xymnovel Chapter 57 Taking Over Jeju
Chapter 57 Taking Over Jeju
Wang Lun had been preparing for this battle for a long time.
They first sent troops to capture Yuncheng, and then sent a message to Jeju City, forcing Jeju to send troops to rescue Yuncheng.
Then he personally led his troops to ambush the reinforcements on the road and wiped them out in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, Lin Chong led more soldiers to ambush outside Jeju City, and attacked Jeju after seeing the explosion at Wang Lun's place.
The fall of Yuncheng and the ambush of reinforcements further weakened the already depleted military strength of Jeju.
Therefore, it wouldn't be too difficult for Lin Chong to attack Jeju.
Moreover, when Wang Lun captured He Tao, he learned from him that the troops in Jizhou were already few in number.
He knew he would win this battle.
But I never expected the victory to come so quickly.
In particular, he attached his improved, smaller version of the Thunderclap to the Divine Arm Bow, using the Divine Arm Bow's advantages of long range and strong power to send the Thunderclap into the enemy army.
The outer shell of this thunderbolt was not made of iron, but of pine wood, which was lighter and smaller, and could be launched by arrows.
However, after his improvements to gunpowder, although the Thunderclap Bomb was relatively small, it was very powerful.
Unfortunately, Liangshan currently lacks gunpowder experts, and Wang Lun personally leads the team to do these things, resulting in low production; at present, there are only one hundred of these small bombs.
There are another thirty larger bombs to be used on a larger battlefield.
To establish his authority in tonight's battle, he took out fifty small thunderbolts in one go.
These fifty thunderbolts almost instantly shattered Huang An's army.
The victory was so simple that it caught him somewhat off guard. Only when he saw Wu Song and Lu Zhishen escorting Huang An to report back did Wang Lun come to his senses. He clicked his tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "The power of the Thunderclap Bomb is so astonishing! From now on, where in this world can't I go!"
Shi Wenbin wanted to refute him, but he knew he was right. He sat down on the ground, completely distraught.
Huang An was covered in blood. A thunderbolt landed not far from him, blowing several soldiers to pieces. Severed limbs and blood splattered all over him.
Huang An was so terrified that he lost his mind.
When Huang An saw Wang Lun, he trembled all over and couldn't speak.
Wang Lun waved his hand, signaling to take him away.
In the distance, flags have already been planted on Yuncheng. The reddish-brown flags read "Liangshan Flying Tiger Army" on one side and "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" on the other.
Chao Gai had already taken up residence in the county government office and arrested all the officials and staff there. At the same time, following Wang Lun's instructions, he posted notices throughout the city and sent people to spread the word.
When the Liangshan troops entered Yuncheng, they did not harm the civilians or plunder their wealth. The people remained the same as before.
Liangshanbo was located nearby, and recently it had been doing a lot of good deeds by opening soup kitchens, which earned it a good reputation among the people.
Wang Lun believed that Chao Gai could handle these matters well and govern Yuncheng better.
He took a deep breath. From that night on, he was a true warlord of the Song Dynasty.
rebel?
Bullshit!
What rebellion? Wang Lun was merely acting on behalf of Heaven.
If the government is inhumane, then overthrow it.
If wealthy and powerful people commit evil deeds, then let them be punished on behalf of the people!
Those who first raise the banner of rebellion always die quickly; Wang Lun, well-versed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, naturally understood this principle.
He saw that the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield not far away were also gathering in formation under Yang Zhi's leadership, with the prisoners covered in dust next to them.
Huang An brought a thousand reinforcements, and there are still more than four hundred prisoners. Half of them were killed by the thunderbolts, and some were killed by the Flying Tiger Army.
Wang Lun ordered Cao Zheng to lead men to escort the prisoners and follow behind, while he himself took the lead, leading the large group to Jizhou.
When they arrived in Jeju, Lin Chong had already captured the city, and the "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" banner fluttered in the wind atop the city walls.
Wang Lun rode his horse into the city, with Liangshan Flying Tiger Army soldiers standing like pine trees on both sides in front of him, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.
Gongsun Sheng, who was waiting ahead, stepped forward and said, "We captured Jizhou in just one hour. Now, Instructor Lin has led his men to the government office and captured the prefect and everyone inside."
Wang Lun nodded, suppressing his excitement.
When I used to read historical novels, I always saw stories of conquering cities and seizing territories. Now that I've participated in it myself, the feeling is completely different.
"We captured over eight hundred soldiers and archers this time. That's all there is left in Jizhou. I never imagined that what He Tao said was true; Jizhou has long been empty." Gongsun Sheng continued to report, following behind Wang Lun.
Wang Lun nodded and said, "The problem of soldiers embezzling salaries in the Song Dynasty is already very serious. There are 1,000 soldiers on the roster, but only 600 or 700 are actually there. If we take the old and weak out of those 600 or 700, there are less than 400 who can fight."
He turned to look at the expressionless Shi Wenbin and smiled, "Magistrate Shi, what do you think?"
Shi Wenbin glanced at Wang Lun, sighed, and nodded, saying, "What you said is true."
"Therefore, the number of soldiers and archers in Jeju Island is no less than five thousand, but in reality there are less than three thousand. He Tao took a thousand with him earlier, and Huang An took a thousand just now. It is normal that there are only seven or eight hundred people left in the city."
Shi Wenbin continued, his tone neither sad nor happy, as if he had already taken it all in stride.
Only local officials knew about the fake 5,000 troops in Jeju, but the high-ranking officials of the court always believed that there were indeed 5,000 troops in Jeju.
Once news of the incident in Jeju reaches the capital, it will surely shake the entire nation.
He glanced at Wang Lun again, then remained silent.
Inside the Jeju government office, Lin Chong and the other leaders stood to the side, watching Wang Lun slowly walk forward and sit in the center.
Wang Lun adjusted his posture. He had to admit that the prefect's chair was more comfortable than the one he had at Liangshan.
He glanced at the several people kneeling below the hall; the one at the front was the prefect, an old acquaintance.
He smiled and said, "Oh, Prefect, we meet again."
This prefect was very greedy, but he also had a good side. When faced with public opinion, he dared to order the execution of Chief Du, thus eliminating a scourge for the people.
The prefect's face turned as red as a pig's kidney, and after a long while, he stammered, "It's you."
He looked up and saw a man standing beside him, expressionless and seemingly oblivious to everyone else. It was Shi Wenbin, the magistrate of Yuncheng County.
The prefect suddenly realized something and loudly questioned, "Shi Wenbin, so it was you who colluded with the Liangshan heroes..."
Shi Wenbin was completely dumbfounded, utterly bewildered, wondering what all this was all about.
Wang Lun laughed and said, "My lord, Magistrate Shi is a good official. You've misunderstood him. We conquered Yuncheng and Jizhou simply because your strength was too weak and you were no match for us."
The prefect then wilted and knelt down in dejection.
"How about this, I'll give you a chance too." Wang Lun smiled, having come up with an idea.
Upon hearing that there was an opportunity, the prefect became very enthusiastic.
Wang Lun looked at Lin Chong: "Has anyone been sent to take inventory of the ministerial treasury?"
The treasury of the government office was the treasury of the prefecture, where the fiscal revenue of a prefecture was stored. Larger treasuries also contained grain, cloth, and other goods.
Lin Chong clasped his hands and said, "The count has been completed. The register lists five thousand strings of cash, but there are only three thousand strings in reality. The deficit is considerable."
If a prefecture, after deducting what it had paid to the emperor and what it had already spent, still had three thousand strings of cash left by the Lantern Festival, it was considered quite wealthy.
"I will now send men to search your residence. If your wealth exceeds the three thousand strings of cash in the Minister's Treasury, I will have you beheaded and your head displayed to the public. If your wealth is less than that in the Minister's Treasury, I will spare your life. What do you say?"
After Wang Lun finished speaking, the prefect was immediately stunned, as he had no idea how much money he had.