Sweep Yuan

Chapter 130 Breaking Huaiyuan with Ten Thousand Demonstrations

"He's back! Commander Chang is back!"

The army had just arrived at the northeast corner of Dahong Mountain, ended its march for the day, and begun to set up camp when Chang Yuchun led the surrendered Dahong Mountain bandits down the mountain.

When they left, Chang Yuchun's group consisted of only forty-three people at most, but when they returned, there were over three hundred. This was only the strong and capable bandits who went down the mountain first; there were also many elderly, weak, women, and children who were slow to move, making their numbers far exceed the "hundreds or so" that this fellow had mentioned before.

Even though he had heard Feng Guoyong's report beforehand and knew how Chang Yuchun mobilized the morale of the "labor camp" soldiers, Wu Liujin guessed that Chang Yuchun was probably not telling him the truth. But when he saw that there were really so many bandits in Dahong Mountain, he still broke out in a cold sweat.

Had Wu Liujin known there were so many strongmen, he would never have allowed Chang Yuchun to go up the mountain with only a few dozen "labor camp" prisoners.

If these bandits were to commit to a battle, the prisoners, who are few in number and have low morale, would be unreliable. Relying on Chang Yuchun alone would inevitably lead to mistakes. If they were to suffer losses before the battle even began, the campaign to attack Huaiyuan would certainly be affected, and he would be unable to report back to the marshal.

Fortunately, all was well and the people returned safely, having successfully completed their mission. In front of the soldiers, even if Wu Liujin was unhappy, he couldn't punish Chang Yuchun for his meritorious service in surrendering to the enemy, so he could only vent his anger on Liu Ju, who had just surrendered.

"Commander Chang said that Chief Liu used to come down the mountain and harm the villagers quite often. Is that true?"

When Liu Ju went down the mountain to join the Red Flag Camp, he was already kneeling on the ground. He thought that Commander Wu would first say a few polite words like "A hero has come to join us, and we will surely win this battle" and then help him up. But when the other party opened his mouth, it seemed that he was about to punish him. He was stunned.

How could he have been so easily misled by Chang Yuchun and foolishly descended the mountain? Now he was already in someone else's camp. If he were to be beheaded and die, he would be dead without any recourse. Liu Ju was terrified and quickly kowtowed repeatedly.

“I did some bad things in the past, but the world forced me to. If I didn’t rob and plunder, I wouldn’t have anything to eat! Today, thanks to Brother Chang’s reminder, I have found my way back. I beg the governor to give me a chance to redeem myself since I haven’t done anything too evil.”

"Yes."

Seeing that Liu Ju's face was pale and his legs were trembling, Chang Yuchun knew that the fellow was truly frightened, so he immediately stepped forward to smooth things over:
"With the siege imminent, Chief Liu has shown remorse and has not committed any major crimes. Today, he has voluntarily abandoned the darkness and turned to the light. Why doesn't the garrison commander spare his life and let Chief Liu assist us in taking the first step to breach the city?"

Wu Liujin glared at Chang Yuchun, realizing he had fallen into his trap. This guy had clearly planned to use these strongmen as cannon fodder.

However, this is for the best. Whether they are prisoners from the "labor camp" or bandits from Dahong Mountain, they are all criminals and not our own soldiers. We won't feel sorry for them if they die. If we can really rely on them to break through the city, it would be a win-win situation.

"Liu Ju, are you willing to assist Commander Chang in taking the lead in breaching the city?"

Liu Ju felt a chill run down his spine. Who the hell would willingly die for someone else's pioneering achievement? But if he refused, he feared he would be beheaded immediately; there was no escape. He could only grit his teeth and steel his resolve, answering:

"I do!"

The next day, the army crossed the Huai River and appeared at the foot of Huaiyuan City.

Wu Liujin had mastered the true essence of Shishan's siege tactics. He considered defeat before victory, and did not rush to attack the city that day. He first established and fortified his camp, then conducted on-site reconnaissance of the city's defenses and the deployment of the defending troops, and launched a probing attack.

The convicts in the "hard labor camp" and the bandits of Dahong Mountain had not received much training and had low morale. Using them for probing attacks would not only make it difficult to find weak points in the city's defenses, but would also needlessly send casualties to the defenders to boost their morale.

Therefore, Wu Liujin personally oversaw the operation, arranging for several teams from the Second Battalion to take turns attacking. The conclusion of the probing attack was that the firepower density of the Huaiyuan garrison was significantly stronger than that of Hongxian and Wuhe counties, but slightly weaker than that of Haozhou.

This is normal. The Red Flag Battalion has captured Haozhou for quite some time and defeated tens of thousands of government troops in Dingyuan. Huaiyuan is very close and they have long been informed. The civil and military officials in the city have not fled yet, which shows their determination to defend the territory. They will definitely expand their troops and repair the city's defenses during this period.

Huaiyuan County is bordered by the Wo River to the north and the Jing Mountain to the south. The Huai River flows from south to north, passing the foot of the Jing Mountain to the east of the city, where it merges with the Wo River and then turns east, forming a "city surrounded by one mountain and two rivers" pattern.

Although the city wall was just an earthen enclosure without any bricks, the defending army only needed to focus on defending the western wall. With relatively abundant troops, and with defensive facilities such as pits, trenches, and sheep and horse walls set up outside the city, it was not easy to attack.

Wu Liujin was very patient. He first spent a day and a night building defensive equipment, and then spent two whole days arranging for Tang He, Sun Deyan, Chang Yuchun, and Liu Ju to each lead their own troops to take turns going out and clearing away the defensive facilities outside the city layer by layer.

During the operation, the various units suffered a total of nearly eighty casualties. However, this low-intensity obstacle-breaking operation effectively honed the siege troops, and the fear of siege warfare among the prisoners and bandits was visibly dissipated.

On the fourth day, the siege officially began.

Wu Liujin divided his army into three attack waves: the first wave consisted of convicts from the "labor camp" and bandits from Dahong Mountain; the second wave consisted of the Second Battalion and the Sixth Battalion; and the third wave consisted of his own Fenwu Battalion.

He was determined to crush the morale of the defenders with wave after wave of attacks and to capture the city within a single day.

To fulfill this operational decision, the first wave of prisoners and bandits attacking the city must demonstrate a truly daring and reckless attitude, effectively depleting the strength and stamina of the defending troops.

Departure position.

The convicts of the "hard labor camp" and the bandits of Dahong Mountain had all assembled, and the dozen or so wine jars in front of the formation had all been emptied. Chang Yuchun, holding a bowl of wine, came to the front of the formation and shouted to the crowd:
“Just a few days ago, I was a poor man who didn’t know where my next meal would come from. But after I came to Dingyuan and joined Marshal Shi, in just a few days, I have this outfit and can command so many of you.”

In order to be the first to climb, Chang Yuchun did not wear the heavy iron armor that hindered his movement, but only wore half-body leather armor, which made him look even more heroic and dashing.

"In chaotic times, human life is worthless. If you don't want to rise above others, you can only wait to die in a ditch. Today, wealth and honor are right in front of you. Fight your way up the city walls, and you can escape your status as a prisoner and become a superior person! I'll charge first, and you follow me until we reach the city walls, until we fight to the death!"

Chang Yuchun was a man of imposing stature who could make a strong visual impact even without saying a word.

He played a vital role in calming the troops' morale during the march and in bolstering the spirits of the bandits who surrendered. During the clearing operations of the previous two days, he consistently led from the front, setting an example each time. Yet, during the retreat, he stayed behind to personally oversee the final stand. The soldiers, already deeply impressed by him, immediately shouted at the top of their lungs:

"Till death!"

"A fight to the death!"...

Chang Yuchun held the wine bowl with both hands, scanned the crowd again, and shouted:
"Drink this bowl of wine, and today I'll sacrifice this worthless life for wealth and glory! Cheers!"

"Dry!"

Bang!

After downing the strong liquor, everyone smashed their bowls. Before long, their blood was boiling, their faces were flushed, and they were panting heavily, wishing they could rush up the city wall right now and fight the defenders to the death.

However, a very small number of people are unable to hold their liquor, or pretend to be unable to hold their liquor; they collapse before even breaking the bowl.

Before the battle, people drank to bolster their courage, but not everyone poured a full bowl; they only poured as much as they could drink. These clever people missed the opportunity to fight for survival and wealth, and they will never be able to turn their lives around again. What awaits them is endless hard labor.

"Bang the drum, attack!"

In the central army, Wu Liujin, seeing that Chang Yuchun had ignited the morale, timely issued the order to attack.

As the war drums thundered, archers pushed their siege carts and shield wagons forward to suppress the defenders' fire. The "labor camp" soldiers, carrying siege equipment in shifts, roared as they charged towards the city walls. In the air, arrows and stones from both sides whizzed past. Chang Yuchun advanced while firing arrows, taking down several of the defenders' boldest archers in succession. The prisoners ran faster and faster, and before they knew it, many had surged ahead of Chang Yuchun.

Seeing the situation was dire, the defenders unleashed a hail of arrows and stones, and prisoners fell one after another, struck by arrows. Yet, more men rushed forward, took over their weapons, and continued their charge, their eyes red with fury.

Chang Yuchun's quiver was empty. He abandoned his bow, grabbed a small shield, and strode forward, shouting to boost morale as he charged. The defenders had long since realized that this fierce man posed the greatest threat, and they concentrated their fire on Chang Yuchun.

"Humph!"

Under concentrated attack from the enemy, no matter how quick his eyes and hands were, he was no match for the many hands. An arrow happened to shoot through the gap between his sword and shield, pierced through his leather armor, and stuck in Chang Yuchun's shoulder armor.

Chang Yuchun snorted coldly, snapped the arrow shaft off his shoulder with a backhand, the wound was aggravated, and blood flowed down his arm armor, but his steps became faster, and he raised the broken arrow shaft high.

"mighty!"

Seeing Commander Chang's fearlessness, some wounded prisoners, under the influence of alcohol, became hot-blooded and tried to break the arrow shafts off their bodies, just like Chang Yuchun, to get up and continue charging. However, due to their different physical conditions, they fell to the ground again after only a few steps.

"Brother Chang, you've got guts!"

In terms of archery skills alone, Chang Yuchun was clearly more suitable to cover Liu Ju's attack on the city. However, Chang Yuchun knew that neither the prisoners nor the bandits had enough courage, so he only selected one hundred bandits and led the charge himself, while Liu Ju led the men to provide cover and act as the supervisory team. If any prisoners dared to escape, they would be killed without exception!

At this moment, Liu Ju had already stepped out of the shield wagon's cover range. His arms were a little sore and numb, but he was still drawing his bow and trying his best to suppress the defenders who were showing their faces. At the same time, he did not forget to reprimand his archers.

"Ma Sandou, what the hell are you afraid of! If we win this battle, we can get a new skin! Hurry up and shoot!"

Upon arriving at the starting position, Tang He saw that the battle had already begun and the morale was so high that he thought Chang Yuchun might actually be able to breach the city walls. He quickly mobilized some of the archers and crossbowmen in his own camp to prepare to go forward and reinforce them.

"Commander Sun, how about I lead the archer squad to provide support?"

At the position of the Sixth Battalion, Lao Pan volunteered to fight, and Sun Deyan also wanted to help Chang Yuchun charge up the city wall. After all, the vanguard had completed the mission of breaking through the city, so he would not have to risk being hit by a rain of arrows to climb the city wall. However, he hesitated because he was afraid that Wu Zhenfu would hold him accountable for this.

"Hold on."

"Order the archers of Battalion 2 and Battalion 6 to advance quickly and provide cover for the 'labor camp' to scale the city walls."

In the central army, Wu Liujin was commanding a major battle of this magnitude for the first time. He appeared calm on the surface, but his palms were already sweating. Fortunately, Chang Yuchun was a fierce general with the ability to charge into battle first. Even the prisoners who originally had no will to fight could be made to howl in pain by him.

Concentrating long-range strike forces to support Chang Yuchun should be enough to break through the city. At the very least, it should severely deplete the defending troops. With the Fenwu Battalion in command, we will surely be able to enter the city today.

Below the city walls, the first wave of suicide squads had already rushed close to the walls and set up ladders. The defending troops had also significantly increased their counterattack efforts. Every breath under the walls was extremely dangerous. Behind them were the supervisory teams. There was no way to retreat, so it was better to quickly climb the ladders and ascend the walls.

Chang Yuchun needed to boost morale, so he fell slightly behind. By the time he got close to the city wall, two ladders had been set on fire by the defenders' oil, and three of his comrades who had climbed halfway had fallen. One of them was doused with burning oil and was writhing in agony, his cries extremely shrill.

Seeing this horrific scene, the hot-blooded prisoners paused slightly in their movements.

"Don't be afraid, reinforcements from the rear are on their way. Follow me closely, and charge!"

Chang Yuchun's robes and leather armor were stained red with blood, but he didn't even frown. As soon as he approached the cloud ladder, he climbed up directly.

"Go!!"

Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well charge up the city walls and try their luck. The prisoners followed Chang Yuchun and climbed the cloud ladders one after another.

The archer reinforcements arrived from the rear, and the suppressive fire suddenly increased. The defenders dared not peek out for a moment. The scene of prisoners falling from the city walls like dumplings finally ended. Some people struggled to climb the city walls, but before they could open a breach, they died under the defenders' hail of blades.

The two sides began to engage in close combat. The archers covering the attack on the city stopped firing and were just about to catch their breath when the signal for a fierce attack came from behind.

Chang Yuchun, who had just withstood three arrows with his small shield in his left hand, suddenly rolled to the side amidst the exploding splinters of wood, spilling a pot of boiling oil onto the spot where he had just stood, scalding the bricks and stones. Before the defenders could attack again, he extended his long arms, grabbed the remains of the siege ladder, and used the momentum to charge straight at the parapet!
Seeing this, the garrison squad leader retreated in panic, shouting.

"Release the wolf-tooth stun gun!"

Chang Yuchun had already spotted the location of the noose. He threw his short knife with all his might, hitting the taut hemp rope and cutting a hole in it. The rope snapped immediately, and the heavy clapper crashed into the pile of the defending soldiers. The sound of bones breaking and screams of agony blended together.

"what--"

Taking advantage of the confusion among the defenders, Chang Yuchun leaped onto the city wall, shouted, and reached out with his right hand to grab a defender's spear.

"Let go!"

The guard heard a thunderous roar in his ears. In his daze, an immense force suddenly came to his hands, and his spear was snatched away in an instant. Due to the great force and speed, the guard's hands, which were holding the spear, were also rubbed raw by the shaft, leaving a bloody mark.

"what--"

Chang Yuchun swung his spear horizontally, and with immense force, the wooden shaft whistled through the air like a heavy hammer. Wherever it went, the defenders were either struck down or hurriedly dodged.

In just a few breaths, Chang Yuchun cleared a passage about two zhang long on the city wall, and the prisoners jumped down the ladder to guard it.

"Quick! Archers, come over here and shoot him!"

The garrison commander quickly realized the situation was dire. Seeing Chang Yuchun's fierce courage, he didn't even consider organizing troops to drive him off the city walls. Instead, he summoned archers to prepare to shoot this formidable enemy to death on the spot.

This strategy was undoubtedly correct, but unfortunately, it would take time for the archers to gather, and in doing so, the man exposed his position.

How could Chang Yuchun allow the defending troops to calmly organize a counterattack? He immediately charged towards the defending general, his spear flashing, breaking bones and ruptured tendons in all who blocked his path.

"Sir, retreat quickly!"

The shouts of the guards startled the commander, who dared not delay any longer and turned to flee. But suddenly a tremendous force came from his back. The commander seemed to hear the sound of his ribs breaking and his chest being ripped open. His gaze finally settled on the spear tip that had pierced his chest.

"Those who climb first will always find spring in their hearts!"

(End of this chapter)