Chapter 468: You have no choice but to fight for your life
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"The former army mobilizes frequently, so our army must come to help. Now, I have only two choices, decide to abandon 'Xinzheng' and break out, or stick to 'Xinzheng' and wait for the original army." Ziguo looks extremely thin, which shows that he has been suffering for a long time.
How much psychological pressure is there.
Handa said: "The original army did not attack, which shows that they are worried about the fortified city. They are still defeated by the original army in the battle to defend the city. How can they win in the field battle?"
They judged from the smoke produced by the former army every time they lit fires to cook food that the number of enemy troops directly responsible for the siege of "Xinzheng" should have dropped to about 50,000.
The kings and ministers of the Chu State believed that with reinforcements to contain the enemy's strength, the number of enemy troops besieging "Xinzheng" had decreased, and it was the best time to launch a breakout.
There is a question, why did the Zheng State build "Xin Zheng" into a fortified city? Isn't it because they wanted to rely on the city fortifications of "Xin Zheng" to defend themselves in the event of a crisis of national annihilation and persist until new changes occurred?
Therefore, even though the situation is very unfavorable to Zheng Guo, Zheng Guo still has no idea of giving up "Xin Zheng".
Now a new problem comes.
The kings and ministers of Chu State did not want to remain trapped in "Xinzheng" and could not move, so they obviously planned to break out at all costs.
Yes, the kings and ministers of the Chu State were able to return to their country after breaking out, and they still had the ability to continue fighting against the original country. The problem is that once "Xin Zheng" is lost, the Zheng State will be completely destroyed.
Under this clear situation, even if giving up "Xin Zheng" would not lead to the immediate destruction of the Zheng State, where could the kings and ministers of the Zheng State escape to?
The kings and ministers of the state of Zheng followed the kings and ministers of the state of Chu to the state of Chu? That means that the state of Zheng had only one lone army left, and then established an exile regime in the state of Chu. God knows when it would be possible to counterattack the homeland and regain control of the cities and towns from the original army.
of control.
The kings and ministers of Chu and Zheng wrote the script very well from the beginning. They originally planned to use the strength of "Xinzheng" as a basis to attract the original army to attack "Xinzheng". The main goal was of course to make the original country win in "Xinzheng"
Bleed more.
Otherwise, the kings and ministers of the Chu State would not have taken the initiative to enter Xinzheng City. They should have chosen to retreat to the Chu State after understanding that they could not defeat the original army in a field battle.
The next situation did not develop according to the script of the kings and ministers of Chu and Zheng. The original army approached "Xinzheng", but the original army only implemented a siege without having any soldiers to attack the city. They also built artificial soil outside the city.
Heaps of weapons, taking advantage of long-range equipment to bombard the city every day.
Do you know how great the psychological pressure is on people who are within the attack range when boulders fall from time to time?
Maybe while walking on the road, a huge boulder fell from the sky and smashed the person into a pulp.
When I was sleeping, a huge boulder fell and I lost my life in my sleep.
There were sounds of boulders falling to the ground, and everyone who heard the sound was trembling in their hearts, fearing that a boulder might fall from their heads.
The former army's trebuchets smashed the city during the day and at night. One trebuchet would throw an average of five to seven boulders into the city of "Xinzheng" every day. One hundred trebuchets would throw 500 to 700 boulders.
Of course, it's not that the trebuchet can only throw up to seven boulders a day. It's just that it takes time to find and transport the boulders, and it's a bit difficult to deliver the artificial mounds. Otherwise, the trebuchet can throw two boulders about every quarter of an hour.
of.
The main target of the trebuchet has never been the city wall or city gate. From the beginning, it has been heading towards the inner city, and its purpose is to destroy the will of the soldiers and civilians in the city.
So, is it possible for a trebuchet to collapse the city wall? It can only be said that nothing is absolute, it can be collapsed, but the difficulty is not small.
It's really not that simple to use a trebuchet to knock down a city wall.
First of all, the hit rate of the trebuchet is very low, and secondly, the rammed earth city wall is much stronger than imagined. One or two hits at the same point will not cause fatal damage at all. I wonder why it is necessary to hit the same point more than ten times.
It might collapse.
And want to hit the same spot more than ten times? Judging from the hit rate of the trebuchet, it can only be said that everything is left to luck.
Taking actual combat examples as an example, the Mongolian army besieged Xiangyang, which was defended by the Song army, for six years. The Mongolian army invested about 200,000 troops, and then used return artillery to bombard Xiangyang for four years.
However, Xiangyang was not captured by the Mongolian army in the end. In fact, it was the will of the second Xiangyang guard Lu Wenhuan who collapsed and surrendered, and Xiangyang changed hands.
"Shura Martial God"
Xiangyang City was able to persist for six years. In addition to the bravery and determination of the soldiers who defended the city, it was also inseparable from the factor of being able to obtain supplies from waterways.
There is no relevant historical data mentioning how many rounds of artillery the Mongolian army used in the bombardment of Xiangyang. Only the results show that the performance of the artillery in Xiangyang did not play a decisive role.
Are there any examples in history of using trebuchets or catapults to break down city walls and conquer the city?
To explain it from a scientific perspective, even if a huge boulder hits the base of the city wall and causes the wall to collapse, there will still be a large amount of soil or stones blocking the road. It is really not easy to get in if you want to.
In Zhiyao's understanding, the biggest role of the trebuchet should be to destroy the will of the defenders. It is fanciful to think of using the trebuchet to completely destroy the city wall.
Of course, a large number of trebuchets will definitely be useful especially for targeting city gates, but the hit rate of trebuchets throwing stones will still be a flaw.
Perhaps the kings and ministers of Chu and Zheng didn't know much about each other, but Zhiyao had shown great restraint and only threw stones every day. He did not throw kerosene bombs or throw corpses into the city of "Xinzheng" to engage in biological and chemical warfare.
Yuan Guo has already used much of Zheng Guo's territory as meat in its own pot. After getting it, it still wants to rule effectively, so it must be restrained in its methods.
Ziguo just talked a lot about the morale of the troops in the city, especially the low morale of the defenders, and his point of view is that they should not continue to persist.
The Zheng State can understand the thoughts of the Chu State's monarchs and ministers. After all, "Xinzheng" is not the territory of the Chu State, and the Chu State's monarchs and ministers themselves are trapped. The longer time goes by, the more disadvantageous it will be for the Chu State. They must be thinking of leaving.
At the same time, Handa had already seen that the Chu king and his ministers were very determined to leave, and he was somewhat grateful that the Chu army just wanted to leave and did not resort to jumping back in place.
"You just go." Handa was extremely tired and knew that no matter how much he said, that would be the end of it.
Ziguo said: "Our army has left, and there are only 40,000 defenders left in the city. The soldiers are exhausted and morale is low. Instead of defending the city, why don't your country find another way?"
Handa said: "We have been trapped for a long time and have no contact with the outside world. It is unpredictable whether we will have good or bad luck when we leave the city this time. Besides, if there is no barrier in Xinzheng, where is a safe place?"
One sentence left Ziguo speechless.
They really don't know what happened outside "Xinzheng". Even the arrival of new reinforcements is based on speculation based on the appearance and mobilization of the original army.
Another more practical reason is that the Zheng State is already the last army in "Xinzheng". Otherwise, other places should be in a state of fall. Even if there is no fall, it is almost impossible to mobilize new troops.
Therefore, for the kings and ministers of Zheng to leave "Xinzheng" and go to Chu is almost the same as the country's subjugation. It is better to stay in "Xinzheng" and continue to persevere.
Handa begged, "If your army is out of trouble, I hope you will come back to rescue us."
Ziguo looked at Handa blankly and didn't say a word for a long time.
Do you want to make a guarantee on behalf of the Chu State? Ziguo knows very well that committing suicide will be an honorable way to die this time. If you don't commit suicide, you will get the fate of a "national thief Dzi Bead".
There is no way, the Chu army was defeated so miserably, someone must take responsibility.
Ziguo does not bear the responsibility for the defeat? Should Chu Junzhong be held responsible?
One morning.
The Chu troops stationed outside the city were the first to take action. They kept quiet and headed towards the ditch. About a hundred meters away from the ditch, there was first a bark, and then there was the sound of barking at each other.
"Kill!"
The whereabouts have been exposed. I don’t know who shouted the first cry. The murderous shouting in the darkness shook the sky.
At this time, the army usually carried hounds. The main purpose was to serve as sentries, and the secondary purpose was to serve as helpers for nobles to hunt in their spare time. In peacetime, the primary and secondary purposes of hounds would be reversed.
The original army lit bonfires about fifty meters in front of the ditch, and then lit bonfires every 50 meters. Even if the hounds did not notice the Chu army approaching, they would be exposed when the Chu army got close enough to the bonfire.
Although the distance was only about fifty meters, being exposed early was still very detrimental to the Chu army. They were soon covered by a rain of arrows from the original army.
At the same time, the city gates of "Xinzheng" were opened, and a large number of Chu troops poured out. They either met with Paoze outside the city, or they rushed straight towards the original army's defenses.
"Has the enemy been prepared? There may be a trap." Ziguo truthfully told Chu Junzhong his guess.
The original army did not hide the mobilization of troops at all, which increased the doubts in the minds of the kings and ministers of Chu State.
I have to say something here, even if the senior officials of the original country want to conceal the troop movement, don't forget that the Chu army and the Zheng army have the advantage of the height of the city wall, and they can see far if they stand high.
The mobilization of small groups of troops too frequently will attract the attention of the top leaders of Chu and Zheng.
When the troops reach a certain number and can be mobilized at night without lighting torches, the soldiers must be of extremely high quality, which most armies cannot achieve.
If troops are mobilized in the dark, any slight disturbance will cause unforeseen accidents, and the consequences will be much more serious than exposing signs of mobilization.
Chu Junzhong pursed his lips and said: "Regardless of whether there is a trap or not, it is imperative to break out tonight!"
Opportunities are equal for both parties at any time. Being quiet is the high level pursued by military personnel. Once it moves, it means that the other side may seize the flaw. Which side can seize the opportunity depends on its hard power and ability to adapt to the situation.
.
Ziguo nodded seriously to the Lord of Chu, saluted and said, "I would like to be the king's pioneer."
There are still about 100,000 Chu troops who are surrounded. Their main breakout direction tonight is to the south. After breaking out of the original army's encirclement, they will immediately flee to the east.
The Chu army that broke through from several other directions was lucky enough to be able to break out. They would cover the escape of the main force. They would break out everywhere and make it more difficult for the original army to make correct judgments. At the same time, they would try to contain as many of the original army's forces as possible.
Only the officers leading the Chu army who were covering the Chu army knew that they were abandoned, while the rest thought they were working hard to survive.
Ziguo, who personally committed suicide on the front line, was not afraid of death at all. On the contrary, he felt that if he could die before a successful breakout, it would be the best outcome for him.
"The number of enemy troops has indeed decreased, but there are too many ditches, and there are even fortresses in important areas!" Ziguo had never seen this kind of tactics before, and only through personal experience did he know how disgusting it was.
The soldiers of the Chu army who were on the front line were not only constantly covered by the rain of arrows from the original army, but also had to cross once their way was blocked by a ditch. If a ditch was up to four meters wide, an adult man might actually be able to jump over it if he ran bare-handed.
,The problem is that as soldiers, the Chu army cannot be empty-handed.
The soldiers of the Chu army holding weapons could only jump into the ditch, which had a visible depth of about three meters. As soon as they got out, their legs were stuck in the mud, and they realized that the ditch was originally four meters deep.
My legs were stuck in the mud, and they were about one meter deep. It was impossible to get out without help.
However, it is wartime now, and a large number of soldiers are rushing forward. There is no extra time to show any mutual aid and friendship. The soldiers in front are stuck in the mud, and the soldiers behind are pouring in again and again. Soon, the soldiers who cannot escape will be covered by their companions.
The soldiers who come up later will just step on their bodies and continue to move forward.
Ziguo saw with his own eyes that the ditch was filled up, and the people behind him stepped on Paoze's body to cross the ditch. He shuddered when he thought of the despair of the soldiers who served as stepping stones before they died, and when he regarded the soldiers as cold numbers.
"There are at least twenty ditches blocking the way. How many soldiers will be buried in them?" Ziguo felt that the person who designed this siege strategy was too vicious.
It was even more vicious at the back. The ditch in front was still full of mud, but the ditch in the back was inserted with sharpened wooden sticks. Many Chu soldiers jumped in and were killed immediately without even making a scream. The wounded soldiers let out wails.
It frightened the other comrades.
What will happen when faced with this situation? If the frightened person in front wants to stop, people from behind who don't know the situation will crowd in, and then push the frightened person down the ditch and be greeted by sharp wood.
The top brass of the Chu army had known for a long time that there were structures blocking the road. Did they make any arrangements in advance? There must have been.
Look at the performance of the Chu army after they started the operation. When facing the first ditch, they could move prepared rafts to serve as passages, but when they reached the second ditch, everything was in chaos.
So, no matter how good the arrangements are, at least there must be people who can execute the orders, otherwise all the arrangements made in advance will be in vain.
If the original army had broken through, the situation would have been much better than that of the Chu army. It was not because of anything else but simply because the original army had qualified grassroots officers. The "romantic" nature of the Chu people and the military system did not allow for too detailed work.
Ziguo once again found Chu Junzhong and reported: "Your Majesty, our army is trapped in the fourteenth ditch. The ditch is three feet wide, and there is one every fifty feet in the wall. There are many arrows shot from it!"
From breaking out of the siege to being trapped in front of the joint defense fortifications of the 14th ditch and the walled city, how many casualties did the Chu army suffer? No one knows for the time being.
Chu Junzhong turned his head to look to the east, saw Yu Bai appearing, and said expressionlessly: "The matter has come to this, what can be done."
What else can we do? Of course, ignore the cost of casualties and continue to break through!