Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 409 The Great War Is About to Begin, the Weak City of Xiangyang

July.

The Jin, Liao, and Western Xia states, citing insufficient annual tribute from the Song state, suddenly joined forces to launch a war, attacking the Song state from three different directions.

At the same time, the Yuan Dynasty, under the pretext of seeking revenge, suddenly sent troops south and then bypassed the Song Dynasty to attack it.

We have no choice but to take a detour.

Over the years, the Ming Dynasty had been on high alert against the Yuan Dynasty, and its defensive lines in the north were deep, far-reaching, high, and strong.

Over the years, the Yuan Dynasty had never been able to break through this defensive line in purely military warfare.

They generally relied on martial arts masters or bribed Ming generals to break through the defenses and invade Ming territory.

The Yuan Kingdom had wanted to wage this war since last year, and had even begun preparations before that.

They had already planted some hidden agents along the Ming defense line.

The idea was to detonate all these hidden agents once the war started.

Even if it's unlikely to achieve any major victories, it will certainly be able to break through the defenses and invade Ming territory.

Unexpectedly, just before the war began, Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi perished together, and the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty successfully seized power.

What was even more unexpected was that although the young emperor was young, he was not weak in political skills and had a keen eye for talent. He actually sent Zhuge Zhengwo to inspect the northern border.

The Divine Constable's Mansion is known for its expertise in investigating cases, and the four famous constables under Zhuge Zhengwo are also renowned.

Upon arriving in the north, an investigation revealed that at least 80% of the Yuan Dynasty's spies had been eliminated.

The remaining 20%, though not uncovered, are also suspected, only due to insufficient evidence.

Even with insufficient evidence, Zhuge Zhengguo acted decisively to remove them from key positions at this critical juncture.

In this way, the northern defense line was reorganized and forged once again into a piece of steel that had been tempered a hundred times.

The Yuan Kingdom also learned that if the war started, Zhuge Zhengwo would directly become the commander-in-chief of the entire northern defense line!
Although this old fellow, who had always presented himself as a civil official in the imperial court, had never demonstrated any military capabilities.

However, given the Ming Dynasty's tight military defenses, he didn't actually need to demonstrate any special abilities.

As long as things aren't messed up and the entire northern defense line is deployed as before, it can completely withstand the Yuan cavalry.

Zhuge Zhengwo, on the other hand, was mature and prudent, and was never one to mess around.

In this respect, at least in the early stages of the war, this old man, who had never shown any military talent, was actually a very competent commander.

As for expert strategies, there's not much that can be done against Zhuge Zhengwo.

Zhuge Zhengwo himself is a Grandmaster of the Three Flowers, and he is currently protected by a large army.

There is no other way to assassinate him except by sending a Grandmaster.

However, the unspoken understanding between nations is that they will not send Grandmasters to participate in the war.

If the Yuan Kingdom dares to be the first to invest in a Grandmaster, then the next day, the Yuan Emperor will see an old Taoist priest appear in his palace.

Moreover, it seems that Zhuge Zhengwo had anticipated this long ago.

To prevent himself from being assassinated and causing the collapse of the northern defense line.

When Zhuge Zhengwo was patrolling the border, he told each border general that if they were assassinated, no troops should be sent to reinforce them. They should just guard their own territory and wait for the court's assistance.

Under these circumstances, it's no wonder the Yuan Kingdom couldn't kill Zhuge Zhengwo.

Even if you could kill them, it wouldn't be of much use.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the Yuan Dynasty finally decided to bypass the Ming Dynasty's northern defenses and attack the Song Dynasty!
Then, they would travel through the Song Dynasty to attack the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, the Yuan Dynasty had tried this route of attack several times in the past.

But apart from the first successful attempt, the subsequent attempts were all blocked.

The city that blocked their way was called Xiangyang!

This time, the Yuan Dynasty resorted to its old tricks and attacked Xiangyang again.

Unlike in the past, this time the Yuan Dynasty dispatched an army of 150,000, claiming to be 300,000, to launch a massive attack on Xiangyang.

Its troop strength was second only to the first attack on Xiangyang, and far greater than the other attacks.

The second difference is that the Yuan Dynasty did not form a single army this time, but rather a four-nation coalition with the Jin, Liao, and Western Xia Dynasties.

Although this "alliance" was merely a union of offensive intentions, in reality, these four countries were each attacking in four different directions.

But this also means that the State of Song needs to defend against attacks from four different directions at the same time!

As for troop strength...

The Jin dynasty dispatched 120,000 troops, claiming to have 300,000.

The Liao Dynasty dispatched 100,000 troops, claiming to have 200,000.

The Western Xia Kingdom dispatched 80,000 troops, though they also claimed to have 200,000.

The combined military strength of the four countries amounted to 450,000, a force that was said to be a million strong.

Faced with such a large force, and that it was divided into four routes.

The war pressure on the State of Song can be imagined.

While there were some unpleasant aspects to the situation, the Ming Dynasty was ultimately an ally of the Song Dynasty.

Under these circumstances, the Ming Dynasty took the initiative to offer its assistance to the Song Dynasty in dealing with the Yuan Dynasty's army and to support Xiangyang.

I can't just not speak up.

Given the efficiency of those guys in the Song court, if we waited for them to speak up, the Yuan army would probably already be at the gates of Xiangyang.

They might even be able to directly capture Xiangyang!
Although Xiangyang has always been an important military town, and was guarded by the world-renowned hero Guo Jing.

Guo Jing once studied Yue Fei's military strategies.

Even in this world, he received some guidance from Yue Fei.

It can be said that Guo Jing's military ability was far superior to that of many generals from prestigious families.

Moreover, he is particularly good at defense.

Guo Jing himself was also a very charismatic figure. His saying, "The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people," attracted countless martial arts heroes to Xiangyang, who were willing to call Guo Jing a great hero and obey his orders to help resist the foreign army.

Under Guo Jing's leadership and with the assistance of numerous martial arts masters, Xiangyang did indeed successfully repel countless large-scale military attacks.

But this time was indeed exceptionally different.

The Yuan Dynasty's army was not only large in number, but also full of skilled warriors.

Whether Xiangyang could ultimately be defended was uncertain to everyone.

Including Zhou Ming.

In the original novel, Guo Jing did indeed stop the Mongol army several times.

But in the end, he still could not withstand the army's breach of the city and died for his country.

In this chaotic world, Zhou Ming could not be certain which Yuan Dynasty's attack had successfully breached Xiangyang.

Therefore, Zhou Ming specifically instructed Xiao Ai to pay attention to the attacks from both sides.

Although Zhou Ming planned to use this war between the six kingdoms to have some fun, he didn't actually intend to let those foreign tribes invade the Central Plains.

The stage that Zhou Ming initially set up was actually the battlefield where the two sides were fighting.

More precisely, it was on the northern border between the Ming and Song dynasties.

Therefore, if the four-nation alliance has the possibility of invading the Central Plains, they can experience the power of Zhou Ming.

With Zhou Ming's abilities, killing those leading generals would be a piece of cake.

He has recently figured out the problem with the spatial gate and can change its gold color to other colors.

If all else fails, a spatial portal can be unleashed, and even a Grandmaster could be instantly killed if caught in its trap.

If we give a piece of our own to the commanders of those alien armies, we can definitely buy them enough time.

In any case, Zhou Ming has decided to release a large number of spatial portals before the Temple of War opens, to guide people from other countries to the stage he has chosen to participate in this grand event.

Since a spatial gate is to be opened, it's perfectly normal for some unlucky souls to be struck by it.

The countries that were already prepared had actually started their military operations before the declaration of war.

The formal declaration of war was merely a response to the fact that their actions could no longer be concealed, and that both the Ming and Song dynasties had already begun preparations; they simply decided to declare war openly. Therefore, just a few days after the declaration of war, troops from all sides had already arrived at the front lines.

boom! boom! boom!
Boulders covered in kerosene were hurled at the city walls by catapults.

This catapult, improved with mechanical technology, was far more powerful than any catapult in history, and was not much inferior to modern cannons that shot iron balls.

However, when it comes to mechanical arts, the Central Plains are naturally superior to the foreign tribes.

The city wall, built using mechanical engineering principles, only swayed a few times even after withstanding the bombardment of the flaming boulders.

It would probably take several hits to possibly destroy it.

This is a fortified city built under the supervision of Emperor Taizu of Song, which took a long time and cost a huge amount of money.

The combined forces formed by these fortified cities, though not as formidable as those of the Ming Dynasty, were still sufficient to hold out for a period of time.

After a day of fighting, they were forced to retreat, leaving behind only a few thousand corpses.

night.

The stage for martial artists has arrived.

Numerous warriors infiltrated the military camp to assassinate the alien general.

Of course, the countries have made preparations for this.

Or they may set a trap.

Or it could be protected by a skilled person.

Under the cover of night, the clash between life and death, wisdom and martial arts unfolds.

Xiangyang.

Guo Jing stood on the city wall, looking out at the endless Yuan army camps. His face was indistinct in the darkness.

"Brother Jing..."

Huang Rong walked over: "Still worried about the battle?"

"Ah."

Guo Jing nodded: "The Yuan army's offensive today was extremely fierce. I inspected the city wall and found more than one crack."

Huang Rong comforted her, "The Ming Dynasty's reinforcements will arrive in less than three days. No matter what, we can't possibly not even last three days, can we?"

"Of course not."

Guo Jing said with a smile, but the smile seemed a little forced.

One surprising fact is that, although Xiangyang was famous throughout the world and had repelled several attacks by the Yuan army, it was still a formidable city.

However, in terms of pure city defense capabilities, Xiangyang City is actually not very strong.

A military stronghold, especially one that has experienced numerous wars, requires not only utmost care during its construction, but also careful maintenance and repair after damage.

In this world, Guo Jing received guidance from Yue Fei. After Yue Fei's death, he inherited Yue Fei's will, took charge of Xiangyang, and resisted the foreign invaders.

But this greatly angered the Song emperor at that time.

Therefore, supplies to Xiangyang were reduced again and again.

At that time, the garrison of Xiangyang could even be said to have brought their own dry rations. The damaged city walls could only be repaired by demolishing the houses of the people inside the city.

Fortunately, the Yuan army's attack was not particularly fierce at that time.

Moreover, the Song emperor who later ascended the throne exonerated Yue Fei.

Unfortunately, he fell seriously ill and died not long after, which led to the current Song emperor.

At the same time, because the previous emperor was simply inhuman, he set an example and left behind one imperial treasure after another to ensure that the new emperor would not be too incompetent.

Fortunately, although the current Song emperor is somewhat weak, he is not an anthropomorphic being.

However, the problems of the Song state were far more complex than just the issue of an emperor.

Take Xiangyang as an example.

Xiangyang was able to exist for so many years and resist the Yuan army several times because of the many martial arts figures led by Guo Jing.

However, within the Song Dynasty, the martial arts world and the imperial court looked down on each other, to the point that they were completely disgusted with each other and ignored each other, resulting in a severe rift between the two sides.

To what extent should it be divided?
An official once heard that a master martial artist under his jurisdiction had insulted him, so he sent eight hundred men to capture him.

It wasn't 800 elite soldiers, but 800 ordinary soldiers.

Because he had never seen the martial prowess of a grandmaster since he was a child, he thought that a grandmaster was also a human being and could easily defeat eight hundred people.

Although the officials in the imperial court were not like this one, they also had a great dislike for martial arts practitioners.

Xiangyang, which was almost entirely occupied by martial arts practitioners, was the most hated city by many officials in the imperial court.

In addition, corruption was rampant in officialdom.

Even if the emperor was willing to provide support, the supplies sent to Xiangyang were often less than one-hundredth of their original quantity.

Over the years, Xiangyang has been in a state of damage that is beyond repair.

This war-torn city naturally became the weakest city on the entire northern defense line!
If it weren't for Guo Jing, Xiangyang would have fallen long ago.

Guo Jing's formidable martial prowess has always made him the sharpest spear in Xiangyang.

Unfortunately, this time, the Yuan Kingdom also brought a large number of shields.

This also includes that... Pang Ban!
After his encounter with Master Zhang last year, Pang Ban was praised as the number one person below the Grandmaster level.

Although such first people exist in every country.

However, the fact that it was ranked on the list clearly indicates that its military strength is extremely strong.

On the battlefield today, Guo Jing was originally preparing to take action.

Then I saw Pang Ban.

The two faced off from a distance without actually fighting, but both could sense the threat from the other.

night.

This should have been the stage for Guo Jing to showcase his fighting prowess.

But he also gave up.

And he also ordered the other martial artists to remain still.

This is actually extremely disadvantageous for Xiangyang.

Because Xiangyang originally had few garrison troops, its biggest advantage was the large number of martial arts practitioners.

However, Xiangyang's greatest advantage could not be utilized this time, and if the battle continued, it would inevitably be detrimental to Xiangyang.

"Uncle Guo," Yang Guo suddenly exclaimed as he climbed the city wall, "People from the Ming Dynasty have arrived!"

"What? So fast?!"

Guo Jing was taken aback: "Who is it?"

"It's Master Guo!"

"It's him! Good!"

Guo Jing was overjoyed and immediately prepared to go down from the city wall to meet him, but he saw a middle-aged man with long hair walk up to him on his own.

"Good brother!"

"Brother!"

The two high-fived in excitement, and then got straight to business.

Guo Jing asked, "I heard that the Ming Dynasty's aid will not arrive for another three days. How did you get here so quickly, brother?"

Guo Juxia laughed and said, "I had no choice but to hurry! I received a message by carrier pigeon saying that Pang Ban had appeared in Xiangyang, so I abandoned the main army and rode here at full speed."

Huang Rong smiled and said, "Since you came in such a hurry, you must have a way to deal with Pang Ban, right?"

"Haha, as expected, nothing can be hidden from Sister Huang Rong."

Guo Jing laughed heartily, then took out a booklet from his pocket and handed it to Guo Jing.

(End of this chapter)