Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 481 The Scheming Clever Guy (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Crunch... crunch..."

"Damn it, why did it have to snow now of all times!"

On the evening of the 30th of the eleventh lunar month, after months of severe drought, the heavens finally sent down some water-related things.

Perhaps feeling that it had accumulated too much, the snow began to fall more and more heavily within two hours, and the strong winds blowing from the northwest made people's cheeks ache from the cold.

In just one night, snow fell about a foot in Guannei, Guanzhong, Dongji, Hedong, Hebei and other places. The middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River even saw three feet of snow overnight, blocking the roads completely.

When the river freezes, even breathing causes frost to form on your hair, and your eyelashes are covered in frost.

Many houses collapsed under the weight of the accumulated snow, and the towns in Hebei could only deal with their own problems first, while they could only spare some attention to investigate the battles in Yichang and Dizhou.

Among these, Weibo experienced the thickest snow accumulation.

Weibo was already suffering from a locust plague and a constant stream of refugees. Now, with the heavy snow, many people in the area have frozen to death, and people are scrambling to escape Weibo.

In a short time, tens of thousands of starving people poured into Henan Province, and most of them fled to towns such as Tianping and Yicheng.

The influx of migrants brought population to the vast and populous Henan Province, but it also brought tens of thousands of hungry mouths.

Chen Jingchong had originally reserved enough grain to relieve the starving people in the three towns, but now that tens of thousands more people have poured in, the grain supply is insufficient.

The bigger problem is that, due to the thick snow, the grain transported from Luoyang to the three towns in the Central Plains can only stop in Luoyang and cannot be delivered to the front line.

"Crackling..."

Inside Yanci City in Dizhou, Wang Shi, sitting in the main seat, frowned as he looked at the burning bonfire in front of him. He then rubbed his temples and looked up at Chen Jingchong and Wang Jian.

"At present, while Zhu Quanzhong has retreated to Bohai, although we have recovered the two counties of Dihe and Yangxin, our army still has 20,000 troops. Governor An and Governor Husi are still leading 20,000 troops to besiege the remaining three counties of Yichang."

"Lu Jianfang refuses to surrender. Our army must first defeat Lu Jianfang, and then gather our forces to attack Yanhai. Only then can we achieve the separation of the northern and southern vassal states according to Your Highness's wishes."

"However, heavy snow fell from the sky. Last night, I searched through all the historical records and found that the heavy snow lasted for no less than ten days."

"The heavy snow has restricted our cavalry, which is not good news for our army. However, in marching and fighting, it is not only about the bravery of the soldiers and the talent of the generals, but also about money, food and supplies."

"The heavy snow in Qilu caused many wheat crops to freeze to death and the harvest to fail. Next year, there will be no grain to eat in Yanhai during the summer harvest. Although the imperial court was also affected, except for Tianping and Yichang, the towns and regions will be relieved of the famine caused by the drought due to the melting of the snow."

"This battle involves a large number of troops, so we must use our troops cautiously and launch a surprise attack with a surprise force to minimize casualties."

What Wang Shi said already involved a contest of national strength, and in such a contest, the imperial court naturally had the advantage.

What Wang Shi was most worried about was that when they were attacking Zhu Quanzhong, Wei Bo and Cheng De would cause trouble behind the scenes.

That's why he wanted to minimize casualties so that he could fight against Chengde and Weibo later.

However, in response to his remarks, Chen Jingchong frowned and said, "No matter how much money and grain we have in the rear, it is impossible to transport it here."

"Our gunpowder is stored in oiled paper and is still dry. Moreover, the remaining three cities of Yichang are bound to be unstable. Why not launch an attack on Yanhai now?"

Chen Jingchong was indeed somewhat anxious. He knew that the Han army's method of breaching the city was using gunpowder packs. If the gunpowder packs became damp due to the heavy snow, then the Han army would have to resort to sacrificing lives to attack the city.

He had considered Weibo and Chengde, but he felt that as long as the Han army quickly defeated Zhu Wen, they could turn their attention to Weibo and Chengde.

The two had their own ideas, but Wang Shi was in charge of the army, and even Chen Jingchong had to listen to him. So in the end, they could only use the troops according to Wang Shi's ideas.

Four days passed quickly, and the snow in Dizhou was more than four feet deep. The snow stopped falling, but the several feet of snow still hindered the Han army's movements.

With the year-end approaching, Chen Jingchong could no longer contain his excitement, and at that moment, good news finally arrived from the north.

"Lu Jianfang was killed by his own subordinate general, and the three counties of Yichang surrendered. Our army has won a great victory!!"

At dawn, as the fast horses galloped south, shouting cries of great victory, the generals of Yanci City gathered at the county government office.

As the fast horse entered the yamen, Wang Shi took the victory report from his hand, read it through, and then nodded: "Your Highness may now report to us that our army will soon launch an attack on Zhu Quanzhong."

"Good!!" Hearing Wang Shi's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Shi looked at them and then said, "In this battle to quell Yichang, our army suffered 1,262 dead and 1,225 wounded."

"The wounded soldiers will be settled and rested on the spot. Eight thousand infantrymen will be left to guard the area, mainly to defend against Weibo and Chengde. The rest of the troops will be transferred south."

Although Yichang has only two prefectures, both of them are among the most populous and largest prefectures in Hebei, with a total of nineteen counties.

Eight thousand troops may seem like a lot, but each county only has four or five hundred.

If troops were transferred to the eight counties along the border with Chengde and Weibo, there would only be one or two hundred men left for the remaining eleven counties.

However, the Han army is elite, and the morale of the Weibo and Chengde troops is low after their campaigns abroad, so holding them off for a few days should not be a problem.

At worst, we can attack Weibo and Chengde from the directions of Yicheng, Yiwu, and Hedong, and force them to retreat.

“We dispatched 5,000 infantrymen and 10,000 laborers to clear snow and escort 20,000 shi of grain ahead, and set up camp 10 li west of Bohai County.”

"According to His Highness's previous decree, we should first take down Ge Congzhou and Zhang Guiba, and then deal with Zhu Quanzhong."

"Yes!"

Wang Shi calmly gave the order, and Chen Jingchong quickly agreed. He then appointed Wang Jian as the grain and supplies officer, and sent troops, laborers, and provisions ahead.

Wang Jian bowed respectfully, then dispatched soldiers and laborers to shovel snow out of the city.

It is a full sixty li from Yanci to Bohai County. Wang Jian needs to walk fifty li westward by shoveling snow, which will take at least two or three days to complete.

At the same time, Wang Shi dispatched a fast horse carrying Yi Chang's good news to Luoyang.

Although the snow was deep, a snow path for fast horses to pass through was dug out through the joint efforts of the various post stations.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, a memorial was delivered to Luoyang by fast horse. After reviewing it, Liu Jilong looked at Gao Jinda:

"Have the troops in Guannei and Shannan East Circuit already set out?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jinda bowed and said, "Li Yangchun, the commander of Shannan East Circuit, has already led his troops to set off and entered Caizhou territory. He will be able to reach Songzhou within five days."

"Guannei Dao should have just received the news recently, and Governor Cao has just returned to Shengzhou with his troops. It will probably take about a month to transfer 20,000 troops to Yun and Wei provinces."

Liu Jilong nodded after hearing this. The 35,000 troops from Cao Mao and Yunwei prefectures were intended to be used by him to prevent interference in Lulong after Zhang Yunshen's death and the subsequent internal strife.

As for whether Weibo, Chengde, and Zhaoyi will take any action after attacking Yanhai, Liu Jilong also needs to make full preparations for this.

Li Yangchun's 15,000 troops, as well as Yicheng's 10,000 infantrymen in Hua and Zheng prefectures, were his backup plans.

Twenty-five thousand troops were deployed to deal with Weibo, while Yichang and Yiwu deployed eighteen thousand troops to resist Chengde, and Zhaoyi was handed over to Cui Shu of Hedong.

Although Cui Shu was not good at military campaigns, all Liu Jilong needed was for him to hold the line.

Once Wang Shi in the east defeats Zhu Wen and turns his troops around, Weibo, Chengde, and Zhaoyi will be destroyed in a pincer attack.

From all directions, Liu Jilong prepared 125,000 troops in Hebei, Henan, and Hedong to deal with the so-called alliance created by Zhu Wen.

The only thing that worried Liu Jilong was that 25,000 of the 50,000 troops in Hedong Town were new recruits who had been trained for less than half a year. However, he still had 20,000 troops in Dongji. If Hedong and Yicheng could not stop Weibo, he would naturally send troops north to provide assistance.

Lost in thought, Liu Jilong said to Gao Jinda, "Issue the orders to the towns of Hedong, Yichang, Yicheng, Yiwu, and Heyang: if there is anything amiss with Zhaoyi, Chengde, or Weibo, do not go out of the city to counterattack; just hold your ground."

"Yes……"

As Liu Jilong instructed, An Pohu and Husiguang also led 10,000 troops south to join forces with Wang Shi. After that, 30,000 soldiers and 60,000 laborers escorted 50,000 shi of grain and 10,000 shi of beans along the snow track opened up by Wang Jian.

On the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Shi and Wang Jian joined forces, and 100,000 soldiers and civilians surrounded Bohai County completely.

When Zhang Guihou, who was stationed in Bohai County, learned of the news, he climbed the city wall and saw that Bohai County was surrounded by a huge horde of people. His face turned grim.

"There are only five thousand armored soldiers in the city, but judging from the number of government troops, there are at least one hundred thousand, and even excluding civilian laborers, there are no fewer than thirty or forty thousand."

"Commander, how many days must our army hold out?"

Following behind Zhang Guihou, Pang Shigu couldn't help but ask, while Zhang Guihou pondered and replied:
“When the government troops appeared ten miles west of the city, my brother and Ge Lang said that our army needed to hold out for fifteen days.”

"Fifteen days later, my brother led his troops to meet our army, and our army broke through the encirclement and escaped."

Zhang Guihou's words relieved Pang Shigu and the others.

As they breathed a sigh of relief, Wang Shi, along with Chen Jingchong, An Pohu, Husiguang, and others, arrived outside the camp and gazed at Bohai County from a distance of two miles.

"Although Bohai County was originally a large city, it was only two zhang high and three zhang thick."

"The cavalry reported that the city wall was reinforced by the garrison commander Zhang Guihou by about ten feet, and it seems that the wall itself has also been thickened."

"All the people in the city have been moved to Qingzhou. There are only 5,000 soldiers. There is no need to worry about harming the people."

As soon as Wang finished speaking, Chen Jingchong calmly said, "Our army has plenty of gunpowder and 'ten thousand enemy' weapons. We can use catapults to launch these weapons and take the opportunity to use shield carts and firearms soldiers to launch a strong attack on the city walls, and then use gunpowder to blow them open."

"Even if this city is very thick, it can be blown up four or five times at most."

"When the fighting gets close, it will only be a matter of time before we take this city..."

Chen Jingchong's proposed method won the repeated nods of An Pohu and Husi Guang, after all, the Han army had always done it this way when attacking cities.

After the Wanrendi bomb exploded, the iron pellets it fired could pierce the wooden planks of the shield carts, but they could not pierce the armor of the Han soldiers.

In comparison, without the obstruction of shield carts and wooden planks, the iron pellets fired by a force of ten thousand men are far more effective than the suppression of arrow rain.

"This time it might be different."

Wang Shi's words extinguished the crowd's fervent emotions. Several people looked at him, only to see Wang Shi say:

“Bohai is not short of water. If we use gunpowder to blow up the city wall and then pour water into the breach, it will freeze over in no time, given the current situation.”

Wang Shi's words surprised Chen Jingchong and the others. Although Longyou was also very cold, they had never encountered a way of defending the city by watering the city walls.

"Even if it freezes, it will definitely explode!"

Hu Siguang said defiantly, and Wang Shi nodded in agreement: "We can only give it a try."

"The three armies will set out from the camp at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow. Today, have the laborers clear the open space in front of the camp and move the catapults to a mile west of the city."

"Yes!" the men replied, and then Wang Shi turned his horse around and returned to the camp.

After he left, Wang Jian and the others also left, while An Pohu, Husiguang, and Chen Jingchong stayed behind.

Chen Jingchong looked at An Pohu without saying anything, but reminded Husi Guang, "In this campaign to pacify Yan and Hai, Lord Wang is the commander-in-chief. Do not disobey military orders."

"I wouldn't stoop to that level." Husi Guang was also helpless; he wouldn't let looking down on Wang Shi delay his military operations.

After all, the brothers who died in battle were soldiers whom everyone had painstakingly recruited and trained; he would not joke about their lives.

Shaking the reins, the three men walked into the camp, and the news of the Han army's siege of Bohai was soon seen by the Putaitang soldiers across the Yellow River.

Although Zhang Guiba, who was stationed in Putai, was worried about Zhang Guihou, he calmly sent a fast horse to Ge Congzhou in Changshan to inform him of the Han army's movements.

Upon learning the news, Ge Congzhou immediately dispatched a fast horse to Yanzhou, preparing to have Zhu Wen attack Yunzhou.

The Han army first besieged Bohai, and then their attack on Yunzhou would have a more compelling reason.

The messenger was sent to Yanzhou by fast horse, but the journey of over 300 li, coupled with the obstruction of snow, would take at least two days.

Therefore, before Zhu Wen could react, the "Imperial Edict to Punish Zhu Quanzhong" issued by Luoyang was sent to various circuits.

"The transformation of heaven and earth begins with the withering of life, and the harvest is completed in a year; the way of the emperor is to supplement his virtue with his power and might. I, the emperor, humbly bear the weight of this great undertaking and rule over all the peoples of this land..."

"Zhu Quanzhong defied human reason and the natural order, and took command of military affairs arbitrarily; he misled the people of one region and coerced the troops."

"It is advisable to order the troops of Xuanwu, Zhongwu, Yicheng, Yichang, Yiwu, Tianping, etc., to unite, and to plan a meeting of the troops of Shannan East Circuit, Weibo, Ganhua, Huainan, etc..."

"This is hereby proclaimed, both domestically and internationally, so that all may know!"

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Wen, upon seeing the "Imperial Edict to Punish Zhu Quanzhong" in his hand, threw it directly into the fire basin.

"You son of a bitch, if we're talking about villains, who in the world dares to call themselves villains more than you, Liu Jilong?"

"Only those with strong and powerful troops can hold the court hostage. If I had strong troops, Liu Jilong would also be a traitor."

Zhu Wen spat at the brazier, and Xie Tong, standing behind him, spoke up:

"Since Liu Jilong has already issued a proclamation, it means that Wang Shi has already launched an attack on Dizhou."

“Ge Langjun and his men must hold out for more than three months before the towns can be thrown into disarray.”

"Now is the time for our army to issue a memorial to the throne to punish the traitor, calling on all garrisons to jointly attack Liu Jilong!"

"Good!" Zhu Wen rubbed his fists and feet in anticipation upon hearing this: "Liu Jilong called me a treacherous and wicked minister, so I'll say that he is the one who misleads the country and is trying to usurp the throne!"

Xie Tong nodded upon hearing this: "Rest assured, my lord, I will definitely write a proclamation to let the world know the wolfish nature of Liu Jilong."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Wen nodded and then said, "Liu Jilong's tens of thousands of troops are all east of Yunzhou. At present, Yanzhou has only six thousand armored soldiers and six thousand light infantry."

"I need to lead 5,000 armored soldiers and 5,000 light infantry to attack Yunzhou, cut off its supply lines, and make the other towns respond in response!"

"I entrust the administration of Yanhai to you, sir."

Zhu Wen spoke sincerely, which moved Xie Tong even more. He quickly bowed and said, "I will certainly not fail in my mission."

Seeing Xie Tong's reaction, Zhu Wen was relieved. He then handed over Yanzhou to Xie Tong and personally led 10,000 troops and half a month's worth of provisions to Yunzhou.

When Zhu Wen led his army straight to Yunzhou, Xie Tong also wrote "A Memorial Requesting the Execution of Liu Jilong to Rectify the Foundation of the State," and made multiple copies, which were sent to towns such as Weibo, Chengde, Ganhua, Zhaoyi, Huainan, Jiangdong, Liangzhe, and Jiangxi.

However, it would take time for the memorial to spread, while Wang Shi's attack on Bohai was already imminent.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

As Zhu Wen led his troops toward Yunzhou, outside the white-shrouded city of Bohai, twenty catapults advanced to a point three hundred paces west of Bohai County, next to which were placed wooden spheres locked in wooden frames.

This is a weapon used by the Han army for both defending and attacking cities, weighing forty catties.

There are two types of weapons capable of taking on ten thousand men: those used for defending a city only contain iron pellets and gunpowder, while those used for attacking a city contain poisonous smoke.

There were more than 300 such warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men, and this was only the tip of the iceberg of the Han army's logistics.

In front of the catapult, hundreds of civilians dressed in armor and more than a hundred Han soldiers stood waiting for orders.

After the order was given, they began to push the thirty shield carts and the moat bridge in front of them. It was enough for the laborers to push the shield carts to the city wall, and the rest was operated by the Han soldiers.

Behind the catapults, 30,000 Han soldiers were lined up outside the camp, while more than 4,000 Han soldiers were stationed inside the camp.

On the horse road of Bohai City, which they were facing, five thousand armored soldiers had gathered. Of these, no more than fifteen hundred were archers, while the rest were operating winches, crossbows, catapults, and other such equipment.

Without laborers, the logistical burden is reduced, but many miscellaneous tasks still require soldiers to do them personally.

Zhang Guihou stood in front of the city gate tower, with Pang Shigu and more than two hundred personal guards behind him.

The cold wind from the northwest kept blowing, making the banners flutter.

At the front of the army, Wang Shi checked the wind direction of the banners and, after confirming that everything was in order, began to wave the command flag.

In an instant, a thousand laborers on the catapult position began operating the catapults, placing the enemy catapults on leather straps and then directly striking the mechanism.

"boom--"

Twenty catapults began their attack, and the Yanzhou navy on Bohai City, seeing this, blew their wooden whistles.

"Beep--"

In an instant, countless soldiers crouched low and pressed themselves against the parapet.

"Boom!!"

Twenty dark shadows descended over the western city's horse path in Bohai City. Before they even landed, a burst of crimson smoke suddenly appeared in the air, carried by the northwest wind.

Moreover, countless iron pellets shot out from the smoke, clanging and clattering against the armor. Many armor plates were dented, but because there was a battle jacket inside the armor, although it hurt, it was not enough to cause injury.

"Thunder?!"

"The government troops will use lightning to attack the city!!"

"Damn it, all of you lie down properly! Are you blind? That's nothing more than a rubber bucket!!"

Before the poisonous smoke could settle, the Yanzhou naval soldiers who heard the thunderclap began to riot. They were only calmed down after Zhang Guihou scolded them and the officers and captains in the army calmed them down.

"Damn it, is this Liu Jilong's magic?"

Zhang Guihou cursed, and at that moment, the poisonous smoke, carried by the northwest wind, enveloped Bohai City.

"Ugh..."

"Cough cough cough!!"

"This is poisonous smoke! Cover your mouths and noses and wait for it to blow past!"

The Yanzhou Navy had fought many battles with Huang Chao and Wei Zhou, and had seen poison smoke tactics quite often.

Because the toxicity is not severe, it can only cause people to cough or suffocate to death. However, the northwest wind is blowing fiercely right now, and the toxic smoke will soon blow over Bohai City.

Although Zhang Guihou felt discomfort in his mouth and nose, he still reminded the soldiers around him.

As the toxic smoke blew by, the nausea and suffocation suddenly disappeared.

Upon seeing this, Chen Jingchong, standing in the Han army formation, said, "The wind speed is too fast, and the poison smoke will hardly be effective. Right now, we should use 10,000 men to suppress the enemy, while the civilian laborers and soldiers push the shield carts forward."

"Wind speed?" Upon hearing this term, Wang Shi nodded in agreement, and simultaneously gave the order:
“The shield carts advanced, and the catapults attacked after the shield carts were within a hundred paces.”

"Beep--"

The military order was given, the whistle blew, and thirty shield carts began to be pushed with difficulty, while the catapults were already preparing for the second attack.

"Prepare the winches, crossbows, and catapults; the enemy will advance to within two hundred paces and attack!"

In front of the city wall, Zhang Guihou calmly directed the attack, while Pang Shigu frowned and said, "That's a battering ram? What kind of siege is it where you only use battering rams?"

"I don't know, but the government troops have methods to breach the city walls, so it's best to be careful," Zhang Guihou said, shaking his head.

Upon hearing this, Pang Shigu confidently replied, "Last night I led men to flood the entire west city wall. Even if they wanted to attack, it wouldn't be so easy."

Hearing this, Zhang Guihou drew his sword and slashed at the parapet, but the parapet only had a small gap in it, and it was extremely hard.

"Good!" Zhang Guihou couldn't help but exclaim, then sheathed his sword and waited patiently for the Han army to advance two hundred paces.

The snow outside Bohai City, along with the trenches and ram's horn walls built by Zhang Guihou, were cleared away yesterday by laborers sent by Wang Shi.

Zhang Guihou originally planned to defend the city with his back to it, but considering that he only needed to hold out for half a month, and given the rumors circulating in the Central Plains that the Han army possessed techniques to breach city walls, he led his troops back into the city after Wang Jian appeared. Now it seems that the Han army did indeed have techniques to breach city walls, but what those techniques were remains unknown.

"put!!"

"Boom bang bang-"

While Zhang Guihou was deep in thought, the winches and catapults on the city wall were activated simultaneously, while twenty catapults of the Han army outside the city also hurled ten thousand men into the sky above Bohai City.

"Look down and cover your mouth and nose!"

Having experienced the Han army's esoteric methods, the Yan navy learned their lesson quickly, immediately lying down and covering their mouths and noses.

"Boom——"

As expected, the enemy of ten thousand men exploded upon reaching the city wall, and the poisonous smoke drifted over but was quickly blown away.

Iron balls shot towards the city wall, shattering the bricks and tiles of the tower and causing many soldiers to wail in pain, but they did not penetrate the armor.

The range of armor-piercing ability of the "Ten Thousand Enemy" skill is not large. It cannot penetrate armor at too far a distance, and the poisonous smoke is easily blown away at too close a distance, making it not very effective.

Of course, even if it is not very effective, the "Ten Thousand Enemy" still makes many outstanding contributions. Just to say that the Han army is able to advance rapidly, the "Ten Thousand Enemy" deserves a lot of credit.

The chisel-shaped arrows fired from the winch crossbow pierced through the two unfortunate laborers, leaving them bleeding profusely.

The shield cart was undamaged, and the stones they threw missed the shield cart due to the distance.

"Enter!"

"Beep--"

In the ranks, Ma Yin, who had surrendered to Yang Fuguang and his companion years before, was now wearing the armor of a Han army captain, directing the Han soldiers and laborers pushing the shield carts to quickly approach the city wall.

"put!"

"Bam—"

The winches and catapults continued to fire, while the Han army's catapults, which launched 10,000-strong anti-tank missiles, were slightly slower, but still exploded in the air above the city walls.

More than ten chisel-shaped arrows were fired, most of which missed their mark. Two arrows pierced the shield cart, killing and injuring several laborers inside. The remaining laborers took over and continued to push the damaged shield cart forward.

Stones fell from the sky, and several soldiers and laborers were unlucky enough to be hit and killed on the spot.

Bugles and whistles sounded incessantly, and the warhorses on the battlefield trotted restlessly, but Ma Yin had already led his troops to the moat.

"Ditch Bridge!!"

Ma Yin urged them on, and the laborers hurriedly pushed the trench bridge open, laying out three wooden bridges for the Han army.

The two-zhang-wide frozen moat was easily crossed. Shield carts rushed across the moat one after another, and laborers retreated on the ice. However, the ice could not bear the weight of the shield carts and the moat bridge, and it made a cracking sound.

However, even as the ice broke, the moat bridge remained firmly anchored on the river, and more and more shield carts entered the area beneath the city walls.

"Fire arrows!"

A dense rain of arrows fell, and the Han soldiers took over the shield carts, pushed them, and rammed them into a single point on the city wall.

Thirty shield carts, pieced together, were a full twenty zhang wide.

The Yanhai soldiers on the city wall poured out molten rock and then threw out torches. The shield carts burst into flames, the cowhide on their surfaces sizzling, while the Han soldiers inside used pickaxes to continuously chip away at the base of the wall.

"Damn it, these guys are splashing water on the wall, it's not going to break down so easily!"

"Beep beep beep——"

The urgent and prolonged whistle made Ma Yin, who was inside the shield cart, realize that the walls of Bohai City had been flooded and could not be breached in a short time.

Moreover, a three-inch-thick layer of ice had accumulated at the base of the city wall, which made Ma Yin feel troubled.

"Damn it, we can just bomb it a few more times!"

Ma Yin looked at the three Han soldiers inside the cramped shield cart: "Unload the gunpowder packs and blow them up!"

Seeing the three men move, Ma Yin, holding his shield, carefully instructed the soldiers inside the shield carts to pile up gunpowder bags and wait for the whistle to sound the ignition.

When he returned, his shield was riddled with arrows, and he himself was also impaled with more than ten arrows.

Fortunately, his armor was thick, and he was not injured. However, he felt the top of his head getting hotter and hotter, and he knew that the wet cowhide was about to burn through.

"Beep--"

He took out the wooden whistle, blew it, and ran outside.

Not only him, but all the Han soldiers who had lit the fires ran away in a panic.

"They escaped!"

A smile appeared on Pang Shigu's face, and Zhang Guihou also breathed a sigh of relief, saying only, "Don't let your guard down, this should just be the government troops testing us."

"Boom!"

Pang Shigu nodded, about to say something, but before he could speak, he heard a deafening sound, followed by thick smoke and trembling snow, and the city tower tiles suddenly fell.

The Yanzhou naval personnel on the city wall felt their minds go blank, and when they came to their senses, they were already lying on the ground, dizzy and disoriented.

"what happened?!!"

Zhang Guihou helped Pang Shigu to his feet, and Pang Shigu shook his head: "The earth dragon has turned over?"

"Beep--"

The piercing whistle rang out, and the two men's expressions changed drastically. They immediately rushed out of the city wall and headed towards the sound of the whistle.

As they arrived, they saw that on the four-zhang-wide horse path, many people were lying haphazardly, all with blood flowing from their mouths and noses.

Not only that, but what was even more horrifying was that the city wall where the thirty shield carts were originally placed had been blasted open, with chunks of earth and stones scattered on the horse path. The city wall had been blasted open with a gap of thirty feet wide and five or six feet deep.

"This is the magic technique Liu Jilong possesses?!"

Zhang Guiba and Pang Shigu felt a chill run straight to the top of their heads and looked at each other in dismay.

"Damn it, if they launch a few more strong attacks, the city wall will be breached."

"Quickly, pour water into the gap!!"

While Pang Shigu was still making his deductions, Zhang Guihou had already ordered the remaining uninjured soldiers to splash water.

Seeing the soldiers start to move, he finally had the mind to look at the soldiers who had fallen to the ground.

More than two hundred soldiers lay on the ground. Most of them could still move, but given their condition, even if they could move, they probably wouldn't survive.

"Carry him away and treat him!"

Zhang Guihou, not wanting to undermine the morale of his troops, quickly sent men to remove the group from the city wall, while simultaneously instructing:

"If the government troops come to attack, abandon the chariots and flee. The soldiers stationed on the city walls can all disperse."

"The swordsmen are once again forming a siege wall. Throw logs and grenades everywhere. We cannot allow them to continue their assault on this place!"

After the military order was issued, Zhang Guihou hurriedly watched as the soldiers continuously poured water, while Wang Shi outside the city quickly received a report from the soldiers at the pond.

"During the attack on the city just now, we used five thousand catties of gunpowder, but it only managed to blast a gap less than ten feet deep."

"It will take at least four shield wagon attacks to breach the city walls and take this city to be captured."

No one said anything in response to Wang's remarks.

Seeing this, Wang Shi continued to direct the laborers to push the shield carts from the rear to the front of the formation, and then replaced them with armored soldiers who were in good physical condition, and continued to advance in coordination with the laborers.

This time, the Yan navy repeatedly harassed the Han army with winches, crossbows, catapults, and arrows, but still could not stop the Han army's advance.

As the shield cart crashed into the breach, the surrounding Yanzhou navy hastily threw stones and grease, lit them, and immediately ran away, clearly quite frightened by what had just happened.

"Boom——"

As the Han army retreated, less than half a cup of tea's time later, the thirty shield carts at the breach exploded again.

The clods of earth flew through the air, widening the breach by about ten feet, but making it even deeper, blasting away most of the four-foot-thick city wall.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Guihou hurriedly ordered, "Fill all the sandbags in!"

Zhang Guihou anticipated that the city wall would be burned down, so he prepared enough sandbags.

To his surprise, the Han army did not need to slowly burn the city wall with fire; they broke through it in just 35 minutes, leaving a gap of 17 or 18 feet.

At this rate, it would be extremely difficult to hold out for even three days, let alone for half a month.

"Compact the snow inside the city, pack it into bags, and bring it all to the city walls!"

Zhang Guihou calmly directed the operation, while Pang Shigu personally went to the breach to direct the soldiers to splash water and fill sandbags.

"Are they filling the gap with sandbags?"

In the Han army formation, after witnessing Zhang Guihou and Pang Shigu's methods, Wang Shi nodded slightly and said, "It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."

"However, the gunpowder in our army's ranks is probably enough to make them dig three feet into the ground."

Wang Shi now truly understood the feeling he had when Liu Jilong led his army deep into Longxi during their previous battle.

No matter how sophisticated the defensive methods, unless the walls are made of rammed earth and covered with bricks, or are built of stone, other city walls are just ordinary earthen walls.

"Uuuuuu——"

The bugle sounded again, and the Han army began its third assault on the city walls. Zhang Guihou, Pang Shigu, and all the officers and soldiers of the Yanhai Navy all had their expressions change.

Even though they had filled enough sandbags, the sandbags disappeared completely when the Han army used shield carts to blow them up again, and the city wall was blasted two or three feet deeper.

Seeing this, Zhang Guihou continued to order the throwing of sandbags and snowbags, just to delay the battle until night and repair the city wall under the cover of darkness.

However, Wang Shi did not give him that chance. He continued to send shield carts to attack, one attack after another, and soon the city wall in the main direction of the Han army's attack could not even be stood on.

They could only keep throwing sandbags and snowbags to compact the snow and throw it into the snow, constantly blocking the way.

Using this method, they managed to hold out until the afternoon. Seeing this, Wang Shi continued, "Continue the attack. Once we capture this city, Ge Congzhou and Zhang Guiba will know that such city walls cannot stop our army."

"At that time, their only option will be to retreat to Zichuan and Yidu and concentrate their forces to defend these two fortified cities of Ziqing."

Divide and conquer is certainly a good strategy, but Wang Shi now needs to quickly advance the battlefield into the heart of Yanhai to deter Weibo and Chengde.

"Everyone, it's time to eat."

Wang Jian bowed respectfully, and then saw that soldiers had already set up tents behind them.

The group dismounted and entered the tent, where they saw a round table set up, with a pot and a copper cauldron in the center.

The copper pot was filled with boiling bone broth, and plates of frozen meat slices were placed next to it.

Hot pot was a cooking method brought by Liu Jilong. Although tens of thousands of people in Dizhou were taken south by Zhu Wen, the people inside and outside Yanci City were under the protection of the Han army.

Even if it's impossible to supply meat to the entire army, at least the soldiers can eat meat every few days.

"Rumble--"

"Sit down." Hearing the explosions around him, Wang Shi gestured for everyone to sit down, and then buried his head in his food amidst the occasional explosions.

While they could still eat leisurely, the entire Yanzhou Navy was mobilized to dig up snow and soil, stuffing it into sacks and filling the gaps.

The city had plenty of soil, but the number of burlap sacks was limited.

After holding out for a whole morning, Zhang Guihou looked at the gap that could only be filled with miscellaneous items and made a decision in his heart.

"The troops are being moved to the south of the city, in preparation for a breakout through the south."

"Yes!" Pang Shigu breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure from the Han army was immense, overturning their previous expectations of a decisive battle.

Faced with the magic of the Han army, no matter how high or thick the rammed earth city wall was, it seemed to be nothing more than an earthen wall.

Not to mention Bohai County, there are very few cities in the entire Yanhai Town that could be defended.

"Beep--"

Just as Wang Shi and his group finished eating and drinking and stepped out of the tent, a wooden whistle suddenly sounded from the south.

Upon hearing this, Husiguang immediately realized: "They're trying to break through!"

Wang Shi nodded: "The snow is deep in the south, so they must have prepared evacuation routes in advance."

"There's no need to pursue them south. Commander Husi, lead 10,000 elite cavalry and infantry along the snow path our army dug this morning and intercept the enemy on the south bank of the Yellow River!"

While attacking Bohai, Wang Shi had already arranged for laborers to dig a snow road leading to the Yellow River.

The laborers have already dug to the banks of the Yellow River. All Husi Guang needs to do is lead his cavalry across the Yellow River and see if he can reach the south bank and stop Zhang Guihou.

"The last general takes command!"

Husi Guang did not delay and immediately led 10,000 elite cavalry and infantrymen south along the road cleared by the laborers.

Before long, he led his army through a six-mile snowy road and arrived at the north bank of the Yellow River.

Because the Yellow River is a suspended river above ground, one can see troops from Bohai City heading towards the Yellow River from this location.

"go!"

Husiguang dismounted, led his horse onto the frozen surface of the Yellow River, and headed towards the south bank.

As the army marched to the middle of the frozen Yellow River, Husi Guang felt a growing sense of unease. He frowned and asked Ma Yi beside him, "Have you scouted the south bank yet?"

"No." Ma Yi shook his head. After all, in this freezing weather, the snow was three or four feet thick, and everything looked white. There was really no need to investigate.

"Send out fast horses to investigate!" Husi Guang ordered immediately upon hearing this. Ma Yi dared not refuse and could only send out more than a hundred fast horses to the south to investigate.

"Beep--"

Suddenly, a piercing wooden whistle rang out from the south bank, startling the horses and causing them to slip and slide on the ice. Husi Guang, Ma Yi, Gao Huai, and the others' expressions changed drastically.

"kill!!"

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from the south bank, and countless black figures emerged from the snow, their banners waving.

More than a hundred scouts were surrounded and quickly turned their horses around to break through.

However, they were trapped in deep snow, and apart from twenty or thirty people who managed to break through, the rest were ambushed and captured.

Moreover, the troops on the south bank began to gather and charge towards the Han army's elite cavalry and infantry in the middle of the Yellow River.

Seeing this, Husi Guang quickly steadied the horse beside him and raised his voice: "Retreat to the north bank!"

"Beep--"

The northwest wind howled, and the cavalry, leading their horses, struggled to move quickly across the ice. Meanwhile, the Yanzhou navy to the south moved with surprising ease, seemingly unafraid of slipping.

The Han army did not penetrate deep into enemy territory, but the retreat was still difficult.

"The cavalry and infantry formed ranks, and the horses were led to the north bank by the cavalry!"

Husiguang handed the reins to the soldiers beside him and personally led the cavalry and infantry to cover the rear.

Five thousand elite cavalry retreated north, and five thousand infantrymen began to form ranks, but they were not used to fighting on ice and could only stagger backward in formation.

In contrast, the Yanzhou navy began to form ranks and suppress the Han army with arrows. The rain of arrows fell in layers, and some unlucky Han soldiers were hit in weak spots and had no choice but to retreat.

Blood flowed across the ice, and Husi Guang finally managed to retreat to the north bank, his feet touching the ground.

Seeing them retreat to the north bank, the Yanzhou navy did not pursue them, but instead dispersed on the ice and began to advance eastward in an orderly manner.

Under the fierce west wind, the banner with the character "Ge" was particularly conspicuous, and the number of soldiers was no less than 15,000.

The surprise attack, which was originally a sure thing, was directly disrupted by Ge Congzhou. Although Husiguang's main force suffered only a little over a hundred casualties, it left Husiguang feeling frustrated.

When Zhang Guihou, who had led his troops to retreat to the north bank of the Yellow River, saw his own reinforcements, he was first taken aback, and then overjoyed.

Zhang Guiba sent troops to meet them, while Ge Congzhou remained on the ice to guard against Husiguang's surprise attack from the shore.

Seeing Zhang Guiba catch Zhang Guihou, Ge Congzhou slowly raised his hand, and the Yanzhou Navy began to retreat back to the south bank.

"You pig-dog bastard!!"

The Yanzhou navy withdrew calmly. Although Husi Guang intended to pursue them, he was afraid that Ge Congzhou would continue to deploy on the south bank.

"what happened?!"

Suddenly, a fast horse came galloping from the south. Husiguang looked over and saw Wang Shi, Chen Jingchong and others riding towards him. They saw Husiguang's troops, who had stopped in their tracks.

The Yanzhou navy had already retreated to the south bank. Upon seeing this, Wang Shi frowned and immediately understood the cause and effect.

The horse-riding spirit was ineffective on the ice, so it was normal for Husi Guang to retreat to the north bank.

“Ge Congzhou led his troops to ambush us on the south bank. Over a hundred of my men were killed or wounded. I beg you, Magistrate Wang, to punish us!”

Although Husiguang was not convinced by Wang Shi, a defeat was a defeat, especially since he had failed to complete the task assigned by Wang Shi.

"This is not your fault. I did not expect that Ge Congzhou would set up an ambush on the south bank."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi's doubts were dispelled. He knew that if Husi Guang led his cavalry to the south bank and was ambushed in the snow, the Han army would suffer even more casualties. Therefore, he did not punish him but instead comforted him.

Seeing this, Chen Jingchong comforted Husi Guang, saying, "Bohai has been captured by our army. Although we have not killed many enemy soldiers, the area north of the Yellow River belongs to our army. We can rest for a while now and march south again tomorrow."

“Absolutely!” Wang Shi nodded in agreement, then reassured Hu Siguang:
"Today we were merely caught off guard. Governor Husi need not worry. Once our army crosses the river and marches south, we will entrust the task of defeating this enemy to Governor Husi."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Husiguang replied, holding his breath, and then commanded his troops to retreat back to Bohai.

When Zhang Guihou broke out of the siege, he ordered his men to set fire to the supplies inside the city. However, Wang Shi commanded his troops to extinguish the fire effectively and still managed to capture several thousand shi of grain and enough firewood, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other supplies for several months.

Although the outcome of this battle did not meet expectations, it was still a victory for the Han army.

After returning to Bohai, Wang Shi sent a memorial to Luoyang announcing the recapture of Bohai and the imminent invasion of Zi and Qing prefectures by his army.

(End of this chapter)