gnovel Chapter 85 The armies encircle Baichengzi
Chapter 85 The armies encircle Baichengzi
August of the second year of the Qingtai era.
Gao Huaide looked at the magnificent figure of the towering city wall, hundreds of steps away, and gasped in shock.
One ren (仞) was eight chi (尺) in the Zhou dynasty and seven chi (尺) in the Han dynasty. Eight ren (仞) was more than five zhang (丈) in length. This height was twice that of Yanzhou City and exceeded that of most cities, including the capital.
"This city can actually be taken?"
Upon seeing this magnificent city, Gao Huaide couldn't help but waver.
For this campaign, he led a squad of fifty guards to protect the commander. Each squad consisted of twenty-five men, carrying a flag and commanded by a flag officer. Both the flag officer and the squad leader were called junior officers, and they obeyed the orders of this young master, the Commander-in-Chief.
Gao Huaide was quite excited to finally be able to command troops.
Although nominally all five hundred soldiers were under his command, he knew his own limitations and didn't believe he had the ability to command them. He was already quite content to have troops to lead.
They were called to duty twice a day, at dawn and dusk; when the general took his seat in the tent, they waited under the tent to receive orders; during marches, they stood in a circle around the front, back, left, and right, responsible for relaying messages reported by scouts and knights.
At night, they were divided into five shifts to guard the main general's tent, rotating every watch. It wasn't particularly difficult, but it was certainly a arduous task.
Gao Huaide was in high spirits and didn't find it hard at all. With his previous two military experiences as a foundation, he did a decent job. As for the soldiers, they were all as strong as oxen, and were always energetic and seemed tireless.
"Brother, you may not know this, but Tongwan City was built less than fifteen years ago before it was captured by Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, Tuoba Tao."
Gao Huailiang said from the side. Yang Hongxin brought two thousand men with him this time, so the Gao family father, sons and brothers could be reunited.
Gao Xingzhou remained calm and composed, only saying, "It's been a long time; my son has grown taller."
Gao Huaide couldn't be as composed as his father. Upon suddenly reuniting with his younger brother, he didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long pause, he managed to say, "Mother and sister miss you. We'll go home after this war is over."
Gao Huailiang, much like his father, respectfully greeted his father and elder brother, though his eyes were slightly red.
It wasn't until he was alone with Gao Huaide that he opened up and began to speak. They had been separated for a year and several months, exchanging only a few letters, yet the two brothers had countless topics to discuss.
They talked all night, and the next day they met Yang Chonggui, who had dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept well either. Gao Huaide refrained from making fun of him, because he had looked in the mirror the next morning and saw that he looked the same way.
He focused his attention on the imposing city before him and the impending offensive, but unfortunately, his historical knowledge was limited: "Who was Tuoba Tao?"
It took Gao Huailiang a lot of effort to explain the origins of this Buddha fox to his elder brother.
"Initially, Tuoba Tao launched a surprise attack with light cavalry, then feigned defeat to lure the enemy. Xia King Helian Chang came out of the city to meet the enemy but was defeated. The Northern Wei army followed and pursued, and the city fell."
Gao Huaide couldn't help but feel discouraged: "This kind of thing can only happen once. Li Yiyin is hiding in the city and won't come out. What else can we do to him?"
Xiazhou City is quite different from ordinary cities built of rammed earth. Its city walls are as white as snow, hence the name "White City". It is said to be as hard as iron and stone and cannot be penetrated.
Looking at the white city surrounded by a large army of men in black armor against the backdrop of the yellowish-brown desert, Gao Huaide couldn't help but complain, "Why did Helian Bobo choose such a desolate place to build his capital?"
Just as Gao Huailiang was about to explain, a gust of wind blew by, stirring up dust. He quickly closed his mouth to avoid swallowing sand.
Once the storm had passed, he spoke up, saying, "It is said that five hundred years ago, this place was an oasis. Helian Bobo once praised it, saying: 'How beautiful this place is! It borders a vast lake and is bordered by a clear stream. I have traveled to many places, but I have never seen such beauty. Therefore, I built my capital here.'"
"Guangze? Qingliu?"
These two words are completely out of place with the scene before us.
Gao Huaide felt that even with the passage of time and the changing of the seasons, it was still unbelievable that things had turned out this way.
"You've also drunk the water from the Wuding River. It's full of sand, and you can't drink it without filtering it with a water filter bag."
The water filter bag was originally a water purification vessel recorded by Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea. It was made of raw copper, with a round diameter and a short handle, and was woven from green bamboo and cut from blue silk. Wealthy families often used it to remove fishy and mossy substances from the water.
But why would anyone carry such an elegant item when marching into battle? He simply boiled it in water, let it settle for a while, and then drank it. Gao Huaide was just making fun of himself.
"Linzhou is also half desert and half oasis, and every year it is hit by several black sandstorms that bring in countless grains of sand. I wonder if it will become like this city in a few hundred years."
Yang Chonggui was deeply worried, fearing that his hometown would one day be buried and swallowed up by the desert.
Gao Huaide steered the conversation back on track: "Let's focus on the present, whether we can take this city. Your golden sword can't cut through the city walls."
He meant it as a joke, but Yang Chonggui nodded seriously, indicating that it was indeed true.
"The city wall of Xiangchuan City is thirty paces thick at the base and ten paces wide at the top. Its strength is such that it can be used to sharpen knives and axes."
Gao Huailiang felt it necessary to remind his elder brother: "Six feet is one step. You can calculate how thick that is. It's not something that ordinary weapons can penetrate."
"Hey, how exactly do you think Father and the others plan to attack the city?"
The three of them looked towards Xiazhou City and fell silent.
……
Not far away, Zhang Xichong, Fu Yanqing, Gao Huaide, Zhe Congyuan, Yang Hongxin and others were also stationed at their horses to observe the city.
Zhang Xichong had a refined appearance and was two or three years younger than Gao Xingzhou. Although he was on the battlefield, he was still dressed in a dignified manner, exuding a scholarly demeanor amidst his military commander's authority.
At this moment, disregarding the situation in Xiazhou City, he launched an attack on Gao Xingzhou: "When you sent Lu Qian to see me last year, I knew it wouldn't be anything good. Does Commander Gao know that a trip from Lingzhou to the capital takes two months to go and two months to return, plus the waiting time, making it a full six months?"
"Since last year, Zhang has repeatedly submitted petitions requesting an audience. From autumn to winter, from winter to spring, from spring to summer, and now it's autumn again—a whole year has passed, and he still hasn't received permission. Could you, General Gao, offer some advice on the reasons?"
Gao Xingzhou knew that he had guessed that the court was deliberately delaying, so he first flattered him, saying, "Your Majesty and the ministers know that Defeng is loyal to his duties. Although he is kind and forgiving, he hates evil people as if they were his enemies."
He then answered frankly, "The Dingnan Army colludes with the Khitan and is a threat to the northwest border. It is a pity that the late emperor was unable to eliminate them. Now we wish to use Defeng's strength to accomplish this task."
Defeng, Zhang Xichong's courtesy name, snorted and said, "If it weren't for this, why would I be so eager? Now that the enemy is at the city gates, does Commander Gao have a way to defeat them? If we break through the city as soon as possible, I can move to the inner town. My old mother really can't get used to the wind and sand of the frontier." (Note 1)
Gao Xingzhou knew that Zhang Xichong was extremely filial to his mother, so he didn't say anything and turned to ask Yang Hongxin, "What did the Zen Master say?"
They were talking about attacking a city, and then suddenly they blurted out, "What is this all about?" Everyone was confused.
Ancient military texts have recorded methods for attacking fortified positions, which are nothing more than building earthen mounds around chariots, using hooks and ladders to swarm, filling in rivers and wells, flooding, burning towers and fortifications, creating caves and tunnels, forging secret passages, and using battering rams to break down doors. No matter how many tricks the attackers have, the defenders will always have their own ways of dealing with them.
Faced with Xiazhou City, whose predecessor was Tongwan City, the city's strong walls and high defenses rendered most siege methods ineffective, resulting in much effort for little reward.
Otherwise, the previous 50,000 troops wouldn't have been trapped under the city walls for three months, still unable to defeat Li Yichao.
Gao Xingzhou dared to attack with less than half of his troops, not only because he took advantage of the Dingnan army's exhaustion, but also because he had his own reasons for his confidence. The identity of the Zen master he mentioned was a mystery to outsiders.
The Zen master said: "After living in anonymity for forty years, I am already over ninety years old. Why should I get involved in the mortal world again?"
Gao Xingzhou chuckled: "Since you've transcended the Three Realms and are no longer within the Five Elements, why bother reforging the golden sword? And why take on disciples and impart your skills to them?"
"The Zen master said that since the two little ones are quite good, he would help us this once. Besides, the Tangut Li clan has occupied the city built by their ancestors for more than fifty years, and it's time for them to hand it over."
Neither Gao Huaide nor Yang Chonggui had guessed that the old servant Duobo, who had accompanied them to the Gao residence, had another identity.
Yang Hongxin laughed and said, "The old monk rambled on for so long, but he still brought out this picture."
He took out a yellowed silk scroll from his bosom.
The bronze shaft is adorned with a ferocious bird with a bird's head, deer's body, long antlers, and snake's tail. Its markings resemble those of a tiger or leopard, and its wings are spread wide enough to obscure the sun, moon, and stars. This bird is the ancient divine beast Feilian, also known as the Dragon Sparrow.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was a lucky charm of the dynasty established by Helian Bobo.
It was windy outside the tent, so Yang Hongxin slightly unrolled the scroll, revealing a row of large characters on the side for everyone to see.
"Map of the Layout for Unifying the World, Ruling Over All Nations, and Controlling All Cities and Defenses"