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

The black, dark waves, like the heaviest iron curtain, completely surrounded this ancient capital.

Outside the city, the Han Yuan army camp was orderly and well-fed. Every day, they routinely used catapults to launch a few rounds of stone projectiles and a few volleys of arrows. Occasionally, a general would lead his troops to approach the city wall for a feint attack to test the defenders' reaction before withdrawing.

Most of the time, smoke curled from the cooking fires in the barracks, and the shouts of drills resounded through the air, conveying a sense of composure and unwavering confidence.

In stark contrast, this was the situation inside Chang'an city.

Hunger, like the most ruthless plague, has long since spread from slums to ordinary streets and alleys, and has even begun to invade some middle-class homes.

Every day, starving corpses were hastily dragged out of the city, their cries and wails suppressed under the low eaves.

The black market for food has long been exhausted, and tree bark, grass roots, and even clay have become hot commodities.

The garrison's rations were repeatedly cut, leaving the soldiers pale and emaciated. They were listless during patrols, and their eyes were filled with fear and longing for hot food when they looked towards the Hanyuan Army camp outside the city.

Zhao Chong's "Shence Army" continued to carry out bloody suppression in the city. Those who fled or complained in private were executed in public and their heads were displayed.

But the high pressure brought with it an even stronger undercurrent of resentment and despair.

Chang'an City, like a huge, slowly decaying coffin, exudes the aura of death.

Inside the pseudo-royal palace, the atmosphere became even more eerie.

Zhao Chong's condition seemed to have worsened, with he coughing up blood more frequently, but his frantic will burned like a final burst of energy before death.

He no longer attended court, and rarely even left his palace. Instead, he issued increasingly harsh and absurd orders through his trusted eunuchs and a few loyal generals: if a general was suspected of disloyalty, he was to be arrested and imprisoned immediately.

Rumors circulated in a certain market town that someone had colluded with foreign enemies, and the entire street was massacred.

He even executed two old eunuchs who had served him for many years because of a nightmare.

The entire palace was filled with a sense of insecurity, shrouded in a morbid terror.

Xiao Yu, the nominal "Emperor of Restoration," was placed under house arrest in a side hall, becoming a puppet or even a prisoner.

He often woke up in the middle of the night, listening to the faint sounds coming from outside the palace, whether it was the wind or the wailing of ghosts, and the steady, seemingly never-ending bugle calls from the distant Hanyuan military camp, making it difficult for him to sleep all night.

Sometimes he would think of his time in Shenjing, and of his seventh brother Xiao Chen, who was always silent but impossible to ignore, and his heart would be filled with complicated emotions—was it resentment?

Was it fear? Or... a hint of expectation for a complete liberation from the status quo that even he himself was unwilling to admit?

The main tent of the Hanyuan Army.

Chen Dao did not slacken his efforts in the slightest despite the smooth progress of the siege.

He listened to reports from various departments every day, inspected the camp defenses, and studied the defense map of Chang'an.

The walls of Chang'an are sturdy and tall, and a direct assault would inevitably result in heavy casualties. Even if they were eventually captured, it would severely deplete their own elite forces, which was something he was trying his best to avoid.

While a siege and attrition strategy is undoubtedly the best approach, it would be a protracted affair and would put enormous pressure on logistics, not to mention the possibility of unforeseen changes in the south.

We must find a cheaper and faster way to break through the city.

"General, a spy reports that the city's food supplies can only last for a little over a month at most. Morale is low and the number of people fleeing is increasing daily. However, Zhao Chong's control is extremely tight, and the city walls are intact. It seems that the time is not yet ripe for a strong attack," the lieutenant reported.

Chen Dao's gaze swept across the map, finally settling near the "Anxing Gate" in the northeast corner of Chang'an City.

The city walls there are relatively old, and there is a low-lying reed marshland on the outside. Although it has dried up now, the soil is still soft.

Zhao Chong believed that deep moats and high walls could be used to defend a fortified city. However, he did not know that fortified cities are often breached from within, and that roads can be built beneath the city walls.

He said in a deep voice.

"Does the General mean... a tunnel?" The generals in the tent had a bright look in their eyes.

"Exactly."

Chen pointed to an area inside Anxing Gate on the map, "This area is close to the city wall. According to our spies, the soil here is mostly sandy, making it easy to dig."

Moreover, this area within the city is mostly comprised of ordinary residential buildings, and the garrison deployment is relatively sparse.

The most skilled engineers can be selected to dig from a concealed spot outside the camp, leading directly to the base of the city wall.

They filled it with gunpowder and ignited it to explode.

Even if the city wall cannot be completely destroyed, its structure can be loosened, creating a huge gap.

At that time, our elite troops can take advantage of the chaos to break in, coordinate from within and without, and open the city gates!

The use of tunnels to attack cities has existed since ancient times, but few have succeeded. The key lies in concealment and surprise.

At this moment, the Chang'an defenders were exhausted and hungry, and their attention was mostly focused on the front outside the city and possible attacks to scale the walls. They were inevitably less prepared for the threats below.

"This plan is brilliant!" The generals were invigorated.

"However, this matter needs to be kept extremely confidential."

Chen Dao's expression was grim. "When digging the tunnel, we need to select trusted assassins and carry it out at night. Any excavated material must be handled properly and must not be detected by the city."

Explosives must be fully prepared. At the same time, each unit needs to strengthen its feint attacks on the front lines, creating a greater commotion to attract the attention of the defending troops.

Once the tunnels are dug and the gunpowder is loaded, we'll choose the right moment and breach the city in one fell swoop!

The plan was quickly formulated.

A 500-man excavation team, composed of miners from the north and veterans skilled in earthwork, was secretly drawn out and, under strict secrecy, began digging in a secluded mountain forest several miles away from Chang'an.

The excavated soil was carefully transported away, either to fill pits or to reinforce fortifications, leaving no trace.

To cover up the sounds from the tunnels, Chen Dao ordered that the catapults and ballistae "greet" the enemy more "enthusiastically" during the day, and that at night the soldiers take turns making noise, creating the appearance of a night raid, disturbing the peace of the city's defenders and leaving them exhausted.

A month later, the tunnel had quietly extended to the foot of the Chang'an city wall.

With their extensive experience, the engineers accurately located the designated position inside Anxing Gate.

Large quantities of gunpowder, sealed in tarpaulins and earthenware jars, were carefully transported to the end of the tunnel and filled into key parts of the city wall foundation. The outside was sealed with thick wooden planks and rammed earth, leaving only the fuse exposed.

At the same time, Chen Dao was also making final arrangements.

He selected five thousand of the most elite armored soldiers, led by the valiant general Han Dang, to serve as the vanguard of the assault, keeping them ready for battle day and night.

Zhou Meng's cavalry waited on the flanks, ready to charge into the city once the city gates were opened, expand their gains, and clear the streets.

All other units were ready for a general offensive, waiting only for the city walls to be breached before launching a full-scale attack.

The night before the final assault, the wind was biting cold.

Chen Dao climbed to a high place and looked into the distance. Chang'an City looked like a giant beast lying in the darkness, with only a few scattered torches wandering on the city walls, exuding a deathly stillness.

He knew that the "earth dragon" underground was already in place, just waiting for tomorrow to bring about earth-shattering changes at the foot of this giant beast.

"Is everything ready?" Chen Dao asked his personal guard in a deep voice.

"Reporting to the General, the Digging Army reports that the gunpowder has been loaded and the fuses have been checked and found to be in good condition. General Han Dang's troops are well-fed and sound asleep, awaiting orders. General Zhou's cavalry have moved into their designated positions. All units are ready."

"it is good."

A cold glint flashed in Chen Dao's eyes. "Pass down the order: tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), proceed according to plan. This battle must be a decisive victory, completely destroying the false dynasty's lair!"

The next day, at the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

The sky was just beginning to lighten, but the cold wind still blew.

On the walls of Chang'an, the soldiers who had been on duty all night, cold and hungry, were dozing off, huddled behind the battlements, clutching their spears.

The months-long siege and harassment had left them numb and exhausted.

No one noticed that near the dried-up reed marshes at the foot of the city wall, the ground seemed to be trembling very slightly and unnaturally.

Suddenly, without warning, the war drums in the Hanyuan Army camp began to beat with earth-shattering force!

More intense than ever before!

Dozens of catapults roared at the same time, raining down larger-than-usual stone projectiles on Anxing Gate and the city walls on both sides!

At the same time, several groups of men rushed out of the camp, carrying ladders and pushing battering rams, shouting as they charged toward the city wall, ready to launch a full-scale attack!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! The Han Yuan Army has launched a general offensive!"

The alarm bells on the city wall rang shrilly, and the defenders scrambled to their feet in a panic. Archers hastily fired their arrows, and logs and stones were pushed off the city wall.

Zhao Chong was also alarmed. With the help of his guards, he managed to climb the palace wall to observe the situation. Seeing the fierce offensive of the Han Yuan army, his heart tightened, and he roared, "Hold on! Hold on for me! Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to this sudden, seemingly all-out frontal attack.

The defenders at Anxing Gate rushed to the crenellations facing outwards from the city, desperately shooting arrows and throwing stones downwards.

Under the cover of the deafening shouts of battle, the sound of war drums, and the roar of hurled stones—

"Light the fire!" Inside the tunnel, the leader of the digging army swung his arm down sharply.

The fuse, its length already calculated, hissed and burned, speeding along the tunnel towards the mountain of gunpowder piled up at the foot of the city wall.

boom--!!!

A terrifying, muffled roar, seemingly coming from the depths of the earth, suddenly came from inside Anxing Gate!

That wasn't a bombardment from outside the city, but a terrible collapse from within the city walls themselves!

The earth trembled violently!

A section of the city wall nearly twenty zhang long on the left side of Anxing Gate suddenly arched upwards amidst a deafening explosion, and then collapsed inwards with a roar!

The bricks and stones, mixed with gunpowder smoke and dust, shot into the sky like an erupting volcano!

The violent shockwave instantly knocked down more than a dozen houses near the city wall. Dozens of soldiers who were hiding inside the city wall to avoid the arrows were buried alive or torn to pieces before they even had time to scream!

A section of tall city wall vanished right before everyone's eyes, replaced by a huge, smoke-filled, dusty gap large enough for several horses to pass side by side!

The shouts of battle and the sounds of war drums inside and outside the city walls fell into a momentary silence.

Whether it was the defending troops desperately defending the city walls, the Han Yuan army launching a fierce attack outside the city, or even Zhao Chong on the walls of the pseudo-imperial palace in the distance, they were all stunned by this terrifying scene of the earth turning upside down!

"The city...the city wall has collapsed!!!" Someone was the first to let out a shrill, distorted scream.

That scream was like igniting a powder keg.

The defenders at the breach collapsed instantly, fleeing in despair.

Outside the city, Han Dang, who was already prepared, gleamed with a sharp light in his eyes and swung his long sword forward: "Soldiers! Follow me and charge in! Take the city gate! Kill!!!"

"Kill—!!!" Five thousand well-rested elites of the Cold Abyss surged in like a black torrent of steel, bursting through the breach in the blasted city wall at an astonishing speed!

They were well-trained and quickly split into several groups after entering the city. One group rushed straight to the nearest inner city gate, Anxing Gate, to open the gate with the help of others. The rest charged along the streets, deep into the city, to widen the breach and eliminate resistance.

Almost at the same time that Han Dang's troops charged into the breach, Zhou Meng, who was waiting in the distance, saw the dust rising from the collapsing city wall and the banners of his own troops rushing into the city. Without hesitation, he brandished his lance: "Cavalry! Charge! Target—the city gate!"

Their iron hooves thundered, and the earth trembled.

The black torrent of cavalry, following closely behind the passage opened by the infantry, pierced the heart of Chang'an like two sharp knives!

Only then did the defenders on the city walls and the remnants of Zhao Chong's forces inside the city barely recover from their immense shock and fear. But it was too late.

The breach has been made, and the enemy's elite troops have entered the city, heading straight for the city gate with a clear objective.

Even more terrifying was that the Han Yuan Army's long-planned general offensive, which turned from a feint into a real, all-out attack the moment the city wall was breached!

The other departments also faced unprecedented pressure.

"Plug the breach! Plug it up!"

Some generals loyal to Zhao Chong tried to organize a counterattack, but the army's morale was in chaos and the fleeing soldiers were like a tide. How could they withstand the fierce and well-rested elite troops of Hanyuan?

Han Dang's troops quickly scattered the guards near the inner city gate, cut the bolts, and together pushed open the heavy Anxing Gate!

"The city gates are open! The army is entering the city!" Cheers resounded through the sky.

The main force of the Hanyuan Army, which had been waiting outside the city, surged into Chang'an like a floodgate bursting open, through the wide-open city gates! Black banners quickly spread across the city walls.

"It's over...it's all over..."