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Text Chapter 925 Snow (Finale 1)

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    Arriving outside the city of Xingqing Mansion, Zheng Lang called Guo Kui and Wang Shao over.  // Free e-book download //

    Even after arriving at Xingqing Mansion, it may not be so easy to capture Xingqing Mansion.

    Before the rise of Xixia, there was also a small town here called Huaiyuan Town, which was mainly used for military purposes.  Later, Li Deming moved his capital here and carried out extensive expansion, returning to Shibali.  Compared with the 81 li in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty and the 58 li in the Song Dynasty, the scale was much smaller.  Moreover, Kaifeng City, which is fifty-eight miles in circumference, can no longer accommodate the people in the city and is still expanding outside the city.  Strictly speaking, although Chang'an is large, there are many open spaces in the southern districts, and even cultivated land and a large number of vegetable gardens. The actual area of ??Kaifeng city is less than that of Chang'an, but the population exceeds Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.

    But with a circumference of eighteen miles, the city is undoubtedly the leading big city in Northwest China.

    And because there are many lakes in the north and south, the city has to face east and west.  Later, Yinchuan still retained the east-west pattern of Xixia, and there was also a lake, but the lake was far less wide and deep than the lake.  Of course, in the entire northwest, without relevant policies, the soil and water will deteriorate rapidly.

    In a city of eighteen miles, the length from east to west is twice as long as from north to south, so there are six city gates, two gates in the north and south, and one gate in the east and west.  There is a moat ten feet wide outside the city.  The city is modeled on the structure of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty and Kaifeng in the Song Dynasty, divided into dozens of quarters, and residents are densely distributed among the quarters.  There are also palace buildings, palaces, government offices, an official handicraft workshop, barracks and warehouses.  Coupled with the grain and grass supplies prepared in advance, Xingqing Mansion alone can survive independently for several years.

    The layout of the entire Xingqing Mansion includes not only the inside of the city, but also outside the city. There are Gaotai Temple and various pagodas on the Yellow River fifteen miles east of the city, and there are Wutaishan Temple and the Royal Cemetery in the east of Helan Mountain in the west.  The Buddha's Courtyard, the palace built by Yuan Hao for the Mei Yi family, and the summer palace in the jungle of Shandong.  This part of the Liang family voluntarily gave up and compressed all their troops into the city.

    But we can¡¯t underestimate Xingqing Mansion.

    As the political, economic, military and cultural center of Xixia, it was built taller and stronger than Lingzhou.  Thirty years ago, the Liao Kingdom failed to attack Xingqing Mansion. Zheng Lang also knew another thing. More than a hundred years later, Genghis Khan besieged Xingqing Mansion four times.  Historically, the Song Dynasty failed to attack Lingzhou. Now it is ten times more difficult to attack Xingqing Mansion than to attack Lingzhou!

    Capture Xingqing Mansion.  This battle is over, but if it doesn't work, the stalemate in Xingqing Mansion will last for one, two, and three years!  Not only for half a year, but also for half a year, many bad things will happen.

    Entering October.  The Hexi Plain ushered in a heavy snowfall.

    On the plus side, the weather has officially gotten colder now, and the temperature may still be seven or eight degrees Celsius during the day, but it returns to subzero at night.  The poor sun during the day cannot melt the ice, neither the wide moat outside Xingqingfu City nor the various water diversion channels.  and various lakes, all covered with a layer of ice so thick that even horses could run on it.  The Song Dynasty army could reach the city wall of Xingqing Prefecture in one smooth sweep.

    There is a downside.

    The city is cold and the river is frozen.  The soil has also frozen hard, so don't expect to dig tunnels or bomb the city walls.

    Under low temperature conditions, bows and arrows are effective except around noon.  The effectiveness of bows and arrows is reduced in the morning and night, including sharp weapons such as the Divine Arm Bow.

    Cold weather.  Although the soldiers of the Song Dynasty had cotton-padded clothes to keep out the cold, they wore thick clothes that affected their mobility.  However, Xixia soldiers mostly grew up here and could fight wearing a simple animal skin robe. This cold weather was good for the enemy but not for themselves.

    The northwest roads are beginning to become clogged with ice and snow, making logistics increasingly difficult.

    The Song army set up camp.

    On the eighth day of October, the Song Army and Chen Bing were densely packed in the south of Xingqing Prefecture.

    Zheng Lang began to order: "Except for those who resist, except for those who take in the resisters, and except for those who take the opportunity to undermine the security of the city, without military orders after the three armies enter the city, they are not allowed to massacre the people, and those who disobey the orders are not allowed to be killed. People's houses are not allowed to be burned, and those who disobey the orders are beheaded. No.  Those who commit adultery against women of the common people will be killed if they disobey the order. They are not allowed to rob. Those who disobey the order are beheaded. They are not allowed to break into the private houses of the people at will. Those who disobey the order are armed with a hundred military staffs. They are not allowed to receive a needle or money from the people. Those who disobey the orders are armed with a hundred military staffs.  The three armies read it three times.¡±

    Since the Song army entered the Xixia territory, it has carried out relevant orders.  But this time it's stricter.

    This is not a weak ethnic policy. If there is resistance, the suppression will be extremely brutal. Even under the well-developed intelligence network, some Hengshan Qiang who are highly hostile to the Song Dynasty are deliberately forced to rebel in order to find excuses to suppress them and smooth governance in the future.  Xixia laid the foundation.

    But this is only one aspect of power.

    It is more of a kind side. Historically, the Yue Family Army and the Qi Family Army had strict military discipline and did not harm the common people, so they were victorious in every battle.  But those two armies are strange in the entire history of China.  Even the Tang army under Pei Xingjian could not avoid burning, killing, looting and looting when they reached the enemy's territory.Temporarily, it can allow soldiers to gain wealth and increase their morale, but it can pave the way for more hatred in the future.

    Now this policy has become even stricter, and the three armies recited it three times in unison in front of the city wall, deliberately for the people in the city to listen to, so that the resistance of the people in the city will be weakened.

    This is very critical. Le Yi led the armies of the five countries to attack more than 70 cities in Qi, leaving only Jimo and Ju. However, with the army and people of Qi working together, they could not succeed for a long time, and finally had to use  Various policies to win over the people's hearts disintegrated the resistance of the soldiers and people in the two cities.

    Wang Shao¡¯s military ability is not weak, but I believe he will not surpass Le Yi.

    The Song army is very powerful, but the opponent's strength must exceed the strength of Qi State's two cities.

    The story of the Fire Bull Formation cannot be staged, but God knows what changes will happen over time.

    ??????????????? And we can¡¯t form grudges. After all, Xingqing Mansion is the center of Xixia. If Xingqing Mansion is not managed well, Xixia will not be managed well in the future.  Looking further ahead, this is also a model, and there will be Yunshuo and Youzhou in the future

    This is the first way.

    ??Also, the Song army only blocked in front of the south city wall, and the north city wall did not surround it.

    If they are all surrounded, the remaining Xixia forces will have to fight to the death, but without being surrounded, it is hard to say whether they have this intention.

    besides.

    After the military order was announced, the Song army retreated slowly and did not attack immediately, otherwise the sacrifice would be heavy.

    Next, while building siege equipment, tunnels were dug openly on the south bank of the moat.  How deep it was dug is questionable, but from morning till night, the sound of explosives exploding could not be stopped.  Even yellow gunpowder was used.  With every explosion, frozen soil would rise into the sky.

    It may not be possible to successfully dig a tunnel under the city wall of Xingqing Mansion in a short period of time, but it will further weaken the morale of Xixia City.

    seems to play this role, but it should not be underestimated.

    ¡­¡­

    On October 13th, it was snowy and sunny, and under the sunlight, the snowy fields shone pink.

    After Gao Zunyu checked the equipment, he said to Zheng Lang, Wang Shao, Guo Kui and Li Xian: "Zheng Gong, Zichun, Zhongtong, Zifan, we can attack."

    Different coaches have different priorities.  Wang Shao was more focused on military affairs, and Zheng Lang was more focused on the rear.  If the battle at the front is delayed for one day, the rear will have to spend an unknown amount of money.  Years of savings and preparations had long since been wiped out by the war.  As the money borrowed from the bank gradually ran out.

    The front line was advancing step by step, but several prime ministers in the rear kept writing to Zheng Lang complaining.

    But there is no need to rush, haste makes waste.

    Zheng Lang took Wang Shao, Guo Kui and Li Xian to check the equipment again.  Only then was the order formally launched.

    First, more than 500 huge towers were launched. These towers are equipped with wheels underneath and can be moved. They can accommodate nearly a hundred people standing on top.  But instead of actually letting a hundred soldiers go up, only a few dozen people went up, and at the same time they brought the divine arm bows up, and they also brought artillery.

    They are used for long-range attacks.

    The real thing that attacks the city is the ladder.  It turns out that the army brought many ladders, and a large number of ladders have been rebuilt in the past few days.

    But when attacking, it is not divided into two lines.  But the fourth line.

    The first line is the siege soldiers pushing ladders to attack under the city wall, but there are three fronts in the rear. One is beside the two city gates, where a large number of archers and swordsmen and spearmen are prepared to prevent the Xixia people from opening the city gates.  A sudden counterattack.  The second is that immediately behind the ladder, there are a large number of divine arm bows and all the remaining artillery, taking advantage of the range to attack the city.  There are also some stretcher bearers, ready to carry the wounded down at any time.  There are also other branches of the military.  Finally, there is the tower, which mainly takes advantage of height and makes the target more accurate.

    But this kind of attack is precisely the most dangerous.

    If there is no command ability, so many people are mixed together and the order is chaotic, maybe it will be defeated.

    In fact, if the Song Dynasty does not fall into decline in the future, this attack on Xingqing Mansion will be a valuable opportunity to accumulate valuable experience in attacking Youzhou.

    Gradually approaching a hundred steps away from the city wall, the Xixia people had already started to fight back with strong bows. Zheng Lang waved his flag, and then the horn sounded.

    Almost at the same time, an overwhelming barrage of arrows and crossbows flew towards the top of the city, mixed with a large number of cannonballs, flying towards the top of the city with a roar, but most of them landed outside or inside the city.

    But just like that, the advantages of the city wall were gradually lost.

    Wang Shao looked at the battlefield with a mixture of joy and worry on his face, and said softly: "Mr. Zheng, if these weapons are in the hands of the enemy, it will be bad for our country."

    Now these weapons are useful for attacking cities, but the Song Dynasty was the main defensive party.Whether we can capture the Sixteen States of Youyun, we still have to defend ourselves.  Or attacking the prairie, Wang Shao somewhat agreed, but Zheng Lang and other scholar-bureaucrats did not agree very much. Occupying the prairie could defeat the enemy, but how to govern it?  Even the Tang Dynasty forced the northern Turks to surrender and maintained peace for several decades, fifty or sixty years, and during these fifty or sixty years, there were more or less large-scale battles.

    "However, Zheng Lang's ideas are different from other scholar-officials. If technology advances a little more, a large number of rifles are available, and even steam trains appear, then neither the Jurchens nor Yuanmeng will be able to harm the prairie.

    Genghis Khan brought disaster to Europe, but those expeditions also woke Europe up.  In short, his expedition actually did more harm than good to Chinese civilization.

    Of course, that is the future and has little to do with Zheng Lang. What Zheng Lang is doing now is to lay a better foundation for the future.

    "Zichun, Zifan, Gao Gong, and Zhongtong, you can each write a report about the attack on Xingqing Mansion and report it to the Ming Dynasty. First, let the court further expand the study of Physics. Only our dynasty's technology  If you are always at the forefront, you will not be afraid. The second is to strengthen the confidentiality of technology."

    "Yes, the technology of these weapons must not be lost abroad," Li Xiandao.

    But on the first day, the Xixia people fought back very bravely.

    Faced with the advantages of weapons in the Song Dynasty, they also came up with a way to pile up sandbags behind the city wall, and people crouched behind the sandbags or stacks of buildings to avoid bows, arrows and cannonballs, further taking advantage of the city wall.  Then counterattack from cover.

    After a bloody battle for a long time, in the evening, the Song army blew the horn of retreat.

    On this day of bloody battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties. However, due to the emergence of various weapons, the attackers suffered fewer casualties than the defenders.

    Zheng Lang did not expect to capture Xingqing Mansion in one day, so he continued to discuss with the generals that night.

    The attack began again the next day.

    On this day, the wind gradually decreased, and another weapon appeared in the Song army, various air boats.  But in general, there is still a slight northerly wind, which is not conducive to this primitive and heavy airboat floating into the city.

    This was to disintegrate the morale of the army. A dozen airships floated above the city wall, dropping various acidic water and gunpowder packets.  It was not very accurate and accidentally injured some people near the city wall, but then those people fled to the north of the city together.  He even accidentally injured some of his own soldiers.

    There were some soldiers behind who kept lifting the soil out of the tunnel. In fact, the tunnel was still far away from the city wall, but the Xixia people didn't know how far they had dug it.  They knew there was only one possibility, once the Song army dug under the city wall.  Use explosives to blow up the city wall. The city wall of Xingqing Mansion is built on soil, so the city wall will inevitably collapse.

    Almost from top to bottom, three groups launched a threat to Xingqing Mansion.

    Half a day later.  The Song army withdrew its troops again.

    The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day!

    ??In fact, the mentality of both sides is the most critical until now.

    Just like when Zhao Kuangyi attacked Youyun Sixteen Prefectures.  Although there are various reasons for the defeat of Gaolianghe, without Han Derang.  After Youzhou was captured, various rewards were awarded, and morale was boosted again. It was easy to win, even if there were leaders like Liao Jingzong and famous generals like Brother Yelvxiu.  However, precisely because of Han Derang's heroic resistance, the fatigue of the soldiers, and various other unfavorable factors, they could not attack for a long time, broke out together, and were ultimately defeated.

    If Xixia defends its territory for one day, its morale will drop.

    It is also not good for Xixia. Now Xixia is not like Youzhou City back then, but if it takes a long time, there is a 70% chance that the Khitan will send troops to help.  However, the Song army attacked too fiercely and sacrificed almost twice as much as the Song army every day. The Song army in the north of the city did not care. This was not good for Xixia. After all, there was a chance to escape, at least to Khitan. Khitan would also take him in for political and military needs.  They, many nobles, were not strong-willed in resisting.  Zheng Lang's four cuts and two sticks shook the minds of some people, and they no longer had the thought of defending their homes and country at all costs.  As losses became more severe, so did morale.

    It depends on how both sides can encourage morale.

    For this reason, Zheng Lang would patrol the camp every night, talk to the soldiers, and record his military exploits. The rewards could not be given immediately, but the military exploits were recorded. After-war rewards were inevitable, and he personally visited the wounded. He could not do what Wu Qi did.  He sucked the pus and blood of his soldiers, but he also took the initiative to inquire about the cold and warmth, and took it upon himself to cooperate with the military doctors in cleaning and bandaging wounds. In terms of military ability, he was inferior to Wang Shao, but politically he was far superior to Wang Shao.

    Therefore, the south wall of Xingqing Mansion became a meat grinder, and morale did not drop much.

    ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Not only is Zheng Lang the commander, but there are also famous generals like Wang Shao who make plans, command and regulate the three armies, and there are many famous generals in the army.Even when Zhongyi and others returned to Hedong and Hebei, most of the generals the Song Dynasty could offer were concentrated outside Xingqingfu City.  Coupled with the previous military training, the soldiers were in good order.  This also further ensured that morale would not drop after several days of bloody battles.

    On the sixth day, the sky became gloomy again, but the Song army's offensive still did not weaken. After several days of bombing, many solid walls were blown up. Although each wave of soldiers attacked the city, they were eventually driven back.  , but the number of attacks on the city wall is increasing.

    In the evening, snowflakes started to fall in the sky.

    Zheng Lang ordered the attack to stop, and the soldiers retreated slowly. In fact, the Song army fought very hard for several days. Generals such as Yanda and Zhang Zheng suffered serious injuries because they took the lead.

    Zheng Lang ordered the soldiers to bring wine and meat, so that the soldiers could drink and eat meat to replenish their vitality and restore their physical strength. He also asked some soldiers who knew the party language to sing desolate party songs.

    At the third watch, Zheng Lang was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly his scouts came in and reported: "Mr. Zheng, someone has fled from the north gate of Xingzhou to Helan Mountain."

    Zheng Lang jumped up and said: "Attack the city."

    This is the day I have been waiting for.

    Even if Xingqing Mansion is surrounded on all sides, there is still a 90% chance of being able to storm it, but in that case, the sacrifice will be even heavier. Therefore, this time I implemented the strategy of Sun Tzu's Art of War of surrounding three and leaving one.

    But it is not a conspiracy, but a conspiracy, and the Xixia people can also see it.  But it depends on whether the Xixia people can hold on. Sure enough, Liang can't hold on in the end. Even if she can hold on, the aristocratic men in the city can't hold on either.  So I took advantage of the cover of this snowy night to escape to Helan Mountain, and from Helan Mountain to Khitan.

    Zheng Lang gave an order, and then another order, asking Guo Kui to lead his men around the west of the city and pursue the fleeing army.

    Most of the Xixia garrison in the city did not know the news. Zheng Lang ordered a forcible attack on the city and asked the soldiers to shout, "The Liang family has fled, and you don't have to resist. If you surrender, you will not be killed. Those who resist will be killed without mercy."

    The Xixia soldiers did not know whether the Liang family escaped, but none of the big bosses saw it, so the resistance became weaker and weaker. At dawn, the Song army finally captured two city gates in a row, and the army marched towards the city in a mighty manner.

    There is another fierce battle on the other side.

    Liang took his son's confidants, a large amount of wealth, and nearly 10,000 soldiers and fled to Helan Mountain, with Guo Kui hot on his heels.

    Zheng Lang was calming the people in the city, but a chase was going on outside Helan Mountain.

    In the evening of the next day, while Liang was on the run, a spy from the front reported: "To report to the Queen Mother, two Song armies appeared in front, one on the left and one on the right."

    One group was brought by Li Hao from Juyanhai, but it had been lurking among the Tatan tribe in the desert oasis for nearly half a month.  There is another branch, Wang Wenyu and Zhe Kexing of the Zhangkai sect. They follow the northernmost road from the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions from the west of Yinshan Mountain and insert themselves behind the Helan Mountain. They also lurk in an oasis, but their lurking time is not long. There are only four  days time.

    Three groups of soldiers and horses quickly approached and surrounded the Liang family. Looking at the miserable soldiers of Xixia, Wang Wenyu said: "Is there the Lord of Xia on the other side? We, the Song Dynasty, are here to save you."
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