Chapter 471: Within the Walls of Shouchun

With the successive days of rain, compounded by a severe cold snap from the north, the coldest season in Huainan had arrived. Many stretches of the Huai River basin began to freeze over. Though the ice was mostly thin, it severely hampered the Northern Han army's grain transport and military movements. Since late autumn, the bustling scene of boats plying back and forth on the Huai River had finally come to an end.

Because of the weather, Liu Chengyou simply issued an edict, ordering the various armies on the Huainan campaign to each hold their camps and defend their cities, consolidate their gains, rest their soldiers, and build up strength, so that when the weather turned favorable, they could resume the offensive.

Fortunately, before the cold snap struck, the Huainan field headquarters and the various army camps had already stockpiled a massive quantity of military supplies—grain, clothing, weapons, armor—enough to sustain the campaign army for half a year. The price was that the money and grain stored north of the Huai had been exhausted, and more than half of what was held in the treasuries of the Eastern Capital and the surrounding prefectures had been transported away.

It could be said that with the great enterprise of conquering Huainan having progressed to this point, the Northern Han had already exerted its full strength. Once the war chariot had been set in motion, there was no reason to stop, nor any reason to fail. And judging by the development of the war situation, the prospects were still fairly promising.

One thing was certain: Liu Chengyou would not need to launch three campaigns over several years like Emperor Shizong of Zhou had in the original history.

Liu Chengyou's preparations for the Huainan campaign were simply too thorough—even the phrase "painstaking effort" was insufficient to describe it. Not to mention the earlier strategies of maneuvering and deceiving the enemy, there was the rectification of the imperial army, the training of the navy, the espionage on Jianghuai military preparedness, the survey of geography and transportation, the accumulation of grain and military supplies, and on top of that, a large-scale suppression of Buddhism that added another substantial war fund to the Northern Han court's coffers.

And the development of the war since its outbreak had been smooth sailing. Not to mention the various other battles large and small, the two great victories at Xiaca and Wokou had dealt heavy blows to the Southern Tang's military strength. But what was of greater strategic significance, what laid the foundation for victory and transformed the Northern Han's advantage into a winning position, was the taking of Hao and Chu prefectures, which in one stroke broke through the Southern Tang's Huai River defense line.

In the original history, when Guo Rong campaigned against Huainan, he had also besieged Shouchun, but Liu Renshan governed his troops well and held Shouchun firmly. Moreover, the key defensive points of Hao and Si on the Huai remained in Tang army hands throughout. The Tang army's boats roamed freely, and the Zhou army had no navy, so their flanks were never secure.

With Shouchun difficult to take, the Zhou army never dared to fully commit to attacking other prefectures and counties. Only after changing tactics—besieging the city to draw out reinforcements—did the Zhou army roam freely through the heartland of Huainan, achieving considerable results and directly cementing Zhao Kuangyin's reputation.

Moreover, whenever the Zhou army exhausted its strength and withdrew north to rest, the Tang army would take the opportunity to recover lost territory, making it difficult for the Zhou army's gains to be consolidated for a long time. It was not until Guo Rong built a serviceable navy at Bianliang, and after the Battle of Purple Gold Mountain, when Shouzhou, besieged for a full year, finally fell, that the Zhou army was able to sweep through Huainan like autumn wind clearing fallen leaves. The Southern Tang's prefectures and counties surrendered in droves without resistance.

And the three years of back-and-forth attrition warfare caused severe destruction in Huainan. The people suffered greatly from the ravages of war. Add to that the Zhou army's violent policy of "living off the enemy's land," which further bred civil unrest and damaged public morale.

In fact, one reason Guo Rong's invasion of Huainan dragged on so long was that the Zhou army committed too many atrocities. At least in the early and middle periods, the Zhou soldiers' plundering and killing, combined with the massive conscription of Huainan laborers, could only be described as brutal. Of course, during wartime, there is no black or white, right or wrong—only interests and outcomes.

Even so, when the war ended, the Later Zhou still expanded its territory by a thousand li, gained a million households of people, and after some digestion, its national strength surged and its power grew greatly.

But for Liu Chengyou, he had already avoided most of the shortcomings of the Later Zhou's campaign against Tang. Ample preparation had made up for every deficiency. Moreover, with the Huai River defense line taken, Shouchun's strategic position had plummeted. With its grain supply route cut off, aside from a bit of political significance, the military value of He Jingzhu and others holding Shouchun was already minimal.

Under such circumstances, even if the defenders wanted to withdraw, there was no open road. They could only defend to the death and await relief. As for how long they could hold out, that depended on the loyalty of the Tang generals to the Southern Tang court and the morale of the troops in the city. But with a lone city and defeated soldiers filling its walls, how long could Shouchun's defenses really last?

Therefore, at this moment, Shouchun was not difficult to take.

As for Xu Wenzhen's army stationed at Hefei, it was not exactly close at hand, but could barely be considered at the bedside, threatening from afar. If they did not move, they could be temporarily ignored; if they did move, Liu Chengyou would welcome them.

Because of the weather, along the Huaiyin line of prefectures where Han and Tang forces faced off, the Han army had not sheathed its blades nor returned its arrows to their quivers, but it had temporarily halted its advance, allowing the soldiers to rest. After all, the Han army had marched far from home, turned south after going north, was in unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar water and soil, and after successive battles and movements, and then besieging Shouchun again—if not at the end of its strength, it was certainly weary and battle-worn. It truly needed rest and reorganization.

For the defenders of Shouchun, they too had gained a chance to catch their breath. Although they had not experienced particularly fierce siege combat since the war began, the Han army's current tactics gave one the feeling of having one's throat gripped, unable to breathe.

Shouchun's walls were over three zhang tall. The bitter cold wind howled and raged fiercely, and the Tang banners fluttered unsteadily. Many Tang soldiers huddled shivering in the barbican. They had not made adequate preparations for winter warfare, nor had they expected the Han army to be so resolute in besieging the city. Add to that the large number of routed soldiers they had taken in, and Shouchun was desperately short of combat supplies, especially cold-weather gear.

The soldiers guarding the walls fared slightly better—supplies were prioritized for them, and they still had warm clothing—but suffering the assault of wind and cold was still hard to endure. As for the Tang troops in the city wards and barracks, nearly half could only endure hunger and cold. It was fortunate that the city's grain stores were still sufficient; otherwise, morale would have long since collapsed.

To cope with the winter, He Jingzhu had already taken decisive measures within Shouchun. He requisitioned supplies from the homes of the city's gentry and commoners to supplement military needs. All the trees in the city that could be felled were felled for firewood and warmth. When the trees ran out, they would have to start dismantling houses...

In short, everything was prioritized toward supplying the defending troops. It was extremely disruptive to the people and greatly damaged public sentiment. At this point, the old General He could no longer afford to care about such things. Before his identity as the parent-official of Shouzhou, He Jingzhu was first and foremost a general. A general only thinks about fighting battles and defending cities.

And as an old general who had lived through the three generations of chaos at the end of the Tang, a military man, the most basic quality was that when the heart hardened, it was hard enough to be ruthless.

Before the Military Governor's headquarters, He Jingzhu returned from inspecting the city defenses and looked at the dozens of people standing below the steps, arguing noisily. This group was of mixed composition—there were lower-ranking officials, gentry scholars, merchants, wealthy households, and artisans. These people could broadly represent all classes of Shouchun's populace, and they had gathered here to petition He Jingzhu.

"At a time of crisis for the city, you do not stay quietly at home to avoid disaster, so why do you gather before the governor's headquarters, making a racket and stirring up trouble?" Stepping forward, He Jingzhu immediately launched into a stern rebuke.

The one who stepped out to respond was an old man, his face deeply furrowed, appearing not much younger than He Jingzhu himself. He looked up directly at He Jingzhu and countered: "Disaster has already arrived at our doorstep. Governor, where are we common folk supposed to take shelter?"

"Alarmist nonsense! Exaggeration!" He Jingzhu rebuked. "The enemy has come to attack the city. Shouchun is as precarious as a stack of eggs. The entire city's soldiers and civilians must unite as one to repel the foe. Military supplies are insufficient, hence the requisition. If you harbor resentment over military orders and gather to stir up trouble, do not blame me for showing no mercy under military law."

Hearing this, the old man's silver beard trembled as he said excitedly: "When the Northern Han invaded and besieged Shouchun, the city's gentry and commoners eagerly came forward, contributing grain and manpower to help you, Governor, repel the enemy. You once said that resisting the Han army was to protect our homeland. Yet now the Han army has not even breached the walls, and your orders are already harming the people. You say one thing and do another, your military and administrative orders are evil—how do you have the face to look upon the people of Shouchun?"

"Presumptuous old man! How dare you show disrespect to the Military Governor! Do you not know death?" Before He Jingzhu could react, his yabing officer stepped forward, face full of fury, and even could not help but draw a section of his blade.

Though He Jingzhu's face also turned cold, he raised his hand to stop the yabing officer, clasped his hands toward the old man, and said with a hoarse voice laced with resolve: "I know that in resisting the Han army, you esteemed gentlemen have sacrificed much, and harboring resentment is understandable. However, I have been ordered by the court to defend Shouzhou, and everything must prioritize military matters. When the nation faces crisis, when survival hangs in the balance, if the city falls, I fear not even the chickens and dogs will be spared. I hope you can endure these difficult times together with the soldiers and overcome this crisis. I bow in gratitude here!"

He Jingzhu's words naturally could not convince the crowd, but he had no intention of listening to their clamor any longer. After speaking kindly, he immediately turned stern: "You have violated my prohibitions, gathered before the governor's residence to stir up trouble, and spoken recklessly. This time I will pardon you. But if there is a next time, do not blame me for being merciless!"

He Jingzhu's threatening words immediately provoked public outrage. They wanted to argue with him, but no matter how sharp their words, how could they match the sharpness of blades? He Jingzhu immediately ordered the crowd dispersed, utterly unyielding.

After the crowd had been "persuaded" to leave, He Jingzhu stood in the cold wind, his expression as grim as the winter blast itself.

"Who was the junior officer in charge of street patrol today?" He Jingzhu asked first, then said decisively: "Seize him immediately and display his head as a warning!"

"Also, those few government clerks from earlier—throw them in prison and convict them. To hold office yet not attend to one's duties, and instead participate in such seditious troublemaking—their crime deserves death!"

"Furthermore, transmit my order: requisitioning military supplies is not license to burn, kill, and loot. Anyone who violates discipline again will not be shown leniency—there is only the execution of military law. Let the entire army be warned!"

"Yes!" The officers and clerks around He Jingzhu, seeing his murderous demeanor, dared not be negligent and hurriedly acknowledged the orders before departing.

Three orders in succession, each dripping with killing intent.