When the first ray of sunshine in the morning shone on the top of the Metasequoia City, the warning bells in the city had already sounded in all directions.
Twenty large phalanxes composed of 50,000 Loulan troops and 30,000 Chechi troops are currently targeting Metasequoia City and advancing forward like a rainbow.
The Loulan Army, who were wearing mud-yellow leather armor, looked like locusts blocking out the sun from a distance. The densely packed hook guns reflected the sunlight and continued to shine dazzlingly in the formation.
The Chechi warriors wearing chain armor and pointed helmets held high their large shields and scimitars, and the vast team could not be seen to the side at a glance.
Thousands of colorful flags, representing hundreds of different divisions and battalions of the Loulan Army and the Chechi Army, flaunted their might against the approaching Metasequoia City, as if they wanted to steadily overpower the defenders in terms of momentum. One of the troops.
According to the original plan of the Marquis of Durham, the coalition forces were supposed to make a surprise attack at night last night, launch a series of fierce attacks on the city with lightning speed, and conquer the seemingly fragile Metasequoia in one fell swoop.
However, Duolun, the leader of the Turkic Iron Pigeon Army, and Gerhan, the king of Chechi, stood up in a tacit understanding and promptly dissuaded the Marquis from this bold idea. The two of them had suffered heavy losses in this ghost place called Metasequoia, and they were still afraid of the cunning Li Jiangyao. Naturally, they did not want to see the coalition force take advantage of the opponent's trap as soon as they arrived.
Duolun specifically reminded Durham that when they were robbed and killed by metasequoia soldiers and horses a few days ago, the combat power displayed by the other party was by no means a simple mob, but had the ability to forcibly retain 500 golden-armored elites. The regular army, therefore, must not take this battle lightly.
Alik Jiang also suggested that Durham should not be in a hurry because he considered that his troops had traveled a long distance and needed adequate rest. In any case, Metasequoia couldn't grow legs and run away. It wouldn't be too late to wait until dawn the next day to crush the remnants of Shengtang with a powerful lineup.
Although Durham was slightly dissatisfied, the three generals all agreed that he should not be too stubborn. After all, it was the Loulan Army and Che Chi Army who were fighting. If only his men were here, they wouldn't have to pay so much attention and just start the fight happily.
At present, the kings of Loulan, Chechi and Chi have given themselves enough face. Not only did they immediately stop the internal strife, but they also led their troops to attack Metasequoia. This small request of "rest for a night and fight again tomorrow" was agreed to. . Moreover, our side has an absolute advantage and can be said to be a sure win. What Lord Durham really needs to consider is whether to carry out a massacre in the future to avenge the five hundred guards. As for whether to fight tonight or tomorrow, It doesn't matter at all.
So, Durham nodded in agreement, and according to Duolun's idea, they started a decent siege the next day.
Another question is who holds the command. In view of the fact that all those participating in the war were troops from the Western Xinjiang Alliance, it was really difficult for the Turkic Deputy Marshal to command these people. Therefore, the Marquis of Durham appointed Alik Jiang as the leader of the Western Xinjiang Alliance and the commander-in-chief of the siege operations. Geerhan assisted as the deputy commander. He himself, together with Doron, sat in the rear and was responsible for supervising the battle.
Duolun was originally supposed to stay at the Chechi Palace and organize a "tracing party" with Prince Gunie, but he was worried that something might happen again in Metasequoia City, which was full of tricks, so he put aside the task of finding the princess for the time being. Follow Durham all the way to Metasequoia to watch the battle, so that he can give advice to the deputy marshal when necessary. For example, last night, Durham was promptly dissuaded from the reckless behavior of underestimating the enemy and attacking the city overnight.
However, what Duolun did not expect was that it was precisely his kindness that caused the coalition forces to miss the only opportunity to defeat Metasequoia.
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The three-way drum sounded, and the leader of the Western Xinjiang Alliance, Ali Kejiang, wearing full armor and holding a horizontal sword, stood in front of the army formation, looking very confident.
He knew that his mortal enemy Geerhan had suffered heavy losses in Metasequoia City, and finally came back defeated. Therefore, Alek Jiang wanted to use today's battle to establish his prestige and completely suppress Che Chiguo and Geerhan, so as to prevent that guy from worrying about the throne of the alliance leader all day long and antagonizing him in various ways.
More importantly, the Turkic deputy marshal and the famous Golden Tribe general Marquis Durham is at the rear of the position, watching his every move. He must also seize this opportunity and prove to the Turks with iron-clad facts. The position of leader of the Xijiang Alliance is by no means free.
With this idea in mind, Alek Jiang ordered his men to advance the entire army five hundred steps forward as a whole. When they were close to the bow and arrow range of the city, they would stop and line up, stabilize their positions, and then call for surrender. If the other party is wise and surrenders obediently, then everything will be easy; but if the defenders of Metasequoia City are stubborn and dare to resist his power, then they will immediately divide the army into four groups and aim at the city gates in the east, west, north and south. , launched a fierce attack together.
This style of play is commonly known as "crushing".
Alik Jiang secretly calculated in his heart: A small Metasequoia City, placed in the entire Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang, is unknown. Even if it gathers a large number of defeated soldiers who escaped from the Crescent Bay, how exaggerated can its combat power be? With all their calculations, they can't stand up to the sky with tens of thousands of people. Eighty thousand coalition troops attack at the same time. They have an absolutely crushing advantage in every direction. How can they be invincible?
However, unexpectedly, as soon as Alekjiang's order was issued, before the Western Xinjiang Allied Forces had time to move, the gate of Metasequoia City in the distance suddenly opened. Twenty thousand Metasequoia garrison troops lined up and rushed out of the city to form formations.
"Hey?! They actually came out?" Durham, who was in the rear, leaned up on the saddle, looked out from afar with his hand curtains on, and said in surprise: "This Metasequoia City is interesting, how dare you abandon the fortifications and go out to fight? !”
Duolun was also puzzled and couldn't understand why Li Jiangyao was so stupid.
"Hahaha..." Seeing the other party leaving the city, Alekjiang suddenly showed his signature arrogant expression and laughed: "The little Metasequoia cub took the initiative to die, God help me!"
Since the other party has such courage, it seems that even shouting for surrender can be dispensed with. Alike Jiang pulled out his sword and pointed forward: "Pass my general's order. Che Chi's army will be on standby. Loulan's warriors, advance across the board!"
Following his order, the eight Loulan infantry phalanxes at the front began to move, while the other two cavalry formations protected the left and right wings and moved forward simultaneously. Alek Jiang led the Chinese army to suppress the formation and was ready to launch a general charge at any time.
The seven Che Chi Army formations located on the left side of the entire coalition line remained in place according to his order.
Almost at the same time, the Metasequoia garrison, which had already set up a formation outside the city, was steadily advancing towards the Loulan Army on the opposite side to the exciting sound of war drums.
The 20,000 metasequoia warriors who came out of the city to fight were divided into three horizontal formations commonly used by the Shengtang army.
In the front row is a wooden oar shield that is nearly one person tall. The huge shield spread out in a line, forming a protective wall for the entire formation. Positioned in the second row are the spearmen. When the enemy rushes to the front of the shield wall, they can pierce the enemy with their spears through the gap in the shield to kill the opponent. The third row is the sword, shield, and axemen. They are the main force in hand-to-hand combat. They are all composed of strong, brave and fearless warriors, ready to break through the formation at any time. At the very back are three rows of archers. Standing in three rows is to facilitate rotation of shooting, and is specifically responsible for destroying enemy troops from a long distance.
After careful training by Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang, this local garrison force with an extremely complex composition and uneven basic qualities has now begun to take shape as a regular army. The only thing lacking is the cruel experience on the battlefield.
Facing the Western Xinjiang rebels who had defeated the main force of Shengtang in Crescent Bay, the Metasequoia soldiers did not show the slightest fear. On the contrary, they closely followed the beat of the war drums and the shouts of the leading officers, marching neatly. Welcome the Loulan people.
The two sides got closer and closer, until the two armies were less than 500 steps apart, the drums at the top of the city suddenly stopped, and the metasequoia warriors shouted in unison: "Huha!" The entire army stopped at the same time, thousands of people rowing oars. The shield suddenly hit the ground, gathering into a loud bang.
Twenty thousand soldiers are like one person, marching in unison and moving neatly, which is extremely shocking just from the visual perspective. Between the start and end of the army, it was revealed everywhere that this was a strong army that should not be underestimated.
Alike Jiang and the Loulan Army were the first to bear the brunt and could not help but be shocked by this scene.
Three metasequoia phalanxes stood so quietly in front of them, as if to remind the Loulan people that this was not a simple phalanx, but a movable metasequoia city.
If you have the guts, come and give it a try!
At this moment, the ten Loulan Army formations with eight steps and two cavalry in front were still advancing towards the Metasequoia Army. However, the sudden stop of the Metasequoia Army immediately caused considerable interference to their rhythm. Many Loulan soldiers were confused in a daze, not knowing whether to enter or stop.
When two armies confront each other, rhythm is one of the most critical factors. If the rhythm is out of order, you will inevitably fall into a dilemma. The Metasequoia defenders can achieve the effect of disrupting the enemy's rhythm with just a single movement and silence, which shows the skill of their commanders.
Durham and Doron, who were watching the battle from behind, were both experienced warriors and naturally had good vision. Seeing this situation, the two of them suddenly began to feel worried for Alec.
"Don't hesitate at this time, rush!" "Hurry up and rush!" Geerhan and Duolun shouted almost at the same time.
Faced with such a measured army, the best strategy is to use the morale that has been built up to rush forward and crush the opponent, trying to regain the rhythm. On the contrary, the most taboo thing at the moment is to follow the other person's pace, be led by others, and then fall into passivity.
However, it is a pity that the leader of the Western Xinjiang Alliance, His Highness Alekjiang, is still a few ranks behind the level of the two Turkic generals.
Alick Jiang was affected by the calm demeanor of the Metasequoia Army and was worried that something might go wrong if he pressed forward rashly. Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, he immediately ordered the trumpet to be blown, causing the main infantry phalanx to stop temporarily to observe the strength of the opponent. At the same time, the cavalry on both wings were instructed to move forward quickly and launch a probing attack.
The Loulan cavalry, with three thousand men on each side, immediately whipped their horses and whipped their horses after receiving the king's order. They quickly passed over the stopped infantry and clamped towards the two sides of the Metasequoia Army like the two jaws of a huge iron pincer.
