Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chen Jie snorted coldly and said:

"I originally intended to send these prisoners to a factory in Shandong to atone for their sins."

"But now it seems that sparing their lives is letting them off easy."

"As subjects of the Great Qian Dynasty, they actually sided with the Japanese and harmed the people of my Great Qian."

“I will immediately announce to the world that they will be beheaded and their heads displayed as a warning to others.”

hiss--!
Upon hearing this, Lü Yaozong was so frightened that he shivered all over.

Although Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, raised the banner of rebellion and even wanted to overthrow the rule of the Daqian Dynasty.

but,

He was a prince, a descendant of the Li family.

In every respect, he has the same right of succession as the royal family.

If the rule of the royal family goes wrong, it will lead to widespread suffering, internal and external troubles, and even invasion by foreign enemies.

So, as descendants of the Li family, even if they overthrow the rule of the current imperial family, it is merely an internal power struggle within the Li family.

But the situation is completely different now.

Once Chen Jie announces to the world that Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, has colluded with the Japanese, he will make it public.

Then the King of Shu would be completely finished.

This is why Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, never engaged in deep cooperation with either the Kwantung Army or the Ximen Tang.

Li Chuang knew very well that he absolutely could not lose the 'Li family halo'.

This delicate balance, once broken...

King Li Xiang of Shu had no way out but to fight to the bitter end, except to be annihilated.

If the greater good of the nation is lost, the Sichuan region will likely descend into chaos.

In the past, the imperial court had no way to deal with Li Zicheng, the Prince of Shu.

Because the title of 'King of Shu' is hereditary, bestowed by the ancestors of the Li family.

No one likes to be betrayed and abandoned by everyone, and Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was even less willing to do so.

but,

Once he colludes with the Japanese and is accused of harming the people of the Great Qian Dynasty, Li Zicheng, the Prince of Shu, will surely be deserted by his followers.

then,

Lü Yaozong quickly retorted, "You're talking nonsense! Our Shu army has never sided with the Japanese. You're distorting the truth and slandering us!"

Chen Jie snorted coldly and said calmly:
"Slandering you? Then I'll behead Li Xiang first and announce it to the world. I want to see how you explain yourself to the people of the Great Qian Dynasty."

Lu Yaozong's expression changed instantly.

Given Chen Jie's current status and position, he could actually do it if he wanted to.

call--!
He couldn't help but take a deep breath and said:
"Prince Qian, must you really want to kill the King of Shu? Can't you show some mercy and be lenient?"

"Although in terms of the army's combat effectiveness, I admit that our Shu army is no match for Ximentang."

"But don't forget, our Shu army still has 500,000 troops. In the land of Shu, no one understands the people of Shu better than us!"

"Even if your Ximen Hall recovers the land of Shu, in the end it will still need the people of Shu to govern it."

"The King of Shu sent me to negotiate with you because he doesn't want to completely break off relations with you."

"Don't think you've got us figured out. Otherwise, if chaos erupts throughout Sichuan, your Ximen Hall's forces won't be able to handle the situation!"

"I hope you won't regret it by then!"

It must be said that Lü Yaozong was quite capable to represent the King of Shu in negotiations.

He did indeed find Ximentang's weakness.

Since Ximen Tang took over the capital and controlled the situation of the Great Qian Dynasty, he has not sent troops to suppress the vassal kings in various places.

The reason is simple: they don't want to cause even greater chaos.

Whether it was the Northwest Army, the Sichuan Army, the Guangdong Army, the Guangxi Army, the Hunan Army in southern Hunan, and so on.

It is better to incorporate those who can be appeased through appeasement, as this will cause less harm to the local people.

Chen Jie does not want to use force internally unless absolutely necessary.

This attack on the Shu army was intended to make an example of them, to intimidate the regional lords and make them hesitant to cause trouble.

Chen Jie laughed wildly and said in a deep voice:
"You're threatening me? Mr. Lü, you don't seem to know me very well."

"You think I'm worried about falling out with Prince Li Chuang of Shu? Let me remind you, the hereditary title of Prince of Shu can be retained, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll become Li Chuang!"

"You don't need to worry about governing the Shu region. I believe that as long as the court appoints a new King of Shu, many people will be willing to do it."

"Since you are so stubborn, there's nothing more to talk about. Go back and tell Li Chuang that if he's not satisfied, he should send troops out, and we'll fight again!"

"Doesn't he still have an army of 500,000? I only have tens of thousands of soldiers here, waiting for him to come and fight."

"If he can defeat me, he can not only rescue Li Xiang, but also obtain all the supplies that Ximen Hall has in the Hanzhong area."

“I will wait for him for three days to mobilize his troops. If he does not come to attack, I will send troops to attack Xiangyang, and then attack Shancheng, until I attack Tianfu!”

"Want to fight? It's not that hard. I want to see how long the remaining 500,000 elite troops of Shu can hold off my Ximen Tang's army."

boom--!
After Chen Jie finished speaking, he exuded an aura of dominance, giving people an indescribable psychological impact.

He did not deliberately intimidate Lü Yaozong with murderous intent, but rather his aura naturally emanated outwards.

in fact,

Lu Yaozong was merely imitating the King of Shu in bluffing in front of Chen Jie.

Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, claimed to have an army of 800,000, but where did he get so many truly elite troops?

This battle with Ximentang resulted in the loss of elite troops.

If the battle with Ximentang continues, the Shu army will have no chance to resist.

Seeing Chen Jie's strong stance, completely disregarding threats and refusing to be swayed by either soft or hard tactics, they realized that he was not going to back down.

Lu Yaozong felt his scalp tingling and didn't know how to continue the conversation.

I made some really harsh threats just now, and now I don't know how to back down.

He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"Prince Qian, you are too domineering!"

"Don't think that just because Ximen Tang controls the capital, everything can be resolved by force!"

"Too rigid, it's easy to break!"

"Don't push things too far. Let's leave each other a way out; it's better for both sides!"

A smile appeared on Chen Jie's face, and he sneered:
"Are you teaching me how to do things? Does Li Chuang ever leave himself an out?"

“He took the initiative to come to me for cooperation, saying that he wanted to encircle and annihilate the Kwantung Army, but then he turned his guns on my Ximentang.”

"Did he ever think about leaving a way out for others?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yaozong said, "But—!"

However, he stammered for a long time but couldn't utter a single word.

From any perspective, Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, went too far in this matter.

Chen Jie, too lazy to waste any more words with Lü Yaozong, cut to the chase:

"Mr. Lü, you need to understand, you're the one who's come to me to discuss this, not the other way around!"

"Go back first and tell King Li Chuang of Shu that if he still wants to be King of Shu, he should hand over his military power!"

"Here, let's see the guests off!"

The guards stepped forward and, without saying a word, grabbed Lü Yaozong and dragged him out of the council hall.

Lu Yaozong struggled wildly, kicking his legs, as if trying to say something more.

but,

The guards ignored him and simply threw him outside the council hall.

One of the bodyguards looked at Lü Yaozong and snorted coldly:

"Old man, I've told you before, don't pretend like that!"

"The Shu army has been utterly defeated by our Ximen Tang, what's there for you to pretend to be?"

"Since you've come to ask us for a favor, then act like you're asking for a favor."

"If the Shu army wants to fight another battle with our Ximentang, we warmly welcome them."

After Lü Yaozong left, Chen Jie suddenly realized that he seemed to have been wrong.

He originally thought that after being severely beaten by Ximen Tang and suffering heavy casualties, King Li Chuang of Shu would keep a low profile and return to Shu with his tail between his legs.

but,

To his surprise, this bastard actually put on airs and wanted to negotiate with him.

He originally issued the announcement so that King Li Chuang of Shu would personally come to his door to apologize, and only then would he let him off the hook.

I never expected that this bastard would send someone over to discuss this, and he even acted so arrogantly. It was as if he was doing me a huge favor by asking me to talk to him.

That makes sense, though. Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was always stubborn, arrogant, and domineering.

Even if he gets slapped a few times, he'll probably still put on a 'princely demeanor'!
perhaps,

He himself could not face the defeat of the Shu army, let alone see the overall situation of the Daqian Dynasty.

To put it simply, we haven't completely defeated Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, or made him suffer enough.

We must teach him a lesson he won't forget, until he has no way out, before he will completely submit and hand over his military power.

then,

Early on the third day.

Chen Jie immediately ordered that only 10,000 troops be left to defend Xiaogan, while the other 50,000 elite troops be sent to attack Xiangyang Prefecture!

This time,
We must beat Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, until he submits and surrenders.

After returning to Xiangyang, Lü Yaozong told Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, everything that had happened in Xiaogan.

"Prince Qian! You bastard—you've gone too far!"

King Li Zicheng of Shu was furious, and his fiery temper flared up once again, causing him to erupt in a rage.

He wished he could tear Chen Jie to pieces.

but,

He knew very well that acting impulsively would not solve anything.

When Lu Yaozong told me that he saw Li Xiang in Ximentang's military camp, and that Li Xiang was in a terrible state, not only being forced into hard labor but also enduring inhuman torture.

For a while,
Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

but,

They sent someone to talk to Chen Jie again, trying to get him to back down and hand over control of the Shu army, but he couldn't do it.

therefore,

Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, didn't sleep all night, his teeth aching from the pain.

However, he really couldn't come up with any good solutions.

Xi Mentang's fighting power was like a mountain, making it hard for him to breathe.

Three days later, around 2 p.m.

King Li Chuang of Shu took a nap at noon. Because he hadn't slept well the night before, he fell into a deep sleep.

Unexpectedly, in my sleep, a guard rushed into my room and whispered urgently:
"Your Highness, wake up! Something terrible has happened! Ximen Tang's army has begun attacking Xiangyang!"

"What!?"

King Li Chuang of Shu was startled awake and jumped up.

Although Lü Yaozong reported to him after his return that Prince Qian, Chen Jie, was likely to order an attack on Xiangyang.

but,

King Li Chuang of Shu believed that this was nothing more than Chen Jie bluffing.

Xiangyang City was known as a strategic location that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Back then, Hong Yanchuan, the Grand General of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty, led an army of 300,000 to attack Xiangyang, but ultimately suffered a crushing defeat and almost lost his entire army.

If Ximentang attacks Xiangyang Prefecture at this time, wouldn't that be courting death?
Although the artillery of the West Gate was very powerful and it possessed an incomparably strong tank army.

but,

After all, the number of people was too small, with less than 50,000 troops.

In general,

Given Xiangyang's defensive capabilities, an attacking force of at least five times the size would be needed to breach Xiangyang's defenses.

Even if Ximentang's combat strength is strong, surely he needs three times the number of troops?
Currently, there are 200,000 troops stationed in Xiangyang City. In addition, there are 200,000 troops under the command of Prince Ning, Li Mu, stationed in Xiangzhou, on the other side of the Han River in Xiangyang.

Artillery sieges require wide roads.

There were three moats outside Xiangyang City, so artillery and other heavy weapons could not get close to the city walls at all.

The soldiers of Ximentang couldn't possibly charge forward while simultaneously firing cannons, could they?
Moreover, on both sides of the main city wall of Xiangyang, King Li Zicheng of Shu had deployed one hundred Weiyuan cannons.

King Li Chuang of Shu could not believe that Ximentang would attack Xiangyang Prefecture at this time.

but,

To the surprise of Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, Ximen Tang actually attacked Xiangyang.

"Damn it—that's too arrogant! This is outrageous!"

Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was furious, his eyes turning red.

He quickly got out of bed and, with several trusted generals, headed to the city wall of Xiangyang.

Ximentang launched his attack from the south gate of Xiangyang Prefecture.

When Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, led his generals to the South Gate, before they even climbed the city wall, they heard the piercing sound of cannon fire from afar.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
damn it!
Another massive saturation bombardment ensued.

King Li Zicheng of Shu was so frustrated that he coughed up blood and quickly ran towards the city wall.

Then,

Bang-bang-!
The sound of a high explosion echoed all around, as if the entire city wall was about to collapse.

After Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, climbed the city wall, he had not yet had time to watch the battle.

Woohoo——!
All I could hear was a piercing whooshing sound.

Clang, clang, clang—!
The expert beside him, who had reached the Great Perfection of the Meridian Opening Realm, used his longsword to parry left and right, accurately blocking several bullets aimed at Li Chuang, the King of Shu.

If they had been even a fraction of a second slower, Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, would have had his head blown off by a bullet.

Sniper bullet!

The bullet that was blocked by the skilled guard was aimed at by a sniper 800 meters away.

Fortunately, King Li Chuang of Shu was always accompanied by several super strong warriors, otherwise he would have died as soon as he reached the city wall.

hiss--!
Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was nearly assassinated, which gave him a fright.

Damn—that's too dangerous!
His head was just a hair's breadth away from exploding.

Five bullets were aimed at the head of Li Zicheng, the King of Shu. Although they were blocked by the skilled guard, the sword in his hand was also shattered and broken in two.

That is,

While Ximentang was attacking, many snipers were lying in ambush in the distance, specifically to snipe the commanders on the city wall.

The shelling outside the city grew increasingly frequent and intense.

Some shells bombarded the city gates directly, while others fell in a parabolic trajectory from high altitudes, bombarding the city walls.

The combined attack of field artillery and mortars at Ximentang was awe-inspiring.

The Shu soldiers guarding the city wall were blasted away and fled in panic, all seeking cover.

One after another, the Weiyuan cannons mounted on the city wall were destroyed.

Precision strike!

In an instant, all the artillerymen around the Weiyuan Cannon ran away, no longer daring to stay next to it.

It is clear,
The Weiyuan cannon was a key target of Ximentang's artillery attacks.

Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, hid behind a bunker in the city wall's defensive fortifications and looked through a monocular telescope.

Three miles outside Xiangyang City, Ximentang set up a cannon array.

There were so many cannons that it was impossible to count them all.

At first glance, it's densely packed, enough to make your scalp tingle.

There were field guns from Ximentang firing at an angle, as well as dense mortars.

Several artillery positions fired continuously at the city walls of Xiangyang Prefecture.

In front of the artillery array, soldiers from Ximentang were setting up a pontoon bridge over the first moat.

Although Ximentang did not use tanks to launch the attack, the entire outer defensive fortification of Xiangyang City was almost completely destroyed after the full coverage of artillery fire.

Once the pontoon bridge is in place, Ximentang's army will be able to advance unimpeded.

Although the city walls of Xiangyang Prefecture had been reinforced, they were unlikely to suffer significant damage from ordinary artillery bombardment.

but,

The Simentang field guns used armor-piercing shells.

Each cannonball that hit the city wall blasted a huge hole in it.

The city wall near the city gate was riddled with holes by the field artillery of Ximentang.

The city gates of Xiangyang had already collapsed during the first round of artillery fire! (End of Chapter)