The soldiers acted in a deceitful way, as they did when they attacked the imperial court, and they did so now when they attacked Dali. They were all unexpected moves.
The soldiers were very fast. When they attacked Chaoyi, they attacked in the early morning and at night. Now when they attacked Dali, they attacked at night in the fog. They could arrive fifty miles away in the blink of an eye.
It can be said that Li Yan used these two tricks to the extreme.
As a result, the rebel army was caught off guard, and the imperial court was lost in panic.
What about Dali?
As the middle gate of Xi'an, the main guard of the city is Gao Yigong, who is famous for his caution. Now there is a Taishan Shi Gan who shows up in Tianjianxiu. It is not easy to win it as easily as the imperial capital.
When Tian Jianxiu heard about the raid by the officers and soldiers, he was frightened but not panicked. While sending people around to scout for intelligence and pass on news, he also started to take city defense measures. The first step was to break the ice on the moat outside the city.
It's getting warmer today. Once the ice is broken, it won't freeze for a while. If the officers and soldiers want to break through the city, they should first get past the first line of defense.
Ma Huabao, the frontline commander of the officers and soldiers, was a little surprised when he learned this information. It seemed that Gao Yigong was not only stable, but also quick and sensitive in reaction, not just a blockhead.
The main force of infantry and artillery of the officers and soldiers arrived outside the city at dawn, forming a siege. However, Ma Huabao did not rush to attack. Firstly, he allowed the soldiers to rest, and secondly, he had to wait for the fog to disperse at dawn because the air was too strong.
Moisture affects the gunpowder and shells of cannons, and when it comes to siege, artillery is the sharpest weapon.
Ma Huabao and several others rode around the city to check. It was foggy and could only vaguely see the silhouettes of people at the top of the city. The top of the city was less than three feet, but the moat was very wide, seven feet (twenty meters). It is extremely rare for such a small city to have such a wide moat.
, this depends on the fact that Dali is close to the river, and next to it is the Beiluo River, which is convenient for water diversion.
The spies went into the water to test the depth, and found that the deepest part had no top. This was difficult to handle. The moat was within the range of fire suppression at the top of the city. The water was so deep and so wide. It would take a lot of effort to break through this first hurdle.
However, there was no sign of solemnity on the faces of Ma Huabao and others. You must know that they are all experienced battlefield veterans. When they followed Liu Zeqing, they were fighting fires everywhere. In terms of actual combat experience, they are much richer than Li Yanke.
, in terms of siege experience, he has more experience than Chang Yu.
Let’s do it when the fog clears!
After several laps around the city, Ma Huabao and others made a decision.
On the top of the city, Tian Jianxiu's face showed a solemn look for the first time, because he saw a troop of officers and soldiers heading straight to the Beiluo River in the west. It was obvious that the officers and soldiers had a thorough understanding of the intelligence on Dali and knew
There were reinforcements to the west, so we prepared troops and horses to intercept them.
The person who came here is not a good person. Could it be that Li Yan personally commanded it? This guy actually risked his life and came to the front line?
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Li Yan is not Chang Yu. His brain is cramped and he runs away in danger. At this time, he is sitting in the city of Chaoyi, fifty miles away. He has a light tea and a light breakfast. Although he has not slept all night, he does not look tired.
Only when you are not anxious, impatient and confident can you be in such a state.
Li Yan's original intention was to take action as soon as his troops arrived in the city, but this was just a suggestion, and the decision-making power was still left to the frontline commanders. However, Ma Huabao and others felt a little impatient. After all, unlike attacking Chaoyi, Chaoyi and Puzhou were separated by the Yellow River.
After crossing the other bank, he can start the battle. Since Chaoyi is fifty miles away, his troops and horses need to be repaired. Chaoyi does not have a moat, but Dali does, so he needs to be fully prepared.
Although the two places are fifty miles apart, if they report back and forth quickly, Li Yan will quickly know about any trouble in Dali. When he learned that Ma Huabao wanted to wait for the fog to clear before taking action, Li Yan didn't say anything, and his silence was acknowledgment.
However, when he learned that the ice layer of the moat outside Dali City had been broken open, Li Yan frowned slightly. This action was not like Gao Yigong's style. He did not know that Tian Jianxiu was also in the city at this time, but he felt a little surprised.
.
"It's hard to say, Thief Li can keep his composure." On the top of the city, Gao Yigong looked at the officers and soldiers outside the city with red eyes and cursed. It had been two hours since he heard that the officers and soldiers had invaded. He thought that the other side would come up.
He knew how to do it, but he was wandering outside the city. This was a kind of psychological torture for him.
"The more he is like this, the more cautious he is. Li Yan is determined to break the city if he doesn't move." Tian Jianxiu's expression is no longer as calm as before. The officers and soldiers started calmly outside the city.
The preparations in all aspects show that they have firm confidence.
"The soldiers will block it, and the water will cover it. Even if Li Thief cuts off our reinforcements, our few soldiers and horses will not be able to break our city. No matter what, we can always hold on for three to five days. When those two boys arrive,
Under Puzhou City, Thief Li can run faster than anyone else!" Gao Yigong looked at the city and cursed bitterly. Tian Jianxiu touched his palms and chuckled: "This is what I want, but I want to see what means Li Yan uses to defeat him.
I defend".
Tian Jianxiu was confident that he did not come out of thin air. He believed that he was not as resourceful as Li Yan. In addition, the defense of Dali City was also watertight. There were six cannons on the city and more than 6,000 soldiers and horses. He could also recruit the young men and women in the city.
Thousands, with the power of a city, he believed that Li Yan could not do anything to him. The most important thing was that Li Yan could get hemorrhoids on the back of his butt at any time, and he had no extra time to waste here!
The soldiers were all in position to await orders, one group on the city, one group at each city gate, and another group below the city who could go up to the city at any time for replacement support. Thousands of people were demolished and demolished their houses to transport huge wooden rocks to the city to make gold soup.
Everything is ready and waiting for you to come!
The rebels in the city were busy preparing for defense, and the officers and soldiers outside the city were not idle either. After eating, drinking, repairing, and starting to prepare for the siege before the fog dispersed, Zhang Guozhu led nearly 5,000 soldiers and horses westward to the Beiluo River to cut off the reinforcements of the rebels.
On the way back, the remaining four generals each lost one goal. Ma Huabao mainly attacked the east gate, Wang Zuntan attacked the west gate, and Bo Yongfu and Yu Shaoxun assisted on the north and south sides.
The first step in siege is to break through the moat and reach the bottom of the city. The 20-meter-wide river gave the officers and soldiers some headaches, and it was still within the range of fire suppression. For this reason, the officers and soldiers made many rafts and simple shields to prepare for transporting soldiers and soldiers.
The baggage was carried across the water.
At the same time, dozens of cannons were in position several miles away. Wu Weiying personally supervised the battle. In order to attack Dali, Li Yan transferred almost all the artillery here, not only red cannons but also various small-caliber cannons.
Artillery, one is to cover the soldiers crossing the water, and the other is to suppress the firepower of attacking the city!
I don’t know when the fog started, but it seemed to disappear instantly.
With a ray of light, the fog dispersed, and when we looked again, it was already three poles in the sky.
What a clear sky.
But the hearts of the people above and below the city tightened suddenly.
The fight is about to begin!
"Gao Yigong, that's a good name. I will use your head to advance your career step by step." Ma Huabao, who was behind the officer formation a few miles away in the east of the city, looked at the head of Dali City with a telescope and sneered on his face, muttering softly.
Wu Weiying laughed: "Then I wish Lieutenant General Ma a great victory and promotion!"
"Hey, I'd like to thank the Marquis first. If I really win the head of Gao Yigong, I will never forget the kindness of the Marquis for helping me."
On the top of the city, Tian Jianxiu and Gao Yigong's faces were a little green. Officers and soldiers surrounded the city from all sides, but they could also see that they were mainly attacking from the east and west. The other side did not cover their main attack points at all, which showed that they were bound to win.
There are Wuyangyang people everywhere, with at least tens of thousands of troops, plus the troops from Beiluohe in the west. Has Li Yan transferred all the troops from Puzhou? Is he really crazy, or is he?
There is still a backup plan over there, otherwise how much courage would it take!
"The first wave of Ming army's attacks will be violent and violent, but as long as the first wave is blocked, the rest will have nothing to fear." Tian Jianxiu said lightly, not sure if he was trying to boost the morale of his subordinates or for himself.
comfort.
Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly heard thunder rolling in the sky, and the Ming army opened fire!
The expressions of the people on the top of the city suddenly changed, and Tian Jianxiu shouted: "Prepare for war!"