551: Chapter 551 Attack on Delosia City

Once the decision was made, Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng acted decisively without the slightest hesitation. They swiftly issued orders, commanding their troops to head south like a surging tide.

From the moment the Huaxia Pioneer Group stepped into the territory of the Mauryan Empire, they had triggered a high state of alertness among the indigenous population.

The Mauryan Empire was a unified empire under absolute monarchy, with an administrative structure roughly divided into a clear three-tier system: the central government, provinces, and tribes.

The King, known as the Chakravartin, held supreme administrative, military, and judicial power. Ministers and officials were appointed to manage national affairs, while local regions were divided into provinces governed by viceroys appointed by the King.

Those tribes located on the frontiers instinctively became vigilant at the first opportunity.

However, despite their wariness, they did not dare to make any provocative moves lightly.

After all, before splitting their forces, the Huaxia Pioneer Group had over twenty thousand men. Even after splitting, each group still numbered over ten thousand, and every group was equipped with five thousand cavalrymen.

When those cavalry units gathered in a grand assembly, the scene was spectacular. The mountains and plains were covered with dense ranks of cavalry, like a black torrent exuding a terrifying deterrent force.

For these tribes with total populations of only a few thousand, the number of people capable of fighting was merely a few hundred. The disparity in strength between the two sides was like a vast chasm.

With their meager strength, they were simply unable to contend with the Huaxia Pioneer Group. Therefore, the only strategy these Mauryan tribes could adopt was to closely monitor the personnel of the Huaxia Pioneer Group.

Once they detected any movement from the other side, they would quickly prepare their defenses in hopes of self-preservation.

The group led by Zhao Fusu adopted a relatively moderate approach to development, focusing on gradually building their own strength, and thus did not immediately come into conflict with the frontier tribes of the Mauryan Empire.

He knew well that in this unfamiliar land, stable development and taking things slow was the best course of action.

Xiang Yu, however, was completely different; his target was aimed directly at the city of Gedrosia.

Xiang Yu led eight thousand Jiangdong Youths rapidly southward.

The Mauryan tribes along the way were all alarmed.

But seeing that Xiang Yu's unit had no intention of attacking them and was merely passing through like a gust of wind, they gradually relaxed their vigilance and stopped paying much attention after watching them leave their spheres of influence.

After all, these tribes knew their strength was vastly inferior to Xiang Yu's army; as long as they didn't actively provoke them, they could coexist in peace.

As this massive army drove straight toward the city of Gedrosia, the commotion caused spread across the land like ripples, growing larger and larger.

Their march made a tremendous noise, and the dust they kicked up blotted out the sun.

The common people along the route fled in panic, spreading the news everywhere, and the entire region fell into a tense atmosphere.

After finding an excellent spot that was easy to defend and hard to attack, Xiang Liang ordered the troops to set up camp.

The terrain here was perilous, surrounded by mountains with an open space in the middle that could accommodate the army's camp, and there was only one narrow passage for entry and exit.

Once the camp was established, at Xiang Yu's command, the five thousand cavalry continued south like a sharp blade, quickly approaching the city of Gedrosia and surrounding it completely.

"Enemy attack!"

When the five thousand cavalry arrived at the city gates, it alarmed the Viceroy of Gedrosia.

The Viceroy immediately dropped everything in his hands and rushed to the city walls to assess the situation.

As a major city of the Mauryan Empire, Gedrosia's geographical location was very important and its strategic significance was extraordinary; therefore, it had been attacked many times.

To deal with frequent invasions, the city had built sturdy walls over ten meters high, constructed from massive stones.

These walls were vastly different in appearance from the square-shaped city walls of Great Qin.