Chapter 347 War Begins! War Begins!

If one were to ask why war is a test of national power, the reason Gao Yuan could use Liu Rengui and Wen Pin’s two great armies of over seventy thousand men as a diversion was precisely because of Great Qian's current formidable national strength.

Unlike the two northern powers, whose national strength weakened, people's lives grew harder, and populations dwindled as they fought, Gao Yuan had always adhered to a strategy where production increased alongside the army's progress, coupled with light taxes and low labor requirements.

The core hinterland had remained peaceful and undisturbed by war. With the common people well-fed and well-clothed, their natural desire to have children was high, maintaining a net population growth rate of nearly two percent for many years.

Gao Long was very excited that his father had chosen him to oversee Chang'an. In his eyes, Gao Yuan was still that weakling younger brother who couldn't even lift a chicken.

As for why Gao Hu had repeatedly suffered setbacks at Gao Yuan's hands, it was purely because Gao Yuan had a group of exceptionally talented subordinates, combined with his second brother's underestimation of the enemy, arrogance, and incompetence.

Now, stationed in the Guanzhong with a hundred thousand troops, Gao Long was full of confidence, wanting to give Gao Yuan a major lesson.

"If I can make that bastard Gao Yuan recognize the situation and obediently submit at my feet, then my position as Crown Prince will be even more secure."

Sitting on the dragon throne in Chang'an Palace, Gao Long felt a sense of...

"As for Gao Yuan, it's not like I can't treat him well after I ascend the throne... and that wretched woman Zheng Wan... since she's already tainted, what's the harm in bestowing her upon him?"

At that moment, Gao Yuan, who was holding a military meeting in Hanzhong, suddenly sneezed. A shiver ran through him, and he felt an uncomfortable sensation, as if something filthy was staring at him.

Qishan County had been basically abandoned since Gao Yuan last emptied it. Aside from the occasional merchant caravan trading there, it was virtually devoid of human presence.

In mid-September, the place suddenly became bustling and extraordinary, all because the Qian Army had established its first foothold for the strike into the Guanzhong here.

The main force of the Qian Army, logistics units, civilian laborers, and craftsmen—nearly a hundred thousand people in total—mostly gathered in this small county town, everyone making final preparations before the offensive.

Inside the commanders tent, Gao Xianzhi was presenting the results of the past few days of reconnaissance.

"Mei County is guarded by Gao Chou with about ten thousand men under his command. Their defensive measures are well-prepared, with large stockpiles of rolling logs, stones, and fire oil. A direct assault would likely result in significant casualties."

Although Qishan's terrain made it easy to defend and hard to attack, the city was small and its transportation inconvenient, making it unsuitable as a supply base for this expedition. Therefore, Gao Yuan had his sights set on Mei County, located on the plain.

Now that their first target was such a tough nut to crack, it seemed Gao Long was also very aware of Mei County's importance, which was why he had stationed heavy troops there.

While Gao Yuan was thinking, Gao Xianzhi continued his introduction.

"In addition, the Northern Liang Army has heavy troops stationed in Wugong, Hu County, Liquan, and other areas, led by en own reason and Gao Zi respectively, ready to strike from the north and south to flank our army at any time."

"At the same time, Gao Long and Gao Bing leading the Longxiang Army in Chang'an can also strike at any time. If our army's attack on Mei County doesn't go smoothly, we might find ourselves attacked from both front and back."

Actually, this move was easy to counter; if the terrain were suitable, Gao Yuan could set an ambush on the road where the reinforcements were heading west, playing a game of besieging the point to strike the reinforcements. Unfortunately, this was a plain, and those conditions simply didn't exist.

If he fought an encounter battle on the plain to wipe out the enemy like he did with Xiao Heng, he might instead be surrounded and crushed if the other two reinforcement routes pinched him.

Although he had never clashed with Gao Long and his Longxiang Army, they were surely not a weak force, and Gao Yuan would never arrogantly overlook this elite unit.

With a sigh, Gao Yuan decided to bring out his trump card early.

"Proceed with the attack on Mei County as originally planned. Deploy the Shenji Camp and have them use the Red-Coat Cannonss to clear the way for you."

As a high-ranking general of Great Qian, Gao Xianzhi had naturally seen the Red-Coat Cannonss before. His purpose in coming to Gao Yuan to complain of difficulties was naturally to request the deployment of the Shenji Camp.

Otherwise, with his proud nature, would he really care about people like Gao Long and Gao Bing?

Seeing that Gao Yuan agreed, Gao Xianzhi beamed with joy and held up three fingers to Gao Yuan.

"Rest assured, Lord. Three days—if I cannot take Mei County in three days, This humble general is willing to offer my head!"

"Go, go, just keep your head safe; I have no need for it."

Gao Xianzhi took the token and withdrew to prepare for the siege.

Once Gao Xianzhi had left, Chu Yue finally approached.

"Brother-in-law, since you have cannons, why are you so reluctant to use them? In my opinion, it would be better to set up the cannons and just blast our way through."

Gao Yuan shook his head with a smile and patiently explained to Chu Yue.

"First, we don't have that many cannonballs. Second, current artillery isn't that durable and has a limited lifespan. Third, and most importantly, the explosive shells made with black powder have limited power."

"Limited power? They can't collapse city walls?"

As expected, no matter how clever a woman was, such things were outside her field of knowledge. Since Gao Yuan had nothing else to do, he simply began to explain to Chu Yue.

"Current explosive shells are fine for killing people, but it's difficult to even blow open a city gate. As for collapsing city walls... haven't you seen that even during WWII, city walls were still extremely important defensive fortifications?"

Chu Yue understood, her expression one of sudden realization.

"So, Brother-in-law, you want to save this killing move for Chang'an to catch them off guard, right?"

"A student worth teaching!"

Gao Yuan smiled and gave the young girl a flick on the forehead, causing Chu Yue to cover her head and let out a pained, delicate groan.

"Brother-in-law, you hurt me!"

The words were true, but why did they sound so suggestive?

The moment Gao Chou saw the massive Qian Army outside the city, he immediately sent messengers to notify the three groups led by Gao Long, Gao Zi, and en own reason.

Seeing that his foolish third brother had indeed attacked Mei County first as he had anticipated, Gao Long grinned from ear to ear.

"Hahaha, good, very good! My third brother is truly obedient. Pass down the order: the three armies are to set out immediately according to plan and advance together. They are strictly forbidden from underestimating the enemy or advancing recklessly. I will teach Gao Yuan what war is under the walls of Mei County."

With Gao Long's command, the Longxiang Army, which had long been ready, immediately set off to move west under Gao Bing's lead. At the same time, en own reason stationed in Jingyang and Gao Zi stationed in Wugong and Hu County also began to move.

The three armies, totaling over eighty thousand men, advanced together, their target set straight for Mei County.

Gao Yuan received the intelligence immediately and began making arrangements. Zhao Meng led the Xiaoguo Army north to harass en own reason and prevent the enemy's rapid westward advance, while Gao Yuan himself led ten thousand men of the Beiwei Army south to block Gao Zi.

Gao Xianzhi also received the military intelligence report. He decided not to wait any longer and would launch the siege the next day, preparing to take Mei County in a day or two.

As long as he knocked out the pivot that was Mei County, Gao Long's plan to strike from both inside and outside Mei County to crush the main force of the Qian Army would fall through.

On September 10th, flags fluttered outside Mei County. Over a dozen dark Red-Coat Cannonss had unveiled their mysterious veils, crouching there like over a dozen man-eating giant beasts.

Atop the city walls, the Northern Liang Army was on high alert. Everyone clenched their fists tightly and instinctively glanced at the piles of rolling logs and stones nearby.

The large cauldrons behind them were steaming, filled with boiling water or Golden Juice prepared long ago, waiting only for the command to be poured down and deliver a heavy blow to the attackers.

Gao Xianzhi put away his binoculars and looked at Chen Dao beside him with a smile.

"General Chen, this battle depends entirely on you."

Chen Dao was full of confidence as he glanced at the cannons.

"Just you watch, General Gao!"