Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 119: Unification of Yanzhou is just around the corner

By the 25th, the auxiliary soldiers had dug nine tunnels and used cut wooden pillars to prop up the upper city wall.

Liu Bei got up at dawn and ordered his men to light wooden pillars at the same time to burn the passage. In less than an hour, several loud bangs were heard.

The city wall had no underlying support and collapsed in many places, leaving gaps two meters wide. The powerful families and their followers took the opportunity to charge into the city.

"Boom boom boom..." The sound of hammers rang out and flags waved.

The horizontal spear camp held up swords and shields, the soldiers stood horizontally with spears in their hands, and the archers held arrows in their hands. When they saw the enemy fleeing, they drew their bows and shot arrows to guard the southeast city gates.

Zhao Yun led the light cavalry of the Hubenqi to patrol the two northwest city gates, making sure not to let Liu Dai escape.

Scouts and scouts roamed the periphery, and from time to time they would report back to the central army the news they had discovered from the rear and flanks.

Even though he was sure of victory, Liu Bei did not relax his vigilance towards his surroundings and was always aware of the situation around him.

How many famous generals were ambushed and killed by the enemy when victory was in sight, not to mention that there were also Hun cavalry in this battle. They had to be wary of the Hun Chanyu becoming confused and finding out that he was attacking Liu Dai in Jiyin, and then rushing straight towards him regardless of anything.

Sometimes a military defeat is just a coincidence. You think the enemy will not waste time to launch a sneak attack, but they actually come, and you suffer a great loss by accident.

Liu Bei would rather advance steadily and let his troops charge into the city, while the soldiers of the Horizontal Spear Camp stayed outside on guard. Once there was any movement in the rear, both the cavalry and the soldiers would be able to see the flags waving and quickly turn around to meet the enemy.

The Ma, Zhong and other powerful families were invited to the high slope to watch the capture of Dingtao City. By the time shouts and screams were heard inside and outside the city walls, the sky had already brightened.

Everyone could clearly see the shock and astonishment on the faces of the three elder nobles; they had not expected Lord Xuande to attack the city in this way.

They thought they could use the tunnel to sneak into the city before dawn, but unexpectedly they caused the city wall to collapse and they entered through the gap. No wonder the manor could not hold out for a day after the Qingzhou nobles rebelled.

It seems that nowadays, let alone the manor wall, even the solid fortress can’t last for a few days.

Not to mention the battering ram that was taller than the city wall, which was enough to scare them. They couldn't help but wonder how long their own manor could withstand the siege equipment. After the deduction, everyone's face looked grim.

"Lord Xuande leads his army to break through strongholds with ease, and his military skills are no less than those of Sun Wu." A loud laugh stopped the thoughts of the local tyrant in time.

Li Qian had a generous personality and had been in contact with Lord Xuande for half a month. He admired Lord Xuande's heroic ambitions and chivalrous spirit and was willing to follow him.

Others were still frightened, but he didn't care so much.

Only a wavering person would be shaken when seeing Lord Xuande's strength, but they don't know that the envoy will defeat powerful enemies again and again.

If the Liu family prospers, the Li family will be prosperous, and they may even be awarded titles and be given a rank of marquis, with a family of 2,000 stones. In comparison, why would they be reluctant to give up their troops and a few properties?

Isn't it for the purpose of raising troops at home to achieve better achievements?

How come it becomes an obstacle?

Li Qian's idea was very clear. In his early years, he spent financial resources to support thousands of soldiers and guests in order to serve a wise master and achieve unprecedented achievements.

Liu Bei looked at the top of the city wall, but was also paying attention to what was behind him. He heard Li Qian bowing and praising him.

I couldn't help but say: "Shujie, don't praise me too much. Those who are good at fighting don't have great achievements. How dare I call myself a good general?"

No one doesn't like to hear praise, but once something is first started, it is easy for the master to lose himself in the flattery.

Although Liu Bei did not do what Cao Mengde did, publicly announcing that he was happy to hear criticism and then resorting to trap enforcement.

But he also knew his own weight and would not be arrogant at the critical moment. If he could annihilate the main force of the enemy in a field battle, there would be no need to attack the city, and even if he did, he could do it quickly.

In the late Han Dynasty, many fortified cities could not be conquered after being besieged by the army for a long time, and many people had to retreat and sigh.

Liu Bei had been thinking about how to avoid this. It would be best to lead the armies of the princes into the wild, defeat them directly, and make it difficult for them to defend the city walls with only the civilians and auxiliary soldiers when people's morale was unstable.

As for the strongholds of the wealthy families, they are easier to deal with. If they are built on flat ground, you can dig the soil and destroy them. If they are built on the mountainside, you can surround the mountain and cut off the water. Just choose a steady person to lead the troops to besiege them, and they will fall down on their own in a year and a half at most.

With Qingzhou's current mobilization capabilities, if we don't care about fishing in a dry pond, we can mobilize an army of 50,000 to 60,000 at any time in the name of Liu Bei, let the combat soldiers, auxiliary soldiers and civilians provide some of their own dry food, and reduce military food expenditures.

However, this reckless approach wasted the favors Liu Bei had accumulated with the people and soldiers over the years.

Never use it unless it is absolutely necessary.

The screams in Dingtao City became insignificant in less than two hours, and then stopped abruptly.

Liu Bei stood on a high slope and watched as the defeated soldiers tried to rush out of the city, but he was stopped by the soldiers of the Hengqiang Camp and could not move forward. When he went to open the north gate, his formation was broken up by the cavalry and he could only kneel down and beg for mercy.

After a while, Zhao Yun personally rode his horse, carrying the tied man, and pushed him up the steep slope to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei looked at Liu Dai, whose hair was disheveled, clothes were in disarray and even his armor was stripped off, and who had no manners of a famous scholar, and said with a smile: "Are you convinced by this battle at Liugong Mountain?"

Liu Dai was pushed by Zhao Yun and almost fell to the ground.

He wanted to beg for mercy, but it was obvious that there were many powerful families present, so he couldn't say the words.

He could only snort coldly to save his reputation as a famous scholar, and said with his neck tilted up: "If Liu Xuande wants to kill me, then kill me. Why bother saying more?"

Liu Bei had been dealing with the aristocratic families for a long time, so how could he not see that Liu Dai was pretending to be tough?

Then he pointed with his whip and said, "Does Liu Gongshan really want to die?"

Liu Dai did not respond, but he was worried in his heart that Liu Bei would really lose face and drag him, a member of the royal family, down as a sacrifice. He wanted to surrender but found it difficult to say it out loud.

When he was in a dilemma, although he raised his neck to glance elsewhere, his ears were quietly pricked up. Seeing Liu Bei hesitating in silence, he felt even more anxious.

Liu Bei thought for a moment and chuckled, "Forget it. Killing prisoners after a battle is unlucky. Since Liu Gongshan is a famous scholar, there is no need to humiliate him. Zilong, find a courtyard with blue tiles and white walls to guard it. I will make a decision later."

Seeing that Liu Bei did not intend to kill him immediately, nor did he humiliate him in prison, but instead treated him well in the courtyard, Liu Dai bowed his head slightly, cupped his hands and said sincerely, "Thank you, Xuande."

Before leaving, he straightened his clothes, bowed slightly to other nobles, and strode away.

Liu Bei looked at Liu Dai's back as he was escorted down the hill by his soldiers, and could not help but shake his head and chuckle.

He had to maintain the demeanor of a gentleman at all times. Those who didn't know would think that Liu Dai won. He became a prisoner. It can only be said that he won the face but lost the substance.

However, Liu Bei hoped that there would be as many famous scholars as possible, at least it would not be too difficult to defeat them.

Turning around and looking at the gradually rising sun, the morning light burst out, shining on the new red flag on the city wall. Liu Bei was in a good mood, raised his whip and said with a smile: "Everyone, please follow me into the city."

Now that Liu Dai has been captured and Yanzhou can be taken, the power of the first prince has been destroyed. He wants to wipe out the princes one by one, rebuild a new Han Dynasty, and lay a solid foundation for prosperity.

(End of this chapter)