Cheng Jin knocked the barbarian unconscious with the sword, and the members of the Dark Arrow quickly gathered around and stuffed the spirit-dispersing pill into the barbarian's mouth, took out the rope, and tied him up tightly.
The barbarian generals were captured alive by them, and the heavy armored cavalry without the general's command became even more chaotic. They had no way to deal with the wind army rolling on the ground. They could only watch helplessly as their companions fell off their horses one after another.
On the other side, the main camp of the Besa Army was not aware of the situation in the city. They just heard that there was chaos in Hengcheng and they were shouting for killings. The commander of the Besa Army did not hesitate and gave the order for the entire army to attack and launch an attack on the city.
In this siege, Bessa's army invested most of its troops to attack from all sides, and the ladders they brought were also modified. In order to cope with the moat ditch of Hengcheng, Bessa's army extended the ladder and even put it into the moat.
In the ditch, the ladder can also be used to reach the top of the city wall.
I thought that the charge of our own heavy armored cavalry in the city would cause chaos among the defenders. However, as soon as the siege started, they were attacked head-on by the plain troops on the city wall. Arrows were like locusts, dense as raindrops, and patches of barbarians were attacked.
The soldier rolled and fell to the ground during the charge.
After finally getting close to the city, they were severely beaten with sticks, sticks, and stones, causing numerous casualties to the barbarian soldiers. The corpses piled up like mountains under the city, and blood flowed into rivers.
Night is not suitable for sieges because the sight line is insufficient and the situation cannot be seen clearly. The soldiers in the front are often retreating while the people in the rear are still rushing forward, colliding with each other and trampling on each other, causing the entire camp to be in chaos. As a result, people who are shot by arrows
More barbarians were killed and wounded.
When the barbarian soldiers were unable to attack for a long time and their morale was depressed, on the front wall of Hengcheng, the captured heavy armored cavalry general and the heavy armored cavalry below were pushed to the top of the city one after another. These usually arrogant heavy armored cavalry
At this time, they had lost their former luster. Their armor had long been stripped off by the wind army, and they were all naked and tied into a bunch, like defeated roosters, weakly holding their heads.
Seeing such a scene, the barbarian army was in an uproar. Originally, they had pinned their hopes on these heavily armored cavalry, but unexpectedly they became their prisoners.
The commander of the Besa army was shocked and disappointed. It was useless to attack again at this time and would only increase his own casualties. He issued an order for the entire army to temporarily retreat to their own formation and suspend the siege.
The barbarian army's large-scale attack on the city failed, and in the process of retreat, they were inevitably chased and shot by the Pingyuan Army, killing and wounding countless soldiers.
At this time, there was no optimism in the barbarian camp. When they came, they thought that their 200,000-strong army would be able to wipe out Pingyuan County in one go. However, the actual situation was far from that smooth.
The city failed to be attacked openly and secretly, and the attack was frustrated, causing the morale of Besa's army to be greatly reduced.
The commander of the Besa army also gave up his original plan of a quick victory. He ordered the construction of a shrine in the military camp, which could be used for blessings and to commemorate the spirits of the fallen soldiers on the battlefield. The efficiency of the barbarian soldiers was astonishingly fast, reaching a height of several meters.
The shrine was built in just one day.
The day after the construction of the altar was completed, in the early morning, the barbarian army began to attack the city again.
This time, the barbarian army did not fight fiercely, but advanced step by step. Many barbarian soldiers set up iron shields one after another. Looking from a distance, the iron shields joined together to form a huge circular mirror around Hengcheng.
, the reflected sunlight is dazzling.
Seeing that the enemy's siege was coming again, the Pingyuan army still shot with arrows first, but the lethality of the arrows had been greatly reduced to the barbarian soldiers who raised their shields. Seeing that the arrows had no effect on killing the enemy soldiers, Xiao Muqing immediately ordered
Stop shooting arrows and save arrows. They stopped shooting arrows, and the arrows of the barbarians came instead.
When the barbarian army advanced within the shooting range, the raised shields fell down one after another, and then a volley of random arrows was fired towards the city head.
This round of arrows was unexpected by the Pingyuan Army. They were not well prepared. The soldiers who were affected by the arrows fell down in a row. Soon, the Pingyuan Army also put up their shields and took advantage of the moment when the opponent lowered their shields and fired arrows. They fired arrows first.
This trick worked as expected. The barbarian camp suddenly fell into chaos, and a gap was opened in the shield formation.
The barbarians were not given any time to adjust. Arrows rained down from the city wall, shooting wherever there was a gap. The screams of the barbarians below the city were heard one after another.
However, the speed of the barbarian advance did not slow down a step from beginning to end. They stepped on the corpses of their companions and pushed to the bottom of the city. Then they set up ladders. The soldiers threw away their shields, held their swords with their teeth, and used their hands and feet together to move forward crazily.
Climbing on the ladder.
Sticks, wood, and stones kept falling down, and the ladders were pushed away by bamboo poles from time to time. The barbarian soldiers continued to climb regardless of life and death, and the battle had now entered a fever pitch.
In the huge Hengcheng, battles were taking place in every corner of the city walls. Besa's army's attacks were like a tide, one after another, one after another.
As the battle intensified, the soldiers on both sides on the battlefield accelerated their adrenaline secretions and almost forgot about life and death. There was only one thought left in their minds: kill the enemy in front of them.
The barbarian soldiers were as numerous as ants, following the ladders and ropes all over the city wall. From time to time, some people fell from the air wailing, and the plain army gritted their teeth and held on. From time to time, some people were shot by arrows from the city, or fell down on their backs, or plunged headlong off the city wall.
, the corpses piled up layer upon layer at the foot of the city, and the four-meter-deep city ditch was almost filled with the corpses of soldiers from both sides.
The fierce fighting lasted from early morning to dusk. During this period, the barbarian soldiers broke through the defense line several times and attacked the city. However, they were pushed back several times by the plain troops. The casualties on both sides increased sharply.
As night approached, the barbarian army's attack finally came to an end. The barbarian soldiers, exhausted from a day of fierce fighting, retreated hastily. At this time, the Pingyuan army on Hengcheng stopped firing arrows in pursuit. The barbarian army was tired, and they were even more tired.
As soon as they retreated, many soldiers of the Pingyuan Army were exhausted and collapsed on the city wall, leaving only the strength to breathe and gasp.
After a whole day of fighting, Bessa's army suffered more than 30,000 casualties, while Pingyuan's army suffered close to 10,000 casualties. Of course, the majority of the casualties on both sides were wounded.
In the evening, the people of Hengcheng organized by Shangguan Yuanji went up to the city wall and prepared meals and a large amount of sugar water for the Pingyuan Army to replenish their strength. Some people also moved the city defense facilities and filled the walls with rolling logs, stones, kerosene and other materials.
Everything was ready. With the help of the people in the city, the Pingyuan Army saved a lot of energy and also got enough time to rest.
At this time, the role played by the people cannot be underestimated. Physical strength is crucial on the battlefield, which directly determines the life and death of the soldiers on both sides as well as the success or failure of the battle.
It is very difficult to fight against the barbarians who are as ferocious as wild beasts, but it is precisely because of this hard training that the Pingyuan Army has a strong combat effectiveness. In future battles with other vassal states, there will no longer be anyone like Bessa.
Such a formidable opponent.
Nancheng, tower.
Qiu Zhen, Xiao Muqing, Ai Jia and the five army commanders were all gathered in the tower of the south city wall, looking at the barbarian camp in the distance. Everyone was silent.
Strictly speaking, today can only be regarded as the first head-to-head confrontation between the two sides, but with nearly 10,000 casualties on the first day alone, how can we fight the rest of the battle?
Everyone was not in a relaxed mood.
Qiu Zhen said quietly: "Presumably, the barbarians will not use sneak attack tactics again tonight."
He didn't need to say this, everyone could see that the barbarian army was exhausted after a day of strong attacks, and it was impossible to launch another attack at night, unless the barbarian army's leader was crazy and no longer cared about the lives and deaths of the soldiers below.
Xiao Muqing stared at the south camp of the barbarian army outside the city, suddenly pointed at the camp and said, "That should be where the barbarian army hoards food and grass!"
"Oh?" Everyone looked in the direction of his finger. It was dark, and everyone could only vaguely see the outline of the barbarian camp, but the specific situation was not clear.
Before anyone could speak, Ai Jia continued: "It should be right here. In the past few days, I have been observing the place where the barbarian army's food and grass are stored. I found that the barbarian army's food and grass are always pulled out from the south camp and then distributed to
Each camp."
Hearing Ai Jia say the same thing, Xiao Muqing became even more sure. He nodded, changed the topic and said, "I have an idea!"
"What's the idea?" everyone asked in unison.
"The barbarians will not attack us tonight. I want to attack the barbarian camp instead!" Xiao Muqing said word by word, then looked around at everyone and asked: "What do you generals mean?"
Everyone looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces.
Zhang Zhou grinned bitterly, shook his head and said, "Thank God if the barbarians don't come to attack us. We have to take the initiative to go out of the city to sneak attack on the barbarian camp. Isn't that asking for trouble? A sheep falls into a tiger's mouth?"
Xiao Muqing smiled slightly and said: "Yes! We took the initiative to attack the barbarian camp. We were undoubtedly attacking the stone with an egg. The barbarian army must have thought the same way, so the other party would definitely not be on guard. If our army could quietly send out a force tonight,
Taking advantage of the time when the barbarian army is tired and resting, a sneak attack on the south camp of the barbarian army, not seeking to kill the enemy, but only to burn its food and grass, will definitely succeed. If the barbarian army's food and grass are burned up, the other side's 200,000-strong army will not have anything to eat or drink.
I’m afraid they won’t be able to hold on for long and they will voluntarily withdraw their troops!”
Hearing this, everyone's hearts moved.
Yes, Xiao Muqing's speculation is also reasonable. It is indeed impossible for the barbarian army to think that they would dare to attack their camp. If they can succeed in one attack, the retreat of the barbarian army will be just around the corner.
Qiu Zhen carefully pondered Xiao Muqing's plan. After thinking about it, he felt that this plan was feasible. He couldn't help but look at the barbarian army's south camp again and asked suspiciously: "Are you sure that the barbarian army's food and grass are stored in the south camp?"
Xiao Muqing shook his head and said: "We don't have the ability to go deep into the barbarian camp, so naturally we can't say that we are really uncertain. However, even if we don't stock up on food and grass, it is feasible for us to rush in suddenly and scare them. We can't let the barbarian army be so peaceful."
They are stationed outside our Hengcheng city!"
Qiu Zhen nodded, looked around at the five corps commanders, and then asked Xiao Muqing: "So, how many troops does General Xiao think should be sent there, and who should lead them?"
Xiao Muqing didn't think twice and said immediately: "I think the first and second corps each have 5,000 soldiers. General Zhang and General Bai will lead their respective armies to break the enemy camp!"