The Li Tao brothers were unaware of the contempt Han Peng and the others had for them from miles away. They were stunned and speechless by the scene in front of them that was like a purgatory on earth.
The duel, which took only about half an hour to complete, turned out to be so brutal.
This is more serious casualties than the half-day siege of the city a few days ago!
"Report to your lord, the two generals reported that our army's casualties are roughly estimated to be nearly 4,000, and the number of soldiers killed directly in the battle is still being counted.
The cavalry brothers suffered very little loss. After being cut off from their horses, they were trampled into flesh by the horses rushing behind them... a bloody mess. "
Li Tao's pupils shrank suddenly and he looked at the soldiers on the horse: "What! More than three thousand troops were lost in two waves of fighting? Where are the enemy troops? What are the enemy casualties?"
"It is said that there are less than two... less than a thousand people!"
Li Tao looked at the vague expressions of the soldiers and understood something in his heart. Looking at the floating corpse not far away, the arm holding the riding whip began to tremble involuntarily.
No wonder my uncle felt like he was facing a powerful enemy and didn't dare to fight easily.
Is this the rumored invincible elite frontier army under my uncle's command?
The combat troops under his command were clearly twice the enemy's strength, but the result was so disastrous.
Recalling in his mind what his uncle said to him in the Six Guards tent of the New Army the day before yesterday, Li Tao's heart couldn't help but beat loudly.
Your 100,000 soldiers and horses joining in are just 100,000 more dead souls.
You don’t understand the border army very well!
Looking at the two battalions opposite who seemed to be wandering carelessly, as if they did not pay any attention to the enemy's more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, Li Tao's eyes gradually became weak.
Li Geng also had unconcealable panic in his eyes: "Second brother, what should I do?"
Li Tao was silent for a moment with a gloomy look on his face: "If the whole army attacks, I don't believe it. Twenty thousand soldiers and horses can really take down one hundred thousand of our soldiers and horses as easily as drinking water!"
"yes!"
In front of Han Peng's formation, Yue Yun stopped his horse.
"General, it seems that the enemy is about to mobilize his entire army. How to meet the enemy?"
Han Peng looked at the enemy's arrangement several miles away for a while, then turned to his deputy general Yue Yun: "You can lead a battalion of soldiers and horses to block the enemy's cavalry in sections, and leave the rest of the enemy's infantry to my general.
Remember, although the enemy is a miscellaneous force, they are still strong in strength, and you should not rush into the enemy's battle formation recklessly.
The main purpose is to attack, ride and shoot, as long as they are prevented from approaching our army's camp outside the city wall, there is no need to fight with them to the death. "
"Got the order!"
"Commander!"
"The humble position is here!"
"Run to Beida camp immediately and report our army's battle situation to the commander-in-chief! Please ask the commander-in-chief to allocate arrows to our army as much as possible!"
"Got the order!"
Han Peng looked at the soldiers who were leaving and waved the flag in his hand.
At the north gate of the capital, Liu Mingzhi occupied the high lookout platform and quietly watched the progress of the soldiers' attack on the city.
Looking at the soldiers who were blocked outside the moat, Liu Mingzhi rubbed his temples and exhaled.
"Send the order, call for gold and withdraw the troops!"
"Commander, the infantry brothers, under the cover of artillery, crossbows, and catapults, have just attacked the blind spot on the city wall that cannot be bombarded by artillery fire. If we withdraw our troops at this time, the previous efforts will be in vain. The siege vehicles are already approaching. The city wall is closed, let the brothers rush up to it at once."
Liu Mingzhi shook his head with a solemn look: "No, the infantry brothers are pretending to attack the city in order to attract the defenders on the city wall to expose their positions and provide opportunities for the gunners and slingshot drivers.
If the city gate is not broken, if you really attack the city wall, your brothers will die in vain.
When the city gate is captured, it is the wisest choice to join forces with infantry and cavalry to enter the city.
Besides, according to the scouts' report, the soldiers and horses under the command of King Zhao and the soldiers and horses under the command of Duke Yong'an have taken the bait and been held by our soldiers and horses.
The city gate has been sealed, we can't get in, and the imperial guards can't get out. This is the best time to work together to annihilate the two troops outside the city.
Ming Jin withdrew his troops, with the main task of annihilating the two enemy forces outside the city that were harassing our soldiers' siege process. "
"Got the order!"
The loud sound of gold foil lingered on the battlefield.
The six siege soldiers of the New Army did not hesitate to change direction under the cover of the shield soldiers, escorting the siege vehicles and injured brothers to retreat outside the city wall like a tide.
"Tang Ru!"
"The general is here!"
"Instruct all military doctors to do their best to treat the injured soldiers without delay."
"Got the order!"
With the withdrawal of the siege infantry, the movement of catapults, crossbows, and artillery gradually subsided.
For a few quarters of an hour, the capital city, which was shouting to kill Zhentian, gradually calmed down, with only the firelight and gunpowder smoke still filling the air.
Hearing the sounds of fighting still coming from the west and northeast sides of the capital, Liu Mingzhi jumped down from the observation tower.
"Commander!"
"exist!"
"Ning Chao was ordered to immediately mobilize troops and horses to the north of the city to assist Chu Jing, and Feng Buer repelled the troops under Duke Yong'an.
Cheng Kai was ordered to take the South Gate artillery to the west of the city to assist Han Peng in shelling King Zhao's troops and infantry, and to assist Han Peng in retreating the enemy. "
"Got the order!"
"Report, Commander-in-Chief, General Han Peng asked me to send a message. I need more bows and arrows urgently."
"Commander!"
"exist!"
"Instruct Tang Ru, the quartermaster, to immediately allocate sufficient arrows to Han Peng's troops in the west of the city!"
"Got the order!"
After the messengers left, Liu Mingzhi glanced past the soldiers who had withdrawn from the battlefield under the city wall, and focused on the city wall where smoke and dust were billowing, making it difficult to see anything.
The combat effectiveness of half of the new army's Forbidden Forces was somewhat beyond his expectations.
In the mirror, I could clearly see that they organized several effective counterattacks under the leadership of the elite imperial army.
If it weren't for the fact that the infantry had been mainly feigning attacks and not really attacking the city at all, I'm afraid that at least thousands of the bodies of our own soldiers would have been buried in the moat.
"Commander, your strategy of attacking from the east and west really worked. The soldiers and horses under the command of King Zhao and the soldiers and horses under the command of Duke Yong'an really spared no effort to sneak attack our rear camp, hoping to relieve the pressure on the soldiers and horses on the city wall."
Liu Mingzhi looked at Zhou Baoyu who was running over wiping the sweat from his forehead and exhaled softly.
"We are launching a thunderous offensive on the city wall, so they can't help but take the bait.
They have been wandering behind our army and are always a hidden danger. Just in case, only by getting rid of them in time can we go all out to attack the city. "
"Yes, the more they want King Qin to save them, the more they have to be led by the nose! But even the brothers are hiding it, I wonder if they will be a little unhappy in their hearts!
If you suddenly withdraw your troops, they may be full of questions! "
Liu Mingzhi raised his hand and patted Zhou Baoyu's shoulder: "The existence of spies among the soldiers has sounded a warning to me. To put it bluntly, it's not that I don't believe you.
There are more than thirty generals and deputy generals under his command. I have to guard against them!
Once the news was leaked, how could King Zhao and his uncle take the bait so easily?
Forgive me. After we capture the city, I will serve you wine to apologize. "
"What did the commander say? A soldier never tires of deceit. Brothers will understand if you are more cautious.
After all, what you are doing is to keep your head in your belt. You are cautious for the sake of the lives of your brothers. How can we not appreciate it! "
Liu Mingzhi took off his palm and looked quietly at Zhou Baoyu, who nodded and lowered his eyebrows: "You still have something to say! Tell me!"
Zhou Baoyu was startled, looking up at Liu Mingzhi's eyes that seemed to see through everything, he gritted his teeth and let out a long sigh.
"Commander, after all, the soldiers and horses under King Zhao rebelled first. If they are killed, they will be killed. The six cavalrymen under General Nangong are all our brothers who fought side by side in the past!
The final general couldn't bear to see brothers killing each other, so he put his knife on the neck of his former life and death brother.
But the general is just complaining. If the commander feels embarrassed and it will affect the overall situation, just pretend that the general has not said anything! "
"Alas! Baoyu, after reaching this point, bloodshed and sacrifice are inevitable. Do you think I want to take this step?
If they just quit, why would I want to see bloodshed and sacrifice?
Although the result is determined by me, the process is in the hands of the other party! Understand? "
"The general understands!"
"Report, Commander-in-Chief, the enemy has been spotted on the official road in the north of the city. There are about 50,000 troops and horses. We should be able to reach the city before the sun goes down!"
PS: I just went to work and I didn’t have time to type. I have some personal matters today, so I’ll make up for it tomorrow and Sunday!
