It was late at night, and although the two armies were at war, there was silence inside and outside Haozhou City at this moment.
Within five miles outside the city, the grass and trees were almost trampled. No birds could be seen when looking up, and no mice could be seen when looking down. However, the cold wind blew and the corpse air drifted away. Occasionally, a figure showed its head slightly and shook, and several heart-piercing arrows were shot with the whining wind.
Before he could even grunt, he fell to the ground. Then four or five cavalrymen flew over, all wearing iron armor, carrying quivers on their backs, holding a bow in their left hand and a knife in their right hand.
The horse in leather armor raised its hooves wrapped in thick cotton and galloped away.
Zhu Yuanzhang led Jiang Ruhai and Jiang Ruchun stood at the tower for a while, then ordered them to disperse and rest. These days, Zhu Yuanzhang guarded the tower almost day and night, and even slept in a command guard post in the tower. Zhu Yuanzhang entered the guard post.
He took off his outer robe, ordered the sergeant to pour a cup of hot tea, picked up a book under the oil lamp and read for a while, met with several groups of subordinates, and handled some chores in the city, until the sky turned pale, then he slept in his clothes.
In the city, as the Yuan army attacked the city, a curfew had already been implemented. As soon as it got dark, every house was closed and locked, and the lights were turned off. On the streets, pairs of red-turbaned sergeants, holding torches and swords, walked back and forth. Occasionally, there were deep courtyards.
Deep in the depths, sounds of singing, dancing, and laughter arose. Before they reached the high walls of the courtyard, they were already dim and dissipated in the night sky.
At dawn tomorrow, Zhu Yuanzhang got up early again. After a patrol, he took Jiang Ruhai and Jiang Ruchun and others down the city tower and came to the street. After breakfast, he went straight to the mansion of Commander Guo Zixing. He first took the time to talk to
His beloved wife, Ma, met him once. After Guo Zi got up from bed and washed himself, he followed him to Marshal Peng's house. He reported the recent military situation to several marshals and discussed it. When he came out, it was almost noon.
Just as he was about to lead everyone to the place where military supplies were stored and inspect them carefully, there was an urgent report, "The sentries outside the city were sent out, and all of them were wiped out overnight, and no one escaped!"
This was a huge event! At that moment, Zhu Yuanzhang went up to the city tower and summoned the middle-level generals from all sides who were guarding the city. They gathered in the stone guardhouse in the north tower and started talking about it. In the end, it boiled down to two points.
First, does the Yuan army have elite reinforcements? Second, does the Yuan army make a big move, which is cutting off the eyes and ears of our army beforehand? However, the generals are divided on whether to send out more sentinels. Because the sentinels were sent
, all the ministries have some skills. If they are sent out and never come back, no one will feel bad. In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang overcame all opinions and sent out all his elite warriors to spy on the military situation. He decided to send six people from his headquarters, led by Jiang Ruchun.
Three people from each of the other ministries secretly left the city tonight to make sure they understood the movements of the Yuan army. At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered that all the soldiers in the city who could stand should go to the tower to fight. He also ordered the elderly and children to be organized into groups and march in the city.
Assemble and stand by. That night, more than a dozen detective sentries scattered into the vast night outside the city. Zhu Yuanzhang and other generals continued to inspect the north gate and everywhere. Unexpectedly, at night, there was no movement outside the city, and the Yuan army camp seemed to be sleeping.
Not a single soldier of the fierce beast came to attack. Everyone took a breath, chatted for a few more words, and then dispersed.
At midnight, the city guarding sergeant suddenly heard a few cloud-penetrating arrows being shot from below the city. Those flying arrows were obviously shot by sentries sent out tonight, and their tails brought out a stream of flames, making a sharp sound.
The sound of the fire slowly rose from the foot of the city, like festive fireworks. Then came the shouts of Jiang Ruchun and others below, "The enemy is attacking! The Yuan army is attacking the city in a big way!" The sergeants hurriedly rang the gold and lit the fire.
Pick up the torch and look outside the city! You can see that there are countless shadowy soldiers emerging from hell, lurking in the dark night. From time to time, there are one or two neighing sounds of horses and the dull vibration of the earth.
Came from the front.
Suddenly, there were several cannon blasts, and countless torches were lit up one after another. The densely packed Yuan army quietly approached two to three hundred meters outside the city! The flags fluttered in the wind, and the armor shone with cold light.
.Then, at the command tent at the rear, flags were waving, and a general on horseback waved his sword and shouted loudly, "Kill all the White Lotus bandits and attack the city for three days!" Suddenly, countless killing cries rose to the sky.
Then one saw catapults erected in the woods on the east side, slowly pushed to the northeast corner of the city wall, lined up with the Yuan army, and then countless boulders and firearms fell from the sky, heading straight to the north.
The city tower came from the direction. The night sky of Haozhou City Tower suddenly became bright.
Immediately afterwards, a talisman arrow flashed with a dazzling light, carrying a poisonous flame, across the night sky, and poured onto the tower like a heavy rain. Then, there was another loud shout of killing, and hundreds of Yuan army infantrymen
One team, each fifty meters apart, holding round shields and waving broadswords, protected the sergeant carrying the ladder, and rushed towards the base of the city wall. There were also hundreds of cavalry, with horses wearing leather armor and people
Wearing iron armor and using cowhide straps, they tied dozens of big trees with three people hugging each other, and walked slowly towards the north gate. Every time they took a step, the earth seemed to tremble, and dust about half a man high was raised.
A dull sound.
Thousands of rural troops, waiting for dozens of ladders, launched an attack from the west tower near the northwest corner!
Zhu Yuanzhang and other rebel generals had already woken up. While notifying the commanders in the city, they mobilized their men to guard the north tower of the main gate of Haozhou, relying on the tower walls and two or three high-up guard posts.
The generals woke up from Wenrou Township and learned that the enemy troops were out in full force. They joined forces with the township troops to attack the city at night. They cursed one after another, ordered their subordinates in the city, and rushed to the tower.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the northeast corner of the city tower was suppressed and blocked by the catapults of the Yuan army. Not only were the sergeants from the east unable to come to the north to respond, but even the corridor to the northeast corner of the city tower was difficult to pass. Immediately, he sent an order to the east defenders to leave the city.
After attacking the woods in the northeast outside the city, they also ordered the old people and children who had been organized in the city to set up ladders with the inside of the north tower. The sergeants in the northeast of the city quickly climbed up the ladders to the north tower to provide reinforcements.
He also ordered groups of archers to be stationed in the middle of the north tower and in the east and west guard posts. They used rockets to shoot at the enemy soldiers who climbed the highest on the siege ladder. He led a group of soldiers to guard the main gate.
At the wall stacks above, the sergeants were urged to lift boulders, rolling logs and firearms, and throw them downwards to block the Yuan army's cavalry, break through the city gates, and most of them entered the city.
Since Jia Lu's angry reprimand that day, the Yuan army and other generals had not dared to order a retreat. Niao Tu Gu, Timur and others even personally led the supervising team to the front line. When they met, they screamed in panic and dodge back.
Yes, they cut it down hard. Therefore, the Yuan army also rushed forward, climbed up, screamed, and in the rain of swords and arrows, one by one, step by step, advanced towards the tower. Several times
, dozens of Yuan troops rushed up to the city tower and broke out a gap. It was only thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang's support from the center that he and his own soldiers fought desperately back and forth before they were able to push back.
On the west side of the city tower, Zhao Jun's troops gradually found it difficult to face the brave and fierce Xiangjun. Although Sun Deya's troops guarding the south gate came to support, the person in charge of the Xiangjun, Pan Ruhu, although
The literati and Jinshi, however, had a good idea. They hid Zhao Jun's troops under the cover of night, gathered seven or eight cloud ladders, and captured the northwest corner early, constantly cutting off the northwest support. Moreover, in vain and in reality, they took advantage of the rebel army.
Not knowing the strength of our own troops, sometimes a force penetrated from the northwest corner, and sometimes the sound of killings in the west was loud.
At this point in the battle, the east, north and west sides of the city tower were unable to look at each other. The northern city gate was crumbling under the impact of the Yuan army's cavalry's huge trees. There were even more boulders and rockets falling on the inside of the city tower and the city wall. First, the old men and women who were grouped together.
The child, injured and bleeding, began to cry out, and then, gradually, even the soldiers guarding the city began to panic.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this scene, he shouted loudly, cut a Yuan soldier who had just climbed up the city tower into two pieces with the sword in his hand, and then shouted, "Archers, shoot the people on both sides of the city hard for me. I'm here
, you don’t have to worry about it!” He then went down from the city tower and urged Jiang Ruchun, who had just entered the city, to lead two hundred sergeants on the inside of the city gate, leading one group each of the elderly and children. One hundred sergeants quickly reinforced the city gate, while the elderly and children dug in at the gate.
A tunnel three meters deep and fifteen meters long was dug, and then another hundred sergeants built a temporary defense. All the sergeants in the city were ordered to quickly assemble at the north gate of the city.
After waiting for a while, the north gate collapsed under the continuous violent impact. The Yuan army cavalry and the surrounding infantry swarmed in. The Yuan army was already greedy for life and feared death. When they saw the north gate open, they all gave up climbing the ladder.
They rushed in swarm from here. Zhu Yuanzhang led Jiang Ruchun and other hundreds of sergeants with a shower of arrows and torches, and shot the Yuan army crowded in the dug tunnel into hedgehogs and burned them into burning men.
So, this place became a meat grinder!
Not only did the Yuan army suffer heavy casualties, but the rebels guarding here also fell down and died one by one. When they were in a desperate situation, they just fought hard! Even one to three, one to ten? In the sound of military drums, in the darkness, in
In the life-and-death situation, in the heart of the hard-hearted general who was strategizing, it was just a faint scream, a number or two.
Life and death are not important, winning or losing may be more important!
Suddenly, huge boulders and fireballs rose up in the northeast corner outside the city, and with a whistling sound, they fell towards the Yuan army camp, like sparks hitting the earth from the sky. It turned out that the defenders from the east came out of the city and entered the woods in the northeast corner.
After seizing the Yuan army's catapult, they were now turning around to attack the Yuan army. There was a chaos in the Yuan army camp, and the siege was stalled. Just a few huge stones fell around the commander's tent, bringing up countless dust, and people were so shocked that they fell on their backs.
Timur immediately raised the sword in his hand and shouted loudly, "Protect the commander!" Then he led the sergeants around him and retreated hurriedly behind the commander's tent. The Yuan army followed suit and retreated one after another.
On the other side of the army, they saw that the catapult in the northeast corner had been captured by the Red Turban Army, and all the Yuan troops retreated.
When Jia Lu saw this situation in the commander's tent, he said with great hatred, "Timur, you have mistaken me!" He shouted several times in a row and fell to the sky, unconscious. A few days later, outside the Yuan army's tent outside Haozhou City, Jia Lu
Died of illness.
As soon as Jia Lu died, Pan Ruhu left with thousands of rural troops. Immediately, the Yuan army also withdrew.
The siege of Haozhou was lifted.
As the saying goes
Everyone inside and outside the city worked hard, piercing the clouds and making arrows that shot through the sky.
The banners and armor are cold in the dew, and the arrows and sparks shine red in blood.