Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 790: Hezhou Falls

The setting sun was like blood, pouring down on the battlefield. The Wu army was like a tiger descending from the mountain, attacking the city fiercely. More and more soldiers climbed onto the top of the city. They were extremely brave and unstoppable, completely suppressing the Southern Han defenders and tearing through the city's defense line.

Finally, Hezhou City fell.

"Kill! Charge into the city!" The shouts shook the earth.

"We've entered the city." The dawn of victory has appeared.

The city gate was smashed to pieces, and the cavalry and infantry poured into the city like a flood that broke through a dam. The sounds of fighting instantly rang out everywhere in the city.

In the streets and alleys, there were flashes of swords and blood-stained robes. The defenders were constantly defeated and unable to resist this tidal-like attack.

When Pan Mei saw the city fall, his tense nerves finally relaxed. He quickly commanded his army to attack the city with unstoppable force.

The 30,000 defenders in the city, having lost their commanding general, became like a pile of loose sand, completely defeated and unable to organize an effective resistance.

The battle continued to spread, and the Wu army divided its troops to attack other city gates. It was not until midnight that the sound of fighting gradually subsided, and the Wu army completely controlled the city.

Since Su Chen had ordered in advance not to disturb the people, even though the Wu army won, they did not engage in such bad behaviors as burning, killing, and looting. This made the people of Southern Han in the city feel relieved, and their impression of the Wu army also quietly improved.

During the chaotic era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, whenever soldiers and officers attacked a city, it became almost a routine to rob the rich of their property, rape and loot. This was considered a reward for the army.

There are many such records in history, such as the Song army's invasion of Shu and Qian Yue's invasion of Runzhou in Southern Tang, which were accompanied by several days of looting and atrocities. In particular, Qian Yue's army in Runzhou City took 10,000 wealthy families into a high tower, set it on fire, and burned them all to death. The cruelty was appalling.

However, Su Chen did not tolerate such behavior. He issued a strict military order in advance: "Do not disturb the people, do not kill innocent people, and do not kill prisoners at will", and sent patrols into the city in advance to conduct inspections. With this effective attitude, he firmly prohibited the Wu army from doing evil.

In addition, Su Chen sent people to directly receive the money, food, books and other valuables in the city as the property of the army, and promised to reward them according to their merits. This move not only ensured the strictness of military discipline, but also inspired the fighting spirit of the soldiers.

The soldiers of the three armies strictly obeyed Su Chen's military orders and did not dare to violate them in the slightest.

This was not only because Su Chen was famous, but also because he was the commander-in-chief and was crowned king by the court. No one dared to challenge his status and authority. Under his leadership, the Wu army demonstrated a unique discipline and style, winning the respect and praise of the people.

That night, Su Chen led the central army to set up camp outside the city and did not rush into the city. It was not until dawn the next day that he led his army into the city and formally took over Hezhou.

After entering the city, Su Chen immediately ordered his men to post notices to appease the people and denounce the Southern Han court for its incompetence. He was also magnanimous to the captives, instilling in them that the Wu army's southern expedition was actually to save the people of Southern Han from dire straits.

This series of actions won the Wu army an excellent reputation and made them an army of justice in the hearts of the people.

"I never thought that the Wu army had such strict military discipline and did not disturb the people at all. They are truly a benevolent and righteous army!"

The people were all amazed. Some even heard that the laws and policies implemented by the new court of Wu were very wise, and that they could enrich the country, strengthen the army, and treat the people well, and they were even more yearning.

"It would be great if we surrendered to Wu, at least we could get rid of the harsh rule of the Han court."

"Yes, our taxes are several times higher than those of Wu. Wu is the country that truly has light taxes!"

The people in the city gradually let down their guard and bravely walked out of their homes. After seeing the notice at the street intersection, they began to discuss it.

The news spread quickly in Hezhou City, and the people cheered. They began to think that surrendering to Wu was a good thing, and their previous worries and fears disappeared. When Su Chen and several generals were patrolling the streets, they saw many local people happily going out, and the streets were filled with laughter. He turned to the generals beside him and said earnestly: "Although we are in troubled times, wars are frequent, and human lives are often as fragile as grass, we must not be numb because of this. We should live facing the sun, be compassionate, and uphold a benevolent heart. Only in this way can what we do be unique and have more far-reaching significance!"

Upon hearing this, the generals nodded and listened attentively to Su Chen's teachings.

Su Chen knew that to build a righteous army, the first thing to do was to establish correct values ​​and aspirations for the soldiers. Only in this way could the army be upright, not arrogant, not violent, and not a mob.

An army without faith will eventually hurt itself and others, and even endanger the commander and the court.

Afterwards, Su Chen led the generals to the prisoner camp, personally pardoned the captured soldiers, and preached to them the policy and original intention of the Wu army - saving the people from dire straits. He promised that if the captured soldiers were willing to join the Wu army, they could be reorganized on the spot, establish meritorious services, and serve the new court; if they were unwilling to serve, they could be sent back to their hometowns, and dry food and money would be distributed to support their return journey.

As soon as this was said, many Southern Han surrendered soldiers expressed their willingness to stay, and their number accounted for as much as 60%.

However, Su Chen did not pardon the captured generals and Du Yuhou easily. He knew that a general's influence and resistance were far greater than those of an ordinary soldier. Therefore, he was more careful and cautious when trying to win over the surrendered generals. For those Southern Han generals who refused to surrender, he ordered them to continue to be detained and properly dealt with after the war.

"We are willing to join the Wu army and work together for a great cause!" Several Du Yuhou expressed their opinions one after another. They had already heard of Su Chen's great reputation and were full of admiration in their hearts, so they were willing to submit to him.

Su Chen smiled and nodded, gladly accepting these brave surrendered generals. He knew very well that the addition of these generals would undoubtedly add more combat power to the Wu army.

"Further south, there is a strategically located Kaijian village, whose commander is named Jin Hui." Su Chen looked deep in his eyes and asked the surrendered generals, "Are any of you familiar with him?"

Several surrendered generals looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, a deputy general stepped forward, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "I know him. He and I are old friends!"

"What's your name?" Su Chen asked curiously.

"My name is Wu Yanrou. I was a general under the governor of Hezhou, responsible for military defense." Wu Yanrou replied respectfully.

Hearing this name, Su Chen's heart moved slightly. He seemed to have seen this name in history books. Wu Yanrou, a general of Hezhou City, had fought against the Song army general Ma Lin in history. Although the city was eventually broken, his heroic and fearless spirit was impressive.

Su Chen pondered for a moment and recalled a piece of history about Kaijian Village. Back then, when the Song general Ma Lin led his troops to attack Kaijian Village, he encountered the stubborn resistance of the defending general Jin Hui. Jin Hui led an army of less than 2,000 people and fought with Ma Lin's elite cavalry in Kaijian Village for two days and two nights. His bravery was admirable. Unfortunately, because the nearby Zhaozhou governor Tian Xingchou refused to send reinforcements, Jin Hui eventually lost due to being outnumbered.

Now, this history is about to repeat itself, but Su Chen has different plans. He plans to use the relationship between Wu Yanrou and Jin Hui to develop a new strategic plan.

On the eve of the Song army's capture of Kaijian Village, the defending general Jin Hui looked at the only 300 or so men left around him and said sadly: "There is no hope of defending the village, you all should run for your lives." Hearing this, more than 200 people chose to escape from behind the village, while more than another 100 people resolutely expressed their willingness to fight with Jin Hui until the last moment.

In the end, when the Song army attacked the village, all the more than 100 people died bravely, and Jin Hui was captured after a fierce battle. When his subordinates asked how to deal with Jin Hui, the Song general Ma Lin angrily ordered him to be hacked to death, and Jin Hui finally died bravely, with his head and body separated.

Although this period of history is only recorded in a few sentences in the documents of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Han Dynasty, Jin Hui's tenacity and bravery are vividly portrayed on the paper, which is admirable.

Su Chen was eager to find such a capable and dignified general. He planned to send someone to recruit Jin Hui, a brave general, to join the Wu army.

"General Wu," Su Chen said sincerely, "I think highly of General Jin Hui and plan to recruit him to serve the Wu army. I will treat all his subordinates well, and I will also order the people of Zhaozhou City to be protected and not harmed, and even provide relief to the people in the city. As long as he can surrender, I will use him in the future. Are you willing to go to Kaijianzhai and deliver a handwritten letter for me to recruit him?"

After hearing this, Wu Yanrou felt happy for her old friend. She didn't expect Su Chen to think so highly of Jin Hui. If she could persuade him to surrender, she would not only make a great contribution, but also save her old friend's life.

He clasped his hands and said, "I am willing to go. Please, General Su, arrange it!"