The Peace Army was eager to return home and rushed towards Ningwang at an extremely fast speed. Li Jun seemed to be extremely careless, thinking that there would be no danger along the way. Even the scouts only briefly scouted the city before returning to report that they were safe.
About an hour later, shouts and the neighing of horses faintly came from the west of the city. Tong Pei felt a damp sweat seeping from his palms; he realized he had been waiting quite nervously. He took a deep breath and waved the general's flag in his hand.
The soldiers hidden on the city wall were all prepared, waiting for Li Jun's vanguard to enter the city before lowering the iron gates and raising the drawbridge. The Heping Army arrived at Ningwang City without any apparent incident. Just as Tong Pei was holding his breath and staring intently, suddenly the drums and gongs sounded, and the battle cries shook the heavens. The warhorses of Tong Pei's army inside the city couldn't help but neigh loudly, and his ambush was completely exposed.
In a great shock, Tong Pei roared, "Close the city gates and prepare for war!" The soldiers on the city wall began to close the gates before he could even wave his flag. But at that moment, the sound of crossbow bolts piercing the air outside the city was incessant and as dense as a sudden rain. Countless crossbow bolts fell into the city like a meteor shower, igniting the firewood and sulfur that had been prepared there. And then the wind joined in the fun, quickly spreading the fire far and wide. Ningwang City became a burning city in less than the time it takes to eat a meal.
Tong Pei initially ordered his soldiers to hide in civilian houses, most of which were wooden courtyards. The prolonged drought quickly ignited the fires, and the soldiers who reacted quickly escaped, while those who reacted slowly were burned alive. The crackling of the flames mingled with the soldiers' cries, while the deafening battle cries from outside the city sent the panicked soldiers scattering in all directions. Tong Pei's carefully prepared defenses vanished in an instant.
The fire raged fiercely within the city, and the soldiers, engulfed in smoke and flames, fled towards the city gates. Seeing that the west gate was filled with the Peace Army, they escaped through the other three gates. Tong Pei shouted to stop them, but to no avail, and had no choice but to flee with them. Behind them, the Peace Army laughed loudly, "Willow branches for firewood, firewood for cooking!" It was then realized that Li Jun had long anticipated that Liu Guang would not allow him to return to Yuzhou so easily, and therefore conspired with the Lianfa Army to plot against Liu Guang. However, Li Jun thought that Liu Guang would break off relations and personally intervene, so he dared not divide his troops to surround the city gates and set them on fire. Little did he know that although Liu Guang wanted to eliminate Li Jun, if he could not eliminate him, he would be willing to leave Li Jun with some trouble.
When Tong Pei and the others gathered their troops and took stock of their numbers, they discovered that one-tenth of the troops had been burned, and countless others had been injured. The Chen officers were all disheveled and furious, gritting their teeth and saying, "That scoundrel Li Jun is incredibly rude! We must report him to the court and punish him!" At this point, they were merely threatening words; everyone knew the Chen court was powerless against Yu Prefecture. However, many of the Chen officers were comrades and old friends, with intricate connections to General Wei Jie. Offending one meant offending them all; from then on, Li Jun would likely find it extremely difficult to enter Chen again.
two,
Tong Pei's defeat certainly disappointed Liu Guang, but in his mind, Tong Pei and Li Jun were never on the same level, so it didn't surprise him particularly. This battle was his first direct confrontation with Li Jun, and he had always firmly believed that only those who had faced a man head-on could truly understand his character. Now, he felt he had a considerable understanding of Li Jun.
In this battle, Li Jun set fire to Ningwang, defeating the Chen army led by Tong Pei, and clearing the last obstacle for himself to take back Yuzhou. After this battle, Liu Guang knew that Li Jun had seen through his thoughts and would no longer try to invade easily. His slogan, "Use willow trees as firewood and cook rice with firewood," also made it clear that he was determined to fight Liu Guang to the death.
But for Li Jun now, the most important thing is to return to Yuzhou, which has been ravaged by the flames of rebellion. Therefore, the Peace Army did not stop at Ningwang City, where the embers were still burning. The city had become a ruin, and it would not be able to hinder the Peace Army when they entered Chen State again.
Thinking of this, Li Jun found it rather amusing. Wei Zhan and Cheng Tian had agreed that Li Jun would no longer invade the territory of the Lotus Dharma Sect, but both knew that this was unlikely to be kept. Li Jun himself wouldn't attack; he would let his soldiers do it. Whatever the soldiers conquered would be the territory of the Peace Army, not the territory of the Lotus Dharma Sect.
For Li Jun, the most troublesome thing at the moment was how to retake Yuzhou. At this time, he was unaware that Jiang Runqun and others had been cut off from their return route by the Rong people, and that his army was sitting and waiting for death under Yinhu City. He still thought that Jiang Runqun was in Huichang City.
"Reporting to the commander, the spies have entered Huichang City and have already sent word from within the city!"
Li Jun was slightly taken aback. Although he had led his entire army to rush here at breakneck speed with the aim of suddenly besieging the city of Huichang before receiving news of his return, he believed that Jiang Runqun of Huichang would not be so careless as to allow spies to easily infiltrate and spread the news.
"speak."
"When Jiang Runqun learned that Lianfazong had seized Ningwang, he thought he was safe and sound, so he sent troops to besiege Yinhu City. As a result, the city's defenses were weakened. Moreover, the people in the city hated him for his rebellion and most of them hoped that Commander Li could return and take Huichang."
Li Jun smiled calmly. Those who commit evil deeds deserve no mercy; Jiang Runqun, lacking both talent and virtue, would naturally face betrayal and certain death. However, the news from his scouts weighed heavily on his mind.
"When General Shang Huaiyi was transporting grain, the entire army was not killed by Zheng Dingguo, but fell into Jiang Runqun's trap. Two thousand brothers were killed by Jiang Runqun, and only he escaped alone."
Li Jun snorted coldly. Shang Huaiyi must have wanted to warn him, but unexpectedly he was killed by Zheng Dingguo, who had seized Ningwang, halfway there. Zheng Dingguo had already been stabbed off his horse, so it was Jiang Runqun's turn.
"There's another matter. The people in the city are saying that Commander Xiao Lin..." The scout knew the relationship between Xiao Lin and Li Jun, and when he mentioned this name, he couldn't help but steal a glance at Li Jun.
Li Jun's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong, and he asked anxiously, "How is Commander Xiao Lin?"
"Commander Xiao Lin abandoned Yujiang and Yupingcheng, and launched a full-scale attack on Yuyang in an attempt to capture Peng Yuancheng's city, but unfortunately he was ambushed and killed at Luoyuepo..."
Li Jun reached out and grabbed the scout's collar, his lips trembling, and asked, "Is...is this really true?"
"The people in the city say that Commander Xiao Lin's first achievement was to send orders to all the cities to demonstrate his power. He was also sent to Huichang City, so it can't be wrong." The scout's expression was also somewhat gloomy. This news was definitely not good news for the Peace Army.
Meng Yuan grabbed Li Jun's hand from behind. Li Jun felt his fingers were weak and loosened the scout's collar. Meng Yuan gave the scout a wink, and the scout quietly retreated.
"Brother, don't be too sad. The dead are gone." Meng Yuan didn't know how to comfort Li Jun for a moment. When Lu Xiang died, he and Li Jun were heartbroken. Li Jun thought that he would never reveal his inner thoughts to others again after that, but Xiao Lin's death dealt him another heavy blow.
"Don't worry, I'm fine..." Li Jun's face was a little pale. He knew very well why Xiao Lin had abandoned the city and attacked Yu Yang. It must have been to restrain Peng Yuancheng and prevent him from quickly attacking Leiming City and Kuanglan City. In this light, Xiao Lin's death was largely for his own strategic needs. When he embarked on the road to attack Yu Yang, he must have known that he was on a dead end.
"Attack the city! If any soldiers or civilians in the city dare to resist, massacre them!" Enraged, Li Jun gritted his teeth and issued this order. Meng Yuan was stunned for a moment, but seeing his expression, he silently left the camp and ordered the entire army to prepare for battle.
When the Peace Army suddenly appeared at the gates of Huichang, the city was thrown into chaos. The two sides argued over whether to fight or surrender. The acting city lord was Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law. He ordered the city to hold its ground, but the general in charge of the city's defense raised a different opinion. He argued that the city had less than 5,000 troops. How could they possibly withstand the attack of tens of thousands of Peace Army soldiers?
"You have received great kindness from the city lord, and now is the time to repay it. If you defend the city, the city lord will surely reward you handsomely!" Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law shouted. If Huichang City is lost, Jiang Runqun will be finished, and he will lose the person he used to bully others.
"What if we can't hold it?" the military officer asked sharply.
"If we can't hold the city, we'll be slaughtered!" A voice came from outside the door, and a general in his thirties strode in, smiling at everyone.
"General Fang, now that you've arrived, you must protect this city!" Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law was initially taken aback, but then his face lit up with joy as he rose to greet the new general. The military officer also bowed respectfully upon seeing him, but said nothing more, seemingly showing great respect for General Fang.
This general had phoenix-shaped eyebrows and a purple beard, and his eyes were like lightning. He smiled slightly at Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law and said, "Of course, I, Fang Fengyi, am from Huichang. How can I sit idly by and watch Huichang be massacred?"
"What, Li Jun said he's going to massacre everyone in Changcheng?"
“Indeed, I was watching from the city wall for a while when the soldiers brought this arrow and letter.” Fang Fengyi handed a piece of cloth to the military officer, then unceremoniously went to the front of the hall and sat down.
"If any soldier or civilian in the city dares to resist, or is too slow to open the gates to welcome them, the entire city shall be slaughtered..." The military officer read it aloud, his face showing surprise. "Li Jun is a man who loves the people. How could he issue such a proclamation?"
Fang Fengyi reached out and snatched the teacup from Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law, drank the tea in one gulp, and laughed, "He's furious. He must have already learned of Xiao Lin and the others' deaths, and that Shang Huaiyi's two thousand grain transport soldiers were burned and killed by Jiang Runqun."
Upon hearing him mention Jiang Runqun's name, his tone lost all respect. Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law looked surprised and asked, "General Fang... what do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" Fang Fengyi's eyes widened, his purple beard bristling, and he said, "Back then, I advised Jiang Runqun not to raise an army in rebellion. Not only did Jiang Runqun not listen, but he also confined me at home for fear that I would report him. For many years, because of the power of villains like you, I have stayed at home, feigning illness. Only when it concerned the safety of Huichang did I come to offer my advice, yet I was insulted by a sycophant like you. Tell me, what do I mean?"
Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law was so shocked that he collapsed in his seat. Fang Fengyi ignored him and asked the military officer, "Zhang Hu, will you surrender the city with me or behead me to pledge allegiance to Jiang Runqun?"
The military officer Zhang Hu knelt down on one knee and said happily, "This humble general will naturally follow General Fang. Who doesn't know that Changcheng is what it is today, not because of Jiang Runqun, this hereditary spendthrift, but because of heroes like General Fang!"
“Very well. Have this villain tied up. I’ve already sent men to Li Junjun’s camp, and I’ve also had Jiang Runqun’s residence sealed off.” At this point, Fang Fengyi turned to Jiang Runqun’s brother-in-law, who was still trembling uncontrollably, and said, “Jiang Runqun is unpopular. I only need to say one word, and all the soldiers will obey. Just accept your fate!”
Military officer Zhang Hu secretly wiped the sweat from his brow. It turned out that Fang Fengyi had already taken control of the city before coming in to ask if he was willing to surrender. If he hesitated even slightly, he feared he would be the first to be executed. He kicked Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law and said, "You piece of trash, get up!"
Upon learning that Huichang City would surrender without bloodshed, Meng Yuan breathed a long sigh of relief. After Li Jun issued that insane order to massacre, he and Wei Zhan secretly discussed and slightly modified Li Jun's order, giving the city time to weigh its options. Even so, he was still worried that if the city resisted stubbornly and Li Jun really ordered a massacre, then the Peace Army's fearsome reputation would spread throughout the land. Although Meng Yuan was ruthless towards his opponents on the battlefield, he found no pleasure in leading his troops to slaughter civilians. Even months later, the memory of the massacre of the Lianfa Army at Efeng Ridge still made him feel nauseous.
Riding on the stolen Xiaoyue Feixue horse, Li Jun finally entered Huichang City and returned to Yuzhou.
"The surrendered generals in the city request an audience with the commander," a guard whispered as he approached him.
"I refuse to see them. Send them all back to the camp. Execute those who make a fuss, execute those who wander around, and execute the entire family of those who plot against us!" Li Jun was still furious. He was very frustrated and wished he could have a big battle to vent his anger, but Huichang City was surrendered without bloodshed. He had no good feelings towards the surrenderer.