Border Pass of the Song Dynasty, Pingyang Prefecture
The night is getting darker, and the lights in Pingyang Mansion are brightly lit. Wang Zaixing was wearing armor and standing on the tower, looking in the distance towards Taiyuan. There were footsteps behind him, and Lieutenant General Li Chengyi stepped forward, cupping his hands and saying, "General, it's already dark, so you'd better rest early." Wang Zaixing did not look back, but simply said lightly: "Chengyi, why do you think these Jin soldiers are so slow to move? Are they really not afraid of me, the Song Dynasty cavalry?" Li Chengyi smiled and said: "General, don't be anxious. There must be a reason why the Jin soldiers are not moving. We just need to be prepared and wait for the opportunity." Wang Zaixing turned around, looked at Li Chengyi and said: "Waiting for the opportunity? I, Wang Zaixing, have been stationed in Pingyang Mansion for several months. I have nothing to do every day except training soldiers and horses. I am eager to go into battle to kill the enemy and serve the country with merit. These days of waiting are really difficult. ah!" Hearing this, Li Chengyi said seriously: "I will never understand the general's mood. But there is no need to rush the war. We need to know that 'the right time, the right place, and the right people' are indispensable. We just need to wait patiently, and there will always be a chance." .” Wang Zaixing sighed, nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. I hope Her Royal Highness's order this time is not an empty joy." The Jinbing Camp is a hundred miles away from Chang'an. Wanyan Lou's room was drinking and having fun with a group of generals. With a proud smile on his face, he raised his glass and said to everyone: "Generals, this time Zhao Yingluo has mobilized all his troops to attack Xingqing City. Chang'an is empty. This is a great opportunity for us to capture Chang'an!"
When a general heard this, he stood up and shouted: "The general is wise! The last general is willing to be the vanguard and take the lead in attacking Chang'an City!" Wanyan Loushi laughed loudly, waved his hand and said: "Don't be impatient. Although Chang'an City is good, we have to do it step by step. Send the order, set up camp early tomorrow morning and march straight to Chang'an!" All the generals agreed in unison and raised their glasses to toast Wanyan Lou's room. Wanyan Loushi was very proud and drank cup after cup. His heart was filled with longing and expectations for the future, as if he had already seen the moment when he stood at the top of Chang'an City. However, he did not know that his plan had already been discovered by Zhao Yingluo. Wang Zaixing, who was far away in Pingyang Mansion, had also received Zhao Yingluo's order and was leading his army to Taiyuan Mansion all night long. A war is about to break out. Song Dynasty Military Camp, on the way to Taiyuan In the dim moonlight, Wang Zaixing led the army in a hurry in the night. The soldiers' armor shone coldly in the moonlight, and their steps were firm and powerful. Wang Zaixing rode on his horse, his heart full of excitement and expectation. This march into Taiyuan was a good opportunity for him to make meritorious deeds, and he must not miss it. He looked back at the soldiers behind him and said loudly: "Brothers, this march into Taiyuan is of great importance. We must capture Taiyuan Mansion in one fell swoop to relieve Her Royal Highness the princess! Do you have confidence?" "Yes! Yes! Yes!" The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the sky. Wang Zaixing nodded with satisfaction, waved the spear in his hand and shouted loudly: "Okay! Then let us kill the enemy bravely and achieve great military exploits! Let's go!" Following Wang Zaixing's order, the Song Dynasty army accelerated towards Taiyuan Prefecture. Taiyuan Mansion, the former capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, was once reduced to ruins after the Song Dynasty conquered the Northern Han Dynasty. However, after the Jin State invaded and occupied the Song Dynasty, it rebuilt a solid city wall, making it an important military town that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Taiyuan City guards the transportation artery between the Central Plains and the North, and has always been the focus of competition between the Central Plains dynasties and the northern nomads. Now, Zhao Yingluo led the Song Dynasty army to set their sights on this important city again. Zhao Yingluo knew very well that the gains and losses of Taiyuan Mansion would have a decisive impact on the entire war situation. If Taiyuan Prefecture can be occupied, it will not only put great pressure on the Jin Kingdom and prevent it from looking westward, but also threaten Xixia to the west and win more peace for the northwest border of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, she ordered Wang Zaixing to lead an army of 100,000 people to march north along the Fen Valley to capture Taiyuan City. After Wang Zaixing received the order, he did not dare to neglect at all.
He led his army on the road day and night, and finally arrived outside Taiyuan Prefecture after ten days. Looking at the majestic city in front of him, Wang Zaixing was not in a hurry to launch an attack. Instead, he ordered to set up camp twenty miles outside the city, recharge his batteries, and decided to attack the city again early the next morning. As night falls, there is silence inside and outside Taiyuan City. However, this silence did not last long. As the sky gradually became brighter, the sound of horns and war drums began to sound in the camp of the Song Dynasty army. Wang Zaixing was wearing armor and holding a spear. He stood on the high platform in front of the camp and looked at Taiyuan City in the distance. His face was full of determination and confidence, as if he had seen the hope of victory. Following Wang Zaixing's order, the army of the Song Dynasty poured into Taiyuan City like a flood. The Jin soldiers guarding the city were frightened and panicked when they saw the dark crowd of people outside the city. On the one hand, they hurriedly sent a message to Wanyanlou's room asking for help; on the other hand, they tried to rely on strong walls and limited troops to resist the opponent's offensive. However, Wang Zaixing did not give the defenders much chance. He was well aware of the importance of the power of artillery in siege warfare, so he specially selected a group of soldiers from the army who were proficient in artillery operation. With waves of deafening roars, artillery shells accurately hit the walls of Taiyuan City. Although the city wall was high and thick, several large gaps were quickly blown open under the fierce bombardment of artillery. The defenders were shocked when they saw this, and fled in disarray. Seeing that the time had come, Wang Zaixing immediately ordered the infantry to charge, annihilated the defenders of Taiyuan City, and occupied this important city. When Wanyan Loushi learned about the fall of Taiyuan Mansion, he couldn't believe his ears. He clearly left more than 10,000 elite soldiers and generals to garrison Taiyuan City. How could it be so easily defeated by the Song army?
However, the facts were in front of him and he could not believe it. Wanyan Loushi angrily smashed the tea cup at hand and roared: "What on earth is going on? Wanyan Chong is a loser! I will cut him into pieces!" The general on the side replied tremblingly: "General, calm down! He...he has died in the battle." "Died in the battle?" Wanyan Loushi was stunned for a moment, and then shouted angrily, "Is it over if he died in the battle? What I want is Taiyuan City! Now that people are lost in the city, there needs to be an explanation! Send someone immediately Investigate what’s going on!” However, the results of the investigation made Wanyan Lou even more desperate. It turned out that the Song army was not only large in number but also well-equipped, especially the artillery, which frightened the Jin soldiers. Although Wanyan Chong led the defenders to resist desperately, they were eventually outnumbered and annihilated. Wanyan Loushi knew that this failure was a heavy blow to the Kingdom of Jin. The fall of Taiyuan Mansion not only created a huge gap in the Jin Kingdom's defense line, but also gave the Song Dynasty army an opportunity to attack westward.