The Wei army's right-wing camp is not very large and can accommodate not many Pili chariots. Moreover, the Pili chariots' long-range attacks, which have little accuracy, have almost negligible damage to the camp with thousands of soldiers.
However, an attack from the air will greatly frighten the soldiers.
Even the Han soldiers who held the belief of death would instinctively feel fear.
It's just that the military orders are like mountains.
While the Wei army was flying with arrows like locusts, they were still protected by the large oar warriors and moved forward resolutely to clear the obstacles one by one.
Zheng Pu, who was supervising the battle at the rear, had no expression on his face. He watched his soldiers struggling to clear obstacles among the arrows and rocks, but he still did not give the order for the army's big yellow crossbow to fire.
The range of the big yellow crossbow was enough to destroy Ni Wei's thunder chariot.
Even if they cannot be destroyed, they can still be suppressed from throwing stones arbitrarily.
But Zheng Pu turned a blind eye to the hardships of the soldiers, even though Zhang Yi, who was supervising the soldiers from the front to attack the enemy, had already sent people to ask for orders.
"Zijin, why not use Dahuang Crossbow?"
Zhang Bao, who was standing on one side watching the battle, relied on his different status and asked quietly, "If we use the big yellow crossbow to suppress the thunderbolt chariots against the Wei Dynasty at this time, our army will lose fewer soldiers."
"Um."
No, Zheng Pu just nodded lightly, still staring at the progress of the battle ahead, and said in an understated tone, "Brother Wen Rong, please be patient before the time comes."
Be calm and don't be impatient?
Zhang Bao looked at the soldiers who were struggling to clear obstacles from the arrows. Hearing the screams that came from time to time, he couldn't help but open his beard and hair slightly, and his leopard eyes widened.
Obviously Zheng Pu had said before that he would not attack by force and only increase the casualties of the soldiers.
As a result, instead of attacking by force, you still sit back and watch the casualties of soldiers while sparing ordnance?
Zhang Bao, who felt that there was a burning anger in his chest and was unwilling to express his displeasure, was about to retort, but he remembered the taboo of not questioning the general's decision before the battle, so he swallowed his words abruptly.
Sometimes he squeezed the handle of the knife tightly to vent his anger, sometimes he looked towards the battlefield ahead, sometimes he looked sideways to see if Zheng Pu was making arrangements, and his whole person seemed restless.
It must be the snowflakes flying all over the sky, which is too disturbing.
Perhaps he was vaguely aware of it. Zheng Pu, who had been staring at the battlefield, suddenly turned around and met Zhang Bao's annoyed eyes. He couldn't help but laugh softly and said in a warm voice, "Brother Wen Rong, why?"
General, Mount Tai collapsed in front of me, but its appearance remains unchanged."
After persuading him, he moved his chin back again, "The big yellow crossbow was used too early, and all the preparations will be useless. If we can't capture the front row camp of the Wei Dynasty in one fell swoop today, Bi Xiahou Ru will not send troops to fight.
.”
Well?
Hearing this, Zhang Bao was slightly shocked and couldn't help but turn his head and look back.
I saw many Zheng Pu's troops busy about ten steps behind.
Some of them, together with the craftsmen in the army, were hammering and banging with wooden mallets, experimenting with taller siege towers for the Niwei camp.
Siege tower, also known as "Linchong".
According to legend, it was invented before the Western Zhou Dynasty and was seen during the Battle of Chong in the Western Zhou Dynasty. It was a rectangular frame built of wood, covered with cowhide on the outside, and wooden boards placed on the inside. It could carry bows and crossbows for soldiers to shoot from a high position.
Some soldiers were carefully wrapping layers of grease-covered cloth around the ends of arrows to create burning rockets.
The most incredible thing is that some soldiers are busy with some fist-sized bamboo poles.
The bamboo poles were brought from Hanzhong.
According to legend, because of this dispatch of troops, Zheng Pu's troops insisted on defending Pingxiang City. Yang Yi, who was responsible for distributing ordnance supplies, gave all the trebuchets to Li Yan.
Zheng Pu then went to find Pu Yuan, who was in charge of the Ordnance Department, and asked for these three or four long bamboo poles.
The soldiers were tying the roots of the two bamboo poles together, opening them with wooden rivets in the middle, making the small tails bifurcated, and then tying the cloth bags on them.
Well, it's a bit like the throwing pole of a trebuchet.
It's just much simpler. It is estimated that after the bamboo is bent and stressed, it can only throw out items weighing ten kilograms (Han).
The range isn't too far, probably only fifty or sixty steps.
Seeing the neatly stacked grease jars, Zhang Bao roughly understood Zheng Pu's intention.
Zheng Pu planned to use the large yellow crossbows and the powerful crossbowmen on the siege tower to attack suddenly when the soldiers were cleared and his side pushed the Wuhan Iron and Steel chariot to the Wei camp; then he would throw the wine jar filled with grease onto the
Setting fire to the top of the Niwei city with rockets can panic the Niwei soldiers and prevent them from counterattacking for a short period of time. It also allows our own soldiers to be less vulnerable to stones, wood, gold juice and other defensive materials when they climb the city.
In this way, it is easy to understand what Zheng Pu said about "the time has not come yet".
After all, the soldiers clearing obstacles are now protected by armored men with large oars and shields; once the first soldiers start to climb the city wall, they can only rely on luck.
Whichever of the two powers harms each other is the lesser.
As a governor, it is wise to weigh things like this.
Zhang Bao, who realized it later, was a little embarrassed. Looking at the not-so-tall figure in front of him, his heart was full of admiration. He also wanted to say something to alleviate the misunderstanding. Just when he opened his mouth, there happened to be a strong gust of wind.
It hit him head-on, covering his mouth and nose with the entrained snow particles.
That's all, it's the in-laws' house, why are you so polite?
Isn’t it a sight to see outsiders?
Zhang Bao, who kept making noises at the snowflakes, suddenly lost his mood.
Zheng Pu had no time to pay attention to his wife's brother's actions.
He is now looking like a falcon, staring at the progress of the soldiers clearing obstacles, and also silently calculating the frequency of use of the Anti-Wei Thunderbolt Chariot and the Big Yellow Crossbow.
From time to time, military officers who showed favor to the general also came one after another.
"Report! General Mi claimed that the anti-Wei cavalry had arrived three miles away from the military camp, but they did not dare to come and disturb them when they saw Yuan Rong's crossbows."
"Report! The big yellow crossbow has been placed properly."
"Report! The bamboo pole is ready for use."
"Report! The siege tower has been inspected and checked. There are no signs of instability."
Every time at this time, he just nodded slightly.
But those who are careful will find that two of his fingers on the handle of the knife at his waist are tapping lightly.
That was his new habit.
Whenever there is a decisive moment in battle, or before a decision is about to be made with the whole army pressed against him, he will use this method to relieve the turbulent emotions in his chest and abdomen.
Zhang Bao is one of the few insiders.
Saw it too.
That’s why I had a vague realization in my heart.
When he quickly turned his attention to the battlefield, he happened to find that the soldiers had already cleared most of the obstacles. They only needed to cross two more trenches to attack the city.
At this moment, Zheng Pu suddenly gave an order, "Blow the drum!"
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Thunderous drums sounded, making the entire Han camp noisy.
A group of Han troops shouting slogans pushed a simple siege vehicle close to the side of the military camp's Wuhan Iron and Steel Vehicles. The three hundred strong crossbowmen who had been waiting for a long time quickly climbed up the horizontal platform at the top of the siege tower.
When he couldn't feel any movement, he started to take advantage of his superior position, loaded the crossbow arrows and started taking aim.
They are the main force that covers the area, fills in the trenches, and climbs the city walls.
"Win the string! Release it!"
Following the command from the commander, nearly three hundred crossbow arrows shot out like locusts with a buzzing sound from the bow strings.
The sword and shield soldiers of the Wei army, who had long seen the approaching siege tower, half-crouched on the ground without the need for an order from the general, trying to hide their robes and themselves behind their shields.
The Wei soldiers who controlled the Thunderbolt Chariot also began to change their focus, intending to use huge rocks to knock down the siege tower.
But they were too late.
Immediately after the powerful crossbowmen showed off their power, a row of large yellow crossbows in the Han army's formation also fired in unison.
In terms of bows and crossbows, the Han Dynasty was far more sophisticated than the Wei State.
For example, the normal big yellow crossbow is very large and requires animal power or nearly ten soldiers to draw the bow string. However, the big man's big yellow crossbow has been modified into a compact one that is easy to carry and can be operated by only three soldiers.
sharp weapon.
Although the range has inevitably been reduced a lot, it can still penetrate armor within a hundred or so.
This time Zheng Pu brought thirty aircraft!
The power of a single volley is something that no warrior, no matter how fierce and fearless of death, would be willing to do.
"Bang!"
The sound of neat and powerful bow strings sounded, and the two-finger-thick crossbow arrows were as powerful as thunder.
The bodies of the soldiers of Cao Cao who controlled the Thunderbolt Chariot were pierced through, and those who were killed and wounded by the crossbow arrows burst out in shrill wails that could not be heard without interruption.
Xia Houru, who was watching the war, looked as if he was sinking into a lake.
The guard who was supervising the battle, Wang Mi, had eyes that were about to burst.
The Han army never counterattacked with the big yellow crossbow, so they thought that the opponent did not bring it because it was inconvenient to carry it during the march.
Unexpectedly, the Han army suddenly launched an attack, killing many of their soldiers, and also shot down three thunderbolt chariots!
"Shield Soldiers, Guarding Thunderbolt Chariots"
"Armysmith, repair the car body immediately! If it cannot be repaired, it will be dismantled and reassembled!"
"Aim at the siege tower and destroy it!"
"Hurry up and bring the wood, stones, gold juice and other objects forward, Ni Shu is about to attack the city!"
A series of continuous instructions came out from Wang Mi's mouth in a loud roar, which made Xia Houru, who was watching the battle from behind, couldn't help but hug Hu Wei and nod.
Although this man looks extremely majestic, he is very methodical and careful in preparing for the battle. If you see Ni Shu suppressing them with bows and crossbows, you will know that Ni Shu soldiers are about to attack the city.
He can be called a good general!
However, the next move of the Han army panicked the "good general" in Xia Houru's heart.
That was the Han army using bamboo poles to throw out jars of grease.
At first, when Xia Houru and Wang Mi saw something black roaring towards them, they thought it was a catapult thrown by the Han army, so they hurriedly hid under the shield wall of their guards.
But the jar of grease fell on the city wall, shattering all over the place, and white and yellow grease leaked out.
Wang Mi suddenly turned pale.
No need to guess, he also knew what the Han army was going to do next, and he shouted loudly, "Cover it with earth quickly! Cover it with earth!"
But in such a hurry, how could the soldiers have time to run down the wooden wall and dig soil?
Furthermore, the bamboo throwing poles in the Han army's formation were still swinging continuously, and they were constantly throwing the jars of grease. The accuracy was a bit poor, and half of them hit the back of the city, but the quantity was enough to make up for this shortcoming.
Moreover, the two hundred archers in the Han army's formation also fired ignited rockets and stretched their bowstrings halfway up.
"Buzz!"
Like a shooting star during the day, the burning rocket drew an arc in mid-air, and then, under the gravity of the arrowhead, with a sharp sound of breaking through the air, the spark of a prairie fire plunged down hard.
And just as a wave of arrows fell, another wave of daytime meteors rose into the sky.
As expected, the grease spilled on the walls of the Wei army was ignited, and soon turned into a blazing fire, as if someone had set up a bonfire on the battlefield.
Entering the harsh winter season, the soldiers of the Wei army were already thickly dressed and crowded, making it impossible for them to escape.
Some were directly burned to death, some were suffocated or roasted to death, and some were jumped to death and maimed. It was extremely miserable.
Although very quickly, Xia Houru, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, asked people to get ice water mixed with gold juice and asked the soldiers to take off their armor and pat the fire to prevent the spread of the fire and let the fire gradually become smaller, so as to eliminate the temporary commotion.
It is inevitable.
Within this time difference, the Xuanwu Army commanded by Zhang Ni had already poured out of the Wuhan Iron and Steel chariots into formation, placing the long wooden planks in their hands vertically on the trench, acting as a temporary pontoon; carrying the long ladder on their shoulders
, placed it on the wooden railing of the Wei army camp, and quickly climbed up using all four limbs.
"kill!"
"Nothing before!"
"Conquer the Central Plains!"
The roars of charge in each mouth were different, but their morale was like a rainbow, indicating the same determination.
When the Wei army had no time to prepare, many Han soldiers suddenly climbed onto the wall, but were quickly driven off. Seeing the urgency, Xia Houru personally led his troops and used his blade to push away the mess of soldiers.
Come and hold the wall.
Many Han soldiers with Huanshou swords in their teeth met the end of their lives when they climbed to the top of the long ladder.
Some were stabbed down by the Wei army with spears; some were lucky enough to jump into the Wei army's formation and fight, but they were outnumbered and killed.
Especially the continuous light snow in the cold winter caused a layer of snowflakes to accumulate on the top of the city, which made the grease insufficiently burned. Wei Jun quickly controlled the fire.
Without the commotion caused by the fire, Wang Mi was finally able to let his soldiers take advantage of the offensive and defensive battles to defend the city.
Countless stones, wood, and gold juice were piled up on the city wall, and they poured down from the city wall, taking away the lives of the Han army one after another. In the Han army's formation, the crossbowmen on the siege tower also continued to attack the city.
Sniping from a high position, the crossbow bolts hurriedly penetrated the body of Cao Jun who had to put down his shield and free his hands to defend against the enemy.
Fighting requires courage.
Cao's army experienced successive changes and its morale was low.
However, the morale of the Han army was as high as a rainbow, and Zhang Yi personally held a sword and shield and braved arrows and rocks to climb the city with the soldiers to fight.
"kill!"
"kill!"
The general takes the lead and can always make the soldiers fight to the death.
The soldiers of the Xuanwu Army also burst out with bloody courage in their bones, roaring and surging forward with red eyes.
Zheng Pu, who was supervising the battle from the rear, also ordered the Wuhan Iron and Steel Vehicle Formation and the siege tower to be pushed forward. Every penetrating crossbow arrow could take away a life at close range.
It also caused the war to become intense in an instant.
The Wei army on the top of the city relied on the cover of the city wall to hold spears and thrust them out, turning any approaching Han army into corpses; but the Han army would also grab the spears and pull them down under the city wall.
.
The shouts of killing were like thunder, and the sound of war drums shook the sky.
Slowly, more and more Han soldiers climbed onto the city wall and formed small formations to fight against the Wei army, relying on each other.
The Wei army, which had been squeezed out of formation, was originally demoralized. Now they could not find their respective dubos or commanders. In the panic, the defense line inevitably collapsed.
