Wen Anzhi choked with sobs, while all the officers and instructors around him were silent. They looked at each other without saying anything.
Zhang Yuejing stood there for a while with a dark face.
Then he raised his head and looked to the south where Xiangyang City was.
"Are there many people who have been arrested in Xiangyang City?"
Wen Anzhi nodded.
"Yes, most of the captured men and women are in Xiangyang City, and only a few are in Fancheng."
Zhang Yuejing laughed miserably.
"We are all sinners. For the sake of the so-called strategic overall situation, we actually ignored this kind of thing. If you think about it with your toes, you should understand, how can the Song Army care for the people?
They will only treat the people as consumables, forcing them to work while abusing them and killing them. The more powerful our attack is, the more cruel the people will be treated by the Song army..."
When Wen Anzhi heard this, he sighed and closed his eyes.
"I had such worries before, but I didn't expect that they were so cruel. In just over two months, they tortured to death 12,000 people, 6,000 people a month, and 200 people were tortured to death in one day... I am Clerk, this is my responsibility.”
"It's not you alone, but we all have the responsibility. We only think about encircling the point to provide reinforcements, thinking about annihilating them all, and thinking about leaving a name in history..."
Zhang Yuejing clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. .
"But the purpose of our war is not these. We fight all the way to liberate everyone, to break the chains on their bodies, and to let them live a good life, have enough to eat and wear warm clothes.
This is our responsibility. We should have thought of it a long time ago. Everything we do is meaningful if they are alive. If they die, what will we do? Everyone is dead, where are the chains for us to break? "
Everyone felt sour and tormented in their hearts. The sense of accomplishment they had just had in conquering Fancheng was gone, leaving only deep regret.
At this moment, they suddenly remembered that their goal along the way was not to make achievements or leave a name in history, but to let the people at the bottom have enough to eat and wear warm clothes.
This is the most important thing. Everything else is based on this foundation. If this foundation is lost, what is the difference between the Ming Army and the Song Army?
Zhang Yuejing's words were like a whip, hitting the heart of every officer and instructor who heard him.
Everyone has an extra scar on their heart.
No matter when you heal, there will always be a scar left there that cannot be erased.
An unknown fire arose in everyone's heart, and this flame grew stronger and stronger.
Zhang Yuejing has been the commander of the army for some years. This position requires him to cultivate his character, be calm and calm, read more and practice calligraphy, and cultivate his own self-cultivation and calmness.
He is the commander of the army. He must be calm and calm as a mountain in all weathers, so that the army can stay calm with him.
So he has been developing in this direction over the years.
But this incident really ruined all the achievements of so many years of self-cultivation.
He couldn't control the anger in his heart.
There was no need for him to continue to control the anger in his heart.
In the current situation, it is no longer a necessary option to continue to encircle the point and provide reinforcements. In other words, from the beginning, it was not a necessary option to encircle the point and provide reinforcements. It is only the best military choice.
The Ming army already had the ability to defeat any army of the Song army head-on. It used strategies and tactics to reduce its own casualties, losses, and war losses.
It's not that you can't win if you don't do this.
"Instruct the whole army to eat and rest, and attack Xiangyang City immediately at dawn tomorrow."
Zhang Yuejing looked at the generals and instructors around him and said: "All the officers will go back to make tactical preparations. We won't talk about it tonight, but before the war starts tomorrow morning, all the secretaries and instructors will go down to the grassroots and tell them the tragedy in Fancheng. , there must be no concealment.
Starting from tomorrow, I will attack Xiangyang City day and night, at all costs. All the troops will take turns to attack the city, and there will be no pause. Xiangyang City cannot be attacked within ten days. All of us are sinners, which is equivalent to fail!
After Xiangyang City is captured, give me an order. Don't leave Wang Yan, and don't let him commit suicide. I want to put him on trial, chop off his head in front of everyone, and chop him into pieces. Shattered bones and ashes! "
Zhang Yuejing looked at Xiangyang City, his eyes burning with raging anger, which was enough to destroy the entire Xiangyang City defense.
The dinner that night was very sumptuous. All the soldiers of the Ming army had a very sumptuous dinner. They had all kinds of chicken, duck, fish and meat. They were full of food and meat. They could eat as much as they wanted.
All the soldiers had a good meal and replenished enough energy.
Due to the deliberate blockade, the internal news in Fancheng has not been spread throughout the army for the time being.
Not to mention, it is to allow the soldiers to have a good sleep and refresh themselves.
At dawn the next day, all the Ming army soldiers got up on time, had breakfast, and prepared for battle.
Before the battle began, all the secretaries and instructors went out to tell all the Ming soldiers the tragedy in Fancheng.
Then, at 4:00 on May 30th of the fifth year of Hongwu, Zhang Yuejing gave an order, and the thirty-six general artillery batteries currently capable of fighting launched bombardments on Xiangyang City from three directions: south of the city, east of the city, and west of the city.
The Ming navy entered the waters of the Han River by boat, set up cavalry general cannons on the boat, and launched a bombardment on the northern wall of Xiangyang City.
Besieged on all sides, leaving no room for chance, and vowed not to give up until all the Song troops in the city were annihilated.
Zhang Yuejing has ordered that this time, except for Wang Yan, all other prisoners are "unnecessary", which does not mean "unnecessary", but "unnecessary".
Zhang Yuejing did not say it absolutely, but as long as it was in the middle of a war and as long as the war did not stop for a moment, it was not a sin to kill enemy soldiers.
The Ming army shelled the city wall from all sides, and the Xiangyang city wall was immediately hit hard. The brick-clad and poorly repaired parts were once again devastated, and the rammed earth inside was exposed and became the target of direct bombardment.
This unprecedented ferocious firepower made it impossible for the Song troops in the city to raise their heads to fight back during the shelling. Only during the intervals between artillery fires could they quickly climb to the city to check the damage to the city wall, and then report it to the general and request for repairs.
However, this time the Ming Army's artillery was not only more ferocious, but also the Ming Army's attacks began to become sharper.
The Ming army did not continue the artillery bombardment and the infantry did not dispatch.
The infantry moved out.
Because they occupied the passage to the city and arranged a large number of ships in the moat with chariots and generals' cannons to bombard the city tower to cover the infantry, a large number of Ming infantry successfully passed through the passage with the support of artillery fire.
During this period, the Song army in the city also tried to use trebuchets to attack Ming army ships and infantry to obstruct them, but the effect was very poor, and it was basically impossible for the Song army to successfully counterattack on the city top.
It was not until the Ming army was preparing to attack the city that the artillery attack stopped. The Song army on the city quickly climbed onto the tower to prepare for the attack, but what greeted them was the shooting of the Ming army musketeers.
White smoke rose up in bursts, explosions exploded, and lead bullets flew around the city. From time to time, soldiers of the Song Army were hit, killed or wounded by lead bullets, and blood flowed all over the ground.
The soldiers of the Song Army had to hide behind the city wall and did not dare to show their heads to avoid being hit by the Ming Army's gunfire.
The Ming army's large siege equipment such as Jinglan and Linchong chariots also entered a state of war, posing a huge threat to the Xiangyang city wall.
The Song army at the top of the city was very difficult to resist under the sharp suppression of the Ming army's powerful firepower. They only relied on the stimulation of a large amount of money or beauties promised by Wang Yan in the city to inspire the courage to go to the city and throw in weapons to defend the city.
For example, stones, wood, and firearms such as thunderbolts and fireballs.
The Song army also stocked a large number of firearms, but the effect was not very good, and it was more troublesome to launch them. They could not bring much damage to the Ming army, but it was good to hear the sound.
Firearms such as Thunder Thunder made a loud noise when thrown off the tower, which posed a considerable threat to the Ming army under the city, but this did not stop the Ming army soldiers from advancing.
With the flames of anger in their hearts, they had a strong subjective initiative. They braved the Song army's arrows, stones, and thunder, and moved forward bravely, attacking the city at all costs.
The rushing vehicles moved forward one after another, arrived near the city wall, and set up ladders so that the soldiers could pass and rush to the city wall.
The Song army tried to burn down the Linchong chariot with firearms and flames, but the Ming army soldiers in the Linchong chariot threw lit thunder cannons at the city wall.
After the violent explosion, no Song soldiers were seen standing on the city wall for a while, so the Ming soldiers rushed up the city wall through ladders to seize the city wall.
Wang Yan was shocked when he learned that the Ming army had rushed to the city wall, and immediately sent more elite troops to the city to fight the Ming army.
The number of Ming troops on the city was limited, so Zhang Yuejing also arranged musketeers on the lower level of the Linchong chariot to assist in the battle. They hid in the Linchong chariot and fired at the Song troops on the city wall. The distance was only five or six meters, and the accuracy of firing was quite high. .
With their assistance, the Ming army's hand-to-hand combat progressed relatively smoothly, and they continued to kill the Song army at the head of the city.
Some soldiers of the Ming army could not take care of their behinds when fighting, while the musketeers in the charging vehicles opened fire on those Song soldiers, covering the Ming army's hand-to-hand troops to continue to gain an advantage on the city wall.
The battle lasted until sunset and lasted all day.
The Ming army fought bravely, but after all, they were small in number and could not withstand the desperate resistance of a large number of Song troops, so Xiangyang City was still saved by the Song army.
After the Ming army retreated, Zhang Yuejing did not make it easy for the Song army. He ordered the artillery groups outside the city to take turns to rest, and then implement the night bombardment strategy from now on.
Now adjust the firing direction and fire a cannon into the city every half hour at night, so that the Song army in the city will be in panic all day long and dare not sleep.
Consume them to death.
This strategy was quite successful. When the Ming army attacked the city the next day, the Song army was in a daze and lacked energy due to the continuous bombardment last night. The Ming army attacked the city wall several times, and relied on Wang Yan to lead them out several times. The elite pushed back, barely holding on to the city wall.
The Ming army then continued the night bombardment, preventing the Song army from having a good rest throughout the night, and Wang Yan was unable to have a good rest. When they attacked the city on the third day, the Ming army clearly felt that the resistance in the city was much weaker and even unsustainable. .
Zhang Yuejing then invested more troops and horses, sending the best of the best to join the battle on the city, killing a large number of Song soldiers at the top of the city and giving them a violent blow.
At the same time, the Ming army itself also suffered heavy casualties.
The casualties in the past two months combined are not as many as the casualties in these three days.
But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to break through Xiangyang City, break through the city, and rescue the poor people inside.
Maybe they are dying now, but the sooner the city is breached, the more people will survive, and their pain will be reduced.
This is the top priority now.
For this task, the Ming soldiers attacked the city like crazy, almost forgetting their own lives, and tried their best to kill more Song soldiers. One Ming soldier even fell down while holding three Song soldiers. Examples of battles on city walls.
The ferocious momentum of the Ming army's siege greatly shocked Wang Yan. He had never thought that the Ming army's true all-out siege would be like this.
Not to mention the routine bombardment and night raids, the combat effectiveness and combat literacy displayed by the Ming army soldiers in the hand-to-hand combat on top of the city also greatly shocked him.
Even if there are only two or three people left, the Ming army soldiers will form small military formations and cooperate with each other to fight.
Their tactics are very skilled, and everyone can complete their tasks well, achieving the effect of one plus one greater than two, which can often cause great damage to the soldiers of the Song Army.
The Song Army could hardly encounter Ming Army soldiers fighting alone, and once the Ming Army soldiers formed street fighting groups, the Song Army would have to pay huge casualties to eliminate them.
His most elite direct troops were all powerful and powerful. They were powerful elites specially selected by him to be used in the final decisive victory. However, more than half of them were lost in these three days of fighting.
Even if there is only one soldier left in the Ming army, they will fight to the death. They will never surrender or lay down their weapons. Even if they fall off the city wall with the enemy in their arms, they will not give up the fight. Their fighting will is so high that it scares Wang Yan.
Why did they attack the city so fiercely?
Why can only one person continue to charge and fight instead of collapsing and retreating?
Who are the Ming army?
What kind of group of people is he fighting?
Wang Yan couldn't figure it out.
What he was even more worried about was that all his elite troops would be wiped out by the end of the battle. How could he survive this day?
But he soon won't have to worry.
Because the city is broken.
