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Volume 13: Reviving the Ming Dynasty Chapter 618 Battle of Shanxi (2)

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    Although Taiyuan City is far less famous than Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, known as the old capital of several dynasties, or the two capitals in the north and south, because it is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, it has been a battleground for military strategists for thousands of years, so the city's defense has also been achieved.  most.  The five-foot-high city wall alone is enough to put psychological pressure on attackers, and its city head is also covered with crossbows and other weapons that are most conducive to defense.  The only heavy gates that enter the city have been tightly closed these days, and no one is allowed to enter or exit at will.

    When he led the people to Taiyuan City and looked up at all this, Tang Feng felt a little nervous.  If he continued to attack the city according to the strategy he had set before, as long as the rebels in the city defended it wholeheartedly, even the elite Liaodong Army would have difficulty capturing the city.  But it was obviously different now, because he had changed his strategy from a strong attack to a surprise attack and a deception.  [bsp; When this group of people appeared in front of them, the defenders on the city stepped up their guard. Some even raised their bows and aimed towards the city.  Because Taiyuan is the most important city in Shanxi, a lot of weapons are hoarded in the city to support the important town of Datong in the north at any time, but now it is easier for these rebels.  Many of these rebels were former guardsmen and soldiers, so they were naturally familiar with the use of these weapons.

    Seeing that this group of people was really coming towards them, the people in the city became more careful. As soon as the opponent came within range, they shot out an arrow and shouted loudly: "Who is coming? Tell me your name."  !" Because now their troops in Taiyuan City are less than 20,000 due to being sent to deal with the official army, so they are still very careful, for fear that someone will take advantage of it.

    "Brother, why don't you even recognize me?" With two daggers under his armpits and his life in his hands, Hu Kong had no choice but to follow the previous instructions and replied: "I am Hu Kong."

    "General Hu?" The defenders on the city also saw clearly the flags carried by the incoming army, and even saw that the people standing at the front looked very familiar, which made him relax a little.  However, some of them still asked in confusion: "General Hu, weren't you ordered to attack and pacify Ding? Why did you come back so soon?"

    Hu Kong¡¯s face tightened, but he couldn¡¯t answer.  At this time, Tang Feng, who was standing beside him, whispered: "Just tell them that you found traces of the army halfway along the road. To prevent Taiyuan from being lost, you came back to report the news."

    Hu Kong hesitated for a while, then he pressed Zhang Tai's hand with a short knife slightly, and threatened: "Say it quickly!" In desperation, he had no choice but to follow Tang Feng's words.

    "What? Such a thing could happen! What should we do?" The people in the city exclaimed.

    "Brother, let's wait until we enter the city to discuss these things. Now the government troops may come at any time. What we have to do now is to hold on to the city and let them suffer this defeat." Under Tang Feng's guidance, Hu Kong continued  said.

    "Um General Hu, forgive me. I just got the order today. No one is allowed to open the city gate. If you want to enter the city, I have to ask the two kings. But don't worry, we have already sent  People have gone to inquire, and there will be orders soon." The man on the top of the city said with some embarrassment.  This made Tang Feng frown under the city. He didn't expect these rebels to be so cautious. It was really beyond his expectation.

    But this did not make Tang Feng lose confidence. He immediately turned around and whispered a few instructions to the soldiers behind him.  Immediately, someone pretended to be very angry and walked out of the team. He rushed to the city and yelled at the people at the top of the city: "What do you mean? We took the risk and rushed back to report the news, but it was nothing."  We just want to help defend the city, but you treat us like thieves and are on guard, what the hell is wrong with him?"

    With these words, more and more people gathered under the city, and the curses became louder, which made the defenders at the top of the city very helpless.  Tang Feng was watching all this from behind, with a sneer flashing across his face. He knew that these rebels were not people who obeyed orders, so they resorted to such a move. Even if the people in the city were not convinced, there was nothing they could do.  things.  And in this way, even if they were not fooled into opening the door to let them in, the soldiers who had already arrived at the foot of the city wall would be able to rush up to the city in the shortest possible time, thus achieving a preemptive strike.

    After arguing for a long time at the bottom of the city, a majestic voice came from the top of the city: "What are you doing!"

    When Tang Feng heard this, he looked over and saw a very elegant man in his forties looking at everyone with an angry look on his face.  Hu Kong said very cooperatively: "This is our great king Luo Rucai."

    "People who will conquer the world in the future are still so ignorant of the rules. It's really unreasonable!" Luo Rucai yelled and cursed: "Don't I just want you to stay outside the city for a while? There is no wind or rain.  , what¡¯s your name? Hu Laosi, what the hell did you do??'s soldiers?  "

    Hu Kong said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I don't want to do that either, but the brothers have traveled so far and are really exhausted"

    "I asked you to attack Pingding, but why did you come back? Why did you find the army on the road? Are you timid and afraid of getting into trouble? Tell me clearly!" Luo Rucai asked loudly with a tigerish face.

    "It's true, Your Majesty. We really discovered the outpost of the army at Wangjiaji. After arresting one person, we found out that their target was our Taiyuan City. We were also afraid that Your Majesty, you were unprepared, so we were anxious because Taiyuan was lost.  I rushed here to report the news. And I heard from the person who was arrested that this time there were tens of thousands of officers and soldiers, all of whom were elites. We were short of men in the city, so I changed my mind without authorization and helped defend the city first.  After we defeat the enemy, it won¡¯t be too late for us to attack and pacify them again!¡±

    This statement makes sense, and Luo Rucai from the city couldn't help but nod in agreement: "Well, if that's true, you've done a great job. Open the door and let them in!"

    Hearing that he finally gave this order, Tang Feng in the city let out a long sigh of relief.  Fortunately, these people didn't see any flaws, otherwise it would be very difficult to capture Taiyuan easily.  With a heartbreaking creaking sound, the huge city gate slowly opened. Tang Feng immediately ordered his men to prepare for battle. After entering the city, he immediately took control of the situation on the city wall.

    Hu Kong still walked in under the hostage of Zhang Tai, but as he entered the city gate, Zhang Tai could not get too close to him. After all, it was not like the distance that should exist between a soldier and a general.  Taking advantage of this moment, Hu Kong suddenly accelerated his horse's speed. While avoiding Zhang Tai's dagger, he shouted loudly: "Be careful, these are all officers and soldiers!"

    It turned out that Luo Rucai and a group of rebels who were waiting at the city gate were stunned when they heard this, and then they reacted and wanted to pick up weapons to prevent the enemy from entering the city.  But it was obviously too late at this time. There was just a "swish" sound, and an arrow had hit the back of Hu Kong's neck. At this time, his men were still several feet away from the rebels.  At the same time, the officers and soldiers who were still smiling suddenly started to move, and the various weapons they had already held in their hands were chopped out at the same time, and the hundreds of archers over there fired a series of rapid fires.  He actually shot more than a hundred people who came forward to the ground.

    "Kill! The only time to capture Taiyuan is now!" Wu Sangui shouted and rushed out at the lead.  Beside him, many Liaodong troops also strode forward.  Because they wanted to pretend to be rebels and pretend to open the city gate, these elite soldiers did not come on horseback. However, even if they fought on foot, ordinary people and horses could not resist them.

    There were only less than 500 people stationed at the city gate. Including the 300 soldiers who followed Luo Rucai when he arrived, the number was less than 1,000.  However, the officers and soldiers who rushed in at once totaled two thousand people. In terms of numbers and combat power, the officers and soldiers had the absolute upper hand.  Immediately, the city gate was completely controlled by Wu Sangui and others. The half-open city gate immediately opened wide, and more officers and soldiers rushed into the city with shouts. Now Luo Rucai and the others were even more difficult to resist.

    Seeing that continuing to fight would lead to death in vain, Luo Ru wisely chose to retreat.  But at this time, they had less than 300 people left, which showed the fierceness of the attack by the government and army.

    At this time, the rebels in the city had received the news. The sound of trumpets was heard from everywhere. Countless people rushed from all directions with weapons to resist the invasion of the official army. A melee broke out at the east gate of Taiyuan.

    Tang Feng also entered the city under the protection of several soldiers. After seeing the movements of the rebels in the city, he showed disdain.  Their reaction was not slow, but it was a pity that it was completely messed up.  People keep coming like this, which only increases casualties. How can they be the opponent of the battle-hardened army?  He immediately ordered the army to take up positions and advance forward in a slow but very effective manner.

    After the officers and soldiers set up their formations, they brought their combat power to the extreme. As they moved forward step by step, hundreds of rebels fell under their swords. This dealt a huge blow to the rebels.  It's so big that they have thoughts that they can't hold on to.

    At this time, Liu Guoneng also rushed over. When he saw this situation, his whole face turned pale.  Such a strong Taiyuan was actually broken by the army. This was really unacceptable to him.  What frightened him even more was the combat power of these officers and soldiers. Although their strength was not greater than his own, their momentum completely overwhelmed the entire Taiyuan City defenders.

    With great difficulty, Luo and Liu gathered their troops, but they had already lost about 3,000 men. The others were also timid and were no match for the advancing officers and soldiers.

    Tang Feng also saw that the morale of the rebel army was unstable. Presumably, now that the army had entered Taiyuan, the backing they relied on the most was gone. After seeing how powerful the Liaodong Army was, how could they be as good as before?  Woolen cloth?  So he ordered people to say what he meant loudly."Put down your weapons, and those who surrender will be spared death, otherwise they will be killed without mercy!"

    As soon as these words came out, the awareness of those who resisted the army dropped again, and the weapons in some people's hands were also lowered.  Liu Guoneng was also shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly shouted: "Don't believe their lies, the government has never kept its word. If we put down our weapons, we will die even worse. In order to save our lives, we must fight with them  Let¡¯s fight to the death!¡±

    "Yes, we are going to fight to the death with these eagles and dogs!" Liu and Luo's confidants also shouted loudly, and at the same time they were the first to rush forward, wanting to fight again.

    Tang Feng snorted coldly, knowing that these leaders knew that they would never be spared lightly, so they wanted to resist.  However, this did not trouble Tang Feng. He gave an order: "Crossbowmen and musketeers come forward and let them wake up!"

    Immediately, thousands of archers and five hundred musketeers strode forward, only to hear the buzzing of bowstrings and the bang of muskets. The hundreds of people who rushed forward suddenly died on the way forward.  Tang Feng sighed and said: "You have all seen that it is not difficult to kill you. But the court still cares about you, and I hope you will not be incited to make futile resistance again. Except for the first offender, I  Anping Hou Tang Feng can guarantee on my reputation that he will not kill anyone indiscriminately!"

    Even today, two years later, Tang Feng¡¯s name is still fresh in the minds of many people.  When they heard that he was the Anping Marquis who had resisted the Jin externally and eliminated the eunuchs internally, hesitation suddenly appeared on the faces of the rebel soldiers.  This fell into Luo Rucai's eyes, but he was a little desperate. Tang Feng made it clear that as the leader, he would never be lenient.  So he still shouted: "Don't fall for his alienation plan, we will not be defeated, kill him!"

    "However, only a few people came forward to kill him at his order, and the others stopped moving forward.  This time, Luo Rucai was even more frightened.  Before he could speak again, one of the rebels couldn't hold on anymore and dropped the weapon in his hand on the ground.

    "Cang!" As the sound of the weapon falling to the ground came out, those anti-soldiers who could no longer hold on finally collapsed.  Countless people dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, not daring to struggle any more.  Seeing that the situation was over, Luo Rucai and the other two couldn't help but let out a long sigh. At such a short distance, they had nowhere to hide and no way to escape.

    The officers and soldiers immediately stepped forward and began to take the helpless rebel soldiers aside, reorganize them and take them into custody.  Although they will not be convicted of too big a crime, the necessary punishment is still indispensable.

    For the hundreds of people in the middle who refused to drop their weapons and did not dare to fight again, Tang Feng just ordered people to surround them.  After the others were driven to both sides in an orderly manner, Tang Feng urged his horse forward and said to Luo Rucai and the others: "You two, do you still want to fight to the death? Now that Taiyuan has changed hands, what else can you do?"

    "Are you really Anping Hou Tang Feng?" Liu Guoneng asked after being stunned for a while.

    Tang Feng nodded: "Yes, I am the Marquis of Anping, and I am also the commander-in-chief of the three armies who have been ordered to quell the chaos!"

    "Although I have heard many stories about you before, I refused to believe it. Now it seems that all of them are true. You are indeed very powerful. You can actually stand out from the enemy and kill us at the gate of Taiyuan City. This time, I am  I am convinced that I have lost! I hope you can keep your promise and do not harm anyone else except us, the leaders!" Liu Guoneng said and put the knife in his hand suddenly on his neck. With a strong force, he  He fell off his horse and saw that he was dead.

    After smiling sadly, Luo Rucai immediately committed suicide. He didn't leave any words, because Liu Guoneng had already said everything that needed to be said.

    Tang Feng sighed and ordered: "Give them a good burial. These two people are considered figures, so don't mess with their corpses." He knew very well what they were thinking. They knew that if they were captured, they would be guilty of treason.  He couldn't be lenient, so he simply committed suicide.  This is why Tang Feng let them do this, otherwise they would not be able to commit suicide no matter how fast they were.

    With the two men committing suicide, the remaining more than a hundred people also lost the motivation to resist, and they also dropped their weapons and surrendered.  Looking at the blood still flowing on the ground, Tang Feng sighed helplessly.  He didn't want to kill the Han people, but once the war started, the situation would be beyond his control.  Fortunately, the casualties were kept to a minimum this time, which is considered acceptable.

    When it gets dark, all the city defenses in Taiyuan City have been controlled by the Liaodong Army, and the prisoners have been settled in the military camps, guarded by soldiers, waiting for the court's decision to deal with them.

    At this time, Tang Feng was taken by his subordinates to the original residences of wealthy businessmen and officials in Taiyuan City. There were mountains of silver and other property here.  That was what the rebels got after taking Taiyuan. Except for some of it being distributed to the people below, the restThey're all still here.

    Licking his dry lips, Wu Sangui¡¯s eyes were a little dazzled, and he asked: ¡°Master Hou, how do you deal with these things?¡±

    "Take some of it and share it with everyone. We, the Liaodong Army, haven't received pay for a long time, so we just need to make up for it. The rest will be used as rewards for the next battle." Tang Feng thought for a moment and then said: "Also,  Give some of it to the people in the city. They have been suffering during this period, so let¡¯s consider it as some comfort to them."

    When the sergeants heard this arrangement, they immediately became happy and felt grateful to Tang Feng from the bottom of their hearts.  Indeed, soldiers do not hand over their lives just to get some benefits. Who really has any lofty ambitions and ideals?

    While Wu Sangui and others were distributing the property, Zhang Tai said worriedly: "Master Marquis, aren't you afraid of attracting criticism for doing this? That Tang Wenzheng has been keeping an eye on you, and it is impossible to hide this matter from him. Also  Yes, there are still many officials in Taiyuan, and their money"

    "It's good if these people can save their lives. Do you still dare to care about this? The soldiers have paid so much to quell the chaos, so of course there must be some reward. As for the so-called supervisory army, I think this will be an opportunity"  Tang Feng said coldly, his eyes were shining with a light that was completely different from his usual self, which made Zhang Tai feel a sudden change in his heart. He was not sure what kind of decision Tang Feng would make
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