"Rumble..."
More than a dozen exquisite catapults were pushed out by the soldiers who broke the camp. Behind the extended swing arms were countless stones that had been prepared. The captain aimed at the tower of Chudu.
Thick logs, ladders, and heavy crossbows were all available, waiting for He Sen's siege order.
"Your Majesty, please take a look. Later, the ministers will attack from the east city gate, and the other three sides will assist with heavy crossbows..."
The title of He Senyulin Army Commander is not that of a jobber. He squatted in the carriage and pointed at a map with scrawled handwriting and said:
"There are archers suppressing the defenders on the city tower, soldiers on the ladders can climb over the walls on both sides, plus catapults and door-breakers, a three-pronged approach. If nothing unexpected happens, before Yin Shi, the emperor will You can enter the Mahavira Palace!"
He Sen said cautiously, implying that he wanted to take credit for the third elder brother, but he did not say it too harshly. What if he couldn't solve it in half an hour, would he still come to see him?
"I don't understand the matter of war. General He, you can make your own decision. But you just need to remember one thing. If we can't capture the capital of Chu before the imperial court, not only you, but also my throne will be unstable!"
There was no one else in the carriage, and Hong Yu also opened the window and spoke frankly. Hearing this, a chill suddenly surged through He Sen's body: "Yes, Wei Chen understands!"
"Go!" He Sen received the order. After getting off the sedan, his eyes returned to coldness and he said two words directly: "Attack the city!"
"Dong dong dong..."
The dull drum sound sounded the horn of attack, like sonorous and powerful thunder, and all the soldiers of the Shenwei Huben Camp heard the sound of the drum.
In an instant, people from all directions quickly gathered together and launched an overall attack on Chudu!
"Archers prepare, release!"
The dense arrows suppressed the space outside the Chudu City Gate to the extreme. Even if a mosquito flew by at this time, it would not avoid being pierced by thousands of arrows.
The soldiers on the tower and the archers attacking from behind were shooting at each other. It was obvious that the one above had the upper hand. Clusters of blood spattered. Even though the soldiers were blocked by armor, they still inevitably ended up being penetrated. They vomited blood and were shot. The crowd instantly lost their fighting power, and then they were drowned by countless arrows and turned into living blood hedgehogs...
The general guarding the city was obviously not an ordinary person. When he saw the infantrymen of the Huben Camp in the distance holding shields above their heads, he knew that he was going to build a ladder and hurriedly shouted: "Quick!! Get the oil!!"
The material at the top of the ladder cannot be cut by a sword in a short time, and it cannot be pushed. The only way to solve the problem is to delay the soldiers' march.
Not long after, barrels of oil were transferred to the tower: "Listen to my command later..." Before he could finish his words, a huge stone suddenly descended like a divine weapon from the sky.
The guard saw with his own eyes that the head of the soldier who was hit by the boulder first formed a strange arc with his body. After that, his body and head were separated by the huge force.
His body was squeezed into a pool of flesh and blood by the impact of the boulder, and his head had deformed and landed not far from his feet with a clatter.
"--ah!"
Such a shocking picture fell into the eyes of the soldiers guarding the city. If they said they were not afraid, they would be deceiving themselves. At this moment, some soldiers screamed in fear.
"Don't mess up your position!!" At the moment when the guard shouted angrily, more than ten boulders flew up to the tower, some of which were as tragic as the death of the previous man.
Some soldiers had their thighs suppressed and could not move. The people on the side worked together to help, but they were targeted by the archers below the tower and ended up being shot through.
"Hidden! Hidden first and wait for an opportunity to strike back!!"
The guard's eyes were red with excitement. He retreated sharply, dodging the attack of a round of arrows. He neatly picked up the fallen bow, nocked the arrow behind his back, and aimed. The bow and arrow emitted a life-threatening cold light in the dark night. .
"Xi Yuyu..." The cavalry horse let out a mournful cry, and was hit by an arrow in its belly. Such a violent tremor caught the cavalry off guard, and in an instant, the cavalry was overturned to the ground.
A rain of arrows fell from the city tower at the right moment, causing more than twenty archers in the cavalry to be killed or injured.
On the other side, the soldiers of the Shenwei Battalion armed with heavy crossbows made suppressive progress under the unequal offensive. Sixteen soldiers with big muscles and round waists hugged the logs, shouting three two one, and then used all their strength to attack the enemy. The wood hit the west city gate hard.
"--boom!"
The city gate's chain was shaken violently by the impact. After all, it was just a city gate. Who could withstand such a heavy impact from solid wood?
The archers on the city gate used rockets, which flashed across the dark night like countless bright meteors, but they were somewhat fatal. Every time they hit the target, they would bring out bursts of hoarse screams.
The man who had been hit by the arrow was seen rolling around on the ground crazily, his life ended by sharp arrows coming from all directions.
However, the flames were still burning, exuding the rotting smell of burnt corpses. The heavy crossbows of the Shenwei camp were also not vegetarian. Compared with bows and arrows, the crossbows had thicker arrow bodies, and the counterweight was heavier than bows and arrows. There are many, and they are not easily resisted by swords.
Several more soldiers showed up, and their heads were shot by the ambushed Shenwei Battalion soldiers. The helmets had no effect. The explosion of yellow and white matter instantly contaminated the inside of the helmets.
The soldiers with their eyes turned white fell down one by one, adding to the fear in the hearts of the remaining defenders.
"what to do??"
"what to do???"
Not only are they anxious, but the people who are in command are even more so: "Report! Report to Fifth Master! Lord Zhou! The three city gates are in emergency. The attack on the east city gate is too fierce, and we urgently need additional troops!!"
On the tower, Hong Lan and the other two were worried like ants on a hot pot. After hearing the report from the pioneer scouts, they felt even more dizzy.
They received the formation given by Ximen Yan, but it was a pity that it was a city gate defense! Are we going to open the city gates and line up our troops to fight the rebels?
Including the servants and guards drawn from various families in Chudu, the total number of defenders was less than 1,500. After several trips back and forth, wouldn't the Shenwei Battalion destroy the bones of the defenders?
Hong Lan slammed the desk angrily, stood up and shouted: If you can't defend it, you have to defend it! The fact that the rebels are so impatient proves their incompetence! If they could not capture Chudu before the early dynasty, they would be a rebel army! Guard me and bring me the sword! I'll go to the front line myself! "
As soon as these words came out, Zhou Quan, the leader of the Imperial Guard, and several of his deputies all showed panic expressions: "Absolutely not! Fifth Master, you are worth a thousand dollars! Second Master's right-hand man, if you have someone who is both good and bad, How do you ask these brothers to report to the higher authorities?"
"General Zhou, there is no need to persuade you any more!" Hong Lan was about to refuse, but another man with a disgraced face and blood-stained armor came to report: "Fifth Master! Mr. Zhou! The rebels changed their offensive and besieged the west gate. !”
"What?!!"
Zhou Quan couldn't sit still now. They couldn't go to the front line in the first place. Once the general died, it would lead to the complete defeat of the entire defending army. But now the enemy is very powerful, and it won't work no matter how unstable the morale of the army is!
Hong Lan took the lead, followed closely by Zhou Quan and others, following the pace of the scouts and hurried towards the west gate.
"Swish swish..."
Bows, arrows, crossbows, and catapults were another round of indiscriminate and intensive attacks. The defenders at the west city gate were unable to raise their heads at all. Taking advantage of this gap, the soldiers who crashed into the gate got another good opportunity.
After the sound of collapse, He Sen and Third Brother Hongyu, who were sitting at the rear, both looked happy. The west city gate was broken, and a big deal was accomplished! !
"Kill!! According to the emperor's decree, the fifth elder brother Honglan will be captured alive, and he will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins, and will be granted the title of marquis of ten thousand households! The one who kills Zhou Quan will be rewarded with eight hundred gold coins, and will be granted the title of marquis!"
As a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time, He Sen naturally knows when to inspire the morale of the army. When he heard about the rewards of being ennobled, the hearts of each of the soldiers were completely boiling!
Following He Sen's command, hundreds of people served as the vanguard and roared into the breached city gate.
The cavalry cannot rush in together. The targets of the horses under their crotches are too big. At this time, their role is to assist the other three groups, each with 500 troops. Coupled with the constant harassment of the cavalry, the defense on the other three sides will soon be stretched. .
He Sen never puts his eggs in one basket. If the west city gate cannot be attacked for a long time, he can still enter Chudu through other routes.
"At the moment of Yinshi..." Chu Hongyu asked the people outside, and said leisurely: "General He, you are a little slow."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. If you give me one more time to burn incense, I will definitely be able to break into Chudu!" He Sen wiped the sweat from his face. He didn't know whether it was because he was wearing a helmet because he was hot, or because he was frightened by Hong Yu. Nervous.
On the other hand, just as hundreds of soldiers rushed into the city, the remaining team of nearly 3,000 people also gathered and poured into the west gate like a tide.
Hong Lan couldn't stay still at this moment. He had to control the soldiers defending the city according to the formation provided by Ximen Yan, but this was too few. Excluding the defenders who helped defend other city gates, it was not enough for a thousand people. !
"Maybe...I can..."
When Hong Lan was in crisis, he suddenly thought of those two beauties - peerless beauties who were like immortals descending from heaven.
They had contacted Hong Yi and him not long ago, and gave him many witchcraft spells for free. He had seen the power of those things with his own eyes, and they were more terrifying than a martial arts master who had practiced hard all his life...
"Let me tell you the truth, we are immortals, and the two Wang Fengfeng and Qianfeng you are familiar with are also immortals."
The fairy's soft words seemed to still be lingering in my ears: "They need to protect the safety of Emperor Chu, and we can do the same. If we encounter danger, just use them."
"Thank you two fairies for your kindness, but what can we mortals do to help you?"
Hong Lan still remembered that his second brother just bowed, without the ecstasy they expected.
"Handling the political affairs of Chu State seriously is the best help to us. Then again, if you are allowed to become the emperor of Chu State, who will be your biggest obstacle?"
Hong Yi did not answer this question. He just said that he could handle it and ended the conversation with the two of them.
After that, Honglan never saw these two legendary immortals again.
Before leaving, Hong Yi gave all the amulets to Hong Lan and whispered: "These things can only protect your own life, and must not be used against Lao San and others!"
"Why, second brother?" Honglan asked.
"I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it. This is not a power we can control, so don't covet it too much. Also, they won't be so kind, so it's better to be cautious."
...
Speaking of memories, it only lasted a few breaths. After much thought, Hong Lan gave up the idea of using the talisman and carefully recalled the formations taught by Ximen Yan.
The three thousand tiger soldiers are elite troops directly subordinate to the emperor. There is absolutely no chance that there will be soldiers who are just pretending to be soldiers. On the contrary, there are countless soldiers with skills in them.
Guang Honglan knew someone whose archery skills were extremely accurate, with almost no missed arrows. He was famous throughout the camp for his arrows passing through a small hole in a halberd from a distance of eighty feet. He also unexpectedly got the title of Chu Masao's praise.
The equipment of the Huben Yulin Camp was much better than that of the Imperial Guards. Regardless of the texture of the armor or the sharpness of the arrows, it was not an evenly matched battle.
What's more, the difference in the number of people is one to three. Even if it is replaced by a fool to take command, it is enough to capture these remaining generals within an hour!
"kill!!"
Without any further instructions from He Sen, this group of crazy soldiers rushed over with their spears in hand.
"kill!!"
There was no coward who was afraid of death on the battlefield. The guard army and the Yulin army in front fought each other. The sound of clanking gun tips was heard constantly, and the result soon came to an end.
Puff puff...
There was a series of sounds of spears piercing flesh and blood, and ferocious roars came from the front of the guards. Hong Lan couldn't bear to look at it. He took advantage of the gap in front of the guards to hold back and completely distributed the command flags of different colors in his hands. Go down.
The team of a thousand people dispersed in groups of one hundred people, with a total of eight active forces, led by the person holding the big flag, and a total of eighty-one small flags with bright colors. If the person in front died, the soldiers at the rear would automatically fill in.
"All red flags, march eastward!"
The guard army retreated in a hurry, pulling the battlefield into Chu Capital. The spacious terrain here was not only conducive to the attack of the Yu Lin Army, but also convenient for the defense of the Imperial Guard.
"Huhu..."
Following Hong Lan's gesture, flags surrounded the gap, confining the space into a defensive formation composed of eight formations.
This was his first command, and he was unable to coordinate the actions of various departments. He could only use the formation flag to unify his leadership. This undoubtedly exposed his ideas to the opponent.
But now that it was life or death, Honglan couldn't care less.
The principle of the formation is to avoid the opponent's combat power. We use the formation to isolate the opponent's entire body and attack at the weakest point to achieve the effect of breaking the formation.
These strange and unpredictable formations were put out, and they really had some effect. Soldiers with eight banners ran around each other in the formation, using their baggage to resist at key points of the formation, and actually surrounded more than 2,000 people. , trapping them inside!
"Don't panic, find a direction and go out!!"
Some soldiers trapped in the formation stabilized the mood of their nearby companions. They held long spears and jointly stabbed in the direction of the weak green flag.
"Whoa!" As Hong Lan raised his hand, the other side of the green flag soldier suddenly changed, and corresponding to it was a shield glowing with black light.
"Dang Dang Dang..."
The spear struck the extremely hard iron shield, splashing out countless sparks, and the guards had no intention of retreating.
On the other side, following Hong Lan's response, Huang Qi's soldiers with short swords suddenly appeared behind them and began to attack the spearmen's backs!
"Uh...ah!!"
Several screams rang out one after another, but only a few were successfully attacked. Most of the soldiers reacted quickly and relied on their personal strength to successfully kill several short sword soldiers!
More than one place faced such a situation. Although there was a huge disparity in strength between the two sides, relying on Hong Lan's miraculous command, the elite divisions of the Shenwei Huben Battalion were inexplicably trapped in a bitter battle.
The entire formation is like a piece of candy that cannot be spit out. If you forcefully charge forward, the flesh on your body will be cut off. This is something that the soldiers of the Yulin Camp will never accept.
"......What's this?!"
"Shaped like a long snake, surrounding it according to the situation, echoing the dragon, connected end to end! This...is this the lost Bagua array?"
"Impossible! How could Hong Lan know such a formation!"
Not only the people on the Imperial Guard side noticed the subtle changes in the situation, but the three major generals on the Shenwei Camp also noticed something was wrong, and panic and restlessness suddenly arose.
Someone called He Sen's name. The latter was shocked when he heard it and hurried to the front of the West City Gate.
"It's really the legendary Bagua array..."
If He Sen was given a few hours, he might be able to figure out the best way to break the formation, but the most precious thing right now was time, and no one could let him waste it unscrupulously.
But seeing Honglan's command at the top, he shouted loudly: "Bring the bow!"
He Sen wanted to shoot the fifth elder brother who was commanding him with his own hands. As long as the commander died, the formation would be destroyed!
Soon someone handed over the heavy bow, and He Sen, who was still strong, opened the bow and nocked the arrow. At the moment when he was about to shoot, the third elder brother Hongyu and the fourth elder brother Hongfeng suddenly appeared:
"What are you doing?!" The voice was a little angry, and the current emperor was looking at He Sen angrily.
He Sen suddenly thought of the conductor on the opposite side, and a feeling of fear suddenly came to his heart. He was so shocked by the Bagua Array that he had completely forgotten the identity of the other party!
That is the fifth son of Emperor Chu! Even if he wants to be killed, it won't be his turn to be dealt with by one of his ministers!
"Your Majesty, the fifth elder brother has somehow mastered the lost formation! This formation is too domineering, and the minister is also impatient for a while, please Your Majesty..."
"That's enough!" Hongyu waved his hand and scolded He Sen: "I don't want to hear your explanation. How long will it take before we can invade Chudu?!"
He Sen quickly knelt down and begged for mercy. He didn't say how long it would take, nor did he mention the difficulty of the Bagua array. He just kept saying it would be quick, quick, quick, which made Hong Yu quite annoyed.
His meaning was already obvious. Either he would shoot the fifth elder brother, or he would have to spend a lot of time breaking the formation. The choice would depend on Hongyu's opinion.
"Useless things!" Hongyu scolded angrily: "Go and pick ten strong soldiers for me! I have my own way to solve it!"
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