kingnovel Chapter 205: Get to Long and Watch Shu
Chapter 205: Get to Long and Watch Shu
Upon hearing this, the people of Wanchao felt deep sympathy for Kui Xiao's eldest son. Not only was he a hostage in Chang'an, but his father was also so ignorant that he insisted on having his cavalry overthrow Liu Xiu.
Look at this father, has he ever thought about his son?
awful! It's too awful!
……
The live broadcast continues.
"Clearly, Wei Xiao hadn't considered what fate awaited his eldest son, and he still stubbornly refused Liu Xiu's offer to surrender. Perhaps he really wanted to go all the way down this path!"
"However, given that he's clearly going to lose, I don't quite understand why he's so stubbornly choosing to fight to the bitter end!"
Kui Xun: I'm truly impressed by having a father like this!
"When Liu Xiu saw that Wei Xiao was unwilling to surrender, even he, a man of such good temper, became angry. So he first killed Wei Xiao's eldest son, Wei Xun, who was being held hostage in Chang'an."
"Then Wu Han and Cen Peng besieged Xicheng (southwest of today's Tianshui), while Geng Yan and Gai Yan besieged Shanggui."
"Previously, Wei Xiao fled to Tianshui with his wife, attendants Yang Guang, and others. They fled to this western city. As for Tian Yan and Li Yu, he sent them to protect Shanggui. Wei Xiao only had these two cities left."
"However, the emperor has been away from the capital for several months, and there is no one in charge of the central government, which could easily lead to chaos."
"For example, Liu Xiu was away from Luoyang for several months this time. As a result, the peasant army in Yingchuan and Hedong rose up again and harassed the capital. Liu Xiu had no choice but to rush back to Luoyang."
An official from the Ming Dynasty said: "Kui Xiao also squandered his advantages in the latter half of the story. Just because he had helped Liu Xiu before, he should have been granted official titles and ranks."
A young man from the Tang Dynasty who abandoned martial arts for literature: So Kui Xun was abandoned by his father!
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: What a tragic figure! If Wei Xiao had surrendered back then, he wouldn't have had to die!
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: Is it possible that he had already given up on his eldest son when he sent the hostage to Chang'an?
……
Before leaving, Liu Xiu specifically instructed Cen Peng and the others on one thing: if Xicheng is captured, do not stop there, but go south to attack the Shu barbarians. This is what is meant by "having gained Long, one desires Shu".
"However, with Liu Xiu gone, Wei Xiao, for some unknown reason, found a surge of energy and deliberately slowed down the progress of this war, as if he was unwilling to bow down to Liu Xiu!"
"Let's talk about the Longxi Plateau again. Due to its terrain, it simply cannot afford to maintain a large number of soldiers. There are practical reasons such as years of war, flat terrain, etc., and insufficient logistical supplies. This is why Liu Xiu asked Wu Han to streamline the troops."
"Liu Xiu repeatedly instructed that the number of people must be reduced to avoid wasting food and having deserters, which would easily lead to a drop in morale!"
"It's just that Wu Han listened attentively to the leader's instructions in the morning, but ignored them after the leader left in the afternoon. After all, you need a lot of people to fight a war, and he felt more at ease with them!"
"A human wave tactic isn't out of the question! When our army is at the city gates, let's see if they're still afraid!"
Liu Xiu, the Chosen One of the Eastern Han Dynasty: Wu Han, that fool!
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: Wang Yi: I thought the same thing in Kunyang!!
A scion of a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: Zhu Qizhen: That's what I thought too. The mere Oirat Mongols are nothing to worry about! Hahaha!
Judy, the Grand General Who Conquers the North: ...
A certain girl from the Qin Dynasty: Hahahaha, look at him!
……
"So Wu Han did what Wang Yi did back then. Of course, no one would fight with three layers of defense like Wang Yi did. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else fight like that."
As Lin Ke mentioned this, she remembered the layers upon layers of sliced beef and cabbage rolls and wanted to eat them! *slurp*
Lin Ke decided that she absolutely had to eat a whole pot of it during the next broadcast!
But after a moment, she continued, "But after the siege, Wu Han discovered that these men from the Northwest were so fierce, yet they just couldn't break through!?"
"Actually, he should really take a look at whose territory he's standing on. Besides, Longxi is not easy to fight, especially for a force like his that relies on sheer numbers!"
"There is another very serious problem: with so many soldiers, what will happen when the food supplies run out? According to historical records, food supplies dwindled, soldiers became exhausted, and many deserted."
"Doesn't this situation seem familiar? This is exactly the same situation Liu Xiu described back then. He had already instructed that the troops should be streamlined first, otherwise, if the food ran out and the soldiers deserted, how could the morale of the Han army be raised?!"
"We are looking at Wei Xiao's side. The morale of the Han army under Wu Han is low. To put it bluntly, it's all his fault. Wei Xiao himself has already done a great job of resisting the siege for several months. He is also close to the brink of despair. Yang Guang, who went with him, has already died of illness."
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty: This is a classic case of someone who doesn't listen to reason; he's about to suffer the consequences!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Why listen to these people and insist on doing things their own way instead of listening to others? It just seems so stupid! The answer is already there, why can't you just copy it?!
An official from the Ming Dynasty: It's normal. I think the same way when I see our predecessors making wrong choices!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: What was originally a sure win has been prolonged because of some questionable maneuvering!
……
"Kui Xiao sent his general Wang Jie to defend Rongqiu City in the northwest of Xicheng. When the two armies clashed, he climbed the city wall and shouted: 'Those who defend for King Kui will never waver... I am willing to be the first to do so! Please watch me do it!'"
"After Wang Jie finished speaking, he immediately drew his sword and committed suicide, leaving this world. It must be said that the men of the Northwest are quite brave. The other soldiers of Longxi were inspired by his bravery and their morale soared instantly, repelling Wu Han's attacks time and time again."
Wu Han was getting anxious because he couldn't break through after a long siege. So many people had been used, but they still hadn't succeeded. Cen Peng, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, came up with a solution—to use water.
"He observed the terrain of the western city area, had each soldier carry a bag of soil, and then blocked the water flow in the valley, diverting it to the western city."
"But Wei Xiao still persisted in resisting. I really admire Wei Xiao's indomitable spirit. I never expected him to be like this when his brother and uncle pushed him into this position!"
An official from the Song Dynasty: This man from the Northwest is indeed resilient!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "What a ruthless person! Even after all this, he still refuses to surrender!"
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Sigh! It was really just a matter of time, but the fight was incredibly difficult back then!
……
"Soon, winter arrived in Longxi, and the cold wind lashed against their faces. The Han army hadn't expected the winter here to be so [touching]. It turns out their emperor was right! This place is so cold!"
"The Han army fought from the intercalary fourth month to November. To be honest, whether it was Wei Xiao or Wu Han, they were evenly matched, and neither of them fared well. I guess Liu Xiu didn't expect that Wu Han would not listen to him and instead choose the human wave tactic!"
Liu Xiu, the Chosen One of the Great Han Dynasty: He was almost driven to death by anger!
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: "I'm not afraid of subordinates being incompetent, I'm afraid of subordinates being reckless!"
"Soon, the exhausted Kui Xiao finally received his allies. His general Wang Yuan and others led the Shu army to support Kui Xiao, shouting as they ran: 'A million strong army is coming!'"