Chapter 567

Chapter 567: Sweeping Taizhou State

Outside Hecheng City.

After a fierce battle all night, the Zhenguo Army from Feng State completely took control of the area outside Hecheng City. About thirty to forty thousand soldiers had also crossed the river and stationed themselves outside the city.

The defenders of Hecheng City gathered all their forces inside the city and continued to resist stubbornly. But a sense of despair spread in the city. Without the natural barrier of the Ping River, how could they withstand the Zhenguo Army?

"General, casualties report is out. After a fierce battle all night, our army lost over 1,300 soldiers and got over 2,800 wounded. We killed 4,600 enemies, captured over 10,000 prisoners, and seized a few hundred boats, mostly fishing boats. The enemy still has over 50,000 troops, including more than 20,000 routed soldiers."

In the afternoon, Xie Yunfeng told Lin Jiang that after a simple count, the results of last night’s battle were in. The Zhenguo Army suffered quite a bit, with a total of over 3,000 casualties.

"When can all the soldiers cross the river?"

"We can build a pontoon bridge before dusk. The main troops can cross in the early morning tomorrow, but it might take another day for the supporting forces."

Xie Yunfeng said he had urgently arranged for the construction of a pontoon bridge. Once it’s built, the speed will increase. But with nearly 200,000 people and a huge amount of supplies, it will take at least two to three days.

"Too slow. We’ll attack the city early tomorrow. Make sure the soldiers eat well. We only need 10,000 soldiers to join the attack tomorrow. I will lead the charge personally."

"General, a commander should not take unnecessary risks."

Xie Yunfeng kindly reminded as he noticed the weakness of the Zhenguo Army, which relied heavily on Lin Jiang alone. If something happened to Lin Jiang, the Zhenguo Army would quickly fall apart. Therefore, Lin Jiang should take good care of himself.

With the troops already crossed the river, with 200,000 soldiers on their side, there’s no need for Lin Jiang to take unnecessary risks.

"Your words make sense, but right now the Zhenguo Army lacks strong leaders, not skilled soldiers. Whom can I rely on?"

"If the general trusts me, I will lead the charge."

"You should stay behind. Going up as a Martial Arts Master means certain death. You have talents that others don’t. Take care of the rear for me."

Lin Jiang shook his head. Xie Yunfeng might be a Martial Arts Master, seeming impressive, but in this large-scale war, he was of little use. Not even an ordinary Martial Saint could do it; it had to be Xie Yunfeng himself.

Furthermore, Lin Jiang didn’t want Xie Yunfeng and his team to achieve great deeds again. Lin Jiang needed to balance internal forces and help the grassroots rise quickly. Giving them military achievements was the best opportunity.

Early the next morning, most of the eighty thousand soldiers had crossed the river, but many hadn’t organized themselves yet. Lin Jiang counted ten thousand troops and led them out of the camp with a large number of siege weapons.

"Qin Yong, following the old rule, I will go up the city wall alone first. You lead the team after me, cut down the drawbridge, open the city gate. When I move, you follow; others flank around, leaving no enemy soldiers."

"General, rest assured, we will surely win in one battle."

"Good, prepare to move in one hour."

Lin Jiang nodded, noticing that the Zhenguo Army mainly consisted of foot soldiers with very few cavalry. They only brought out two thousand men, but when used effectively, they were very powerful, like when they cut off the enemy’s escape.

When it was time, Lin Jiang took action again. He charged alone, saving a horse this time, using his light skills to move forward. Lin Jiang dashed towards the city wall, becoming an easy target, with many arrows aimed at him.

Lin Jiang held a shield that he wielded like a porcupine. Before reaching the city wall, he threw the shield, knocking down a group of people.

The one-sided battle was quite boring. King Tai didn’t even dare to send out their Martial Saint, knowing there was no one who could defeat Lin Jiang. In just fifteen minutes, Lin Jiang swept the city walls several times over, while Qin Yong led his men up, brought down the drawbridge, and opened the city gates.

Once the city gate was breached, the battle was almost over. The enemy troops panicked and scattered, but Lin Jiang had already stationed people at the other city gates, making it hard for anyone to escape.

There was no large-scale street fighting. Three days later, the battle in Hecheng City ended with the Zhenguo Army capturing forty to fifty thousand prisoners.

Lin Jiang left five thousand men to guard Hecheng City while waiting for the working team to arrive. He then sent Qin Yong with five thousand elite soldiers as the vanguard, heading straight for Taizhou City. Lin Jiang himself led the majority of the troops on a slower journey.

After taking Hecheng City, the way ahead was clear without any natural defenses to guard. However, when Lin Jiang was nearing Taizhou City, he received a message from Qin Yong that King Tai had fled.

Not only did King Tai run away, but all the officials and nobles in Taizhou City had also fled. Qin Yong easily took control of Taizhou State, leaving Lin Jiang feeling frustrated. If they ran away, who was he supposed to fight?

Lin Jiang told people to write a letter to Qin Yong, asking them to go hunt down King Tai. They should capture him and keep all the wealth they take. The nobles in Feng State have lost all their savings from centuries of wealth due to him. Since they can’t get any spoils of war, Lin Jiang can’t reward his followers.

Two days later, Lin Jiang went to Taizhou State with only 500 people left behind by Qin Yong. The rest went to pursue King Tai. Lin Jiang left only 5,000 people in Taizhou State and sent the rest of his army, 20,000 soldiers, to chase Qin Yong and reinforce his troops. Others split up to take over the other counties in Taizhou State.

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Taizhou State has eight counties and thirty-seven cities. When Lin Jiang easily took over Taizhou City, most of the cities surrendered without a fight, and the Zhenguo Army advanced rapidly.

Meanwhile, Lin Jiang also received the first wave of surrendering troops, led by a Martial Saint named Fang Rui.

"Fang Rui, a noble from Taizhou State, I hear you are a senior martial artist and the leader of the martial arts league in Taizhou State."

Lin Jiang looked at Fang Rui in front of him, who appeared quite young, in his thirties, but his actual age was over sixty. It seemed like he knew the secrets of longevity, as he could live for another hundred years if all went well.

"In front of the general, I am just a humble person, not daring to be presumptuous."

"Alright, you know when to submit. Since you surrendered, I don’t have the habit of killing prisoners. Bring all the martial artists from Taizhou State who have surpassed the innate level to me. Join me in battle, and in the future when I dominate the world, you will have high ranks and rewards."

Lin Jiang nodded, since the other side lowered their posture, Lin Jiang didn’t make things difficult for them. In the future, they would stay by his side. As Lin Jiang charged into battle, they would follow, and if they managed to survive until the end, he would reward them with high ranks and riches.

"Thank you, General."

Fang Rui felt bitter, he knew Lin Jiang had the habit of charging into battle, but he didn’t have that ability. This was bad.

Another half a month passed, Tian Xiong arrived in Taizhou State with tens of thousands of talented people in administration, including descendants from five clans. Xie Yunfeng and his companions were not the only ones joining Lin Jiang. Each person had hundreds of skilled people behind them, not to mention their followers and subordinates. Lin Jiang couldn’t refuse these people, so he had to let them start from the bottom. However, it was clear that they would be promoted faster than others.

Following the old rules, anyone in Taizhou State who had blood on their hands from the Zhenguo Army, whether officials or nobles, would be executed, their property confiscated, and their land redistributed.

Those who surrendered without opposing us must offer half of their property to support the army, their land would not be confiscated, but they were not allowed to hide any people. The tenants would farm the land for them, with rent not exceeding thirty percent. Fang Rui, is that clear?

"Yes, General, it’s clear."

Fang Rui nervously agreed, leaving half of their property behind would ensure their survival. Those who refused would face death and extinction. He knew that there would be many in Taizhou State who would prioritize money over their lives, and he couldn’t control them. For now, they would lie low.

Large families all had their own survival skills, just like the five clans of Xie Yunfeng. They had been prosperous since the previous dynasty and the change of power didn’t make them decline. Why? Because they understood the importance of patience and concealment.

They knew very well that the rising power would surely be strong and wise ruler. So, they decided to stay low and submissive, even if it meant their lord killing himself. They were determined and focused on educating their descendants generation after generation. Time was on their side because even the royal family couldn’t guarantee that every king would be wise.

Lin Jiang had been stationed in Taizhou City for three months when he learned that King Tai was hiding in Linjiang Prefecture of Taizhou State, and Qin Yong had been unable to capture him for a long time. Lin Jiang got up and, along with Fang Rui and others, went to help in the battle.

The news quickly spread that Lin Jiang was on his way, but before he arrived, King Tai abandoned Linjiang Prefecture and escaped to Tai State, which was also under his control but had some issues.

"General, let’s attack Tai State."

When Qin Yong saw Lin Jiang’s arrival, he suggested that every attack Lin Jiang made was a quick victory, but he had been struggling to capture Linjiang Prefecture for three months, which made him frustrated.

"Of course we will attack Tai State, but not right now. We will wait until after the summer harvest and first secure Taizhou State."

Lin Jiang explained that the easy victories in Taizhou State had allowed the enemy forces to regroup. Many areas they captured started rebelling, so Lin Jiang needed to secure the rear before moving forward.

Winning battles tactically doesn’t always ensure victory. Think about Xiang Yu, who fought against Liu Bang multiple times and mostly won, but his force diminished each time, and he ultimately lost after one defeat.

Lin Jiang wouldn’t make that mistake. They had trained many administrative talents for a reason. It was a critical time, especially with the Xia tax. Lin Jiang needed the people of Taizhou State to see that under the leadership of Zhenguo Army, the government could bring them prosperity so they would truly support the army.