My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

North of Luoyang City.

Battle flags blotted out the sky, and swords and spears formed a forest.

Fifteen thousand Chu soldiers, in dozens of large and small military formations, were arrayed in front of the city.

Xiao He stopped his horse in the middle of the formation, leaning on his sword, and held up a telescope to observe the situation on the city wall.

Nearly three thousand Wei soldiers were in position and ready to fight.

However, the bewilderment and hesitation on those faces were clearly imprinted in my eyes.

Xiao He's mouth corners slightly raised.

Ma Su's strategy of winning hearts and minds seems to have worked.

The Wei soldiers had lost all will to fight, their morale was in disarray, and they had no determination to fight to the death.

As the telescope moved towards the center of the city gate, Hao Zhao's worried and solemn face also came into view.

Tragic, heavy, solemn... yet not a trace of confidence can be seen.

It seems that this gatekeeper, who is on par with Huo Jun, has lost confidence at this moment, knowing that even if he has extraordinary abilities, he cannot possibly defend Luoyang City.

“Youchang, if we can capture Luoyang today, you will be the one to make the greatest contribution, and I will definitely ask the King for credit for you.”

Xiao He glanced at Ma Su beside him.

Ma Su's eyes twitched slightly, clearly suppressing his joy.

Young people, who doesn't want to make a name for themselves and become famous throughout the world?

The credit for capturing Luoyang was personally awarded to Grand Commandant Xiao, and it seemed certain that he would receive an official rank of two thousand shi after this battle.

"If Luoyang is captured in this battle, it will be entirely due to the Grand Commandant's skillful command. I, Su, have only contributed my meager strength; I dare not claim the greatest credit."

Ma Su was very tactful and suppressed his secret joy, humbly declining the offer.

Xiao smiled, and then pointed his whip at the enemy city:
"Give the order to launch a full-scale attack on the city."

"Tonight, I will drink a celebratory wine with you all in Luoyang!"

The order was given, and the command flag of the central army waved.

Thump thump thump~~

The sound of war drums suddenly rang out, shaking the surrounding fields.

At the vanguard, Zhang Bao brandished his spear and shouted:
"The Grand Commandant has ordered the vanguard to attack and raze Luoyang to the ground!"

More than 7,000 Chu soldiers and more than ten military formations suddenly moved.

"Flatten Luoyang!"

"Flatten Luoyang!"

The soldiers roared and charged forward with earth-shattering force towards the northern city of Luoyang.

In the blink of an eye, the Chu army had advanced to within an arrow's reach.

On the city floor.

Hao Zhao frowned deeply, glancing uneasily at the soldiers to his left and right.

Contrary to his expectations, Xiao He did not launch the first attack on the city with the Divine Thunder Cannon, but instead directly pushed forward with his infantry.

This shows what?
This shows that Xiao He was determined to win and was confident that he could storm the city walls without the need for the Divine Thunder Cannon to suppress the attack.

Why is Xiao He so confident and fearless?

It was simply because they assumed that the morale of the defending troops in the city had collapsed and they had no will to fight.

The walls of Luoyang were as fragile as paper; a light kick would surely cause them to collapse.

"I refuse to believe this nonsense!"

Hao Zhao gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and shouted sharply:
"Soldiers of Wei, do not let those land deeds of the Chu army disrupt your morale. That is nothing more than a temporary measure by Xiao He, that sorcerer."

"Think about it carefully. You are soldiers of the Great Wei. How could the Chu Kingdom possibly allocate land to you?"

"Their aim is to demoralize your troops so they can take advantage of the situation and capture Luoyang."

"Once Chu conquers Luoyang, they will surely settle accounts with you and take back all the land that was allocated to you!"

Hao Zhao decided to retaliate in kind, launching a similar psychological warfare tactic.

This tactic did indeed work.

The Wei soldiers, who had initially shown no will to fight, looked at each other and whispered amongst themselves, their fighting spirit rekindled.

Hao Zhao saw a glimmer of hope and seized the opportunity to shout:

"Soldiers, cheer up! As long as we hold Luoyang, the King of Wei will surely reward us handsomely!"

"Archers, fire! Shoot down those Chu dogs!"

The morale of the Wei army was slightly boosted, and some archers began to draw their bows and aim at the Chu army.

Hao Zhao's confidence increased greatly.

On the city wall, Xiao He observed all the changes in the Wei army.

"I don't know what Hao Zhao said, but it seems the Wei army has regained some fighting spirit. I have to say, this guy is really something..."

Xiao He nodded approvingly, then gave a cold smile:
"Youchang, bring out our second trump card."

Upon receiving the order, Ma Su immediately waved the command flag.

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Bao, the vanguard commander, commanded the entire army to halt its advance.

Immediately afterwards, Ma Su personally led several thousand shield bearers, protecting tens of thousands of civilians, out of the central army and headed straight for the vanguard.

Soon, the women, children, and the elderly arrived at a distance of one arrow's length.

Ma Su ordered the shield bearers to spread out to the left and right, and shouted to the crowd:
“Your sons and your husbands are on the city walls. Tell them everything you want to say.”

The thousands of people immediately erupted in chaos, shouting towards the city walls.

"Tiezhu, it's your mother! The King of Chu has allocated land to our family. Please come back soon."

"Shanzi, we don't need to rent land anymore. Our family has been allocated thirty mu of land, and spring planting is just around the corner. You should go home."

“Father, Mother said that the King of Chu is the one who truly cares about us, and she told you not to work for the King of Wei anymore.”

"Son, our family has been allocated fifty acres of land..."

The cries of calling for their sons and husbands echoed outside Luoyang city.

Xiao He smiled slightly, raised his binoculars, and looked at the city wall again.

This is the second step in the strategy of winning hearts and minds.

Three days before the battle, Xiao He sent people to various counties in Henan to call on the people who had been allocated land to go to Luoyang to persuade their husbands and sons to surrender.

These Henan people who were allocated land were grateful to Liu Bei and feared that if Luoyang fell, their sons' fates would be uncertain, so they all eagerly signed up.

So the Chu army treated the five or six thousand villagers to good food and drink and invited them to their camp in Luoyang.

With the siege imminent, it was the perfect time to release these villagers, letting them call out to their children and husbands, delivering a fatal blow to the morale of the Wei army within the city. Everything unfolded as Xiao He had predicted.

On the city wall, the Wei soldiers, whose morale had been somewhat boosted, instantly collapsed when they saw their relatives appear.

He loosened his grip on the sword and spear, lowered the drawn bowstring, and tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

Despite being so far apart, with so many elderly people, women, and children crammed together in such a chaotic scene, it was impossible to recognize whether they were one's own wife, children, or father.

But that's no longer important.

The important thing is that they believe their loved ones are among them.

They firmly believed that the King of Chu was truly benevolent and righteous, and that he had indeed granted them land, and would not go back on his word or settle scores with them later.

"Xiao He, oh Xiao He, that was a truly ruthless move of yours!"

Looking at the wailing and crying people outside the city, and then at the soldiers on his left and right whose fighting spirit had collapsed, Hao Zhao couldn't help but grit his teeth and stomp his feet in anger.

The central army of Chu.

Xiao He had already witnessed the changing morale of the Wei soldiers on the city wall.

The time has come; it's time to wrap things up.

"Beat the drums! Order Zhang Bao to attack the city!"

The war drums sounded again, and the bugle calls pierced the sky.

Ma Su immediately led several thousand civilians back to the rear army.

Zhang Bao pointed his spear and shouted:
"All troops, listen to my command! Let's take Luoyang in one fell swoop!"

Seven thousand Chu soldiers once again surged forward, sweeping towards Luoyang.

"Loose the arrows! Loose the arrows!"

Hao Zhao on the city wall reacted and brandished his sword, shouting fiercely.

The Wei soldiers remained unmoved; they looked at each other, but none of them made a move.

Only a dozen or so archers fired a few arrows here and there, which was like tickling the Chu army.

The Chu army faced no resistance and rushed to the moat in an instant.

One after another, moat bridges were erected, and the Chu army surged through the moat like a tide, reaching the foot of the city walls.

Hundreds of siege ladders were erected and slammed against the city walls.

The Chu army, like tigers and wolves, scrambled up the siege ladders and climbed towards the city walls.

Hao Zhao was so anxious that cold sweat poured down his forehead. He brandished his sword and shouted:
"Throw down the Chu army's siege ladders! Launch stone logs and smash the Chu army!"

The Wei army remained unmoved, and very few responded.

Hao Zhao flew into a rage, raised his longsword, and was about to slash at a soldier who refused to obey orders.

The soldier screamed in fright, dropped his weapon, and turned to flee down the city wall.

This escape had a significant impact, immediately triggering a chain reaction. Soldiers on both sides abandoned their armor and weapons, surging towards the city walls.

"No one is allowed to escape. All of you, come back here! Anyone who dares to desert in the face of battle will be executed on the spot!"

Hao Zhao roared hoarsely, brandishing his long sword and howling at the soldiers.

To no avail.

Xiao He's "field division method" and "calling for sons and husbands" tactics had already crushed the remaining fighting spirit of the Wei army.

They now have only one thought:
They fled the city, removed their armor, found a secluded corner to hide, and waited until the war was over before sneaking back to their hometown to reunite with their families.

Driven by this thought, before the Chu army could even climb the city walls, the Wei soldiers along the city line had already completely collapsed.

"Anyone who dares to run away, I'll kill you all!"

The guards on either side shouted in alarm and anger, and brandished their swords to kill the fleeing soldiers.

"clang!"

Hao Zhao extended his longsword and blocked the blade of the guard's attack.

The guards looked at Hao Zhao in astonishment.

Hao Zhao looked helpless and sighed sadly:
"The King of Wei has lost the hearts of the people of Henan. His cause is lost. There is no need for further pointless killing. Let them go."

The guards remained silent, having no choice but to lay down their weapons and watch as thousands of Wei soldiers collapsed at the mere sight of them.

Soon, the Chu army stormed the city walls without breaking a sweat.

The drawbridge was cut down, and the city gates were opened.

Thousands of Chu soldiers surged into the north gate of Luoyang like a tidal wave.

Is this the power of public opinion?

Watching the Chu army surge into the city, Hao Zhao shook his head and sighed:
“King Wei, you shouldn’t have dug up the Ji River and drowned hundreds of thousands of people, handing over the hearts of the people of Henan to Liu Bei.”

"Today, you have finally tasted the bitter fruit of treating the people like dirt."

"Ah~~"

He tossed his longsword aside, and it clattered to the ground…

Dusk.

In Luoyang, the ancient capital of the Han Dynasty, Chu flags have been raised above all four gates.

The Chu soldiers, who had won without a fight, waved their weapons on the city wall, cheering and shouting with joy.

Accompanied by Guan Yinping and Deng Ai, Xiao He rode his horse slowly into the city through the north gate.

"Shi Zai, quickly send someone to report the victory to the King, saying that we have recovered Luoyang!"

Xiao and Bian climbed the city wall and explained things to Deng Ai.

Deng Ai gladly accepted the order.

As they spoke, the group had already climbed the city wall, and the majestic city of Luoyang was now fully in view.

Hao Zhao, who had been defeated and captured, was already bound hand and foot and waiting on the city wall.

"Hao Zhao, at this moment, do you have anything else to say?"

Xiao He looked down at this doorman who was as famous as Huo Jun, but whose circumstances were worlds apart.

Hao Zhao raised his head, glanced at Xiao He, and roughly guessed that the person in front of him must be the legendary Chu State Grand Commandant, who was like a god descended to earth.

Hao Zhao did not beg for mercy, but only sighed:
"I have finally witnessed Xiao Bowen's brilliant strategies firsthand today, and I am truly humbled."

"I accept defeat wholeheartedly."

"I have nothing to say. Now that I've been captured, you can do whatever you want with me!"

Having said that, Hao Zhao raised his head, closed his eyes, and prepared to face death calmly. (End of Chapter)