In terms of military strength and morale, the Zhao army attacking the city is obviously several times higher than the Bingzhou Northern Army and the Bingzhou Allied Army defending the city. In addition, the coalition forces defending the city are at odds with each other. Therefore, in this kind of archer confrontation,
In the shooting, Zhao Jun undoubtedly had 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 was actually a river that passed in front of Dingyun City, but it was led outside Dingyun City by the defenders.
Passing around the city. However, this was not enough to trouble the soldiers of 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's spirit in developing various instruments was also very high. And the carriages here are also different from before.
The difference is that except for a huge wooden shield in front of it to resist arrows, the wings of the carriage are open. There are several one-foot-tall shields on it.
There was an iron rope more than three feet long attached to the high wooden pile. When they were near the bottom of the moat, the two vans came together side by side. The soldiers hiding under the shield of the van quickly connected the iron rope to the other van.
The wooden stakes on the cart were tied together, and the two carts were merged into one, and then pushed and pulled by the soldiers, it was dropped 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 usually have disagreements, at this moment, they all worked together to resist the Zhao army's attack. It is a pity that because they usually have two
The two armies have never cooperated together, so the two armies 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 build has no effect at all." Zhang Zongyuan said angrily with red eyes.
Cao Wuxin on one side also had an ugly expression, and once the moat was broken, it was time for the Zhao army to attack the city. It was obvious that his moat did not play its due role at all. He looked at Zhao on the top of the city.
The army’s unique way of crossing the river,
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 continuously shoot downwards, but the number was much lower, and this kind of cowhide
The van set effectively blocks arrows.
"Come here, let the crossbows in the bunkers on both sides aim at the carriage in the moat and shoot me 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. In a distance of less than fifty meters, the crossbow arrows
of
The attack power is more than twice that of the maximum range. Especially the penetration ability is stronger. The crossbow arrow like a spear can easily penetrate an ordinary large wooden shield, and then pass through the soldiers in the carriage.
The bottom of the car was shot 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 guard against catapult attacks outside the city. Therefore, the shooting angles of the bed crossbows hidden in the bunkers were limited, and the bed crossbows
The firing frequency of crossbows is relatively low. Quantity
It was also far worse than before, and it was impossible to stop the progress of the several passages on the moat. Each carriage was more than ten feet long. Although the moat that built the city was widened, it was only less than eight feet long. Soon, the first of them was
The advancing van hit the bank of the moat in front.
"Raise your shield, protect the front, open the wooden shield. Go forward, speed up!" The officer screamed in the carriage. Then, as the wooden shield was raised, four soldiers carrying large shields blocked it.
In front of him, several soldiers carried sledgehammers and rushed the wooden piles to the shore. They drove the wooden piles and then put iron sets on the wooden piles. In this way, a pontoon bridge was 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 at the rear, after hearing the order, struck the bucklers on their arms with the back of their swords and rushed towards the pontoon. Thousands of soldiers roared towards the pontoon like giant waves rising from the sea and began to attack the city.
head, and the archers' volley also stopped, changing from covering fire to free fire.
The offensive and defensive battle of Dingyun City began from then on, and then continued to attack the city for most of the day. Zhao Jun's brave siege and completely disregarding the losses also made the defenders frightened. Zhao Jun's offensive started from the beginning.
There was no testing at the beginning, it was completely the main attack
The city, and this kind of siege was all-round, without interruption, and the fierce attack was not as bad as the losses. In just a few moments, Zhao Jun destroyed the city wall. If Zhang Zongyuan and Cao Wuxin hadn't reacted quickly, the siege would have taken less than an hour.
, the city was captured by Zhao Xun.
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 the battle, the rest surrendered and the defenders were also beheaded by Zhao Jun.
.And what Zhao Jun paid was less than 4,000 casualties. In addition, there was 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.
"Report... to Prince 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, we will gather at Dingping City to solve the problem.
This does not include the enemy troops 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, and come to Yang Li as soon as possible
Surrender."
"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 not make them work together, 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 illustrious reputation to the Dingping defenders. At that time, it is best for Dingping to avoid chaos. 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.
, Lord, what is the bottom line for us to evacuate Situ Tai?" Wei Zilin asked with a smile.
Zhao Xun said softly: "He can take away his bodyguards, but as for the rest, that won't work."
Wei Zilin put his hands on his hands and smiled and said: "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.
In addition, at the same time, we can also achieve a situation where he and the other great governors of King Yong's forces fight against each other. Very good, very good!"
"Hey, Situ Lei is used to controlling the affairs of the court. In the end, he couldn't escape from it and fell into the quagmire of regicide and usurpation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sequestered all his sons in order to stabilize his rule.
.The various places have been stabilized, but the power of King Yong has begun to slowly disperse."
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 competing for the Yongwang forces at this moment, the better. By then, it will be easier 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 young, powerful, aggressive, and extremely ambitious for the emperor's position, is the biggest threat. Now weaken Murong
If it works, 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 advantages over us. If it weren't for our current New Deal,
The support of the common people and businessmen in the world is probably not as strong as that of Murong Cheng. Now, when 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
In order for the late emperor to take revenge, he must kill Situ Lei. And Situ Lei could only defeat Murong Cheng in order to gain a foothold among the three parties.
.In addition, Situ Lei also knows that my king’s target is first the foreigners, and then the Central Plains. Furthermore, I am now under pressure from the Turks and Qiang Hu, so naturally I will not deliberately take the lead in taking action against him to take 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 repeled 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 have dealt with the thieves outside the door first and are solving the disputes with them in the house. After all, domestically, it is considered a fight between brothers, but it is different for 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 about his situation. Of the southern prefectures in Bingzhou, only the two prefectures were still in his hands, and he was still faced with the Zhao army from time to time.
Risk of invasion.
"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 troops to withdraw 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.
.Even if the prince sends reinforcements
I'm afraid it won't have any effect on us. The Zhao army gathered in large numbers and was 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 be there?
Will we start a 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 that the prince will reach some 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 this Bingzhou land?"
Situ Wen didn't care at all about Situ Tai's ugly face, and nodded: "If the Grand Governor does not want to die 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 princes
, I’m afraid at this moment I hope that the Governor will die here in battle.”
Situ Tai said angrily: "I am the governor of Bingzhou. If the land of Bingzhou is lost, I will not be able to escape responsibility. You think, 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 the situation in Bingzhou. The failure is not the responsibility of the Grand Governor. How can half of Bingzhou resist Zhao Xun's full attack? And Yongzhou is in order to resist Murong
Well, that's 300,000 people gathered
The elite troops were elite soldiers and horses from Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou, and Ningzhou, and they still held dangerous passes. What about the land that could be merged with the state? Half of it was occupied by Cao Gang, and it also faced suppression by the Turks. Therefore, it failed, and it was not a great governor.
After all, the Grand Governor has recently 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 more beneficial it will be to the defense of Yongzhou. The situation of merging the states up to 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 are most likely to negotiate a peace. At this moment, both the prince and Zhao Xun hope to suppress Murong Cheng.
If my subordinates’ guess is true, then the order to withdraw the military from the prince to the governor should have been 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, order Zhang Dian, Zhang Che, Lin Kang, and Ming Jing to expand
The men under my command should select brave men from the Bingzhou Army and be prepared to stay away. Expand the governor's personal guard army 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 a little worried. The urgent military information and request for help reports we sent back should have been answered long ago. But so far, there has been no response.
.The subordinates made bold guesses,
There can only be two reasons for this situation. One is that the prince has confirmed the position of the prince and will leave the next move of the governor to the prince. Perhaps, the prince hopes that the power of the governor will be weakened so that he will not be
It affects the Crown 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 urgently: "Then what kind of situation do you think it is?"
Situ Tai couldn't help but be surprised. According to Situ Wen's guess, his situation was not very good. Especially in the first situation, Situ Tai could say that it would be basically difficult for him to turn around.
Situ Wen said in a deep voice: "Grand Governor, in my opinion, 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 relief
Although we did not receive the military order from the prince, we are close to Liangzhou in the west and Feng Ling Mansion in Yongzhou in the south. Our spies did not get any news in this regard. However, according to the prince's military order, the eldest son came to discuss the affairs in person.
Clear.”
"Damn it! Here goes the order. All ministries are not allowed to take the initiative to fight Zhao Jun. All ministries of the Guards accelerated their reorganization and began to move south." Hearing Situ Wen's words, Situ Tai became furious.