Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 419

Xue Bian intended to demonstrate his strength, and in just five days, he gathered 13,000 followers from both sides of the Yellow River.

The army consisted of two thousand cavalry and over seventeen hundred armored soldiers, and their military bearing was very orderly.

However, these followers were not from Xue Bian's family; there were also two other powerful families, the Xue family, the Pei family, the Liu family, and several others.

Liu Daogui was more than happy to have them come.

In the current situation, everyone is seeking what they need. The powerful clans need to rely on a strong force to resist the Hu people. Before his foundation is solid, Liu Daogui needs these powerful clans as external support.

A massive army of 30,000 crossed the Yellow River.

Ignoring Tongguan and Dali, they headed straight for Chang'an.

Since the fall of the Di-Qin dynasty, the wars in Guanzhong have never ceased. Yao Chang and Fu Deng fought for many years and once even stormed into the city of Chang'an. The Xiongnu people in Fengyi County to the north rebelled one after another, while Fufeng County and Anding County to the west were constantly harassed by Liu Bobo.

The counties of Longyou have now become the sphere of influence of the Xianbei tribes such as Qifu Qian Gui, Tufa Rutan, and Juqu Mengxun.

Along the way, everything was desolate, with hardly any houses to be seen.

The north was plagued by constant warfare, and neither the Qiang, Di, nor Xiongnu were able to emerge victorious; they all became losers.

When the army arrived at the gates of Chang'an, generals Mao Dezhu, Liu Zhong, Shen Tianzi, Shen Linzi, Zhu Lingshi, Zhu Chaoshi, Shen Qingzhi, Xiao Chengzhi, and Fu Hongzhi came to greet them.

"Greetings, General!" Mao Dezhu and Liu Zhong greeted him warmly.

Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi looked at Liu Yu's coffin with dejected expressions.

"Winter is just around the corner, and this major battle cannot be delayed any longer." Liu Daogui had long been prepared for a tough fight.

Mao Dezhu said, "The city has ample food and supplies, but our troops are too few. Therefore, we will surround the city without attacking and wait for the situation in Guandong to develop."

"Times have changed. Now our army is riding high on the momentum of a great victory and morale is at its peak. Starting tomorrow, our cavalry will capture young men from the Xiongnu, various Hu, Qiang, and Xianbei tribes to form suicide battalions and drive them to attack the city!"

This method was used by various countries and ethnic groups in the north: to deplete other ethnic groups in order to strengthen their own.

The Battle of Fangtou was similar; the Wei army drove tens of thousands of Jin soldiers to attack the Crescent Moon Formation, resulting in heavy casualties.

Liu Daogui is now retaliating in kind.

Mao Dezhu said, "Chang'an is already a dead city. It would be better to take Fufeng, Tianshui, Anding, and Gaoping counties first. We can then attack cities and seize land, as well as plunder the Hu people and winter supplies."

Liu Daogui praised him greatly, "You've thought this through. Tomorrow, I will lead 20,000 troops westward."

"I'll go now and return on horseback." Mao Dezhu was as capable as ever.

On that very day, 10,000 infantry and cavalry marched westward.

Taking advantage of this time, Liu Daogui had Zhang Gang build siege weapons.

In less than five days, the first batch of Xianbei able-bodied men, numbering only two thousand, were escorted to the front lines in Chang'an.

Liu Daogui then ordered Duan Hong to lead elite cavalry north to Fengyi County to capture the Xiongnu.

With the combined efforts of both sides, the number of prisoners continued to increase, and the number of captured cattle and sheep also gradually grew.

Ten days later, the number of daredevils increased to 13,000, and more than 50 catapults were built, which, together with the ballistae, were almost enough.

The prisoners stood in the cold wind, shields on their heads and long ladders on their backs.

The people of Jin were not doing well, and neither were the Hu people. Winter had already arrived in Guanzhong, and many Hu people not only had no shoes to wear, but many were even bare-legged, with only a few pieces of sheepskin casually draped over their bodies as clothing...

"If we can capture the city, we will reward you with three shi of grain and ten strings of cash. Those who make meritorious contributions will be promoted to generals!" Liu Daogui, carrying his precious sword, addressed the troops in front of the battle lines.

"Are there...are there any women?" someone in the crowd actually asked.

"After the city falls, you may choose any of the Hu women you wish!"

In chaotic times, women are the least valuable, and there are countless women in Chang'an.

Instantly, these Xiongnu, Xianbei, and other non-Han peoples were filled with excitement.

The Hu people were inherently barbaric and cruel; killing, women, money, and grain were exactly what they craved.

These days, it's not just the Northern Army that's fearless; as long as there's enough profit, even the nomadic people are the same.

"I am willing to die for the Great General!"

The Hu people raised their knives, forks, halberds, and shields, and cheered excitedly in broken Chinese.

Liu Daogui smiled bitterly to himself, suddenly feeling as if he were leading beasts to devour people.

As the war drums sounded, the vast sky and earth seemed to stretch endlessly before the barbarian people, carrying long ladders, charged forward with roars.

Shouts of "women" and "eat meat" rose and fell.

Seeing their condition, Liu Daogui felt relieved.

Arrows rained down from the city walls, and rolling stones and logs blotted out the sky. Blood and flesh flew everywhere below the city, but this did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of these barbarians; on the contrary, it made them even more frenzied.

Some cowards turned and fled, only to be cut down by the Tiger Guard cavalry, their heads still hanging on the flagpole.

"Oh dear, no wonder those famous scholars of the Central Kingdom lost their northern lands. These barbarians are all acting like they've gone mad." Liu Yiwu exclaimed in astonishment.

Liu Zhong said, “The barbarians only know how to kill and don’t know how to farm. They are constantly hungry and cold. What difference does it make who they work for? The general has given them food and women, and they have gone happily.”

Fu Hongzhi also said, "During the War of the Eight Princes, these barbarians were willing to serve the Sima family. Last year, Guanzhong and Dai County suffered from drought and starvation. As long as they were given a bite to eat, they worked harder than mules."

Even Emperor Tuoba Si had to beg for food everywhere, which shows how severe the drought was.

The Hu people didn't care about being slaves or servants; what they cared about was surviving.

For hundreds of years, they have been the henchmen of the Central Plains dynasties.

Liu Daogui's heart stirred. "Immediately inform all the counties in Guanzhong that as long as they come to assist in the siege, they will be given two full meals a day. After the city is captured, there will be a great reward, including women and money."

Sending people to arrest them is too slow; if we could rally them, the momentum would be much greater.

"Yes, sir." Meng Ganzhi mounted his horse and headed straight for the scout camp.

"Are we really going to give it to those barbarians? Wouldn't that be a waste of resources?" Liu Yiwu scoffed.

Liu Daogui laughed heartily, "You fool, there are tens of thousands of Qin soldiers in the city. Once they break through the city walls, they will probably all be wiped out!"

Liu Yiwu laughed along, "Hehe, it's better if they're all dead, then it'll be much easier for Father to govern in the future."

Liu Daogui was taken aback. Although Liu Yiwu was reckless, he was not a mere warrior who only knew how to charge into battle; he just didn't want to use his brain most of the time.

Children raised under Cao Sifei's strict discipline are unlikely to be too bad.

As Liu Daogui had predicted, after two hours of fierce fighting, the more than 10,000 Hu people still failed to breach the city walls, suffering heavy casualties. Seeing that the time was right, they sounded the retreat.

He also ordered the baggage train to slaughter a batch of cattle and sheep to reward these Hu people.

After drinking the steaming hot broth, the Hu people were moved to tears of gratitude, saying, "My parents gave me life, but Liu Bang saved me!"

As for the four or five thousand Hu people who died below the city, no one paid them a second glance.

In a world where human life is as cheap as grass, those who survive have long been accustomed to it.

Within days, Xianbei, Xiongnu, Qiang, Di, and other nomadic tribes from all over Guanzhong flocked to the region. Men, women, and even young children arrived carrying broken swords. Some of these nomads even wore tattered armor and brought their own warhorses.

Liu Daogui kept his promise and immediately cooked millet porridge for them.

After a hearty meal, the Hu people's eyes cleared up, and they were deeply grateful to Liu Daogui.

The powerful and wealthy people of Jin in the Three Qin regions actually offered grain to help the Northern Army attack the city.

"For decades we have longed for the return of our royal army, and today we have finally seen our homeland in its former glory. The Great General has swept through Hebei and marched into Guanzhong, restoring China. We have also done our part, however small, and even if it means going bankrupt, we have no regrets!"

Several elderly people wept and cried.

Liu Daogui felt inexplicably sad. It was truly remarkable that the Jin people in Guanzhong had survived. He then felt relieved about Xue Bian's situation.

The Sima family is truly unworthy of the support of these people.

"Rest assured, everyone, if Liu Daogui fails to conquer Chang'an and conquer the Central Plains, he will be ashamed before the people of Shaanxi!"

"With the General's words, we can die in peace!" The elders' cries grew louder.

"No, you all must live well and witness me restore China and conquer the city!" Liu Daogui swung his arm down forcefully.

The command flag waved towards Chang'an City, and the war drums sounded.

"food!"

"woman!"

The Hu people roared like wild beasts and surged forward like a tidal wave.

Arrows rained down from the city walls, but their power was greatly diminished by the sheer number of frenzied barbarians.

The surging crowds, their flesh and blood like a raging storm, crashed down on Chang'an City time and time again.

The Hu people who came to attack the city on their own initiative were clearly more skilled in military matters than the previous group that had been forcibly captured. They quickly stormed the city walls and engaged in fierce battle with the Qin soldiers.

Waves of blood surged atop the city walls.

However, the Qin army was ultimately better equipped and better trained, and they pushed back the attacking Hu people.

After an hour and a half of fierce fighting, the corpses piled up like mountains below the city.

"That's about enough. The Qin army is exhausted, and the arrows, logs, and stones are not as plentiful as they were a few days ago. I am willing to lead an elite force to attack the city!" Liu Yiwu licked his lips, his face full of murderous intent.

"What's the panic? Aren't the Qin army still resisting? Wouldn't it be better to let them wear each other down?" Liu Daogui naturally noticed that the Qin army was gradually weakening.

With so many Hu people arriving every day, it would be strange if the morale of the garrison on the city walls were high.

For more than ten days in a row, Liu Daogui continued his siege in such a calm and unhurried manner.

More and more Hu people from various places arrived, and the casualties increased.

The city walls were piled high with corpses. Some clever men saw that the situation was not good and wanted to lead their troops away. Liu Daogui not only did not stop them, but also sent them a batch of grain.

Those who left were moved to tears, while the Hu people who remained were even more excited.

"It's almost time!" Liu Daogui looked at the sky where dark clouds were slowly gathering, fearing that rain and snow would fall in the next few days.

After the heavy snowfall, transporting grain and fodder from Xuchang and Xiangyang became extremely difficult.

Without food, these barbarians would instantly turn into hungry wolves.

Within a month, more than 10,000 Hu people were killed or injured.

It should be noted that those who died were all young and strong men among the Hu people, the elite of all ethnic groups.

Some small tribes have a total population of only one or two thousand people.

"This humble general is willing to be the vanguard!" Shen Tianzi was the first to step forward.

"This humble general is also willing to be the vanguard!" Liu Zhong, Fu Hongzhi, Xiao Chengzhi, and Liu Yiwu stepped forward.

The Zhu brothers remained silent.

There was a hint of confrontation involved.

Other generals from the Northern Army had already openly or covertly switched their allegiance to Liu Daogui, while Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi had been keeping things in check, seemingly waiting for Liu Daogui to take the initiative to win them over.

To win someone over, you naturally have to offer them corresponding benefits.

In the past, Liu Daogui would have been generous with his rewards, but the two of them were already governors and generals. If they were to rise any higher, they would be generals with important titles such as Siping, Si'an, Sizhen, and Sizheng.

Liu Daogui could give them what they wanted, but he couldn't spoil them.

Otherwise, it would only embolden them.

“Chang’an is such a large city, all of you can be the vanguard and attack from three sides!” Liu Daogui treated everyone equally.

"We obey!" The generals bowed.

"Duan Hong, listen to my command: after the city is breached, anyone who commits arson, murder, or looting may be executed without prior notification!" Liu Daogui looked at Duan Hong.

"Leader!"

The war drums sounded again.

This time, all troops were committed to the battle, and Zhang Gang's newly built catapults, cloud chariots, nest chariots, and battering rams were all pushed to the front of the battle.

"kill!"

The first to charge were the Hu people.

But the arrows on the city walls were sparse, not as dense as in the previous days. The Hu people became more and more excited, and they charged up the long ladders without fear of death, and were the first to engage in fierce battle with the Qin army.

However, Yao Xing seems to have kept a trump card up his sleeve.

Just as the Qin army was losing its strength to resist, two groups of armored soldiers suddenly appeared on the city wall, wielding large swords and long axes, and charged into the ranks of the Hu people.

The Hu people were fierce, but they were no match for well-trained elite troops.

Blood churned on the city wall as people were pushed off.

But the war did not end there. Just when the Hu people who had attacked had been almost wiped out, Shen Tianzi and Fu Hongzhi's troops were the first to move. They jumped onto the city wall on cloud chariots and fought with the Qin army.

Xiao Chengzhi then used a ramming vehicle to break open the barbican, and the armored soldiers swarmed in, successively breaking open the inner gate.

After more than an hour of fierce fighting, the large banner with the character "Qin" hanging on the city wall was cut down and fell to the ground.

"The city has fallen!"

The crowd cheered.

Many Qin soldiers on the city wall knelt down and surrendered; they were already exhausted.

Liu Daogui breathed a sigh of relief. Including the siege by Mao Dezhu and Liu Zhong, the siege of Chang'an had lasted for nearly five months. With the help of the Hu people, they finally captured this ancient capital of the Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)