Chapter 877: The Empty City Strategy

Summer rain is like the crying of an infant; there is no predicting when it will be heavy or when it will be light.

When the Wangfu Army charged toward Miancheng, it was still only a light rain.

But when the soldiers entered the city, the rain grew heavy again.

Seeing the sky gradually darkening and the rain seemingly set to fall all night, Zhao Xu decided to remain at the encampment.

Instead, he had Chang Wei enter the city to lead the soldiers in taking control of Miancheng and simultaneously extinguishing the flames in the Granary.

After all, the War Chariots could not enter the city for the time being, and he feared accidents might happen if he left the place unattended.

The battlefield is ever-changing; one still cannot afford to be careless.

As for the Coalition fleeing to the south, Zhao Xu was not prepared to pursue them.

The reason was simple.

In ancient times, there were no asphalt roads extending in all directions; even the imperial highways were dirt roads.

Once it rained, the mud could submerge one up to the ankles.

In such muddy terrain, the soldiers' movements were restricted, and pursuit would be too exhausting.

Furthermore, although the Qin-style Rifle and the oil-paper-wrapped ammunition could resist rain,

it did not mean they could resist rain for an infinite amount of time.

Even contemporary Metal Bullets could malfunction if exposed to dampness for a long time.

Moreover, the oil paper on the outer layer of the paper-cased cartridges was tied shut, so there was no problem with waterproofing for a short time.

But if soaked in rainwater for a long time, problems would inevitably arise.

If he caught up to the enemy only to find the firearms were not functioning smoothly, it would be fatal.

Another night passed.

The next morning, the weather had still not cleared, though the light rain had turned into a drizzle.

At this time, Zhao Xu, along with Ma Han and other generals, headed toward Miancheng.

The soldiers followed closely behind, dragging the War Chariots, Artillery, and other equipment.

Upon entering the city, Chang Wei immediately came to greet them, his face full of smiles.

"Your Highness,

fortunately, they retreated too hastily, and the time the Granary burned was too short; although ten percent of the grain and fodder was lost, we saved ninety percent of it," Chang Wei said. "I have roughly counted it; the grain and fodder in Miancheng is enough to feed an army of six hundred thousand for two months—it is enough for us to eat for half a year."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu exchanged a glance with Ma Han and the other generals, and they smiled.

Dou Wei, Ashuer, and their ilk had played the strategy of "strengthening the walls and clearing the fields" against him.

Now, because of the battle of Miancheng, this strategy had clearly failed completely.

With this half-year supply of grain and fodder, they would never have to worry about the issue of provisions again.

Thus, he laughed, "Dou Wei and the others are probably so angry they could vomit blood right now."

Everyone heard this and laughed one after another.

After joking for a while, Chang Wei led Zhao Xu to the Miancheng Government Office.

This place had been set up as a temporary operational command room.

After taking Miancheng, they had to set their sights on the next target: the capital of Yizhou, Yiyang.

"Your Highness, although we have taken Miancheng this time and obtained a large amount of grain and fodder, I am worried that if we continue to advance, the Tiemuta tribe will take the opportunity to move south, cut off the road between us and Miancheng, and prevent us from obtaining supplies from Miancheng." Spreading the Yizhou battle map on the table, Chang Wei voiced his concerns.

Ma Han nodded and said, "This is very likely. This tail is truly quite annoying; it would be better to think of a way to eliminate it."

"The Tiemuta tribe is only responsible for cutting off our supply lines and does not engage us in direct combat at all; this is very difficult," Qin Shan said.

Lv Chang chuckled twice and said, "Why bother with them? I think we shouldn't care about the grain and fodder in Miancheng at all; we should attack Yiyang directly. Once we pass Yiyang, we can 'forage from the enemy'."

Guan Tong shook his head, "You think too highly of them. In order to stop us, I fear they would dare to commit any evil deed. When the time comes, they will slaughter the people of Yizhou and burn everything to the ground, leaving us with nothing but scorched earth."

Zhao Xu and Chang Wei exchanged a glance, their expressions darkening slightly.

Guan Tong was usually careless, but this conjecture was not impossible.

After all, having reached this point, the powerful clans had already lost their minds, and the Northern Di and the Ross people were not of their own kind.

What they wanted most was to leave behind a mess for him.

"In that case, we cannot be in a hurry to advance toward Yiyang." Zhao Xu's eyes narrowed.

Searching the map with his gaze, he looked toward Mao Prefecture.

Mao Prefecture in Yizhou was the gateway from Yizhou to Tibet.

There was a pass here named Songyang Pass.

As long as he took this Songyang Pass, he would effectively be locking the Northern Di and the Ross people inside Yizhou.

Therefore, to them, Songyang Pass was practically their lifeline.

And the location of Songyang Pass was not far from Miancheng.

It was located northwest of Yiyang and southwest of Miancheng, about three hundred and fifty li from Great Yue.

"If we attack Yiyang, they might truly do as Guan Tong said and slaughter the people, but if we attack Songyang Pass, they will only have two choices."

"Either they send troops to Songyang Pass to engage us in direct combat, or they flee from Songyang Pass in disgrace and hand over Yizhou. Regardless of which choice they make, they will have no time to commit evil," Zhao Xu added.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. Precisely because of this, they fought us to the death at Miancheng, because this place is the gateway to Yiyang and also the gateway to Songyang Pass," Chang Wei said.

In his view, the initial plan of Ashuer and the others must have been to wear them down at Miancheng until their grain and fodder were mostly exhausted.

At that time, even if Miancheng were breached, they could calmly burn the grain and fodder.

And lacking grain and fodder, their only choice would be to move south to Yiyang to obtain supplies; it would be impossible for them to go west to the desolate Songyang Pass.

But this battle in the rain completely destroyed their plan.

They won too quickly and also captured the Granary, so their grain and fodder reserves were sufficient.

Even without relying on the grain and fodder of Miancheng, a simple replenishment would be enough to take Songyang Pass within a month.

"However, just as Ma Han said, this little tail Tiemuta is very detestable. If we attack Songyang Pass, they will certainly cut off our grain supply line to Miancheng immediately. Although I still have confidence in you all, there can be no room for error on the battlefield. Before attacking Songyang Pass, it is indeed necessary to eliminate Tiemuta's forces." Zhao Xu gave a soft hum.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Right now, I do have a way to ambush Tiemuta."

Chang Wei, Ma Han, and the others were delighted, waiting quietly for what Yan Wang would say next.

"Do not forget how we dealt with the first Northern Di Autumn Hunt back then," Zhao Xu said slowly at this moment.

"Does Your Highness mean the Tunnel?" Chang Wei immediately understood.

Nodding, Zhao Xu said, "In these few days, Tiemuta's forces will surely follow us. We can take this opportunity to dig a Tunnel in the residences within the city and hide troops inside. When the time comes, leave sixty thousand troops behind, and have the remaining one hundred and ten thousand march out of the city toward Songyang Pass. When leaving, open the city gates to make them think Miancheng is an empty city."

"Brilliant, simply brilliant." Ma Han could not help but give a thumbs up. "Cavalry in the city is basically no threat to Infantry; sixty thousand men are more than enough to deal with Tiemuta's people."

Pausing for a moment, he said: "Your Highness, my Qin Army is willing to take on this responsibility."