Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 869: The White Lotus Sect trapped in Runan
"Ohh Ohh ohh!"

Runan City, an important town in the south of Beijing,
The sentry on the top of the city suddenly blew a horn, and the desolate sound of the horn resounded over the city of Runan. Immediately afterwards, the big drum on the top of the city also sounded;

"Boom boom boom!"

Then, the soldiers in the hiding caves at the foot of the city swarmed up to the top of the city wall.
Just to the west of Runan City, I saw a dark skyline coming up, as if dark clouds were pressing down on the city, approaching from afar, and the sound of the horn on the city wall became more urgent.

inside the city,

Taishou Mansion,
Prefect Wei Xiangping was reading a letter in his study. This letter was sent urgently from the capital. It was written by the Prime Minister, asking him to find out the movements of Huaizhou City and which troops were stationed there.

However, for several days, the scouts sent out suffered heavy casualties, and few of them could return. If there were too many people, they would never return, and if there were too few people, they would not be able to find out the situation. It seemed that the people in Huaizhou had already set up a tight net, and acted so meticulously, with great ambitions. What I was more worried about was whether there was anything unusual with the imperial army.

In the study,
Song Hui, the prefect of Runan, who was still in the room, bowed and saluted;

"Sir Wei, the city is well stocked with food and grass. General Duan has already recruited 40,000 strong men and 30,000 troops from the government. Defending the city is no problem. Sir Wei, don't worry. Even if the Huaizhou thieves are cunning, I don't believe they can fly over."

The prefectural government has been busy these days accompanying the governor, and they all say that the west is dangerous. We have been waiting for several days but haven't even seen the shadow of a thief. Could it be that Lord Wei guessed wrong?

Wei Xiangping paced back and forth in the study. In fact, if he wanted to find out who was in Huaizhou, it was simple. He just had to force them out.
"We are not afraid of him moving, but we are afraid of him not moving. Huaizhou is located in the middle of Linshan County and Runan City. Once Huaizhou is lost, we will know nothing about what is happening in Jingnan. Moreover, the imperial army heading south will arrive soon. The Taiping Sect's bandit army will not give up easily. There will definitely be a fierce battle!"

This kind of war, in recent years, the court has only had fierce battles with the Jurchens outside the Great Wall. Most of the troops that can be mobilized are elite border troops, while inside the Great Wall, most of the soldiers defending the cities in various states and counties are government troops. They usually boast about how elite they are, but in fact, it is still unclear whether they can perform well on the battlefield. After all, Wei Xiangping knew what the government troops were like. They were a group of old soldiers, and the defending generals sucked their blood and falsely reported the number of people. It was a blessing from God that they could have half of the roster.

Unless it is like the government troops in Runan City and Anyang City, where people from the Ministry of War come to inspect every year and are relatively better, and the remaining ones can only have 30% of their combat effectiveness, how could there be a disaster in the south of Beijing?

Song Hui was somewhat stunned. The governor wanted to fight, but there were less than 30,000 defenders in the city. How could he fight? Those young and strong men couldn't even stand in formation or hold their weapons steadily. It was OK for them to defend the city, but if they left the city, they would be in great danger.

As for the imperial army marching south to defeat the enemy in one battle, it is hard to say that the Huaizhou bandits were so frightened that they fled without a fight.

"Don't worry, sir. Since the imperial court has sent out troops, those rebels will surely surrender. It's possible that the rebel army entrenched in Huaizhou will be frightened and withdraw."

Song Hui smiled and said nice things, and Wei Xiangping suddenly laughed when he heard it;
"Sir Song is really open-minded. He surrendered without a fight. Do you believe it yourself?"

A burst of laughter was heard, and Song Hui looked a little embarrassed, as if he himself did not believe it. Rebellion is a beheading business, so who would surrender?

Just at this time,

Outside the study, a horn sounded, followed by the beating of drums, which echoed throughout the city. The two men's faces changed, and then a messenger arrived outside the study and broke into the room.
"Report, Lord Wei, there are bandit troops approaching ten miles west of the city. There are no less than 200,000 of them, but not many armored soldiers, about 50,000 in number. They are now rapidly approaching Runan City, and General Duan has already begun preparations for defending the city."

Suddenly heard the bad news,
Wei Xiangping and Song Hui frowned at the same time. What a coincidence! They wanted to attack the city at this time, or deliberately set up a maze. They didn't want the people of Taiping Sect in Linshan County. It was impossible.

"Sir, maybe the Taiping Cult's demons set up a maze to contain Runan City, while their main force is going to fight the imperial army. I think we can just guard the gate tightly."

Song Hui was still somewhat worried. Although the Taiping Sect members were all refugees, when the prefecture and county governments were breached one after another, none of the officials escaped. It was possible that the 200,000 troops now were disguised as refugees for a feint attack.

Wei Xiangping also thought about this in his mind. It was impossible. There were more than 50,000 armored soldiers, which was more than the number of soldiers in Runan City. In this way, Lin Yue Mansion in the south of the capital had been breached. Only there were armored soldiers there. But there were so many enemy soldiers. Could it be a trick?
"What Lord Song said makes sense, but we still need to test their quality before we know how to fight them. Lord Song, do you have the courage to climb up the city wall and watch?"

"Dare to disobey orders."

Song Hui clasped his fists and bowed.

Runan City,
The west official road,

The current White Lotus Sect leader, Bai Shuiyue, is no longer the same as before. He rides on a horse with nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses behind him. Although more than half of them are refugees, they are also "carefully selected" by the sect. In addition, there are more than 100,000 rioters following the team. Ru'nan City must be captured at all costs.
Looking at the distant Runan City, Bai Shuiyue, dressed in white and wearing a veil, rode on a horse with a long sword on her back. Her heroic figure was dazzling.

"Right Protector, tell me, how should we attack Runan City?"

At his side followed the Right Protector Ying Xiancai, who was wearing a Confucian robe and holding a folding fan with a few feathers on it, looking like a military advisor. Now Ying Xiancai also had a beard and a pair of shrewd eyes, which confirmed his position as the think tank of the White Lotus Sect. All matters, big or small, needed to be decided by him.

"Master, whether you want to attack the city or not, it is no wonder that you have to surround three sides and leave one side open to escape. And there are two ways to fight. One is to attack quickly and not give the opponent time to react. The other is to fight a war of attrition. However, the land in the south of Beijing is short of food. Our sect does not have enough food and grass, and we have a large number of people. Therefore, the only way left is to attack quickly."

Ying Xiancai narrowed his eyes and explained how to attack the city. In fact, deep down, he wanted to rob the government warehouse in Runan City. Those people from Taiping Sect rushed to the county city at the risk of their lives, just to get some food. Similarly, even if those big families smuggled food, it would be a drop in the bucket for them. Therefore, all the variables were in the government warehouse. As long as they got the food, they could gain a firm foothold. Runan City was located at the strategic point of the east, west and north. It was a place that military strategists must fight for. It also had abundant water resources. It was a good place. Even for next year's food, as long as they cultivated it, there would be no shortage. Therefore, there was no time to waste.

"Oh, the Right Protector meant a quick attack. How do you explain the method of a quick attack?"

Bai Shuiyue narrowed her eyes and looked at the top of Runan City. People were crowded, and kerosene and city defenses were all being prepared. It was obvious that the governor Wei Xiangping was not someone who could be easily dealt with.

So he asked.

"Master, please look, the walls of Runan City are strong and high, and the weapons and armor are complete. There should be a lot of things to defend the city, so the brothers in the sect cannot be used in the first three waves. I have heard that when the Taiping Sect attacked the city, they always used slave soldiers to clear the way. They would never retreat until all of them were killed. Therefore, I think that it would be better to use up some arrows from Runan City instead of wasting food by following those refugees behind us."

As he was speaking, Ying Xiancai raised the corner of his mouth, and said in an extremely sinister way;
"Besiege three places and leave one gate open. Leave the northern city gate. Besiege three places, all of which are the main attack directions. Don't give Runan City a break. Within two days, let the more than 100,000 refugees behind us die. Then let the brothers in the church attack. If the refugees are all dead within three days, there are still so many people in Huaizhou. Keep rushing over until the defenders are exhausted."

Such a sinister and vicious method made the hall masters and incense masters around the right protector shudder. He was worthy of being the right protector of the sect. He was really insidious and cunning. In this way, they could save food and consume a wave of Runan City. It was really powerful.

Bai Shuiyue nodded in satisfaction. As long as Runan City was taken, Xihe County and the southern end of Jiangnan would be at his disposal. At that time, the whole world would be shaken, and the White Lotus Sect would reappear in the world in no time.

"Okay, in that case, this battle will be arranged by Du Hufa, and I will help you."

"Thank you, Master. I will live up to your trust."

Ying Xiancai agreed. This battle had to be fought quickly. As long as he fought well, the position of the leader would be more stable. After all, the power of the saint in the capital was rapidly expanding. The left protector Qin Linsheng refused to repent and led his men directly to the saint.
suddenly,

Ying Xian opened his folding fan and shook it, putting all these distracting thoughts behind him, and concentrated on looking at Runan City. This city was built with bluestone unique to Xihe County, and was extremely solid. The city wall was three meters high, with battlements on the wall and arrow towers at the corners, so the movements below the city could be seen at a glance. The attic on the city gate was even taller.

The loss of a hard fight is indeed too great, but we can only wait and see. A hundred and fifty thousand slave soldiers can last for three days. Give orders immediately;
"Gu Ran led 30,000 troops to supervise the battle and 50,000 slave soldiers to attack the west gate, and sent archers to suppress the defenders on the city wall at any time. The east gate is Lu Bo Nan, who also led 30,000 troops to supervise the battle and led 50,000 slave soldiers to attack the south gate."

Ying Xiancai looked at the group of hall masters behind him and smiled slightly;
"Master Zhu, you are under the command of Guardian Qin, do you dare to take over the South City Gate?" The person being asked, Zhu Yunsheng, was the confidant of the Left Guardian Qin Linsheng. This time, he came here at the instruction of the Saint Girl to watch the battle. Since the Right Guardian has given him the opportunity, he should take it. Zhu Yunsheng, who was wearing armor, clasped his fists and accepted the order.

"Since the Right Protector has said so, I dare not disobey your orders. I will definitely break through the South City Gate, but I will need the help of 20,000 armored soldiers."

Since he dared to speak, he must have a plan in mind. Ying first stared at the man, hesitated for a moment, and nodded in agreement.
"Okay, since Master Zhu has spoken, I will give you another 20,000 armored soldiers, 30,000 infantry, and 50,000 slave soldiers. What if Master Zhu cannot capture the South Gate?"

"Willing to lead the military law."

Zhu Yunsheng's face was stiff, and he raised his head and retorted. Ying Xiancai wanted to say something, but the leader stared at him, so he had no choice but to agree.
"Okay, as you wish, now everyone muster your troops and go, our sect's camp will be set up on the official road outside the east city gate, near the woods and ditch on the south side. Whoever captures the city gate first will receive a huge reward!"

"Yes, Right Protector, the Red Sun is over, the White Sun will rise, the white lotus will bloom, and the Ming Sect will be restored."

The three of them clasped their fists and accepted the order, then sang the White Lotus's holy teachings, and then went to the back of the team. After a moment, they led the troops forward. The army was divided into four teams, deviated from the official road, and galloped south.

all of these,
They were all seen by the governor Wei Xiangping and the prefect on the city wall. Everyone's face changed drastically. The messenger just said that there were only 200,000 troops, only 50,000 of whom were armored, and the rest should be rioters. How come there were so many soldiers circling the city? Looking at the army coming from the east, there were more than 300,000 people. Could it be that the Taiping Sect was avoiding the enemy and the army came to Runan City?

The prefect Song Hui could no longer bear it and questioned the garrison commander Duan Kaiping.
"General Duan, didn't you just announce that there were only 200,000 people coming, and only 50,000 of them were armored soldiers? Now there are more than that."

"Yes, General Duan, there are more than 100,000 people who took a detour from the South City. How did you calculate the 200,000 people you mentioned? That's not right. Why did they take a detour?"

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Liu Jiang, the deputy governor of the Ru'nan prefectural government, also agreed, but when he looked back, he saw that the soldiers who were circling around had already lined up outside the city. What were they trying to do? To show off their military power.

But when Duan Kaiping saw that the enemy troops had deployed their troops and arranged their battle formations, and that their ladders, catapults, and archers were ready with arrows, he knew they were about to attack the city. Why were they so anxious? Shouldn't they set up camp first?

He immediately woke up and shouted without paying attention to the two adults' questions.
"Each of you guard the city walls. The enemy army is about to attack the city."

The words have not yet fallen,
The bandits below the city suddenly shouted,
"Right Dharma Protector, the Red Sun is over, the White Sun is rising, the white lotus is blooming, restore the Ming clan, kill!"

Then, a large number of bandits, carrying ladders, rushed over with bloodshot eyes, fearless of death. The guards on the city wall gave orders in panic.

"Quick, archers, get ready, a hundred steps from the city, shoot!"

"Go ahead, aim, release,"

Rounds of arrows rained down, and the White Lotus bandit army that rushed over fiercely suffered heavy casualties in an instant. However, a horrifying scene followed. Although those who fell to the ground wailed in pain, the people behind them still rushed over fearlessly. Soon, the ladders were hooked onto the city wall, and the people below began to climb desperately. Some of them held long swords in their mouths and rushed up despite the arrows.
Seeing this,

The captain guarding the city quickly asked his men to carry the boiled golden juice and pour it down the ladder. Instantly, there were screams. Unfortunately, after just one scream, there was movement on the ladder again. Then the two sides met in battle. Although no one could climb to the top of the city, the bandits kept pouring in from the bottom of the city, which made everyone's scalp numb.
In addition, after the South City had some movement, the East and West City Gates also had some movement.
"Report! Sir, the East Gate was attacked by the enemy army."

"Report, sir, the west gate is under attack by the enemy army."

Seeing the messenger coming here in a panic, Duan Kaiping's face turned cold and he cursed;

"Useless, why are you panicking? There are so many people in total, and they are all the main attack. How about the north gate?"

"General, the North Gate is safe and sound, everything is normal. The most fierce attack is on the South Gate, and both sides have begun fighting for the battlements of the city wall."

The man had a pale face, obviously frightened. Those people, no, those lunatics, were simply like evil spirits. They were not afraid of being hit by stones or poured with golden juice. But thinking of those people who died tragically and wailing under the city wall, he shuddered.

"Why panic? Tell all the troops in the city to prepare to support the city walls. Don't slack off."

"Yes, General. I will pass on the order right away."

He clasped his fists and staggered down the city wall.

Seeing this, the faces of the people present turned even paler. Prefect Song Hui opened his mouth and asked;

"General Duan, are you sure you can defend the city? The enemy is strong, how long can you hold out?"

Outside the east gate in front of him, he could see the enemy troops rushing over, shouting and killing, and the blood had dyed the city walls red. No one had expected that the fighting would be so brutal after only a short while.

"Yes, General Duan, with this scale, how confident are you?"

Tongzhi Liu Jiang's thighs were trembling. He didn't know how to fight, but even if he didn't understand, he could see that although the enemy soldiers were dressed in rags, their ferocity was chilling. If they couldn't hold on, they had to prepare a way to escape in advance, as there were many people in the family.

"My Lords, how can this be guaranteed?"

Duan Kaiping was full of confidence before, but now seeing this, he is unsure. Fighting with a group of lunatics, who knows how it will end. If he fights like this, it won't be a big problem. He is just afraid that those elite armored soldiers behind him will not be able to defend the city once they attack it.

Seeing that Duan Kaiping had no definite answer, Song Hui and Liu Jiang became anxious. They wanted to say something else, but were stopped by Wei Xiangping.

"Enough of the small talk. These are not soldiers. They are just a group of refugees with knives. I think they are used as a consumption weapon. By the way, they seemed to shout something before they rushed over. Did you hear it?"

Song Hui held his breath in his heart. Seeing Duan Kaiping being so cowardly, the elite troops of the palace that he had boasted about before were simply bullshit. However, as Lord Wei asked questions, he had no choice but to continue holding his breath.

"My Lord, it seems that he said something. It sounded to me like something like "Red Sun is doomed, White Sun will rise". What was the last part of that sentence?"

"The white lotus blossoms, restoring the Ming Dynasty. I heard it too, and it feels familiar?"

Mr. Liu, the Tongzhi next to him, followed Mr. Song's words and felt that he had heard it somewhere before. When he was almost thinking about it, the faces of the people standing here all turned pale. Duan Kaiyuan trembled and pointed outside the city.
"Lord Wei, Lord Song, Lord Liu, they are not the White Lotus Sect, are they? 'Red Yang is over, White Yang will rise', they are talking about the White Lotus Sect, 'White Lotus blossoms, restore the Ming Dynasty', isn't this a word for rebellion?"

Back then, who in the entire southern part of Beijing, and even in the Jiangnan area, didn't know this slogan? Every time the White Lotus Sect went to the battlefield, they would shout a few times and then rush forward like crazy. How could this be possible?
"Master Duan, did we hear it wrong? How could it be the White Lotus Sect?"

(End of this chapter)