Chapter 31 Siege of Haozhou
Dunluhe stood on the hillside on his horse, looking at the gray and gloomy city of Suzhou not far away.
Frost fell last night, turning the plains outside Suzhou into a blanket of white, which only amplified the solemnity and heaviness of the city, exuding an aura of desolation. Suzhou is not a large city, but because it is located north of the Huai River and west of the Bian River, at the crossroads of north and south, controlling the Huai and Bian Rivers, it has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists. Therefore, the city walls were built exceptionally strong, and the moat was unfathomably deep.
After examining it for a long time, Dunluhe sighed and said, "The Han people are really perverted. All they know is to build high walls and dig deep moats, and then hide in the city like cowards."
Meda chuckled and said, "General, don't worry, the highest walls and the deepest moats can't stop us."
Dunluhe glanced at him sideways and asked in an unfriendly tone, "Does Lieutenant General Mei already have a good plan?"
Meda knew that Dunluhe harbored resentment towards him, firstly because he blamed Meda for not taking good care of Dunluye, leading to Dunluye's inexplicable death; and secondly, because he believed that Ji Nuli had placed him as a military officer in the Northern Route Army to monitor him. Recalling Ji Nuli's earnest admonition to prioritize the overall situation when the Northern Route Army departed from Mengzhou, Meda suppressed his displeasure and said, "There is a good plan, but it wasn't my idea; it was the Khan's." As soon as he finished speaking, Dunluhe gave a barely audible snort, patted his horse's rump, and rode off.
Meda frowned slightly. Although Dunluhe was Dunluye's brother, their personalities were very different. No wonder Ji Nuli had privately told him: "Dunluhe is brave but not wise, and he is also stubborn. You must keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."
After thinking for a moment, he spurred his horse to catch up and patiently said, "When General Dunlu and I were on a mission to the Zhou Kingdom, the Khan instructed us to cultivate relationships with powerful figures and understand the character of officials in various prefectures. The garrison commander of Suzhou is skilled in both civil and military affairs, and is upright and incorruptible. He is very difficult to deal with. However, the deputy commander is lustful and greedy, and the two have always been at odds. A few days ago, we sent a female spy to the deputy commander's house..."
Atsushi He gave another soft hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Meda was displeased. He shouted, "General!"
Dunluhe turned his horse around and looked at him coldly.
Looking at his face, so strikingly similar to Dunluye's, Meda recalled his death. Realizing his own negligence was partly to blame, his anger subsided. He spoke in a gentle voice, "General, the most urgent matter is to capture Suzhou and complete the Khan's southward campaign. Whatever grudges I may have with you, please set them aside for now. Once this important matter is settled, you may decide how to deal with me. If I, Meda, even flinch, I am unworthy to be a descendant of the eagle." His last sentence was spoken with resounding force.
The Northern Rong people worship eagles and call themselves descendants of eagles. Therefore, the phrase "unworthy to be a descendant of the eagle" is an extremely heavy oath. Dunluhe's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained arrogant and indifferent. "General Mei, you're overthinking it. I was just wondering if the Han people, who are known for their cunning, would be able to use a honey trap."
Mei Da knew he had taken it to heart, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Even if it's no use, with the general's bravery and wisdom, and with the fierceness of our Northern Rong soldiers, we will surely be able to flatten Suzhou City."
This flattery was so eloquent that Dunluhe's expression softened slightly, and he turned to look at the tall and imposing city of Suzhou. A surge of heroic ambition suddenly welled up within him.
By evening, two thousand catapults were in place, the twenty-meter-high earthen platform was rammed, and hundreds of thousands of stones were ready. Dunluhe drew his longsword and gave the signal to attack, and immediately the drums thundered. The two thousand catapults started moving simultaneously, and thousands of ballistae fired in unison, raining stones and scattering crossbow bolts across the sky. However, the fortifications of Suzhou were not to be underestimated; the all-night bombardment only damaged some of the battlements, and the twenty-meter-thick city walls remained steadfast.
At dawn, Dunluhe ordered his men to strike the gong to signal a retreat.
After counting the casualties and adjusting the ranks, they resumed their fierce attack.
By evening, the walls of Suzhou remained intact, and the counterattack proceeded smoothly. Dunluhe, who hadn't slept for a day and a night, was inevitably agitated, muttering curses incessantly. Time was of the essence; Suzhou had to be captured before the Prince of Jin returned to reinforce it, making it the main camp for the Northern Route Army, controlling the Huai and Bian Rivers, and simultaneously sealing off the capital region—although there was an alliance with the Prince of Han, in matters of state, interests come first, and no one could guarantee his continued submission. If he were to break the treaty one day, the retreat route of the 100,000-strong Northern Route Army would be cut off.
Mei Da was also anxious, but he still gently persuaded him: "General, Han cities have always been easy to defend and difficult to attack, and Suzhou City is famously strong. It will probably take some time. You go and rest for a while, and I will keep an eye on things."
Dunluhe pondered for a moment, realizing the logic in what he said, and nodded, intending to return to his tent to rest. Suddenly, a scout rode up on horseback and shouted, "Reporting to the general, the guerrilla general's three thousand cavalry ambushed the Haozhou army at Luling Town, killing eight hundred and capturing three hundred. Our army suffered one hundred dead and two hundred wounded. The remnants of the enemy fled to the Huai River, but having no boats to cross, they fled westward to Bozhou."
Dunluhe's spirits lifted, and he said, "Good, tell Dunluchengxiong to cross the Huai River quickly and guard the northern pass of Haozhou. We must not let the Haozhou army return to Haozhou."
“ .” The scout answered loudly, turned his horse around, and rode off.
Meda put on a smile and feigned admiration, saying, "General, your strategy is brilliant! The Haozhou army has indeed come to the rescue of Suzhou." In reality, it was hardly a brilliant strategy. Anyone with a basic understanding of military affairs could have figured it out. Suzhou held a unique position, and the surrounding prefectures, knowing that the Northern Rong were attacking Suzhou, would naturally send troops to its aid. Among them, Haozhou had the strongest army, and Luling Town was the only way from Haozhou to Suzhou. Ambush there would be twice as effective with half the effort.
Dunlu He said smugly, "I heard that the Grand Commander of Haozhou was Chai Xi's former chief bodyguard. I never expected him to be so stupid, not even learning a fraction of his master's skills." Little did he know, Yu Qing had also foreseen this; it was his cavalry commander who had been careless. Dunlu Chengxiong had intentionally let them pass through Luling Town first, and they assumed there was no ambush, continuing their advance without waiting for the infantry. As a result, the infantry behind them were routed by the three thousand iron cavalry of the Northern Rong, falling into complete disarray.
"The elite troops of Haozhou have all left. Once we capture Suzhou, we can probably take Haozhou without much effort."
“Right.” Dunluhe looked at Suzhou City with great confidence. “If we capture Suzhou, Haozhou, and Sizhou, the three prefectures will form an iron triangle. Even if Chai Xi returns, what can he do?” After thinking for a moment, he shouted, “Men, give the order to prepare the siege engines.” The siege engines were equipped with wheels, were as high as the city walls, and could hold eighty people. They were traditionally used for scaling city walls.
Meda frowned slightly. The counterattack in Suzhou was proceeding smoothly, clearly indicating excellent ground preparedness. A forced assault on the city walls would inevitably result in heavy casualties. "General, the time is not yet ripe. Let's wait a little longer."
Dunluhe glanced at him sideways, a half-smile on his face, and said, "General Mei, I only said to prepare the siege engines. What's the panic?"
Meda was greatly embarrassed, chuckled awkwardly twice, and said, "It was my rudeness." He paused and then asked, "General, won't you go and rest for a while?"
“I’m in good spirits right now,” Dunluhe said. “By the way, I heard that Chai Xi’s woman is in Haozhou City.”
"That's the message the spies sent back."
"Good, once we break through the city, I will definitely capture her alive and let the men below enjoy her."
"General, wouldn't it be better to capture her alive and present her to the Khan?"
Dunluhe raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Does the Khan lack another woman?"
Meda understood that he was deliberately provoking her, reminding herself that he was the commander-in-chief of the Northern Route Army, and even if Ji Nuli placed her by his side, he couldn't interfere with his decisions. She was displeased, but the Mona tribe was now under the command of Dunluhe, and even Ji Nuli sometimes felt helpless against it.
When Dunluhe saw that he had finally shut up, he felt as happy as if he had drunk fine wine. His elder brother, Dunluye, was devoted to Ji Nuli, but he disliked this Khan who was seven years younger than him. He felt that he had been deeply influenced by the Han people and that his behavior was not as bold and straightforward as that of the Northern Rong people. Instead, he was like the Han people and loved to use "schemes and tricks".
However, he hadn't anticipated that the relentless bombardment by 50,000 Northern Route Army troops, day and night, would fail to breach the gates of Suzhou. Ultimately, Suzhou fell to the "schemes and tricks" of the Ji Nu.
On September 25th, the Northern Route Army had been attacking Suzhou for seven days and nights, and was running out of hundreds of thousands of stones. Although the soldiers had taken turns resting, their physical strength was not affected, but their morale was beginning to wane. However, the defenders of Suzhou were even more exhausted. Due to limited manpower, no one had been able to rest, and when they were truly tired, they could only lean against the city wall and sleep for a while, thus everyone was exhausted. Most importantly, after being besieged in the city for eight days, no one had sent reinforcements, and any messages sent out had disappeared without a trace. Rumors began to circulate in the city that the emperor had died in Weinan, and that the world was about to descend into chaos. Just as morale was wavering, the deputy commander of the Suzhou army killed his commander and raised a white flag on the city wall.
Seeing the white flag fluttering in the wind, Atsushi Heiyuu could hardly believe it.
Meda, however, wore an expression of utter surprise and said with a smile, "Congratulations, General, on conquering Suzhou City."
These words sounded sarcastic no matter how you looked at them. Dunluhe glared at him and raised his hand to signal the gong to signal a retreat. Then the deputy general of Suzhou opened the city gates wide. Dunluhe, fearing that he was feigning surrender, still ordered the main army to stay outside the city, and only sent Meda with a group of guards in to discuss the takeover of the city.
On September 28th, the handover of the defenses of Suzhou was completed, and Dunluhe left 5,000 troops to garrison the city. He then personally led more than 50,000 troops to Haozhou to join forces with the guerrilla general Dunluchengxiong. At midnight on October 1st, they surrounded Haozhou and began construction overnight to set up catapults, ballistae, and a command platform.
By dawn, two thousand catapults and several thousand ballistae had been set up.
Dunluhe stood on the command platform, looking at Haozhou City in the morning light. Compared to Suzhou City, it looked much more frail. He turned to Meida and asked, "What good strategies does Military Advisor Mei have this time?" Although the capture of Suzhou City had nothing to do with his military talent, he had always been bothered by it.
Meda could only say, "With the general here, why should I need to use my brain?"
Dunluhe laughed heartily and said, "Military Advisor Mei, we will surely conquer this city in just three days." With that, he drew his long sword, and the flag officer, understanding his intention, raised the attack flag. The war drums sounded, and before the second one could be heard, a deafening explosion resounded through the heavens and earth, so loud that it felt like everyone's eardrums were about to burst. The Northern Rong soldiers dropped their weapons and covered their ears in agony.
Before they could react, crossbow bolts carrying incendiary bombs rained down from the sky like meteors. Wherever they landed, flames erupted, smoke billowed everywhere, and the chilly morning air suddenly felt like the heat of summer. Not only Dunluhe, but even the experienced Meda was stunned, bewildered by what was happening. The Northern Rong soldiers scattered in panic, utterly powerless to retaliate.
The only one who knew clearly was Ruan Bi, who stood on the city wall of Haozhou. She looked at the Northern Rong soldiers rolling on the plain outside the city, crying and wailing for their parents, and sighed deeply.
Liu Shizhi turned his head and looked at her with admiration, saying, "Things have turned out just as you predicted, young lady. Why are you sighing?"
"It was only after experiencing war firsthand that I realized how truly devastating it was."
Liu Shizhi felt there was something wrong with what he said, but he didn't understand what the problem was. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Since ancient times, battlefields have always been a matter of life and death, with rivers of blood flowing. You'll get used to it, young lady." He paused, then asked curiously, "How did you come up with the idea of burying the thunderbolts (the prototype of landmines that appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty) in the ground and running the fuse into the city?"
"I stumbled upon it in my dream," Ruan Bi said casually, making it up.
The development of gunpowder weapons in the Great Zhou Dynasty had reached a considerable scale, with the emergence of weapons such as the Heavenly Thunder Bomb, incendiary bombs, explosive bombs, gunpowder arrows, and caltrop cannons. However, these were filled with black powder, which lacked sufficient power and therefore did not receive much attention. The Heavenly Thunder Bomb consisted of a cast iron shell filled with black powder, launched by a catapult; the explosion shattered the iron shell, thus injuring the target. Although the power of black powder was limited, the simultaneous detonation of three thousand Heavenly Thunder Bombs was still extremely devastating.
Liu Shizhi was about to speak when he suddenly heard the clear sound of a gong outside. He was overjoyed and said, "Miss, they have retreated."
On the second day of the tenth month, the Northern Route Army launched its first attack on Haozhou, which lasted only fifteen minutes.
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