NCCnovel Chapter 908 Losing Luoyang
Chapter 908 Losing Luoyang
The winter wind, bringing the chill of the Yanzhao land and the sound of An Lushan's rebel horses' hooves, shattered the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty all the way south.
Less than a month after the Fanyang uprising was ignited, 24 counties in Hebei Province fell one after another, and the cold sound of the rebels' armor rubbing against each other could be heard in the Luo River outside Luoyang City.
At that time in Luoyang City, Feng Changqing was standing on Tianjin Bridge, staring at the rushing river below in a daze.
This famous general, who was once famous for "rushing thousands of miles and conquering the Western Regions with strategy", now had his purple robe stained with frost and snow, and his hair at the temples was messy due to the wind.
Three days ago, he had just arrived from Chang'an at full speed. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, shook his hand and said, "Chang Qing, the Eastern Capital is now in your hands. I believe you can stop An Lushan."
But when he stood on the top of the city wall, he saw a group of soldiers temporarily recruited from the market - among them were charcoal sellers, silk shop assistants, and even farmers who had just put down their hoes. They could not hold the swords and guns in their hands steadily, and their eyes were full of panic.
"General, the rebel vanguard has reached Yanshi!"
The deputy general came running over breathlessly, the copper buckles on his armor jingling.
Feng Changqing came back to his senses and pointed at the newly built arrow tower on the city wall: "Tell the brothers to prepare the rolling stones and string the bows and arrows. Tell them that if Luoyang is captured, their home will be gone."
His voice was steady, but only he knew that his palms were already soaked with cold sweat.
The day when the rebels attacked the city came sooner than expected.
An Lushan's elite "Yiluohe" troops rushed to the city of Luoyang like a dark cloud pressing down on the city.
These commandos, composed of Khitan and Xi warriors, were wearing Ming Guang armor and holding ladders and rushed straight to the city wall.
Feng Changqing personally commanded from the East Gate Tower. He drew his sword and cut off a fallen arrow shaft: "Release! Throw rolling stones!"
Arrows fell like raindrops, and boulders hit the rebel formation, splashing blood.
But the rebels were like tireless beasts, one group fell and another group came up.
A soldier who had been a charcoal seller was shaking so badly that he couldn't draw his bow. Feng Changqing walked over, held his hand, and helped him aim: "Don't be afraid, aim at the one in the red helmet in front."
The soldier gritted his teeth and shot an arrow, which actually hit the rebel lieutenant. His eyes turned red instantly, and he turned around and grabbed another arrow.
The fierce battle raged for seven days. Luoyang's twelve city gates were assaulted by the rebels in succession, and a corner of the southern wall collapsed during the fire attack. Feng Changqing led his personal guards to fill the breach. His robe was scorched black by the flames, and his arm was pierced by a stray arrow. He gritted his teeth, pulled out the arrow, wrapped it in a cloth, and continued fighting.
It was not until the early morning of the eighth day when the rebels blew open the east gate and a torrent of armored soldiers poured into the city that Feng Changqing realized that the situation was hopeless.
"General, let's retreat! It will be too late if we don't leave now!"
The guards carried him to break out to the west of the city. When passing by the burned-down Ministry of Personnel, Feng Changqing looked back - the archway where he had hung his rank in the military examination was now on fire.
He suddenly pushed aside his guards and slashed his sword to kill the two pursuing rebels. A sweet taste welled up in his throat. "Let's go! To Shan County!"
On the official road outside Shan County, Gao Xianzhi reined in his horse and waited. This "King of Mountain Warfare," who had led his troops across the Pamir Mountains and pacified Little Bolor, now frowned as he gazed at the smoke rising from the east.
Although the 100,000 troops behind him were known as elite, most of them were temporarily mobilized border troops, and their food and fodder had not yet been fully supplied.
Seeing Feng Changqing rushing towards him with the remnants of his army, he dismounted and hurried over to meet him: "Changqing, how is Luoyang?"
Feng Changqing's battle robe was soaked with blood. He held Gao Xianzhi's arm and said in a hoarse voice, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "It's lost. There are 150,000 rebels, all elite soldiers with hundreds of battles. My tens of thousands of new recruits... can't hold up."
He took a breath and pointed to the mountains to the west. "Shaan County has no strategic location to defend, the walls are low, and there's insufficient food and fodder. If we hold out here, we'll be surrounded and annihilated by the rebels within three days."
"It would be better to retreat to Tongguan and hold on to the strategic location, so that Chang'an can be saved."
Gao Xianzhi silently stared at the wound on his arm, then looked at the army behind him. Suddenly, he slammed his fist on the saddle and said, "Alright! As you say! Pass on my order. The entire army abandons Shan County and retreats to Tongguan overnight! Take as much food and supplies as you can. Burn everything you can't take. Don't leave it to the rebels!"
As soon as the order to retreat was given, the army fell into chaos.
The recruits were already terrified, and when they heard that they were going to abandon the city and flee, they became even more confused.
Some people ran wildly carrying food and supplies, some dropped their weapons and just ran for their lives, and even a small group of soldiers took advantage of the chaos to loot the people.
Gao Xianzhi, upon seeing this, stood at the intersection with his sword in hand. Seeing a defeated soldier fleeing with a woman's bundle, he shouted, spurred his horse after him, and cut him down with a single blow of his sword: "Anyone who flees from battle and plunders the people will be executed!"
The blood splattered on the snow, a glaring red.
The chaotic soldiers instantly quieted down. Gao Xianzhi reined in his horse and stood in the middle of the road, his voice as resounding as a bell: "We are retreating, not to escape, but to defend Tongguan! As long as Tongguan is there, Chang'an is there."
"As long as Chang'an is here, our country is here! This will be the fate of anyone who dares to cause chaos again!"
He glanced across the ranks, and the veterans who had fought with him in the Western Regions drew their swords and responded, "We are willing to follow you and defend Tongguan to the death!"
Feng Changqing endured the pain and ordered his personal guards to reorganize the troops and regroup the scattered soldiers.
He said to Gao Xianzhi, "I will take 3,000 men to cover our retreat, and you lead the main force ahead. Tell the brothers that Tongguan is our last barrier and cannot be lost."
Gao Xianzhi patted his shoulder, his eyes slightly red: "Take care."
This retreat ultimately came at a price. The pursuing rebels caught up with the Tang army and ambushed them in Lingbao Valley, nearly annihilating the remaining 3,000 soldiers.
Feng Changqing was hit by three arrows and was already unconscious when his personal guards risked their lives to rescue him.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the city wall of Tongguan, and Gao Xianzhi was using strong liquor to clean his wounds.
"Have we... reached Tongguan?" Feng Changqing asked weakly. Gao Xianzhi nodded and pointed to the majestic pass outside the window: "We're here. Tongguan is a strategically located place. One man can hold the pass against ten thousand. If the rebels come, we'll fight them here."
The city wall of Tongguan is built against the mountain and is several meters high. Outside the city is the steep Yellow River canyon, which is indeed a natural barrier.
Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing immediately organized soldiers to strengthen the city defenses: repairing the city walls, digging trenches, stockpiling food and fodder, and even demolishing all the houses outside the city to build a solid defense.
The soldiers who retreated from Luoyang and Shan County saw that Tongguan was so strong, and their morale gradually recovered. The sounds of training and iron hammering could be heard one after another every day, and they seemed to be determined to defend the city to the death.
When An Lushan's rebel army chased to the city of Tongguan, they were indeed stopped.
The rebels launched a fierce attack for three consecutive days, using catapults to smash the city walls, battering rams to ram the city gates, and even sending death squads to climb the cliffs, but they were all beaten back by the Tang army.
Gao Xianzhi stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the bodies left by the rebels, and said to Feng Changqing with a smile: "Look, as long as we hold this place, An Lushan will be like a grasshopper in autumn."
Feng Changqing was silent for a moment.
"If we had muskets and cannons, what would the rebels have to fear? It's a pity that all the factories have been destroyed. Even if they are being rebuilt, it will take time!"
Gao Xianzhi's face also turned gloomy.
"We can still hold Tongguan without muskets and cannons. We don't have them, and neither do the rebels."
Feng Changqing covered his wound and coughed: "I'm just worried... Chang'an might be in trouble."
His worries soon became a reality.
In the Purple Palace in Chang'an, Li Longji was furious at the map.
The seventy-year-old emperor, with his hair already white, still carried the arrogance of his youth. "Waste! All waste!"
He grabbed the memorial from the table and slammed it to the ground. "I gave them 100,000 soldiers, and they couldn't even hold Luoyang, and they even lost Shan County! Do they want An Lushan to attack Chang'an?"