Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 367 Surround

Murong Chao wanted to fight a decisive battle in Linqi. The city had stored a lot of grain, cattle, horses, and weapons. There were more than 30,000 civilians and surrendered soldiers, and more than 2,000 warhorses.

More than 5,000 uninjured warhorses were captured on the battlefield.

After this battle, Liu Daogui's cavalry can be expanded to a new size.

Zhu Lin and Fu Hongzhi each led their troops to pursue the escaped warhorses, and they should be able to find something.

If the cavalry force could reach five thousand, we wouldn't suffer such losses when encountering nomadic cavalry in the future, and at least we wouldn't let them escape so easily.

Spring rain fell like silk threads, and the long street was filled with kneeling people welcoming the Jin army into the city.

The soldiers all had grim faces, and a faint but palpable killing intent permeated the entire city.

If it weren't for Liu Daogui's military orders, these people would have been corpses long ago.

Even so, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive. After each bloody battle, the soldiers would accumulate resentment and killing intent, which needed to be released.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. The Murong clan is the one who killed my brothers! Open the city's treasury and distribute the money and silk to all the soldiers. Tonight, we will feast the soldiers. After we capture Guanggu, there will be even greater rewards!"

Liu Daogui placed Liu Zun's body into the coffin and personally nailed it shut.

The funeral was never held; they were just waiting for Murong Chao's head to be offered as a sacrifice.

In this battle, the Yan army suffered more than 13,000 casualties, 70% of whom were wounded by crossbows. Nearly 7,000 were captured on the battlefield, and less than half of the elite cavalry escaped back with Murong Chao.

The fate of the Southern Yan state has been sealed, and morale and public support will inevitably collapse completely.

Liu Daogui did not rush to attack, but instead sent out scouts to issue proclamations to all counties in Qingzhou, demanding their surrender within ten days and the supply of provisions for the army, otherwise they would "come and take it themselves."

The Southern Yan state had been established for less than six years, and the people's hearts were not yet at peace.

The foundation was left by Bilu Hun, who was the governor of Qingzhou during the Former Qin Dynasty and once wavered between the Jin Dynasty and the Later Yan Dynasty.

The spring rain fell intermittently for two days, and the soldiers received a steady supply of meat every day, which quickly restored their morale.

On the third day, Liu Daogui left Zhu Lin to guard the area, while the rest of the army continued north to attack Guanggu.

While they were still on their way, letters of farewell from various counties and prefectures began to arrive like snowflakes.

Beihai, Gaomi, Pingchang, Donglai, and Dongmu, south of Guanggu, all surrendered, and supplies were on their way.

The Qi Commandery, Le'an, Changguang, and Pingyuan to the north are still observing.

Just as the army arrived at the gates of Guanggu City, a thousand Xianbei cavalrymen came to surrender.

The army was very strong, with each soldier on two horses and all the soldiers wearing iron armor and carrying long spears.

"I am He Laisheng, from the Helan tribe of the Xianbei. I have heard of your unparalleled heroism, General, and have come to join me!" A red-faced general, around forty years old, knelt on one knee.

Liu Daogui immediately became interested, "What is Helai Lu's relationship with you from the Xianbei Helan tribe?"

The Helan tribe was quite powerful in the southern desert. Tuoba Gui relied on the Helan clan's strength to achieve his current status, but after his success, the Helan tribe's rebellions never ceased.

During the Battle of Yecheng, Helai Lu led 10,000 troops to join Murong De and became one of the founding heroes of Southern Yan.

"It was my cousin, Murong Chao, who refused to heed my advice and imprisoned me. After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the general, he became enraged and had my cousin torn apart by chariots..." He Laisheng became more and more indignant as he spoke.

"Rise up, join my army, and you shall abide by my rules."

"From now on, this humble general is willing to go through fire and water for the general, and even die ten thousand times!"

This man was quite decisive; he switched from one knee to both knees and kowtowed three times with a resounding thud. The other Xianbei cavalrymen also dismounted and knelt in obeisance, showing great respect.

This drew disdain from the surrounding generals of the Northern and Western armies.

However, since others have sincerely come to join him, Liu Daogui cannot turn them away.

In the future, during the Northern Expedition, more Xianbei, Xiongnu, Qiang, and Di people will come to join us.

Guanggucheng is a strategically important location, backed by towering mountains to the west, controlling the vast fertile plains to the north, overlooking the Jiaodong Peninsula with its interconnected mountains and rivers to the east, and serving as a vital transportation hub connecting Huai and Yi provinces to the south.

Originally built by Cao Yi, the governor of Qingzhou during the Former Zhao Dynasty, the site is surrounded by deep ravines and rugged waters, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After Cao Yi, Duan Kan also established a separatist regime in this area.

But without exception, they were all breached by others.

Liu Daogui didn't waste any words with Murong Chao. He ordered the laborers to dig and build fortifications, creating a triple encirclement of Guanggu.

The soldiers took advantage of the spring rains to cultivate the surrounding fertile soil and plant millet, beans, and other crops as a long-term solution.

Qingzhou is named "Qing" because of its fertile land, with irrigation canals and fields readily available all around.

In order to cut off Guanggu's external support, Liu Daogui also ordered He Wuji, Hu Fan, and Mao Xiuzhi to attack Le'an and Pingyuan counties, turning Guanggu into an isolated city.

Soon, a bustling scene unfolded outside Guanggu City.

The laborers and prisoners were busy digging, the soldiers were busy cultivating, and the elite troops of the Northern and Western Prefectures were on guard to prevent Murong Chao from making a desperate move.

Before the earthen ramparts are erected, if Murong Chao were to gather his elite cavalry and break out, he would still have a chance of survival.

However, since the Battle of Linqu, the morale of the Southern Yan army has been completely shattered, and the Yan army is listless and demoralized.

Every night, people would sneak out of the city and surrender to the Jin army.

Liu Daogui had fought in the south and north, capturing fortified cities like Jiangling and Xiangyang, and was already very familiar with siege tactics.

Attacking the city is the next step, attacking the heart is the top step.

Even the most fortified city cannot withstand the collapse of morale. In less than a month, Le'an, Pingyuan, and Qi County either surrendered or fell.

Hu Fan and He Wuji successively sent back tens of thousands of prisoners, and seized more than 3,000 warhorses and more than 70,000 shi of grain.

However, Guanggu City remained unmoved. Murong Chao was cruel by nature, but he had high prestige and strong control over the lower-ranking soldiers, so the Yan army did not surrender on a large scale.

"Report! Emperor Tuoba Gui of Wei has led 150,000 infantry and cavalry south to Luoyang!" Meng Ganzhi hurriedly reported.

What are you afraid of?

Murong Chao was already a lamb to the slaughter, attracting a hungry wolf.

Every time Tuoba Gui launched a military campaign, he mobilized the entire nation's resources. In the Battle of Canhebei, although there were only 20,000 troops on the main battlefield, there were also 100,000 troops under Tuoba Yi to the south.

After that, when they attacked Zhongshan, they also sent 200,000 troops south.

The subsequent Battle of Chaibi also involved an army of over 100,000...

In grassland tribes, the people are soldiers, and soldiers are people; this is one of their great advantages.

Many ants can kill an elephant; the majority of the hundreds of thousands of Wei troops were cavalry, and their entry into Luoyang clearly indicated their intention to conquer the Central Plains.

Liu Daogui laughed and said, "It is impolite not to reciprocate. Order Hu Fan and Fu Hongzhi's troops that once the Wei army invades the Central Plains, they should immediately head north, storm into Hebei, and leave no one alive. Also, order all the garrison prefectures in the Central Plains to fortify their defenses and clear the fields, and gather the people in the cities!"

As long as Tuoba Gui has the two major bases of Huaihe, Sihe, Jingxiang, and Xiangyang, he cannot hold his ground even if he conquers the Central Plains.

This is similar to the situation where Liu Daogui captured Ye City, but ultimately had to give it up.

The capital of the Wei Kingdom was Pingcheng, which was too far away to reach the Central Plains.

Regardless of the fact that the Central Plains is no longer the same as before, after the land was distributed, people's hearts were at ease, and it would not be easy for Tuoba Gui to take over those fortified cities.

With Xin Gongjing in Xuchang, Xiao Chengzhi in Huatai, Mao Dezhu in Hongnong, and Shen Qingzhi in Wancheng, holding out for a few months shouldn't be a problem.

When Liu Daogui launched his northern expedition, he had already taken into account the possible actions of the Wei state.

"Liu Zun, listen to my command, drive away the prisoners tomorrow..." He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, remembering that Liu Zun was gone, and a wave of sadness washed over him.

"Order Meng Longfu and Shen Tianzi to drive the prisoners to attack the city tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" The messenger hurriedly stood up.

Liu Daogui sat alone in the central command tent...

The next morning, the sound of war drums filled the air.

More than 5,000 prisoners, carrying swords and shields and long ladders, were driven forward.

Meng Longfu led crossbowmen to supervise the battle from the rear, while Shen Tianzi led a thousand elite armored soldiers to infiltrate among the prisoners and attack the city together.

As the prisoners surged toward the city walls, they shouted into the city in Xianbei language: "The royal army has arrived, Murong Chao will surely perish, surrender and you will be spared death."

The defenders on the city wall were thrown into chaos.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Tianzi, carrying his shield, took the lead and, like a dozen or so armored soldiers, nimbly climbed up the long ladder.

But at that moment, Murong Chao's banner was raised on the city wall. A scream rang out, and six or seven Yan soldiers who had been watching and hesitating were pushed off the city wall. Only then did the defenders come to their senses. Arrows and stones rained down, leaving no room for escape.

The prisoners below the city suffered heavy casualties, with blood flowing like a river. Other prisoners turned to flee, but were cut down by Meng Longfu's supervisory team. The prisoners cried out everywhere and had no choice but to turn back and fight again.

Just as Shen Tianzi climbed onto the city wall, he was attacked by six or seven long spears at once and had to retreat.

The siege immediately turned into a fierce battle.

The prisoners charged forward with bloodshot eyes, but the defenders held firm, suffering over two thousand casualties. The prisoners finally broke down.

Shen Tianzi had no choice but to retreat, saying, "This humble general is ashamed; Guanggu City is indeed very strong, and we were unable to breach it."

"Are you injured?"

Just now, we were darting around on the city wall, facing numerous dangers.

"How could a mere Xianbei child harm me? Thank you for your concern, General." Shen Tianzi said with an air of arrogance.

He Wuji glanced at him sideways, "I didn't expect there to be such skilled warriors in the Wu region."

Shen Tianzi, proud and arrogant, snorted coldly, "No need for such arrogance, only good at bullying within the family."

These words put He Wuji and the other generals of the Northern Army in an awkward position, their faces turning unfriendly. However, they dared not argue, as Wang Gong, Huan Xuan, Yin Zhongkan, and Liu Laozhi were essentially "Northern barbarians" and were indeed killing each other.

“Military Advisor Shen is mistaken. Heroes emerge in every generation under heaven. People from both sides of the river are one family, and you are all brothers who have shared life and death.”

Liu Daogui was also having a headache. He knew back then that the brothers Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi were unruly, and after all these years, they were still the same.

Of course, it wasn't just Shen Tianzi who was unruly; the rift between the "Northern Barbarians" and the "Southern Rats" had been brewing for quite some time.

The Sima family and those other prominent families who migrated south essentially encroached upon the interests of the local powerful clans of the Wu region.

For so many years, the Jin dynasty used others and then abandoned them. Kuaiji and Wu Commandery almost became the private domains of the Sima and Wang/Xie families, leaving others with nothing to drink.

Over the years, the Northern Army has essentially acted as the henchmen of powerful families, so it's no wonder that local gentry like Shen Tianzi harbored resentment.

Shen Tianzi still gave Liu Daogui face, unless he didn't want to stay in the Northern Army anymore. "What the general said is very true."

Liu Daogui's face hardened. "Since we are brothers, we must not utter such hurtful words, or we will be subject to military law."

The group exchanged glances, then bowed and said, "As you command."

(End of this chapter)