The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 316: Destroying a Country in Ten Days (Part )
Bach Dang River is a tributary of the Thai Ping River in northern Annan. After meandering for dozens of kilometers, it flows through Suiping (now Haiphong City, Vietnam) and flows into Xinzheng Bay (now Halong Bay). Its upper reaches are connected with the Duli River, so you can go directly upstream along this river to the city of Tokyo (now Hanoi).

Over the past thousand years, land transportation from the Chinese mainland to Annan was inconvenient, and the sea route was the main channel connecting it to the mainland, so the mouth of the Bach Dang River has always been a battleground for military strategists.

The Central Plains Dynasty was defeated by the Annan army three times at the Bach Dang River in 938, 981 and 1288, and had to return in defeat and give up its rule over this land.

In view of the strategic position of the Bach Dang River, in order to guard against the invasion of the Lang Kingdom, the Annan Le Dynasty deployed heavy troops along the river and built five large and small water forts. They also drove many wooden stakes into the river to prevent the enemy's naval ships from crossing the river.

At six o'clock in the morning on February 2, it was drizzling and the entire surface of the Baiteng River was gray.

Suddenly, the observation post of the Annan Navy camp heard a huge roar from the river. Through the rain and fog, a black shadow slowly approached from a distance, heading straight for the water camp, cutting through the river surface, leaving a wave mark. Above it, there was also billowing black smoke, which could not be covered by the drizzle.

As the roar on the river surface grew louder, more black shadows appeared. They seemed to completely ignore the dense wooden stakes in the river, and went straight across the center of the river, violently knocking them down one by one.

"Woo..."

"Enemy attack!..."

"Get ready for battle!"

“Fire! … Fire!”

"boom!"

The Annan Water Fort suddenly woke up. The shrill trumpets, the officers' shouts, the hastily fired artillery, the soldiers running around, the flags and signals echoing each other, it was as if a hornet's nest was poked, and the place immediately became noisy and boiling.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Several ironclad ships approaching the Annan Water Fort stopped moving, lined up on the river, and then fired their cannons one after another.

With the roar of the ship's guns, countless shells streaked through the rain and fog like meteors and slammed into the Annan water fort.

But on the other side of the water fort, flames flickered and the wooden fortifications were cracked, splashed, and burned under the bombardment of artillery shells. Fire and smoke immediately filled the air, forming a chaotic scene.

The Annan defenders in the water fort seemed extremely panicked in the firelight. Some of them fled in all directions, some screamed at the top of their lungs, and some bravely rushed to the artillery positions, loaded and fired, trying to fight back.

However, the intensity and accuracy of the firepower of several ironclad ships made their counterattack seem insignificant and they were completely unable to suppress the enemy's continuous bombardment.

What is even more despairing is that although several shells hit the ships on the river, the opponent's solid outer armor only bounced slightly twice in the explosion, but there was no sign of penetration at all.

The enemy is actually invulnerable to swords and guns!
The sea breeze mixed with gunpowder smoke and flames blew away the mist on the river surface, revealing more of its majestic appearance.

More and more ships came, connected end to end, densely packed. Under the fire cover of several ironclad ships, they did not stop at all and rushed upstream quickly.

Under the continuous bombardment of the naval guns, the resistance of the Annan Water Fort was getting weaker and weaker, but they were still fighting back bravely. It seemed that they realized that their own artillery fire did not cause much damage to the ironclad ships, so the gunners immediately changed their targets and began to bombard those ships that were obviously troop transports.

There are so many of them that you only need to aim slightly to hit one of the targets, thereby killing a large number of soldiers on the ship or destroying the supplies on board.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!  …"

"Boo! Hah! Hah!  …"

Perhaps they were a little tired of the endless counterattack from the Annan Water Fort. Several warships sailed out of the formation, moved towards the south bank, and then stopped on the river. In less than a quarter of an hour, hundreds of rockets took off into the sky, the flames drew beautiful arcs, and plunged into the Annan Water Fort.

As the huge explosion sounded, flames continued to rise, from tiny dots to a continuous mass, and finally, the entire water fort turned into a sea of ​​fire, burning violently with crackling sounds.

The fortress walls, watchtowers, barracks, and even patrol ships were all engulfed in flames. Annan soldiers were constantly forced into the river by the fire. Some sank and floated, and soon sank to the bottom of the river. Some took off their armor and weapons in time, and then swam hard towards the shore. Some even ignored the danger and paddled hard in a burning boat in the hope of getting away from the water fortress.

"Captain, the flagship has sent a signal requesting that the firing stop."

On the battleship Huoshan, a signal officer hurried to the command room and conveyed the flagship's signal order to the captain: "The commander-in-chief of the squadron orders all ships to turn northwest, continue up the Yangtze River, and attack Dongjing City directly."

"Yes, I got it. Tell the gunner to stop firing." Huoshan's acting captain, Linghui Xiaowei (Lieutenant Colonel) Cao Ge ordered: "This battle is over, we continue to move forward."

"Yes, sir!" a messenger officer responded loudly.

"How boring! My mighty ironclad ship has to fight with such a small character!" Cao Ge muttered to himself, took out a snow-white handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the sweat and smoke from his face, and then threw it on the table.
-
February 2, 24: pm, Thanh Hoa.

As a white flag was raised on the top of the city wall, the city gate slowly opened, and the more than 4,000 Allied soldiers gathered under the city suddenly burst into warm cheers.

Zheng Hui, the governor of the Eastern Capital of the Le Dynasty, the envoy of the Southeast, and the Duke of Kun County, led all the officials and soldiers in the city out of the city one after another, and stood respectfully on both sides of the city gate, waiting for the coalition forces to enter the city.

Thanh Hoa is one of the major cities in Annan and the eastern capital of the Le Dynasty. It was the starting point for the founding emperor of the Le Dynasty, Le Loi, to rebel against the Ming Dynasty and restore his country.

After the re-establishment of Dai Viet, Le Loi designated Thanh Hoa as a secondary capital, just like Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty, and it became the location of the emperors' tombs of the Le Dynasty. During the Le Restoration, Thanh Hoa's western capital also became an important anti-Mo base, making it the "second capital" of Dai Viet after Thang Long's eastern capital.

Now, this city of great symbolic significance, under the fierce attack of the coalition forces for most of the day, gave up resistance and surrendered the city.

At about six in the morning of that day, more than a dozen Qi warships broke into the Ma River. With the cover of overwhelming artillery fire, thousands of allied soldiers directly launched a beach landing. Countless boats quickly rushed onto the river beach. Densely packed soldiers, holding muskets, waded through the waist-deep river water and swarmed ashore.

After the allied forces landed, they rested for a while and then immediately launched a fierce attack on Thanh Hoa City, even skipping the established procedure of persuading the enemy to surrender.

It is obvious that the Allied Forces were determined to capture Thanh Hoa City and had full confidence that they could capture it in one fell swoop.

If the defenders surrendered voluntarily, some subsequent "actions" would be difficult to carry out!

Around ten o'clock in the morning, several heavy siege artillery were dragged ashore and then fired fiercely at the city wall. For a moment, the entire Thanh Hoa city shook and the sound was heard for miles.

By the afternoon, as Qi engineers built a sturdy temporary dock, more artillery pieces were towed ashore, continuously pouring ammunition into the city.

Thanh Hoa City briefly experienced several small-scale wars during the Mac Dynasty. Since then, no war has come to this historic city for two hundred years.

But today, facing such fierce artillery bombardment from the coalition forces, everyone was frightened and at a loss.

The imagined scene of setting up ladders and attacking the city did not appear at all. The Qi people just kept bombarding the city with artillery. The shells were as dense as raindrops, smashing into the top of the city. There were solid round shells with strong potential energy, chisel shells that could break the city, shrapnel shells that exploded and fragmented, and cluster bombs that could kill people...

God have mercy on them. The defenders of Thanh Hoa City had never seen such a big scene before. They were all frightened and huddled behind the city wall, holding their heads and praying helplessly to the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

Those who were shot all had their hands and legs broken or their flesh and blood torn apart, and their deaths were extremely tragic.

The city was bombarded by intensive artillery fire. The bricks and stones on the city walls were blown into pieces. The walls were filled with smoke and the residents in the city fled in panic.

Although the defenders tried their best to hold on under the command of the generals, the continuous artillery bombardment weakened their morale and soldiers began to flee. When Zheng Hui asked the generals how long Thanh Hoa City could hold out under such an attack,

The response he got immediately made him fall into endless disappointment.

Given Qinghua’s dilapidated city defenses and low and cowardly morale, the city could be breached at any time!

Oh, it turns out that Thanh Hoa City is impossible to defend!

What's the point of fighting? Just surrender.

So Zheng Hui ordered the defenders to give up resistance and opened the gates to surrender with all the officials and soldiers in the city.

He is the governor of the Eastern Capital and the envoy of the Southeast, a powerful official, and also the uncle of King Weinan. He cannot die with the city.

At worst, during the peace talks after the war, my family can pay to redeem me.

It is said that several decades ago, when the people of Qi captured the city of Dongjing, they captured thousands of princes, nobles and court officials. None of them were harmed in the slightest, and they were all well fed and well cared for by the people of Qi.

Well, the Qi army can be considered a "benevolent and righteous army" and will not easily kill or torture prisoners. So why bother fighting for your life? It is better to surrender early to avoid losing your own life.

The coalition forces swarmed in and disarmed Zheng Hui and other captives. They simply confined them to a temporary open space outside the city, left hundreds of soldiers to guard them, and then marched into Thanh Hoa City in a mighty manner.

In less than half an hour, fireworks rose in the city, and the cries and screams of the people could be heard faintly, accompanied by sporadic gunshots and explosions.

The faces of the Annamitish prisoners squatting in the temporary prisoner camp suddenly changed, and they looked towards Thanh Hoa City with worry.

I hope that after the Qi people have robbed something, they will not kill people and hurt their own families!
On February 2, around 24 pm, in Deguang Prefecture, Shihe City (now Ha Tinh City, Vietnam).

Li Yan, the commander-in-chief of the Hengshan camp of the Li Dynasty and the commander-in-chief of the Shenwu Army, stroked the hilt of his sword and looked at the envoy of the southern Nguyen rebel in front of him with an uncertain expression. He did not speak for a long time.

Several trusted generals stood by, also feeling worried. They would steal glances at their commander-in-chief and then at the messenger from time to time, anxiously waiting for his decision.

At present, the situation in the entire Hengshan camp is very bad.

A few days ago, the Nguyen rebels in the south suddenly launched a fierce attack on the Hengshan defense line. Although the frontline officers and soldiers had been ready for battle, they kept their armor and weapons in hand and remained on high alert.

However, the fierce offensive momentum of Nguyen rebels and the sharpness of their artillery fire caught the defenders off guard. They were stunned in an instant, and several outer fortresses were completely destroyed. The Guangnan army penetrated the deepest defense line of more than ten kilometers.

Fortunately, the entire Hengshan camp was well-armed and responsive. Nearly 10,000 reinforcements were promptly delivered to the gap in the front line, and relying on the dangerous terrain, they withstood the first wave of offensive by the Guangnan Army.

However, under the cover of fierce artillery fire, the Guangnan Army ignored the huge cost in casualties and launched an attack like a tide, continuous and endless, one wave higher than the other, violently hitting their Zheng Army's defense line.

The generals and officers leading troops on the front line kept asking for help from the main camp, hoping to get more soldiers and artillery, saying that the Guangnan Army's "gunfire was as dense as rain" and "the artillery fire never stopped." The other side took a determined offensive attitude and tried their best to advance. Although the troops suffered heavy casualties, the situation of the defenders was not much better. They were "surrounded by artillery fire and lead bullets" all day long, and countless people were killed and wounded.

After so many years, it was strange that the equipment of Guangnan Army became so "luxurious". Artillery shells were fired like they were free, covering the entire battlefield in front of them.

You know, in the various troops of the Li Dynasty, there are still a considerable number of officers and soldiers who are still equipped with cold weapons such as swords and spears.

Although there are many artillery pieces deployed on the defense line, the ammunition they are equipped with is limited, and they will not easily fire unless the situation is critical.

Even if we launched an artillery attack on the enemy, the density of the artillery fire was not as good as that of the enemy, and the accuracy was not as good as that of the enemy.

This battle was really frustrating. Although we relied on strong defensive fortifications, we were actually suppressed by the enemy the entire time. As the defending side, we didn't gain much advantage in the battlefield exchange ratio.

After several days of fighting, the front line became unstable and was in danger of being broken through by the Guangnan Army at any time, forcing the Zheng Army to gradually deploy more reserve forces in an attempt to stabilize the battlefield situation with its troop advantage.

Once the Hengshan defense line is breached, the road ahead will be smooth, allowing the Guangnan Army to easily march all the way to the northern hinterland and attack Tokyo.

Just as Zheng's army was struggling to hold on, scouts from the rear suddenly reported that the Guangnan army, with the cooperation of the Qi navy, had broken into the Lanjiang River and landed on the north bank, cutting off the connection between the Hengshan camp and the rear.

Li Yan was shocked when he heard the news.

Ruan Ni and Qi State actually fought together and cut off their retreat in one fell swoop.

This is going to cost him his life!

With only the supplies stored in the Hengshan camp, they can still hold out for about ten months. If they are frugal, it is not impossible for them to hold out for more than a year.

But the problem is, since they have cut off your retreat, they can just surround you without attacking you, trap you here, and then withdraw their troops to attack the rear, or even directly besiege Tokyo, capture and kill King Weinan, destroy the central government of our Le Dynasty, and achieve a change of dynasty.

At that time, what is the point of you holding on to the Hengshan defense line?
When they were at a loss, the envoy of Guangnan Army arrived.

In addition to bringing them a handwritten letter from the King of Guangnan persuading them to surrender, he also informed them of a series of shocking news.

The State of Qi sent troops!
Liang State also sent troops!

Judging from the current situation, Daqin will not have enough time to rescue you!
So, Zheng is doomed!
The Le Dynasty was about to collapse!

"Your Excellency, what is the guarantee for the conditions promised by your country?" Li Yan looked at the eager expressions on the faces of several trusted generals, sighed secretly, and then asked.

"My king has the authority to promise you, so of course he will keep his promise." The envoy felt relieved when he heard that, and then said with a smile: "Could it be that the commander-in-chief wants my king to go to the camp in person and make a promise to you in person?"

"I dare not, I dare not!" Li Yan hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "If your Majesty wants me to lead the army to surrender, please agree to one of my conditions."

"please say."

"We need Qi as a guarantor before we can surrender as ordered by your Majesty." Li Yan said in a deep voice: "In addition, we also need Qi to guarantee the safety of our generals and their families in Dongjing."

"General Li, your request is a bit difficult to fulfill!" The Guangnan envoy frowned, "What if the Qi people don't want to get involved? In that case, are you going to fight to the end?"

"..." Li Yan was stunned for a moment, then he clasped his fists solemnly, "I hope your country will help me with this matter. As long as Qi comes forward to guarantee it, my 30,000 soldiers in Hengshan camp will immediately take off their armor and leave the city to surrender!"

Damn it, this bunch of bandits don’t trust our Guangnan Kingdom!

The Guangnan envoy was very angry when he saw the determined look on Li Yan's face. After a few perfunctory responses, he left the camp and reported to the King of Guangnan who was leading the army in person.

"General..." After the messenger left, the generals looked at Li Yan with concern.

"If we don't want to be killed by the King of Guangnan afterwards, we can only ask the people of Qi to come forward." Li Yan waved his hand and said calmly: "We have 30,000 troops in our hands. Which king would not be afraid of it?"

When all the generals heard this, they were all silent.

(End of this chapter)