There were bloody battles on the Shuozhou frontier.
The Khitans razed Pianguan County and marched eastward. As expected, they met Yang Zaixing in the lower reaches of the Pianguan River.
When nearly 200,000 Khitan elites encountered a simple stronghold guarded by only more than 20,000 Heshuo guards, how could they be polite
At the command of the three Khitan generals, Yelu Oulisi, Xiao Xiala and Yelu Zuolu, thousands of horses rushed forward, and the gleaming scimitars, like countless rolling waves, rushed towards the Heshuo army that was blocking their way.
The Khitans obviously wanted to use their superior forces to break through this temporary position and then sweep across Shuozhou.
The war was about to break out and it was extremely brutal.
The troops led by Yang Zaixing were all from Shanyang. To be frank, except for Zhu Li's close cavalry, this force was the most powerful and loyal guard in the entire Heshuo area.
With a commander like Yang Zaixing, the fighting power unleashed by this powerful force is simply immeasurable.
This was a famous brave general in history, a heroic man who was shot by several arrows but still fought to his last breath.
In the Battle of Shangqiao, Yang Zaixing died fighting bravely. The Jin army got his body and after burning it, they found as much as two liters of arrowheads, which shows how fierce the battle was.
Although the Heshuo army is small, the soldiers and generals are brave and they are not afraid of a battle.
On the day when the two armies collided, the shouts of killing on the banks of the Pianguan River shook the heavens and reached the sky. In the end, even the river water was dyed red with blood.
The Khitans paid the price of more than 30,000 lives of their soldiers before they destroyed the makeshift position built by Yang Zaixing.
If it were not for Yuchi Jin, who sent someone to order Yang Zaixing to retreat to Pinglu in time, the Yang Zaixing in history would most likely have repeated the tragic scene of his previous life.
Pinglu City is located in the north of Shanyang.
When Yang Zaixing led five or six thousand guards who had escaped death and entered the city, the defenders in the city only numbered about 20,000.
Just one day after the Battle of Pianguan River, the Khitans once again arrived at the city of Pinglu.
At Pianguan River, the Khitans attacked with ten times the force and lost more than 30,000 men in one battle. The casualty ratio reached 2 to 1. The three Khitan commanders were shocked, but also strengthened their determination to overthrow Shuozhou in one fell swoop.
The reason is very simple. If other places in the Central Plains were like Shuozhou, how could they knock on the gates at will in the future
In their perception, people from the Central Plains are like cows in a pen. When there is no milk, they will rush into the pen, forcefully pin the cows down, squeeze out some milk, or even slaughter the cows and stew the meat in a big pot.
If these cows suddenly turned into man-eating tigers one day, how could they get whatever they wanted
Under the city of Pinglu, the Khitans did not hesitate too much and directly ordered their subordinates to build simple siege equipment and attack Pinglu.
Perhaps because they had witnessed Yang Zaixing's bravery, they did not even make a tentative challenge and directly launched a violent attack.
On that day, outside the city of Pinglu, the Khitan warriors formed countless long lines and, under the suppression of the archers' rain of arrows, they fearlessly rushed towards the city of Pinglu.
If someone stands on a high place and looks down at Pinglu, he will find that all he can see are Khitan warriors in leather armor and shaved heads. They hold shining scimitars and simple ladders, and rush towards the small town in the middle with roars.
On the top of the city wall, Yuchi Jin, dressed in silver armor, personally went to the front line.
The scarlet cloak fluttered endlessly, and a phoenix-feather sword that was as hard as snow and frost created a unique scene on the top of the city.
Wherever the silver armor and sword passed, a sea of snow immediately formed around it. The snow sea was continuous, drowning countless Khitan warriors who attacked the city walls, bringing about gusts of bloody rain, and throwing broken limbs into the sky.
Yang Zaixing was equally valiant, with his spear bleeding and his armor armored with raindrops. He alone took care of the defense of the city on the east and north sides, and killed the Khitans for three whole days, but there was no sign of them taking over Pinglu City.
The two generals led the charge, and one of them was the rumored future wife. Their role models inspired the remaining Heshuo troops guarding Pinglu, as well as countless civilians, to fight bravely and forget about life and death.
In the west of the city, in the city defense that Yuchi Jin was in charge of, a militiaman was suddenly knocked out of his hand by a Khitan warrior, and the warrior then took the opportunity to chop off his left arm with a knife.
The man, without even frowning, pounced on the Khitan warrior like a tiger and pinned him down. In desperation, he picked up the broken arm on the ground, used it as a stick, and smashed the Khitan warrior into a bloody mess, killing him to death.
In the north of the city, a butcher with a face full of flesh was blinded by a Khitan warrior's knife. With his face covered in blood, he fiercely dug his eyeballs out of his eye sockets, threw them into his mouth, and swallowed them with a smacking sound.
This horrifying scene frightened the Khitan warrior so much that his legs trembled and his hair stood on end.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the fat butcher swung the butcher knife in his hand, and with just one swing, he blocked the scimitar on the opposite side. He then stretched out his left hand, grabbed the Khitan warrior's neck, lifted him up, and strangled him to death in mid-air.
In the east of the city, there was a disabled old soldier who had only one leg left. Even so, with the help of his comrades, he still climbed to the top of the city wall and faced the Khitan warriors.
The old soldier half-leaned on the battlement, standing on one leg, and boldly drew out his long sword that had not been unsheathed for a long time. If any Khitan warrior dared to approach, he would be beheaded in an instant with a flash of silver light. His movements were clean, neat and sharp.
The sword is still sharp and as fierce as a devil; even though I am disabled, I never forget to defend my country.
Such a good man, such a heroic figure, could not withstand the endless harassment. After killing one, another appeared. Khitan warriors kept pouring onto the top of the city walls, and there kept rushing towards him without knowing the danger. When he was exhausted, he was finally stabbed in the heart by a lucky Khitan warrior.
At the last moment of his life, there was no sadness on the face of the old soldier. Instead, a smile was drawn on his lips, and he murmured, "General, I, Zhu Sandao, died in battle. I have not brought shame to you, and I am worthy of the people of Heshuo!"
Before the sound died down, a cold light appeared and a human head flew rapidly.
The lucky Khitan warrior also did not escape the disaster. When he was dying, Zhu Sandao chopped off his head with one blow. The splattered blood covered Zhu Sandao's head and face. A headless corpse fell woodenly on Zhu Sandao's body.
In this cold rain of blood, in this fight filled with swords and sabers, an old soldier died with a smile on his face.
Perhaps no one knows his name, just like a classic line in later generations: An old soldier does not need others to know his name, it is enough to know the battlefield where he once fought.
... ...
Such tragic and brutal scenes were constantly played out. The Heshuo soldiers and men used their strong will and indomitable fighting spirit to drag the Khitans down to the city of Pinglu.
The battle lasted for three days.
During three days, Yang Zaixing, Yuchi Jin, and countless soldiers from Shanyang paid the price of their blood and lives to buy enough time for the evacuation of the people in Pinglu and Shanyang.
Many soldiers died in battle, not because they were not strong enough or brave enough. There were quite a few strong and brave Heshuo men in Pinglu City, but they eventually died in battle.
Because they were too few in number, they had no chance to move down once they reached the top of the city wall. They did not fall because of the bravery of the Di people, but died from endless exhaustion.
On the last day, Yuchi Jin, the wife recognized by countless ministers in Heshuo, had dark circles under her eyes and was on the verge of collapse. Although she was just a girl, she fought for three days without taking off her clothes or armor, killing countless enemies and being wounded several times.
On that day, when the people of Pinglu, Shanyang, and the surrounding areas had all safely evacuated to Yanmen, Guo Qizuo immediately issued an order to retreat.
Upon receiving the order, Yang Zaixing rushed to the west of the city to support Yuchi Jin's retreat.
But at this moment, from the endless Khitan army formation, a feather arrow shot out as fast as lightning, like a poisonous snake in the dark night, and shot towards Yuchi Jin who turned his head to look at Zaixing.
"No!" Seeing this thrilling scene, Yang Zaixing was furious and cried out in pain.
"Puff"
A sad smile sets off the splattering blood. At this moment, the world is silent and time is still.
Yuchi Jin, who had just received the news of the retreat, had just relaxed his tense mind. The phoenix feather sword in his hand, not yet raised, fell down weakly.
The arrow hit her back as expected. At the moment when she became unconscious, this dazzling female flower looked at Yang Zaixing who had a horrified face. She could no longer keep her body steady and slowly fell backwards.
The red fur coat fluttered, blood splattered, but there was no fear or horror on her face. Instead, there was a hint of attachment that was hard to let go, and a murmur that floated in the air: "You know, silly, I've always wanted to know how you felt during the bloody battle at Wei Bridge?"
"You know, Mu Tou, you spent seven days in Juyong, fighting bloody battles without sleep. I've always wanted to ask you how you managed to survive, but if you don't tell me, I won't ask!"
... ...
"Now, I know, but unfortunately, I can no longer be your..."
Before she finished her whisper, she fell down, leaving behind for all the nearby Heshuo soldiers only her blood-red cloak, which fluttered unwillingly in the wind, as if she was still continuing to express her unfinished murmurs.
At the age of three, I played with swords and guns; at the age of five, I lived by the mountain wind; at the age of twelve, I heard that my father had passed away; at the age of thirteen, I saw you, and you were my lover. I was attracted to you at first sight and have never forgotten you for the rest of my life.
You are a military general, galloping on the battlefield. You lean against the window all year round, feeling sad in spring and autumn. You are far away beside the Wei River, looking towards the south all day long!
I was honored to have you come a thousand miles to visit me, but I did not expect that you were deceived by a treacherous person. Yan and Zhao are still our neighbors, and I resent you for not coming to meet me. Even though your chariots have come to visit me on the plain, how could you ever forget me
There is war again in Youzhou, the general is of high moral character, the Tartar invaders are rampant, the woman is proud of herself, even if she dies, it doesn't matter, it's a pity that she has not yet put on her makeup.