Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 788: Encirclement of Hezhou

Two days later, Wu's army arrived at the city and besieged Hezhou.

Before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, historical books generally referred to Lingnan as "Jiaozhi", and Hezhou belonged to the land of "Jiaozhi". In the 214rd year of Emperor Qin Shihuang ( BC), the Qin army unified Lingnan and set up three prefectures, namely Guilin, Xiang and Nanhai, and Hezhou belonged to Nanhai prefecture.

Today, Hezhou belongs to the Southern Han Dynasty and governs six counties, including Linhe, Guiling, Fengcheng, Fengyang, Fuchuan, and Dangshan, with a combined population of hundreds of thousands.

Hezhou, as the gateway and military stronghold in the north of Southern Han, shoulders the important mission of defending the security of the northern border. In ancient times, cities were not only the gathering places of politics, economy and culture, but also densely populated and prominent places. In conventional national wars, cities often become strategic points that must be fought for by military strategists, and their importance is comparable to that of dangerous passes.

The city was home to the royal family, nobles and wealthy merchants, while the rural areas outside the city had limited reserves, and most of the grain produced each year had to be handed over to the lord of the fiefdom or the aristocracy. Therefore, the city became a distribution center for food, population, weapons, workshops and businesses in the surrounding areas. Conquering a city meant actually controlling a vast area around it, and using the reserves in the city to support the war, replenish supplies and expand one's own strength. In ancient times, the strategy of trying to surround the city with the countryside was difficult to work.

When two countries are at war, seizing cities often becomes the primary strategic goal. Even if a city is not connected to the Great Wall or other fortresses, generals rarely choose to take a detour and attack the next city directly. Because it is unwise to go deep into the enemy's territory alone and easily fall into danger of being attacked from all sides, it may even lead to the cutting off of the food and grass supply lines in the rear. Therefore, in addition to the fighting on the border battlefield, ancient wars were more about the battle for cities.

The Wu army had already prepared for a rainy day, and had built a series of siege equipment in advance, including chariots, battering rams, towers, ladders, folding bridges, etc. Last night, they urgently cut wood and cut boards, and prepared dozens of carts of wood to be used for filling trenches. The army was arranged in a snake formation and marched towards the city of Hezhou. The flags were flying, and countless snow-white weapons stood up to the sky, showing their sharp edges, and flashing a faint cold light under the sunlight.

Upon learning of the approach of the Wu army, Chen Shouzhong, the governor of the Southern Han Dynasty in Hezhou, immediately ordered the city gates to be closed. He climbed to the top of the city wall and looked down at the huge army below. The Wu army was powerful, the formations were neat and uniform, and they were full of murderous intent. Facing such a powerful enemy, Chen Shouzhong could not help but tremble all over.

The Southern Han court had been at peace for a long time, and there had been no war for many years, so the war horses were released back to the southern mountains, and the weapons were stored in the warehouse. The royal family and nobles were addicted to daily pleasure and were completely unaware of the changes in the situation in the Central Plains.

What’s more serious is that some secret agencies had already been disbanded due to lack of funds, and their intelligence gathering capabilities were greatly reduced. Because of this, when Wu’s army marched south for half a month and approached the city of Hezhou, the Southern Han intelligence network was completely unaware.

"Oh no! This is the New Wu army. Half a year ago, I heard that the New Wu was established and annexed Li Tang, Qian Yue, and Jing Chu, becoming the largest country in the south. I didn't expect that they would use military force against Lingnan so soon." Chen Shouzhong was filled with emotion, but he was helpless because the Southern Han was too weak. There were only 30,000 defenders in the city. How could they resist?

"Sir Governor, the enemy has an army of 100,000 strong and powerful soldiers and horses. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to defend ourselves." said Xiahou Nan, a military officer.

"Yes, that's right. The Wu army is now in full force. We can't resist it head-on. We can only stay indoors and take advantage of the city's geographical advantages to defend it for a while, and then send people to the court for help!"

"Can the court send reinforcements?" Du Yuhou was somewhat unconfident.

Chen Shouzhong fell silent. He knew that the court of Lingnan Han had been corrupt in recent years and had long been on the verge of collapse. Most of the court generals died due to slander, and the royal family members were almost wiped out. Only a few eunuchs held military power. The city walls were dilapidated and no one was sent to repair them. As for the warships and weapons and equipment, they were all rotten and dilapidated and no one was repaired. This was the truth.

This is closely related to the Southern Han emperor Liu Yan, who was mediocre and incompetent and had no idea how to govern the country. He delegated all political affairs to eunuchs such as Gong Chengshu, Chen Yanshou, and female attendant Lu Qiongxian. Palace maids were appointed as political officials, while normal ministers were not important.

Liu Xiong believed that all his ministers had families and would not be loyal to him for the sake of their children and grandchildren, so he only trusted eunuchs. Ministers had to castrate themselves before they could be employed. As a result, there were as many as 20,000 eunuchs at one point, who acted recklessly, caused political chaos, and the people in Southern Han were living in misery, but the emperor of Southern Han did not care at all.

"What else can we do? We should immediately send people out of the city to call for help from Kyoto. If we hold out for a while, we can be regarded as serving the country."

Chen Shouzhong said helplessly, "It's a last-ditch effort, we'll do our best and leave it to fate." At this time, Su Chen used courtesy before force, and sent envoys to the city to call for surrender, asking the governors and generals guarding the city to open the city gates to avoid fighting. The people of Southern Han were in dire straits, so they should not be endangered anymore.

Many Southern Han soldiers on the city walls showed hesitation. Obviously, they did not want to fight, and they did not even have the courage to go to war with the powerful Wu army under the city.

When the governor Chen Shouzhong saw this, he was shocked. He realized that the morale of the people was low and if it was not saved, it would be impossible to save the situation.

"Soldiers, as soldiers, we must defend our territory and protect our people. Now that the Wu army is attacking our Han country and invading Lingnan, we cannot sit and wait for death. Pass the order down and defend the city with all your strength!"

Chen Shouzhong still had some integrity. He was not intimidated, but instead organized the defense of the city.

Seeing that his attempt to persuade the enemy to surrender failed, Su Chen gave the order to attack the city.

Pan Mei led the army to launch the first wave of siege. Su Chen also wanted to see Pan Mei's experience and ability in commanding the army in actual combat.

He suddenly drew the sword from his waist and shouted, "Three armies, listen up, attack the city immediately!" The military order was as heavy as a mountain. In an instant, trumpets sounded, thunder and drums shook the sky, shouts of killing arose, and arrows poured down like raindrops from the sky, interweaving into a curtain of death.

The Wu soldiers bravely led the way, setting up ladders, hooks, and ramps, rushing forward like surging waves. However, what greeted them were deadly attacks such as rolling logs, stones, and boiling water thrown head-on.

As one group of soldiers fell, another group took their place. The siege was extremely fierce. The cruelty and brutality of ancient wars were fully displayed at this moment.

The sounds of shouting, weapons clashing, and horses neighing intertwined, forming an endless roar that shook the heavens and the earth. Waves of people and weapons collided with each other, making clear and piercing sounds that hurt people's eardrums.

Dense crowds of Wu army soldiers attacked the walls of the city one after another. Their figures were looming in the smoke and fire, like a group of fearless warriors who vowed to break through this city fortress.

Su Chen stood on a high platform, looking deeply at everything in front of him. He went back to history and witnessed the tragic process of ancient wars.

One hundred thousand people fought, swords clashed, heads flew, blood and fire intertwined into a heart-pounding picture.

The glory of war, how cruel it is! It is paved with countless blood and lives to create the glory of this moment.

An indescribable emotion welled up in Su Chen's heart. He knew very well the heavy price behind this glory, which was the sorrow and grief of countless broken families and countless lives lost.

However, in order to stop the war, to achieve world peace, and to unify the world, Su Chen must resolutely annex Lingnan and complete the goal of this southern expedition.