Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 241 The Song Emperor's Ingenious Plan Forces Meng Gong into Rebellion!

Boom~~
Just as Meng Wu had fled back to the water fortress, ten Han Chinese Eight Banners commanders under Zhao Shuo's command arrived near Xiaofan Anyang Beach as if Mount Tai were pressing down on them. Among them, two commanders from the Plain Red Banner of the Han Chinese Army were imposing their dominance on the dry fortress on the south bank of Xiaofan Island, while two commanders from the Plain Blue Banner were imposing their dominance on the dry fortress on the north bank of Xiaofan Island.

Meng Gong had been building these two dry fortresses for many years, and their defenses were no weaker than those of ordinary cities. Without siege equipment, it would be impossible to take them down.

However, the Han army's mere intimidation was enough. As long as the two dry camps dared not divert troops to support the water camps, that would suffice.

If Zhao Shuo's navy can capture Xiaofanzhou's water fortress within seven days, that would be ideal. If they cannot, the army has already finished building siege equipment. They can first break through the dry fortress on the north side of Xiaofanzhou, and then attack the water fortress of Xiaofanzhou together with the navy through Anyang Beach.

In addition, six more households formed a battle formation ten miles southeast of Xiaofanzhou.

The meaning was quite clear: if Meng Gong dared to send a large army to rescue Xiao Fanzhou, then they would see whether his elite Xiangyang troops were more powerful or Zhao Shuo's Eight Banners were more formidable!

In short, so what if Xiangyang is difficult to capture?
Zhao Shuo's army had the advantage of manpower, the advantage of field battles, and the advantage of cavalry mobility. They could fight however they wanted and had enough patience to take down his outer strongholds piece by piece.

Of course, for Zhao Shuo, whether it was a naval attack or a combined land and sea attack, it made little difference. His preparations were already in place, and victory was assured. However, for Zhang Shijie, whether he could break through Xiaofanzhou solely with his inland river navy was a completely different matter.

"Bring the victory ship up!"

"Yes!"

With the Han army fully prepared, Zhang Shijie gave the order, and ten huge warships were moved from the rear to the front.

Then, Zhang Shijie deployed troops, assigning two hundred soldiers of the Navy's Plain Red Banner to each of the victorious ships!

On the ten "victorious ships" were two thousand naval soldiers of the Red Banner!
It's important to understand that of his 20,000-strong inland waterway navy, only 3,000 were Plain Red Banner soldiers. After a fierce battle, only 2,600 remained. It's fair to say that Zhang Shijie spared no expense in his effort to capture Xiaofanzhou water fortress in this single battle.

"Charge! Kill!"

"Today is the day to breach Xiaofanzhou Water Fortress!"

"The first to reach the summit will be rewarded with two bright futures!"

……

The soldiers of the ten victorious ships, shouting wildly, sped towards Xiaofanzhou Water Fortress like arrows released from a bow.

"Quickly! Ballista, fire!"

"Fire oil, ready!"

"Fire! Fire now!"

"Their evil fire is terrifying! Don't let them get near the water fortress!"

"Ready! Firefighters, get ready!"

……

The Song army, still reeling from a crushing defeat, cried out in alarm.

While continuously firing long-range weapons to halt Zhao Shuo's navy's advance, they also set aside some manpower to prepare a firefighting team.

After all, although the entire water fortress was sturdy, the waterways were blocked with iron chains, allowing only their own ships to enter and exit.

However, Zhao Shuo's army's Greek fire was too terrifying.

The entire Xiaofanzhou water fortress is composed of tens of thousands of giant trees.

If it were ignited by a large fire, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, it's useless.

Zhang Shijie had no intention of using ordinary fire attacks to break through Xiao Fanzhou's water fortress.

He also has a secret weapon.

That is the "Victory Bridge" on these ten "Victory Ships".

The so-called "Victory Bridge" is a modified version of the ancient Roman "Raven Drawbridge".

More than 1,500 years ago, Rome and Carthage were vying for supremacy. The Romans were all landlubbers and no match for the Carthaginians in naval warfare, so they invented this naval warfare weapon, the "Raven Drawbridge".

This type of suspension bridge is 1.2 meters wide and 10.9 meters long. At the front end of the bridge is a heavy iron nail shaped like a crow's beak, and small railings are installed on both sides. It is mounted on a boat and the bridge can be raised and lowered using pulleys and masts at the bow of the boat.

When the drawbridge was lowered, iron spikes could be driven into the decks of enemy ships, securing the two ships together and thus providing a passage for Roman soldiers to board the enemy ships.

Thus, the Romans transformed naval warfare into land warfare by using these drawbridges. Leveraging their superior land forces, they achieved major victories in famous battles such as the Battle of Mila, the Battle of Salzai, the Battle of Tindaris, and the Battle of Cape Eknomus.

Of course, the drawbacks of this "crow drawbridge" are also obvious. Because the drawbridge at the bow is too heavy, it changes the ship's balance of forces, making it easy for the ship to sink due to wind and waves in the turbulent sea.

Gradually, as the Roman navy truly rose to prominence, the Raven Bridge disappeared from the Roman navy.

However, the idea of ​​using naval suspension bridges has survived.

Zhao Shuo captured too many Western craftsmen during his western expedition, so naturally some of them knew the idea behind the crow suspension bridge.

Zhang Shijie was deeply inspired.

The disadvantages of the Raven Bridge over the sea are indeed too obvious.

But what about in calm inland rivers?
Moreover, he had no intention of using the Raven Bridge as a weapon for naval warfare; given the strength of the inland waterway navy, it was completely unnecessary.

He's planning to use it as a ladder!

Each of the crow-shaped suspension bridges served as a rapidly constructed ladder, perfectly suited for breaching the enemy's water fortress.

China's current technological level is far superior to that of Rome 1,500 years ago.

The crow-shaped drawbridge that Zhang Shijie installed on the large naval vessel was over five zhang (approximately 10 meters) long.
He disliked the name "Crow Suspension Bridge" as too unlucky and renamed it "Victory Bridge".

Warships equipped with "Victory Bridges" were named "Victory Ships".

Whoosh whoosh!
The three-bow ballistae of the ten victorious ships are firing!
Boom boom boom!
Thunderclap lightning rained down on Xiaofanzhou Water Village via catapults.

At the same time, these ten victorious ships were also under long-range attacks from the Xiaofanzhou water fortress.

close!

Getting closer!

Zhiwuwu~~
With the help of winches and pulleys, ten "Victory Bridges," each over five zhang tall, were erected high.

"Ah! What is that?"

"A siege ladder? The Northern army actually managed to erect such a long siege ladder on a ship!"

"It's over! I'm afraid the water fortress can't be defended!"

"The Northern Navy has so many strange weapons!"

"I'm afraid the Zhao emperor in the north is indeed destined by Heaven!"

……

The Song army had just suffered a major defeat and their morale was already extremely low. Seeing Zhao Shuo's inland waterway navy produce another mysterious weapon, their morale plummeted even further, and they cried out in alarm.

Boom boom boom!
As the Song soldiers cried out in alarm, the ten heavy iron nails of the Victory Bridge were firmly driven into the water fortress.

Two thousand soldiers of the Han Army's Plain Red Banner marched fiercely towards the Song Army's water fortress from the "Victory Bridge".

The Song army retreated step by step!

"Haha! It's done!"

Seeing this, Zhang Shijie laughed heartily and said, "Charge! All troops, charge! We'll break through Xiaofanzhou's water fortress today!" Boom!
Twenty thousand naval troops swarmed toward Xiaofanzhou Water Fortress!

Meng Wu was not commanding at the front line at this time. Of the remaining 3,000 or so regular troops, only more than 500 were placed at the front line, while more than 2,000 had already boarded the warships. Otherwise, the morale of the Song army would not have collapsed so quickly.

Because, on the one hand, he was prepared to hold the water fortress, and on the other hand, he was prepared to flee at any time.

After all, his fourth brother Meng Gong's orders to him were to win if possible, defend if they couldn't win, and retreat if they couldn't defend. There was no need to waste precious regular troops here.

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Upon learning of the battle situation at the front, Meng Wu immediately made a decision.

He hurriedly led his personal guards to his flagship.

Seeing that his guards had cut the ropes, Meng Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief and, escorted by five guards, arrived at his command cabin.

As long as the ships set sail, that's all that matters. It's only twenty miles from Xiangyang, so we can't escape the pursuit of Zhao Shuo's navy.

As for what to do once we get to Xiangyang, that's my fourth brother Meng Gong's business; he doesn't need to worry about it.

but--

"Wait a minute!"

Meng Wu was shocked to discover that his flagship was not heading towards Xiangyang, but towards the front lines!
Meng Wu quickly said, "Liu De, go and see what's going on? Why is the boat going in the wrong direction?"

"Rebelled? Let me check...nothing's there...take action!!"

As soon as Liu De finished speaking, four guards rushed forward and pinned Meng Wu down.

"You... you..."

Even the most naive Meng Wu understood what was happening at this moment, and shouted, "You've rebelled! You've actually rebelled! My Meng family has treated you well! For your own wealth and glory, you're actually going to sell me to Zhao Shuo!"

"Fifth General, don't waste your energy."

Liu De bowed slightly and said, "The brothers on the entire ship have already discussed it and decided to surrender to the Zhao family in the north today. Now, even if you shout until you're hoarse, it won't make any difference. As for the Meng family treating us well? We acknowledge that. Otherwise, we wouldn't be capturing you, but surrendering with your head on our backs."

"Why...why are you rebelling?"

Liu De said, “Of course, it’s not just about wealth and glory. Indeed, your Meng family has treated us well. But what good is that? How has the Song Dynasty treated us? The treacherous minister Wei Liaogong killed Cao Shixiong, and the Fourth General had to swallow his anger and suffer in silence. Could he stand up for Cao Shixiong?”

"If the court were to turn against us brothers one day, would the Fourth General be able to stand up for us?"

A guard named Li Fei standing nearby said, "Isn't the Emperor Zhao of the North also a descendant of the Taizu Emperor? We're all descendants of the Taizu Emperor, so what difference does it make who we serve?"

Liu De softened his tone and said, "Furthermore, Fifth General, do you really think that the Southern Zhao Emperor has any future? In the past, people always said that Northerners were good at horses and Southerners were good at boats. But how did our army perform in today's battle?"

"King Zhao Shuo's navy possesses terrifying fire weapons and those strange drawbridge weapons. They breached our Xiaofanzhou naval fortress in less than a day. What will become of Xiangyang? What will become of the Song Dynasty? We are unwilling to be buried with the Song!"

"Furthermore, what about the future of the Fourth General? What about the future of the Meng family? Fifth General, even if you don't consider yourself, shouldn't you consider the Meng family?"

However, Meng Wu still shook his head and said, "Bah! Traitorous officials, so glib-tongued! No matter what, I will never submit to the Zhao Emperor in the north, so give up on that idea!"

In fact, if Zhao Shuo had captured Xiangyang and arrested the entire Meng family, Meng Wu would have surrendered without hesitation.

Both the northern and southern officials were surnamed Zhao, and he wasn't exactly loyal to the Southern Song court.

However, isn't the Meng family still in Xiangyang?

Are Meng Wu's family still in Xiangyang?

What will happen to his family if he surrenders?
How could his fourth brother, Meng Gong, possibly cope with this?

For the sake of his family and his loved ones, Meng Wu was willing to die!
Therefore, Meng Wu still refuses to surrender.

Of course, whether he surrenders or not, it won't change the fact that his subordinates are determined to surrender.

Approximately one thousand regular Song soldiers voluntarily sailed to join Zhao Shuo's inland naval forces. The Xiaofanzhou naval stronghold, with fewer than two thousand regular Song soldiers remaining, fled back to Xiangyang.

By evening that day, the entire Xiaofanzhou water fortress was completely in the hands of Zhao Shuo's navy.

Then, these giant trees in the water fortress became the source of raw materials for the Han army's siege equipment.

In less than five days, the Han army began attacking the dry fortresses on both sides of the Han River. Three days later, both dry fortresses were completely captured by the Han army.

Then, the Han army began to conquer other fortresses outside Xiangyang.

Two months later, all the fortresses outside Xiangyang fell into Zhao Shuo's hands.

Zhao Shuo even ordered the driving of countless wooden stakes into the Han River south of Xiangyang, calling them "scattered star stakes," to obstruct the passage of ships. In this way, unless the Han River suddenly flooded, the Song Dynasty's navy would be unable to rescue Xiangyang by water.

At this time, the entire Xiangyang and Fancheng were completely surrounded by Zhao Shuo's 300,000-strong army, making them impenetrable and impossible to traverse.

Then, a soldier with a loud voice shouted from below the city.

"General Meng Gong, surrender now!"

"Xiangyang is completely besieged! Not even birds can get in or out, let alone people!"

"Brothers on the city wall, please persuade General Meng! If Wang Jian surrenders to the king, the king will spare all the captured loyal soldiers!"

"If General Meng surrenders voluntarily, not only will the order to kill two out of ten prisoners of war be waived, but all the soldiers in Xiangyang will also be spared!"

"Stop resisting! His Majesty values ​​General Meng and the soldiers of Xiangyang highly!"

……

Shouts echoed into Xiangyang City.

The fact that the Song army defending Xiaofanzhou Water Fortress was so quick to surrender speaks volumes about the morale and fighting spirit of the Song army.

As soon as Zhao Shuo's army issued their surrender appeal, the morale of the Xiangyang army immediately wavered.

Meng Gong himself was unfazed, doing his best to reassure the morale of the Xiangyang garrison. Moreover, he didn't believe that Xiangyang was actually in any real danger.

Firstly, Xiangyang's city defenses were already quite strong.

Secondly, since Zhao Shuo was one of the most outstanding military strategists of his time, he would naturally besiege Xiangyang and then use a strategy of encirclement and suppression to annihilate the main force of the Song army, rather than impatiently swallowing Xiangyang whole.

Meng Gong judged that Zhao Shuo would not take the initiative to attack the city now, and that having those soldiers shout was just a prelude to attacking the city after annihilating the main force of the Song army.

Xiangyang is still very safe.

However, Wei Liaoweng panicked and felt that the fall of Xiangyang was imminent.

Furthermore, Zhao Shuo's persuasion only asked Meng Gong to surrender, not Wei Liaoweng. He only said he would pardon the Xiangyang garrison, but not Wei Liaoweng. Although he had no intention of surrendering, was it really appropriate for a dignified prime minister of the Song Dynasty to act so undignifiedly?
In addition, the repeated surrenders of the Song army truly frightened Wei Liaoweng.

What? Others can surrender, but Meng Gong can't?

His fifth brother Meng Wu's warships were heading directly towards Zhao Shuo's camp! Who would believe that Meng Wu didn't surrender to Zhao Shuo?

Therefore, Wei Liaoweng finally made a very important decision.

"Lord Wei, what do you mean by this?"

One day, Meng Gong returned from patrolling the city, only to find that all seventy-three members of the Meng clan, including his mother, had fallen into the control of Wei Liaoweng.

"What do you mean? Of course, it means guaranteeing your loyalty, General Meng."

Wei Liaoweng raised an eyebrow, took out an imperial edict, and said, "This is not only my will, but also His Majesty's will! Meng Gong, do you intend to disobey the imperial edict?"

(End of this chapter)