In Luoyang, after receiving Xu Rong's report, Dong Zhuo stood up from his seat and walked around with an anxious look on his face.
There are actually only more than 30,000 soldiers in Hulao Gate now, because he and Lu Bu brought back 20,000 people to transport gold, silver and jewelry.
Now the whole of Luoyang is under his power, Yuan Wei and the Manchu officials are extremely obedient, and the relocation goes smoothly.
So after hearing that Hua Xiong had been beheaded, the coalition forces were now using catapults to bombard the pass every day. The morale of Dong's army at the pass was extremely low. Dong Zhuo was worried for a while, fearing that Hulao Pass would be lost.
If Hulao Pass was breached at this time, Dong Zhuo would be in a dilemma.
Because after Dong Zhuo transported gold, silver, jewelry and other properties, he had already taken care of the population and was now moving a large number of people to Guanzhong.
Once the Kwantung Allied Forces invaded, his army did not even have a retreat direction. The official road from Luoyang to Chang'an was densely packed with ordinary people, carrying the old and the young, leaving their homes.
In fact, in a month or two, Dong Zhuo is already considering moving the entire court to Chang'an. This will leave Luoyang with only an empty city and only need to send a small number of soldiers to guard the Eight Passes. Even if the coalition forces invade, it will be nothing.
Can't get either.
But the prerequisite for all this is that the front line can be temporarily held, at least for now, the coalition forces cannot enter the pass.
At this time, Lu Bu stood up and said: "Father, don't panic, please allow me to lead the soldiers to Hulao Pass to help, and meet all the princes in the world for a while!"
"good!"
Dong Zhuo said happily: "My boy is brave enough to defeat the three armies, and he will definitely be able to defeat the rats in Guanzhong. Fengxian, please bring 10,000 elite troops. Remember, you can only hold Hulao Pass, but you must not take the initiative to lead the army to attack."
"Don't worry, foster father!"
Lu Bu patted his chest and promised that in fact, he had been working as a bodyguard for Dong Zhuo during this period. Lu Bu himself was tired of it. Now that he could finally return to the battlefield, he just wanted to meet the heroes of the world and see how strong he was after getting the stirrup.
.
After receiving the military order from the Grand Master's Mansion, Lu Bu sent people to summon the soldiers, then came out, climbed onto the red rabbit horse, and felt the power brought by the stirrups on his legs. Lu Bu felt that his whole body was full of strength.
Since having this thing, things that were difficult to do in the past can be done completely, and many incredible tricks can be used, making Lu Bu feel like he is reborn. Even if he faces Guan Yu and Zhang Fei again, Lu Bu
I also have the confidence to fight the two of them to the bitter end.
"Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei!"
Lu Bu's eyes flashed with fierceness. After riding on the red rabbit horse, he almost squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "It's time to put an end to the revenge of the sword."
...
...
Outside Hulao Pass, after more than a month of production, the number of catapults has now exceeded one hundred.
The catapult of the late Han Dynasty was called a catapult.
"Three Kingdoms·Wei Zhi·Yuan Shao Biography": "Taizu (Cao Cao) used a stone chariot to attack (Yuan) Shao's towers and destroyed them all. The Shao people called them thunder chariots." It is also called "throwing chariots".
It's just different from the catapult used by Cao Cao in the later Battle of Guandu. The catapult of the Qingzhou Army was improved by Chen Mu and students from Taishan Academy. It can throw bigger stones and has a longer range. It is called "Stone Cannon".
"!
The cannon in chess is actually this "cannon".
Before artillery appeared, the word "gun" was written next to a stone. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it began to be used on a large scale in wars. Even the Jin soldiers besieged Bianliang and installed more than 5,000 cannons in one night, almost destroying Bianliang. You can see the catapults.
What role did it play in the war?
Moreover, when Chen Mu improved it in Qingzhou, it was just the first improvement. Later, after Qingzhou was pacified and they had free time, students from Taishan Academy made many improvements to it, almost reaching the peak of the catapult.
For example, a new winch is added behind the base, and the fixed pulley principle is used to pull down the throwing rod after the stone is thrown. When it is time to use it, just release the winch.
There are also adjustments to the overall design of the gun mount, improvements to the cowhide bands, etc., which are even better than the catapults of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Not only is the weight that can be hung from one end heavier, the throw distance and the weight that can be thrown are also greater and farther.
Technological innovation is undoubtedly a very painful thing for the guards at Hulao Gate.
The city tower has been blown down, and the city wall is full of pits and holes. Just cleaning up the stones and debris from the wall every day took a lot of energy from the defenders.
In fact, the damage caused by the catapults was not great. After all, the city wall of Bianliang was more than 40 miles long, and it took 5,000 turrets to project fire continuously every day to force the Northern Song Dynasty to surrender. But outside Hulao Pass, it was no more
There are more than a hundred seats, which will not cause too many casualties.
In one month, only more than 2,000 unlucky people were stoned to death. Every time there was a stone attack, other people ran to the pass early to hide. The only lookouts on the city wall were hidden in the inner wall of the female wall.
post.
Since the lookout post is built under the city wall, there is a hidden compartment behind the gate. The space inside is very small, about three or four square meters, and a small hole is opened outside for observation, so it will not pose a threat to the boundary post.
Once the coalition forces stopped the catapult attack and ordered a large-scale invasion, the people in the lookout posts would convey the news, and the defenders would return to the city walls to garrison.
Based on Dong Jun's reaction, Chen Mu and Tian Feng also formulated a series of routines.
For example, first stop the catapult attack, let the soldiers pretend to move out, and wait until the guard post reports that all the enemies are on the city wall, then order the catapult to continue attacking.
This routine successfully caused 700 to 800 casualties to Dong Jun. From then on, Xu Rong ordered that the soldiers must confirm that the infantry of the coalition forces had arrived at the bottom of the city and were ready to start building a trench bridge before the soldiers could go up the city wall.
In terms of time, this is enough.
After all, there is a trench under the city, and water is diverted from the Yellow River, which is also commonly known as the moat. Without the trench bridge, there is no way to cross it. After the trench bridge was erected, the coalition forces began to climb the trench bridge and then set up ladders. At this time, Dong Jun
It's already closed.
When their plan failed, Chen Mu and Tian Feng made another plan.
That is, after Dong Jun came up and set up defense and control, their soldiers immediately retreated, and their catapults pounded them non-stop.
Xu Rong also quickly made strategic adjustments and built large-scale fortifications behind the city wall to resist stones falling into the city. The soldiers no longer hid in the city, but in the fortifications behind the city wall, so that they could go to the city at any time.
Arm your defenses.
The two sides went back and forth, conducting offensive and defensive operations in a virtual and real manner. Although there was no large-scale head-on confrontation, it was full of secret fights and intrigues on the battlefield.
"Brother, after many days of catapult bombardment, Dong Jun's morale must have dropped to the extreme. Our army can launch a large-scale attack."
Chen Mu looked at the bumpy city wall in the distance and said with a smile.
Liu Bei hesitated and said: "In recent days, I have found that Dong Jun's reaction speed has been much faster. I am afraid that their soldiers are hiding under the city. If they attack now, they will quickly go up to defend. Hulao Pass is still dangerous and difficult to
Break it."
"It doesn't matter, I have a plan that will definitely catch the enemy off guard."
Chen Mu smiled confidently.
"oh?"
Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he said, "What's the plan?"
"This is a way to put someone to death and live again."
Chen Mu told the plan.
This method is actually to organize death squads to brave the catapult shells to get outside the trench first, wait for the catapult to stop, and then organize the attack.
Because the catapult stones hit the city wall or the ground outside the city, a large amount of dust will be thrown up, forming a fog of war, and it will also make a loud sound. It is difficult for the lookouts on the city to see the situation clearly, and they cannot judge by the sound.
.
If the death squads had already arrived at the trench and set up the trench bridge at this time, by the time the dust cleared and the lookouts discovered it, the army would have basically arrived at the bottom of the city and began to build ladders to prepare for the climb up to the city.
When the lookout reported the situation to Xu Rong, Xu Rong ordered the soldiers to return to the city to set up defenses. Basically, the soldiers from both sides arrived at the city wall at the same time. At that time, it was a hand-to-hand battle on the city wall.
With the large number of coalition troops, Dong Jun lost the geographical advantage. In close hand-to-hand combat, there is a high probability that the coalition forces will gain the advantage, and will eventually completely capture Hulao Pass.
This strategy is actually the artillery and infantry coordinated tactics of later World War II.
There is a slogan in later generations, "When the artillery bombards, the infantry rushes. After the artillery bombards the infantry, the infantry rushes." This is the truth.
The only pity is that the casualties will be huge.
Since Dong Jun had rockets, if the trench bridge was built in advance, Dong Jun would use grease to burn it. Therefore, in order to gain time, the soldiers had to get closer to the moat so that the trench bridge could be laid as soon as possible.
But the catapult is uncertain. Sometimes it can be thrown into the city, and sometimes it will fall outside the city. If it is not controlled well and one of the own people is injured, the casualties will be huge.
"This plan..."
After Liu Bei heard this, he was extremely hesitant. This was really a terrible strategy for his soldiers.
Chen Mu only said one sentence: "Brother, time has not waited for me. The Emperor is still waiting for us in Luoyang. If Dong thief moves the Emperor to Chang'an, then there will be no point for us here."
"Done!"
Liu Bei gritted his teeth and refused to fight. Why didn't he know how precious life was?
But people living in this world have their own meaning.
If the subordinates gain a brighter future because of today's sacrifice, then their sacrifice will be worthwhile, and their families and future generations will also be properly settled.
The order was issued, and the entire army summoned death squads to charge.
As long as you join the death squad, you will be rewarded immediately. If you die in battle, you will receive a large pension. Your family and relatives will receive various preferential treatment. If you can climb the city wall, there will be a reward.
There must be brave men under the heavy reward, and groups of death squads have come forward, totaling five to six thousand people, and the number is even continuing to grow.
Troubled times are like this, human life is worthless. Everyone wants to live, but the meaning of life is to bloom. If you can use your own hard work to buy a peaceful life for your family, including the soldiers of other princes, everyone hopes so.
Whoosh!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The catapults were still continuously throwing stones, and after screening, eight thousand of the bravest soldiers were selected. This time, they didn't even bring the rams and wooden curtains, and they directly carried the ladders, trenches and bridges and started rushing forward.
Stones were flying overhead, and whatever courage the suicide squad soldiers had before setting off was gone at this moment. They only felt weak in their legs and trembling all over.
Huang Zhong comforted a pale-faced soldier beside him and said, "A-Liang, be brave, I may not hit you."
"Really?"
The soldier's bloodless face forced a smile: "Captain, you can't lie to me."
"Will not."
Huang Zhong looked back at the sky.
Countless boulders drew a splendid parabola in mid-air, and when they were about to reach the Hulao Pass city, they suddenly fell and hit the city wall hard, sending up dust all over the sky.
The soldiers of the death squad carried the ladder, tenaciously overcame their fear, and slowly approached the moat.
In fact, after so many days of projectile experiments, at least in terms of physics, Chen Mu has calculated the landing point error of these catapults to be very small.
How far can it be shot when using heavy weight, and how much force can a normal catapult produce? Even if his knowledge of mechanics is limited to the high school level, it is enough to maximize the benefits of the catapult through continuous adjustment and testing.
Simply put, by adjusting the position of each catapult and the size of the stones, there is a high probability that the stones thrown by the catapults can accurately land on the city instead of outside the city.
This error was reduced to within five feet, which was already a very remarkable calculation, and it also resulted in very small casualties for our own soldiers.
But even so, there is still a very small probability. After all, this thing is not completely controllable.
Huang Zhong's pupils suddenly shrank, and he saw a huge stone coming towards them.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Bang!
The dust dispersed, leaving a huge stone pit in its place.
Neither Huang Zhong nor Xiao Bing died.
At the last moment, he pushed away A Liang beside him at an extremely fast speed, and both of them just fell to the ground.
Thanks to the large area of Hulao Pass, the 8,000 people were dispersed and approached slowly in groups, which also reduced the chance of accidental injuries when loss of control occurred.
Fortunately, Huang Zhong saw this large stone weighing more than 100 kilograms and pushed away the soldiers around him in time, so no casualties were caused.
But the other team was not so lucky and was hit by large rocks, killing three of them on the spot.
This accident made the death squad even more silent. No one spoke anymore. They continued to move forward slowly, and finally arrived at the trench 70 meters away from the catapult.
"Stop shooting!"
The herald galloped in front of the formation and gave the order to the catapult to continue firing.
Almost at the moment when the whistling sound in the air stopped, all the death squads set up the trench bridge over the trench at the same time and began to climb down the city.
Because the pass was full of smoke and dust, and the sky was filled with loess, which obscured the view, all the lookouts in the pass did not notice the actions of the pass.
By the time they discovered it, aerial ladders had already been laid, and someone was charging toward the gate.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack! Climbing the city wall has begun!"
The sentry shouted at the top of his lungs like a sharp whistle, breaking the tranquility.
After Xu Rong, who was in the pass, noticed that the catapults had stopped attacking, he ordered his soldiers to prepare.
But he never expected that the enemy's attack speed would be so fast. You must know that the catapult was about thirty feet away from the city wall. It would take at least twenty or thirty breaths for the coalition soldiers to run across this distance carrying ladders, trenches and bridges.
This was just a matter of running down to the city, waiting to build the moat bridge, and then climb across the moat. Before the ladders were set up, their soldiers had already arrived on the city and started setting up defenses.
So when Xu Rong heard that the enemy had actually begun to climb the city wall, he felt incredible at first, and then full of horror.
Why.
Why could the coalition forces have already arrived at Guanxia when they stopped shooting?
Did they come here under the hail of catapults?
Aren't they afraid of death?
But at this time, Xu Rong could no longer think too much. Almost as soon as he heard the message from the sentry, he yelled at the soldiers like crazy: "Get on the city wall, everyone get on the city wall!"
After passing the pass, Dong Jun hurriedly began to rush towards the city wall through the stairs.
Almost as soon as Dong's soldiers reached the city wall, a steady stream of coalition soldiers on the wall were already rushing up like ants.
Thanks to the height of the city wall at Hulao Pass, which is close to nine meters, there were not that many people coming up in the first batch.
If it were an ordinary city wall that was more than four meters long, it would probably be filled with allied soldiers now.
Therefore, Dong's soldiers quickly fought with the enemy.
"kill!"
Huang Zhong was the first to rush forward. He jumped off the parapet and danced like a dragon with the sword in his hand, killing several people in an instant.
"Captain is mighty!"
When the rest of the team following Huang Zhong saw this scene, their military morale was greatly boosted, and they all roared and charged forward to kill.
Xu Rong and other Xiliang army generals also led their guards to the city wall.
Now there are only more than 30,000 people in Hulao Pass. Xu Rong has ordered all soldiers to return to the pass to defend. The two sides soon started a fierce hand-to-hand battle on the city wall.
Both sides were in a state of anxiety for a while, and there were fierce fighting everywhere on the city wall.
Everyone in the coalition forces outside the pass saw this scene. This was the first time that coalition soldiers rushed to the city wall.
Liu Bei was almost ecstatic, and said to the messenger beside him: "Send the order, go and send the order, attack, the whole army attacks, kill them all!"
"Come on!"
"kill!"
"Hoo ho ho!"
Liu Bei's army, which had been prepared long ago, did not let the first one charge forward.
The soldiers led by Guan Hai, Zang Ba, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun and others rushed towards the city like wolves and tigers.
It is almost impossible for eight thousand soldiers to occupy the three-mile-long city wall, so the fighting on the city wall is sparse. It is often three Dong soldiers besieging one coalition army, and the bravery of the death squads can barely maintain the position.
But an army of more than 100,000 people was behind them, and their position was actually further away than the catapults, because the catapults had wooden curtains to withstand bows and arrows, but ordinary soldiers did not, so they had to be farther away.
Now the charge was launched. About a mile away, everyone ran like crazy, carrying more trenches, bridges, ladders and other siege equipment towards Hulao Pass.
But at this moment, an accident happened.
No one knew that at the moment when the coalition forces finally attacked the city wall, a large army had just arrived behind Hulao Pass.
The number of this army is only ten thousand, but there is one word clearly written on the big flag in the hands of the flag-bearing soldiers.
Lu!
Lu Bu finally arrived at Hulao Pass, just in time for this battle.