Chapter 4900: Survival in Desperate Situations
Splashing water into ice makes the city wall stronger and stronger. How to break it?
Niu Jinda didn't understand those profound truths. For a warrior who had been fighting for most of his life, the easiest way to encounter a tenacious enemy was to increase his troops. It is said that two fists are difficult to defeat with four hands. No matter how brave the enemy is, when one's own troops are at an absolute When you have the upper hand, victory is within reach.
Applying this to the "Ice City" where Banwa City is currently frozen, his idea is very simple, just increase the amount.
Early the next morning, Zuo Wuwei, who had rested for the night, once again crossed the frozen river and launched a fierce attack on Banhe City.
The snow has become lighter, but the north wind is still biting and strong.
It was still the same strategy as before. The infantry held large shields and rushed to the bottom of the city. They dug up the ice, moved the city bricks, and buried gunpowder. The difference was that the gunpowder planted this time was more than five times that of yesterday, and several city bricks were buried. It was pried off, a hole was dug out of the rammed earth inside, and the gunpowder was buried in it.
Ignite, retreat.
Boom boom boom!
Multiple explosion points made dull explosions, and smoke rose into the sky and was blown away by the strong wind. The defenders standing on the city wall felt as if they were shaking under their feet, as if they were standing on water. When the smoke cleared, they were horrified. It was found that two city walls had been blasted so much that ice fragments flew everywhere, bricks were loose, and they almost collapsed.
Zhai Liu Niang personally went to the top of the city, held the arrow stack with both hands and looked down the city. Seeing that the Zuowu guards in the distance had gathered again, she quickly shouted: "Throw half of the rolling logs and stones down!"
The defenders on the city didn't know why, but the Marshal's wife had already won everyone's respect and support, and she carried out the order without hesitation. For a while, the rolling logs and stones on the city top were like rain falling to the bottom of the city, and the roots of the city wall were quickly covered up. .
When the Zuowuwei infantry once again rushed to the city with large shields and gunpowder, they found that it was difficult to move forward. It became more difficult to bury the gunpowder. They had to clean up the mess under the city, or climb on rolling logs and rocks to reach the city wall, but no matter No matter how you choose, you have to face the arrows and stones on the city while the workload suddenly increases, which will greatly increase the casualties and achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Up and down the city, you attacked and we defended, going back and forth. Zuowuwei paid a huge price to successfully blow up two gaps in the Fanhe city wall at noon.
Niu Jinda had a cold expression on his face. He looked up at the sun, which had gradually turned to the west. He waved his hand, the horns blared and the war drums rumbled. The army under his command surged towards Panhe City like a tide and began to attack Fanhe City head-on.
A series of ladders were erected on the city wall. The soldiers braved the arrows above their heads and climbed up with horizontal knives in their mouths. The catapults were loaded with kerosene bombs and then fired non-stop. Each kerosene bomb dragged the tail of black smoke across the city. The fighting city fell into the city, with fire and smoke billowing. Jinglan, which had just arrived at the battlefield because it was too slow, was also pushed not far from the city wall, and the enemy's test fire on the city was suppressed from top to bottom.
The battle instantly became intense.
The importance of the battle between the two sides naturally lies in the collapse of the two city walls. Zuowu guardsmen continued to launch rapid and fierce offensives amidst the sound of war drums and horns. The defenders fought with their backs and had no way to retreat. Taking advantage of the favorable location, they unleashed a powerful fighting force. , repelling Zuo Wuwei's charges time and time again.
In just one hour, the collapse of the two city walls was almost filled with the corpses of soldiers from both sides. The blood flowed and turned into ice in an instant. The frozen corpses of the soldiers were piled on top of each other, building a city wall of flesh and blood.
Zuo Wuwei's attack failed, so he ordered his troops to retreat.
The howling north wind swept the snowflakes wildly, and the ground was covered with desolation and corpses.
In the Fanhe City Government Office, the lights were as bright as day, and Zhai Liuniang was sitting in the hall surrounded by a group of soldiers. The ecstasy of defeating the enemy army had gradually dissipated at this moment, and was replaced by the panic of being in a desperate situation and facing a powerful enemy. The fear and solemn atmosphere filled the hall.
Although the enemy retreated, but on the first day of the fierce frontal attack, the walls of Fanhe City collapsed in two places. The defenders used all their strength to hold on to the gap, but how many days could they hold it back?
Zhai Liuniang is dressed in military uniform. Her past delicate makeup has long disappeared. Her face is wrinkled and tired from the wind and snow, but her eyes are still bright.
After taking a sip of hot tea and putting down the cup, Zhai Liuniang looked around and said in a deep voice: "I know what you are thinking about are all the generals of the Tang Dynasty. The only thing the imperial court is targeting is the general. All you need to do is put down your sword and wag your tail." How can Cheng Yaojin kill them all if they beg to surrender?"
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn, and all the generals said nothing.
Zhai Liuniang continued: "However, you have failed to see the current situation clearly. What Cheng Yaojin wants is a vigorous military exploit. How can he be satisfied with just the commander's head? Although I don't know why Cheng Yaojin dares to risk the world. He was so bold that he stormed Fanhe City, but the reason why he mobilized the elite was nothing more than "rebellion"
"Bang!"
She slammed the table with her palms, raised her sword eyebrows, and said with an imposing manner: "I, the An clan, have lived in Liangzhou for a long time and have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. The territory of the Tang Dynasty is soaked with the blood of the An clan. He Why should Cheng Yaojin falsely accuse me of treason? Should we be begging for mercy in front of him and be willing to suffer endless humiliation?
There was some commotion among the generals in the hall.
If Cheng Yaojin attacks Panhe City under the pretext of "revolting against rebellion", then everyone here will be "rebels". Cheng Yaojin will use the heads and blood of Zuo Xiaowei to forge his glorious achievements so that he can be repeated. Returning to Chang'an will never be enough to "just kill the first culprit".
There will definitely be a killing spree.
The fierce spirit in the hearts of the generals was aroused, and everyone was filled with anger and rage.
"Cheng Yaojin is cruel and cruel, and he goes too far to bully others!"
"We are all generals of the Tang Dynasty. We are loyal to the Tang Dynasty. How can we have any intention of treason?"
"You must not sit back and wait to be killed, otherwise you will be stigmatized as a 'traitor' and will be infamy for thousands of years!"
"Madam, please lead us to defend the city and refuse to surrender!"
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became heated, and curses could be heard constantly.
Zhai Liuniang breathed a sigh of relief...
Facing Zuo Wuwei's fierce attack, the gap in combat power between the two sides was obvious. The whole army was already timid. Many people must have thought of simply surrendering. After all, it was the Tang army system. As long as the An clan was destroyed and An Yuanshou was crowned the leader, , everyone naturally escapes from the desperate situation.
Therefore, she must arouse morale and bind Zuo Xiaowei and the An family together, so that they can live together and die together.
Otherwise, within a few days, Fanhe City will be defeated without attack.
"Don't worry, everyone. Although Zuowuwei is strong, we don't need to fight with them in the field. We only need to hold on to the city and wait until the commander brings reinforcements, and the siege will be solved naturally."
The generals in the hall became more confident and swore, patting their chests and swearing: "Don't worry, madam, we will definitely defend the city and wait for the return of the commander-in-chief!"
Zhai Liuniang had a smile on her face, but her mind was very heavy.
Pei Xingjian was the Protector of Anxi, and now he is stationed in Ganzhou to preside over the "Tubo Strategy". He only cares about the chaos in Hexi, so how can he care about the life and death of the An family? I hope Fanhe City can remain in a stalemate for a long time. Once Zuowu Wei cannot attack for a long time and the whole Hexi is in danger of chaos, Pei Xingjian will impeach Cheng Yaojin to Chang'an and Fang Jun can stop it.
It still depends on whether Fanhe City can be defended under Zuowu Wei's crazy attack.
After all, she regretted not being able to dissuade An Yuanshou in time during the Chang'an mutiny. If An Yuanshou hadn't been restless in a corner of Liangzhou and dreamed of being transferred from Longzhi Gong to Chang'an to enter the center of power, why would he have been in trouble today?
Based on An's 200-year history of managing Hexi and his achievements since entering the Tang Dynasty, it is no lie to say that he "rests with his country".
As a result, a moment of greed led to today's bad consequences. The family business that more than ten generations of people have worked hard to create suffered a disaster. If they were not careful, it would be destroyed and vanished into thin air.
*****
Hexi has always been the winner of Chinese civilization and the vane of the prosperity of dynasties. Anyone who can control the counties in Hexi will be a prosperous empire in history. If the land of Hexi falls into the hands of the Hulu, the dynasty will inevitably weaken and lose its vitality. insufficient.
If Hexi is safe, Guan Shaanxi will be safe, and the Central Plains will be safe.
When the Han Dynasty, which had conquered thousands of miles and swept across the world, declined and collapsed, in the next three to four hundred years, civil strife occurred frequently, foreign invaders invaded, the Central Plains was submerged, famous cities and towns were burned down, celebrities and people were massacred, and the Han family moved south in tears with their clothes on.
"In Qinchuan, there is no blood, but there is only Liangzhou's Yizhu Temple."
When the mountains and rivers of the Central Plains changed color and China was in disaster, the Hexi Corridor, which was isolated in the western frontier but was stable and prosperous, became a paradise for the people of the Central Plains to take refuge. The literati gathered here to thrive and continue the Han civilization.
At that time, Emperor Wen of the Western Wei Dynasty, Yuwentai, renamed Zhangye Ganzhou because of the sweet spring water. Together with Guzang City, it became an important town in Hexi, with prosperous business, culture and a large population.
……
Today there is heavy snow and roads are blocked. Ganzhou, which used to be prosperous and prosperous with endless business travel, seems to have come to a standstill. The entire city is hidden in the wind and snow. Business travel has disappeared and the market has stopped. Only groups of soldiers are standing in the wind and snow. Patrolling shuttles and maintaining public order.
In the yamen office, Pei Xingjian bent down and scooped a ladle of water from the water tank into the kettle. Then he turned around and placed the kettle on the burning stove. Then he rubbed his frozen hands and sat behind the desk. , glanced out the window.
Heavy snow fell all over the courtyard, the branches of several trees whined in the cold wind, and the cotton door curtains were constantly swaying by the wind.
Let out a breath and pick up the brush to review the official document.
The "Tubo Strategy" was initiated by the Ministry of War and approved by the Military Aircraft Department. It invested huge manpower and material resources. It was extremely important for the geographical relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet in the next few decades. However, there have been frequent deviations since the trial, especially when Qinling went on his own and brazenly launched an attack on Tubo, which led to the almost complete failure of the part of the "strategy" that provoked the Gar tribe and the two tigers of Luosucheng to fight each other. , which made Pei Xingjian worried.
Obviously, Lun Qinling was not willing to be controlled by the Tang Dynasty and became a "hawk and dog's claws", and Lu Dongzan was still unwilling to surrender even under the threat of the Tang Dynasty's soldiers.
The situation in Tubo was very chaotic.
The kettle on the stove whined. Pei Xingjian stood up and lifted the kettle when someone opened the cotton door curtain from the outside, and a cloud of wind and snow came in.
Su Liangsi walked in from the outside and said respectfully: "I would like to inform you, the Protector-General, An Yuanshou to see you."
It has snowed heavily recently, making it difficult to walk. We have not yet set off to go to Dadou Valley. Pei Xingjian was stunned and subconsciously asked: "Who?"