Liu Yan paced back and forth in his tent. Wancheng was about to fall, but he never expected that Wang Mang would send an army of a million men.
Although Wang Yi only claimed to have a million troops, his actual strength was no less than 400,000, and the difference in troop strength between the two sides was too great.
Fortunately, Wang Yi did not come to Wancheng's aid immediately, but instead chose to besiege Kunyang.
Liu Yan had already sent men to block communication inside and outside Wancheng, and successfully captured the messenger sent by Wang Yi to Wancheng to deliver the message.
However, Liu Xiu's next intelligence report made Liu Yan a little panicked. That kid actually planned to use 20,000 troops to attack 400,000 enemy troops from both inside and outside!
"He's gone mad!" Liu Yan suddenly blurted out.
"Why is our pillar of strength so angry?" Liu Jia asked with a smile.
This man was Liu Xiu's cousin. He was adopted by Liu Xiu's father when he was young and grew up with Liu Yan and Liu Xiu.
After Liu Xuan became emperor, Liu Jia was appointed as a lieutenant general and followed Grand Minister Liu Yan to besiege Wancheng.
"It's all because my brother wanted to take a risky move, actually trying to attack the main force of the Kunyang New Army from both inside and outside with less than 20,000 troops. Isn't this ridiculous? I shouldn't have let him go out and take charge on his own. How can this battle be fought like this!" Liu Yan rubbed his forehead.
"General, you're just worried and making a mistake. Uncle Wen is no longer a child. He has his reasons. At least this move can slow down the main force of the new army and buy us time to conquer Wancheng."
It is dangerous, but even if we are attacked from both inside and outside, Uncle Wen is still outside. If we can't win, we can run away at any time. As long as we are smart enough not to get surrounded, we will be fine.
"I think Uncle Wen's plan is much better than just holding out in Kunyang City. That kid has improved; let's trust him this time," Liu Jia advised.
Liu Yan sighed. As the eldest brother, he was indeed a little too concerned. "I owe my brother too much. He is nearly thirty years old and still unmarried because he helped me raise an army. If something happens to him on the battlefield, how can I face our deceased parents?"
"Haha, Bosheng, you're overthinking it. Uncle Wen is still hung up on that little beauty Yin Lihua from Wancheng, which is why he's been waiting for years and hasn't married yet. What does it have to do with you?"
Do you think his saying, "Aspire to be a high-ranking official like the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and marry a woman like Yin Lihua," was just empty talk? But the two of them really are a good match.
"If you truly feel you've wronged him, then hurry and take Wancheng, and personally go to propose marriage to Uncle Wen. That young man is a full ten years older than him; it's not even certain the Yin family will agree."
Liu Jia thought for a moment. It seemed that Liu Xiu had fallen in love with Yin Lihua when she was around ten years old, right? He had been waiting for almost ten years, which showed his deep affection. But if he didn't make a move soon, Yin Lihua would be betrothed to someone else.
Liu Yan suddenly realized that he had been too careless. It turned out that Liu Xiu had been thinking about that little girl he had met all these years.
"A filial grandson..."
"Don't call me by my courtesy name, please call me by my given name!" Liu Jia's face darkened. Every time he called Liu Xiu by his courtesy name, he felt like he was a generation lower, but every time someone else called him by his courtesy name, he felt like he was two generations lower!
“Brother Jia is right. We should take Wancheng as soon as possible. The city’s food supplies have been almost exhausted after being besieged for so long. Send the order to attack the city tomorrow! This time, I will personally lead the attack!” Liu Yan clenched his fist.
"Yes!" Liu Jia replied and turned to leave.
"Wait! Summon Liu Ji and Fu Jun. I have other tasks for them." Liu Yan was still a little worried about Liu Xiu.
"Here you go."
Soon, a tall, imposing, and awe-inspiring general arrived at the central command tent; it was Liu Ji.
Historically, Liu Ji was a valiant general who was renowned for his bravery. He once spoke out against Liu Yan's injustice, saying, "The ones who raised an army to accomplish great things were the brothers Bo Sheng. What is Gengshi doing now?" This meant that Liu Yan was the one who should have become emperor, and Liu Xuan was nothing!
Liu Xuan harbored resentment because of this. After the Battle of Kunyang, he appointed Liu Ji as General Kangwei, but Liu Ji refused to accept the position. Liu Xuan then used this as a pretext to lead his generals and several thousand soldiers to the camp to arrest and imprison Liu Ji. Liu Yan stood up for Liu Ji and argued his case, but was also executed.
"General, are we about to attack the city?" Liu Ji asked loudly.
"This humble general pays his respects to the Great General!" Fu Jun said, clasping his hands in greeting. This man was one of the later Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, and was by no means an ordinary person.
"You two should quickly lead your troops to reinforce Liu Xiu and ensure his safety. Also, here is a brocade pouch for Uncle Wen. You two can look at it, but be sure not to reveal it to anyone else. I will also intensify the siege. As soon as we take Wancheng, I will go to Kunyang to support you. Hmm, it may take half a day." Liu Yan handed the brocade pouch to Liu Ji as he spoke.
"Here!" Liu Ji took the brocade pouch without asking any further questions. For him, as long as there was a battle to fight, that was enough. These days, the city was besieged but not attacked, which made him feel quite stifled.
"Yes!" Fu Jun didn't ask any more questions. Liu Yan must have something important to do if he spent an extra half day. Anyway, he didn't know when he would be able to capture Wancheng. He just needed to protect Liu Xiu.
"I'll propose marriage first, and leave Xiuer for later," Liu Yan thought to himself.
...
North of Dingling, on the banks of the Wen River.
"Achoo!" Liu Xiu sneezed for no apparent reason. Summer was almost here, how could he catch a cold?
"Is General Liu alright?" Song Tiao asked with concern. If Liu Xiu fell ill at this time, it would be a real problem.
Li Yi hesitated for a moment, then revealed an innocent smile.
"Of course, it's no problem." Liu Xiu smiled slightly at Li Yi as he spoke. "General Li, do you have a plan to defeat the enemy?"
Li Yi clasped his hands and said, "I will obey the command of the General of the Imperial Guard. Even if the general orders us to fight the enemy outside Kunyang right now, I will not flinch."
"Excellent! If all of you had the same awareness as General Li, what would be the point of not accomplishing great things? However, I will not send you to your deaths in vain. It is not time to fight to the death yet." Liu Xiu glanced at the generals present.
All the Gengshi troops that could be mobilized around Kunyang were concentrated here, including 6,000 soldiers and several generals with considerable combat power.
For example, there were elites brought from Kunyang, such as Song Tiao, Li Yi, Wang Ba, and Xiang Ji, as well as Zang Gong and Ma Wu recruited from Dingling and Yancheng.
Zang Gong and Ma Wu were both among the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, and they were also figures who made outstanding contributions in the Battle of Kunyang.
"Then what are we doing here? Wouldn't it be better to stay in Dingling to rest and wait for an opportunity? Or has General Liu changed his mind because he saw that the troops he had gathered were too few and dared not attack the enemy forces in Kunyang?" Li Yi questioned.
Liu Xiu knew Li Yi would definitely ask, "The enemy has a large and powerful army, while our army only has more than 6,000 men. Even if we attack from both inside and outside the city with our friendly forces, it will be extremely difficult to win. Therefore, if we want to aid Kunyang and delay the enemy's advance to buy time for our main force to capture Wancheng, we cannot blindly attack the enemy in Kunyang. This is not a question of whether we dare to or not, but that we must use our special force wisely."
"So General Liu's meaning is..." Li Yi frowned, completely unable to guess how Liu Xiu planned to fight this battle.
"Cut off their supply lines," Xiang Yu thought to himself.
"Go north of Kunyang and cut off the Xin army's supply lines! Even if you can't cut them off, do your best to harass them and make sure Wang Yi's army is starving!" Liu Xiu gave the same answer as Xiang Yu.
Hao Jiu had to admire Xiang Yu's foresight; this was probably the key factor in his victory at the Battle of Kunyang, and also the most logical way to block the enemy.
Twenty thousand against forty-two hundred thousand? That's something only a war god or a chosen one of the planes could do!
Chapter 251 Surrender
Liu Xiu's plan was actually to cut off the supply lines!
Upon hearing this, all the generals' eyes lit up. If the battle were fought in this way, it might really buy enough time for Wancheng. At that time, the main force of the Gengshi Army would march north and face an enemy army that was starving. It was not impossible to win a battle in one fell swoop!
Ten thousand against four hundred thousand, they have a fighting chance! Liu Xiu truly lives up to his reputation as Liu Yan's brother; he's got a knack for warfare!
"General Liu, you had such a good plan, why didn't you say it sooner? You made everyone worry for nothing, thinking you really wanted to attack Kunyang from both sides." Li Yi had to admit that cutting off the supply lines was indeed a brilliant move, and he could roughly understand why Liu Xiu didn't mention cutting off the supply lines while in Kunyang.
Because back then, when people talked about it, many would rush to leave the city, and it was really not certain that the three of them would get a chance to leave.
"It's not too late to say it now, and everyone should be prepared. I really intend to join forces with the troops in Kunyang City to attack the enemy from both sides. I'm just waiting for an opportunity."
The reason Liu Xiu revealed the brilliant plan to cut off the supply lines now was to establish his authority. Only in this way could this army of six thousand men truly obey his orders.
After all, his official rank was too low; there were many generals present who held higher positions, including Li Yi. The worst thing in war is internal discord and double-dealing.
The generals all expressed their willingness to follow Liu Xiu's command. They would fight wherever Liu Xiu pointed, whether it was to seize grain or to go to Kunyang, they were not afraid!
After reorganizing his troops, Liu Xiu led most of his army towards Ziyun Mountain, where there were several places suitable for setting up camp, and they were also close enough to the enemy's main supply routes.
Song Tiao and Zang Gong did not follow Liu Xiu to Ziyun Mountain. Instead, they led an army of about a thousand men to intercept the grain transported by water on the Wen River, cutting off the Xin Army's supply lines by both land and water.
Just as Liu Xiu's army was heading to Ziyun Mountain, Wang Xun's reinforcements arrived, bringing the total number of the new army besieging Kunyang to 400,000. In addition, there were 20,000 troops responsible for continuously transporting grain from Luoyang and Yingchuan.
Of course, Wang Xun brought a lot of food with him when he came, but there were too many new soldiers. The food consumed by 400,000 people every day had to be piled up into small mountains.
No army in the world carries enough provisions to last the entire army for a long time before going on a campaign; they all need constant resupply, otherwise their marching speed would be too slow.
The supply and transportation line from Xiangcheng (Xiangcheng) in Yingchuan County to Kunyang was the lifeline of Wang Yi and Wang Xun's new army; if it were cut, it would bleed profusely.
Back then, during the Battle of Julu, why did Zhang Han go to great lengths to build a tunnel? It was precisely to ensure the supply and transportation of provisions.
The tunnel was like a mini Great Wall on flat ground, with crenellations on both sides. It was easy for grain transport teams to defend themselves and to block cavalry attacks without needing too many soldiers to escort them. Moreover, it was faster for our side to transport or provide support by using the tunnel.
Even so, the Qin army was ultimately defeated by Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu destroyed the supply lines and cut off the supply routes, which enabled him to defeat 400,000 Qin soldiers with fewer troops.
Otherwise, relying solely on the might and decisiveness of the Hegemon-King and the burning of the boats would not have been enough to make up for such a large gap in troop strength. Moreover, Zhang Han was a famous general, and the Qin army was also very elite. The Battle of Julu was a clash of titans, far superior to Liu Ji's 560,000 bandit troops.
Of course, Xiang Yu's eventual defeat was also largely due to Peng Yue's harassment of the supply lines and Zhou Yin's cutting off of his retreat. Without supplies, even a strong man like Xiang Yu would perish, let alone Wang Yi and Wang Xun in the present day.
The Kunyang New Army was unaware that Liu Xiu was going to cut off their supply lines, and Xiang Yu didn't need to remind them, because they would naturally find out after being robbed once.
Liu Xiu was not Peng Yue, and Ziyun Mountain was not Dayeze. In Xiang Yu's view, solving the problem of transporting grain was not difficult.
The siege of Kunyang grew more and more brutal each day. Wang Yi and Wang Xun used every means at their disposal, including battering rams, palisades, and tunnels, but they still failed to breach the city guarded by Wang Chang. The seven-day deadline was no longer mentioned.
However, Wang Yi and Wang Xun were not worried at all; it was the Gengshi Han army inside the city that should be worried.
Kunyang, within the city.
"Why haven't Liu Xiu and the others made a move yet? Could it be that they really ran away?" Wang Feng looked haggard. He really wanted to retire to the mountains and live a life of seclusion. Why was he, at his age, making a rebellion?
"It takes time to mobilize troops, what's the rush!" Wang Chang said irritably. He also wanted to drag Liu Xiu over and ask why he hadn't returned yet, but he couldn't.
"How can we not be anxious when it's a matter of life and death? What if that kid has no intention of coming back at all? Wouldn't we have died for nothing?" Wang Feng had dreamed several times that he was killed by the new army. Some were beheaded, some were hanged, and some were drowned. And the executioner was that little brat Liu Xiu!
I really believed that guy's nonsense. How could I have agreed to his two-pronged attack plan? How could they possibly attack an enemy force of 400,000?!
“Liu Xiu has always been an honest and kind boy, he wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, isn’t there Li Yi? His brother Li Tong is still in the city, we can’t just ignore him, can we?” Wang Chang shrugged.
“How do we manage this? There are 400,000 enemy troops here. If he comes, both of them will die. If he doesn’t come, Li Tong will die. What would you choose?” Wang Feng rubbed his forehead.
"Didn't we also send a message to Wancheng? Liu Yan is a skilled warrior, he can't possibly be unaware of the importance of Kunyang, he will definitely send troops to support us, we just need to hold on for a few more days." Wang Chang was also feeling somewhat overwhelmed, the enemy's offensive was becoming increasingly fierce, and if reinforcements didn't arrive soon, Kunyang really wouldn't be able to hold out.
"How about we try surrendering?" Wang Feng suddenly said.
"Surrender? Isn't that courting death?" Wang Chang's eyes widened.
"We're going to die either way, so we might as well take a gamble. What if the new army accepts our surrender and doesn't kill us? We're all surnamed Wang, and we were one family five hundred years ago."
"Furthermore, even if the new army doesn't accept our surrender, it will still extinguish the last bit of hope among the soldiers and civilians in the city. This is true unity of purpose, and we can hold out for a few more days. What do you think?" Wang Feng asked in a low voice.
Wang Chang frowned. He had to admit that Wang Feng's suggestion, though seemingly a gamble, was actually a win-win situation. The new army was eager to capture Kunyang in order to advance on Wancheng. If they accepted the surrender, it would be difficult to kill the surrendered soldiers. Even if they were to kill them, they might spare the two men with the surname Wang.
But if the new army does not accept surrender, then as Wang Feng said, the soldiers and civilians in the city should fight to the death and hold out for a few more days.
The key is that if we don't come up with a solution and continue to defend like this, Kunyang will fall. Who knows when reinforcements will arrive?
Liu Xiu thought that he would first have to persuade the armies of other cities, and how many people would dare to come to the rescue of Kunyang at this time?
Liu Yan's priority will certainly be capturing Wancheng, and he won't be able to spare too many troops, so it won't affect the overall situation.
"Why don't we give it a try?" Wang Chang was somewhat tempted.
"We must put ourselves in a desperate situation to survive!" Wang Feng said through gritted teeth.
...