Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 128 Abandonment
A new day.

May 11th.

Outside Xinfeng City, the Han army, after attacking for a whole night, successfully captured four small fortified villages outside the city without suffering too much loss.

However, they failed to achieve any significant results in attacking this city.

Outside the four city gates, the battering rams of battering rams were smashed in half by the huge millstones that were lowered down from inside the city.

The wooden wheels of the battering rams were also smashed and collapsed, making them difficult to move. In the end, they were all left outside the city gate, becoming one of the obstacles preventing the Han army from continuing to use battering rams to attack the gate.

More than a dozen siege ladders were erected on the city wall, eight or nine of which were either burned to a crisp or were still blazing and billowing smoke.

Below the ladder, the corpses were piled up like small hills, and scattered around the hills were other corpses.

The still-uncongealed blood pooled into crimson puddles, telling a story of the fierce battle to a flock of crows pecking at it.

Meanwhile, the walls of Xinfeng City were also piled high with corpses that could not be cleared away in time.

Most of them were Wei troops, but there were also some Han troops.

There were even more than a dozen vanguard daredevils clad in heavy armor.

Hundreds of corpses, their armor tattered and covered in blood, making it impossible to distinguish whether they belonged to the Han or Wei dynasties, were piled on top of each other. Many of the corpses were firmly pressed down, a small number hung inside the wall, and most were suspended outside, yet none fell off the city wall.

On and around the city walls, intestines, brains, and severed limbs were everywhere.

The stench of blood could be smelled for miles around.

The Han archers who still had spare strength stood on the balustrades, which were more than ten feet higher than the city walls, to provide fire support.

A group of Han soldiers and laborers were ordered to leave the battlefield and begin cleaning up the battlefield.

They could collect the wounded and dead soldiers below the city walls, or gather important supplies such as armor, weapons, and arrows scattered across the battlefield.

Several siege ladders that had not yet been burned by the Wei army had their iron hooks firmly attached to the earthen walls of the city, making them unable to move.

The Wei troops on the city wall poured oil on it and set it on fire with rockets, and a raging fire quickly broke out. The Han troops, who had just stopped climbing the city wall, did not stop them and let these siege weapons burn.

The decisive actions of Wei generals Wang Chang and Hao Zhao enabled this small town, whose main mission was to store and transship grain, to eventually have a garrison of just over five thousand men.

With over a month of construction, the city was not lacking in any defensive supplies except for a shortage of hard bows and crossbows, making it a formidable fortress.

Therefore, even though the Han army launched repeated attacks at great cost, they still could not conquer it in the end.

This is understandable.

In the era of cold weapons, if the defending army was determined to fight to the death and had sufficient defenses, the casualty ratio of the attacking side would be about four to one.

If the city's garrison and its soldiers were all elite troops, the casualty ratio would be even more extreme.

A ratio of 10 to 1 is not impossible.

The Han army, relying on siege towers higher than the city walls and more than 10,000 strong bows and crossbows, successfully killed or wounded over a thousand Wei soldiers at the cost of several hundred dead and over a thousand wounded.

The remaining garrison in Xinfeng City that still has fighting strength is about three thousand men.

The casualty ratio was roughly between two to one and three to one, which is quite impressive in a siege battle where casualties were bound to be devastating.

The reason we were able to obtain this data is thanks to the powerful bows, crossbows, armor, and weapons that Cao Wei sent to the Han Dynasty over the past few months.

After several months of fighting, the rate of armor and crossbow equipment in the Han Dynasty has roughly doubled.

Originally there were only 3,600 crossbows, now there are more than 6,000; originally there were only 3,000 hard bows, now there are more than 6,000.

As the number of garrison troops in the city decreases, the Han army, which originally outnumbered the enemy by six, will gradually become eight, then ten times the enemy, and its numerical advantage will continue to expand.

In the end, we can probably take the city with five or six thousand casualties.

At the current pace, this process should take about five or six days.

Of course, this would only be possible if the Wei army in the city had an extremely strong will and persisted in fighting to the last man without breaking down.

This situation is unlikely to occur, as seen with Meng Da's nephew, who was so frightened by Sima Yi's relentless offensive that he ultimately betrayed his own uncle.

This is why this siege was inevitable. Only by launching a fierce attack to test and intimidate the enemy could we find out the true extent of the city's defenses and the fighting spirit of the generals and soldiers within. Only then could we weigh whether to besiege or attack.

After a brief ceasefire, the Prime Minister dispatched Jin Xiang, a Wei general captured a few days earlier at Fengshui, to persuade Hao Zhao to surrender outside the city.

Both men were from Taiyuan and had worked together in Cao Wei for many years. They were close friends and usually addressed each other as brothers.

Seeing that Jin Xiang had been captured and was being persuaded to surrender, Hao Zhao was both saddened and angry, and remained unmoved by Jin Xiang's words of persuasion.

"You are well aware of the laws and regulations of the Great Wei Dynasty!"

"You know me well enough!"

"I have received much favor from the country and my family is of great importance. I will never betray Wei and surrender to Shu. You need not say any more!"
"Please tell Zhuge Liang to attack me immediately, or I will surely die!"

Jin Xiang returned dejectedly, and a moment later came back to the city to explain the advantages and disadvantages to Hao Zhao.

First, there's no difference between Cao Wei's usurpation of the Han Dynasty and Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty. Second, the current emperor of the Han Dynasty has the bearing of Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty.

It is also said that the Han Dynasty has won one victory after another in Guanzhong, while Cao Wei has suffered heavy losses. This is the will of Heaven. The Cao family's usurpation of the Han Dynasty will end up like Wang Mang's. It is hoped that they will abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and restore order to the country.

Finally, he said that the disparity in troop strength between the city and the outside was too great, and that sending them to their deaths in vain was pointless.

Even if we could wait for Sima Yi to come to our aid, how does Sima Yi compare to General Cao Zhen, or General Zhang He? He is no match for the Han Dynasty; otherwise, how could the situation have deteriorated to this point?
Let alone the fact that Sima Yi had no chance of winning, even if he were to miraculously win and escape the predicament, what meaning would it have for you who are already dead?
After this series of persuasive arguments, the Wei soldiers guarding the city walls found it increasingly convincing, and eventually began to stir.

Hao Zhao was both shocked and furious. He immediately drew his bow and arrow and shot an arrow at Jin Xiang, roaring with tears in his eyes:

"A gentleman of ancient times would not utter a harsh word to a sworn friend!"

"I hereby sever all ties with you. Do not come back to me, for even an arrow does not recognize you!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Xiang saw Hao Zhao draw his bow again and aim directly at his head, so he could only retreat with tears in his eyes.

After resting for three or four hours, Chen Shi received the Prime Minister's order to lead his four thousand Han soldiers and four thousand prisoners into battle.

In the midst of the battle, the Han army once again deployed more than a dozen siege ladders to continue the siege, giving the Wei army inside the city no chance to catch their breath.

...

Xinfeng South City.

Lishan Plateau.

The plateau is not very high, only a little over ten zhang higher than the steps where Xinfeng City is located.

The slope is relatively gentle, and once the terrain is leveled, the carriage can go straight without having to take a detour.

The Han army set up a large camp on the plateau, garrisoning more than 10,000 regular soldiers, and the prime minister's central command tent was located there.

From this vantage point, the field of vision expands from a few miles to over ten miles, allowing the Wei army to be seen from both the east and west.

The South Gate of Xinfeng is located two miles north of the village, and the canal is located three miles north of the village, right next to the north of Xinfeng City.

In fact, the canal and the Lishan Plateau, located to the north and south respectively, form a corridor that is three to five miles wide and more than twenty miles long. At the eastern end of the corridor is a place called Hongmen.

The Han army set up two camps on the open ground of the corridor west of Xinfeng, and together with the central camp on the plateau, the three camps were linked together, completely severing the connection between Xinfeng and Chang'an.

Wei Yan fought two battles in one night without feeling tired. He should have rested again, but instead, he led several dozen of his personal guards away from the central camp and marched eastward, clearing thorns and brambles to scout the terrain.

After walking with difficulty for about seven or eight miles, a small, roughly square hill, covered with trees and weeds, rose abruptly from the middle of the plateau.

Although it appears to blend in with the plateau beneath its feet, it also seems somewhat out of place.

"It's said that the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum is located on Mount Li. Although there are several hills around it, none are higher than this one. This must be it," said Wei Chang, Wei Yan's son, seemingly having thought of something. Wei Yan ignored the mention of the Qin or Zhao Emperor's Mausoleums and pointed to the hilltop:

“Go back and call some more laborers to clear the road here, and leave ten scouts to guard the hilltop. If the Wei bandits do not take the official road, but instead come around from the plateau, we can scout this hilltop in advance.”

“Father, this plateau is overgrown with thorns and vegetation, and is not suitable for a large army to march on. Isn’t this a bit redundant?”

"What do you know?" Wei Yan retorted.

"Back then, two thousand people came to Shexian and entered Gansu, clearing roads through mountains and building bridges over rivers."

"In the end, the enemy's unexpected capture of Lueyang enabled Emperor Guangwu to occupy Longyou. No matter how difficult it is to travel here, it can't be as difficult as the Longshan Mountains."

Wei Chang remained silent, looking sullen.

An hour later, the group found several hot springs at the foot of Mount Li. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and the steam from the hot springs made it almost impossible to breathe. Wei Yan then led his guards back to camp to rest.

It's mid-May, and the sweltering heat will continue to drain people's physical and mental energy.

This is an important factor that must be taken into account during wartime.

During the sweltering heat, standing in the blazing sun for half an hour while wearing protective gear can lead to heatstroke and fainting.

However, Shu was even hotter than Guanzhong, and the heat and humidity were even more unbearable, so the Han soldiers were generally much better at enduring the heat than the Cao Wei soldiers.

The tide still turns in favor of the Han Dynasty.

When Wei Yan and his party returned to the camp, the Han army, exhausted from the heat, had stopped attacking the city and were all resting.

Wei Yan also went into his tent to rest.

When I woke up, I heard the sound of drums gathering the troops.

Looking at the water clock in the tent, it was already 3:45 PM.

When Wei Yan arrived at the central command tent, generals Wu Ban, Chen Shi, Liao Hua, Cuan Xi, and Meng Yan had already arrived.

Chen was also injured on his arm, which was bandaged.

"How come you're injured?" Wei Yan asked casually as he sat down.

Chen then replied.

It turns out that this morning, when he organized the siege, nearly a hundred daredevils successfully stormed the city wall and fought fiercely with the Wei army on the wall for more than a quarter of an hour.

In his excitement, he charged forward to give orders, only to be struck by a stray arrow.

Hao Zhao quickly led his troops to the scene, and fought bravely at the forefront. However, the daredevils who climbed the city wall could not break through the Wei army's defenses and failed to open up a foothold for the follow-up troops.

After nearly half of them were killed, they were forced to retreat under the cover of crossbow fire.

Wei Yan frowned and snorted coldly:

"It's Hao Zhao again! He's nothing but a scoundrel who sells his head for profit. Tonight, I'll lead my troops to attack the city and bring back his head to enjoy with my drinks!"

He had heard of Hao Zhao's reputation, but he had always looked down on him, thinking that Hao Zhao was just a bully from Liangzhou to make a name for himself.

Although his recent performance has been commendable, it still hasn't changed Wei Yan's opinion.

Wei Yan's troops remained on standby all night, while Chen Shi's troops managed to scale the city walls and hold them for a quarter of an hour today. If we send his troops to scale the walls and launch a strong attack, we might be able to capture Xinfeng tonight.

The Prime Minister roughly tallied the battle losses, shared intelligence, and analyzed the situation before speaking:
"If I'm not mistaken, Sima Yi should receive news of our army's relentless attack on Xinfeng soon, and he should arrive in the next day or two."

"Next, we drove the surrendered enemy troops to their side, while building earthen mounds and fortifications and shooting at them with bows and crossbows. The main force tried to maintain its fighting strength and waited for the decisive battle."

"Wen Chang, you and your troops should continue to recuperate. You do not need to participate in the battle before the final battle."

Wei Yan hesitated for a moment, then argued:

"Prime Minister, we have already suffered more than two thousand casualties in our attack on Xinfeng. If we suddenly stop now, won't all those who died have died in vain?!"
"Let me lead my troops into battle and launch a fierce attack overnight. Perhaps then we can capture Xinfeng!"

The prime minister immediately shook his head:

"Wen Chang, please be patient for a few more days."

"You and your troops are the most elite and valiant. Instead of using them to break through enemy lines in open battle, you use them to attack cities and seize strongholds. This is like using superior horses to attack inferior ones, which is a major taboo in military strategy."

"Half of the garrison at Xinfeng are Cao Wei's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Our Han forces drive out the surrendered enemy ants and then wear them down with arrows. Even if it's a four-for-one exchange, it's worth it."

"This is precisely the skillful use of inferior horses to defeat superior horses in warfare."

...

Chang'an City.

Sima Yi finally received intelligence from his scouts that the Han army had launched a night-long attack on Xinfeng without stopping until today when the temperature was high, and that Xinfeng had not been captured.

"How did you obtain the information, and how was it transmitted back?" Sima Yi asked the scout.

"Reporting to the general, the Lishan Plateau is covered with vegetation, so we will send men to sneak into the plateau at night to observe."

"It was indeed difficult to escape in the morning, but the temperature was high at noon, and the Shu cavalry were seeking refuge from the heat. Our men dodged and we made our way back to Baling..."

Now the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry have entered Xinfeng, and the Han army cavalry, numbering three to four thousand, are grazing their horses between Baling and Xinfeng, blocking traffic.

Therefore, Chang'an was practically deaf and blind to the situation in Xinfeng.

So, it's hard to say whether the scout was truly skilled, or whether the rebel Hu cavalry was caught off guard, or whether Zhuge Liang deliberately lured them into a decisive battle.

"General of the Cavalry, it's time to go!" General Sun Li said urgently, his voice filled with worry.

"If the Shu bandits really launch a fierce attack at all costs, and the defenders of Xinfeng do not see our army coming to their aid, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for more than five days before the city falls!"

"General of the Flying Cavalry, since you have already decided to abandon Chang'an and fight the Shu bandits to the death, why are you now hesitating and refusing to advance?!"

"General of the Flying Cavalry, make a decision quickly! Once Xinfeng is captured, the Shu bandits only need to send 10,000 men to defend the city, and then quickly lead their troops eastward to take Zheng County, Huayin, and Tongguan without lifting a finger! At that time, we will probably have no choice but to die to atone for our sins to the world and to appease His Majesty!"

Sima Yi stood with his back to the south and his hands behind his back, gazing at the three Han army camps in deep thought for a long time before finally making his decision: "Let's go."

evening.

The east and south gates of Chang'an City were wide open.

The Wei army deployed 30,000 elite troops, who stood in formation outside Chang'an, fully armored and armed, ready to fight.

As soon as the battle formation was complete, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Chang'an City escorted the grain and supplies out of the city and marched eastward in a grand procession.

The drumbeats were deafening, and dust billowed into the sky.

The Han army also marched out of their camp and formed ranks.

However, it is clear that the Han army had no intention of intercepting the Wei army, which outnumbered them by three to five times. They were merely wary that the Wei army might not head towards the Ba River but instead attack their camp.

About an hour passed.

All city gates were closed again.

At the Caoqu Han Village, on the watchtower, Liu Shan quietly gazed at Chang'an.

Sima Yi abandoned Chang'an and fled. Although there were troops guarding Chang'an, they were not a threat. The day of returning to the old capital was just around the corner.

"General Zilong, let's go too."

(End of this chapter)