At noon, the siege of Niangniang City reached its most critical and dangerous moment; the desolate sound of horns, the sound of powerful war drums, and the high-pitched shouts of killing resounded through the sky, and the bloody atmosphere filled every corner inside and outside the city.
When the Goguryeo siege army arrived, they felt that the defenders on the city were unable to follow up and their counterattack force was getting smaller and smaller. When the commander-in-chief Wu Bin said, "The first warrior to climb the city will be rewarded with a hundred taels of gold and promoted to captain of a thousand soldiers. If he is a captain of a thousand soldiers, he will be promoted to three levels in a row." ”, the Goguryeo soldiers went crazy. Encouraged and stimulated by the generous salary of the Communist Party of China, they charged forward desperately. The ladders and chariots that climbed up to the top of the city were densely packed with attacking soldiers, and the archers and crossbowmen below the city also suppressed the city with rain of arrows. Sui army's counterattack.
Although there were numerous corpses and rivers of blood outside the city, the Sui army's increasingly weak counterattacks and their dreams of promotion and fortune still prompted Goguryeo's siege soldiers to climb up one after another.
Soon, hundreds of Goguryeo soldiers rushed to the top of the city, roaring and fighting to the death with the Sui soldiers. The soldiers below the city took this opportunity and rushed to the top of the city easily without any worries.
Wei Kuangbo, who was covered in blood and holding two horizontal knives, fought all the way to the side of the general Mai Mengcai and said loudly: "General Mai, the enemy has already attacked the city. Our soldiers have suffered serious casualties. Do you want to abandon the city and engage in street fighting with the enemy?" "
Street fighting was their last choice. After many injured defenders withdrew from the battlefield, they defended themselves in the city. If the first area could not be defended, they would set fire to the lost area. In this way, they retreated area by area to the west city. . However, this method hurts the enemy more than himself, so Mai Meng would not use it unless it was absolutely necessary.
When he saw that the garrison on the city was exhausted and could no longer suppress the endless enemy troops, he couldn't help but sigh. However, just when he was about to give the order to retreat, a soldier beside him pointed to the northwest in surprise and shouted: "General, The beacon tower on the mercury side has been lit with beacon smoke, and the reinforcements are less than ten miles away."
Mai Mengcai raised his eyes and saw a beacon of smoke rising slowly in the northwest of the battlefield.
This beacon tower was located on the east bank of the Bisha River. Its lighting indicated that Xiaoguo's army had arrived to the north of the battlefield. He felt relieved, and with a mixture of surprise and surprise, he ordered to the ordering soldiers: "Blow the horn immediately, and the reinforcements will arrive." Tell the soldiers the news and ask everyone to hold on a little longer."
"Woo, woo, woo!" The desolate and majestic sound of the horn covered up the sound of fighting and the clash of weapons above the city, adding a bit of desolate atmosphere.
The strange order spread across the battlefield, causing both the enemy and us to stand still for a moment. However, in the blink of an eye, the exhausted Sui soldiers unleashed unprecedented potential and combat effectiveness, waving their weapons crazily and roaring to kill. The enemy soldiers on the city bravely recaptured the "lost ground", killed the Goguryeo soldiers and drove them off the city wall.
The sudden changes and the Sui army's unusual trumpet sound made Wu Bin suspicious, and he felt a sense of ominousness in his heart. Just when he was about to send someone to find out what was going on ahead, a scout Pegasus came to the chariot. Next, he loudly reported to him with a face full of panic: "General, a large number of Sui army cavalry have been spotted several miles to the north, and they are galloping towards our army!"
"How is that possible?" Wu Bin felt as if his head had been hit hard by a hammer. Stars were dancing in front of his eyes and his head was dizzy. The nearby soldiers all exclaimed, looking at the scout in disbelief.
The scout thought that the general did not believe it, and he almost jumped in his heart. He looked anxious and spoke quickly: "It's absolutely true, there are twenty to thirty thousand enemies coming."
Wu Bin opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly felt a pain in his heart and his vision went black. He quickly stretched out a hand to cover his chest and took a deep breath.
The situation was originally very good, and he was about to capture the city of Niangniang, but suddenly tens of thousands of fine cavalry from the Sui army arrived. The sudden change in the situation forced him to hold back the pain in his heart and ordered: "Let the cavalry leave the battlefield. , fight against the invading enemy."
When the order was passed, the Goguryeo cavalry immediately acted according to the order, but the issuance of the order and the dispatch of the cavalry took time; and the few miles on the flat ground seemed far away, but for the cavalry charging with all their strength, it was just a matter of time. .
While many Goguryeo cavalrymen were bewildered, the sound of "woo-woo" horns and the "rumbling" sound of horse hoofs sounded from the north.
Twenty thousand heroes
The army, led by Dugu Sheng, Gao Junya, and Wang Bian, had already attacked with a huge front attack. The soldiers had sharp swords, horses like dragons, and the evil spirit filled the sky. The entire army was like an indestructible sharp arrow. Wherever it passed, enemy corpses were strewn across the field and blood flowed into rivers. In an instant, thousands of Goguryeo cavalry were defeated.
The Xiaoguo Army tore apart this hurried defense line and charged towards the high-flying Goguryeo flag without stopping.
The siege battle that lasted for two and a half days had exhausted the Goguryeo soldiers, and the entire army's attention and focus was on the Niangniang City. When the Sui cavalry cleanly destroyed the oncoming cavalry, the soldiers fled in fear. , causing chaos throughout the army.
Affected by this, the Goguryeo soldiers on the ladders and chariots also ran down in despair, but their retreat was blocked by the dense robes below. Many soldiers above were unable to get off for a while, so they jumped down from above, and most of them were trapped. The spears raised high by the soldiers below pierced their bodies. Even if some people were lucky enough to survive, they would be trampled by the chaotic soldiers and face another more miserable and torturous death.
War is sometimes that simple. The unprepared Goguryeo army of tens of thousands could not hold on for a moment before they were suddenly killed by the Xiaoguo army, causing screams and mourning all over the place.
The commander-in-chief Dugu Sheng served as the arrowhead. When Gao Junya and Wang Bian led their armies to outflank them from the north in a fan-shaped movement, he led four thousand Xiaoguo troops to attack the commander's flag.
"Army assemble!" Wu Bin had already got off the chariot and jumped on his horse. He saw that the elite cavalry beside him were already charging towards the enemy, and he shouted desperately.
Dugu Sheng led his own soldiers to kill all the people around him, and then stood on his horse to watch the enemy. He clearly saw Wu Bin, who was wearing Mingguang armor, shouting desperately under the escort of hundreds of elite cavalry, and wanted to rush over, but the enemy army The cavalry defense is too dense. If they attack like this, there will be huge casualties.
He inserted his long spear into the corpse of an enemy soldier on the ground, opened his bow and took the arrow. When Wu Bin raised his arm to command, he let go of his right hand, and the arrow missed and crossed a black arc. When he hit his arm, it severely penetrated the armpit armor, which had relatively weak defense. Wu Bin screamed, turned over and fell off his horse.
Then another arrow shot the commander of the soldiers holding the flag to the ground.
The general and the commander's flag are not only the soul and backbone of an army, but also military discipline and restraint. Now that the life and death of the commander are unknown and the commander's flag has collapsed, the nearby Goguryeo soldiers have lost their will to fight and at the same time their restraint; they are like a dam bursting. Like a torrent, the panicked troops fled eastward with the defeated troops. Even the generals at all levels shouted desperately, but it was of no avail.
However, the escape at this time is only temporary. Just because the navy deputy general Wang Rengong had led 10,000 naval infantry to form a battle formation several miles away to the east, and advanced westward at an orderly pace, cutting off the retreat of Goguryeo's defeated troops.
The defeated Goguryeo army was surrounded by mountains to the north and the sea to the south, and was pursued by a large number of cavalry. They had no way to escape. Under the intimidation of Wang Rengong's army, they all abandoned their swords and surrendered. In the end, no one could escape.
After about an hour, the fighting finally came to a halt. More than 3,000 warriors who resisted were slaughtered by the Sui soldiers. Groups of surrendering soldiers obeyed the order, put down their weapons, took off their armor, and waited for the Sui army in the field. disposal.
In the three-day battle of Niangniangcheng, the 60,000 Goguryeo soldiers who marched westward were almost completely wiped out. Except for more than a thousand soldiers who escaped into Qianshan, the rest either died in battle or became adults. Some prisoners were taken prisoner, and some people threw themselves into the sea and "committed suicide" in panic.
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The east city of Empress City.
Zhou Fashang, Dugu Sheng, Gao Junya, and Wang Bian saw that the matter had been decided. They ignored the defeat of Goguryeo and handed over the matter of cleaning up the battlefield. They hurriedly led two thousand Xiaoguo troops to the outside of the city to call for help. city. However, there was a dead silence on the long city wall, and no one answered the door. In the end, the soldiers of the Xiaoguo Army climbed up the ladder, opened the city gate from the inside, and lowered the suspension bridge.
The four generals entered the city and quickly climbed to the top of the city. The scene in front of them made these generals and accompanying soldiers who had experienced countless battles gasp; they saw Sui soldiers lying in disorder on the city.
They fell to the ground. Except for some wounded soldiers who were muttering, the rest did not know whether they were alive or dead.
Zhou Fashang saw a school captain holding a spear and "sleeping" on a pile of corpses in front of the battlements with a smile on his face. He quickly stepped forward to check his pulse. After a while, he quietly stood up, cupped his hands and gave a deep salute, and then He found a few more similar soldiers to watch. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said to Dugu Sheng, Gao Junya and Wang Bian with pain on his face: "These brothers must have persisted in fighting with their strong will. In the process, he must have burned out his potential and vitality."
Dugu Sheng, Gao Junya, and Wang Bian were deeply saddened to hear this.
They have experienced this kind of tragedy countless times. Some soldiers have exhausted their vitality in high-intensity wars. They are supported by a momentum and a belief. When victory is in sight or the mission is completed, their heartstrings relax. , and immediately died of exhaustion.
"General, General!" A general of the Xiaoguo Army came to them, suppressing the grief in his heart and said, "Many of the soldiers died, and the living ones only have one breath left."
"Go and bring in military doctors, be quick." Military doctors have been around since the Qin and Han Dynasties. After generations of improvement, the Sui Dynasty has developed to the point where different numbers of military doctors are allocated according to the size of combat units. Zhou Fashang ordered and asked Gao Junya Order: "General Gao, you immediately call in 3,000 soldiers to find the living brothers and treat them on behalf of the doctors."
"I will obey your orders!" Gao Junya accepted the order and left.
A brigade commander hurriedly came from the southern city wall and said loudly: "General Manager, we have found General Mai and General Wei. They are under the gate tower."
Zhou Fashang was overjoyed and asked quickly: "Are you still alive?"
The brigade commander replied: "They are still alive, but the two generals are seriously weakened. The last general and others dare not move randomly."
"Well done!" Zhou Fashang praised and walked over with Dugu Sheng and Wang Bian.
When they arrived at the gatehouse, they saw Mai Mengcai half-dead sitting next to the parapet, and Wei Kuangbo and Wei Kuangbo were either asleep or passed out. Fortunately, they were still breathing.
"Mr. Zhou, the general and the soldiers were lucky enough to defend the city." Mai Mengcai reported the results and said in a weak tone: "Quickly save General Wei, he is the hardest worker."
"Okay, okay!" Zhou Fashang nodded abruptly and said with tears in his eyes: "You are all the best warriors of the Sui Dynasty."
Mai Mengcai relaxed and fainted. Zhou Fashang's eyes suddenly tightened and he stepped forward to take his pulse.
"How's it going? Are you okay?" Dugu Sheng asked anxiously.
"It's okay, it's okay!" Zhou Fashang stood up straight and said to the second general in a deep voice: "In this battle, we cannot stand against the soldiers guarding the city."
Dugu Sheng and Wang Bian nodded silently. In fact, they arrived at Liji City yesterday afternoon and arrived outside the battlefield this morning. However, in order to catch all Wu Bin's army and after hearing from the scouts that the defenders were still capable of defending the city, they sat back and did nothing. It was not until the navy that captured Dahang City and Dajian City received good news and entered Ji Ding's combat area that they launched an attack.
Although the battle was won and Wu Bin's army was wiped out as expected, the army led by Mai Mengcai was almost wiped out.
After a while, Dugu Sheng bowed to Zhou Fashang and said, "General manager, for the sake of the overall situation, it is inevitable to make sacrifices. Wei Jiang believes that the top priority is to expand the results of the war."
"What General Dugu said makes sense!" Wang Bian also said: "Dahang City and Shangjian City have been recovered by the navy soldiers, while Bobu City and Wugu City are empty of troops. We should take advantage of the internal city defenders to arrive before they arrive. Recover it. In addition, the last general suggested sending a naval force across the Yalu River from the Dahang City area to seize Baima City and Dragon Bone City on the other side. With these two cities in hand, there will be no need to fight across the river."
Zhou Fashang only had a temporary feeling and would not fall into inextricable self-blame because of the loss of the defenders. Hearing this, he calmed down and said: "General Wang's strategy is left to the navy and Jing Yue who are about to join forces." If we use the Xiaoguo army to seize the four cities with empty troops, it will be overkill."
Dugu Sheng and Wang Bian looked at each other and asked Zhou Fa Shang in unison, "What are your plans, general?"
Zhou Fashang said: "Six days ago in the morning, Wu
Eulji Eidek, the deputy lord of Bone City, led 10,000 elite cavalry, 20,000 elite infantry, and 20,000 heavy troops to march towards Ansi City. Their march route was the "Qianshan-Bihaihe River" road. Since they carried a large amount of siege equipment and food supplies, and the northwest exit was guarded by our troops, Ulchi Eidukki absolutely did not dare to let go of his speed and march. If calculated based on the marching speed of our infantry in the war zone, then they have just entered the boundaries of Anshi City at this time. "
After a pause, Zhou Fashang said to the two generals: "The southeast entrance of the "Qianshan-Bihai River" road is the area under the jurisdiction of Jili City. What I mean is that the two generals will lead 15,000 Xiaoguo troops to pursue it. , destroying the enemy's baggage from behind and giving the enemy a fatal blow. Then cooperate with King Teng to annihilate the enemy. What do you think? "
Dugu Sheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xiaoguo Army, raised his hands and said, "The general has no objections."
"Then it's settled!" Zhou Fashang nodded, looked at Dugu Sheng, and solemnly warned: "General Dugu, if you have a good opportunity to defeat the enemy, you can make your own decision based on the battlefield conditions. You don't have to stick to formalities or have to be strict. There is no need to report to me if you have to wait for Prince Teng."
"I will obey your orders." Dugu Sheng solemnly obeyed his orders.
