Chapter 428 Cao Wei retreats, armed with iron horses
Author: Playing with Basilisk
The galloping cavalry rushed towards Cao Jun's cavalry on the city wall like a flood.
In such a relatively narrow terrain, the brave will win when faced with a narrow road.
But Cao Jun obviously underestimated the equipment of Han cavalry.
Because they had to cross the Ji River and the moat, Shen Chen sent only faster light cavalry, and none of the heavy armored cavalry came.
However, the standard weapons of the Han army's light cavalry include leather armor, leather helmets, hand crossbows and ring-headed knives. There are even more fierce young generals who use weapons such as horse spears or spears and spears.
Almost as soon as the two sides approached, the serial hand crossbow fired the first round, and then took out the Huanshou Sword and fought with the Wei army.
The Wei army had been shot and suffered heavy losses before, and soon they could no longer resist. They fell on their backs and fled in confusion.
The Han cavalry became more and more courageous as they fought, slashing and killing all the way.
"Chase!"
The knight roared angrily.
The cavalry immediately swarmed and headed south.
There was a steady stream of cavalry rushing in below, like water pouring in. Some of them were outflanking to the north, some were entering Dongguan from Baihumen, and some were rushing straight into Taichang Street.
Facing the surging Han army from Zhangcheng Gate, the Wei army on the front battlefield was caught off guard, and the city was suddenly overrun by cavalry.
Without the defense of the Wei army above, the main force of the Han army along the Pingcheng Gate successfully attacked the city wall.
In an instant, the main force rushed in, and the Wei army was defeated like a mountain.
If you look down from a high altitude, you will see that from the wall above Zhangcheng Gate to the northwest of Pingcheng Gate, countless cavalrymen gathered together to form a torrent and swept towards the wall of Pingcheng Gate to the south. It was mighty and devastating.
On the high oar in the distance, Zhong Yao got the news that Zhangcheng Gate had been breached and Baihu Gate could not be defended. His spirit instantly became depressed and he whispered: "The situation is over, retreat."
Fei Yao quickly said: "Lieutenant, there are General Xiahou's troops in the north. If we can get him to send troops to come for reinforcements, they may be able to withstand them."
"I can't resist it anymore."
Zhong Yao shook his head: "Let's not mention that it will take at least half an hour for him to come from the north gate. Zhao Yun and Pang De are still attacking the north gate. If he mobilizes his men, the north gate is in danger of being breached. The south gate is now in danger. We can no longer hold on, so we should evacuate Chang'an immediately and head east to defend Tongguan. Maybe we can stop the enemy outside Guanzhong."
Fei Yao was shocked and said: "Is Taiwei planning to abandon Guanzhong?"
"That's all."
Zhong Yao sighed and said: "Shen Xiaoqing deserves to be the wisest person in the world, with complete literary, Taoist and military strategies. Emperor Wu should not have provoked such a person by massacring Xuzhou for his own selfish desires."
Fei Yao hurriedly said: "But if we give up Guanzhong, what about General Zhenxi?"
The strategic significance of Cao Zhen's garrison in Lantian Valley was to cut off the connection between Nanyang and Guanzhong and prevent the Han army from flanking Chang'an.
But now that Chang'an has been lost, it means that Lantian Valley will be isolated and helpless and will be attacked by Guanzhong and Nanyang from both sides. Cao Zhen will probably die in Lantian Valley by then.
Zhong Yao said solemnly: "When we retreat, we can immediately send people to inform General Zhenxi that Chang'an can no longer be defended. We hope that he can immediately withdraw to Zheng County from the north road and retreat with us to Tongguan. "
"Lieutenant, can't you hold on a little longer?"
Fei Yao was a little unwilling.
They have been holding on to Chang'an for less than half a year, and it would be a pity to give up like this.
However, Zhong Yao said bitterly: "You see for yourself, if we delay it any longer, we will have no chance of safely evacuating. I'm afraid the entire army will be annihilated."
Fei Yao looked down.
In the distance, I saw that the cavalry swarming in from Zhangcheng Gate had already reached the south wall, and Pingcheng Gate had almost been lost. Although the Wei army was still fighting to the death, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Pingcheng Gate was lost.
Because the Wei army's defense line on the city wall was too spread out, more than 20,000 Wei soldiers were fighting desperately on the several-kilometer-long southern wall, but their positions were not crowded together.
The number of defenders at Pingcheng Gate was indeed larger, but it was only a few thousand people. They were raided on the flanks and could not organize an effective defense at all. They were overwhelmed by cavalry from their right side, causing chaos there.
If we take this opportunity and immediately order Cao's troops along the line from Pingcheng Gate to Ancheng Gate to immediately join Xiahou Mao in the direction of Bamen and Qingping Gate in the east, and then withdraw, there may be a chance to take away a large number of Cao's troops.
But once the Han army opens the Pingcheng gate and tens of thousands of Han troops from outside rush in, Cao's army will immediately be in a state of defeat. Tens of thousands of people on both sides will be entangled, and no one knows how many people will die.
Fei Yao gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, I will go immediately to convey the military order."
After saying that, he immediately got off the high oar.
There is a military information relay office below. After receiving the order, the messengers immediately flew to the various messaging points on flying horses.
The city wall was too long, and there was a lot of noise on the battlefield. As a result, even the use of horns, war drums, and bronze cymbals could only convey messages to nearby areas, and it was difficult to cover several kilometers of city wall.
Therefore, at certain times, it is more appropriate for cavalry to deliver orders.
However, before retreating as a whole, Zhong Yao did not immediately choose to let the soldiers below beat the bronze hammer to signal Cao's army near Pingcheng Gate to retreat. Instead, he immediately summoned the soldiers on the east wall, gathered people and horses, and rushed towards Pingcheng Gate for reinforcements.
If you directly order a retreat, it will be a rout. Therefore, the correct approach must be to repel the enemy first, so that they cannot organize an offensive for a short period of time, and then withdraw.
Just like what Zhuge Liang did every time he retreated, Sima Yi feared Zhuge Liang like a rat and couldn't defeat him in a head-on battle. When he pursued, he was ambushed and was afraid of being beaten. If Zhuge Liang hadn't retreated every time because of food problems, I'm afraid.
Sima Yi was killed by Zhuge Liang long ago.
At this moment, around Pingcheng Gate, thousands of Wei troops and a steady stream of enemies were engaged in a desperate struggle. Hundreds of Han cavalry formed a square formation more than a hundred steps away, and then raided along the direction of the city wall, causing the city wall to collapse.
The man above him flipped over on his back.
Outside the city below, there are still a large number of Han troops building trench bridges and using ladders to start climbing up. In the direction of Weiyang Palace in the city, more Han cavalry are carrying Huanshou knives and howling like wolves, walking along the inner palace.
The gate came out from the Weiyang Palace, and the Pingcheng Gate was surrounded from both sides.
All the way on the city wall, all the way at the palace gate in the rear. At the same time, the infantry led by Wu Tao, Wu Dang, Huo Yang, Shan Yi, Deng Ai, Jiang Wei and others also joined the battlefield. There were shouts and echoes from above and below the city.
The sounds of weapons being blocked and howling and groaning almost never stopped.
Fei Yao and several generals personally went to take command and firmly withstood the offensive at Pingcheng Gate. It took less than half an hour before the sound of copper clangs could be heard in the distance, and then a large number of Wei troops marched along the south wall.
He hurriedly evacuated in the direction of Fu'anmen.
The city wall lost its defensive power, and the Han troops outside climbed all the way up the ladder. Ancheng Gate became the first place in the south city to be breached. Countless Han troops poured in like a tide, each roaring and quickly occupying the city wall.
There was no suspense in the ensuing war. Cao Jun, who was fighting hard at Pingcheng Gate, didn't know until this moment that he had become an outcast. The generals fled on horseback, and even the lower-level troops who were supposed to organize order and formation The officers looked around blankly, never expecting that they would be abandoned by their superiors.
Raising their weapons and surrendering became the only option for the thousands of Cao troops who still stayed at Pingcheng Gate. The Han army left only a few people to guard it. Most of the cavalry chased them and killed them one after another. Shen Chen's army left Pingcheng Gate. Pushing all the way east, Pingcheng Gate and Fu'an Gate were breached one after another, and a large number of Han troops rushed into the city, beating Cao's army back steadily.
The whole city became a chaos, and countless Cao troops fled in all directions. Among the chaotic troops, Zhong Yao's carriage had already reached the Bamen area in advance. But when he hurried out of Bamen, he was shocked to find that there was someone in the south. A team of cavalry had been waiting for them and rushed towards them.
That was the heavy cavalry arranged by Shen Chen outside Bamen.
Heavy cavalry are not suitable for sieges, so most of the time, they have almost no effect. Even when they are needed, they can only be used as light cavalry.
In order to break the city this time, Shen Chen prepared for half a year. Success or failure depended on this. Therefore, he calculated that if he succeeded, the enemy would most likely have no choice but to flee from the east city, so he arranged that he would not need to participate in the battle. An ambush by heavy cavalry is an inevitable choice.
Outside Bamen is a vast plain area with dense forests and lush vegetation. It is midsummer, and the setting sun in May warmly shines on the earth, and the air is filled with the earthy fragrance of green grass.
The willows beside the moat were blowing in the breeze. In addition to the scent of flowers and grass, there seemed to be an unusual smell.
On a high slope outside the city, generals such as Ma Dai and Li Yue were riding on horseback.
They had previously raided the east city as planned, but they were still discovered by Zhong Yao. A large number of cavalry came to their aid, and even though they fought to the death, they were eventually pushed back outside the city.
However, they were not discouraged, but quietly waited for time. Because Shen Chen had already said before leaving that no matter who launched the attack first in Dongcheng or Xicheng, it would be possible to cover the other's actions, and things might be different by then. Variety.
So they have been waiting for changes to happen.
Sure enough, soon after they retreated outside the city, the cavalry on the city wall went south one after another, leaving only a few people still watching them warily, which meant that the attack on the west side of the city had also begun.
Ma Dai originally wanted to continue the raid, but in the last operation, a large number of ladders and trench bridges were destroyed by the enemy's rolling stones and logs, so he was unable to go up for a while.
Unexpectedly, after waiting outside for nearly two hours, they finally waited until the gate opened by itself.
"Hurry up."
"The Taiwei has ordered us to assemble outside the city first."
"There must be order when crossing the bridge!"
Generals and officers at all levels shouted at the soldiers of Cao's army who came out of the city, ordering them not to panic or fight for the way, and quickly assemble outside the city.
Because there is a moat outside Bamen, and although the suspension bridge is spacious, it cannot accommodate so many people at the same time. Therefore, Zhong Yao used the time gained by the soldiers who were cut off from the rear, and asked the soldiers to assemble an array outside the city first.
In this way, even if the Han army chases them out, the small group of troops will not be their opponent. The large group of troops will also need to rearrange their formation to attack them. By then it will be dark, and they can naturally evacuate.
However, before the team regrouped, the entire Cao army's situation was still in chaos. After a large number of Cao's troops came out from the Ba city gate, the soldiers could not find the generals, and they would not be able to find the soldiers.
Officers at all levels who maintained order were also scattered everywhere. Many people did not know where their teams were. The entire formation was broken up. It was obviously not an easy task to quickly adjust in a short period of time.
Ma Dai looked at everything in the distance indifferently. Behind the slope were five thousand heavy armored cavalry that had been lined up.
Li Yue said to him: "Come on."
"Not urgent!"
Ma Dai responded: "They haven't formed their formation yet. The best time is to attack when they are about to form their formation."
"Why?"
Li Yue didn't quite understand why he had to wait until the opponent was almost ready to attack.
Ma Dai grinned: "Because the longer we delay, the sooner the Governor's troops will arrive. If we attack now, we won't be able to kill many people. At most, we will let them scatter in all directions. But if we attack before they are in good formation, we won't be able to kill many people."
Previously, a sudden attack had disrupted their ranks again, and now that the governor arrived, wouldn't the entire Wei army be annihilated?"
Li Yue suddenly felt shocked, then gave a thumbs up and said: "What the general said is true."
The sky is getting darker and darker.
This battle lasted from morning to afternoon. Two hours had passed since Zhangcheng Gate was breached at the end of the afternoon. It was already the middle of the day and approaching the end of the day.
The sun is setting in the west, rolling up the gorgeous fire clouds in the west. There are dusk crows soaring in the sky, heading into the forest and returning to their nests in the direction of the mountains of Lishan Mountain in the southeast.
Suddenly, billowing dust and smoke appeared in the far south of the city. Ma Dai knew that it was the light cavalry sent by Shen Chen. When he looked in the direction of Cao Jun, he saw that Cao Jun, who had been in chaos, had slowly restored order, although most of the queue had not yet arrived.
It was organized, but several square formations had already been formed.
If these square formations are placed to the south of the team to resist Shen Chen's light cavalry and cover the rear team to reorganize, it is really possible for Zhong Yao to successfully withdraw from Chang'an.
So at this moment, Ma Dai raised the steel knife in his hand and shouted: "Kill!"
"kill!"
The messenger was suddenly excited, and then blew the horn.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
The melodious Qiang and Di horns sounded continuously.
In the forest about three or four miles away from the Wei army, countless flying birds were suddenly startled.
When the Wei troops in the distance heard the long horn sound, they all looked eastward in shock.
I saw countless figures suddenly emerging from behind the hillside.
Those people wore bright silver armor, covering their entire faces. Even the horses had armor, and they moved forward slowly with brisk steps.
The Wei army crowd suddenly became commotion.
Then some generals scolded them, and thousands of people immediately came out of the formation and formed a formation to confront each other toward the east.
The cavalry over there continued to move forward unhurriedly. The charging distance of the heavy cavalry was often only within a few hundred meters. A distance of three or four miles was actually not suitable for charging into the formation, as it would consume too much of the horses' energy.
So get closer first, then charge!
In a moment, the heavy cavalry was less than a mile away, and Ma Dai shouted: "Kill!"
"kill!"
The soldiers burst out with shocking roars.
All the cavalrymen slapped their horses' belly with their legs, urging the horses to start galloping.
After receiving the order, the war horses immediately took steps, rumbling like steel tanks, and rushed towards the shocked Cao Jun!