Shu Chen

Chapter 519 Death Battle
The gates of Chencang are all built in the horse face.

Although it is still parallel to the city wall, it is derived from the convex horse face, which makes the city gate as a whole appear like a "concave".

With such a layout, if the Han army wants to attack the city gate head-on, it will inevitably be flanked by the front, left and right sides, and the difficulty will be doubled.

The same is true.

When the siege vehicles of the Han army had just entered the depression in the horse's face, before they had time to slam into the city gate, the soldiers of the Wei army on the horse's face began to pinch left and right with bows and crossbows.Although the rawhide-covered top cover of the siege vehicle could provide a certain degree of protection, many soldiers who were pushing the vehicle and could not hold shields were still shot in the lower legs.

When Du Bo was alerted before the battle and sent more oar shield soldiers forward to help guard, the soldiers above the city gate threw down huge stones again.

This boulder is specially made.

The center is perforated like a millstone or stone mill, and is hung by a rope.

After throwing it down, it can be pulled up and suspended by the winch, and continuously gouge the approaching siege engine.

Normal siege vehicles often fall apart after not being able to withstand many impacts.

However, the siege vehicles made by the Han army were also improved.

For example, under the roof covered with raw cowhide and covered with thick wet mud, it is not made of wooden strips and planks, but a lot of bamboo strips specially transported from Bashu and rattan from Nanzhong are woven together, which is full of toughness. And there is no shortage of flexibility.

When the high-hanging boulder fell sharply and smashed hard on the roof of the siege vehicle, wet mud splashed everywhere, and with a muffled "boom", it actually rebounded.

The only damage to the siege engine was that the wooden pillars supporting the roof were slightly tilted.

The soldiers of the Han army hiding under the top cover have already pushed the bumper and started hitting the city gate non-stop, making the sound of "dong dong" endless.

Wei Jun did not believe in evil.

But several times in a row, after repeatedly smashing the hanging boulders to no avail, he finally chose to throw down countless ointment jars, intending to burn the car.No need to worry about cutting off the fire source from raw cowhide and wet mud, just ignite the area in the horse's depression!
But what surprised them happened.

When they just started throwing torches and fire arrows, the soldiers of the Han army didn't even try to put out the fire or worry about the military law that the retreater would die.

I feel sorry for the siege engine that took a lot of time and effort to build.

And when the city gate governor reported this strange thing to Guo Huai, Guo Huai explained it in one sentence.

"They have no intention of breaking the door, trying to consume our army's anointing stockpile."

Indeed, the Han army had no intention of breaking through the city gate, because it was a dead end.

Needless to say, there must be a Wengcheng built inside this city gate.

In other words, similar to the Fortress of Yuyin, this kind of military city with no people living in it and serving as a garrison guarding the army will not have the crisis of changing hands if the city gate is broken.

If you want to conquer, you can only usher in the dawn of victory after occupying the city wall and forcing the defenders into the inner city.

But it is not easy to take down the city wall, and it is very difficult to climb the city wall.

However, it said that when Guo Huai raised the city wall, he buried some iron spears of different lengths horizontally at the original crenel.

Some of the cloud wings were blocked by the iron spears and could not stick to the top of the city; .

The ant attaches first, and the slowness of a moment can determine life and death.

When the Han army was surging upwards, the soldiers in the front row were caught by three or four spears and fell off the city wall without accident, while the soldiers who followed were unable to take the time they had bought with their lives because of this momentary delay. Leaping up to the top of the city, rubbing his body and tearing through the defense line of the Wei army, it also made the Han army's attack like a moth to a flame.

But not everywhere.

Some ladders were not erected at the crenels earlier, and there were no more than half a foot of iron spears to obstruct them. Under the slogan of "returning to the old capital", the soldiers of the Han army climbed without fear of death or life.

One rushed up, and was stabbed to death by a spear before jumping into the city wall and fighting bloody with a knife.

In an instant, a fresh life vanished into thin air.

But when one falls down, the other will take its place, going on and on, like the tide hitting the rocks, continuously and endlessly.

A few soldiers jumped into the city wall as they wished, and even though they were pierced by two or three spears, they still held the spears tightly to prevent the enemy from pulling them out, buying time for the subsequent robes.The soldiers of the Han army under the city advanced like waves, and their mouths gave out shouts that shook the world.

"It's still in the old capital!"

This kind of shouting is contagious and inspiring to each other, and it has eliminated many inexplicable fears in each other's hearts.

The real and tragic attack really started at this moment.

On the top of the city, countless stones, wood, and gold juice poured down from the city wall to the ladder, taking away the lives of the Han army one after another.And on the earth hill not far from the city, many Han army bowmen gathered, pouring arrows at the Wei army guards who had to put down their shields and free their hands to defend against the enemy.

Arrows flew wildly in the air, dragging a long rain of arrows piercing the clear sky like locusts, constantly making the soldiers of the Wei army howl with arrows; the soldiers of the Han army who finally climbed the city wall were immediately swarmed by several Wei soldiers holding their spears Meet up, die outnumbered and outnumbered.

The shrill screams, crazy slashing, and fiery smoke made the soldiers of the two armies forget about life and death, and became more focused on the fierce battle, making the battle more and more intense.

Attacking Chen Cang is destined to be the most difficult battle since the Northern Expedition of the Han Army.

Soon, the setting sun was like blood.

The afterglow of the setting sun poured over the tower.

But the meat grinder tug-of-war is still going on, and the loud screams and mournful screams are still breathtaking.

The Han army, which had already killed more than [-] soldiers, still showed no signs of stopping the offensive and withdrawing troops to camp.

Instead, countless fires were ignited outside the city, and many ladders were pushed for backup, planning to attack day and night.

This prompted Guo Huai to issue an order to burn the ladder with anointing oil.

He has been saving the ointment.

There is no need to use the anointing oil when the battle has just begun and the defenders are strong enough to deal with it.

In order to give the Han army the illusion that they could seize the city wall, the ants who lured them forward and followed up would attach themselves to their deaths, bit by bit eroding away the spirit of the Han army to attack to the death.

This is the common sense necessary for a good guard.

It is also an isolated city that was heavily trapped by the enemy army, and it can hold on to its last chance.

But now, Guo Huai doesn't plan to save ointment, because the Han army's attack is not just at the west gate.

Chencang City is bordered by the Weishui River in the south and the Qianshui River in the east. The only places that can be attacked are the west and north.

Of course, things are not absolute.

For example, there is still a considerable distance between the east city gate and the Qianshui River. Although it is not conducive to the spread of tens of thousands of troops, if the Han army attacks with four or five thousand soldiers and horses, it can still be done.

The [-] infantry sent from Wei Yan's section were under the leadership of Wu Ban, the chariot and cavalry general, and they were attacking the North City Gate at this time.

And because Wei Yan had personally crossed the river to prevent the soldiers and horses encircled by Wei Guoxi from coming to help, and there was no need to be on guard against the enemy's attack from the rear, Wu Ban also dispatched [-] soldiers to attack from the east gate.

This is why Guo Huai wanted to prevent the Han army from continuing to attack the city.

There were more than [-] soldiers guarding the city with him, and two or three hundred were reserved for guarding the south city wall, and the others were divided into three groups to guard the city wall separately. time.

The Han army's offensive was too fierce!
And everyone dies without hesitation!
The defenders of the Wei State, not to mention the soldiers guarding the top of the city, even the soldiers who transported arrows, stones, wood, or gold juice between the city and the top of the city were exhausted.

The disadvantage of not having young and strong labor to assist in defending the city appeared on the first day after the city was besieged.

Therefore, he wanted to burn down the ladders of the Han army, so that the soldiers could take a break, count the casualties, replenish supplies, and repair and replace some ordnance.

As for the reduction in ointment stock, isn’t it just for this moment~
When the area where all the ladders were located was ignited by the anointing oil and the dry firewood thrown by the Wei army, the Han army, which could no longer continue to attack the city, finally retreated.

The equipment and firewood burning violently under the city raised billowing thick smoke, filling the entire city.

A lot of sparks also rose up, burning the "Wei" flag vertically inserted on the side of the crenel of the city wall to tatters, and it seemed that it would fall down in an instant when it was fluttering in the wind.

On the top of the city tower were dead bodies lying on the ground, and the sticky blood that converged in the potholes, and many broken shield sawdust floated up.

The strong smell of blood, the stench of burning corpses and the smell of sweat are mixed with each other, filling the air, which is pungent and disgusting.

But no one detested it.

It smells bad, but it's always good to be alive.

And before the battle is decided, the living will always be accompanied by this smell.

When the Han army receded like a tide, the Wei army on the top of the city also relaxed.

Some sat down in disregard of the mess, feeling exhausted; some bared their teeth, sucking in the air-conditioning while holding their wounds that they didn't know when they were injured; After leaving the crenel of the city wall, they let go of the bowstring with a ferocious face, but it was a pity that the billowing smoke blocked their sight, making it difficult for them to vent their hatred.

"Go and ask if the evening meal is ready."

After quietly listening to the battle report, Guo Huai suddenly turned to the side and waved at a subordinate.

Immediately, he walked slowly in silence.

Sometimes he helped a wounded soldier who was lifted off the city wall for treatment, sometimes he lowered his body and closed his eyes for the dying soldier, and sometimes he picked up some blades of knives and spears that were scattered on the ground and were easily injured by accident.

Finally, the footsteps stopped at a crenel that was slightly cracked by the throwing stones, and the hand was placed on the bare rammed earth.

The rammed earth here has been soaked in too much blood, and it has turned dark brown. There are many random scratches from knives and spears, and there is even a broken arrow obliquely stuck in the gap between the earth and rocks.

Guo Huai stretched out his hand and pulled it out forcefully, staring at the three-edged arrowhead silently for a while before throwing it down the city wall.

Today's battle loss made him a little disappointed.

It was obvious that they had a towering city wall to rely on, but more than [-] soldiers were killed, and nearly [-] were seriously injured and could not fight anymore.

This is only the casualties of the western city wall.

The casualties on the north city wall have not yet been counted!

Based on the strength of the Han army's attack, the casualties there should be about the same.

In other words, compared with the thousands of casualties of the Han army here, this result is not a defeat or an accident.

After more than ten years of mutual attacks, it is obvious to all that the Han army is better at fighting.

But Guo Huai's worry is that he knows that the battle damage of both sides will gradually decrease with the passage of time.

Because of the consumption of defense equipment and supplies.

Almost all the thunderbolt chariots and bed crossbows were damaged. Just now, the craftsman said that less than two or three out of ten can be repaired. It will be difficult to suppress the Han army from approaching the city wall in the future.

Others such as stones, eucalyptus and gold juice were also consumed a lot.

But he just sent a few soldiers to the city to demolish the government offices and houses, so there is no worry about this for the time being; as for the gold juice, there are new ones every day, so there is no need to worry.

The only reassuring thing is that there are plenty of arrows and crossbows.

But he used up more than half of the ointment!

Moreover, among the casualties of the Han army today, at least a thousand people died from the burning smoke of the anointing oil.

Perhaps, judging from the results of today's battle, at most one month our army will retreat into the inner city and wait for rescue?
He asked quietly in his heart.

Probably not.

Morale is the most important thing in siege. If the Han army casualties are thousands or hundreds every day, they will not be able to attack the city continuously for a month.

Immediately, he immediately answered in his heart.

It's just that he lacks confidence in this answer.

"General, evening meal is ready, do you want the soldiers to eat now?"

After an unknown amount of time, the subordinate who had just been dispatched came to his side in strides and asked with folded hands.

"okay."

Guo Huai, whose thoughts were interrupted, nodded lightly in response, "Go,"

But he didn't plan to eat, but looked at the brightly lit Han army camp outside the city.

At this time, the sun had just entered the mountains, and the twilight had not yet dominated the night, so he clearly found that there was no smoke rising from the Han army camp at this time.

And the huge figure of more than twenty ladders still stands about two arrows away.

Yes, the Han army did not push back.

Could it be that Ni Shu still wants to attack overnight?

Or, deliberately left it outside, luring our army to come out at night to burn it and set up an ambush?
Guo Huai squinted his eyes, but had no answer in his mind.

But soon he no longer needed to guess.

About half an hour passed before all the guards in Chencang City had eaten their evening food, and the Han army outside the city once again clamored.

Ugh.
Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, is not easy to deal with!

Guo Huai, who just sat down to eat, secretly sighed.

Immediately, he dropped the wheat cake in his hand, got up and strode towards the big banner to direct the battle.

Yes, he didn't think that the prime minister didn't spare the lives of his soldiers, but he saw the meaning behind the overnight storm.

For one thing, sacrifices are always necessary in overcoming difficulties.

Those who are good fighters will try their best to minimize Xiandeng's casualties. Now the prime minister's overnight attack is based on this consideration-relying on the advantage of having more soldiers and taking turns to fight, and not giving the Wei army a chance to repair their equipment and rest.

The other is to get the timing just right.

Because Wei Jun, who had fought hard for a day, had just finished his evening food, which happened to be the moment when his body was most exhausted and sleepy, and his fighting spirit was most lacking.When attacking at this time, it is difficult for the soldiers of the Wei army to regain their fighting spirit during the daytime.

That's why Guo Huai suddenly realized something.

Perhaps, surrendering the inner city insurance after one month is not helpless, but a kind of luck?
(End of this chapter)