Late Han Zhao Tang

February of the sixth year of Shenwu.

On the walls of Yidao City, screams of agony rose and fell.

Taishi Ci drew his bow with both hands and fired at the Tang soldiers fighting on the city wall. He wounded two Tang soldiers with two swift arrows, then drew his sword and led his men into the crowd, engaging in a fierce battle with the Tang soldiers.

Since the earthen mound reached the same level as the city yesterday, Cao Cao's army had felt the formidable fighting power of the Tang soldiers. Only with the steadfast defense of generals Taishi Ci and Yue Jin was the first wave of Cao Cao's attack successfully withstood.

Knowing that the city walls would be difficult to defend in the future, Yue Jin risked leading his troops out of the city last night to destroy the earthen mound. However, the Tang army was prepared and had set up an ambush outside the city, defeating Yue Jin's sneak attack.

Le Jin's army was defeated and returned home. Not long after dawn, the Tang soldiers launched an even fiercer attack, hoping to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop that day.

"call!"

Taishi Ci, panting heavily, asked, "What is the situation in the city now?"

"We're surrounded by three, but one is missing!"

The attendant, clutching his injured arm, said, "Generals Yue and Jiang are each leading their troops to defend against the enemy. Today, the Tang army's offensive is unstoppable, and our army has suffered heavy casualties. If reinforcements do not arrive in the coming days, the fall of Yidao is inevitable."

As he spoke, the attendant, his face full of resentment, said, "If the people of Shu had been as fierce as they are today when the Tang people conquered Shu, how could the Tang people have conquered Shu in just a few months!"

The saying "a cowardly soldier is just one coward" aptly describes the surrendered Shu people. While serving the Sun family, the Shu soldiers were quite weak in combat. However, after surrendering to the Tang army, their lax discipline, honed by Gao Shun and Guo Huai, vanished. Furthermore, with land allocated to each household and generous benefits promised, they fought with fierce determination, a stark contrast to their previous incompetence.

Taishi Ci looked at another group of Tang soldiers gathering on the earthen hill and sighed, "Cao Ren has been defeated by Wen Ping, so where will reinforcements come from? We can only rely on you and me to hold our ground and hope to wear down the Tang army by the rainy season."

The attendants on either side remained silent. If it weren't for Taishi Ci's sense of loyalty and Yue Jin's dispatch of his personal guards to supervise the battle, given the current precarious situation, they would not have served Cao Cao until now.

"Woo!"

As the bugle sounded, the Tang army launched a renewed attack, forming ranks and marching towards the city walls. Arrows rained down from the towers, and under the cover of the arrows, the Tang soldiers, shields in hand, advanced.

"kill!"

Cao's soldiers, armed with shields to block arrows, held up the parapet under the leadership of Taishi Ci, blocking the Tang soldiers' attack.

On the city wall, thousands of people fought fiercely. Under the attack from three sides, the two armies had a total of nearly 10,000 people fighting around the city wall. As the battle progressed, corpses almost covered both sides of the city wall, and the ground was stained red with blood.

From the watchtower, Gao Shun gazed at the battlefield. Seeing that the city was still not breached, he frowned and asked.

"Any news of Xiong Tai?"

"Have!"

Sun Zi said, "According to the words of the surrendered men, Xiong Tai is currently stationed at the West Gate, but because Yue Xiang, a subordinate of Yue Jin, is guarding the gate, he dares not take over the gate guard rashly. He asks our army to wait for a while. When the battle becomes urgent, Yue Xiang will lead troops to reinforce, and he will open the gate to welcome our army."

"Tell Generals Yan Yan and Zhang Fei to be on the lookout and be the first to enter the west gate when it opens," Gao Shun said.

"promise!"

Xiong Tai was appointed magistrate of Yiling County. Seeing that the city was running out of food and that the reinforcements Cao Ren had been defeated and retreated to Gong'an, he decided to surrender the entire city to the Tang army.

The intelligence that led to Le Jin's surprise attack outside the city last night was provided by Xiong Tai. Having received this pledge of loyalty, Gao Shun believed in Xiong Tai's sincerity in surrendering and promised to recommend Xiong Tai for merit.

Xiong Tai was not an ordinary clan; he belonged to the Xiong family of Wuling. His ancestors were from the lineage of the kings of the Chu state. Although their official positions were not as prominent as those of other prominent clans, they had a large number of members.

Therefore, under the pretext of defending the city, Xiong Tai recruited a hundred villagers as his retainers, and these hundred retainers were the total force Xiong Tai used to seize the city.

By afternoon, Yue Jin was holding the north gate while Guan Yu was responsible for the siege. Under Guan Yu's fierce attack, Yue Jin gradually lost ground, and his troops suffered heavy losses. Therefore, he called for reinforcements from Yue Xiang's troops.

"The situation at the North Gate is critical. The General has ordered me to go and provide support. You will temporarily be stationed at the West Gate," Yue Xiang said.

Xiong Tai, without showing his joy, said, "Captain, go ahead with confidence. The Tang army will besiege us from the earthen mound. There are no strong troops outside the west gate. I have a hundred men under my command, as well as several hundred old and weak men. That is enough to keep the Tang army outside the city."

"good!"

Seeing Xiong Tai's repeated assurances, Yue Xiang had no doubts and led his elite force of over eight hundred men to the North Gate to support Yue Jin.

After Le Xiang left, Xiong Tai looked serious and ordered, "Under the pretext of rest, take over the city gates and wait for my signal!"

"promise!"

Soon, Xiong Tai had his younger brother Xiong Xin lead fifty men to take over the city gate, while he led the remaining fifty men up the city tower, using the pretext of having a meal to trick the guards in the corner tower into taking a break.

When the time was right, Xiong Tai ordered his men to act according to the signal. The white flag was waved three times to signal the advance.

Outside the city, Generals Zhang and Yan had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the white banner suddenly appear on the city wall, Zhang Fei immediately called his cavalry to prepare to ride into Yidao City first. Yan Yan led his infantry as reinforcements, following closely behind the Tang cavalry.

"Bah!"

As Zhang Fei led his cavalry at full speed, Xiong Xin, following the signal given by his elder brother Xiong Tai, personally led his troops to open the west gate wide, allowing the Tang cavalry to charge into the city.

"Ding Ding!"

Seeing Zhang Fei rushing to the west gate, Cao Cao's army rang the warning bell.

"Kill the thief!"

Seeing Generals Zhang and Yan leading their troops toward the west gate, the Xiong brothers, Tai and Xin, no longer concealed their intentions and led their men to massacre the bewildered Cao soldiers on the city walls. The crowd, unaware of what was happening, scattered in all directions, some of whom managed to relay the news to Yue Jin at the north gate.

At the North Gate, the short and wiry Yue Jin, with a cold expression, commanded his soldiers to form ranks and do his utmost to prevent the Tang soldiers from climbing the city wall.

"Report!"

"General, something terrible has happened!"

The soldiers looked terrified and said, "Xiong Tai has rebelled and opened the west gate to welcome the Tang people into the city."

Le Jin's face was ashen, his calloused hands gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. He hadn't expected that at this crucial moment in the battle, Xiong Tai, the magistrate of Yiling, would actually betray them. If the Tang soldiers were lured into the city now, the already precarious Yiling would be beyond saving!
"Shh!"

Le Jin exhaled a long breath, for he had held fast to Yidao for over a hundred days and had already lived up to the Prime Minister's trust.

Seeing Yue Jin's grim expression, Yue Xiang drew his ring-pommel sword and volunteered for battle, saying, "General, Xiong Tai is a treacherous scoundrel. I am willing to lead troops to reclaim Ximen."

"No need!"

Le Jin calmed down and said, "Without external reinforcements, I have held the Yidao Pass for a hundred days and have already lived up to the Prime Minister's expectations. Now that Xiong Tai has rebelled and opened the gates to welcome the Tang people, our army's fate is sealed. Therefore, rather than wasting our lives, we should stay alive and plan to serve our country again."

Le Jin was valued by Cao Cao for his merit in being the first to scale the walls, which is enough to show that he was not afraid of death. However, Le Jin's fearlessness of death did not mean that he wanted to die, especially not meaninglessly, to perish with the city.

At this moment, General Yue Jin was very clear that Yidao City would fall sooner or later, and what he had to do was to preserve his troops as much as possible and retreat to Gong'an or Lexiang to continue to resist the Tang army's attack.

As he spoke, Yue Jin looked to his left and right and instructed, "Send orders to Generals Jiang Qin and Taishi Ci, instructing them to each lead their troops to retreat to Gong'an, and under no circumstances to linger in battle!"

"promise!"

Under Le Jin's orders, Cao Cao's troops broke out through the relatively weaker eastern gate. Although Gao Shun employed a strategy of surrounding three sides while leaving one open, he still deployed cavalry outside all the gates.

The east gate was a small gate in the northeast corner. Le Jin led a group of Cao soldiers to escape. Those who could ride horses did so, while those who could not ran on foot, heading straight for the distant woods. After Le Jin's escape, Taishi Ci and Jiang Qin successively led their troops to flee.

As Cao's army fled, Tang cavalry, hidden in the forest, suddenly charged out, the front ranks carrying bows and the rear ranks carrying spears, their galloping hooves thundering.

The archer cavalry charged a certain distance, then suddenly dispersed, making way for the charge cavalry. Now, under the powerful impact of the Tang cavalry, the fleeing Cao army scattered like birds and beasts, running in all directions. The archer cavalry slowly dispersed, circling around, forcing the Cao soldiers to surrender.

On the plains, Tang cavalry pursued, while Cao's army fled. But how could two legs outrun four? Many of Cao's soldiers who had escaped from the city were captured by the Tang cavalry. Among them, generals such as Yue Jin, Taishi Ci, and Jiang Qin had changed horses before leaving the city because they were worried about the Tang cavalry.

With horses for transportation, Yue Jin took advantage of the chaos of the battlefield and his early exit from the city to ride ahead into the woods. Taishi Ci and Jiang Qin were a step behind and were thus spotted by the Tang cavalry.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Whoosh!"

The Tang cavalry leader shouted and fired an arrow, which struck Cao's soldier squarely in the face.

One arrow flew out, followed by a barrage of over a hundred arrows.

"Retreat!" Taishi Ci realized something was wrong and saw arrows raining down from all directions. He swung his spear to deflect the arrows. However, the arrows came too fast and pierced his shoulder blade. He winced in pain and let out a cold groan.

Because Taishi Ci and his two riders were conspicuous, arrows kept coming. Taishi Ci couldn't dodge in time and was hit by several arrows, falling off his horse.

The battlefield was in chaos. Before Taishi Ci could get up, a spear suddenly struck and pinned him to the ground. Taishi Ci looked down at the bloody flesh torn open on his abdomen by the spear, his head slumped down, and he closed his eyes unwillingly, gazing at the azure sky.

"Down!"

Although the Tang cavalry were scattered, they were like a fishing net spread across the plains, ensnaring Cao soldiers who attempted to escape. Seeing that they could not shake off the Tang army's pursuit, the Cao soldiers knelt down and surrendered.

Jiang Qin, fully armored and protected by his cavalry, thought he could break through the encirclement, but unexpectedly, the Tang cavalry, seeing that Jiang Qin was no ordinary person, attacked him from both inside and outside the encirclement.

Another arrow flew by, striking a Cao army cavalryman beside him, which made Jiang Qin even more panicked.

Seeing dozens of Tang cavalrymen surrounding him, Jiang Qin knew he could not escape. He sighed deeply, considering the dire situation and the fact that he had already fought and died for Cao Cao many times, and thus decided to surrender!
"Surr to Tang!"

"Down!"

Jiang Qinsong's surrender inspired all the Cao soldiers to surrender as well, and the Tang soldiers joyfully led the surrendered soldiers back to their camp.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, Gao Shun, based on reports from his subordinates, was generally aware of the news that Le Jin had fled, Taishi Ci had died in battle, and Jiang Qin had surrendered.

With a slight smile on his serious face, Gao Shun said to Sun Zi, "After besieging the city for over a hundred days, we have finally broken through Yidao City, and the gateway to Jingnan has been opened."

Sun Zi smiled and said, "Of the three generals, one died, one escaped, and one was captured. Since the start of the campaign, more than ten thousand prisoners of war have been captured. General, you can be called the number one general in the Eastern Expedition!"

"Wen Ping decisively defeated Cao Ren; his achievements are no less than mine!"

Gao Shun calmly said, "Now that Yidao has been breached, let's send a swift report to Chang'an to ease Your Majesty's worries!"

"Yes, sir!" the clerk replied.

Sun Zi said, "If Yidao City falls, Commander-in-Chief, you should first surrender Wuling, and then lead the main army to join Wen Ping. If Gong'an falls at that time, then the various prefectures of Jingzhou can issue proclamations to the commandery."

Gao Shun nodded slightly and said, "The siege of Yidao has lasted for a hundred days, and the soldiers and civilians are filled with anxiety and fear. I would be grateful if you could comfort them!"

"good!"
-
Gao Shun's victory at Yidao City spread throughout the army, greatly boosting the morale of the southern expeditionary force.

Sun Zi accepted the surrender of Cao Cao's army, and in accordance with the previous appeasement policy, he released the captured Cao Cao soldiers and sent them back to their hometowns, leaving clever soldiers as guides, and said that those who surrendered to Tang would be exempt from taxes this year.

At that time, several thousand Cao soldiers returned to their hometowns and spread the word about the benevolent policies of the Tang army. In addition, two thousand soldiers who had been released and returned to their hometowns were also released. As a result, the good deeds of the Tang army were widely praised in the villages and counties west of the Xiang River.

After his reputation spread, Gao Shun led his troops south to Wuling. The journey was smooth and unimpeded. Many powerful families welcomed the royal army with food and drink, helping those in distress and driving out the wicked Cao family.

As the counties of Wuling County surrendered one after another, Gao Shun's troops advanced eastward and joined forces with Wen Ping's troops. Meanwhile, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, along with Guo Huai, led the navy eastward down the river and joined Zhang Liao's army stationed at Xiakou.

Upon learning that Guo Huai had led his navy to join forces with Zhang Liao's army, Cao Cao's army was greatly alarmed.

Inside the large tent, the orange lamplight flickered, dispelling the darkness on the map under Cao Cao's hand.

"call!"

Looking at the Tang army's encampment marked on the map, Cao Cao let out a long sigh, as if trying to exhale the worries weighing on his heart.

"With the fall of Yidao City, the Jing and Yi armies have joined forces, and the enemy forces are numerous, making it even more difficult to defeat them!" Cao Cao thought to himself.

"Prime Minister!"

Liu Ye received the imperial edict and entered the tent to receive his orders.

"How is the morale of the army in the camp today?" Cao Cao asked, composed himself.

Liu Ye hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since we learned that Yidao City has fallen and the Yizhou navy has joined forces with Zhang Liao, all the soldiers and officers are worried and deeply fearful of the enemy's large numbers."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and asked, "Ziyang, do you have a plan to repel the Tang army?"

"I have a plan, but whether it succeeds or not depends on fate!" Liu Ye said.

"Where did you come up with this plan?" Cao Cao asked.

Liu Ye cupped his hands and said, “The southeastern territory is vast, and our army has blocked the Tang people layer by layer, so they cannot be completely subdued. In March, the spring waters are just rising, and the weather is gradually getting hot. Diseases are common in waterlogged areas. The northerners are not used to the climate and water, and they will surely be troubled by the disease. When the enemy is sick, it will be the opportunity for the Prime Minister to use his troops to defeat them.”

Cao Cao nodded slightly and sighed, "I wonder if Gong'an, Shouchun, and Huaiyin can hold out for a hundred days, until the summer floods."

“Shouchun and Huaiyin have stockpiled grain for a year, their city walls are strong, and their soldiers and officials are loyal. They may be able to hold out for a hundred days. I am only afraid that Gong’an will not be able to hold out for a hundred days. If Gong’an is lost, then all the land west of Xiakou will fall into the hands of the enemy,” Liu Ye said.

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time before saying, "Although Cao Ren lacks wisdom and strategy, he is exceptionally courageous. Now that he understands the importance of Gong'an, how could he not fight with all his might?"

Liu Ye said, "The Prime Minister wishes to hold out against the enemy for a long time, but the soldiers are worried and fearful. The Prime Minister needs to come up with a plan to appease them."

Cao Cao placed the lamp on the table and said, "Raise the tent and summon all the generals to the main tent to receive orders."

"promise!"

Unaware of Cao Cao's true intentions, Liu Ye accepted the order.

After a while, the Cao army officers who were about to go to bed received the news that Cao Cao was taking up his tent. They dared not delay and hurriedly rushed to the main tent.

Inside the tent, Cao Cao's worried expression vanished, replaced by a beaming smile as he greeted his generals. The generals, however, were astonished to see no sign of Cao Cao's distress.

Once all the generals had arrived, Cao Cao said, "From this day forward, the camps shall be closed and no battles shall be fought with the Tang invaders. Anyone who violates this rule shall be punished according to military law."

"This~"

The generals looked at each other, wondering why Cao Cao had changed his strategy of challenging them to battle. Was he perhaps afraid that if the troops from Yizhou arrived, the Tang army would have no choice but to resist?
"Prime Minister, the Tang army has already broken through Yidao, and their troops are constantly gathering. Zhang Liao's army is gradually increasing in number. If we do not take advantage of the time before Wen Ping and Gao Shun arrive to defeat the enemy, when does the Prime Minister intend to do so?" Cao Hong asked boldly.

Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "I already have a plan to defeat the enemy, but the time is not yet ripe. My gentlemen, please be patient for a while. When the time comes, defeating the enemy will be as easy as turning your hand!"

"May I ask what the Prime Minister's plan is?" Cao Xiu asked.

"Ha ha!"

Cao Cao waved his hand and laughed, saying, "Military secrets cannot be revealed. You will all know the plan in the future. From this day forward, obey my orders and do not leave the camp without my command."

"As ordered!"

Seeing Cao Cao's confidence, the generals, though not fully understanding, were impressed and readily accepted the order.

Among the crowd, Zhou Yu looked suspicious. He didn't know what other strategies Cao Cao had to defeat the enemy.

Scanning the crowd, Zhou Yu noticed that Liu Ye seemed to have gained some insight, and he secretly noted it down.

After the banquet ended, Zhou Yu quickly approached Liu Ye and asked directly, "Does Ziyang know about the Prime Minister's strategy for defeating the enemy?"

Liu Ye shook his head and said, "I am unaware of the Prime Minister's strategy?"

Zhou Yu smiled and said, "Ziyang, do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

As he spoke, Zhou Yu stopped in front of Liu Ye and sneered, "The fire attack and the provocation strategy have both failed. Prime Minister, you refuse to engage the Tang army. Do you expect the Tang soldiers to be infected with the plague and win without a fight?"

"I see that the Prime Minister has exhausted his plans. His order for the generals to hold their ground and not venture out is nothing more than an attempt to reassure the people!"

Liu Ye remained silent for a moment, then said, "Since Gongjin knows the Prime Minister's true intentions, why do you press me for an answer?"

Previously, Zhang Liao's stalemate with Cao Cao prevented him from devising a strategy to defeat the enemy. Now, with the Yi Province navy's large ships gathered at Xiakou, Cao Cao's navy is highly likely to be defeated. Moreover, Wen Ping's navy could arrive in a day, further diminishing Cao Cao's chances of victory.

Therefore, without any strategy, Cao Cao could only rely on what Liu Ye said was the will of Heaven, hoping that the Tang soldiers would be infected with the plague in the spring and summer.

Seeing that Liu Ye acknowledged Cao Cao's intention in holding the tent today, Zhou Yu said with a sigh, "This plan has more failures than victories, but it is also a rare strategy to defeat the enemy."

P.S.: I was busy with renovations yesterday and today, so I missed the third update. I'll combine the two into one update today. I'm free tomorrow, so I'll make up for the third update I missed the day before yesterday. I'll make up for the missing words today the day after tomorrow. (End of Chapter)