20demayo Chapter 892 Turmoil inside and outside Xianyang!
Chapter 892 Turmoil inside and outside Xianyang!
The battle reached a fever pitch. Without the deterrent of black powder, the Chu army's offensive, though fierce, remained within the Southern Border Army's reach. Corpses littered the city walls, blood staining the ground red. The cruelty of war was vividly displayed at this moment.
Xiang Yu watched the battle from behind, his face solemn. The black powder had been more effective than he'd expected, but it was still far from transformative. Yi Xiaochuan's claim of "changing the face of warfare" might be true, but perfecting the technology would require more time and resources.
"Sound the horns and call back the troops." After a long pause, Xiang Yu finally gave the order, "There's no chance of taking the city today. There's no need to send our men to die in vain."
As the gongs sounded, the Chu army retreated like a tide, leaving behind a devastated battlefield and the smoke-filled city of Xianyang.
The news of the attack on Xianyang quickly reached Gao Yao through special channels. At the time, he was dealing with matters at Yangping Pass when a dusty messenger rushed into the meeting room and presented urgent military information.
Gao Yao unfolded the silk book, his brow furrowing ever deeper. The other officials in the hall held their breath, not daring to interrupt.
"The Chu army is attacking Xianyang?" Gao Yao finally spoke, his tone full of confusion. "What is Xiang Yu doing? I'm getting more and more confused."
He waved the other officials away, then pondered his decision. After pacing the hall for a moment, he ordered his attendants, "Quickly invite Mr. Xiao He to come forward."
Not long after, Xiao He hurried over. Gao Yao handed him the intelligence, and after reading it carefully, Xiao He also looked puzzled.
"Xiang Ji's actions are indeed strange," Xiao He pondered. "The Battle of Yangping Pass is understandable. It was the gateway to Shu, a battleground for military strategists. But Xianyang is no longer the center of the empire, and our main forces are not there. Even if we capture it, it will be an isolated city, difficult to hold."
Gao Yao nodded. "That's exactly what confuses me. The Chu army currently has less than 100,000 troops, scattered across various fronts. Attacking Xianyang would require a large number of troops, and Xianyang's defenses are strong, with sufficient food and fodder. It's easy to hold out for three months. Can the Chu army hold out that long? At most, they'll run out of food and fodder in half a month."
Xiao He stroked his beard and pondered, then suddenly asked, "Is it possible that the Chu army has a backup plan in Xianyang?"
Gao Yao shook his head. "That's unlikely. To capture Xianyang from within, we'd need at least a thousand armed men lurking inside the city. My Qingyi Society isn't just sitting around doing nothing. We already have people inside Xianyang. If there really were such a large-scale lurking force, it would be impossible for them to go unnoticed."
There was a moment of silence in the hall as the two wise men pondered the true purpose of Xiang Yu's action.
"Perhaps..." Xiao He said slowly, "Xiang Yu's goal was not to seize Xianyang, but to test it."
"Test?" Gao Yao raised his eyebrows.
"To test our army's defense response, to test Xianyang's defense strength, or perhaps..." Xiao He paused, "to test our army's response?"
Gao Yao's eyes were stern: "What is our army's response?"
Listening to Xiao He's words, Gao Yao was puzzled for a moment. He was at Yangping Pass now. If Yangping Pass was defended, Duan Peng would not even need to send troops. He only needed to wait for half a month, and the Chu army would naturally retreat.
"According to reports from Xianyang, the Chu army used a trick to take advantage of the weather during their siege and seized some of our army's gunpowder. If the Chu army really uses the gunpowder to attack Xianyang, it will be a big problem!" Xiao He said.
Gao Yao fell into deep thought. If this is true, then the situation is serious. The emergence of black gunpowder will completely change the form of war, and the era of cold weapons will gradually come to an end. The most important thing is that Gao Yao is actually unable to confirm whether the Chu army has black gunpowder. Although from the current situation, it should not be, after all, the other side also has Yi Xiaochuan, and it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no unexpected situation.
"We must prepare for both scenarios," Gao Yao finally decided. "On the one hand, we must strengthen the defense of Xianyang, and on the other hand, we must investigate all the situations of the Chu army. In addition, we should probably mobilize more black powder for support as soon as possible."
Xiao He nodded in understanding. Regarding the issue of black gunpowder, although Xiao He was Gao Yao's most trusted minister, even he only knew the general idea of some of it and did not know the details.
"I'll arrange it right away." Xiao He bowed and took his leave.
Gao Yao remained alone in the hall, walking to the window and gazing into the distance. War was spreading across the land, and the world was in turmoil. As a time traveler, he had hoped to live a peaceful life, but was forced into this historical torrent.
"Xiang Yu, oh Xiang Yu, what exactly do you want to do?" Gao Yao muttered to himself, "No matter what tricks you plan, I will not let you succeed easily."
Inside Xianyang, the wounds left by the war were slowly being healed. Soldiers cleared the battlefield and repaired the city walls, while civilians gradually emerged from their shelters and returned to their daily lives.
However, beneath this calm surface, undercurrents are surging.
In a seemingly ordinary tavern in the south of the city, several people dressed as businessmen were having a secret conversation in a private room.
"The effectiveness of black powder has been verified. It is indeed powerful, but there is still room for improvement." A middle-aged man with a goatee whispered.
Another fat businessman nodded. "The catapult's accuracy is too poor. Nine times out of ten it misses its target. We need to design a special launcher."
"Xiang Yu has urged us several times to provide more black powder," a third person interjected, "but the raw materials are difficult to obtain and the production process is dangerous, so it's difficult to significantly increase production."
The man with the goatee pondered for a moment. "We must first solve the problems of transportation and storage. Current black powder is too susceptible to moisture and is extremely prone to explosion during transportation. I have already had special waterproof containers and shock-absorbing carriages developed."
Ostensibly merchants, these individuals were in reality spy chiefs stationed within Xianyang City by the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan. They not only conducted intelligence operations but also secretly researched and refined black powder. They chose Xianyang for these activities due to its abundant resources, highly skilled craftsmen, and unpredictable location for the enemy.
"Duan Peng's Qingyi Society has been active recently, and it seems they've noticed something." The fat businessman said worriedly, "We have to be more careful."
The goatee sneered, "Let them investigate. Our bases are scattered and our identities concealed, so they won't be able to find anything. The important thing is that we can't stop researching. The master has ordered Xiang Yu to use this item to change the course of the war."
Unbeknownst to them, on the second floor of a silk shop across from the tavern, a pair of sharp eyes were observing the tavern's entrance through the cracked window. This was a spy from the Qingyi Society, who had long suspected the tavern was not ordinary and had finally confirmed today that suspicious individuals were gathering there.
"Record the characteristics of all people entering and leaving," the detective whispered to his assistant, "especially that goatee guy. I think I've seen him somewhere."
The assistant nodded and quickly drew and recorded it on the silk.