Free Web NovelChapter 173: Sun Jian Attacks Xiangyang City
After letting Number Seven go, Long Chen turned to the other female ninja who didn’t speak Mandarin.
"Yamete!"
"Yamete~"
"Dame dame~"
...
There was nothing valuable on her, so after searching her, Long Chen ordered the Tiger Ben Duo to take the two Sakura Country women back to the prison.
To await further orders!
...
...
Jingzhou. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Previously, Huang Zu was defeated by Sun Jian and then gathered his scattered troops to meet Liu Biao.
He spoke at length about Sun Jian’s invincibility, using it as an excuse for his defeat.
Hearing this, Liu Biao was shocked and quickly called for Kuai Liang to discuss the matter.
Kuai Liang said, "Right now, the army has just been defeated, and the soldiers have no will to fight; we should build deep trenches and high walls to avoid their sharp edge."
"At the same time, send envoys to seek help from Yuan Shao in the north or Long Chen in the east, and this siege will naturally be resolved." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Hearing this, Liu Biao seemed thoughtful.
Long Chen, who now occupied four counties in Jiujiang, was close to conquering Lujiang County and was another powerful warlord besides Yuan Shao.
The key point was that he was much closer to Jingzhou, making it the most convenient for support.
Besides,
Seeking help from Yuan Shao in the north required passing through Yuan Shu’s Nanyang County, but according to reports from spies.
Yuan Shu and Sun Jian were allies, so the idea of seeking help from Yuan Shao was naturally unfeasible.
Therefore,
Now, seeking help from Long Chen in the east was the correct solution!
Just as Liu Biao was about to order envoys to seek help from Long Chen,
Cai Mao suddenly stood up and said:
"Zi Rou’s idea is indeed a poor plan."
"Sun Jian’s troops are already at the city gates, and their fierce generals are at the trenches. How can we surrender and wait for death?!"
"Though I am unworthy, I am willing to lead the army out of the city to fight to the death and defend the lord!"
Seeing this, Liu Biao was greatly moved and immediately agreed to his request.
Thus,
Cai Mao led an army of more than fifty thousand out of Xiangyang City and set up formations at Mount Xian.
Sun Jian, commanding his victorious troops, advanced swiftly.
Upon reaching Mount Xian,
He was about to continue advancing.
Suddenly,
A force of tens of thousands of soldiers charged out from both sides of Mount Xian, aggressive and unstoppable, like a torrent of galloping horses.
It was Cai Mao’s army.
Cai Mao, dressed in black light armor and riding a robust, shining warhorse, took the lead.
With a condescending look at Sun Jian and his men, he disdainfully said:
"Sun Jian, you are nothing but a brute, yet you dare to defy your superiors. You must be tired of living!!"
"If you repent now and return to your Changsha, I can report to my lord and guarantee your safety! How about it?"
Sun Jian’s eyes blazed with anger,
This man was too arrogant and overbearing!
He shouted in a deep voice, "This man is the brother of Liu Biao’s second wife. Who will capture him for me?"
"Lord, I will!"
Cheng Pu, wielding an iron-backed serpent spear, rode out to face Cai Mao.
"Iron-backed Serpent Python!!!"
Cheng Pu shouted, thrusting his heavy serpent spear forward,
A gigantic iron-backed serpent python, several meters long, with a gaping maw, charged straight out!
Its body seemed like it was composed of massive rocks, with its spine made of iron and steel, hard as iron!
Cai Mao was greatly shocked, raising his long sword to desperately block Cheng Pu’s powerful blow.
In less than a few exchanges, Cai Mao was defeated and fled.
Sun Jian squinted his eyes and decisively ordered a full-scale attack.
In an instant, the Changsha army surged like waves, overwhelming the Jingzhou soldiers, leaving corpses strewn across the field.
Cai Mao’s army suffered a crushing defeat.
Upon retreating to Xiangyang,
Kuai Liang angrily scolded Cai Mao for not heeding his sound advice, leading to a major defeat, and insisted he should be executed according to military law.
However, Liu Biao had recently married Cai Mao’s sister, Cai Shi, and was reluctant to impose severe punishment.
This allowed Cai Mao to escape with his life.
After Sun Jian’s victory, he divided his forces to surround Xiangyang and began the siege.
Xiangyang City was a major stronghold, with iron walls outside the city walls, enhancing durability and defense, making it far stronger than ordinary city walls.
In addition,
The city walls were equipped with a variety of powerful defensive weapons!
For example, Jingzhou’s heavy siege weapon—the heavy ballista!
A single heavy ballista required twenty men to operate, with a complicated procedure, but correspondingly, its attack power and lethality were terrifying.
Many players referred to it as a "meat grinder"!
A single heavy ballista bolt could pierce through a formation of a hundred men, and its impact could even break through multiple layers of heavy armor!
Therefore,
Sun Jian’s troops suffered heavy losses and faced great difficulty in their assault on Xiangyang.
One day, suddenly, a strong wind swept from all directions, snapping the command flag in Sun Jian’s central camp.
Already weary from the prolonged siege, Han Dang saw this as a perfect opportunity to persuade the lord to retreat.
After all, Xiangyang City was extremely difficult to capture, and continuing like this would only further deplete the Changsha troops!
So Han Dang cupped his hands and said to Sun Jian:
"Lord, this is an ill omen. The broken flag signifies our possible defeat, and our troops are already exhausted from continuous assaults!"
"Why not temporarily withdraw our forces, rest and regroup, and then return to fight again!"
Other generals shared the same concern, and upon hearing this, they all turned their gaze to Sun Jian.
After a moment of contemplation, Sun Jian shook his head slowly and firmly declared:
"I have won many battles, and taking Xiangyang is only a matter of time; how can I halt the troops just because a flagpole broke due to the wind!"
Ignoring Han Dang’s advice, he instead intensified the siege.
Inside Xiangyang City,
Kuai Liang said to Liu Biao, "I observed the celestial phenomenon last night and saw a falling star. Judging by the trajectory, it should indicate Sun Jian’s downfall. My lord, you should quickly send letters to Yuan Shao and Long Chen, asking for their assistance."
Liu Biao immediately wrote letters and asked who would dare to break through the siege and deliver the letters.
The valiant general, Lu Gong, respectfully responded, "I am willing to go."
Kuai Liang nodded and said, "Since you are willing to go, you should follow my plan: lead five hundred cavalry and take some skilled archers to break through the enemy lines and head straight for Mount Xian."
"When Sun Jian sees this, he will surely pursue with his army. Then divide another hundred men to ascend the mountain, find stones, and prepare for an ambush; another hundred men armed with bows and crossbows should lie in wait in the woods."
"When the pursuers arrive, do not flee directly; instead, lead them on a winding path to the ambush site and unleash the stones immediately."
"If you achieve victory, signal with a barrage of firecrackers, and there will be fierce generals from the city coming out to assist you."
"If there are no pursuers, do not fire the signal; just depart immediately. The moon is not bright tonight, so you can leave at dusk."
Kuai Liang stroked his well-groomed beard.
Lu Gong’s eyes gleamed at the strategy.
Truly worthy of being the chief military adviser of Jingzhou, such a brilliant plan will surely leave those pursuers no chance of escape!
He accepted the strategy, prepared his troops, and waited for the appointed time.
At dusk, Lu Gong secretly led five hundred cavalry out of the city, leaving from the east gate.
Sun Jian was in his tent at this time when he suddenly heard shouts and hastily mounted his horse, leading thirty riders out of the camp to investigate.
A soldier reported, "My lord, a group of soldiers and horses have rushed out and headed towards Mount Xian."
Confident in his bravery and skill, Sun Jian did not inform the other generals, but only led thirty riders to pursue.
