Chapter 36 9. Siege of Taicheng

Emperor Wu of Liang in Jiankang didn't know that Hou Jing crossed the river.Hou Jing divided his troops and captured the towns near Jiankang. Prince Xiao Gang met Emperor Wu of Liang and reported the situation of the battle. Emperor Wu of Liang was still unwilling to face the facts, and only said to Xiao Gang: "This is your business, don't ask me what to do! You are in charge of the internal and external military affairs!" Xiao Gang ordered martial law throughout the city, and his son Xiao Daqi, the governor of Yangzhou, supervised all the military forces in the city. Yang Kan was the general of the army and commanded the defense of Jiankang.Yang Kan is the only one who knows the soldiers among the generals in the city, this arrangement is quite appropriate, but the arrangement under Xiao Gang is getting confused.He ordered the traitor Xiao Zhengde to defend the Suzaku Gate facing the south of "Taicheng", which was like opening a convenient door for Hou Jing.

Before Hou Jing raised his troops, he bribed Zhu Yi, the favorite of Emperor Wu of Liang, many times, but Zhu Yi took the money and did nothing, so Hou Jing held a grudge.This time he played the banner of crusade against Zhu Yi, which is quite "attractive".Zhu Yi was usually bullying and charming, and Qiu Jiahai went, and many people joined Hou Jing's team along the way.Hou Jing met no resistance, went down to Gushu and Cihu, and arrived at Banqiao in the southwest of Jiankang. Hou Jing sent Xu Siyu, a counselor, into the city, in the name of meeting Emperor Wu of Liang, but in fact to find out what was true in the city.Xu Siyu lied and said that he had defected from Hou Jing's army and had secrets to play.Emperor Wu of Liang believed it was true, welcomed him into the inner hall, and ordered his left and right attendants to retreat.Gao Shanbao from Zhongshushe was suspicious: "Xu Siyu came from the rebel army to vote, the authenticity is unpredictable, how can he be left alone in the palace!"

Zhu Yi helped Xu Siyu speak: "A weak person like Xu Siyu, could he be an assassin!" Xu Siyu didn't speak, and took out Hou Jing's letter from his bosom and presented it to Emperor Wu of Liang. The letter said: "Zhu Yi and others are taking power, and request to bring armor into the court to eliminate the evil on the king's side." Zhu Yi was so bored that he almost fell on his back in anger. Emperor Wu of Liang did not treat Zhu Yi, but he still wanted to appease Hou Jing. He sent He Ji, another member of Zhongshushe, and Guo Baoliang, the chief secretary, to follow Xu Siyu to Banqiao to meet Hou Jing.

He Ji asked Hou Jing: "Your Majesty, what is the name of your army today?" Hou Jing replied without thinking: "I want to be the emperor!" Wang Wei on the side hastily corrected him and said: "Zhu Yi and others flatter the emperor and cause chaos in the court. The prince raised his army to punish the treacherous ministers!" "Once a word is spoken, it is hard to chase after it", Hou Jing uttered evil words, but Wang Wei's beautiful words could not make up for it.Hou Jing simply detained He Ji, continued to march, and approached the south of Zhuqueheng under the city of Jiankang.

Suzaku Truss is a movable bridge on the Qinhuai River, facing Suzaku Gate.Xiao Gang intends to raise the Zhuque Hang to prevent Hou Jing from attacking.Xiao Zhengde objected: "If the Zhuque truss is raised, the common people will be terrified, so let's take it easy to reassure the people." It is also extremely limited. Hou Jing even crossed the Yangtze River, so how can he stop because of the small Qinhuai River? In the final analysis, Liang Jun's defense is too weak.) Xiao Gang made sense once he thought about it, so he didn't move Suzaku Heng.He transferred Xiao Zhengde to Xuanyang Gate, the second gate north of Suzaku Gate, and asked Yu Xin, a scholar of the Eastern Palace, to guard the outer Suzaku Gate instead of Xiao Zhengde.

Yu Xin was a gifted scholar of the last generation in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with first-rate literary talents. His father and son served the Prince's East Palace for two generations, and he was highly regarded by Xiao Gang.But letting him, a civil servant who has never fought in a war, guard the main gate is not much better than letting a traitor go. Sure enough, when Hou Jing launched an attack, there were only two ways Yu Xin could think of.As soon as a bridge board was erected, Hou Jing's arrow hit the goal post with a "swish".Yu Xin was sitting on the top of the wall chewing sugar cane (literati really have leisure and elegance), when the sugar cane fell to the ground in fright, at a loss what to do, he sacrificed the second magic weapon - run!

Yu Xin ran away, but Xiao Zhengde didn't. He ordered his accomplice Shen Zimu to put down Zhuqueheng.Hou Jing's army rushed over on the Zhuque Hang, and Xiao Zhengde personally led the generals to open the Xuanyang Gate to warmly welcome Hou Jing into the city.The two met each other so late, they bowed their hands together, weeping with gratitude: Hou Jingxin said he was a "good guide"; Xiao Zhengde thought that the emperor's dream was finally coming true!The two armies then joined forces to occupy the outer city of Jiankang.Seeing that the situation is not good, Xiao Dachun, the guard general of Stone City, and others scattered like birds and beasts without saying a word, and Stone City fell into the hands of Hou Jing.The inner city of Jiankang is divided into three parts, with Taicheng (Miyagi, the seat of the emperor) in the middle, Stone City in the west, and Dongfu City in the east.

Hou Jing surrounded Taicheng, and successively attacked the city with fire attack, hacking with axes, charging chariots, archery towers, and earth hills.Under the personal command of the general Yang Kan, the defenders in the city defended tenaciously and repelled wave after wave of attacks by the rebels.Hou Jing saw that Taicheng could not be captured quickly, so he sent his troops to capture Dongfu City outside Taicheng, the Prince's East Palace, Tongtai Temple and other places, slaughtered wantonly, and rewarded the palace ladies of the East Palace to the soldiers. Hou Jing built a long wall outside Taicheng to isolate all connections between the city and the outside world.Hou Jing shot rewards into the city again, recruiting people to kill Zhu Yi and others.Zhu Yi couldn't sit still, he didn't listen to Yang Kan's advice, and led more than a thousand people to fight.Zhu Yi spent half his life in Jiankang, so how could he ever go to the battlefield?Before the fighting started, all the soldiers ran back. There were many people and the bridge was narrow, and seven or eight hundred people drowned in the moat.Hou Jing's troops watched this farce outside the city, and their stomachs cramped from laughing.

The people in the city couldn't get out, and Hou Jing couldn't get in for a while.It happened that Hou Jing caught Yang Kan's son Yang Zhuo, tied him to the city, and forced Yang Kan to surrender.Yang Kan was really loyal and brave, and replied: "I will repay Master Liang's kindness, and I will not hesitate to kill the whole family. How can I care about a son and kill him quickly!" A few days later, Hou Jing brought the sheep back again. Yang Kan was angry and hated, and said to his son, "I thought you were dead long ago, why are you still alive?"Hou Jing saw that the persuasion was not effective, and Yang Kan's loyalty was quite touching, and he did not kill the sheep.

In order to increase support, Hou Jing announced that all those who were slaves to the nobles of the kings and grandchildren would be promoted to be good citizens once they surrendered, and even be promoted to rank.Only three days after the order was issued, thousands of people escaped from Taicheng and went to Hou Jing.Hou Jing never refused them, gave them generous treatment, and let them join the army.These people have been oppressed by the rich and powerful for a lifetime, and once turned over to become the masters, everyone strives to be the first, and becomes Hou Jing's new force.

It is not enough to treat the slaves preferentially, Hou Jing feels that he should add a heavier political weight to himself.In November of the second year of Taiqing (548 A.D.), he put Xiao Zhengde on the throne of God, changed Yuan Zhengping, and took the post of prime minister himself. Xiao Zhengde felt sorry for Hou Jing, and after becoming emperor, he married his daughter to Hou Jing, and spent all the wealth accumulated by Xiao Hong in the past to fund military expenses. (Xiao Hong loves money more than he loves the throne, and his son Xiao Zhengde wants to be addicted to the emperor even if he is willing to spend money.) Hou Jing's troops have repeatedly expanded their recruitment, and the quality is uneven. The number has reached nearly 100,000. Stone City, which provides food, is running out of reserves.Since Hou Jing crossed the river, his orders have been strict, prohibiting soldiers from robbing food; now, in order to prevent soldiers from fleeing due to hunger, they rob food, and then develop into robbing property and women.The people in the Jiankang area were robbed of everything, the price of rice skyrocketed, starvation was everywhere, and the living survived by eating the corpses of the dead. Hou Jing somehow thought of his wife and children in Hebei.He sent someone to send a letter to the Eastern Wei Dynasty, pretending to be a minister, claiming that Xiao Yan was beaten to the brim by him, and that he would soon return to the Holy Dynasty (Eastern Wei Dynasty), hoping that Gao Cheng would be released to his family. Hou Jing fought a few battles with the people of the Southern Dynasty, he was a little bit flustered, and he forgot that Gao Cheng was an out-and-out jackal, and he was not as soft-hearted as Emperor Wu of Liang.Gao Cheng read Hou Jing's letter, sneered, and ordered Hou Jing's wife and son over three years old to be tied up, skinned, thrown into boiling oil and fried to death.All Hou Jing's daughters were brought into the palace as slaves, all sons under the age of three were castrated, and all Hou Jing's family members left in the north were finished.Not only that, but Gao Cheng sent troops into the Liang territory, captured Shouyang, and occupied Hou Jing's original base.Hou Jing knew how angry he was, but he had no choice but to bully Liang Guo with peace of mind. At this time, the situation took a small turning point. The rebels have been unable to attack for a long time, and the interior is loose.Hou Jing captured Liang General Chen Xin and handed him over to General Fan Taobang to imprison him.Chen Xin persuaded Fan Taobang to kill Hou Jing's generals and surrender to Taicheng.Fan Taobang was persuaded and sent Chen Xin to the city overnight to surrender.Emperor Wu of Liang was very happy, and gave him a special silver certificate, and promised to make Fan Taobang the king of Henan and supervise all Hou Jing's tribe. Emperor Wu of Liang became a habit of being surrendered, but Prince Xiao Gang was so frightened by Hou Jingnong that he refused to believe it was true, and refused to carry out Emperor Wu of Liang's order.He summoned his ministers to discuss, and Zhu Yi and others said: "Fan Taobang's surrender cannot be faked. Once Fan Taobang surrendered, Hou Jing must be in a panic. Our army will take the opportunity to attack and win a complete victory." Xiao Gang shook his head: "Taicheng only needs to stick to it and wait for help. Why worry about the injustice? This is a perfect strategy. If you open the door to accept Fan Taobang, if there is any change, you will regret it. This matter is of great importance, and we have to think about it in the long run." Everyone discussed it for a long time, but there was no result.Fan Taobang was afraid that Xiao Gang might have concerns, so he sent Chen Xin to say, "I will only bring five hundred people. Once we reach the city gate, all of them will take off their armor and ask the imperial court to let them go. After this is done, I will keep and arrest Hou Jing." Fan Taobang's words were earnest and detailed, Xiao Gang became more and more suspicious, and did not respond.After such a delay, Fan Taobang was reported by his subordinates, and Hou Jing killed Fan Taobang and Chen Xin together.Finally, there was a chance to come back, and Xiao Gang killed it. (Emperor Wu of Liang kept trusting Hou Jing, and even lured wolves into his house; Prince Xiao Gang kept doubting Fan Taobang, but missed the opportunity. Fate played a big joke on the Xiao family and his son.) Xiao Gang stood firm in the city and waited for help, and the troops of King Qin everywhere were indeed not idle.Shaoling Wang Xiao Lun and others who had previously gone north changed their marching route and rushed to aid Jiankang after Zhongli received information about Hou Jing crossing the river; Dangyang Gong Xiao Daxin sent troops from their respective garrisons to serve the king. The Liang armies from all walks of life marched differently, and Hou Jing happened to defeat them one by one.Xiao Lun arrived one step ahead of the crowd, and Hou Jing led his army to meet him.Xiao Lun obeyed his general Zhao Bochao, avoided Hou Jing's main force and seized Jiang Shan's favorable terrain.Hou Jing rushed to nothing, turned around and attacked Jiang Shan again. The attack was not good, so he used the trick of deceiving the enemy to order the troops to retreat. Xiao Lun's general, Xiao Jun, was restless and led his troops in hot pursuit.Hou Jing fought back and caught Xiao Jun by surprise. Xiao Jun was defeated.Hou Jing took advantage of the victory to attack, and the Liang army was completely defeated.Xiao Lun gathered eight or nine hundred disabled soldiers and fled. Xiao Lun was defeated, Xiao Si, the eldest son of Poyang King Xiao Fan, Xiao Fang, the eldest son of King Xiao Yi of Eastern Hunan, Wei Can, governor of Hengzhou, Xiao Daxin, Duke of Dangyang, governor of Jiangzhou, Liu Zhongli, governor of Sizhou, Pei Zhigao, governor of Western Yuzhou , General Xuanmeng Li Xiaoqin, Nanling Taishou Chen Wenche and other troops successively arrived around Jiankang, with a total strength of about 200,000.Wei Can is the son of Wei Fang, the eldest son of Wei Rui, and he is quite famous. At his suggestion, everyone elected his cousin Liu Zhongli as the governor to lead the reinforcements from all walks of life. If Liang Jun can unite as one, unite against the enemy, encircle Jiankang, and fight Hou Jing with 200,000 mobs, then Hou Jing's situation will be very dangerous. But "Tian Shi" helped Hou Jing again. Liang Jun approached Suzaku Heng, heavy fog fell from the sky, and Wei Can's team lost their way.When Hou Jing saw it, he led an elite attack. Wei Can, his son and brothers were defeated and died heroically. Cousin Wei Can had an accident. Cousin Liu Zhongli, who was eating, put down his bowl and chopsticks, put on his helmet and armor, and led the troops to rescue him.When the two armies met, Liu Zhongli defeated Hou Jing's army and beheaded hundreds.Seeing that Hou Jing was about to die, Hou Jing's general Zhi Boren killed him and cut Liu Zhongli's shoulder from behind. The generals desperately rescued Liu Zhongli.After this battle, Liu Zhongli suffered from severe "scene phobia" and dared not fight Hou Jing again. King Qin's 200,000 Liang army didn't want to make progress, but turned to fight among themselves.After Xiao Lun's team was broken up, he brought the remnants along with Liu Zhongli.Liu Zhongli was arrogant and rude to the generals, Xiao Lun was originally a fool, he was very dissatisfied with being subordinate to Liu Zhongli, and always found Liu Zhongli unhappy.Lincheng Duke Xiao Dalian and Yongan Hou Xiaoque, who were both clansmen, were not united, they were suspicious of each other and fought openly and secretly. Of course, Liang Jun also acted "consistently" sometimes, but it was not against Hou Jing, but against the common people near Jiankang.Hou Jing robbed the people of food, causing a great famine in Jiangdong. Those who survived heard that the officers and soldiers were coming, and helped the old and the young to meet them, but they were robbed by Liang Jun and made into abject poverty. The reinforcements outside the city failed repeatedly, and life in the city was even more difficult.General Yang Kan passed away at the age of fifty-four due to overwork, and a pillar of Taicheng fell down.One month later, in the first month of the third year of Taiqing (549 A.D.), Zhu Yi, the "confidant" of Emperor Wu of Liang, also drove to the Immortal Crane, and the whole city of Tai was filled with a terrifying atmosphere.