jdhmnovel Chapter 1355 Three Years (Part 3)
Chapter 1355 Three Years (Part 3)
"The ship is back! It's the Marshal's ship!"
The moment the Quanzhou Port garrison spotted the Nanyang Fleet's warships, they sent a notice to the entire port. The port instantly sprang into action as everyone mobilized all available forces and positions to clear the area for the large fleet.
"Is that our South Seas Fleet?"
As the fleet of ships approached from afar, the people at the dock asked questions with curiosity.
"That's right, they've been incredibly powerful these past few years. Not only did they conquer Ryuchiu Island and build a port there, but they've also made those Southeast Asian countries look down on them!"
"Yes, yes, I've heard that there's gold in Southeast Asia. Since the Southeast Asian fleet went out to sea, those small countries have been sending gold and silver over every year."
Upon hearing about gold and silver, everyone's eyes suddenly lit up:
"Gold and silver every year?"
"real or fake?"
If there were gold and silver every year, how much money would that be?
"Of course it's true! It's all thanks to this money that we in Dayi have been able to build roads and houses over the years, and everyone's life is getting better day by day. Look at how much we get paid for working for the government every day. Compared to the previous dynasty, how much better our lives are now."
Someone knowledgeable spoke to those around them.
“That’s true. We are living a good life now. But if we’re not going to listen, our Dayi Kingdom has been established for three years, and the Prince has not yet officially become emperor. Shouldn’t we write to the Prefect and ask the Prince to become emperor as soon as possible?”
"I've heard about this before. The prince hasn't declared himself emperor yet because he hasn't completed the unification of the north."
"The North? The Jurchens?"
Everyone was somewhat surprised to hear that the prince's reason was the problem in the north, but they quickly came to their senses.
"That's true. Since the Western Xia surrendered last year, our western region has been stable! And the southern region, under Commander Du's leadership, has disappeared without a trace. The only threat left is the Jurchens in the north!"
"That's right, the Western Xia have already surrendered!"
Last year, in 1119, Emperor Li Qianshun of Western Xia formally surrendered to Dayi.
They had no choice but to surrender, since Xixia had been under immense pressure ever since Xiye took charge of the Western Xia battlefield.
The commander of the Western Field Army, Han Shizhong, was a rising star among military talents. His deputy, Guan Sheng, was the sixth strongest warrior in the world. There were also a group of veteran generals and young generals from the original Western Army, including Liu Fa, Zhong Shidao, Zhe Kecun, and Yao Pingzhong. The Western Field Army, with its strong and well-equipped troops, directly overwhelmed the Western Xia!
Did the Western Xia have any great generals? Yes, Richard was actually quite good, and the Western Xia had been lurking in the northwest for so many years that they had accumulated considerable wealth. Normally speaking, as long as they didn't cause internal strife, they could have easily survived for several more decades.
However, when Han Shizhong arrived at the Western Xia battlefield, he did not give the Western Xia people any chance to hide. After the Western Field Army was successfully reorganized, he attacked without saying a word!
Relying on the familiarity of the original Western Army troops with the terrain, the Western Field Army launched a simultaneous attack on Xingzhou and Lingzhou in Western Xia!
Richard, leading 100,000 Western Xia soldiers, was truly overwhelmed by the surging Dayi army. Furthermore, his top generals were no match for the Western Xia forces. Guan Sheng alone killed six Western Xia generals on the front lines, forcing Richard to close the city gates and hold out.
However, Xiye also had the heavy artillery of the Shenji Legion as support. Holding out against this tactic was useless against them. The Shenji Legion took turns bringing various heavy artillery pieces to the front line and bombarded the Xixia city walls every day.
The Western Xia soldiers were initially very uncomfortable with these cannonballs falling from the sky. Whether they were stones or cannonballs, they all felt it was divine punishment.
Later... they got used to it, because for a full twenty days, all kinds of shells were fired into the city by the Dayi army every day. The once sturdy city walls were shaken to the point of collapse. At first, hundreds or thousands of Western Xia soldiers were killed every day. Later, although they all knew to find cover, many were still killed or injured by the huge impact.
After bombarding the enemy for twenty days, Han Shizhong sent troops to flank and launch a surprise attack from a side road, while his main army launched a frontal assault. Richard was unable to withstand this offensive and could only fight and retreat at the same time.
After retreating again and again, they finally had nowhere left to retreat to. Behind them was the capital of Western Xia. Where else could they retreat to? Left with no other choice, Western Xia had to surrender.
However, Han Shizhong had been chasing and attacking Richard all the way, and he knew that Richard was quite capable. So he told Li Qianshun that he could surrender, but Richard's head was the only way to qualify for surrender.
This condition was undeniably stringent, because everyone knew that Richard was the strongest general in Western Xia. Without Richard, Western Xia would undoubtedly be destroying its own Great Wall!
Therefore, the Western Xia court was immediately divided into two factions, arguing fiercely. Li Qianshun was also helpless. Of course, he was reluctant to part with Brother Richard, but the Dayi army was chasing after Western Xia and fighting. If Western Xia did not surrender, then everything would be over.
Han Shizhong made a stern statement, giving them three days to consider, and if they did not surrender after three days, they would never be able to surrender in their lifetime.
Left with no other choice, Li Qianshun could only host a private banquet for Richard in the palace. However, outside the hall where they ate, the guards of the Western Xia royal family and the soldiers loyal to Richard were constantly facing each other with their swords drawn.
The meal lasted a very long time, and no one knows what the two of them talked about at the table. Anyway, after the lights in the main hall were turned off, Li Qianshun came out carrying a tray.
There was a raised object covered with a cloth on the tray. Although no one lifted it to look, everyone knew what it was.
Richard's head!
The head was eventually delivered to Han Shizhong, but Han Shizhong didn't even glance at it. Upon receiving the head, he immediately led his men into the city, forcing Li Qianshun to surrender!
Furthermore, even after the surrender, Han Shizhong continued to spread rumors within the city that Richard had sacrificed his life for the people of Western Xia, thus giving Li Qianshun an opportunity to surrender. In short, he was trying to steer public opinion in a direction unfavorable to Li Qianshun.
This tactic was very effective, especially when Han Shizhong publicly promised Li Qianshun the title of King of the Northwest, without mentioning any titles for anyone else. The faces of the Western Xia royals and nobles present immediately changed. Despite the presence of Han Shizhong and the other Dayi soldiers, they all clamored for an explanation from Li Qianshun. They believed that Li Qianshun had long ago betrayed the entire Western Xia for his own position!
What Han Shizhong wanted to do was simple: throw Li Qianshun into the enraged crowd, let him be beaten half to death, and eventually force Richard, who was hiding, to step forward and prove Li Qianshun's innocence!
And that was it. Han Shizhong laughed and said to Richard, "I did this because I was waiting for him!"
Then the Dayi army swarmed forward and slaughtered all the Western Xia royal family members and important nobles present before formally accepting the Western Xia's surrender.
After this battle, Xiye's reputation soared, and Han Shizhong also gained nicknames such as "Northwest Fox" among the people of Xixia because of his military tactics and strategies...