Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 475 It’s Not the General’s Fault
"Grandfather."

When the banquet was at its most lively, an elderly celebrity was standing beside Zu Ting with difficulty. Zu Ting hurriedly pulled him to take a seat.

The old scholar could not help but praise him: "I have heard of your great name for a long time. Today I am able to meet you. You are truly worthy of your reputation. You are handsome and extraordinary."

Zu Ting listened to the other party's praise for a long time without interrupting him.

Zu Ting waited until the other party finished bragging before he began to flatter him. Although Zu Ting had no idea who he was, this did not prevent him from admiring him.

The two admired each other for a long time. The old scholar frowned and said solemnly: "Grandfather, the passes in Bashu are steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is really worrying."

"Oh?"

"I wonder what the old man wants to teach me?"

The old scholar said seriously, "You don't know, Yuwen Xian is a cruel man by nature. He used to pretend to be polite to us, but this time, his true nature was exposed. Previously, four hermits from Shu went to him to discuss important matters with him, but he beheaded them for no reason. This move made the people of Bashu panic."

"I have also heard about this incident. I never expected that Yuwen Xian's evil deeds would never end! It is outrageous to both humans and gods!"

The old scholar nodded and stroked his beard. "However, this thief is good at winning over the hearts of the soldiers. All the soldiers in the army have been bewitched by him and are willing to fight to the death for him. It is not easy to open the city gate from the inside."

"However, I have many old friends in Bashu. These people are well-known for their kindness and virtue in the local area, and they also have some friendship with local officials."

According to the law, officials cannot serve in their hometowns, but the good thing about the Zhou Dynasty was that it was divided into many states. If it were in ancient times, such a large area would all belong to Yizhou, and people from Yizhou could not serve as officials in Yizhou. But now, all places are states, and if you can't serve as an official in your hometown, then you can go to your neighbor's home to serve as an official. Anyway, there are plenty of loopholes to exploit.

The old scholar whispered, "I am willing to help the Han Dynasty and persuade these old friends to surrender!"

"But I don't know if this can be accomplished."

Zu Ting hurriedly grabbed his hand and said, "Oh, if that's the case, it couldn't be better! If you want them to surrender, I can promise that after the success, I will keep their official positions and protect their clans. In addition, after I personally make achievements in the expedition, I will send them to the Imperial College in Yecheng and make them my students."

The old celebrity didn't show much excitement on his face, he just kept talking about the difficulty.

Zu Ting struggled with him for a few times, and after getting a lot of promises from Zu Ting, the old scholar finally gritted his teeth and said that he would do his best!

After this old celebrity, other celebrities also came to talk to Zu Ting.

At present, Yuwen Xian is guarding the main roads, but this does not mean that the two sides can no longer communicate. There are many roads, but the army cannot pass through. In addition, these big families, especially those who are married, will train carrier pigeons. Carrier pigeons deliver messages within two fixed cities, and their efficiency is much better than cavalry.

Zu Ting agreed on many things with these people.

Wei Xiaokuan also understood that the purpose of Zu Ting bringing him here was nothing more than to show his "results", so he spared no effort in praising the emperor for his many kindnesses after his surrender.

"kill!!"

"Boom~~"

Outside Jiange, the Han army launched a fierce attack.

Yuwen Xian personally stood on the city wall to fight against the Han army.

With Yuwen Xian's presence in person, the soldiers were able to maintain their morale. Coupled with the advantage of terrain, Liu Taozi's army began to suffer setbacks for the first time and could no longer be as unstoppable as before.

However, Liu Taozi is not someone who gives up easily.

He once again adopted the method used in the previous attack on Hanzhong, letting the army take turns to attack, not giving the enemy a chance to breathe.

The shouts and cries of killing could be heard every day, one after another.

The catapults were fired again and again, and the area around the city was covered with rubble.

The corpses of both armies piled up into a mountain and the blood flowed like a river.

This battle was extremely brutal. Yuwen Xian knew in his heart that he could no longer escape. If he withdrew again, the Zhou Kingdom would be completely destroyed. Therefore, he placed all his attention on defending the city. The casualties of the soldiers became more and more serious. Of course, the casualties of the Han army were the same. The generals under Yuwen Xian began to suffer frequent casualties, but Yuwen Xian always kept some in reserve.

There were several times when the enemy almost broke through the city gates, and he sent the reserve troops forward and recruited fresh troops to repel the enemy.

The two sides fought in Jiange for more than 20 days, and the fighting became more and more fierce.

They seemed to be fighting for morale, and it was just a matter of time to see which side would collapse first.

Yuwen Xian was very tough. He followed the soldiers to guard the city during the day and encouraged those who had made contributions at night. He also ate and lived with the soldiers. The soldiers were all willing to fight to the death.

Liu Taozi's side was also not weak. Under Zu Ting's mobilization, money, armor, food and other resources continuously arrived from the rear. At the same time, newly trained troops also arrived as a supplement to the military strength.

At this time, Gao Jiong had already left Jiange with his men and moved slightly back, wanting to appease his rear.

When Gao Jiong returned, he immediately realized that something big was going to happen.

Because Gao Jiong ordered the summons of several local celebrities, but these celebrities actually ran away.

Gao Jiong was furious and sent people to search for them, but no one could tell where they were hiding.

However, Gao Jiong's sudden action caused those who were plotting in the rear to become very confused. They thought that Gao Jiong had already known about their affairs and was here to arrest them. Without waiting for Gao Jiong to make any further move, they quickly started the rebellion.

Meizhou and Zizhou launched rebellions one after another. Li Cheng, a famous scholar in Meizhou, suddenly took action at a banquet, killed the governor, gathered the citizens and servants, and shouted to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

Zizhou subsequently responded by rebelling against Zhou and surrendering to Han.

Gao Jiong was horrified and quickly sent a fast rider to inform Yang Jian, who was escorting the emperor back, to stop immediately and not go further into the hinterland. He also asked him to take the emperor to Jiangyou temporarily and set up defenses there.

After the two states rebelled, other counties and prefectures quickly responded.

For a time, Bashu was in chaos, the food supply was cut off, the emperor could not advance, and troops and food could not be sent to aid the front line.

Gao Jiong thought that Yuwen Xian's behavior might cause these people to rebellion, but he did not expect that this group of people would be so decisive and act so quickly without any delay. They would rebel as soon as they said they would!

And the most terrifying news was that Yong'an surrendered to Gao Changgong.

If this were the case along the way, Gao Changgong would be able to kill his way through the heartland and capture the emperor alive.

Yuwen Xian was fighting hard on the front line, and when he received the battle report from the rear, he couldn't help but feel dizzy.

Fortunately, Yang Jian was there to protect the emperor, and Gao Jiong was actively contacting his confidants in preparation for suppressing the rebellion.

In his letter, Gao Jiong told Yuwen Xian not to worry and that he would pacify the situation as soon as possible.

Gao Jiong summoned several local confidants and asked them to go to Meizhou to quell the rebellion. Gao Jiong believed that if defensive measures were taken at this moment, it would only intensify the rebellions in various places and lead to more and more participants. Only by killing the leaders first and severely punishing those who followed in the rebellion could the rest of the people come to their senses.

At this moment, another bad news came that Hulu Xian conquered Wudu.

Wudu was originally short of troops and had become an isolated city with no morale. Liu Taozi also sent troops to assist. After Huluxian's long and fierce attack, Wudu finally couldn't hold on. Yan Qing was shot by an arrow and died in the city. The rest of the generals continued to flee.

Huluxian reorganized his troops and then continued the attack in the direction of Pingxing.

late at night.

The bonfire in the military camp swayed back and forth in the strong wind.

Yuwen Xian sat tiredly among the soldiers. He no longer lived in the house, but lived with the soldiers.

In the campfire, one could vaguely see that he was deeply tired from the inside out, and he could hardly bear it anymore.

Bad news comes one after another.

The Zhou Kingdom was already heading towards destruction, and Yuwen Xian felt powerless.

Even if Gao Jiong's strategy was successful and he blocked Liu Taozi's army here, Gao Changgong's army probably could not be stopped.

He did not dare to divide his troops, and he did not have enough confidants to send to various places, and even if he was sent, they might not be able to take office smoothly.

And the Chen people, they haven't taken any action so far.

Are they just going to watch the Han Dynasty destroy the Zhou Dynasty?

Aren’t they afraid that they will be the next one?

Yuwen Xian had a severe headache.

But when he saw the silent soldiers around him, he still had to force a smile.

"Liu Taozi has been fighting with us for more than 40 days, with countless casualties!"

"Today, he even started sending those new soldiers to participate in the war. It is obvious that his foundation has been damaged and he is unable to fight again!"

"We only need to resist for a few more days, and he will surely withdraw!"

"By then, we will be able to recover the lost territory, and you will be able to go down in history with this achievement!"

The generals smiled but said nothing. They had heard this sentence for a long time.

The Han army probably knew what the Zhou people were thinking, so when there was still enough food, they continued to attack, willing to pay a huge price to defeat Yuwen Xian, leaving no way for themselves to retreat.

Under such a fierce attack, the Zhou army had a hard time resisting and their morale was shaky. They had to rely on Yuwen Xian to hold on.

Yuwen Xian encouraged himself for a long time, then called the guards and went up to the city wall again.

The Han army’s bonfires were more numerous and brighter, like stars from the sky fallen to the ground.

Yuwen Xian stared at the enemy's camp; the strong smell of blood forced away his fatigue.

Liu Taozi, can you still hold on? ? Han army camp.

The soldiers sat in groups of three or four in front of the campfire, all looking equally tired.

Compared to when they first set out on the expedition, their morale was indeed much lower.

However, in Liu Taozi's main tent, a rare quarrel was heard.

"Your Majesty, we cannot continue to attack."

Potala Ku said this seriously. He was covered in wounds and half of his face was wrapped up. Even though he said such words, he couldn't bear to be blamed.

"It is only because our army is strong that we can withstand such a fierce attack. If it were the other armies, they would have collapsed long ago. Although our army is strong, we have been attacking for more than 40 days. The whole army is exhausted. Even the reserve troops are in such a state. Our troops have suffered heavy casualties. Perhaps we can rest for a while before attacking again?"

Some generals nodded slightly and looked at Liu Taozi secretly, fearing that they would anger His Majesty.

They didn't dare to say such things themselves, so they asked Potala, who had a closer relationship with the emperor, to speak up.

Liu Taozi frowned.

Zu Ting on the side spoke.

"General, I know you are tired and hardworking, but we have already suffered so many casualties and the city is about to be breached. If we stop the siege and rest, all our efforts will be wasted!"

"The enemy's pass is difficult and our food and fodder are insufficient to sustain a long standoff."

"Only by using the most fierce offensive to destroy the enemy's morale can we win."

"We are exhausted, how much better can the enemy be?"

"What we are fighting for now is morale. We are only one step away from achieving success and pacifying the world. We must not let down our guard!"

Zu Ting bowed to them and said sincerely: "I have recorded all the people who died in this battle. After the battle, the rewards and pensions can be doubled. But this battle must not be delayed."

"Generals, please be patient. The enemy's rear is in chaos and they are short of food and grass. They must be discouraged. I predict that within three days, Yuwen Xian will be defeated by us!!"

Everyone looked at each other, then bowed to Zu Ting and nodded in agreement.

After everyone left, Zu Ting slowly sat down in front of Liu Taozi. He looked at Liu Taozi with some concern.

"Your Majesty, we must not be soft-hearted now, otherwise all our previous efforts will be wasted and the blood of our soldiers will be shed in vain. If we win this battle, Yuwen Xian will definitely not be able to escape. Once Yuwen Xian dies, the Zhou Kingdom will have no one to rely on and can only surrender. The world will be settled!"

"By then, the war will be settled, which will be a blessing for all people in the world."

"I know."

Liu Taozi stood up slowly.

"Tomorrow, I will go outside the city and beat the drum to support the battle."

The sky gradually became brighter.

The soldiers of the Zhou Kingdom would rather the day remain dark.

As soon as the sun rises, the familiar sound of war drums will sound again, and another difficult day will begin.

Soon, the soldiers returned to their familiar positions again.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of Han's war drums began, and this time, it seemed louder than before, and the momentum was even more astonishing.

The huge siege machines slowly approached the city.

"put!!"

"boom!!!"

The catapult gathered the "ammunition" again and started shooting.

After a long period of firing, the ladder truck began to approach the city wall and the two sides fired at each other.

Because of the terrain here, siege equipment is greatly restricted. Fortunately, the craftsmen of the Han army are very skilled and can make improvements according to the terrain. By increasing the size of the wheels and even modifying the proportions, they allow ladders and the like to pass through the broken ground and rush towards the wall.

The two sides fought again.

The archers continued to shoot, and arrows covered the city again.

But the soldiers in the city were unable to fight back.

It's not that I have lost my courage, it's that I have lost my arrows!!
The Han army's offensive was too fierce, and the consumption of military equipment was equally huge. The same was true for the Zhou army. The arrows consumed every day were not small, but there was chaos in the rear, and many supplies could not be delivered on time. Some were even seized by the rebels, which made them more passive.

Ladder vehicles approached the wall, and the soldiers tried their best to destroy these monsters. The soldiers on the vehicles kept shooting with bows, and the soldiers suffered even more casualties.

Yuwen Xian repeatedly ordered the use of long spears and halberds to destroy these weapons.

The fighting between the two sides became more and more fierce, and corpses kept falling.

Small hills formed on the ground again.

Shi Wansui, wearing heavy armor and panting, finally rushed to the top of the wall. This was not the first time he had successfully climbed up. He had rushed up before, but the enemy's counterattack was too fierce and he had to retreat.

But this time, Shi Wansui has made up his mind to fight to the death and not retreat! !
The two sides fought hard, and Yuwen Xian asked the reserve troops to join, but the reserve troops had already become exhausted and had no strength to fight back.

The tug of war started again.

The sound of war drums and shouts of killing continued from sunrise to nearly sunset.

But this time, the situation was obviously different.

The number of Han troops on the wall increased.

The Han army's siege equipment almost blocked the road. The soldiers continued to charge, and the Zhou people were pushed off the city wall and fell to the ground.

Yuwen Xian held a sharp blade and kept hacking at the Han army that was charging towards him.

Looking around, Zhou generals from all over the country were fighting with the enemy, but few could resist. Every time Yuwen Xian looked, all he saw were scenes of his own generals and soldiers being killed.

He was shot in the corner of his eye.

The whole world turned blood red in his eyes.

There was a roaring sound in my ears, and it seemed like I couldn't hear anything.

He just mechanically swung the knife again and again.

"Bang~~~"

The arrow hit Yuwen Xian's chest and failed to penetrate his armor, but the force still made Yuwen Xian stagger. A Han soldier who rushed over pushed the spear in his hand forward, and Yuwen Xian felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

The personal soldiers on both sides stepped forward and wanted to protect him.

Yuwen Xian looked around blankly.

He didn't know if he was injured or not. Everything was blood red, and he didn't know whose blood it was.

Suddenly, there was a tsunami-like cheer from afar, and then there was a loud bang, and the door seemed to open.

Yuwen Xian slowly raised his head.

Oh my God! ! !
He commanded a large number of troops and defended such a strategic pass.

In less than fifty days, will they be defeated by Liu Taozi? ?

big week
The shouting and screaming around were getting less and less.

When Yuwen Xian raised his head, he could only see many spears around him. The Han soldiers holding spears were approaching him cautiously.

Yuwen Xian couldn't see clearly. He tried hard to get up, but it was as if a hole had been opened in his body. All his strength fled from the hole, and he didn't even have the strength to get up.

Shi Wansui pushed away those around him and slowly walked in front of him.

He looked at Yuwen Xian in front of him, whose body was not intact at all, but he felt no respect for him and almost gritted his teeth.

He trembled, thinking of his brothers who died tragically outside the pass. His eyes were red and filled with hatred.

"Yuwen Xian!!"

"Are you going to surrender or not?!"

Yuwen Xian opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, blood flowed out.

Yuwen Xian looked up and his brother seemed to appear in front of him again, extending his hand towards him.

His throat moved and his whole body stiffened.

crashed down.

(End of this chapter)