kingnovel Chapter 1845 Playing
Chapter 1845 Playing
At dawn, an atmosphere of fatigue and depression permeated the Han army camp.
The failure of last night's siege was like a huge rock weighing on the hearts of every general.
Inside the central army tent, torches crackled, illuminating Liu Xiu's gloomy face.
He sat upright in the main seat, his eyes sweeping over the generals under his command. His voice was cold and stern: "Hongdu City is strong, you have all seen it with your own eyes. I summoned you to hear the strategy for breaking the city, not words of lamentation."
The tent was silent for a moment, with only the subtle sound of armor plates rubbing against each other.
A moment later, Wang Yan, the most senior General Zhenbei, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Geng Hui has built the walls of Hongdu for many years. The walls are high and the moats are deep, making it exceptionally strong."
"The Chu army is holding the city, resting and waiting for the enemy to tire. Our army is attacking from above, which is disadvantageous."
Before he could finish his words, General Li Gan, standing beside him, interrupted, "It's more than just a city wall! I've observed a vast array of defensive equipment on top of the city walls. Yaksha spears, wolf-toothed cudgels, crossbows, and catapults—all arranged in an orderly fashion, supporting each other."
"As soon as our army's ladders approached, they were destroyed. Furthermore, the Chu army is strong, with Ran Ming and Zhao Yu both formidable generals, and their soldiers are no weaklings either. Their fighting spirit is high, so a strong attack... I'm afraid it's not a good idea."
Soon after, other generals also echoed their words, all emphasizing the solidity of Hongdu’s defense and the stubborn resistance of the Chu army. The atmosphere in the tent became increasingly solemn, as if breaking the city was out of reach.
"enough!"
Liu Xiu suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
His chest rose and fell slightly, his eyes burning with anger as he glanced at the generals under his command.
"I asked you to come here to discuss countermeasures, not to boost the morale of the Chu army and destroy your own prestige!"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying the majesty and anger of an emperor. "I understand the difficulties better than you do! But what I want is a solution, a way to break the city! Not to listen to you nagging about how powerful the Chu army is!"
"If you are all afraid of the enemy like a tiger, what use would you have to me? Did I gain the Han Dynasty by being afraid of a powerful enemy?!"
The angry rebuke was like ice water poured in the face, shocking the generals in the tent. They all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the emperor. You could hear a pin drop in the tent.
At this moment, Huo Guang, who had been silent all this time, took a deep breath, stepped out of the line, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, calm down! I have a plan that might be worth a try."
Liu Xiu's sharp eyes immediately focused on him: "Speak!"
Huo Guang walked to the military sand table and pointed at the model of Hongdu City. "Your Majesty, what my comrades have said is true. Hongdu City is indeed a formidable city."
"But have you ever thought about why the Chu army held on so stubbornly? It's because they knew they were no match for our army in a wild battle! Their greatest reliance was this city wall and its equipment!"
He paused, his voice growing more steady. "Currently, the Chu army's main elite forces are tied up in the eastern battlefield, fighting the Tang army and the Scorpion Tribe. They are completely unable to look west to rescue Hongdu."
"This is a godsend opportunity. Our army must not give Chu Ning a chance to breathe, let alone let him wait for any reinforcements!"
"Then what do you think we should do?" Liu Xiu asked with a frown.
"Keep going, keep attacking!"
Huo Guang said decisively: "Our army can adopt the wheel tactic, dividing the army into four parts and attacking the four gates in turns!"
"They work day and night, one wave after another! They don't give the Chu army any chance to rest or repair their fortifications."
"Although the Chu army has a large force, they are scattered in all directions. After a long period of tension, they will eventually become tired and relax! Our army is far more powerful than them, and we should use this advantage to crush them."
"As long as the defenders at any of the city gates reveal a flaw, and our elite troops seize the opportunity to successfully climb the city, we can open a gap. Then the army will pour in and Hongdu City will be captured!"
Liu Xiu's face turned even uglier after hearing this. He drummed his fingers on the table. "General Huo, isn't this simply driving our Han soldiers to their deaths? Have you calculated the casualties of such a powerful attack? There will be mountains of corpses and seas of blood!"
Huo Guang met Liu Xiu's gaze without flinching. His voice was tragic and resolute: "Your Majesty! Kindness does not suffice in commanding an army! This is indeed a bad strategy, but it is currently the fastest and most likely to succeed!"
"I am convinced that Chu Ning must have already sent messengers and tried every possible means to contact the main force in the East."
"If we wait for their reinforcements to arrive overnight and attack us from both inside and outside, our situation will be extremely precarious! It will be extremely difficult to kill Chu Ning and destroy his country!"
He took a step forward, his tone almost earnest, yet with an unquestionable firmness: "Your Majesty, how can war be without sacrifice?"
"If we can sacrifice some casualties in exchange for the quick conquest of Hongdu, the capture and killing of Chu Ning, and the foundation for the unification of the world, then all sacrifices will be worth it! This battle concerns the fate of the nation, and extraordinary measures must be taken! I hope Your Majesty will make a holy judgment!"
There was dead silence in the tent, and everyone was shocked by Huo Guang's desperate tactics and the cruel logic behind it.
Liu Xiu frowned and fell into deep silence, obviously weighing the pros and cons in his heart.
Although Huo Guang's words were cruel, they hit the nail on the head.
However, at this decisive moment of silence, the earth-shaking sound of war drums and the noisy shouts of killing suddenly came from outside the tent!
A scout, covered in blood, tumbled and crawled into the tent, reporting urgently, "Your Majesty! This is bad! The Chu army... the Chu army suddenly opened the city gates and charged out!"
"what?"
Liu Xiu was stunned at first, then he became furious, and his previous hesitation was instantly burned away by anger.
"What a Chu Ning! I haven't even attacked the city yet, and he dares to take the initiative to attack?! Does he really think that my Han army camp is his backyard?"
"Hmph, you've arrived just in time! I was just worried about finding him in the field! Pass the order, attack with all your forces! Annihilate this audacious Chu army outside the city and crush their morale!"
At the emperor's command, the Han army camp suddenly became boiling.
Generals at all levels quickly returned to their positions, and bugles sounded in the camps. Although the soldiers were exhausted after a night of hard fighting, they quickly formed their ranks when they heard the war drums, and rushed out of the camp like a flood, rushing towards the emerging Chu army with great momentum.
However, the scene that the Han army saw when they rushed out of the camp was shocking.
The so-called "Chu army" that left the city actually consisted of only a thousand elite cavalrymen, led by General Zhao Yu himself.
They did not rush towards the main formation of the Han army, but quickly dispersed and killed some Han scouts and patrol teams outside the camp.
Seeing the main force of the Han army moving out on a large scale, Zhao Yu showed no reluctance to fight. He waved his spear and laughed loudly:
"The Han Emperor has fallen into a trap! Men, return to the city!"
The Chu cavalry came and went quickly, turning their horses around like a whirlwind and galloping back to the outside of Hongdu City before the main force of the Han army surrounded them.
The drawbridge was quickly raised and the city gate slammed shut tightly.
When a large number of Han troops chased to within an arrow's reach of the city, all they were left with were the cold and tall city walls and tightly closed gates.
On the city wall, Zhao Yu's figure appeared again. He looked at the Han army in some chaos below the city, with a sarcastic sneer on his face, and raised his right hand high.