Chapter 882: Advancing with Great Vigor

Miancheng.

After Zhao Xu's order was issued, the scouts arrived here in two days.

These days, Ma Han was waiting for the next order from Yan Wang.

He had originally thought he would head to Songyang Pass as well, but he did not expect to go to Yiyang this time.

"This is His Highness looking after our Qin Army, giving us a chance to show our faces," Ma Han said to Dian Zhang with an excited expression.

The task of taking Yiyang was clearly both easy and a great merit.

After a pause, he continued to say to Dian Zhang: "Let the soldiers sleep well during the day and set out at night. His Highness takes care of us, so we cannot lose face for His Highness; we must fight a beautiful battle."

Dian Zhang nodded and said loudly, "That is a must. Our Qin Army is not a bit worse than the Prince's Personal Army."

Hearing this, Ma Han's old face flushed, and he chuckled twice, "Dian Zhang, that is encouraging, but there really is some gap between our Qin Army and the Prince's Personal Army. However, being behind is not something to fear; we just need to catch up."

Dian Zhang also smiled awkwardly, "The General is right. Our Qin Army will definitely be able to catch up. But even so, us taking Yiyang is like child's play."

"That is true." Ma Han straightened his back.

Their Qin Army was only slightly inferior among the armies under Yan Wang's command.

But whether facing the Northern Di or the Power Clans, they could always make them cry for their fathers and mothers.

They settled on this matter.

That night, the Qin Army headed toward Yiyang.

Nowadays, the eyes of the entire Yizhou were cast toward Songyang Pass.

It could be said that the importance of Songyang Pass exceeded that of Yiyang City.

According to intelligence sent by scouts under Yan Wang's order.

Dou Wei, including the Southern Liang Emperor Dou Mu and the core disciples of the Xiao Family, had all gone to Songyang Pass with the main army this time.

Clearly, they had prepared for the worst.

As for the one hundred thousand troops in Yiyang, it was merely to appease the Rich Clans of Yizhou, so they would not decide they had been abandoned and cause trouble.

Or simply surrender to Yan Wang.

After three nights of trekking, the Qin Army arrived at Yiyang City.

After resting for a day, at midnight on the fourth day, Ma Han launched an attack on Yiyang.

This time, they did not carry Artillery, only firearms and Hand Grenades.

A frontal attack during the day would naturally result in more losses.

It was better to launch a night raid, take the opportunity to occupy the city walls, and fight street battles when it was light.

"Grenadiers in front, Ladder Team in the back. Throw three rounds of Hand Grenades, immediately climb the city walls, clear out the enemies on the walls, and occupy the highest point," Dian Zhang issued the order before the battle.

After reconnaissance, the defenses of Yiyang were still quite tight.

However, the troops guarding Yiyang were clearly third-rate forces cobbled together from the private soldiers of the Rich Clans.

The uniforms on these soldiers were a motley collection; some wore Armor and carried Long Blades, while others wore cloth shirts and held Matchlocks.

Only a small number of soldiers held Flintlocks and wore identical uniforms.

"Yes." As Dian Zhang's order was issued, the various commanders immediately returned to their respective troops.

Before long, the grenade teams crept toward the city walls in the darkness.

Standing at a position thirty meters from the city walls, they threw three consecutive rounds of Hand Grenades at the walls, and the city walls were instantly filled with firelight.

Immediately after, other soldiers carried the Scaling Ladders they had made temporarily during the day and charged toward the city walls.

Numerous soldiers followed behind the Ladder Team.

Once the Scaling Ladders were placed against the city walls, they immediately climbed up.

"Kill!"

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"..."

Upon reaching the city walls, the Qin Army soldiers raised their Qin-style Rifles equipped with Bayonets and charged at the enemy soldiers, shouts of battle ringing out.

When they encountered those rushing in for close combat, they would deliver a thrust.

For those at a distance, they would raise their guns and fire.

The three rounds of Hand Grenades had already cleared most of the enemy soldiers on the walls.

The remaining enemy soldiers were quickly cleared out.

The Qin Army soldiers immediately and rapidly occupied the city walls.

According to the plan.

They stopped the attack once they controlled the Yiyang city walls.

Instead, they aimed their guns downward and held the city walls firmly.

It was the middle of the night, and one could not see their own fingers in the alleys.

They were also unfamiliar with the roads of Yiyang, so fighting a night battle in the alleys now would be more trouble than it was worth.

Therefore, they only occupied the high ground of the city walls to prevent a counterattack from the other side.

However, to their surprise, after taking the city walls, the expected counterattack did not come.

After daybreak, something even more surprising happened.

Large groups of Power Clan commanders led their soldiers toward the city walls holding white flags, surrendering to them.

"It is about time; the internal chaos of Great Song is about to be quelled," Ma Han and Dian Zhang came to the city walls, looked at this scene, and he sighed with emotion.

Just as Yan Wang had judged, at this point, the only ones who would continue to fight them to the death were the core layers of the Power Clans.

They hated Yan Wang for seizing their power, and they feared that if the war failed, they would be captured by Yan Wang and eventually executed.

But the Rich Clans and the lower levels of the Power Clans had a choice.

Seeing Yan Wang recover one province after another, the territory controlled by the powerful clans grew smaller and smaller.

Now, being squeezed into this small area in the Southwest, their confidence has naturally wavered.

Continuing to mix with the powerful clans is nothing more than just going through the motions.

Once the Yan King Army strikes, they are so scared they wet their pants.

Rather than die in battle, it is better to surrender voluntarily.

Although they lose their hundred or thousand acres of fertile land, at least they keep their lives.

If they are allocated six acres of land in the future, they will be able to get by.

Moreover, they will be able to enter the Workshop to work or engage in trade later on.

"Indeed, if Yiyang is already like this, I fear the cities south of Yizhou will also surrender at the first sight of us," Dian Zhang nodded, "It is just a pity that the wealth in the Southern Liang treasury has all been transported away; those were things from Jinling City in the past."

Ma Han pursed his lips and gave a cold snort, saying: "Do not fear this. When His Highness chatted with me, he mentioned this matter. Seeing that the general trend is gone, the remaining powerful clans will certainly flee with a large amount of wealth. Furthermore, the Westerners are not kind people; since their plan to stir up internal chaos in Great Song has failed, they will certainly try to loot as much as they can."

Clearing his throat, he continued, "However, just as His Highness said, whatever they have taken, we will make them pay it back tenfold, hundredfold, or thousandfold in the future. When the time comes, whatever amount of wealth we say they stole from us will be the amount they stole."

Dian Zhang nodded, "His Highness's planning is indeed far-sighted; it is not so easy to take advantage of us."

The two chatted for a while longer, then Commander led the Qin Army to take over the entire Yiyang City.

However, although most of the Yiyang army surrendered, there were still some who put up a desperate resistance.

After a few small battles, Yiyang was completely brought under the control of the Qin Army.

Immediately, Ma Han left twenty thousand troops in Yiyang and ordered Dian Zhang to lead the remaining troops south to capture other Yizhou cities and completely control Yizhou.

Over the next six days, the Qin Army marched triumphantly.

Just as they had expected, for the remaining cities, they often fired a few shots and threw a few Hand Grenades, and the other side would surrender.

Whether it was a prefecture city or a county city, the three or five thousand, or two or three thousand troops inside were simply unable to withstand a single blow.