The rumbling sound of horse hooves never stopped. Shi Yanchao led his troops in pursuit of the defeated soldiers without stopping.
He turned to look at his own troops, and they were in great disorder. Although there were only two thousand cavalry, they had just defeated the enemy and were in pursuit, so it was impossible for the army to maintain its formation. Everyone rode their horses to follow the crowd and the horses looked like a chaotic army.
However, Shi Yanchao did not care, and the various tribes on the left and right generally followed their respective generals.
He couldn't stop because he felt so happy. Nothing could be more exciting than breaking through the enemy lines with overwhelming force and galloping freely.
Shi Yanchao was unusually tall and strong, obviously bigger than an average person, and very heavy, but the Qianlixue he won from Guo Shao was very useful. This tall and strong horse was very powerful, and it could gallop without restraint when carrying him.
The horse's speed extended Shi Yanchao's strength and freedom.
By noon, the Zhou army's vanguard had rushed to the gates of Yunzhou. Most of the rebels had already retreated from the city gates, and some of them were still lined up outside the city.
Infantry phalanxes don't pose much of a threat to cavalry, but it's always been difficult to deal with them.
Shi Yanchao led his troops to patrol the periphery for a while, and his subordinate said: The enemy's morale is unstable, we can try to reorganize the army.
Another general said calmly: "Dong Zunhui's troops have been left behind by us and will not be able to catch up for a while. Yunzhou will be captured sooner or later. General Shi does not need to take any risks."
The general who just spoke meant that Shi Yanchao's military merits were indeed of little use. Shi Yanchao was already the commander of the Palace Guards, and the only person with a higher status than him in the general circle was Li Chuyun. Li Chuyun's daughter was also a concubine, and her merits and status were no lower than Shi Yanchao's. No matter how many military merits Shi Yanchao had, it would be difficult for him to surpass Li Chuyun.
According to the rules of the officialdom, working hard for merit in this situation would not do Shi Yanchao much good; the wise thing to do would be to defeat Li Chuyun, and then he could move up to the next level.
"Hum!" Shi Yanchao snorted through his nose and said nothing more.
Although Shi Yanchao is a reckless man, he is not someone that everyone can understand. He also likes high positions and prestige because he can enjoy the recognition and admiration of the world. He cares about the pursuit of war ability itself and his passion for the limit.
As for using conspiracy and trickery to take down competitors, he despised it and thought it was a complete blasphemy against the use of force.
Shi Yanchao shouted, "Follow the command sequence and attack the rebels from left to right."
Shi Yanchao raised his iron spear high, called on the heavy cavalry to follow his banner, led the army around to the left wing, and then launched an attack. Jogging, controlling the speed, accelerating, Shi Yanchao grabbed the iron spear, and the whole process was skillful and swift.
Arrows were shot from the enemy camp one after another, and the front line used spears to resist the enemy. The rebels were also experienced in battle formations. However, the thrown arrows did not pose much threat to the heavy cavalry. Only when they were unlucky and happened to injure the horse's leg would someone lose their offensive power.
The arrows fell on the armor like hail, and Shi Yanchao shouted at the right time: Kill!
Twenty steps, the heavy cavalry flew out with the speed of a sprinting horse and the power of a fierce throw. Many people fell in front of the enemy formation, and the roaring heavy cavalry took the opportunity to rush in front of them. Immediately, the rebels turned around and ran away, throwing away their spears and turning around to escape.
In an instant, the enemy camp was in chaos.
The Zhou army cavalry easily penetrated the rebel camp and approached the city gate. At this time, the drawbridge of the city gate had not been raised yet, the city gate was wide open, and many defeated soldiers rushed in.
The general shouted: Marshal, let's charge over and seize the Moon City Gate.
Shi Yanchao observed for a while and realized that if they rushed through the city wall, they would only occupy the gate. If they rushed in, they would become a living target trapped in the city wall. The cavalry he led did not like to attack the city wall.
Retreat and accept the surrender, and wait for the rear army to transport the cannons up, and then blow the bastards to death, Shi Yanchao said bluntly.
The real reason why he made the decision so quickly was simple: he didn't like being confined in the cramped space of a doorway.
Li Yun returned to the central military camp in the city and knew in his heart: It's over.
The fighting power of the Zhaoyi Army was not even 10% exerted. He also had no way to make the soldiers fight for their lives. Unless the first battle against Shi Yanchao could be won, and the soldiers gradually had some hope, otherwise even gods could not do anything, and severe punishment for killing people would not have any effect.
A young general came running in, knelt on one knee and clasped his fists, saying that the imperial army had not attacked the city and had retreated.
Li Yun waved his hand and thought: It's only temporary.
A general said: My lord, we should immediately improve the city defenses, now we can only defend the city.
Li Yun looked around and wondered who to send to defend each city. The troops defending the city were scattered, so he could only divide the military power. At this time, there was an obvious risk: someone would surrender the city.
The defeat was already certain, and surrendering the city could atone for their sins, which was the best option for the generals.
The skin on Li Yun's face was almost wrinkled, and she didn't know who she could trust and who she couldn't.
Perhaps, everyone was trustworthy, or at least reliable brothers, and the words of sharing happiness and hardships were ringing in our ears. At that time, everyone was not getting together insincerely, but was indeed sincere.
However, when it comes to such a time when they are surrounded by enemies, who would not think twice? Even a warrior who doesn't use his heart would find it difficult to take their place. There may be some stubborn people who put loyalty first, but Li Yun has no moral reason to say that he is repaying Guo Wei's kindness, but that is his personal kindness, what does it have to do with others
As for restoring the Zhou Dynasty and expelling the usurper, no one believed that. What everyone believed was that Li Yun wanted to be the emperor.
That's all
Li Yun appointed several generals to take charge of the defense of the four gates. He felt that the situation was hopeless.
Without discussing military affairs, Li Yun retreated to the second hall, dismissed his attendants, and began to think about his afterlife. The options before him were either to commit suicide or to be caught and sentenced to death.
The way the city was broken was probably because someone surrendered because they could not stand the hard battle. Li Yun was going to go home tonight and say goodbye to his family.
At this moment, a voice said: My lord, there is military intelligence to report.
Li Yun turned his head and saw that it was a young general of his personal guard, and said: Report it.
The young general came in with a roll of paper in his hands, and Li Yun was about to take it. Suddenly, the man rushed over and stabbed Li Yun with something in his hand.
Li Yun was caught off guard and subconsciously pushed the young general on the left chest. The young general had already thrust a dagger into Li Yun's heart from the side of his body.
Li Yun was a man who lived life on the edge of a knife, but when the cold iron pierced his flesh, he was filled with fear. Most of his strength disappeared immediately, and soon he felt that his limbs were no longer under his control.
He stared at the humble young general in front of him with wide eyes.
The young general trembled and said: I'm sorry, lord, I borrow your head to ask for wealth and honor
Li Yun fell in a pool of blood with his eyes open.
At this time, the personal guards outside heard the noise and ran over to see what was happening. They stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
The young general also stood there for a long time, his face pale and his body trembling. But soon he thought of what he was going to do, pulled out the saber from Li Yun's body, and went up to saw off Li Yun's head. His head and face were covered with blood.
Not long after, a group of military generals heard the news and walked into the second hall of the headquarters and saw the scene in front of them.
The young general said: Yunzhou is hopeless. If things continue like this, we will all die. Bring your lord's head and surrender. Brothers, please give us a chance to live.
The generals looked at each other, but when they saw that Li Yun's head had been removed, their awe disappeared. Soon someone said: "It has come to this, the general is dead, and there is no point in fighting any further. What do you think, brothers?"
No one objected, and more and more people agreed.
The general who was speaking heaved a sigh of relief, pointed at the young general and asked: Who does he belong to
One of the generals frowned and said: "The personal soldier is originally my subordinate, but I didn't ask him to do this. I don't even know this guy well."
This is true
No falsehood.
Immediately, a general waved his hand and called in a group of soldiers in armor and sharp weapons, and then said: These people are disrespectful, all of them should be killed!
The chaotic soldiers immediately rushed forward with long weapons and screams were heard everywhere.
The young general holding Li Yun's head said anxiously: Spare my life, spare my life, General, you can't take all the wealth for yourself, can't you take the big head
A general said coldly: You are not qualified yet.
The generals killed everyone in the house and picked up Li Yun's head. They sat down in the smelly house while a group of soldiers pulled the body out. The floor tiles and door threshold were all covered in blood.
The group of generals discussed for a long time, then called Li Yun's staff, asked them to write a letter of surrender, and then sent them out of the city to find the general of Zhou army to discuss the surrender.
During this period, there was a little dispute because no decision could be made. Some people said that the Zhou army could accept the surrender however they wanted, because Yunzhou could not be defended, and they should be careful not to anger the Zhou army.
Some people also insisted that they would not surrender until the emperor issued an order.
The general who insisted on getting the imperial edict said: The man outside the city is Shi Yanchao, he is just a warrior, he can do anything at the snap of his mind, he can't be trusted. If we put down our weapons and wait for death, it will be a miserable death, it is better to resist to the end and gain a reputation of loyalty. The current emperor is different, people say he has a woman's kindness and will not kill indiscriminately. Isn't the current reign title Xuanren? If there is an imperial edict, at least our lives will be saved.
Finally, the aide Zhong Li said: I think it is a safe and reliable way to let the emperor accept surrender.
When the generals heard this, most of them preferred the second method. Usually, the generals looked down on these literati who made a living by talking, but they still thought that they had more knowledge and better brains.
After everyone discussed it, they recommended Zhongli to go out of the city to deliver the surrender letter. Zhongli looked unhappy and said: "I want to predict the good and bad luck first."
What the hell, if you don't go, I'll chop you up with a knife, and see if you can predict the bloody disaster.