuguan City and finally conquered Wuguan, opening the door to Guanzhong.
Looking at the Zhou army troops entering in a line, Lin Shiqi laughed loudly, some even laughed to tears, and then said to the generals: "When I was in Liaodong in the past, I never thought of today. Thinking back to the Chongzhen period, the Ming Dynasty was weak, the Jian slaves were violent, refugees were everywhere, and there was unrest in all directions. Warlords rose up one after another, and the country became a ruin. Today, there are signs that the chaotic times are finally coming to an end!"
At this point, Lin Shiqi looked at the generals and said, "You all should work together to advance into Guanzhong, quell the chaos, build achievements, and enjoy a peaceful and prosperous era!"
At this time, a team of Zhou soldiers brought Xue Kun to Lin Shiqi. Xue Kun was dejected and didn't say a word. Even though Xue Kun knew that the man in front of him could decide his life or death, he still kept his head down and said nothing.
Lin Shiqi asked curiously, "Have you heard the order of my king? Those who surrender after the city is broken will not be pardoned!"
Xue Kun looked up at Lin Shiqi and said, "I've heard of it."
"Then why don't you surrender?"
"It's shameful to surrender without fighting." Xue Kun said honestly.
Hearing this, Lin Shiqi was stunned for a moment, and asked in surprise: "Then you heard that you surrendered at the last minute and would not be pardoned, so why did you surrender in the end?"
Xue Kun said in a low voice: "Without reinforcements, we can't win. We probably can't escape either. We might as well surrender."
Lin Shiqi waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to drag the man away. As a white light appeared, Xue Kun's head and body were separated.
Lin Shiqi looked back, then said to Chu Zhangyin beside him: "Old Chu, write a letter to the king to report the victory, saying that the Huguang camp conquered Wuguan on December 17th. In three months, the army can take all of Guanzhong!"