In this attack on the city, Fang Qifu's army failed without success, and the number of casualties reached as many as one or two thousand.
This is just an attack on Nancheng. If we attack from all sides, there is no telling how many soldiers will be lost.
Returning to the Chinese army's tent, Fang Qifu pondered for a while. This Jiangning city was heavily guarded. It was calm, orderly, and calm when dealing with the siege. It was completely different from other cities that had been attacked before.
Although Jiangning City is high and solid, what is more important is the command ability of the generals who defend the city and the overall combat effectiveness of the defenders.
Fang Qifu remembered the strategy mentioned in the letter from his right envoy Li Fei, and hurriedly summoned Luo Jinshui and Wu Song, asking them to contact the city tonight to discuss and decide on a time for a sneak attack from inside and outside.
He was worried. The armies of Sheng Gong and Tong Guan in Suzhou have been fighting fiercely. The longer this war drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be. If the rebellion cannot be swept away like autumn leaves at the beginning, then it is very likely to fall into a confrontation situation later. , or even worse, which is contrary to the five-year plan to fix the Central Plains set out at the beginning of the uprising.
Fang Qifu felt very regretful at this moment. If he had known that Fang La actually went east to attack Suzhou, then he would not have been able to go south to eastern Zhejiang. Instead, he would have gone straight to the towns around the Yangtze River and captured Jiangning before the Zhao and Song Dynasties sent troops to support him. , Zhenjiang and other places.
But now it's too late to say anything, so we have to try our best to make up for it and try every means to seize the cities on the south bank of the Yangtze River, and then attack the north of the Yangtze River in one go, in order to regain the initiative in the war.
At midnight, Fang Qifu brought Shi Bao and Bao Daoyi to the west city of Jiangning.
There is also a camp stationed here. Luo Jinshui, Wu Song, and Shi Qian all live here with their men. They are now ready to communicate with the city.
The contact method Luo Jinshui and Fang Qifu mentioned was that every single day at noon or midnight, they could contact each other outside the West City and on top of the city. Of course, this contact could not be called or delivered, but it could send secret messages. Semaphore hand signals and torch signals.
Only two people can understand these semaphore gestures and torch signals, and no one else can guess. After all, although these actions may seem simple, there are thousands of meanings that can be expressed in the world, and they can be covered up casually.
At this time, the moon was dark and the wind was high. In order not to reveal his flaws, Fang Qifu ordered the besieging armies from other sides to light torches at the same time. Only then did Luo Jinshui and others come forward to contact them.
At this time, he could see clearly from behind, and saw that the torch was spinning in circles and shaking up and down. The time intervals between each movement were also different, which made him feel astonished in his heart.
There are eighteen gates in the outer city of Jiangning. The right envoy Li Fei is guarding the Jiangdong Gate. This gate and the stone city gate above are both protruding from the city walls. The urn city is huge and the towers are even more majestic.
At this moment, above Jiangdong Gate, after Luo Jinshui and others sent out the torch signal, they responded with several actions in a very secretive manner. If they had not known that the two parties were communicating with torches, outsiders would not have been able to tell what was going on.
About a quarter of an hour later, Luo Jinshui led a group of people and ran northward. After making some false moves in succession, he returned to camp and returned to Fang Qifu.
Fang Qifu asked: "Brothers, what does Li Youshi say?"
Luo Jinshui said: "Marshal, everything is ready for the right envoy, but we need a suitable opportunity to take action. I read the torch flag, and the right envoy means to set a specific date for the sneak attack at noon two days later!"
He was telling lies with his eyes open. Except for the message that he would send another message in two days, which was true, the rest were all nonsense. The torch gesture he made just now was just to report the situation in Fang Qifu's army, and there was no other inquiry at all.
Fang Qifu did not doubt his presence at this moment, nodded and said: "It does require a suitable time. Not only does a sneak attack have to be carried out when the enemy is least alert, but it also depends on the weather, wind and rain, etc. It is not easy to decide."
Luo Jinshui nodded hurriedly in agreement.
Fang Qifu thought for a while and then said: "At noon two days later, will Ambassador Li be at the top of the city?"
Luo Jinshui was stunned. He really didn't know this, so he had no choice but to say with a helpless expression: "Marshal, my subordinates didn't ask. It's not easy to ask about this using a torch."
Fang Qifu smiled and said to himself that he regarded this torch code word as omnipotent. After all, using this torch gesture to communicate was limited, and some complicated things could not be demonstrated.
He said: "Then let's talk about it in two days. We will continue to attack the city in the next few days. Li Youshi said in the letter that it is best to attack the city after the attack and wait until the defenders are tired before making a sneak attack. It makes sense."
After that, he led his people back to the Chinese army's tent in the south of the city, where Luo Jinshui and the others were resting.
The next day, Zhao Tao posted a list to reassure the people. After all, the rebel army attacked the city with great momentum yesterday, and even the ladders were hooked up.
The people in Jiangning City are okay. They all come from poor families and have poor careers. Although the battles outside the city are scary, the work that needs to be done still needs to be done, and the work that needs to be done must be done as hard as possible. Otherwise, as long as it takes a few days, there will be no one left at home. Eat and drink.
But the nobles were different. They were all like ants on a hot pot. They were either busy digging cellars in the house to bury gold and silver, or they sent people outside to buy coarse cloth for adobe houses at high prices, preparing to disguise themselves once the city was destroyed. Ordinary people get away with it.
But no matter how hard they tried, every move was under Zhao Tong's surveillance. If they could escape so easily, then Fang Ladu would not have caught out and killed all the big businessmen who had not left in Hangzhou, Yuezhou and other places.
In the evening, Zhao Tong went to see Zhu Xiuniang again. This time he brought a lot of books and ordered them to be placed in the house.
Zhu Xiuniang's face turned pale. She obviously already knew the news about the bandit army's attack on the city. Seeing that Zhao Tong had not behaved rudely in the past two days, she felt a little relieved, but she still said angrily: "When will the prince let the women leave?"
Zhao Tong frowned and said, "Xiu Niang, you are so ignorant. You didn't see the thieves attacking the city fiercely outside. Why did you make a fuss and leave?"
Zhu Xiuniang said righteously: "It is precisely because of the urgent situation of the bandit army that the prince must guard the city wholeheartedly without slacking off at all. The presence of civilian girls in Fusi will only distract the prince. The prince should hurry up and let the civilian girls go home!" "
Zhao Tong smiled when he heard this: "Xiu Niang said it would distract me, which is true. It's just that once Xiu Niang leaves, I will become worried, right?"
Zhu Xiuniang's cheeks lit up when she heard this. She knew that she had said the wrong thing and made the other party ambiguous, so she hurriedly made up for it: "Your Majesty, the daughter of the people means that I am an eyesore here and prevent the Prince from concentrating on military matters."
"Why is it an eyesore?" Zhao Tao looked at her and said with a smile: "Beautiful flowers explain words, just like the fragrance of jade. During this battle, with Xiu Niang by my side, I can relax a little. Otherwise, the war will be tense every day." Hanging on, I almost have a headache."
Zhu Xiuniang's face turned even redder and she waited for words, but then she heard Zhao Tong continue: "I have asked people to prepare a banquet. Wouldn't it be nice for Xiuniang and I to have a few drinks and discuss some knowledge?"
Zhu Xiuniang's expression changed slightly when she heard this, and she said nervously: "Your Majesty, this is not allowed!"
Zhao Tong wondered: "Why not?"
Zhu Xiuniang frowned. She was worried that Zhao Tan was immoral in drinking, but she couldn't say that drinking can lead to sexual incest, as if she was reminding him.
She said: "Folk women are not good at drinking!"
Zhao Tong smiled and said, "Then don't drink. I'm not forcing you to drink."
Zhu Xiuniang continued: "I, I'm not hungry either..."
Zhao Tong frowned and laughed: "Then just watch me eat and drink!"
After saying this, he sent the maids and women in the house to prepare the wine and food, and brought in some fresh fruits. Then he opened a book and sat there reading it with gusto.
Zhu Xiuniang stood there and peeked at him, only to see that King Qin was as graceful as jade, with a free and easy expression. Especially when he was studying, his concentrated expression made him even more handsome.
She couldn't help but stirred in her heart, and said, "What book does the prince read?"
Zhao Tong raised his eyes to look at her and said with a smile: "There are more than three books compiled by Mr. Huo Siqu in Tokyo. If Xiu Niang likes it, you can take it and read it now."
Zhu Xiuniang shook her head: "I have heard of it, but I don't read it!"
Zhao Tong didn't feel dissatisfied when he heard this, and just continued to look. After a while, the maid brought fruits, and the east kitchen brought wine and food. The table was filled with food, and the aroma was fragrant. Zhao Tong didn't need anyone else to serve him. That is to say, you can pour and drink by yourself and eat to your heart's content.
Zhu Xiuniang looked at him eating and drinking so sweetly, as if there was no one around, and she couldn't help but feel angry. This King of Qin was hypocritical and deceived her into going to the palace and not being allowed to return home. He said he wanted to protect her, which was obviously a false excuse. Although she had no real purpose. He wanted to understand, but no matter what, it was getting late now, so it was inappropriate for him to run to his house and sit there, not to mention drinking here. Who did he think she was?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Even though her temperament had always been calm and quiet, she couldn't help but want to chase people away. But at this moment, she heard Zhao Tong chant: "The wine and meat of Zhumen are smelly, there are frozen bones on the road, and prosperity and decay are close at hand." It’s so melancholy that it’s hard to describe it again, Xiu Niang, what do these sentences mean?”
Zhu Xiuniang was shocked when she heard this. These two lines of Du Gongbu's poems were considered forbidden things in the world. Not to mention the scholars and scholars, they were not allowed to read them. Even some dramas were not allowed to be written in the scripts. I don't know about other places, at least in the Jiangnan area. So true.
She couldn't answer, it wasn't that she couldn't answer, but it was difficult to answer. Although she was born in a wealthy family, it didn't mean that she didn't know the situation of the people in the market and the countryside outside. But even though she knew, she felt pity in her heart, but It's just fate, everything is destined by God.
Zhao Tong saw that she didn't answer, but he knew what she was thinking by looking at her expression. He stood up smelling of alcohol, walked over a few steps and said, "If the bandit army breaks into the city, kills the rich clansmen, and robs them of their money, then Is it God’s destiny to steal their food and rob their wives and daughters?”
Zhu Xiuniang was so frightened by him that she backed away and fell directly on the couch. Zhao Tao stretched out his fingers to lift her delicate and fair chin, shook his head and said: "Zhumen smells of wine and meat, and the road is frozen to death. In fact, there is another explanation. !”
After saying that, Zhao Tong smiled, withdrew his fingers, but gently touched her cheek, then turned around and walked out of the door without looking back.
Zhu Xiuniang sat blankly on the edge of the couch, her heart beating wildly. Unexpectedly, King Qin, who had just pretended to be hypocritical and dignified, suddenly tore off his mask and started to move?
He actually touched her own house. In more than ten years, no man had ever touched her house. Even the things she used were not allowed to pass through the hands of men, but he... actually touched her cheek.
Zhu Xiuniang was so angry that her whole body trembled, and her tears fell down unsatisfactoryly. But as she cried, she remembered something again for some reason. What does it mean that Zhumen's wine and meat stink, and there are people who freeze to death on the road? Is there another explanation?
As she was thinking about it, for some reason, she suddenly became frightened. She shuddered and thought of some very scary things. Her dull face suddenly turned panic-stricken. She stood up and wanted to go out the door, but was stopped by the maid. I held her together with my mother-in-law...
Early the next day, Fang Qifu began to command the army to attack the city. This time, he launched an all-out attack on Jiangning, launching from all four directions.
With the experience gained from the last siege, the soldiers first carried the wooden planks on their backs, and then the shield car in front cleared the way and carried the wooden planks to build a bridge on the moat.
Although the sound of flying cannons continued from the top of the city and stones fell like raindrops, not as many people died in the bridge building this time as last time. The wooden bridge was erected on the moat. After the soldiers ran over, they began to clear the first ditch. camouflage, but this was only the situation under the other three city walls. As for the trench under the south city, it had long been exposed. At this time, the soldiers attacking the south city had already put wood on both trenches and ran towards the bottom of the city wall like crazy.
For the soldiers attacking the city, the safest place is right next to the city, because flying cannons can't hit it and it's extremely difficult to shoot with bows and arrows. The only thing they have to defend against is rolling logs and rocks.
As more and more soldiers came over, more and more dead bodies were on the ground. Crossbows were already being used in the southern city of Jiangning. Crossbows were not easy to use. Although they were powerful, crossbows were not as powerful as bows or crossbow machines. Crossbows have a complex structure and have a certain wear cycle. If they are used too often, they will become useless. However, only the Tokyo Ordnance Supervision can make crossbows. Not to mention the private sector, even local governments are not allowed to make crossbows privately.
Therefore, the crossbows in Jiangning City are worn out and cannot be used like bows and guns. Even if the arsenal is used up, they can still find ways to replenish them on the spot.
However, Jiangning itself has five bed-heavy crossbows, as well as some crossbows of other sizes, and Zhao Tong has brought ten bed-heavy crossbows from Tokyo, as well as various light and heavy crossbows, no less than a hundred.
The bed crossbow is a general term. Among them, the lightweight bed crossbow is derived from the god arm bow, and the middleweight ones include the double bow bed crossbow, the large combined cicada crossbow, etc.
As for heavy crossbows, the most famous one is the Eight Ox Crossbow. It has three crossbows, two forward and one reverse. Its strength is unprecedented. It requires as few as twenty or thirty people and as many as seventy or eighty people to turn the winch and draw the string. operate.
The arrows fired by the heavy crossbow are also unique. There are the so-called "one gun and three sword arrows", which are shaped like a large javelin and have three iron feathers. There are also the so-called "stepping arrows", which can actually shoot after being fired. Nailed on the city wall, it can be used by the siege team to step on and climb up. This kind of crossbow is most useful for attacking low and small cities.
At this moment, every time the Eight Bull Crossbow on the city head of Jiangning Nancheng is fired, whether it hits the bridge or the shield cart, it will blow up all the wooden bridge and shield carts. Even the soldiers hiding behind the shield cart will not be spared. .
After a round of crossbow attacks, there was an extra layer of dead bodies under Nancheng. Even the attacking momentum of the opponent's soldiers was slowed down abruptly. They were no longer so fierce and fierce. They were obviously frightened by the power of the crossbows. courage.
Zhao Tong was standing at the top of the city with his hands behind his hands, looking at the scene below the city. Wang Zhen said from the side: "My lord, is it a waste to use a heavy crossbow now?"
Zhao Tong smiled and said nothing. He pointed at the Chinese military commander's flag at Qifu in the distance below the city. Then he pointed at another heavy crossbow next to the Eight Ox Crossbow and made a firing gesture.
Next to the Eight Ox Crossbow is a giant bed crossbow, commonly known as the Thousand-step Crossbow. It can hit as far as three Song dynasties, which is about 1,800 meters in later generations. The range can be said to be unprecedented.
Wang Zhen immediately said: "Take the order!" Then he began to direct the soldiers to load the crossbows and twist the strings. After a moment, an iron gun-like crossbow arrow roared through the air and shot straight towards the banner of the Central Military Commander Fang Qifu...
(End of chapter)
