People feel refreshed when happy events occur, such as getting married and celebrating the New Year.
The spring of the 13th year of Jian'an was the real spring for Liu Qi. The spring breeze was intoxicating and the spring scenery was boundless.
In addition to practicing sword skills every day, he would go outings and plant flowers with his three ladies, and his life was full of joy.
Jiangdong's initiative for marriage also made the people of Jingzhou proud. In recent years, life has been really suffocating. This also shows how incompetent Cai Mao, who commanded the troops, was.
On this day, they were sailing on the river. Du Ling'er was cooking wine in the cabin, while Liu Qi and Xu Shu were fishing at the stern. The waves were vast and blue, and merchant ships were coming and going.
Liu Qi asked, "Have you found out all the spies in Xiangyang?"
Xu Shu smiled and said, "Except for those who should be kept, the rest have been cleared out."
Since the assassination in Wuling, Liu Qi, while strengthening his guards, also realized that there were rampant spies in Xiangyang who knew his whereabouts very well.
Although it seemed that he was doing nothing during this period, he was actually attracting the spies to take action. He acted as the bait, and Xu Shu was the fisherman, catching them all in one net.
Liu Qi said: "The Cao thief was defeated last year and holds a grudge. He has been preparing for war for the past few months and will surely start a war again. We need to eliminate the spies in the city so that we can calmly meet the enemy."
Despite the great victory in Nanyang, Cao's army is still the most powerful and cannot be contended with by Jingzhou, so we must not take it lightly.
Xu Shu said, "Cao's army has recently moved to Runan. I think Cao Cao wants to use his troops in Huainan to intimidate Jiangdong. If there is another turmoil in Guanzhong, he will have no time to move south. The general should take this opportunity to plan a plan to enter Sichuan."
"Enter Sichuan?" Liu Qi frowned and said, "Yizhou is a strategically located place with well-trained soldiers and sufficient food. Although Liu Zhang is weak, the people of Shu should not be underestimated. Moreover, Liu Zhang and I are relatives. If we raise an army for no reason and brothers kill each other, I am afraid that the people will be unhappy and we will have a hard time moving forward after entering Sichuan."
Xu Shu said, "General, do you still remember the incident when Yuan Shao took Jizhou? Now Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang are at odds and have been fighting for several years. Why not contact them secretly and divide Yizhou together? Zhang Lu is frightened by Ma Teng and is feeling uneasy. He will be happy to send troops. If Liu Zhang comes to ask for help, we can take the opportunity to invade."
"This plan is feasible..." Liu Qi pondered for a moment, "but we have no contact with Zhang Lusu, so I'm afraid he may not believe it."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "There is a counselor under Zhang Lu named Yang Song. He is very greedy and forgets his principles when he sees profit. He is despised by the people of Hanzhong, but because he is the leader of the Yang clan, they dare not speak out. If we can bribe him, we will succeed."
"Good idea!" Liu Qi slapped his thigh, causing ripples on the water surface and the school of fish that had just gathered disappeared in an instant.
Xu Shu shook his head and sighed, "The fish slipped away."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Although we lost a small fish, we gained a big fish. If we can get his help, we can even plot to take Hanzhong."
"Hanzhong?" Xu Shu was surprised. He twirled his beard and thought, "If we take Hanzhong, we can conquer Longdong in the north and Xichuan in the south. When there is chaos in Guanzhong, we may be able to get a piece of the pie..."
"Let's go back and discuss with Kong Ming immediately!"
Suddenly his mind was opened. Liu Qi could no longer sit still. He threw down his fishing rod and ran to the bow of the boat.
This Yang Song is a real villain. He alienated two powerful generals, Ma Chao and Pang De, and made them surrender to Cao and Liu. Later, he sold out his master for fame and fortune. He is a man who values money more than his life.
It would be a waste of talent if such people are not utilized.
…
As the glaciers thawed, Cao's troops in Wuguan could not wait to send troops to clear the obstacles on the road.
Xu Huang led his troops again and was fully prepared. He set up three large camps outside the pass and ordered the three armies not to rest and to capture Wuguan in one go.
Above Wuguan, Wei Yan was not idle this winter. He intensified the training of troops and transferred city defense equipment from Nanyang to make sufficient preparations.
The Jingzhou army was on high alert, with densely packed archers and defenders stationed at the critical moment. Rolling stones, ash bottles, and wooden planks were piled up, and boiling oil and water were burning at the foot of the wall.
As drums beat in Cao's camp, flags fluttered in each camp, people shouted and horses neighed, Cao's army set up ladders and battering rams and began to attack the city.
Xu Huang personally supervised the battle, with cavalry guarding the two wings, infantry supporting the line, and archers in the center to suppress the defenders on the city.
At the same time, dozens of tall siege towers and catapults slowly moved forward, and battering rams were lined up in a long line and moved forward one after another.
Cao's army had fought with Yuan's army at Guandu for many years and was rich in experience in offensive and defensive battles. Their improvements in equipment were also ranked first among the princes. Xu Huang had personally experienced the battle and had some experience.
More than 2,000 Cao troops carried ladders forward and gradually pressed forward along with the well gates and catapults.
Amid the deafening sound of drums, flags fluttered, archers on the ramparts suppressed the defenders on the city walls, and catapults began to squeak in motion.
In a blink of an eye, stones as big as washbasins flew to the top of the city with a whistling roar. Some hit the city wall, and some fell into the city. A rain of stones fell from the sky.
Although they had made sufficient preparations and set up obstacles with wooden boards, tanned cowhide, linen, etc., some soldiers were still hit by falling rocks. Some were killed on the spot and the injured screamed in pain.
Wei Yan watched the battle calmly, leaning on his sword, and was indifferent to the screams around him. Cao's army was well-equipped and indeed extraordinary.
However, the catapults were only used to disrupt the defenders' formation. Once Cao's army charged, the catapults would become useless, and the wells would become the real threat.
Sure enough, the stones were used up after two rounds of attacks. Cao's army was busy with stones in the rear, the siege soldiers carrying ladders began to sprint, and the archers on the ledges also began to shoot arrows.
"Shoot!" Wei Yan had a stern expression and gave the order in a deep voice only when he saw that Cao's army was twenty or thirty steps away from the city wall.
Arrows flew all over the sky like spring rain, and Cao's troops at the pass fell one after another. In the first round of charge, only a few people reached the city, and there was not a single ladder on the city wall.
But Cao's army did not retreat. The rear army, which had already been assigned an order, immediately followed, rushing over in wave after wave, trampling on the corpses of their companions, and rushing towards the city with all their might.
In the blink of an eye, a river of blood had formed under Wuguan, scarlet and pungent, flowing along the cliff towards the ravine. From afar, the cliff was all crimson, like hell.
Amid the sound of drums and trumpets, screams were heard incessantly, and many defenders on the city fell. Cao's archers pressed down on the city walls, and the soldiers on the ledges posed the greatest threat.
Wei Yan was shot with several arrows, but his personal soldiers blocked them with shields. Wei Yan was furious and took out a bow and arrow to shoot at the soldiers on the well, but the power of one person is limited after all, and the effect was minimal.
After several rounds of charge, Cao's army in the rear continued to advance, and finally some people rushed to the bottom of the city wall and set up ladders, but no one could climb up.
The selected Cao army could only grit their teeth and charge forward. Behind them stood a row of generals holding steel knives. Anyone who dared to hesitate or retreat would be beheaded on the spot.
If you fight to the death and reach the city first, you will be rewarded with merit, and maybe even get a promotion with this military achievement, so you won't have to charge into battle again.
If one unfortunately died in battle, the imperial court would provide a pension to ensure that his family had enough food and clothing.
If you dare to retreat, even if you are lucky enough to survive, you will be punished with death.
Boom—
Under the cover of archers, while the infantry charged, Cao's battering rams slowly moved forward, like a moving fortress, and arrived in front of the gate.
The battering ram was huge and heavy, with steel plates protecting the wings. Soldiers could hide underneath and push the ram towards the city gate.
Bang-
The battering ram slammed into the city gate so hard that the entire wall was shaking, but the gate was also made of cast iron and did not move at all.
Xu Huang gritted his teeth in hatred. This gate was the iron gate that was replaced when Cao Cao built Tongguan, but today it turned out to be a disadvantage for him.