Chapter 245: Two Prefectures In Gansu Fall, Severing The Hexi Corridor
Suzhou City, also known as Jiuquan in later generations.
The city walls were tall and majestic, over three zhang high, standing at the foot of the Qilian Mountains and overlooking the Hexi land.
However, on this day, the figures of the Northern Frontier Cavalry suddenly appeared outside Suzhou City.
The Garrison Command immediately issued an order: all four gates were to be shut tightly, and no one was allowed in or out.
At this time, Ren Duo Yi Mai, the Garrison Commander of Suzhou, and Liu Benyi, the Prefect of Suzhou, stood shoulder to shoulder on the city wall, gazing at the Northern Frontier Army outside the city with extremely heavy expressions.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom~”
Thousands of Second Town Cavalry roamed the desolate land, stirring up billowing sand and dust.
They were all clad in crimson banners and crimson armor, emanating a fiery aura, and charged towards Ganzhou City with the force of an overwhelming tide, trapping the entire city in a scorching cage.
“Hiss~”
“These Northern Frontier barbarians have become even more fierce and savage.”
Liu Benyi stared intently at the scene outside the city, his voice heavy as he spoke.
This was not the first time he had encountered the Northern Frontier Army; two years ago, when the Northern Frontier first launched its eastern expedition against Western Xia, they had reached Suzhou City.
However, the military might and combat strength of the Northern Frontier Army were even more terrifying now.
How long had it been since he received the urgent intelligence from the border?
The Northern Frontier Barbarians had successively conquered Dunhuang and Guazhou, and now they were at the gates of Suzhou City.
“The Northern Frontier Army has been fighting continuously, so they must be exhausted and their horses weary. Moreover, they have just arrived at Suzhou and have not yet stabilized their position. Our army might be able to launch a surprise attack under the cover of night,” said Garrison Commander Ren Duo Yi Mai.
“Absolutely not~” Liu Benyi quickly advised against it.
“The Northern Frontier barbarians are cunning. Two years ago, they lured our army out of the city and inflicted heavy losses.”
But Ren Duo Yi Mai was dismissive, shaking his head with disdain and saying, “I have already sent people to investigate.”
“There are only three to four thousand true Northern Frontier barbarians; the rest are auxiliary troops from the Gaochang Uyghur, whose combat strength is pitifully weak.”
“And our Suzhou City has ten thousand elite soldiers. Why can’t we fight?”
He finished speaking, cast a casual glance at Liu Benyi, and said with a shake of his head, “The opportunity will pass in an instant. Prefect Liu does not understand military strategy; you should focus your mind on civilian affairs.”
“Figure out a way to procure more grain for our army. That’s the real task.”
Hearing Ren Duo Yi Mai’s sarcasm, Liu Benyi’s face instantly turned red, and he appeared annoyed: “You~”
But there was nothing he could do. The army in Suzhou was nominally under the control of the Garrison Command.
This was a temporary command institution subordinate to the Military Command Department, established specifically for important commercial towns like Suzhou.
Because Suzhou was west of Guazhou, which had the Xiping Military Command, and east of Ganzhou, which had the Gansu Army Command.
There was no need to establish another Military Command to control the troops, so a temporary Garrison Command was set up.
And Ren Duo Yi Mai was a noble young master of Western Xia who had been newly appointed Garrison Commander after the Hexi War two years prior.
Therefore, even though the position of Garrison Commander was subordinate to the Prefect, he still looked down on Liu Benyi, a Han Chinese, from the bottom of his heart.
But in Liu Benyi’s opinion, this young master might have studied a lot of military strategy, but it was his first time actually commanding troops, and he was very worried that this fellow was merely discussing military strategy on paper, and would end up burying the Suzhou garrison.
Thus, Liu Benyi earnestly tried to persuade him, but Ren Duo Yi Mai remained obstinate and went his own way.
Impatient, he turned and left, leaving behind a parting remark: “Hmph, I will show you what it means to be a scion of a military family.”
Liu Benyi was anxious, stamping his feet in anger: “If this battle is lost, you will be a sinner of Great Xia.”
That afternoon, Ren Duo Yi Mai received news that the Northern Frontier Army had only left two thousand true Northern Frontier barbarians and six thousand Gaochang troops to continue the siege of Suzhou City.
The rest of the true Northern Frontier barbarians had dispersed in all directions, presumably to loot the villages outside Suzhou City.
Upon hearing this, Ren Duo Yi Mai’s face lit up with joy: “Excellent, Heaven aids me.”
“If all the true Northern Frontier barbarian cavalry remained outside the city, I might still be wary.”
“But relying on those Gaochang people? Hmph!”
“Not worth mentioning!”
After speaking, Ren Duo Yi Mai began to deploy his troops, preparing to launch a major offensive against the Northern Frontier Army.
Deep in the night, the gates of Suzhou City were opened wide. Western Xia cavalry, with muffled mouths and hooves wrapped, approached the area outside the city.
Seeing the Northern Frontier Army camp drawing closer, Ren Duo Yi Mai roared, “Warriors, kill!”
The true Northern Frontier barbarians were fierce and difficult to deal with, so Ren Duo Yi Mai chose to attack the Gaochang Army camp first.
Under the moonlight, three thousand cavalry charged towards the Gaochang Army camp.
Their speed increased rapidly, and soon the Gaochang Army fell into chaos.
“Kill!”
Ren Duo Yi Mai charged into the camp, wielding a mace, and instantly smashed the head of a Gaochang soldier.
Red and white matter splattered on his face. Under the moonlight, he was like a devil.
But the foul smell only made him more excited, and he continued to charge forward, shouting wildly.
His father and grandfather were both veteran generals of Western Xia, and by his generation, they had become a true military family.
Arrogant and high-spirited, Ren Duo Yi Mai was determined to achieve something and was unwilling to be overshadowed by his father’s and grandfather’s legacy.
Seeing the invasion of the Northern Frontier barbarians, this was the best opportunity for him to establish his merit.
If he were facing the main force of the Northern Frontier Army in the north, he would definitely choose to defend the city to the death.
However, the Northern Frontier Army in the west numbered only ten thousand, with more than half of them being Gaochang troops. Ren Duo Yi Mai was determined to defeat them.
“Ahhhhh~”
“Enemy attack, enemy attack~”
The Gaochang Army’s screams were endless, and they fell one by one under the butcher knives of the Suzhou Army.
But gradually, Ren Duo Yi Mai began to feel that something was wrong.
The Suzhou Army’s charge became increasingly difficult, their speed slowing down, and the Gaochang troops around them grew in number.
They gradually stopped panicking and, in an organized manner, began to encircle and kill the Suzhou Army using horse-tripping ropes, spear formations, and bows and crossbows.
As more and more Suzhou soldiers cried out and fell from their horses.
Ren Duo Yi Mai’s face turned paler and paler, all his former arrogance gone.
“We’ve been tricked.”
“Damn it, we’ve been tricked,” he said with a trembling voice.
The advantage of cavalry lay in their speed and mobility. Once these were lost, they inevitably became lambs to the slaughter for the infantry.
“Retreat, retreat~”
Ren Duo Yi Mai roared loudly, smashing an incoming spear with his mace, but then felt a sharp pain in his back.
It turned out to be an archer who had stealthily shot him in the shoulder blade.
A wave of intense pain washed over him, and the heavy mace fell to the ground with a thud.
“Garrison Commander~”
“Save the Garrison Commander~”
“Quick, retreat!”
The surrounding Suzhou soldiers shouted loudly, rescued Ren Duo Yi Mai, and turned to charge back towards Suzhou City.
But just as they emerged from the Gaochang Army camp, the sound of galloping warhorses suddenly rang out from afar.
A personal guard suddenly shouted, “Cavalry, it’s Northern Frontier barbarian cavalry.”
“We’re surrounded.”
Countless torches were lit, winding across the land like an endless fiery snake dancing.
The Northern Frontier Army was unseen, but the thunder of the Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry could be clearly heard.
Thousands of Northern Frontier Cavalry were closing in from all directions towards their remaining troops.
At this moment, Ren Duo Yi Mai finally understood. This was a conspiracy targeting him. “Vile Northern Frontier bandits, utterly hateful.”
“You don’t dare to fight me honorably, instead resorting to such insidious schemes.”
“What a disgrace to manhood!”
One of Ren Duo Yi Mai’s arms hung limply by his chest. His face contorted in a ferocious roar, and blood flowed onto the ground.
Yet, his nighttime raid was also a scheme, like a crow mocking a wild boar.
“Quick, retreat~”
“Hurry back~”
Ren Duo Yi Mai roared in anger, wanting to return to Suzhou City before the Northern Frontier Army could complete their encirclement.
But when they arrived outside the city gate, they were dumbfounded.
“Open the gate, quickly open the gate~”
“Garrison Commander is here, hurry and open the gate,” the personal guards shouted urgently.
But the city gate did not budge.
Because Liu Benyi stood on the city wall, he had watched with his own eyes how Ren Duo Yi Mai had fallen step by step into the encirclement.
He now detested that scoundrel Ren Duo Yi Mai more than words could express.
He was a foolish pig who thought too highly of himself.
He had squandered three thousand cavalry outside Suzhou City. With only the remaining garrison inside the city, who knew how long they could hold out.
“The gates must not be opened,” Liu Benyi shouted loudly, preventing the gate guards.
“The Northern Frontier barbarians are right outside the city. Once the city gates are opened, the Northern Frontier Cavalry will surely charge in, and then it will all be over.”
Hearing this, the soldiers on the city wall exchanged glances and immediately stopped their actions of opening the gate.
But since Ren Duo Yi Mai had personally led the army on a nighttime raid, he must have left confidantes within the city.
Those people naturally refused to obey Liu Benyi’s orders and insisted on letting Ren Duo Yi Mai in.
In the end, Liu Benyi had to overstep his authority and order his guards to kill them.
In his capacity as Prefect, he temporarily assumed the position of Garrison Commander and took charge of Suzhou City’s defense.
Seeing that the city gates remained closed for a long time, Ren Duo Yi Mai outside the city could not help but guess that Liu Benyi was playing dirty.
His pale face became even more shocked and angry, and he roared, “Liu Benyi, you are a treacherous villain.”
“Betraying a general of the Imperial Court will surely not end well.”
“My father will never let you go.”
The Ren Duo family was a military lineage of Western Xia with deep influence. Liu Benyi naturally knew the consequences of closing the city gates.
However, for the sake of all the people in the city, he had no regrets.
Therefore, he completely ignored Ren Duo Yi Mai’s curses and instead ordered his confidantes to seize the troops from the garrison.
The bright moonlight shone upon the land, and with the reflection of the yellow sand, it made the heavens and earth appear like dawn.
The cold wind howled, carrying yellow sand that made the crimson Sun and Moon Battle Flag flutter.
Beneath the battle flag, Li Dongjiang, clad in crimson cotton armor and with his hand on his cavalry saber, gazed at the distant Suzhou City under the moonlight.
After a long while, he noticed that although more and more Suzhou cavalry had gathered outside the city gate, no matter how they cursed, the gate remained stubbornly shut.
“It seems there is a wise person inside the city!” Li Dongjiang gently shook his head and gave a wry smile.
Once the city gate was opened, the cavalry outside would surely pour in. In such a situation, it would be impossible to close it again.
The Northern Frontier Cavalry could also take the opportunity to charge into the city.
But unfortunately, the people inside Suzhou City were not taking the bait.
“Proceed,”
“First, eliminate the cavalry outside the city,” Li Dongjiang commanded in a deep voice, deciding to first annihilate all the cavalry outside before considering a siege.
“Woo woo woo~”
A low horn sound rang out in the night, echoing across the desolate Hexi land.
The Northern Frontier Cavalry no longer feigned an attack but began their true charge.
Warhorses thundered, and arrows flew in volleys.
In a short period, the elite Northern Frontier Cavalry routed the thousands of Suzhou troops, who were like startled birds.
They killed hundreds and captured over two thousand, achieving a great victory.
The wind and sand, carrying the cries of the Suzhou Army, whipped across Ren Duo Yi Mai’s face. He watched as the Ganzhou cavalry, under the rampages of the Northern Frontier Army, were either killed or knelt in surrender.
At this moment, his heart was filled with grief and regret.
“Young Master, hurry and leave,” a personal guard’s roar came from behind him. This was a servant of the Ren Duo family, loyal to him, and now blocking the pursuers with his own flesh and blood.
The cold glint of the moonlight reflected his distorted face. Ren Duo Yi Mai suddenly burst into laughter.
He knew he couldn’t escape.
“As the eldest son of the Ren Duo family, I cannot shame my family.”
With his left hand, he slowly drew his saber, the blade sliding slowly up along his throat, and murmured, “A warrior of the Dangxiang shall die in battle.”
His words abruptly ceased, and a streak of vibrant red flowed down the blade, spreading onto the yellow sand.
On the city wall, Liu Benyi heard the sounds of slaughter outside disappear, his expression solemn, and even more despairing.
Ren Duo Yi Mai had committed suicide. The Ren Duo family would not let him go.
However, Liu Benyi had no choice.
His eyes gradually became firm, and he commanded in a deep voice, “Pass the order: all men, women, old and young in the city, ascend the city walls.”
“Defend Suzhou City to the death.”
The terrifying might of the Northern Frontier Army and the heavy losses incurred by Suzhou City meant that the only way out was to hold fast and await reinforcements.
Before the Northern Frontier Army laid siege to the city, he had already received orders from Xingqing Prefecture.
Deputy Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Waiming Shian, was leading a fifty-thousand-strong army to provide support, and with the armies from Liangzhou and Ganzhou, the total force would not be less than one hundred thousand.
Suzhou City still had a sliver of hope.
The next day, the Northern Frontier Army began the siege.
Because the Second Town lacked the support of Divine Might Cannons and only had twenty Tiger Zun Cannons, the damage inflicted on Suzhou City was limited.
Therefore, they could only order the Gaochang Army to serve as the vanguard and attack using the most primitive methods.
However, the Gaochang Army encountered firm resistance from the garrison inside the city, and despite fierce assaults for three days, they could not break through.
Liu Benyi had served as the Prefect of Suzhou for several years. During his tenure, he treated the common people kindly, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and governed with diligence and love for his people, making him a good official.
He held great prestige in Suzhou City. Under his personal leadership, all the old and young in the city defended together, repelling several attacks from the Gaochang Army.
On the fifth day, a thousand corpses lay beneath the city walls, yet Suzhou City still stood firm.
This moved Li Dongjiang greatly.
“The Prefect in Suzhou City is named Liu Benyi, correct?”
“That’s right, his name is Liu Benyi.”
“He’s quite capable,” Li Dongjiang sighed lightly.
To hold out for so many days against the fierce attacks of the Gaochang Army as a civil official, leading the weak and elderly of the city, showed his considerable ability and significant prestige among the people of Suzhou.
“Go and persuade them to surrender again.”
“Tell Liu Benyi that if he opens the city gates and surrenders, my Northern Frontier Army will guarantee the safety of the people of Suzhou.”
“If he remains stubborn and unrepentant, when the city is breached, it will be the death of everyone in Suzhou!” Li Dongjiang said with a cold voice.
“Your command.”
The Northern Frontier Army sent another envoy to persuade them to surrender, and the result was as expected.
Liu Benyi’s reply was: “A loyal minister does not serve two masters, just as a good woman does not have two husbands.”
Upon hearing this, Li Dongjiang shook his head lightly and said, “A pity.”
With that, he ordered the Gaochang Army to continue its fierce assault, determined to take Suzhou City.
A few more days passed, and Suzhou City remained intact. The Gaochang Army had tried many methods to no avail, leaving Li Dongjiang speechless.
Previously, the existence of the Divine Might Cannon had given many in the Northern Frontier Army a false impression.
But in reality, how easy could it be to breach a tall city?
In this era of low productivity, sieges lasting several months were quite normal.
However, unfortunately, the Second Town had not yet been equipped with Divine Might Cannons.
Thus, Li Dongjiang could only say fiercely, “Continue digging tunnels and use large amounts of gunpowder to blast through the city walls.”
Following this, the Gaochang Army feigned an attack while simultaneously excavating tunnels.
Liu Benyi also detected this. He watched the Gaochang Army retreat after a brief assault and then looked towards a cluster of tents not far from the city walls.
“Digging tunnels, are they?”
“Hmph!”
“Place large vats against the city walls to listen. Quickly determine the direction and location of the tunnels,” Liu Benyi said in a hoarse voice.
For these past days, he had personally led by example, guarding the city walls for ten days without descending.
His face was haggard, his demeanor disheveled, and his messy appearance bore no resemblance to the dignified demeanor of a Western Xia scholar.
He looked like a beggar.
But only his deep-set eyes became even sharper and more spirited.
“Your command.”
The personal guard nodded heavily and turned to leave.
However, they did not know that Li Dongjiang did not intend to dig tunnels into the city, but rather to stop at the base of the walls.
The plan was to use explosives to damage the city wall’s foundation, thus Liu Benyi’s methods were rendered useless.
But before the tunnels could be completed, the reinforcements from the Sixth Garrison arrived outside Suzhou City.
“Prefect, Lord Prefect~”
A soldier covered in blood and mud rushed over.
His expression was panicked, his gaze terrified, and he spoke breathlessly to Liu Benyi, who was personally carrying wood on the West City Gate.
“On the East City, many cavalry have appeared outside the East City.”
“There are at least several thousand of them.”
“They are all wearing white armor, and their flags are also white, with a sun and moon emblem on them.”
Hearing the soldier’s words, Liu Benyi’s face changed drastically, and he immediately sat down on the ground.
He muttered to himself, “The white Sun and Moon Battle Flag~”
At that moment, he instantly lost all his strength, a great weariness swept over him, and his vision began to blacken.
He had experienced the Battle of Hexi two years prior and knew that the Northern Frontier Army had a cavalry unit clad in white armor, and the Sun and Moon Battle Flag was also a symbol of the Northern Frontier Army.
Therefore, the cavalry approaching from the east could only be the Northern Frontier Army.
It also meant that Heishui City had been breached, Ganzhou City was in grave danger, the Hexi Corridor had been cut off, and Suzhou had become an isolated city.
“Heaven does not protect our Suzhou City!”
Liu Benyi let out a cry of grief and anger and fainted.
At this moment, the midday sun suddenly dimmed by a third. The soldiers and common people watching from the parapets of Suzhou City all looked terrified, even filled with despair.
This was because on the eastern Gobi Desert, a scarlet cavalry was surging up from the horizon like a boiling blood tide.
It began as scattered specks of crimson, which in the blink of an eye transformed into a sky-obscuring torrent of crimson. Dozens of red flags embroidered with sun and moon emblems fluttered in the wind, dyeing half the sky an inauspicious blood red.
The clanging of armor colliding with the rumble of hooves rolled across the land like deep thunder.
A steel behemoth composed of eight thousand Red Armor Cavalry slowly halted outside Suzhou City.
Li Donghe looked at the Western Xia flag still flying on the city walls and smiled faintly, “It seems my second brother did not win against me this time.”
“I thought the Second Town would have captured Suzhou City before my army arrived.”
Afterward, the armies of the two garrisons merged.
They had intended to press their advantage and take Suzhou City directly, followed by three days of no quarter, massacring the entire city of Suzhou.
To show everyone the consequences of resisting the Northern Frontier Army.
However, Zhang Xinghua, the Merit Assessment Department Staff Officer accompanying them, after understanding the full story, stepped forward: “Your Excellencies Commanders, I am an old acquaintance of Liu Benyi, the Prefect of Suzhou City.”
“May I request a day’s grace.”
Li Dongjiang’s expression turned grim. Having been thwarted at Suzhou City, only a massacre could wash away his shame.
Zhang Xinghua, that bastard, was trying to make him feel unhappy.
“If you intend to persuade him to surrender, I advise you to stop wasting your efforts. Liu Benyi is stubborn and unrepentant; he will not surrender,” Li Dongjiang said with a cold snort.
Zhang Xinghua, however, gently shook his head and said with confidence, “Nothing is absolute.”
“Although Liu Benyi is a loyal but foolish person, everyone has a weakness. His weakness is the people within the city.”
Zhang Xinghua was originally the Prefect of Dunhuang and an old acquaintance of Liu Benyi, the Prefect of Suzhou, with whom he had a very good relationship. He could not bear for him to sacrifice himself for the Xia Kingdom.
Under Zhang Xinghua’s persuasion, Li Dongjiang agreed to a one-day extension.
One day later, the army would attack, and when the city fell, not a soul would be spared.
That afternoon, a package was sent up to the city wall via a basket and placed beside Liu Benyi’s sickbed.
The first thing that caught his eye was a Marshal Flag.
On it were the six large characters ‘Gansu Army Command, Mi Qin’.
Upon seeing this flag, Liu Benyi’s eyes constricted, and he shook his head in despair, “Has the Ganzhou Army been completely annihilated?”
And Ganzhou City?
It likely had no chance of survival either, as the armies from Xingqing Prefecture could not possibly have reached Ganzhou City in such a short time.
This meant that the Hexi Corridor had been completely severed, and Suzhou had become a truly isolated city.
He then opened Zhang Xinghua’s letter, which also spoke of persuasion, hoping he would pity the common people and open the gates to surrender, and the Northern Frontier Army would guarantee no massacre.
Liu Benyi gave a bitter smile and shook his head, “This old fellow has truly got me cornered.”
But there was no alternative; reinforcements could no longer be relied upon, and the fall of Suzhou City was only a matter of time.
Liu Benyi could not stand by and watch the people in the city be slaughtered.
Thus, he let out a heavy sigh and said in a deep voice, “Enough, open the city gates.”
Afterward, he had someone leave the room, wanting to rest alone for a while.
A moment later, his guard sensed something was wrong and broke down the door.
He shouted in alarm, “Lord, Lord~”
Outside Ganzhou City, banners fluttered, hundreds of Sun and Moon Battle Flags obscured the sky, and tens of thousands of Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry trampled the land.
They surged forward, kicking up dust that swept around, completely encircling Ganzhou City.
Within the Wuwei Army, Li Xiao opened the letter sent by Zhang Xinghua, which contained the detailed account of the battle for Suzhou City.
To prevent the entire city’s populace from being massacred, Liu Benyi ordered the gates opened and surrendered.
However, he hid in his room and committed suicide alone.
It was just that in the meager historical records of Western Xia, Li Xiao did not recall Liu Benyi’s name.
Perhaps it disappeared into history along with the burning of Western Xia’s historical texts.
But it was more likely due to Western Xia’s corrupt bureaucracy, where incompetent individuals thrived through connections.
“A loyal person,” Li Xiao sighed softly.
What monarch wouldn’t like such a subject?
Unfortunately, he was a Han person who showed foolish loyalty to the Xia Kingdom.
Putting down the letter, he looked again at the towering Ganzhou City two miles away, his gaze suddenly sharpening.
He unconsciously ran his fingers over the hilt of the saber at his waist and said in a deep voice, “Transmit orders to all units to set up camp. We will attack the city tomorrow morning. Within one day, we must capture Ganzhou City.”
The imperial yellow cavalry formations instantly tore through the twilight, and the dust kicked up by the hooves slowly settled.
Twenty Divine Might Cannons stood majestically on the land, their muzzles spitting a cold blue light, as if ready to grind the towering city walls into powder.
The defending soldiers on Ganzhou City walls, seeing this formidable military posture from afar, immediately fell into boundless panic.
