But the main force was fighting. The Hedong Army, whose strength had been reduced to less than 50,000, came to the city. There were 80,000 Hu cavalry in the city, including two groups of Hu cavalry who had stayed in Longcheng and had never fought. Ten thousand cavalry were stationed in the city to defend the city.
No one dared to say a word about going out to fight in the city.
In the battle two days ago, Luan Tihou was killed and Uwei was seriously injured. If Tu Qi had not taken advantage of the coming night and led his army to escape, he would have been chased by the Hedong cavalry without returning any armor. How could he have returned?
Leading 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and riding defeated into Dragon City?
In broad daylight, they were unable to escape from the Hedong cavalry pursuit.
When Tu Qi returned to Longcheng, he was immediately imprisoned by the furious Dalan clan. But what could he do? The fact that Tu Qi lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers cannot be changed. The two teams that stayed behind in Longcheng never went to war.
Together with the standing troops of tens of thousands of cavalry, the barbarian army in Dragon City currently has only 300,000 people. However, morale is low and the morale of the army is shaken.
The Hedong Army immediately came to the city. Hu Qi, who had changed his commander, had nearly twice the number of regular troops of the Hedong Army under the city, but no one dared to say a word - go out of the city to fight in the field.
However, the Hedong Army, whose total strength was less than 50,000, did not return home, but continued to drive towards Longcheng under the command of Zhu Biao.
About 30,000 Hedong cavalry were showing off their power outside the city, while all the barbarian cavalry inside the city were silent.
Keeping the safety of Dragon City is the first need of the Hu people, but this is not the reason why the three thousand and ten thousand Huqi dare not fight in the wild. If they are timid and avoid fighting, they are just a bunch of cowardly turtles, and even the Immortal Heaven cannot wash away their cowardice.
shame.
The west gate of Longcheng, the Hedong Army Camp.
Zhu Biao was stationed here, not at the south gate of Dragon City. Because one of the sources of the Hunyi River, Hunshui, flows through the west of Dragon City.
The river surface, which is more than 20 feet wide, ensures that the Hedong Army's 100,000 soldiers and civilians, as well as countless livestock, can drink water, and at the same time, the back of the camp is absolutely safe.
Zhu Biao did not attack the city immediately. Although the Dragon City wall was originally twelve feet high, it was extensively damaged when the Zhou army withdrew, but it had been repaired by the Hu people for more than two hundred years. There were still 80,000 Hu cavalry in the city.
, and who knows how many barbarians there are, Zhu Biao's strength is not enough to attack them violently.
In three days, six groups of Hedong cavalry crossed Longcheng and headed further north. The actual number of these cavalry was only three to two hundred at most, mixed with many dummies made of withered grass. Anyway, they were equipped with war horses, armor, and far away.
From a distance, it looks like an army of three to four thousand people.
Such a camouflage is impossible for the Hu people's flying eagles to recognize. No matter how smart the birds are, they can only check the direction. Even the distance needs to be estimated by the eagle keepers themselves, let alone the number of people and horses. Even the flying eagles can't tell.
Their eyes can see the scarecrow on horseback, but they cannot tell their master.
Not everyone can master the language of beasts. It is a high-level secret skill, not a cabbage on the roadside. Besides, how can the verbal expressions of animals be compared with humans? The beast language of Fei Ying can only have a few simple meanings at most.
It’s absolutely impossible to ‘see through’ it!
Six Hedong armies with a strength of 3,000 to 4,000 men. That is 20,000 riders. This force can definitely bring nightmare-like bloodshed to the Hu tribes north of Longcheng.
The entire Longcheng was shaken. Half of the Huqi troops were tribal armed forces recruited by Tu Qi. Their hearts were deeply concerned about their families in the north. Even the soldiers standing on Huqi were in a trance, and the low morale of Longcheng was even worse.
The depressed and shaken military morale is even more shaken.
The Dalan clan, the seriously injured Uwei, the newly appointed commander-in-chief Hu Qi, and many nobles in the royal court knew that Zhu Biao was using a heart-breaking tactic, but they were unable to resist.
In three days, while the Hedong Army was rushing to make every siege equipment, more than one or two nobles in Longcheng proposed to send troops to attack the Han camp.
Tu Qi was taken out of prison by the Dalan clan. He told everyone that Zhu Biao's Hedong Army should still have about 50,000 regular troops, as well as about 5,000 auxiliary troops, and about 30,000 strong men, after deducting
The strength of the 20,000 Hedong cavalry who were separated should not be underestimated, at least not that the 30,000 Hu cavalry who were currently in turmoil in the city could capture it in one fell swoop.
Then Tu Qi was beaten back to prison by the unhappy Dalan clan.
Tu Qi still had prestige in Longcheng and the Royal Court, and his words stabilized the hearts of the nobles to a certain extent.
So on the fourth day, the Hedong Army, which was well prepared, took action. The siege was coming!
Regardless of the quality and equipment of the two sides, or the military spirit and morale of the two sides, Hu Qi was far from being a match for the Hedong Army. They could only rely on the tall walls of Longcheng to have any hope of defeating the Hedong Army.
The newly appointed King Bei also knew this, so the main attack direction of the Hedong Army was naturally the Ximen area, so he placed most of the defenders in the West City.
Outside the North City and South City, there are only a small number of Hedong cavalry under surveillance. They will not participate in the attack on the city, so Hu Qi simply ignores them.
Outside the east gate, there was not a single Hedong Army. Although the tactic of "besieging the city must be defended" is old, it is absolutely practical. The Huqi were also very relieved and did not pay much attention to this aspect.
Just after dawn, there was a slight movement in the Hedong Army camp. Five thousand infantry troops marched out of the camp and set up an array outside the camp. One thousand people per square, and five neat squares were neatly arranged outside the camp.
Dragon City is three miles away.
General Jinhuan Hu who was guarding the west city wall immediately sounded the alarm, and the Hu troops began to board the city one after another, preparing to welcome the Hedong Army's attack.
Densely packed heads soon appeared on the city wall, and 30,000 people were waiting in formation, looking nervously at the 5,000 Hedong Army soldiers outside the city.
While the 5,000 Hedong Army infantry formed a formation, two light cavalry slipped out of the camp and circled a perfect arc, intending to go to North City and South City.
Seeing this scene, all the Hu cavalry generals knew that the Hedong Army would launch a general offensive today. Their test was coming!
Han and Hu were at odds, and everyone knew clearly what the consequences would be if the city was destroyed, so they mustered up all their courage to prepare for the upcoming attack by the Hedong Army.
The defenders have a huge advantage. They also have a reserve of 50,000 people. If the defenders on the city wall suffer too many casualties, the reserve army will go to the city wall to take over the defense at any time. The total number of Hedong Army infantry outside the city is less than 20,000.
, once the siege is frustrated, it will be unable to launch another attack.
But the Hu cavalry also had their own disadvantages. The city lacked large-scale defense equipment, including no ballistas, thunderbolt chariots and large crossbow beds. The Hu cavalry only had bows and arrows. But now they only use bows and arrows to deal with the well-equipped Hedong soldiers.
, undoubtedly seems crude.
Oh, yes, the Hu people also have two thousand powerful crossbows. After the Battle of Baiping Mountain, Wuji ordered people to send them back to Longcheng to show off their martial arts capabilities.
There are also a hundred thousand crossbow arrows, which seems like a lot, but if it is really thrown into each powerful crossbow, there are only fifty arrows. The crossbow arrows are all heavy arrows, the length of the arrows is two feet and three inches, and the arrowheads are diamond-shaped.
feather.
This kind of crossbow arrow is different from the flat shovel arrow cluster of arrows. If it is shot within the effective range, the chances of serious injury and death are equal to half, and the lethality is much stronger than the flat shovel arrow cluster.
Crossbowmen do not need special training, any one of the Hu Cavalry can be qualified.
In order to save arrows, the commanders of hundreds of knights and commanders of thousands of knights walked back and forth on the city wall, loudly reminding the crossbowmen to aim as hard as possible before shooting, and strive to kill one person with one arrow.
The range of this thing is much better than the horn bows and short bows used by the barbarians themselves.
Gai Lou held the crossbow in his hand tightly and looked nervously at the Hedong army formation outside the city. Next to him was Poluo Khan, who was from the same tribe and was also his reserve personnel. Poluo Khan was also very nervous and kept wiping his hands on his clothes.
.Muttering to himself, I don’t know what he is talking about.
"Gai Lou, do you think we can stop the Han army's attack?" Poluo Khan suddenly asked while Gai Lou was paying close attention to the Hedong Army.
"It should be possible! After all, they only have more than 10,000 infantrymen. Even if we exchange three of them for one, they won't be able to get in."
Just as Hu Qi himself was not good at attacking the city, they believed that the Han army's cavalry was also not good at attacking the city. Therefore, many people believed that as long as they could destroy the infantry of the Hedong Army, Zhu Biao would not be able to attack the city.
Lou was not only comforting Po Luohan, but also comforting himself. In his heart, he was not sure he could hold on.
"Yes! There are so many of us, and it is impossible for the Han dogs to attack us." Poluo Khan said to encourage himself. But judging from his expression, it was obvious that he lacked confidence.
"Poluo Khan, be smart when fighting later and don't let Han Dog's arrows hit you." Gai Lou had already lost too many companions and clansmen after the battle five days ago, and he didn't want to lose another child.
partner.
"Yeah!" Po Luohan wanted to speak louder, but his voice was so dry.
"Everyone is ready! Load the arrows!" Qianqi Commander of Gailou's headquarters loudly issued the order to prepare for war when the horn sounded. Gailou, like the crossbowmen on the city wall, immediately pulled out the bowstring and loaded the crossbow arrows.
Hold it up ready to shoot.
The neatly arranged formation of the Hedong Army outside the city has grown from 5,000 to 15,000. Rows of tall equipment appeared behind the Hedong Army. As the horn sounded, they began to move forward slowly.
Gai Lou's breathing quickened and his heart beat violently. He had never seen such a tall instrument before! As a standing Hu soldier who stayed behind in Dragon City, Gai Lou's combat prowess was considered elite among the ordinary Hu cavalry. Can you tell that?
..., it is much lower.
The first thing to appear were twenty siege towers, each with a height of more than twelve feet. They were as high as the walls of Dragon City and had a dark appearance.
I have heard of building buildings like this, and the craftsmen of the Hu Dynasty can also make them. After more than two hundred years of war, and the battles with the Northern Kingdoms from generation to generation, the Hu people plundered countless craftsmen from the North, and attacked
Equipment such as city towers are not needed on the prairie, but it does not mean that the craftsmen on the grassland cannot make them. Each siege tower is first wrapped with a layer of rawhide, and then a thin layer of iron sheet is placed on the outside of the cowhide.
It is a layer of mud covered with mud before going into battle. Under such three layers of protection, no weapon can seriously threaten them unless it is a thunderbolt chariot. Their protection can even withstand crossbow shots, and rockets are not afraid.
The advancing speed of the siege tower is very slow. There are sixteen huge wooden wheels at the bottom of the tower. If it is driven by human power alone, it will take three to five hundred people to move them forward. And the place where they walk needs to be absolutely flat, which is why
In the past few days, the Hedong Army has been reinforcing the several passages built on the ground.
——A surface of ice with water.
Let each siege tower be pushed briskly by a hundred men.
In comparison, the Thunderbolt Chariot travels much slower. However, the weight of the Thunderbolt Chariot is far less than that of siege towers and well gates, and only thirty people can push it quickly.
Each Pili car was followed by a large number of horse-drawn carriages. The experience of building a building can be guessed. Those horse-drawn carriages must be loaded with stone bullets, and they are the logistics team serving the Pili car.
In less than two quarters of an hour, the Pili chariot arrived at a distance of 200 steps in front of the city, and then stopped moving. During the past three days, Di Feng discovered during his activities that there were many powerful crossbows in the Dragon City. The Hu people were twelve feet away from the city.
The range of the powerful crossbow is definitely much higher than the original range. The distance of 200 steps is already risky!
Twenty siege towers, twenty wells, and sixty thunder chariots. All the Huqi soldiers who saw them took a breath of cold air almost at the same time.
Under those tall machines, everyone is just like a group of little ants.
Gai Lou had a good eye. From so far away, he also saw the huge battering ram installed under the giant siege tower. The front of the battering ram shone with golden light. At first glance, he could tell that it was covered with thick copper.
The top floor of the siege tower is a platform. A ten-foot-high wooden plank blocks the front, and the appearance is also dark. The wooden plank blocks the platform. Even if it is close to the city wall, Gailou knows that the crossbow arrows in his hand cannot penetrate those painted walls.
The plank was made of mud, and the two sides of the plank were pulled by two thick iron cables. When the iron ropes were released, the plank was lowered, and what was left open would be groups of Hedong Army infantry surging out.
How did the Hedong Army build such a behemoth? It only took three days! Looking at the siege tower, the confidence of the Hu soldiers was severely hit again. Even the Hu generals supervising the battle on the city were stunned and didn't know.
At a loss.
The hands building the building have begun to tremble. Facing such a behemoth, anyone can't help but be afraid in their hearts. If twenty siege towers are fought, they may 'shake' twenty gaps in the city wall, and there will be no horses.
Can the barbarians really stop the Han infantry on the ground?
When the eyes of all the soldiers on the city were focused on the huge siege tower, the Pili chariot formation, with orders given, had already begun to fix the wheels and prepare to launch.
The Hu soldiers on the city had fired some shots, but they were all blocked by the shield chariots in front of the Pili chariots and the heavy shield wall. They could only watch helplessly as the Pili chariots formed their formations, unable to do anything.
General Hu had no choice. The limitations of the prairie could not be changed. It was only when the Hu people encountered a major counterattack by the Zhou army in the war fifty years ago that they considered the safety of Dragon City and organized craftsmen to rush to the city.
A large number of defensive equipment were produced to arm Dragon City.
But that was fifty years ago, not now. Zhu Biao suddenly came to Longcheng. Even if Hu Di's situation was already in an unfavorable state, no Hu man could have imagined it. This is so crazy!
And by the time Longcheng felt the pain and the real crisis, it was already too late to rush to build the defense equipment.
At the beginning, a large number of craftsmen moved south and east. This was due to the war situation. However, due to the attack of the Hedong Army, a large number of workshops outside the city were abandoned. Most of the craftsmen were removed to the safer north, and a large number of material storage warehouses had to be relocated.
Burn down, this is the time and situation.
In a word, from personnel to materials to time, Dragon City is now short of everything. They can't rush to make the defensive equipment that they could have made.
As soon as the Hedong Army's Pili Chariot launch position was prepared, the horn sounded in the distance. Groups of men began to be busy between the carriages and Pili Chariots. These men were the main force in transporting 'ammunition'. Zhu Biao did not have that many troops.
Investing in this aspect, each thunderbolt chariot only needs one troop of soldiers, and the rest are all strong men accompanying the army.
"Be careful! Prepare sandbags to put out the fire!" The generals on the city wall began to give orders. Gailou turned around and looked at the twenty or thirty sandbags not far behind him. They were piled neatly on the inner wall.
You can use them quickly when needed.
Several strange sounds of "Woo..." appeared in the sky above his head. Gai Lou immediately turned around to look, and saw several black figures whistling over in the sky.
He subconsciously crouched down and hid himself behind the city wall. However, his worries were unnecessary. The flying black shadow did not hit the city wall. Seven or eight huge round bullets all landed on the walls and walls of Wengcheng.
Near the city gate, only two of them hit the wall of Wengcheng.
The violent sound of the round bullets hitting the city wall was earth-shattering, and the hearts of all the Hu soldiers were trembling. When the dust stirred up by the round bullets fell, the Hu soldiers found that the casualties were not very serious. Only six or seven unlucky guys were lucky.
Too bad, he was hit directly by the two round bullets, and he fell on the city wall in a bloody mess. Although the people around him were stunned by the shock, they were able to stand up staggeringly after a while.
Gai Lou tried his best to calm down his nervous mood, praying silently in his heart, hoping that Changshengtian would open his eyes and not let the stone bullets hit him.
"Gai Lou, if you can still go home, remember to send a message to my parents, saying that I can't die for them." Poluo Khan whispered to Gai Lou, with a hint of crying in his voice.
Since escaping back to Longcheng five days ago, Poluo Khan's courage seemed to have disappeared. Gai Lou didn't want to despise his friend, but he had to admit that Poluo Khan... really looked like a coward.
However, what he said is right. Everyone has to face death.
"Poluo Khan, if you can get out, tell my family to take their belongings and flee north. Even the polar snowfields are fine. As long as you can survive, don't go back south."
Gai Lou originally wanted to encourage Poluo Khan not to lose heart, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't help but change his mind. Thinking of his family, his eyes became blurry.
Lord Wanqi Chang, the tribal leaders, and even Lord Luan Tihou and King Dharma all died that day. Who dares to say that he, a small soldier, will not die?
Suddenly there was a commotion on the urn city. Gai Lou lowered his head and wiped his eyes to stop the sadness in his heart. He also held the crossbow in his hand tightly and was about to stretch his head to take a look.
"Woo..." The strange sound appeared again, louder than the first time, and sixty Thunderbolt vehicles almost simultaneously threw stone bombs.
