My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 489: Gaoque is about to be destroyed!

Just shouting was obviously not enough to make the Huns flee.

Of course, if the Huns wanted to escape, they couldn't just turn around and run away.

——When the Qin people built this high tower, the northern wall was the side of the tower that was most likely to "face the enemy".

Therefore, the North Gate Wall is higher and thicker than the South Gate Wall.

Attacking the North Gate Wall from the outside is much more difficult than attacking the South Gate Wall.

Naturally, at this moment, it was almost a fantasy for the Xiongnu defenders to climb up the northern city wall from the inside and escape under the nose of Huyan Dangtu.

But a seed was planted in the hearts of the Hun defenders.

——It’s not that you can’t escape.

If it really comes to a life-or-death situation, if there is a chance, you must escape...

state!
state!
state!!!
It was past noon and the sun was already tilting slightly toward the west.

The so-called "machine" in the Han people's mouth finally began to make a roaring sound.

After three loud noises, three stones slightly larger than a human head were seen, burning with warm flames, drawing a beautiful tail of flame in the air, passing over the heads of the Hun soldiers, and smashing directly towards~
Outside the Beiguan Wall.

Hit the head too hard.

But soon, accompanied by the sound of a capstan turning, the Han army's catapults adjusted their angles again.

Following another round of "bang bang" sounds, the Xiongnu defenders' positions were suddenly thrown to the ground with people and horses falling to the ground, and wailing was everywhere.

Although the stone was only the size of a human head, after a parabolic motion over a distance of hundreds of steps, the kinetic energy it possessed was enough to smash the Hun soldiers it hit!
If you get hit on the head or chest, needless to say, it's impossible to survive.

Even if it hits non-vital parts such as hands, feet, shoulders, etc., it still gives the impression that anyone touched will die or be crippled.

The most important thing is: the visual impact is too strong!
I watched helplessly as my comrade beside me was hit by a stone flying from a distance, and was sent flying backwards, his body smashed beyond recognition!
It can even be said that the person who was hit might be luckier.

At least they did not suffer too much pain. They lost their lives in the blink of an eye.

Those who were not hit had to endure the constant fear of "When will it hit me?" and "Will I be hit like that?" in the following battle.

It was freezing cold, and the army's morale was already fragile.

Gaoque, which was thought to be "impregnable", was now attacked from the inside by the Han army, and the Han army even used the entire Gaoque as a battlefield. The Xiongnu soldiers were already uneasy.

In addition to the Han general's surrender before the battle, and the tragic scene created by the catapult at this moment...

"The Plow God has punished us!"

"We should stop fighting the Han people for Gaoque!"

A roar of fear was heard, Huyan Dangtu's face darkened, and then a cold light flashed, and a head fell to the ground.

But as more and more Xiongnu soldiers looked at the Han army formation on the opposite side with severe fear, they looked behind them with gloom, at the commander who was personally acting as the "supervising team": Huyan Dangtu.

The fall of Gaoque seemed inevitable...

state!
There was another deafening bang. Everyone thought it was just an ordinary rock that was about to take the lives of a few unlucky people.

But the sound of breaking earthenware jars that followed made all the Xiongnu soldiers, including Huyan Dangtu, startled.

Following the sound, they saw that the pottery jar that was hit by the Han army's slingshot was now completely broken into pieces.

The large area where the jar fragments splashed was actually burning with strange blue-green fire...

"The Han people have been blessed by the gods and ghosts!"

Another scream, another cold light, and another head fell to the ground.

But the next series of loud bangs were like heavy hammers, hitting the hearts of every Hun defending soldier and making a series of muffled sounds.

There were no surprises, the jars still shattered, the blue-green flames still splashed;
Soon, dozens of broken earthenware jars were used to create dozens of circular "forbidden areas" in the already crowded Hun defenders' positions.

Feeling the unusual heat of the flames, the Xiongnu defenders finally fell into chaos...

"Huyan is the butcher!"

"Are you going to go against God's will?"

"Kill them back and fight their way out of Gaoque!!!"

At this moment, Huyan Dangtu was unable to suppress the morale of the army. After a symbolic struggle, he was escorted by his personal guards and disappeared into the Xiongnu garrison position.

The already confused Xiongnu defenders fell into even greater chaos after their leader was also engulfed in the chaos.

We pushed and shoved each other, crowding towards the north wall.

No bow and arrow.

There are no bows and arrows in this weather war.

Therefore, the "supervision team" at the North Gate Wall was unable to pose any military deterrent to the fleeing Huns who were rushing towards them.

The gate was opened, and then a large number of defeated soldiers rushed resolutely into the cold weather outside Gaoque.

The "supervision team" on the north gate wall, after a brief hesitation, tried their best and mixed in with the fleeing soldiers, pushing forward towards the gate.

The whole process lasted for more than two hours, and finally ended when the sun set in the west.

During the whole process, Zhidu and Cheng Bushi were trying their best to restrain themselves: never give chase.

As the Huns fled in disarray and left Gaoque from the north, the Han army advanced their positions little by little.

When they arrived at the "forbidden zone" that was lit with blue-green flames, the Han army soldiers instinctively avoided it, but their eyes were filled with indescribable excitement.

——In the five thousand years of Chinese history, the dynasty that attached the most importance to the theory of ghosts and monsters is the current Han Dynasty.

Even the "living saint" in the eyes of the world, Emperor Taizong of Han, Liu Heng, left a famous historical scene in which he did not ask about the people but about ghosts and gods when facing the patriot Jia Yi.

At this moment, these blue-green flames were as great a blow to the Huns as they were a boost to the Han army's soldiers.

——The power of ghosts and gods!

With the help of ghosts and gods, there is no battle that cannot be won.

Wars in the era of cold weapons were often like this.

You think you will win, but you may not win.

But if you firmly believe that you will win and the enemy feels that they will lose, then the outcome of the war is basically certain.

You feel that you will win, so you will do everything you can, even subconsciously, to make judgments, decisions and actions that will help you win.

And since the enemy believes they are bound to lose, they will uncontrollably and instinctively take actions that will push the war towards failure—or even towards failure as quickly as possible.

Thus, what should have been the most noteworthy Battle of Gaoque between the Han and the Xiongnu in decades, broke out at midnight on November 10, winter of the third year of Emperor Rong's reign. The first phase of the battle ended just one day later, at dusk on November 11, winter of the third year of Emperor Rong's reign.

The Han family officially took over Gaoque!
Bowang City, which originally served as an outpost and an important frontline town, completely became a logistics transit station for Gaoque under the Han Dynasty, and the second line of defense of the Han Dynasty in the northern Hetao area!
But the war was far from over. Taking Gaoque was only the strategic goal of the Han Dynasty.

The Han family certainly hopes that the war will end here.

But the Huns were not willing to give up Gaoque so easily.

For the next period of time - perhaps even from the current severe winter until the autumn when the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting returns from the west, Gaoque may be subjected to continuous attacks by the Xiongnu.

Even though the Han army finally managed to hold Gaoque and keep all the Huns outside the wall, the war was still not completely over.

——Even if they failed to recapture Gaoque and accepted the reality that Gaoque had changed hands, the Xiongnu would not give up.

From now on, the area of ​​dozens of miles outside the northern gate wall of Gaoque will most likely be used by the Xiongnu to arrange three to five, or even more large tribal daily assistants, in order to block the Han army soldiers in Gaoque and prevent them from going north to Gaoque to threaten Munan.

In other words: it's a tug of war.

Taking Gaoque is just the first step.

Next, we must defend Gaoque, and under the strict defense of the Huns, turn Gaoque into a forward position as soon as possible for the Han army to march north out of Hetao, set foot in Mu'nan, and threaten the foundation of the Huns' rule.

At the moment, Zhidu and Cheng Bushi still have a lot to do.

"Immediately move some boulders, wood, and gravel to completely block the Gaoque North Gate!"

"It's going to be blocked!"

"From now on, without the Emperor's edict, the Empress Dowager's order, and the Tiger Seal to mobilize troops, and my approval, you must not open the Gaoque North Gate!"

"——Those who disobey orders will be charged with treason!!!"

"Another order was sent to Bowang City to move out all the troops and build a bridge over the river south of Gaoque."

As a senior general who had been through many battles and had a deep understanding of national strategy, after confirming that Gaoque was in his hands, Cheng Buzhi's first reaction was to protect the fruits of victory to the greatest extent possible.

In this battle, the biggest and also the only fruit of victory for the Han Dynasty was Gaoque.

Completely blocking the northern gate of Gaoque was not only Cheng Buzhi's consideration from a practical perspective, but also a way to show all the Han soldiers stationed in Gaoque in the future his determination that "Gaoque must not be lost."

As for the river bridge connecting Gaoque and Bowang City on the south side of Gaoque, it is to ensure the logistical supply of Gaoque and to create objective conditions as soon as possible for Bowang City to send reinforcements to support Gaoque at any time.

——In this battle, in order to cross the river as quickly as possible to join the battle, Cheng Buzhi was unable to let the main force of his central army cross the river in batches.

Tens of thousands of people waded through the river on the ice, resulting in at least hundreds of people falling into the broken ice during the crossing and dying in the river.

It was wartime, and speed was of the essence. Cheng Buzhi had no other choice.

But now, Gaoque has been taken, and the area from Gaoque to Bowang City has been controlled by the Han Dynasty.

If we don't build a bridge over the river during the frozen winter, new troubles will arise in the future.

The battle was over, dusk fell, and the next thing to do was naturally carried out in an orderly manner.

——Inside the Gaoque, piles of bonfires were lit, and wisps of smoke rose up.

The hundreds of cows that the Huns had been imprisoned in Gaoque and had not had time to take away were all cooked and killed by Cheng Buzhi's order so that the soldiers could have a good meal.

The mess on the ground inside Gaoque, as well as the broken limbs and arms, were quickly cleaned up by the soldiers.

The bodies of the Huns were piled together after their heads were cut off, and a fire was lit inside the wall to keep the soldiers warm.

The remains of the Han army soldiers were neatly arranged at the foot of the wall.

Perhaps in a few days, Cheng Buzhi will order a mass cremation and hold memorial services for the heroic spirits.

After cleaning up the battlefield and enjoying a stimulating whole-beef banquet, the soldiers still didn’t get to rest right away.

Cheng Buzhi arranged 10,000 soldiers to garrison the North Gate Wall, and another 10,000 soldiers set up military tents inside the North Gate Wall as a mobile force in case of sudden crisis.

The remaining soldiers could make do with staying in the felt tents left behind by the Huns tonight, enduring the stench and resting for the night.

Tomorrow, we will either have to set up new military tents, or start building barracks inside Gaoque that will be a place for the Han soldiers to rest and that will be more suitable for the physique of the Han babies.

Cheng Buzhi also did not rest.

After it was completely dark, Cheng Buzhi and Zhidu appeared on the northern wall of Gaoque. After carefully hiding themselves from the robbery, they looked towards the Munan land on the north side of the wall.

——The moon was bright and the stars were sparse in the sky. The endless grassland made Cheng Buzhi and Zhidu feel nostalgic and sigh.

But in the end, Cheng Buzhi's attention returned to Gaoque itself.

"Most of the defeated soldiers who escaped today will freeze to death tonight."

"If the Xiongnu are determined to retake Gaoque, then in three days at most, there will be another offensive and defensive battle."

"——But this time, it is the soldiers of the Han army who are stationed at Gaoque."

As he spoke, Cheng Buzhi slowly turned his head and looked at Zhidu, his eyes already filled with bloodshot.

"General Zhi, do you think we should send out soldiers to dig horse traps outside Gaoque in the next three days?"

Hearing this, Zhidu raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

Seeing that Cheng Buzhi did not seem to be pretending, but was really seeking his opinion, Zhidu felt something different in his heart.

——After the battle of Jingchao and the battle of Hetao-Mayi last year, Cheng Buzhi has gradually been privately called Cheng Bubai by the generals and soldiers in the army.

But the word "unbeatable" is not entirely a compliment.

The middle and senior generals, as well as those lower-level generals who had some knowledge and strategic vision, were truly amazed at Cheng Buzhi's undefeated record.

Most of them were low-level soldiers, who used the word "unbeatable" to satirize Cheng Buzhi's hesitation during the battle.

In recent months, there has even been a joke that has been widely circulated in Chang'an City.

The enemy may gain, but Cheng Buzhi will never lose;
The enemy may win, but Cheng Buzhi will never be defeated!
Cheng Bubai, such an 'invincible' method...

"Marquis Bowang has ordered that the northern gate of Gaoque be completely blocked."

"If we send more people out to build fortifications, I'm afraid we can only use a hanging basket to lower the wall."

"If the Xiongnu invade, these soldiers who have gone out to build fortifications won't have time to return to the wall?"

Zhidu's question was meaningful, but Cheng Buzhi only nodded expressionlessly.

"Indeed."

"If the soldiers who went out to build fortifications encountered the Huns, they would hardly come back alive."

"Moreover, the fortifications they built may not necessarily play a key role in the Xiongnu's counterattack on Gaoque, nor cause significant casualties to the Xiongnu."

“But it will be of some use after all.”

"So, I want to discuss with General Zhi: Is it worthwhile to exchange the soldiers' lives for fortifications that are 'somewhat useful'?"

(End of this chapter)