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

At this time, the soldiers suddenly found that there were more than a dozen horses coming towards them, and the general in the lead was holding a long sword. The soldiers were shocked and quickly reined in their horses. The two sides stood five or six steps apart, concentrating on being alert to each other.

Then the general shouted, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into Liaoyang!"

Yang Ling frowned slightly. He didn't expect that he would be mistaken for an enemy scout.

Yang Ling rode forward two steps, raised his right arm and said loudly: "I am Yang Ling, the governor of Yanbei and the general. I have been ordered to go to Liaoyang to cooperate with the defenders!"

Several soldiers were stunned and looked at each other in disbelief. However, after Yang Ling finished speaking, he continued to ride forward without any fear.

Seeing this, Yang Ling knew that they must know him, so he urged his horse to walk to the leading general, clasped his fists and asked, "May I ask your name?"

The general came back to his senses, clasped his fists and said, "I am Li Yan."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "It turns out to be General Li. I have heard of you for a long time!"

Li Yan pointed at the majestic city gate tower in the distance and asked anxiously, "Governor Yan, is what you just said true? The Liaodong defenders actually gave up their defense and asked us to capture Liaoyang?"

"Yes."

"Great!" Li Yan shouted excitedly, "I and the others have been so frustrated over the years, now we can finally get revenge!"

Yang Ling smiled and nodded, "That's right, we will take Liaoyang tonight!"

All the generals shouted in unison: "Revenge—"

At this moment, a sharp alarm bell rang from the city gate tower, and the city gate rumbled shut. Everyone was horrified, and Li Yan's face turned pale. Although he was brave and good at fighting, he was just an ordinary warrior. He had never encountered such a situation before, and he couldn't help but be terrified.

Yang Ling was also quite surprised. He immediately understood what was going on. He estimated that this was an ambush deliberately set by the Liaoyang defenders in order to consume the physical strength of their own troops. If they attacked by force, they would probably suffer heavy losses. Thinking of this, Yang Ling immediately said to Li Yan: "You must gather all the troops immediately, let's avoid the front for the time being!" Li Yan nodded, turned his horse's head and ran back.

Not long after, Yang Ling led more than 3,000 cavalrymen under his command to hide in the valley ahead.

Yang Ling found a clean place to light a bonfire and drink to keep warm.

At this time, Li Yan came running over in a hurry.

Yang Ling asked with a smile: "General Li, how is the situation?"

Li Yan smiled bitterly and said, "Don't mention it. The Liaodong defenders were too cunning. As soon as we rushed to the gate tower, the gate was closed. I couldn't get in at all."

Yang Ling pondered and said, "Since the city gates are already closed, we should not fight head-on. I don't know if the defenders have sent reinforcements. If not, then we can only use the tactic of outflanking and slowly capture Liaoyang City."

Li Yan frowned and shook his head, saying, "I don't think there's hope!" Suddenly, he asked, "Superintendent Yan, you're not really going to take a detour, are you?"

"This is what I think. We only have over 3,000 people now. If we attack head-on, the casualties will be at most twice as much, which is a 90% chance of death. It's not worth it. But if we take a detour, maybe there won't be such a dangerous situation. No matter what, we have to try." Yang Ling's eyes revealed determination.

Li Yan nodded and praised: "Governor Yan has considered this carefully!"

Li Yan immediately suggested: "I do have a way, it's a little troublesome, but it's better than taking a detour."

"Oh? Tell me."

Li Yan said: "According to my estimation, the defenders have filled the gate with boiling oil. If we attack the city, they will immediately pour the oil on us, and we will surely suffer heavy losses. However, I don't think they will be so cruel. This is because we are too close to the city gate, and they are also worried that if we force us into a corner, the houses will be set on fire and the towers will be burned down. They may not do that. At most, they will shoot arrows to prevent our army from entering the city."

Yang Ling nodded and said, "That makes sense."

"Governor Yan, I am willing to lead two hundred brothers and take the opportunity to attack the city."

Yang Ling thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay! Let's follow your plan and minimize the losses!"

"The general will obey the order!"

Li Yan clasped his fists and said, "Then I will take my leave."

Yang Ling warned: "Be careful."

"I understand. Governor Yan, take care!" Li Yan clasped his fists and bowed again, then immediately led two hundred personal guards and rode towards the Liaoyang city gate.

On the tower, Liaoyang defender Yelu Wende saw that there were only 200 people outside the city gate, and immediately judged that the enemy was just bait, not the main force. So he ordered: "Stretch the bows and crossbows, and shoot!"

The horn sounded suddenly, and bows and crossbows sounded all around, and thousands of powerful arrows shot towards the city like raindrops.

The cavalrymen under the city were well prepared, and they all squatted down to dodge. Arrows were nailed to the ground, crackling. Two hundred cavalrymen quickly gathered in the center, and then whipped their horses and galloped towards the city.

Upon seeing this, the Liaoyang defenders quickly raised their crossbows and catapults and aimed them at the city.

Yang Ling brandished his sword and shouted, "Charge!"

The cavalry jumped up one after another and galloped on their horses. These two thousand men and horses were like two black dragons, rushing straight at the city wall. Arrows rained down from the city gate like locusts, and dense arrows fell like a rainstorm, but unfortunately the impact on the cavalry was extremely limited.

As the two black dragons approached, a cannon shot suddenly sounded from the city gate tower. Smoke and dust rose from behind the barricades on both sides, and tens of thousands of civilians rushed out from the streets on both sides, charging towards Yang Ling's troops with great momentum.

Yang Ling was horrified and shouted hurriedly: "All troops, speed up!"

The two black dragons continued to accelerate, and in the blink of an eye they rushed to the city. The defenders at the city gate tower hurriedly pushed down the barricades.

The two black dragons collided with the barricades, making loud clanging noises. The black dragons did not slow down at all, sweeping across and knocking down the barricades, then rushed through the barricades and charged towards the Liaoyang city gate.

The defenders retreated one after another, and the archers on the gate tower continued to shoot down, trying to stop Yang Ling's troops from advancing. However, Yang Ling's soldiers were extremely brave, charging left and right and approaching.

Yang Ling drew the sword from his waist and shouted sternly: "Charge!" The soldiers responded loudly and rushed towards the city gate on horseback.

The defenders on the city wall were frightened upon seeing this and quickly retreated.

The vanguard of Yang Ling's cavalry suddenly broke open the gate and rushed into the city. The defenders behind the gate were so frightened that they fled for their lives.

The cavalrymen behind them rushed into the city one after another, and the Liaoyang defenders completely collapsed and fled in all directions. The people in the city heard the shouting and ran out of their homes, but they were shocked to see this scene and stared blankly at this group of fierce men.

Yang Ling rode his horse slowly towards the north of the city. Officials, military officers, and wealthy families along the way knelt down and kowtowed to beg for mercy, but Yang Ling was too lazy to pay attention to them and broke into the mansion. Soon, Yang Ling's troops arrived at the government office. The government office was of a decent size, and the furnishings inside were luxurious and expensive. It was obvious that the residents were either rich or noble, but at this time, the entire mansion was empty, without a single person. Yang Ling turned over and dismounted, and ordered: "Search every room."

"As you command!" The knights agreed, jumped off their horses, and rushed into the rooms they were responsible for. After a while, the group returned to the yard and reported: "Reporting to Governor Yan, no property or food was found!"

Yang Ling asked in surprise: "Could it be that Liaoyang Prefecture was looted and emptied?"

"It doesn't look like it!"

"What about that person?"

"do not know!"

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. There was nothing left in this government office. This kind of thing was simply unimaginable in ancient times.

"Governor Yan, what should we do?" someone asked.

Yang Ling sighed and said, "Let's go back and make plans for now!"

Yang Ling and his companions were about to leave when suddenly several men ran into the yard. The leader was a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in fine clothes and looking very impressive, obviously from an extraordinary family. Behind him were four guards, all of whom were strong and muscular, but they all looked ordinary, not like masters.

The leading young man was stunned for a moment when he saw Yang Ling, then he showed joy, ran to Yang Ling quickly, knelt on one knee and said: "I pay my respects to Governor Yan!"

Yang Ling looked carefully and recognized the man as Xiao Feng, the son of Xiao Xian, the former leader of the Liangshanpo pirates, who had shared hardships with Yang Ling.

When Xiao Feng saw Yang Ling, he was moved to tears. At first, he was ordered by Liangshanpo's boss Zhang Song to go to Liaodong to persuade Zhang Xianzhong to surrender. But Zhang Xianzhong killed Zhang Song's parents and uncles, which made Xiao Feng furious and determined to resist. Xiao Feng immediately led dozens of his followers, pretending to be bandits, to attack the gentry in the counties of Liaodong, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. Wherever they went, there was unrest, and all the counties in Liaodong fell into fear and chaos. Zhang Xianzhong was furious and led his troops to encircle and suppress the Liangshan bandits. The two sides fought fiercely, and the Liangshan bandits were outnumbered and retreated step by step.

Although Xiao Feng was the bravest of the three armies, he was outnumbered after all. He was chased by Zhang Xianzhong to Hetao, and had no choice but to abandon the camp and flee, luckily escaping.

Zhang Xianzhong chased Xiao Feng to the Hetao grassland and found that Xiao Feng's remnants had disappeared. Zhang Xianzhong was not good at strategy and was furious. He immediately sent a capable messenger to Guanzhong to inform Zhang Xiu of Xiao Feng's rebellion and ask Zhang Xiu to send troops to capture him.

When Yang Ling received Xiao Feng's letter, he was furious and immediately led his troops across the river to the west, intending to kill Xiao Feng to avenge Zhang Xiu.

However, as soon as Yang Ling arrived in the Hetao area, he was besieged by a large group of Jin soldiers and eventually lost the battle. Yang Ling fled in the Jin territory for many days and finally fled to Luanzhou. During this period, Luanzhou was also the capital of Liaodong, because after the Jin soldiers occupied Luanzhou, they renamed Luanzhou Prefecture (Luanping City).

Yang Ling rested in Luanping City, waiting for reinforcements. Unexpectedly, the bad news came from Liaodong that Zhang Xianzhong had broken through the Liaodong capital. Zhang Xiu negotiated peace with the Jin Kingdom, and the Jin Kingdom ceded Liaodong. Zhang Xiu ascended the throne as the King of Liao. Yang Ling was furious and resentful, so he raised an army to restore the great cause.

Not long ago, Zhang Xianzhong led his troops to capture Jizhen, forcing Yang Lin to lead his troops to retreat to Liaodong, and Liu Fang, the governor of Liaoxi Road, was appointed as the governor of Jizhen.

Yang Ling led his troops to camp near Luanping City and built fortifications. Last night, Yang Ling received an imperial edict from Zhang Xiu, saying that he would appoint him as the governor of Yan and mobilize the Liaodong army to defend the king. Yang Ling immediately raised his army and led his army across the Luan River.

When Yang Ling and his men arrived at the bank of the Luan River, they saw countless flags erected on the shore and countless Jin soldiers gathered in battle array by the river, with flags fluttering and shouts of killing deafening.

There were 20,000 to 30,000 Jin soldiers, including a large number of cavalry and infantry. The commander of the Jin army was Li Yuanhao, Li Shimin's younger brother, who was 27 or 28 years old this year. He was tall and strong, with eyes like copper bells, thick eyebrows and a wide mouth, and looked majestic. Standing next to him was Li Yuanhao's younger brother Li Yuanli, who was thin and had a rat-like face and a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks. Behind them were Li Yuanhao's main cavalry, more than 5,000 people, all wearing bright armor and well-equipped. There were also several thousand infantry, who were civilians recruited from Liaodong Prefecture and its surrounding counties, and the number was even greater.

Seeing that the enemy had a strong army, Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself, "It seems that Zhang Xianzhong has been prepared for our attack. He is really cunning!"

Yang Ling did not alert Zhang Liang about this operation, because he was sure that Zhang Liang would be able to see through Zhang Xianzhong's scheme. Yang Ling did not expect that Zhang Liang was not aware of Zhang Xianzhong's plot at all. He was injured and unconscious outside Lin'an City, and did not wake up until today, so he had no time to alert Zhang Liang.

Yang Ling hesitated for a moment, then made a prompt decision and shouted, "Release!"

The soldiers bent their bows and drew their arrows, whizzing arrows into the Jin army, and blood and flesh flew everywhere, with screams of pain. The Jin soldiers' arrows rained down, and Yang Ling and others fell to the ground one after another.

The Jin soldiers' arrows fell to the ground, splashing cold light. Yang Ling looked up and saw many archers aiming at them in the distance, their bowstrings taut, ready to shoot at any time.

Yang Ling's face changed slightly, and he turned around and ordered: "Shieldman!"

The bodyguards hurriedly took out logs and iron shields from their packages to cover their faces, then raised their swords to block the bows and crossbows, paying close attention to their surroundings.

"shoot!"

The Jin soldiers shot a rain of arrows from the sky, and the personal guards tried their best to block them, but many bows and crossbows still hit the shields, and screams were heard immediately.

Yang Ling watched helplessly as dozens of his personal soldiers were pierced through the chest by arrows and fell in a pool of blood. He was grief-stricken and drew his sword and shouted, "Fight back for me!"

The Jin soldiers were numerous and powerful, and were in a dominant position. Yang Ling's personal soldiers suffered heavy casualties and were no match for them.

The personal soldiers tried their best to block the rain of arrows from the Jin soldiers, but to no avail.

The soldiers on Yang Ling's left were shot down one after another by the Jin army.

The Jin soldiers took advantage of the situation and rushed over, hacking and killing Yang Ling's crowd, and the number of personal soldiers around Yang Ling became fewer and fewer.

Yang Ling's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty red light, and he shouted fiercely: "Fight him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ling suddenly drew out his steel knife and rushed into the crowd.

Wherever Yang Ling went, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and more than a hundred corpses fell to the ground in an instant.

The morale of the personal soldiers was boosted, and they rushed over with strange cries to help Yang Ling resist the enemy's attack.

Under the protection of his personal soldiers, Yang Ling retreated and gradually disappeared from the sight of the Jin army.

The Jin soldiers were desperate and wanted to pursue them.

"Stop the pursuit! Go back and report to the commander-in-chief, Yang Ling has escaped!" Zhang Shun, deputy general of the Jin army, shouted loudly to stop the pursuing troops and ordered the Jin army to return to Luanping County and report the news to Jin Wushu.

Yang Ling and his men retreated to the north bank of the Luan River. Watching the Jin army retreat to the north bank of the Luan River, Yang Ling scanned the surrounding terrain.

"Commander, what should we do? Should we continue fighting?" asked a subordinate beside him.

"Fight, of course we have to fight!"

"Commander, you are still injured, so you should stay out of the spotlight for now! You can settle accounts with Zhang Xianzhong later." The subordinate advised. (End of this chapter)