At night, the blacksmiths in the forging yard went bare-chested and sweated profusely to build a large iron fork. The fork they made was a three-pronged fork with three parallel prongs and a round head. It weighed more than twenty kilograms and was equipped with a three-foot-long jujube wood pole.
The iron fork for forking wheat straw is easier to use, and because the quality requirements are not high, the production speed is very fast. By the first watch, 500 large iron forks were completed. After installing the long pole, they became a guard.
City weapon.
On the top of the city, Guo Song looked at the military camp in the distance with his hands behind his hands. There were also torches and bright lights over there. It was obvious that the enemy army was also going all out to build a siege ladder.
"Your Majesty, I actually think the poison-quenching caltrop is a good hidden weapon. Isn't it a pity to stop building it?" Ma Wei, the general of the town, asked in a low voice.
Guo Song smiled lightly and said: "The poisonous Tribulus can only catch the opponent off guard, but it is also easy to crack it. At least I have thought of several ways. I believe that the other party will come up with countermeasures tomorrow, and the poisonous Tribulus is spread too much."
If it is too large, it will hurt the people in the city in the future, so I stopped building it. A big iron fork is more effective."
Ma Wei clasped her fists and said, "I understand my humble position!"
Next to him, Li Ji added: "If I guess correctly, the opponent will probably use a battering ram to hit the city gate tomorrow. We need to have countermeasures."
Ma Wei immediately responded: "This is easy. Use huge rocks to block the city gates. Even if the opponent breaks the city gates, it will still be useless."
Guo Song smiled happily and said: "This is also a good method. It can be adopted. Attacking with huge rocks is also a method, and shooting with heavy crossbows. Even with a shield, it cannot block the sharp arrows. We will implement it tonight."
After everyone deliberated for a while, they went down to the city to implement the plan to block the city.
On the corridor, Li Ji asked Guo Song in a low voice: "I can see that the envoy is worried, but are you worried about the reinforcements from Shuofang Army?"
Guo Song did not deny it, nodded and said: "Actually, whether Shuofang's army will come to assist us or not is not a big problem anymore. I just hope that they will show up at the right time and not cause unnecessary losses for the sake of greed for credit."
Li Ji smiled and said: "Actually, just use the letter eagle. We still have dozens of scouts on the outside. Send eagle letters to them, asking them to convey the envoy's opinions to the reinforcement general."
Guo Song thought for a while and agreed, "This is a way. I will write an eagle letter tomorrow morning."
.........
Before dawn the next day, thousands of militia soldiers blocked the east and west city gates with huge rocks from the inside. Jiuyuan County only had two city gates, so even if the enemy used a battering ram to smash the city gates, it would be of no avail.
In the early morning, the urgent alarm bell rang on the top of the city. The soldiers woke up from their dreams one after another, holding spears in their hands and watching the situation below the city. The defenders unexpectedly discovered that the battlefield of Shatuo Army had been moved to the North City.
Thousands of soldiers of the Shatuo Army were seen paving three passages with thick pine branches. This was also what Guo Song said was a countermeasure against thorns. Generally, the army used wooden planks to pave the roads, but the Shatuo Army made a simple use of pine branches.
Although paving roads is simple and crude, it is also very practical and can basically avoid the plots of thorns and pits.
The reason why Shatuo Army chose to attack the city in Beicheng was mainly because Beicheng did not use sandbags to heighten the city wall, which greatly eased the difficulty of climbing for Shatuo Army soldiers.
In less than half an hour, Shatuo's army used pine branches to pave three pine tree avenues hundreds of steps long.
At the top of the north city, two thousand Tang troops were ready. Ma Wei sighed and said to Li Ji: "Guo Shijun is right. It is indeed easier to break through the thorns and pits. Once they are spread with pine branches, the thorns will lose their effect."
Li Ji smiled slightly and said: "We have the Iron Fork Army, and we are not afraid of the enemy attacking the city at all!"
The two looked back and saw a thousand militia soldiers standing behind the city wall holding 500 long iron forks.
Today, the Tang Dynasty dispatched three thousand militia soldiers to participate in the battle. One thousand of them were responsible for using steel forks and two thousand were archers. They fired bows and arrows under the city. The arrows flew over the city and fell into the enemy crowd outside the city.
The lethality is still very powerful, but the range is not too far. Guo Song stood on the turret at the corner of the northwest city wall, watching the battlefield trends to the north and west.
He can basically judge the enemy's combat intentions from the enemy's troop deployment.
"Only a thousand men from the second battalion will be left at the head of the west city, and all the rest of the army will be concentrated on the north city!"
Guo Song judged that Xue Yantuo's army would attack the North City with all its strength today, but the opponent still had two to three thousand troops left outside the West City, and it was very likely that they would use a battering ram to attack the city gate.
After Guo Song's order was issued, the army began to mobilize quickly. Except for the thousand people led by Liang Wu who stayed at the west city head, the other four thousand troops gathered at the north city head. In addition, there were one thousand militiamen Gangcha soldiers and two thousand militiamen.
Archers, seven thousand troops have gathered at the top of Beicheng. Even if the enemy attacked Beicheng with 10,000 people, the Tang army still has the upper hand.
Of course, the Tang army's troop mobilization and deployment were unknown to Xue Yantuo's army under the city, and they could not see it. They could only implement it according to their own pre-deployment. This was also an advantage for the defenders.
You have the initiative in deploying troops and can adjust your deployment to the enemy in a timely manner.
The siege side can only adjust its tactics after the war is unfavorable to itself, and it is often too late. This determines that the siege side's troop strength is many times greater than that of the opponent, so that comprehensive deployment can be used to offset the defender's troop deployment advantage.
.
This huge difference is obviously not known to Xue Chake, the first-time head coach of Xue Yantuo.
Xue Chake raised his sword and shouted: "Beat the drum and attack!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The sound of war drums was earth-shattering. Twelve thousand Xue Yantuo's troops rushed toward the city like three black waves. There were pine branches under their feet. Without the worries of thorns, the soldiers advanced extremely quickly.
Xue Chake made a desperate move and put all 400 siege ladders he had built overnight into today's siege battle. On average, thirty people used one siege ladder.
Li Ji shouted sharply: "Archers, prepare!"
The yellow flag was waving on the top of the city. Two thousand soldiers on the city drew their bows and set arrows. Two thousand militia soldiers in the city also drew their bows and were on standby. The four thousand people formed two arrow strike ranges, one hundred paces and fifty paces respectively.
The atmosphere of war suddenly broke out and enveloped the entire city. The soldiers felt the strong pressure. They gritted their teeth and looked sternly. The militia soldiers obviously became a little nervous, and their palms were sweating.
The young man's legs were trembling.
The town general Ma Wei sternly shouted to the militia soldiers: "You can't be afraid. Your house and your family are behind you. It depends on your protection. If you want your house not to be burned down, your property, wife and children not to be robbed, and your parents not to be
If you want to kill them, you must muster up the courage to fight the enemy with all your might!"
Ma Wei's words hit the hearts of the militia soldiers like a thunder, awakening many people from ignorance. A strong sense of responsibility defeated the fear in their hearts. Thousands of militia soldiers gradually gathered their courage and were no longer distracted by the war.
Intimidated by the atmosphere, I straightened my back.
Xue Yantuo's army is getting closer and closer, and their ferocious faces can be clearly seen, like countless demons rushing out of hell, rushing towards the city wall with their bloody mouths open.
"Fire arrows at the top of the city!"
Xue Yantuo's soldiers advanced within a hundred steps. The two thousand soldiers of the Tang Army on top of the city fired arrows at the same time. The arrows fell like raindrops on the heads of Xueyantuo's soldiers. The powerful arrows shot into the crowd like "Whoosh! Whoosh!"
, there was a roar of wailing, and soldiers fell to the ground one after another after being hit by arrows.
"Raise the war drum again!" Xue Chake shouted with red eyes and waved his sword.
‘Dong—dong—’
The war drums of Xue Yantuo's army became heavy and powerful. On the one hand, they encouraged the soldiers to fight, and on the other hand, they also warned the soldiers that those who retreated would be killed without mercy.
Amidst the strong sound of drums, Xue Yantuo's soldiers had no choice but to ignore the rain of arrows above their heads and the wails of their companions around them. They rushed forward like a tide, and finally reached the bottom of the city wall. Hundreds of siege aircraft set up on the top of the city one after another. The soldiers were like
The wolf is like a tiger and is killing towards the top of the city...
At the same time that Xue Yantuo's army was aggressively attacking Jiuyuan City, a Tang army consisting of 10,000 people appeared at the bend of the Yellow River in the west of Fengzhou, where the Yellow River split into two streams, one south and one north flowing eastward.
There are still three hundred miles away from Jiuyuan County, but the Tang army has slowed down. They don't seem to be in a hurry to support Jiuyuan County, but what are they waiting for?
The leader of this Tang army was Duan Xiushi, the military governor of Shuofang. Duan Xiushi received a letter from Guo Song asking for help and personally led an army of 10,000 to rescue Fengzhou.
However, as the situation changed, Duan Xiushi was no longer so eager to rescue Jiuyuan.
General Cheng Han whispered: "Jiedu Envoy, will the Tang army be unable to defend Jiuyuan County?"
Duan Xiushi smiled slightly and said: "Jiuyuan County is not a mud-walled hut that is vulnerable to a blow. On the contrary, its city wall is made of huge stones from Daqingshan, which is stronger and stronger than the city wall in Lingzhou. Unless the Xue Yantuo people come prepared
, bring enough food and siege weapons, then I will worry.
But the Xueyantuo people obviously had wrong intelligence. They thought that Fengzhou was still as undefended as before and could easily kidnap people and property. They didn't bring any logistical equipment, so I wasn't too worried. Now I'm just thinking about how to get rid of this.
An invading Xue Yantuo army was completely wiped out?"
Cheng Han hesitated for a moment and then said: "Having said that, I am worried that Commander Guo is too young and inexperienced. In a moment of enthusiasm, he will lead his army to attack, or if he fails to defend the city, Xue Yantuo's army will succeed in attacking the city, and the people in the city will be destroyed."
It’s a disaster.”
Duan Xiushi glanced at him and said, "You are overthinking. Guo Song is brave and resourceful. Although he is young, he already has the aura of a famous general. Otherwise, he would not be able to succeed in his mission to the Western Regions. Even Li Ji is willing to follow him wholeheartedly. Are you still worried?
Is he unable to defend the city well?"
Cheng Han's face was full of shame, he cupped his fists and saluted, "I understand my humble position!"
At this time, a soldier came to report, "The scouts from Jiuyuan County want to see the commander-in-chief, and there is a letter from Guo Shijun to present to the commander-in-chief!"
"Bring them up!"
After a while, a Tang Army scout was brought up and presented an eagle letter to Duan Xiushi, "This is a letter from our Lord Guo to the Jiedushi. Please have the Jiedushi read it!"
Duan Xiushi opened the letter, read it and said with a smile: "It seems that the heroes have the same idea. If you reply to Guo Shijun, tell me that this is what I meant!"