I am a nobleman in Spring and Autumn

Chapter 469 There is no other way but to fight for life

"The original army is frequently mobilized, so our army must come to help. Now, I have only two choices, and decide to give up 'Xinzheng' and break out, or stick to 'Xinzheng' and wait for the original army." Ziguo looks thin, which shows the long-term How much psychological pressure.

Handa said: "The original army did not attack, which shows that they have scruples about the fortified city. Even if they lost to the original army in the battle of defending the city, may they win in the field battle?"

Judging from the smoke from every time the original army lit a fire and cooked food, the number of enemy troops directly responsible for besieging "Xinzheng" should have dropped to about [-].

The monarchs and ministers of the Chu State believed that there were reinforcements to contain the enemy's forces, and the number of enemy troops besieging "Xinzheng" was reduced, and it was the best time to break out of the encirclement.

There is a question, why did Zheng Guo want to build "Xinzheng" into a strong city?Isn't it because they want to rely on the "Xinzheng" city defense fortifications to defend in the event of a national crisis, and persist until a new change occurs?
Therefore, although the situation is very unfavorable to Zheng Guo, Zheng Guo still has no idea of ​​​​giving up on "Xin Zheng".

Now a new problem arises.

The kings and ministers of the state of Chu didn't want to continue being trapped in "Xinzheng" and couldn't move. They obviously planned to break out of the siege desperately.

Yes, the kings and ministers of the state of Chu can go back to the country after breaking out of the siege, and they still have the ability to continue to fight against the original country. The problem is that once the "Xin Zheng" is lost, the state of Zheng will be completely finished.

Under such a clear situation, even if abandoning the "Xinzheng" would not immediately destroy the state of Zheng, where could the king and ministers of the state of Zheng flee?

Zheng Guojun and his ministers followed Chu Guojun and his ministers to Chu State?That is, there is only one lone army left in Zheng State, and then a regime in exile will be formed in Chu State. God knows when it will be able to counterattack the homeland and regain control of the cities from the original army.

The monarchs and ministers of Chu State and Zheng State wrote the script very well at the beginning. They planned to use the strength of "Xinzheng" as a backing to attract the original army to attack "Xinzheng". bleed more.

If it wasn't for this kind of thinking, the kings and ministers of Chu would not take the initiative to enter the "Xinzheng" city. They should have chosen to return to Chu after they realized that they could not win the original army in a field battle.

The following situation did not develop according to the scripts of Chu and Zheng's monarchs and ministers. The original army approached "Xinzheng", but the original army only encircled and did not have large soldiers approaching the city, and also built artificial soil outside the city. Heaps, using the advantages of long-range equipment to bombard the city every day.

Do you know how great the psychological pressure is on those who are within the attack range when boulders fall from time to time?
It may be that while walking on the road, a huge boulder fell from the sky and smashed people into a pulp.

When sleeping, the boulders fall down, making people lose their lives in their sleep.

There was a sound of a boulder falling to the ground, and everyone who heard the sound trembled, fearing that a boulder would also fall from their heads.

The original army's catapults smashed during the day and at night. One catapult threw five to seven boulders into the city of "Xinzheng" on average every day, and one hundred catapults cost 700 to [-] yuan.

Of course, it’s not that the catapult can only throw up to seven boulders a day. It’s just that it takes time to find and transport the boulders, and it’s a bit difficult to send them to the artificial soil mound. Otherwise, the catapult can throw two boulders about every quarter of an hour. of.

The main target of the catapults has never been the city walls or gates. From the very beginning, they have been heading for the inner city, playing to destroy the will of the soldiers and civilians in the city.

So, is it possible for the catapult to smash down the city wall?It can only be said that there is no absolute in everything, and it can be smashed, but the difficulty is not small.

It's really not that simple to smash down the city wall with a catapult.

The first is that the hit rate of the catapult is very low, and the second is that the rammed-earth city wall is far stronger than imagined. One or two hits at the same point will not cause fatal damage at all. I am thinking about how to repeatedly hit the same point a dozen times. Only then may it collapse.

And want to hit the same point a dozen times?In terms of the hit rate of the catapult, it can only be said that everything is left to luck.

Taking the actual battle as an example, the Mongolian army besieged Xiangyang, which was defended by the Song army, for six years. The Mongolian army invested about [-] troops, and then used return artillery to bombard Xiangyang for four years.

However, in the end, Xiangyang was not conquered by the Mongolian army entering the city. In fact, it was the second Xiangyang defender, Lu Wenhuan, who collapsed and surrendered, which made Xiangyang change hands.

Xiangyang City was able to persist for six years, in addition to the bravery and determination of the defenders, it was inseparable from the factor of being able to obtain supplies from waterways.

How many times the Mongolian army used the return artillery to bombard Xiangyang, there is no relevant historical data to mention the relevant data, only the results show that the performance of the return artillery in Xiangyang did not play a decisive role.

Are there any examples in history of using catapults or catapults to smash down city walls and conquer cities?

To explain it from a scientific point of view, even if a boulder hits the base of the city wall and causes the city wall to collapse, there will still be a lot of mud or stones blocking the road. It is really not easy to get in if you want to.

In Zhiyao's understanding, the biggest function of the catapult should be to destroy the will of the defenders. It is whimsical to use the catapult to completely destroy the city wall.

Of course, a large number of catapults will definitely be useful especially for city gates, but the hit rate of stones thrown by catapults will still be a flaw.

Perhaps the monarchs and ministers of Chu and Zheng don't know much about it, but Zhiyao has shown great restraint, throwing stones every day, not throwing kerosene bombs or throwing corpses into the city of "Xinzheng" to engage in biochemical warfare.

The Yuan country has already used many of the lands of the Zheng country as the meat in its own pot, and if it wants to rule effectively after getting it, it must exercise restraint in terms of means.

Ziguo just said a lot about the morale of the army in the city, especially emphasizing the low morale of the defenders, and his point is that it should not continue.

Zheng Guo can understand the thinking of the king and ministers of Chu State. After all, "Xinzheng" is not the territory of Chu State, and the monarchs and ministers of Chu State are trapped.

At the same time, Handa had already seen that the king and ministers of Chu were determined to leave, and he should thank the Chu army for just wanting to leave, and did not perform the operation of jumping back on the spot.

"Let's go." Handa was extremely tired, knowing that no matter how much he said, it would be the same.

Ziguo said: "Our army has left, and there are only [-] defenders in the city. The soldiers are exhausted and morale is low. Instead of defending the city, why don't your country find another way?"

Handa said: "We have been trapped for a long time, and we have no contact with the outside world. This time we go out of the city, and the fortune and fortune are unpredictable. Besides, if 'Xinzheng' can not be used as a barrier, where is the safe place?"

One sentence made Ziguo speechless.

They really don't know what happened outside of "Xinzheng". Even the arrival of new reinforcements is based on guesses based on the transfer of the original army.

Another more realistic reason is that Zheng Guo is already the last army in "Xinzheng", and other places should be in a state of occupation without accidents. Even if there is no occupation, it is almost impossible to mobilize new troops.

Therefore, leaving the "Xinzheng" and going to the Chu State is almost the same as the subjugation of the country. It is better to stay in the "Xinzheng" and continue to persist.

Handa pleaded: "If your army is out of trouble, I hope to come back to rescue you."

Ziguo stared blankly at Handa and didn't say a word for a long time.

Make a guarantee on behalf of Chu State?Ziguo knew very well that when he went back this time, suicide would be an honorable way of death, and if he didn't commit suicide, he would get a "national thief dzi bead".

There is no way, the Chu army lost too badly, and someone needs to be responsible.

Ziguo is not responsible for the defeat?Should Chu Junzhong be responsible?

one morning.

The Chu army stationed outside the city took the lead in taking action. They kept quiet and walked towards the ditch. About [-] meters away from the ditch, there was a dog barking first, followed by the ups and downs of dogs barking.

"Kill!"

The whereabouts have been revealed, it is unknown who yelled first, and the shouts of killing in the darkness shook the sky.

At this time, the army usually carried hounds, the main purpose was to serve as a sentry post, and the secondary purpose was to serve as a helper for nobles in leisure hunting.If it were a time of peace, the primary and secondary uses of hounds would be reversed.

The original army was about 50 meters in front of the ditch, and lit a bonfire every 50 meters. Even if the hounds did not find the Chu army approaching, they would be exposed when the Chu army was close enough to the bonfire.

Even though the distance was only about fifty meters, early exposure was still very unfavorable to the Chu army, and they were soon covered by the original army's arrow rain.

At the same time, the gates of "Xinzheng" were opened, and a large number of Chu troops poured out. They either joined up with Paoze outside the city, or rushed straight to the fortifications of the original army.

"The enemy army has been prepared for a long time? There may be a trap." Ziguo truthfully told Chu Junzhong his guess.

The original army did not hide the mobilization of troops at all, which added to the doubts in the hearts of the Chu monarchs and ministers.

Here I have to say one thing, even if the high-level officials of Yuanguo want to conceal the mobilization of troops, don't forget that the Chu army and Zheng army have the advantage of the height of the city wall, and they can see far from standing high.

The mobilization of small groups of troops, too frequent, will attract the attention of the top leaders of Chu and Zheng.

When the number of troops reaches a certain level, it is necessary to mobilize them without lighting torches at night, which requires extremely high-quality soldiers, which is impossible for most armies.

If the troops were mobilized in the dark, even a slight disturbance would cause unexpected accidents, and the consequences would be much more serious than revealing signs of mobilization.

Chu Junzhong pursed his lips and said, "Regardless of whether there are traps or not, it is imperative to break through tonight!"

Opportunities are equal for both parties at any time.It is the high level pursued by warriors that no movement is worse than stillness. Once it moves, it means that the opponent may seize the opening. Which side can seize the opportunity depends on hard power and the ability to adapt to the situation.

Ziguo nodded heavily to Chu Junzhong, saluted and said: "I would like to be the king's forerunner."

There are still hundreds of thousands of Chu troops under siege. Their main direction to break out tonight is to the south. After breaking out of the encirclement of the original army, they will immediately flee to the east.

The Chu army that broke through from several other directions was fortunate enough to be able to protrude, and they would cover the escape of the main force, making it difficult for the original army to make correct judgments while rushing around, and at the same time contain as many troops as possible.

Of those Chu troops who were covering, only the leading officer knew that he was an abandoned son, while the rest thought they were trying to survive.

Ziguo, who personally committed suicide to the front line, is not afraid of death at all. On the contrary, he thinks that if he can die before breaking out successfully, it will be the best result he can get.

"The number of enemy troops has indeed decreased, but the number of ditches is too many, and the land is even more fortified!" Ziguo has never seen this kind of warfare, and only by personal experience can he know how disgusting it is.

The soldiers of the Chu army rushing to the front line, not only will they be constantly covered by the arrow rain of the original army, but once they are blocked by the ditch, they will need to cross. A ditch with a width of four meters, if an adult man runs empty-handed, there is a probability that he can jump over it , the problem is that the Chu army as soldiers cannot be empty-handed.

Soldiers of the Chu army armed with weapons could only jump down the ditch with a depth of about three meters. When they stepped down, their legs were trapped in the mud, and they didn't know that the ditch was originally four meters deep.

My legs were stuck in the mud, and the sinking was about one meter. Without help, I really didn't want to get out.

However, it is now a time of war, and a large number of soldiers are rushing forward. There is no extra time to show mutual assistance and friendship. The soldiers in front are trapped in the mud, and the soldiers behind are pouring in again and again. Soon, the soldiers who cannot get out will be covered by their companions. The soldiers who came up later would just step on their bodies and move on.

Ziguo saw with his own eyes that the ditch was filled with people, and the people behind stepped on Pao Ze's body to cross the ditch. Thinking of the despair of the soldiers who served as stepping stones before they died, and even thinking of the soldiers as a cold number, they would shudder.

"There are at least twenty ditches blocking the way, how many soldiers will be buried in it!?" Zi Guo felt that the person who designed this siege strategy was too vicious.

The more vicious ones are at the back. The ditch in front is only covered with mud, and the ditch behind is filled with sharpened wooden sticks. Many Chu soldiers jumped down and died immediately without even uttering a scream. The wailing of the wounded soldiers But it scared the rest of the comrades.

What happens when faced with this situation?The frightened people in front want to stop, and people who don't know the situation behind will squeeze up, and then push the frightened people down the ditch to be entertained by the sharp wood.

The upper echelons of the Chu army knew that there was a construction blocking the way. Did they make arrangements in advance?There must be.

Looking at the performance of the Chu army after launching the operation, facing the first ditch, the rafts prepared in advance can be moved to act as a passage, but when it reaches the second ditch, it is all messed up.

So yes, no matter how good the arrangement is, at least there must be someone who can execute the order, otherwise any arrangements made in advance will be useless.

If it were the original army to break through, the situation would be much better than that of the Chu army. It was not because of other reasons, but simply because the original army had qualified grassroots officers. The "romantic" of the Chu people and the military system did not allow some too delicate work.

Ziguo once again found Chu Junzhong and reported: "My lord, our army is trapped in the No. 14 ditch. The ditch is three feet wide, and there is a city wall every fifty feet. There are many arrows shot from it!"

How many casualties did the Chu army suffer from breaking out of the siege to being trapped in the No. 14 ditch and the fortifications of the city?No one knows for now.

Chu Junzhong turned his head to look towards the east, saw Yubai appearing, and said expressionlessly, "This is the end of the matter, so there is nothing left to do."

What else?Of course, regardless of the cost of casualties, continue to break through!
(End of this chapter)