After the Youyan army wiped out the imperial guards around Yanshi, they immediately set up camp and Qiu Yi's men began to dig a tunnel.
Zheng Rong was afraid that bombing the city wall would cause the death and injury of innocent people, so he used a crossbow to shoot a notice into the Yanshi city wall early, saying that the Youyan army would attack the city soon. The people of the city were given three days to leave through the gates of the city wall, and no one would stop them from pursuing.
Zheng Rong was well-known for his benevolence in the Han Dynasty. After receiving the notice, the people of Yanshi immediately packed up their belongings, helped the elderly and children, and in just two days, the once bustling city of Yanshi was turned into a ghost town.
However, the magistrate of Yanshi County still had some integrity. He personally led three or four hundred officers and soldiers in the city to guard the city walls day and night.
Zheng Rong is here.
The eighteen bandits under Qiu Yizhi's command actually didn't really learn the skill of digging tunnels, but fortunately they had 30,000 Youyan troops behind them, some of whom were strong and capable laborers. Therefore, the digging speed was much faster than Shi Dajian.
However, their ability to orient themselves underground was somewhat poor. They had originally planned to dig next to the west gate of the Yanshi city wall, but ended up digging at the foot of the northwest wall. However, it was not a big deal.
So Qiu Yizhi selected dozens of secret and careful soldiers in the army, and carried the 500 kilograms of gunpowder he had prepared in advance to the end of the tunnel. After lighting the fuse himself, he ran to the tunnel exit desperately, fearing that the tunnel would collapse and bury him alive.
Unexpectedly, after Qiu Yizi came out of the tunnel, a long time passed, but the gunpowder under Yanshi did not explode.
Just when Qiu Yizi thought that the fire had failed to be ignited and was about to return to the cave to check again, he suddenly saw a cloud of dust rising under the Yanshi City, followed by a shaking underground and a deafening noise.
This commotion was much more earth-shattering than when half of the Jianchun Gate was blown up in the capital. Even someone as prepared as Qiu Yizi was startled and crawled on the ground in panic subconsciously.
The other soldiers who saw such a scene for the first time were even more at a loss. They also hurriedly followed Qiu Yizi's example and lay on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.
Following closely were the countless broken bricks and rocks that were blown up into the sky by the gunpowder. They were hit into the sky by the huge power generated by the gunpowder explosion, and then fell in all directions without any rules. Many of them flew into the Youyan army formation, smashing more than a dozen officers and soldiers, causing them to bleed.
Qiu Yiziyuan never expected that five hundred kilograms of gunpowder would have such power. Even though he was extremely brave, it took him a long time to get up from the ground in shock and carefully observe Yanshi's situation.
It turns out that for gunpowder to explode, in addition to the accurate formula and sufficient amount of gunpowder, it is best to have a sealed environment when detonating. When Qiu Yi used gunpowder to blow up Jianchun Gate, although the gunpowder was tightly wrapped with linen, the explosion occurred in an open area; today, it was detonated in a tunnel with extremely good sealing, so the power is of course a world of difference.
Qiu Yizi had no idea the scientific reason behind this. It was just a coincidence. However, he came to the conclusion that the gunpowder must be detonated in the tunnel to exert its maximum power.
Just as Qiu Yizi was carefully observing Yanshi's situation, it started to rain at an opportune moment.
At first it was just a drizzle, but later the rain became heavier and heavier, like a continuous autumn rain.
It was this rain that gradually washed away the dust and pungent sulfur smell in the air. The Youyan soldiers who were crawling on the ground motionless could not stand the chill brought by the rain, so they stood up slowly and cautiously to observe the situation in front of them.
Zheng Rong was of noble status, and what mattered to him was that he could remain calm even when faced with a catastrophe; as he was about to ascend the throne and become emperor, he became even more cunning; and his trusted guards used the large shields of the arrow camp to protect him from falling rocks - so he stood there calmly, looking very calm.
Qiu Yizi didn't have that kind of temperament. Seeing the smoke and dust in front of Yanshi City gradually settled, he hurriedly wiped off the dust and mud on his body, then ran to Zheng Rong and reported: "Foster father, the wall of Yanshi City has indeed collapsed. It was caused by the explosion of gunpowder!"
Zheng Rong deliberately suppressed his excitement, nodded calmly, and said: "I have seen it. You should send an order to Cui Nan and Zheng Sen to lead 10,000 soldiers each to break into the city through the gap in the city wall and occupy Yanshi. Also, do not harass the civilians. Those who violate the order will be executed immediately!"
The Yanshi defenders had little confidence in holding the city under the siege of the Youyan army, and were frightened by the sudden and huge movement. How could they have the energy to organize a defense? When they saw the Youyan cavalry and infantry pouring in from the gaps in the city wall, they had already given up the idea of resisting. They threw down their weapons and gave up resistance without firing a single arrow.
When the magistrate of Yanshi County saw that the city had been breached, he went straight to the back hall of the county government office and hanged himself.
Zheng Rong usually liked honest officials and tough men the most. When he saw that the Yanshi County magistrate had such integrity, he secretly admired him in his heart. He ordered generous pensions to be provided to the county magistrate's widow and her family, and rewarded them with a large amount of gold and silver.
After briefly dealing with the affairs of Yanshi, Zheng Rong could not wait to go to the gap in the Yanshi city wall and carefully observe the gunpowder bombardment.
The gunpowder explosion was indeed extremely powerful. An entire corner of the Yanshi city wall was blown away, leaving a large gap that could accommodate more than ten people abreast. The bricks, tiles and wood that were originally used to build the city wall were all blown into ashes and rubble that were scattered all over the ground in a disorderly manner.
Zheng Rong then asked Zhongli Kuang, "Sir, do you think the gunpowder that Yizhi is equipped with can destroy the walls of Luoyang?"
Zhongli Kuang had seen the power of gunpowder, but the energy generated by the explosion of 500 kilograms of gunpowder underground today still deeply shocked him.
Zhongli Kuang listened to Zheng Rong's question, thought for a moment and said, "I have also skimmed through some of the classics of the Tianzun Sect. The people of the Western Regions rarely fought in the field, but they focused on taking every step carefully and building fortresses. Therefore, they must be proficient in the methods of building walls and cities. In this case, the Western Regions people attacked the strong city walls without ladders but relied on gunpowder. Therefore, it seems that gunpowder siege is also a feasible strategy."
Zhongli Kuang's ability to reason from the side was unmatched. Zheng Rong nodded repeatedly and gave the order: "Zheng Xin and Wei Hu will lead 10,000 troops to garrison Tongguan and control the military and political affairs of Youyan and Henan. They must ensure that food and grass are supplied on time and in sufficient quantities; Zheng Sen, Zheng Miao, and Cui Nan will each lead 20,000 troops to sweep the government troops near Luoyang and block Dasan Pass to prevent troops from all over the country from entering the pass; I will lead 30,000 troops to attack Luoyang together with Mr. Zhongli and Qiu Yi!"
The messenger beside Zheng Rong listened to the order and repeated it again with his fingers, and it was exactly the same. Zheng Rong was very happy and asked him to go and deliver the order immediately.
Qiu Yizi then said, "Father, can you also issue an order to say that the wall of Yanshi was collapsed by thunder? This will help to deceive people and also prove that Father is the one chosen by heaven!"
Zheng Rong was eager to become the emperor, and Qiu Yizi's flattery was just right, which made him smile immediately. He praised him rarely, "Qiu Yizi has many ideas to save you. Okay, I'll do as you say, and let the people below spread the rumor."
The Youyan army was divided into four routes to sweep the nearby area.
Following the instructions of his father King Zheng Rong, Zheng Miao bypassed the capital Luoyang and fought all the way to Dasan Pass west of Luoyang, but he did not attack the city gate and only lined up behind the pass.
The troops from Shanxi, Shaanxi, Bashu and other places who received the order from Emperor Zheng Yao and planned to enter Luoyang through Dasan Pass to defend the emperor were all local military governors. Their combat effectiveness was weak to begin with. If they could rely on the strong city fortresses and hide in the fortresses, perhaps the Youyan army would have no good way to deal with them. However, these local military governors were forced to go out of the pass to challenge the Youyan army led by Zheng Miao.
Zheng Miao's use of troops was much like his father's. He emphasized being upright and steady, and he also made adequate preparations, fighting a battle in which he was well-rested and waited for the enemy to tire themselves out.
Therefore, after the two armies fought, Zheng Miao did not let the Jiedushi army see even the slightest hope of winning, and drove them back to Dasan Pass without any effort.
As a result, although Dasan Pass was still nominally under the control of the court, it had been completely blocked. In addition, with Tong Pass guarded by Zheng Xin, the entire Kinki Province had been blocked from both ends by the Youyan army, becoming a dead zone.
As for the imperial guards in the capital, they had suffered a great defeat in Henan and had Tongguan taken in one day. They had become like a frightened bird - they were immediately defeated when they came into contact with the Youyan army. Zheng Sen, Cui Nan and others didn't even have a chance to encircle and annihilate them.
However, the two gates of Jinji were firmly guarded by the King of Youyan, and the imperial army had no choice but to move closer to Luoyang for warmth. However, Emperor Zheng Yao had already ordered that all troops outside the city could not enter Luoyang and could only camp outside the city.
Luoyang City was built on the vast Guanzhong Plain, and except for a few small hills, there were endless fields nearby, so there was really no place to defend. Therefore, the defeated imperial army could only set up a large camp at the Pingchang Gate on the south wall of Luoyang.
So Zheng Rong found the right opportunity and commanded Zheng Sen and Cui Nan to attack the camp from the east and west. He then personally led the army to assault the front and launched an attack while the imperial guards were not yet stable in their camp.
The morale of the Youyan army was high, while that of the imperial army was low. As one side gained strength while the other lost, the imperial army had no power to fight back, so they withdrew from the camp that the Ministry of War had painstakingly built, and all retreated to the gate of Pingchang, waiting to enter the city.
During the great battle, Emperor Zheng Yao was watching the battle on the city wall. He was afraid that if the city gates were opened, the Youyan army would follow the defeated soldiers into the capital. So he issued a strict order that the gates should not be opened to let any soldiers enter the city. He only ordered the soldiers guarding the city wall to shoot at the Youyan army as a cover.
In this case, if the imperial guards outside the city continued to wait outside the Pingchang Gate, they would be "waiting to die", and if they turned around to fight against the Youyan army, they would be "seeking death". They had really reached the end of the road and were in a situation where they had to sit and wait to die.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Youyan army stopped the attack, and instead retreated a few steps, calmly forming a formation about a hundred steps in front of the frightened imperial guards.
But a general wearing golden armor and red robes, riding a Ferghana horse, was seen walking out of the battle slowly under the protection of elite warriors. He coughed twice and said loudly, "I am Zheng Rong, the King of Youyan!"
As soon as Zheng Rong said this, the battlefield, which was filled with shouts and screams just now, suddenly became quiet. Nearly 100,000 troops from both sides on the battlefield held their breath and listened to him.
Zheng Rong continued, "I am the son of the late emperor and the brother of the great emperor. It is only because Zheng Yao committed treason and usurped the throne that I had no choice but to send troops to suppress the rebellion. I am not a bloodthirsty person. You, the imperial guards, are all the people of the Han Dynasty. How can I bear to kill you? I will naturally accept those who abandon darkness and join the light; I will not stop those who return home to farm; if there are those who are stubborn, I will let them go. I will withdraw the army one mile now, and let you think twice. If there are still those who resist stubbornly at noon tomorrow, don't blame me for destroying you all!"
After saying this, Zheng Rong turned his horse around and returned to the Youyan army.
As Zheng Rong said, the Youyan army slowly retreated. (To be continued)