0p0 Chapter 209 Conquering Shu
Chapter 209 Conquering Shu
"Without further ado, let's begin the formal introduction to the Eastern Han Dynasty's conquest of Shu."
"While Wei Xiao and Liu Xiu were locked in a fierce battle, Gongsun Shu did send reinforcements, but his primary intention was to reap the benefits without lifting a finger."
"Especially during this period, he sent Shu generals such as Tian Rong and Ren Man to lead troops eastward from Jiangguan to seize Yiling, Wuxian and other places, in order to block the Eastern Han army from advancing westward along Chang'an."
"Of course, when the Kui clan was about to be wiped out, Gongsun Shu was not idle either. He had previously sent Wang Yuan and others to guard the northern part of Shu to prevent the Han army from entering his hometown from Tianshui, but he did not expect that Wang Yuan would also be defeated and forced to flee."
"But who is Wang Yuan truly loyal to, the Kui family or Gongsun Shu? It seems he listens to Gongsun Shu more!"
Eastern Han Dynasty's Kui Xiao: ! ?
"Afterwards, Liu Xiu completely pacified Longxi, and then intended to take over Shu. So Gongsun Shu simply sent people to build pontoon bridges on the river and underwater fortifications to cut off the waterway. As for the majority of his Shu army, they set up camp on the mountains."
"Liu Xiu sent Cen Peng, a fierce general who was one of the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai. His abilities were already quite good, but naval warfare is inherently difficult, especially since the Shu army was quite skilled in it."
"Therefore, Cen Peng launched several attacks in succession but failed to gain any advantage. He could only have people build thousands of ships of the straight-line tower type to prepare for the subsequent attacks."
A bystander from the Qin Dynasty: Gongsun Shu, a master of assassination.
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: I reckon Cen Peng is too formidable, and Gongsun Shu was afraid of him, which is why he sent assassins to kill him!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: But to recruit him twice and succeed both times is just outrageous!
A certain official in the Song Dynasty, who was riding high on his success, said: "A new trick is never too bad, as long as it works!"
……
In another timeline, Cen Peng, who was making thorough preparations, was eager to kill Gongsun Shu and thought that he had to get revenge this time!
Ha! Assassination! If Gongsun Shu dares to come, he'll make him regret it!
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty
When Li Shimin heard that several of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai had been left on the battlefield, his eyes reddened once again. He himself also had twenty-four ministers of Lingyan Pavilion.
But the thought that these former ministers might gradually leave one after another still made him feel uneasy!
I wonder if Miss Lin has any health preservation methods? Could you perhaps share them with me?
……
Lin Ke had no idea what Er Feng was thinking, but as far as she was concerned, she was staying up the latest and taking the healthiest measures. She didn't know why, but she would stay up until 3 a.m. reading a novel!
Lin Ke didn't think much of it and continued, "In the eleventh year of Jianwu (35 AD), Liu Xiu began to prepare to resolve the problem of Shu, and this territory was the only thing he needed to unify the world."
"Therefore, based on its geographical location and other conditions, Liu Xiu specially devised a strategy of advancing both the north and south by waterway."
"Afterwards, he ordered Grand Marshal Wu Han to lead 60,000 Jingzhou soldiers and 5,000 horses to Jingmen to meet up with Cen Peng. The two of them then led these people westward along the Yangtze River into Shu."
"On the other hand, the fierce general Lai Xi and the general Gai Yan led their troops south from Longxi to attack Hechi and then enter Shu."
"But ultimately, there is a significant problem in fighting the Shu army, which is that we need soldiers who are good at swimming, since this also involves naval warfare. Therefore, among the 60,000 soldiers recruited by Cen Peng and Wu Han, there are quite a few sailors."
"But Wu Han himself was against this issue. In his opinion, there was no need for sailors at all. They consumed more food and supplies than ordinary soldiers. It would be better to just disband them!"
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...
A Song Dynasty official said: "Since the Shu army knows how to navigate the waters, they can't do without sailors, especially since they are familiar with the terrain!"
A scholar-official from the Han Dynasty: However, Wu Han doesn't seem to be very familiar with the Shu region. He made a major mistake last time, and I didn't expect that he would be used again.
……
Cen Peng opposed Wu Han's suggestion, saying that they were fighting on someone else's territory again, and that the Shu army was familiar with the terrain and skilled in swimming. How could our Han army possibly win against them?!
"Now that we've finally managed to recruit some sailors, how can we disband them just because they've consumed too much food? However, Cen Peng still relayed his and Wu Han's opinions to Liu Xiu, letting him decide which opinion to implement!"
"In the end, Liu Xiu replied: Grand Marshal Wu Han is not knowledgeable about water affairs, but is skilled in infantry and cavalry, and Cen Peng was the leader of the Jingmen incident."
Having received Liu Xiu's approval, Cen Peng began recruiting soldiers in the army who were skilled in swimming and capable of seizing the Shu army's pontoon bridges. The reward was negotiable; he could pay a high price, for as the saying goes, "a generous reward will surely bring forth brave men!"
"Soon after the call to arms was issued, a man named Lu Qi came to answer the call. He first led his warriors to attack the pontoon bridge on the river, but unexpectedly they were blocked by the underwater pillars that Gongsun Shu had previously built."
"Lu Qi refused to believe in evil, and with a fierce determination that seemed to come from nowhere, he charged forward and fought this thing to the death. In the end, he burned down the pillars, and the pontoon bridge collapsed as a result!"
Lu Qi: The power of a generous reward is boundless!!!
"When Cen Peng saw that the pontoon bridge and pillars on the Shu army's side had collapsed, he immediately rushed to the front, followed by the troops he had brought."
"They seemed to have been inspired by Cen Peng's courage, and the Han army instantly became invincible, scattering the Shu army. Historical records state that thousands drowned in the Yangtze River."
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: This guy named Lu Qi is quite brave. If he hadn't broken through the pontoon bridge, the Han army might not have won so well!
A farming expert from the Ming Dynasty: It seems the Shu army isn't very good at swimming, but it's hard to say what will happen in a fight!
An official from the Eastern Han Dynasty: General Cen Peng is truly amazing! *╭?( ˙o˙)╯?*
……