The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 320: Destroy a Country in Ten Days (End)
March 3, 1 a.m., light rain.

Yesterday's fierce artillery battle shocked all the military and civilians in Tokyo.

The sturdy city defenses that the Dali court had spent a huge amount of money to build had become riddled with holes after more than three hours of bombardment by the Qi army. Not only had dozens of artillery positions on the city walls been overturned, causing heavy casualties among the gunners, but even several sections of the sturdy city walls had been collapsed or cracked by the siege artillery.

If the defenders had not responded in time and thrown large amounts of stones and wood to fill and re-secure the city without regard for casualties under the fierce artillery fire, the Qi army might have been killed and entered the city on the first day of the siege.

After most of the day's artillery battle, under the fierce and accurate attack of the Qi army's artillery, more than half of the artillery on the city wall was lost, and the casualties among officers, soldiers and civilians exceeded 1,500. The morale of the entire defenders suddenly declined, and they inevitably began to waver in their ability to hold the city of Tokyo for a long time.

"Are you saying that Du Yufu, the commander-in-chief of the Elephant Taming Guard, intends to secretly collude with the State of Qi and offer the entire city of Dongjing to them?" King Zheng Gang of Weinan stared at the man in front of him with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, everything I said is true." Mo Huaiping, the commander of the Shenwu Guard, knelt on the ground, speaking earnestly and with a serious expression. "Before the Qi army arrived in Tokyo, Du Yufu's behavior was suspicious. Not only did he not strictly discipline his troops and actively prepare for war, but he frequently moved around among the officials and generals in the court, with ill intentions. A few days ago, when the royal palace was discussing matters, all the civil and military officials advocated fighting and shared the same hatred of the enemy in order to repel the Qi army. Only Du Yufu proposed to start peace talks with Qi, with the idea of ​​kneeling down and surrendering. Qi When the army attacked Dongjing City, he took the initiative to propose that the king's army go out of the city to fight and prevent the Qi army from landing. As a result, our army's manpower was killed and wounded by the Qi army's warships and guns, which greatly frustrated the army's morale. In addition, as far as I know, the Du family had close ties with the Qi people before the war and resold Qi's goods for huge profits. ... All these things have given Du Yufu full motivation and intention to sell himself to the enemy. If we don't deal with it, this thief will inevitably put the king and the entire Dongjing City in danger, and we will die without a burial place!"

"Anything else?" Zheng Gang's face became increasingly gloomy.

"Your Majesty, I heard a piece of news last night." Mo Huaiping raised his head and continued, "Because the Qi army fired thousands of artillery at the same time yesterday, which greatly damaged the morale of our army, this thief colluded with others and colluded with others, intending to start a rebellion in the city in response to the Qi army's breach of the city today."

"How dare you do this, you villain!" Zheng Gang shouted, suddenly pulled out the long sword from his waist, and slashed it hard on the desk in front of him. Then he gasped heavily, obviously extremely angry.

"Somebody come!"

"Your Majesty!" a servant responded loudly.

"Order the Palace Front Guard and Service Guard to gather their troops immediately and accompany me to the Elephant Taming Guard camp to quell the rebellion and eliminate the bandits!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" After hearing the order, the servant turned around and left the hall.

"Your Majesty, I will also go with you to eliminate this beast for the country!" Mo Huaiping knelt on the ground and pleaded loudly.

"To suppress the rebellion and eliminate the bandits this time, we must use thunderbolt means, fight and resolve the battle quickly, and not give the bandits any chance to turn around." Zheng Gang said in a deep voice: "But Qi has gathered a large army outside the city, watching closely, so the city defense must not be neglected. After yesterday's artillery battle, the Qi army gained some advantages, and they will surely come back to attack again today. So, you will supervise the battle on the top of the city and resist the enemy."

"I obey your command!" Mo Huaiping kowtowed heavily.

"General, please stand up." Zheng Gang responded gently and solemnly, "At this critical moment, you and I, the king and the minister, must work together to overcome the difficulties. Once we force the Qi people to retreat, I will definitely reward you generously."

"I am willing to sacrifice my life for your majesty, even if it means death!"

"General, take my sword and go to the top of the city to supervise the battle. If any officer below the rank of lieutenant general disobeys my orders, you can kill him and report to me afterwards."

"I will obey the king's orders." Mo Huaiping took the sword from Zheng Gang, bowed, and then walked out of the hall backwards.

Half an hour later, Zheng Gang, assisted by his attendants, dressed in full armor, holding a long sword, and leading more than 3,000 elite soldiers from the Palace Guard and the Service Guard, rushed towards the Elephant Taming Guard camp, determined to kill the beast with lightning speed before the rebels could react.

When the troops reached Ma Xing Street, they were caught up by Pan Xixian, the chief official of the royal palace who had rushed there after hearing the news. When he saw Zheng Gang, he grabbed his horse's head.

"Your Majesty, can the rebellion of the Elephant Guard be thoroughly investigated and confirmed?"

"…It has not been verified yet." Zheng Gang said with a cold face: "But if we have to spend time to confirm this, then Dongjing City may have been surrendered to the Qi people by the thieves long ago!"

"May I ask, Your Majesty, what is the special task of the Elephant Taming Guard?"

"Conscripting men for labor service, organizing the people to be strong, and providing the troops with miscellaneous labor, teachers, and food and supplies. ... Hmm, what do you mean by that, Chief Secretary?"

"Your Majesty, the Elephant Taming Guard is responsible for assisting the troops in carrying out miscellaneous tasks. With this as a pretext, can they be used to rebel?" Pan Xixian's face was filled with anxiety.

"Hmm..." Zheng Gang was stunned when he heard that.

Yes, a commander of the capital guards who is in charge of logistics and auxiliary tasks does not have any decent military forces under his command. He usually abuses his power to enrich himself and accept bribes. At most, he uses the resources at his disposal to engage in gray businesses such as selling goods and smuggling commodities. But if he uses this as an excuse to gather troops and cause chaos, and cooperates with the Qi army outside the city to surrender the city of Dongjing, that would be a bit difficult.

"Hiss..." Zheng Gang also came to his senses at this time, "Does the Chief Secretary mean that someone wants to frame the Elephant Taming Guard?"

"Your Majesty, the elephant guards are planning a rebellion. Even if it is not a deliberate accusation, I am afraid they have other intentions!"

"You have other plans?" Zheng Gang suddenly thought of something, his face changed suddenly, and he turned his horse's head immediately, "You all... follow me to Yaode Gate quickly!"

"Your Majesty..." Pan Xixian was confused by Zheng Gang's actions and didn't know what was going on.

"Master Changshi, the person who framed the Taming Elephant Guards for rebellion was the commander of the Shenwu Guards, Mo Huaiping." An attendant of the palace whispered, "When the king led his troops to quell the rebellion, he entrusted the defense of Yaode Gate and Daxing to him and granted him arbitrary power. The defenders of the city walls were all under his control."

"Ah?... Is this thief planning to rebel and surrender the city?" Pan Xixian was shocked.

"..."The palace attendant didn't even glance at Zheng Gang and rode his horse to follow him.

"boom……"

"Wan Sheng!"

"Fight in!"

"..."

Suddenly, a huge explosion was heard at Yaode Gate, followed by cheers and shouts of killing, accompanied by dense volleys of gunfire, bombs, and desperate screams.

"...If this is the case, the plan has failed!" Pan Xixian turned his head and stared blankly in the direction of Yaode Gate, his face as pale as death. At this time, the gate of Yaode Gate was already wide open, and teams of fully armed coalition soldiers rushed into the city with bayonets in hand, and then, under the leadership of the commanders of various departments, they rushed towards their respective targets.

On the city wall, rows of Annan defenders squatted on the ground with fear on their faces, allowing the Allied soldiers to collect their discarded weapons and muskets. Several Annanese who looked like generals stood beside them with fawning looks on their faces, carefully handing over the city defense.

Mo Huaiping, the commander of the Shenwu Guard, stood on a high city wall, looking indifferently at the increasingly chaotic situation in the city, without saying a word for a long time.

"The general is a man of noble character. He raised his troops in the face of battle, thus saving the entire city of Tokyo from being destroyed by war. After this, he will surely be admired and appreciated by the world." Chu Yongkun, the head of the Black Guards in Tokyo and the Xuanjie Colonel (Major), smiled and bowed to Mo Huaiping.

After hearing this, Mo Huaiping's mouth twitched involuntarily, and he looked at Chu Yongkun with a slightly embarrassed look.

Oh, to be admired and appreciated by the world?

Isn't this a mockery of me?
What he did was colluding with foreign countries and selling out his master for personal gain, and he even voluntarily surrendered the city. I am afraid that he will not leave a good reputation in the history books of Annan in the future.

All he did was rewarded with 50,000 taels of silver, the position of garrison commander of the Eastern Capital (Thanh Hoa) after the war, and the treatment of all his family members immigrating to the State of Qi.

Since the outbreak of the war, he did not think that Annan would have the slightest chance of winning. Even if Liang State in the north and Guangnan in the south had not launched an attack, Annan could not resist Qi State alone.

As the commander-in-chief of the Shenwu Guards, he was in charge of Annan's largest firearms unit after the Palace Guards. He was well aware that his own military strength was not even close to that of Qi.

The Qi State's army has a mixed regiment of more than 2,400 soldiers, and the number of artillery pieces assigned to it is more than twice the number of artillery pieces of the entire Shenwu Guard. Not to mention, Qi State also has a special artillery unit with many large-caliber heavy artillery.

If we fight against the Qi army, we will probably be blown to pieces by their artillery fire!
Moreover, judging from the geographical situation of Annan, its depth is not large and its inland hinterland is not far from the seaside, making it the best target for attack by the Qi Navy. By landing from any coast, they can quickly enter the territory of Annan without any chance for defense or blockade.

In Dongjing City, several rivers lead directly to the sea. Although this was beneficial to the circulation of commercial materials in the capital, it was also very convenient for the State of Qi to go upstream along the rivers from the sea and directly attack Dongjing City.

You see, after declaring war, the State of Qi divided its troops into two routes along the Baiteng River and the Hong River and attacked straight ahead. The more than ten water forts set up along the way could not stop them at all.

With such overwhelming power and unrivaled military strength, Qi State easily overwhelmed the entire Annan. Any attempt to fight back was futile and beyond their capabilities.

Over the years, no matter how the Zheng ruler tried to stop the invasion of Qi's forces, under the influence of the other side's powerful political, economic and military influence, the entire Annan had actually been infiltrated by Qi like a sieve.

There were many high-ranking military generals like him who were bribed and lured by the Qi State's intelligence department. Even some of his Zheng family members had secret connections with the Qi State.

Would Du Yufu, the commander-in-chief of the Elephant Guard, who was falsely accused by him of rebellion and intended to surrender the city, really not do such a thing?
It's not that I don't want to, but I choose not to take action because the crisis has not yet arrived.

Mo Huaiping believed that as long as the Qi army continued to bombard Dongjing City for several more days and destroyed a section of the city wall, the entire garrison would collapse immediately. Even if they did not turn against the enemy on the spot, they would definitely choose to lay down their arms and surrender.

If they were determined to fight the enemy, they could stop the Qi army for a while, but they could not change the final outcome. Under the overwhelming attack of Qi, all resistance would be meaningless, and would cause the lives of the people in the city to be devastated. Their families, their houses, and the wealth accumulated over the years would also be wiped out.

Why bother?
Why bother?
In the face of the overwhelming trend, we should go with the flow and not go against it.

He who knows the current affairs is a hero!

Even if the people of Qi destroyed Zheng, could they still rule Annan on their own?
By then, it would be just like what the Northern Central Plains dynasties did hundreds of years ago. After invading Annan on a large scale, they would ultimately rely on the local aristocratic families to rule Annan.

As the allied forces entered the city in large numbers, the resistance of the Tokyo defenders became weaker and weaker. Countless soldiers dropped their weapons, knelt down and asked for surrender. The militiamen who were forcibly conscripted fled in panic, and with the help of the familiar terrain, they quickly fled into their homes, closed the doors, and anxiously waited for their unknown fate.

Some of the wealthy families in the city took the opportunity to hang up the red rising sun and yellow dragon flags of Qi in front of their doors to show their closeness and obedience.

Led by the "Shenwu Guards" who "raised their arms in battle", the allied forces occupied government agencies and court treasuries one after another. The imperial palace and the Weinan Palace were also surrounded by a large number of soldiers, waiting for their superiors' orders.

The more than 3,000 elite palace vanguard troops led by King Zheng Gang of Weinan had not yet arrived at Yaode Gate when they ran head-on into the coalition forces that were rushing in.

As the enemy was well prepared, the Champa Third Mixed Regiment, which had entered the city first, was caught off guard and was almost forced out of the city. Fortunately, a battalion of the Ha Tien Second Mixed Regiment, which followed up, provided timely support and deployed dozens of grenadiers to throw more than a hundred hand-thrown bombs at the enemy, breaking up the enemy's offensive momentum. Then, a wave of bayonet counterattacks was launched, pushing back the Annan Palace vanguard.

As more and more coalition forces entered the city, Zheng Gang saw that he was about to be surrounded, so he hurriedly led his troops to retreat and tried to escape from Tokyo City from Guangfu Gate in the west.

When Zheng Gang led his troops to fight their way out of Guangfu Gate, he encountered a strong resistance from more than 200 officers and soldiers of the First Dragoon Battalion of the Second Mixed Regiment of the Qi Army.

The dragoons rushed forward with sabers in hand. After suffering several casualties, they defeated the defeated troops in one fell swoop, and Zheng Gang was knocked off his horse.

If the several guards around this guy had not loudly announced his identity, the dragoon would have almost killed him with a single blow.

The dragoons who caught the "big fish" were overjoyed. They tied it up directly and excitedly took it back to the temporary camp outside the city to report their achievement to their superiors.

At noon, when the allied soldiers announced the surrender order signed by Zheng Gang and the armistice decree of Emperor Yongqing of Dali to the entire city, the resistance in Tokyo came to an abrupt end.

After more than eighty years, the capital of the Dali Dynasty once again prostrated itself at the feet of the Qi State.

On March 3, after receiving the surrender order from Tokyo City, Hebei Town and Taiyuan Town stopped fighting, opened the city defenses, and surrendered to Liang Guo.

In the afternoon of the same day, the Haiyang Camp in Guangning Town also stopped resisting and surrendered to the 19th Mixed Regiment of the Qi Army.

On March 3, under the guarantee of Qi State, more than 3 troops of Hengshan Camp announced their surrender, gave up all defense lines, retreated to Ha Tinh, and allowed the Guangnan army to move in.

The Battle of Annan, which was initiated by the Kingdom of Liang and the Kingdom of Guangnan, started at 2 a.m. on February 22 and lasted for a full ten days, and finally came to an end.

Destroy a country in ten days and shock Central and South China!

(End of this chapter)