Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Afterwards, the government troops stopped construction and deployed their troops in an open area west of Jeju City, preparing to fight the Huai'an Army. The defender of Jeju City was Liu Zhifei, who was originally the defender of Xuzhou. After the loss of Xuzhou, Liu Zhifei fled to Huai'an with the remaining dozens of guards and took over Jeju City from Han Zan.

"Report~~" The scout came galloping over on horseback.

"What's the matter?" Han Zan shouted coldly.

The scout dismounted, knelt on one knee and reported: "Your Excellency, Yang Ling has sent hundreds of civilians to build several earth walls to surround Jeju."

Han Zan raised his eyebrows and yelled, "Nonsense! What does he want to do?!"

The scout raised his head and said cautiously, "I dare not make any assumptions."

"Asshole, get out!" Han Zan was so angry that he kicked the guy away.

Yang Ling stood in the military camp, looking across at the Jeju City. Although there were hundreds of meters between them, Yang Ling could vaguely see the densely packed crossbowmen on the opposite wall, and countless black-clad soldiers were waiting in full battle formation under the illumination of the torches on the arrow towers opposite.

Deputy Chief Zhang Gui beside him said with a smile: "General, I'm afraid you guessed it right again this time! Han Zan really doesn't dare to fight us so easily!"

Yang Ling smiled and said, "We are fighting on orders. No matter how bold he is, he will have no choice but to surrender. Pass the order down. Go to bed early today. Tomorrow we will start the siege."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Gui bowed and responded, then immediately went down to issue the order.

Zhang Gui had just finished issuing the order and was about to leave when he heard Yang Ling shout, "Wait!"

"What are your orders, Commander-in-Chief?"

"It suddenly occurred to me that we could do more preparation for this siege!"

"More preparation?"

Yang Ling's eyes rolled around and he laughed, "For example, pounding stones, kerosene, sulfur, saltpeter and other supplies."

"The commander-in-chief is wise! I will go down and inform all the departments to prepare!"

Yang Ling nodded in satisfaction, then walked to the map and carefully observed the Jeju City, looking for a suitable place to climb the city. The surroundings of Jeju City were flat, and it was impossible to use it as a place to climb the city.

Yang Ling pondered for a moment, and suddenly an idea came to him. He pointed to the map and said, "The coastline east of Jeju is relatively wide and can serve as a buffer zone for landing. Send a message to all units to advance five miles south along the east coastline."

"As ordered!"

Zhang Gui immediately issued orders to all units, and according to Yang Ling's order, each unit began to move.

Yang Ling led his personal soldiers to escort several carts and more than a dozen barrels of kerosene and saltpeter forward.

Yang Ling and his men first placed the cart on the beach, then removed the gunpowder bag, lit the fuse with a fire starter, threw it into the cart, and then quickly retreated and hid in the bunker behind the cart.

The huge air wave generated by the explosion of the cart swept across the sea, and the sea water was lifted up more than ten feet high. Many fish and shrimps were frightened and fled in all directions.

The smoke from the cart explosion was very thick, and light white smoke suddenly rose from the sea surface.

After the smoke cleared, Yang Ling and his men jumped off the carts, carrying shields or spears and charging towards Jeju City. They followed the coastline, shooting along the way, and continued to approach Jeju City.

After receiving the news, Han Zan rushed to the lookout hole on the battlement of the city wall and watched the movements of the government troops.

"Father, they really want to attack the city!" Han Zan's nephew Han Shiyong asked anxiously.

Han Zan gritted his teeth and said, "No matter the cost, we will defend it to the death!"

Han Shiyong frowned and said, "Father, there are less than 5,000 soldiers in Jeju City. How can we stop the government troops? I think we should avoid the enemy for the time being!"

Han Zan remained silent, wondering if Jeju City could hold out until reinforcements arrived. If reinforcements were delayed, his thousands of troops would probably be completely destroyed at the gates of Jeju City.

Although Jeju City is known as the second most important fortress in Huai'an County, its city walls are not strong and the quality of the city walls is questionable.

If Han Zan's men had no casualties, Han Zan would have been confident that he could have stopped Yang Ling's attack with the help of the city walls.

However, last night Yang Ling sent people to lurk outside the city and continuously fired arrows to attack Han Zan's camp. This morning, Yang Ling directly mobilized a large number of civilians to build earth walls, surrounding the entire Jeju City tightly, leaving no chance for Han Zan at all.

Han Zan turned around abruptly and shouted, "What's going on?"

"Report to the general, the government troops have approached the city wall about 200 steps away, and it is estimated that they will attack the city in half an incense stick of time!"

Han Zan gritted his teeth and said, "Pass on my order. All archers immediately draw their bows and aim at the enemy. At the same time, blow the alarm bell!"

As soon as Han Zan finished speaking, he heard deafening shouts coming from outside the city gate.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!" Drums and horns sounded and flags fluttered.

Han Zan's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly: "Prepare for battle!"

"Boom boom boom!"

There was a deafening banging at the city gate, followed by the sharp, mournful sound of a gong, and then the sound of a battle horn.

Yang Ling stood on the earth wall, looking at the battle at the city gate, and said with a smile: "The Han thief is really scared, it seems that he really wants to fight to the death!"

"The Marshal is mighty!" the generals cheered in unison.

Yang Ling turned to Deputy Chief Zhang Gui and said, "Organize the laborers immediately and transport all the siege equipment up there!"

"I obey your command!" Zhang Gui agreed and ran away hurriedly.

Outside the gate of Jeju City, Han Zan looked at the government troops pouring in from the city and couldn't help feeling a little desperate.

"Quick, shoot! Quick, shoot!" Han Zan drew his sword and slashed wildly towards the distance.

Han Zan led his men to chop down the rolling logs, pestle stones, kerosene, saltpeter, and fuse thrown by the government troops, but unfortunately there were too many government troops outside Jeju City.

……

Yang Ling led 30,000 elite troops to attack Jeju City from three directions at the same time. The north gate of Jeju City was broken, and Han Zan led the remaining troops to try to resist, but he was unable to stop the government troops from swarming into the city.

At the west gate of Jeju, Han Zan hastily seized the city gate with the last seven or eight hundred remaining soldiers, barely blocking the fierce attack of Yang Ling's men, but unable to stop the government army's siege.

At the east gate of Jeju, Yang Ling led the main force to capture the east gate and successfully occupied the east gate of Jeju City.

Outside the west gate of Jeju City, Han Zan finally could not withstand the defeat, and the last seven or eight hundred remaining soldiers were forced to abandon the city and break out.

The news of the fall of Jeju soon spread to every corner of Jeju City, and the people in Jeju City were in a panic. In the evening, Yang Ling led his army to occupy Jeju City, and then crossed the river to the south.

In the Jizhou government office, Yang Ling sat behind the desk and read the important military and political affairs. During his tenure in Huai'an County, Yang Ling had assisted Li Jifeng in stabilizing the order in Huai'an County and was quite familiar with the important military and political affairs.

However, today when he presided over the military meeting, he improvised and reported the defense situation of Jeju City to everyone in detail.

There were 6,000 soldiers stationed in Jeju City, of which more than 4,000 had been captured. Of the remaining 4,000 soldiers, more than 3,000 were struggling to hold on to the city walls under the rule of Han Zan. Now there were only more than 2,000 soldiers left in Jeju City, of which only more than 2,000 were civilians, and the rest were old, weak, sick and disabled, and were completely unable to resist the attack of the government troops.

Yang Ling carefully observed the defenders on the city wall and found that their formation was very chaotic and even a little loose.

"Han Zan is not a good person, and the government troops in Jeju City are a mob. They are not a concern. Soldiers, don't worry!" Yang Ling said loudly.

Yang Ling's words made the generals feel a little relieved.

All the generals knew that Yang Ling was the backbone of the group. As long as Yang Ling was there, everyone had the confidence to confront the enemy head-on and no longer had to be as timid and cautious as before.

However, everyone was still somewhat worried. After all, they were now alone in deep enemy territory and faced many dangers.

"My fellow soldiers, please remember our agreement today: after we capture Jeju City, you can choose any of the wealth in Jeju City!" Yang Ling shouted, raising his arms.

When they heard that they could choose any treasure they wanted, the generals' eyes lit up. Many generals' eyes turned red, and they wanted to rush to Jeju City with their swords.

"Anyone who dares to embezzle will be beheaded! Anyone who dares to hide money will be killed! Anyone who dares to take advantage of the situation will be beheaded!"

Yang Ling then said seriously: "However, before we capture Jeju City, everyone must obey orders and no doubts are allowed. Those who violate the order will be killed without mercy!"

"We will follow the Marshal's orders!" the generals answered in unison.

Yang Ling said with satisfaction: "Now, each unit will attack the city in turn!"

The siege of Jeju City by the government troops was fierce. Although Han Zan's troops were well-trained, they were defeated by the government troops' repeated attacks. With the withdrawal of Han Zan's troops, the defense system of Jeju City completely collapsed.

"Boom!"

“Bang~Puff!”

The cannons and ladders on the city walls were destroyed one after another, and terrifying screams suddenly broke out on the city walls. Countless people were crushed to death or injured.

Han Zan hid behind the city wall, huddled into a ball, his legs shaking like a sieve.

Although Han Zan was responsible for guarding this city gate, the garrison in the city was deployed according to Han Zan's instructions.

Although Han Zan was not good at defending the city, under his supervision, the defenders in the city were barely well-trained and could barely hold the city wall. However, facing the fierce attack of the government army, the defenders completely collapsed in just over half an hour.

"Bang!" The city gate was blown away, and hundreds of officers and soldiers rushed into the city, killing anyone they saw.

"Kill!"

Countless officers and soldiers poured into Jeju City like a tide. The officers and soldiers inside Jeju City had already lost the confidence to resist and knelt down to surrender.

After the fall of Jeju City, the officers and soldiers easily took control of the entire city. Han Zan and others were tied up and taken to the Jeju government office.

Yang Ling led his troops into the Jeju government office, interrogated the officials in the city, and asked about various details, hoping to grasp the situation in Jeju City as soon as possible.

Han Zan was a native noble family in Huai'an County. Almost all the officials in Jeju City were his direct descendants and were quite loyal to Han Zan because they knew very well that if they betrayed Han Zan, there would be no good results and they would suffer even more severe punishment.

After Yang Ling interrogated the officials of the Jizhou government office, he basically confirmed that apart from the remnants of Han Zan, there were no other remnants of the Han family army in Jizhou City. The defense system of Jizhou City was similar to that of Jiangning County, and was personally commanded and arranged by Han Zan.

Yang Ling then incorporated the Jeju garrison into his army and sent them to various villages to collect taxes. There were only 700 to 800 Jeju garrison soldiers left, and they were short of food and money, so they could not hold out for long, so Yang Ling directly used the Jeju garrison soldiers as bandits.

In front of these defenders, the people of Jeju did not dare to neglect them. Yang Ling sent people to collect taxes, and soon countless silver was delivered to the military camp.

Yang Ling left 500 cavalrymen in Jeju City for protection and mobilized some infantrymen to defend the city while the rest of the troops continued their northern expedition to Jeju.

Wars in this era usually focused on seizing food and plundering money. Yang Ling led his men to attack Jeju City with the goal of plundering Han Zan's granary.

Although Jeju City is a large coastal port, the food reserves of the Jeju garrison are not sufficient. However, the food of the Jeju garrison was just consumed by Han Zan two months ago. Yang Ling decided to lead his men to attack the granary in Jeju City tomorrow. If there is still food stored in Jeju City, he will make a fortune.

On the hillside outside Jeju City, Yang Ling's army was resting.

During this period of time, Yang Ling's men had suffered heavy losses. Although the soldiers were being replenished quickly, many of them were civilians who had fled. When Yang Ling was recruiting civilians, he was careful to control the number of people to avoid causing chaos.

Yang Ling was surrounded by many generals, who were discussing the attack on Jeju City.

"Marshal, I request to go into battle!" Xu Shichang stepped forward and clasped his fists to volunteer.

Xu Shichang was a senior general under Yang Ling. He performed extremely well in the bloody battle with the Japanese pirates in Suiyang and was regarded as Yang Ling's right-hand man.

Yang Ling pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly and said, "Okay, Xu Shichang, you go and attack the granary east of Jeju City."

On the east side of Jeju City is the only two fertile fields outside Jeju City - the junction of Jeju and Qingzhou. It is an important town in Jeju City and also the granary on which Han Zan depends for survival, so Yang Ling specially ordered Xu Shichang to lead his troops to attack.

Xu Shichang excitedly agreed: "Yes!"

Yang Ling turned to look at Huang Chengyan next to him and said, "Mr. Chengyan, you will lead 20,000 elite troops to attack Jeju Prefecture from the north."

Huang Chengyan refused without thinking: "General, I think we should bypass Jeju City. Although Jeju City is just a small place, the city is very solid. If we want to capture Jeju City, our losses will be great. Since we have already captured Jeju, why should we rush to capture Jeju?"

Yang Ling shook his head and said, "No, if we don't take down Jeju City, the officials there will definitely not willingly submit to the imperial court, and there will definitely be changes in the future."

"Then why did you ask me to attack the granary east of Jeju City?"

"This granary is a severely affected area. The officers and soldiers of Jeju will definitely not abandon this granary. When the time comes, the entire army will be destroyed."

Huang Chengyan smiled bitterly and said, "What if the officers and soldiers in the granary run away?"

Yang Ling said calmly: "Then send troops to attack other granaries and transport the grain back to Guangxi."

"But there are no other large granaries near Jeju City." Huang Chengyan said distressedly.

Yang Ling smiled faintly and said, "Who said there isn't any? The granaries near Jeju City are enough for us to eat for three or four months. Jeju City also has a lot of food stored up."

"Marshal, there are more than 2,000 Jeju defenders. I'm afraid it may not be so easy to take them down." Liu Chuang interrupted.

Yang Ling snorted coldly: "Although there are not many soldiers guarding Jizhou, they are all Han Zan's direct subordinates and are very loyal to him. If Han Zan is not in the city, they will naturally defend the city to the death. What we have to do is to force them to open the city and surrender, so that we can have less worries." (End of this chapter)