Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The "Northern Expeditionary Army," which was said to number 500,000 but was actually only 200,000, was like a bloated and slow-moving giant python, crawling slowly and clumsily northward along the official road in the cold winter wind.

Although the banners still fluttered and the drums and bugles still blared, the initial momentum that had been barely maintained was rapidly being worn away by the long journey, the lack of supplies, the onslaught of cold, and the growing internal conflicts and frictions.

The problems began to erupt on a large scale just two hundred miles from the capital.

First and foremost, there's the food and fodder.

In order to preserve their own strength, the King of Qin and the King of Jin relied on Zhao Chong and the Crown Prince to "raise" most of the provisions for their troops, which were already insufficient in quantity and of poor quality.

The marching column was extremely long, making supply and transportation difficult. In addition, the civilian laborers and auxiliary soldiers accompanying the army also needed to be consumed. Before even reaching the designated supply point, the vanguard's food supply had already begun to run out.

In the struggle for limited food and clean drinking water, friction constantly arose between armies of different factions, and on several occasions, it almost led to a mutiny.

Secondly, there is military discipline.

This hastily assembled army was already lax in its discipline.

The direct troops of the Kings of Qin and Jin could barely hold on, but the temporary conscripts and forcibly recruited soldiers from prefectures and counties, as well as the private armies of local powerful families, became a complete menace.

Leaving their familiar territory and entering the relatively unfamiliar southern Hebei region, they vented their resentment and fear on the people along the way, fearing the Han Yuan army ahead.

Petty theft, robbery of grain and fodder, rape of women, and even murder and arson occurred frequently.

The generals leading the troops were either from their own faction or were powerless to control them, so they mostly turned a blind eye.

Wherever they went, the people fled at the mere mention of their name, leaving nine out of ten houses empty, fields barren, and villages in ruins—a fate worse than when they were plundered by barbarian cavalry.

Secondly, there are internal conflicts.

Qin King Xiao Rui and Jin King Xiao Ming were nominally the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief, but in reality, they were wary of each other and sabotaged each other.

Every aspect, from marching routes and encampment locations to attack targets, was contested.

The King of Qin's army wanted to take the eastern route, while the King of Jin's army wanted to take the western route; the King of Qin wanted to advance quickly, while the King of Jin used the excuse of insufficient supplies to rest and regroup; the two armies even broke out into a brawl of hundreds of people over a camp with a water source, resulting in dozens of deaths. In the end, it was only after the commanders of both sides personally intervened to quell the conflict that the situation was barely resolved, but the rift between them deepened.

Meanwhile, the officials of the Crown Prince's faction, who served as "military supervisors" and logistics managers, were caught in the middle, unable to please either side. They simply held their positions without doing any work, and even secretly withheld rations and salaries to line their own pockets.

Although Zhao Chong was stationed in the rear and kept issuing edicts to urge things on, the emperor was far away and could not reach him, so he could only sigh helplessly.

Their marching speed is barely faster than a snail's.

By the time this weary, chaotic, and resentful "army" finally arrived at Zhuojun, the first barrier in the southern border of Youzhou, it was already deep winter.

The wind was biting cold, water froze instantly, and the soldiers, thinly dressed and starving, were full of complaints and their morale was at its lowest point.

However, just as the King of Qin and the King of Jin were preparing to rest briefly in Zhuojun, plunder a batch of grain, and then launch a full-scale attack on Jicheng, the gateway to Youzhou, the news brought back by the scouts at the front line stunned them.

"Report! Marshal! Zhuojun ahead... is an empty city!"

"What?" King Xiao Rui of Qin was discussing matters with his trusted generals in his tent when he heard this and suddenly stood up.

"Absolutely true! My men went to investigate, and all four gates of Zhuojun were wide open. There were no flags or guards on the city walls. Inside the city... there was no one, and it was completely silent, like a ghost town!" The scout's face was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"A ghost town?"

Prince Jin, Xiao Ming, also rushed over upon hearing the news, his brows furrowed. "Could it be that Xiao Chen has been terrified and fled without a fight?"

"To flee without a fight?"

The King of Qin sneered, "If Xiao Chen were such a scoundrel, how could he have established this empire? There must be something fishy going on! Investigate further! Are there any signs of an ambush within a radius of fifty li? Have the granaries and wells been damaged?"

Soon, more scouts reported back.

Not only was Zhuojun a ghost town, but the large and small cities and fortresses to its north, such as Liangxiang and Anci, were also completely deserted!

Moreover, the situation was exactly the same: the city gates were wide open, but the city was deserted.

Strangely, the houses and streets in the city were mostly intact, with no signs of burning. However, most of the granaries and wells were filled in or destroyed, and heavy household items and farm tools that could not be taken away were scattered all over the ground. The ashes of the stoves in some houses were still warm, indicating that although the people evacuated in a hurry, they did not seem to be in a panic.

What alarmed the two kings of Qin and Jin even more was that from Zhuojun northward to the foot of Jicheng, the villages, fortified villages, and market towns within a range of dozens of miles were almost completely deserted!

There wasn't a single farmer in the fields, not a single pedestrian on the road, and not even the sounds of roosters crowing or dogs barking could be heard.

As far as the eye could see, there were only withered, yellow fields in winter, silent villages, and broken windows of empty houses that whistled in the cold wind.

A chilling stillness enveloped this area that should have been densely populated.

"Strengthen the defenses and clear the fields!" King Xiao Rui of Qin spat out these four words through gritted teeth, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Having been through many battles, he immediately understood Xiao Chen's intentions.

This is not a matter of fear and fleeing, but a deliberate retreat and the implementation of a scorched-earth policy!

They transferred all the people, food, and supplies from all the cities and villages at the front lines, leaving behind a "blank space" where they could not resupply locally. This lured their already ill-supplied army deep into the area, and then, at a chosen location, they waited for them to tire themselves out before launching a decisive battle!

"What ruthless methods!" Prince Jin, Xiao Ming, also gasped.

The scorched-earth policy meant they could not obtain any supplies from the local area, and the army's consumption depended entirely on rear transport. However, the long supply lines would be a fatal weakness in the cold winter, when they were always at risk of being attacked.

At the same time, this also demonstrates Xiao Chen's strong control over Youzhou. It is no easy feat to transfer a large number of people and supplies from the front lines so quickly and in an orderly manner.

"Marshal, our vanguard has captured Zhuojun. Should we continue north?" a general asked.

The King of Qin and the King of Jin exchanged a glance, both seeing hesitation and a hint of unease in each other's eyes.

Should we continue north? Ahead lies an even more desolate and frigid wilderness, and the ever-present threat of the Frost Abyss's iron cavalry.

How long can our supplies last? How can we maintain morale? Should we not march north? Are we really going to let two hundred thousand troops be scared off by a few empty cities?

When they return to the capital, how will they explain themselves to Zhao Chong and the people of the world? Will their dream of being granted land and titles be shattered?

"Order the entire army to set up camp in Zhuojun! Maintain strict vigilance!"

The King of Qin finally gritted his teeth and ordered, "Send out more scouts to thoroughly search the area within a hundred li around Ji City! Pay special attention to the passes of Yanshan Mountain; search them carefully to guard against ambushes!"

However, the news brought back by the scouts in the following days did not reassure them; instead, it made them even more confused and uneasy.

Jicheng, too, had its gates tightly closed and was heavily guarded.

But the flags on the city walls were bright and the defending troops were numerous, clearly indicating that they had been prepared in advance.

In the Yanshan direction, all the major passes were guarded by the Hanyuan Army, with strict security.

As for the more northerly hinterland of Youzhou, communication was cut off, making infiltration difficult.

Where are Xiao Chen's main forces?

Does he really think he can hold off an army of 200,000 with just the isolated city of Ji? That doesn't make sense.

Or is it that his main force has already quietly moved, preparing to launch a fatal attack from the flank or rear?

An invisible pressure, like the harsh winter, enveloped the hearts of every general in the Northern Expedition.

They were stationed in the deserted city of Zhuojun. The soldiers huddled in cold, empty houses, eating dwindling rations of cold dry food, listening to the howling north wind outside their windows. Their morale was plummeting at an alarming rate.

Incidents of desertion, robbery, fighting, and even small-scale mutinies began to appear sporadically.

The King of Qin and the King of Jin were in a state of great distress, having to suppress internal strife, guard against external enemies, and worry about the increasingly urgent need for provisions.

The messengers sent to the rear to urge the delivery of grain always brought back messages that "the grain is being prepared" and "it will arrive soon," but the grain carts were nowhere to be seen.

Just as the Northern Expeditionary Army was trapped in the Zhuojun area, facing a dilemma and becoming increasingly distressed, the real blow quietly arrived.

The target was not their army, but their long and fragile supply lines.