The rise of the prince

Chapter 294 Siege
In late April, the siege had been going on for several days.

Almost no one remembers how the fight started. In short, when people see blood, they can't stop.

Over the past few days, thick blood has accumulated on the top of Luzhou City. After the erratic rain washed away, the city bricks turned dark red.The siege battle started as scheduled, as Di Zhi expected. The defenders were well prepared and resisted wave after wave of attacks with high morale.

Li Xingzhou asked his sister-in-law to sit in the government office, Qifang was his deputy, and he ran around the city every day.

Sister-in-law is Princess Qing'an, she is capable, she is closest to King Pingnan, and the common people feel guilty about her, so she is perfect to sit in the back of the town, whether it is a yamen servant or the common people, they are all willing to follow her command and do things for her.

And Qifang is not because Li Xingzhou discriminates against women, but she is more familiar with logistical affairs, after all, she used to be in charge of Huaihua Mansion.

Once the war has reached this stage, there is no room for maneuvering. Either you die or I die. It is a competition of human and material resources, and the willpower of soldiers. Whichever exhausts first will lose.

Haozi has gone through several times of purges by Li Xingzhou. Luzhou is no longer the place where the people were panicked, the people were taken advantage of, and the government was weak and incompetent. Take care of the wounded soldiers and deliver meals to the soldiers.

The so-called united will makes a city, which is exactly the case. Although every time the city is attacked, people will die, but the defenders become more courageous as they fight, and the rebels become more timid as they fight.

On the first day of the siege, the rebels rushed to the top of the city several times, but they couldn't stand in front of the defenders at all, and were beaten back again. But from the second day on, the rebels even went to the top of the city. If you want to kill the defenders, you can only rely on the bow, but its power is limited after all.

The defenders have a large number of god arm crossbows and bed crossbows captured from the rebels. Compared with bows, crossbows and firearms have the same advantages, that is, they are easy to operate and easy to learn. A good archer needs several years of practice. Well, as long as a crossbowman is taught how to use it, he can only go into battle in a few days.

But in the era of shooting guns, European countries can randomly bring homeless people, drunkards, and criminals, and let them go to the battlefield, because they can shoot.
Therefore, under the condescending suppression of many powerful crossbows at the top of the city, the rebels are also at a disadvantage.

As time went by, both sides suffered losses, but the losses of the rebels were much greater. After each round of siege, everyone tacitly agreed to stop fighting, and then moved the corpses and treated the wounded.

At this time, the alcohol brought by Li Xingzhou played a role, the wound would not be infected, many people survived, and they could continue to replenish.

After each battle, at least a few, a dozen, or as many as dozens of people will die, and every battle wears down the will of everyone.But the mood of the defenders was appeased by the people in the city, but not the rebels outside the city. Negative emotions accumulated and superimposed every day.

Li Xingzhou leaned against the city wall and panted heavily, the armor was stained with blood, this time he didn't smear it quietly by himself this time, he really beheaded someone at the top of the city, but it was too chaotic at the time and he couldn't remember the details.

It just rained yesterday, the air was hot and humid, wearing a thick armor like a stuffy gourd, coupled with high tension and violent telemotion, the whole body was soaked, but he didn't dare to take it off, the sword had no eyes, and he didn't know When the rebels will attack the city next time, fate is not a joke.

Yan Shen has been by his side, never leaving to protect him.

If possible, he would rather hide in the princess mansion and drink tea with his useless uncle.

But Li Xingzhou knew in his heart that he was not that unresponsible and courageous uncle. He, King Pingnan, was not in the city because of how many enemies he killed, as long as the soldiers saw him was enough.

These soldiers are not from the Shenji Battalion, and they have not been trained in trust. The biggest support in their hearts is the invincible King Pingnan who has created miracles one after another.

After a while, Di Zhi, who mobilized the soldiers and organized the defense, also came over. He looked tired and hadn't had much rest for several days.

The high-level rebels seem to understand that their advantage lies in the large number of people, so they often deploy troops and attack the city in turn, day and night, so that they have no chance to breathe.

"Di Zhi, when is the next attack on the city?" Li Xingzhou asked.

Di Zhigong cupped his hands: "My lord, according to my subordinates, it won't happen within two days. Their siege ladders are almost completely destroyed, and they are still building new ones, but they won't be able to be used for a while. So many people died. The army also understands that it is impossible to attack the city only by siege ladders, and it has to wait for the siege tower to be built before proceeding to attack the city."

Li Xingzhou nodded when he heard the words, and then breathed a sigh of relief. The soldiers needed a full rest. Fortunately, they had enough manpower and could take turns to rest, otherwise they would have been overwhelmed.

Di Zhi hesitated to speak.

"If you have anything to say, just say it," Li Xingzhou said.

Only then did Di Zhi speak: "My lord, there is one thing I don't understand. I have seen the power of the Shenji Battalion before. Why don't you let them participate in the battle at this time? If the Shenji Battalion is deployed to the top of the city, it will be much easier to defend the city. "

Li Xingzhou smiled and motioned for him to sit down, and Di Zhi sat beside him.

Li Xingzhou has actually thought about this problem a long time ago: "Di Zhi, you have a good idea, but firearms are different from bows and crossbows, and there are restrictions in the end. It is now April, it is rainy in early summer, the air is humid and hot, and the gunpowder is damp. The firearms of Shenjiying are at this time At least there is a [-] to [-]% chance that it won't work."

Di Zhi was shocked: "There is such a thing!"

Li Xingzhou nodded: "So we have to wait until the weather is dry, otherwise it will be a waste. The gunpowder and bullets in the south belt are limited, so we must use them in key places."

Because he came in a hurry, Li Xingzhou brought ordinary black powder when he went south. These black powders were not treated to prevent moisture, and the environment on the battlefield was harsh. Not to mention rainy days, as long as they were damp, there was a high probability that they would not be able to activate.

And in April, the south just entered the rainy season in early summer, and it would rain every other day or two without warning. It will only be wasted and cannot exert its full power.

There was once a British musketeer who was anxious on the battlefield and only knew to pull the trigger. After the final battle, he found that there were 21 projectiles and gunpowder in the barrel of his gun, but he didn't fire a single shot.

If the Divine Machine Camp is called up at this time, there is a high probability that this will happen.

The One Thousand Divine Machine Battalion was Li Xingzhou's last trump card.

Someone once wrote a couplet to criticize Zhuge Liang, in which there is such a sentence: Since ancient times, it has been known that soldiers are not warlike.

That's right, it has been known since ancient times that soldiers are not belligerent.In fact, even in "Sun Tzu's Art of War", this concept is also instilled. Good steel is used on the blade, and the key battles are used to end the war, instead of blindly fighting. This is the smartest way, and it is also the kindness of the general.

Now, the critical moment has not yet come.

In summer, there are not only lightning, thunder, violent wind and showers, but also dry weather and scorching heat. That's what Li Xingzhou wants.

He is not God, and he doesn't know when this unexpected summer storm will stop, but he knows that the general rule is that in the southern subtropical climate, after the rainy season in early summer, there is a high probability that the sun will shine brightly. He can only stick to it, and then suffer Wait, there is a turning point.

This kind of waiting is undoubtedly tormented and painful, almost making people sleepless all night, but Li Xingzhou is very optimistic, because there is a high probability that God is on his side.

(End of this chapter)