Chapter 416: Siege
Xiao Yunshuo tightly grasped the hand of the Earl of Dingbei and said, "I am but one man. How can I, as a citizen of Dayu, deserve such praise from General Mu? It is General Mu and his brave and skilled soldiers who are the true blessing of Dayu. If it were not for their sacrifice and perseverance, Dayu would have long been ravaged by the Northern Rong cavalry. I have witnessed the humiliation and injustice they have endured, and I will certainly seek justice for them in the future!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hot tears in Mu Xuan's eyes finally burst out. This was what was meant by "tears streaming down one's face."
He knelt again and said in a trembling voice, "Since Your Highness has said so, I have no regrets even if I endure a thousand grievances, slanders, and misunderstandings. On behalf of all the soldiers, I thank Your Highness!"
Xiao Yunshuo pulled Mu Xuan up again and said, "General Mu, please don't be so polite. The situation is urgent now, and I'm afraid General Mu has noticed something. Let's get down to business first..."
Mu Xuan nodded and said seriously, "Your Highness is absolutely right. I suspect that the bandits from the Northern Rong tribe just outside the Great Wall..."
When he said this, he subconsciously paused, thinking of the woman who had just been shot to death by arrows and whose body was abandoned outside the gate by the Beirong bandits. His heart ached sharply.
That woman...maybe she is his daughter, but as a father, he can't even collect his daughter's body!
Mu Xuan took a deep breath, then spoke again in a trembling voice, "I'm afraid this is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind them, there must be a large Northern Rong army lurking! The reason they brought Qing'er... and appeared outside the city gate, including Zhang Rong's instigation of this old minister from the tower just now, is probably... all for a single purpose: to trick me into opening the gate. Once the gate is opened, the Northern Rong army will surely appear suddenly and storm it fiercely..."
This is also the reason why he was unable to collect his daughter's body.
Xiao Yunshuo nodded.
Mu Xuan's judgment of military affairs remains as vigorous as ever.
His guess coincided with Mu Xuan's.
Mu Xuan said, "This time, the Northern Rong army suddenly marched south, and I failed to obtain intelligence in time. This is truly a dereliction of duty. After repelling the Northern Rong army, I will willingly accept the punishment!"
In the past two or three months, most of the patrols to investigate the enemy situation were led by Lieutenant General Zhang.
He had trusted Zhang Rong too much in the past and believed in the information he brought back.
Now it seems that there is no way that there would be no clues about the Northern Rong raising a large army to march south. It must be that Zhang Rong brought back the false news of "calm seas".
Xiao Yunshuo said, "The Northern Rong are inherently cunning. This incident is not your fault, General. You need not worry about it. Yanmen Pass is currently closed, so the Northern Rong army is no longer a threat. We will discuss the details of our march and formation later. However, before that, I have something to tell you."
Xiao Yunshuo looked at Mu Xuan and said, "The woman who was shot to death by arrows outside the pass just now was definitely not Princess Mu."
Mu Xuan was shocked when he heard this, and looked at Xiao Yunshuo in a daze.
Then, without caring about the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects, he suddenly grabbed Xiao Yunshuo's hand and asked in a trembling voice, "Your Highness... Is what you said true?"
Yuan Xu said from the side: "General Mu, don't worry. How could His Highness make such a joke? The young Princess Mu is currently being escorted by His Highness's men. She will arrive at Yanmen Pass in about two days."
Mu Xuan understood: "That secret letter... was it sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? The one informing this old minister that Qing'er has been rescued and is safe..."
Xiao Yunshuo smiled and nodded, saying, "It is inconvenient for me to reveal my identity right now, so I had no choice but to inform the old general through a secret letter. I hope the old general will forgive me."
Mu Xuan was stunned for a moment before plopping down to his knees again. He whispered, "Your Highness, you saved Qing'er. I am deeply grateful to you, so how could I blame you for not revealing your true identity? Even if I have to go through fire and water, I am willing to follow you for the rest of my life and obey your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Xiao Yunshuo said helplessly, "Old General, there's no need to be so formal. If you continue to be so formal, I'm afraid we won't have time to discuss the deployment of troops..."
Mu Xuan then stood up again and said solemnly, "I have just ordered the entire Yanmen Pass garrison to be on high alert. I have also sent an 800-mile express to report the news of the Northern Rong army's invasion back to the capital..."
Xiao Yunshuo nodded and said, "That's exactly what we should do. However, if we wait until the palace receives the military intelligence and reacts, it will probably be too late this time. I've also sent secret messages to the garrison commanders in Zhending, Taiyuan, and even Youzhou, telling them to be prepared and ready to rush to Yanmen Pass at any time."
Mu Xuan said, "Your Highness truly lives up to being our Dayu's God of War. He's prepared for a rainy day, thinking ahead even of this old minister. As long as the garrisons of the nearby prefectures and counties can rush to our aid, and Yanmen Pass is a strategically located fortress, it's a natural fortress. No matter how many armies the Northern Rong muster, they won't be able to get through! However... there's just one thing..."
Xiao Yunshuo looked at him and calmly revealed the answer to the riddle: "Old General, are you worried about the food supply?"
Mu Xuan nodded and said, "Your Highness is wise! This year, natural disasters have struck all parts of Dayu, resulting in a severe harvest failure. The military pay and rations allocated to the army have already been reduced by nearly half compared to previous years. Even though I heard that the Northern Rong also suffered from a severe drought, with a poor harvest and many livestock starving to death, this time the Northern Rong quietly advanced southward, I'm afraid they must have exhausted all their resources and made thorough preparations. This is a world of difference from us suddenly confronting the enemy in Dayu. If we are short of rations, I'm afraid..."
He did not mention the most serious consequence, but Xiao Yunshuo naturally knew the seriousness of the lack of food and grass.
How can hungry soldiers fight a war?
In addition, during this year, due to the struggle for power between the two princes in the imperial court, factions were forming to fight against those who were not in favor. Officials at all levels took sides and, under the guise of working for their masters, they actually enriched themselves. However, as for military pay and food, no one knew how much was embezzled through the layers of exploitation.
If the situation really gets to the point where people are starving to death, the soldiers and generals will likely mutiny. Then, the world will be in chaos and it will be difficult to control.
As early as when Xiao Yunshuo learned from the Northern Rong spies that the Northern Rong were waiting for an opportunity to move south, he had already issued an order, ordering all the Dark Chamber strongholds to make every effort to purchase food and fodder regardless of cost and send them to Datong Prefecture as soon as possible.
But in years of famine, ordinary people can't even take care of their own food and clothing. Even if they offer a higher price, how can they raise food?
Later, the An Cabinet even condoned robbery, sneaking into the homes of corrupt officials to "take out" the food, gold, silver and treasures they had hoarded and put them to good use.
Even so, it is difficult in such a hurry.
According to the information sent back by carrier pigeons from various strongholds, the Dark Pavilion had only stockpiled less than 10,000 dan of grain and about 7,000 dan of fodder, which were now on the way to Datong Prefecture.
There were about 5,000 soldiers guarding Yanmen Pass, and more than 1,000 auxiliary soldiers in charge of logistics, totaling 6,000 people. In addition, there were 1,000 war horses and 300 logistical animals such as mules and oxen for transporting food and grass. The daily food and grass consumption required 120 dan of grain and 50 dan of fodder.
If it were only for the soldiers guarding Yanmen Pass and the logistics support personnel, the 10,000 dan of grain and 7,000 dan of fodder, plus some military farms in Yanmen Pass itself and the military pay and fodder originally issued by the court, would be about 1,000 dan, which is enough for three or four months of supplies.
However, the Beirong army this time is likely to be quite large. Even if there are only 50,000 troops, their number is ten times more than that of the defenders at Yanmen Pass.
Even if Yanmen Pass is a natural fortress, it will not be able to resist with only the 5,000 defenders, and reinforcements will definitely be needed at that time.
If we want to support tens of thousands of reinforcements, I'm afraid these ten thousand stones of grain and eight thousand fodder will run out in minutes.
In addition to food and fodder, there are also bows and arrows, swords, axes, halberds and other weapons, as well as firearms and gunpowder needed by the Divine Fire Camp. The reserves at Yanmen Pass alone are not enough.
Xiao Yunshuo was worried, but he didn't show it on his face. He just smiled and said, "General, don't worry too much about food, fodder, weapons, and the like. I will find a way. The most urgent task now is to rely on the 5,000 garrisons at Yanmen Pass to hold it until the palace and the surrounding prefectures and counties send reinforcements."
Mu Xuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I swear to live and die together at Yanmen Pass. If the pass is broken, I will die and will never retreat a single step!"
Seeing Mu Xuan's resolute face, Xiao Yunshuo couldn't help but feel his blood boiling. He nodded and said, "Old General, it is a blessing for the people of Dayu to have you guarding the border gate!"
As he spoke, he added, "There is one more thing I hope the old general can assist me with."
Mu Xuan immediately said, "If Your Highness has any instructions, please tell me clearly. If I can do it, I will definitely do my best to fulfill it!"
Xiao Yunshuo smiled and said, "This matter is also simple. My current situation is very delicate, and it is really not the time to reveal my true identity. Therefore, I hope that the old general will keep the fact that I am still alive a secret for the time being and not disclose it to anyone else."
Mu Xuan listened and agreed, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will keep this secret strictly."
As the two were talking, there was a loud "boom" sound outside the door!
Then, there was a rapid knock on the door, and a voice came anxiously: "General, this is bad! A large number of Beirong troops suddenly appeared outside the gate and are attacking with catapults!"
After hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo and Mu Xuan looked at each other and their expressions became serious.
Mu Xuan said in a deep voice, "Got it! Let the archers handle it first. I'll go up to the city wall now!"
Xiao Yunshuo and Yuan Xu naturally quickly restored their original disguises and followed Mu Xuan to the city wall.
Seeing this, Mu Xuan hurriedly intervened, saying, "Your Highness! Arrows from the tower are blind. Your Highness's precious body is worth more than safer if it remains inside the pass."
Xiao Yunshuo shook his head and said, "Even the old general led the charge. How can I stay in a safe place and let all the soldiers fight against the Northern Rong? Don't worry, I almost died once. Even if the heavens refused to take me away, I will definitely be fine this time."
Mu Xuan had fought against enemies with Xiao Yunshuo before, and he knew his temper, so he did not try to dissuade him.
The three of them went up to the tower, and with a loud bang, another huge stone came crashing down. However, because it was not high enough, it did not hit the tower, but hit the city wall instead.
Although it was a spent force, it was able to make a small dent in the city wall, and stone fragments fell down with a rustling sound.
Fortunately, the walls of Yanmen Pass were thick enough, and even a huge rock that hit them did not shake the wall at all.
But...what if the Northern Rong attacked day and night with catapults? Even the strongest city walls wouldn't be able to withstand it!
Seeing Mu Xuan ascend the city wall, a deputy general came forward to greet him and reported, "General, the Northern Rong army's attack this time was very sudden. We are unprepared and I'm afraid we will suffer..."
As he was speaking, suddenly several barrels of something fell from the sky. Some of them hit the city wall like the stones just now, and some hit the city tower. The wooden barrels shattered and the liquid inside splashed everywhere.
The soldiers defending the city quickly moved away, but several of them were splashed with liquid.
An unpleasant smell spread out, and Xiao Yunshuo's face suddenly became embarrassed.
He was very familiar with this smell, having encountered it before in Youzhou City.
There is tung oil in the wooden barrel.
Sure enough, not far below the city wall, rows of Beirong archers were lined up in three rows under huge catapults.
The bows in the hands of the archers in the first row were already fully drawn. On each bow, there was a tip wrapped in a cloth soaked in tung oil, and a dim yellow light was faintly lit.
"put!"
Someone is giving orders.
In an instant, countless burning arrows rained down on the city walls and towers!
After the first row of arrows had been released, they immediately retreated, and the second row of archers, with their bows already fully drawn, took up the charge. Then came another command: "Release!"
Next, the third row filled in the gaps and fired arrows. At this time, the first row had already received arrows from the logistics soldiers in the back who were responsible for dipping the tips of the arrows into tung oil and setting them on fire. They were full of bows...
For a moment, arrows were like a sky full of stars, brilliant... but cruelly falling on the city walls and towers.
Some even fell inside the pass.
Combined with the tung oil barrels and large stones thrown by the Northern Rong catapults, a raging fire suddenly broke out on the city wall. Some defenders even caught fire because of the tung oil on their bodies. Screams were heard for a while. Although the fire was put out in time by their companions, many people were killed and injured.
Even Xiao Yunshuo, Yuan Xu and Mu Xuan could only swing their swords with all their might to block the rain of rockets.
Xiao Yunshuo's face was grim, and he whispered, "Yuan Xu, send the signal."
"Yes!" Yuan Xu said, and swung his sword to drive away five or six rockets. He took out a signal tube from his waist and released the rockets.
At the same time, Mu Xuan calmly gave the order: "Immediately have the logistics soldiers inside the pass dig the soil and use the crane to lift it onto the city wall!"
The art of fire attack is a common tactic, so Mu Xuan naturally knows how to deal with it in detail.
These flames were contaminated with tung oil, so water could not be used to extinguish the fire, otherwise it would only fuel the fire and cause more casualties.
The most effective method is to use soil covering method.
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