At the foot of Nanyang City, hundreds of thousands of troops attacked and killed each other. The sound shook the whole country, leaving a mess of casualties and murderous intent.
Since the Qin Dynasty established the county, Nanyang has been a place of great shape.
The ancients say that when Guangwu thrives, there are high mountains and mountains to control, wide cities and plains to garrison troops, Guan and Shaanxi to the west to recruit soldiers, Jianghuai to the east to transport grain and grain, Nantong to Bashu, and Jinghu to collect wealth.
, the three cities in the north can send rescuers.
Living between rivers, it receives the moisture of heaven and earth, and the blessings of mountains and rivers.
Zhou Faming led more than 200,000 Liang troops to station here to resist the Tang army coming from afar. Strategically, it seemed that he had a three-thirds victory.
But in fact, Zhou Faming did not expect that the Tang army would leave the more than 100,000 troops led by Xia Qiu He and the Xia army on the northeast side and march directly to Nanyang.
Is this confidence or stupidity? Zhou Faming could no longer think about this at that time.
Because it was not until the main force of the Tang army entered Xiangcheng County that Zhou Faming became alert. While sending his eldest son to lead his elite troops to guard Luyang Pass, he also spread out his army in Nanyang to prepare for a big battle.
When the Tang army arrived, the Nanyang Liang army had completed preparations for war.
At this time, Zhou Faming had no other thoughts and just wanted to fight to the death with the Tang army.
At this time, the situation in the Liang Kingdom was actually very serious. More than 200,000 troops had gathered in Nanyang. The troops were strong and the food and grass were abundant, which was enough to fight the Tang army for a long time.
However, this was a strategic requirement for heading north to Henan, and was not a defensive posture in Nanyang. The two armies almost emptied the troops in Jingxiang and even northwestern Huaihe, leaving Jiangbiao in a void.
In addition, Zhang Zhenzhou was still leading his army in Kuizhou, and Ning Changzhen, Wang Renshou and others in the south were half-hearted and did not want to be dispatched by the court anymore. So in other words, the battle of Nanyang was a matter of life and death for the Liang Kingdom.
The Tang army's march south to Nanyang did have many shortcomings, but it also pinched Liang's throat and forced Liang Jun into a corner.
In fact, this year's war has progressed to this point, which no one expected. Who has a better chance of winning and what the outcome will be can only be known after fighting.
After seeing Liang Jun's arrangement, Tang Jun was not in a hurry to attack.
The Tang army reorganized under Nanyang City for several days. The Liang army took advantage of the Tang army's unsteady foothold and continued to harass and engage in several small battles. Even though the Liang army did not want to admit it, they fully understood the reality. The Tang army's combat effectiveness was indeed inferior to that of the Liang army.
comparable.
The Tang army spread out to the north and east of Nanyang. Although Liang Jun attacked several times and fought hard, the Tang army remained motionless. Not to mention the central Tang army, even the flags of the Tang army generals on the periphery did not waver.
Instead, Liang Jun who attacked was surrounded and killed many times.
It can be said that Liang Jun suffered some losses at the first contact. I thought that the Tang army had come far away and experienced many battles. The soldiers must be tired and have low morale, etc., but this was not seen in the Tang army.
Moreover, time is still short, and the problem of acclimatization has not yet emerged.
So Liang Jun put away all his minions and allowed Tang Jun to set up camp and start making siege equipment.
After reorganizing the army for several days, the Tang army formed a formation to attack the city.
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The sound of killing started again. The Tang army stepped on the blood-stained and muddy ground, surging forward like a tide. Arrows fell from the sky like raindrops, landing on the wooden raft that the Tang army was carrying, making a roaring sound. Some people screamed.
He fell to the ground and was immediately pinned to the ground, with blood flowing again.
This did not stop the Tang army's offensive. A large group of Tang soldiers rushed under the wall, climbed up, and fought hard with the Liang army defending the wall.
The swords were waving, arrows were flying across the sky, and the two soldiers in rows screamed and fell on the wall of the village, followed by countless people.
The soldiers brandished their long knives and fought hard to kill each other with ferocious faces. Puffs of blood spilled out, flashing a strange red under the sunlight, and the smell of blood in the air became much stronger.
Liang Jun finally began to be unable to hold on any longer and gradually retreated to the next wall. Arrows rained down again. The Tang troops fled one after another. Many Tang soldiers were shot down on the wall, and screams were heard one after another.
At this time, the Tang army had extra strength, but based on its previous experience and lessons, it stopped pursuing. The army covered up, demolished the walls, and filled in the ditches to prepare for the next attack.
What Li Po thought was absolutely correct. It was a pure war of attrition, like a millstone of flesh and blood. It only took five days for the Tang army to suffer, and the casualties increased sharply.
Stone-throwing, ramming and other siege equipment were not very lethal to the well-prepared Liang army, so they could only rely on the elite Tang army to compete with the Liang army for camps one by one on the outskirts of Nanyang city.
The blood of Tang soldiers was flowing here almost meaninglessly, but the progress was very slow.
The shortcomings of Liang Jun's weak combat effectiveness were largely covered up in this kind of war. As time goes on, the advantage of their strong military strength will become increasingly prominent.
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Summer nights in Nanyang Basin are hot and humid, and mosquitoes are plentiful.
The lights in the Chinese army's tent were brightly lit.
A group of generals sat on the ground, wolfing down corn rice soaked in oil and two pieces of mutton leg meat. The food was not much better than that of the soldiers, because it was not the time to put on a show.
After almost eating, Yuchi Gong wiped his beard, wiped it on his body, and said in a deep voice: "It has been five days, and the casualties of each department are getting heavier and heavier. It is not an option to continue like this. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?
Let’s talk about it.”
The generals put down their bowls and chopsticks one after another, and their expressions were actually not very good. These days of war have made them fully aware that Nanyang is not easy to capture, and they must find another way to capture Zhou Faming.
Fortunately, winter is still far away, so they have plenty of time, and they don’t have to worry too much about logistics...
The tent suddenly became quiet, everyone looked at each other, and it seemed like no one wanted to speak first.
Recalling the scenes when these guys were talking to each other in Hongnong, Yuchi Gong was filled with anger and couldn't let it out yet. It was impossible to blame anyone at this time. The war was not going well. As the commander of the army, he bore the main responsibility.
Chen Yuan, the most senior, looked around and spoke first, "Why don't I lead the troops to attack one side with all my strength? As long as I hold the flanks, I can attack the city in two days.
As long as we can attack the city, other Liang troops will definitely come to rescue us, and maybe we can take advantage by then?"
Well, although the general Li Po picked up by the Sa River back then had not read any books, and the ideas he came up with were stupid, he was not without words. He had led troops for many years, and he still had some rules for fighting.
Seeing that Liang Jun was unable to retreat, he came up with a way to break through his key points and attack him to rescue him.
But Yuchi Gong only pondered for a moment and then shook his head and said: "No, these are just some peripheral camps. We have spent a lot of effort. When we get to the city, with the support from the city, the attack and defense will be a hundred times more difficult. We have to defend both sides. If we are not careful,
This will put the army in danger."
Chen Yuan smacked her lips, trying to defend herself out of habit, but in the end she swallowed her words. This was not Hongnong after all...