After the war began, the focus of the competition between the two sides was actually the control of the moat. The Liao army's purpose was to quickly build a channel on the moat so that soldiers, horses and equipment could attack under the city wall. The Jurchens, on the other hand, wanted to desperately stop or delay them.
Do that.
In the past few days, while waiting for the fire to extinguish, the Liao army held military meetings one after another. Regarding how to break through the moat, the superiors and subordinates also came up with many countermeasures. In the end, after everyone's selection, the choice was made.
Two solutions have been proposed. These two solutions are actually relatively traditional solutions, but they have some innovations in action.
The first option is to build a pontoon bridge. Since the Jurchens widened the moat to a width of nearly four feet, the idea of building a traditional floating simple bridge passage can only be replaced by a pontoon bridge. But because the water in the moat is flowing, the traditional
The method of building pontoon bridges also needs innovation. A general once saw the practice of Zhou soldiers and horses building pontoon bridges on the Sanggan River at the Sanggan River ferry, so he proposed this method, and the result was Yelu Zongyuan
The emperor and his ministers unanimously approved. The method of building a pontoon bridge on a terrain like the Sanggan River, which is dozens of feet wide and has fast and roaring water, will naturally work on this small moat in front of you.
As a result, the engineering troops of the Liao Army made a lot of preparations in those days. They built a large number of wooden rafts in advance and installed hinges on the wooden rafts. They were well prepared. After the siege battle began,
, hundreds of carts transported these materials to the moat, and the soldiers braved the rain of arrows from the city head to push these wooden rafts into the water, and then connected them one by one, and tied them tightly with iron chains. And so on.
, a pontoon bridge was built in less than half an hour. After a few pilings were driven at both ends and fixed in the river, there was a pontoon bridge about ten feet wide that could allow soldiers to pass unimpeded.
Only half an hour after the siege began, the Liao army built more than 60 such pontoon bridges on the moat. In fact, it was fully able to meet the needs of the army to cross the moat and attack the city. Of course, during the process of building the pontoon bridges
There were definitely a lot of dead and wounded soldiers and horses. The focus of the firepower at the top of the city was to deal with the soldiers and horses building the pontoon bridge. The attacks came like rain of arrows, causing heavy casualties to the Liao soldiers. During the construction process, thousands of Liao soldiers were killed and wounded.
Soldiers were hit by arrows and fell into the water, corpses were floating on the moat, and every pontoon bridge was covered with blood, which was red in color.
But in any case, the smooth construction of the pontoon bridge was a major step towards the success of the siege. The plan went so smoothly that the Liao army and others breathed a sigh of relief. However, this did not allow the official siege to begin immediately. They also
We need to wait for the construction of more than a dozen special passages to be completed. That is the second bridge-building plan, and it is also the only way to ensure that the siege equipment can smoothly cross the river and reach the city. The Liao army must build ten more on the moat.
There are several embankments that can allow heavy siege equipment to cross the moat. Otherwise, the siege weapons such as the sky chariot and the ram are completely turned into decorations.
Simple pontoon bridges can be used by soldiers, but heavy equipment such as roller coasters and city cars are extremely heavy, and the pontoon bridge cannot bear their weight. If these equipment that have been transported thousands of miles here cannot be put to use, then
The previous waiting is meaningless, and the siege may not be successful. Using ordinary ladders to climb the city to attack the city, the city wall of Liaoyang Mansion that has been raised to a height of three to four feet will be a nightmare for the Liao Army. The key is that even if there are no casualties,
Soldiers and horses may not be able to attack it. But if the dozens of Yunxiao chariots that arrived are brought close to the city wall, there will be dozens more channels that can directly attack the city wall, and the Liaoyang city will be destroyed. This is also the case for Yelu Sect
The reason why Yuan Shisheng has to wait for the siege weapons to arrive here.
But the operation of filling the embankment with earth and rocks was very unsatisfactory. For one thing, the moat was too deep and too wide, and it was still a flowing river. The method of relying on the soldiers to carry mud bags, sand and soil to carry the rocks and fill them was really ineffective. Some mud and rocks
When the bag was thrown into the water, it disappeared like a mud cow into the sea. When dozens of pontoon bridges were built, the embankment was only less than ten feet deep. Thousands of soldiers were shot and killed for this.
Yelu Zong Yuanji was in a hurry, but only the pontoon bridge was not enough. The soldiers' siege must be coordinated with the sky-carts and city-attack vehicles, otherwise it would be a useless effort. Dozens of cloud-carts had already advanced to less than 80 steps away from the moat.
place, but they had to stop because they could not reach the other side of the moat. Fortunately, they were not useless. On the top platform of the nearly five-foot-high roller coaster, the Liao army's archers could commandeer the city.
Shooting arrows also killed many Jurchen soldiers and horses. But if the cloud chariot is only used as an arrow tower, it will be a waste of natural resources, and the benefit to the siege will be too small. This is like using a thousand-year-old ginseng that can revive the dead.
Using magic medicine to cure colds is really a waste of good stuff.
"No, no, this is not the way to go. At this construction speed, it will take at least two hours to build the embankment. This is absolutely impossible. If we are passively beaten under the city for two hours, our army will suffer at least tens of thousands of casualties. I can't tolerate it.
Everyone, please come up with a good idea." Yelu Zongyuan rubbed his hands and paced back and forth on the viewing platform at the rear, anxious.
All the officials and generals also frowned, but for a while they had no countermeasures.
"Your Majesty, how about letting the troops attack the city wall first? Once the city is attacked, the enemy's defenders will have no time to deal with the troops building the dam, which can greatly speed up the progress." A general said solemnly.
Some people heard the words and agreed. What this person meant was that once the siege of the city began, the defenders at the top of the city would have to deal with the siege troops and horses, which created good conditions for the troops and horses in the rear who filled the earth and built the embankment.
If the leading defenders have no time to attack them, the landfill speed will be greatly accelerated.
"Idiot, this kind of thing
What is the difference between drinking poison and drinking poison to quench thirst? If there is no siege equipment, what is the difference between attacking the city directly and committing suicide? If you stay away from the city wall, you will only be attacked by bows and crossbows. If you reach the city wall, you will be attacked by rolling logs, stones, boiling oil and boiling water. You will die.
There will be more people. It’s a shame that you came up with such a bad idea. I’m really convinced by you, but have your brains been eaten by wild dogs?” Yelu Zongyuan scolded angrily.
The general who made the suggestion quickly shrank his head and stopped talking, secretly cursing himself for talking too much and shouldn't be in such limelight.
"The problem now is that the soldiers are too slow to carry earth and rocks on their backs, and the rocks are too small. There are not many materials suitable for landfill nearby, so mud bags can only be used as landfill materials. The water in the moat is flowing, and a small amount of
The mud bags will all be washed away. The old minister feels that we should not only speed up the landfill, but also think of ways to deal with the landfill." Han Yanshou thought in a deep voice.
Yelu Zongyuan's brows twitched and he said in a deep voice: "Gather all the carts, pile them with mud bags, tie them tightly with ropes, and use horses to directly overturn the carts into the river. It should work."
After hearing this, everyone nodded and said: "Yes, this method is absolutely effective. Your Majesty's method is really wonderful."
However, someone soon suggested: "Throwing all the cars in, it won't be enough. A dozen three-foot-wide dams will require a lot of earth and stone. We don't have that many big cars."
Yelu Zongyuan frowned and pondered, and his eyes fell on the several tribal leaders standing on the side of the platform. They looked very leisurely. Most of the tribal coalition forces were cavalry, and their troops were currently only 50,000.
The archers of the remaining cavalry were shooting arrows to suppress them by the moat. It seemed that they had nothing to do with the problem at hand.
"How about the chiefs of Danjiu, Damili, Meili, Chazha, and Heihe? What do you think should be done in the current situation?" Yelv Zongyuan asked in a deep voice.
Several chiefs were talking in low voices and turned their heads when they heard the words.
The leader of Meili Jibu, Chief Hu Luba, smacked his lips and said: "Your Majesty, we can't get involved in the war. We have no idea about such strategic matters. As some officials said when describing us, we are waiting for you.
They are all savages from Shangjing Road."
"Isn't that right? What kind of war strategy do we know? All we need to do is ride our horses to attack the city. Unfortunately, we cavalry are powerless in this siege. How about we send some more archers to the bottom of the city?
Shooting arrows at the top of the city? That's okay." Bald Bones, the chief of the Chazhaci Tribe, echoed in a sinister tone while stroking his yellow beard tied into pigtails.
Several other tribal chiefs also nodded, including Xiao Zhenggang, the chief of the Heihe tribe, Meng Sage, the chief of the Damili tribe, and others.
Yelu Zongyuan nodded and said: "Does it mean that you can't contribute if you don't understand strategy? That's not necessarily the case. I need your cavalry to contribute now."
Brother Meng Sa was surprised and said: "Why, does the emperor want us cavalry to attack the city? Although our horses are strong, they don't have wings and can't fly up the city wall. Are they going to hit the city wall? Use their heads to collapse the city wall.
Is it done?"
"Hahaha." Tu Gusa, Hu Luba and others all laughed.
"Several chiefs, the siege battle is fierce, our Daliao soldiers are bathing in blood, but you are laughing here as if it has nothing to do with you. Are you still my ministers of Daliao? This is unreasonable." An official.
Angered by their attitude, he shouted sharply.
"Exactly, that's unreasonable." A group of officials rebuked one after another. The officials of the Liao Dynasty and the Central Government looked down upon these tribal leaders. During this period, these guys thought they had saved the Xijin Mansion and turned the tide of the war, and they were even more arrogant.
He was very domineering and the officials were very angry. Now they were criticizing their attitude.
Hu Luba and others still wanted to argue, but Prime Minister Han Yanshou stopped him sternly: "These chiefs respect themselves. At this time, the survival of the Liao Dynasty is at stake, how can you smile playfully and speak sarcastically? The emperor wants you to do your best.
Ministers of the Liao Dynasty should be humble and not be rude."
As soon as Han Yanshou spoke, these guys became much more honest. If they really made people angry, it was not the result they wanted.
"I didn't say anything. The emperor asked us to contribute, and we naturally wouldn't refuse. But our soldiers and horses are all cavalry. What else can we do besides sending cavalry archers? The filling of earth to build a dam requires infantry.
."Hulu Ba Dao.
Yelu Zongyuan said coldly: "Of course the cavalry is useful. The cavalry is used to fill the earth and build the dam. I now order you to send the cavalry to pack the earth and rocks on the horses' backs and fill the river to speed up the dam construction. You need to act immediately."
"What?" Hulu Ba Tu Gu Sa and others shouted in shock: "The emperor wants us to use horses as earth and rocks to fill the moat?"
"I want you to use horses to carry mud and rocks on their backs, and fill them into the river together. Don't you understand? I want this passage to be constructed quickly." Yelv Zongyuan said coldly.
"Your Majesty, are our tribe's cavalry only qualified to fill the river?" Brother Meng Sa said angrily.
Yelu Zongyuan stood up slowly and said solemnly: "At this time, the war is getting urgent. Just now you said you were willing to do your best for the Liao Dynasty, but now you are disobeying me? I don't want to use your cavalry to fill the river, but I have to do it as a last resort.
.”
Brother Meng Sa shouted: "Why don't you use the imperial cavalry to fill the river?"
Yelu Zongyuan shouted sternly: "Do I still need your opinions on my decision? Do you want to resist the decree?"
Meng Sa's face turned livid and he was about to protest, but Hu Luba grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear: "Don't provoke public anger. He is taking advantage of the urgency of the war at this moment, and those officials are standing behind him."
On the other hand, just tolerate it for the time being,
Let’s settle the score with him later.”
Yelu Zongyuan shouted sternly: "What are you still mumbling about? Why don't you hurry up and order people to prepare? I will not spare you if you miss the military plane."
"Hmph!" Meng Sa Ge snorted coldly and gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I will obey your orders. Your Majesty's idea is really wonderful."
Yelu Zongyuan sneered and said, "I know my idea is brilliant, so I don't need you to praise me."
Han Yanshou frowned and sighed, thinking: "The emperor did this on purpose. Using cavalry horses to fill the river is a good idea, but using tribal cavalry horses to do this seems to be intentional. Alas,
Your Majesty is still too stubborn, and doing so at this moment is not good for the overall situation."
Although they were full of anger, the tribal chiefs had not yet reached the point of breaking up with Yelu Zongyuan. All it cost was some horses. To be fair, using war horses to carry earth and rocks on their backs to fill the river was extreme, but it was still a decisive decision.
Method of contingency. On the battlefield, it is not an exaggeration to say that the river is filled with horses or with men. For the victory of the battle, these are nothing.
Thousands of war horses carried more than a dozen bags of mud and sandbags on their backs and began to charge towards the moat. When they rushed to the river bank, the horses naturally refused to jump into the river, and the Liao soldiers had to stab them in the heart.
More than a dozen bags of mud were dumped into the water. They sank to the bottom and served as a barrier. In addition to the horses, hundreds of carts were filled with mud bags and pushed over. Thousands of war horses fell one after another.
After entering the water, a barrier was piled up with flesh and blood, and a cart filled with mud bags was overturned on top of it and entered the water, which was used to suppress and fill the water. The soldiers quickly drove down wooden stakes on both sides to fix them, tens of thousands of ants like
The soldiers filled the frame with bags of mud, and soon the prototype of the embankment was formed.
This extreme method of filling the river soon showed its effect. Although the moat was deep, it was not more than ten feet deep, and no matter how wide it was, it was not even four feet wide. The reason why the dam was built slowly was because the flowing water scattered the mud bags.
Because of the erosion of sand and soil. Once there is a place to adhere to and accumulate, it will be much better. And those war horses and vehicles play the role of a water-blocking framework for the dam. With these frameworks, things will be much easier to handle.
Among them, the corpses of many soldiers flowed and became part of the embankment. There were also soldiers carrying mud bags who were hit by arrows at the top of the city and fell into the water with the mud bags, and their bodies became
part of the embankment.
In short, after half an hour, more than a dozen dams, which were mixed with thousands of horses, thousands of corpses, hundreds of carts and tens of thousands of sand and gravel mud bags, were finally formed. The soldiers laid log rafts on top.
, filled the gaps with soil, and after leveling them, finally completed the task of opening the moat channel.
The war has been going on for more than an hour. The casualties of both sides are already very high. The Liao army has more than 20,000 casualties, and less than half of the more than 600 catapults are left. More than 100 are
Those that were shot by the three-bow bed crossbow at the top of the city were scrapped, and the rest were scrapped because they reached the upper limit of use. Half of the catapults were missing, which was actually not enough for the Jurchen soldiers and horses at the top of the city. In order to ensure the suppression of firepower, Liao
The army had no choice but to gather all the catapults under the West City, which also took the West City wall as the main attack direction.
There were seven or eight thousand Jurchen soldiers killed and injured. Most of them were killed and injured by huge rocks thrown by catapults. Some were killed or injured due to the suppression of the opponent's powerful bows and arrows. Although the Liao people had unfavorable terrain, their archers
It can only be shot upward. With the protection of the battlements, the threat does not seem to be great. However, the Liao archers are very accurate. Many of the Jurchens who were shot were shot when they were shooting arrows near the battlements. It is only such a small area.
, the Liao people were able to hit, which shows their superb archery skills. After the catapults destroyed many battlements, the number of catapults themselves also decreased sharply. Instead, the arrows shot up from the city became the main means of killing the defenders.
After all, without the protection of tall battlements, the defenders at the head of the city had less barriers and more exposed parts, making it easier for the Liao people to shoot.
In any case, the first phase of the war is basically over at this point. The breakthrough of the moat was actually expected by both sides. It just depends on the price paid. The defenders caused more than three times the damage to the opponent and destroyed many of the opponent's.
Catapults. Although the attackers suffered tens of thousands of casualties, the strategic goal was achieved. The successful construction of dozens of pontoon bridges and more than a dozen river dams broke the opponent's last line of defense outside the city, which was an acceptable result for both sides.
All seemed satisfied with the result.
The horn sounded again, and this time, the densely packed Liao army soldiers and horses under the city roared like a tide and retreated five hundred steps away from the city. Except for dozens of Liao army archers on Yunxiao chariots, they still fired towards the city.
Arrows, as well as the bed crossbows at the top of the city, fought back against the roller coaster. They continuously shot thick crossbow arrows through the iron sheet of the roller coaster and were embedded in it. The battlefield suddenly became quiet.
But everyone understands that this is not the end of the battle, but a short rest after the first phase. The Liao army must organize their formations to prepare for the second phase of the siege. That is the most intense and bloody part of the siege. The city.
The top defenders obviously understood this, and they also used this short time to clean up the debris on the city wall, remove the corpses, carry the defense materials and equipment from the city to the city wall, and re-pile sandbags at the damaged crenellations of the city wall as bunkers.
They brought in long forked spears, long ropes and other items. They took a few sips of water in their busy schedule to prepare for a more brutal battle.
Finally, after a stick of incense, the urgent horns sounded across the fields again. Under the dim sunlight, Liao soldiers poured into the city like a tide, shouts of killing resounded through the sky, and their footsteps shook the earth as if it was shaking.
