The shouts of killing resounded outside Changzhou City.
More than 10,000 light infantrymen of Jushi's Fifth Army were divided into four echelons and launched a fierce attack on the first military fort outside Changzhou.
Two hundred giant crossbows from the Shenji Battalion were pushed to the forward position. The buzzing sound of the bow strings was heard endlessly. The spear-like crossbow arrows were like raindrops, splashing against the stone wall, sending debris flying across the fort.
While dodging the fierce blows of the giant crossbows, the rebels fired arrows with all their strength to prevent the Fifth Army from approaching the fortress.
At the same time, two nearby military forts also fired at the soldiers of the Zhenjiang Army on the offensive route, constantly killing and injuring the siege troops.
The Fifth Army showed great strength. Braving the heavy rain of arrows, they charged bravely and quickly reached the military fort. The temporary wooden and stone fortress is not as tall and strong as the city. The only thing that can be relied on is the trench in front of the stone fort.
The trench, which is more than three feet wide, is filled with densely packed sharp stakes. If you lose your footing and fall, your life will be in danger. Many soldiers in Xinjiang were unfortunately shot by rebel archers on the fortress when they were using bamboo ladders to cross trenches. They turned over and fell into the trench to their deaths.
However, even though it was so dangerous, it did not scare the Zhenjiang Army. The soldiers came one after another, and more and more people broke through the trenches and gathered under the stone castle. In the blink of an eye,
Dozens of long ladders were erected on the stone wall. The soldiers held knives in their mouths and held up their shields, climbing up quickly.
The drums of the charge beat louder and louder, and passionate shouts came from the formation at the rear. Everyone was cheering for their comrades ascending the city, and the sound became louder and louder.
The next moment, hundreds of Xinjiang warriors successfully boarded the military fort and started a fierce battle with the rebels.
At this moment, the gate of a nearby military fort suddenly opened and the suspension bridge was quickly lowered. Hundreds of enemies swept in and flanked the attacking troops.
Although they were small in number, they also caused a certain amount of interference to the Zhenjiang Army, causing subsequent reinforcements to fail to follow up in time, causing the soldiers who had already captured the fortress to fall into a bitter battle with an outnumbered enemy.
Soon, the number of rebels in Shibao increased, and the few remaining Zhenjiang troops were all killed in the battle, making a heroic sacrifice on the top of the city.
Xiong Yunjie saw this from a distance and was so angry that his eyes burst into flames. He quickly issued an order, asking the leading captain on the front line to immediately send the second echelon to attack to replace the first echelon that suffered heavy casualties.
In fact, he didn't need to say anything, the captain had already launched the second wave of charges.
The soldiers of the second echelon received the order, and some of them attacked the rebel troops who came for reinforcements. The other part crossed the trench along the bamboo ladder, aimed at the walls and gates of the military fort, and attacked simultaneously.
Since the first echelon attacked bravely and killed many defenders, and the second echelon responded very quickly, barely giving the rebels any chance to breathe, so the enemy was already showing fatigue at this time, and its defensive strength was not as good as before.
The Zhenjiang Army has rich combat experience. When it sees the situation, it immediately seizes the opportunity and continuously puts more pressure on the enemy. The offensive is fierce one after another.
At the same time, the giant crossbows of the Shenji Battalion also began to change directions and fired intensively at the nearby military fort to suppress the troublemaking shooters there.
Soon, the stormed military fort burst into flames, and crackling wood bursts occurred one after another. The rebels guarding the fortress were killed and abandoned their armor. They fled their positions in droves and retreated to the attached city further back.
In more than an hour and with more than a thousand casualties, Sun Chuanshu's first outer military fort was captured.
The Fifth Army did not stop, and then sent the third echelon to attack the next target.
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Taihu Lake, located on the southern edge of the Yangtze River Delta, is also known as Zhenze and Five Lakes.
This huge lake is uniquely endowed with a vast area and rich products. Since ancient times, it has been a land of plenty, nourishing more than a dozen states, counties, and countless people within a thousand miles.
Li Jiang stood on the bow of the boat and looked at the boundless, sparkling lake, and couldn't help but be filled with emotion.
In the past few days, he has been visiting people's livelihood nearby and heard a lot of things.
Ever since the Xuanjia Army left Luoyi, the eastern capital, and seized the fertile land in the south of the Yangtze River, the people here have never had a good life.
Neither Lao Jianhua nor Li Zhang are capable of good governance. They are good at conspiracy and fighting for political power, but they know nothing about developing the economy or improving people's livelihood. On the contrary, under the increasingly urgent military pressure from the imperial court, Lao Jianhua and others extorted money and raped young men in the Jiangnan area. The situation became more and more serious day by day, making people's lives miserable.
The southeastern half, which was originally known for its prosperity and comfort, is now almost in dire straits.
Even so, the Jin Palace in Hangzhou continued to issue orders, requiring local governments to increase efforts to collect taxes. At the same time, evil things such as forcibly recruiting villagers into the army and robbing private grain stocks often occurred.
The people near Taihu Lake have long been looking forward to the imperial army coming to quell the rebellion.
This is a good phenomenon, Li Jiangyao thought in his heart. Before setting off, the issue he was most worried about was whether the Jiangnan area would gradually become dissident as it was separated from the control of the imperial court for a long time. Under the temptation of the rebels, he would be hostile to the Xinjiang Army from the bottom of his heart.
Especially if the sons, husbands, and brothers of the common people join the rebel army and die on the battlefield, will they form a blood feud with the Xinjiang Army?
This issue will directly affect what strategies and attitudes should be adopted in the counter-insurgency war.
After searching and understanding, Li Jiangyao deeply felt that most people still understand the righteousness. They knew that it was not the Holy Tang court, nor the Suppressing Army, but those abominable rebellious ministers and traitors, and the rebel Li Zhang who treated the common people as nothing more than those who harmed them.
Li Jiangyao knows very well how important the people's support is to a war, and only the support of the people is the key factor that truly determines the outcome of the war.
It was like this back then in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang, and it is still like this now in the misty rainy south of the Yangtze River.
Comparatively speaking, the feelings of the people in Jiangnan towards Shengtang are far stronger than the people in Western Xinjiang's identification with Shengtang.
With this foundation, Li Jiangyao is full of confidence in the counterinsurgency war. He asked Han Wenhao to hire a boat, set off from the north bank of Taihu Lake, turn eastward, visit Suzhou first, and then continue to Hangzhou.
Boating on the lake, surrounded by vast mist, has a unique poetic quality. Li Jiangyao stood alone on the bow of the boat, feeling the gentle breeze on the lake. He leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, but his mind had already flown past the 36,000 hectares of magnificent Taihu Lake, heading straight to the Changzhou battlefield.
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In three days, the brave and tenacious Fifth Army conquered four fortresses in succession, and the troops approached the two newly built auxiliary fortifications outside Changzhou City.
And this attack speed was far beyond Sun Chuanshu's expectations, forcing him to re-examine the terrifying combat power of the Zhenjiang Army.
Well-trained and fearless.
This was the deepest impression left on him by Zhenjiang Army.
"The army that can sweep away the Turkic cavalry by itself is indeed worthy of its reputation." Sun Chuanshu stood at the top of Changzhou City, looking at the fortresses in the distance that were either burning or collapsing, or with the banner of Zhenjiang, and said coldly: "I originally thought that the four military forts could last at least ten days and a half, but I didn't expect that all the forts fell after only three days. The opponent's strength was really terrifying."
The men beside him responded solemnly: "But the price they paid is not small. I made a rough estimate just now and the casualties of the Suppression Army should be more than 6,000."
Sun Chuanshu shook his head: "So what? Only their fifth army is currently engaged in the attack, followed by the second army and the ninth army. It can be said that the casualties of 6,000 people, for Du Jian, are even more serious. Not even the movement of muscles or bones.”
Hearing what he said, his subordinates sighed helplessly: "It is true. They have many soldiers and generals, and they have sufficient food, grass and arrows. If they continue to consume like this, we will not be able to hold on."
Sun Chuanshu looked at the setting sun in the distance and murmured: "Over in Huzhou, Lord Ye Rongcheng was also bitten by the First Army and the Sixth Army of Zhenjiang. The original plan was to send troops to sneak attack Du Jian's army's food road to solve the problem of Changzhou. This dangerous strategy may be difficult to implement. Once the two attached cities are also captured by the enemy, Changzhou will become an isolated city."
The subordinate hesitated for a moment and said: "I heard from my humble position that His Royal Highness the King of Jin and the Prime Minister of Labor are recruiting new troops in Hangzhou, and government troops from all over the south are also gathering one after another. As long as we hold on for a month or two, help will arrive."
Sun Chuanshu showed a bitter smile: "That's true, but we are not laymen, and we know very well what the new army and the government soldiers mean. Look at the opposite side, it is a real tiger and wolf army, they will be afraid of the new army ?Do you care about the soldiers?"
"So what are the general's plans?" his subordinates tried to ask.
Sun Chuanshu sighed softly and did not answer the other party's question directly: "Back then, I was framed by my colleagues and investigated by the Nilian Division. I thought that this would be the case for the rest of my life. It was Mr. Lao who gave me a chance to be reborn and treated my family favorably. . Therefore, I have no other choice but to retaliate with death."
He turned around and said loudly to several generals: "The Zhenjiang Army will get Changzhou, but they must pay a hundred times a thousand times the price for it! I have made up my mind to die with them. If you are willing, just stay. Come down and accompany me. If you don't want to, I won't force you. I will give you tokens and find an excuse to withdraw to Suzhou and Hangzhou."
The subordinates looked at each other, waited for a moment, and then everyone handed over their hands at the same time:
"General Enyi, we are willing to follow you to the death!"
"Anyway, there won't be any good results if it falls into the hands of the imperial court. Let's fight!"
"Let the Zhenjiang Army know how powerful our Jin Army is!"
"Yes, even if the city is lost, they will be buried with them!"
Seeing that no one was timid to fight for survival, Sun Chuanshu nodded: "Okay, since everyone is determined to die, let's do something big! From now on, Changzhou City will be the bait for fishing, and everything will be done to kill as many people as possible. The enemy’s priority is!”
"General Sun, do you want to implement Zhu Rong's plan?" his subordinate asked.
A decisive and crazy look appeared on Sun Chuanshu's face: "That's right, Changzhou cannot be defended until the reinforcements arrive. I will use the power of Zhu Rong to drag the Zhenjiang Army to hell together!"
