Chapter 150 Nothing more than that
The Xuzhou Army deployed 6,000 soldiers in one go, and their intention was to eliminate most of the wells, rush vehicles, Mongolian vehicles, and ladders outside the South City Gate in one go.
Yuan Shu's personal army was obviously not mentally prepared from top to bottom. It was unexpected that Xuzhou's army was so courageous.
This is almost like a decisive battle at the south gate.
If Yuan Shu's army loses, they can still escape back to the camp. At least Sun Ben's 8,000 troops will guard the camp and not lose everything.
It's just that all the siege weapons must have been destroyed, and even the north gate and west gate cannot be saved. Sun Ce and Wu Jing, who were eager to withdraw their troops, could only choose to abandon all siege weapons in order to speed up their escape from the battlefield.
But the problem is that if the Xuzhou Army loses, it is likely to lead to the fall of Guangling City.
Qiao Rui felt a little angry in her heart. She just felt that the Xuzhou Army dared to risk losing the city and go out to fight in the field. Isn't this looking down on herself too much?
In fact, Qiao Rui really guessed it right. The Xuzhou Army decided to go out of the city and beat Qiao Rui hard after seeing clearly the distribution of Yuan Shu Army's offensive forces.
Liu Feng had already analyzed the composition of Yuan Shu's army with Zhao Yun, Tai Shi Ci, Xu Sheng and others.
The strongest one is definitely Sun Ce's headquarters, which has more than 1,000 and nearly 2,000 Sun Jian's personal soldiers. This is the most capable of fighting in the entire Yuan Shu faction.
The second is Wu Jing and Sun Ben's old base. Although these people cannot keep up with Sun Jian's personal soldiers, they can be regarded as the main elite.
The third one is the heroes who came to serve Sun Ce from all over Jiangdong and Jiangbei. The new troops composed of these people, as well as the newly expanded troops of Wu Jing and Sun Ben, are also very effective in combat. I just lack some experience.
The weakest is undoubtedly Yuan Shu's personal army. These are mainly composed of the defeated soldiers from the Battle of Kuangting and the newly recruited soldiers from Jiujiang.
The military discipline of these soldiers is very poor, and their morale training is not bad. They are indeed the weakest shortcoming in Yuan Shu's army.
Although Liu Feng didn't know that the person who came was Qiao Rui, no matter who came, the strength of Yuan Shu's army was far inferior to that of Sun Jian's old army, and the gap was quite large.
So, after clearly seeing the banner of Yuan Shu's army on the city wall, the Xuzhou Army's top brass decided decisively that Taishi Ci's remaining troops and some Guangling County soldiers would defend Wu Jing at the north gate, while Qianzhao would lead some Guangling County soldiers. Sun Ce, who was guarding the west gate with Qing Zhuang, attacked Qiao Rui with the main force from the south gate.
All of a sudden, the horns of Yuan Shu's army also sounded one after another, and the passing cavalry galloped, issuing temporary adjustments to the bridge.
Qiao Rui’s Chinese military camp was originally guarding the front of the well. Their equipment was very good and their combat effectiveness was also the strongest among Yuan Shu’s troops led by Qiao Rui, so Qiao Rui gave them protection. The beauty of a siege weapon.
The battle formation set up by Yuan Shu's troops at the south gate turned out to be a defensive formation, which was obviously very outrageous.
But it was precisely this outrageousness that gave Qiao Rui more confidence.
Qiao Rui also knew the strength of his subordinates, so he obediently handed over the main offensive tasks to Sun Ce and Wu Jing. He was more of a diversionary offensive at the south gate, responsible for killing and consuming Xuzhou. The sergeant attracts the opponent's defensive troops and creates opportunities for the other two sides.
It is for this reason that Qiao Rui arranged his troops in a defensive formation around the wells and other siege weapons, leaving only the first two captains pretending to attack, and the rest of the troops were It's a defensive stance.
In this way, Yuan Shu's personal troops deployed a total of 8,000 people, a dozen wells, and more than 20 various siege weapons such as rams, Mongolian chariots, and ladder trucks. Look, It still looks very threatening.
But no one expected that the Xuzhou Army not only came out of the city to fight, but also targeted them.
At this moment, Wu Jing's troops in the north were completely too late to support the south gate. When they came around most of the city, even if they still had physical strength, they would probably be finished here.
Sun Ce's troops in the west were also restrained by the recruiting troops who were leaving the city. Even if they wanted to come for reinforcements, it would take time to adjust, let alone run a long distance.
Sun Ben at the back did have troops, but it was still a long way to reach the battlefield, and there was no place to spread out.
Therefore, the greatest pressure was placed on Qiao Rui.
If Qiao Rui can directly defeat the Xuzhou Army, then the first victory today will undoubtedly be his.
Qiao Rui's palms were slightly sweaty, but the complete defensive formation still gave him a lot of confidence.
After Qiao Rui's fine-tuning, the central military camp remained motionless. The former military camp in front, which was originally planning to launch a feint attack, also began to retreat under the orders of the bugle and the passing cavalry, assuming a defensive posture.
Qiao Rui is determined to fight a defensive battle. As long as he can hold off, he will win.
If he can stick the Xuzhou Army to Sun Ce to return reinforcements and keep the 6,000 Xuzhou Army men outside the city, then he will be the greatest achievement of the Battle of Guangling.
The Xuzhou Army acted very resolutely, without any hesitation at all.
The momentum of Xu Sheng's troops surged forward, and before the two armies even fought, they had clearly suppressed Yuan Shu's army on the opposite side. But before entering the range of the bow and arrow, the pikemen stopped and rested on the spot.
Qiaorui was obviously in a daze and didn't understand what the other party wanted to do.
Qiao Rui thought for a moment, then galloped to the well with his bodyguard, dismounted and climbed onto the well.
After being condescending, he took in half of the battlefield. He was surprised to find that behind Xu Sheng's troops, Pan Zhang's troops had already finished putting on their armor, and then formed several teams, following the gaps in the spearmen's formation. He walked through the formation and came to the front of the formation.
Qiao Rui’s heart suddenly sank.
He had just mobilized most of the archers to the front, hoping to severely damage the pikemen phalanx. But now, the other party obviously anticipated what he expected and directly sent heavy armored soldiers to clear the way.
Seeing that the opponent was getting closer and closer to the front line, Qiao Rui could not think of any other way. He could only immediately give an order to let the armored Sima Department in the Chinese military camp meet the enemy.
The equipment of Yuan Shu's personal army is still very good. Among them, he has also established a 200-man armored Sima Department made of all iron armor. They are regarded as the core treasure. They are generally only responsible for protecting the general and rarely go into battle. of.
However, Qiao Rui also had some foresight. He knew that he could not let the opponent's heavy armored infantry open the passage, otherwise his side would probably collapse, so he decisively took out his heart and soul to fill the hole.
From this point of view, Qiao Rui can still be regarded as a competent general.
It's just that his reaction was a little slower, maybe not too slow, but he was calculated by the other party, so he could only fall into passivity.
While Qiao Rui was mobilizing troops, the heavy armored infantry of the Xuzhou Army had already begun to charge into the formation.
The heavy armored infantry lowered their heads and then half-raised their wooden shields. There was a gap between the helmet and the shield, which allowed them to observe the enemy situation in front.
These experiences were originally personal, but Liu Feng organized a post-war seminar to review and promote various experiences.
The little tricks that some surviving soldiers have figured out have become experiences that the entire army can use.
This not only greatly improves the survival rate of the soldiers, but also enhances their combat effectiveness.
There was no need for Qiao Rui to give a special order, the mid-level commanders on the front line had already ordered the shooting.
The archers in the front row fired directly and ejected from the rear, and began to baptize the heavy armored infantry from a distance.
It’s just that the big killer weapon like Zhanjia is simply the nemesis of ordinary bows and arrows. Unless you have a strong bow and a powerful crossbow, Zhanjia can be ignored directly.
Strong bows and powerful crossbows often have a trajectory close to a straight line, and the shields in the hands of heavy armored infantry greatly enhance their protection.
Several waves of arrow rain caused almost zero damage to the heavy armored infantry.
Behind the heavy armored infantry, the pikemen had begun to advance again, following the heavy armored infantry and quietly approaching the enemy's defense line.
The archers who had fired four rounds in a row had to stop shooting and retreated to both sides, revealing the medium-sized sword and shield soldiers behind them.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, this kind of soldiers were the main force in combat.
In the arsenal of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were a large number of swords, bows and arrows, leather armor, and iron armor. Only the spears were the least, with only 20,000 to 30,000, and their length was far less than that of the Qin Dynasty and the early Western Han Dynasty. . The number of swords is more than ten times that of spears, reaching three to four hundred thousand.
It can be seen that the main soldiers of the Eastern Han Dynasty have become this kind of one-handed weapon combined with holding a shield.
After all, the system, national conditions and international situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty made them often need public security operations, and pikemen were too clumsy and cumbersome for public security operations.
Soon, the heavy armored infantry of Xuzhou Army and the sword and shield soldiers of Yuan Shu Army collided.
The heavy armored infantry of the Xuzhou Army did not change from walking to trotting until the two sides were less than ten steps apart, but they still relied on their armor to bring about a strong collision force.
As soon as the two sides came into contact, dozens of sword and shield soldiers were knocked backwards.
If there weren't soldiers behind to support them, these sword and shield soldiers would probably be knocked upside down.
But unfortunately, although they were supported by the soldiers behind them, it was actually not as good as falling down.
Because immediately following, they were greeted by the blade of heavy armored infantry.
After charging into the crowd, the heavy armored infantry dropped their wooden shields and started killing with all their strength.
When Yuan Shujun's broadsword struck the Xuzhou heavy armored soldiers, there was almost only a white mark. However, with a backhand slash, the heavy armored soldiers could easily cut through Yuan Shujun's leather armor, or lightly cut through it. Severe cuts, deep or shallow wounds. At the beginning, Yuan Shu's army was still able to resist with bloody courage. However, as the casualties of his comrades gradually increased and the heavy armored infantry on the opposite side could not be defeated, Yuan Shu's army's line began to collapse.
Especially Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai, they are like a duck in water.
The two men were like two killing machines. They had no idea what fatigue was. With the soldiers around them, they made two grooves in the opponent's line in just a few rounds.
Gradually, Yuan Shujun's soldiers began to turn around and flee, which even affected the morale of the back row.
Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai were even more unmatched. The two began to be dissatisfied with ordinary soldiers and invariably set their sights on officers in Yuan Shu's army.
The junior officers of Yuan Shu's army had to start enforcing military law and killed several fleeing soldiers before barely maintaining the front line.
But this also exposed his position. He was targeted by two fierce guys, and one after another he was chopped to the ground by Pan Zhang or Zhou Tai who rushed over.
The situation is getting worse and worse. Originally, the sword and shield soldiers were already one-sided, but now the officers also suffered heavy casualties. Anyone with a discerning eye can see it. In a dozen breaths at most, Yuan Shu's army's first The front must collapse.
Fortunately, Qiao Rui did not delay before and immediately issued an order to have his heavy armored infantry put on armor to face the enemy.
At this time, the heavy armored soldiers of Yuan Shujun had also put on their armor and came to the front line.
The sword and shield soldiers who received the order to retreat breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly retreated from the wings to the rear, revealing the heavy armored soldiers of Yuan Shu's army in the center.
The Xuzhou Army will naturally not chase those sword and shield soldiers. The opponent only wears armor, and he wears iron armor. Only crazy people would think that they can catch up with them.
They stopped where they were and rested. Although the battle just now was short, it was intense.
The morale of Yuan Shu's army was not low, and they resisted very tenaciously, which consumed a lot of physical strength of the heavy infantry.
These soldiers naturally have to seize all the time to recover their physical strength, which is related to their subsequent life and death.
Yuan Shujun's heavy infantrymen actually consumed a lot of energy when they walked to the front line.
This is walking with a weight of thirty to forty pounds, which consumes a lot of money.
But they still have to move forward and take the initiative to attack the Xuzhou Army.
After all, the opponent is recovering his strength, so Yuan Shujun can't just sit back and watch.
When the heavy infantry on both sides were ten steps away, they started to sprint as usual, and then the two large rows of iron blocks collided hard together.
This time, the weapons in both sides' hands were replaced by armor-piercing weapons, either small melons, awls, or hammers.
The heavily armored armored warriors on both sides are the elite and core troops of their own armies. Naturally, they select the warriors with the best martial arts skills, rich combat experience, and strong bodies.
Therefore, the battle between the two sides entered a fierce stage as soon as they came into contact.
Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai simultaneously focused on the other party's commander, a tall and burly military commander who was surrounded by six armored guards.
The two of them started to kill each other in unison, and the soldiers behind them hurriedly followed.
Yuan Shujun's warriors wanted to stop them, but they were no match for these two men.
Pan Zhang dodged sideways, just in time to get out of the way of Xiaogua who was hit by the opponent's head. He grabbed the opponent's helmet with his backhand and lifted it up. Then he held the hammer upside down and pointed towards it with the spikes on his snout. Prick the opponent's neck. Then blood spurted out, and the Yuan Jun armored soldier who had been fierce and brave just now lost all his strength and fell to the ground.
Zhou Tai did not give in too much. He also killed a soldier easily and walked towards the target.
Sun Tong, the commander of Yuan Shu's armored army, is one of the top five warriors under Qiao Rui, otherwise it would not be his turn to be the commander of this army.
You must know that as an armored soldier, the power of a military commander is even higher than that of an ordinary captain. Qiao Rui naturally valued his combat prowess when he asked him to serve as a military commander.
Sun Tong looked around, realized the intentions of these two guys, and showed a ferocious smile.
“Follow me.”
Sun Tong shouted, and then led his personal guards in the direction of Zhou Tai.
Pan Zhang jumped up and down angrily, but he could only watch as Kung Fu grew his own legs and walked towards Zhou Tai. He couldn't help but feel a little depressed. The young master had nothing to do with stuffing this guy in, and he was robbing him of his merits.
Zhou Tai was overjoyed and slowed down.
Many people think Zhou Tai is a reckless man, but in fact he is quite smart.
Historically, Sun Ce launched an army to conquer Yuzhang, and the focus was on Taishi Ci and Zulang.
At that time, Sun Quan joined the army and was placed in a peripheral county, obviously preparing for gold plating.
What I didn’t expect was that a Shanyue force of more than 3,000 people actually besieged the city, broke through the city, and directly attacked the county government office.
At that time, Sun Quan only had Zhou Tai and more than a hundred soldiers beside him.
It was all thanks to Zhou Tai who fought desperately, commanded his soldiers to protect Sun Quan, observed the enemy's situation, and tried every means to kill the enemy chief several times, buying Sun Quan some time to survive.
This is definitely not something a reckless man can do.
Zhou Tai saw Sun Tong coming towards him. Instead, he slowed down and stood up. While recovering his strength, Zhou Tai observed the environment of the small battlefield.
The battlefield was not big to begin with. Zhou Tai only rested for a moment before Sun Tong came over to kill him.
Sun Tong is holding a huge mountain-breaking ax, which weighs more than 20 kilograms. Ordinary people may not be able to wield it normally, but Sun Tong can hold a huge ax and fight fiercely.
Sun Tong's soldiers rushed forward first, but were blocked by the soldiers around Zhou Tai.
Zhou Taize directly faced Sun Tong.
Sun Tong took two quick steps, held the mountain-breaking ax under his head, and slashed towards Zhou Tai.
Zhou Tai was unhurried and raised the hammer in his hand to greet him.
The weapons of both sides collided, making a huge noise, which stimulated the fighting movements of the surrounding soldiers to slow down a lot.
Sun Tong was a little surprised when he saw Zhou Tai actually blocking his powerful and heavy blow, and then said with a ferocious smile: "Good guy, come again!"
Then, Sun Tong took a side step and drew a big ax in his hand. He made a circle and swept towards Zhou Tai.
Zhou Tai retreated slightly, barely giving way, and his movements were as fast as if he was not wearing armor.
Sun Tong took two more steps, made a circle with the ax, and struck back from the opposite direction.
But Zhou Tai did not fight back, but dodged away again.
Seeing that the opponent gave way again, Sun Tong couldn't help but feel angry. In the past, Sun Tong relied on his tall body and strength to fight on the battlefield and manipulate a big axe, almost one for each axe.
Unexpectedly, the guy in front of him was as flexible as a monkey, which made Sun Tong a little dumbfounded.
"You can only dodge? Coward."
Sun Tong sneered while wielding the ax again to attack, "Or do you want to dodge and tire Naigong to death?"
Zhou Tai smiled and replied: "Since you are anxious and want to die, then I will satisfy you."
He relied on his steps to get out of the way of Sun Tong's horizontal blow. Before the opponent could collect his axe, Zhou Tai rushed over, raising the hammer high in his hand.
Sun Tong was immediately shocked. He quickly held the ax in both hands and blocked the air.
Only hearing a bang, Sun Tong froze and paused on the spot.
Just now, Zhou Tai's hammer hit the long handle of Sun Tong's mountain axe. The long iron-clad handle was broken by Zhou Tai's blow, and then the hammer continued its power unabated. In the other person's desperate sight, he hit him hard on the head.
Sun Tong's entire head was smashed to pieces, and his iron helmet was deformed.
At this time, Zhou Tai shook his head and sighed: "It's just that."
(End of this chapter)