Mo Sang – CH 194

Chapter 194. Siege

The following day, General Wen, stationed in Suizhou, led 100,000 troops to relocate to the outskirts of Ezhou.

Gu Xi, leading 300,000 elite Northern Qi troops and thousands of warships, sailed up the Han Shui, heading straight for Xiangyang.

The army’s advance was not too rapid. By the early fourth month, the Northern Qi Army had surrounded Xiangfan City, their warships moored along the eastern bank of the Han Shui for over ten li.

The Qi Army camp was set up between Xiangyang and Fancheng, outside the moat, on the narrow northern bank of the Han Shui.

Li Sangrou, accompanied by Hei Ma and others, dressed as ordinary Northern Qi cavalrymen, rode out of the camp like the patrolling Northern Qi light cavalry, heading south along the narrow Han Shui.

The group continued until they reached the southernmost point, where the moat and the Han Shui converged again.

Standing at the confluence of the moat and the Han Shui, at the widest point of the moat, gazing at its unusually wide expanse and the distant city of Xiangyang across the water, this was the first time Li Sangrou had stood outside Xiangyang City.

From this vantage point, the towering city walls seemed to rise majestically from the gently rippling moat.

The scene before her was strikingly similar to landscape photographs she had seen, except that in those photographs, towering structures were rows upon rows of dozens of stories high, and the city walls, compared to those buildings, appeared small and ancient.

Now, the city walls before her were tall, sturdy, and vibrant.

She had come to attack Xiangyang, not to defend it. Although she had always preferred offense, in Xiangyang, attacking always seemed like something only villains would do.

Li Sangrou smiled to herself.

“Boss, look at this water! It is so clear; the fish must be great!

That city wall is so close to the water, you could just grab a fishing rod and go fishing; it is fantastic!” Hei Ma looked at the clear moat, then at the city wall, clicking his tongue in envy.

Li Sangrou chuckled. “Alright, let’s go back. We will not be able to eat the fish in this river anytime soon.”

Li Sangrou turned her horse around and rode north along the Han Shui until she was not far from Fancheng. She looked up at Fancheng in the distance.

Xiangyang and Fancheng were inseparable; without Fancheng, there would be no Xiangyang. Unfortunately, at this moment, both Xiangyang and Fancheng were isolated.

Isolated, there was no majestic city.

Li Sangrou looked around and leisurely returned to the camp.

The camp was bustling with activity.

Li Sangrou’s tent was still not far from the commander’s tent. Da Chang was squatting at the tent entrance, roasting dried fish. Seeing Li Sangrou return, he pointed to the commander’s tent. “Ru-Yi came over, saying you should go there as soon as you get back.”

Li Sangrou hummed in agreement, walked over, and carefully examined the pile of dried fish that had just been roasted, picking up a piece to taste. She pointed and said, “Brush it with more oil, but not sesame oil; it is too strong. Use cooked soybean oil.”

Da Chang agreed, went into the tent, retrieved a jar of rendered soybean oil, dipped a brush in the oil, brushed it onto the pile of freshly roasted dried fish, and then picked it up to roast again.

At the commander’s tent entrance, a guard bowed to let Li Sangrou in.

Inside the commander’s tent, about a dozen generals stood around the sand table. Hearing the commotion, they turned around, some smiling and greeting Li Sangrou, others nodding.

“How was the observation?” Gu Xi asked Li Sangrou with a smile.

“The moat is indeed very wide,” Li Sangrou replied with a smile, bowing respectfully.

“Come and take a look at this.” Gu Xi gestured for Li Sangrou to examine the sand table.

Li Sangrou stood there, listening intently to Gu Xi’s explanation and arrangements.

“…You understand everything? That’s good. Tomorrow at the hour of Yin¹. Now, everyone, go and prepare,” Gu Xi spoke quickly.

Everyone bowed and withdrew, hurrying back to their respective units.

Li Sangrou frowned slightly, about to turn and leave, when Gu Xi called her back.

“The back mountain of Xiangyang City is under the command of Zhihe. Judging by the journey, we should be able to reach the back mountain around the hour of Yin tomorrow. We will need to rest for an hour or two to conserve our energy. We will attack the city at the hour of Yin. Once the offensive begins, the defenses on the back mountain will likely be somewhat lax, making it easier for Zhihe.

Whether we can break through the city depends on Zhihe, not on us, but…” Gu Xi did not finish his sentence. They were ahead, tasked with creating a gap for Wen Shunzhi and his ten thousand men on the back mountain, using sheer numbers.

“I know,” Li Sangrou said, a bitter feeling welling up inside her.

On the back mountain, Wen Shunzhi’s journey had been fraught with peril.

Ahead, tomorrow’s battle would be a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

……………………

The eastern horizon remained shrouded in darkness.

The guide slid down from the tree and approached Wen Shunzhi, reporting in a low voice, “We’ve arrived. This is it. Climb this mountain, and below lies Xiangyang City.”

Shunzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The first step had gone smoothly.

“Each team musters its men,” Wen Shunzhi ordered.

The ten teams of a thousand men quickly counted their men, and all teams were present.

The hunters returned from scouting all directions; everything was quiet and peaceful, nothing unusual.

Wen Shunzhi reorganized the teams and ordered them to rest on the spot. Several scouts climbed the surrounding tall trees, crouching among the dense green foliage, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

The soldiers, having traveled most of the night, huddled together in groups of ten and fell asleep almost immediately.

Wen Shunzhi sat under a tree and also fell asleep.

He needed a good hour or two of sleep; he needed to be alert enough to assess opportunities, determine locations, and anticipate battle chances and, ultimately, to be at the forefront of the charge.

Sunlight shone on the mountain peaks, its golden rays bathing the forest.

Wen Shunzhi got up, stretched his limbs, and looked up at the scouts in the tall trees.

“See anything?”

“Yes, I saw it at daybreak. It is really high, higher than the Shunfeng Banner,” a guard said, handing Wen Shunzhi a water bag and smiling.

Wen Shunzhi breathed a sigh of relief again, a slight smile creeping onto his face.

Seeing the banner meant he could see the commander-in-chief’s movements; this gave him confidence!

The centurion on duty slid down from the tree, smiling as he reported, “General, at the hour of Yin, the first movement of the command flag signaled the attack on Fancheng. A quarter of an hour later, the flag signaling the attack on Xiangyang will also move. Our army has begun the siege.”

Wen Shunzhi glanced at the sun’s shadow; it was almost the end of the hour of Yin. According to their countless sand table simulations, fierce fighting was currently raging between the Han Shui and the moat.

“Eat and drink well; pack up; throw away anything you do not need; prepare for the siege,” Wen Shunzhi ordered.

Ten centurions jogged around, waking their men and giving them instructions.

The woods were a hive of activity.

Not far from Wen Shunzhi, a centurion in his thirties untied a leather pouch from his back, took a swig of strong liquor, and handed it to his comrade beside him. “Have a sip to boost morale.”

His comrade took a sip and passed it to the next man.

“I will not drink,” said the last young soldier, shaking his head.

“Scared?” the squad leader asked, looking at the young soldier.

“No, I am not a good drinker. I need to be sober before attacking the city and killing people,” the young soldier said, chewing on his dried meat.

“His family is from Yangzhou, outside Yangzhou city,” his companion explained, sighing.

“This time, we will come back and get revenge!” the squad leader said, patting the young soldier hard on the shoulder.

……………………

As the first rays of dawn shone down, the defenders of Xiangyang City stared in disbelief at the unusually tall flagpole that had suddenly risen between them and Fancheng.

Standing on the city wall, they had to crane their necks to see the flagpole with its hanging basket!

That flagpole was even taller than the mountain behind them!

Before they could utter a few words, from the west of Fancheng, across the river, rockets rained down, and shouts of battle erupted.

“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”

Sirens blared across the city wall, and footsteps hurried.

General Cheng, stationed between Xiangyang and Fancheng, stood on the city tower, squinting at the unusually tall flagpole opposite.

Why erect the flagpole so high? Who was it for?

“General! General! Fancheng needs reinforcements!” a messenger rushed over to report.

“The siege has not even begun; what are you asking for reinforcements for? Let them hold out!” General Cheng coldly ordered, strode up to a higher watchtower, and squinted at the opposite side of the moat.

On the Tangbai River, flowing from Xinye, boats of all sizes were lined up, surging from the Tangbai River into the Han Shui outside the moat. Squeezed and pushed along the narrow channel, they rushed towards Fancheng. At the narrow fork between the Han Shui and the moat, the boats stopped and quickly sank, one after another.

“Ring the bell! They are about to launch a major attack!” General Cheng’s expression changed slightly, and he shouted sharply.

Outside the city were 500,000 elite Qi troops and over 6,000 warships; he only had two isolated cities.

The Northern Qi warships anchored in the southern section of the Han Shui rushed into the moat.

The narrowest section of the Han Shui was quickly blocked by sunken ships laden with silt.

The Northern Qi Army, gathered between Fancheng and the Han Shui, sped across the sand barges blocking the Han Shui and rushed onto the empty sandbar opposite the moat.

……………………

Li Sangrou, dressed in black, stood on a medium-sized warship, sandwiched between thousands of other warships, and charged into the moat.

Da Chang, clad in leather armor and wearing a helmet, held a shield at least twice the normal size in one hand and a long sword in the other, protecting Li Sangrou.

Hei Ma and Datou stood on Li Sangrou’s other side; Datou held a shield, and Hei Ma gripped a sword.

Xiao Lu, Chuantiao, and Mazha were scattered on either side, swords in hand, watching for any movement in the water.

Behind Li Sangrou were seven or eight steel crossbows, two or three boxes of crossbow bolts half a person’s height, and two strong, burly soldiers.

In the cabin behind the two soldiers sat twenty or thirty burly soldiers waiting to be replaced.

Pulling back the crossbow bolt was hard work.

“Move west a bit,” Li Sangrou said, her eyes fixed on the large bronze bell that was ringing loudly on the city wall.

Xiao Lu quickly signaled to the helmsman behind him.

The bow turned west, veering from the fleet. Li Sangrou took a crossbow, aimed at the bronze bell, and pulled the trigger.

A sharp whistling sound followed, and the soldier who had been vigorously striking the bell fell forward.

Li Sangrou handed the crossbow back, then took another and fired at the officer waving a flag on the watchtower.

The lead warship had already met the Southern Liang navy.

Li Sangrou’s warship had broken away from the fleet and was now positioned halfway up the moat, beyond the range of the powerful bows from the city walls of Xiangyang.

Li Sangrou no longer looked at the city walls, focusing only on the Southern Liang warships, her crossbow bolts steadily striking the officers on the mastheads.

Several Southern Liang warships charged towards Li Sangrou’s position, and Northern Qi warships immediately met them. Squads of water monsters leaped into the water, tumbling and fighting fiercely in the water dozens of feet in front of Li Sangrou. Strands of blood seeped into the clear water, spreading into clumps and patches until the water was stained red, flowing past the ships with the current.

Li Sangrou, completely focused, took a steel crossbow, pulled the trigger, handed it back, and took it again. The crossbow bolts moved with precise rhythm; each sharp, piercing whistling sound carried away a sliver of life.

……………………

Back on the mountain behind Xiangyang City, Wen Shunzhi lay prone on the cliff, watching the city walls not far below. The walls remained orderly; he would wait patiently.

……………………

The Southern Liang navy, outnumbered by the Northern Qi, was fighting with their backs to the city; there was no retreat, only a fight to the death.

The wide moat was quickly stained crimson with blood.

Around noon, the Southern Liang navy collapsed and was annihilated. The battered Northern Qi warships formed a pontoon, stretching from Shazhou to the walls of Xiangyang.

The Northern Qi soldiers gathered on Shazhou, carrying ladders, and rushed onto the pontoon.

Li Sangrou’s ship was moored beside the pontoon, at the edge of the crossbow’s range from the city walls.

Li Sangrou increased the speed of her crossbow bolts, fighting her way across the pontoon and towards the ladders on the city walls.

Urgent shouts and chaos erupted from the city walls.

…………………

Wen Shunzhi, on the hill behind Xiangyang City, took a deep breath as he watched the chaos erupt on the city walls. He waved his hand and ordered, “Down the mountain!”

Dozens of ropes, already tied to the rocks and trees, were hurled down. Ten thousand elite soldiers, handpicked from three hundred thousand men, grabbed the ropes and slid down in a chain.

The chaos on the Xiangyang city walls intensified.

Wen Shunzhi was the first to slide down. Two or three zhang off the ground, he released his grip, jumped, rolled to dodge an arrow, scrambled to his feet, and charged toward the city gate.

From the Buddhist temple between the cliff and the outer city gate, several wandering monks rushed out, drew their bows, and fired at the archers on the city walls.

The arrow volley on the walls was disrupted for a few moments. Taking advantage of this brief opportunity, Wen Shunzhi and his men had already covered the short distance of a few zhang and reached the city gate.

The city gate seemed to tremble, a crack appearing. Wen Shunzhi roared and rammed into the gate with all his might.

The crack widened, revealing half a face. Before the face could speak, a sharp blade pierced the chest. The mouth that had opened to speak remained silent; only blood gushed out.

The city gate was rammed open by Wen Shunzhi and the onrushing Northern Qi elite troops, and ten thousand elite soldiers charged in.

……………………

On the western city wall, two or three strong soldiers tumbled down the siege ladders and onto the wall. Li Sangrou immediately adjusted her direction, concentrating crossbow bolts on the group of soldiers. The bolts fired faster, and the soldiers stood in a line with their backs to the crossbow bolts, desperately trying to hold back the surging Southern Liang soldiers and protect the siege ladders behind them.

One by one, the valiant Northern Qi soldiers leaped from the siege ladders onto the city wall, joining the desperate human wall that was holding back the ladders. They blocked and protected them, pushing forward. The number of ladders behind the Northern Qi soldiers increased from one to two, then three…

The melee on the city wall, starting small, gradually spread rapidly to both sides, then slowly and painstakingly. Blood flowed down the city wall like water into the moat, stretching longer and longer with the current yet remaining vividly red.

When the chaos on the city wall reached a point where the fighting was completely intertwined, Li Sangrou lowered her crossbow, squinted at the city gate that had been pushed open with a crash, stood there for a moment, moved her neck, turned halfway around, found the sun that had already set below the horizon, squinted at it for a while, slowly exhaled, and let go of the crossbow, allowing it to fall onto the deck.

“I am tired; I am going to sleep for a while.”

With those words, Li Sangrou collapsed onto the deck and fell into a deep sleep.