Chapter 273: Besieging Bianliang

Boom, boom, boom!

Ten days later, under Bianliang City, banners were fluttering, and countless soldiers,

fully armed, surrounded the capital of the Great Song tightly.

In the military formation, the large banners embroidered with "Liang Shan" and "Zhang" were unusually conspicuous.

On the walls of Bianliang City, they were packed with Imperial Guard soldiers,

but at this time, they were all looking nervously at the Liang Shan soldiers below,

and the hands holding the weapons had become damp without knowing it.

The atmosphere on the scene was extremely murderous; this battle involving the life and death of the Great Song was about to break out!

Under the Liang Shan banner, Zhang Jie was not wearing the scholar's clothes he usually wore, but a suit of military armor.

Golden helmet and white horse, bright red cloak fluttering, heroic and spirited, what a young hero!

"Bianliang, I'm back."

Looking at the Bianliang City that was still as majestic as when he came to take the imperial examination before,

and looked like a fierce tiger lying down, Zhang Jie felt a bit moved in his heart.

Initially, he was demoted to Qingzhou Tuanlian Vice-Commissioner by Zhao Ji's decree and demoted out of Bianliang,

and after learning about Lady Lin's encounter, he castrated Young Master Gao and left Bianliang,

although it was said to be a strategic retreat of hiding claws and enduring, it was not without a bit of embarrassment.

And today he came again, bringing his thousands of troops and horses!

He wanted to see what other methods Zhao Ji had to drive him away!

"I didn't expect that I would return to Tokyo with such an identity."

At the same time, Li Gefei, who came to watch the battle, was also sighing.

You say he was a Great Song official who was demoted, how did he become the father-in-law of the Great Song's number one rebel king?

Originally, he appreciated Zhang Jie very much because of his talent during the Shandong township examination,

and because his beloved daughter Qingzhao was unmarried, he had the intention to match them.

And Zhang Jie didn't disappoint his expectations afterward, winning the third place in the imperial examination in one fell swoop,

becoming a member of the scholar-officials of the Great Song's "the Emperor and the scholar-officials share the world,"

which was the son-in-law he couldn't be more satisfied with.

Even after Zhang Jie was not liked by the Emperor and was demoted to Qingzhou Tuanlian Vice-Commissioner,

without a career, the advice he gave to Zhang Jie was to endure for a while,

and it wouldn't be too late to come out when the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

When the Crown Prince ascended the throne, without other teams, wouldn't a third-place winner like Zhang Jie, who had outstanding talent

and had no relationship with the late Emperor, be the best candidate to be enabled?

By the time he was demoted back to Shandong because of the infighting in the imperial court,

and was returning to his hometown with his family, when Zhang Jie, this prospective son-in-law, came to pick them up,

he knew that his son-in-law had fallen into banditry,

and had become the first giant bandit of Qingzhou, famous in Qingzhou!

Just when he intended to persuade this son-in-law to be recruited, Liang Shan erupted,

and actually swept through the north of the Great Song in a short time, reaching the capital of the Great Song, Bianliang.

This was truly beyond the imagination of a scholar over fifty years old.

Li Gefei: If it weren't for the recruitment of my good son-in-law Zhang Jie,

I might still be farming and traveling in the mountains in my hometown in Shandong.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with living in seclusion and enjoying oneself,

it was just that being the father-in-law of the new dynasty's Emperor was undoubtedly broader and more open!

"My Lord, the artillery position has been set up; should we start the attack?"

A while later, Du Qian, who was in charge of the artillery, came to report to Zhang Jie.

This former second-in-command of Liang Shan, the first time he saw the cannon break a section of the wall like a dead tree,

fell in love with this monster that fed on gunpowder and sprayed hot flames and iron balls.

Du Qian: Cannons are much easier to use than knives, guns, and sticks!

After diligent study, he became a regiment commander of the artillery, which could be considered fulfilling his dream of playing with cannons.

Zhang Jie looked up at the artillery camp and found that every cannon was pointed directly at the Bianliang city wall,

and every artilleryman was full of spirit, so he nodded with satisfaction.

The reason he waited under the banner was not to pose, but to wait for the cannons.

For a strong city like Bianliang, which almost symbolized the peak achievement of city casting in the cold weapon era,

attacking the city with methods like ant-like siege or siege vehicles and siege hammers was undoubtedly filling it with the lives of soldiers.

Fortunately, he had a better choice—the God of War, the cannon, is a good helper for every general to attack the city and plunder the land~

At this time, the city gate tower of Bianliang City suddenly became noisy,

and a group

An official with a few strands of long beard under his chin and an extraordinary temperament arrived at the city gate tower.

"Yo, isn't this Cai Jing, the Grand Chancellor Cai? What brings you to the front of our Liang Shan military formation today?"

Although Song Wan, who served as the vanguard, was previously a mountain bandit and river pirate,

and had never been to Bianliang, let alone had the honor of meeting Grand Chancellor Cai Jing,

he recognized at a glance, having seen the intelligence collected by the intelligence department,

this Grand Chancellor Cai Jing, who held supreme power in the Great Song court and could be said to cover the sky with one hand.

"Insolent brat!"

Listening to Song Wan's undisguised mockery beneath the city wall, Cai Jing was filled with fury.

Since he became the Privy Councilor and began assisting the Emperor in governing the world,

how long had it been since anyone spoke to him in such a tone?

Which official, upon seeing him, did not respectfully address him as "Grand Chancellor Cai"?

In the past, for a mountain bandit and river pirate like Song Wan, let alone speaking to him,

even crushing him to death would have been a matter of a single word from him.

But looking at the Liang Shan soldiers below, with their blades and spears like a forest and a chilling murderous aura,

he suppressed the anger in his heart; times were different now!

He waved his hand, and immediately an attendant presented with both hands a bright-colored,

dragon-embroidered scroll, and asked in a loud voice:

"Where is the Top Scholar Zhang?"

Song Wan flourished the weapon in his hand and gave an arrogant smile:

"My master is in the army; if you have anything to say, you can convey it through me, Song Wan."

"According to what this Chancellor knows, Top Scholar Zhang is an upright hero;

could it be that today, surrounded by ten thousand troops, he doesn't even have the courage to show himself?"

Cai Jing didn't even look at Song Wan and mocked him directly.

"Wah wah!

Old man Cai Jing, you dare to mock my master! When I enter the city, I will surely slice you into a thousand pieces!"

Song Wan was so angry that his hair stood on end, and he let out a loud cry.

"Slice him into a thousand pieces!! Slice him into a thousand pieces!"

The Liang Shan soldiers beneath the city wall also shouted in unison.

In their eyes, Zhang Jie was a figure like a god; how could they allow this old man to insult him?

Tens of thousands of people shouted together, their voices shaking the heavens.

For a moment, the city of Bianliang seemed like a small boat in the middle of the ocean, as if it were about to be overturned by this wave of sound that felt like a giant surge.

The Imperial Guards on the city wall, who had been forced into this position and had not even seen blood,

let alone trained properly for who knows how long, felt the ground beneath their feet shake,

and many of them felt their legs go weak, collapsing directly to the ground.

"This, these Liang Shan soldiers are so elite; does that Zhang Renjie really have such prestige?"

Cai Jing was also suddenly shocked in his heart.

Such elite troops and such high prestige were things he had only read about in historical records;

he had never expected to experience it personally in his lifetime.

However, he was, after all, a Grand Chancellor who had governed the world for over a decade, with unfathomable depth,

and although he was shocked, his expression remained as usual, as if he were not affected in the slightest.

"The Grand Chancellor is so calm; could it be that there is still a turning point?"

Seeing him so calm, the wavering generals on the city wall gained a bit more confidence.

As long as they persisted in holding out and waited for reinforcements from various places, especially the Western Army, to come to the rescue,

with just these tens of thousands of troops beneath the wall, that Benevolent King would likely have to retreat, and Bianliang would be saved.

And as long as Bianliang was held, the Great Song would not be considered destroyed!