Chapter 13

Chunhua County is not far from Jingzhao City, just a day's journey away.

Although Chen Qing was brave, it did not mean he was reckless. He was very clear that even 1,500 men might not be enough to capture Jingzhao City, let alone the 500 soldiers he had now. Rushing in would only result in being swallowed whole.

He needed to find an opportunity to strike. If the conditions were not favorable, he must decisively abandon the operation.

Jingzhao City is the Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty. After the great disasters at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the wars of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, today's Chang'an has long lost its former glory. Countless magnificent palaces have vanished in the brutal wars.

After a century of rest and commercial development under the Northern Song Dynasty, the Guanzhong Plain had once again become a land of abundant treasures and prosperity. However, the repeated invasions, massacres, and plundering by the Jin troops resulted in the deaths of nearly a million people. The Guanzhong region was filled with famine and corpses, and wild dogs roamed the fields in packs.

At night, the 500 soldiers rested in a forest about ten miles from Jingzhao City. The tragic scenes along the way made the soldiers very silent. No one spoke; each silently gnawed on dry cakes.

"Everyone, listen to me!"

Chen Qing stood on a large rock, and the 500 soldiers gathered around.

"Our goal in going to Jingzhao City is to kill Wanyan Lou Shi. This is an opportunity, but it is very risky. We may not return, including me. So I want to give you a choice. If you have parents, wives, and children at home, or if you have other concerns, you can leave now. I will not force you!"

All the soldiers were silent. After a moment, one soldier asked, "General, is there any hope of killing Wanyan Lou Shi?"

"There is a thirty percent chance, but we will have to face his 1,000 guards. This will be a battle to the death, and we may all be wiped out. However, we might also kill Wanyan Lou Shi. So I am giving you a choice. If you are willing to follow me, we will face life and death together."

...

Chen Qing stood at the edge of the forest, gazing into the distance. In the night, the outline of Jingzhao City could be faintly seen, like a gray-black dragon lying on the plain.

Deputy General Yang Yuanqing walked up to Chen Qing and said solemnly, "All the men are willing to follow the general, even if it means dying on the battlefield!"

The result was unexpected. Chen Qing had thought that at least thirty percent of the soldiers would leave.

"Why?" Chen Qing asked in confusion.

"Because the general's target is Wanyan Lou Shi. He is the main commander of the Jin troops who invaded Shaanxi multiple times, massacring countless innocent civilians. Almost all the soldiers have lost family members to him. The men are willing to follow the general because of the deep hatred for the loss of their country and families. They want to fight Wanyan Lou Shi and his guards to the death."

"Killing Wanyan Lou Shi is my highest goal, but it is not the only one!"

Chen Qing pondered for a moment and explained to Yang Yuanqing, "I have divided this mission into three levels. The lowest level is to destroy the enemy's food and supplies, making it difficult for the western Jin troops to advance.

The middle level is to completely annihilate the puppet Qi army and destroy their food and supplies, creating the illusion that Jingzhao City has been captured, forcing the western Jin troops to retreat.

The highest level, of course, is to kill Wanyan Lou Shi. It is not impossible, but it will be very difficult. I believe that even if we achieve the lowest goal, the results will still be glorious. I cannot explain this in detail to the soldiers, but I hope you understand!"

Yang Yuanqing nodded, "The general is right. We still need to be down-to-earth and take it step by step!"

At this moment, two cavalrymen galloped in from the distance. The scouts who had gone to gather information had returned.

The two scouts saw Chen Qing, dismounted, and led their horses forward, saying, "General, the situation is confirmed. The Upper East Gate has not been rebuilt; it is only blocked with sandbags!"

Lu Yuhou had told them that the Upper East Gate was destroyed when the Jin troops attacked Jingzhao City and had not been rebuilt when they left the city yesterday.

This was undoubtedly crucial information that would solve their problem of entering the city.

Another scout said, "General, there is another important piece of information. On our way back, we discovered a group of famine-stricken people, numbering about ten thousand."

Chen Qing's eyes lit up. This news seemed to open a window for him, showing him an opportunity. It was as if heaven was helping him!

...

The ten thousand famine-stricken people had fled from Tongzhou. Five thousand puppet Qi troops had invaded Guanzhong and stayed in Tongzhou. They did not bring any supplies and looted the people's food, not only taking food but also killing, robbing, and raping. Tens of thousands of people fled Tongzhou, seeking refuge in Jingzhao.

After several days of travel, the ten thousand people, carrying the elderly and children, finally reached Jingzhao. However, Jingzhao was also in ruins, with famine and death everywhere, plunging these Tongzhou people into despair.

The cold wind blew through the fields, and light rain fell. The ten thousand famine-stricken people gathered together, including many elderly, women, and children, as well as many young men. They had eaten all the roots and bark they could find along the way. They were ragged, cold, and hungry, and their cries shook the sky.

More than seven thousand young men gathered together, and a Song army general stood among them, raising his arms and shouting, "We all have parents, wives, and children. We have no food, no clothes, and are cold and hungry. Can we watch them starve and freeze to death? We cannot! We must not let our parents, wives, and children starve to death!"

"No!" The thousands of famine-stricken people raised their arms and shouted angrily, the pent-up anger of the past few days bursting forth.

This general was Chen Qing. He had gathered all the young men and personally rallied them to join the fight.

"Everyone, listen to me!"

Chen Qing raised his hands and shouted with passion, "There are tens of thousands of stones of grain and millions of bolts of cloth in Jingzhao City, but only two or three thousand soldiers guarding it. This is an opportunity given to us by heaven. I am Chen Qing of the Eighth Route Army. I am willing to lead you to seize the grain and cloth. We are all sons of the Song Dynasty. Even if we die in battle, we will not let our parents, wives, and children starve to death. If you want food and clothes, follow me!"

"We want food! We want clothes! We want to live!" The seven thousand young men were extremely excited and raised their arms to shout.

In despair, the famine-stricken people had put their lives on the line. The four thousand famine-stricken people followed Chen Qing's 500 soldiers to the eastern city, with the seven thousand young men leading the way. They carried wooden sticks, hoes, and some even had spears and pitchforks, forming a massive and powerful tide.

The three thousand guards in the city gathered at the Upper East Gate. General Yang Han urgently sent someone to report to Wanyan Lou Shi. Wanyan Lou Shi was staying in the former residence of Prince Wei Zhao Tingmei, located in the Tang Dynasty's Taiji Palace. The residence covered hundreds of acres and was guarded by a thousand Jurchen soldiers.

The city's defenses were temporarily weak. Originally, there were six thousand Jurchen soldiers guarding the city, but due to the rebellion of the Song troops who had surrendered in Shangluo County, Wanyan Lou Shi sent General Wanyan Mutuo with five thousand troops to suppress the rebellion. To maintain order, he also brought in five thousand puppet Qi troops from Tongzhou.

Wanyan Lou Shi never expected that sending two thousand puppet Qi troops to accept the surrender of the Song troops in Chunhua County would lead to a disaster.

Wanyan Lou Shi, dressed in armor, stood on the steps and shouted sternly, "Tell Yang Han not to hesitate. Be ruthless. Kill everyone, regardless of age or gender. If they dare to enter the city to seize food, it is their own fault!"

Despite his severe illness, Wanyan Lou Shi was still full of killing intent, his voice booming and his eyes fierce, making people tremble with fear.

"Guard the warehouses carefully. If the grain is seized, I will have you all flayed and stuffed with straw!"

The soldier was terrified and hurriedly agreed, then ran off.

The guard Yin Muya whispered, "General, these Han troops have poor discipline and low combat effectiveness. I am worried they cannot stop the famine-stricken people. I suggest I lead the troops to defend the warehouses!"

Wanyan Lou Shi waved his hand, "Not yet. Let's see how the situation develops. They are soldiers, after all. If they cannot stop a few thousand famine-stricken people, they should all commit suicide!"

Although Wanyan Lou Shi said this, he was still a bit worried and sent two soldiers to check the situation...

It was already dark. Outside the Upper East Gate, the famine-stricken people stood densely packed, holding thousands of torches. In the darkness, their eyes burned with anger, and they held hoes, pitchforks, and wooden sticks. Although the gate was damaged, the drawbridge was raised, preventing the famine-stricken people from rushing in.

On the city walls, a thousand puppet Qi soldiers stood with bows and spears, ready for battle.

The three thousand puppet Qi soldiers were deployed in three areas: a thousand on the city walls, a thousand on the main street inside the gate, and a thousand defending the warehouses.

The warehouses were the former Chang'an East Market, about a mile from the Upper East Gate. They were surrounded by high walls, covering a thousand acres, forming a city within a city.

Inside the warehouses, a thousand soldiers were also on high alert. The commander suddenly noticed that not only were the famine-stricken people threatening the warehouses, but the city's residents were also becoming restless.

What shocked him even more was that his own soldiers were also eyeing the money in the warehouses...

"Charge!"

Someone shouted, and the thousands of young men among the famine-stricken people outside the Upper East Gate launched an attack. In the darkness, the crowd surged forward, and countless people ran forward, jumping into the moat and swimming toward the gate.

"Fire!"

Arrows rained down from the city walls, striking the running famine-stricken people. People screamed and fell, but the arrows did not deter them. They ran forward, determined to fight or die, rather than starve to death.

At this moment, chaos erupted on the city walls. Chen Qing led his 500 soldiers to attack. The three thousand guards had gathered at the Upper East Gate, leaving other gates unguarded. Chen Qing led his troops into the city through the Lower East Gate, a mile to the south, and attacked along the city walls.

Chen Qing led the charge, wielding a large iron spear, moving like a tiger among sheep, leaving a trail of blood and bodies in his wake.

The 500 Song soldiers were highly motivated, fighting fiercely, causing the puppet Qi soldiers to cry out in fear and scatter...