GBP Chapter 470 Rebuilding Shizhou
Chapter 470 Rebuilding Shizhou
Just the night before, Han Ziqing fought a bloody battle outside the South Gate and finally managed to gain a foothold under the fierce attack of the enemy.
The battlefield was in a mess at this time, filled with smoke, and the pungent smell of blood mixed with the smell of dust made people feel nauseous.
Han Ziqing looked at the soldiers around him who were exhausted but still holding on, and his heart was full of worry.
After some difficult investigation, he learned that the reinforcements were only 50,000 people, and there would be no more reinforcements coming.
This news hit Han Ziqing like a hammer, hitting him hard. He knew that with the current military strength and situation, defending Shizhou City to the death was meaningless and would only sacrifice more lives in vain.
So he called a clever and loyal soldier and whispered seriously, "You must carefully pass through the heavy defenses, enter the city to find Lord Qiao, and tell him the news here truthfully."
The soldier nodded solemnly, his eyes revealing determination and resolve.
The soldier crouched down and, under the cover of night, moved back and forth between the enemy lines like a ghost.
His heart was in his throat and he took every step carefully, fearing that any noise would attract the enemy's attention.
Finally, he successfully passed through the numerous defense lines and arrived in Shizhou City.
He panted slightly and whispered, "Sir, General Han asked me to inform you that our reinforcements are limited and there will be no follow-up support. Governor Du wants us to make a choice."
Qiao Mang frowned slightly, and a hint of worry flashed in his deep eyes.
He pondered for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
The Shizhou City that he had guarded for many days was now riddled with holes. If he continued to hold on, he might only end up with the annihilation of his entire army.
He said slowly, "Since Governor Du has given us a choice, we should withdraw from the south gate and then gather in Pingyang. Even if the Xiongnu march south, they will split up their forces, so we will still be able to fight in Pingyang."
Qiao Mang knew in his heart that defending Shizhou City to the death might not be beneficial, and the people sent by Du Ziqing must be there to help them out of the city.
Now that the people have left the city, their best option is to leave.
As the saying goes, if you have the green mountains, you will never worry about firewood. Only by going to Pingyang Prefecture can we have the opportunity to prepare for the counterattack in the future.
That night, the moonlight was as bright as water, and the cold moonlight sprinkled on this war-torn city, as if covering it with a layer of silver gauze, but it could not hide the devastation.
Qiao Mang, Han Ziqing and others commanded the soldiers to bury the weapons that could not be moved in the cellar on the spot.
The soldiers silently carried out orders, their faces filled with fatigue and reluctance, but more of an expectation for the future.
Afterwards, they took the remaining 50,000 people and quietly left the city from the south gate overnight under the cover of night.
The team moved forward slowly in the darkness, everyone tried to keep their footsteps as low as possible, with only the occasional sound of horse hooves and the clash of weapons breaking the silence of the night.
They didn't stop until they reached Zhongyang Town.
Qiao Mang met Wang Biqing here and asked solemnly, "Did the governor give any specific instructions?"
"No, they just said you can make your own arrangements, whether you go to Jinyang or Pingyang."
Wang Biqing said calmly, with a hint of composure on her face, as if everything was under control.
"Since that's the case, most of the people in my city have gone to Pingyang, and I can't just abandon them."
Qiao Mang had made such an arrangement with Du Ziqing and had a plan in mind, so he could only tell Wang Biqing this.
In fact, he still had concerns about the people in his heart, and he could not bear to see them isolated and helpless in Pingyang.
When Ren Chaohui heard that Qiao Mang was going to Pingyang, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy.
After all, they had an army of 60,000 people, plus the defenders of Pingyang City, which was very effective in resisting the Hun army heading south.
His expression of joy was beyond words, and he said with a smile, "In that case, on behalf of the garrison commander, I will welcome the soldiers and civilians of Shizhou."
Seeing that Qiao Mang had made his decision, Wang Biqing stood up and said goodbye.
But Ren Chaohui was left behind by Qiao Mang.
Qiao Mang looked at Ren Chaohui with a serious expression and said earnestly, "The reason we suffered a loss this time was mainly due to our lack of weapons. Otherwise, how could Shizhou City be captured so easily by the enemy?"
Upon hearing this, the Shizhou generals present lowered their heads in annoyance, their hearts filled with self-blame and unwillingness.
When they thought of the power of the enemy's advanced weapons on the battlefield, their hearts ached.
Ren Chaohui also had a deep understanding of this. This time, the weapons seized from Guo Yaoshi gave him an advantage. In the battle with Zhang Xuegeng, they were able to win easily. It must be said that the Tiger Barrel Cannon was really good.
He frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Master Qiao, only the Jinyang Wang family has such weapons in Bingzhou. The imperial court didn't equip us with the standard ones. Now we are also considered high-ranking officials of the court, you see..."
After hearing Ren Chaohui's words, Qiao Mang also had some insights in his heart. He laughed at himself and said, "We will hurry on our journey tomorrow. When we get to Pingyang, we will report to the court. With such weapons, it won't be difficult to defend Pingyang City."
A glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. As long as he had equal weapons, he believed that he would be able to defeat the Hun army and avenge his previous humiliation.
On the other hand, Gulizar didn't expect that all the people in Shizhou City would run away the next day, and they took the city easily.
He limped through the city, looking at the empty streets and broken city walls, his heart filled with anger and helplessness.
Unfortunately, all they got was an empty city with no one in it and the city walls were broken.
As for the food, even if we collected it, it would not be enough to support the army for a day. He turned around angrily and said to the generals around him: "Tell me, what can we do with such a city?"
Gulizar injured his leg, but at this moment he felt very uncomfortable. His expectations were dashed, making him furious.
Seeing that Zuo Xian Wang was very angry, Xiao Ran rolled his eyes and offered a suggestion: "Jinyang is the most important city in Bingzhou, and there are many counties and villages around it. I think this time the army should go directly to Jinyang. It doesn't necessarily need to capture the city. It would be good to collect some food."
He thought to himself that if he could successfully plunder the area around Jinyang, he would not only be able to replenish supplies, but he would also be able to make a great contribution.
Upon hearing this, Yu Wenhua took a deep breath. He didn't want to say much, but when he heard Xiao Ran say this, he felt that this was simply a way to death.
So he said to Gulizar, "Although Shizhou City is in ruins and has few people, the resources here should still be there. We should first transport the various resources here, or sell them locally."
Yu Wenhua knew that blindly attacking Jinyang would be too risky, so it would be better to consolidate the resources of Shizhou City first.
When Gulizar heard Yuwenhua say this, he quickly asked, "What does Lord Yuwen mean?"
He was somewhat confused and did not understand Yu Wenhua's true intentions.
"Actually, when we first captured Shizhou City, Chanyu Dun should have established his capital here. However, it's so dilapidated that it's useless here. Zuo Xianwang can rebuild it."
Yu Wenhua explained slowly, a hint of planning in his eyes.
Xiao Ran is Yelu Qing's deputy general, and his status is comparable to Gulizar. This time he came to help capture Shizhou City, so it is natural that Yelu Qing should be the one to make the decision.
When he saw Yu Wenhua come forward to talk about this matter and let Gulizar make the decision, his face suddenly turned ugly.
He snorted coldly and said, "Zuo Xian Wang, we are the Western Route Army, and our chief is Yelu Qing. Since we intend to rebuild Shizhou, shouldn't we send a message to the chief?"
The Huns respected the strong and did not have a strict hierarchy. However, when they formed an alliance, they made it very clear that during a war, all decisions made by the army had to be reported one by one and only action could be taken after approval.
After hearing what Xiao Ran said, Gulizar frowned slightly, feeling a little hesitant, not knowing how to make a decision.