Early in the morning, while the people in Xiangyang City were still sleeping, five thousand heavily armored Mongolian cavalry and archery troops had already approached within a hundred meters of Xiangyang City, covering the countless carts following behind. As long as Xiangyang
The defenders on the city fired downwards. The cavalry archers would concentrate their forces and shoot at them. With their superb marksmanship, they could quickly restrain the Xiangyang Army's archers until the catapult achieved its intended purpose.
land.
Arakhan stood at the forefront of the team holding a long spear. When he saw the cart in place, he waved his left hand and ordered: "Blow the drum to make gold. Release the trebuchet."
Suddenly, the drums in the Mongolian army's formation rumbled and horns sounded. The cavalry and archers in front gave up their positions. Hundreds of trebuchets roared in response to the order. Stones flew towards the head of Xiangyang City one after another. There might be a stone in the middle.
Large rocks weighing about a hundred kilograms.
Mongolian trebuchets threw stones one after another. Many stones fell on the city wall, creating large holes. There were even some small stones that fell on the houses near the city wall. Fortunately, they were nearby.
All the people have been evacuated. There are no casualties.
At the beginning, the trebuchets and city guard crossbows on Xiangyang City were still able to return fire. However, it didn’t take long for the trebuchets of the Xiangyang Army to be suppressed by the stones emitted by the large number of Mongolian trebuchets.
.
"Damn it. Why did the Mongolian army suddenly have so many trebuchets. And they also used large trebuchets. A Shu's main attack was placed at the east gate." Lu Shikui on the city wall cursed loudly. He continued to curse. Lu Shikui
But his mind was calm. He asked Ergou to lead a group of messengers to convey his orders.
As soon as the generals of the sixteenth chamber guarding the east gate received Lu Shikui's order, they immediately ordered their subordinates: "Everyone take cover. Be careful to avoid the stones from the trebuchet. Protect yourself."
Even the soldiers beside the trebuchets all hid in bunkers. Several trebuchets on the city wall were hit by stones from the Mongolian army's trebuchets. They immediately fell apart and turned into a pile of waste. The man responsible for commanding the trebuchets
The generals could only act anxiously. Apart from shouting loudly, they had no choice but to watch helplessly as the trebuchet was destroyed by the opponent.
This round of artillery bombardment by the Mongolian army lasted for more than two quarters of an hour. Only then did the Mongolian army's trebuchets stop firing.
Lu Shikui shook the dust off his body, his spirits were shaken, and he loudly said: "All the soldiers are listening to the order and prepare to fight."
After waiting for a long time, Lu Shikui, who was concentrating on staring outside the city, did not see any sign of attack by the Mongolian army outside the city. On the contrary, under the protection of the cavalry and archer army, the trebuchet gradually retreated into the distance. Then, Arakhan
He led the cavalry and archery troops and slowly left.
"Retired. General Lu. What's going on?" Zhao Wan, the commander of the 96th Army who was close to Lu Shikui, asked.
"I don't know." Lu Shikui looked outside the city. He was stunned for a while, and then ordered, "General Zhao, please clean the battlefield, treat the wounded, and repair the bunkers."
Zhao Wandou, who was covered in dust, said: "Yes. General."
Hundreds of regiment defense members in bunkers under the city wall hurriedly cooperated with the army's battalions and capitals (the Song Army's capital was a capital of 100 people. Each capital had two squads, a total of 100 people. It was equivalent to a company in later generations. Five capitals were a battalion).
The health workers first transferred the wounded and wounded soldiers to the field hospital in the 16th compartment at the back. Then they began to repair the fortification bunkers that were damaged by Mongolian trebuchets.
Lu Shikui stood on the city wall, looked around, and then walked toward the commander's mansion in the city surrounded by his personal guards.
Lu Wenhuan from the Marshal's Mansion was sitting in the lobby. After listening carefully to Lu Shikui's report, he said: "The north gate and west gate of Xiangyang City were attacked by the Mongolian army at the same time this morning. It did not last long. The situation was completely different from that of the east gate. It seems that Ah The technique is to concentrate all its siege equipment at the east gate."
"The terrain outside the east gate is open. Even if there are two or three hundred trebuchets, it won't be a problem." Lu Shikui said.
Xiangyang coach Lu Wende, who arrived later, said: "Shi Kui, what are the losses of our army?"
"Return to the commander-in-chief. The general was in the process of counting when he came over. However, according to the general's visual inspection, although there are many injured, the casualties are very few. The biggest loss is the city wall of Xiangyang City. Many defenses are needed. Repaired or rebuilt.”
"Well, Shi Kui, please go down and rest first."
"Yes. Marshal."
"What is the purpose of Ah Shu?"
Lu Wenhuan thought for a while and said: "Brother, I think there are only two purposes for Ashu's tactics. One is to preserve his power. He is not willing to let the Mongolian soldiers be easily harmed when attacking the city. The other is to try to throw away the enemy. The stone machine's long-range attack opened a gap in the east of our Xiangyang City."
Lu Wende nodded and said: "In the next few days, if the Mongolian army adopts the same method, it will prove your conjecture."
"Well. If the Mongolian army launches a long-range attack with a trebuchet again tomorrow, I will go to the east of the city to see for myself."
"Okay. Let Lao San Wenxin accompany you then."
It was similar to Lu Wenhuan's estimate. The next day, Arakhan once again led his troops to bombard Xiangyang. This time it lasted longer, reaching as much as half an hour. The position that had just been repaired yesterday was damaged again by the trebuchet. Even the arrow tower was hit by the Mongolian trebuchets. Fortunately, the defenders evaded in time. Not many people were killed. However, the number of injured began to increase.
Back at the Commander's Mansion, Lu Wenhuan said to Lu Wende: "Our army's trebuchets seem to be inferior to the Mongolian trebuchets. No matter the distance or the weight of the stones thrown, they are not as good as the other side. In the past few years, it seems that the Mongolians People have also made a lot of improvements to the trebuchets used in sieges."
"Kublai Khan has been wanting to go south to our country since he retreated eight years ago. The only advantage of our country is the solidity of the city and the strength of the navy. If Kublai Khan wants to easily attack our city, he needs to rely on it. Long-range attack weapons, and the trebuchet is the first choice. This is actually consistent with His Majesty's idea. However, His Majesty thought of replacing cold weapons with firearms. Kublai Khan only made improvements on the original basis. This has been Your Majesty pulled off a big piece of it."
Lu Wenhuan said: "That's right. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have thought that firearms could be so powerful. Alas, I really want to see the weapons of my dynasty sing in unison. That scene must be very spectacular."
In the following days, the Mongols would shell outside the East Gate almost every day. Each time, the time varied. Some were long or short.
The newly repaired city tower is often damaged the next day. During this period, the busiest people are not the soldiers of the 16th Wing guarding the east gate, but the group of regiment defense members who are responsible for assisting the defense of the east gate. Basically, I have to work overtime to catch up with the progress of the repairs.
After the seventeenth day, the repair progress of the fortifications in the east of the city began to fail to keep up with the attack speed of the Mongolian army. The Mongolian trebuchets continued to supply stones. Sometimes they even bombarded the city tower twice in one day. Although it was still far from breaking through the east gate. It was very far away, but it caused a trace of worry and panic in the hearts of many soldiers and people. If the Mongolian army bombarded like this every day, and the accumulated losses made up, then sooner or later, Xiangyang City would be smashed by a trebuchet to create a big gap. .
Lu Wende from the Commander's Mansion walked around in the lobby. At the same time, he said: "Alas, this is the disadvantage caused by the Qianqian. Without the Qianqian, the Mongols would not be able to gain a foothold. And our army can fight back. .Passive. Passive.”
Lu Wenhuan consoled him: "Brother, since His Majesty has approved this matter, he will definitely turn a bad thing into a good thing."
"Well, how should we deal with it now?"
"Brother, the twenty artifacts from the early stage have been placed. Ten gates have been placed in the east wall of the city. Why don't you report to your majesty and ask your majesty to allow our army to use the artifacts."
Lu Wende said: "Yes. This method is very good. I will immediately report to Your Majesty for instructions on this matter. Second brother, before His Majesty's decree is issued, some regiments will be deployed from other defense lines to support the east gate. It must be done before the Mongols attack in the next round. Before the bombardment, repair the fortifications and bunkers. At the same time, do a good job of appeasing the people in the city and enhance the confidence of the soldiers. You can tell them that the Mongols do not dare to attack the city and will only conduct shelling from a long distance. This seems very dangerous, but in reality It did no harm to our Xiangyang city."
"clear."
Wen Tianxiang, Li Beiyang and Shi Yanzhi, under the protection of a hundred imperial guards, first came to Yingzhou south of Xiangyang City. They held talks with Chen Yi, the navy general stationed in Yingzhou, and Zhang Shun, the commander of the first army camp. After that, he boarded the warship of the fleet along the river and was personally escorted by Chen Yi to Xiangyang.
Late at night on October 4th, Wen Tianxiang and his party arrived at Xiangyang City and entered the city through the south gate.
Tang Yongjian, the commander of the 17th Wing stationed at the south gate, quickly sent everyone to the Xiangyang Commandery. When Lu Wende, who had fallen asleep, was woken up by the guard in a hazy state, he was still wondering if there was something wrong with his hearing: " What? The imperial envoy has arrived."
Lu Wende quickly put on his clothes and came to the lobby of the Commander's Mansion. He saw Wen Tianxiang, the dean of the Government Affairs Council, Shi Yanzhi, the president of Lin'an Military University, and Li Beiyang, the naval commander, already sitting in the hall. Lu Wenhuan and Lu Wenxin, who arrived one step ahead, were accompanying them. Drinking tea with three adults.
When Xiangyang City was besieged, the imperial court sent three imperial envoys. They were very influential ministers in the court. This made Lu Wende feel very warm and comfortable. Li Beiyang was the boss of the Navy and controlled ten Wanshui Division. In terms of the number of troops under his command, Li Beiyang was the best in the Song Dynasty. Shi Yanzhi was the president of the Military University and an academician of the Academy of Military Affairs. Although he did not directly hold military power, he had the highest seniority in the army. There are countless disciples and disciples serving in the army. Even in the Xiangyang army, there are many disciples. As for Wen Tianxiang, he is recognized as the future prime minister.
Such a lineup cannot but be said to be powerful.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Wen Tianxiang took over the imperial edict from the bodyguard commander Yun Zhongfei. He said to brothers Lu Wende and Lu Wenhuan: "Master Lu, please accept the imperial edict."
"Yes, Mr. Wen."
Lu Wende and others set up the incense table and knelt on the ground.