Chapter 53: Poxi City
Time is tight and the task is heavy.
He Xi gave an order, and the army immediately took Yizhou as its starting position. Head east.
Because Ye Wang's troops attacked the city all the way, the speed was not very fast. On the contrary, Ha Ci did not spend a single blow and moved south very quickly. Just like Ye Chen, he circled the city without attacking and went straight into the enemy's rear. So in a few days, we crossed the Qingchuan River.
In the area south of the Qingchuan River, there is less contact with the rear due to distance.
He Xi couldn't grasp it in time either. He Xi could only focus on the war in front of him.
In this regard, all goes well. It went smoothly and step by step.
To attack Xicheng, we must first attack Turtle City. Turtle City is a small city among the mountains. It is in a crucial place, although the city is not very tall. But because it’s in the mountains. Being condescending, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Today, when Li Shimin is fighting against Goguryeo, what he hates the most is the mountain city of Goguryeo.
Although it is said that Goryeo has nothing to do with Goguryeo, many cities here also inherit this style. Although they are civil structure cities, they are hundreds of years behind the technology accumulation of Ming Dynasty cities. But relying on the mountains, nature makes up for this.
But attacking, Turtle City also allowed He Xi to see the combat effectiveness of the Ming army.
Commanded by Ye Wang, this is a serious siege battle. There was no large amount of siege equipment prepared. Instead, some long ladders were improvised. Some more giant shields were made, held by two or three people, and most of the soldiers, covered by the shields, approached the city wall.
The Korean fire guns and crossbows have no lethality at all against such a situation.
The only thing is to throw the rolling stone into the wood from a distance. Because the city is at a high place, these things can roll down for miles, causing great damage to the soldiers.
However, under Ye Wang's command, the Ming army soldiers dispersed into teams of ten, clustered under several large shields. The stars are scattered on the entire hillside, and even the rolling stones and wood of the Koreans can still kill the soldiers. But the damage is not great anymore.
We waited until we were dozens of meters below the city wall. A drum sounded.
All the soldiers abandoned their shields and erected long ladders. He shouted and rushed towards the city.
Even if there are ten people in a team and a long ladder, there is still an internal division of labor.
The two people at the front were both wearing double armor, with chain mail and iron armor lined with leather armor. Taking a big step forward, it felt like the earth was shaking. It looks like a bear. If ordinary arrows are shot at it, nothing will happen. Even the firearms of the Korean people, because of their insufficient lethality, would knock people to the ground at most, making them feel chest tight and short of breath, and then they would be alive and kicking again after waiting for a while.
The few people in the middle resisted the long ladder and supported the climb to the city.
The last few people are all crossbowmen, archers, and musketeers, of course. He also brought a long knife. They mainly shot at the bottom of the city and on top of the city, first shooting a few people on the top of the city to death. Then, put up the long ladder.
This is a big attack on the city.
This was the most brutal moment in the entire Battle of Turtle City. In just ten minutes, hundreds of soldiers died fighting under the city. However, the results are also brilliant.
A gap was created abruptly. When hundreds of Ming troops gathered at the head of Turtle City, this battle was no longer necessary.
He Xi couldn't help but said: "Okay. General Ye, your sword is indeed still young."
Ye Wang hurriedly said modestly, "The Koreans have no knowledge of battle formations and there are so many terrains. As long as they have a little knowledge, they know that they cannot completely abandon the outside of the city. As long as they set up a few small camps outside the city, they will not be able to fight today. Come down. The last general also saw this and knew that the garrison in the city might have some courage, but he had never fought before. That’s why he fought hard. With God’s blessing, he did not disgrace his life.”
This city is at a high place, condescending to the city. Any extra city wall would be fortified below but undefended above. When the Ming army attacked at a distance of one or two miles, they had to attack from the rear and break through several lines of defense. The delay has been long. You can even attack at night to retake the position below.
This was what Ye Wang thought of in an instant.
If he were allowed to stay in this place for a long time, he would definitely be able to build an iron wall. For example, he could dig out the bottom of the mountain and turn the gentle slope into a steep slope, leaving only a few roads connecting to the city, and then send archers to set up blockades and blockades. As long as the arrows don't stop, even thousands of troops and horses can't charge forward.
He Xi secretly thought: "This is the gap between experience and strength."
The most brutal battle on the Goryeo side was the battle with Naha, which made Lee Sung-gye the first general of Goryeo. But it's different here in Ming Dynasty. Let's just say that Ye Wang, following the Xie family brothers, is the backbone of the spear army. He fought against the Yuan Army, fought against the Red Turban Army, and later defected to the Ming Dynasty, and fought countless wars.
One glance and you can tell how deep the other person is.
It seems risky, but it's actually very well done.
It can be said that in the chaotic times of the late Yuan Dynasty and the founding war of the Ming Dynasty, more than a million generals and warriors were forged, which was the greatest wealth of the Ming Dynasty. This is also the reason why He Xi always had unfavorable results in foreign wars in Nanyang and Goryeo. Of course, He Xi had a good plan.
But it's more about the ability of his subordinates. As long as the plan is not too outrageous, it can be implemented.
This is even more important than the former.
This Goryeo guard can be said to have done his best. In the end, he committed suicide. But that’s it for the ability level. There is nothing the disciple can do.
Once you reach Turtle City, the road ahead opens up.
In just ten days, they arrived at the gate of Xicheng.
It's just that the situation in Xicheng is very different from that in Turtle City.
Turtle City is nothing more than a fortress. It is a mountain city that can only block roads. There are only a few thousand people stationed in the city.
However, Xicheng was the largest city on the Qingchuan River and the important town of the Korean people in the north. On the east bank of the Qingchuan River, the biggest problem is how well the city is built, let alone the mighty Qingchuan River. Xicheng diverts Qingchuan water into the moat, which is several meters wide.
The Ming army could not reach the city wall at all.
There are two ways to face this problem. The first is to dig a moat. A diversion canal was dug upstream of the moat to divert the water, and then people were sent to fill the river, and finally the army attacked the city.
The second method is to directly use tall siege equipment to cross the river and moat. There are so many siege equipment in ancient China that there should not be too many siege equipment across the moat. After all, ancient war experience was extremely rich. Although Xicheng is difficult to conquer. But compared to China's fortified cities, it is nothing.
It’s just that these two plans are protracted.
He Xi was not too worried. Winter is coming, which brings disadvantages and advantages to Ming Dynasty. When winter comes, all moats become thoroughfares. But as long as the Korean guard had a little knowledge, he would know how to pour water on the city wall to turn it into ice.
Moreover, He Xi's attack was more political. However, he thought about it carefully. In fact, it is not without its benefits.
No matter what method is used, it will take at least nearly a month to capture Xicheng. Or even longer. If we attack all the way overland, from here to Kaijing, there are still several fortified cities that cannot be ignored. At the same time, the Goryeo royal family is very slippery.
They did it not once or twice, when things went badly wrong and they got away with it.
Taking the capture of Kaijing as the ultimate symbol of the end of the Goryeo War is a bit too wishful thinking. It’s not impossible to take the first step.
However, the good news also comes one after another.
Navigation Hou Zhang He led the shipping fleet and was ready to go south when the north wind blew strongly. Before going south, the last task he performed was to escort grain and grass for the army marching eastward. So, when the mighty sea ships entered the Qingchuan River.
Xicheng collapsed.
Because the ship's side is higher than the city wall.
Even if the ship could not directly lean against the city wall, the Koreans had nothing to do with the firepower and crossbows on the ship to suppress the city and send soldiers to the city. Chen Youliang used this move to attack Nanchang and beat the Nanchang Ming army miserably.
Zhu Wenzheng didn't know how much effort and sacrifice it took to block it.
However, the people of Korea were panic-stricken and their opinions were not unified. The king insisted on having his own way, and the ministers all had their own selfish motives. The general was even more shaken. Under such circumstances, how many people in Xicheng maintained a firm will and fought against the Ming Dynasty.
When the shipping fleet pressed on the city walls.
The fall of Xicheng became inevitable.
In less than 20 days of dispatching troops, they captured a large city and even a foothold within Goryeo. This battle was not a smooth one. It's been a smooth ride.
