In terms of military strength and morale, the Zhao army attacking the city was obviously several times higher than the Bingzhou Northern Army and the Bingzhou Army coalition defending the city. In addition, the coalition forces defending the city were at odds with each other. Therefore, in this kind of archer exchange, Zhao Jun undoubtedly has an unparalleled advantage.
Only the wailing sound of being hit by arrows could be heard from the top of the city. However, looking at the Zhao army's archer team outside the city, there were less than a thousand casualties. Although the archers were all wearing light armor, they were wearing silk underneath. Underwear, and the officers also wore special plate armor to protect key areas. Even if the defenders' arrows could penetrate the leather armor, they would not penetrate deeply into the flesh. At most, they would suffer some injuries, but they would not cause fatal casualties.
Soon, dozens of Zhao Jun¡¯s vans, escorted by infantry, arrived under the moat. The moat of Dingyun City is actually a river that passes in front of Dingyun City, but it was led outside Dingyun City by the defenders and passed around the city. However, this was not enough to trouble Sergeant Zhao.
Zhao Xun gave a high status to the craftsmen under his rule. Therefore, under Zhao Jun's rule, there were many craftsmen, and the craftsmen were very energetic in developing various instruments. The van here is also different from before. Except for a huge wooden shield in front of it to resist arrows, the wings of the van are open. There were several one-foot-high wooden stakes on it, and an iron rope more than three feet long was attached to it. When they were near the bottom of the moat, two vans came together side by side, and the soldiers hiding under the shield of the van quickly lifted the iron rope. It was tied to the wooden stakes of another van, and the two vans were merged into one, and then pushed and pulled by the soldiers. It fell into the moat like a big raft.
The van did not sink directly to the bottom. The van made of highly buoyant mechanical wood was suspended above the water like a raft, and behind the van, there were vans one after another, connected together.
There are two more Dingyun City defenders, Zhang Zongyuan of the Bingzhou Army and Cao Wuxin of the Bingzhou Northern Army. Although the two of them were usually at odds with each other, at this moment, they all worked together to resist Zhao Jun's attack. It's a pity that since the two armies never cooperated together on weekdays, the two defenders on the city wall fought independently without knowing how to cooperate.
"Damn it! Zhao Jun broke our moat, damn it! This moat that we worked so hard to dig has no effect at all." Zhang Zongyuan said angrily with red eyes.
Cao Wuxin on one side also looked ugly, and once the moat was broken, it was time for the Zhao army to attack the city. Obviously, our own moat did not play its due role at all. I watched Zhao Jun's unique way of crossing the river on the top of the city. The archers on the top of the city were suppressed by the opponent's archers and were unable to fight back. Only some archers hiding behind the female wall could use the lookout openings to continue downwards. shooting, but the number is much lower, and this kind of cowhide box set can effectively block the arrows.
"Come here, let the crossbows in the bunkers on both sides aim at the carriages in the moat and shoot them hard."
Cao Wuxin's bed crossbows that had been preserved in the bunkers on both sides of the city wall and had not been attacked by catapults began to shoot out deadly fangs, and the soldiers below who were advancing through the carriages finally began to suffer casualties. At a distance of less than fifty meters, the crossbow arrows The attack power is more than twice that within the maximum range. Especially its penetrating ability is stronger. The spear-like crossbow arrow can easily penetrate an ordinary large wooden shield, then pass through the soldiers in the carriage, penetrate the bottom of the carriage, and shoot into the moat.
The moat was soon soaked in blood red, but the bed crossbows in the bunkers on both sides were originally set up to prevent catapult attacks from outside the city. Therefore, the shooting angle of the bed crossbow hidden in the bunker is limited, and the shooting frequency of the bed crossbow is relatively low. There was also a huge difference in quantity, and there was no way to stop the progress of the several passages on the moat. Each van was more than ten feet long. Although the moat that built the city had been widened, it was only less than eight feet long. Soon the van that was the first to advance crashed into the bank of the moat in front.
"Raise your shield, protect the front, open the wooden shield. Go forward, speed up!" In the carriage, the officer screamed shrilly. Immediately afterwards, as the wooden shield was raised, four soldiers carrying large shields blocked the front, and several soldiers carried sledgehammers and wooden stakes rushed to the shore. Drive the stakes well. Then the iron set is placed on the wooden piles, and a pontoon bridge is completed.
"My lord, our soldiers have broken through the enemy's moat!" Wei Zilin said with a smile at the center of the Chinese army.
Zhao Xun said: "The enemy's morale has been exhausted. Send the order to attack the city!"
"Siege the city!"
Several infantry phalanxes located in the rear, after hearing the order. He hit the buckler on his arm with the back of his sword and rushed toward the pontoon. Thousands of soldiers roared toward the pontoon like giant waves rising from the sea. The attack on the city began, and the archers' volleys also stopped, and covered shooting was changed to free shooting.
The attack and defense of Dingyun City began from then on, and then continued to attack the city for most of the day. And Zhao Jun's brave attack on the city did not consider the losses at all.The way the city was attacked also left the defenders with lingering fears. Zhao Jun's offensive was not tested from the beginning. It was completely the main attack on the city. Moreover, this kind of siege was all-round, without interruption, and the losses were not as great as the fierce attack. In just a few moments, Zhao Jun destroyed the city wall. If Zhang Zongyuan and Cao Wuxin had not reacted quickly, the city would have been breached by Zhao Xun within an hour of attacking the city.
However, despite this, Dingyun City was also captured when the sun turned west. After more than 7,000 of the 15,000 soldiers who defended the city were killed in battle, the rest advanced and surrendered, and the guard general was killed by the Zhao army. What Zhao Jun paid was less than 4,000 casualties. In addition, there is the loss of siege equipment.
"Wei Zilin, let people post notices to appease the people in the city and deal with the aftermath." After entering the city, Zhao Xun immediately began to appease the people.
"ReportPrince Qi, General Yang Jaguar, Dingyang City has been captured!"
Zhao Xun had already been mentally prepared for this. How could Dingyang City, like Dingyun City, be able to stop his own army from attacking? "Let General Yang appease the people in the city and send people to restore public security in the surrounding towns and villages. In addition, let Yang General, please pay attention to the situation in Dingping!"
After a pause, Zhao Xun smiled again and said: "Forget it, Yuan Jing will definitely handle these things together. Send an order to General Yang, and the army will rest for three days to stabilize the two places. After three days, gather at Dingping City to solve the problem This is not the enemy in the central part of the state."
"Han Meng, go and release some of the captured Bingzhou troops back, and ask them to tell Yang Li that the southern part of Bingzhou has been occupied by our Zhao army, and basically all the Bingzhou troops have surrendered. Let him consider the lives of his soldiers, as soon as possible Return."
"There is nothing to fear from the enemy troops in this peaceful land. My lord allowed the army to rest for three days, probably just to make the two defenders in the city start to panic. As for releasing part of the Bingzhou Army, it was to drive a wedge between the Bingzhou Northern Army and the Bingzhou Army. The relationship between them," Wei Zilin said in admiration.
Zhao Xun nodded and said: "Yes, it is true. Giving them time will not only prevent them from uniting, but will also increase their pressure. If part of the Bingzhou army is sent back, there will definitely be problems between Cao Gang and Yang Li. In addition, this When hundreds of people go back, we can spread our great reputation to the Dingping garrison. At that time, it is best for Dingping to rebel. If we attack the city, it will be much more convenient because of the strength of our army. "
"By the way, Wei Chen has probably arrived at Fenzhou Mansion where Situ Tai is stationed. As long as he knows the pros and cons and talks about the pros and cons, Situ Tai must know that evacuating Bingzhou is the most advantageous choice. By the way. "My lord, what is the bottom line for us to evacuate Situ Tai?" Wei Zilin asked with a smile.
Zhao Xun said quietly: "He can take away his personal guards, but as for the rest, that won't work."
Wei Zilin put his hands on his hands and said with a smile: "This will not make Situ Tai too difficult to make a choice. Being able to take ten or twenty thousand soldiers to leave with him will also allow his strength to be preserved. When he returns to Yongzhou, he will not be excluded from the upper echelons. At the same time, we can also achieve a situation where he can fight with the other governors of King Yong's forces. It's very good, very good!"
"Hey, Situ Lei is used to controlling the affairs of the court. In the end, he couldn't get out of it, and suddenly fell into the quagmire of regicide and usurping the throne. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sequestered all his sons in order to stabilize his rule. "
Zhao Xun nodded and said: "You have to drink a dove to quench your thirst. If Situ Lei is strong and not old, he can do this. Even so, his sons have already begun to plan for themselves. . Once something unexpected happens to Situ Lei, the Yongwang forces will be torn apart. Therefore, the more people fighting for the Yongwang forces at the moment, the easier it will be for us to accept them."
Wei Zilin said: "This is also the reason for the negotiation between the master and Situ Lei. King Yong's power is not afraid of threats. Murong Chengcheng, who is so young, powerful, aggressive, and extremely ambitious for the emperor's position, is the biggest threat. Now weaken Murong It will be in our best interest in the end.¡±
Zhao Xun said in a deep voice: "Yes, this Murong Cheng is more of a threat than Situ Lei. Don't forget, he has royal blood. In some aspects, he has more advantages than us. If it weren't for our current New Deal, The support of the people and businessmen in the world is not as strong as that of Murong Cheng. Now that Situ Lei can still command Yong Wang's army, we can fight Murong Cheng fiercely, which is the most advantageous situation for us. "
"And Situ Lei also knows what this king means, but he cannot have any possibility of reconciliation with Murong Cheng. If Murong Cheng wants to ascend the throne, he must confirm that Situ Lei killed the king. The current emperor is illegal, so he must The late emperor must kill Situ Lei, and Situ Lei can only gain a foothold among the three parties by defeating Murong Cheng. In addition, Situ Lei also knows that my target is first the foreigners, and then the Central Plains.Wang was now under pressure from the Turks and Qiang Hu, so naturally he would not deliberately take the lead in taking advantage of Murong Cheng. This is also the reason why Situ Lei agreed to hand over Bingzhou to me, because this Bingzhou is also his northern defense line. "
Wei Zilin sighed: "My lord gave up the Central Plains and focused on attacking the north. He even gradually repelled the foreign enemies and expanded his power from the foreigners. In addition to gaining territory and reputation, it was also to make Situ Lei feel at ease and fight with Murong Cheng."
"Not only that!" Zhao Xun said in a deep voice: "If our army joins the central war now, even if we win the world in the end, we will still be exhausted and unable to fight against the enemy in the north. I don't want to be attacked by foreigners again. , and I don¡¯t want a marriage situation to occur. Therefore, I first dealt with the thieves outside the house and settled the disputes with them in the house. After all, it is a fight between brothers in the country, but it is different with foreigners. "
Wei Zilin opened his mouth, and after a while, he sighed: "My lord has the world in his heart, and none of them can compare with him"
¡¡¡¡
While Zhao Xun was attacking Dingyun and Dingyang, Situ Tai also learned of his situation. Among the prefectures in the southern part of Bingzhou, only two prefectures are still in our hands, and they are always in danger of being invaded by the Zhao army.
"Situ Wen, how many troops do I have under my command now? How many troops can be mobilized?"
"Reporting to the Grand Governor, we only have one and a half areas in the southern part of Bingzhou that are still under the jurisdiction of our army. Including local garrison troops, the total number is more than 58,000, and only more than 30,000 people can be mobilized. In addition, if If the Grand Governor wants to mobilize his troops to retreat to Yongzhou, he will have to rely on the fifteen thousand elite men we brought from Yongzhou," Situ Wen said quietly. Situ Wen was no longer optimistic about the situation in Bingzhou.
Situ Tai took a deep breath and said: "Situ Wen, what do you think is the possibility of Yongzhou coming to help? We"
Situ Wen smiled bitterly and said: "Grand Governor, most of the southern areas of Bingzhou have been lost, and most of the regular soldiers have been defeated and captured. Although we have nearly 60,000 soldiers, most of them are organized by local county soldiers and cannot be used for great purposes. . Even if the prince sends reinforcements, it will have no effect on us. The Zhao army has gathered and is determined to capture the land of Bingzhou. However, the east of Yongzhou is facing a fierce attack by the coalition forces. How many troops can be sent. ? Will the prince go into full-scale war with Zhao Xun at this time? "
"Grand Governor, no matter whether the prince sends reinforcements or not, our defeat is a foregone conclusion. If he does, Zhao Xun will press forward with a large army and deal with us first, and then deal with the reinforcements. If not, then he should send an order for us to evacuate Bingzhou. , I¡¯m afraid the prince will reach an agreement with Zhao Xun. After all, Zhao Xun doesn¡¯t want Murong Cheng to enter Yongzhou.¡±
Situ Tai looked ferocious and said, "So, no matter what, we have to evacuate Bingzhou?"
Situ Wen didn't care at all about Situ Tai's ugly face, and nodded: "If the Grand Governor does not want to die in battle here, and if the Grand Governor still wants to sit on the throne of King Yong, he must evacuate here. Of course, the eldest son and the other young masters , I¡¯m afraid I hope the Governor will die here in battle at this moment.¡±
Situ Tai said angrily: "I am the governor of Bingzhou. If the land of Bingzhou is lost, I will not escape the blame. Tell me, if I evacuate here and return to Yongzhou, will I still have good fruits to eat? My brothers, I¡¯m afraid it will only add insult to injury.¡±
Situ Wen said in a deep voice: "Grand Governor, everyone knows that the situation in Bingzhou is not the responsibility of the Grand Governor. How can half of Bingzhou resist Zhao Xun's full attack? And in order to resist Murong's attack in Yongzhou Well, there are 300,000 elite troops gathered in Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou, and Ningzhou, and they still occupy dangerous passes. But half of the land in Bingzhou is occupied by Cao Gang, and they still face the Turks? The failure is not the fault of the Governor. After all, the Governor has just arrived."
"As long as the governor retains his strength and withdraws to Yongzhou, the prince will definitely not blame him. If the prince is determined to have a decisive battle with Zhao Xun, then the more soldiers and horses the governor brings back, the better. If the prince and Zhao Xun negotiate a peace, then, similarly, The stronger the governor brings back, the better it will be for the defense of Yongzhou. The situation in Bingzhou at this moment, I am afraid that the prince also hopes that the governor can return to Yongzhou smoothly. Moreover, his subordinates speculate that the prince and Zhao Xun may negotiate a peace. The biggest. At this moment, both the prince and Zhao Xun are hoping to suppress Murong Cheng. If the subordinates¡¯ guess is true, then the prince¡¯s order to withdraw the military should be issued from Yongzhou. "
Situ Tai's face kept changing, and after a long while, he said: "Is this the case? Forget it, no matter what, the most important thing is to protect yourself. Come, please order Zhang Dian, Zhang Che, Lin Kang, and Ming Jing to expand The men under my command should select courageous people from the Bingzhou army and expand the governor's personal guard to 20,000 troops!"
"By the way, Situ Wen, the report sent back to Luoyang by the Governor should have arrived long ago, but why are there no instructions sent back? As you said before, no matter what, the father should also send back the instructions. Why Could it be"
Situ Wen frowned slightly and said hesitantly: "Grand Governor, this is also where my subordinates are worried. The urgent military information and request for help report we sent back should have been answered long ago. But so far, there has been no response. . The subordinates boldly guessed that there can only be two reasons for this situation. One is that the prince has confirmed the position of the prince and wants to leave the next move to the prince. Perhaps, the prince hopes that the prince will handle it. The weakening of the power in hand will not affect the prince¡¯s authority.¡±
"Second, that is the eldest son The eldest son is the governor of Yongzhou and has the greatest authority in Yongzhou. Although it cannot be said to affect the prince's judgment, it is still okay to intercept the military orders issued by the prince to the governor. After all, the prince has The young master has been operating in Yongzhou for many years"
Situ Tai¡¯s face changed drastically, and he said anxiously: ¡°Then what kind of situation do you think it is?¡±
Situ Tai can¡¯t help but be surprised. According to Situ Wen¡¯s guess, his situation is not very good. Especially in the first situation, Situ Tai can basically say that it is difficult to turn around.
Situ Wen said in a deep voice: "Grand Governor, from the perspective of my subordinates, the second possibility is the most likely. If the prince confirms the crown prince, he should also order the governors of each state to return to Luoyang, and disperse or revoke the governor's authority. But we didn't get any scattered news. Although we didn't receive any military orders from the prince, we are close to Liangzhou in the west and Feng Ling Mansion in Yongzhou in the south. Our spies didn't get any news about the prince's military orders. But it¡¯s clearest when you attend political discussions in person.¡±
"Damn it! Here goes the order, all ministries are not allowed to take the initiative to fight the Zhao army. The various ministries of the Guards accelerated their reorganization and began to move south." Hearing Situ Wen's words, Situ Tai became furious.