Although the invading army outside the city was huge, they never attacked the city.
The food and grass in the city are quite sufficient, and there are not many shortages of food and clothing, so there have been no major riots in Xing'an City.
After experiencing the initial panic, the people in Xing'an City who assisted in the defense gradually began to adapt to the situation.
However, as the siege continued, news of the fall of surrounding towns continued to come.
The fall of Xunyang...
The fall of Pingli...
The fall of Ziyang...
It is difficult to conceal news from surrounding towns, and there are people with ulterior motives in the city who are adding fuel to the fire, so everyone in the city is panicked.
And the Xifang Minzhuang and the sergeants who were originally peaceful were also feeling sad and worried.
Chen Wang stood on the tower of the East City, looking at the rolling army camp to the east.
It was already April 26th, and the siege of the Chuang Army was almost going to last two months.
The number of the invaders grew day by day, and a large amount of supplies were transported into the camp of the invaders by carriages and horses every day.
The cavalry sent by the Chuang Army to Hanyin also came back one after another.
However, according to reports from the observing guards on the city, the number of cavalry returning from the direction of Hanyin was much less than the number of cavalry going to Hanyin.
It is roughly estimated that there are at least four thousand riders stranded in Shiquan and Hanyin.
From the direction of Hanyin, there was no return at night. The intruder cavalry stranded in the two places occupied some important roads and set up camp in the dangerous areas of the mountains.
The villagers in the towns that were conquered were all taken hostage by them. The old, weak, women and children were abandoned outside the city, and the young and strong men were taken away to the camps to serve as hungry soldiers.
Shiquan and Hanyin cities have no troops to mobilize. The only troops that can be mobilized in the entire Hanzhong Mansion are the guerrilla battalion under Zhou Yumao and more than 4,000 Hanzhong Guards, a total of only more than 5,000 people.
However, the guards were unable to fight and were not completely sure that they could clear out all the places occupied by the invaders' cavalry.
Chen Wang looked gloomy. If the process does not change, Gao Yingxiang will transfer to Xunyang again in May.
But at the moment, Gao Yingxiang made no move to break camp. The intruders outside the city had already cut down all the surrounding woods.
The army camp was working day and night, making equipment for siege.
All signs point to one thing - the Chuang army is preparing to attack the city!
The invading army had no intention of concealing the news of the siege. The soldiers guarding the Xing'an city wall could clearly see the movements of the invading army outside the city.
A large number of long ladders and trench bridges were carried out from the camp of the invaders, and even equipment used for siege appeared. Chen Wang saw several large ladders and many trench-filling trucks on the tower.
The trench-filling vehicle uses a vertical bridge as a defense, so personnel can avoid being attacked by falling rocks when pushing the trench-filling vehicle.
The trench-filling truck carries stones and soil as soon as it reaches the edge of the trench, and the soil and rocks are thrown into the trench.
The invading army now has a large number of trench bridges and trench-filling vehicles. With these two siege equipment, the invading army can cross the trenches and moats outside the city at a lower cost.
In the early and middle periods of the late Ming Dynasty, very few cities were captured by rogue bandits.
The biggest problem here is actually the issue of time.
The rogue bandits are in front, and the officers and soldiers are behind. As rogue bandits, they rarely stay in one place for a long time.
Large siege equipment moves slowly, even if it is dragged by cattle, horses and other livestock, it is not an easy task.
Therefore, when the rogues attacked the city, they could only use ordinary long ladders or dig tunnels, and use simple methods such as ant attack.
But now Gao Yingxiang is not short of time.
Lu Xiangsheng retreated to the bank of the Han River and stopped his pursuit because of his previous military failure.
In March, a widespread famine broke out in Henan.
Not to mention ordinary people, even the army can only get very little food and grass.
The thousands of battalions under the command of Zu Kuan and Li Chongzhen were all cavalry. Not only did the people have to eat, but the horses also had to eat grass.
There is a severe drought in Henan and a shortage of food and grass. There has been a disturbance in the Liaodong army.
After negotiation, the Liaodong cavalry led by Zu Kuan, Li Chongzhen and others were transferred to Shaanxi Province.
Firstly, it was because the open terrain in Guanzhong facilitated cavalry movements, and secondly, it was to reduce the pressure on food and grass supply.
This news is not a secret at all. Many Ming troops are already in ruins from bottom to top.
The reason why Gao Yingxiang was able to lead his troops to escape the encircling and suppressing armies many times was that in addition to his keen sense of smell, he also had some tips from the Ming army.
Some Ming soldiers not only killed good people and took credit for their merits, but even did business with rogue bandits.
Passing on information is just a child's play. They can do things like buying and selling military merit, collecting money and letting people go.
Historically, when Yang Sichang took office as Minister of War, he proposed the strategy of "four righteousnesses, six corners, and ten sides of the net" to eliminate the peasant army led by Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others.
To be honest, if all the Ming armies worked together according to the strategy proposed by Yang Sichang, I am afraid that Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other troops would really be wiped out and annihilated.
However, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng repeatedly used money to clear the way and took advantage of the contradictions within the Ming army, and finally broke through the encirclement network set by Yang Sichang.
This situation not only occurs in the mainland, but also in Liaodong, Xuanda, Datong and other places. Many frontier generals also have their own businesses.
The objects of their business are not rogue bandits, but Beibei and Jiannu...
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were countless people with lofty ideals and countless heroes who came forward to save the country.
But behind them, there are many people who not only refuse to help, but constantly obstruct them.
Nowadays, the Chuang army is not short of time. There are many craftsmen in the three cities they conquered, as well as in the original army.
In the Ming Dynasty, the "craftsman household system" was implemented, and the whole family of craftsmen, old and young, had to participate in production, and this was continued from generation to generation.
There are now hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the army, and there are many craftsmen among these hundreds of thousands. Naturally, some people can make large-scale siege equipment.
Not only that, there are people who can make weapons, firearms, armor and even artillery.
It's just that Chuangjun doesn't have a stable place where they can make these things with peace of mind.
Chen Wang looked at the bustling camp of the invading army. During this period, he watched the invading army's siege camp gradually become larger, with more equipment and supplies.
"Hey!"
"Ouch!"
"rush!"
Outside the barracks outside the city, tens of thousands of hungry soldiers of the barbarian army were training intensively.
After more than ten days of training, the intruders outside the city have begun to form a formation. Whether they are marching or retreating, they look quite organized, which is much better than the chaos more than ten days ago.
The villagers who were coerced into the camps by the intruders from all directions were armed during this period.
The Chuang army sent old soldiers to lead these people and practice military formations in and outside the camp all day long.
During this time, the atmosphere in the city became tense again because of Chuangjun's actions.
The news that the bandits were about to attack the city spread throughout the city in a short period of time, and it was impossible to hide such news.
Now everything in Xing'an City is on high alert, ready to guard against the attack of the intruders at any time.
Many people are not optimistic about the future of Xing'an City, and a pessimistic atmosphere is spreading in the city.
However, Chen Wang didn't take it to heart.
The reason is simple. As long as the first wave of attacks by the rogue bandits is blocked, morale will rise again.
And although the Chuang army did want to attack the city, the Chuang army did not really intend to capture Xing'an City...
For more than ten days, Chen Wang has been observing the intruders outside the city.
Gao Yingxiang's military training method is the most common military training, formation, square formation, and spear.
Many people think that queues are something that only came into being in modern times. Ancient armies did not have queue training at all.
But this is actually a misunderstanding. China had already begun to use battle formations during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The army was arranged in a certain formation whether it was marching or retreating, attacking or defending.
When marching, the army's formation also has strict requirements, rather than marching in a swarm and chaos.
Gao Yingxiang made no secret of his intention to attack the city. At the same time, he continued to train hungry soldiers outside the city in preparation for the attack.
If the Chuang army exerts all their strength at all costs, then they will definitely be able to capture Xing'an City.
But the price you have to pay and the reward you get are completely disproportionate.
The siege planned by Gao Yingxiang was not to capture Xing'an, but for another project - troop training.
The battlefield is always the best training ground. Those who can survive the mountains of corpses and seas of blood are definitely not ordinary people, no matter what methods they use.
For rogue bandits, the most indispensable thing is manpower.
These trapped hungry soldiers will be the main force in attacking the city.
To the rogues, the weak and hungry soldiers were just waste that wasted their food rations.
Only those who have survived the baptism of fire and sword are qualified to truly join their team.
It's cruel, but this is the reality of this world.
This is not because Gao Yingxiang is ruthless or vicious.
It's because Gao Yingxiang doesn't have many other choices.
Chen Wang can adopt Qi Jiguang's method of selecting troops, slowly selecting them one by one, and then training his troops in a planned way.
But Gao Yingxiang could not adopt Qi Jiguang's method of selecting troops.
Because not many people would voluntarily join his troops, they were bandits, they were rebels, and the officers and soldiers were chasing after them.
Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly. Xing'an City was easy to defend but difficult to attack. He felt that Gao Yingxiang should not have captured Xing'an City in history, and he also used Xing'an as a place to train troops.
The voice from behind interrupted Chen Wang's thoughts.
A guard wearing a hood was half-kneeling on the ground, reporting respectfully.
"General, the sand table has been expanded as required and can be inspected at any time."
Chen Wang nodded, and he did not continue to observe the intruder camp outside the city.
The Chuangjun camps were too far apart and many things couldn't be seen clearly, so he could only take a rough look.
"It's time to get the telescope out."
Chen Wang was thinking as he turned around and walked straight towards the tower.
The first floor of the tower was used by Chen Wang as his command room.
The invading army did not have heavy artillery or any catapults, so they did not need to worry about the city tower being defeated or collapsed. The city tower was naturally the safest place on a section of the city wall, and the view was also the best.
The size of the sand table placed in the tower has now been expanded again, which was Chen Wang's request.
This time, the sand table covers the areas of Xi'an Prefecture, Qingyang Prefecture, Yan'an Prefecture in Shaanxi Province, and Henan Prefecture in Henan Province.
Red and black flags were used on the sand table to indicate the Ming army and the bandits, making the situation clear at a glance.
Chen Wang walked closer and his eyes slowly swept over the sand table.
During this period, Chen Wang has actually been troubled by a problem.
Gao Yingxiang has always been a cautious person, especially after Hanzhong fell into a tight siege and almost died, Gao Yingxiang became even more cautious.
But in July of the ninth year of Chongzhen, he took a huge risk and took the plank road north from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xi'an Prefecture.
Gao Yingxiang's behavior is not in line with his usual code of conduct and is not logical.
But Gao Yingxiang did this. Since he did this, there must be some reason for it.
To be honest, Chen Wang thought hard for a long time but still couldn't come up with a reason.
But looking at the sand table in front of him, when the situation was clearly presented in front of Chen Wang, Chen Wang suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.
On the sand table, in the Xunyang and Xiangyang areas, Lu Xiangsheng had blocked Gao Yingxiang's path.
Gao Yingxiang is actually trapped in Xing'an and Xunyang.
There are many black flags in the Shangluo area in the southeast of Xi'an Prefecture, as well as in the eastern area, as well as in the southeast of Qingyang Prefecture and in the southeast of Yan'an Prefecture.
Each black flag naturally represents a bandit force. Nowadays, the largest bandit force in Shaanxi Province has been destroyed since Hui Dengxiang was destroyed. Only Li Zicheng is left.
But in addition, there are many small rogue forces scattered throughout Shaanxi Province.
There are four or five slightly larger black flags planted in Yan'an Prefecture, followed by several red flags to the west and north, surrounding it.
Among the four or five black flags at Yan'an Prefecture, one black flag attracted the most attention, with a big "李" written in white on the flag.
This flag naturally represents Li Zicheng, who is still in northern Shaanxi Province today.
The Chuang army only blocked the east and west sides of Xing'an City, so Chen Wang could still receive information from the outside world.
After suffering setbacks, Li Zicheng achieved two more victories, successfully broke through the blockade, and has now fled to Yan'an Mansion.
Li Zicheng had arrived in his hometown of Mizhi County and stationed troops on Ma'an Mountain.
Li Zicheng arrived at Mizhi earlier than the original time and space, and the pursuing officers and soldiers obviously did not react.
Most of the officers and soldiers in Shaanxi Province are now concentrated in Yan'an Prefecture, north of Xi'an Prefecture, and in the Yellow River area in the east.
However, the interior of Xi'an Mansion was empty of defense, with only a solitary red flag left.
…
"History of the Ming Dynasty·Biography·Volume 197"
Returning to the west, they plundered Mizhi and called Dashou, the magistrate of the county, saying: "This is my hometown. Don't abuse my elders."
The gold left behind was used to build a Confucian temple.
When they were about to attack Yulin, the river suddenly grew and many thieves drowned, so they changed their route and headed west from Hancheng.
