"The emperor ordered me to go to Shuofang, the other side of the city."
In the second year of Yuanshuo in the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu sent Wei Qing to lead an army to attack the Xiongnu, regained the vast land south of Hetao, and established Shuofang County in the valley area south of Yinshan Mountain. Later, he sent people to build the Great Wall at the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain, and established Shuofang County and ten counties under its jurisdiction.
Since then, Shuofang has become an important border defense town due north of Chang'an, and Jilu Fort was built at the location where the Wuding River, a tributary of the great river, flows through the Great Wall, becoming the most important military stronghold in the entire region.
If it is broken, foreign enemies can drive straight down and point their troops towards Guanzhong. The situation is the same as that of Youzhou to Luoyang. Therefore, Shuofang stationed heavy troops for a long time and used strong generals to suppress them.
However, since Liang Shidu occupied Shuofang County in rebellion at the end of the Sui Dynasty and attached himself to the Eastern Turks, this important frontier pass has basically lost its role. Moreover, because Liang Shidu himself has Turkic ancestry, he is Zhao Deyan's secret junior disciple;
Once they are willing to let go of the Great Wall defense and allow Turkic wolves to enter, and the Turks also have ambitions beyond robbery, the situation will be much more serious. For the past Central Plains dynasties, it was simply a crisis of national subjugation.
It is precisely because of this that when the border was full of defensive loopholes, Zhao Qing showed her attitude of taking the initiative to regain control of the Great Wall as quickly as possible, blocking this shortcoming in Shuofang before the Turkic army arrived, thereby reducing the vulnerability of the soldiers and civilians in Guanzhong. loss.
In addition to dedicating half of the troops to march into Yunzhong and Wuyuan to capture Liu Wuzhou's separatist rule there, the remaining 50,000 expeditionary troops rushed towards Shuofang City, aiming to break the Liang division capital first and then rely on the Great Wall. , formally clashed with the Turkic army in Wuding River City.
Due to the production of many engines to replace animal power, the efficiency of marching baggage was greatly improved, and the consumption of food and grass was significantly reduced. The speed of the forward advance was quite astonishing. In less than half a month, it entered the scope of Shuofang County and was defeated in the encounter. The defenders of Liangshidu.
The Jilusai and the nearby Hongshixia section of the Great Wall obviously rely on the geographical location for external defense and do not have much advantage internally. With both sides having equal strength and superior technology, the Turkic army A few days before arriving south, this area was finally successfully recovered;
Liang Shidu led only 20 to 30% of the remnant army and retreated to the ancient city of Tongwan located on the edge of Wuding River and Mu Us Desert. Relying on the fortified city and complex landforms and weather to defend and counterattack, he barely waited until the first batch of 80,000 people arrived. Turkic reinforcements formed a state of confrontation.
…
At a mountain barrier made of red stones, towering upwards, ringed like a screen, and with a crack in the middle, the Wuding River flows through a broken stream more than ten feet wide. The east and west cliffs face each other. It is steep and majestic and very spectacular.
The Great Wall climbs mountains and ridges from the infinite distance in the northeast, connects to the east side of the cliff break, and then continues its journey from the west cliff to an invisible distance beyond the field of vision. It adds to the power of the Chicken Deer Stop and makes everyone who sees it marvel.
The red gorge reflects the sun and shines brightly.
Of the more than 20,000 expeditionary troops stationed in and around Jilusai, only half of them are on guard against possible attacks by the Turks at any time. More than half of them are using various recently modified excavation tools and are busy digging for the entire area. Dredge lanes in Hongshixia Defense Zone.
In this area where there are wilderness, desert, canyons, plains, and thousands of ravines, it is much more difficult than usual to put new tanks and various vehicles into combat, and a large number of solutions need to be solved. problem, and their flexibility and mobility were obviously suppressed by the Turkic cavalry.
It has to be said that the Turks took the lead and blocked the Anguo army from the grasslands where the terrain was flat and easy to charge, thereby avoiding a direct confrontation with the killing weapons. It was indeed a very clever strategy, which greatly smoothed out the opponent. The advantages.
There is no doubt that the ability to adapt to changing terrain conditions and give full play to the advantages of concentrated strength under high technology is the focus of this battle for Wuding River, and even determines the outcome of the overall battle between the two sides.
After the vanguard troops regained Hongshixia, due to the limited baggage they carried, the army still had to wait for the arrival of several subsequent batches of key materials, such as coal, refined steel, mechanical parts, etc., before it could pass the adaptability stage and exert sufficient power according to local conditions. the power of.
After several days of confrontation and several small-scale conflicts, the expeditionary force repelled the remnants of Liang Shidu's army, the Turkic "double-gun general" Yan Lihui and the "Jiangmen" in the desert field with a loss ratio of 1 to 15. The attack organized by Mu Tiexiong, the Lion, has basically established an advantage in the local area, and a temporary fortification "Wuding Fort" was built in front of Jilu Village as an outpost beyond the Great Wall.
However, according to news from the Turks, the number of the second batch of Turkic reinforcements will be as high as more than 200,000. In addition to the 120,000 Golden Wolf Army under the direct command of Jieli, the rest are sent by various ethnic groups on the grassland. an army of servants, and more than two hundred thousand slaves who were taken captive to work;
Together with the original Tongwancheng defenders and the remnants of Liang Division, the first batch of Turkic forwards, known as a million-strong army, will gradually arrive in the Wuding River area in the next month, launching a truly brutal and large-scale attack. The battle aims to re-open the border of the Great Wall and drive straight in.
…
On this afternoon, at the city wall west of Jilu Sai, between the two giant 300-stone crossbows, Shuanglong Gao Zhong and Xu Ziling, who were accompanying the army on the expedition, were talking to their new friend Yang Gongqing, discussing the future of the war. .
Yang Gongqing was originally one of the leaders of the rebel army in the late Sui Dynasty. He had already accepted the recruitment. Because of his outstanding performance in the subsequent battles, he was appointed as the captain of Zhechong, commanding 1,200 troops.
I saw that he looked slightly older, with a medium build, and always had a gentle smile on his face. He was holding a telescope that was issued to every three hundred people by the captain, and he was looking at the dust covered dozens of miles away. In the middle, Tongwan Gucheng, which looked completely white, took the initiative and said:
"Tongwan City is located to the north of Shuofang and south of Black Water. It was built hundreds of years ago by Helianbobo, the lord of Xixia, who led hundreds of thousands of people to build it. This person did not originally have this surname. He seemed to be Tiefu or something, but he was arrogant by nature. , thinking that 'the emperor is connected to Heaven as his son, and is Huihe, actually connected with Heaven', so he changed his surname to Helian."
"Back then, when Helian Bobo came to the Wuding River, he shouted 'Beautiful Sifu', built a capital on the spot, and became the Kingdom of Daxia. To unify Wan was to 'unify the world and rule over all nations'. After the capital was established, it has always been the meander of the river. A political and military fortress on the plateau.”
"Although the city is no longer as grand as it was when it was built, and much of the lower half of the city wall has been buried by wind and sand, its solidity is still very famous on the grassland. According to legend, the way it was built was to use a special kind of soil mixed with cattle. Layers of sheep’s blood are laid, and then firewood is piled for barbecue.”
"Every time a layer was built, Helian Bobo ordered the soldiers to tap it with a big iron cone. If the cone penetrated even an inch, the wall builder would be killed; if the cone did not penetrate, the soldier would be killed instead. As you can imagine, the strong iron cone built in this way Is a fortress strong enough to sharpen a sword or an ax?"
Hearing that the fortified city he was about to conquer had such a bloody history of building it, Kou Zhong couldn't help but take a breath, but recalling the scene where they were called by Lu Miaozi to test new weapons, he quickly became calm again and changed the subject:
"Even hundreds of years ago, Tongwan City, which was considered indestructible at that time, was not captured and lost by the Northern Wei army. What's more, our army's equipment and weapons are improving with each passing day, which is far beyond the reach of the old dynasty? Command your troops to capture Tongwan, and establish a Magnificent military exploits are what I, Kou Zhong, pursue in life."
"Speaking of which, Uncle Yang, you are so old and you should be enjoying the happiness at home, but you are also here to make achievements? Do you need my help and care for the next battle?"
However, Kou Zhong, who saw Yang Gongqing's mediocre martial arts skills, shook his head when he saw him, and gave the opposite explanation: "Yang has been in the HD uprising for ten years since his great cause, and he has never failed. He has never seen anything, but he has never You can imagine the grand occasion of the new dynasty now."
Glancing at the soldiers who were actively building fortifications under the city wall, Yang Gongqing smiled and said: "I used to study scriptures and thought that the wealthy and powerful families had become corrupt in their hearts and were not qualified to bring happiness and stability to the people. Moreover, this situation is difficult. be broken."
"Later, I gathered my brothers to rebel, but it was not to change this unbearable world, but just out of my own will, to expand my power and avenge the murderer of my family... People in the clan do many evil things, and He should pay the price he deserves."
Judging from Yang Gongqing's expression that the opponent must have avenged his vengeance, Kou Zhong's mind moved slightly, thinking of the wealthy disciples in Guanzhong who were purged for colluding with the Turks before the expedition, as well as the Jingzhao Alliance and the Weishui League that once dominated Guanzhong for a while. The complete destruction of the big gangs.
In this "Jingzhao Major Case", even Li Yuan, the top-ranked Li clan among the four clans, was unable to save his eldest son Li Jiancheng, who had no ties with the Demon Sect and the Turks. By the way, he had to find out An Long, another large chamber of commerce in Shu, who was actually the leader of the Demon Sect Tianlian Sect, was eliminated.
If there were no accidents, after several rounds of reexamination, Li Jiancheng and others should have ended up being executed, making Yang Gongqing, who had succeeded in "revenge", willing to die for Zhao Qing.
As far as Kou Zhong knows, there are definitely not a few soldiers in the expeditionary force like Yang Gongqing who advocate overthrowing the clans. If this battle achieves amazing achievements, it will bring the clan system further to the edge of collapse and destroy The original old times.
As if recalling his family members who were killed, Yang Gongqing couldn't help but fell into an unspeakable silence. He and Kou Zhong, who had taken the time to practice martial arts, stayed at the top of the city for two hours. Then he received the order from the commander to send a surprise force to attack at night. , and decisively signed up to participate in this campaign.
…
A boundless silence enveloped the prairie at dusk. The sun, which was about to sink below the horizon, spit out its glow before being swallowed up by the earth, dyeing the western sky red.
Tongwan City stands in front, and various camps are scattered outside the city. This white city fortress is composed of the east city, the west city and the outer city. There are protruding square piers at the four corners of the city, which dominate the city wall and add a lot of momentum.
As we all know, the Turks are good at attacking but not good at defending, especially when defending such a fortified city that has never existed on the prairie. Although they have received help from Zhao Deyan, Shi Zhixuan and other people who are good at Central Plains tactics, they still prefer to adopt the method of setting up tents and fortifications.
In addition to the important stronghold of Tongwan City and the dozen or so original affiliated fortresses on the edge of the city, the Turkic Wolf Army was roughly divided into two locations to set up camp, with the Wuding River area as the main one and the upper reaches of another Hailiu Tu River as the secondary.
The main camp of Wuding River is located across the river. The camp on the north bank covers an area ten times larger than the camp on the south bank. The camp on the south bank is smaller, with only more than 500 tents. It is protected by trenches and wooden fences, and there are twelve archery towers. , can accommodate five thousand people.
If there is only this stronghold, the expeditionary force will be defeated in one attack, but if there is a response from the big stronghold on the other side, it is another matter.
The Dazhai on the north bank stretches for more than ten miles, pressing on the Jilu Fortress in the east and Wuding Fort in the south. It complies with the rules of setting up camp and setting up fire alarms, stopping disturbances, cherishing water and grass, issuing night calls, setting up lights, etc., and becomes an invading army. The campsite and headquarters guard the strategic location in the middle reaches of Wuding River District.
Relying on the protection of a large number of archery towers, trenches, and pits, both sides have sufficient functions of self-reinforcement and strangulation of the enemy, allowing the Turkic Wolf Army to rely on and guarantee when they form a battle array. "The military decree.
The powerful military stronghold, which is at an angle to Tongwan City ten miles away, can make the border guards intimidated and hesitate whether it is worth taking the risk to attack from the relative safety of the city wall.
Looking at the current power of the enemy camp, one can tell that the Turks are not only prepared this time, but also have a long-term fighting attitude, intending to rely on their absolute superiority in strength to forcefully advance and eliminate the expeditionary force ahead.
…
Under the magnificent starry sky, a bright moon hung diagonally on the eastern horizon, and the earth was covered with darkness.
The undulating dark yellow sand dunes on the desert stretch from the feet to the horizon in all directions. Clusters of sand willows, sparse or dense, are everywhere dotted with the yellow wasteland made of endless sand and soil in front of them. Covered with a thin layer of green clothing, it is riddled with holes and mottled yellow and green, forming a unique landscape of desolation, coldness and barrenness.
At night in the desert, the temperature drops much faster than in normal weather. In the winter season, it only takes one or two hours after sunset to reach the temperature that can condense solid ice. The environment is so harsh that ordinary soldiers There is no way to move at all.
However, with enough warm clothes and the heat produced by various types of mechanical coal burning, two thousand elites joined by Gao Zhong, Xu Ziling, Yang Gongqing and others took advantage of the night and undulating terrain to secretly make a large circle. , rushed towards Tongwan City from the side and rear, but were not discovered in advance by the Turkic scouts.
Through long-distance exploration through telescopes, they quickly saw several large, half-moon-shaped outer trenches outside Tongwan City under the dim yellow night. They were wide and deep, covering the eastern and southern lines and ending at the turrets on both sides.
Outside the pit is an artificial mound that is three feet high and stretches throughout the trench. It is made of sand, mud and stones dug out from the trench. Its own defense is weak, but combined with the trench, it can greatly strengthen the barrier. The function prevents the enemy from rashly crossing the trench and can only shoot from a long distance outside the trench.
There are two eyebrow-like sand pits in the outer moat. One side is connected to the outer moat, and the other side ends at the partition wall. The scale is half of the outer moat, and it is no more than four feet deep. It serves to strengthen the blocking force of the outer moat.
In addition, there are thousands of floating sand pits that are invisible on the surface. They are made of water, sand and mud. Once you sink enough, it will be difficult to escape for a while, no matter whether it is people, horses, or wheels.
At present, it seems that they may have received guidance from experts. Although these fortifications look quite ordinary and are far less spectacular than the tall white walls that stretch thousands of feet in Tongwan City, their practicality is not weak at all. They are very important to the expeditionary force. The main force, that is, the heavy tanks are extremely restricted.
In addition, due to the constant flying of desert dust, precision weapons with insufficient sealing are prone to malfunction, causing adverse effects.
Turning around a mound that blocks the view, you can see tens of thousands of huge stones piled up near a fort outside the city, each of which has sharp edges and corners. They were collected by the Turks. Prepare items that will be used to create a stone barrier during the day.
If in a formal battle, you want to clear a large area of fixed stone obstacles in front of you that are spaced five or six feet apart and only allow people and horses to pass through, so as to obtain a smooth path for the chariot to advance, you will obviously have to pay an extra price and let the engineers become the main force of the Turkic cavalry. target.
Although they had already expected the Turks' methods, Kou Zhong and others, who had detected these lines of defense and knew the opponent's strategy, were still secretly frightened, and decided to immediately activate the newly developed high-end weapons and launch a powerful of night raids.
"Arson Flying Kite", "City-Splitting Super Heavy Crossbow", "Shock Disruptor", these are the names of the ordnance this elite will use, and will have an unprecedented negative impact on the Turkic defenders inside and outside the city.
...(End of chapter)
