Hyper-Dimensional Player

Chapter 822 - 75: The Fall of Later Shu, 36 Days to Annihilation

Kuizhou.

Duncan mobilized fifty thousand troops from Guizhou, advancing upstream along the Yangtze River, entering the Three Gorges, and successively capturing Sihui (northeast of present-day Wushan, Sichuan), Wushan, and other strongholds. He captured the commanding officer Yuan Dehong and others, annihilated more than twenty thousand water and infantry troops, seized over two hundred warships, and, riding the victory, rapidly advanced towards Kuizhou.

Kuizhou, a throat of Badong, had Shu troops set up a floating bridge east of the city with three layers of wooden stakes, and cannons lined the river, making the defense very rigorous.

Kui Gate, as the western entrance of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, is a crucial military point. The river is narrow, and the water flows rapidly. The Shu army concentrated almost all of its elite navy here, hoping to use the natural barrier to block the Red Army's offensive.

Three days later.

Duncan commanded three thousand elite troops of his navy to launch a strong attack, and a great battle erupted in the main channel of the Yangtze River.

A decisive battle.

The Shu army suffered a great defeat, and tens of thousands of troops surrendered.

The fierce wind blew continuously.

The sudden sound of horse hooves approached.

Duncan, clad in shining armor, arrived at Kuizhou with over a hundred Personal Guards. Before him knelt a dense crowd, the leader of whom was the Military Governor of Kuizhou, Gao Yanchou.

Gao Yanchou, who had some talent, had previously believed in history that when the Northern Song attacked Later Shu, the Song army was advantageous with quick battles because of a long distance traveled through risky terrain, suggesting steadfast defense. Unfortunately, Supervisor Wu Shouqian did not comply and rashly led over a thousand troops into battle, suffering a great defeat that drove them back into the city. Gao Yanchou fought bravely but ultimately failed and died in self-immolation.

But this time, Gao Yanchou was utterly convinced in defeat, even somewhat afraid to lift his head.

After the Red Army's vanguard force of over a thousand approached Kuizhou, Gao Yanchou realized that the enemy's foundation was unsteady at that point, making it an opportune time to deal a heavy blow to their momentum. So, without hesitation, he ordered his navy to strike, intending to annihilate the naval vanguard sent by Duncan.

Gao Yanchou assembled over ten thousand troops for a proactive assault, but he didn't expect the enemy to be outrageously strong, resulting in severe losses for his own side in the battle.

Before he could regroup his troops, a huge black shadow suddenly appeared under the Yangtze River, at least ten meters long.

"Dragon!"

"Heavens! It's a flood dragon!..."

The soldiers beside Gao Yanchou were filled with fear. Thousands watched the huge shadow at the riverbed, trembling. Initially, they held an absolute military advantage, enough to wear down the opponent with sheer numbers, and even had the ability to retreat to the city before the enemy's main force arrived. But the appearance of an ink dragon directly altered the entire battle situation.

Within just fifteen minutes, the Shu navy suffered a crushing defeat, with countless kneeling on deck, kowtowing for mercy.

It truly was a dragon!

At least nearly ten thousand people saw that flood dragon's shadow underwater.

The ink dragon did not fully appear, but more than ten main warships of the Shu army sank. The dragon's shadow circled back and forth under the Yangtze River, greatly boosting the Red Army's morale. They pursued the victory, capturing over twenty thousand people with just three thousand troops, and directly stormed into Kuizhou City.

"Those soldiers who don't have a habit of cannibalism, recruit them if possible."

"The ones who do, kill them all."

There aren't many cannibalistic generals in Shu. There's a defector named Zhao Yantao, who is quite notorious, but at most, he only digs out hearts and livers by hand. With Hou Shu's abundance, it hasn't reached the level of cannibalism. By the time he invades the Central Plains, Duncan will have to start slaughtering heavily.

Zhao Kuangyin's brother-in-law is already on his must-kill list.

Duncan merely glanced at Gao Yanchou and the others kneeling, then spurred his horse towards the city.

According to original history.

The Northern Song took only 66 days to conquer Later Shu.

Duncan had already spent half a month. As King of Kings, leading troops personally to attack Hou Shu, he certainly couldn't perform worse than the Northern Song's historical record.

Speed is of the essence!

After Duncan's forces captured Kuizhou, they marched west along the Yangtze River, accepting the surrender of Wan, Kai, Zhong, and Sui (Wanzhou, Kaixian, Zhongxian, and Suining in Sichuan) prefectures, pushing directly towards Chengdu. Li Fengji, Xu Hao, and Zhu Li gathered defectors along the way, killing some and keeping others.

"Why doesn't Your Majesty let the Miao people from the Five Immortals Sect revolt from behind?"

At this time, Duncan was accompanied by many experts from the Daming Zunjiao. The virtuous mother, with her alluring posture and slightly puzzled expression, asked, "If the Five Immortals Sect responded inside and out, surely it would soon capture Chengdu and other places."

Duncan only lingered two days in Kuizhou before leading his troops straight towards Chengdu.

He glanced at the virtuous mother beside him and said lightly, "The chieftains of the various Miao villages have other uses, furthermore, Miao people have always been unruly."

"Even though I saved the western goddess's life, the Five Immortals Sect has not yet completely submitted."

In one sentence.

The chickens are killed to warn the monkeys.

Although Duncan has the ability to incite the Five Immortals Sect from behind, facilitating his attack on Hou Shu, he always views martial sects lightly. A sect may only have about a hundred or so people; what significant role can they play in large-scale warfare?

Rather than relying on their effort, it's better to intimidate them, directly subduing all the minorities of South Jiang.

This battle was fought as a warning to the Miao people!

In the future, Duncan will still want to conquer Dali, and at that time, it will be the moment to use the mountain troops of southern minority groups.

With the fall of Kuizhou, Meng Chang was shocked, immediately appointing Wang Zhaoyuan as commander-in-chief of the southeastern camp, Zhao Chongtao as governor, Han Baozheng as envoy for recruitment, and Li Jin as deputy envoy for recruitment to lead the soldiers to resist the enemy.

Wang Zhaoyuan, short of abilities but full of pride, often compares himself to Zhuge Liang.

Duncan's subordinate general Li Yanqing defeated Wang Zhaoyuan in Kaixian, killed Li Jin, and later defeated Han Baozheng in Zhongzhou, capturing over ten thousand people. Ultimately, in places like Suining, Duncan personally led a thousand cavalry on a long-distance raid, winning three successive battles, breaking tens of thousands of enemies, and capturing Wang Zhaoyuan alive.

126 days since the pacification of Jiaozhi.