Chapter 62 Unforeseen Circumstances in Xixia

On April 10th, the weather remained sunny with a continued trend of warming, only somewhat suppressed by the warm wind blowing from the Yellow River.

Before the morning had fully passed, the Song army had arrived at the Xixia imperial palace east of Xingqing Prefecture without shedding a drop of blood.

Immediately, Commander Yue Fei publicly ordered the entire army to maintain discipline and prohibited any unauthorized looting. He declared that after the battle, laborers would collect the spoils of war, and officers above the rank of Commander would not take a single item. Instead, everything would be distributed fairly: officers would receive double shares, and laborers would receive half, with no exceptions.

By this point in the war, Yue Fei had been famous for five or six years and had served as a commander for three or four. His reputation within the Imperial Guard was beyond question. Therefore, the order was met with enthusiastic cheers from both soldiers and laborers.

Amidst the cheers, the commander issued further orders. Qu Duan was to lead two thousand armored cavalry as a disciplinary force and general reserve; Li Shifu was to lead his own local cavalry unit to scout the surrounding area; Zhang Jing was to lead his troops and supervise the laborers in dismantling the Xixia imperial palace from east to west, selecting materials to build crude siege equipment such as cloud ladders and battering rams. Finally, Liu Qi was to supervise all units as they moved forward, first extinguishing the still-burning flames of the palace, and then piling up debris and even preparing siege positions in front of the city.

Yue Fei then summoned Zhang Xian and entrusted him with the gunpowder packets they had brought, to be used in case of emergency.

It's worth noting that as a commander, Yue Fei was well-informed about gunpowder. He had personally inspected and participated in gunpowder packet experiments on multiple occasions during his trips to Tokyo. He knew that the imperial court now possessed two main types of relatively mature gunpowder weapons:

One type was more suitable for assisting combustion, primarily used by the navy. Zhang Rong and Li Bao's units had acquired the most of this type. The Jurchens also possessed this type of gunpowder, which aligned with most people's understanding of the substance.

The other type, the one Yue Fei had brought, was designed for explosive combustion. In Zhao Guan's eyes, this type of gunpowder wasn't particularly powerful, which was why he had buried so many of them in the ground during the public memorial ceremony to put on a show. However, Chen Gui, Yue Fei, and others found one mature use for this type of gunpowder that was useful enough: digging a tunnel under the city walls, then filling it with enough gunpowder, or simply stockpiling gunpowder under armored carts and placing them inside the city gate, which would be enough to create a breach in the defenses.

Unlike Zhao Guan's various dissatisfactions, this method of use, though seemingly simple, was revolutionary because it would destroy the most popular method of breaking down cities. With this weapon, battering rams, which took weeks to build and use, were now in an awkward place. In addition, the single-layered high walls of the past would rapidly be transformed into multi-layered defensive systems.

In fact, these gunpowder packets brought all the way from Tokyo were another important reason why Yue Fei was willing to risk an attack on Xingqing Prefecture, and the foundation for his confidence today. In Yue Fei's eyes, from the moment the white yak-tail banner fell yesterday, this city was already in the bag of the Imperial Guard army.

However, honestly speaking, after yesterday's battle and realizing that the Xixia people's defenses were wide open and that they simply didn't have time to build an effective defense, Yue Fei didn't want to use gunpowder in this situation. If possible, he would rather use it in Daming Prefecture, Hezhong Prefecture, Taiyuan, or even the Jurchen Western Capital, as a secret weapon to quickly seize strategic strongholds during a future northern expedition across the Yellow River.

Of course, as a professional soldier, Yue Fei needed to be responsible for the casualties of his troops. Therefore, he had already decided that if the defenses in front of him could not be broken by the time the sun reached the peak of Helan Mountain to the west, he would immediately blow open the city gates to end the battle.

The Song army's preparations were orderly and methodical, but the opposing side was not idle either, and all the usual battlefield theatrics were present.

After the Song army extinguished the fire in the palace, an acquaintance was immediately lowered from the city walls to 'console' the army. It was none other than Xue Yuanli, the Xixia chancellor who had previously been sent to Chang'an to meet the Zhao Song emperor and sample crow-flavored fried sauce noodles.

Yue Fei also remembered this person. As a commander who cared for the welfare of the common people, he held a sliver of hope for persuading the city to surrender and saving the lives of its inhabitants. Furthermore, since he still had time to prepare the siege equipment, he simply summoned Xue Yuanli for a meeting.

The two sides met on the open ground in front of the palace's council hall. Yue Fei sat motionless on a chair, while Hu Hongxiu, whose hair made him somewhat evasive, chose to turn his back. Xue Yuanli did not do anything extraordinary, such as maintaining an arrogant demeanor or approaching within five steps. Instead, he bowed deeply, showing great respect.

Seeing this, Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu, who had turned around but had been peeking earlier, exchanged glances, their spirits lifted.

However, when Xue Yuanli raised his head, he spoke with righteous indignation and offered a different explanation: "Commander Yue has brought foreign troops here, but he has not recklessly disturbed the palace. Instead, he has assisted in extinguishing the fire. Furthermore, the Commander himself has not entered the main hall, showing no intention to humiliate our country. As the chancellor of the state, I should thank him."

Yue Fei was touched, but his expression remained unchanged. He replied honestly: "If that is the case, Chancellor Xue need not thank me. The laborers in the rear are already dismantling the palace to make cloud ladders. The gold, silver, and treasures in this palace have been promised to the thirty thousand elite soldiers as rewards for this battle. The ceremonial caps, robes, and utensils will be disposed of after receiving the emperor's decree. I do not enter the hall simply because it is a military regulation, and I must lead by example."

Xue Yuanli did not get angry. After a slight pause, he cupped his hands and asked: "Speaking of this matter, the Great Song is a large country, and the Great White High Country is a small country. If a small country makes a mistake, the large country should first send an envoy to question and give the small country a chance to correct its mistake. Why did you enter without declaring war, come directly to the capital of the small country, dismantle the palace, and prepare to attack the capital?"

Yue Fei finally frowned: "Chancellor Xue is mistaken. Was it not you who questioned the emperor at Jinghekou and then covered your face and left? If Xixia does not know that the two countries are at war, it can only be because you deliberately concealed it. Even so, it is still wrong. The two armies have been fighting for months at Hengshan and Pingxia City. If Chage hadn't led the main force to Hengshan, how could I have driven straight in? Why are you only now talking about whether or not to declare war?"

Xue Yuanli continued to cup his hands and said: "Let us not dwell on the past. May I ask Commander Yue if you can temporarily withdraw your troops? The Great White High Country is willing to cede the seven prefectures of Hengshan to the Great Song..."

Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu exchanged glances, and they both saw the word 'absurd' in each other's eyes. What was the point of saying such things at this point?

Besides, even if others didn't know, did this person not know the temper of the Song emperor?

Taking a step back, even if not Zhao Guan's temper, how could any Song commander who came here withdraw their troops?

"If that is not enough, we are willing to send thirty thousand Dangxiang iron cavalry as vanguards for the emperor, to attack the rebel general of He Wai, the Zhe clan... If that is still not enough, we are willing to send the crown prince to Tokyo..."

Xue Yuanli continued to speak one condition after another. Yue Fei, who had always been calm, couldn't help but exchange glances with Hu Hongxiu, lamenting the other party's absurdity. However, he did not say it out loud, because the same absurd thing had happened six years ago.

Then and there, it was just like now.

In fact, Yue Fei patiently waited for the other party to finish speaking before saying, "Chancellor Xue, there is only one condition under which we can cease hostilities..."

Xue Yuanli immediately became serious.

"Please have your country's ruler, the crown prince, and the Prince of Yue come to our army. I will properly send them to Chang'an to be dealt with by the emperor," Yue Fei calmly said. "If so, I am willing to abandon Xingqing Prefecture and go to Jing Prefecture to garrison."

"Commander Yue is joking," Xue Yuanli said after a moment of silence, finally laughing. "It is precisely to prevent any harm from befalling our ruler and capital that I offered those conditions earlier. Does Commander Yue think that our White High Country's rulers and ministers are as lacking in resilience and integrity as your country? Xingqing Prefecture has sufficient food and supplies and ten thousand able-bodied men, enough to defend for several months. When the Prince of Jin, Chage, returns with the reinforcements, we will attack from both inside and outside, and Commander Yue will be trapped in the city as our guest."

At this point, Yue Fei didn't even bother to mention Yelu Dashi and simply raised his hand to dismiss the guest.

The soldiers on both sides pushed Xue Yuanli back, but they did not detain or kill him. They let him walk to the city walls, get back into the basket, and return to Xingqing Prefecture.

This short interlude, although strange, did not affect the overall situation. Thanks to the high-quality timber used in the Xixia imperial palace, crude cloud ladders and battering rams were completed before noon. At the same time, large-scale non-contact battles had already broken out around the city. The Song army was setting up siege positions while probing the defenses along the entire line, as if everyone was eager to attack.

Of course, at this moment, no one could guess who would gain the most credit in this battle. However, among the generals, it seemed predetermined that the one farthest from the city breaking credit was Li Shifu, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard cavalry.

This Dangxiang general from Suide led mostly local cavalry from the Hengshan area. Compared to the opponents in yesterday's battle, they were simply more sinicized, better equipped, and had more than a year of military training. They were not suited for city siege.

And some things, just because people don't say it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Li Shifu was the Imperial Guard Deputy Commander at a young age, and was extraordinarily granted the title of Founding Duke. In addition, due to the performance of his father and son in the battle of Yaoshan, no one could openly doubt their loyalty.

Logically speaking, this person should have a very promising future.

However, that was just logically speaking. Everyone knew that the imperial court, both inside and outside the Imperial Guard, still cared about his Dangxiang identity. Before this battle, some even suggested that Li Shifu should not be allowed to accompany the army to prevent him from turning against them and causing a catastrophe. Li Shifu himself understood this and wanted to downplay his Dangxiang identity, but the emperor valued his ability to control and recruit local cavalry. Therefore, he was helpless.

But then again, from the immediate point of view, his Dangxiang identity still brought practical benefits to Li Shifu. When he led his cavalry to monitor and scout the outskirts of Xingqing Prefecture, the local monks, commoners, rich and poor outside the city were much more peaceful. When he inquired about the situation in the city, there was little resistance at the main intersections outside the city.

However, these could not change the fact that he could not participate in the city siege.

In fact, while he was leading his troops to scout around the city, he immediately discovered that the Tang Canal to the west of the city had been cut off, and he quickly sent people to scout the two main water gates. Unfortunately, the Xixia people were not confused. Since the two main water gates had been exposed, how could they not be guarded? The local cavalry could clearly see that debris and bricks had been piled up tightly behind the water gates, completely blocking both the inside and outside. Moreover, there were still civilian soldiers and archers stationed above to guard against attacks.

Seeing this situation, Li Shifu, who had been excited for a moment, sent people to report to Commander Yue Fei while feeling disappointed. He simply gave up the idea of gaining credit in this battle, and focused on guarding the periphery and preparing to clean up after the battle.

Back to the present, around noon, after arranging his local cavalry, Li Shifu led two or three hundred troops to wander around the outer perimeter of the city. It was said to be an inspection, but it was more like personally maintaining military discipline to prevent these local cavalry, who had only been Imperial Guard soldiers for two years, from losing control and causing trouble for the strict Commander Yue.

"What's going on?" As he approached a place on the south side of the city, Li Shifu saw a hundred or so men and women kneeling in front of a temple by the road. Several monks were talking and arguing with his own troops. He immediately reined in his horse and questioned them.

"Commander!" The leading cavalryman quickly reported. "This temple has hidden many people. They tried to run away when they saw us, but we blocked them."

"Your Majesty," the monk said, seeing that the person in charge had arrived, and quickly stepped forward to explain. "These are all commoners and merchants who escaped from the city last night. Because they are familiar with our temple, they hid here last night. There are no spies... We hope that Your Majesty will be lenient in the name of the Buddha. This poor monk is willing to take them back to the temple and ask Your Majesty to send troops to guard them. After the war is over, they will be released."

Li Shifu frowned slightly and looked at the refugees. He saw that most of them were indeed elderly, women, and children. The few leaders were mostly fat 'masters'. He became impatient and directly spoke from his horse:

"Several of you who have been to Xingqing Prefecture with my father and have seen Li Qianshun, identify them carefully. As long as they are not Li Qianshun and his sons, don't make trouble... Now that the overall situation is about to be settled, they can't stir up any trouble."

Several guards quickly stepped forward to identify and question them.

As expected, these people were basically so-called clever people from the city. Some were vendors, some were wizards, and some were low-level officials. Most of them had keenly realized something during the gap when the defeated soldiers returned to the city last night and had escaped at night. However, they had started a little late. Although they had left the city, they did not know the extent of the Song army's fierce attack. They chose to stay overnight at a temple outside the city, so they were caught by Li Shifu's light cavalry. It was almost useless to ask these people about the city's defensive situation and the city's loopholes. It was not that they were unwilling to tell, but because the Song army had come too suddenly. They were suddenly shocked three days ago, and there were confirmed rumors two days ago, and the city was suddenly closed last night.

In this situation, not even a god could provide useful information.

Therefore, after looking at many people, he saw that there was no one who looked like Li Qianshun, and several children were about the same age as the Xixia crown prince... Although he estimated that 99% of them were not... he made an agreement with the monks in the temple to temporarily keep these families in the temple and release them after confirming their identities after the war.

As for the rest of the people, with the sound of drums in the east, it seemed that the war was about to begin, and Li Shifu became even more impatient. He simply raised his hand to signal that all the remaining people should be released.

The leaders of the refugees were all clever people, and with the monks present, they naturally gathered around and bowed to Li Shifu in front of the temple.

Li Shifu was already impatient and waved his hand. However, just as he was about to get on his horse, he suddenly had an idea and turned his head to look at one person:

"The water gate was blocked long ago, wasn't it? Why are the clothes of your family covered in water stains? How did you get out?"

The middle-aged man, who was clearly dressed as a merchant, was slightly stunned. He looked back at his wife and children and didn't dare to hide anything: "To let the Song Kingdom's Majesty know, there are many branches of the Tang Canal, and there is more than one water gate through the city. The water has only been cut off for two days. The two large water gates in the north of the city have been completely exposed and have been blocked long ago, but the other water gates are usually deeper, and there is still water inside. No one went to clean them, and no one went to block them... When my family left last night, the city was already closed. Fortunately, my father and son are good at swimming, so they found a water gate and brought their wives and daughters out."

Li Shifu's heart was beating fast. He quickly asked again and again: "What is the situation of that water gate? How deep is the water? How wide is the gate? Where is it? How can one sneak through it?"

The man was also panicked, but he didn't dare not speak.

A moment later, Li Shifu took this man on horseback to the southernmost end of the east city and was dumbfounded by the scene in front of him.

This water gate was not big or small, enough to pass two rafts. It should have both transportation and irrigation functions, and was a proper water gate. Moreover, it was located in the east city at the front line, south of Zhang Xian's position... According to this man's description, although the iron mesh gate had been completely lowered, there were stones stuck underneath, so it could not reach the bottom. Therefore, there was actually a half-zhang height underneath, enough to sneak through.

In the past, when the Tang Canal had plenty of water, the water was deep here, and it would probably be difficult for ordinary people to sneak through. Only those who were particularly good at swimming could pass.

It was quite hidden.

As for the person beside him, he probably hadn't told the whole truth. Judging from his dress and the things he was carrying, he was probably a small merchant, mostly a smuggler who avoided taxes. That was why he knew the depth here...

As for the Xixia people on the city walls, they had at most four days to arrange city defenses. After they decided to defend the city and entered a state of city closure, it was probably only yesterday that they had started. Under the rush, compared to the residential buildings, palaces, Buddhist temples close to the city, and the two large water gates in the west of the city, they naturally felt that they could rely on the water that was still sufficient under here.

In fact, the Song army did not arrange siege matters here because there was water here. It was only because Li Shifu led his troops here that a team of people came from the city to peek.

"Report the information you just got to Commander Yue," Li Shifu said after a moment of silence, suddenly turning his head. "Select ten people who are good at swimming, wear leather armor, and follow this person to dive into the water... The rest of you should shoot arrows at the city walls to suppress and cover them."

The Dangxiang merchant was completely helpless, but his family and all his possessions were under control, so he could only respond.

There was no fancy process. A quarter of an hour later, hundreds of cavalry suppressed the guards on the city walls, and then ten daredevils calmly dived into the city with this man.

Then, one after another, groups of ten people dived in continuously.

After thirty people entered, they alarmed the guards in other parts of the city. The sneak attack turned into a strong attack, but at this time, the water gate had been lifted by the Song army who had entered first, and several pieces of wood were laid under the water gate as bridges. Li Shifu's troops naturally rushed to enter from the water gate... At this time, Yue Fei's response had not yet arrived, but Zhang Xian's troops had already noticed this place.

Seeing this situation, Li Shifu himself did not hesitate, and immediately dismounted his horse. Without changing his armor, he simply abandoned his long weapons and bows and arrows. Carrying only two swords, he jumped from the wooden board on the water gate, wanting to personally fight to gain great merit.

And until this time, after entering the city, Li Shifu discovered an unusual thing: "Where is the guide?"

"This person regretted it underwater!" The leader, Zhang Qi, was Li Shifu's childhood friend and also the leader of the guards left to him by his father, Li Yongqi. Of course, he had no scruples when speaking. "He wanted to push away the stone holding up the water gate, and I stabbed him to death directly in the water!"

Li Shifu was stunned for a moment and was rarely dazed. But after a moment, he came back to his senses. Together with Zhang Qi, each held two swords. The two of them cooperated perfectly, truly like fierce tigers and hungry wolves, continuously killing and scattering the Xixia guards who came to block them.

Then, seeing that Zhang Xian's troops had rushed in, the two ignored everything and relied on the fact that they had been to Xingqing Prefecture together and were familiar with the terrain. They directly led their troops towards the old palace in the city.

By this time, the city walls and the city below had been completely alarmed by this place. Without Yue Fei's order, Zhang Xian had already sent all his troops to follow and break in from here. And the Xixia city wall guards were broken through at one point, and the entire face was broken. Then, they gradually lost control and finally collapsed.

Let's say that after yesterday's battle, even ordinary soldiers could probably guess from experience that this city would be broken. But no one expected that this city would be broken so easily. Even more unexpectedly, it was Li Shifu, who was ordered to block and scout on the periphery, who made a miraculous contribution.

However, as the Song army entered the city in large numbers and cleaned up the city, Li Shifu's original shocking military exploits could not help but dim a little.

There were two reasons:

First, at this time, the Song army entered the city in large numbers and realized that there were only two thousand armored guards in the city. They were still the Xingqing Prefecture local armored cavalry and palace guards who had escaped back yesterday. The rest were tribal local troops who had rushed from other places in the past two days. There were only a thousand armored soldiers on the city walls.

In other words, Xingqing Prefecture's city defense was just a paper tiger. It would be broken with a single poke and was worse than imagined.

Second, Li Shifu suddenly attacked into the city, but was actually caught in a melee street fight inside and outside the old palace. Until the other armies quickly surrounded the place, they had not captured Li Qianshun and his sons.

At this point, all the armies were like crazy, sending out elites to repeatedly plow through the narrow Xixia old palace, and the range became larger and larger. Gradually, they had a trend of becoming bloodthirsty, and looting, killing, and even rape had appeared.

In this situation, for some reason, Li Shifu simply gave up looking for Li Qianshun and his sons, a great contribution, and went to the city gate to welcome Yue Fei's four-character flag.

And a moment later, Qu Duan entered first and began to maintain military discipline, arresting the officers and soldiers who violated the rules and sending these people to the streets... Then Yue Fei's banner entered from behind, but without stopping, he questioned and punished along the way. Those who looted would have their rewards and merits taken away, and those who killed and raped would be killed on the spot.

Coming back to his senses, Qu Duan, Yue Fei, and Hu Hongxiu had arrived in front of the old palace, and the generals had also woken up and gathered on the blood-stained ground in front of the palace.

"What do you mean you can't find them?" After listening to the report, Qu Duan, who was riding on an iron elephant and standing at the intersection in front of the Xixia old palace, could not help but become angry. "The city was broken so quickly, where could he have gone? Even if it was just a mouse, with so many of you, you could have trampled it to death."

However, the generals looked at each other, but they were all silent... They just looked at Yue Fei.

Yue Fei frowned slightly and turned his head to look at a group of surrendered people. These were the people he and Qu Duan had gathered along the way while maintaining military discipline.

Someone understood and thought for a moment. First, he sighed and took the initiative to step forward, cupping his hands and saluting: "Commander Yue... This foreign minister is presumptuous, but in this foreign minister's private speculation, our ruler and crown prince should have gone out together after receiving the Prince of Yue the day before, and they never came back... At least this foreign minister has not seen the ruler's person in these two days."

As soon as these words came out, Qu Duan and others were somewhat frustrated even though they had achieved a great victory. Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu, as well as Li Shifu, who was the first to kill into the old palace, were all stunned for some reason and instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"If that's the case, it makes sense that the city defense is so weak, but who is in charge of the city?" Yue Fei, who was also riding a horse under the flag, asked seriously.

"It is naturally Chancellor Xue Yuanli," the man bowed again. "The so-called imperial decrees are all brought out by this person from the old palace, and this person was entrusted by the ruler in public when the ruler went out the day before."

Yue Fei finally understood where the strange part was... If Xue Yuanli was in charge of Xingqing Prefecture, why would he personally be an envoy before the war? If he was caught or killed, wouldn't this city be a mess?

But soon, Yue Fei completely woke up. And Hu Hongxiu, although a little slower, also suddenly realized.

No, it was precisely because of this that this person did so. Li Qianshun and his sons were not in this city. With the remnants of the army in this city, it would be broken with a single poke. Compared with this city, he had to try his best to hide the whereabouts of Li Qianshun... Therefore, he pretended to leave the city at that time just to make Yue Fei, who was the commander of the Song army outside the city, mistakenly believe that Li Qianshun was in the city.

But no one expected that the Song army would break through the defense in just half a day... Of course, perhaps he had also thought of it, but he was just trying his best. And in a sense, this person's plan was actually successful.

"Xixia has been established for a hundred years, and there are always some things to be said." At this thought, Yue Fei finally narrowed his eyes slightly, and then reined his horse under the flag and looked around. "Where is Xue Yuanli?"

At this time, the generals who came to grab the old palace looked at each other again and were shocked to find that not only Li Qianshun and his sons were not there, but no one had grabbed Xue Yuanli either.

For a time, Qu Duan snorted coldly, matching the somewhat dark face of the commander Yue Fei, making the scene even more embarrassing.

After a long while, in a piece of awkward silence, it was Li Shifu who suddenly thought of something. He walked directly to the door of the old palace, which was already in ruins and covered in blood, and searched for a while in a pile of corpses and construction waste. Then, he turned out a head covered with unknown dust and blood stains, wiped it on the corpse, and then turned around and offered it:

"Commander, I wonder if it is this person?"

Before Yue Fei could identify it, Qu Duan in front glanced at it and nodded directly: "It is this guy. He sat opposite me at Jinghekou that day. I remember his eyebrows and eyes clearly... You guy is really lucky."

Everyone was completely speechless and looked at Li Shifu askew.

Li Shifu was slightly embarrassed and could only explain: "When this general attacked this place, it was this person who came out in armor and led a group of golden armored warriors to resist. This person is old and weak. Although he was a little crazy, he couldn't even walk steadily. He was beheaded by Zhang Qi, the commander of my unit, with one knife. At that time, he didn't think about anything else."

"It doesn't matter."

Yue Fei was touched in his heart, but he didn't show it at all. "It's just a loyal minister of a fallen country. He got what he wanted. We still have to sweep other places and look for the whereabouts of Li's father and son. We should pursue them fiercely. There's no need to worry about these... Deputy Commander Li, you broke the city first and killed the thief. Such a great achievement should be ranked first in this battle. Congratulations!"

The surrounding generals reacted differently to this. Some smiled obsequiously, some were still angry, and some even sneered... But everyone knew that under the current system, it was impossible to get rid of this barbarian's merit, especially when the commander in front of him was Yue Pengju.

And thinking about this person's age, current position, and the emperor's generosity, countless people were jealous.

However, Li Shifu, who was the focus of everyone's attention, hesitated, but suddenly threw down the head, bowed deeply, and cupped his hands: "Commander, this general is willing to exchange the merit of breaking the city and the merit of killing the thief for a favor..."

Yue Fei frowned slightly and did not respond directly.

Li Shifu continued to cup his hands and said sincerely: "Please, Commander, restrain the military discipline of the armies and treat the people of Xingling well... Of course, if there are those who do not submit to Wanghua, this general is willing to personally go to conquer them."

The faces of the surrounding people eased slightly, but Yue Fei still frowned.

It must be known that Yue Fei was not a person who condoned military discipline and looted the people. Especially after these months of contact, he personally felt that although the Dangxiang people had different clothes and customs, they were still very sinicized.

Moreover, Xingqing Prefecture was gone. As long as the surrounding area was quickly swept and the local forces of Weiming Chage were resisted across the river to prevent Yelu Dashi from turning against them, the Xixia's century-old foundation would suddenly collapse like a mountain or a river... At that time, if they could not control the Hengshan area, the Dangxiang people in the Xingling area would inevitably be divided into two parts, one disappearing into China and the other being taken in by the Khitans. At this time, would it be giving food to Yelu Dashi to kill and plunder the Dangxiang people on a large scale?

Not to mention, one of the fundamental reasons why Zhao Guan launched this battle in the first place was to build up the cavalry on a large scale.

Therefore, in terms of emotion, reason, merit, and profit, there was no need for the other party to ask him, Yue Fei, to restrain military discipline, because he could not condone military discipline... Didn't you see that it was Yue Pengju who personally ordered the beheading of the people on the way here?

I'm afraid this person was feeling uneasy because of his awkward ethnic background and this great contribution, so he was defaming himself.

Of course, it was also possible that this person was young and had not thought too much, and his mind was straightforward.

But in any case, now was not the time to worry about these things. With Li Shifu's identity level and the importance of this battle, Yue Fei would properly explain the whole matter to Zhao Guan.

At this thought, Yue Pengju no longer cared: "I know, let's put it this way... Lord Hu."

Li Shifu quickly got up, and Hu Hongxiu, who was still wearing a turban, also turned around and cupped his hands.

"The various affairs of Xingqing Prefecture are entrusted to you," Yue Fei frankly ordered. "Settle the people, restore the city defenses, repair the ruins... Everything is up to Lord Hu."

Hu Hongxiu naturally responded.

"Commander Qu," Yue Fei continued to call out to people non-stop. "Jingzhou and Huaizhou are the closest to Xingqing Prefecture and are both on the riverbank. They will definitely know the movements here immediately. Take two thousand cavalry and four thousand infantry, and quickly sweep these two places with the momentum of destroying Xingqing Prefecture, and also go to find the whereabouts of Li's father and son. After sweeping, don't come back. Set up river defenses in these two places directly."

Qu Duan did not dismount his horse, but cupped his hands on the iron elephant.

"Deputy Commander Liu (Liu Qi), take one thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry to Shunzho..."

Liu Qi also responded directly.

"Commander Zhang," Yue Fei looked at Zhang Jing again.

Zhang Jing responded and came out.

"Take one thousand cavalry and one thousand infantry, and go north along the Tang Canal to Dingzhou... The north has not been deeply explored, so be careful."

Of course, Zhang Jing had nothing to say.

"Deputy Commander Li!"

Li Shifu quickly bowed again.

"Our army came out this time, not counting Deputy Commander Wang behind us, with 21,000 soldiers, about half cavalry and half infantry. By this point, we have lost about 700... which can be called a great victory." At this point, even Yue Fei himself paused slightly before continuing, "Now, the other armies have been divided into 11,000 men, including 4,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry. There are still more than 6,000 cavalry and more than 3,000 infantry left. I will leave the infantry to assist Lord Hu, and the remaining cavalry, 3,000 local cavalry and 3,000 armored cavalry, will all be given to you!"

Li Shifu raised his head in shock.

"I don't want you to attack cities, but to go to the foot of Helan Mountain and sweep the Dangxiang tribes along the mountain, and tell them that Xixia is dead and the Great Song has been extended, so let them come to the city to meet the commander of China and serve the Chinese emperor from now on." Yue Fei calmly ordered the young Dangxiang general in front of him. "If you are interested in pacifying the Dangxiang people for the emperor, you should work hard here... Do you understand?"

Li Shifu nodded heavily.

"Be careful of Yelu Dashi suddenly coming over from the opposite side of Helan Mountain."

After finishing the last sentence, Yue Fei finally dismounted and came in front of the head. He slightly cupped his hands towards the Xixia Chinese minister and turned around and got on his horse, leading the flag towards the official office in the city.

Hu Hongxiu sighed and turned to leave with those surrendered officials.

However, Qu Duan, riding an iron elephant from behind, stopped his horse slightly when passing this place and sneered: "These people only know how to follow the emperor's example every day, but they don't know that they have a pair of small eyes, how can they learn like him?"

After saying that, Qu Da just raised the long spear in his hand and slightly flipped it, hitting the head, which could still vaguely see the hairstyle, far away like playing polo. Then, it fell into the pile of heads that the soldiers had worked so hard to pile up, not only scattering it but also making it impossible to distinguish which one was Xue Yuanli.

Then, he rode away proudly.

Only his complacent state of mind formed a sharp contrast with the restraint before the dispatch and during the military operation.

The remaining generals, Liu Qi, Li Shifu, Zhang Jing, and others, no less than dozens of people stared blankly at the pile of heads, and then looked at the departing Qu Duan. They looked at each other for a long time, until the cheers in the city gradually increased with the flag, until they shook the mountains and rivers, and then they completely woke up... Regardless of where Li Qianshun and his sons were, 30,000