The soldiers acted in a deceitful way, which was the case when they attacked the imperial court, and it is also the case now when they attack Dali. They are all unexpected moves.
The soldiers were very fast. When they attacked Chaoyi, they attacked in the early morning and at night. Now when they attacked Dali, they attacked at night in the fog. They arrived fifty miles away in the blink of an eye.
It can be said that Li Yan used these two tricks to the extreme.
The rebel army was caught off guard, and the imperial court was lost in panic.
What about Dali?
As the middle gate of Xi'an, the main defender of the city is Gao Yigong, who is famous for his caution. Now there is another Taishan Shigan who can be seen in the field. It is not easy to win it as easily as Chaoyi.
When Tian Jianxiu heard about the raid by the officers and soldiers, he was frightened but not panicked. While sending people around to scout for intelligence and deliver news, he also started to take measures to defend the city. The first step was to break the ice on the moat outside the city. It's warm today, and it won't freeze for a while after breaking the ice. If the officers and soldiers want to break through the city, they should first get past the first line of defense.
Ma Huabao, the frontline commander of the officers and soldiers, was slightly surprised when he learned this information. It seemed that Gao Yigong was not only stable, but also quick and sensitive in reaction, not just a blockhead.
The main force of the infantry and artillery of the officers and soldiers arrived outside the city at dawn, forming a siege. However, Ma Huabao did not rush to attack. First, he allowed the soldiers to rest, and secondly, he had to wait until dawn for the fog to dissipate, because the air was too strong. Moisture affects the gunpowder and shells of cannons, and when it comes to siege, artillery is the sharpest weapon.
Ma Huabao and several others rode around the city to check. It was foggy and could only vaguely see the figures at the top of the city. The top of the city was less than three feet, but the moat was very wide, seven feet (twenty meters). It is extremely rare for such a small city to have such a wide moat. , this depends on Dali Linhe River, next to Beiluo River, which is convenient for water diversion.
The spies went into the water to test the depth, and found that the deepest part was not covered. This was difficult to deal with. The moat was within the range of fire suppression at the top of the city. The water was so deep and so wide. It would take a lot of effort to break through this first hurdle.
However, there was no sign of solemnity on the faces of Ma Huabao and others. You must know that they are all experienced battlefield veterans. When they followed Liu Zeqing, they were fighting fires everywhere. In terms of actual combat experience, they are much richer than Li Yan. , in terms of siege experience than Chang Yu.
Let’s do it when the fog clears!
After several laps around the city, Ma Huabao and the others made a decision.
On the top of the city, Tian Jianxiu's face showed a solemn look for the first time, because he saw a troop of officers and soldiers heading straight to the Beiluo River in the west. It was obvious that the officers and soldiers had a thorough understanding of the intelligence on Dali. There were reinforcements to the west, so they prepared troops and horses to intercept them.
The person who came here is evil. Could it be that it was Li Yan who personally commanded it? This guy actually risked his life and came to the front line?
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Li Yan is not Chang Yu. His brain is cramped and he runs away from danger. At this time, he is sitting in the city of Chaoyi, fifty miles away. He has a light tea and a light breakfast. Although he has not slept all night, he does not look tired. Only when you are not anxious, impatient and confident can you be in such a state.
Li Yan's original intention was to take action as soon as the troops arrived in the city, but this was just a suggestion, and the decision-making power was still left to the frontline commanders. However, Ma Huabao and others felt a little impatient. After all, it was different from attacking Chaoyi. Chaoyi and Puzhou were separated by the Yellow River. After crossing the other bank, he could start, and Chaoyi was fifty miles away, so his troops and horses needed to be repaired, and Chaoyi didn't have a moat, but Dali did, so he needed to be fully prepared.
Although the two places are fifty miles apart, if they report back and forth quickly, Li Yan will soon know about any trouble in Dali. Knowing that Ma Huabao will wait for the fog to clear before taking action, Li Yan didn't say anything, and his silence was recognition.
But when he learned that the ice on the moat outside Dali City had been broken open, Li Yan frowned slightly. This move was not like Gao Yigong's style. He didn't know that Tian Jianxiu was also in the city at this time, but he just felt a little surprised. .
"It's hard to say, Thief Li can keep his composure." On the top of the city, Gao Yigong looked at the officers and soldiers outside the city with red eyes and cursed. It had been two hours since he heard that the officers and soldiers had invaded. He thought that the other party would come up. He knew how to do it, but he was wandering outside the city. This was a kind of psychological torture for him.
"The more he is like this, the more cautious he is. Li Yan is determined to break the city if he doesn't move." Tian Jianxiu's expression was no longer as calm as before. The officers and soldiers were calmly starting outside the city. The preparations in all aspects show that they have firm confidence.
"Soldiers will block us, and water will cover us. Even if Li Thief cuts off our reinforcements, these few soldiers and horses will not be able to break our city. No matter what, we can always hold on for three to five days. When those two boys arrive, Under Puzhou City, Thief Li can run faster than anyone else!" Gao Yigong looked at the city and cursed bitterly. Tian Jianxiu touched his palms and chuckled: "This is very much what I want, but I want to see what means Li Yan uses to defeat him. I defend."
Tian Jianxiu was confident that he did not come out of thin air. He believed that he was not as resourceful as Li Yan. In addition, the defense of Dali City was also watertight. There were six cannons on the city and more than 6,000 soldiers and horses. He could also recruit the young men and women in the city. Thousands, with the strength of a city, he believed that Li Yan could not do anything to him. The most important thing was that Li Yan could get hemorrhoids on the back of his butt at any time, and he had no extra time to waste here!
The soldiers were all in position and waiting for orders, one group on the city, one group at each city gate, and another group below the city to go to the city at any time to replace the reinforcements. Thousands of people were requisitioned and demolished their houses to transport huge wooden rocks to the city to make golden soup.
Everything is ready and waiting for you to come!
The rebels in the city were busy making defensive preparations, and the officers and soldiers outside the city were not idle either. After eating, drinking, repairing, and starting to prepare for the siege before the fog cleared, Zhang Guozhu led nearly 5,000 soldiers and horses westward to the Beiluo River to cut off the reinforcements of the rebels. On the way back, the remaining four generals each lost one goal. Ma Huabao mainly attacked the east gate, Wang Zuntan attacked the west gate, and Boyongfu and Yu Shaoxun assisted on the north and south sides.
The first step in the siege was to break through the moat and reach the bottom of the city. The twenty-meter-wide river gave the officers and soldiers some headaches, and it was still within the range of fire suppression. For this reason, the officers and soldiers made many rafts and simple shields to prepare for transporting soldiers and soldiers. Carrying baggage across the water.
At the same time, dozens of cannons were in position several miles away. Wu Weiying personally supervised the battle. In order to attack Dali, Li Yan transferred almost all the artillery here, not only red cannons but also various small-caliber cannons. Artillery, one is to cover the soldiers crossing the water, and the other is to suppress the firepower of attacking the city!
I don’t know when the fog started, but it seemed to lift instantly.
With a ray of light, the fog dispersed, and when we looked again, the sun was already three in the sky.
What a clear sky.
But the hearts of the people above and below the city tightened suddenly.
The fight is about to begin!
"Gao Yigong, that's a good name. I'll use your head to work your way up step by step." Ma Huabao, who was behind the formation of officers and soldiers a few miles away in the east of the city, looked at the head of Dali City with his telescope and sneered on his face, muttering softly. Wu Weiying laughed and said: "Then I wish Vice General Ma a great success and a high rise in the ranks!"
"Hey, I'd like to thank the Marquis first. If I really win the head of Gao Yigong, I will never forget the kindness of the Marquis for helping me."
On the top of the city, Tian Jianxiu and Gao Yigong's faces were a little green. Officers and soldiers surrounded the city from all sides, but they could also see that they were attacking mainly from the east and west. The other side did not cover their main attack point at all, which showed that they were bound to win.
There are Wuyangyang people everywhere, with at least tens of thousands of troops plus the soldiers and horses from Beiluohe in the west. Has Li Yan transferred all the troops from Puzhou? Is he really crazy, or is he? There is still a backup plan over there, otherwise how much courage would it take!
"The Ming army's first wave of attacks will be violent and violent, but as long as the first wave is blocked, the rest will have nothing to fear." Tian Jianxiu said lightly, not sure if he was trying to boost the morale of his subordinates or for himself. comfort.
Just as he finished his words, he suddenly heard thunder rolling in the sky, and the Ming army opened fire!
The expressions of the people on the top of the city suddenly changed, and Tian Jianxiu shouted: "Prepare for war!"
