"Palace Master Fan, Master Zheng, do you think it's better to attack by force or outwit?" Zhou Shixiong sent a request for help to Ningping City. He originally thought that it would be enough for them to send the city's regular soldiers, but he didn't expect that Fan Gan Gan and Zheng Dong They actually came out in full force, not only bringing all the soldiers, horses and people of Ninh Binh City, but also more than 20 artillery pieces. They didn't have elephants to help them, they just used human power to carry it, so it took a long time.
Fortunately, Zheng Guan was very cooperative and did not make any moves during this period. Zhou Shixiong couldn't figure out why, so he said such things to Fan Gandi and Zheng Dong.
"Mr. Ji, most of our troops are just fake. If we fight, our secrets will be exposed. It's better to outwit them." Zheng Dong knew the details of this motley crew and made very pertinent suggestions.
Fan Gandi didn't think so. He pointed to the tall city gate of Heping City and said, "Two mansion masters, Heping Mansion is a fortified city. If we don't show some strength to let Zheng Yiguan know how powerful it is, there will be no point in outsmarting him." The reason!" It makes sense. Zhou Shixiong and Zheng Dong nodded frequently, agreeing with Fan Gandhi's statement.
Fan Gandhi felt very happy when he saw that the two people accepted his suggestion. "Master Ji, I have heard about Fan Xitong's disrespect to you. I would like to apologize to you on behalf of this bastard." Fan Gandhi is very good at asking questions. Given the opportunity, Zhou Shixiong could only smile and wave his hands, "Palace Master Fan spoke harshly. General Fan was not wrong, so why should he apologize?"
"Stop mentioning these trivial things. Let's continue talking about the siege." Zheng Dong is actually very concerned about this matter. The ability of the new master of Lang Son Palace has impressed Zheng Dong. , a small palace general dared to provoke Ji Hongchang, which was tantamount to an offense to the palace master class, which he could not tolerate. But Fan Gandi, an old fox, chose this opportunity to help Fan Xitong admit his mistakes. In order to maintain the harmony of the three-prefecture alliance, Zheng Dong could only stand up and be a peacemaker, and naturally he felt a lot of resentment in his heart.
"I think we should first use artillery to break open a city gate, and then shout to Zheng Yiguan to persuade him to surrender. What do you two think?" Van Gandhi's suggestion, which is not brilliant, is very appropriate at this time. It first shows that the coalition has the ability to break through Heping City. turtle shell, and then launch a psychological offensive. This is a good strategy.
"What Master Fan said is true. Hongchang will go and prepare now." Zhou Shixiong pulled the reins and rode away. The smile on Zheng Dong's face disappeared and he said to Fan Gandi in a conspiratorial manner, "Fan Mansion He is so capable of protecting his shortcomings."
Fan Gandi bowed his hands with a smile on his face, "Master Zheng, please calm down. Xitong is my nephew, but I, as an elder, should shoulder the responsibility for my faults. I also ask Palace Master Zheng to forgive me." Fan Gandhi understood Zheng Dong. , knowing that this declining branch of the Zheng family valued identity and face very much, Fan Xitong's actions were like committing rebellion in Zheng Dong's eyes, and he could be killed without even a frown.
"The suffering master didn't say anything. What do I, a bystander, have to say? Now we only need to capture Heping City to quell this war. I know what's appropriate." Although Zheng Dong did not send many troops to join the coalition, but the coalition's The grain and grass are all supplied by Henan Prefecture, so how dare Fan Ganji not give him face? Therefore, even if Zheng Dong was angry with him, Fan Ganji could only endure it.
"Palace Master Zheng, in order to show my sincerity, I am willing to give out 10% of the loot as compensation. I hope Palace Master Zheng will not find it objectionable." Fan Gandi guessed Zheng Dong's thoughts wrongly. He thought that Zheng Dong had caught Fan Xitong's matter. Let go because you want to get something from your own hands.
"Forget it, since we have made an agreement long ago, I will not make false claims, and the spoils of war will be divided as you want." Zheng Dong saw that he had no chance to teach Fan Xitong a lesson, and there was no point in continuing to entangle him, so he simply gave up.
Zhou Shixiong ordered Zhou Er to line up thirty-two artillery pieces in front of the formation, aiming directly at the south gate of Heping City. Several generals on the city surrounded Zheng Wujiu, who was in charge of the army. They lay down on the crenellations and looked out. A line of artillery was launched under the city, frightening Zheng Wu half to death. "Oh my mother, what can I do?"
Before Zheng Wu could recover from his fright, the thirty-two cannons opened fire one by one, and the continuous sound of cannons resounded through the sky. Zheng Wu simply rolled his eyes and fell to the ground, fainting.
Thirty-two iron eggs weighing nearly ten kilograms hit the city gate, instantly smashing the city gate into a sieve. Zhou Shixiong used a telescope to observe the situation of the city gate. When he saw that the city gate was easily broken by cannonballs, he frowned in confusion. He had seen movies, TV shows and literary works about ancient wars, all of which emphasized how strong the city gates and walls were. The gates of Heping City were too shabby!
But the enemy¡¯s city gate scum should be a good thing, at least the attacker will have a much easier time. After half an hour of bombardment, the south gate of Heping City was smashed into pieces. Heping City opened its arms to the coalition forces. As long as Zhou Shixiong was willing, tens of thousands of troops under the city could enter the city at any time.
"The most important thing is to cease fire." Zhou Shixiong ordered a ceasefire and turned to look at the two palace masters standing beside him. "Palace Master Fan, the next step is up to you." Fan Gandi proposed the strategy of first intimidating and then surrendering.Zhou Shixiong naturally left the matter of recruiting and surrendering to him.
"It's true." Fan Gandi was confident and ordered his men to shoot a letter written by him on the top of the city, and then invited Ji Hongchang and Zheng Dong to drink tea in his tent.
"Father, let's run away!" Zheng Wu was sent back to the government office by his men. He woke up not long after and cried out as soon as he saw Zheng Yiguan.
"Alas, where else can we escape now?" Zheng Yiguan already knew that the invading enemy troops were using artillery to attack the city, and he was also not confident in defending Heping City. The 20,000 soldiers in the city were his proud capital, but now looking at these generals trembling under the sound of cannons, Zheng Guanyi knew that this battle had been lost before it was even fought.
The artillery is really sharp. For the Vietnamese and North Korean troops who don¡¯t understand artillery, the loud sound of the artillery is enough to scare them away. Coupled with the fact that the extremely solid city gate was crumbling due to cannonballs, this inhuman force was beyond their imagination.
Not long after the sound of cannons stopped, the news that the south gate was breached reached the government office. Zheng Yiguan looked at his two sons silently, shook his head and sighed, "You can run for your lives. I will help you block it for your father."
"Father!" Zheng Wencheng and Zheng Wu fell to their knees with a plop and looked at Zheng Yiguan with tears streaming down their faces. Although they were not very good at studying Confucianism, they still knew a little about filial piety.
"Leave quickly, or it will be too late." Zheng Yiguan knew very well that he could not escape. If he followed Zheng Zhuang to withdraw his troops early, there would still be a chance to make a comeback. However, this only opportunity was wasted by him. Now he only hopes to save the lives of his two sons. Life, leaving some blood to the family. A dozen guards dragged Zheng Wencheng and Zheng Wu out at Zheng Yiguan's signal. They would protect the two young masters when they went to Li Dynasty to avoid trouble.
A quarter of an hour later, the surrender letter was delivered to Zheng Yiguan. After reading the content of the letter, Zheng Yiguan let out a heavy breath. After all, his idea was not completely wrong. The army surrounding Heping City did not intend to annihilate Zheng Yiguan's clan, but only wanted to subdue him.
"Send the order, I will leave the city and surrender." Zheng Yiguan's order was completely implemented. The soldiers of Heping Mansion who were frightened by the artillery had no intention of fighting the enemy troops below the city. The one-foot-thick city gate was blocking the way. Without being bombarded by artillery, no one planned to use their own bodies to fight against the artillery. The palace lord's choice was indeed the wisest.
Zheng Guanguan walked out of the South City Gate with his hair disheveled and his upper body exposed. He saw the clay-sized projectiles and the broken city gate near the city gate, and was deeply grateful for his decision. How could a flesh and blood body resist such a thing.
"Master Fan, let Lord Ji accept the surrender." Fan Ganji saw a group of unarmed people coming out of the city. He just raised his legs to greet them when Zheng Dong/ suddenly said something from beside him.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Van Gandhi never thought about stealing anyone's limelight, he just walked in front out of habit. Zheng Dong's words made him confused.
"Master Fan, for us to be able to capture Heping Mansion so easily, Lord Ji deserves the first credit. It is most appropriate for us to accept the surrender and let Lord Ji go." Zheng Dong never thought of letting Fan Gandi get involved in Heping Mansion. , of course he cannot be allowed to surrender.
"It makes sense, I was rash." Zheng Dong's statement made sense, and Fan Gandhi could only give in to Ji Hongchang. Zhou Shixiong gave in a few words, but Zheng Dong insisted on letting him step forward, so Zhou Shixiong had no choice but to step in and accept the surrender.
Zhou Shixiong doesn¡¯t have much idea about Heping Mansion. Lang Son Mansion is not yet completely in his hands, and he can¡¯t control another one. It is said that the attack on Heping Mansion was just to end the war as soon as possible and get some benefits by the way.
"The sinner Zheng Guanyi pays homage to your lord." Zheng Yiguan and a group of subordinates behind him knelt outside the south city gate and presented the surrender form of Heping Mansion, the register and the gold seal of the palace master to Zhou Shixiong, expressing their complete surrender. Zhou Shixiong nodded to Zhou Er, who stepped forward to take the gold seal of the book.
"Zheng Yiguan, I am Ji Hongchang, the lord of Lang Son Palace, and I accept your surrender on behalf of the coalition forces of many provinces." Zhou Shixiong has never played the game of surrender, so he didn't know what to say, so he just said a few words to complete the ceremony. , then helped Zheng Yiguan up, "Master Zheng, Hongchang is polite."
"Master Ji has broken the old man, and sinners dare not take it." Zheng Yiguan knew that he was a prisoner, and how dare he act like the master of the palace, so he knelt down and returned the greeting.
"Master Zheng, there is no need to do this." Zhou Shixiong said a few polite words, turned to Zhou Er and said, "It's very important, take Master Zheng into the camp to rest." Zhou Shixiong no longer had common sense, and knew that he could not let Zheng Yiguan go before taking control of the whole city. It is necessary for all the officials and nobles of the government to be placed under house arrest.
Fan Ganji and Zheng Dong walked up and said with a smile, "Brother Yi Guan, you are well."
Zheng Guangyuan was very unfamiliar with the name Ji Hongchang, but both Fan Gandi and Zheng Dong were acquaintances, especially Zheng Dong, the son of an enemy, who knew him very well. He didn't expect that he would be defeated by him. His face was so ugly. . Regardless of what the three of them were talking about, Zhou Shixiong ordered the Lang Son Army to enter the city and control the government troops in the city.It is only right to seal the warehouse.
On August 23rd of the fifth year of Chongzhen, Heping Prefecture fell. The six-month-long Civil War in Jiaozhi officially ended, but the dispute was far from over.