The hanging box of the heavy stone cannon is neatly packed with iron ingots, and a single hanging box weighs more than 10,000 kilograms.
After a short rest, with the powerful swing of the command flag, the suspension box was pressed down almost at the same time and fell. A moment later, the iron wire rope connected to the tail end of the gun tip suddenly restrained the falling force. The huge impact was extremely instantaneous.
Passed through the gun tip to the huge suspension.
A total of a dozen heavy stone cannons were fired from the left and right, and the ground shook at this moment.
However, everyone was nervously staring at the cannon tips that were more than six feet long. At this time, the night faded and the sky became brighter. It could be clearly seen that the cannon tips were rapidly bending into arcs at a speed visible to the naked eye at this moment.
, accompanied by a "squeaky" sound that makes one suspect that it may break at any time.
Heavy stone cannons use fine iron components on a large scale to make the suspension more stable; the fine iron suspension box filled with iron ingots for counterweight is half smaller than the traditional one; it is extremely dangerous for the grease-impregnated iron wire rope to break during launch.
Rare - however, as the core power-accumulating firing component of the trebuchet, the cannon tip can only be made of tough and elastic wood at present. It is still prone to breakage when firing stone projectiles and clay projectiles.
The cannon tip seemed to be like an angry big bow. When it was bent to a certain extent, it suddenly stopped. Then the tip trembled slightly and then suddenly swung in the opposite direction. The stone bullet flew away from the tip and flew in the air.
A sharp whistling sound occurs.
The skilled gunners breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time performed their duties:
Someone used a winch to quickly reset the suspension box, someone loaded new stone bullets into the scoop-shaped magazine at the tip, and someone was responsible for observing the flight trajectory of the stone bullets.
, holding a pen and paper in hand, preparing to calculate the length of the iron thread that needs to be adjusted in order to hit the city wall more accurately...
All heavy war weapons, including the huge consumption of fired clay pellets and stone bullets, were quickly transported to the battlefield directly from Chushan, Xinyang, Luoshan and other places by boat - this provided the basis for the rapid organization of siege operations.
It was a great convenience. It only took less than two days from building a company to completely besiege Huaichuan City to setting up hundreds of heavy stone cannons to launch attacks day and night.
In the next three or four days, the three city walls on the east, west and north sides of Huaichuan were bombarded beyond recognition, and several gaps collapsed.
Only by first using heavy stone cannons to destroy as many defensive facilities on the city wall as possible and create large and small gaps in the city wall can the difficulty and casualties of a forced siege be minimized.
The sky and the earth became brighter, and in the howling north wind, sidecars, ballistas, catapults, and ladder vehicles were pushed out from the camp and entered the starting position.
The first batch of troops who are about to attack the city have already assembled at the starting position.
Those recruits who had not experienced a few battles could not hide their inner nervousness. They checked the armor they were wearing over and over again, pulled out and inserted their sabers, for fear that they would get stuck at the critical moment, checked whether the shield handle was loose, and checked whether the shield handle was loose.
From time to time, I gazed at the Huaichuan City Wall with a solemn expression.
But they were veteran soldiers who had experienced hundreds of battles. Most of them were sitting lazily on the dry muddy ground, breaking into pieces of wheat cakes or dried meat, chewing them in small mouths, and patiently waiting for the order to attack the city...
Thousands of Huaichuan defenders were also on standby behind the city wall.
At dawn, it was confirmed that the Beijing-Xiang army had signs of attacking the city, and the defenders Gao Teng'an and Qu Ming mobilized more defenders to participate in the defense.
In just three or four days, the several-mile-long city wall had been bombarded beyond recognition, and the trebuchet attacks from the Beijing-Xiangang Army were still going on. The defenders could only stand by under the footings on the back of the city wall.
Even so, large pieces of brick and stone continued to be knocked down from the city wall, injuring people, and the soldiers complained. However, the Red Husband Cavalry supervising the battle would patrol by with ferocious looks from time to time, so that they did not dare to move.
When tens of thousands of defeated troops poured in, Huaichuan City was thrown into chaos.
However, Huaichuan is one of the most important cities in the battle between Beijing and Xiangxi. In addition to the more than 5,000 elite Han troops stationed in the west of Beijing, there are also 500 garrison troops, mainly the elites of the Chihu tribe, stationed in Huaichuan. Officials ration
It was also relatively sufficient. Therefore, after blocking the gates of the four cities, after several days of sorting out, order in the city was quickly restored.
A cruel battle to defend the city was about to take place. After daylight, martial law was still not lifted in the city. Under the brutal rule of the Han army and the garrison in the west of Beijing, the streets and alleys were deserted. No one dared to run out of the house, only patrols.
Pawns pass by occasionally.
A patrol passed through an alley in the east of the city. A dozen soldiers stood together.
He stopped in front of a house, and the leader was a general. He was about thirty years old, with a thin face and several deep or shallow scars, making him look brave and fierce.
He looked around the streets and alleys vigilantly, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual, he walked to the door of the house with peeling red paint and tapped the copper ring of the swallowing beast.
Almost at the same time, the door of the house opened with a creaking sound, and a young man wearing a Gebu jacket said calmly: "The Tang Army envoy went into the yard to rest for a while before the brothers. There are people watching us in the streets and alleys. There is nothing abnormal for the time being...
"
The thin-faced general waved his hand outside, signaling the dozens of soldiers in the alley to enter the courtyard.
The young man glanced at the dozens of soldiers and asked the thin-faced general: "Has the envoy of the Tang Army made everything clear to the brothers?"
"I'm afraid something may go wrong, and the matter has not been fully disclosed," said the thin-faced general. "But these brothers have been with me for many years. They were just working for the family and had no choice but to fall into poverty. They have never committed any evil deeds, and they are not willing to become hustlers."
They captured the dogs, harmed the people of the Central Plains, and trampled on the homeland of Dai Viet. If Master Liu hadn't asked us to lurk in peace until we were useful, I would have taken them to Jingnan and reunited with my family. Please feel free to use Master Liu..."
Liu Huting nodded, left a surveillance man in the front yard, took the thin-faced general and a dozen soldiers to the back house, and said to the thin-faced general as he walked:
"Gao Teng'an is a loser, but in order to support his son, Gao Xiangzhong arranged several of his more capable generals to be around Gao Teng'an; he supported Qu Ming in Zhennan Zongwang??????????
There are only a handful of younger generation red generals in the ?????? government - in addition to the insidious and cunning person Shi Fupeng, the pseudo-county magistrate of Huaichuan, it is difficult for Huaichuan City to collect the defeated troops and restore order so quickly.
It has a lot to do with him. We rashly approached Gao Teng'an and Zhi Quming during the day. It is very likely that we would have exposed our flaws before we even got close. Today's siege operation will last a whole day, and the intensity will not be too great. First
Let the brothers get familiar with our manpower first, and wait until dark before proceeding..."
At this time, when he walked to the back house, Tang Yuan saw more than fifty armored soldiers waiting in the yard. Although they were all wearing the armor of the Western Han Army in Beijing, the fierceness revealed in their expressions was definitely not what the ordinary soldiers of the Western Han Army in Beijing possessed.
.
The dozens of soldiers he had brought over were both shocked and suspicious when they saw this scene. If they were taken out in broad daylight, it would be difficult not to expose their flaws; night was the best cover.
Liu Huting looked at the dozens of soldiers brought by Tang Yuan and introduced them: "Everyone must have guessed our identities, right? Yes, we are the troops lurking in Huaichuan under the orders of Dai Viet Sikong Mansion. This time we invited the Tang army
So that I can participate in this grand event with all my brothers..."
Huaichuan was a battleground in the first battle to cross the Huaibei River. The Military Intelligence Staff Department not only did a lot of work before the war, but also arranged for a small group of elites to sneak into Huaichuan disguised as rout soldiers after defeating the enemy in the battle of Changtanzhai.
, further strengthening Huaichuan’s latent power.
Of course, the initial plan of the Military Intelligence Staff Department was to use lurkers in the city to create chaos by various means, weaken the fighting spirit of the defenders, disrupt the organization and dispatch of the defenders, and at the same time, targetedly instigate rebellion against some Han generals in the west of Beijing.
Tang Yuan was originally a Dongjing Lake bandit, and he was a general under Sun Yanzhou from Sun Yanzhou's rebellion until he was recruited by the imperial court.
Although he was extremely brave and had made many military exploits against the imperial army in his early years, Tang Yuan was unwilling to abandon his family members who were stranded in Jingnan and followed Sun Hu and others to surrender to the barbarians. He was imprisoned by Sun Yanzhou for a time, and withdrew to Yingzhou across the Huaihe River under threat.
.
After arriving in Yingzhou, Tang Yuan originally wanted to find an opportunity to escape back to Jingnan. However, after being persuaded by the lurking personnel of the Military Intelligence Staff Department, he decided to stay in Yingzhou to serve Jingxiang and try to win Sun Yanzhou's trust again.
During the battle to cross the Huaihe River to seize the beach, Sun Yanzhou's troops had more than 3,000 troops. Under the leadership of Sun Yanzhou's second son, Sun Xiao, they marched south from Yingzhou to govern Ruyin and participated in the interception battle. However, Tang Yuan, who was re-appointed, was only one of Sun Xiao's troops.
An ordinary general, he received orders during the great rout and took advantage of the chaos to lead his subordinates to flee into Huaichuan City and wait for orders.
On the one hand, the efficiency of the Huaichuan defenders in reorganizing the defeated troops was higher than expected. On the other hand, the Sikong Mansion wanted to capture Huaichuan City as soon as possible so that progress could be made in other aspects this winter. The Military Intelligence Staff Department and the Frontline Command Department decided
Taking risks, he gathered lurking troops and used the identities of several rebel generals such as Tang Yuan. During the siege, he searched and killed Gao Teng'an from the inside, supported Qu Ming and other enemy defenders, created greater chaos, and laid the foundation for the capture of Huaichuan in one fell swoop.
Favorable conditions.
Back then, Xiao Xun was able to successfully assassinate Xiao Yi after being incited to rebel. Even after all these years,
, the matter has not been exposed, mainly because Xiao Xun has always been trusted by Xiao Yi. At the same time, Xiao Xun himself has a high status in Shuozhou. The direct guards around him are either nephews and brothers, or retainers and generals.
They are extremely brave, shrewd and capable elites.
Tang Yuan did not have such conditions. Even if he alone led the lurking elites from Beijing and Xiangzhou to surround and kill Gao Teng'an, Qu Ming and others, it would be extremely difficult.
First of all, Tang Yuan had just gained some trust after the relationship between him and Sun Yanzhou deteriorated. His status within the Han army in the west of Beijing was not high, and he was just an ordinary general.
Not to mention that he had no chance at all to lead dozens of elites from Beijing and Xiangzhou to Gao Teng'an, Zhi Quming and others. Even when he came into contact with other defenders, it was difficult not to reveal his flaws.
After all, as long as a team of 60 or 70 people is dispatched, it is impossible not to come into contact with other defenders in the city, and when they come into contact, it is impossible for Tang Yuan to intervene in everything to ensure that no flaws are exposed.
Therefore, in the final plan, Tang Yuan selected a dozen tribesmen who were eager to return south and were unwilling to surrender, and came in advance to meet up with the lurking troops, and then took advantage of the loopholes of the rout of troops to disperse and garrison in private houses in the city and the chaos of command, and use the cover of night to go to a certain place.
Duan Chengqiang participated in the defense of the city, waiting for the opportunity or designing to lure Gao Teng'an and other defenders into the trap they set to ambush them, and then assisted the city soldiers to capture Huaichuan City in one fell swoop...
After introducing the situation at Liuhu Pavilion, more than a dozen tribesmen were less surprised and doubtful. Except for a few people who were worried about the risks, more people showed eagerness to try????????????????
, Tang Yuan gave some instructions and left with peace of mind.
Now, no matter how chaotic the command in the city is, and how many troops are dispersed and stationed, whenever any military order is issued, Tang Yuan must still be found on his head, and he must return to the station to guard it.
In addition to the previous organization of heavy stone cannons to bombard the city wall, on the first day, we actually gathered people and horses to advance to the city and attack the attached city. The intensity will not be too high, and it will mainly be testing.
Fan Zongqi also deliberately arranged for garrison troops and horses from all walks of life who had no experience in sieges and had not done much drills to go into battle at first. In the afternoon, he arranged for soldiers and horses with some siege experience and skillful drills to go into battle to exert pressure.
By dusk, the intensity of the night battles in the west and north had not changed. However, kerosene was poured into the mud pits outside the east city, and firewood was piled up to light them, illuminating the attack route. In addition to groups of elite archers accompanying the siege troops,
As they advanced from the city, catapults, nest chariots and other war machines also moved toward the collapsed city wall with gaps in it.
Heavy stone cannons have also begun to replace cast iron bullets for projection - cast iron bullets are not like stone bullets and clay pellet bullets, which have splash damage, lethality and power. They are not even as good as stone bullets and mud pellets, but are equally important as cast iron bullets.
The size is much smaller than stone bullets and mud pellets, and the range is much longer. It can limit the defenders from dragging trebuchets to the city for counterattack.
The defenders suddenly felt the pressure doubled, and they quickly mobilized their troops to strengthen the defense of the East City. Before, the East City Gate seemed to have an orderly order of advance and retreat, but suddenly it became chaotic.
This is also inevitable.
Huaichuan City collected 13,000 to 4,000 defeated troops in a short period of time, and because Zhong Changqing, Meng Jie and other senior generals fled to the north of Yongjin River and did not enter Huaichuan City, Gao Teng'an, Zhi Quming, Shi Fupeng and others
No matter how powerful the method is, the commanders can only find the first-level military officials - this is because they are relatively familiar with them, or can confirm their identities, and then these commanders will collect the defeated troops.
The garrison in the city was limited, and the defeated troops who were gathered could only disperse and occupy the houses in the city.
It was Xu Huai, without enough military officers and generals to assist him, and there was no way he could reorganize so many broken troops into a force with a complete command system and a commanding force in just ten days.
The original defenders of Huaichuan City were relatively sufficient, and they did not even need to recruit broken troops to participate, and they could maintain order in the city. However, after the pressure of defending the city doubled, they needed to recruit broken troops to participate in defending the city, and there was no complete command system.
The shortcomings are completely exposed.
Tang Yuan rushed to the east city with his troops. Even though the military officer who was guarding the city and responsible for arranging dispatches did not remember that he was transferred to Tang Yuan's headquarters, he just thought that the messenger had wandered off. Hearing Tang Yuan's complaining roars,
He grabbed Tang Yuan without any suspicion and did not let him leave. Instead, he led dozens of troops to fill in a section of the city wall that had just been filled with bricks and stones to participate in the defense.
At Liuhu Pavilion, Tang Yuan climbed onto the city wall and immediately used torches to send out signals to prevent stone cannons, crossbows and other weapons from outside the city from attacking the section of the city wall they were guarding...
