The Great Han Dynasty: From Feng Lang Juxu to the Eternal Emperor

Chapter 278 The decision to siege the city

Weining naturally knew how difficult it was to attack the city.

As the first county in the northwest, Wuwei is a natural barrier protecting the pass.

How did such a strategically important and important military town fall into the hands of the Turks? Needless to say, there is a high probability of something fishy.

But now we naturally have no time to analyze these. The main point of disagreement is whether to fight or not to fight.

If they fight, after a siege, it is impossible to capture the city without the death of twenty or thirty thousand soldiers.

Since ancient times, it has been easier to defend a city than to attack it.

The loss of 20,000 to 30,000 troops is something this army cannot bear. The few Xiongnu troops entrenched in Hexi have a total strength of close to 100,000. If so many troops are lost here, Li Guang is not sure that he can lead the remaining troops to compete with the main force of the Huns. .

So Li Guang didn't need to stress it, Weining knew how serious the situation was.

But he could not leave the more than 50,000 people in the city alone.

"Want to fight!"

Wei Ning made a decision, Gongsun Ao and others shouted loudly: "That's right! Fight! We must fight!"

Li Guang said angrily: "Is it worth sacrificing so many troops?"

"What if I don't get beaten down? Are you responsible?"

"Can you shoulder this responsibility? Marquis of Zhenbei, don't forget, you are not here to fight, you are just a transport official!"

Wei Ning said: "I know."

He glanced at Gongsun Ao.

Gongsun Ao immediately expressed his stance: "We must capture Wuwei County!"

Weining doesn't have to make decisions, but Gongsun Ao and the others can make decisions for them.

These are all people from Weining.

After Gongsun Ao made the decision, Wang Hui's Southeast Military Group also agreed to take over Wuwei.

Li Guang has never been so aggrieved. He is the majestic commander-in-chief of the three armies, but now the other two armies don't obey his orders?

He was already at odds with Weining because of Li Cai's matter, and now he even dislikes Weining.

"Then fight it yourself!"

The three armies fought separately. Whoever lost on the battlefield was unlucky, and whoever made meritorious service would be generously rewarded by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Anyway, Li Guang will not waste his troops in Wuwei County. If he wants to defeat you, you will do it yourself. If you defeat him, you will all make a great contribution. If you cannot defeat him, you will be punished by your Majesty.

Although Wang Hui and others supported Weining, it did not mean that they would send troops. They also wanted to conserve their troops so that they could win the main battlefield in Hexi.

Therefore, the only ones that can be used now are the 40,000 to 50,000 troops under Gongsun Ao.

If more than half were lost, there would be almost no need to fight the subsequent battles.

But even so, Gongsun Ao and others still did not back down.

After the discussion at the meeting was over, Gongsun Ao, Li Ju and others took Weining back to their Chinese army camp.

"Master Wei, I will prepare now and attack the city later!"

"These Huns are beasts, I'm going to break the city, I will cut them into pieces!"

Wei Ning shook his head and said to Gongsun Ao: "Don't attack the city like this, you will lose your life in vain."

"Go and find some things for me. The more, the better. Don't attack the city for now."

Gongsun Ao was puzzled, but he still nodded and said: "Okay!"

Weining wrote some raw materials on the paper and gave it to Gongsun Ao, saying: "Go to the nearby towns to buy them. The more the better."

Gongsun Ao was a little suspicious. The things Wei Ning asked him to buy were all very common things, but he didn't know what they were used for.

After Gongsun Ao left, Huo Qubing curiously asked Wei Ning: "Cousin, why did you ask Gongsun Ao to buy charcoal, sulfur and saltpeter?"

Wei Ning said, "Make gunpowder." "What is gunpowder?" Huo Qubing looked at Wei Ning in confusion.

Wei Ning said: "Wait until I make it. It will help break the city faster."

"Oh."

Huo Qubing didn't take it to heart. In Huo Qubing's philosophy, war has always been about fighting with cold weapons, and he has never thought about anything that is superior to cold weapons.

Li Guang's army is still stationed here, and he plans to bypass Wuwei and go directly to Hexi early tomorrow morning.

His army has no meaning here, and he will not send troops to help Gongsun Ao attack Wuwei County. It is business to go to Hexi outside the Great Wall to fight the Huns earlier.

Wang Hui came to Weining this afternoon and expressed his thoughts to Weining. He also planned to bypass Wuwei County and send troops outside the Hexi Great Wall tomorrow.

Weining naturally agreed.

Weining was still making black powder. In the evening, when he turned on the lamp, Weining had already mixed the first black powder.

Now that the technology is defective, he can only assemble the black powder in a clay pot, stuff saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal into it according to the proportion, and fill it with iron filings.

The gunpowder exploded in this way will be more powerful, and the iron filings and clay pots will damage the enemy in a large area.

Wei Ning found Gongsun Ao and took Gongsun Ao, Li Ju, Huo Qubing and other six riders to the north for about a mile before stopping.

Everyone was puzzled.

Until Wei Ning set the pottery pot in his hand on fire and then threw it out.

Like a shooting star in the dark night, it streaked across the sky, and then——

boom!

The violent explosion frightened the horses and frightened the people on the horses.

It took a while for everyone to react, and then they stared at Weining in disbelief.

Wei Ning rode forward, and everyone followed. Under the light of the torch, they saw a scene that shocked them to this day!

The trees were pockmarked by the bombing, and many pieces of iron filings and pottery pots were deeply embedded in the branches of the trees.

What if these are not trees, but people...

Everyone gasped and looked at Wei Ning in horror, saying: "Master Hou...this..."

Wei Ning nodded and said: "Gunpowder is quite powerful. If you attack the city tomorrow, use it!"

It took Gongsun Ao a while to react, and then his face was filled with ecstasy!

"Good! Good!"

Wei Ning said: "Don't worry, I can't make so much gunpowder myself. Go back quickly and make all the gunpowder according to my method."

After a moment of silence, he looked at Gongsun Ao and said, "Find some reliable people, not too many people."

"You know what it would mean if a weapon like this were leaked."

Gongsun Ao nodded: "I know!"

He was even more ruthless than Weining. He didn't intend to let the people involved in making gunpowder live, so he was looking for dead men.

Gongsun Ao himself did not dare to see or learn.

It seems nothing now. Once back in Chang'an, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew about this weapon, then everyone who knew the formula would die, except Wei Ning!

So Gongsun Ao had to find some dead soldiers to carry out this task.

Wei Ning didn't take this into consideration. He thought that all he had to do was find his confidants... but he didn't know that he had indirectly killed more than a hundred soldiers.

There was no talking all night, and everyone was quietly making black powder in the military camp.

This process requires great caution. If there is any accident, everyone will die.

Early the next morning, at dawn, Gongsun Ao had already organized his troops.

The advance troops have been formed. The huge cowhide drum stands in the cold wind. Thousands of advance soldiers are holding ladders and looking at Wuwei County with firm eyes!

Whether it is to make achievements or to protect the country, every soldier regards death as home!

(End of this chapter)