The city head of the north gate is full of arrows and no one has taken care of it. From a distance, it looks like a hedgehog.
For three days, the Han army attacked from morning to night without stopping for a moment.
The river breeze blowing from the river bank made the night slightly chilly, but they didn't even dare to light the brazier on top of the city.
Many soldiers huddled under the wall with their weapons in their arms. The arrows whizzing past their heads and the banging sound of arrows hitting the top of the city only became their lullaby.
There were thick shields erected on the top of the city, and there were soldiers resting behind the shields. This wide iron wall made them feel more at ease.
Every quarter of an hour, soldiers would hide behind the shields, light rockets and shoot out of the city, and then observe the situation outside the city through the gaps between the shields and the walls.
A small village chief who was on duty at night was leaning under the battlements and counting the stars in the sky. Some tiny crunching noises caught his attention. It hadn't been long since the last observation, but he still touched the back of the shield and personally lit a rocket and shot it out of the city.
The burning rocket drew a clear arc in the dark night, like a meteor sliding down from the night sky.
The orange flame seemed to swallow up the darkness and emit white light. In the place illuminated by the light, many figures appeared.
The eyes hiding behind the gap reflected a dangerous light.
"Brothers, cheer up, the Han army's ladder is coming! Go and tell the general, the Han army is attacking the city!"
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Jiangxia Prefecture.
The hall was brightly lit, as it had been for three nights.
Everyone in Jiangdong knew that the Han army might launch an attack at any time, and the most likely attack would be at night, so several generals would naturally have to take turns on duty at night.
"Report! News came from the guard at the north gate. The Han army has attacked the city. The night is so dark that I can't tell how many soldiers and horses the Han army has."
Since the alarm was sounded at the north gate, the sounds of fighting have been heard from the other three city gates.
Now, Ji Shu has deployed 3,000 troops in the other three gates, but only 4,500 troops have been deployed in the north gate, which is a key precaution.
"here we go!"
Staring at the map of Jiangxia City, Ji Shu said to Xu Sheng.
"Wen Xiang, where do you think the Han army's main attack direction will be?"
Xu Sheng touched his chin, leaned in front of the map and answered with a finger.
"It should be the north gate. It is inconvenient to move siege equipment. If it is moved to other gates on a large scale, the noise will be difficult to hide from our army's eyes and ears. It's just that the Han army is cunning. The south gate was seriously damaged in the battle in the past few days, and I am worried about this. It’s the Han army attacking in the east and attacking in the west!”
Xu Sheng was obviously much more cautious than when the army first set out for the expedition.
This time, Zhuge Liang's plan made all Jiangdong generals break into cold sweats, and it really left a trace of fear in the hearts of the generals.
Ji Shu thinks this is a good sign. Being too proud will lead to big losses sooner or later.
"It's the North Gate!"
Not only were the siege equipment already prepared at the North Gate, but the main force of the Han army was also stationed in that direction, and the North Gate was the most harassed to the defenders for days. It can be said that all the advantages are concentrated in the north, why didn't Zhuge Liang use it?
I'm afraid this is still accurate because Ji Shu and others were not sure of the situation at night, and they did not dare to devote all the 8,000 troops they had to the north gate.
"What is false is real, what is true is false. I think Zhuge Liang placed the main force at the north gate to make us suspect that they will break through from other directions. In fact, the Han army is going to use all the main force to storm the north gate to break through the Jiangxia defense line. . What I mean is to ask the Yulin Army to go to the North Gate immediately to support."
"As for what Wen Xiang said to you, it makes sense. Just let the south gate defenders block the city gate with stones!"
Xu Sheng was slightly stunned. Blocking the city gate would be a good idea. If the South Gate is really the main direction of the Han army's attack, then they can only climb up the city wall. Such an advance will inevitably slow down greatly, buying precious time for Jiangdong Army's support.
"Commander, since you have confirmed that the North Gate will be the main battlefield, is it inappropriate to let the Yulin Army go to support? Why not let another army go?"
The air in the hall was slightly stagnant. In addition to Ji Shu and Xu Sheng, there were two other people here, Jiang Qin, the commander of the Yulin Army, and Han Xing, the commander-in-chief of Gan Ning.
Of the two of them, one represents the 4,500 men of the Yulin Army who came to stand by, and the other represents a team of 3,500 people under Gan Ning who came to stand by.
Compared to the Yulin Army, which had a larger number of people, Xu Sheng undoubtedly believed in the other team. Because in his eyes, the Yulin Army with a designation was just a miscellaneous army, while the other team without a designation was actually the elite troops of Jiangdong.
It's not that Xu Sheng meant to belittle the Yulin Army, he just proposed the safest plan for the war situation.
As everyone knows, there are also differences in the military.
The worst level is naturally the newly recruited recruits, who lack training, trust and tacit understanding among soldiers, and many of them have not seen the blood on the battlefield. On tragic battlefields, they are often the easiest to collapse. Sometimes, not only do they fail to become a fighting force, but they disrupt one's own position and become a liability. In the eyes of the leading generals, they are not much higher than private soldiers, water thieves, and mountain bandits. They are the most elusive and difficult to control. Commanding them is like holding a sword that will explode at some point. , full of tension and excitement.
Only those who have been trained and survived several battlefields are considered regular soldiers. They have learned to apply the training techniques to the battlefield, learned how to cooperate with their brothers in fighting, and learned how to fight on the battlefield where blood is everywhere. Hold the weapons in your hands and fight. This is considered a second-level army. Its combat effectiveness is much higher than that of the first-level army, and it is also much more stable. Those mixed and miscellaneous troops and Jingzhou's weak soldiers who have not been trained for a long time belong to this level.
The third level further up is the elite soldiers who have fought in hundreds of battles. Compared with the second level armies, there is no obvious gap in skills and coordination. Their only difference is their desire for victory. To put it bluntly, the third-level army is not much stronger than the second-level army. If you compare it vividly: the second-level army is like a dull knife. It may kill the enemy with one cut, or it may not kill it. Ambiguity requires careful consideration by the commander; and the third-level army is a sharp sword that can faithfully fulfill the commander's intention.
Xu Sheng believed that since it was the most important battlefield, the best sword should be used.
Between the miscellaneous army and the elite soldiers, of course I choose the elite soldiers. Therefore, when Ji Shu said that he would send Yu Lin's army to the north gate, Xu Sheng proposed to let Han Xing lead the army to support.
Not having to go to the battlefield is a blessing for ordinary people, but for a general, such contempt is the most unspeakable shame.
Han Xing couldn't help but glance at Jiang Qin, who was one level below him. The Yulin Army's structure was not yet complete, and there were no generals at the level of commander, but Han Xing would not look down on others because of this. Seeing Jiang Qin's livid face, Han Xing remained silent for the time being. He was not afraid of fighting, but wanted to give Jiang Qin a chance to speak first out of respect.
As expected, Jiang Qin suppressed his anger and stepped forward and said.
"General Xu's words are wrong. The Yulin Army is also part of the Jiangdong Army. Why is it okay to let General Gan's troops go to support, but it's 'somewhat inappropriate' to let my Yulin Army go to support?"
Xu Sheng turned to look at Jiang Qin and frowned slightly.
As Jiangdong expands its army, each army has absorbed a lot of new recruits, but if they survive after a few battles, they will naturally be assimilated into their respective armies. But this "Yu Lin Army" is a little different. Although some elite soldiers are transferred and mixed in, the majority are private soldiers who surrendered from famous families.
The foundation of the Yulin Army is a bit poor. Although it has gone through some training and several battles, it can still only be regarded as a second-level army. It will take some time to grow into an elite soldier.
Xu Sheng knew that Ji Shu had high hopes for this army, and believed that under Ji Shu's command, even if this army could not become an elite, it would be a matter of time before it became an elite force. But the current Yulin Army is still a little out of place.
"Jiang Qin, this is deciding a major military matter. Do you think your Yulin Army can take on this important task?"
Ji Shu smiled as the two glared at each other without trying to persuade them.
Xu Sheng was promoted to general after Jiangdong was pacified, and he lived up to Sun Ce's expectations and made many military exploits; Jiang Qin only joined the army after the rebellion of the famous family, and was also favored by Sun Ce. As soon as he arrived in the army, he directly Starting from being a commander, Ji Shu believed that he would definitely become a general in the army in the future.
Both of them will be pillars of Chu State in the future, and this scene will probably become a topic of conversation between them in the future.
"The Yulin Army is capable of shouldering this important task."
Seeing Jiang Qin answer him without blushing or breathing, Xu Sheng suddenly held a breath in his throat and couldn't speak. His original intention was not to mention the Yulin army clearly, so as to save some face for the Yulin army and allow Jiang Qin to be self-aware and retreat in the face of difficulties.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Qin climbed up along the pole instead. After holding back for a long time, Xu Sheng continued.
"Everyone can say nice things. If the Yulin army is defeated and the Han army enters the city, have you ever thought that this will pose a fatal threat to our army?"
Jiang Qin's face was serious, he knelt down solemnly on one knee and clasped his fists with both hands.
"People are in the city, but if the city is lost, people will die! If anyone dares to take a step back, I will personally execute him on the spot!"
If you dare to say these words, you will have issued a military order in front of the army.
Facing the soldiers who were determined to fight to the death, even if Xu Sheng didn't look good, the Yulin Army had nothing to say at this moment.
It seemed that Jiang Qin won the first contest between the two. Ji Shu put away his smile and said seriously.
"Okay! Jiang Qin listened to the order and temporarily appointed you as the commander-in-chief of the Yulin Army and the general of the North Gate. You will immediately lead the Yulin Army to guard the North Gate. If there is any damage to the North Gate, please come and see me!"
"Jiang Qin takes the order!"