A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 331 Liu Wuzhou's Three Battles against Haozhou

Outside Haozhou City, the Wu Zhou army set up a series of camps.

In the city,

Li Yi entertained three guests from Hebei. Zhang Daoyuan, Zhang Zhiang, and Chen Junbin bathed, changed clothes, and trimmed their hair and beards. Although they were still thin, they looked much more energetic and their demeanor changed drastically after putting on purple robes.

Speaking of the day Dou Jiande led a large army to attack Zhao Prefecture, Zhang Daoyuan and Zhang Zhiang both sighed with regret. Compared to Hao Prefecture, Zhao Prefecture's biggest problem was its lack of elite troops and capable generals. Both Zhangs were scholars from prominent families in Hebei and former officials of the previous dynasty.

Faced with the attack of Dou Jiande's army, the two Zhangs also climbed the city walls to defend themselves, and even continued to fight in the streets after the city fell, but they were eventually overwhelmed and captured.

"Dou Jiande is a decent man. He doesn't kill indiscriminately, and his subordinates are forbidden from looting. He treats former officials with great courtesy, and he rarely investigates cases of people refusing to fight and being captured."

"They're much better than Liu Wuzhou. When Liu Wuzhou issued an edict to grant us official positions, we refused, so he arrested us, locked us up, and interrogated us. Liu Wuzhou certainly won't last long."

Chen Junbin was a descendant of the Southern Chen imperial family. His grandfather was Emperor Wen of Chen. During the Sui Dynasty, Chen Junbin served as the Prefect of Xiangguo. Later, he submitted a memorial to surrender to Li Yuan of Chang'an and was appointed as the Governor of Xingzhou. However, he also became a prisoner of Dou Jiande.

"I observe that Haozhou City is heavily fortified, the soldiers are in high spirits, and the soldiers and civilians in the city show no signs of hunger. You have actually managed to repel the Wu Zhou rebels' sieges twice under such unfavorable circumstances."

"Now that Liu Wuzhou has come in person, how confident are you?" Zhang He asked.

"When soldiers come, we will meet them with generals; when water comes, we will dam it with earth. Now, the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Bingzhou General Administration are in high spirits and are not afraid of Wu Zhou at all. Moreover, they are well-trained and well-fed, and can fight for a long time."

Li Yi didn't hide anything from his uncle.

They presented a plan to defend the city and wage a protracted war. When the enemy's main force came, they would rely on the city to defend and see who could outlast whom.

If the main force doesn't come, then Li Yi will send light cavalry to raid and plunder their supply lines, and seize any opportunity to strike them, so that Liu Wuzhou's rear is unsettled, preventing him from making a full-scale southward advance, and also preventing him from fully supplying Song Jingang with provisions at the front.

Their job is to stir up trouble.

"You've won so many battles in a row, and you still maintain such a good attitude, neither arrogant nor complacent. It's truly rare," Zhang He exclaimed in admiration. "Although I failed to defend Zhao Prefecture, I am quite capable in pacifying the people and managing civil affairs. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Isn't Uncle going back to Chang'an? Although there are Wu Zhou troops outside Haozhou City, the route south through Xizhou is still safe. I can send light cavalry to escort Uncle back to the capital."

Zhang He shook his head.

"With a formidable enemy at hand, how could I possibly ask you to spare precious troops to escort me to Chang'an? The three of us just finished our discussion while bathing, so we'll stay here and assist in defending Haozhou and fighting Liu Wuzhou."

"I'll get back up wherever I fall. After defeating Liu Wuzhou, and then launching a counterattack on Hebei and Yan-Zhao, I'll return!"

Li Yi admired his persistence, so he asked him to help observe the military appearance and supervise military discipline, which was equivalent to taking on the job of a registrar.

Although the rank of Lushi Canjun was not high, it was a relatively independent position in the government offices at all levels in the Tang Dynasty. It was responsible for recording all the documents, reviewing official documents, controlling the official seals, and supervising officials.

This is a low-ranking official who wields considerable power and is quite independent.

Chen Junbin and Zhang Zhiang were also willing to stay and assist. Originally, one was the chief steward and the other was the governor, but now they could only temporarily serve as Li Yi's assistants.

November 7th

Early in the morning, the sound of war drums rang out outside the city.

Liu Wuzhou is finally about to launch an attack on Haozhou City.

A few days ago, he was ambushed by Li Daoxuan during a march. Although he felt that the losses were not great, he was still very embarrassed.

The actual losses were not small. He had 20,000 armored soldiers, including 3,000 Turkic light cavalry. When they passed through Xiaoyi, they were attacked by Li Daoxuan, who was naked in the snow. He killed over a thousand soldiers, and several thousand able-bodied men escaped. He also lost a batch of siege equipment.

Even if it doesn't cause serious injury, it's like having a finger severed.

Upon hearing the sound of war drums,
Li Yi, also holding a bronze hand warmer, came to the city gate tower to watch the battle.
Outside the city, the snow was still a vast expanse of white, unmelted snow.

The Wu Zhou army swarmed out of their camp like ants, surrounding Haozhou.

Li Yi remained calm, and even Liu Zhan, the governor of Haozhou, who had experienced so much, was no longer flustered.

Liu Wuzhou wanted to capture the kingpin, not the thief, and headed straight for Haozhou instead of attacking castle after castle.

Once Haozhou is captured, the Tang army north of Jinzhou will naturally cease to be a threat. However, everyone knows that Haozhou is not easy to conquer.

But Liu Wuzhou had no choice but to attack Haozhou.
If Haozhou remains unconquered, Liu Wuzhou will be unable to launch a major offensive southward, provide Song Jingang with sufficient provisions, or even divide his forces to attack Xici and Zelu from both sides.

If we can't even clear the area east of the river, how can we talk about entering the pass?

This is an unsolvable knot.

No matter what, we still have to get back to the attack on Haozhou.

In the snow,
Liu Wuzhou surveyed Haozhou City from under the banner. Compared to the Taiyuan Chain City, which had a circumference of over twenty li, Haozhou was nothing. It was not even as tall as Mayi City, nor as formidable as Yanmen Pass.

But the Han army had defeated him twice when they besieged the city.

The commander defending the city was a seventeen-year-old boy. What was he doing at that age? It seems that he spent his days in his hometown of Mayi riding horses and hunting with a group of friends, which made his older brother dislike him. He had accomplished nothing.

Later, in a fit of anger, he left his hometown to travel, eventually arriving in Luoyang, where he participated in the conscription and was selected by Yang Yichen, the Grand Master of the Palace.

Many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

This veteran general, who had fought countless battles, was actually going to fight to the death with a child.

Liu Wuzhou was a man of great military experience. In fact, he was not without experience in siege warfare; he had participated in three campaigns against Liaodong under Yang Yichen.

He attacked many cities, whether they were on the plains of Liaodong or in strategic mountain fortresses.

Ultimately, a siege is not only a contest of troop strength and willpower, but also a battle of logistical support.

"Your Majesty, ice walls and several rows of antler-shaped chevaux-de-frise have been added outside the moat of Haozhou City, along with numerous horse traps,"

Liu Wuzhou waved his hand, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. First, fill in those pits, then cut down those slanted stakes and barricades, and then demolish the outer parapet of the moat."

Finally, fill in some channels across the trenches and build more trench bridges.

Push all the way to the city walls. No need to rush, take your time. Use shield carts and large shields for cover as you advance. If one day isn't enough, try two; if two days aren't enough, try three.

"Have the archers provide cover from behind, and the cavalry keep watch at all times. If the Tang army comes out of the city, engage them."

The emperor remained calm. Although each step of his siege plan might require countless lives, he spoke as if it were a trivial matter. A merciful ruler cannot command an army.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers." Liu Wuzhou, a veteran general on the battlefield, rose from a lowly soldier attacking a city on the Liaodong battlefield. Although he was Yang Yichen's personal guard, he was far superior to many ordinary soldiers.

Liu Wuzhou had many methods for attacking the city. If it weren't for the freezing winter ground, he could have dug tunnels, either directly into the city or, once under the city walls, propped them up with wood before preparing fuel and setting them on fire.
Once the supporting wooden beams are burned through, the base of the city wall will be hollowed out, causing it to collapse, allowing people to rush in through the breach.

or,
Battering rams and siege ladders are not yet allowed to scale the city walls.

Then they piled up earth to form hills, building high earthen mounds outside the city so that archers could shoot down on the defenders on the city walls, and even install siege engines such as catapults and battering rams on them.

Alternatively, one could build a simple earthen ramp leading directly to the top of the city wall.

If we exclude all schemes, the final siege will be a contest of civil engineering skills, seeing whose craftsmen are more skilled and whose manpower is greater.

Those methods, though clumsy, can sometimes be very effective against tall and sturdy cities.

Liu Wuzhou planned to start with a simple method.

Clear out the outer fortifications, then use siege ladders to attack the city.

If we really can't take it down, then we'll consider using earthen hills and slopes.

It's not easy to dig up soil and build a mountain at this time of year.

The war drums sounded muffled in the cold wind, and Liu Wuzhou personally directed the troops to advance.

Some of them pushed battering rams directly, which were like mobile RVs with gable roofs or sloping roofs. The wooden roofs were covered with a layer of wet raw cowhide, which could protect against arrows and fire.

It has four to six wheels, but no base. Soldiers hide inside and push the vehicle forward, like snails carrying their shells, making it more sturdy and safer than a tortoise.

Of course, there were also those who simply carried huge wooden rafts in front of them, followed by many soldiers carrying small shields.

Or it could be a simple cart with a shield in front to block the front, but no protection on the top or sides.

A large number of shield carts, battering rams, and large shields were placed at the front, followed by squads of soldiers carrying soil to fill in the outermost horse traps of Haozhou City's defenses.

Because of the distance,

The ballistae on the city wall only fired occasionally; the archers didn't waste any effort or arrows.

Li Yi did not send troops to attack.

They watched as if it were none of their business, as if they were simply filling in the holes in the snow.

Just filling the outer pit,

It only took a day.

Li Yi sat calmly by the fire in the city gate tower, brewing tea and drinking it while warming himself by the fire.

Night came,

The Wu Zhou army slowly retreated to their camp several miles away.

Some people suggested to Li Yi that they launch a night attack, but he rejected it without hesitation.

"Conserve your energy and spirit; the siege hasn't officially begun yet."

the next morning,
The Wu Zhou army has arrived again amidst the sound of war drums. Today they will begin cutting down the outer wooden stakes. Li Yi had previously ordered several circles of stakes to be planted outside the trench, which took some effort.

It's cold.

These stakes are not easy to cut down, and they are already within the range of the city's firing range.

The Wu Zhou army continued their advance, still shielded by various types of shields.
The defenders on the city walls began to freely search for targets and fire.
These shield carts and shields were indeed quite effective at defending against arrows. The arrows from the city walls did not cause much damage to the Wu Zhou army. Their archers also provided cover by firing arrows from behind, but they also did not cause much damage to the Tang army behind the battlements.

Amidst the back-and-forth archery exchanges between the two sides, the Wu Zhou infantrymen diligently wielded their swords and axes, chopping down and clearing away the wooden stakes one by one.

"Sir, if we hadn't gone out into the city to fight, we shouldn't have let them cut down these fortifications like this."

"No rush, let them chop for a while first." Li Yi looked up at the sky. It was still early. He would continue to brew tea by the stove on the city wall today, but this time he would switch from the north gate tower to the south gate tower.

Far away outside the south gate opposite him,
It was Liu Wuzhou who, like today, moved from outside the north city wall to outside the south wall.

Under the banner, a curtain was set up, and then a large tent was erected. All around were imperial guards. Inside Liu Wuzhou's tent, there was a stove, a carpet, and even a sandalwood couch.

Liu Wuzhou sat cross-legged on the couch, looking at the map of Hedong in front of him.

Haozhou City was so glaringly conspicuous.

"Has that brat Li Yi in Haozhou City not sent anyone to attack yet?"

"No, there is no movement at any of the four gates, but Li Yi's banner has been moved to the south gate tower today."

"I am right here. Does he dare to come? Li Yi is a coward after all. He is not even as good as Li Daoxuan from Xiaoyi City." Liu Wuzhou snorted disdainfully twice. "Since Li Yi does not dare to come out of the city to fight, then issue an order to speed up the cleanup."

In three days, I will have all these messy defensive fortifications around Haozhou wiped out.

Three days from now, I will officially launch the attack on the city!

"I have prepared so many siege ladders and battering rams. I want to see how Li Yi will resist then!"

In the cold wind,
A large army appeared from the west of Haozhou, marching in great numbers.

Inside and outside Haozhou City,

They all noticed the large army that had suddenly appeared.

Li Yi walked out of the city gate tower and leaned against the railing to look out.

The troops and horses stretched out like a dragon, vast and mighty.

At least 20,000 to 30,000 people!

(End of this chapter)