Chapter 805: Breaking the Stockade

After deep deliberation, or perhaps hesitation, Wang Zhaoyuan finally made his decision, and said to the military orders officer waiting in the hall: "Though Zhao Chongpu lost the Gold Mountain Stockade, considering his strenuous resistance, and with the pleas of the generals on his behalf, I shall slightly mitigate his crime and spare his life. However, though the death penalty is waived, punishment cannot be avoided—thirty strokes of the rod, retain his post while bearing his guilt, and await orders before the army. Deliver the order!"

"Yes!"

Beside him, the Shu minister Yi Shenzheng, who held the post of Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, upon hearing the decision, could not help but say: "When the Commissioner first arrived, you issued a strict order—defeat meant death. Now Zhao Chongpu has lost troops and generals, and lost a key defensive stockade, yet you let him off. How does this uphold military law and maintain military discipline?"

Yi Shenzheng was the son of the Shu general Yi Yangui, and his mother was a daughter of Meng Zhixiang. He was a few years older than Meng Chang, but a generation lower in seniority. Because of this connection, he was also quite favored by Meng Chang.

Toward Yi Shenzheng, Wang Zhaoyuan had never been negligent in his usual dealings. In Yi Shenzheng's words, he was almost directly accusing him of changing orders from morning to evening. To this, Wang Zhaoyuan sighed and said: "After all, we have just arrived. Without establishing authority, how can military orders be carried out? But to defend against the Northern Han, we still need the generals to fight with vigor. A mere Zhao Chongpu is of no consequence, but if because of one man the officers and commanders lose heart, how can we resist the Han army?"

Hearing his explanation, after thinking it over, Yi Shenzheng nodded: "The Commissioner's considerations are most sound!"

In fact, Wang Zhaoyuan's execution of Liu Tingzuo had already drawn considerable criticism from the Shu army officers on the northern front. Of course, given Liu Tingzuo's conduct during the southward retreat, executing him posed no problem—indeed, it was quite in line with military sentiment. What displeased the Shu generals was the reason Wang Zhaoyuan killed him—because he lost a battle, he was to be executed. That was truly hard to accept.

This was also something Wang Zhaoyuan had belatedly realized and figured out over the past few days. Therefore, he decisively changed his approach, wanting to ease things up a bit, lest he appear too harsh.

However, having also discerned the implicit meaning in Yi Shenzheng's words, and to avoid losing his commanding authority and being looked down upon by the generals, Wang Zhaoyuan added to the military orders officer: "Take my commander's order, go to the Man Tian Stockade to supervise the punishment, and have all the generals personally witness it!"

"Yes!"

Looking at Wang Zhaoyuan's overall performance, this man's thinking changed quickly, he had many ideas, which also led to his methods being changeable, and he always had a smooth tongue. But no matter how he changed things, his authority was barely established, while military morale scattered. What consequences that would bring was easy to imagine.

After handling Zhao Chongpu's matter, Wang Zhaoyuan turned his attention back to the defense against the Han, studying the Shu army's defensive deployment map of Lizhou with concentration, and could not help explaining to Yi Shenzheng: "Since the Gold Mountain Stockade is lost, the Han army's spearhead can reach directly to the Lesser Man Tian Stockade! I had anticipated this, but I did not expect the Han army to advance so swiftly. In the final analysis, Sanquan fell too quickly, allowing the Han army to seize the roads. That Liu Tingzuo truly deserved to die!"

"Complaining is useless now!" Yi Shenzheng said to Wang Zhaoyuan: "Since the Han army's spearhead has arrived, how to withstand them is the foremost concern!"

"The Greater and Lesser Man Tian Stockades both fully exploit the terrain advantage. Even if the Han army attacks fiercely, it will be in vain. We only need to fully utilize the advantages of terrain and features to inflict casualties on the enemy. I only fear the soldiers will be timid and not follow orders, so I shall personally go to the front stockade to urge them on!" Wang Zhaoyuan said.

Saying this, he looked at Yi Shenzheng and said: "A great offensive and defensive battle is imminent. I shall head north to Man Tian Ridge tomorrow to supervise the fighting. Brother Yi will remain behind at Mian'gu. This place is the lifeline of our army's supplies—it absolutely cannot be lost. I hope you will be cautious and not be negligent!"

"The Commissioner can rest assured heading north to supervise the army—Mian'gu is in my hands!" Yi Shenzheng said confidently.

Less than forty li northeast of Mian'gu lay Man Tian Ridge, which was divided into Greater and Lesser, connected north and south, straddling the Golden Ox Great Road from Hanzhong into Bashu. The Shu army defended it with the Greater and Lesser Man Tian Stockades. If the Han army attacked head-on in a by-the-book manner, even if they could take it, their losses would be severe. The defender of the Lesser Man Tian Stockade was Wang Shenchao, who had previously been ordered north to reinforce, was routed by Murong Chengtai, and had destroyed a section of the Golden Ox Plank Road.

Night fell, and the autumn wind brought chill to the Shu stockade. Wang Shenchao, carrying a small jar of wine, stepped into a military tent. Inside, a faint smell of blood lingered in the air. A square-faced general with a short beard was lying prostrate on a camp bed.

This Shu general was Zhao Chongpu, who had lost the Gold Mountain Stockade, his face full of gloom and indignation. The Later Shu army was lacking in talent between generations, and Zhao Chongpu belonged to the middle generation of generals. At this moment, his expression revealed a sense of pent-up frustration.

"How is it? Are the wounds serious?" Wang Shenchao asked, taking a short stool and sitting down.

Looking at Wang Shenchao, Zhao Chongpu grunted: "Flesh wounds, hardly worth mentioning. A mere thirty strokes of the rod can't break my backbone!"

"I've personally experienced the Han army's fighting strength—Governor Zhao and the others understand you too! Anyone else holding the Gold Mountain Stockade would have found it hard to hold. That you held out for a full day and inflicted several hundred casualties on the Han army is already commendable. You've been wronged!" Wang Shenchao said in a comforting tone.

"Can you drink?" He unsealed the wine jar and handed it to Zhao Chongpu.

"Chongbi wine!" Zhao Chongpu took it and took a hearty drink, praising: "Fine wine!"

Then he said hatefully: "That dog Wang Zhaoyuan, using me to establish his authority. I truly don't know how he can be so arrogant! Can a man like this be a commander? I'd like to see just how he plans to repel the Han army!"

Hearing this, Wang Shenchao could not help but sigh, a deep look in his eyes, and said: "A great battle is about to begin. All we can do is give our best! But not for that Wang Zhaoyuan!"

The twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, autumn, in the tenth year of Qianyou.

Beside the Jialing River, on the northern ridge of Man Tian, starting from the chen hour, the Han army, fully prepared, launched its formal assault on the Shu Lesser Man Tian Stockade at the command of Xiang Xun, Commander-in-Chief of the Two Rivers Field Headquarters.

Twenty thunderbolt catapults, within half an hour, hurled over five hundred fire-oil bombs at the enemy stockade, followed closely by sharp bed crossbows. In the wars of these years, having suffered losses against the Han army's cruel and devastating heavy machinery, the Shu army had grown wary.

Within the front stockade, large quantities of sand and earth had been transported in, the surrounding forest trees had all been felled, leaving a bare stretch of land, and the stockade walls had been demolished and rebuilt, with wherever possible replaced by rammed earth construction. Therefore, any attempt to replicate the miraculous effect of breaking Weiwu City back in the day was no longer possible.

But even so, the power of the fire-oil bombs still terrified many Shu soldiers who had never experienced such an ordeal. The bursting sparks, gorgeous and vicious, were like fire demons that devoured anyone they touched, making one's scalp crawl.

The defending general Wang Shenchao, seeing the situation, ordered the men in the front stockade to fall back and take cover. With the front stockade lacking flammable materials, the thrown fire-oil bombs lacked staying power, and the fire quickly died down. Once the Han army stopped firing, they returned to the fortifications to defend.

Meanwhile, the Han soldiers attacking the stockade also seized the opportunity to launch their assault. Leading the vanguard attack was the Huaide Army—over a thousand sturdy, fierce soldiers personally selected by Chief General Li Yan, who had been resting and building their strength, suddenly charged under the leadership of Deputy Chief Commander Han Jixun.

Around the slightly damaged Lesser Man Tian front stockade, the battle reached a fever pitch in a short time. The beast called war mercilessly devoured the lives of soldiers on both sides.

Constrained by the terrain, the Han army could not use large siege equipment such as cloud ladders, watchtower platforms, or battering rams. They could only rely on somewhat crude bamboo-and-wood ladder racks, climbing the enemy stockade like apes, using swords and spears to assault the solid fortifications. Fortunately, Xiang Xun did not treat these two battalions of "dare-to-die warriors" differently, truly using them as cannon fodder. Besides personally toasting them with wine, he had also specially allocated a batch of sturdy armor to equip them.

Even so, as the attacking side, they inevitably suffered heavy losses. Some disadvantages could not be smoothed over by blood and courage alone—a certain price had to be paid.

Before the Lesser Man Tian Stockade, under Wang Shenchao's personal command, the Shu army resisted with considerable tenacity. And the Han soldiers attacking the stockade, even armed to the teeth, saw their casualties mount under the threat of enemy arrows, spears, and falling timber and stone. Many also fell and were injured or killed...

Bloodshed and death, besides bringing fear, also devoured the soldiers' reason, driving them mad. The Han army's military law had always been strict, and Liu Chengyou had repeatedly reorganized the army, continuously strengthening military discipline and law. As surrendered troops, the Huaide Army soldiers had also undergone rigorous training. To say they did not fear death would be a lie—they simply had no other choice. For them, once ordered, there was only one path: charge forward and fight, to seek that faint yet real chance of survival.

"Don't be afraid, all of you!"

"Keep attacking—the Shu army can't hold!"

"In this situation, seek life amidst death, fight toward death!"

"Break through the enemy stockade, and every man will be heavily rewarded—you can return home in glory!"

"Kill!"

Amid the blazing war cries and flying arrows, Han Jixun, in heavy armor, hanging back, lifted his face guard and shouted loudly to boost morale. In this kind of offensive-defensive situation, as a frontline commander, his main job was largely to inspire and supervise—there wasn't much to coordinate.

To prove himself, to show loyalty to the court, and so his descendants could enjoy the blessings of his merit, this old general Han Jixun was throwing caution to the wind!

Xiang Xun's great banner stood on a peak platform on the left bank of the Jialing River as he watched the battle. Staring at the battlefield situation, he seemed unconcerned about the progress of the stockade assault. Beside him stood several senior generals, including Wang Quanbin and Wang Renshan.

After observing for a long while, Xiang Xun said: "The Shu army has learned their lesson. Fire-oil bombs are no longer of great use against this kind of stockade defense. If all Shu stockades are like this, we should reduce or even abandon the use of fire-oil bombs in the future!"

"We could switch to stone projectiles. The Shu stockades are built of piled earth among the mountains—even if sturdy, their foundations may not be solid. Firing a thousand or so stone projectiles might destroy them and inflict heavy damage!" Wang Quanbin said.

"The rear stockade is still mainly built of wood and stone, but the terrain is high and steep. The thunderbolt catapults are inconvenient to set up, and their reach may not extend that far. We should switch to small jars of fire-oil, thrown by hand at close range—though we'll need bows and crossbows as primary cover." Wang Renshan said: "Judging by the Shu army's response and resistance, that Wang Shenchao has some command ability!"

Hearing the two Wangs each give their comments and suggestions, Xiang Xun said: "From this we can see that the Shu army is not without talent. Our army's advance must be cautious!"

About an hour later, under the fierce assault of the two dare-to-die battalions charging the stockade, the front stockade was finally breached. The Han army poured in like a stream, and behind them, Huaide Army Chief General Li Yan immediately committed his reserve forces, charging into the Shu front stockade.

"That Han Jixun still seems vigorous in his old age! If the Shu army back then had such fighting strength, winning against them would not have been easy for us!" Seeing the front stockade broken, Wang Renshan could not help but sigh. He had been a direct opponent of Han Jixun back in the day, so his feelings at this moment ran deeper.

"The Shu army's weakness has nothing to do with their soldiers, nor can it be remedied by any single general or commander!" Xiang Xun said.