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Chapter 2549 Guardian Angel

Mingzhou was the last line of defense outside the capital.

The imperial court has garrisoned 50,000 troops here. The city walls are not much shorter than those of Fengzhou. Rows of cannons are mounted on the city walls, their dark muzzles pointing outwards, which looks frightening.

Even if the reinforcements from Mingzhou were eliminated using the strategy of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements, it would still be extremely difficult to capture Mingzhou City.

The defending general was named Zhang Zonghan. He was a loyal follower of Wei Yan, having served him for over a decade. He was so devoted that he would rather die in battle than surrender.

He Jingyuan originally planned to attack the city that night, but unfortunately, Mingzhou had been fortified by Zhang Zonghan, and a forced attack would only increase the casualties of the rebel army.

He Jingyuan led his army to the city of Mingzhou, circled the city once, and then returned to Wei Qilin and Su Ning, saying, "That old bastard Zhang Zonghan has set up a very tight defense. There are guards at all four gates, and the soldiers patrolling the city walls never stop. As soon as we get close, they start firing arrows and cannons. A direct attack would result in too many casualties."

Wei Qilin also went to see it, and frowned, saying, "Although the city walls of Mingzhou are not as high as those of Fengzhou, they are not much different. If we use explosives to blow up the city gates, they will definitely be prepared. Maybe the back of the city gates is already filled with sandbags, so even if we blow them up, we won't be able to break in."

He Jingyuan nodded and looked at Su Ning: "My lord, what do you suggest we do?"

Suning didn't rush to answer.

Instead, he closed his eyes and released his divine sense, bringing the entire city of Mingzhou under his control.

They quickly "examined" the city's terrain, the thickness of the city walls, and the deployment of the garrison.

After withdrawing his divine sense, Su Ning called He Jingyuan and Wei Qilin to the sand table and pointed to Mingzhou City, saying, "Bombing the city gate head-on won't work; they've already anticipated that. So let's try another method: digging tunnels."

He Jingyuan was taken aback: "Dig a tunnel? Dig it all the way into the city?"

Su Ning shook his head: "Don't dig into the city, dig right up to the base of the city wall. Plant explosives under the wall and blow it down from below. No matter how thick the wall is, it can't withstand being blown down from below."

Wei Qilin thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! They're worried we'll blow up the city gates, so they definitely won't expect us to do it from underground."

He Jingyuan understood, and slammed his hand on the table: "Alright! Let's do it this way! Dig tunnels and blow up the city walls!"

Su Ning continued, "We won't just bomb one place; we'll dig and bomb all four gates at the same time. We'll make them unable to defend the east side while they can't defend the west side. We'll blow open all four gates and see how they defend them then."

He Jingyuan immediately ordered that more than two thousand strong soldiers be selected from the engineering battalion and divided into four teams of five hundred men each, to be responsible for the east, south, west and north gates respectively.

Each person was given a shovel, and a large amount of wood and planks were prepared to support the tunnel.

……

That very night, the engineers began digging.

To prevent the defenders on the city walls from hearing the commotion, Su Ning ordered his men to beat drums simultaneously in several locations outside the city. The drumming sounded all night, completely drowning out the sounds of digging tunnels.

The soldiers guarding the city walls only heard the drumbeats and had no idea that someone was digging a tunnel at the foot of the city.

Digging tunnels is a tough job.

The tunnel was narrow, and people had to bend over to dig inside, shoveling soil back and forth.

The people in front dug, while those behind passed the soil out, carrying basket after basket of earth out of the tunnel and dumping it in a distant ditch, then covering it with grass to try and prevent the people on the city wall from noticing.

The soldiers worked in shifts, changing shifts every four hours, so the work never stopped even when the soldiers were resting.

They dug while beating drums during the day and at night; the drumming never stopped.

After digging for three days and three nights, the tunnel finally reached the base of the city wall.

The engineering battalion commander in charge of the east gate crawled out of the tunnel, covered in dirt, his face so black that only his eyes were visible.

He rushed to Su Ning, panting, and said, "My lord, the east gate has been dug up! The soil under the city wall has been hollowed out, and we're just waiting for your order to plant the explosives."

The engineering battalion commanders from the South Gate, West Gate, and North Gate also came running to report that they had dug something up.

Suning asked, "How deep was the tunnel dug?"

The battalion commander at the East Gate said, "We dug for 15 feet, and the foundation of the city wall has been exposed. We dug a large hole right under the city wall, big enough to hold a lot of explosives."

Su Ning nodded, then turned to He Jingyuan and said, "General He, we can plant the explosives now."

He Jingyuan waved his hand: "Load the explosives!"

The soldiers carried boxes of explosives out of the warehouse, bent over and crawled into the tunnel, stacking them one by one in the large hole directly below the city wall.

Ten boxes of explosives were stacked neatly under each city gate.

The fuse was also laid out, with a long fuse pulled out from the tunnel and stretched all the way to a safe area hundreds of feet away.

Each of the four gates has a lead wire, and the four leads converge on an earthen slope outside the city, twisting into one.

Everything was ready, and it was getting dark.

He Jingyuan stood on the earthen slope, looked at the sky, and said to Su Ning, "Shall we make our move after dark? Or wait until midnight?"

Su Ning said, "No need to wait. Have the brothers retreat now, retreat to a mile away. Notify all gates to light the fires simultaneously, without any order."

"Yes!"

……

The messenger rode a fast horse and ran to the four gates to deliver the order.

The rebel army outside the city began to retreat, flowing back like a tide, and only stopped when they had retreated a mile away.

The soldiers guarding the city wall saw the rebels retreat and thought they were up to something again, but after looking for a long time, they couldn't figure it out.

Zhang Zonghan stood on the city wall, frowning as he looked out. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It was completely dark by now.

Su Ning stood on the earthen slope at the west gate, gazing at Mingzhou City, with He Jingyuan standing beside him.

Wei Qilin, Meng Lihua, and Li Huai'an led their troops and waited at the east, south, and north gates, respectively.

Soldiers were already lying in ambush outside the four gates, crouching in safe spots, each holding a fuse, waiting for orders.

He Jingyuan glanced at Su Ning, and Su Ning nodded.

He Jingyuan took a deep breath and shouted, "Light the fire!"

Immediately afterward, a signal arrow shot into the sky. Upon hearing the signal, the soldiers from the four gates simultaneously brought their torches to the fuse, which hissed and sparked as it sped rapidly into the tunnel.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the four glowing fuses.

Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly; every second felt like an hour.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

Immediately afterwards, a loud bang came from the direction of the east gate, like the sky had collapsed.

Flames shot into the sky, flying stones and dirt high into the air, and billowing black smoke obscured half the sky.

Before people could react, the South Gate also rang out with a loud crash, and the ground shook violently.

Then there are the West Gate and the North Gate.

Four loud bangs, one after another, made people's ears ring and made them unable to stand steadily.

The earth trembled, the horses neighed, and some horses broke free of their reins in fright and ran wildly across the ground.

It felt like the end of the world, or like an earth dragon turning over...

As the smoke slowly dissipated, everyone was stunned.

The four city walls of Mingzhou have all collapsed.

A large section of the city wall at the East Gate had collapsed, with bricks and stones scattered all over the ground. The gate tower lay there crookedly, like a drunkard.

A large hole was blasted open in the city wall at the south gate, wide enough for ten people to walk side by side.

The West Gate suffered the worst; the entire section of the city wall collapsed, and the bricks were piled up into a small mountain.

Although less of the city wall at the north gate collapsed, a large breach was still blasted open, making it difficult for the defending soldiers to even stand.

The defenders on the city wall were stunned by the bombing. Some were thrown off the wall by the shockwave, while others were hit by falling rocks and lay on the ground screaming in pain.

Many more people were stunned, standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

He Jingyuan from the west gate was the first to react. He drew his sword, pointed forward, and roared, "Brothers! The city gate has been blown open! Charge with me!"

"Charge!" The rebel soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.

At the east, south, west, and north gates, four armies launched a simultaneous charge, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

On the east side, Wei Qilin rode his horse, taking the lead and charging ahead.

He held a long spear in his hand, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the firelight.

The cavalry behind Wei Qilin followed closely, their hooves thundering, making the whole earth seem to tremble.

The defending troops tried desperately to block the way where the city wall had collapsed, but they couldn't stop it at all.

The city walls have all collapsed, what can we use to block them?

Several garrison officers led their men to rush forward in an attempt to block the breach, but the rebel cavalry had already charged in, cutting them down one by one as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

At the south gate, Meng Lihua led tens of thousands of soldiers in.

She wore a suit of silver-white armor and carried a long spear. Her spearmanship was fast and accurate; she felled one enemy with each thrust, and she killed seven or eight in a row, forcing the defending soldiers to retreat step by step.

The soldiers behind her were no slouch either; each one was a handpicked elite, with swift swordsmanship and perfect teamwork, making the defending troops cry out in despair.

Ximen was led by He Jingyuan himself.

He rode a black horse, carrying a large cleaver that gleamed as he slashed at anyone he saw.

As he charged, he shouted, "Brothers, charge in! Take Mingzhou, and there will be a great reward!"

The soldiers behind them roared and charged forward, none of them willing to fall behind.

Li Huai'an led his men to storm the north gate.

Although he was young, he was not afraid of fighting at all.

He led a team of elite soldiers, deliberately charging into areas heavily defended by the enemy, like a sharp knife piercing the heart of the enemy.

With four armies advancing into the city simultaneously, the defending troops were overwhelmed and unable to mount any effective resistance.

Some were still blocking the east gate, but the south gate had already been breached; others ran to the south gate to provide support, but the west gate had fallen.

The defending troops were divided into several groups, each fighting their own battles, and none of them could take care of the others.

Zhang Zonghan stood on the command platform in the center of the city, surrounded by shouts of battle and flames soaring into the sky.

He was left with only a few dozen personal guards, all of them pale-faced and trembling.

The lieutenant rushed over, his face covered in blood, his voice trembling: "General! All four gates have fallen! The rebels have already stormed into the city! We can't hold it any longer! Retreat now! It will be too late if we don't!"

Zhang Zonghan remained silent. He stood on the command platform, looking at the surrounding flames and listening to the deafening shouts of battle, his expression calm.

As Wei Yan's trusted general, he had defended Mingzhou for six years, making the city as impregnable as an iron barrel, but unexpectedly it fell overnight.

It wasn't that he defended poorly; it was that the enemy was too strong.

He had never heard of such a tactic before: digging tunnels and blowing up city walls. It was impossible to defend against.

The lieutenant grew anxious and grabbed Zhang Zonghan's arm: "General! Let's go! As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild!"

Zhang Zonghan pushed his hand away and shook his head. "I won't leave. I promised the Prime Minister that I would defend Mingzhou to the death. As long as the city stands, I will live; if the city falls, I will die."

He drew his sword from his waist, examined the cold glint of the blade, then raised his head and bowed three times in the direction of the capital. "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, Zhang Zonghan is incompetent and could not defend Mingzhou. He can only atone with his death."

After saying that, Zhang Zonghan held the sword across his neck and pulled hard.

Blood spurted out, Zhang Zonghan swayed, and collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes still open, staring at the gray sky.

The lieutenant knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably: "General! General!"

The rebel army surged in like a tide; some of the personal guards fled, some surrendered, and some died in battle.

The lieutenant wiped away his tears, picked up Zhang Zonghan's sword, and also committed suicide.

……

The battle ended at daybreak.

The city walls of Mingzhou were now adorned with the banners of the rebel army, their red flags fluttering in the morning breeze.

The city's garrison was either killed, surrendered, or fled; all 50,000 troops were wiped out.

When the rebels entered the city, they still did not loot, kill, or burn.

He Jingyuan issued a death order: anyone who dared to lay a finger on a commoner would be executed without mercy.

The soldiers knocked on doors from house to house, telling the people, "The rebel army has entered the city. We will not disturb you. Just continue with your daily lives and don't be afraid."

At first, the people were afraid to open the door and peered out through the crack.

After observing for a while, I realized that these soldiers were different from the officers and soldiers of the past. They didn't kick down doors, didn't steal things, and spoke to me politely, so I dared to open the door.

An old man opened the door, stood at the entrance, and watched the insurgents marching in neat rows down the street, tears streaming down his face.

He took a young soldier's hand and said, "Son, you are good people! God bless you to win the battle!"

The young soldier smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. We are the people's army and we won't bully the people."

When the news spread, the entire city breathed a sigh of relief.

Some people brought out water to comfort the soldiers, some handed them dry rations, and some stood at the door clapping.

He Jingyuan rode his horse around the streets, looking at everything with a mixture of joy and emotion.

He couldn't help but say to Li Huai'an beside him, "Huai'an, do you see? It's not that the people don't support the army, it's that they don't support the army that bullies them. If we don't bully them, they will treat us like family."

Li Huai'an nodded vigorously, keeping his master's words in mind.

Wei Qilin rode his horse from the east gate and found He Jingyuan. "Brother He, Zhang Zonghan committed suicide. His deputy also committed suicide. Both of them died on the command platform in the center of the city."

He Jingyuan was silent for a while, then sighed, "Zhang Zonghan was a loyal minister, but unfortunately he followed the wrong person. Have them properly buried and erect a monument. Although they were enemies, they were still men of honor."

Wei Qilin nodded and had someone take care of it.

Su Ning also rode his horse into the city.

Seeing the orderly scene on the street, he felt much more at ease.

The expressions on the people's faces changed from fear to curiosity, from curiosity to trust, and from trust to closeness.

Several children chased after the rebel army, laughing as they ran, their silvery laughter echoing through the street.

A little girl with pigtails ran up to Su Ning's horse, looked up at him, and asked in a childish voice, "Are you the general?"

Su Ning dismounted, squatted down, and patted her head with a smile: "I am not a great general, I am someone sent by heaven to protect you."

The little girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, not understanding, but still smiled, revealing two missing front teeth.

Her mother rushed over, picked up the little girl, and bowed and scraped to Su Ning, saying, "General, please forgive me. The child is ignorant and has offended you."

Su Ning waved her hand: "It's alright, it's alright. Children are innocent and carefree, that's a good thing."

Then he took out a piece of candy and handed it to the little girl.

The little girl took it, popped it into her mouth, and smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits.

Seeing this, the last trace of fear in the hearts of the surrounding people dissipated.

Someone started clapping, and the applause grew louder and louder, spreading from one end of the street to the other.

He Jingyuan stood on the city wall, looking at the myriad lights of the city, and let out a long breath.

He turned to his generals and said, "Mingzhou has been captured, and the capital is just ahead. Brothers, give it your all, let's storm the capital, and we'll win!"

The generals responded in unison: "Capture the capital! Capture the capital!"

Cheers echoed from the city walls, carrying far and wide.

...(End of this chapter)