The 30,000 troops sent by Feng Zhou were not to attack the city, but to protect the safety of the trebuchet.
The trebuchets continued day and night for three days and three nights, almost flattening Beimang Mountain. Seventy-eight of the hundred trebuchets were scrapped, and a total of seven to eight thousand stones were thrown, and they were finally blocked.
There is a moat dozens of feet long.
Next, a newly built trebuchet was launched, throwing earth bags, and the wide and long moat was quickly filled.
Finally, amidst the sound of drums and trumpets, five thousand infantrymen of Wei Yan's troops, protected by trebuchets and crossbowmen, armed with siege weapons, began to attack the city.
Jiang Wei, on the other hand, led the Xiliang cavalry to gallop, and from time to time they suddenly rushed to the bottom of the city and shot arrows at the city wall.
Wang Ping, Wu Tong, and Zhang Wen each led 5,000 soldiers and horses to separate the left and right sides and the rear to prevent being attacked from the side by the Wei army.
For a moment, at the foot of Luoyang City, military drums were beating loudly, and the sound was like thunder. Fengzhou stood on a hillside a few miles away from Luoyang City, and stood on horseback. Countless people and horses lined up around him in the rolling yellow sand.
In the wild, canopies gathered together, and a huge flag fluttered in the wind, with the word "Liu" written in a big letter.
Since the Yellow Turban Uprising and the chaos in the world, although wars have been frequent, scenes of thousands of horses galloping are rare in the Central Plains. Feng Zhou has summoned 20,000 Xiliang cavalry and lined them up in the north of Luoyang City. The yellow sand is rolling, giving people
A feeling of boundlessness.
Seen from a distance, the thunderous roar, flags and banners waving, and the horses galloping like dragons are even more terrifying.
Youdao is that the strength of the army relies on horses. The strength of combat effectiveness depends largely on horses. If the deep trench and high walls of Luoyang City had not offset the advantage of horses, most of the Wei army in Luoyang City were infantry, and they would not be able to compete with them at all.
The confrontation. As soon as the two armies clashed, most of them were cut flat like melons and vegetables.
Seeing that the Han army was preparing to attack, the warning horn from the city head sounded a short and urgent whine, and the low thunder-like drum beat suddenly. Teams of Wei troops began to rush onto the city head. Rolling wood, stone, lime fire
The oil was pushed, moved, and carried, and quickly moved towards the crenels. The awning of the trebuchet was also torn off, and the tall and towering frame was aimed at the downward direction.
The terrain here is open, with the canal on the left, Dezhou City directly opposite, and the remaining two sides are terrain composed of wasteland, woods, post roads, etc. It is easy to move forward, backward, and turn around to escape. The open terrain makes it easy for the attackers to maneuver their troops, and naturally it is also easy for the city to
When the defenders fired, there was almost no need to aim. The eight cannons continued to roar, constantly harvesting lives, while the desperadoes howled and got closer and closer.
A total of eighty trebuchets were installed at the north gate of Luoyang City. From a high position, the stones thrown could reach a thousand steps, and the lethality was amazing. However, after all, it was troublesome to operate, and the fast horses galloped faster than lightning. In an instant, they had already reached the nearby area. One attack
When you get closer, there are more blind spots on the wall, and the range of the trebuchet's deterrent effect is limited. At this time, the main role of the crossbow is.
As the Han army attacked, the walls were filled with dust, blocking out the sun. Jiang Wei, wearing battle armor and riding a tall horse, began to roam with the Xiliang cavalry, firing bows and arrows towards the city head, suppressing the firepower at the city head.
Cover Wei Yan's troops.
Shooting while riding on horseback is a specialty of the barbarians. The key lies in superb riding skills. Otherwise, it is not that you cannot shoot. Instead, you shoot an arrow and fly so fast that you don’t even know where it went. Or you may be jolted on the horse.
His body is twisted and twisted, his arrows are weak, and he cannot hurt anyone.
Most of the Xiliang cavalry were Qiang and Hu. After some hard work by Fengzhou, they selected 20,000 Qiang and Hu Qingzhuangs. They had been herding sheep and horses since they were young, and they all had superb riding skills and ability to climb up and down on horses.
Archery. But calculations show that among the 20,000 Hu cavalry, there are only one or two thousand who have such riding and archery skills.
They rode around, firing arrows constantly, and they were on par with the crossbowmen of the Wei army at the top of the city.
Feng Zhou stationed his horse on a high slope outside the city to watch the battle, while Sima Yi lay in the tower and watched from a high position.
Both of them went to the front line to take command, but neither of them was on the front line.
Sima Yi was in the city tower, surrounded by several guards and generals. On top of the city, General Dai Ling, the commander of the expedition to Shu, was sitting in command.
Dai Ling held a steel knife and shouted loudly: "Suppress the bows and crossbows, kill as much as possible, keep everyone in their positions, don't panic." He took shelter next to the crenellations of the dish wall and watched the movements of the Han army attentively.
We must know that in military battles, the bow and crossbow come first. The bow shoots quickly, but it is difficult to master. The crossbow is fired by a machine. If you are familiar with it, it can reach far, but it is difficult to load and slow to fire. It is especially not suitable for horse fighting.
But it is much more convenient to defend the city.
Although the powerful crossbows made by the craftsmen of the Wei army are not as good as the Zhuge Liannu of the Han army, they are better because of their commanding position and large number. The crossbow arrows can be fired in unison, and the two-stone bow can penetrate the armor within two hundred steps.
Listening to the clatter of bow strings, the bows and crossbows were fired in unison, and countless sharpened wolf fangs were shot out with a roar.
"Ah!" A Han soldier who was flying in was hit by an arrow and fell off his mount. The other didn't even say a word, and a powerful crossbow shot straight into his head, killing him.
The whole body leaned forward and hung on the horse.
Hundreds of sharp arrows shot through the air, like the beginning of a sudden rain, killing and wounding more than two hundred people in an instant. The horses that lost control of the soldiers ran in all directions, and the charge formation was suddenly in chaos.
However, Wei Yan managed the army well and immediately gave the order. The soldiers followed the order and quickly regrouped. The cavalry led by Jiang Wei fired arrows at the same time to counter-suppress. There was a rain of arrows. Even though the Wei army at the top of the city had vertical shields, they still
Many people were injured by arrows.
At this time, both sides are still in the first step of attack and defense. They are suppressing them from a distance and trying to kill their opponents. No one is willing to go head-to-head with the enemy's steel edge with their flesh and blood.
The Han infantry quickly raised their shields. Not only did they have iron shields made by the Han Army, but some Southern Barbarian soldiers also used their own rattan shields, especially the Teng shield, which was really invulnerable to all arrows.
Inside the city tower, Sima Yi was dressed in loose clothes and a thin belt, standing with his hands behind his back, looking at the window with a leisurely expression.
The commander of the army, Bo Chentai, said: "The general has a leisurely look. He must be well prepared."
Sima Yi said: "Our army relies on the fortified city, has well-prepared troops, and sufficient weapons. Although Liu Chan, the son, will lead the expedition in person, he will be exhausted and unable to conquer the fortified city, so he will return west sadly."
The Wei soldiers standing around nervously saw that the general was talking and laughing calmly, and did not care about the tens of thousands of people in the city. They couldn't help but secretly admire him, and their slightly nervous mood calmed down.
At this time, Feng Zhouan sat on his horse and climbed up to look far away. He saw that although the Han soldiers had rushed to the city and the cavalry were constantly shooting arrows at the top of the city, they still had no time to put up the ladder. He couldn't help but frown slightly.
"This Sima Yi is indeed an experienced soldier and is very good at leading troops. He was able to suppress our army's attack. He is indeed Sima Zhongda!"
He thought to himself.
But despite this, he was not panicked.
After all, this was just the beginning. The opponent relied on a fortified city, had well-prepared troops, and high combat effectiveness. Sima Yi was also a generational hero. He was trustworthy in employing people and deployed properly, so he could naturally neutralize the first wave of Han army's offensive.
Ma Di, who joined the army, said: "Your Majesty, do you want to send someone to notify Wei Zhenbei and remind him to use the bed crossbow?"
Feng Zhou smiled and said: "Wei Yan was promoted by the late emperor to serve in the army. He has been fighting for many years. He must be the first in every battle. I have no doubts about his employment. This person will attack the city and fight. I only need to watch him in front of the battle."