Following a group of Tatar soldiers carrying wood, they arrived at an open space on the east side of the camp, which was brightly lit and very busy.
Just now, when Zhang Yanling and others stood on the city wall and looked at the Tatar camp, they could not see the whole picture because the distance was too far and there was a forest blocking it. Now that they arrived at this place at a close distance, they could see clearly.
After seeing the situation here, everyone also took a breath of cool air.
At the edge of the woods, lined up are thirty or forty wooden chassis. Several of them have been equipped with standing frames and long throwing arms, and the prototype of the trebuchet can already be seen. It turns out that the Tatars
This time, dozens of trebuchets were built to bomb the city.
It seems that Batu Monk should have informed the Tatar troops in the southern city of his experience, so now they would rather spend their time building trebuchets to bomb the city than directly attack the city. They finally figured it out and grinded
Instead of being frustrated again and again in sieges, it is better to build large-scale siege equipment and complete the victory in one battle.
If there were dozens of catapults bombing the city walls from both the north and south cities, the defenders would not be able to gain a foothold on the city walls, let alone defend them. Moreover, the catapults would be very destructive to the city wall crenellations. Don’t look at the thick and solid battlements.
, but in fact it cannot withstand the long-term bombardment of large rocks. No matter how strong the city bricks are, they cannot withstand the continuous bombardment of stones.
In addition to trebuchets, there are hundreds of people making ladders. They are using long green bamboos. This thing is light and tough, and is the best material for siege ladders. Some of these ladders are more than four or five feet long.
It's outrageous. It is made of several green bamboos joined together. It takes advantage of the flexibility of bamboo. There are many wooden tripods over one foot high next to it. I don't know what they are used for.
It wasn't until several Tatars lifted the long ladder and put it on a wooden tripod that Zhang Yanling suddenly understood that this was a support frame provided to prevent the long ladder from breaking or being too long and causing the middle part to loosen.
By this time, Zhang Yanling finally understood the Tatar siege tactics. In a word: simple and crude.
Use catapults to bombard the city on a large scale, forcing the defenders to evacuate the city, or clear a large section of the city wall. Afterwards, long ladders were used as springboards to launch a strong attack. Under the bombardment of the catapults, the defenders
It is difficult for the army to gain a foothold, and the attacking Tatar troops and horses can reach the city without harassment. When the siege begins, the defenders do not even have time to rush back to the city wall to defend.
Even if the defenders retreat to the east and west walls and don't have to go up and down the walls, the trebuchets can still carry out blockade bombardment to prevent the defenders from returning to the walls.
This method of attacking the city is rough and fast, and the defenders are very few in number and may not be able to resist at all.
Zhang Yanling and others walked to the open space on the south side and saw a dozen large trucks transporting a large amount of stones. Those were fist-sized pebbles, and they were transported from the tidal flat under the Dushi River embankment below.
The monolithic river beach is covered with pebbles, which unexpectedly provided the Tatars with the best source of trebuchets. The pebbles are fine and hard in texture, and the size and weight are just right. Cobblestones as big as fists fall from the sky, and neither shields nor armor can withstand them.
of.
Seeing all this, Zhang Yanling and others felt cold in their hearts. If they had not gone into the enemy camp and seen all this, I am afraid that when the Tatars launched an siege tomorrow, there would be no way to deal with it.
"What are you people doing standing around? Are you being lazy? Why don't you get to work quickly? The commander-in-chief said that all siege equipment must be built before noon tomorrow. No one is allowed to be lazy. Get to work quickly!"
A group of Tatar patrols came over holding torches. When they saw Zhang Yanling and others standing in the open space looking around, they shouted loudly.
Zhang Yanling hurriedly lowered his head and agreed, and followed a group of soldiers who were cutting wood to the edge of the camp.
"Master Marquis, there are many patrols in the Tatar camp, and we don't know where the Tatar leader is in the camp. What should we do?" Zhang Yin asked in a low voice.
Zhang Yanling frowned and pondered. Indeed, there were many soldiers and horses patrolling the camp. It was obvious that the Tatars had not relaxed their vigilance. But no matter what, we had to go inside the camp and find the residence of the Tatar leader. Otherwise, did everyone come here to help the Tatars? Are you working as a coolie? If you really have no chance to find it, you should go back. The mountains of wood cut down by the Tatars and the trebuchets that have taken shape have been destroyed. Although it treats the symptoms but not the root cause, it can at least delay the Tatars. Time to attack.
"Master Hou, why don't I go in and take a look. I won't attract too much attention if I act alone." Chen Shiyi whispered.
Zhang Yanling knew what Chen Shiyi meant. Chen Shiyi was highly skilled in martial arts and a single person could definitely enter the middle of the camp without being discovered. So he was about to agree to Chen Shiyi's request when suddenly there was a sound from the south side of the camp. There were noisy shouts of death.
Zhang Yanling and others were startled, and hurriedly stood still and hid aside. Soon after, a dozen Tatar soldiers rushed from the front.
Zhang Yanling asked loudly: "Brother, what happened?"
The leading Tatar gasped and shouted: "There are Ming troops in the woods and attacked our logging brothers. I have to report it to the commander-in-chief quickly."
After that, a dozen Tatars rushed towards the center of the camp. Zhang Yanling and others were stunned.
"Master Marquis, could it be that the reinforcements have arrived? Did they come so quickly?" Zhang Yin asked in a low voice.
Zhang Yanling thought quickly for a moment, shook his head and said: "It shouldn't be. It can't be a brother in the city. Without my order, who would dare to find it? Besides, it came from the direction of the river bank down the slope, how could it be in that direction."
"That's right. Damn it. The Tatars are just shouting nonsense." Zhang Yin nodded.
Chen Shi said: "Listen, it is indeed the sound of shouting and fighting. Someone is indeed fighting with the Tatars."
Zhang Yanling said: "Let's take a look first. The Tatars in the camp are all alarmed. We want to wait and see clearly."
There was a commotion in the Tatar camp. After receiving the report, a large number of soldiers quickly poured out of the camp. Asbas was convening the generals in the tent to discuss tomorrow's siege arrangements, telling them that they must use all siege equipment All were built. They were asked to attack the city tomorrow before the North City soldiers and horses, and to capture the little emperor of the Ming Dynasty earlier. Suddenly, they heard a report of an enemy attack, and they hurriedly led the generals to gather their men. Check.
At first, he thought it was the Ming army in Dushi City who came out to attack. When he heard that there was an attack by the Ming army in the woods on the river bank in the south, Asbas was startled, thinking that reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty had arrived. But soon, there was The news confirmed that only about one or two hundred Ming troops suddenly rushed out to attack and killed dozens of soldiers who were logging. Asbass also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as reinforcements from the enemy did not arrive, there was no need to worry.
"What's the situation? Did the enemy escape?" Asbath rushed out of the camp and asked loudly to a general in charge of logging who was running towards him.
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, a small group of Ming troops made a sneak attack and we are now trapped in a forest. There are not many of them, about a hundred people." The general said loudly.
"Okay." Alsbas laughed loudly and said, "Let's go and take a look. The Ming army in the city must have come out to attack. They didn't dare to attack the camp, so they ran into the woods to attack. Don't let any of them go."
When Asbas rushed down the slope with the dark soldiers, the shouts of killing continued in the forest. Although the Tatar soldiers who were logging and transporting wood around them responded quickly and trapped the attacking Ming army in a forest. However, the opponent was fierce
He was so powerful that he rushed out several times and was killed by the opponent.
Asbas ordered the forest to be surrounded. A group of Tatar soldiers held up fire and shields and dug in. As soon as they reached the edge of the forest, powerful arrows shot out from inside, killing more than a dozen Tatar soldiers.
Asbasi was furious and shouted sternly: "Listen to the Ming army in the forest, you have been surrounded. Do you have to hide inside for the rest of your life? It seems that you are just bastard cowards who dare to attack in secret. You can just hide inside.
Are you going to survive? Get out of here if you are sensible, don't be a coward."
There was silence in the forest for a moment, and suddenly someone yelled and cursed: "Asbath, you bastard. Don't you just rely on the number of people to be so arrogant? If there weren't many people, you would be able to capture me just because of this trash like you."
Longmensuo Chicheng Fortress? Bah!"
Asbasi was stunned, then laughed loudly and said: "Who do I think it is? It turns out to be Zhao Yongsheng, the defeated general of Chicheng Fortress. Hahaha. That day when the pass was broken, you escaped with your people. You should be like a rabbit.
You are hiding in the mountains and shivering. I didn’t expect you to come here and die. Hahaha. Zhao Yongsheng, I will change your name to Zhao Yongbai.”
The Tatars laughed loudly, and they all understood. It turned out that the Ming army in the forest was Zhao Yongsheng, the Ming army guard of Longmensuo who escaped with the remaining soldiers after conquering the Chicheng Fortress of Longmensuo a few days ago. This also explains why they
Will appear south of the camp.
Zhao Yongsheng yelled and cursed: "Asbath, you are a man, let's have a fair and equal duel. What's the point of relying on more to win?"
Asbath rolled his eyes and laughed and said: "Okay, I'll grant you a favor. Come out and we'll have a fair duel. If you win, I'll let you live. If you lose, I'll chop you all up and feed them to the dogs."
"
Zhao Yongsheng said loudly: "Whoever cheats is worse than a pig or a dog."
Alsbas laughed and said, "If you are scared, just say so. There is no need to make excuses."
Zhao Yongsheng scolded: "Only turtles and bastards are cheating. I will come out right now."
Asbath sneered repeatedly and whispered to the people around him: "Prepare your bows and arrows. When they come out of the forest, shoot them all without leaving any one behind. I want to duel with him? Are you crazy?"
The generals next to him sneered.
Everyone looked at the edge of the forest, only to hear a sound of rustling, and figures appeared one after another from the shadow of the forest. It was more than a hundred Ming army soldiers with tattered armor and disheveled hair. The leader was Zhao Yongsheng, who was guarding the dragon gate.
.In just a few days, Zhao Yongsheng's face became extremely dark and thin, and his appearance changed drastically. But his whole body still had a cold aura. He held a long knife in his hand, which shone brightly under the light of the torch.
"Asbasi, I'm out. Come and fight with me." Zhao Yongsheng shouted loudly.
Asbas laughed and raised his hand to wave. Hundreds of Tatar archers beside him raised their bows and arrows, bent their bows and pulled the strings.