Only now did everyone understand why Mr. Han was sitting here neatly in full armor. It turned out that Mr. Han had already made plans to attack the city tonight, so this was a meeting to raise troops and not to discuss countermeasures.
Some people have some doubts in their hearts. Since the original intention of the imperial court is to unite with the Jurchens to destroy the Liao Dynasty, there is nothing wrong with attacking the city tonight. It is perfectly fine to be soft and hard. But the problem is that the 80,000 vanguard soldiers and horses are all cavalry.
Lord Han wants to use these 80,000 cavalry to attack the city? Whether this is open to question. Zhuozhou is the gateway to the border town of the Liao people. The terrain is steep, the city is solid, and the defense system is also very complete. Facing a fortified city, it is not possible to attack it casually.
came down.
"Lord Han, it is imperative to attack the city. The passage to the Sanggan River crossing must be opened. However... the general thinks, should we wait until the follow-up army arrives before attacking the city?" A general said with fists in his hands.
Han Gang frowned and said, "What does General Yan mean by this?"
The general surnamed Yan bowed and said: "Your Majesty, our eighty thousand people are all cavalry and carry no siege weapons. We don't have a catapult to attack the city. We don't even have a ladder. Zhuozhou City Defense
It's strong. We're afraid we'll suffer losses if we attack the city like this. Is it more appropriate to wait until the heavy siege equipment arrives and conquer Zhuozhou in one fell swoop?"
Some of the generals nodded slightly, and this opinion was quite pertinent. Attacking a city is not a field battle. You can't break the city if you rush to the city. No matter how many people there are, they can only become living targets. Attacking a city with cavalry is a taboo for military strategists, and I'm afraid it won't be effective.
.
Han Gang laughed and said: "General Yan, your idea is of course for stability. However, it is not the case. I also want to do that, but time waits for no one. Marshal Yang and the follow-up army will arrive in two days. We are here
There is no harm in waiting here for two days, but these two days will also give the Liao people time to prepare. Since the Liao people are suspicious, they must have made some preparations. They may not be sure that we will attack them before, but if I have 80,000 cavalry
If they are stationed under the city and do not withdraw, they have confirmed their intention to attack. They will definitely go to Zhuozhou to increase their troops. According to intelligence, there are 120,000 Liao soldiers in Jinfu, and Zhuozhou currently has less than 20,000 troops defending the city. Two days.
In time, the Jin government will let Zhuozhou's troops reach more than 100,000. Do you think we should attack 20,000 with 80,000, or wait for the follow-up troops to arrive and attack 100,000 with more than 200,000? The attack at this moment is to catch them off guard and take advantage of them.
If he attacks the city with empty troops, he will be able to attack the city with one blow."
The generals pondered for a while, and Han Gang continued: "As for the problem that we don't have siege equipment, I think it's not important. This is a raid, not a full-scale siege. I think we only need to make some simple ladders.
That's it. There are dense forests nearby, and hundreds of ladders can be set up in an instant. It is not a problem to use it to storm the city. Moreover, I want to remind you that since we have been entrusted with high hopes to become the vanguard of the army, if we are in a situation of absolute superiority in strength,
But you dare not take the initiative to attack. I think Marshal Yang must be very disappointed with us. I want you to understand that this is the first battle to attack Liao, and it will also be the first victory of the army. I want to lead you to get the first victory, do we have to
Are you going to hand over your first achievements to others? I, Mr. Han, have never been such a coward in my life. Since you are under my command, Mr. Han, I will lead you to build meritorious careers and become officials."
Having said this, the doubts of all the generals disappeared. Everyone knows the importance of the first victory in the first battle. This credit and honor
Of course, we can't give it away. Maybe Master Han's analysis is right. There are not many defenders in Zhuozhou City, and he may not have expected that his side would launch an attack immediately. Maybe the problem is not that serious.
"Master Han, please give the order. I will definitely capture this city." Everyone said one after another.
Han Gang shouted loudly: "Okay, generals, listen to the order. I order you to return to the camp immediately to reorganize the army and prepare. General Yan led his troops to cut wood and build ladders on the nearest mountain, and the rest of the troops were ready to attack the city. After the third watch, it is necessary to
We built five hundred ladders and then launched a surprise attack. I hope to be able to sit in the lobby of the Zhuozhou government office and drink tea after dawn. Don't let me down."
"Yes!" all the generals shouted in unison, followed the order and left quickly.
The entire military camp moved quickly after the order was issued. After receiving the order to attack the city, all soldiers and horses began to organize their equipment and prepare for the siege. Although many people were eager to have a good night's rest after a long journey,
But the military orders were like mountains, no one dared to disobey them, so they had to brace themselves up and prepare for battle.
The 10,000 soldiers and horses led by Lieutenant General Yan Qianshan were even busier. They went to the nearby hills to cut wood in the dark and made simple ladders nearby. Since torches were not allowed, they could only work by nightlight, and many people were killed by thorns.
stabbed, many people fell down and sprained their feet in the bumpy mountain forest, and were in a state of embarrassment. Fortunately, the trees in the nearby mountain forest were very dense, and the construction of the ladder was not complicated, so the progress was very fast. By the third watch, the simple ladder was ready
Nearly 600 have been produced, which is already more than Han Gang needs.
Everything was ready, and the cavalry all transformed into infantry and lined up in the mountains in front of the city, waiting for orders. When the third watch came, Han Congo gave the order to attack the city, and the dark soldiers immediately took action, rushing toward the city in overwhelming numbers.
In the past, there were no torches, no shouts, only heavy breathing and chaotic footsteps. This was a sneak attack, and Han Gang hoped to reach the city wall before the opposing defenders discovered it, catching them off guard. So he strictly ordered his soldiers not to
Make a lot of noise and keep the distance between you and the city wall as short as possible.
Tens of thousands of Zhou Dynasty soldiers rushed to the gravel ground outside the south gate of Zhuozhou. They were less than 400 steps away from the city wall. Han Gang looked at the top of Zhuozhou City. It was still dark there, with only a few scattered lights flickering.
.This made Han Gang feel a little more at ease. Judging from these circumstances, the other party should not have realized that they would make a sudden attack, and they should not be prepared.
Four hundred steps! Three hundred steps!
The sound of countless feet stepping on the gravel on the ground has become extremely loud, and it seems that it can no longer be concealed. But the defenders at the top of the city still don't seem to notice anything. There is no noise or shouting, no lights flickering, and the dark city wall is like a giant
The python is crawling forward, quietly waiting to be slaughtered.
Two hundred steps!
It has reached the range where arrows can be attacked, and it is obvious that the running footsteps can no longer be covered up. The soldiers began to shout uncontrollably because the city wall was right in front of them. But there seemed to be no movement at the top of the city.
Han Gang, who was supervising the battle from the rear, suddenly felt something was wrong. Judging from his experience, this seemed to be a bit abnormal. It was impossible that the defenders at the city head had not responded under such circumstances, unless there were no defenders in the city. The entire Zhuozhou
The city is already empty.
Or is it……
The answer was soon revealed. When all the siege soldiers and horses could not help but let out a thunderous roar and rushed within a hundred steps of the city, the dark top of the city emitted a terrifying buzzing sound of bow strings vibrating.
The sound of the sound. Countless arrows flew in with their wings vibrating like locusts all over the sky. The number of arrows was so huge and the attack was so fierce, they were almost like a dense black cloud, covering all corners of the city and rushing toward the city.
in the formation of Zhou soldiers.
The next moment, like a giant scythe swinging through the grass, the black soldiers of the Zhou Dynasty fell down like weeds. The scary thing is that the arrows struck so densely that there was no one alive within the shooting range.
It looks like a hilltop after trees and weeds have been cut down, exposing bare hollows.
Long bows and powerful arrows are the unique attack weapons of the Liao people. The strength of the long bows of the Liao people can penetrate armor. The long body allows the arrows to fly with extremely precise accuracy. Even at night like this, the city top
The Liao defenders were still aiming. Although they obviously couldn't see the specific person, they were aiming based on experience and feeling. The arrows shot straight down from the top of the city, so they were more powerful and penetrated directly.
The extremely expensive and sophisticated armor of the cavalrymen penetrates deeply into the flesh.
Just a few rounds of arrow rain caused huge casualties to the siege troops and horses. The tens of thousands of soldiers in the first echelon struggled to charge in the rain of arrows, but by the time they rushed eighty steps away, nearly half of them were dead or injured.
After entering the eighty-step range, they were attacked by flying stones mixed with arrows. Those were fist-sized pebbles, and they were shot down from the top of the city by an unknown device. Large pieces were smashed down, causing
A large area of damage was caused.
The entire battlefield was filled with howls and screams. The ground was littered with dead bodies, and countless wounded were squirming and rolling on the ground.
No one expected that this midnight raid would turn into a one-sided massacre. The strength of the guards at the top of the city exceeded everyone's expectations. There were more than 20,000 people defending the city, just from the intensity of the arrow rain
It seems that the number of people is more than 20,000. Otherwise, they would not be able to create such a fierce firepower on the attack surface of Kuandalish. This is an effect that 20,000 archers cannot achieve, and the number of Liao troops defending the city will probably be doubled.
Reaching as many as 40,000 to 50,000.
The situation on the battlefield was reported to Han Gang at the rear. Han Gang's heart was about to explode with anger. He suddenly realized that the Liao people had also set up a trap and deceived themselves. Previously, the Liao people had notified the troops stationed in Jinfu and Zhuozhou.
Although this was not what Zhou asked them to do, analysis believed that they wanted to gain Zhou's absolute trust so as not to make Zhou's troops feel threatened after entering the Liao Kingdom. Now, Han just realized,
It was a game that confused one's own side. The real number of troops and horses was far greater than the number of troops and horses they reported. The Liao people were obviously well prepared to deal with sudden changes that they least wanted to see.
Han Gang could not accuse the Liao people of being cunning, because the Zhou side itself had bad intentions and had other motives. The Liao people were just suspicious, but did not take the initiative to attack. He was the one who took the initiative to attack. It can be said that although the Liao people set up
It was a trap, but if Da Zhou had no other intentions, he would not be fooled. Once he launched the attack, the trap would work immediately. In fact, it was Han Gang himself who took the initiative to stick his neck into the trap.
