After the Battle of Yanchi, Lu Bu rested for a while in Anyi and ordered his subordinates to count the heads and prisoners. A total of 2,000 heads and more than 400 prisoners were obtained, which was a considerable gain. And tortured the Huns captured during the war to interrogate intelligence among the enemy troops. After half a day of torture, I learned about Jinyang's arrangements and the news that Chen Chong was still alive. Lu Bu asked about Chen Chong's whereabouts, but no one could answer him. Anyway, he didn't go north to Jinyang, and he didn't seem to be in Puban. Lu Bu couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "Is it possible that he is fleeing east to Luoyang and wants to be with Liu Bei as his companion?"
After resting for two more days, Lu Bu ordered Pang Shu to lead more than 5,000 troops to defend the city and take the remaining 4,000 light cavalry, and left the north of the city at Shenshi. No one in Hecheng knew where they were going, they could only be seen disappearing into the twilight before night fell.
It was almost the twelfth lunar month, but the clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the yellow sun. The air was filled with moisture from melting snow, and the hard soil underfoot became muddy and difficult to walk on. Lu Bu's army led their horses on foot, and the column was separated by more than ten miles in front and back. On the way forward, all pedestrians who met in the same direction were forced to turn back, otherwise they would be arrested and killed. So we headed all the way north, still not knowing what was ahead.
After arriving at Dong Chi Pi, we rested for the night. The next day the whole army set off, and Zhang Liao was ordered to take the lead with a hundred elite cavalry. They rode quickly to Houmaji by the Huishui River. The population here suddenly increased. It turned out that the Bafu had set up checkpoints here to tax business travelers. The soldiers guarding the gate realized something was wrong and immediately burned smoke as a warning. Black smoke rose into the blue sky, and Jiangyi, ten miles away, could naturally be seen clearly.
But it doesn't matter at this point. Lu Bu led his cavalry and rushed forward, quickly rushing to the foot of Jiangyi City. The first hundred riders circled the city and found that the city gates had been closed and the outer walls had been repaired. They could not help but consolidate the damaged areas, built wooden sheds on the city walls, and dug trenches outside the walls. Water was originally supposed to be diverted into the trench, but now it was freezing and snowy. In order to prevent it from freezing, the defenders cut off the water and placed many pointed wooden stakes in it instead. However, Lu Bu's raid had a miraculous effect. There were dozens of horse materials outside the city, but they were all left outside before they could move them in. Zhang Liao led his Qingqi to search everywhere and brought back dozens of prisoners.
Through cross-examination, we learned that most of the Huns had not returned because of their previous defeat. Therefore, the servant Pei Mao sent some of the defenders in the city into small teams to collect scattered soldiers in the countryside. There were only about two thousand people left in the city. Lu Bu also learned that after the Xiongnu cavalry went south, tens of thousands of grains and fodder were sent from Jinyang from the north, enough to feed ten thousand people for several months. Lu Bu laughed and said, "This Pei Mao is just defending the city, but he still wants to gather the defeated troops? Do you have time?"
Lu Bu's army only had 5,000 men and could not completely lay siege to the city. He was worried that his troops would be scattered. Once the people in the city protruded from one point, they would be unable to resist them for a while. Therefore, he only camped in the west and north of the city, so that even if there was a challenge from the city, he could immediately respond.
After nightfall, someone in the city tied white silk to an arrow shaft and shot it. When the sergeant saw that it was a letter written by Pei Mao, he hurriedly handed it to Lu Bu. Lu Bu started reading and found that Pei Mao was showing off his qualifications in the letter. He said that he was the son of Pei Ye, the former governor of Bingzhou and the general who conquered Liao Dynasty. He also lived in Bingzhou, and he was half the same hometown as Lu Bu. During the lifetime of the late emperor, he served as county governor and minister. As a person with experience in officialdom, he advised Lu Bu to take the overall situation into consideration and overcome the difficulties together. The letter contains many words and quotes from scriptures. Lü Bu took the trouble to write a line on the back of the silk: "Leave the city and surrender at midnight tomorrow. Once the hour is over, the whole city will be massacred!" Signed below: "General of the Han Dynasty envoy Chijie to supervise all the military affairs in Kansai, Marquis of Wen County Lu Bu ." He was shot back into the city.
At this time, Pei Mao read the reply and found out that Lu Bu was planning to massacre the city. When the officials in the city learned about it, they all changed their colors in shock.
He Lianchi, who escaped first, advised Pei Mao that it would be better to take advantage of the enemy's lax siege and concentrate his efforts to break out and get rid of it. Then wait for the scattered soldiers around to be collected before engaging in battle. Pei Mao was intimidated by Lu Bu's name and did not dare to speak out. He said: "It is not his strength to attack the city, and there is food in the city. It is better to wait for help." How did they know that the soldiers sent out heard that they were besieged by a large army? , they all took small roads and fled towards Linfen and even Pi's direction, and no reinforcements came.
Pei Mao and the generals in the city were worried, and the soldiers and civilians were also extremely worried that the enemy would break into the city and kill them. People were noisy and sad, and had no intention of sleeping. Outside the city, Lu Bu ordered the sergeants to take turns sleeping. He himself was extremely tired, leaving only one soldier standing guard at the door holding a sword. He lay down with his clothes on, fell down and snored like thunder, and slept until dawn.
The next day there was no wind and the sky was dark. The time has passed, Jiangyi city gate is closed tightly, and there is no intention of surrender. Lu Bu did not attack the city immediately. In the morning, he divided half of his troops, burned all the surrounding villages and fields, and took the people captive. In half a day, more than 3,000 people from the village were plundered. They were forced to cut down bushes and dig soil, and then fill the trenches. The Liangzhou sergeant pressed on from behind, and when he saw anyone who was slow or weak, he pushed them directly into the ditch. The sound of wailing reached Chengdu, and when people in the city heard it, they were all frightened and could only pray to God for blessing.
Seeing that many trenches were about to be filled up, the garrison on the city panicked and didn't care about so many things. Arrows rained down in random bursts. The deceased fell down in the ditch, and the people behind him covered up the earth and continued to advance, and the ditch was filled up in a short time.
Before nightfall, in the afterglow of the setting sun, Lu Bu encouraged his soldiers to prepare to attack the city. He said: "Jiangyi has not experienced war for more than ten years and is known for its prosperity. After the uprising, it was said that many rich families came to the city, and tens of thousands of grains and fodder were transported from Jinyang. It can be said that she is a woman of gold and silver. , countless. After the city is broken, you can plunder as much as you like without any scruples!"
Inspired by this, the Liangzhou sergeants were all excited and eager to try. They carry bows on their backs, carry quivers at their sides, daggers in their belts, and long swords in their hands. They let out loud shouts that shook the night, and rushed across the trench together until they rushed to the base of the city wall. They tied the pole into a ladder. The first climbers covered in heavy armor grabbed the tip of the long pole, and the people behind held the end and rushed towards the earth wall, pushing them off the top of the wall. It was like a surging wave, each wave carrying dozens of people onto the city. Although many people either failed to step firmly, or were stabbed by the garrison commander and fell off the wall with dust, there were still people who successfully stood on the top of the city every time.
As soon as the defenders saw someone ascending the city, they immediately swarmed on them and swung their swords wildly. It was pitiful for those who ascended first, even though they were wearing heavy armor, they often died of serious injuries. However, the Liang people below the city continued to climb up the city with amazing courage. Some fell into weakly defended areas and could not be wiped out for a while, while more people kept climbing up from everywhere. These men in heavy armor, even though they were hit by many swords, still waved their swords to drive away the enemy. There was also a Western Wei man who was hit by an arrow in the face. He stretched out his hand to break the arrow shaft and continued to fight as if nothing happened. . The bravery of these blood-covered people shocked the soldiers defending the city into panic. As more successors climbed up, the numerically inferior defenders began to lose sight of one thing and became exhausted. After a while, the Ryoto who ascended the city began to gain more and more footholds.
At this time, Lu Bu's powerful generals, such as Zhang Liao, Hao Meng, Gao Shun and others, were also wearing heavy armor and ascended the city from somewhere around the city. The warriors who rushed to the top of the city lit the torches they held in their mouths and threw them onto the wooden arrow towers and wooden walls. After a while, the flames from the top of the city illuminated Jiangyi City, which was afraid of the darkness below. The crackling sound of burning firewood, mixed with the roar of fighting and shouting in the city, tore apart the originally silent night.
When the defenders on the city saw that the situation was over, many people gave up their defense and fled towards the city.
Suddenly there was a loud bang, and choking dust rose into the sky. It turned out that the enemy troops attacking the city had cut off the iron chain, and the suspension bridge at the north gate fell down. Although the gate suddenly fell to the ground, killing seven or eight cold soldiers, the people behind even cheered ecstatically, stepped on the rickety gate, and rushed into the city through the dim smoke. The trapped cavalry behind them followed closely and galloped through the trench. They tied torches to the tips of tree branches and rode all the way into the city gate. The soldiers who were still resisting at the gate of the city suddenly lost their fighting spirit when they saw the neighing beasts bursting out from the dust and mist swaying in the firelight, and they crowded away in all directions.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves and shouts of killing echoing in the streets, the desperate people in the city trembled like lambs before death. People Huang Mangzi smeared dirt on his daughter's face and hid the young child in the well; the old man who couldn't walk swallowed gold and silver and lay in bed waiting to die. More rich and poor people knelt on the ground and prayed to the gods, willing to give up everything in the world in exchange for their lives.
Empress Helianchi ran back from the lost north gate, but his mount was hit by an arrow on the way. He got up and limped back to the government office. Everyone in the house was empty. I saw Pei Mao, the servant, wearing armor, holding a knife in one hand and a Book of Songs in the other, sitting alone on the threshold without moving. Empress Helianchi advised him: "Mr. Pei, please commit suicide immediately! Do you still have to be humiliated by the enemy?"
Unexpectedly, Pei Mao seemed not to have heard anything, and Empress Helianchi shook him again. Then he slowly said to the Huns as if he had just woken up from a big dream: "I thought so too, but I really can't do it. If you If you don’t mind, please kill me.”
Empress Helianchi smiled bitterly and nodded. His original knife was no longer good and he threw it away. At this time, he could only take the knife in Pei Maowen's hand. He looked at Pei Maowen's weak body and couldn't help but feel pity in his heart, and said: "Bear with it, it won't hurt." Pei Mao just nodded, and saw a cold light flash through, This famous elder passed away.
The Huns beheaded the servant, and found another horse. They wanted to make a last-ditch effort, but as soon as they went out, they were surrounded by dozens of horsemen. The arrows were not covered, and he died immediately. He had no time to send out more Sound.
That night, Lu Bu's army lit countless torches to search for people and property. They killed all the old and sick people, and all the young and strong men and women were led away in strings with ropes. Even the old men in the army and those who tended the horses and fodder went around robbing, killing and raping young women. All the basements and ancestral halls in Jiangyi City were scrapped to the ground, and the gold or other treasures hidden in them were robbed. That night Jiangyi was like a hell on earth, and the sound of crying continued all night long.
