Chapter 338 The Siege of Lin'an

At the Yulin Guard camp, the soldiers had just finished their shift change. They had barely finished a hasty breakfast and lain down when a commotion broke out outside.

Some cursed and pulled their blankets over their heads, intending to keep sleeping, but more people threw on their clothes and got up to see what was happening.

Just as someone lifted a tent flap, a cold steel blade was pressed against his neck. All movement stopped instantly, and only three words filled his mind:

"Something has happened!"

After Jiang Qin led his men to swiftly break through the camp's defenses, they charged into the Yulin Guard camp. They then surrounded the barracks in groups of twenty, beginning a systematic sweep.

Most of these Yulin Guard soldiers were scions of noble families. Although their equipment was exceptionally fine, they were like greenhouse flowers who had never set foot on a battlefield. The moment a steel blade touched their necks, they immediately lost their nerve.

There were a few who thought of resisting, but at the slightest movement, the steel blades sliced across their throats, and warm blood immediately gurgled out.

The young soldiers, who had never witnessed slaughter, could hardly believe their eyes. One clutched his neck, lying on the ground struggling feebly, feeling the thing called a soul inexplicably drift away from his body.

Watching their comrades, with whom they had just been laughing and calling brothers, die before their eyes, these noble scions were instantly scared out of their wits.

Thus, most of the over two thousand Yulin Guards on duty were taken prisoner. In less than an hour, the Yulin Guard camp was under the control of the Yue Army.

On the other side at the Capital City Camp, the border troops who had returned for rotation were clearly much tougher than those noble scions. Facing a Yue Army several times their size, they launched a desperate resistance.

Gao Yuan had guessed this would be a tough nut to crack. Therefore, he not only came in person but also brought over eighteen thousand troops specifically to deal with this situation.

As the assault began, Gao Yuan roamed about on his warhorse. Whenever he spotted an officer, he drew his lingbao bow and began precise sniping.

Historical records state that the lingbao bow could shoot through stone and bury its fletching. Combined with Gao Yuan's A-rank mounted archery and A-rank strength, his arrows never missed, taking down 'little friends' one by one from over two hundred paces away.

In less than half an hour, at least a dozen officers had their throats pierced, dying with regrets on the spot.

Gao Yuan's heroic performance greatly boosted the morale of the Yue Army soldiers. Their offensive became even more fierce, and the camp walls of the Southern Qian Army became precarious.

In contrast, the Southern Qian Army's continuous loss of officers to sniping quickly plunged the defenders into a leaderless state of chaos. The intensity of their resistance grew weaker and weaker; it looked as though they would soon be unable to hold.

The fierce battle lasted for about an hour. As the thirty-fourth officer was struck in the throat by one of Gao Yuan's arrows, the Southern Qian soldiers finally collapsed. They began to retreat and flee in panic.

The camp gates were smashed open, and the walls were pushed down. The Yue Army soldiers poured into the camp like a tide, using their numerical advantage to divide, surround, and eliminate the retreating Southern Qian soldiers one by one.

By noon, all resistance within the camp had been extinguished. The remaining three thousand-plus men were rounded up, squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands, dejectedly accepting their fate as prisoners.

By this point, all troops near the Capital City had been cleared out. The vast Great Qian capital had now become an isolated city, as helpless as a lonely island in the sea.

The news that the Yue Army had appeared on the outskirts of the Capital City made the heads of the Powerful Families—Xiao Yu, Cui You, and Gu Zheng—hardly able to believe their ears. The previously clamorous hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

As for Zhao You on the dragon throne, he had no idea what was happening. To be precise, he had not yet sobered up from last night's binge and was completely oblivious.

Gu Zheng was the first to react. He immediately composed himself and proposed:

"Immediately order the Capital City Camp and the Yulin Guard outside the city to enter and strengthen the defenses, then mobilize the troops from the surrounding prefectures to return for reinforcement."

Gu Zheng's proposal was immediately met with agreement from most people.

"Yes, yes, yes, Minister Gu is absolutely right."

However, their proposal had barely passed when they were dealt a heavy blow. Yang Dingguo hurried into the hall. After bowing to the drunken Zhao You and the standing officials, he said:

"Reporting to Your Majesty and Your Excellencies, the two camps outside the city have been captured by Gao Yuan. The Yue Army has now surrounded the Capital City..."

Yang Dingguo looked up after speaking and saw a scene he would never forget. These heads of Powerful Families, who usually talked and laughed so freely, stood there like clay statues, their mouths agape and their eyes filled with deep terror.

Even Xiao Yu, who was usually calm, panicked now. He had no idea what to do in this situation.

It took a long time for Xiao Yu to react. He stepped forward quickly and grabbed Yang Dingguo's hand.

"General Yang, you are a famous general of this age. I believe only you can command the three armies to hold the Capital City."

Although his words sounded certain, his constantly trembling hands told Yang Dingguo that he was terrified and had completely lost his composure.

The others also seemed to have found a life-saving straw, crowding around Yang Dingguo together.

"Yes, General Yang, we can only rely on you. Until the loyalist armies arrive, we can only depend on you."

Yang Dingguo was quite confident in his own abilities. Now, seeing this group of usually high-ranking people looking at him with such warmth and expectation, his inner potential was suddenly ignited.

Thumping his chest, Yang Dingguo spoke with great passion.

"Since you all trust me so much, I shall take up this heavy burden. Rest assured, within three months, the Capital City shall remain safe and sound."

Yang Dingguo marched out of the palace with his head held high. He took most of the Yulin Guards from the palace city and conscripted the domestic guards, servants, and death-sworn soldiers of the Powerful Families, along with a large number of young men. In total, he organized nearly ten thousand people to man the city walls.

With over ten thousand troops and fine equipment taken from the city's armory, Yang Dingguo was fully confident in defending the Capital City.

However, in his supreme confidence, he failed to notice the confusion and fear in the eyes of the young men forced onto the walls, or their constantly trembling hands.

Outside the city, the navy and Yue Army soldiers, totaling over thirty thousand men, had completed the encirclement of the Capital City on the west, south, and north sides, leaving only the eastern side as an opening.

Jiang Qin strode into the commanders tent and bowed to Gao Yuan.

"Reporting to Lord, the encirclement is complete. The various units are constructing fortifications."

Gao Yuan nodded slightly.

"Mm, very good. Tell the soldiers to hurry and build siege engines, and to increase vigilance."

"Understood!"

Although he ordered the construction of siege engines, Gao Yuan was not prepared to launch an immediate assault. With the massive bait of the Capital City in his hands, he naturally wanted to see if he could hook a big fish.

Over in Jiangzhou, Zhu Song was stuck in a quagmire and could not extricate himself. The only forces the Southern Qian court could mobilize were the garrison troops from surrounding prefectures, as well as Meng Zhenshan in Pengcheng and Mao Biao in Jianzhou.

According to Gao Yuan's plan, it would be best if he could lure out the 'big fish' Mao Biao. When the time came, he would join forces with Gao Xianzhi to take down Mao Biao, and then this great war would be mostly over.

Just as Gao Yuan hoped, Xiao Yu, Cui You, and the others indeed issued orders, commanding Meng Zhenshan to abandon Pengcheng and gather the surrounding garrison troops to come to the rescue of the Capital City.

At the same time, they ordered Mao Biao to abandon places like Jianzhou and Wenzhou, and retreat to the areas of Wuzhou, Yuezhou, and Hangzhou.

When Mao Biao received this order, he almost started cursing. They wanted him to abandon the defensive line he had worked so hard to hold just like that. Most importantly, the two sides were already intertwined; how could he just withdraw whenever he wanted?