Chapter 4391 Fierce fighting
【Happy May Day】
The night sky was as deep and dark as ink dye, a branch-like lightning flashed across, thunder rolled, and heavy rain poured down.
Under the pouring rain, the gunfire was as dense as fried beans.
When the heavy rain first fell, it wetted flint and gunpowder, causing the musket to malfunction and be unable to fire. After the ignited thunderbolt was thrown out, the fuse was soaked by the rain and turned into an iron lump... Youtunwei was caught off guard by this weather. The resulting accident inevitably caused some panic. The rebels who were charging up like a tide were beaten back steadily. They lost their outer positions and had to retreat towards the Butokuden Hall.
Naturally, the retreat was not just a panicked escape, but relying on nearby buildings to build temporary defense lines while fighting and retreating, removing the doors and windows of palaces and pavilions, and shooting out of the windows to delay the rebels' pursuit.
Unexpectedly, such a temporary defense line worked wonders. The building blocked the rain and prevented the firearms from malfunctioning. The ferocious firepower inflicted heavy casualties on the pursuing rebels and caused rivers of blood to flow. Every step forward had to be sacrificed in a hail of bullets. Heavy price.
The disadvantage is that the window orientation of the building limits the direction of firearms attacks and cannot block the enemy from all directions. Therefore, after paying a heavy price, the rebels bypassed the window orientation of the building and attacked the building from both sides or the back door. .
Under the heavy rain, the battle situation changed. The battlefield was cut into pieces based on each building. The two sides defended and attacked around each building. Every inch of land must be fought for and the battle was fierce.
……
Yuchi Gong returned to Zhaode Hall from the frontline battlefield wearing a raincoat. He took a sip of the hot tea handed to him by his own soldiers, shuddered and complained to Li Daozong: "One autumn rain and one cold, the weather is really bad like a dog's day." It’s too cold!”
Li Daozong raised his head from behind the desk and said calmly: "If it hadn't been for such a sudden heavy rain, we would be in a dilemma and on the verge of collapse."
Without such a rain, Youtunwei's firearms would be able to exert their maximum power. How could human beings be able to withstand the power of destroying the heaven and the earth?
Yuchi Gong nodded in agreement, came to the side of the desk and sat down, put the tea cup on the desk, sighed and said: "Although the battle line has been pushed forward a lot, the enemy troops relied on the buildings to fight back hard, and their firepower was still very high. Meng, our losses are too great.”
Li Daozong remained silent.
He sits here, summarizing the battle reports sent back from the front and making specific commands, so he naturally knows what the situation ahead is like. The obstruction of the building completely eliminated the impact of rain on firearms. Even if it was impossible to snipe from all directions, Youtunwei now occupied several strategically important palaces. Every step forward on his side was a mountain of corpses. The price of blood.
So far, it is absolutely impossible to say that Li Daozong still has no regrets in his heart. However, he joined the army as a young man and has a perseverance. He will not become discouraged or change his ways just because of a temporary setback.
"How can one achieve great things without bloodshed and sacrifice? For Emperor Taizong's last wish, no matter how high the price is, it is worth paying. After the soldiers have beaten the captain, go up, and after the lieutenant has beaten the lieutenants, go up. When all the generals have been beaten, I will go up. .”
Li Daozong had a resolute face, suppressing the trace of regret, and his heart was as hard as iron.
This aura of putting oneself in danger to survive can indeed improve the army's combat effectiveness, but Yuchi Gong still looked worried: "You have to know that the reason why Youtun Guards are rampant in the world and have great military exploits is not only because of their sharp and invincible firearms. , their heavily armed troops are also unparalleled in the world. However, until now, there has been no trace of either the armored cavalry or the Mo Dao team under Fang Jun in the past. "
Li Daozong was silent.
The great weapon of "armored cavalry" once shined on the battlefield during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. It was invincible in attacking cities and plundering territory. It could be said that it was invincible. Especially in field battles, it could defeat a hundred enemies.
It's just that this unit is too wasteful. It not only consumes a lot of fine iron to build the armor for soldiers and war horses, but also requires sophisticated technology. As the Jin Dynasty moved south and lost too much property, and the population of the Southern and Northern Dynasties dropped sharply, As a result, the number of craftsmen decreased sharply, and there were only ten craftsmen capable of making "equipped iron cavalry".
In a sense, Emperor Taizong's "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" was a "simplified version" of the armored cavalry during the "three thousand versus one hundred thousand" battle at Hulao Pass. With the national power of the Tang Dynasty at that time, it was no longer possible to form an army with more than 100,000 soldiers. Three thousand "armored cavalry"...
However, Fang Jun did not know where he got the exquisite iron smelting skills, so that the output of the Fang family's iron factory not only exceeded that of the Changsun family, which originally had the largest iron output, but also actually opened up more than one level, making the amount of refined iron more and more. More and more, coupled with the establishment of a foundry bureau and the use of water-powered forging hammers to forge armor, saving time and effort, high quality and low price, they actually formed an "armored cavalry" force, and used it to run rampant in the world, never losing. .
The "Mo Dao Team" of Youtun Guard is equipped with armor made of fine iron. The Mo Dao Team is all made of fine steel. How much better is its combat power than the "Mo Dao Team" of other troops?
Now there is no trace of these two troops. It is obvious that Fang Jun regards them as a reserve team and is waiting for him. Even if he has broken through Wudemen and Qianhuamen at a great cost, what awaits the rebels after breaking through is bound to be the arrival of these two armed forces. The most powerful force in the world is still a bloody battle...
The heavy rain made a crackling sound on the window, the cold wind blew in through the cracks in the window, and the candlelight flickered and flickered. Li Daozong and Yu Chigong sat on both sides of the desk, holding tea and drinking silently, relatively speechless for a while.
The situation is too passive...
A school captain opened the door and walked in quickly. After saluting, he reported: "Commander Qi, His Royal Highness the King of Jin is here."
Yuchi Gong frowned and asked curiously: "Your Highness is not staying at Chengtian Gate to command from the center, how come you are here?"
The strategic position of Chengtian Gate is very important. It is almost the same as Xuanwu Gate. It can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating. Moreover, now that Cui Xin is leading the Shandong private army to fight against Liu Rengui who has entered the city, King Jin needs to command and dispatch at Chengtian Gate and stabilize the morale of the army. He came here. What does Zhaode Hall do?
Be a supervisor?
Just playing the piano randomly...
Li Daozong also sighed, but did not say much. He greeted Yuchi Gong: "Everyone is here, go out to greet them."
Yu Chigong looked unhappy and pursed his lips as he went out with Li Daozong. He saw Li Zhi coming in the rain surrounded by a group of guards and servants.
"The general has met His Highness!"
"Please get up quickly!"
Li Zhi took two steps forward and helped Li Daozong and Yuchi who were saluting in front of the door. He said with a solemn expression: "The two generals led their troops to fight to the death here. The soldiers fought bloody battles and suffered countless casualties. I am sitting on pins and needles at Chengtian Gate, so I come forward." Come here and fight side by side with you loyal ministers and righteous men. Whether it is victory or defeat, life or death, we will never give up!”
He has always said high-sounding words, and he will never admit that he is afraid of death when he stays at Chengtianmen...
Yuchi Gong was fierce and straightforward. He frowned and said, "Your Highness loves the soldiers like a son. Everyone in the army is grateful and willing to die for Your Highness. However, the battle situation in the city is also extremely important now. If Cui Xin is defeated, As a result, Liu Rengui went straight to Chengtian Gate, and then..."
"Outside the door is not the place to talk. Your Highness, please explain in detail after entering."
Li Daozong interrupted Yu Chigong's words and asked Li Zhi to enter. Then he raised his head and glanced at Yuchi Gong, shaking his head slightly.
He knew that Yuchi Gong was going to blame Li Zhi for ignoring the overall situation and allowing the war in Chang'an City. He thought the same, but now that Li Zhi was already here, could he still be rushed back?
Since it cannot be changed, there is no need to say ugly words...
Yu Chigong understood what Li Daozong meant, and with a sullen face and holding his breath, he accompanied Li Daozong to invite Li Zhi to sit inside the house without saying a word.
Xiao Yu, Chu Suiliang and others also entered immediately...
Although the place was conquered at an ominous hour to serve as a "command post", all kinds of facilities in Zhaode Hall are fully equipped, and the utensils were not damaged when the imperial army retreated. Therefore, after Li Daozong and Yuchi Gong were stationed here, they boiled water and cooked rice. The living facilities will be carefully inspected to confirm that there are no traces of poisoning before they are requisitioned.
At this time, a school captain boiled water and made tea, and put it on the desk. Li Zhi took the main seat, and Li Daozong, Yu Chigong, Xiao Yu, Chu Suiliang and others took their seats respectively.
Li Zhi looked at Li Daozong and said with emotion: "When the Tang Dynasty was founded, my father commanded thousands of troops and conquered half of the country. He was surrounded by a rain of advisers and a cloud of fierce generals. Everyone claimed to be loyal to his father and would never change his life or death. However, when his father When the emperor passed away, they all reported their father's life to them. The previous wishes were forgotten, and they only knew how to cater to the puppet emperor and get promoted to nobles. Why did they care about the past friendship? The example of Zhenguan Xunchen! ”
He was naturally grateful to Li Daozong. If he hadn't brazenly raised his troops from Xuanwu Gate and marched into Taiji Palace, he would have been surrounded and suppressed in the south of Chang'an City at this moment, defeated and completely defeated.
Therefore, he was willing to give Li Daozong the highest praise, and after the achievement was completed, he would be promoted to a higher rank and regarded as the leader of meritorious deeds.
Li Daozong hurriedly left his seat and saluted: "Your Highness, you are ridiculous! As you said, we have followed the late emperor for many years, and conquered so many countries in the east and west. The late emperor did not hesitate to reward us for our loyalty, and regarded us as brothers. never meet Doubtful, how can I not be grateful for such a favor for the rest of my life? Although I am jealous of talents and cannot go against God's will, I must do my best to fulfill the late emperor's unfinished will, even if thousands of people criticize me and everyone reviles me, I will fight to the end!"
These words were spoken from the bottom of his heart. In fact, it didn't matter to him whether Li Chengqian or Li Zhi was the emperor. No one could shake his position. But it was his loyalty to His Majesty Li Er that made him willing to embark on this dangerous path, even if he was ruined.
Yuchi Gong was silent on the side. Compared with Li Daozong, his purpose seemed a bit dirty and he couldn't take action.
There was heavy rain outside the window, intensive gunshots and fighting sounds could be heard faintly, captains and scouts were coming and going in a hurry, battle reports were coming from everywhere, and the atmosphere was tense and urgent. (End of chapter)