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Volume 2 Set Sail Chapter 168 Flaws

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    Chapter 168 Flaws

    The rain of arrows with an unexpected range caught the Sassanid people off guard. The top of the city was better, and the soldiers below the city were shot down immediately. The Sassanid people were panicked. The soldiers who were hit by the arrows let out a scream and suddenly the orderly team was stopped.  There was a huge chaos. Seeing the arrows pouring down over the city wall, the Sasanians fled in all directions, fighting for the shields they could get nearby. More people rushed to hide in sheltered places, leaving only those who were seriously injured.  The soldiers lay on the ground wailing, but their screams were immediately cut off by the long arrows that followed.

    The Sassanids on the top of the city heard the screams below the city, and saw the arrow rain below the city that was much denser than before. They did not dare to neglect, and quickly raised their shields. The archers who used to boldly approach the city wall and shoot no longer dared to do so.  They were so overwhelmed that they all looked for bunkers to protect themselves.  Their movements halted the attack at the top of the city, and their momentum was immediately suppressed.  The Kushan people below the city seized this opportunity, started twenty siege engines at the same time, and approached the city wall as quickly as possible.

    After more than ten days of training, these slaves have greatly improved their coordination of movements. Coupled with the thick wooden body protection, they are no longer afraid of the Sassanid resistance. They are full of energy, shouting neat chants, and pushing the huge  The siege engines quickly approached the city wall.  The archers in the siege vehicle also drew their bows and continued to suppress the Sasanians at the top of the city. The infantry warriors holding swords and shields climbed to the top, holding up wooden shields, ready to jump from the city to fight.

    Ibrahim looked at the rapidly approaching siege vehicles. He was extremely shocked, but he was not confused yet. He loudly ordered the soldiers at the top of the city to calm down. The archers immediately launched a counterattack, and the crossbowmen aimed at the archers below the city.  Conduct strikes to reduce the threat to the city head.

    Amidst the rapid sound of horns, the two sides entered into a fierce battle from the beginning. The Sasanians were well-trained. Although they were initially stunned by the Kushans, under the command of Ibrahim, they quickly reacted and a large number of  The shield bearers stepped forward and formed a wooden wall beside the city wall to cover the archers from shooting.  The crossbowmen skillfully pulled the ropes and smashed the mud bricks into the archer positions under the city and the rapidly approaching siege vehicles.

    Mud bricks tied with straw ropes flew in the air, making bursts of whistling sounds, and hit the giant shields and siege vehicles. The giant shields made bursts of roars, and the supporting wooden sticks vibrated, and many were broken.  The giant shield fell to the ground with a crash, revealing the warriors hiding behind it. The archers at the top of the city followed up and shot sharp arrows. Many archers were shot before they had time to move and died in front of the formation.

    The siege vehicle was huge, and it was also the target of the ballistae. The roaring mud brick balls hit the siege vehicle one after another, making the siege vehicle rattle, and the flying mud chunks flew around and landed on the siege vehicle.  The soldiers hiding inside, but the soldiers did not even blink, staring at the city head.  A mud brick ball hit a warrior holding a shield. The powerful impact knocked him back several steps and knocked down the warrior behind who was holding the bridge ladder. The two fell off the siege vehicle at the same time.  on the ground.  The soldiers next to them didn't have time to check on their situation, so they immediately came over to fill their positions.

    Arrows rained together in the air, mud bricks flew in the air, and screams came one after another.

    Although they encountered a strong counterattack by the Sassanid people, the Kushan people were full of morale. Twenty siege engines continued to approach the city at an unprecedented speed, shortening the distance. In just a cup of tea, the first  The Taiwan siege vehicle successfully placed the bridge ladder on the city wall. The soldiers waved their swords and flew towards the city head on the bridge ladder.

    Bo Tiao was in a good mood. He stroked his beard and said to Li Yan beside him: "General Li, the attack on the city went very smoothly this time. We should be able to break the city today, right?"

    Li Yan bowed slightly: "Your Majesty is wise and the Kushan warriors are adept at fighting. They will definitely be able to defeat the ancient city of Seleucid today."

    Bo Tiao didn't say a word, and stared at the city head with a pair of sharp eyes.

    The Sasanians placed many movable wooden frames at the top of the city. Huge logs were placed on the wooden frames. They used levers to pull the logs to high places, and then lowered them down to break the bridge ladders of the siege vehicles.  , cut off the attackers' retreat and cut off their reinforcements, and then use superior force to kill the enemies who stormed the city.  They used this method to bury batches of attackers at the top of the city.  Generally speaking, they will not use this method as soon as the bridge ladder reaches the top of the city. Instead, they will wait for a period of time until a certain number of enemies have reached the top of the city.  In response to this method, according to Sun Shao's arrangement, Li Yan had people modify the siege engines. In addition to strengthening the protection of the slaves driving the siege engines, the most important point was the modification of the bridge ladders.

    The original bridge ladder was just a ladder with no obstruction. The soldiers who attacked the city had to rush across the bridge ladder as quickly as possible and jump onto the top of the city to fight the enemy hand-to-hand. Otherwise, they were likely to be shot by the enemy on the bridge ladder.  The bridge ladder is level with the city head and about three feet above the ground. Looking down from above makes people a little nervous, not to mention having to guard against bows and arrows on both sides, so sinceThe short few steps it took for the city car to reach the city's head were no different from a life-or-death situation.  Sun Shao had people transform the bridge ladder into the style of a covered bridge, with protective wooden boards on both sides and a triangular roof on top. This not only protected against bow and arrow attacks on both sides, but also blocked the downward view.  It makes people not feel that they are walking two or three feet above the ground, which is very beneficial to psychological stability.

    Now, the most important test has come. Can the modified bridge ladder withstand the heavy attack of the Sasanians?

    The Sassanid people roared in unison, loosened the ropes, and the thick logs fell in the air. With a "boom", they hit the top of the bridge ladder hard.  The bridge ladder groaned and sank suddenly. The soldiers on the bridge ladder followed suit and couldn't help but hold on to the handrails on both sides.  With a sound of friction, the log bounced up and landed on the bridge ladder again. It slid to one side along the bridge ladder, pushing the bridge ladder to a certain direction and making a squeaking sound. Even the siege engines were shocked.  There was a huge shock.

    The slaves shouted in unison, and several slaves quickly inserted a few thick logs into the wheels of the siege vehicle as high as a person, stopping the steering of the siege vehicle. After a period of shaking, the siege returned to calm, and the logs  It missed the mark, and the bridge ladder returned to its upright position.  The soldiers on the bridge ladder were in shock. They looked at each other for a few times, and then burst into excited shouts:

    "Long live the King of Yue¡ª¡ª"

    "Kill" The warriors who had narrowly escaped death were overjoyed and their fighting spirit burst out. They crossed the bridge ladder with their sabers raised and charged straight at the stunned Sassanids at the head of the city.  Shanren stepped back step by step.  Ibrahim saw this and complained endlessly.  As soon as he saw the changed siege vehicle, he had an ominous premonition, so he paid special attention to this attack. When he saw that the attack failed, he did not dare to hesitate and immediately ordered the soldiers at the top of the city to intercept it, and at the same time let those operating the wooden frame  The soldiers pulled up the log and attacked again.

    Bo Tiao took a deep breath, with a satisfied smile on his face, and pointed his riding whip at the siege vehicle that had withstood the test: "General Li, after your modification, this siege vehicle is indeed much easier to use."

    "This is just His Royal Highness the King of Yue's intention to help the king." Li Yan said politely: "The real meritorious service is the brave Kushan warriors and the king's command."

    Bo Diao laughed loudly, laughed for a while, then pointed to the north and said, "Is General Lu helping the Romans there?"

    Li Yan shook his head: "No. His Royal Highness the King of Yue said that with you here to attack the city, it will only be a matter of time to capture Seleucus. He will hold the back line for you two to prevent the Sasanians from taking advantage of the loophole. The Sasanians  The main force was cavalry. If they arranged a cavalry behind and rushed out when the siege was in full swing, that would not be a good thing. Therefore, he arranged for General Cao to guard the Kushan people's rear formation and General Lu  Stay behind the Romans and make sure you have nothing to worry about."

    Bo Diao breathed a sigh of relief and sighed: "His Royal Highness the King of Yue is really as considerate as his hair. No wonder the gods bless him. With you guys protecting us, what do we have to worry about?" Bo Diao pointed at the ancient city of Seleucid with high spirits.  , full of pride: "We will concentrate on taking the ancient city of Seleucid and show that old dog of Ardashir a little bit." He then lowered his voice and said, "It is best to enter the city before Quintus, then  I will gain face. General Li, do you think I have a chance?"

    Li Yan smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, things are changing rapidly on the battlefield, and anything is possible. However, I advise your Majesty not to think too much. Complaining on the battlefield is not a good thing."

    "I understand, I understand." Biao rolled his eyes, and then nodded in understanding.  Sun Shao sent Li Yan to help him, but arranged for Lu Xun to guard the rear line for the Romans. It looked similar, but in fact there was a gap.  It's just that this kind of thing cannot be explained. In any case, are Rome and Yue still brothers? If it is too obvious, wouldn't it embarrass Quintus' face?  Bo Diao is also a king, so he can understand some of the twists and turns involved.

    "Come here, blow the horn and encourage the soldiers to attack the city as soon as possible. There will be a big reward." Bo Tiao shouted loudly.

    "WooWooWoo" A dozen strong soldiers puffed up their cheeks and blew long horns. The melodious horns sounded, echoing over the battlefield, inspiring the Kushan warriors like a tide.  Charge forward.  Most of the twenty siege vehicles were already in place, firmly clinging to the top of the city. Groups of soldiers rushed up to the top of the city along the siege ladder, and started a life-and-death fight with the Sasanians.

    While the Kushans launched a fierce attack, the Romans also launched a series of attacks.  The Romans were so numerous that they launched an offensive even more fierce than the Kushans. Quintus sent four trusted legion commanders at one go, and 20,000 people attacked under the two-mile-long city wall. Almost fifty siege vehicles  Being close together made the Sasanians breathless and exhausted.  Although Ibrahim was running around shouting on the city wall, he was almostAll the manpower that could be mobilized went into the battle, and it was barely able to hold on.  However, due to the enhanced anti-strike ability of the modified siege attack, it used to be possible to destroy a bridge ladder at one time, but now it takes at least three or four times, and the efficiency is greatly reduced.

    The Romans were so popular that the ancient city of Seleucid was crumbling under their attack and could be broken at any time.

    Ibrahim complained endlessly. He didn't know how long he could hold on. This attack was more violent than any previous attack, which made him feel great pressure.  He felt that the city might be breached at any time. He once vowed to defend the ancient city of Seleucid in front of Ardashir for at least a month. Now it seems that this promise will definitely be difficult to fulfill. There is only one other promise he can fulfill.

    People live in the city, but when the city dies, people die.

    Ibrahim sent the last messenger. He reported to Ardashir that after more than ten days of adjustments, the enemy's siege capabilities had made leaps and bounds. Their attacks were steady and sharp, as if they had been completely transformed, and were better than before.  The situation is very different. Please be prepared for Ardashir and send reinforcements immediately if possible.

    The messenger jumped into the boat, rowed across the Tigris River, and delivered the news to Ardashir.

    Ardashir looked at Ibrahim¡¯s news, frowned, clenched the note into a ball with his big hand, and looked at the other side of the river with a slightly melancholy look.

    He has already sent reinforcements, 20,000 light cavalry. He hopes to catch the Romans and Kushans by surprise when they are in full swing against the city. He does not need to do much killing. He just wants to teach the Romans and Kushans a lesson.  Don't be too arrogant. At the same time, it is enough to give an explanation to the guards in the city to prove that Ahura did not abandon him.

    Ordinarily, this is a relatively certain thing, but for some reason, Aldashir's heart is in a state of confusion.  When he thought of Sun Shao's smiling face, he felt a little uncomfortable and lacked self-confidence.  He often asked himself, had he lost his confidence because of the Axum battle, so that he lacked confidence when facing Sun Shao?

    No, absolutely not.  Whenever this happens, Aldashir immediately interrupts his thoughts.  This time, I retreated thousands of miles and let them drive straight in until they were outside the city of Ctesiphon. This was to lure the enemy deeper and then retaliate in kind.  If Sun Shao was a smart man, he would not fail to see the danger, but he still came. This shows that he is still too young and immature, and has lost his judgment in the face of victory.

    This is the opportunity God has given me. I will seize this opportunity to turn defeat into victory and re-establish Sasan's strong position.

    Now, it depends on whether this raid can be successful.

    Thirty west of the ancient city of Seleucid, a group of 20,000 Sasanian light cavalry stopped on a shallow slope. The leading general was Ardashir's younger brother Kavad.  Ever since Aldashir led the army, Awad has followed him in battles, but for some reason, Awad has never made any great achievements. Later, the limelight was gradually taken away by the brothers Alpha and Shapur, but Awad also  There have been no major defeats, and the position has always been relatively stable.  Alpha and Shapur were killed one after another in Aksum, and Awad, who was originally inconspicuous, suddenly became a pivotal figure.

    This raid, which was very important to Ardashir, fell on Awad's shoulders.

    Awad felt a little unbearable.  Although he didn't know what the success of the raid would mean to Ardashir, he did know that the risk of this raid was extremely high.  It is said that the opponent has enough superior troops and will definitely protect the rear when attacking the city. Ardashir is a battle-hardened person. Even if he is sent out to harass the enemy's rear and share some pressure on the ancient city of Seleucid,  I won't force him to succeed.

    But that¡¯s what Aldashir said. He asked him to succeed in the sneak attack within the specified time. It didn¡¯t matter how many people were killed. He must succeed in the sneak attack and escape unscathed.  This requirement may not seem high, but for the light cavalry who are known for their speed, it is too simple to come like the wind and go like the wind.  But Awad still couldn't figure out Ardashir's purpose. Why was he so determined?  Instead of just giving him a rough mission like how we arranged for Shapur and the others before?  Awad thought about it, and finally felt that Aldashir still didn't trust him or his ability, and felt that he wouldn't know how to complete the task unless he made it more specific.  This conclusion made Awad very disappointed and even a little angry.

    The news of the raging war ahead has been reaching Awad for a long time, but Awad hesitated for a long time. He had a vague feeling that this matter was a bit strange, and he always felt that there was an unspeakable danger in it.  He thought about it for a long time, but in the end he was afraid of Ardashir's power and did not dare to retreat without taking any action.  It was humiliating for him to have this thought, but he?Have the courage to resist.

    Twenty thousand light cavalry mounted their horses and drove towards the ancient Seleucid city in a cautious manner.  After only walking about ten miles, the vanguard sent back news that an enemy was blocking the front and inviting a fight.  Awad was startled when he heard this, and quickly rushed to the front with his guard battalion to look into the distance.

    There is a military formation in front, close to the Tigris River flowing eastward, about two hundred paces wide in the horizontal direction. It is unclear how many people there are, but it can be seen that these are all infantry, and there is no sign of cavalry.  .

    "Who is that person in front?" Awad breathed a sigh of relief. Since the opponents were all infantry, the initiative of whether to fight or not was still in his hands. If he could fight, he could fight. If he couldn't fight, he could retreat intact.

    "I don't know." The scout's answer made Awad furious.

    "I wonder what you're doing here?" Awad raised his hand and pointed a riding crop, his eyes widened: "Why don't you go and find out?"

    "Nono." The scout was whipped, but he didn't dare to resist. He quickly explained: "Those people are not Kushans or Romans, they are Han people. We don't recognize their battle flags, but we can see them.  All that came out was a flaming red flag." The scout glanced at Awad timidly, and then said: "There are about ten thousand of them, all Han infantry, and they are led by a Han general who has been drinking."

    "Have you been drinking?" Awad couldn't help but laugh. After laughing, he felt a little angry. Ten thousand infantry wanted to block my 20,000 cavalry. That's all. You may not know that I have so many people, but  You drank before the battle. This seems a bit too much, right?  Awad was about to give the order to attack and kill these ten thousand people before he suddenly remembered something: "Did you see the shadow of the Han cavalry?"

    Awad heard from Ardashir that when he first walked out of the desert, he was almost ambushed by the Han and Kushan people.  The Kushan King Bo Tiao advanced impetuously and was ambushed by him. If the Han cavalry had not arrived, he might have killed the Kushan King.  Awad did not ask at that time, but he could tell that Ardashir was very afraid of the Han cavalry. If this was the case, where were the Han cavalry?  It is impossible for cavalry to attack the city and should appear in the rear, especially when they know that the Sasanians are mainly cavalry.

    Awad suddenly felt a chill in his neck. He straightened up and looked behind him, just in time to see several scouts galloping from his rear and right side. The galloping horses stirred up streaks of smoke and dust.  The knight on the horse felt that it was not fast enough, so he whipped the horse desperately.

    Awad was shocked and opened his mouth to shout, but no sound came out.  Just when he swallowed twice, a scout had already rushed to him, circling the horse and shouting loudly: "General, traces of the enemy have been found in the rear. The number is unknown, and further investigation is being carried out."

    Awad just said "ah" at this time, and his face suddenly turned pale.

    ?Following closely, another rider rushed forward and reported to Awad that they had found traces of the enemy on the right.

    Awad took a breath and no longer wanted to attack. It was already clear that the ten thousand people in front were a bait. When he rushed up to fight with them, the two cavalrymen would come from behind and to the right.  He rushed out from the side and attacked from three sides. At that time, he had no other way but to jump into the Tigris River.  Even if he has enough military superiority to save the battle, if the losses are too great, he will still be ineffective after returning and may be punished.

    Without even thinking about it, Awad immediately ordered 20,000 cavalry to turn back and quickly retreat from the enemy's encirclement.  When the Sasanian knights heard this order, they were a little confused, but looking at the speeding scouts, they knew that the situation was serious. They did not dare to stay any longer, turned their horses' heads, and ran away in a hurry.

    Looking at the Sassanid people leaving, Cao Zhi cursed loudly. First he scolded the Sassanid people for being incompetent and running away without fighting. Then he scolded Cao Zhang and the others for being too impulsive and failing to hide their whereabouts. The Sassanid people discovered them in advance.  He traveled thousands of miles to get to Sassanid. He was originally full of confidence and wanted to fight a few battles, but he was run away by Ardashir for the first time. This time he finally got a chance to fight from Sun Shao, but he didn't expect another chance.  It's the same situation. The other party ran away as soon as they saw each other, and he set up a formation for a long time. In the end, he didn't fire an arrow, and he didn't even have time to beat the war drum.

    "No, I have to order cavalry. How the hell are you going back? Seeing the enemy running away, you don't even have a chance to chase him." Cao Zhi threw the wine bottle on the ground angrily.  "You can't let me go so far without fighting a battle or making any achievements. Rather than doing this, I might as well stay in Guanzhong and be comfortable."

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