As planned, Han Zhongyun would request the gates of Wuzhou City to be opened. Whether Liu Nanfeng opened them or not, they would seize the opportunity to launch a fierce assault.
However, Wuzhou City was now within sight, leaving no time for Su Wencheng to deliberate. They had only brought three days' worth of provisions, and with dawn fast approaching, every moment of delay brought unforeseen variables.
"Relay the order to the entire army: rest briefly, then attack the city immediately!"
As the military command spread, the entire army, casting aside their weariness, rested for a short while on the spot before advancing towards Wuzhou City.
Inside Wuzhou City, Liu Ping, the eldest son of the defending general Liu Nanfeng, received Han Zhongyun.
"General Han has indeed abandoned the darkness for the light. A joyous occasion!" Liu Ping exclaimed with a joyful expression.
Han Zhongyun spoke solemnly, "Your father has been frank and sincere, willing to vouch for this subordinate to the court. His Majesty is wise and has granted me a chance to atone for my past deeds. Furthermore, I have been promised that regardless of the success or failure of this mission, my family will be well cared for, living in comfort and without worry. With such grace and favor, how dare I not exert myself to the utmost?"
Liu Ping replied humbly, "My father merely offered General Han an opportunity. Everyone in Wuzhou knows of General Han's filial piety. Yet, you chose to avoid suspicion, reporting the remnants of the Dugui family in various parts of Jiangnan. You have also secretly entrusted your family to the court, dispelling any doubts from His Majesty and the Grand Marshal of Jiangnan. This shows General Han's astuteness. If this mission is successful, General Han will be credited with great merit."
"I only seek to atone for my sins and dare not claim merit!" Han Zhongyun said with immense relief, bowing his thanks repeatedly.
The Dugui family remained unaware that a portion of their former disciples, household guards, and secretly cultivated factions had already defected to the Great Gan dynasty, providing them with a trove of false intelligence, including the defense maps of Wuzhou City.
On the four battlements of Wuzhou City, the soldiers' bed crossbows, trebuchets, longbows, and divine arm crossbows were all strung, with the northern city boasting the largest number.
Two quarters of an hour later, the northern city also faced the fierce onslaught of the Great Liang army.
The Great Liang army finally surrounded Wuzhou City from all sides and launched their attack simultaneously.
Tens of thousands of soldiers, carrying prepared siege ladders and battering rams, charged towards the city gates, only to be met with a devastating barrage from the long-range weapons of the Great Gan kingdom, suffering heavy losses.
Some siege ladders, upon reaching the base of the city walls, were immediately subjected to a relentless assault of rolling stones, wooden logs, spearmen, and crossbowmen, yielding little effect.
The Great Liang army, already fatigued from their long march and circuitous route, lost thousands of men in just two quarters of an hour of combat.
"Marshal Su! The enemy's defense on the northern city is as strong as it was on the southern city half a year ago!"
Upon receiving the news, Su Wencheng was both shocked and enraged. "Han Zhongyun has deceived me??"
The generals were equally stunned and dismayed.
Had Han Zhongyun, vouched for by the Dugui family, actually betrayed them?
But the facts were undeniable. They were facing an unprecedented level of defensive strength from Wuzhou, with casualties far exceeding those from their first attack half a year prior.
A moment later, a messenger urgently reported, "Our vanguard of ten thousand elite troops has been routed!"
"Marshal Su, dawn is approaching, and the enemy was well-prepared. There might even be ambushes. Our army should retreat immediately, hold the mountain pass, and after regrouping, return to our main force!"
The generals earnestly advised. Su Wencheng gritted his teeth and roared, "Retreat!"
The ten thousand strong Great Liang army had advanced in a swift surprise attack and now retreated in disarray, their morale plummeting.
The vanguard of ten thousand elite troops was almost annihilated!
Wuzhou's resistance was fiercer than ever before, their morale soaring!
"These Dugui family members are truly incompetent fools!" Su Wencheng, seated in an open carriage, had eyes bloodshot with fury.
"Marshal Su, is it possible that the enemy saw through Han Zhongyun's deception..." one general sighed.
"How could that be! Even if Han Zhongyun was exposed upon his return, the enemy could not have concentrated their defenses on the northern city within an hour! Tonight's defeat should be blamed on the Dugui family!" Su Wencheng shook his head.
The generals echoed his sentiment, their faces filled with anger. Only the members of the Dugui family present turned pale.
To this day, they could not fathom why Han Zhongyun, who had been so loyal to the Dugui family in the past, had betrayed them.
They held the leverage that could lead to the extermination of Han Zhongyun's entire clan!
"Report! A force is heading from the northwest towards the mountain range we came from, seemingly to intercept our retreat path!!"
The scout's urgent report sent a tremor of fear through Su Wencheng and his men.
"How many troops?" Su Wencheng asked anxiously.
"It's not yet dawn, so it's hard to see clearly, but there might be forty to fifty thousand!" the scout stammered.
Upon hearing this, Su Wencheng's face turned ashen. He urged, "Speed up the march immediately and reach the mountain pass before they do!"
The vanguard of the Great Liang army shifted to become the rear guard, with a large number of archers turning west and south, preparing for a fierce battle.
Midway through their retreat, another scout arrived on horseback with news, "The Ding Army has blocked the entrance to the mountain range and is forming defensive formations!"
The Great Liang soldiers were all terrified. "Such rapid advancement, could it possibly be the Marquis of Anguo of Great Gan himself?"
At the southwestern mountain pass of the Great Liang army, a Jiangnan army was encamped, facing northeast, deploying a large number of heavy shield soldiers, archers, and Great Gan archers.
Beneath the central command banner of the army stood the Grand Marshal of Jiangnan, Duke Dingguo, Gongsun Ye.
"It seems Su Wencheng has forgotten that my Gongsun family is a lineage of marshals!" Gongsun Ye's expression was stern as he issued commands, his words laced with displeasure.
He had defended Jiangnan for the Great Gan kingdom for decades, mostly engaging in bandit suppression. He had never clashed with friendly nations like Great Liang, yet he had never relaxed his vigilance regarding the defenses of Jiangnan.
By holding this choke point, any attempt by the Great Liang army to circumvent and return to their base via other routes would force their lines to stretch, making them easy prey to be slaughtered.
When the Great Liang army reached the mountain pass, they indeed saw banners covering the mountainside, and the two armies entered a standoff.
One side, weary from a long journey, faced the other, who was well-rested.
However, Gongsun Ye did not initiate an attack.
"The enemy seems to have an additional five thousand longbowmen. Our army only has five hundred, and their quality is inferior to the enemy's. Marshal Su..." a Great Liang general reported with bitterness after observing the enemy's disposition.
The crossbows of the Great Gan kingdom had struck fear into the hearts of all under heaven. Whether it was the longbow, the divine arm crossbow, or the triple-bed crossbow, they now held the advantage, shooting from above with clear targets, commanding superiority...
Su Wencheng swallowed hard, then roared in a low voice, "That dog Qin Feng, the Ministry of War only equips the Xuanwei and the Northern King's Guards with longbows..."
Yet, he stubbornly refused to admit that his eagerness, stemming from a lack of achievement in the past half-year, had led to oversight. In his haste to breach Wuzhou City, he had failed to leave a single unit to guard this crucial location.
Outside the west gate of Wuzhou City lay a swift river, and the northwest was entirely mountainous, blocking any escape route.
Su Wencheng, having calmed down, clearly understood his army's fatigue and did not launch an immediate attack.
Gongsun Ye's troops also had the opportunity to rest.
"We'll trap them for a few days and nights. I don't believe they won't surrender!" Gongsun Ye said coldly.
A stalemate ensued, but Gongsun Ye's army carried enough provisions to last for half a month.
If not for the strain on troops in various parts of Jiangnan, Gongsun Ye would have even considered encircling this force.
Inside Luzhou City, Liang Xiao directed the operations with composure, the soldiers carried out their duties diligently, each dedicating their utmost effort.
In the command tent, Liang Xiao addressed his men, "First, we will await news from Wuzhou, and then await the arrival of the subsequent Zhongzhou troops in Luzhou. Our army will then transition from strategic defense to strategic counterattack. With the reinforcement of the Yizhou troops, the enemy will be vanquished in a matter of days!"