The Great Wei Music Bureau

Chapter 473 Southern Expedition (Page 12)

Although Li Yi was overjoyed at the birth of his son, he had no time to enjoy the joy of family life. The next day, he found Fang Zhuo and handed over the Suspended Mirror Division to him. Then, he used the incriminating information that Lao Yinbi had collected over the years to intimidate the four major families. Afterward, in front of them, he destroyed all the incriminating materials, intending to tell them that the past was the past and that a new chapter was about to begin.

After this, Li Yi advised Yuan Jun to use the period of national mourning to bide his time, strengthen his military, and then end the chaos once the mourning period was over. During this time, he assisted the emperor in severely punishing corruption, rectifying officialdom, consolidating military power, and freeing the Northern Wei from the monopoly of family power in the officialdom by making good use of talents selected through the imperial examination.

In addition, Li Yi, who deeply understands that technology is the primary productive force, will naturally give his full support to the Mohist school in developing advanced technology, and will personally participate in the design of siege weapons based on his experience as a transmigrator. After studying Liu Hong's mechanical armor, Lu Shu improved the Mohist heavy armor, and combined it with Li Yi's magic array to develop new tactics.

In order to win the battle to cross the river, it was natural to build ships. It was unrealistic to think that the entire navy of Southern Liang could be defeated. So Li Yi came up with a clever idea: to concentrate on building four capital ships that could disrupt the enemy's formation.

Powered primarily by Li Yi's simplified version of the steam engine, and complemented by two rows of boatmen, the ships enhanced maneuverability. Since sails were unnecessary, more weapons could be mounted on the deck: two large crossbows at the bow, a stern-mounted crossbow, and small repeating crossbows on both sides, making these four ships an absolute game-changer.

A year later, the Northern Wei issued a proclamation to attack the Southern Liang, citing the Liang emperor's disrespect as the reason that the Southern Liang had not sent anyone to mourn the death of Empress Xiao, his sister, which was both unreasonable and improper.

The Northern Wei army, with 200,000 troops and the aid of new siege weapons, captured the city opposite Jiankang within a month. Furthermore, Yuan Jun repeatedly emphasized strict military discipline during this southern campaign, forbidding the looting of civilians and the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, and treating prisoners of war humanely. Therefore, the situation of civilians fleeing south, as had occurred in previous conflicts between the two countries, was avoided. The armies of Northern Wei and Southern Liang faced each other across the river, with the Wei army taking a short rest and using the opportunity to redeploy its ships.

When the four battleships of the Northern Wei Dynasty—Seven Killings, Broken Army, Integrity, and Greedy Wolf—appeared on the vast Yangtze River, the Southern Liang navy was dumbfounded. These four large ships were not only large in tonnage but also exceptionally maneuverable, and their combat capabilities were unmatched by the main ships of the Southern Liang.

The Seven Kills and Broken Army ships are designed for charging into battle. They are specially designed with dragon heads made of fine iron at the bow, which can directly ram into the enemy's large ships. With the help of the steam paddles and three rows of boatmen on board, they can even push the enemy's main ship forward!

When Qi Sha and Po Jun were the first to charge into the ship formation, Lian Zhen and Tan Lang were to take charge of their rearguard. Their crossbows were set up on both sides, with up to ten on each side, to suppress the enemy ships with firepower and prevent them from getting close!

These two ships were also equipped with armor-piercing spikes, so even if agile small boats tried to disrupt the formation, they would be sent straight into the water to feed the fish. Once the four formation-breaking ships tore through the formation, the collapse of the Southern Liang navy was only a matter of time.

However, the Southern Liang navy was indeed skilled in battle. Even after their ship formation was broken, they immediately used their numerical advantage to surround the four broken ships and look for an opportunity to board and seize them.

But with a cannon shot from the Greedy Wolf ship, the Southern Liang navy's command ship was instantly pierced and began to sink. Before the Liang forces could react, the other three ships also fired their cannons. In an instant, all four of the Southern Liang's main ships were severely damaged, which completely sealed the fate of the battle.

Although Li Yi and the Mohist craftsmen had developed gunpowder ahead of time, their cannons were not mature due to limitations in smelting technology. They could only fire a maximum of five shells, and due to time constraints, they could only equip each of the Breaking Formation ships with one cannon to deal with the crisis.

The four breakout warships returned to the north bank and began to cover the Wei army's crossing of the Yangtze River. Even with the Liang army's desperate resistance, having lost their command and main warships, they could only watch as ship after ship of Wei soldiers crossed the formidable Yangtze River.

However, the defenders of Jiankang City are Liu Hong's mechanical army, and with its high walls, strong fortifications, and ample supplies, this battle is bound to be a bitter one.

In the early stages of the battle, the Wei army broke through the Liang army's outer defenses in just one day. Logically speaking, for the Wei army, which was small in number and engaged in rapid attacks, the best strategy would be to capture the city as soon as possible. However, they adopted a strategy of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open.

Upon learning of this, the Southern Liang court was thrown into chaos. Some advised Emperor Xiao Yongming to flee, while others urged him to defend the palace to the death. Emperor Xiao Yongming was at a loss for what to do. At this time, someone suggested that he invite Master Zhu to the palace for consultation. Emperor Xiao Yongming grasped at this as a lifeline and immediately sent someone to invite Zhu Wentai.

When Zhu Xi entered the court, Emperor Liang descended the steps to greet him, his face full of relief, and said, "With Zhu Xi still here, I feel much more at ease. Right now, the Wei army is surrounding three sides while leaving one open. I wonder what Zhu Xi thinks they are trying to do?"

"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities. The Wei army has made a long-distance raid, directly threatening our capital, Liang, yet they have surrounded it without completely encircling it, and they have surrounded it without attacking. In my humble opinion, their intention is to win hearts and minds!"

"Your Majesty!" At this moment, a general entered the hall with a stack of papers. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Wei people have used some unknown means to send countless notices down from the sky. They have now spread throughout the entire city."

"A notice? What does it say?"

The young eunuch took a notice from the general and presented it to the emperor, while the other court officials took any extra notices from the general.

After reading it, Emperor Liang cursed loudly, "Yuan Jun is spouting nonsense! I clearly sent an envoy to offer condolences, and he was the one who refused them entry. Now he's turning around and accusing me! He's utterly shameless!"

In fact, Xiao Yongming did send people to offer condolences, but they were indeed blocked at the gate by the Northern Wei border troops. This was Lao Yin's last plan before Tao Zhongwen died, and his intention was to give Yuan Jun a reason to attack Southern Liang.

"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is not to find a reason for the Northern Wei to send troops, but to devise a strategy to repel the enemy."

After reading the proclamation, Zhu Zi shook his head and sighed, "Your Majesty, it is now certain that the Wei people are using psychological warfare. They deliberately told all the people of the city that they would attack the city in three days, and they did not set up defenses on the south side, all in an attempt to make the people of Jiankang flee!"

If we stop them, we'll be branded as disregarding the lives of the people; but if we don't, the people will all flee, cutting off our source of soldiers and leaving the city without labor. If war breaks out, who will repair the city's defenses?

"What Zhu Xi said is absolutely right, but I don't know how to resolve it?"

"Only if His Majesty leaves the palace to tour the city, comfort the people, and reassure them can the situation be resolved."

Xiao Yongming nodded and said, "Alright, let's do as Zhu Xi says! However, Master, I wonder what kind of weapons those barbarians have developed. During the naval battle, we only heard four loud explosions, which severely damaged four of our ships. If they use the same methods to attack the city, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold it."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this old minister will not stand idly by in times of crisis."

"Very well! Prepare the horses! All officials, accompany me out of the palace to appease the people and inspect the city's defenses!"

So, accompanied by a group of officials, Xiao Yongming rode his horse around the city, with eunuchs shouting to appease the people along the streets. The people of Jiankang had seen the groom wearing red silk riding a horse through the streets in a grand manner before, but this was the first time they had seen the emperor act in such a way. Moreover, there were no soldiers clearing the area, and no need to kneel or pay respects. They could crane their necks to see the emperor himself, and the emperor would even wave and greet them.

This move did indeed appease the people and greatly reduced the number of refugees. But when Xiao Yongming and his officials climbed the city wall and saw the Wei army's formation, Xiao Yongming was dumbfounded! He could clearly see the battering rams facing the city gate, the modified siege ladders and catapults that had already been set up, and all sorts of siege weapons that he had never seen before.

Xiao Yongming, leaning against the parapet, looked at the siege engines in the Wei army camp and said, "Liu Hong!"

"Chen is here!"

"What are those things over there?"

"According to the generals who returned from the defeat, those were siege weapons that the Northern Wei had just developed. They were extremely powerful, and the Wei army was able to capture several cities in a month entirely because of them."

"So, what do we have?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, as the Grand Master of the Mohist School of Great Liang, I have not been idle either. Look at the weapons on the city wall. This is the Fire Dragon Cannon, which can spew out flames ten feet long; this is the Repeating Crossbow, which can fire ten arrows at once, firing five rounds in succession; this is the Thunderbolt Fireball, which will explode in mid-air once it is thrown, and contains flying needles that can kill enemy troops in swarms. Add to that the Puppet Army, and it is enough to ensure that Jiankang is absolutely safe."

Xiao Yongming glanced at the defenses on the city wall, then took Liu Hong's hand and said, "Then I entrust the safety of the Great Liang entirely to you, my dear minister!"

"I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

Xiao Yongming helped Liu Hong up, patted him on the shoulder, and then set off to return to the palace.

On the way, the second prince, Xiao Zongji, asked, "Does Father really intend to entrust the fate of the nation to Liu Hong?"

"You've seen those weapons of the enemy, and you know their battle record. Now that our navy has been defeated, besides Liu Hong's puppet army, do I have any other hope?"

"What Father Emperor said is very true, but I still feel that it is not safe to entrust the fate of our Great Liang to an outsider."

"What, do you intend to lead the army to defend the city? If it were anything else, it would be fine for you to lead the troops, but only Liu Hong can unleash the true strength of this puppet army. However, I, your father, am not going to entrust our lives and fortunes to others." Xiao Yongming glanced back at the north, a slight smile playing on his lips.

At midnight, Xiao Zongji led three thousand elite cavalry, their mouths filled with leaves and their horses' feet bound, out of the south gate and sneaked into the rear of the Wei army's western formation under cover of darkness. Just as they were preparing to launch a surprise attack, a volley of arrows suddenly rained down from the Wei army's ranks, wiping out more than half of Xiao Zongji's elite cavalry! If it weren't for the protection of Wei Hu, the most valiant general of Southern Liang, the Second Prince of Southern Liang would have been turned into a pincushion.

"Your Highness, I've held off the pursuers, you must go!"

"General Wei!"

"None of you are leaving!" Yu Jiu hovered in the air on his sword in front of the two of them and said with a smile, "Young Master asked me to meet you, the number one warrior of Southern Liang. I heard that you are only a step away from the Transcendent Realm, which is a good opportunity to test my cultivation results."

"How dare a little brat spout such nonsense! Take this!"

Wei Hu thrust his spear forward, but before it even reached him, Yu Jiu's spirit arrow was already at his brow. Wei Hu dodged it, sheathed his spear, deflected the arrow, and then unleashed a palm strike. Orange energy transformed into a ferocious tiger, pouncing towards Yu Jiu. This was his "Descending Tiger of the Mountain," a tiger descending the mountain solely to hunt, and in its eyes, all living things were prey!

A fire mark lit up between Yu Jiu's brows, and he unleashed a fire dragon with one hand, colliding with the orange tiger and causing an explosion! Before the flames had even stopped spreading, Wei Hu thrust his spear through the flames straight at Yu Jiu's chest. That attack had made him realize that if he didn't use his full strength, he would definitely not be a match for this child!

However, the battle lasted only a dozen or so rounds before Wei Hu was subdued by Yu Jiu, the scorching fire-patterned curse marks on his body preventing him from mobilizing his internal energy. Seeing Wei Hu's defeat, Xiao Zongji turned and ran, only to be blocked by a spirit-feather arrow.

"Your Highness, don't be in such a hurry to leave! My young master still wants to catch up with you. Please!" Yu Jiu threw out two ropes and tied up Xiao Zongji and Wei Hu. Then, smiling, he turned around and was about to walk into the military camp when he saw Li Yi standing behind him. "Young master, I've captured them."

Li Yi delivered a headbutt to Yu Jiu and shouted, "Didn't I tell you to be more polite to the Second Prince? You've already lost your bearings after just defeating the strongest general of Southern Liang! Should I call the Dongyi Guard kids over here so they can see what a difference there is?"

Yu Jiu covered his head and said aggrievedly, "Young Master, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again! I will untie the Second Prince right away." After saying that, he casually flicked his hand, and the rope binding Xiao Zongji burned to ashes.

Li Yi bowed and smiled, "Please come to the camp for a chat, Your Highness." After saying that, he pulled him towards the main camp.

On the other side, not long after Xiao Zongji left the city, the brothers Chen Zhao and Chen Xin also led three thousand elite cavalry to launch a night attack on the eastern flank of the Wei army. As a result, they also fell into the Wei army's ambush. Fortunately, the two Chen brothers escaped back to Jiankang City.