Chapter 708: Unexpected Situation

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Huai City.

At this moment, the city was packed with troops that had come from the North Territory.

Hiding by the street and observing these dejected soldiers, the people of Huai City discussed the situation in hushed, anxious tones.

"Brother Wang, Brother Han, Lord Sato, we can rest once we reach this place. Peng City can at least hold back the Yan Wang's troops for a while, and even if they pass Peng City, they will still have to find a way to cross the Huai River," Xie Duan said.

He paused, then continued: "Although my Xie Family Navy cannot compare to the Liang Family's, we still have a hundred warships, so we won't let them cross the river easily."

Han Zheng and Wang Zi'an exchanged a glance and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Throughout this journey, they had traveled without stopping, not daring to rest for a single day.

Because they knew that even if they wasted one day, they might be caught up with the next.

Long-term marching had left them extremely exhausted.

Now, they could finally rest.

Upon hearing this, Sato Masahisa said: "That is not enough. It would be best to have some ships filled with stones and scuttled at the junction of the Canal and the Huai River to prevent the Yan Wang's warships from heading south along the Canal and entering the Huai River."

Xie Duan's eyes lit up, and he said: "Lord Sato is wise; I shall give the order immediately."

The entire army entered the city.

Xie Duan had the troops of the influential clans and Rich Clans stationed in the main camp, and he arranged residences for Han Zheng and the others.

That evening, he held a banquet at the most prestigious restaurant in Huai City, inviting Han Zheng, Wang Zi'an, Sato Masahisa, and others, and also summoned several heads of major Rich Clans to accompany them.

Although the war in the north was ongoing, Huai City still presented a scene of peace and prosperity, filled with song and dance.

The sounds of zithers and singing drifted from the nearby brothels from time to time.

To please Sato Masahisa, Xie Duan invited the top courtesans from the brothels of Huai City to add to the entertainment.

After three rounds of wine, Xie Duan looked at Sato Masahisa, who was drinking intertwined-arm wine with a courtesan, and said slowly: "Lord Sato, the Yan Wang's troops are pressing in step by step; our lives all depend on this alliance."

When he was in Lu City, he was only worried about the casualties of the Xie Family's troops in the war.

Upon entering Ningzhou,

what he felt pained for was not just the Xie Family's soldiers, but also the commanderies and counties of Ningzhou.

At this rate, although they could delay the southward advance of the Yan Wang's troops, they would eventually be driven to the south of the Jiujiang.

If the Yan Wang's troops crossed the Jiujiang and continued to attack them, then their Xie Family would lose all their territory just like the Han Family.

Therefore, he was able to join the Eastern Land Alliance that Sato Masahisa spoke of.

In this way, Jinling south of the Jiujiang and several Xie Family cities might be preserved.

Perhaps in the future, they could even defeat the Yan Wang and take back the lost land.

"Liang Kai will definitely agree. If he doesn't agree, the Yan Wang will attack him next!" Han Zheng's face was flushed red as he slammed his wine cup onto the table.

Since leaving Yi City, his mood had been extremely gloomy.

Because his Han Family's territory had been completely lost, and he was now like a stray dog.

Although Xie Duan still called him "Brother Han" to his face,

he knew clearly that in Xie Duan's eyes, his Han Family was no longer on equal footing with the Xie Family.

The only things of value were the fifty thousand Han Family troops under his command and the fifty thousand private soldiers of the Rich Clans.

And then there was the Wang Family; during the march, Wang Zi'an had deliberately tried to curry favor with Xie Duan several times.

He knew that the Wang and Han families were originally huddling together for warmth to resist the Yan Wang.

Now that Wang Zi'an was trying to protect himself, it was understandable that he was getting close to the Xie Family.

But he simply could not swallow this bitterness, and in the end, he could only settle the score with the Yan Wang.

He was also obsessed to the point of madness with the Eastern Land Alliance that Sato Masahisa spoke of, firmly believing that this matter could succeed.

"Brother Han is right. The Liang Family fled without a fight, just wanting us to take the brunt of it, but in the end, he won't be able to run either," Wang Zi'an said as he personally poured a cup of wine for Xie Duan.

Xie Duan nodded, still looking at Sato Masahisa, "I also believe the Liang Family will not sit and wait for death, but it is said that the Liang Family has some conflicts with Dongying and Britain. Will the Liang Family put aside their past grievances because of this?"

This question actually stumped Sato Masahisa.

He only knew that the Shogunate was building an alliance against the Yan Wang, but he did not know how to resolve the conflicts between the Liang Family, Dongying, and Britain.

However, the Dongying soldier who delivered the letter to him had once said that the Shogunate would plant spies on the Liang Family's Merchant Ships traveling to and from Dongying to use them to transmit intelligence.

So he said: "If I am not mistaken, the latest intelligence will be sent over in these few days."

Xie Duan, Wang Zi'an, and Han Zheng were overjoyed and took turns rising to toast Sato Masahisa.

Thus, they waited in Huai City for three days.

They did not wait for intelligence from Dongying, but instead received news that Peng City had been captured.

After taking Peng City, the Yan Wang's troops continued to head south, arriving at the north bank of the Huai River in two days to clear the sunken ships at the intersection of the Canal and the Huai River.

And the four Yanzhou Warships also arrived one after another.

This gave them a great shock, and they immediately decided to continue retreating southward.

This time they prepared to head to Yang City, then cross the Jiujiang to go to Jinling.

……

North bank of the Huai River.

While Xie Duan and the others were fleeing south, Chang Wei was directing the captives who could swim to row boats to the middle of the river to salvage the stones.

After taking Yi Prefecture, he had considered the problem of heading south to the Huai River.

Therefore, while in Yi City, he had dispatched Cavalry to the Jin River and ordered the four warships to sail down the Canal to coordinate with their operations.

However, because the Canal was winding, the warships traveled slower than them and had only just arrived.

Unexpectedly, the mouth of the Huai River and the Canal had already been blocked.

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"At this rate, it will take at least five or six days to clear enough for the warships to pass," Chang Wei thought to himself.

Although the troops of Peng City were numerous, they were ultimately no match for their flintlocks and artillery.

After holding out for three days and suffering over eighty thousand casualties, the private soldiers of the Rich Clans and the Shizu Army could no longer hold on.

On the third day, they breached the city, and the soldiers chose to surrender.

He had wanted to finish it in one go, but something had gone wrong.

Thinking of this, he could not help but frown.

However, he had no other choice.

On the sixth day, the river channel was finally cleared.

Four warships entered the Huai River, and they also had the Prince's Personal Army collect enough civilian boats.

At noon on the sixth day, the Prince's Personal Army crossed the Huai River and, after a day of marching, arrived at Huai City.

Here, Xie Duan left behind fifty thousand troops to garrison the city.

After a night of fighting, the Prince's Personal Army easily captured Huai City.

Upon learning that the Shizu Army had fled toward Yang City, Chang Wei immediately ordered an advance toward Yang City.

The distance between Huai City and Yang City was a full three hundred li.

Because their speed of advance was too fast, the speed at which Zhong Li established the rear could not keep up with them, and problems arose with the provisions.

Chang Wei had no choice but to have the soldiers rely on their spare Roasted Flour, traveling light and fast toward Yang City.

Yet, when they arrived at Yang City, they suddenly discovered a surprising scene.

In front of Yang City were three trenches spaced thirty meters apart.

Two layers of Sandbags were piled in front of the trenches, and Shizu soldiers were standing in the trenches holding flintlocks, with only their heads exposed, aiming their muzzles at them.

There was even artillery in the trench area, and everything appeared orderly.

On the walls of Yang City, Wang Xie and Xie An looked calm, and standing beside them was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a short blue jacket and black trousers.

Dear, this chapter is finished, I wish you a happy reading! ^0^