latelenovela Chapter 147 The Battle of Weizhou
Chapter 147 The Battle of Weizhou
The general commanding the Jin army in Fengsheng Prefecture was Yelü Sheng, a former general of the Liao Dynasty. Since surrendering to the Jin Dynasty, he had risen through the ranks to his current position thanks to his outstanding military command abilities. Although he was a Liao person, he was highly regarded by the Jin emperor Wanyan Liang.
Yelü Sheng said to the Jin generals of Xianping Road who had just arrived, "The situation is urgent now, and you probably can't rest. The emperor's edict has been delivered, requiring us to cooperate with Prince Wanyan Ping to take Weizhou. At that time, these Mongols who have rushed in will be completely surrounded by us."
A Jin army deputy general said somewhat angrily, "We've been braving the elements to get here as quickly as possible. We don't ask for much, just give the brothers a day to rest."
Yelü Sheng: "Time waits for no one, I'm afraid that won't work. How about this, when we get to the battlefield in Weizhou, you can observe from the sidelines while I lead my men forward first."
The lieutenant sneered, "I see now, they're just trying to stop us from seizing military supplies! They're not Jurchens after all, they probably still have their eyes on your Liao Dynasty, don't they?"
Yelü Sheng was somewhat annoyed upon hearing this: "General, please watch your words!"
The Jurchen generals nearby also watched coldly. They already had some grievances against Yelü Sheng, and now a Liao general who had surrendered was riding on their heads. This deputy general had spoken their minds.
The deputy general got more and more excited as he spoke, and he could feel the approving looks from the other generals around him, so he became even more arrogant and domineering.
"What's wrong? I originally wanted to rest for a day, but now I've changed my mind. It'll take at least three days."
Yelü Sheng asked coldly, "Are you sure?"
Lieutenant: "Confirmed! What? You think you can kill me?"
"Shh!"
As Yelü Sheng's longsword flashed, the lieutenant's head was instantly severed. Blood sprayed all over the nearby Jin generals. The lieutenant's head remained in disbelief until his death; he hadn't expected Yelü Sheng to actually kill him.
"Yelü Sheng, what are you trying to do?"
Yelü Sheng coldly stared at the remaining Jin generals, his hand still on the hilt of his sword: "Anyone else who's not convinced? Step forward and let me see."
"Since no one has any objections, let's all go back and rest and await orders. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning. As for that bastard, I'll explain to His Majesty later. It's a good opportunity for the army to go on a campaign, so let's use him as a sacrifice for the flag."
March in the north is still quite cold. At this time, the willows in the south have already sprouted, while in some parts of the north, snow is still falling. Some impatient migratory birds have begun to fly north ahead of time. I wonder what they are going to do in the north.
At this time, Weizhou City was completely surrounded by Jin troops. This time, Wanyan Ping did not intend to open another city gate, because he decided to completely block the Mongol army here, to let them know that the Jin state was not to be trifled with, and that once they provoked them, they would pay the price with their lives.
The four watchtowers were parked outside Weizhou City. Looking at these tall watchtowers, Wan Hanzhong felt the pressure of defending the city increase dramatically. Leaving aside the fact that the Jin army's strength surpassed that of the Mongols, the Jin army's coordination and teamwork were also far superior to the Mongol army. How could they possibly win this battle?
Wan Hanzhong turned to his confidant and asked, "How much explosives do we still have left from the last time we brought from Tangyin?"
"Reporting to Master, there are still a dozen or so left, but I'm afraid that won't be enough for the defense of the city this time."
Wan Hanzhong sighed: "Sigh! Let's go find that chief and seek another solution."
Upon seeing that it was Wan Hanzhong, they warmly stepped forward to greet him: "Sir, you've arrived. Have you come up with a good strategy for defending the city?"
Wan Hanzhong did not answer, but instead asked, "How is the withdrawal of the Taiyuan Prefecture army going? Judging from the Jin people's posture this time, we can't hold out for more than a few days. So far, I don't have any good and foolproof plan, which is why I came to you to discuss it."
Upon hearing this, Naza's heart sank: "Those misers couldn't bear to plunder the supplies in Taiyuan Prefecture and insisted on taking them all back to the grasslands, so they've only just left Taiyuan Prefecture's territory."
Wan Hanzhong understood that these Mongols never considered the occupied land as their own. They continued with their previous plan: plunder what they could, and destroy what they couldn't take. After conquering a city, instead of trying to appease the people, the Mongols would systematically massacre the inhabitants—a blatant act of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Looking at the worried-looking Naza, Wan Hanzhong slowly said, "I see that the Jin army has several siege towers. They must have used these to break through Zhen Ding Prefecture. The leader should order all the oil in the city to be collected and then send people to refine it into fierce oil. Once the Jin army attacks the city, fierce oil will be the only way to resist the siege towers."
Inside the Jin army camp, Wanyan Ping was listening to Yelü Sheng's report.
"Reporting to Prince Zhennan, this time I have led the troops of Fengsheng Prefecture and the reinforcements from Xianping Road, with a total strength of 70,000 men. This is the military tally, which I entrust to Your Highness."
Wanyan Ping was very satisfied with Yelü Sheng's attitude. He said in a deep voice, "Immediately send 20,000 troops to seize the breach in the Great Wall. We must hold that place. This time, I will trap and beat these Mongol barbarians, so that they will never return."
The two then analyzed the surrounding situation of Weizhou City and formulated several battle plans, seeking a way to defeat the Mongol garrison in the city in one fell swoop.
The following morning, the Jin army launched an attack on Weizhou City. Countless Jin cavalrymen circled the city walls, firing arrows to disrupt the defenders' vision. Meanwhile, Jin soldiers at the rear each carried a sandbag and, braving the rain of arrows overhead, threw the heavy sandbags into the moat of Weizhou City, attempting to fill in a passage.
The leader of the city personally directed archers on the city wall to fire at the Jin army outside the city. In addition to arrows, several powerful ballistae were also used in the defense. Small catapults were set up in some slightly wider areas to continuously throw large stones into the attacking Jin army, which hindered the Jin army's offensive rhythm.
From a high point outside the city, Wanyan Ping surveyed the battlefield and said to Yelü Sheng, "It seems there are some experts among these Mongols. Look at the city's defensive layout and weaponry; they are very well-versed in military strategy."
Yelü Sheng also saw the Jin troops being driven back several times. He said to Wanyan Ping, "Your Highness, I am willing to lead a charge and we will surely break through the blockade of these Mongols."
He thought Wanyan Ping would agree, but Wanyan Ping smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Our Jin Kingdom is not lacking in generals who can charge into battle; what we lack is a general like General Yelü who is both wise and brave. Let them handle the work of charging into battle and dying. We will continue to observe the battlefield situation and adjust our battle plan accordingly."
At this moment, something seemed to have been stirred within Yelü Sheng. Ever since he surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, apart from the emperor, everyone else had looked down on him. After hearing Wanyan Ping's words, he felt a sense of loyalty, like a scholar would die for one who understands him. Indeed, if Wanyan Ping had ordered him to die at this moment, he would have done so without hesitation.