Chinese New Year

Chapter 1438 Siege
On the first day of the tenth month, Tuoba Sigong led a light cavalry to patrol outside the city of Kucha.

It's actually getting a bit cold. I heard that the first snow has fallen in the territory of Cheshi Houguo. Although it's just a thin layer, it indicates a change in the weather.

In addition, the military intelligence provided by the headquarters was somewhat inaccurate.

Who said it's only 730 li from Yanqi to Kucha? It's clearly over 800 li, and is called "900 li".

The capital of the Kingdom of Kucha was called "Yancheng," with a circumference of only six li (approximately 3 kilometers), but it had three layers. Compared to the cramped palace of the King of Gaochang, the palace of Kucha was quite large. Its magnificence was evident when viewed from a high vantage point.

You must have a lot of money, right?

The sound of horses' hooves came from the west, and further away, dust filled the sky, as if a large army was advancing.

Tuoba Sigong's heart tightened, and he immediately led the dozens of riders around him up a gentle slope to get a better view.

Ahead of the dust cloud, several riders walked leisurely, one of them carrying a flag on his back, which fluttered in the wind. He looked like one of their own—the practice of lower-ranking officers carrying flags on their backs was unique to the Great Liang Dynasty.

However, Tuoba Sigong remained vigilant. At his signal, someone beside him blew a bull's horn.

A moment later, the scattered cavalry began to converge on this side, preparing for battle.

"Six Dogs, it's me!" the man with the identification flag on his back shouted.

Tuoba Sigong breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the cavalry could call out "Six Dogs" meant they were undoubtedly his own men. However, he did not relax. The assembled cavalrymen were positioned on high ground, their lances in hand, ready to charge at any moment.

"Six Dogs, the Southern Route Army is here!" Commander Cheng Duan dismounted and shouted.

As the dust settled in the distance, the formation of the approaching forces was revealed: there were groups of people here and there, and if you count those still on their way in the distance, there were probably three thousand cavalrymen. The entire Southern Route Army had arrived.

Cheng Duan quickened his pace, climbed the gentle slope, and explained, "This is the vanguard of the Kingdom of Khotan, consisting of three thousand cavalry."

Tuoba Sigong was somewhat shocked. The vanguard numbered three thousand cavalry; how many soldiers did this country have?

As if sensing his doubt, Cheng Duan continued, "The King of Khotan ordered that each household send one man, resulting in 17,000 infantry and cavalry. Only 2,000 men were left to guard the area, while the remaining 15,000 were brought out."

"In mid-September, Protector-General Li recovered from his illness and joined forces with the King of Khotan, forcing the Kingdom of Shule to surrender."

"A few days ago, I heard that the two kingdoms of Wensu (present-day Akqi County) and Yutou (present-day Uqturpan County) had joined forces with 3,000 troops to aid Kucha. So I waited for them halfway and defeated them decisively. Protector Li should be in Yutou now. Next, he should gather 30,000 troops from Khotan, Shule and his own forces to attack Gumo. I was worried that the lack of news would make the commander anxious, so I sent a vanguard to join us here first."

As they spoke, several men who looked like scholars dismounted and bowed in their direction from a distance, but did not come over, perhaps out of respect for their status.

Hey, scholars!

Tuoba Sigong was already mostly convinced and immediately said, "Those Wensu and Weitou should be vassal states of Kucha, right? They are quite loyal, actually preparing to send a large force to help."

"They simply don't understand fate," Cheng Duan said with a smile.

"Don't linger here, go and report to the Commander-in-Chief immediately," Tuoba Sigong said.

Cheng Duan took a water bag from under his saddle, drank two mouthfuls, then mounted his horse and rode away.

Tuoba Sigong thought for a moment and felt that he should also send someone to report back. So he pulled one person over and instructed him: "Go back and report quickly that the people of Kucha have evacuated all the nearby people into the city, and seem to want to hold out."

"Yes, sir." The man mounted his horse and rode away.

Tuoba Sigong observed for a while longer, cursing inwardly at the cowardly Kucha people. Did they intend to wait for all the reinforcements to arrive before venturing out of the city for open battle?

******
On the third day of the tenth month, a large contingent of over ten thousand men, led by the Silver Spear Central Camp, arrived outside the city of Kucha.

On the fourth day, several thousand more able-bodied men from Liangzhou arrived.

On the fifth day, the various garrison battalions of the government troops arrived in Kucha one after another.

The cavalry became increasingly active, not only driving back all the enemy troops who had gone out of the city to gather firewood, but also capturing messengers and scouts everywhere, cutting off Kucha's external communications.

That evening, the banner of Yang Qin, the commander of the Gaochang campaign, appeared in the east of the city.

His first observation was of the mountains and rivers.

The city of Kucha has rivers on both the east and west sides, with the river on the west side being closer to the city and the river on the east side being slightly farther away.

Besides the rivers, there were also numerous irrigation ditches, mostly located near the city walls, used for irrigation. This shows that the Kingdom of Kucha had some resources, at least it wasn't so short of food.

But the King of Kucha made a mistake. Perhaps it wasn't really a mistake, but he did evacuate the people from nearby villages and towns into the city, which greatly increased the food shortage in the city.

According to reports from the scouts, most of the nearby towns were occupied by vassals of the King of Kucha, which had a somewhat feudal relationship, similar to the relationship between the King of Yanqi and the King of Weixu.

There were leftover valuables and food in those towns that could not be taken away completely. Perhaps it was because they were in a hurry, or perhaps Kucha City simply couldn't hold them all, after all, it was just a small town with a circumference of no more than six miles.

In addition, the scouts found some hidden livestock nearby and captured hundreds of Kucha people. After being tortured and interrogated, they learned that a considerable number of them had fled to the mountains to the north or the desert to the south.

Based on all this information, Yang Qin had a clear idea of ​​what was going on.

“It’s just a small county town, yet they’ve crammed over ten thousand people into it. I’d like to see how long their food supply will last.” Yang Qin immediately began issuing orders.

He personally oversaw operations in the east of the city, leading the Silver Spear Central Camp, the Barbarian Crossbowmen with Shields, the Liao People with Swords and Shields, the Left and Right Valiant Cavalry Guards, the Right Feathered Forest Guard, and some able-bodied men, totaling about 18,000 men.

Zhao Wei was stationed in the west of the city, with his camp set up with his back to the river. He led the Black Spear Left Battalion, the Left Chief Guard, and some able-bodied men, totaling more than 13,000 men.

Commander Yin Xi led the Luoyan Army and some able-bodied men, totaling nearly 14,000 men.

The Youzhou cavalry commander and some of the Wuwei clan soldiers were still on their way, accompanied by nearly 10,000 conscripts from Yanqi.

The overall strategy employed the classic tactic of encircling from three sides while leaving the southern side unattacked, thus luring the enemy to break out.

After the orders were issued, camps were set up in various locations.

There weren't many trees left nearby, but there were quite a few houses. The adobe bricks could be used for camping, and the wooden beams could be used to make siege weapons. They wouldn't let anything go to waste.

The generals were all seasoned veterans, so Yang Qin didn't need to give them many instructions. After completing the rounds, he returned to the high ground to observe the enemy situation, while wondering: Why didn't the King of Kucha come out of the city to fight in the open?

But he also knew that things in this world don't always go as planned. Who knows what other people are thinking?

Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news.

At least the Southern Route Army gave him a big surprise. Li Bai actually managed to force the surrender of Khotan and Shule and their vassals with only 3,000 soldiers, and also eliminated the two major vassals of Kucha, which greatly boosted morale.

Most importantly, their food supply was secured, giving them the confidence to engage in a protracted war with the Kucha people.

However, before engaging in a protracted war, it was necessary to test the enemy's strength first. On the afternoon of the ninth day of the tenth month, just as a contingent of the southern army was arriving from afar, Yang Qin personally ascended a high platform to command the attack, ordering an offensive from the east and west of the city.

The first time, they were all elite troops.

******
King Yuchi Poro of Khotan halted his army on the opposite bank of the river to avoid any misunderstanding.

He himself crossed the river to the east and met Yang Qin in person.

Yang Qin was very polite to him, letting him stand beside him to observe the battle.

When they met, he carefully examined the appearance of the King of Khotan. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the King of Khotan and the King of Yanqi looked different, and that the two of them also looked somewhat different from the Cheshi people.

The Western Regions are truly home to all sorts of people, with brown eyes, blue eyes, and so on; you can't generalize at all. There are even green-eyed people who look like Sun Quan or Sima Rui.

As for hair color, there are also differences. Most people have black hair, while brown and blonde hair are less common. However, red hair is very common in Yanqi, especially their prime minister surnamed Yuan, who has red hair and blue eyes and looks like a ghost.

I've heard that among the Wusun tribe within the territory of the Later Cheshi Kingdom, there are people with green eyes and red beards. What kind of monsters are these?
While they were pondering, a fierce offensive had already been launched from the front.

Yuchi Poluo stared wide-eyed, looking intently.

Liang Bing huddled inside mobile, tortoise-shell-like fortresses, pushing forward from the inside.

"This is a cloud ladder flying vehicle, which is very common in the Central Plains," Yang Qin explained softly.

Yuchi Polu nodded.

The Kucha soldiers on the city wall seemed quite shocked, and even a little flustered, because the attack was not only launched from the east side of the city; the west side had attacked even earlier, although it seemed to be a feint.

"Buzz..." A large clump of feathered arrows rained down from the city wall, landing on the siege ladders and flying chariots.

No effect.

The combination of leather and wood made the siege ladder chariot both sturdy and fireproof, allowing it to move easily through dense arrows. Its only drawback was that it was too slow, which made Yuchi Bola anxious for them.

Behind the siege ladders and flying carts followed squads of soldiers, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front, spearmen behind, and archers interspersed among them, forming an extremely orderly formation.

"Boom!" The east gate of Kucha suddenly opened, and squads of armored and armed soldiers filed out and lined up at the city gate, numbering about a thousand.

Clearly, this is an attempt to leave the city and destroy the siege equipment.

"Dong dong..." The sound of drums rang out.

Liang Jun, who was behind the ladder truck, immediately changed his formation.

The Liao swordsmen and shield bearers marched forward in orderly steps.

The warriors of the Silver Spear Central Camp, wielding long spears, followed closely behind.

A group of people carrying bows quickly advanced from both sides.

In total, there were about a thousand people, making them evenly matched in terms of numbers.

"Whoosh. Whoosh!" Dense arrows flew back and forth between the two armies' formations, and their shield bearers gritted their teeth and held on, desperately advancing forward.

The arrows were launched over the shields and landed in the rear ranks, occasionally eliciting a muffled groan.

"Kill!" The two sides clashed directly without exchanging any words.

The warriors of the Silver Spear Camp were quick-witted and nimble-fingered, their spears striking the enemy's face, thigh, and instep with precision and ruthlessness.

The Kucha soldiers seemed somewhat intimidated by the Liang soldiers' imposing presence, their thrusts with spears were weak and inaccurate, many of their spears either dodged or struck the shields.

In the first exchange of blows, the previously well-organized human wall of the Kucha people collapsed in many places, as if hit by a flood.

The Kucha soldiers in the rear had some courage; they gritted their teeth and pushed forward to fill the gaps in the formation, holding on tightly to prevent the line from collapsing.

The rabble swordsmen and shieldmen, as if possessed, charged forward shouting and yelling.

Often, as they charged, someone would groan and fall to the ground; as they charged, someone would be covered in blood; as they charged, someone would scream in agony.

But having fought to this point, everyone knew they couldn't retreat even a step. Gritting their teeth and mustering their strength, they wreaked havoc on the first and second lines of the Kucha army, creating a tangled mess with gaps that could never be completely filled.

"Kill!" The shouts of the silver-spear soldiers following behind the swordsmen and shieldmen were deafening, their spear thrusts incredibly fierce.

With a thrust and a retraction, enemy soldiers fell to the ground one after another, and they, like fearless demons, continued forward, forward, and forward again, stepping over the corpses scattered on the ground.

"Amazing!" Yuchi Poluo, who was observing the battle, was taken aback.

One charge nearly routed the Kucha soldiers who had left the city to destroy their weapons. He knew very well that those who dared to venture out to fight were no ordinary people, yet they were defeated so decisively; the infantry of the Great Liang were indeed quite powerful.

"Thud! Thud!" The first and second ladder trucks hitched a ride on the city wall.

Shouts seemed to rise from the ground, and one after another, silver-spear soldiers rushed out, stepping on flying ladders, and charged straight towards the city wall.

The Kucha people frantically nocked arrows and tried to shoot down this group of Liang soldiers.

The city walls were filled with Kucha soldiers, all nervously watching the narrow flying ladders, their grip on their spears almost waterlogged.

Close combat finally broke out on the city walls.

The Kucha people, taking advantage of their superior numbers of soldiers and guns, launched a frenzied attack.

The Silver Spear Soldiers couldn't spread out in formation and could only charge forward in pairs, but they were extremely brave. Relying on their strong armor and sharp blades, they fearlessly leaped into the crowd, often causing a stir.

But their numbers were ultimately too small. After an initial period of adjustment, the Kucha people quickly realized that the Liang people could not effectively deploy their forces, their morale improved slightly, and with some brave warriors leading the charge, the situation on the city walls gradually stabilized.

Yuchi Polu glanced at Yang Qin subconsciously.

A fierce battle raged both on and below the city walls, yet he made no move, standing there like a statue.

Perhaps, for people like him, the dead and injured are just numbers.

It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all, as long as the goal is achieved.

(End of this chapter)