Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 416 No martial ethics
Shouyang direction.

After taking control of the army, Chen Qingzhi immediately led two thousand white-robed soldiers, hiding by day and moving by night, stealthily reaching the vicinity of Shuangcheng Village, the gateway to Shouyang.

He personally went to investigate and found that Shuangchengzhai was located in a strategic position in northern Huaihe River Basin. The area was flanked by two mountains and a river. The Northern Wei Dynasty built two cities, east and west, on steep cliffs, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The two villages are only a stone's throw apart, and there is even a suspended walkway connecting them, which shows how much effort was put into their design...

“When we attack the East City, the West City can not only help defend it with arrows, but also provide manpower to defend against the enemy through the plank roads,” Yu Tianmin, the deputy commander of the cavalry, explained in a low voice. “Under the command of the defending general, the troops can be used to the fullest extent.”

"Hmm." Chen Qingzhi nodded and said, "No wonder the armies that have attacked Shouyang in the past have often run into obstacles here and could not even touch the city walls of Shouyang."

“Yes, that’s why Li Changjun was arrogant because of the danger, saying, ‘Even if Liang’s army numbered 100,000, they could not shake Shuangcheng.’” Yu Tianmin said softly.

"So arrogant?" Chen Qingzhi couldn't help but chuckle. "That's easy to underestimate your opponent."

"That's exactly right. They have no idea about our latest movements, and the city's defenses remain unchanged. They still patrol only once every hour at night, and no fires have been lit around the city to prevent a night attack."

"That's enough for us to capture Shuangzhai." Yuchi Bei, Ji Buli, and the other generals were eager to try.

"Taking one is enough; one should be content." Chen Qingzhi smiled faintly and asked, "Which stronghold is Li Changjun in?"

“Xizhai,” Yu Tianmin hurriedly replied, “because Xizhai can be retreated to Shouyang City.”

“Alright, then let’s attack Dongzhai.” Chen Qingzhi made the decision.

"Ah, Dongzhai?" The generals were puzzled.

"Could it be that Commander Chen misspoke?" Song Jingxiu whispered, "Li Changjun is in Xizhai."

“I’m not senile yet,” Chen Qingzhi laughed. “It’s precisely because he’s in the West Village that we need to attack the East Village.”

"Is it because the defenses of the eastern stronghold will be relatively lax?" the generals asked.

"You could say that," Chen Qingzhi said with a vague smile, not revealing the entire plan, but instead saying in a deep voice:

"The fog will rise in the second half of the night, so let the soldiers take the time to rest. We will set off at the second watch, climb the mountain at the third watch, attack the city at the fourth watch, and I will be standing on the city wall at the fifth watch."

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison, no longer asking any further questions.

~~
As expected, a thick fog rolled in around midnight that night. Yu Chi Bei, who was in charge of the vanguard, led five hundred soldiers out in silence and reached the cliff behind the East Village.

Once the firelight from the night patrol on the city wall had faded into the distance, the soldiers used crossbows to launch grappling hooks at the cliff face. With a series of sharp sounds, the grappling hooks sank deep into the mountainside.

Five hundred elite soldiers used ropes to quickly climb the steep cliffs of the eastern mountain. Before midnight, they had all reached the foot of the high city wall.

At this time, everything on the city wall was normal, and the garrison, just as Yu Tianmin had said, left and never returned.

With a wave of his hand, Song Jingxiu sent more than a dozen members of the vanguard, each possessing supernatural abilities, to climb the city wall several meters high with their bare hands, like geckos scaling a wall, and then lower the ropes.

The vanguard troops climbed the city wall one after another using ropes. It wasn't until then that the second patrol arrived late. The patrol captain, who also possessed supernatural abilities, finally discovered that uninvited guests had climbed the city wall.

"Who goes there?!" The patrol captain screamed in terror, only to be instantly frozen solid by an icy arrow. "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The patrolmen frantically banged on the alarm gong, and sirens blared from the city walls.

The defending soldiers were awakened from their sleep and hurriedly donned their armor and helmets, rushing towards the city wall, but it was too late...

By this time, the main force of Liang soldiers had already climbed onto the city wall and firmly established themselves. The Wei army, in their haste to drive them down, was utterly powerless.

More and more Liang soldiers climbed the city walls, then, like tigers descending a mountain, drove the Wei soldiers off the city walls.

Immediately afterwards, they launched a fierce attack on the garrison inside the fortress!

Caught off guard, the defending troops could not hold out at all. Before the reinforcements from Xizhai arrived, they were routed and had no choice but to abandon the city and flee to Xizhai.

~~
In the western stronghold, Li Changjun heard the commotion in the eastern stronghold and hurriedly climbed the city wall to investigate. He saw that the opposite side had become a sea of ​​fire. In the flames, countless fleeing soldiers were abandoning their armor and weapons and fleeing towards the western stronghold along the suspended plank road between the two strongholds.

"Don't let them come over!" Li Changjun was worried that Liang Jun would infiltrate the group and take the opportunity to retake Xizhai.

But there were too many fleeing soldiers; they couldn't be stopped, they simply couldn't be stopped.

In desperation, he ordered the iron chains of the plank road to be cut!
The lieutenant gritted his teeth and swung his long sword, which gleamed with a crimson light, slicing through the four iron chains, each as thick as a child's arm, as easily as cutting tofu. The suspended bridge then slumped down like a dead snake.

The bridge was packed with fleeing soldiers who fell off the cliff like dumplings being dropped into a pot, their screams echoing through the valley.

However, this also separated the east and west stockades, at least eliminating the worry that Liang's army would capture both stockades in one fell swoop.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?!" Li Changjun was furious as he watched the large banner with the character "Liang" slowly rise above the city wall of Dongzhai.

"Where did this Liang army come from? Don't they lack a commander?"

"Yes, it's been lying dormant for over a year. How come it suddenly came back to life? If it's a feint, its patience is incredible!" The generals were also full of doubts.

“If it’s a new commander sent down by Xiao Yan, he still needs to reorganize the troops and take control of the army. It won’t be possible to advance for at least two or three months!” Li Changjun’s deputy general scratched his head, unable to understand.

“But a few days ago, our undercover agent in Hefei reported that Liang’s army was leaderless and undisciplined, making it impossible for them to fight.”

"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap..." Li Changjun slammed his fist on the arrow sack in frustration.

He was actually quite cautious when he first arrived, but Liang Jun was constantly on the defensive, and as time went on, maintaining a constant state of tension wasn't a good thing. Not only his soldiers, but even he himself relaxed. While he verbally emphasized strengthening vigilance, deep down he felt that nothing would happen…

As a result, Liang Jun suddenly resurrected and seized Dongzhai in one fell swoop. Now the natural barrier was split between the two sides, and it would not be so easy to defend the city again.

But no amount of cursing could bring Dongzhai back. Li Changjun had no choice but to accept reality. He urgently dispatched elite troops to reinforce the defenses, transported rolling stones and logs to the city walls, dug deep trenches, added caltrops, and sent a fast horse to his father, the commander, for reinforcements.

Actually, he wasn't too arrogant at this point. After all, even without the East Village supporting the West Village, the West Village itself was well-equipped with soldiers and supplies, perched high on a dangerous peak, with sheer cliffs on all sides, and only a narrow, winding path leading up to it. A direct attack would inevitably result in losses!
"Come on! We were careless before and got caught off guard. This time, I'll show you my true abilities!" Li Changjun shouted to encourage himself and his soldiers, "The Liang army has never breached Shuangcheng Village in history, and this time will be no exception!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded loudly.

However, Chen Qingzhi had no intention of launching a direct assault. He ordered a tall tower to be built on the city wall of the eastern stockade facing the western stockade. He commanded his soldiers to fire "fire crow arrows" at the western stockade using crossbows, the arrowheads also having oil canisters attached to them...

(End of this chapter)