Shuhan

"We're in Jiangling again!"

Liu Chan was relatively familiar with Jiangling. After all, he had fought Lu Xun and Sun Quan here, and used this place as a base to recover Xiangyang, Nanyang, Runan, and Jiangxia. How could he not be familiar with this place?

now.

It was almost dawn and the winter fog was thick. The scenery was pale with a hint of darkness.

Call ~
Liu Chan let out a breath of foul air.

As soon as he uttered a word, white steam rose up.

In this kind of weather, even though Liu Chan was wearing a sable fur coat under his armor, the coldness from the soles of his feet still made him shiver unconsciously.

Marching in winter is indeed no joke.

Perhaps only those who have experienced it can understand the difficulties involved.

"Your Majesty, since we are almost in Jiangling, why not take a rest in the imperial carriage?"

Liu Chan shook his head and said, "Most of my Han soldiers don't even have war horses or mules. They have walked a thousand miles in the cold winter with just their legs. I am more comfortable riding a horse than them. If I can't even do this, how can I convince them?"

Naturally, the emperor does not need to share the joys and sorrows with his soldiers on a daily basis.

As an emperor, he only needs to be responsible for winning battles.

But these are not ordinary times.

In the dead of winter, the soldiers suffered much more during the surprise attack thousands of miles away than at any other time. If at this time, he, the emperor, was enjoying a luxurious life and was so happy, what would the soldiers think of him in contrast?
Even if there are no complaints in the end, there will definitely be some complaints in your heart.

"That"

The eunuch Huang Hao's eyes flickered, and he asked cautiously: "We are almost at Jiangling now, and Longshan is right beside. Why don't we set up camp here and wait for the soldiers to recover their strength before going to Jiangling."

Huang Hao knew exactly what was on Longshan Mountain.

It is precisely because of this that he wants to mention this here.

"The military situation is urgent. If we are a day late, we don't know what will happen. How can we go to Longshan to worship Buddha?"

Are you worshiping Buddha?

Don’t I know what you are doing at Longshan?

Although Huang Hao was muttering in his heart, he immediately said: "I have arranged for people to go to Longshan. If Your Majesty does not go to Longshan, I will withdraw them."

Liu Chan remained calm and said, "Since we have sent someone, there is no need to rush back."

Liu Chan glared at Huang Hao and said, "You should go to Longshan too!"

Huang Hao was indeed good at serving others. There was a reason why he was trusted by Liu Chan in history.

Be concerned about what the leader is concerned about.

How to make Liu Chan comfortable is what he thinks about every day.

On ordinary days, it would be nice to have such a servant.

But now we are marching and fighting, and marching and fighting is naturally not comfortable.

And definitely not comfortable.

"Your Majesty, your servant"

"The swords on the battlefield are blind, and eunuchs like you cannot go there. Stay at Longshan Mountain and I will come to the mountain when I return victorious."

Although Huang Hao was unwilling in his heart, he did not dare to disobey the emperor's wishes, so he could only say: "I will serve you well and wait for your majesty's triumphant return!"

In Jiangling City, merchants gathered and the streets were prosperous.

The wide variety of shops selling everything from exquisite silks to precious jewellery demonstrate the city's prosperity and wealth.

There is an endless stream of pedestrians on the streets and alleys, some are hurrying on their way, while others are leisurely selecting their favorite products. The air is filled with the aroma of various spices and food, which arouses the taste buds of pedestrians.

On the river, ships were constantly coming and going. On the river, official ships were loaded with supplies and personnel, some were going upstream, some were going downstream, their destinations were different, but what they had in common was that they were all silently contributing their strength to the war.

Compared with the busy official ships, the merchant ships seemed a little deserted.

A few merchant ships were sailing slowly on the river. They might be making a small contribution to the war, but more of them were maintaining the city's commercial activities, allowing Jiangling City to maintain a rare vitality and vigor during the war.

At this time, Liu Chan's army swept across Longshan and soon arrived outside Jiangling City.

Pang Tong, the governor of Jiangling, led the officials and gentry of Jingxiang to greet them ten miles outside Jiangling city early in the morning.

"We pay our respects to His Majesty. Long live His Majesty!"

Upon seeing the dragon flag in the army, Pang Tong immediately led all the officials of Jingzhou to pay homage to Liu Chan.

"You don't need to be polite."

Liu Chan jumped off his horse and helped Pang Tong up.

"What's the military situation at the front?"

Liu Chan did not exchange pleasantries with Pang Tong, but instead asked him directly the question he most wanted to know.

"The Jiangxia garrison had formulated a strategy before, sending Shamoko and Wenpin to Anxian County via the mountainous route, cutting off the Wu army's retreat and attacking them from both sides. Now that they have received the secret order from Your Majesty, it is unclear what they will do."

Is there such a thing?
Liu Chan's brows suddenly furrowed.

"If the envoys were sent out in advance, then Shamoke and Wenpin's actions would have probably already begun. Now, it is difficult."

If it weren't for his secret order, perhaps Yu Jin's plan might have succeeded.

of course.

This success is to successfully save Jiangxia.

But it is far from enough to annihilate the Wu army or even destroy the Wu state.

"Yu Jin is a talented general, and Ma Liang is even better at making plans. They should have a plan to deal with this."

Liu Chan nodded and said, "The military situation is urgent. This time we are marching to make a surprise attack, so we will not waste time in Jiangling. Do you have the boats prepared by the Jiangling navy?"

There were many spies stationed by the Wu State in Jiangling, and Pang Tong knew it very well.

As long as the royal army delays in Jiangling for a day or two, Sun Quan, who is now in Jiangxia, will probably get wind of the situation immediately.

Pang Tong understood that opportunities for battle are fleeting.

"The warship is ready!"

Liu Chan did not waste time and immediately divided the 30,000 imperial guards into two columns.

Those who get seasick and those who don't.

Those who are not seasick can board the warship and sail straight down to Jiangling.

During these few days on the boat, you can also recover your energy and recuperate.

Those who are seasick can ride war horses, mules and horses down the river!

In short
This southern expedition is to attack Wu!

at the same time.

Wan County.

After the two generals Wen Pin and Shamoke worked day and night to prepare the city defense, they began to take shape.

On top of the city wall, the arrow tower is majestic, and the mortar between the bricks and stones is tight, like an indestructible barrier.

In the cold winter, water turns into ice when poured, and therefore, a huge city defense can be built in one day and one night.

On the top of the city wall, flags fluttered in the wind, showing the power and determination of the soldiers defending the city.

Outside the city wall, deep trenches were dug to connect to the outer river. The water in the trenches was shimmering like silver snakes.

This is to block possible charges and sneak attacks during the enemy's attack, and provide an additional line of defense for the soldiers defending the city.

Soldiers were busy moving around the city streets, carrying logs and rocks or checking the defenses of every house. The streets were no longer as busy as they used to be, but filled with a tense atmosphere of battle.

Wen Pin stood on the top of the city wall with a sharp gaze. He looked into the distance and knew in his heart that the Wu army's siege was about to begin.

Shamoke led a team of elite soldiers patrolling under the city wall, with weapons tightly in their hands, ready to respond to possible attacks at any time.

However, facing the impending siege by the Wu army, the city defense of An County was far from enough.

Wen Pin knew that the Wu army had a powerful navy and elite infantry, and they had a variety of siege methods, including artillery, ladders, and battering rams. They also had countless well-trained soldiers, and their offensive would be as fierce as a storm.

He had no idea whether he could hold out long enough.

Therefore, Wen Pin and Shamoke still need to continue to strengthen the city’s defense arrangements.

The Han army added more arrow towers and battlements on the city walls to better shoot at the enemy.

And let the craftsmen make more city defense equipment such as rolling logs, stones and fireballs, so as to deal a greater blow to the enemy when they attacked the city.

At the same time, they also set up many traps and secret passages in the city so that they could surprise the enemy when they entered the city.

But to be honest, even if 20,000 people were mobilized in one day and one night, the city defense built was still not satisfactory to Wen Pin.

but.
Even if you are not satisfied, you have to go ahead with it.

The snow fell heavily, fluttering down like the pure and cruel judgment coming down from heaven and earth.

Huhuhu~
The winter wind was blowing fiercely, whistling across the battlefield, bringing a biting chill, as if even the heaven and earth were wailing.

In the battle formation of Wu army, the soldiers were wearing heavy armor and holding spears and sharp blades, with determination and fierceness flashing in their eyes.

The army was lined up in neat rows, ready for battle, like iron mountains standing tall on this vast land.

The siege equipment reflected a cold luster in the sunlight. All kinds of siege equipment such as catapults, ladders, battering rams, etc. were ready and ready to go.

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
As the war drums beat, the Wu army's charge horns also sounded.

The soldiers shouted and rushed towards Wan County like a surging tide.

"Come on~"

"Kill!"

"The first one to enter the city will be made a marquis!"

Their shouts and cries shook the earth, as if they were going to tear the world apart.

These Wu troops rushing in the front were not elite troops, but a group of cannon fodder. Their mission was to consume the arrows and physical strength of the Han army and to gain more opportunities for the subsequent elite troops.

However, even as cannon fodder, they showed amazing courage on the battlefield.

They rushed forward regardless of their lives, and did not retreat even when faced with the Han army's rain of arrows.

They had only one goal, which was to climb up the city wall and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Han army.

On the city wall, the Han army defenders were already ready for battle.

They were holding bows, spears and other city defense tools, with determination and resoluteness in their eyes.

This battle will be extremely brutal, but they are also prepared. They will do whatever it takes to defend their homes and loved ones.

Their current life is provided by the Han Kingdom.

Behind them are their relatives and families.

Women are acquired by snatching. If you can snatch others', others can snatch yours.

They want to protect the safety of their property!

For this, even if it costs my life, I will do it!

When the Wu army's cannon fodder built a pontoon bridge and rushed to the city, the Han army immediately launched a fierce attack. Arrows fell like raindrops, shooting down the Wu army's cannon fodder in the front.

However, these cannon fodders seemed tireless. After they fell, others immediately replaced them and continued to rush towards the city wall.

The Han army on the city wall showed no sign of weakness. They used the city defense equipment in their hands to continuously throw boulders, fireballs and other offensive equipment at the Wu army below the city.

These attack weapons drew arcs in the air and then smashed heavily into Wu Jun's army, causing huge casualties.

However, despite the bravery and fighting skills of the Han army, they had just arrived in Wan County and the city defenses had not yet been built to be impregnable.

Therefore, under the continuous fierce attack of the Wu army, Han soldiers kept falling down on the city wall.

The Wu army's cannon fodder also relied on their numerical advantage to continuously rush onto the city walls and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Han army.

The battle on the city wall was extremely brutal. They stabbed with spears, chopped with swords, punched, kicked, and even bit with their teeth, just to drive the enemy off the city wall.

However, under the continuous fierce attack of the Wu army, the Han soldiers on the city wall began to gradually lose their strength.

At this time, the elite troops of the Wu army also began to act.

They took advantage of the Han army's exhaustion and began to charge towards the city wall.

The soldiers of these elite troops each possessed unique skills and they continuously launched fierce attacks on the Han army on the city walls.

Under the impact of the elite troops, the Han army soldiers on the city wall began to fall down one after another, and the city wall was in danger.

"Die for me!"

Shamoke had no choice but to lead his personal guards into the battle to kill the Wei army.

With the joining of the Wuling Barbarian King and his elite troops in the battle, the situation in Wan County was quickly brought under control.

It is dusk now.

Seeing that it was difficult to capture the city today, the Wu army camp immediately sounded the call to withdraw their troops.

For them, today's result is already a good thing.

It was only the first day and we were able to climb up to the city wall of Wan County.

I am afraid that in a few days, Wan County and the tens of thousands of Han troops in the city will become delicious meals on the chopping board of Wu army.

woohoo~
As the horn sounded, the Wu army retreated immediately.

When the smoke of war cleared, what was left behind was a shocking ruin.

The fortress and parapet in front of Wan County have been smashed beyond recognition, with broken bricks and stones and severed limbs mixed together, like a Shura hell.

From time to time, broken limbs can be seen among the broken walls.

An arm lay alone in the ruins, with its fingers slightly bent, as if making its last struggle. The skin on the arm had been burnt black by the flames, and the muscles under the skin were exposed, looking extremely hideous.

In this tragic scene, there were also some scattered heads that were smashed by catapults.

Some of their faces are already blurred, with only bloody outlines visible; others still retain the terrified expressions they had before death, with their eyes wide open, as if telling of the cruelty of war.

The air was filled with the smell of burning and blood, making people want to escape.

In this ruin, you can occasionally hear some faint groans, which are the injured people struggling in pain.

Perhaps they are still waiting for rescue, or perhaps they have given up hope and can only wait for death to come in this hellish scene.

"Hey~"

Above the city, Wen Pin sighed deeply.

It seems not easy to defend Wan County for ten days or half a month!

Gotta figure it out.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Wu camp, Sun Quan's face was beaming with joy, as he was already imagining the scene of annihilating Wen Pin and Shamoke's troops, sweeping across Jiangxia, and traveling across Jingxiang.

At this moment, the King of Wu was full of vigor and vitality, and looked quite heroic.

He screamed in his heart:
When I take control of the nine counties of Jingxiang, I will join forces with the State of Wei to attack your fake Han. The situation in this world is still undecided!

But he had no idea that the army led by Liu Chan would advance by both water and land, galloping at full speed at night, and would meet him soon!
At this moment, in Liu Chan's eyes, Sun Quan is already a dead body in a tomb! (End of this chapter)