Shu Chen

Chapter 185
The right-wing camp of the Wei army was not very large, and there were not many Thunderbolt chariots that could accommodate it. Moreover, the long-range attack of the Thunderbolt chariot, which was not very accurate, had almost negligible lethality to the camp of thousands of soldiers.

However, the attack from the air will greatly cause the soldiers to panic.

Even the soldiers of the Han army who hold the belief of death will instinctively feel afraid.

However, military orders are like mountains.

In the midst of the Wei army's flying arrows like locusts, they were still under the protection of the big scull warriors, and resolutely moved forward to clear the obstacles one by one.

Zheng Pu, who was supervising the battle at the rear, was expressionless, watching his soldiers struggling to clear obstacles among the arrows, and he did not order the rhubarb crossbow in the army to shoot for a long time.

With the range of the rhubarb crossbow, it is enough to destroy Niwei's thunderbolt chariot.

Even if it can't be destroyed, it can suppress them and prevent them from throwing stones indiscriminately.

But Zheng Pu turned a blind eye to the hardships of the soldiers, even though Zhang Ni, who was leading the soldiers in front of the attack, had already sent someone to ask for orders.

"Zijin, why not use the rhubarb crossbow evil?"

Standing on one side and watching the battle, Zhang Bao asked in a low voice, relying on his different identities, "If we use the rhubarb crossbow to suppress the thunderbolt chariot against Wei at this time, it will save our army from losing some soldiers."

"Ah."

No, Zheng Pu just nodded lightly, still staring at the progress of the battle ahead, and said in an understated tone, "Brother Wen Rong, don't be impatient until the time comes."

Take it easy?

Zhang Bao looked at the soldiers who were struggling to clear obstacles among the arrows and stones. Hearing the screams that came from time to time, he couldn't help but slightly parted his beard and hair, and his leopard eyes widened.

Obviously Zheng Pu said before that he would not attack by force and increase the casualties of soldiers.

As a result, let alone the strong attack, you still sit back and watch the casualties of the soldiers and are stingy with ordnance?
Zhang Bao, who felt that his chest was burning with anger, was about to refute, 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, sometimes he turned his eyes to the battlefield ahead, and sometimes turned his head to see if Zheng Pu was making adjustments, and the whole person seemed restless.

It should be the snowflakes flying all over the sky, it's too disturbing.

Perhaps it was faintly aware that Zheng Pu, who had been staring at the battlefield, suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Bao's annoyed eyes, and couldn't help laughing softly. General, Mount Tai collapses in front of him, but his color does not change."

After persuading him, he pushed his chin back again, "The big yellow crossbow is used too early, and those preparations will be useless. If you can't take down the front camp against the Wei Dynasty today, Bixia Houru will not send troops to fight .”

Uh?
Hearing this, Zhang Bao was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help turning his head to look back.

I saw that more than ten steps behind, there were many parts of Zheng Pu's songs being busy.

Some of them, together with the craftsmen in the army, beat with mallets in their hands, experimenting with siege towers that were higher than those of the Niwei camp.

The siege tower, also known as "Linchong".

According to legend, it was invented before the Western Zhou Dynasty and was seen in the Battle of Fachong in the Western Zhou Dynasty.It is a rectangular frame built of wood, covered with raw cowhide on the outside, and wooden boards on the inside, which can carry crossbowmen to shoot from high places.

Some soldiers are carefully winding the cloth covered with grease layer by layer around the end of the arrow to make a burning rocket.

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 the dispatch of troops this time, Zheng Pu's department was the reason for sticking to Pingxiang City. Yang Yi, who was in charge of distributing military supplies, gave all the catapults to Li Yan.

Zheng Pu went to find Pu Yuan, who was in charge of the Ordnance Department, and got these three or four long bamboo poles.

And those soldiers are tying the roots of two bamboo poles together, propping them up with wooden rivets in the middle, making the tiny tails fork, and then tying cloth pockets.

Well, it's kind of like the pole of a catapult.

It's just much simpler. It is estimated that after the bamboo is bent and stressed, it can only throw items of ten catties (Chinese).

The shooting range is not too far, probably only fifty or sixty steps.

Seeing the neatly stacked grease jars, Zhang Bao roughly understood Zheng Pu's intentions.

Zheng Pu planned to use the rhubarb crossbows and the strong crossbowmen on the siege towers to attack suddenly after the soldiers cleared the obstacles and his side pushed the Wugang carts to approach the Niwei army camp; On the head of the Niwei city, and then ignited with a rocket, it can make the Niwei soldiers panic and unable to fight back in a short time.Let your own soldiers and ants be less hit by some defensive materials such as stones, wood, and gold juice when they attach to the city.

In this way, it is easy to understand what Zheng Pu said "the time has not come".

After all, today's soldiers clearing obstacles are still guarded by big sculls holding shields; once the first climbers start to climb the walls, they can only rely on luck.

Two powers harm each other whichever is less.

As a general, such a balance is wise.

Zhang Bao, who was belatedly aware, was a little embarrassed, looking at the not very tall back in front of him, his heart was full of admiration.There are also some who want to say something to alleviate the misunderstanding just now.Just when he opened his mouth, a gust of strong wind hit his face, and the entrained snow particles covered his mouth and nose.

That's all, family of in-laws, so what's the point of being polite!

See you outside?

Zhang Bao, who kept going out to "pee pee" the snowflakes, lost his mood for an instant.

Zheng Pu didn't have the time to pay attention to the behavior of his wife and brother.

He is now staring at the progress of the soldiers clearing obstacles like a falcon, and silently calculating the frequency of use of the Niwei Perak Chariot and the Big Yellow Crossbow.

From time to time, military officials who came to report the general's feelings also came in droves.

"Report! General Mi claimed that the anti-Wei cavalry had already arrived three miles away from the barracks, but they dared not come to disturb them when they saw Yuan Rong crossbows."

"Report! The big yellow crossbow has been placed properly."

"Report! The bamboo pole is ready to use."

"Report! The inspection of the siege tower has been completed, and there is no sign of instability."

Every time at this time, he just nodded slightly.

But those who are careful will find that two fingers on the handle of the knife on his waist are constantly tapping.

That was his new habit.

Whenever there is an opportunity to make a decision, before a decision is about to be made against the entire army, he will use this method to relieve the turbulent emotions in his chest and abdomen.

Zhang Bao is one of the few insiders.

also saw.

Therefore, there is a faint realization in my heart.

When he hurriedly turned his sights to the battlefield, he happened to find that the soldiers had already cleared more than half of the obstacles, and they only needed to cross two more trenches before they could attack the city.

And at this moment, Zheng Pu suddenly ordered sharply, "Bang the drum!"

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The thunderous sound of war drums rang out, making the entire Han army camp noisy.

A group of Han troops chanting chants pushed their crude siege vehicles to the side of the WISCO vehicles in the barracks, and the three hundred crossbowmen who had been waiting in full force for a long time climbed up to the horizontal plate on the top of the siege tower.When you can't feel the movement under your feet, you start to use the condescending advantage, install the crossbow and start aiming.

They are the main force to cover the trenches and fill up the trenches, and climb the walls.

"Wind! Play!"

Accompanied by the order of the commander and general, nearly [-] crossbow arrows shot out like locusts amidst the "buzz" of the bowstring.

And the Wei army sword and shield soldiers who had seen the siege tower approaching for a long time squatted on the ground halfway without the general's order, trying to shrink the robes beside them and themselves behind the shield as much as possible.

The Wei soldiers who controlled the thunderbolt chariot also began to turn their heads, intending to knock down the siege tower with boulders.

But they were too late.

Immediately after the powerful crossbowmen showed their might, a row of rhubarb crossbows in the Han army formation also shot out neatly.

In terms of bow and crossbow equipment, the Han Dynasty is far better than the Wei State.

For example, the normal rhubarb crossbow is very huge, requiring animal power or nearly ten soldiers to pull the bowstring.However, the rhubarb crossbow of the big man has been changed into a small, portable weapon that can be operated by only three soldiers.

Although the shooting range is inevitably reduced a lot, it can still penetrate armor within a hundred or so.

This time Zheng Pu brought thirty!

The power of a single-word volley is something that no warrior, no matter how brave and fearless of death, is willing to exist.

"Oh!"

The sound of neat and strong bowstrings sounded, and the two-finger-thick crossbow bolts were like thunder.

Piercing through the bodies of Cao Jun soldiers who controlled the thunderbolt chariot, and those who were shot to death and injured by the crossbow arrows, there were endless wailing wailings.

Xia Houru, who was watching the battle, looked like a sinking lake.

But Wang Mi, the guard who supervised the battle, was about to burst into tears.

The Han army never counterattacked with the rhubarb crossbow, making them think that the opponent did not bring it because it was inconvenient to carry it when marching.

Unexpectedly, the Han army suddenly launched an attack, killing many soldiers and destroying three thunder chariots!
"Shield Soldiers, Guard the Thunderbolt Chariot"

"Military craftsman, repair the car body immediately! If it can't be repaired, it will be dismantled and reassembled!"

"Aim at the siege tower and destroy it!"

"Quickly bring the Lei wood, stones and gold juice to the front, Nishu is about to attack the city!"

A series of instructions came out loudly from Wang Mi's mouth, making Xia Houru, who was watching the battle from behind, nod his head slightly.

Although this person looks extremely majestic, he is methodical and careful in his dispatches before the battle.If you see that Ni Shu is aggressively suppressing with bows and crossbows, you will know that the soldiers of Ni Shu are about to attack the city with ants.

It can be called a good general!
However, the next move of the Han army made the "good general" in Xia Houru's heart panic.

That's when the Han army used a bamboo pole to throw the grease jar.

At first, when Xia Houru and Wang Mi saw something black and roaring towards them, they thought it was the Han army who also had catapults, so they hurriedly hid under the shield wall of the personal guards.

But the grease jar fell on the top of the city, shattered all over the ground, and white and yellow grease flowed out.

Let Wang Mi suddenly turn pale.

No need to guess, he also knew what the Han army was going to do next, and shouted loudly, "Cover it with soil! Cover it with soil!"

But in a hurry, how could the soldiers have time to run down the wooden fence and wall to dig soil?

Furthermore, the bamboo throwing poles in the Han army's formation were still swaying continuously, and they kept throwing the oil jars.The aim was a bit off, with half of them hitting the back of the wall, but the number more than made up for it.

In addition, the two hundred archers in the Han army also fired the ignited rockets and drew the bowstring halfway up.

"Buzz!"

Like a daytime meteor, the burning rocket drew an arc in mid-air, and then, under the gravity of the arrowhead, pierced down fiercely with a sharp sound of piercing through the air and sparks of a prairie fire.

And just as a wave of arrows fell, another wave of daytime meteors rose into the sky.

Unsurprisingly, the grease overflowing on the wall of the Wei army was ignited, and soon turned into a blazing trend, as if someone had set up a bonfire on the battlefield.

Entering the severe winter season, the soldiers of the Wei army were already dressed thickly, and they were crowded to the brim, and there was no way to escape.

Those who were directly burned to death, suffocated or roasted to death, and those who jumped down and fell to their deaths and maimed were extremely miserable.

Although soon, Xia Houru, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, asked people to fetch ice water for stirring the golden juice, and asked the soldiers to take off their armor and pat the fire, so as to prevent the fire from spreading and let the fire gradually become smaller, so that the sudden riot is inevitable.

And within this time difference, the Xuanwu army led by Zhang Ni had already poured out of the WISCO carts, and placed the long wooden planks in their hands vertically on the ditch, acting as a temporary pontoon bridge; , Standing on the wooden railing of Wei Jun's barracks, climbing up quickly with all four limbs.

"kill!"

"Nothing before!"

"Recover the Central Plains!"

The charging roars in their mouths are different, but their morale is like a rainbow, showing the same determination.

When the Wei army had no time to prepare, many Han troops suddenly climbed to the top of the wall, but were quickly driven off.It was Xia Houru who was in a hurry, so he personally led the trilogy, and with the blade, he pushed through the messy soldiers and came to stand firm on the city wall.

Many soldiers of the Han army who were biting the ring-shoulders ushered in 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 to fight, but they were outnumbered and besieged.

Especially in the cold winter season, the continuous light snow accumulated a layer of snowflakes on the top of the city, which made the oil burn insufficient. Wei Jun quickly brought the fire under control.

Without the commotion caused by the fire, Wang Mi was finally able to allow the soldiers to take advantage of the city's defense in offensive and defensive warfare.

Pile up on the top of the city, countless stones, wood, and gold juice poured down from the city wall, taking away the alive and kicking lives of the Han army one after another.In the formation of the Han army, the strong crossbowmen of the siege tower continued to snipe condescendingly, causing the crossbow arrows to plunge into the body of Cao Jun who had to put down his shield and free his hands to defend against the enemy.

Husband war, courage also.

Cao Jun's morale was low after repeated misfortunes.

The morale of the Han army was like a rainbow, and Zhang Ni actually held the sword and shield himself, and fought with the soldiers to climb the city against arrows and stones.

"kill!"

"kill!"

The lord will take the lead and always let the soldiers die without hesitation.

The soldiers of the Xuanwu Army also burst out with bloody courage in their bones, roaring and surging forward with red eyes.

And Zheng Pu, who supervised the battle in the rear, also ordered to push the WISCO car array and siege towers forward. Every crossbow bolt with full penetrating power could take a life at a short distance.

It also caused the battle to heat up in an instant.

The Wei army on the top of the city, relying on the cover of the city wall and holding a spear, struggled to stab out, turning any Han army that approached into a corpse; but they would also be caught by the Han army and pull them down under the city wall .

The shouts of killing were like thunder, and the sound of war drums shattered the sky.

Slowly, more and more soldiers of the Han army boarded the city wall, and leaned on each other to form small formations to fight against the Wei army.

The Wei army, which had been separated from the formation, was originally demoralized, and now they were unable to find their respective governors or commanders. In a panic, the defense line inevitably collapsed.

(End of this chapter)