vrcanaries Chapter 184 Battle of Kunyang
Chapter 184 Battle of Kunyang
Liu Xun in another timeline was truly astonished. This group of people hadn't even captured Wancheng, yet after winning a few battles, they actually wanted to establish a kingdom and declare themselves emperors!?
How many people are there in this army?! After appointing the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, how many will be left?!
Moreover, at this time, internal conflicts were already brewing and people were becoming increasingly distant, so it seemed that it wouldn't be long before things came to a head!
I'm just afraid of messing things up myself!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke continued, "After Liu Xuan became emperor, he used the slogan of destroying Xin and restoring Han. First, he sent his main force to besiege Wancheng, and then at the same time he sent the Pinglin troops to besiege Xinye in the south."
"In the east, Wang Feng, Wang Chang, Liu Xiu and others were dispatched, leading an army of 20,000 to attack Yingchuan and Luoyang."
"Wang Feng's team made great progress, successively capturing Kunyang and Dingling. However, on the other side, Brother Liu Yan seems to be in a tough battle, while the other teams are doing well."
"Meanwhile, Wang Mang's court heard that someone in Nanyang had actually declared himself emperor. This was no joke! He was still here! How dare he establish a country! So Wang Mang was furious!"
"He dispatched Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi and Grand Minister of Education Wang Xun to mobilize 42 troops from various prefectures and counties, intending to annihilate the Gengshi regime in one fell swoop. This time, a classic scene is about to unfold!"
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Kunyang has appeared, hahaha!
An official from the Ming Dynasty: Liu Xiu is about to unleash his full power!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ?!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Wang Mang: This is no ordinary banditry! We must strike hard! (Laughing so hard!)
……
"Around the beginning of summer this year, Wang Mang's army had already completed its assembly in Luoyang. The massive army numbered 420,000, though some claimed it was a million. If this data is accurate, then the foundation of the Han Dynasty was truly solid."
"Although they already had a numerical advantage over Liu Yan and his men, Wang Mang still felt it wasn't enough. He even sent out an animal army, including tigers and elephants. The animal trainers were all giants, over two meters tall and with waists ten spans wide."
"I recall someone once saying this about the Han Dynasty: 'Countries usually perish because of weakness, but the Han Dynasty perished because of strength.' Although this statement was not solely a praise of the Han Dynasty's strength."
"But given Wang Mang's absurd policies, if the Han Dynasty hadn't been so strong, it would have been unlikely that any other dynasty could have mustered such a large military force, especially considering that these individuals were conscripted amidst uprisings across the country."
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: Why do I feel like I've traveled back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties?! An animal army?!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse!
A casual observer from the Sui Dynasty: I thought the Xin Dynasty was already incredibly weak! But they managed to muster so many people!?
……
"So in May of 23 AD, Wang Yi and Wang Xun finally arrived at Yingchuan and joined Yan You and Chen Mao. Afterwards, they marched toward Kunyang. In just two or three days, the number of troops entering Kunyang reached more than 100,000."
"In the next battle, Liu Xiu defeated Wang Mang's 420,000 troops and various wild beasts with only about 7,000 men, which can be called a miracle in history."
Liu Xiu: Have you ever seen me at my peak?!
"However, Wang Mang's claim of 420,000 troops is somewhat exaggerated. This claim first appeared in the Biography of Wang Mang: 'The number of troops to be assembled is 420,000.'"
"This data can also be found in Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian, but it also mentions that Wang Mang's army numbered 100,000 when they arrived at the city, which is the same as what is said in the Book of the Later Han."
"And in terms of time, which of these things—weapons, troop conscription, and supplies—doesn't require time to prepare?"
"Liu Xiu captured Kunyang in March, and Wang Mang's army set off in May. In just one or two months, could Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty have assembled 420,000 men?"
"Most importantly, historical records show that hundreds of thousands of refugees entered the pass... and more than half of them starved to death. So how could the imperial court have the ability to build an army of 420,000 in just one year?!"
"Therefore, based on historical records, Wang Yi's army that arrived in Kunyang at that time may have numbered only 100,000, not 420,000 at all. But whether it is the 100,000 speculated by later generations or the 420,000 recorded by predecessors, the final result in history is that they lost."
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: One hundred thousand men, that's quite a lot! Compared to Liu Xiu's forces, they won't be easy to defeat!
A soldier from the Ming Dynasty: Has anyone heard of soldiers being recruited to freeload? After all, the army needs logistics and such!
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: I've noticed that the large quantities are often inflated. For example, Zhu Qizhen's 400,000 only amounted to 200,000! Too bad he had a terrible teammate!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: ………
"Speaking of which, Wang Yi led a massive force of 100,000 men to Kunyang and ordered a siege. At this time, someone came with a suggestion: Kunyang is not suitable for a long siege by a large army. It is small but fortified. It would be better to go to Wancheng. The Han army has not yet taken it. The main force should be there. We can use our superior numbers and equipment to suppress them..."
"Judging from historical results, this suggestion was quite sound, but it's a pity that Commander Wang Yi chose not to listen, completely disregarding these Nanyang forces. So what if they rebelled!"
"Zhai Yi also committed treason back then. He gets very angry when this is mentioned. He was determined to get revenge this time because he didn't capture him alive back then! He wants the Emperor to praise him!"
Wang Yi (hands on hips): How could I possibly lose!
"At this moment, the atmosphere in Kunyang City was tense. The only troops available were eight or nine thousand, while the enemy's numbers were a massive, overwhelming force. With only a few thousand against a hundred thousand, some people might even be running away. The chances of winning were extremely slim!"
"At this point, the main generals in Kunyang City held another meeting to discuss how to escape, since we had a god-like perspective on the outcome of the battle."
"But Liu Xiu and his men had no idea what the final outcome would be, so their desire to run away wasn't exactly a fault."
"However, while most people chose to flee, Liu Xiu, a cautious man, did not follow the majority's advice. In his view, there was no way to escape, so he might as well confront them directly!"
At this moment, everyone on the field exclaimed: "Damn! Bro, I didn't know you were this good!"