Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 530 How was this battle fought?
Changan.

On Li Shuang's desk lay military reports from the front lines.

At this time, the fighting in Jingxiang was extremely fierce.

Xiao Yi gathered troops from Jiangling and nearby prefectures that could be mobilized, and led an army of 50,000 northwards.

However, before Xiao Yi even reached the front lines, news arrived that Wang Sengbian had already defeated Xiao Lun.

After Yicheng was captured, Xiao Lun was in a great hurry. He gathered his 30,000 troops and personally led them south to fight against Wang Sengbian.

Wang Sengbian led his army out and arrayed them north of Yicheng.

Xiao Lun led his army in a fierce manner, but seeing Wang Sengbian's well-organized troops, he became timid and led his army to a stalemate with Wang Sengbian until the afternoon.

Wang Sengbian, mindful of Xiao Lun's status, hesitated to send troops.

The stalemate continued until almost dusk, at which point they agreed to cease hostilities.

Perhaps feeling that it would be undignified to withdraw after leading such a large army, or perhaps it was premeditated, Xiao Lun dispatched a force to launch a surprise attack on Wang Sengbian after the agreed withdrawal.

Wang Sengbian, a seasoned veteran of many battles, knew that retreating was the most difficult task, especially when his own forces were at a disadvantage. Therefore, he personally covered the rear, and as a result, he happened to run into the attacking force. Wang Sengbian, who was well-prepared, defeated them decisively.

Enraged by Xiao Lun's untrustworthy behavior, Wang Sengbian's soldiers disregarded Xiao Lun's status and the potential repercussions, and charged towards Xiao Lun's army with their commander. Xiao Lun, awaiting good news, was unable to withstand the murderous aura of Wang Sengbian's army, and his forces collapsed.

Xiao Lun led several hundred cavalrymen to escape back to Xiangyang.

If Wang Sengbian hadn't been short of troops, he might have captured Xiangyang.

Half a month later, Xiao Yi arrived hastily with an army of 50,000.

In the past two weeks, Xiao Lun's scattered remnants of troops have successively fled back to Xiangyang and regrouped into an army.

Seeing that Xiao Lun had reorganized his defenses with Xiangyang as the center and relying on the nearby fortresses, Xiao Yi was about to order his soldiers to make siege equipment and then order an attack.

At this time, Xiao Lun, the ruler of Xiangyang, sent an envoy saying that he wanted to surrender.

Xiao Yi estimated that a direct assault on Xiangyang would result in significant losses of troops, so he agreed.

Just as Xiao Yi was waiting for the surrender document, the navy in Xiangyang City assembled and sailed south along the Han River, burning Xiao Yi's fleet in Yicheng and destroying a large amount of supplies.

In an instant, Xiao Yi's plan to attack the city fell through.

Having suffered a loss, Xiao Yi realized that open tactics wouldn't work, so he decided to resort to underhanded methods, using the old trick of bribing Xiao Lun's close attendants to assassinate him.

Xiao Lun almost died at the hands of his bribed attendants, only surviving because his favorite minister noticed something was wrong in time.

In this way, the two sides have reached a point of no return.

"These people from the Xiao family, they only use their cunning on their own brothers."

Li Shuang spoke leisurely, while Xiao Ji, standing to the side, looked extremely embarrassed.

Currently, the situation at the front is such that Xiao Yi cannot capture Xiangyang, and Xiao Lun cannot defeat Xiao Yi either, resulting in a stalemate.

So they all sent messengers to ask Li Shuang for help.

Xiao Ji was undoubtedly in a rather awkward position.

On the one hand, he had a past grudge against Xiao Yi; on the other hand, he was now Li Shuang's subject.

Xiao Lun's condition was that he would give Li Shuang the three prefectures and the land north of Fancheng, on the condition that Li Shuang would send troops to help him repel the enemy.
Xiao Yi's condition was to share the Xiangfan region with Li Shuang, and even said that as long as Xiao Lun was eliminated, the area north of the Han River, including Fancheng, could be given to Li Shuang.

Judging from the terms, Xiao Yi's offer was undoubtedly more generous.

Although Xiao Ji had a grudge against Xiao Yi, he couldn't openly help Xiao Lun at this time, even if that was what he thought in his heart.

After hearing Li Shuang's words, Xiao Ji cupped his hands and said:
"Whom will Your Majesty grant your request to?"

Li Shuang did not answer immediately, but instead asked:
"What do you think?"

"I want to help Xiao Lun, but I also know that as a subject, I should prioritize the interests of Your Majesty."

Ever since Li Shuang revealed that there was a spy sent by Xiao Yi in Xiao Ji's inner circle, Xiao Ji understood the true nature of this Prince of Qin. From then on, Xiao Ji treated Li Shuang with complete honesty and made no attempt to hide anything.

Li Shuang nodded after hearing this.

“There is no need to help Xiao Lun. After this battle, the land he promised can no longer be held. I can take it myself. Why should he give it to me?”

Xiao Ji's expression changed, and he said:
"So, Your Majesty intends to agree to Xiao Yi's request?" Li Shuang shook his head and said:

"There's no need to help Xiao Yi and just watch him annex Xiangyang, which would greatly increase his strength."

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"This land is for the king, but I have no intention of helping!"

……

Xiangyang.

In the military camp, Xiao Yi could hardly suppress his anger and paced back and forth.

He received little care from Emperor Liang from a young age and was thrown out of Jiankang at a young age, which led to his extreme personality.

When Xiao Lun wanted to surrender, Xiao Yi genuinely wanted to accept it.

It wasn't just about obtaining the entire city of Xiangyang; it was also about proving to the world that he had the magnanimity to tolerate his brothers and gain the world's recognition.

Especially with the approval of my elderly father who is still in Luoyang.

Xiao Yi wanted to prove to his father that he was the rightful heir to the throne and capable of cleaning up the mess left by Emperor Liang.

But reality cruelly slapped Xiao Yi in the face.

Xiao Lun not only refused to surrender, but also destroyed his logistics fleet, causing him heavy losses.

Having suffered betrayal, Xiao Yi's extreme personality resurfaced once again.

He not only wrote a letter severing ties with Xiao Lun, but also announced it to the world.

In other words, Xiao Yi did not intend to give Xiao Lun another chance to surrender.

Despite his anger, Xiao Yi was unable to capture Xiangyang City in a short time.

"Your Majesty!"

The arrival of Wang Sengbian made Xiao Yi very uncomfortable.

The reason was simple: Wang Sengbian won the battle, while he suffered a great loss, which made Xiao Yi feel embarrassed.

Even though he harbored suspicions, Xiao Yi still maintained a gentle and kind expression on his face.

Do you think Ohno Sō will agree to my request?

For Xiao Yi, the ministers under Xiao Lun could also become his ministers.

After all, they were originally subjects of the Southern Liang Dynasty.

Therefore, there was no need for Xiao Lun's generals and subordinates in Xiangyang to defend the city to the death with him.

What Xiao Yi lacked was a sense of intimidation.

If Li Shuang agrees to form an alliance with him, then unrest will inevitably ensue in Xiangyang. Many people will choose to abandon Xiao Lun and join him.

"I believe that Ohno Sō is not so easy to control."

Wang Sengbian sensed Xiao Yi's subtle apprehension, but he still chose to speak out.

"what for?"

"Ono Sou is also aware of the situation in Xiangyang. Whoever he helps will win, so why would he easily back down?"

Xiao Yi nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Just then, Zhou Hong arrived in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, a report has come from Jiangling that Prince Xiao Yu of Hedong has raised an army and occupied Changsha, while Prince Xiao Cha of Yueyang has also marched south to Anlu. It seems they intend to seize Jiangxia."

Xiao Yi clenched his fists and roared.

"hateful!"

……

(End of this chapter)