You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 85 Using Battle as Training
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a horn blared, followed by the resounding beating of a large drum.

Everyone in Hongzhou City felt a sense of relief.

Liang Duomai walked up to the city wall and shouted loudly: "Those who bravely fight the enemy will be rewarded, and those who retreat without permission will be executed!"

Most of the crossbows on the walls of Hongzhou were destroyed, but the bows and arrows were still there.

The various Song armies pushed their engineering equipment and advanced in orderly steps. Once they were within arrow range, the Western Xia soldiers on the city walls finally had a chance to counterattack.

The extreme oppression drove them to roar and fire arrows. The Song soldiers either held up large wooden shields or hid behind siege engines, defending against the rain of arrows while advancing rapidly. People kept falling, and blood soaked the ground beneath their feet.

Chen Shao sighed. The city walls and gates of Hongzhou had long lost their defensive capabilities, but he hadn't expected the Western Xia troops inside to resist so fiercely.

This place is a strategic point between the two countries. Liang Duomai and the other military generals who are stationed here have a blood feud with the Song Dynasty and are unlikely to surrender.

They will fight to the death.

Even if there is not a single chance of winning.

Finally, the Song army advanced to the walls of Hongzhou. Liang Duoma shouted hoarsely, "Archers, fire arrows! Spearmen, defend!"

"Drink!" The Western Xia soldiers shouted in response, their spears emerging from the dense rows of soldiers, stabbing at every Song soldier who was about to charge.

When night fell, Chen Shao immediately ordered a retreat, planning to fight again the next day.

By the third day of the siege, the outer walls of Hongzhou were in such a dilapidated state that they resembled a ruined city abandoned for a thousand years.

Chen Shao did not force an attack to fill the lines, but instead chose to prioritize the use of siege equipment.

When attacking Hongzhou City, the city walls are not the most difficult part to conquer. If a forced breakthrough is made and the defending army enters the city, the entire city will be mobilized for fighting, and the losses from street battles will be even more severe.

We must use our current advantages to wear them down and exhaust their enthusiasm.

This tactic was somewhat insidious, but Chen Shao didn't care. A merciful general cannot command an army, and a ruthless man is no hero.

Chen Shao intentionally or unintentionally suppressed the siege firepower, keeping Hongzhou City always on the verge of collapse, yet always managing to hold on.

Chen Shao also summarized some shortcomings of the siege equipment and even came up with some improvement methods. However, all he could do was discuss and explore with the craftsmen. As for whether he could modify the siege equipment into a new type as he had imagined, no one could say for sure.

Hongzhou City, under Chen Shao's extreme torment, fell into an atmosphere of despair.

As soon as there is any movement below the city, the people on the city wall are on high alert.

Liang Duomai hadn't slept for days. Leaning against the wall of the city tower, he kept his eyes closed and snored loudly despite the whistling wind in his ears.

Suddenly, the sounds of bronze bells and drums rang out in a chaotic cacophony. Liang Duomai opened his eyes, gripped his weapon, and prepared to command his men to fight again.

He hid behind the low wall and peeked out. He saw about four hundred riders not far from the city, their banners bright, their helmets and armor gleaming, their blades like a forest, galloping back and forth with great momentum!

The marching column of over four hundred cavalrymen was quite imposing, not to mention that by the standards of the time, this army was armed to the teeth, fully armored, and equipped with lances, bow cases, and slingshots.

The fluttering flags of the various commanders at the front created a visual impact far exceeding that of the larger Song-Xia light cavalry and the poorly armed Qiang tribes!

After watching for a while, Liang Duomai finally understood what was going on, and he was so angry that he gritted his teeth and cursed.

The Song army below the city was actually conducting military training.
They've trained their soldiers.

Those repeated sieges seemed to be rehearsals, in preparation for an even larger-scale siege.

Chen Shao also went to great lengths.

He had accumulated this wealth with great difficulty, and he was afraid that when he attacked Xiazhou and Yinzhou, his men would lack experience and suffer too many losses.

This is a rare opportunity.

Use combat as training.

If the troops from Xia Prefecture come here to reinforce, the Zhong family army can take the opportunity to attack.

Otherwise, Hongzhou would only serve as a sparring partner.

Han Shizhong was not idle either. He carefully selected the best soldiers from the army and formed an elite heavy cavalry.

In Hongzhou City, all the able-bodied men in the city rushed to the city walls. Those with weapons grabbed them, and those without weapons used wooden sticks. They also brought up the defensive equipment they had hastily made themselves.

The crenellations of the city wall were covered with heads, all looking down at the roaring cavalry with eyes full of fear!
Rushing out seems like a dead end.

Enemies are everywhere; where can I run to?

Now their cavalry are training in vain, while our group breaks through the encirclement, making their training even more effective.

A wounded soldier from Hongzhou City, his face covered in blood, looked at the cavalrymen swaggering below the city walls, suddenly let out a strange cry, and jumped off the city wall.

Liang Duomai's face grew increasingly pale. He made a muffled sound but didn't utter a single word; his hands were trembling.

Chen Shao was sitting on the ground in the camp, surrounded by a group of craftsmen.

They listened intently to Prefect Chen's profound arguments, but in their hearts, most of them were unconvinced.

The governor always comes up with some wildly imaginative ideas, but few of them are ever implemented.

However, it cannot be denied that there are indeed occasional brilliant ideas.

However, given his status, it was already an honor for him to sit with these craftsmen. At this moment, Zhao He, Chen Shao's personal guard, approached from afar, and couldn't help but jog as he drew near, his face beaming with joy.

Upon approaching, he clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Congratulations, Prefect!"

"What's the joy?" Chen Shao raised his head and stretched his neck.

Zhao He smiled and said, "The commander submitted a memorial requesting an official title for you based on your military achievements. You have been recommended as the Military Commissioner of Dingnan Army (a third-rank military officer) and the Acting Military Governor!"

"The emperor agreed?" Chen Shao was somewhat surprised; this was quite a high-ranking official position.

"His Majesty has given his permission!"

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen immediately got up and congratulated Chen Shao.

After a moment's thought, Chen Shao understood that Tong Guan wanted to promote him and have him continue fighting the Western Army here.

It seems he is ready to withdraw and launch an attack on Liao.

Commander Xuan, you never thought you could actually destroy Xia.

Tong Guan led his troops in pursuit, but after reaching their current encampment, they could no longer advance even half a step.

He was truly exhausted and didn't want to expend too much of his strength here, fearing that he would be stretched thin when attacking the Liao.

The best outcome he envisioned was for Chen Shao to guard the present place for him, isolating it from the Western Xia and the Khitan.

This would allow me to focus on conquering Liao and recovering Youyan. At that time, I would go all out and, no matter the cost, recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

Dingnan Army Commissioner
This is tantamount to using an official position obtained through overdraft to promote oneself.

Of the five prefectures of Dingnan—Xia, Sui, Jing, You, and Yin—only Sui had long been annexed by the Song Dynasty; the other four were controlled by the Song itself, with only You being taken over.

The meaning is clear: you can become one of these officials, but you have to fight for it yourself.

Just fight!
Chen Shao patted the dirt off his hands and bowed towards Bianliang.

"Your subject Chen Shao thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"
-
The former official residence of Tong Guan in Yan'an Prefecture now bears the banner of the Pacification and Control Commissioner of the Great Song Dynasty.

Although Tong Guan did not return, he sent Tan Zhen and Zhao Liangsi back to oversee the situation.

The government office and its surroundings were under heavy security.

The messengers were all messengers, constantly transmitting news from the front lines and back to Bianliang, the central capital of the Song Dynasty, from Yan'an Prefecture.

At this time, officials from all levels of government offices in Yan'an Prefecture who were responsible for transportation also gathered here. If there were not enough government offices, they would be scattered among the civilian residences.

At this time, even the pampered civil officials of the Song Dynasty had to endure some hardship, and had to go to the gate early to listen to the drums and receive tasks from the military governor's office.

The entire Shaanxi region of the Song Dynasty has been fully mobilized to support the staggering losses suffered on all fronts that have penetrated deep into Western Xia territory.

The leisurely and elegant lifestyle of the Song Dynasty's civil officials and gentry had long since vanished. The Song Dynasty, riddled with problems, still possessed enough strength to support its only remaining elite field force in an offensive operation.

Local resources were still available, with various regions squeezing out some funds from their tight treasuries to support the frontline operations.

Those who cannot be squeezed out will have to exploit the people's labor in order to fulfill the imperial court's orders.

Of course, if we give Wang Fu a few more years, he will completely drain the Song Dynasty's resources.

Wang Fu was different from Cai Jing when he became prime minister. Cai Jing exploited the people's labor while trying to make up for it in other ways, patching things up to prevent the court's finances from collapsing. After becoming prime minister, Wang Fu was a complete parasite, only eating and not excreting, only causing damage and not making up for it.

Tong Guan had also seen through Cai Jing's true nature and abilities, which is why he thought of cooperating with Cai Jing again before launching the campaign against Liao to remove him from the position of prime minister.

Unlike the Song Dynasty, which was still barely holding on, the Western Xia had begun to collapse. Their battle lines were equal to those of the Song Dynasty, and the fighting was taking place within their own borders.

Not only did the tax-based economy collapse completely during the war, but the costs also increased significantly. Western Xia was not just about to collapse, but it was already on the verge of collapse.

Throughout Bianliang, people were watching the war with different motives.

Chen Shao's sudden rise to power disrupted the original balance between the Song and Western Xia dynasties. Western Xia, which had fought against the Song Dynasty for so many years and was as resilient as a cockroach, was now facing a situation where it was uncertain whether it could survive.

Rumors have already spread from Bianliang that the Emperor now reviews military intelligence from the Western Xia front immediately, whether he is eating or sleeping. The Emperor has even prepared a full ceremony to offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple and announce it to the world once Xingqing Prefecture is conquered!
If we can destroy the Western Xia, it will be the greatest military achievement of the Song Dynasty since Emperor Taizu founded the country.

This inevitably excited Zhao Ji. He even thought that after taking over Western Xia, Tong Guan would help him conquer the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

Then, what will become of his future status as the Emperor of Peace?
It's probably not as simple as surpassing Emperor Taizong and Emperor Taizu.

The various factions in Bianliang, engaged in both overt and covert power struggles, were also closely watching the outcome of this war. Specifically regarding Tong Guan, his position in the court and his future fate also depended on the result of this battle.

Even Wang Fu, unusually, stopped his daily routine of selling official positions and embezzling bribes, and stayed in the government office every day, watching his staff handle government affairs.

Ironically, among all the people in the Song Dynasty who thought it was impossible to destroy Xia, perhaps only Tong Guan on the front lines and some soldiers of the Western Army believed it was impossible.

More than a decade ago, when Tong Guan set off from Bianliang to take charge of the overall situation and pacify the border in the Northwest, he was the only one in the entire world who believed that he could destroy the Western Xia.

No one believed him; no one believed that a eunuch could do what heroes of all ages could not.

Now, after more than a decade of fighting, the whole world thinks he's capable, but he himself feels he's no longer capable.

(End of this chapter)