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

All the generals nodded in agreement.

Liu Chuang frowned and asked, "Marshal, can we take Jeju?"

"Of course. The defense of Jeju City itself is not strong. The key is that the Jeju defenders are very loyal, so it is not difficult to capture them." Yang Ling said confidently.

"Then let me take 500 riders to test the waters!" Liu Chuang said eagerly.

"Well, take 500 cavalrymen and try to attack the east gate of Jeju City. If you can break the city, send a signal immediately."

"As ordered!"

Liu Chuang immediately left the central military tent with 500 men and rushed towards Jeju City.

About six or seven miles away from Jeju City, Liu Chuang galloped on his horse.

He held a spear in his hand and rode a black horse that galloped like the wind, rushing quickly towards Jeju City ahead.

Seeing that Jeju City was getting closer and closer, Liu Chuang suddenly pulled the reins and whispered, "Stop moving forward!"

Five hundred knights stopped and stared at Liu Chuang with burning eyes. Liu Chuang raised his spear and shouted: "Brothers, Jeju City is within reach. I will take the lead in attacking the city. You listen to my orders and prepare to cover me as I charge into the city! Remember, no matter what, our mission is to capture the city gate. Don't fight to the death. Do you understand?"

All the riders responded in unison.

Liu Chuang continued to urge his mount and charged forward at an accelerated speed.

When Liu Chuang arrived at the city wall, he was ready to go.

He took a deep breath, raised his spear high and roared: "Brothers, follow me!"

The five hundred knights suddenly burst into earth-shaking shouts, spurred their horses and followed Liu Chuang to rush towards the city wall.

Han Zan and the guards on the city wall were so frightened that they quickly waved their swords to warn others.

Then Liu Chuang disappeared from Han Zan's sight with five hundred knights and rushed straight to the east gate of Jeju City.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

There were calls from the tower, but it didn't have much effect. Liu Chuang led his troops to the city gate, then rushed over on horseback, stabbing out with his spear. Puff! The sentry on the tower was stabbed to death by Liu Chuang, and then 500 cavalrymen rushed to the city gate.

Han Zan's army in the city gate had no time to react before they were smashed to pieces by the five hundred cavalrymen. Liu Chuang drew his sword and shouted, "Attack the city for me!"

Five hundred riders rumbled toward the city gate.

"Stop them, stop them!"

Shouts rang out from Han Zan's army, and shieldmen kept moving towards the city gate in an attempt to block Liu Chuang's attack.

Liu Chuang rode his horse across the human wall formed by shieldmen, and his spears continued to harvest the lives of the shieldmen, making it impossible for them to approach the city gate.

"Quick, release the rocket!"

Following the commander's shout, several archers bent their bows and shot arrows at the defenders on the city gate. Arrows whizzed down from the top of the city wall, and several Han Zan soldiers fell to the ground screaming.

Liu Chuang grabbed the copper ring hanging around his neck and threw it into the air. The copper ring drew a graceful arc in the air and landed on the battlements on the city gate.

"Open the door!"

Liu Chuang roared like thunder, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, and urged the warhorse under him to ram the city gate frantically.

The thick city gate was unexpectedly knocked open by Liu Chuang.

Dense cavalry suddenly poured into the city gate and quickly rushed into Jeju City.

"The enemy army is attacking the city!"

"Help!"

Jeju City was in chaos. Han Zan's army had just been thrown to the ground by Liu Chuang, and they had not yet restored order. They dared not confront the Han army, which was several times larger than theirs, and fled in haste. Unfortunately, there were few houses in Jeju City, and there was no place for soldiers and horses to hide. More Han troops poured into the city from all directions, surrounding Jeju City tightly.

"Report to the commander-in-chief, Jeju City has been captured."

"it is good!"

Yang Ling was overjoyed when he heard this and laughed out loud.

He turned his head and looked at the four chief clerks, and ordered: "Gentlemen, please lead the troops to control all places in the city and do not allow the prisoners to escape."

"I respect the Marshal's orders."

Yang Ling nodded slightly, then turned his horse around and led thousands of elite soldiers under his command to attack the Jizhou government office.

The magistrate of Jeju County was already terrified. Seeing more than 5,000 cavalrymen rushing towards his government office, he turned pale with fright and almost collapsed to the ground.

"Someone, come quickly!"

The magistrate of Jeju screamed hysterically at the top of his lungs.

There were only two guards left with him, and they were unable to protect him from a safe retreat.

Perhaps it was because his scream attracted the patrol outside, or perhaps it was because the voice of the Jizhou County Magistrate alarmed the guards on duty in the government office. In any case, when Yang Ling led his troops to the Jizhou government office, the Jizhou County Magistrate had already been carried out of the government office by the guards. Yang Ling looked at the head of the guards standing in front of him and squinted his eyes slightly.

"Who are you?"

The head of the guards clasped his fists and said, "I am Zhang Zhi, the governor of Jeju Prefecture. May I ask who you are and why you want to attack Jeju?"

"I am General Yang Ling, and I have been ordered to capture Jeju. If you know what's best for you, get out of here right away to avoid physical pain."

Zhang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and then he said, "It's General Yang. Where is my chief clerk?"

Yang Ling said: "My chief clerk is at the back and will be here shortly.

You'd better take the money in the treasury and get out of Jeju now, otherwise don't blame me, Yang Ling, for not remembering our friendship!"

After saying this, Yang Ling turned his horse around and walked straight into the government office.

"Brother Zhang, what should we do now?"

Zhang Zhi's guard looked at Yang Ling's departing back and asked anxiously.

Zhang Zhi was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Pass on my order and notify the other three county magistrates immediately."

"Are you really going to give up Jeju?"

"Nonsense!" Zhang Zhi glared and cursed, "Yang Ling is extremely fierce. If we were not alone now, would we let him occupy Jeju? Don't forget, our reinforcements are on the way. If we hold on for a few more days, they will surely arrive."

“But if Jeju is lost, where can we go?”

Zhang Zhi pondered for a moment and sighed, "Let's delay for now. I hope reinforcements will arrive soon, otherwise we will all be in trouble."

Zhang Zhi's decision surprised Yang Ling.

He originally thought that Han Zan would definitely send troops to rescue Jeju City after it was destroyed. But he did not expect that Han Zan would choose to retreat and even send Zhang Zhi to lead troops to station in Jeju, as if to stay out of the matter. This result made Yang Ling feel a little strange.

However, Yang Ling was too lazy to pay attention to such a small character.

Just follow the plan and that's all.

So Yang Ling didn't bother to guess why Han Zan suddenly became honest.

Soon, the Jizhou County Magistrate, the Prefect Lu Yi, and three state assistant officials hurried over. When they saw Yang Ling, they all bowed to the ground and expressed their willingness to submit to Yang Ling. This outcome was what Yang Ling had expected.

However, he did not agree to their surrender, but only announced that they should stay in Jeju City for the time being to assist in the defense.

At the same time, he also asked Zhang Zhi to lead troops to guard the city gate and not allow Han Zan's army to enter the city.

"General Yang, now that we have conquered Jeju, I suggest you reorganize your troops immediately, pursue the enemy and kill the enemy!"

Yang Ling looked at him for a few seconds and said calmly, "Jizhou City has been breached and the food and grass in the city have been burned. If we attack rashly, I'm afraid we will suffer heavy losses.

Besides, our army has just arrived and we need to consolidate our foundation urgently. Mr. Bo Tao, I think you might as well go to Jeju granary to collect food and supplies first, and then discuss it."

Lu Yi's eyes flickered, revealing a hesitation.

Yang Ling asked: "Mr. Bo Tao, do you think that I cannot treat you well?"

Lu Yi shook his head and whispered, "I dare not doubt General Yang's sincerity, but the food stored in Jizhou is very small, only enough for more than 30,000 soldiers. If we continue to conscript civilians to transport food and fodder, it may cause public resentment." Yang Ling smiled and said, "Mr. Bo Tao, don't worry. I have sent people to negotiate with Jibei County and let the county soldiers escort the food and wages to arrive.

As for the work of transporting grain and fodder, I will supervise it personally.

The top priority is to ensure the safety of the people in the city.

I have ordered Zhou Guobin to lead his troops to guard the East Gate and not let anyone leave without permission. If anyone dares to disobey the military order, they will be killed without mercy!

Mr. Bo Tao, I think you might as well go to Jeju to report first."

Lu Yi hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.

He bowed, followed by several followers, and left the Jeju government office.

Yang Ling's eyes swept over several state assistants and he said in a deep voice, "Tonight is our chance to make our plans come true.

I, Yang Ling, do not covet power, but I will never sit idly by and watch Jeju fall. So I hope you can understand that although I have taken Jeju, it is still in the hands of Han Zan.

I hope you will cooperate with my actions and not disobey me, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Here!"

Several state officials bowed quickly.

Yang Ling nodded, led his men up the steps of the government office, and stepped into the government office.

The Jeju government office was very simple. Apart from the main hall, it only had side halls, side rooms, guest rooms and ear rooms.

The main hall was filled with torture instruments, making it look eerie and scary.

The coffin of Jeju Governor Liu Wenjun is enshrined in the center of the main hall.

Yang Ling bowed to Liu Wenjun's corpse and said in a clear voice: "Liu Wenjun, a relative of the Han Dynasty, was loyal and brave, upright and incorruptible, and died bravely. I admire him very much. Today, I will lead my troops to conquer Jeju, replace the treacherous Han Zan, and recover the lost territory."

"General Yang is mighty!"

The soldiers shouted.

Yang Ling waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately shut up and stood beside him respectfully.

"Bo Tao, you are responsible for commanding the elimination of the remnants of the rebels. You must eradicate them completely."

"I will obey my orders."

Yang Ling warned again: "Also, no matter whether the people of Jeju surrender or not, you must ensure their safety and never kill them indiscriminately."

"General Yang, rest assured. I will make proper arrangements for the people and prevent them from suffering from the disaster."

Yang Ling nodded with satisfaction.

He looked around at everyone and said loudly, "We have just arrived in Jeju and have not yet completely established our foundation, so we need your help. You are all Han Zan's best friends. As long as you are willing to help me capture Jeju, your names will be included in the credit book."

"We swear to be loyal to General Yang until death."

Yang Ling looked at the soldiers with satisfaction and said loudly: "If that's the case, we should send out the troops now."

"promise!"

Yang Ling, along with a few trusted men, headed for Jiyang in a mighty procession.

Jiyang is located on the west bank of the Jishui River, close to the Ji River.

Due to the huge flow of the Ji River, several large ships are moored at the dock of Jiyang Port, selling salt, iron and other items to Jeju every year.

After Yang Ling's fleet arrived at the dock, they headed straight for the official warehouse at Jiyang Dock.

All kinds of goods were piled up in the government warehouse. Yang Ling ordered the grain to be moved out and loaded onto ships for shipment.

Yang Ling looked at the empty warehouse and frowned slightly.

Almost all the food in Jeju City was burned, with only a few remaining grains.

But the number is too small to be used by the army.

What's worse is that the salt fields in Jeju had long been seized by Han Chan.

Han Zan also snapped up all the salt and grain in the salt field.

Even if Yang Ling emptied the government warehouse, he wouldn't be able to get much food in return.

"General Yang, I'm afraid the food in Jeju's warehouse won't last long!"

Zhang Xian walked up to Yang Ling with a serious expression.

Yang Ling smiled bitterly and said, "The food in Jeju will not last long.

However, I don’t expect Jeju to last too long.”

"What do you mean?" Zhang Xian asked tentatively.

Yang Ling said: "There are a total of 5,000 dan of rice stored in the warehouses of Jeju. If we can gather 2,000 to 3,000 dan of food, it may be able to support us for about half a month. If we can't gather enough food, even if we empty Jeju City, it can only last for seven or eight days at most."

After hearing this, Zhang Xian's face turned pale.

Within half a month, all the people in Jeju City had starved to death.

By then, it would be difficult for Yang Ling to withdraw his troops.

Yang Ling patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I'll take care of the food."

Zhang Xian was surprised and asked, "General Yang, are you really going to ask the court for help?
We have just conquered Jeju. If we ask the imperial court for reinforcements, won’t Han Zan underestimate us?"

"I will take care of the reinforcements myself. What you need to do now is to follow my instructions. Remember, do whatever I tell you to do. Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."

"I will keep this in mind!"

Zhang Xian did not dare to delay and quickly summoned the Jizhou County Lieutenant to gather all the young and strong men in the city.

The Jeju County Lieutenant received the order to summon personnel.

Yang Ling took several deputy generals with him to patrol Jiyang City.

Jiyang City is relatively large, with streets crisscrossing in all directions.

The Jizhou County Lieutenant was walking down the street with Yang Ling when someone suddenly shouted, "General Yang is here!"

"Meet General Yang!"

Passersby bowed down one after another.

Yang Ling waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand up.

The Jizhou County Lieutenant smiled and said, "General Yang, I know which store has rice, flour, grain and oil. I will take you to buy some grain and flour."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "We have already taken over the city of Jizhou. There must be a lot of food and money in the city. Why don't we send people to buy them?"

"Uh"

The Jizhou County Lieutenant showed an embarrassed expression and said with a wry smile: "The grain prices in Jizhou City have skyrocketed, and those merchants have made a lot of money.

I don’t have enough silver to buy rice, so.”

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Do you have no money, or are you reluctant to spend it?"

The old Jeju County Lieutenant's face turned red, he lowered his head and dared not say a word.

The people in Jeju City were all tenants supported by Han Zan. Their main job was to grow crops, and they could get a good harvest every month. On such a day, who would be willing to eat and drink?

Yang Ling snorted coldly, "Han Zan has occupied Jeju for more than ten years, and his accumulated wealth is quite astonishing. I estimate that the granary in Jeju City can store at least 50,000 to 60,000 dan of grain. This amount of grain is enough for us to eat for two or three months."

The Jizhou County Lieutenant's eyes widened and he asked in astonishment, "General Yang, there are 50,000 to 60,000 dan of grain in the granary in Jizhou City. How did you know that?"

"Of course, we sent people to search for it." (End of this chapter)