The artillery roared from the top of the city, and the heart-beating drum beat sounded. The Song Army soldiers all over the city climbed onto the city wall one after another, and the Song Army scouts outside the city rushed back on horseback from the northwest. After about two or three sticks of incense, countless small black dots appeared in the distant sky.
The black spots grew rapidly, and countless Mongolian cavalry came into view. The shaking of the earth became more and more violent, making the hearts of the soldiers on top of Mianzhou City accelerate, and many people's expressions changed.
At the end of the northwest sky, endless flags were flying, smoke was billowing, and the overwhelming Mongolian cavalry came on horseback, filling the entire wilderness. They came on horseback. Many of them did not use reins, and their riding skills were superb. They had several horns and bows of different sizes on the horses. Many of them did not even have iron helmets, exposing their bare scalps, and they were full of hostility.
"The people who come here are evil. The Tatars may have an army of more than 20,000!"
Wang Jian put down the telescope and took a long breath.
"You're here just in time! Send the order, the whole army is ready to fight!"
Cao Youwen looked calm and handed down the military order.
The 20,000-strong army was finally ready for a battle.
When he thought that the emperor might come with his army at any time, he even couldn't wait, hoping that the Mongolian army would attack the city immediately.
"Gunpowder, cannonballs, arrows, rolling stones and wood are all ready!"
Wang Jian shouted loudly, and all the Song troops moved into action at the top of the city and below the city.
The Mongolian army swarmed in. They first set up camp and made siege equipment. The large area of riverside wilderness southwest of Mianzhou City would definitely not be missed by the Mongolian army.
"General, Tartar infantry!"
Wang Jian pointed to the end of the northwest sky.
Under the bright sun, countless Mongolian infantry pushed a chariot, with thick ropes and huge trees on top, and horses pulling and people pushing. It looked like they were all parts of siege equipment.
"It seems that these are the trebuchets and ballistas of the Tatar army."
Cao Youwen looked carefully and recognized it immediately.
"General, the Tatars mainly rely on trebuchets and ballistae to defeat the city. Especially the trebuchets should not be underestimated."
Wang Jian's words were exactly what Cao Youwen wanted.
"It seems that the Tatar trebuchet must be destroyed first!"
With the invincible and invincible Mongolian cavalry in the field, coupled with the Mongolian infantry attacking cities and territories, future wars may become increasingly difficult to fight.
Fortunately, the Song Dynasty still had indestructible firearms!
At this moment, Cao Youwen and others' admiration for the emperor's principal deepened.
The endless Mongolian army gathered in the wilderness outside Mianzhou City. From the top of the city, the entire ground was covered with short and sturdy Mongolian horses, which made people mistakenly think that they were in the grassland outside the Great Wall. A stream of Mongolian cavalry marched on horseback, their armor gleaming with cold light, densely packed with human heads in iron helmets, their flags fluttering, and they looked magnificent.
Many of their horses were equipped with bedding. Some Mongolian soldiers took out pieces of meat from the horse's leather bags and chewed them. They sat on the horses, ready to wait for opportunities at any time, maneuvering quickly and watching eagerly.
Those heavy cavalry were covered in armor or scales, holding spears or maces. They looked fierce, like hell demons.
"How could there be... so many Tatar... Tatar armies?"
Guo Zhengsun, the pacifying commander of Lizhou West Road, went to the top of the city. He looked at the surging Mongolian army outside the city, his face was pale and his lips were trembling.
"The Tatars are so powerful, so those who come here are evil!"
Gao Jia, the magistrate of Mianzhou who followed Guo Zhengsun up, also looked heavy and frowned.
Looking at the top of the city, like the two civilian officials, many young Song soldiers were breathing rapidly and turning pale. Cao Youwen frowned and asked loudly.
"Wang Jian, do you think these powerful Tatar cavalry can also attack the city?"
Wang Jian understood it, looked dismissive, and raised his voice.
"Back to the general, I have been defending the city and fighting in the field for so many years. These guys are pretty good at fighting in the field. If they want to attack the city, they are just fake, worse than the bandits in the mountains!"
"It looks scary, they are all fake! Outside the city of Xihezhou, our army fired a cannon, and immediately they were covered in blood and piss!"
Lu Yuanting, the guard general of Xihe Prefecture, burst into laughter.
Lu Yuanting experienced it personally, and the soldiers of the Song Army on the city wall also laughed, and many people's expressions suddenly became much more relaxed.
Cao Youwen smiled slightly and shook his head secretly.
The heavy armored cavalry is not scary, nor is it much of a threat to the city defenders. On the other hand, those Mongolian infantry and light cavalry wearing light armor or leather armor each had three or four horses and two or three horn bows. They had a long range and fast shooting speed and should not be underestimated.
Once the city is attacked, the Mongolian infantry will take the lead, and the light cavalry and crossbowmen will rain down waves of arrows, which can cause great trouble to the soldiers defending the city.
"General, the Tatar cavalry has seventeen thousand troops, and the infantry is about five thousand. Plus the craftsmen and the heavy laborers, the number should be about 22,000. I just don't know if the Tatars have any reinforcements. ?”
Wang Jian pointed to the Mongolian army formation outside the city with a solemn expression.
Cao Youwen held up his telescope and stood at the top of the city to watch carefully.
Teams of hundreds and thousands of people are like wolves and tigers, boundless. Including those infantry, there are at least 20,000 people.
Needless to say, the Mongolian army originally had 20,000 cavalry, but the Song Dynasty lost 3,000 cavalry, and now it has 17 thousand-man troops.
Mounted cavalry, dismounted infantry, the Mongolian army's tactics are flexible. If it is a field battle without artillery, it is estimated that they will only be shot by the opponent continuously, and finally they will be exhausted and the whole army will be annihilated.
Just like the last battle of Langao Town, Ma Zhong and Cheng Xin were careless, resulting in the casualties of three thousand soldiers.
"How come there are so many Song people in the Tatar army?"
A general of the Song Army held up a telescope and suddenly let out an exclamation.
Cao You was shocked when he heard this and raised his telescope. Sure enough, among the Mongolian army, men, women and children dressed in Song Dynasty costumes were tied up with ropes, string after string, and there were as many as a thousand people.
No need to ask, these are all prisoners of Song soldiers captured by the Mongolian army. Seeing that most of them were women and old people, most of the young men should have been killed.
Although the Appeasement Division repeatedly issued orders and personally mobilized people to take refuge in prefectures and customs, there were still people hiding secretly in the hope that nothing would happen to them. Little did they know that the Mongolian cavalry was extremely fast. Once the civilians were discovered, they would either be killed or captured. Very few civilians could escape.
"I go!"
Wang Jian slapped the city wall angrily, his palms sore from the shock.
There are always some scholars and people who do not listen to advice, and when things come to a close, it is too late to regret.
The Mongolian army beat the people wantonly. All the soldiers on the city wall were angry, but there was nothing they could do.
Cao Youwen looked outside the city, feeling heartbroken and silent.
Coercion intimidates defenseless people. Is the invincible Mongolian army just so capable?
"Alas! This is really..."
The situation in front of him seemed familiar. Lu Yuanting shook his head, sighed, and was speechless for a moment.
For a moment, there was silence on the top of the city. The Song army soldiers stared at the Mongolian army outside the city, everyone's expressions were solemn.
There were over 10,000 men and horses, and the territory was boundless. It was the first time that they had experienced a battle involving tens of thousands of people. The opponent was the famous Mongolian army. Everyone was uneasy.
"Wang Jian, you hold the city wall, I will lead the troops out of the city and fight against the Tatar army!"
Cao Youwen's face was calm, but his words were sonorous and powerful.
"What?"
The generals at the top of the city, including Wang Jian, were all taken aback and looked at Cao Youwen in disbelief.
Did Cao Youwen mean to go out of the city to fight with the Mongolian army?
"Didn't you hear clearly? Let me say it again, you defend the city, I will lead the troops out of the city, and let the Tatar army know the consequences of attacking our Song Dynasty and bullying the people of our Song Dynasty!"
Cao Youwen said loudly, and the generals on the top of the city and many Song soldiers heard it clearly.
"General Cao, the Tatars are powerful. You must not leave the city rashly! The overall situation is our top priority!"
"General Cao, the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. We must not raise troops out of anger, let alone go out to fight in the city. Mianzhou City is important!"
When Cao You heard that he was going out to fight in the city, two civil servants, Guo Zhengsun and Gao Jia, were surprised and came to persuade him.
"Don't advise me, sir! Our army is well-trained and our weapons are ferocious. I, a man from the Song Dynasty, risked his own life. How could he be afraid of their mere Tatars? A blast of artillery would shake the sky and thunder, but it wouldn't make him cry for his father and mother." ?Why worry twice?"
Cao Youwen sneered and said disdainfully.
"General, the Tatar army has seventeen thousand troops and thousands of infantry. Our army only has five thousand soldiers. Even if we can win outside the city, there are not enough people to defend the city. General, think twice!"
Wang Jian reacted instantly and secretly admired him.
Jinling preaches the creed of the Martial Arts Hall, strategically despises the other party, and tactically values the other party. It seems that Cao Youwen understands this very well.
"General, think twice!"
All the generals on the top of the city spoke in unison and saluted with fists clasped together, but they all felt much more at ease in their hearts.
"If it weren't for the young soldier, let him know how powerful our Mianzhou border troops are!"
Cao Youwen snorted coldly and dismissed it.
"Wang Jian, and you, let's wipe out half of the seventeen thousand-man team. As for those infantry, don't even think about going back. What do you think?"
"General, I will obey your orders!"
Wang Jian was startled at first, then he clasped his fists in salute and replied loudly.
"I will obey the general's military orders!"
All the surrounding Song Army generals clasped their fists together, and everyone was impassioned.
Wang Jian secretly admired him. It is said that Cao Youwen is bold and careful, and is not surprised by changes. When I took a look today, I saw that he certainly had the air of a general.
Your Majesty has a keen eye and will never disappoint anyone when it comes to recognizing people.
The nervousness of the Song soldiers on the city wall disappeared without a trace in an instant. Many people thought of the emperor's principal's famous saying:
Let the storm come more violently!
Under the banner of the Mongolian army, Subutai was dressed in iron armor, sitting on a war horse, holding an awning with his hands, looking towards the top of Mianzhou City.
Beside Subotai, the commanders and centurions of the Mongolian army, all wearing helmets and armor, stood and watched.
Flags were flying on the top of the city. Song troops held swords and guns, raised their heads and held their chests high. They were as motionless as rocks. Their military appearance was solemn and intimidating.
Subotai looked at it for a moment, his heart sank, and he blurted out.
"Don't they all say that the southerners are cowardly? Why are these Song troops so much more elite than the Tang Wuti and Jin people?"
The Song army was well-trained and solemn in appearance, and at first glance they were not just a rabble.
The cowardly Song Dynasty people also had such brave warriors?
This is not a good sign!
