Chapter 971: First Volume, Chapter 971: Army Enters Ezhou

First Volume, Chapter 971: Army Enters Ezhou

Though the two supply trains had only sixteen men, the materials they carried were sufficient to support two hundred Beixi Soldiers — and Beixi Soldiers were famously "extravagant"; the materials consumed to maintain one Beixi Soldier exceeded those needed for three Bei Di soldiers. In other words, the supplies from just these two supply trains could feed six hundred Bei Di soldiers!

But since the mountain pass had been completely sealed off, only scouts could traverse the narrow goat paths in and out; thus, the Main General forcibly suppressed his excitement and quickly asked: "Have you taken the enemy's supply train?"

The scout shook his head: "Eighty You Ji Cavalry have surrounded the enemy's supply train, but they cannot break through."

What?!

Hearing this, the Main General froze again. He snapped at the scout: "Eighty You Ji Cavalry can't take down two supply trains? Those rear-line soldiers guarding the supplies have low combat effectiveness — just charge in and cut them down! Why hesitate? You're useless!"

Facing the Main General's rebuke, the scout could only grit his teeth and explain: "General, the soldiers in that supply train are by no means weak."

"Each supply train has eight men: four handle the transport of materials, two drive each cart, and the other two ride horses, each leading another horse."

"The remaining four are elite soldiers assigned to guard the supply train; they ride in pairs on the carts and use them as defensive positions when enemy forces appear."

"The escort soldiers are exceptionally skilled archers, fully armored, and armed with long weapons."

"Even the four transporting the supplies instantly shift into combat mode."

"These supply train soldiers are no less formidable than our own elite troops."

The Main General couldn't help swallowing hard. Eighty You Ji Cavalry couldn't defeat sixteen rear-line soldiers? This… this was utterly unbelievable. Had Qin Feng trained his rear-line troops as rigorously as his frontline fighters?

Before the Main General could recover from his shock, another scout ran back.

"General, our You Ji Cavalry failed to breach the enemy's supply train. After suffering several casualties, we were forced to retreat."

The Main General was speechless. Eighty You Ji Cavalry had been driven off by sixteen rear-line soldiers. If he hadn't seen it himself, he'd never believe it.

The scout wiped sweat from his brow, tense: "As soon as our You Ji Cavalry encountered the two supply trains, they immediately lit wolf smoke, resisted fiercely, and waited for reinforcements — we had no choice but to withdraw."

The Main General felt his entire worldview had been shattered. Just two supply trains — not frontline combat units — possessed such terrifying combat effectiveness. Looking down at the Beixi Soldiers stationed below, the Main General was utterly hopeless.

Charging down would mean certain defeat; staying here meant certain death.

After much deliberation, the Main General had already entertained the thought of surrender. When he turned to look at the Colonels present, he saw the same expression in all their eyes.

What's the point of fighting an army like this?

The Main General no longer hesitated. He immediately dispatched a Colonel to descend the mountain and surrender.

At dawn the next day, the two thousand Bei Di soldiers voluntarily laid down their arms, lined up, and left the mountain pass, gathering in one place under the watchful eyes of the Beixi Soldiers, now prisoners of war.

The Main General in charge of this encirclement mission was named Zhang Qing.

Following Xu Mo's orders, all who resisted to the end were swiftly slaughtered and pushed through; those who surrendered willingly were treated generously.

Zhang Qing personally met the enemy's Main General, Wang Qi.

After stating his position and the battlefield situation, Zhang Qing pointed toward Sangzhou.

"General Wang, holding onto Zhuozhou is meaningless. Our forces have already broken through Zhuozhou and encircled Daqi County — the outcome of this battle is decided."

"Take your men to the South Line. There, members of the Wild Emperor Party will receive you."

"As long as you serve the Wild Emperor Party loyally, you remain Bei Di soldiers — you can still repay your nation's grace."

After speaking kindly, it was time to raise the club. Zhang Qing gave an order, and soon over a dozen Jin Yi Wei arrived.

Under the protection of the soldiers, these Jin Yi Wei entered the prisoner ranks, interrogating each one individually. Anyone with Jingji origins or lingering resistance was dragged out and executed on the spot.

Of the two thousand prisoners, over a hundred were killed.

The remaining prisoners instantly lost any thought of escape or rebellion.

That wasn't all. They were divided into groups of two hundred, each batch marching southward, spaced fifty Li apart, with Beixi Light Cavalry patrolling and escorting between them. Anyone who dared flee was executed — and the entire preceding and following batches were implicated. Thus, beyond the escort by Beixi Light Cavalry, the prisoners themselves formed mutual surveillance.

At the same time, messengers were sent to the South Line to notify the Wild Emperor Party to dispatch small forces to receive these prisoners.

Only large groups of prisoners were subjected to such meticulous reorganization; small groups were usually simply disbanded.

In this freezing cold, even these defeated soldiers could not form effective combat power — stripped of weapons and cut off from communication, they had no will or means to continue fighting the Beixi forces.

With the mountain pass resolved, the two thousand soldiers began advancing toward Daqi County.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Expeditionary Brigade had already reached Daqi County and joined forces with the Sangzhou Main Force, launching a concentrated siege.

The siege method still relied on long-range attacks, avoiding close combat whenever possible.

After all, Daqi County was simply too fortified. Even the Tianji Camp Guards, armed to the teeth, would suffer heavy casualties if they launched a direct assault.

The core strategy of siege warfare was to consume the enemy's combat strength and break their morale.

After several days of siege, Daqi County showed no sign of falling. Xu Mo and Jing Qianying, who had already reached the First Line, decisively chose to temporarily abandon Daqi County.

Five thousand men were left to continue the siege; the rest departed Zhuozhou and advanced toward Ezhou.

Jing Qianying wore full armor, her red cloak billowing in the wind. She turned to look at Daqi County receding in the distance and asked: "General Xu, how long will it take to capture Daqi County?"

Xu Mo did not hesitate: "A very long time — perhaps months, perhaps a year, or perhaps never."

"Such a fortified city cannot be taken unless the defenders' morale collapses."

"But Daqi County has become an isolated city, cut off from outside communication — its strategic value has plummeted."

"Meanwhile, the Crown Prince has begun spreading rumors across Zhuozhou. Those isolated strongholds will believe Zhuozhou has fallen completely — then we need only wait for them to surrender on their own."