At the foot of Mianchi City, Wu Shu had a thin face and a disheveled beard. He stared at the city head with fire in his eyes. The Jin army built various siege equipment at the top of the city, including goose chariots, caves and watchtowers. It's a pity that it couldn't be pushed to the bottom of the city and was smashed by the Song army in the city. There was nothing that could be done.
Xie Mao Ali said: "The artillery of the Song army in the city is powerful, but these siege equipment are completely useless! Your Majesty, we still need to use people to go to the city!"
Wu Shu said: "We have less than 20,000 cavalry, how can there be so many people? This place is in the middle of a valley, even if we want to capture some people! It's really hateful! I didn't expect Wang Xiaolie to be so treacherous! He would guard Mianchi and prevent us from returning. Guanzhong! The third prince urged me repeatedly and ordered me to return to the army. Now that I am stuck here, what should I do?"
Ali said: "Wang Xiaolie is also a laborious expedition, and the food and grass are transported from Dengzhou. In the past two months, he can still eat in Guanzhong. In a few days, it will be difficult for his army to have food and grass."
Wushu sighed: "What an important place Jingzhao Mansion is! The Third Prince and the soldiers and horses of the living daughter are all controlled by it. If the Third Prince doesn't kill me in a few more months, I won't be able to see the Holy Emperor!"
Speaking of this, Wu Shu looked at Mianchi City and said in a deep voice: "There are no Song army artillery at the top of the city, how could they shoot so accurately? This kind of thing has never been encountered before, there must be something fishy! Alas, these Dengzhou The Military Commission is really difficult to deal with!"
Ali said: "Looking at the artillery fire in the city, the Song army's artillery must be under the city wall. I just don't know what the situation is."
Wu Shu rubbed his forehead and felt a splitting headache. When I first came to Mianchi, I was full of confidence. I just thought that such a small city could be captured in one go. Now I have been trapped in the city for a month, and there is no way I can do it. I just feel exhausted both physically and mentally and can no longer support myself.
On the top of the city, Shao Yun looked at the Jin army outside the city and said to Jia He on the side: "After a month of fighting, the Jin people are still using these tactics without making any progress. Now they can't even get close to the city wall. How can we break through it?" City? Let me tell you, if we continue to fight like this and fight for another year, Mianchi City will be impregnable!"
Jia He said: "It's a pity that the commander-in-chief doesn't want to fight. Let us defend for another month, and then we will withdraw, not even Shaanxi. Mianchi is between two mountains, and the place is small. If we don't withdraw, what will happen to the Jin army? Method?"
Shao Yun just sighed. It's not up to you to say this kind of thing. A few days ago, Wang Ruohai went to the front line and specifically explained the current situation to these frontline generals. But even though he knew it, Shao Yun still felt unwilling.
After getting off the city wall, I saw Song Yan commanding the stone cannon below. Shao Yun said: "It's getting late, and the Jin army should be withdrawing. General Song, let's go back and drink two glasses of wine. Feng Sai will guard the city tonight, and we'll have some fun."
Song Yan said: "These stone cannons taught by Officer Dengzhou are really amazingly powerful. Compared with before, I don't know how many times more powerful! With this kind of magical weapon in hand, what if there are more Jin troops outside the city? I can fight again here. Accurate and fast, they will die!"
Song Yan was from Shaanxi County and was good at shooting. When entering the army, he was hit by Zhang Zhang. Especially good at using crossbow. When guarding Shaanzhou, he caused a lot of damage to the Jin army. During the defense of Mianchi this time, I learned to use the new counterweighted stone cannon with Deng Zhoujun. In dozens of days, he became extremely proficient in these stone cannons. Under his command, the shot was fast, accurate and far, far beyond the previous stone cannons.
Deng Zhoujun learned how to install stone cannons under the city wall when defending the city from Chen Gui, the prefect of De'an. The cannon outside the city cannot hit it, but the cannon inside can use the observers on the city wall to fire quickly and accurately. If used well, almost all siege equipment outside the city will be restrained.
Dengzhou was also studying artillery. It only took two years, but it was not powerful enough and has not been put into practical use. The simple counterweighted stone cannon is now Dengzhou's most important city defense weapon. For the Jin army outside the city, these stone cannons were already a headache.
Historically, the counterweight trebuchet appeared in the late Song Dynasty. Soon artillery appeared again, and this stone cannon was eliminated. To be honest, this kind of stone cannon has a fast loading speed, requires less manpower, and can be aimed. It is an unknown improvement over the previous stone cannon. Like here in Mianchi, between two mountains, only ten or twenty stone cannons can seal the front, making it impregnable.
As the sun set, at the Mianchi County Yamen, Shao Yun ordered a sheep to be cooked, brought out a jar of wine, and drank with several generals.
After three bowls of wine, the topic opened up, and several generals started chatting all over the world.
Jia He said: "We have defended Shaanzhou several times, but nowhere has it been as enjoyable as this time? There are reinforcements, food and grass in the back, and the equipment in the city is sophisticated, but there is nothing Wushu can do about it. There are tens of thousands of soldiers and horses behind him. We have to think Isn’t it easy to destroy him?”
Song Yan said: "That's true. How could we have imagined that in just a few years, the offensive and defensive changes of both sides would reach this point? If Wang Zhenfu hadn't been so worried, we could have wiped out all Wushu under Mianchi City this time!"
Lu Yuandeng said: "I think what Wang Zhenfu said is reasonable and not too cautious. Wu Shu is the fourth prince of the Jin Kingdom. If he is destroyed, how can the Jin Kingdom give up? They will definitely send a large army to attack Dengzhou, and they will not be able to defeat the enemy. living."
Jia He said: "It's just meat near the mouth, but you can't eat it. Doesn't it make people feel itchy? It really makes people hate it so much!"
A few people said something to each other, and they talked endlessly. They all felt that it was really unacceptable to let Wu Shu go so far.
After three drinks, Shao Yun said: "I heard rumors that Jing Lu intends to join forces with the Dengzhou Army. What do you think?"
Jia He said: "Just make up your mind after this matter is over. How can we interrupt?"
Lu Yuandeng said: "In more than a year, Wang Zhenfu came to rescue twice. To put it bluntly, without Dengzhou's army to rescue us, it would have been difficult for us to save our lives last year. I think Wang Zhenfu treats people well. It is really rare to have a good command of troops."
Song Yan said: "The Dengzhou Army is indeed different from other armies. On the battlefield, everyone is vying for the lead, and there are many powerful generals. And there are all kinds of fantastic ideas. Like the new stone cannon used by Mianchi this time, it has huge power . If there is such a sharp weapon, how did the Jin army defeat Kaifeng Mansion a few years ago? Dozens of stone cannons are placed under the city. No matter what you are, you can’t get close to the city! And I heard people say that there are more powerful ones in Dengzhou’s army. !”
Shao Yun sighed: "This matter really only depends on the manager's decision, and we can't interfere. According to common sense, if we join forces in one place, Guozhou and Shangzhou have Dengzhou behind them, so we are not afraid of the Jin army. Dengzhou has Shangzhou and Guozhou State masking, safer—"
Jia He interrupted: "If this were not the case, how could Wang Zhenfu bring troops to help twice in a year?"
"Yes." Shao Yun nodded. "Our two armies will benefit from the cooperation. However, when the imperial court sets up town and governor envoys, it is precisely for them to protect the place and serve as a barrier for the court. In the eyes of the court, these town and governor envoys should not be too large, otherwise the situation will be difficult to control. The king The governor is in charge of Xiangyang and Rutang and Dengzhou, but the rest of the places are also guarded by his soldiers, who have always been united. If they join forces with us again, I am afraid that the imperial court will——"
Having said this, Shao Yun shook his head.
Lu Yuandeng said: "The purpose of joining forces is to fight against the Jin people. This year, the Jin soldiers searched the mountains and seas, and the officers and soldiers fled to the sea. How embarrassed! Even if we don't want to, we can't say anything when we join forces. We are afraid that the king will suppress the power. When the disaster is over, shouldn’t we just ignore the gold thief?”
Jia He nodded repeatedly. Yes, the Jin army is powerful. At this time, they are afraid that it will be difficult for their men to control it. There must be something wrong with the court's mind.
At this time, Wang Xiaolie was not the most powerful local force. There were Kong Yanzhou, Li Cheng, Ma You and others in Jinghu, who not only occupied several states, but also rebelled frequently. They often attacked the officers and soldiers and looted everywhere. There is also Yang Yao of Dongting Lake. After the death of Zhong Xiang, he gathered the leaders of several states and regained his momentum. Cheng Changyu, as the envoy of Dingli Town and an acquaintance of Dingzhou, carried out encirclement and suppression campaigns, but failed many times.
At this time, the imperial court had no regard for Wang Xiaolie in Xiangyang. There are many rebel forces further south. What's more, Wang Xiaolie has defeated the Jin army many times, so it's time to win over him. Especially when Fuping was defeated, Zhang Jun was about to win and boost his morale.
Sichuan-Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hedong, Jingxi and Jinghu roads were under the control of Zhang Jun. At this time, Zhao Gou of Yuezhou was beyond his reach. The area around Dengzhou in Xiangyang was actually blocked by the towns and envoys on the Lianghuai and Jinghu roads, and was considered a peripheral area of the Song Dynasty.
