RR Chapter 292

Thank you to Nora7 for the ko-fi~ ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

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The raging flames engulfed the warehouse of the Huoze County Office. The once relatively quiet streets had turned into a battlefield. Countless bodies lay scattered around, while the remaining people scattered in all directions. The county office was breached, and the head of the county official hung from a saddle. What could stop them from fleeing in chaos?

Huoze had always been the frontline in guarding against Bing County, and it had a considerable garrison. However, just after dispatching a force of thirty thousand soldiers to advance into Shangdang, who would have expected an enemy attack in less than seven days? Could it be that all thirty thousand soldiers were defeated and annihilated? Faced with the sudden attack, Huoze County Office didn’t even have time to close its gates before being overwhelmed by thousands of light cavalry!

With his sword sheathed, Yiyan instructed Wang Long beside him, “Get some dry rations, rest for an hour, and then head towards Xiangling!”

This battle posed no significant difficulty for the Tiger and Wolf Cavalry. However, with only four thousand men in total, venturing deep into the heart of the nomadic Han’s territory was a matter of risking their lives and brooked no delay!

Xiangling was located on the side of Pingyang, and according to the information received from Xingling, there should be around ten thousand troops stationed in the city, solely tasked with defending the capital of Pingyang. With the insufficient garrison in the county, they would undoubtedly mobilize the stationed troops in Xiangling to counterattack. How to cross this area had become the task they must face.

However, from top to bottom, not a single member of the Tiger and Wolf Cavalry showed any fear of battle. The distant Ji City was attacked just as planned. Now Pingyang was right beside Bing County, and reinforcements were available in Lishi. It was merely traversing one county. As the most elite force in Bing County, how could the Tiger and Wolf Cavalry be afraid? Moreover, Pingyang was vulnerable, presenting the perfect opportunity for a decisive blow!

From Huoze to Xiangling, there were still over a hundred miles, and even for cavalry, it would take a day to traverse. Resting early to recuperate and conserve energy was necessary. Wang Long took the command to prepare provisions, while the others rested on the spot. After an hour of eating and resting, the light cavalry set out once again!

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“What did you say? Huoze County Office has been breached?!” When General Liu Jing, stationed in Xiangling, received the urgent report, it was already early morning on the second day.

As a defense city near the imperial capital, places like Xiangling could only be entrusted to the Liu family’s own forces. Due to the military expedition, some troops were also withdrawn from Xiangling, leaving only around eight thousand. Upon hearing the news of the breach in Huoze’s defense line, Liu Jing couldn’t help but be extremely alarmed!

The current situation was not good. There were reports that a large army was also attacking from the direction of Lishi. If these four thousand soldiers were just the vanguard and intended to take advantage of the Han’s elite troops being away, trying to break through Pingyang in one fell swoop, the Emperor was still in Pingyang! They must dispatch troops quickly to intercept these audacious invaders!

Experienced in battle, Liu Jing made a prompt decision: “Send five thousand troops to intercept the enemy! Also, send a messenger to Pingyang, reporting the invasion!” His response was swift, but the dispatched troops failed to stop the advancing enemy. The hastily deployed Han forces collided head-on with the swift Tiger and Wolf Cavalry. One side was infantry, the other was light cavalry, and at the first encounter, the infantry fled in disarray. With over a thousand enemies slain, the Tiger and Wolf Cavalry did not halt their advance, setting up camp directly beneath the walls of Xiangling.

Faced with such audacious and formidable foes, Liu Jing felt a growing sense of fear but had no viable strategies. All he could do was hope that reinforcements would be sent from Pingyang as soon as possible. After a sleepless night, on the second day, just as the sun was rising, the enemy below the city walls began to move.

With a pair of black and blue eyes, Liu Jing climbed up the city wall. “The enemy is attacking the city? Just with these four or five thousand people?”

After all, Xiangling was also a military town, and there were still over three thousand people stationed in the city! The fundamental principle of military strategy is to surround with ten times the force, so what could a few thousand achieve in an attack?

However, before he could finish his words, the enemy’s warhorses were already charging toward the city, and a wave of arrows shot up to the city wall.

Damn! It’s the nomadic style of attacking cities by the Xiongnu!

Caught off guard, Liu Jing took cover behind the arrow parapet, shouting loudly, “Return fire! Shoot them down! Where are the bed crossbows? Bring up the bed crossbows!”

Dealing with such a concentrated arrow barrage made it challenging to find an opportunity to retaliate. But who could have expected that their own expertise would be learned so thoroughly by others? Originally, Xiongnu soldiers were not particularly skilled at defending cities, and faced with such a ruthless attack, they became even more chaotic. Nevertheless, Liu Jing did not lose confidence in defending Xiangling. The enemy had only one cavalry unit, but to seize the wall, they would eventually have to dismount and engage in infantry combat. Would these cavalry soldiers be willing to endure such losses?

As long as there were no reinforcements, he was confident in holding Xiangling!

“General, suppress the archers on the city wall,” a staff officer reported loudly.

Yiyan nodded, “Prepare the ballistae!”

Following the command, three peculiar large carts were pushed out. These were the newly developed bed crossbows in Bing County, known as the “eight-ox crossbow” because of its immense strength. With three bows on the crossbow body, it could shoot three bolts at once, reaching a range of seven hundred paces. Originally, this should have been a defensive weapon on the city wall, but now it was brought down to the base of the wall.

This time attacking Pingyang, Yiyan brought only over four thousand men, but there were five thousand horses, precisely for transporting military equipment. Now, the bed crossbows, which were painstakingly brought to the front line and assembled overnight, were about to demonstrate their other capability!

The ballistae were swiftly pushed forward to the forefront, only four hundred paces away from the city wall, enough to avoid the bed crossbows on the city’s battlements. Six officers from the Thunderbolt Battalion stood in front of the ballistae, rapidly measuring the height of the wall and reporting the values. The three ballistae emitted creaking sounds as they were adjusted, confirming their respective elevations. Following the officer’s command, the three ballistae simultaneously shot out long arrows resembling javelins!

Nine iron-tipped bolts produced a chilling whistling sound as they tore through the air. On the city wall, Liu Jing had already noticed the peculiar ballistae and ordered his men to take cover. However, the formidable arrows did not hit anyone. What was going on? Liu Jing felt a moment of relief, thinking that perhaps the elevation of these ballistae was not enough to reach the city wall. After all, who uses ballistae to attack a city!

However, in the next moment, he widened his eyes. Among the charging cavalry, a small squad of over two hundred soldiers quickly dismounted and rushed towards the city wall!

The enemy is attacking the city? How are they attacking? Where are the siege ladders?

They didn’t need siege ladders. Three rows of nine arrows each were neatly inserted into the sturdy rammed earth wall. Because of their immense power, the arrowheads had deeply penetrated into the wall, leaving only the arrow shafts exposed. For agile soldiers, these three rows of extremely rigid arrow shafts were sufficient to substitute for siege ladders!

The earlier volley of ballistae had not missed its target, as it was not aimed at the city wall!

Xiangling’s city wall was only two zhang high and had arrow shafts for footholds. This group of elite soldiers climbed up the city wall in teams of three, swiftly reaching the top.

The defenders on the city had no idea the enemy would attack so quickly, caught off guard. However, how many defenders were there on the city wall? Faced with these enemies wielding bows, crossbows, and steel knives, there was simply no strength to resist!

Liu Jing had retreated to the corner of the wall, shouting loudly, “Defend the city gates, don’t let them open the gates! Send reinforcements to the city wall!”

His voice was too loud, and with a buzzing sound, a crossbow bolt pierced through his armor, nailing him in the shoulder. Liu Jing exerted all his strength to suppress the pain. The enemy had only brought up two hundred soldiers; there were still three thousand people in the city. As long as they defended the city gates, they could reclaim the city wall! His loyal soldiers beside him were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their commander, but the enemy soldiers, ignoring them, swiftly removed water flasks hanging from their waists.

Inside the city, hundreds of Xiongnu soldiers were charging towards the city wall. Instead of facing a rain of arrows, they were met with a greasy and cold rain. Black grease poured over them, emitting a pungent smell. Before they could react, fire erupted. With just one rocket, the entire city gate area inside the city was ablaze!

The ear-piercing screams were deafening as hundreds of soldiers were engulfed in the sea of flames, creating a brutal and intense spectacle! Liu Jing trembled all over; with no reinforcements and the fierce blaze, how could the city walls be recaptured?

Fortunately, he didn’t need to worry about these things anymore. After a moment, Liu Jing’s severed head was raised high on the flagpole, his open eyes staring emptily at the raging flames within the city. The fire burned for an unknown duration, and a moment later, the wooden gates emitted a grating noise. The partially damaged doors were pulled down by four sturdy horses. Riding amid the still-burning flames, the Tiger and Wolf Cavalry charged into Xiangling City.

An hour later, Xiangling City turned into a sea of fire. Granaries, arsenals, and government offices all emitted billowing black smoke. Without lingering in the city, this chilling cavalry disappeared into the night.

Even though it was already night, the palace in Pingyang was brightly lit.

Liu Yuan’s tiger-like eyes widened, and he shouted angrily, “These rats dare to insult the might of our Han Dynasty? I will personally lead the troops to eliminate them!”

Shortly after dispatching troops to Lishi to guard against the seizure of the capital by the forces from Bing County, news of light cavalry entering Pingyang arrived. They initially thought this group was just harassing the border, but within a short two days, they broke through Huoze and defeated the garrison at Xiangling, as if they were moving through an uninhabited land. If they allowed this cavalry to run rampant, wouldn’t Pingyang be turned upside down?

With merely a few thousand troops, how dare they act so arrogantly?!

“Your Majesty, this must not be done!” Numerous voices below shouted.

Wang Yu, an attendant, stepped forward, advising, “The enemy’s light cavalry has invaded, aiming to disturb the capital and bring chaos to the imperial court! Your Majesty, as the ruler, how can you easily venture into danger? The current strategy should be to recall the troops from Luoyang to provide urgent reinforcements!”

How could Liu Yuan not understand the enemy’s intentions? However, Bing County had just arrived to attack the city, aiming to rescue Zhao. If he withdrew the troops now, wouldn’t that fall into the enemy’s scheme?

“There are still thousands of troops in Pingyang City. Even if we don’t send reinforcements, we can hold on,” Liu Yuan sternly declared. “The enemy aims to sow discord among our troops. Luoyang is within easy reach; we cannot give up halfway!”

However, Wang Yu was unwilling to retreat and advised once again, “But in the direction of Lishi, there are enemy forces too! Bing County has at least tens of thousands of troops. Once they march, Pingyang will be in danger! As for Liang Feng, he has never truly obeyed royal orders. Who knows if he genuinely wants to save Luoyang or if he sees this as an opportunity to sever the foundation of our Han dynasty?”

This was the most crucial point. If they truly wanted to save Luoyang, why not directly send troops? Since Bing County dared to attack Pingyang, it indicated that the previously dispatched thirty thousand troops had been annihilated. Taihang Pass is open; wouldn’t it be more convenient to go to Luoyang? Attacking Pingyang, on the other hand, posed a significant risk and might not be worth the cost.

Liu Yuan found himself speechless. He had never fully understood Liang Zixi. Still, if one spoke of loyalty to the emperor, it probably didn’t apply to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have privately waged war against Wang Jun and even exterminated his entire family.

However, for the sake of this threat, should he abandon all the gains of this battle? He had been planning to capture Luoyang, and he couldn’t easily give up on that after thinking about it for so long. How could he let go of such hard-won accomplishments?

“Report!!!” Suddenly, a voice broke the solemn atmosphere in the hall, carrying an urgent tone. A messenger rushed in, “Announcing to Your Majesty, Xiangling City is breached! General Liu Jing is dead, and the city is in flames!”

“What?!” Liu Yuan involuntarily stood up from his throne. Xiangling also fell? Weren’t there still three thousand defenders in the city? What kind of sorcery did the enemy use?

The hall erupted in shock; everyone knew the significance of Xiangling and that General Liu Jing was no fool. How could it be breached in less than a day? Where were the enemy forces now?

“Your Majesty, there’s no time to hesitate! When else can Luoyang be taken? You should prioritize the safety of the capital!” Wang Yu knelt on the ground with a thud, and the others below followed suit.

Pingyang was too crucial to them; everyone’s family was in the city. If Pingyang fell, what would these courtiers do? What about the newly established Han Empire?

Watching the crowd kneel below, Liu Yuan felt a pang in his chest, and his breathing became somewhat rapid. He was no longer the Left Wise King of the Tuoba tribe but the Emperor of the Han Empire. As the emperor, he had more and diverse constraints that sometimes bound him, making it difficult for him to move freely.

He wasn’t afraid of the enemy, but what about the courtiers in the imperial court? If he acted recklessly and really failed, how could he justify himself as the chosen one by the heavens? And what about his Crown Prince Liu He? What if he ended up like his beloved son Liu Cong, dying in battle?

After a couple of intense throbs in his throat, Liu Yuan swallowed everything and spoke, “Summon, order Prince Qin to return with his troops!”