In the early morning, a burst of white light appeared in the distant sky. In the southern city of Shouchun, the gates of the Han military camp were wide open, war drums were beating, and horns were blaring, which early alerted the Tang soldiers garrisoning the city.
Above the barbican, there were hundreds of guards, most of whom were still dim. They sensed the strange movements in the Han camp and did not react for a while. They guarded the city for almost the whole winter. Since the Han Emperor's personal army besieged the city, they had been trapped for two months without even a day of attack. For a long time, although He Jingzhu was behind the spurs, this mental slackness was Unavoidable, even numb.
Under the urn city, the city commander was huddled in a pile of thick hay, wrapped in a stained linen robe, sleeping peacefully. After being trapped in the city for two months, as a defender, how can the military appearance be tidy? If the officers are like this, one can only imagine what the soldiers below are like. There is inevitably a stench in the air, but after today, there will be more blood...
"Commander, there is something strange happening in the Han army!" Hundreds of generals at the top of the city came to report in a hurry.
"What's the noise!" The commander in charge of the city sensed the sound, waved his hand and slapped the generals, and said angrily: "I heard it, it must be the Han army, engaging in training and competition again!"
"No, the commander should hurry up to the city and take a look. The Han army is about to attack the city!" General Bai said nervously, regardless of the burning pain on his face.
After hearing this, the city commander's hazy eyes finally regained some clarity. He picked up the sword on his pillow and walked out, cursing: "If you lie about the military situation and disturb someone's good dream, I will never forgive you." you!"
He screamed fiercely, and when the commander of the Tang Army rushed to the top of the city and saw the scene below the city, he suddenly woke up and reached out to rub his eyes vigorously. The Han army's camp was rampant, less than three miles away from the city, and the Han army's movements were clearly visible.
A large number of Han troops poured out and formed a military formation with clear layers, battle flags flying, and murderous intent. There are sword and shield military formations on the left and right. The spear and shield military formation is spread out in the front half of the moon. In the middle is a large array of bows and crossbows with three thousand weapons. About two thousand horsemen are parading on both sides to provide support.
The most important thing is the big guys from the Han military camp who are slowly advancing forward, throwing carts, ladders, charging carts...
"Quick! Quick! Notify the generals and the Commander-in-Chief that the Han army is about to attack the city!" The hasty voice was almost startled from the voice of the city commander, who hurriedly ordered. Looking at the posture of the Han army, we can tell that this is definitely coming.
As the commander of the city, he was on the front line and shouldered heavy responsibilities. He was certainly not an incompetent person. All the guards on the city were immediately replaced. After all, the soldiers who had been on duty for half a night were exhausted physically and mentally and did not have much combat effectiveness. At the same time, he urgently dispatched his soldiers and put them on tight alert, while he himself counted the war weapons called "Thunderbolt Cannons" by the Han army.
One, two, three... I soon forgot to count, and from the Han army camp, there were a continuous stream of vehicles being thrown out and pushed out by the Han army.
In the south city of Shouchun, a large number of soldiers and young men continued to replenish defense supplies to the city head under the urging and scolding. Arrows, rolling stones, wood, bamboo rafts, sand, and dozens of pots were already set up on the city wall. A fire was started and the "golden soup" was brewed. The whole place was busy and chaotic.
As soon as he learned of the Han army's movements, He Jingzhu went to the city in armor and ordered the whole city to prepare for battle. In the city, in order to prepare for the Han army to fight, He Jingzhu made some emergency preparations in advance, but when the incident came, the efficiency of execution by the generals below was still too low.
In the chaos at the top of the city, He Jingzhu's short body stood firm like pines and bamboos in the wind, steadfastly looking at the Han army outside the city. At the foot of the south city, dominated by the Xiaodi Army, the Han army's siege formation has been firmly established, with black armor and black flags, a dense mass of black flags, which has a great visual impact.
In order to support Xiaodi's attack, Liu Chengyou mobilized many archers and crossbowmen from other armies to support him, and allocated 100,000 arrows for his use, plus two thousand cavalry troops to support him.
Of course, the most intimidating thing is the hundreds of thunder cannons that occupy a large amount of space in the Han army's formation. All military formations are mainly used to protect the "gun array".
After Liu Chengyou's personal expedition, he brought more than 100 thunderbolt cannons from Tokyo. After the army came to Shouchun, he hired the craftsmen who accompanied the expedition and built nearly 100 more. As for the kerosene bombs, he brought a total of 5,000. Liu Chengyou waved his hand and gave Sun Li 1,500.
After preparing for more than an hour, the Han army had not yet launched an attack, simply because the distribution of kerosene bombs and stone bombs was not completely in place.
On the top of the city, He Jingzhu took a deep breath and asked: "Is there any movement from the Han army in the other gates?"
Zhang Quanyue, the commander of the Baoxin Army, also came over at this time. He looked at the Han army formation outside the city solemnly and said, "I went to take a look. They were all dispatched and approaching the city wall, but there was not as much movement as here in Nancheng." !”
"It seems that the Han army will attack Nancheng as the main attack!" He Jingzhu pointed to the Han army outside the city and said: "The Han army stationed troops under the city and did not attack for two months. They retreated in the winter and then launched this move. The momentum of their attack on the city is We must attack, and we must be determined to break the city. Envoy Zhang, I will personally guard this side of the south city, and you will patrol the other three gates, and strictly urge the troops to guard the city!"
"Mr. He, take care!" He glanced outside the city a few more times. Black clouds were threatening to destroy the city. Without any regret, Zhang Quan saluted He Jingzhu and turned around to lead his soldiers.
Outside the city, in the Han army's formation, Sun Li and Gao Huaide stood side by side, looking at the majesty and majesty of the army, and their expressions were full of confidence. With a wave of his hand, he directly ordered: "First hit the city with stone bullets to see how hard this city is!"
As the order was given, the operators at the Thunderbolt Cannon immediately fired on the rocks. With a clear and clever sound, the polished stone bullets, carrying strong force, attacked Shouchun City.
At first, they were scattered, and most of them were inaccurate, but gradually, with the adjustment of the throwing car, although the attack was still not accurate, at least it hit the city.
Faced with such attack methods, the Tang army on the city could only passively endure, endure, and pray not to be hit. A stone bullet with the power of a thunderbolt will either die or be maimed as soon as the mortal body touches it.
Seeing the guards gradually scurrying about the city, He Jingzhu shouted sternly, asking his generals to restrain the soldiers, and killed many people before he stabilized himself, forcing the soldiers to hide behind the city wall, shivering.
But for the unlucky ones who were hit, the dead were shocked and the survivors screamed horribly. In just over half an hour, the Han army fired nearly 3,000 stone bullets towards the city.
Although the city of Shouchun was strong, it was also devastated. The damage caused to the Tang army was naturally not great, but the blow to the morale of the army was very serious. Although He Jingzhu wanted to face the Han army's flying rocks directly to increase his army's prestige, he was still dragged to the city to escape by his own soldiers.
Standing on the top of the city, there were no flying stones. The Han army's offensive had temporarily come to an end, but He Jingzhu did not relax at all. He knew clearly that the Han army would use kerosene bombs again. I still vaguely remember that when the Han army attacked the city early last year, the power of those kerosene bombs caused a lot of casualties even if they were prepared, and the tragedy was shocking. Even if the city is covered with a deep layer of sand, it is still difficult to defend against.
"Quick, prepare bamboo rafts and set them up on the top of the city!" He Jingzhu shouted.
Not long after, just as He Jingzhu expected, the Han army changed the kerosene bombs and repeated the previous adjustments and firings. Compared with stone bullets, although the impact force is less, the destructive power and lethality are quite different. Even if He Jingzhu had been prepared for it, this time it was no better than before. More than a thousand kerosene bombs burst out intensively. The sand, bamboo rafts, etc. were only a drop in the bucket.
Looking at the top of Shouchun City, the fire was soaring into the sky and thick smoke was rising. Even from a distance of more than a mile, one could feel the poisonous intensity of the fire. After listening to the screams, Sun Li had a look of enjoyment on his face and muttered: "This Ganhuai thief deserves to be burned for daring to resist!"
"General Qi, all 1,500 thunderbolts have been fired!"
After hearing the report, Sun Li couldn't help but licked his chapped lips and said to Gao Huaide beside him: "Hidden use, although the stone bullets are sharp and the fire bullets are poisonous, it is difficult to break through the city with these carts alone. You have to Rely on the blood and bravery of the soldiers to attack the city and capture it with swords. Later, I will lead the army to charge into the city, and you will command the army from behind!"
After hearing Sun Li's words, Gao Huaide immediately advised: "We will all be the commanders of the same army, so we should stay in the middle. I will lead the people up!"
"There is no need to argue with me!" Sun Li immediately showed his practical side: "I am not good at making arrangements on the spot. It is more suitable for me to charge and command under the city. Don't say more. This is a military order. Take advantage of the city. If you feel confused, set out immediately, don’t miss the opportunity to fight!”
"Follow the order!" Upon seeing this, Gao Huaide said immediately.
Soon, Sun Li took the lead, moved the crossbow array forward, and used arrows to suppress it. The auxiliary soldiers and civilian men risked their lives carrying huge wooden planks, laying floating beams, and climbing ladders towards the city. Behind them, large shields were raised high, and Han army armor The soldiers launched an attack on Shouchun.
The ant attack on the city was always brutal, even for the elite Han army, which had to be fought with their lives.
