Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 242 Wind

Liu Daogui glanced around at the barren land; there were hardly any trees, not even a blade of grass...

Seventy to eighty thousand Yan troops were stationed here, and they cut down all the trees and weeds around them.

To build siege equipment, wood must be transported from Mount Nichu, which would take at least two months. Even if it were built, there was no guarantee that the fortified city could be breached.

Two months from now, the situation in the world is still uncertain.

"To conquer a city is inferior; to conquer a mind is superior. Just like before, we must endure and see who can outlast whom."

These days, attacking any city is no easy task.

With Lu County and Lanling as its rear, and Sishui completely under its control, Rencheng has essentially severed its connection with Gaoping to the south, making it an isolated city.

Moreover, the city must be short of food.

Of course, the lack of food is not a big problem, as there are plenty of other things to eat. The key issue is the absence of reinforcements, so there is no point in Pingyou holding this place to the death.

With each victory, no one questioned Liu Daogui's decision.

The generals all nodded in agreement.

As soon as the order was given, the slaves and able-bodied men busied themselves, taking timber, felt tents, and various tools from the ship and starting to dig earthen mounds.

In half a day, a camp was built on the west bank of the Sishui River.

With Rencheng besieged, Gaoping to the south could not be spared either. Liu Daogui ordered Liu Zhong to lead the navy south in a grand manner, making a ruckus every day.

Among the various Yan armies, Murong Zhou suffered the greatest casualties.

Murong Shao was mostly cavalry, and when he saw things were not going well, he turned around and left. Murong Zhou, on the other hand, was mostly infantry, and Liu Zhong pinned him down on the bank of the Si River and gave him a good beating.

Nine hundred Wuxing soldiers slaughtered them, leaving them routed and disarmed.

If they were to launch a counterattack at this time, Murong Zhou would surely be filled with apprehension.

In any case, he would never launch a direct assault on the city. In Liu Daogui's eyes, the lives of his soldiers were far more important than the city and its land.

Too much to chew.

From a strategic perspective, after the capture of Xiaqiu on the north bank of the Si River, the control of the waterways fell entirely into the hands of Liu Daogui, and Rencheng and Gaoping were destined to be short-lived.

Of course, if the Yan state were to invest a large amount of its national strength regardless of the cost, Liu Daogui would be helpless. After all, the Yan state was the hegemon of the north, and it was not something a small force like his could deal with.

However, since the founding of the state, Murong Chui has been waging war year after year, exhausting his military strength for so many years. Instead of recuperating, he has been fighting a major war with the Wei state, and has hardly devoted any energy to the south.

Liu Zhong's frequent landings were not entirely a bluff.

Sometimes they would launch one or two night raids, or plunder surrounding cities, disturbing Murong Zhou's peace.

One day, two days passed quickly amidst the standoff.

Before they knew it, it was autumn harvest time. The area east of the Si River was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest. The addition of new slaves meant that the villagers no longer had to work as hard as before, patrolling the fields with whips in hand.

As long as they are given a bite to eat, the slaves will work harder than anyone else.

In Rencheng and Gaoping, the Yan army remained holed up and lost the courage to attack. Liu Daogui led his troops to Pingyang City.

The families of the 361 fallen soldiers and 527 slaves and able-bodied men were immediately provided with relief.

Those whose offspring are not yet grown up will be provided with eight houses, and those who are sixteen years of age or older will each be allocated fifty mu of land.

Liu Daogui also personally visited the wounded soldiers, bringing them pigs, sheep, and grain.

Kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred.

Murong Shao, Murong Zhou, and Wang Yan conspired to deceive everyone. They used both armored cavalry and armored soldiers. In the critical moment, slaves and able-bodied men, fearless of death, charged into Murong Shao's armored cavalry with their bare flesh and blood.

The battle was won, but the casualties were also considerable.

In addition to the Wu Xing youths and soldiers from the Central Army, the entire army suffered over 1,800 casualties and countless wounded.

However, the results were also very impressive. They defeated Murong Shao and Murong Zhou, beheaded Wang Yan and Mu Yugen, and captured more than 17,000 people.

The Yan state's influence in Yanzhou was severely damaged.

More than 400 slaves who participated in the Battle of Xiaqiu were converted into civilians. They were not only given women, but also a thatched hut. Liu Daogui, who made contributions, was directly promoted to the position of liezhang (chieftain) and given 30 mu of land.

Land, women, houses—that's all people in this era seek in their entire lives...

"From now on, joining the army will be like giving us a second life!"

Several new residents, aged seventeen or eighteen, were moved to tears. Among them were both Xianbei and Dingling people.

But nobody cared what ethnic group they were. The years of fighting in the north had allowed the various ethnic groups to gradually merge.

On the battlefield, these people shouted "Drive out the barbarians and restore our land!" even louder than the soldiers.

Although the Jin dynasty was weak, it was undoubtedly the legitimate dynasty in this land.

The Xianbei, Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Qiang-Di peoples were the henchmen of the Central Plains dynasties from the Eastern Han Dynasty onwards.

The Hu people were powerful for a time, but their influence was fleeting and short-lived. The Jin dynasty's imperial power was weak and controlled by aristocratic clans, yet it remained stable for over eighty years.

The Battle of Fei River added to the legitimacy of the Jin dynasty.

Anything that is orthodox will have followers.

Liu Daogui's various actions made the newly joined slaves extremely envious, and they worked even harder.

The rules were actually very simple: even without military merits, they could become civilians after ten years, giving them hope for life and making their lives no longer stagnant.

After two months, fewer than a hundred slaves escaped; most were exposed by insiders. With heads chopped off and hung in the fields, the slaves became increasingly docile.

"Report! Yesterday, Murong Zhou of Gaoping County led his remaining troops eastward toward Shanfu, and Governor Liu has already occupied Gaoping!" A scout rushed from the west bank of the Si River to report.

"How is Rencheng County?"

"Pingyou's troops are still putting up a stubborn resistance."

"Rencheng's food supplies must be exhausted, and it's time to avenge Api!" Liu Zun said bitterly.

He was closest to Liu Heibi, and they even slept with women together.

Liu Daogui felt a pang of sadness. More and more brothers had fallen in recent years, but since they had chosen this path, casualties were inevitable. "Let's go back to the Rencheng camp and see if Pingyou's bones are tougher, or our swords are tougher!"

Two hundred members mounted their horses and headed west...

Wu County, Haiyan.

"Has Governor Liu not replied yet?" Liu Yu was extremely frustrated.

In the past few months, he fought more than ten battles, large and small, against the demon bandits. Half a month ago, he selected more than 300 daredevils, removed their armor, took up short weapons, and marched out with great fanfare to openly attack the demon bandit camp and kill the bandit leader Yao Sheng!

Five days ago, they again lowered their flags and feigned defeat, withdrawing from Haiyan City. The rebels swarmed in, but Liu Yu turned against them, inflicting a great defeat and killing more than three thousand.

The demons and bandits lost their courage and dared not besiege the city again.

But after all, they only had a few hundred men at their disposal, and the more they fought, the fewer they had left, and the more exhausted they became, without any reinforcements.

Liu Laozhi valued him highly, but he was also secretly on guard. The reputations of the brothers Liu Yu and Liu Daogui were growing louder and louder in the Northern Army, and they were showing signs of surpassing Liu Laozhi.

Liu Laozhi was by no means a magnanimous person.

They never gave him reinforcements, nor did they adopt his strategy of sending troops.

The few hundred men in Haiyan City were still the troops brought by Meng Longfu, Kuai En, Shen Tianzi and others.

Not only did he not send reinforcements, but he also stayed in Shanyin, watching the two sides fight from the sidelines.

This led to the bandits sweeping through Wu County once again, taking more than 100,000 young men hostage.

Meng Longfu angrily said, "Brother, don't you understand? Governor Liu is truly raising bandits to enhance his own power. He doesn't care about the fate of the court at all, nor does he care about the lives of the people of Jingkou!"

Kuai En said calmly, "With the demon bandits gone, it's still uncertain whether the Northern Commander can hold his position securely."

The imperial court's high-profile support of Gao Yazhi, along with the placement of the Wang brothers, Wang Yu and Wang Kai, in Guangling and Jingkou, clearly indicated their intention to undermine Liu Laozhi's influence.

Having learned his lesson, Liu Laozhi had suffered many losses in the past, so he was naturally unwilling to put in any effort now.

But he remained inactive, leaving Liu Yu isolated.

Shen Tianzi said, "Wu County has been abandoned, and Wuxing has been managed by Military Advisor Liu for a long time, with garrison farms set up. It would be better to temporarily avoid their sharp edge, recruit young men to replenish our forces, rest for several months, and then fight against the demon bandits."

Haiyan is located near the sea, and the local people had long since fled, leaving no way to support the army. If it weren't for Liu Laozhi sending some food every month, Liu Yu would have been unable to hold on for a long time.

“If our army retreats, the demon bandits will become even more unscrupulous and uncontrollable. They will then march north to Dantu. What will we do then?” Liu Yu looked at the crowd.

Jingkou was under the jurisdiction of Dantu County, Jinling Prefecture.

Adjacent to Wu County, located northwest of Taihu Lake, while Wuxing is south of Taihu Lake, once Liu Yu retreats, the rebels will definitely head north.

At this moment, a scout arrived from the north, reporting to the military advisor that the rebel army was heading north and was heading straight for Dantu!

Silence fell over the city wall, and the atmosphere became heavy.

The imperial court transferred Liu Gui, Zhuge Kan, Gao Su and other troops from Jingkou to defend Jiankang, while Liu Laozhi's army remained in Shanyin, and Jingkou was already an empty city!
Apart from the elegant troops of Guangling in Jiangbei, there were no other military forces...

Given the current situation, Liu Laozhi wants to nurture the rebels to enhance his own power, and the imperial court also wants to use the rebels to weaken the Northern Army, so they will definitely not rush to the aid of Jingkou.

"We must immediately seek help from the Governor-General; surely he won't abandon the people of Jingkou to their fate!"

The voices of several veterans trembled.

Most of the people in the city have their parents, wives, and children in Jingkou.

Meng Longfu said, "Don't forget, when we were resisting Zhai Liao two years ago, Commander Liu moved his two grandsons and some of the families of the elite Northern Army to Pengcheng!"

Liu Laozhi has only one son, Liu Jingxuan, who is currently a hostage in Jiankang.

Therefore, they don't care about the lives or deaths of the people of Jingkou at all.

"It's too late to ask for help now. Shanyin is 600 li away from Jingkou, which is at least a ten-day journey. The rebels can take a boat north from Hudu and land in Jingkou in three days. The only way now is for us to rely on ourselves."

Liu Yu's voice was calm, and his face showed no sign of panic. The others gradually calmed down as well.

Panic won't help at this point.

"We are willing to follow the army and die with them!" Everyone clasped their hands in greeting.

Their families are all in Jingkou, and they will not give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope.

During the months that followed Liu Yu in resisting the demon bandits, everyone was impressed by his wisdom and courage, and even Shen Tianzi was willing to stay and serve under his command.

“If Governor Liu won’t come to our aid, we will. Our entire army will be lightly equipped with only three days’ worth of rations. We will set off immediately, traveling at double speed, to reinforce Jingkou and fight the enemy to the death.”

Liu Yu pointed to the north.

The sky is high and the sea is wide, a strong wind is blowing, clouds are flying across the sky, and several seagulls are soaring freely in the sky...

(End of this chapter)