Chapter 116 Going to Death

Spring, early March.

Cao Zhen, the general of Wei, led an army of 30,000 troops to Jieting.

As soon as he asked his generals to leave the camp and bury the pots to make rice, he personally inspected the wounded soldiers' camp of the advancing army.

Ignoring the filth all over the campground, I walked slowly through it.

He might hold the hand of a disabled soldier and comfort him softly, or he might take biscuits and water to push the food with his own hands, or he might tear open his own clothes and bandage his wounds.

Occasionally, when an individual soldier saw pus in his wound, he would lean over and wipe it, or even suck it out with his mouth.

Cao Zhen has been in a high position for many years, and his body is no longer as tall and majestic as when he was riding tigers and leopards in his early years, but has become very bulky. The couch where the injured soldier is lying is quite low, so it is inconvenient to stand up and bend down, so he has to give way. It's quite funny.

However, among the injured in the camp and among the others, no one laughed when they saw this.

They all burst into tears and couldn't help themselves.

It also made the soldiers whose morale was low due to the heavy casualties earlier appear to have a look of determination on their faces.

Those who were seriously injured and unable to stand up, or whose limbs were injured and could no longer fight, cried out in sorrow and shame, saying, "I hate that I am disabled and cannot repay the general's mercy!"

Those who were slightly injured covered their wounds with clothes or shields, endured the pain and stood tall, claiming that they could still fight again!

After patrolling the camp for only more than an hour, the morale of the Wei army was wiped out. Along the path that Cao Zhen walked, everyone shouted to fight to the death, vying to be the first to bow to the road and ask for orders to be included in the first camp.

It's really eye-catching.

In other words, the military spirit can be fought!

The next day, Cao Zhen led his army and went out with offensive equipment.

When the Shu army blocked the road and defended it, they understood why Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, did not take advantage of the morale collapse of Zhang Jaw's troops to pursue him, and why he made the war more difficult during the five or six days when he came to help.

The Shu army's camp no longer resembles the "concave" shape of the Crane Wing Formation during the battle with Zhang He.

Instead, the open space in front of the camp was hollowed out and turned into a trench that was more than two feet wide and comparable to a moat.

Later, the Wuhan Iron and Steel Cart was used as the foundation, a high base was built with soil, and stones and wood were taken and tamped layer by layer to cross the mountain road.

The outer wall is about two feet high, with a large cowhide oar and a huge shield, which are fixed with mortise and tenon joints and connected horizontally with "swallow tail" wedge nails.

From a distance, it looks like it is covered with layers of huge fish scales.

Such a construction method allows the cowhide oar shield to have a force-relieving effect. Whether it is a crossbow arrow or a thunderbolt cart stone, it will be difficult to penetrate or crack the wall if it hits it.

Moreover, there are many crenels reserved on the top of the wall, and a huge ballista can be seen hidden behind them.

This should be Zhang He's claim that this is a new type of giant crossbow that can fire ten crossbow arrows in an instant and kill no survivors within fifty steps.

The protruding parts of the crenels are covered with iron caltrops half hidden in the wall, which are used to prevent ants from climbing, which is vaguely similar to the effect of the "horse wall" unique to dangerous passes.

Moreover, this camp does not even have an exit reserved!

After letting Cao Zhen look at it carefully, he felt bitterness in his heart.

Zhuge Liang, the prime minister who went against Shu, built the camp as if it were a pass!

Moreover, we are well aware of what Sun Tzu said, "Soldiers have no permanent momentum, and water has no permanent shape."

Originally, after receiving Zhang He's report, he brought many thunderbolt chariots and large yellow crossbows, and he meditated carefully on how to break through the strange "concave" formation on the way.

But he didn't want to, and only when he got ready did he realize that his efforts were in vain.

Thunderbolt chariots and big yellow crossbows are really of little use against this kind of "pass"-like camp.

Moreover, the geographical advantage that the Shu army relies on can completely make up for its own military advantage.

Therefore, the outcome of the war here may not be determined within a month, nor can a breakthrough be achieved.

Alas, I hope the war on other roads can make progress.

Cao Zhen, who had experienced many wars, had a vague realization.

He also summoned his subordinates at his side and asked him to quietly pass on the order, asking one of his troops to lead three thousand troops from the rear to rush to the Weishui River Valley again to support General Wang Shuang.

Naturally, I came with the intention of fighting to the death and would not bother myself by hesitating too much.

After the soldiers were in formation, Cao's army began to beat drums and drive the troops to attack. The method was nothing more than the simplest and most effective attack, regardless of casualties.

In other words, the fortifications built by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang left Cao Zhen with the only remaining option of attacking by force.

Therefore, Longguandao Street Pavilion once again ushered in a crazy feast of flesh and blood.

Tianshui County, Shanggui County.

Guo Huai, who had survived the Shu army's siege for five days, stood with his sword on the ground and supported his body.

The body is as tall and straight as a pine or a cypress standing in the abyss.

The worries between his eyebrows are as crisscrossed as ravines.

He personally drew his sword and fought hand to hand for three days!

The Shu army took advantage of its large number of people and large siege equipment such as ladders, catapults, and manholes. They were able to fight on the top of the city every time they attacked.

In Shanggui, where the defense supplies were exhausted, the city walls could provide very little protection to the soldiers.

Even though he had recruited all the young men in the city to go up to the city walls to help in the battle, there were only about two thousand soldiers under his command who could hold swords and fight, and almost all of them were injured.

If he could not destroy the wells, ladders and other objects of the Shu army, he might not be able to hold on for another ten days.

After all, man is not a tree, and he cannot fight to the death.

Although he has served in Longyou for many years, he has won the hearts of the soldiers and everyone is willing to fight side by side.

However, the battle losses day after day and the long-awaited reinforcements filled the hearts of all the soldiers with depression.

It was a kind of depression with no expectations and a foreseeable outcome.

It was like a boulder growing in the heart, growing bigger and heavier every moment, eventually becoming unbearable for the soldiers and crushing the last remaining desire to fight to the death.

th.

Having accumulated enough disappointment, the soldiers no longer wanted to resist.

It will turn to numbness, allowing death to come, or other consequences such as being captured.

This is called a lonely city without defense!

However, Guo Huai had no intention of surrendering.

When he served as Cao Pi's general, he was promoted as a thief under Cao Pi, and he was a minister of the late Wei Dynasty.

I would rather die in battle and be sent to Chengdu by the Shu army, with my head in a different place and my soul unable to return to my hometown, than let the Wei Dynasty be humiliated just to survive!

Therefore, although he vaguely foresaw the outcome, he did not give up hope of holding on to the reinforcements.

In particular, he still had the opportunity to try to delay the Shu army from breaking the city.

When the Shu army besieged the city, they followed the tactic of "surrounding three towers and one tower".

At the north gate of Guang City, there was not a single soldier present.

However, it was a temptation for the soldiers to embark on the road of no return to death.

More than twenty miles north of Shanggui is the Weishui River.

Without thinking too much, Guo Huai could guess that the Shu army had already cleared all the ships on the Weishui River.

Without boats, he led his army to the Weishui River, and could only go east along the waterfront and break out of the Weishui River Valley. The outcome was nothing more than being intercepted by the Shu army and all of them killed in the wild.

What he wanted to do was to go out of the city at night and see if he could burn down the Shu army's siege equipment!

If the Shu army's siege equipment can be burned down, the city can be defended for another ten days or even more.

And because the North Gate was not attacked by the Shu army, he did not let his soldiers block it with rocks.

However, he could imagine that the Shu army generals would not be negligent and would definitely guard the siege equipment with heavy troops.

Therefore, he personally led the troops that night. Three hundred men who dared to die came out from the north gate, set up more torches, and pretended to break out.

This will attract the Shu army to pursue.

And his subordinate governor also led three hundred men who dared to die, and they were on the east gate wall.

After the Shu army learned about the breakout and led their troops to pursue the attack at the north gate, they tied ropes to the crenellations, lowered the city wall, sneaked into the Shu army camp and burned the siege equipment.

The effect of taking advantage of the east and attacking the west.

However, it's a pity.

The Han army that besieged Shanggui City consisted of Wu Yi, Gao Xiang and Chen Shi.

As for Wu Banbu, they had already gone to the Weishui River Valley to set up defenses.

Therefore, Wu Yi and others did not care whether he broke through the encirclement, but after hearing the news, they immediately urged the soldiers to seize the city with the sound of drums and thunder!

After all, after seizing the city, Guo Huai would have no place to hide even if he ran to the Weishui River.

Fortunately, Guo Huai was just pretending and did not intend to abandon the city and leave.

Therefore, he did not go far out of the city.
To be continued...