The morning sun rose and filled the Mongolian camp outside the city. The desolate sound of horns resounded across the wilderness. The Mongolian infantry came out of the camp like locusts and formed up in front of the camp, covering the mountains and plains.
The eight-sided cowhide drum was beaten, and the rising sun slanted down. Under the morning light, countless Mongolian infantry held huge wooden shields as high as one person. Many Mongolian light cavalry who had become infantry held horned bows, huddled behind, and walked slowly towards Mian. State wall.
Thousands of Mongolian infantry armed with wooden shields advanced like a wall. Their shields are as tall as a person and half as wide as a person, protecting their bodies. Among them, many Mongolian soldiers were carrying ladders and hiding in the middle.
The thousands of Mongolian archers behind them were holding horned bows and their quivers were full. Once they reached the distance, they would draw their bows and kill them.
Behind the Mongolian army's formation, trebuchets and crossbows assembled by Mongolian army craftsmen were pushed out, rolling forward with a "creep" sound. Once they entered the range of 300 steps from the Mianzhou city wall, You can shoot from a distance.
Against Jinxia, they used their trebuchets to smash down countless fortresses.
While the Song generals at the top of the city were watching, in front of the Mongolian camp, under the guidance of craftsmen, hundreds of Mongolian soldiers were busy building it. In just a short moment, more than a dozen huge siege vehicles were built. Six wheels, four floors, more than ten feet wide and three feet long, almost as high as the city wall, with several layers of cowhide on the front, making it strong and tall.
The skilled craftsmen in the Mongolian army were mainly Han people in the north. They provided a steady stream of motivation for the Mongolian army to conquer the east and west, and fight in the south and north.
"I'm afraid only we Han people can build such a siege vehicle."
Wang Jian shook his head repeatedly, looking a little disappointed.
"Didn't it be said in "Tatar Policy" that the Mongolian army has a kind of siege equipment called "Hui Hui Cannon", which can collapse the city wall. I heard that this kind of artillery cart was made by Dashi. It seems that Dashi There are also skilled craftsmen.”
Lu Yuanting couldn't help but said.
In the battle of Xihezhou City, the Mongolian army did not have large-scale siege equipment, so he also knew nothing about the siege warfare of the Mongolian army.
"This is obviously a siege vehicle, but where is the artillery vehicle? Is the Mongolian army holding back a big move to take it by surprise?"
Another officer also asked curiously.
It turned out that the artillery was a cannon truck. He looked at it for a long time, but he didn't find any device on the siege truck that could fire cannonballs or stones.
As for those small and medium-sized trebuchets, he hasn't paid much attention yet.
"Commander Lu and Vice General Wu, all go down and prepare. This is a fierce battle!"
Wang Jian handed down the military order. He looked at Cao Youwen, but he remained calm and looked at the Mongolian army formation outside the city.
With thousands of troops approaching the city, Cao Youwen's calmness made him feel ashamed.
On the top of the city, the Song army was waiting in full formation, covering their heads with shields or hiding behind the wall. These Mongolian soldiers were full of murderous intent and had weathered faces. They looked like they were not good enemies at first glance.
"Pay attention to Song Jun's firearms!"
"Watch out for the Tatar bows and arrows!"
On and outside the city, the generals on both sides started to drink loudly.
Seeing the Mongolian army's siege engines, trebuchets and ballistae coming slowly, and about to enter the range of the heavy artillery at the top of the city, Cao Youwen whispered the military order.
"Get ready!"
"General cannon, prepare!"
Wang Jian shouted loudly that the military order was issued, and the city immediately began to move. The Song Army's gunners began to load ammunition in a hurry.
There are 20 500-jin general cannons arranged on the head of Xicheng, which is equivalent to more than 600 kilograms in later generations. The range can reach two miles. Even if it fires shotguns, it can reach an effective range of three to four hundred steps.
As for the more than 200 kilograms of combined cannons, which are also called 300 kilograms in later generations, these 30 artillery cannons have a medium and long range of three to four hundred steps, and they all fire cannonballs.
The other 30 small 100-pound cannons have a range of two to three hundred steps, which is a close-range attack. If you get near the moat or under the city wall, grenades will dominate the world.
They bombed the wall four levels in a row, which was why the Song army was so confident. Even if the opponent breaks through the four-layer firearms blockade, there are still pikemen on the city wall to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
"Test the cannon!"
Seeing the trebuchets and ballistas in the distance entering the firing range, Wang Jian's face became solemn and he shouted loudly.
On the top of the city, the gunner couldn't wait. He picked up the red-hot iron drill from the brazier and pressed it on the fire door.
With a "Peng" sound, a general's cannon suddenly fired. The muzzle flash suddenly appeared, smoke rose into the sky, and a seven-pound solid iron ball came out. In the eyes of a group of soldiers at the head of the city, it flew into the Mongolian army's trebuchet. Formation, smashed the rocker arm of a trebuchet. The solid iron ball did not rest, and was loaded into the arms of a Mongolian gunner. The man's chest was sunken, blood spurted from his mouth, and he fell to the ground, unable to move.
There was a commotion in the Mongolian army's trebuchet formation. The Mongolian generals urged them urgently. The trebuchets and ballistas sped up and were pushed forward by the Mongolian army.
"Adjust the angle! Load ammunition!"
Wang Jian shouted again, and all the gunners unanimously began to shake the screw rod on the tail of the gun and adjust the angle. Dozens of artillery pieces were aimed at the outside of the city with their dark muzzles. Follow a gunner to load ammunition, first the medicine bag, then the shells, busy but not chaotic.
The artillery section of Jinling Jiangwu Hall requires gunners to be proficient in various skills such as aiming, loading ammunition, and artillery shooting. Cadets who graduated from the artillery department of Jinling Jiangwu Hall brought these drill requirements into the army, making all gunners well-versed in everything.
Looking outside the city, the Mongolian army's trebuchets and ballistae came quickly. They widened the distance between each other and were ten or twenty steps closer in an instant.
"fire!"
Wang Jian roared angrily, the red flag fluttered at the top of the city, and the gunners placed the red iron drill on the adjusted artillery fire door.
"Puffy!"
The earth-shattering sound of artillery sounded, and 30 general cannons fired almost simultaneously. The city was filled with smoke, and the artillery shells roared away, smashing headlong into the Mongolian army's trebuchet array.
An iron ball came through the air, neither too fast nor too slow, as if you could reach out and catch it. The iron ball hit the leg of a Mongolian soldier behind the trebuchet. The Mongolian soldier fell to the ground howling. His calf was bone-white and bleeding profusely. There was only a little flesh connecting the upper and lower parts of his calf. It was terrible to see.
Another iron ball hit the front of the siege vehicle. Foot-long wooden thorns flew out, injuring one piece. The shell broke through the board and hit the Mongolian soldiers who were unable to avoid the siege vehicle. The Mongolian soldiers screamed in surprise, and people everywhere Flesh squirms.
The artillery shells roared and arced across the Mongolian army's formation, shattering several trebuchets and ballistas. The gunners and crossbowmen were bloody and fell, and screams continued.
In just the first round of artillery fire, five or six trebuchets and ballistae were scattered, causing a commotion in the Mongolian army formation.
Although the Mongolian army gunners and crossbowmen wore leather or pierced armor, they were hit by solid iron balls that bounced rapidly or hit them directly. Their muscles and bones were broken immediately, and their flesh and blood were blurred. Trebuchets and ballistae were overturned and cracked, wood spurs flew away, several people were wounded and killed, and wounded soldiers rolled and screamed on the ground.
"Pengpengpengpeng", fire suddenly appeared everywhere on the city head, smoke filled the air, another round of artillery shells ripped through the air and hit, and another burst of cars rolled over and people died. Everyone in the Mongolian army formation was frightened.
"good!"
The Song troops on the city wall were excited to watch, their morale was greatly boosted, and they cheered one after another.
With such sharp artillery, the certainty of defending the city has been greatly enhanced.
There were also some Song soldiers who were soft-hearted. When they saw the tragic death and injury of the Mongolian army, they lowered their heads one after another and couldn't bear to look directly at it.
"Crossbow, shoot!"
The Mongolian general who commanded the crossbow was secretly frightened. He bit the bullet and ordered the crossbowmen to fire the crossbow at the top of the city.
How could the Song Army's artillery shoot so far?
The Mongolian crossbowmen looked at each other in confusion. The crossbows could only shoot more than 300 steps, but the opponent's artillery had a range of more than 500 steps. Even if they could shoot, they might not be able to hit the top of the city.
Sure enough, the crossbow shot out and landed far away by the moat, still missing by a hundred steps.
"Waste! Move forward quickly!"
The Mongolian generals shouted angrily, commanded the Mongolian soldiers, pushed the artillery carts and ballistae, and rushed forward despite the artillery fire from the city.
In the large formation of the Mongolian army, watching the trebuchets and ballistae being beaten to pieces, the Mongolian army suffered heavy casualties. Subotai's face was ashen, as if water was oozing out.
With the range and rate of fire of the Song Army's artillery, I am afraid that these trebuchets and ballistae would be beaten to pieces before they could even reach the range.
At this moment, Subotai couldn't help but feel in a trance, as if he was at the foot of Lingzhou City again.
"Bang the drum!"
Subotai said coldly, and the drums in the Mongolian army's formation were densely beating, and the sound was breathtaking. The Mongolian army shouted, and the violent storm rolled towards the gate of Mianzhou City.
There were bursts of artillery fire, and the city was filled with smoke. The shells continued to smash siege vehicles, trebuchets and ballistae vehicles, killing and wounding countless crossbowmen and gunners. The remaining twenty or thirty crossbow vehicles and artillery vehicles finally advanced 300 steps. Within.
And those huge siege vehicles were smashed into pieces and stopped in the midst of thousands of troops.
"Cum!"
Several Mongolian army ballistas rushed forward rapidly. Seeing that they were within range, the Mongolian army generals couldn't wait to issue military orders.
The crossbows roared and fired at the city wall, some stuck on the city wall, and some flew towards the city head. Several Song soldiers were shot over the city wall, and their flesh and blood flew everywhere. Some Song troops were shot off the city wall by crossbows. The Song troops on the wall were in panic.
"Steady! Steady!"
There was a sea of Mongolian soldiers outside the city, and Mianzhou City seemed like a lone boat swaying in the strong wind and waves. Wang Jian was sweating profusely, shouting angrily, trying to calm the tension of the Song troops around him, and commanded the Song troops to continue firing.
Several boulders slowly hit the city head. Amid the horrified gazes and shouts of the defenders, a gun carriage was overturned and the war shed was smashed to pieces. Several Song Army soldiers were hit by boulders and overturned artillery pieces. Some Song soldiers were beaten to a bloody pulp, and the injured screamed miserably.
"Carry it down! Clean up the city!"
Wang Jian frowned and shouted angrily. The frightened civilians on the city wall hurriedly carried the wounded and dead to the bottom of the city. The huge boulder was lifted by several Song Army soldiers and threw it outside the city.
On the top of the city, the Song army officers and soldiers were waiting in strict formation. Many people were sweating profusely, but they were too nervous to care.
Whether they are the new soldiers or civilians at the top of the city, these guys are all rookies. They are doing well if they did not run away from the battle.
Perhaps after this fierce battle, many people will become soldiers.
"fire!"
Seeing that the Mongolian infantry had entered within the 200-step firing range, Wang Jian gave an order, and the flags on the top of the city were waved down one after another.
