After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 852 - 839: The Great Counteroffensive II

Meng County was once ravaged by the Xiongnu. After Zhao Hanzhang became the Yu State Governor, she spent considerable effort restoring it to life. The specially designed city gates are unique, with only two cities in Chen County having them.

One is Meng County, and the other is Chen County.

Zhi Xiong believes she wouldn’t destroy Meng County, hence he has no fear. She indeed is reluctant, but the choice between keeping or discarding something must have its priorities.

Between houses and people, Zhao Hanzhang never hesitates. In her view, talents are the foundation of everything; if she has people, she will have everything.

Even if it requires more manpower and resources later to restore everything, as long as there are people, everything is possible.

On the contrary, if she loses her people, what use is an empty city?

In this era, nobles and warlords consider humans the most worthless. Once they’ve depleted their manpower, they simply recruit again.

Food is hard to come by, cattle and horses are scarce, but people can be easily swayed; with a bite of food or a knife in hand, countless people can be attracted.

However, they forget that even from a purely material perspective, human value shouldn’t be lower than food and cattle.

It takes at least ten years for a person to grow and create value.

Children over ten can farm, fight, and reproduce.

Zhao Hanzhang’s soldiers are all trained; she has carefully nurtured them for four years. She wouldn’t dare use them as expendables.

Let alone them, even those elderly, women, and children trapped in enemy zones, she wouldn’t sacrifice.

So, two days of concessions were the limit. Once everything was in place, Zhao Hanzhang launched a fierce attack on the Shi Army.

Zhao Family Army naturally had an advantage in urban combat; their weapons were superior to the Shi Army’s. The ramming vehicles Zhao had temporarily developed were pushed forward, blocking an entire street.

Shi Army couldn’t easily charge because the spikes on the ramming vehicles were long and sturdy; if pushed, they’d fall onto those long spikes, possibly piercing them, a terrifying thought.

Thus the Shi Army was forced to retreat step by step. After retreating more than ten steps, the supervisor shouted, forbidding any further retreat. Shi Army had no choice but to wield long spears, trying to jab the Zhao Army behind the ramming vehicle.

But Zhao Army had countermeasures ready; as they approached, without closing in much, the squad leader commanded, and the spear soldiers behind the vehicle stepped forward, thrusting their spears swiftly. They didn’t even look at the result before retracting them.

Most retracted spears were stained with blood.

A batch of Shi Army fell, and the next batch realized it, retreating continuously. But in urban combat, people pile on people; those retreating behind weren’t timely, and some tripped over others, falling...

Seeing this, the supervisor ordered the archers to shoot.

Always observing their movements, Zhao Ze saw through the telescope and immediately ordered, with a flag signal from the order soldier, and the supervisor in the troop shouted loudly: "Shield—"

The rear shield soldiers stepped forward in a staggered manner, while the spear soldiers retreated a step back, swiftly positioning the shields in front, and most of Shi Army’s arrows were blocked.

As Zhao Family Army withdrew the shields, almost simultaneously, without waiting for Shi Army’s reaction, hundreds of arrows flew out, followed by screams...

Zhao Family Army advanced rapidly.

Seeing this from the rear, Zhi Xiong yelled: "Burn that row of houses after exiting the main street, and seize the chance to retaliate."

As he spoke, distant rumbling sounds shook underfoot, startling him and causing the building to seem to sway.

Startled, he leaned out to check the sound’s direction, "Where has Zhao Hanzhang summoned thunder this time?"

His subordinate general quickly replied: "It’s Thunder Shocking Son, General; it seems to be at the county government."

In a few days, the Jiehu already knew Zhao Hanzhang referred to this thunder-like thing as Thunder Shocking Son, while only Zhi Xiong refused to change the name.

Just as Zhi Xiong was about to send someone to investigate, simultaneous explosions occurred in many parts of the South City, with flames rising.

He stared, then widened his eyes, "Zhao Hanzhang has infiltrated our ranks!"

Not entirely; Zhao Hanzhang’s personal guards, with the help of city residents, roamed the streets, directly using explosives to clear paths. After drawing the checkpoint troops away, Zhao Family Army, lying in ambush, broke through the checkpoints, diving into the city like fish into a stream, soon vanishing into alleyways guided by the residents.

The ones most familiar with the city aren’t those who occupy it, like Zhi Xiong, nor its former owner Zhao Hanzhang, but ordinary citizens who lived here for generations.

No one knows better than them where to go, where to hide, and the fastest paths from one place to another.

Where Zhi Xiong couldn’t use people, Zhao Hanzhang utilized them all. The resources he couldn’t acquire, she used to the fullest.

No one else wants this city to return to peace more than its people, who hate Zhi Xiong the most.

Once Zhao Family Army broke through checkpoints into Shi Army’s area, they hid sporadically, occasionally appearing to ambush passing Shi Army soldiers before vanishing swiftly. By midday, Shi Army suffered significant losses, yet couldn’t catch a trace of Zhao Family Army.

Meanwhile, Zhao Family Army’s main force had recaptured the main street and was now spreading out to clear side roads.

Seeing his occupied areas gradually lost, Zhi Xiong furiously shouted, commanding: "Gather the soldiers, lure Zhao Family Army into the city, prepare for a retreat to the south of Meng County."

His eyes turned venomous as he watched this city, "Does Zhao Hanzhang want this city? I’ll grant her that, prepare the oil and wood, and place them throughout the city. I’m giving her a big gift!"

He planned to burn the place to charcoal; what he couldn’t have, Zhao Hanzhang shouldn’t get either!

While Shi Army went to prepare, Zhi Xiong waited for reinforcements, growing angry as none arrived promptly, "Where have Zhai Rong and his men gone? Why haven’t the reinforcements arrived?"

Soon the soldier tasked with fetching reinforcements rushed back, reporting: "General, Vice General Zhai was killed while engaging the enemy outside. Zhao Family Army is fiercely attacking South City Gate."

Zhi Xiong clenched his fists, calmly questioning: "Weren’t there just a few thousand? How is Zhai Rong fighting?"

"More than that, Zhao Army is cunning; they ambushed tens of thousands twenty miles away. General Zhai was lured in too deeply, caught off guard."

Zhi Xiong asked: "Who’s leading that outside Zhao Family Army?"

"The scout reported seeing no main general, just two military flags with Zhao and Xun."

Xun Family Army...

Zhi Xiong felt a chill in his heart; Xun Xiu held at least fifty thousand, combined with Zhao Family Army, they might number over a hundred thousand. Surrounded on all sides, escape was nearly impossible.

Zhao Hanzhang also received news from South City Gate, learning that Xun Xiu finally moved, she sighed in relief and then instructed: "We’ve pushed Shi Army to South City, signal Xun Xiu to retreat, open a pathway for Zhi Xiong to avoid a cornered drastic action."

Zhao Hanzhang wanted to kill Zhi Xiong, but compared to Meng County and the cost of Xun Family Army’s strong assault on South City Gate, she preferred to let him out for another battle.