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Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Fantasy -> The voyage of the Three Kingdoms Volume 2 Set Sail Chapter 143 Reinforcements
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- Chapter 143 Reinforcements
Hearing the sound of the drums at the top of the city, the archers below the city subconsciously shrank their necks and tried their best to hide under the giant shield. They were the shabbiest soldiers in the Sasanian army. Not only did they not have iron armor, they even had the most basic skins. The armor is not complete. If you are hit by the opponent's arrow, the possibility of injury is very high.
However, these archers obviously underestimated the lethality of the Han crossbow array. Not only was the density of the arrow rain poured out from the city more dense than they expected, but the range was also far beyond their imagination. This made those who thought they were safer The archers suffered a major blow.
The sound of "whoosh" was heard endlessly, echoing the screams of the Sasanian archers. Almost all the archers within 120 steps were spared, and nearly half of those beyond 120 steps were sharply attacked. The attack caused heavy losses. Most of the Sassanian archers without effective armor fell under the attack of the dense arrow array for about ten breaths. Only some people at the back survived. They were dumbfounded as they looked at the lush forest in front of them. The thatch-like dense arrow branches and scattered corpses were shrouded in huge fear. They even forgot to escape. They were silent for a long time. I don¡¯t know who reacted the most, let out a sharp scream, and threw away the gun in his hand. Bow and arrow, turn around and run.
The morale of the Sassanids was shattered.
Ardashir had a sullen face, and with a wave of his hand, the guards swarmed forward, swung the sharp swords in their hands, and attacked the rushing archers. The shocked archers did not even consider that this would happen. Due to the situation, before they had time to react, they were killed by the Guards in front of the formation.
In the face of greater death, the Sasanian soldiers were as silent as a stone. Although they were not as immersed in the situation as the archers, most of them had been fighting for many years. From the intensity of the arrow rain, it could be seen that the counterattack at the top of the city was How ferocious it was, people with more experience could even estimate the coverage of the opponent's arrow array from the number of archers who escaped, and all of this made them tremble with fear.
The Sasanians were not good at attacking cities, but their previous enemies, whether they were the Parthians, the Kushans, or the Romans, did not have obvious advantages in ordnance. But now, they feel the strength of their opponents, and with these arrow formations In comparison, the warrior who killed Alpha and three other people that day no longer had any deterrent effect.
Ardashir had no expression on his face and ordered to attack again. Another group of archers came forward in a neat queue, but this time, they were obviously more tragic and nervous.
The two sides once again attacked each other with arrow arrays. This time the Sasanians were prepared and did not dare to get too close to the city wall. They placed the distance a hundred steps away. The casualties were much smaller, but the problem also occurred. If they did not enter a hundred steps, They pose no threat to the city at all. After entering a hundred steps, their casualties increased sharply. Even if the giant shield was added to protect them, the archers could only hide behind the giant shield in embarrassment, and their attack power was greatly affected.
Ardashir had a headache. At this moment, the guards of the other three gates also encountered the same problem and sent people to inquire. However, within half a day, the Sassanid archers had lost more than 30%, and when they arrived, So far, they have not found an effective way to deal with it. If they continue to act recklessly, the Sasanians may lose all their archers. When the time comes, they will have no means to restrain the city and counterattack again.
Ardashir pondered for a moment, and decisively issued the order to withdraw his troops. The battle that had been prepared for more than ten days ended hastily, and a large number of siege equipment did not have time to be used. Without the cover of archers, it would be quite hasty to directly let the soldiers attack the city. Ardashir may not have heard of the famous saying "A general cannot be stunned into battle", but he knew this truth very well.
Watching the Sasanians slowly retreating and listening to the excited shouts of the Aksumites on the top of the city, Sun Shao was smiling, but there was no smile in his eyes. Although Ardashir lost a lot of archers, he was not injured. He is retreating now. It is not because he has been defeated, but because he wants to find better means of siege. Such people are difficult to deal with. .
"Your Majesty, the Sasanians have been beaten away." Varag smiled excitedly.
"Hey, he can run fast, otherwise his teeth will have to be knocked out." Sun Shao put on a frivolous smile and laughed.
"Your Majesty is so right." Varag rubbed his hands and looked very happy: "Your Majesty, today's victory is great. Shouldn't we give you a reward to boost your morale?"
"Well, give them some food and wine, but not too much. We haven't caught Ardashir and Shapur yet, so we have to keep some."
Varag nodded repeatedly and happily went out to make arrangements. Yu An frowned, walked up to Sun Shao and said, "Your Majesty, Varag seems to be overly enthusiastic. You must be careful."
Sun Shao glanced at him and nodded with a half-smile: "Shiping, it's okay"Are you used to military life? "
Yu An was a little surprised, and then he said excitedly: "Although the military is harder, it can train people. Now I know why the generals from the Juefeng camp are always so arrogant."
"Hahaha" Sun Shao couldn't help but laugh, "You have to endure hardships to become a master. You are knowledgeable, you can go through the devil training of the Destroying Camp, and you have standard civil and military skills. You will definitely be a pillar in the future. , I think Guild Zhongxiang is proud of you."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Yu An was a little excited and said with a trembling voice.
"Since you are worried about Varag, then pay more attention." Sun Shao paused and then said: "Actually, this is the same as learning. Discovery always starts with doubt, but doubt is not equal to conclusion. There is no conclusive evidence. We cannot draw conclusions based on our feelings until there is evidence.¡±
Yu An was stunned for a moment, as if he was savoring it carefully, his eyes lit up with joy: "What the king said is true, thank you for the enlightenment."
"However, entering the village quietly without firing a gun would be detrimental to people's stability if Varag found out that someone was investigating him. These are extraordinary times, so be sure not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings." Sun Shao waved his hand with a smile. , turned around and left. Yu An didn't understand for a while. In the Han Dynasty, there were no weapons like guns, let alone shooting. However, he still understood what Sun Shao meant, and turned around and left with understanding.
After learning about the failure of the siege, Shapur rushed back to the camp with his bodyguards. As soon as he entered the tent, Ardashir was standing in front of a large map, meditating. When he heard the footsteps, he just tilted his head. She waved her hand for him to sit down. Shapur tucked the riding crop into his belt, poured himself a glass of water, drank it, wiped his mouth, and then said: "Does the father intend to withdraw the army?"
Ardashir was stunned for a moment, turned around and looked at him, thinking for a moment: "What do you think?"
Shapur was not modest, and said straightforwardly: "The Romans were busy with the civil war. Although the Senate once again assembled an army, although those Romans were strong, they were no longer heroic warriors who could endure hardships. Their strong bodies were just It's just a way to show off each other in the bathroom. Their spirits have long been washed away by the water in the bathroom. Moreover, the people in the Senate are still filthy than the water in the bathroom. They value their own rights more. Alexander They are already dead. The Severus family has cut off its bloodline. How long can Momia, a woman, be able to sustain herself? They are no match for Maximus. If my guess is correct, Maximus will definitely He is marching in high spirits, and he should have arrived in Asia Minor by now, and may have crossed Byzantium. Regardless of whether he can finally take over the city of Rome, Rome cannot cause us any trouble in three years, and without the response of the Romans, the Kushans We don¡¯t dare to act rashly, this is a good opportunity for us to annihilate the Yue people in one fell swoop, how can we leave now?¡±
"Defeating the Yue people is more important than attacking Rome and Kushan?" Ardashir asked with a calm face: "I originally thought that as long as a hundred thousand troops besieged the city, it would only be a matter of time to conquer the city of Aksum, but two setbacks made me I think we may have thought too simplistically.¡±
"Why?" Shapur asked in confusion.
"First question, why can Sun Shao not leave?" Aldashir raised a finger and frowned slightly, seeming to be confused: "Although our cavalry is fast, after all, he is still so far away. He has enough time to leave Aksum. As long as he leaves Aksum and reaches the sea, even if we have millions of cavalry, we can only look at the sea and sigh. But why doesn't he leave?"
Shapur hesitated to speak. So far, he has not told Ardashir about Varrag's secret, just like until now, Ardashir doesn't know the reason for Maximus' sudden betrayal. It's like there's an agreement between them. Armenia's victory established his succession status, and Axum's victory will further enhance this status. What's more, he still doesn't know whether Varag can still keep his promise. If he tells Ardashir, But Varag had already willingly surrendered to Sun Shao, so he was passive.
"Second question, where have the Yue reinforcements gone? Are they really afraid of us and dare not go ashore, and are watching the city of Axum being besieged by us?"
Ardashir gently twirled his fingers without looking at Shapur, seemingly lost in thought.
"Perhaps, they know that we won't be able to conquer the city for a while?" Shapur said tentatively.
"Impossible." Aldashir shook his head without thinking: "The king of Yue is the one who is besieged in the city. No minister dares not to come to the rescue for this reason. If I am trapped in Ctesiphon, you may be trapped in Ctesiphon. Won¡¯t you come to support if you are strong?¡±
Shapur shook his head quickly, he didn¡¯t dare to??Such a plan is unthinkable. Only the monarch uses his ministers as bait. Which minister would dare to use the monarch as bait? But thinking about it this way, the current situation is indeed a bit strange.
What tricks are the Yue people playing? Shapur was also a little puzzled. He suddenly was not so confident in his analysis.
"I won't refund it so soon, but I think these things are very confusing." Aldashir sighed and rubbed his sore eyebrows: "Alfa died in the first battle, and nearly half of the people were damaged in the second battle." Half of the archers, I have been fighting for many years, and I have never suffered such a big loss. I didn¡¯t expect that the small city of Aksum would become a hard nut for me to chew on. Alas, I had long heard that the Han people were good at defending the city, but I didn¡¯t expect that they They actually have such ability in defending the city, I still underestimated them."
"Father, attacking without defending is not the way to win after all." Shapur patiently advised: "The Greeks besieged Troy for ten years and finally succeeded. Is Axum stronger than Troy? I think they were prepared. , we were not well prepared, and it was inevitable that some soldiers would be injured. However, as my father said, Sun Shao, the king of Yue, was trapped in the city. Although we could not attack for the time being, he did not dare to come out. Wouldn't the people of Yue come to ask for help? As long as we defeat these reinforcements, Sun Shao will not be able to escape sooner or later."
"Hey, have you ever thought that we are thousands of miles away from the country, so food and grass are a big problem? Apart from other things, most of this place is desert, the climate is very different from Ctesiphon, and the water and grass are not as lush as ours. Said this is a big problem. What I worry about is that if Vietnam wants to mobilize troops from within the country, we may no longer be able to support them before their reinforcements arrive."
Shapur smiled faintly: "It's simple. We don't need to transport food thousands of miles from Ctesiphon. We can just plunder the nearest place. Axum or Egypt can be used. Even if we dig the ground three feet, we still need to collect the food needed by the army. Father, if Don¡¯t worry about others, I am willing to take on this task to ensure that my father has no worries.¡±
Ardashir sighed: "This is the only way to do it. However, you don't need to do this yourself, just find someone. You should guard the seaside carefully and don't let those who take advantage of the opportunity." "
Shapur nodded. Seeing that Aldashir's expression was still sad, he advised: "Father, don't worry. Although the Yue people have strong crossbows, they dare not leave the city. As long as we make more giant shields and advance steadily, there is still a chance." Broken city."
Ardashir nodded in agreement. He quickly found a few generals and asked them to take people to collect grain and grass in nearby areas. Of course, this was inevitable near Aksum, and even the Egyptian provinces in the north suffered greatly. With food and grass in hand, Ardashir settled down and made a large number of giant shields, preparing to attack the city again.
At this moment, Shapur received the emissary sent by Warag and told them Sun Shao's worries.
When Shapur heard this, he was a little confused: "If you are not afraid that we will attack the city, are you afraid that we will not attack the city?"
The secret envoy nodded repeatedly: "This is what the King of Axum personally heard from the Yue King Sun Shao. He said that the Yue people are experts in defending the city, while the Sasanians are a people on horseback and are not their opponents at all in defending the city. , even the trebuchets, the sharp siege weapons of the Sasanians, are ineffective, and the archers are far behind. Your siege of the city just gives them the opportunity to kill a large number of your soldiers and defeat your spirit."
Shapur¡¯s face turned ugly: ¡°Can¡¯t even the trebuchet hurt them?¡±
The emissary nodded affirmatively: "I saw this with my own eyes. They hung a lot of things called wooden curtains in important places. Whether it is your grass balls or mud blocks, they will not have much force when they hit them, but they will be hit by them. They gathered together and prepared to fight back. I heard them say, this is called softness overcoming hardness."
"What can be overcome by softness?" Shapur pondered for a while: "What can be overcome by softness?"
"Yes, yes, that's the word." The secret envoy said with admiration: "The prince is still knowledgeable. He even knows Chinese, which is so difficult to learn."
Shapur smiled reservedly and asked the emissary to describe the appearance of the wooden curtain. He also found it a bit incredible. Such a thing could actually restrain a powerful trebuchet? What is it really like to use softness to overcome strength? Shapur found it too difficult to understand. He had always believed in using the fast to defeat the slow, and using the strong to bully the weak. He found it difficult to accept the theory of using softness to overcome hardness.
"What can your king do?" Shapur returned to the topic calmly.
"My king is waiting for an opportunity, but the Yue people don't trust him. It's not yet time. I hope the prince will give him some more time." The emissary put away his smile and said cautiously: "My king said that once there is an opportunity, He will definitely guide the prince into the city and capture Yue King Sun Shao alive, but I hope the prince can keep his promise."
"Don't worry, I said I would give him Egypt.I will definitely give it to him. Shapur rubbed the animal head on the handle of the knife and said lightly: "However, this has a prerequisite. If he cannot lead us into the city in time, he will not want Egypt." He is safe and sound in the city, but we consume a lot of food every day and cannot sustain him for long. "
The emissary did not dare to neglect, and quickly promised to contact Shapur as soon as possible. Finally, he discussed some details before leaving in a hurry. Shapur sat motionless in the tent, looking at the sketch of the wooden curtain that the emissary had just drawn and thinking deeply. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly picked up a porcelain cup on the table and threw it towards the tent with great force. The porcelain cup hit the tent. It bounced back, fell to the ground, and split into two pieces with a "pop" sound. Shapur walked over and picked up the porcelain cup and looked at it carefully, his eyes flashing thoughtfully.
Shapur quickly told Ardashir about the contact from people in the city, and also told Ardashir about the discovery of the wooden curtain. Ardashir saw Shapur's demonstration and was a little surprised. Reason is very interesting. However, he was still more interested in the existence of Varag than the wooden mantle.
"Is he trustworthy?"
"It should be credible." Shapur said with confidence: "The Romans gave Axum as a gift to the Yue Kingdom. Now Axum has to surround Sun Shao like a dog every day. How could he be willing to do so? What's more, he covets the land of Egypt." He glanced at Ardashir, whose face was calm and seemed to have no objection to giving Egypt to Varagh, and he felt relieved.
"So, we do have some chances." Aldashir nodded slowly: "Contact him again and ask him to open the city gate as soon as possible to lead us into the city. Before that, I will attack the city twice more. Let Sun Shao be happy. Once a person is proud, it is easier to get carried away and relax his vigilance."
"My father is wise." Shapur bowed and said, "I will send someone to contact him immediately."
"Well." Ardashir waved his hand: "Have you received any news from Maximus? Where is he now?"
"The news half a month ago said that he had attacked Byzantium last month, and Gordian's army was about to arrive in Byzantium, and they might have a big battle there. According to time estimates, they should have already fought against each other by now. Bar."
"Gordian, although he is a little older, he is still a man who can fight. I don't know if Maximus, a barbarian, is his opponent."
Shapur smiled disapprovingly: "So what if Gordian won the battle? The Germans, Gauls, and Goths he relied on as the main force were the Germans, Gauls, and Goths. He defeated the barbarian Maximus. He has to face more barbarians. I really don¡¯t know what the Romans thought. They actually used mercenaries as the main force, and a rich man handed over his house to bandits to guard him, but he was greedy for comfort and became as fat as a pig. What happened in the end? Maybe if you stay safe for a long time, you will be slaughtered sooner or later."
Ardashir smiled in sympathy.
¡¡
In Byzantium, silver-haired Gordian stood on the city wall, looking worriedly at the east. His son Gordian Jr. stood behind him, with an indignant look on his face. They had just received news from Rome that the new emperor Quintus had issued the latest order, asking them to fight Maximus in Byzantium. They must block the army led by Maximus east of the Bosporus. . He felt that this order was very unreliable. How could he be Maximus's opponent with his current strength? He has an army of 40,000 in his hands, but among the 40,000 that can really fight are the more than 20,000 barbarian mercenaries. If it is to deal with other people, although these mercenaries have loose military discipline, they can still be used to some extent. And the Maximus he had to deal with now was a barbarian himself. If these barbarians defected on the battlefield, the 20,000 Romans who had been hastily put together would be in danger.
"Father, this is probably that woman's idea again, right?" Little Gordian said uncontrollably.
"So what?" Gordian shook his head helplessly: "She was the one who persuaded the Vietnamese people to help. Everyone in the Senate believed her. What can we do?"
"Those people in the Senate are really confused. Alexander was already useless, but they actually wanted to make Alexander's posthumous son the emperor. For this child who didn't even know whether he could support him, they actually made that idiot Quintus the emperor. In the end, Momia controls the power? Are the Yue people helping us? Are the Yue people helping us in Rome, or are they helping Momia alone?"
"Stop talking." Gordian waved his hand, interrupting his son's complaint. He was also dissatisfied with this matter, but there was nothing he could do. The rescue of the Yue people was requested by Momia, and most of the people in the Senate were now supporters of Momia. Even if he had any objections, he had no choice. What's more, what he is most worried about now is how to deal with Maximus's army. If it is a head-on battle, I'm afraid he won't have many enemies.?The odds of winning, and Rome's last hope may be ruined here.
"General, there is an envoy from Vietnam asking to see you." A hurried voice interrupted Gordian's thoughts.
"Vietnam envoy? Their reinforcements are coming?" Gordian was surprised and happy. He quickly raised his eyes and saw a middle-aged man wearing a Yue uniform standing in the distance, looking at him with a smile. he.
"Father, he is the Yue envoy named Jiang Gan."
Gordian did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet Jiang Gan. Seeing the worry in Gordian's eyes, Jiang Gan smiled and comforted: "Don't worry, sir, my king has sent the most capable general of our country. With 20,000 elite troops, we will definitely be able to defeat the traitor Maximus this time.¡±
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