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Chapter 473: 237: Dangerous Situations Looming_2

According to the latest official statistics of Pseudo-Shu, as of last year, the population of Xichuan was approximately 1.3 million.

Now that it has gone through another war, and was once again plagued by Lu Yuan and Zhou People, tens or even hundreds of thousands must have died.

Afterward, he conscripted 100,000 soldiers, which was another significant loss.

Now, recruiting people from there, isn’t that pushing the Xichuan province to a dead end?

After this battle, when Jihui and Qiao Kangquan take over Xichuan Province, they would probably have no choice but to trade territories, seeing the current situation there.

They might even beg Lu Yuan to make the exchange.

Otherwise, with this barren land and the responsibility of ruling over four to five hundred thousand people, even acquiring the title of king wouldn’t be worth it, would it?

Well, from a conspiratorial point of view, there’s no doubt Lu Yuan’s actions at the moment promote this outcome.

However, upon closer examination, he has no other choice.

After all, if he doesn’t exploit Xichuan Province and use these Xichuan people who harbor deep hatred towards Zhou People, does he expect to use people from Hanzhong and Xiangyang, both of which are part of Zhou Territory?

If he lets these people help him defend the city, the Zhou soldiers would surrender the city within two days, happily welcoming the Royal Teacher’s entry to the city.

And what about sending troops from Dongting Army?

Let alone the thousands of miles away and whether they could make it in time,

Even if they could, abandoning the readily available labor force and harming their own foundation instead would be a stupid move for Lu Yuan to make.

Therefore, in conclusion,

Indeed, all he could do was make the people of Xichuan suffer once more.

Well, they’ll have better days once the battle is over.

Lu Yuan comforted himself, then finished writing the letter and sent it off as a top-priority message.

While Lu Yuan was writing the letter and summoning reinforcements, the siege at Xiegu Pass never ceased before their arrival.

On the twenty-third of the fifth month of Hongdao’s eighth year, He Basheng led an army of three hundred thousand to Xiegu Pass.

On the same day, ten thousand soldiers were dispatched to attack Xiegu Pass fiercely.

The next day, another thirty thousand soldiers were sent to continue the attack. By midnight, torches were lit to illuminate the battlefield, and the battle went on without rest.

On the third day, another thirty thousand soldiers replaced the previous army that had been fighting for an entire day and night, and the relentless attack on Guan City continued.

It was the same for the following two days.

By the sixth day, more than ten thousand defenders in Xiegu Pass had been killed, and the remaining soldiers were exhausted and wounded.

Military morale started to decline.

At the end of the month, on the thirtieth day,

It rained continuously, and fog filled the mountains, giving the Xiegu Pass, located between the north and south, a sense of the misty atmosphere of Jiangnan.

However, facing such a poetic and picturesque scenery, no one inside or outside the city walls had the mood to appreciate it.

Defenders on the city walls shouted to repel another wave of Zhou attack, and without even catching their breath, they heard the rumbling drums outside the city, the distant Zhou banners fluttering, and a new siege army emerged slowly from the main camp.

“Zhou People are coming again.”

“Where’s the support team? Hurry up and get over here!”

“Take some rest quickly, eat and drink something, and replenish your energy.”

“Those who have endured two rounds can retreat and recuperate.”

Shouts rose and fell from the tower, creating a noisy atmosphere.

Hearing these orders, soldiers numbedly sat down and began to open their water bags and eat their rough biscuits.

Some, feeling a great reprieve, hurriedly lined up in their remaining formations and quickly descended from the city walls.

Below the city wall, a group of about a thousand soldiers quickly moved into Guan City to reinforce the defense gap.

Soon, the once empty city walls were filled with people again.

Despite the many people and the substantial defense, soldiers standing on the city walls didn’t feel much safer.

That’s because in the previous six days, the defense had been equally robust and well-manned.

However, every time the Zhou soldiers retreated after an attack, the city wall would be left with more than half the people gone.

Just now, there was an attack that lasted for two hours, and over a thousand people had already perished.

Upon calculation, for every team that climbed the city wall and fought for two rounds or four hours, only half of them could return when they descended.

Such a bloody casualty rate would wear down even veteran soldiers.

Not to mention, many of the defenders in the city were conscripted militia.

Zhou soldiers were growing more and more fierce, so were their battles.

Under such brutal sieges, the defenders in the city had begun to lose heart and waver.

If it wasn’t for the glimmer of hope in their hearts that one man could lead them to victory, they would have broken down and fled by now.

The brief respite during the shift change quickly passed.

Zhou soldiers were once again at the city wall, carrying their weapons, stepping on mountains of corpses at the foot of the wall, and charged up without hesitation.

Seeing this, the defenders on the tower also swung down falling rocks, poured boiling water, shot arrows, and launched their counterattack.

Both armies began another ferocious engagement.

“Morale is just insufficient.”

Inside the watchtower, Lu Yuan sighed as he stood on top and looked at the nearby battlefield: “The Bandits have an overwhelming number of people. Even if they don’t rest day and night, thirty thousand people rotating in shifts can still ensure enough rest and energy.