If Shi Yang chooses to attack early, then the Southern Region will destroy the Shi Kingdom first.
Now that the Northern Region is focusing its attacks, the Southern Region will likely eliminate the Northern Region first. They won't spare the Shi Kingdom either; it's just a matter of time.
Xie Lanzhi quickly issued a second order: "Immediately order the three princes of Jin to gather troops and attack Tianjing to jointly save the three rulers."
The third order was: "Xie Ji will lead the charge to attack Tianjing first. Furthermore, those who have joined our army must immediately sever ties with the Huang bandits, and those with close ties must quickly bring Huang Mang's head to us!"
"Yes!" Xie Guangxia and Xie Xia clasped their hands in greeting.
Xie Guang suddenly remembered that the troops he had brought back included 100,000 civilians who only knew how to use hoes, and that Xie Jun had taught them how to build fortifications.
"By the way, Marshal, how should we deal with the 100,000 laborers we've conscripted?"
Xie Lanzhi almost forgot about this, but these young men were a valuable reserve of combat power, and she couldn't afford to waste them.
So she said, "Since the Shi Kingdom dares to covet the Southern Region, we should teach them a lesson even if we don't fight them. Xie Guang, you can take a county from the Shi Kingdom for these 100,000 people to live in. That's just right."
Xie Guangdao: "Yes!"
On the final day, the army besieged Tianjing. Xie Ji led 50,000 cavalry to conquer the entire border prefecture. In every county he entered, someone would open the gates for him, and in every grain-producing county he visited, Xie Ji would loot all the grain. What he couldn't take, he would burn. In addition, an anti-Huang force rose up within Tianjing, and began to carry out killings within the city.
The entire force of 150,000 men marched straight in and captured Tianjing overnight.
Upon learning of this, Huang Mang was in a state of utter confusion. He then looked at his advisor and asked, "Where is Si Xi Nian?"
The aide, sweating profusely, said, "General Huang, didn't you instruct us to keep a close watch on him and to take action immediately if he showed any signs of rebellion?"
“He was planning to escape last night, so I had the kitchen put something in his dinner and watched him eat it.”
"Don't worry, this kid is beyond saving."
At this moment, Si Xinian was not in the Golden Palace, and Huang Mang was not used to it.
He stood up and shouted to the crowd, "Where are the troops from Shiguo Prefecture and the Northern Region now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a messenger outside the hall, even more terrified than him, stumbled in and cried out in alarm, "Report! The Shi Kingdom and the Northern Region have withdrawn their troops, and the Shi Kingdom declares that it has no dealings with General Huang!"
Soon, another messenger ran over, panicking, and said, "Report—Xie Ji, the cavalry commander of Xie Jun, has led 50,000 cavalrymen and has arrived at the gates of Tianjing City."
"Report! The Duke of Zheng has rebelled!!"
"Report! The dungeon has been opened by someone, and a serious criminal has escaped from prison!"
"Report! Two hundred thousand troops from Shanxi have been gathered, cutting off our food and water supplies, and even killing our pacification commissioner!"
"Report—the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince... has escaped."
The aide asked in surprise, "How could someone who has taken poison and medicine still be able to run away?"
Huang Mang was enraged and drew his sword, stabbing it into his advisor's chest.
The aide looked at him in disbelief: "General...why?" Finally, the aide's body fell down and he lost his breath.
Huang Mang sheathed his sword, looking utterly dejected. He sat on the dragon throne, almost falling into despair, experiencing the taste of utter defeat.
When he stood up again, he clenched his fists and roared at the generals waiting around him, "This general has been made a fool of!"
"Stone Sheep, you've actually crossed the river and burned the bridge!"
"Even the Khan of the Northern Regions can go back on his word!"
The generals were also in a panic. Now, Tianjing had no choice but to fight, and if they didn't try to save it, the city would fall even faster.
Once Tianjing City falls, the imperial palace will be nothing but a fragile shell, which they will be unable to defend.
"General Huang, the Khan sent General Qiaoji, a confidant of the Northern Region Crown Prince. In the end, it was the Northern Region Crown Prince who went back on his word, but the Khan will definitely keep his promise! Pack your bags immediately and flee to the Northern Region." Another general said with hope.
Even though Huang Mang harbored resentment, he knew that the only way out was to escape to the Northern Regions. Once they reached the Northern Regions, he and his remaining men would support Yelü Wen, and Yelü Wen would not mistreat them. Even if they were temporarily treated as slaves.
Huang Mang composed himself and ordered, "Mobilize troops to break through from the west and head to the Northern Region to surrender!"
"In order to ensure a smooth exit from the capital, Zhao Zhao was sent to attack the Five Jin states and draw their firepower."
Upon receiving the order, Zhao Zhao, after being released from prison, led 10,000 men directly out of Tianjing and charged towards Wujin. However, upon reaching Wujin, he too perished there. This delayed Xie's army's advance for six hours.
Huang Mang personally led the western route out of Tianjing, setting fire to the western palace before he left. On the march, he reined in his horse, looking towards Tianjing where smoke and flames rose, and he shouted defiantly, "I will return!!"
Little did he know that the guard beside him was secretly watching him the whole time.
at the same time.
The battle at the gates of Tianjing was fierce, as the forces there were all under Huang Mang's personal command, and the fighting was evenly matched, making it impossible to break through for the time being.
Once night falls, Xie Ji's men have no choice but to cease their operations and temporarily lie in ambush beneath Tianjing City.
During the strict curfew in Tianjing City, a carriage openly drove through the city gate. The Yellow Army inside the city immediately fired arrows, which overturned the carriage and its horses.
Then, when the Yellow Army soldiers went to check, they found that it was an empty carriage. Just as they were about to report, a group of men in black flew down from the roof. In the night, the men in black looked like bats descending from the sky. They were all very skilled and eliminated the Yellow Army soldiers.
The leader of the men in black shouted, "Kill!"
"Kill them all to reclaim Tianjing!"
"How dare you betray General Huang!" The general guarding the city had just shouted when a flaming arrow pierced his throat from afar.
The general fell to the ground.
The nearby Yellow Army soldiers immediately panicked: "General Zuo is dead!"
The man who had drawn his bow and arrow leaped lightly off the roof. He barely covered his face, and his appearance was seven parts like Si Xitong's. He commanded, "Open the city gate!"
"Yes, Your Highness!!" The men in black immediately charged towards the city gate without regard for their own lives.
The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM).
The gates of Tianjing were opened, and the iron gates were locked with iron chains. The Yellow Army soldiers tried to cut the chains with their knives, but it was too late.
Xie Ji had already led the charge in, and the cavalry behind him skillfully positioned the battering rams on both sides of the city gate. Then they began a large-scale mopping-up operation in Tianjing City, killing any Yellow Army soldiers who did not raise a white flag.
The city of Tianjing was instantly shrouded in bloodshed and carnage, with corpses strewn everywhere. The Yellow Army suffered countless casualties, with some dying and others fleeing. A total of 30,000 people perished.
Xie Ji and his men suffered 5,000 casualties but killed 30,000 Yellow Army soldiers.
Furthermore, when news of the fall of Tianjing City spread early the next morning, the cities behind it collapsed like dominoes.
The cities behind them surrendered almost in a massive, overwhelming line. Whenever Xie Ji led his troops near, the small cities would immediately raise white flags, even opening their gates and bringing out their barracks' food supplies to surrender.
A small border town near Tianjing surrendered, and Xie Ji not only spared its life but also personally held a celebration for the general, giving the cities behind it an extra night.
Then, military officers of all ranks, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, stripped the Yellow Army of their uniforms and greeted Xie Ji in civilian clothes.
The number of times Xieji received surrendered soldiers is almost countless.
After Xie Ji captured Tianjing, the 200,000 troops gathered by the three Jin states followed behind Xie Ji, making it more than enough to eliminate some miscellaneous forces.
Most importantly, they were the rebel army that, together with Xie Ji, claimed to have 300,000 troops to attack Tianjing, which sounded very impressive.
Because the rulers of the Three Jin states were all in Tianjing, the invaders had no choice but to attack. The Three Jin states had also secretly chosen their successors, so the ruler trapped in Tianjing... could be replaced at any time. However, Marshal Xie's imperial edict clearly intended to protect the three rulers.
The princes of Jin dared not disobey and had no choice but to send troops.
Xie Ji led his men and finally managed to storm the palace. The palace was even more heavily guarded than the capital city of Tianjing, and Xie Ji was once caught in a fierce battle.
At the same time, Huang Mang led his 20,000 men from the back of the palace all the way to Tianzi Wharf. He boarded a boat and ordered his men to set sail immediately for the Northern Region.
Since 20,000 men were too many, Huang Mang could only take a maximum of 5,000 men away from Tianzi Wharf. The rest of the men escaped by land under the guise of Huang Mang, disguised as a general.
These 15,000 men were really unlucky. They had only been separated from Huang Mang for a short time when they encountered a massive army of 100,000 Jin soldiers.
The Jin general suddenly shouted, "It looks like...it's the enemy army!"
"There aren't many of them, let's charge!"
"Damn it, there's nowhere to run! Let's fight these Jin people! I killed your emperor once, and I can kill him again!" Huang Ze's general also led 10,000 men to charge and fight.
For a time, 100,000 men fought against 15,000 men. After a morning of fighting, the Jin army suffered 38,000 casualties and annihilated 12,000 Huang soldiers. The remaining 3,000 men scattered and fled.
The leader of the Yellow Bandits was beheaded on the spot and his head was pressed onto the saddle, dripping blood all the way.
The Tianjing Incident happened in just two days, and the city changed hands again. When the people of Tianjing came early in the morning, they saw the streets piled high with corpses. Some vomited, some fainted from fright, and even those who could barely stand were crammed into the streets. The scene of blood and gore was so shocking that they stood there in place.
The city of Tianjing was under the control of Huang Mang's forces. To everyone's surprise, Huang Mang didn't even bother to defend it and simply fled with his men.
Of his 150,000 troops, 50,000 were killed, 20,000 were taken away, and another 15,000 were killed. Of the remaining 100,000, 50,000 surrendered, and the rest scattered and fled east and west, all desperately running towards the northern region.
An operation to eradicate the problem completely was launched.
On the fourteenth day, news reached the Southern Region that Tianjing had been completely captured and that the remaining imperial palace members had been wiped out by Xie Ji and the Jin army.
As dawn breaks at Chenxiang Mansion, the first rays of sunlight bathe the entire courtyard, making it appear as if it is gilded with a layer of pale gold.
Xie Lanzhi was still at the dining table, slowly savoring a bowl of soy milk.
Si Xitong used chopsticks to pick up a piece of rice cake and placed it on her plate, reminding her, "No matter how much Lanzhi is afraid of getting burned, she should blow on it to cool it down."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi smiled faintly. Ever since the last time they broke the ice, Little Phoenix had started calling her by her name, and their relationship had taken another step forward.
Xie Lanzhi happily blew on the soy milk.
Si Xitong noticed that she kept blowing on it as if she was afraid of getting burned: "Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
She personally scooped up a spoonful with a porcelain spoon and brought it to her lips: "Warm but not cold, the taste is just right."
After drinking it, Xie Lanzhi thought the warm soy milk was also quite good.
"Report!" The messenger's voice arrived as promised.
Xie Lanzhi put down her bowl, picked up some rice cakes from her plate with her chopsticks, and listened to the messenger's report as she ate: "Tianjing has fallen and the military has won a great victory! The Yellow rebels have abandoned the palace and fled to the northern regions."
"Go down!" Xie Lanzhi said.
She turned to Si Xitong and said, "I underestimated Huang Mang; he still got away."
Si Xitong shook his head and said, "He can't escape. The Crown Prince of the Northern Region and Yelü Wen are political enemies. Their relationship was not good when my father was alive. The Crown Prince once visited Tianjing and met with me and Qinian. He said he hoped to get our support in the future."
“Since he has reciprocated, I will do the same.”
“I’m not very clear about the situation in the Northern Region, but you’re right,” Xie Lanzhi said with interest. “I’m just curious how many connections you can still leverage in this world?”
Si Xitong glanced at the rice cake in her hand and the braised meat in the bowl that she had insisted the kitchen cut, while the vegetables next to it were pushed to the corner and ignored. She noticed that this person seemed to prefer meat. She then replied, "Marshal, one should not speak while eating or sleeping."
"I'll eat it, but I'll figure it out sooner or later." Especially the relationship clarification in the second half of the original work.
After Xie Lanzhi finished eating the rice cake, she picked up her chopsticks to pick up the braised meat, but unexpectedly, another pair of new chopsticks had already done it for her. She looked up and saw Si Xitong pick up a piece of green vegetable leaf from the corner, wrap it around a small piece of braised meat, and put it to her lips: "Marshal."
Marshal Yuan?! Why the sudden change in title?
Xie Lanzhi was slightly startled; she still preferred to be called by her name.