Han officials

Chapter 139: Sharpening the Gun Before the Battle [Happy New Year! ]

The fifth year of Zhongping, November, Bingwu day.

The city inside the country was broken, and Liaodong Governor Wei Zhe rewarded the army for three days, and the King of Goguryeo retreated to Maruyama City!
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History books are like this, sometimes there may be corpses hidden behind just a few words.

Wei Zhe once wanted to follow the example of later generations and build an iron army with ideals and beliefs.

But what he saw and heard in the past few years made him give up this unrealistic idea!

The scholars in high positions indulge in pleasure all day long, but let the soldiers who have risked their lives become moral saints. This is even more absurd than Wang Mang’s ideal back then!
Soldiers can be tamed, but they are difficult to educate, at least this is the case with the current lower-level Han army.

Wealth, glory, fine wine and beautiful women, these are their most simple ideas.

As long as they are given what they want, they will die for Wei Zhe, and that is enough!

Kindness does not command the army, righteousness does not engage in business,
The benevolent should not govern, and the good should not be an official.

These words may be a bit extreme, but they do make sense.

At least Wei Zhe's kingly way is only willing to be imposed on the Han people, and it is enough to use hegemony against foreign countries!

……

The next day, Maruyama Castle.

"Your Majesty, the Han people are approaching again!"

Zuo Fu Yu Su was seen reporting the latest news to Gao Nanwu with a worried look on his face.

However, Gao Nanwu said nothing when he heard this, but just stared at the sky outside the window.

Since Maruyama Castle was built purely for defense, Gao Nanwu's bedroom was quite narrow, basically no different from the main hall of an ordinary Han family.

However, Gao Nanwu no longer cared about these external things at the moment. He was getting thinner and thinner, and he was becoming more and more abnormal.

Yu Su talked for a long time before he finally said blankly, "Is it snowing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Su, who was reporting on the storage materials in the city, was stunned.

Then he came to his senses and nodded quickly, "It snowed a little last night."

Upon hearing this, Gao Nanwu, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, burst into laughter.

"Good, good move!" Gao Nanwu laughed hysterically, "Hahaha~ Destiny is in my hands! Destiny is in my hands!"

Looking at the scene in front of him, Yu Su felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that hiding in Maruyama Castle might not be a good thing.

But it's too late to say anything now.

After the internal city was broken that day, he and a group of Goguryeo nobles took all their family assets and retreated to Maruyama City with Gao Nanwu. In order to hold out as long as possible, they even abandoned many of their collateral bloodlines.

After the city was captured, these Goguryeo noble ladies became prizes for Wei Zhe to reward his army.

Thinking of this, Yu Su couldn't help but frown even deeper.

Now he could only hope that his king's plan could be realized, otherwise everything would be over.

……

At the same time, the Han camp was under the city.

Wei Zhe couldn't help but feel relieved after patrolling the army.

It seems that the three-day reward for the army was effective. Now the Han army has obviously shaken off its decadent spirit and regrouped.

Although most movies and TV dramas are just jokes, if there really was such a "General Yuwen" in ancient times, even if he couldn't win every battle, at least a general like him would have a glimmer of hope before his subordinates died in battle.

After returning to the commander's tent, the generals were chatting casually with a relaxed look on their faces.

After all, after fighting for so long, not only the ordinary soldiers, but also the generals were nervous.

Now that they have a rare opportunity to vent, they naturally won't pretend to be gentlemen.

However, when they saw Wei Zhe, the generals immediately restored order.

Wei Zhe didn't say anything when he saw this. He just glanced at Jiao Shan beside him and said, "Shan Jun, why didn't you have some fun last night?"

Wei Zhe remembered that he had someone stuff a noble lady from Goguryeo into Jiaoshan's house.

Although the other party's beauty is not as graceful and elegant as that of Han women, she can still be considered pretty.

Unexpectedly, Jiao Shan smiled innocently when he heard this: "I feel uneasy when I am not guarding beside you, my lord."

It’s not that Jiao Shan doesn’t like women, but compared to women, he cares more about his lord Wei Zhe.

It’s true, his honest and straightforward personality is just what Wei Zhe likes.

Hearing him say this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Then he patted Jiao Shan's arm with a cheerful look on his face and said, "Don't stand outside anymore. I'll have someone set up a Hu bed for you in front of the bed, and you stay there and watch over it!"

Jiao Shan didn't care when he heard this, and immediately nodded happily in agreement.

However, Liu Yi, Han Zhong and others on the side couldn't help but look at this big fool with envy when they heard this.

It's true that fools have good fortune. If they had known this, they wouldn't have just cared about their own pleasure last night!
Not to mention how they are fanciful.

After chatting for a while, Wei Zhe got down to business.

"Except for the young and strong, all other prisoners should be dismissed. They will not be needed in the upcoming battles."

Wei Zhe had already conducted a detailed survey of the terrain of Maruyama Castle, and the ordinary ant-based siege method was not very effective.

In this case, keeping these captives would only be a waste of food.

Hearing this, Xi Zhicai immediately changed his mind and suggested, "Mingsir, why not reward these people?"

After saying this, he pointed outside the tent and said, "Give these old, weak, women and children to them. On the one hand, we can reward them according to their merits, and on the other hand, we can make the Goguryeo rebels here completely irreconcilable with the Gao Nanwu."

These captives were useless to Wei Zhe, but not necessarily to the Goguryeo rebels.

I have to say that Xi Zhicai has made full use of his resources.

So Wei Zhe thought for a moment and nodded: "Well, let's follow this plan!"

Wei Zhe then discussed with the generals how to attack Maruyama Castle.

Finally, after a lot of brainstorming, we came up with a solution that was not a solution.

That is to cut down the surrounding large trees, manufacture a large number of shield carts, and advance step by step.

Although the method is a bit rigid, it is a good medicine for the current Han army!

So in the following days, the war broke out again.

……

The next day, at the foot of Maruyama Castle.

Only crudely made shield carts appeared in front of the Han army.

The so-called shield car is actually a large cage made of rough logs, filled with weeds and vines in the middle.

This was the first time for the military craftsmen to make it, so they were not sure about its effect.

Therefore, Wei Zhe waved his hand, and a group of Goguryeo rebels, some in panic, some in madness, rushed into the shield carts.

Then, as the rumbling sound of war drums sounded, this group of people worked together to carry the shield carts and approached the lowest Maruyama city wall under the cover of the Han army's rain of arrows.

Seeing this situation, the Goguryeo general Gu Duer on the city wall did not dare to be negligent.

Although it was the first time for him to see shield carts, Gu Duer did not dare to take them lightly. Before they got close, he ordered the guards on the city wall to throw down battering rams under the rain of arrows.

In an instant, stones as big as heads were seen rolling down from the top of the steps. There were bursts of loud rumbling noises, and these battering rams hit the shield carts under the city like rolling balls.

Even though most of the boulders missed their targets, the remaining ones still caused great damage to the shield carts under the city.

Under the huge impact of the rolling stones, the shield cars were either smashed to pieces or turned upside down by the impact, and then rolled down the steps along with the rolling stones.

However, within the time it takes to stick up an incense stick, dozens of shield carts were destroyed, and the area below Maruyama Castle was covered in blood and flesh, with the sound of wailing.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe's face darkened. Even if the Maruyama Castle guards suffered casualties during the stone-throwing process, such a price was undoubtedly insignificant to the defenders.

The most important thing is that this is only the outermost layer of stone wall of Maruyama Castle. Who knows how many more walls there are behind that he needs to conquer.

If he had to continue "peeling the onion" according to this casualty ratio, Wei Zhe would rather withdraw his troops.

He was not Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and his soldiers should not be wasted so lightly in a small mountain city.

However, Wei Zhe did not say much. He immediately tried several different ways of attacking the city, but all had little effect.

Seeing this, he did not force it and directly ordered the troops to retreat.

After seeing this scene, the Goguryeo dignitaries who had been paying close attention to what was happening here immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

For a time, many Goguryeo dignitaries surrounded Gao Nanwu and flattered him, making him more and more proud.

……

At the same time, Wei Zhe, who had returned to the Han army camp, came to the baggage area to inspect it.

He had no discrimination against any trade and started discussing directly with the craftsmen accompanying the army.

Many of these craftsmen have followed him for three or four years and know Wei Zhe's character.

So, upon hearing Wei Zhe's generous reward for a solution, a young carpenter finally timidly raised his hand and said, "General, I have an idea... but I'm not sure how effective it will be."

Seeing this, Wei Zhe immediately said in a gentle voice, "It's okay. Feel free to speak your mind. Even if it doesn't work, I won't blame you!"

After receiving this assurance, the young carpenter finally plucked up the courage to ask, "General, how about making the front of the shield cart pointed?"

Afraid Wei Zhe didn't understand, he gestured and explained, "It's like an upside-down boat. But we can make the bottom of the boat harder. That way, even if a rock hits it, it will slide to the left or right, reducing the damage to the shield car!"

As soon as these words came out, Wei Zhe's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said happily: "Come here, reward ten gold!"

When the baggage camp saw that the young carpenter really got ten gold coins, there was an uproar.

Many craftsmen immediately put aside their worries and rushed to offer suggestions, racking their brains.

So Wei Zhe only spent a hundred gold coins and successfully upgraded the shield car to the second generation!
The next day, when Xi Zhicai saw the shield carts that the supply battalion had hastily made, he couldn't help but show an expression of amazement.

Although compared with other literati and scholars, Xi Zhicai is considered open-minded.

But having grown up in Yingchuan County, he still somewhat looked down on these menial jobs.

"I never thought that this generation could be so ingenious."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately laughed and jokingly said, "Has Zhicai forgotten the story of Mozi and Gongshu Ban?"

According to the book "Mozi", during the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Chu once wanted to attack the State of Song. Upon hearing this, Mozi immediately ordered his disciples to go to the State of Song to help defend it, and personally went to the State of Chu to try to persuade the King of Chu to give up this idea.

It was in this context that Mozi had a real armchair discussion with Gongshu Ban.

Mozi untied his belt to make a city, and used tokens as weapons. Gongshu Pan devised nine strategies for attacking the city, but Mozi rejected them all. When Gongshu Pan's attacking weapons were exhausted, Mozi still had enough to defend the city.

Putting aside Mozi's political ideas, this is actually a contest between two master craftsmen.

In the end, the reason why the King of Chu stopped fighting was not because he was convinced by Mozi's ideas, but because Mozi's city defense skills were better.

Xi Zhicai naturally knew about this Spring and Autumn story, so he immediately laughed at himself.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe did not continue to tease him. After a moment, he led his troops to attack the city again.

It’s true, the defensive effect of the shield car is much better this time.

After a fierce battle, hundreds of Goguryeo vassal troops successfully arrived at the city, and half of the nearly one hundred shield carts survived.

After seeing this scene, Wei Zhe nodded slightly.

This move is a bit crude, but it is really useful. At least it can greatly reduce the damage of rolling stones.

After all, when attacking such a steep mountain city, the threat of rolling stones is no different from a catapult.

However, Gu Duer on the city wall was not stupid. He quickly attacked with kerosene, causing heavy casualties to the Goguryeo vassal army under the stone wall.

Wei Zhe frowned subconsciously when he saw this, but he quickly thought of a way to deal with it.

In fact, the army has always had many ways to deal with city defense methods such as kerosene.

For example, applying mud on the shield cart and preparing a few bags of sand inside can greatly reduce the risk of fire attack.

Even if the damage caused by kerosene could not be completely avoided, the casualties among the soldiers would not be that great.

Besides, kerosene is not a cheap thing, and Wei Zhe doesn't believe that Maruyama Castle can be used forever.

This is indeed the case. As Wei Zhe continued to counter the enemy's moves, more and more Goguryeo vassal troops were able to successfully rush to the stone wall, followed by the Han army.

Soon, the first layer of the outer wall of Maruyama Castle was breached by the Han army.

After taking down the first layer of the stone wall, Wei Zhe thought that the Goguryeo nobles and Gao Nanwu and others in the mountain city should have lost the confidence to continue holding on.

In order to reduce unnecessary casualties, he took the initiative to send a Goguryeo person to persuade them to surrender.

However, what Wei Zhe did not expect was that Gao Nanwu actually chopped the man to death and hung the body for public display.

After seeing this scene, the Han army generals were so angry that their faces turned red.

"General, give the order. I am willing to be the first to ascend!"

"Yes, General, this thief is stubborn and will not change his ways. I will tear him into pieces!"

Looking at the excited Han army generals, Wei Zhe calmed down instead.

He just shook his head slowly: "Don't say anything more, withdraw your troops!"

Seeing Wei Zhe said this, the soldiers had no choice but to withdraw their troops and return to the camp no matter how unwilling they were.

However, after returning to the camp, Wei Zhe told the truth in front of Xi Zhicai:

"There must be something fishy going on here. If Gao Nanwu was truly so stubborn, he shouldn't have perished along with the enemy when the city was broken. Instead, he continued to hide in the mountains and struggle to survive."

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai nodded and agreed with Wei Zhe's analysis.

Then he seemed to suddenly think of something, and said thoughtfully: "Maybe... he still has someone to rely on!"

These words reminded Wei Zhe that this was indeed the only possibility.

But the war had come to this point, and Wei Zhe really couldn't think of any way Gao Nanwu could turn the situation around.

Even if he were in Gao Nanwu's situation, Wei Zhe felt that he would not be able to turn the tide.

Due to doubts, Wei Zhe did not continue to attack the city in the next few days, but ordered the entire army to rest temporarily.

Three days later, when Wei Zhe saw heavy snow suddenly falling outside the tent, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I see, he's just waiting!"

Xi Zhicai was puzzled when he heard this: "What are you waiting for?"

"Waiting for winter! Waiting for us to run out of food!" Wei Zhe looked solemnly at the falling snow outside the tent and said in a deep voice, "He's waiting for God to defeat us!"

After hearing what Wei Zhe said, Xi Zhicai quickly guessed Gao Nanwu's intention and was immediately shocked.

It’s true. If Goguryeo continues to fight like this, it may not be without a chance of survival!
It can be said that Gao Nanwu achieved the right time, right place and right people in a disguised way, at least in Maruyama Castle.

Faced with such a tenacious and difficult enemy, Wei Zhe was a little worried for a moment.

However, even though he couldn't think of a solution for the time being, Wei Zhe did not just sit there and wait for death.

He first ordered the baggage train to make some simple repairs to the houses in the city, and then ordered the army to move in.

After all, this kind of earthen houses are naturally the most resistant to cold in the ice and snow.

At the same time, Wei Zhe also sent 5,000 infantry and cavalry out of the camp, and divided the troops into several groups to plunder the surrounding Goguryeo settlements. He was determined to raise as much food and fodder as possible, and ordered the rebel forces around Goguryeo to pay tribute.

At least before he could come up with a solution, he had to ensure that the Han army would not retreat because of running out of food.

In this atmosphere, Wei Zhe quietly passed the New Year and ushered in the sixth year of Zhongping...

(End of this chapter)