Accompanied by the neat sound of loose strings, a dark cloud suddenly rose from the rebel formation.
It was a spectacular sight that could only be displayed by hundreds of arrows being thrown at the same time.
I saw the arrow being thrown towards the sky at an angle. After the force of the bow string weakened, it drew a perfect arc based on the inertia of the weight and feather tail, and suddenly fell towards the Han army's garrison.
The matte arrowheads shone faintly with bits of sunlight.
"shield!"
"shield!"
There was no need for Jufu and Liu Yin to give orders personally, as the commanders at all levels shouted loudly.
Let the soldiers in the front line hear the sound, and immediately duck into the wall to hide, and raise their shields on top to protect those holding crossbows with both hands.
"Duh!"
"Duh! Duh!"
The arrows came like a heavy rainstorm, and they were either randomly stuck on the board rafters, or were nailed into the cracks of the bamboo wall, or they were bounced off by the outer solid rocks.
After a while, another burst came from the bandit formation.
However, except for a few unlucky ones who were scratched and scratched by the Han troops above the garrison, there were few casualties.
However, the purpose of the projectile is to suppress and cover.
When the cloud of arrows rose, the barbarians who came out of the formation carrying hemp ropes, nets, earth and rocks were already running towards them.
Inevitably, as the formation was galloping, the bodies of some individuals were exposed.
The crossbow holder on the Han army's garrison was focused on nothing else. He was squinting his eyes through the mountain of the crossbow to take aim. His index finger was pressing the hanging knife under the crossbow, preparing to snipe.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
The scattered crossbow arrows, which were only two feet long and as thick as a thumb, shot straight down with a sharp sound of breaking through the air.
Although the number is small, they have made great achievements, and four to five out of ten people are hit by crossbow bolts.
Moreover, because the machine-wrathed string is twisted by gears and is so powerful, most of the victims will fall to the ground.
The iron caltrops and bamboo and wood caltrops half buried in the soil also made a lot of achievements.
Many of the thieves who were rushing towards me focused their attention on avoiding the crossbow arrows and rarely paid attention to the people under their feet. Therefore, if they accidentally stepped on them, their feet would be instantly punctured and disabled, and they would not be able to set foot on the battlefield within a month or two.
.
However, in the face of death, these barbarians who grew up in poor mountains and harsh waters, the blood and courage in their bodies were stimulated. Their eyes were bloodshot, their faces were full of violence, and they howled like ghosts and wolves.
Arrows come, crossbows go, life blooms in the gallop with the joyful song of blood and sweat.
Those who were favored by God must all return home intact; those who were abandoned by fate had their bodies lying on the road, some even struggled and fell into the ditch, and their dead bodies filled the ditch. The most miserable ones were those who were injured but not dead.
The mournful wails continued, and after being tortured by pain for a long time, the mercy of death came.
More than an hour later, noon came quietly, and the game with life as a bet was temporarily resolved.
At the cost of laying down more than a hundred corpses, the bandits flattened the middle section of the two trenches in front of the Han army's garrison, which was about three feet long.
But today, this barren soil is destined to be a gluttonous feast of blood.
After only two quarters of an hour of repairs, the drums in Zhu Bao's formation were beating like thunder again, driving away the barbarian tribes and some county soldiers. Without fear of death, Han rushed in with a shield and sword, facing the crossbow arrows with his flesh and blood.
Destroy Luzhai.
However, those "mutated" Luzhai with their claws and teeth are not so easy to destroy.
At least, it cannot be lifted or pushed away with one hand to find where the rope is fixed.
Therefore, many soldiers had no choice but to throw down their shields, and two or three people worked together to overturn or move the deer camp away, and then cut off the ropes with their blades to clear the path for the advance.
It also allows the crossbow-wielding soldiers on the garrison to tilt the crossbow arrows as much as they want, and enjoy the success of killing the traitors.
Naturally, there are also those who achieve success quickly.
For example, those county soldiers who followed the rebellion came with torches and jars of grease and burned Luzhai directly.
However, there is not much oil inventory in Zangqi County, which has always been a small country with few animals.
It was impossible for Zhu Bao to bring all the oil jars and consume them here.
Therefore, just to clear a path about two feet wide that could reach directly to the base wall of the garrison, the bandit army paid more than 300 corpses.
Before the fight was even fought, five hundred of the soldiers under his command were killed or wounded.
Such a result made Zhu Bao watch the battle in front of the battle with a cold light in his eyes and a long-lasting regret.
This was quite different from what he had expected.
Moreover, like a frightened agouti, the garrison wall has been erected with more than ten feet of bamboo spears. If you want to build a long ladder to attack it, you will have to go through a lot of troubles! Judging from today's progress, we can capture the garrison by then. How many soldiers are left in the army?
For a garrison, the gains outweigh the losses!
At dusk, we collected our troops and headed back to camp.
The head of the family named Long, who had always had a close friendship with Zhu Bao, drove the Yunnan horses side by side and suggested, "Prefect, it is useless to attack by force. It is better to besiege." Before Zhu Bao could reply, he lowered his voice again and said softly, "The morale of those barbarians is already flagging."
Hearing this, Zhu Bao tilted his head slightly and glanced at the elder barbarian clan leader behind him from the corner of his eye.
Unexpectedly, I saw that they had gathered together and were whispering something.
This situation also made Zhu Bao feel awe-inspiring.
Without asking, he knew that there were too many casualties as soon as they attacked the fortress, which made the elders weigh the gains and losses.
After all, although the Han army's clothing, armor and baggage are good, if they don't get their lives, it's all joy in vain.
Alas, that’s all.
There is a saying in the art of war: if it is ten, it is to encircle it, if it is five, it is to attack it, and if it is doubled, it is to divide it.
It’s better not to think about it overnight.
Zhu Bao sighed inaudibly, and nodded slightly, "The Master of the Long Family knows my heart well, so let's surround him first."
After saying this, he waved his hand to summon the confidant who was guarding Guangtan County.
He was asked to lead his five hundred soldiers tomorrow and set up camp seventy miles east of Pingyi County to be on guard for the Pingyi defenders to come to rescue.
He then drove his horse to the elders of the tribes and claimed that all of their tribesmen who died in the battle today would be compensated according to the military system, which once again aroused the morale of the army.
After the incident was over, Zhu Bao moved the general camp to the gap in Yingshan Mountain, dug deep trenches, cut down bamboos and trees, and set up barriers to trap and garrison the defenders.
Moreover, in accordance with the military strategy of "encircling three towers and breaking the enemy's determination to fight to the death", a gap of about seven to eight feet was left, giving the Han army a vague hope.
Naturally, his efforts were destined to be in vain.
In the garrison, Zheng Pu and Gouliu did not come to attack Zhu Bao for several days, but they also gathered together to discuss it several times.
At the beginning, the soldiers were divided into two groups and took turns keeping watch to prevent the bandits from taking advantage of the night to attack unexpectedly. Later, the scouts were asked to return from the expedition and claimed that Zhu Bao had built the fortifications in reverse, and then After calming down, each other performed their duties.
Ju Fu and Liu Yin urged the soldiers to be cautious and alert every day.
Zheng Pu taught the soldiers new calligraphy and explained the absurdity of ghosts and monsters every day. He also took some time off from his busy schedule to urge Fu Qian and Li Qiu to read and practice military formations.
Since Zhu Bao wants to besiege him, let's waste it!
Anyway, within the garrison, within two months, there was no shortage of food and fodder.
Moreover, Zhu Bao brought more troops and needed more food, which required more troops and troops to transport. It is better to wait and see what happens and see how long he can be trapped!
However, as time passed, the atmosphere inside the garrison became increasingly solemn.
One month had passed, and Zhu Bao still had a lot of leisure time and remained under siege without any worries about food or supplies.
Therefore, Zheng Pu often stopped on the archery tower in recent days, looking far into the distance, pinching his beard and frowning in thought.