Chapter 499 Gained from the public, lost from the public

In December, the prince led 26,000 cavalry westward to Longshan.

Among them were General Chai Rong of the Left Guard, Zhang Jin and Qiu Xinggong of the Left and Right Guards of the Eastern Palace, Zhai Changsun and Houmo Chenping of the Left and Right Guards, Gao Daoyan and Jing Junhong of the Left and Right Guards. General Zhai Sixun of the Left Guard, Qin Bogui of the Left Guard, Qin Zhongyu of the Left Guard, General Zhang Liang of the Right Guard, General Yuwen Xiao of the Left Guard, General Yuwen Zhao of the Left Guards. Zhao Yi, the governor of Jizhou and General of Chariots and Cavalry.

This was Zhao Da's first expedition after following Li Yuan into Guanzhong.

He had already prepared to retire in Chang'an, but he was still very excited to be able to go out and stretch his muscles.

Firstly, he was in his prime, and as a warrior and a famous general who had once been powerful and influential, he was naturally unwilling to accept this.

In addition, this may also be an opportunity for him to make a comeback.

Although Zhao Da had only a few dozen cavalry generals and personal soldiers around him, Li Er appointed him as the prince's guest and the chief of the army.

This was actually because Li Er had to hand over daily military affairs to him due to health reasons.

After all, Zhao Da was once a local lord who dominated a state.

If it weren't for the loss of Jizhou for the sake of justice, he might have been the one occupying Hebei now.

Therefore, Li Er felt that he should personally lead the troops and sit in command of the army, with the generals under him being his confidants. This way, he could maximize the strength of Zhao Da, a famous general of the time, and prevent him from getting out of control.

At this time, Xiazhou's capital Fuping had indeed fallen. After receiving military intelligence, Li Er immediately ordered Yongzhou governor Li Cang to lead thousands of Yongzhou garrison troops to rescue Xiaoguan, while he led the army to Gaoping.

Yang Kan also persuaded the Turkic Khan Jili to quickly capture Gaoping after conquering Fuping.

"Gaoping is the most important town in the northwest. If we can capture Gaoping, we can take down the northwest gateway of Guanzhong and march toward Chang'an along the Jing River."

Jili Khan agreed with what he said and immediately joined forces with Yang Kan. The allied force of more than 100,000 people marched towards Gaoping.

At the same time, on the battlefield of Jingzhou, 200 catapults fired at the same time. The stone cannons were wrapped with oil ropes, and after being ignited, they were thrown out with a wisp of fireworks.

Two hundred stone cannonballs fell on the city like a meteor shower, with a sound like thunder, shaking the earth and heaven, and many city defense facilities were directly destroyed.

In fact, a lot of anti-artillery facilities had been built in the city, but their effect was very small, and the area covered by the catapults was also very large, so the casualties among the military and civilians were also very heavy.

Jin Wang Li Xuanqing led a group of Tang army generals to watch the battle on the high platform. Seeing the thick smoke rising from Jiangling City, the generals all looked energetic and vigorous. Under this momentum, all the generals of the Tang army knew that breaking the city was a foregone conclusion.

All of these people were considered to have participated in the first destruction of a country after the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

It is no problem for him to be recorded in history, to be promoted to a higher position and to be given titles for his wife and children.

As the commander-in-chief, Jin Wang Li Xuanqing did not look proud of the upcoming capture of the city, but was instead full of worry. Even though this was a war to destroy a country that he had devoted all his efforts to leading, it was about to be accomplished.

Military officer Yao Yi asked, "Your Majesty, are you worried about Guanzhong and Luoyang?"

Li Xuanqing said: "In order to destroy the Western Wei and seize all the land in Jiangdong, my brothers and I have tried our best to maintain it. Jianghuai, Luoyang, and Guanzhong are all facing powerful enemies. How can I feel happy now?"

Upon hearing this, all the generals looked stern and immediately put away their complacency.

In Jiangling City, after just one day, looking at the broken walls and thick smoke in the city, Cao Xuan actually knew that the city could no longer be defended.

There were tens of thousands of defenders in the entire city, all of whom were Cao Xuan's direct subordinates. At this time, the army was filled with an atmosphere of decadence.

As night fell, Cao Xuan stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the soldiers gathered in groups of three or four, who seemed to be grateful for being alive today.

But there was no smile on anyone's face.

In fact, the direct casualties today were not very large, but the impact caused by this momentum was enormous. Thousands of stone cannons fell in the city and on everyone's hearts, making people feel uneasy.

This kind of restlessness made Cao Xuan, who was already very suspicious, also feel uneasy.

Because people's hearts are unpredictable.

He even suspected that if he continued, some generals would voluntarily surrender the city. Or even capture him and hand him over to the Tang army in order to get a promotion. After all, this kind of thing is not uncommon.

The human heart is the most difficult thing to grasp.

But he was unwilling to give up just like that.

The Western Wei Dynasty had been established for more than ten years. In such a chaotic world, it was not the kind of makeshift group that rose and fell quickly.

During the more than ten years he was in power, he reduced taxes and levies, lived in harmony with the people, and he felt that he was a qualified emperor.

However, facing the offensive of the Tang army, the Western Wei Dynasty was unable to resist.

Is this destiny?
Just as Cao Xuan was hesitating, someone from the bottom of the city shouted loudly, saying that he was a messenger from the Tang army, requesting to meet the ruler of Western Wei.

Cao Xuan didn't think much about it and ordered his men to bring up the so-called Tang army messenger in a hanging basket.

"Does Li Xuanqing have anything to say about you? Hahahaha."

Before Cao Xuan could finish his words, he recognized the so-called Tang army messenger, who turned out to be Grand Marshal Martin Jingzhen.

"Your Majesty, I hope you are well."

Ding Jingzhen also smiled bitterly.

Cao Xuan's brother Cao Yang drew his knife and said, "How dare you, a traitor, come here?"

Cao Xuan held Cao Yang down and said, "Don't be rude. Why don't you leave?" Then he said, "I am sure you are doing well. I wonder if the Grand Marshal has been promoted to a higher position now that he has joined the Tang army?"

Ding Jingzhen said: "I didn't get any official title. I surrendered only because the Tang army promised not to kill anyone or rob the people after entering the city. Now I am just a minor official under the King of Jin."

Cao Xuan asked, "Did Lord Ding come here today to persuade us to surrender?"

Ding Jingzhen nodded, "Your Majesty, you should know that the Western Wei Dynasty has fallen."

Cao Xuan remained silent upon hearing this and did not refute. He knew the situation in the city better than Ding Jingzhen. There was no shortage of soldiers, weapons and food, but there was a lack of fighting spirit.

"What does Li Xuanqing say?"

Ding Jingzhen said: "The King of Jin said that you are a benevolent ruler who would not wish to destroy the lives of the people. If you are willing to surrender, you will be granted the title of a county king and enjoy wealth and honor."

Cao Xuan sneered, "I think it's the Tang Dynasty that can't hold out first. Knowing that the Tang Dynasty is going to attack me, the Northern Han, the Turks, and the Eastern Wei will not miss this opportunity. Now the Tang Dynasty must have started fighting on all sides. If I don't surrender and hold on for a year or two, I'm afraid the Tang Dynasty will be in big trouble, right?"

Ding Jingzhen said, "I started an uprising with Lei Shimeng, Han Xiu and others just to make a career in the troubled times. The reason why I made Your Majesty the emperor was because you were known for your kindness and filial piety, and you were a relative of the former Wei clan. Now the Tang army of 200,000 is outside the city. With today's attack, can Jiangling really hold out for more than half a month?"

Cao Xuan was silent.

I have to admit that Ding Jingzhen is right.

Not to mention a year or two, even these ten days before the New Year are hard to survive.

After a while, Cao Xuan said, "Back then, Lord Ding gave me the country, and now Lord Ding is urging me to give it to him. I got it, and I lost it. What else can I say?"

That night, he summoned all the generals and officials in the city, and then sighed, "I thought that the strong city was enough to resist the enemy, but the Tang army has this magical cannon, which is so powerful that today alone, more than a thousand people in the city were killed or wounded. Who is to blame for this? Who is to blame for this? "

On the second day, the envoys left the city to ask for surrender, and Jin Wang Li Xuanqing agreed.

Three days later, Cao Xuan, the ruler of the Western Wei Dynasty, led his generals and officials out of the city to surrender. The Western Wei Dynasty fell.

This day happened to be the last day of the tenth year of Wude.

(End of this chapter)