Ji Tang

Chapter 1214 It has finally begun!

From that day on, Tang Jun would come to the top of the city every day to see what was happening on the other side. However, whenever the opponent used a catapult, they would immediately pick up their shields and hide against the wall.

After a few days, tens of thousands of boulders fell from the sky. On the surface, it seemed that the city wall outside Ximen Pass was riddled with holes, and all kinds of smashed holes were everywhere.

But the soldiers at the gate of the city just laughed and ate the melons sent by the people at the rear and pointed at the army below the city.

'Pfft! '

Cheng Yaojin bit off most of the melon in one bite, regardless of the water stains on his face. It was a delicious meal.

"Grandma, I didn't expect such a good thing to be found in the Western Regions? When I was in Chang'an, a melon cost at least a hundred copper coins, but it tasted like chewing wax and was already stale. But who knew that this thing was worthless in the Western Regions? , it’s all over the mountains and plains, and the output is staggeringly large. If it can’t be processed in time, I’m afraid it will just rot in the ground!”

After eating all the big melon in three strokes, five divided by two, I felt comfortable.

Chilled melon is a joy to eat on a hot day.

"Yes, there are a lot of good things in the Western Region. I heard that there is also a watermelon, which is also a good fruit. According to the general, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large in the Western Region, which is particularly suitable for growing this kind of melon and fruit. It is said that it should be grown in There’s a lot of planting here.”

Not to be outdone, Guo Xiaoke also ate one before stopping.

"Grapes, melons, watermelons, etc., no matter what kind of fruits are grown here, they seem to be better than other places. I don't know why. Anyway, I can't understand what Ziyi said about sunshine and the like!"

"But I do understand one thing, that is, the Western Region is not a wilderness, nor is it a useless place. As long as we find the right way, we will definitely become a supplement to Guanzhong."

Cheng Yaojin saw this very clearly. Even during this period, due to the war, trade between the East and the West was stagnant, and the Silk Road was also cut off.But who knew that even so, these people were so daring that they climbed over the mountains from the south to go to Khotan to trade. The tax revenue in the first half of the year alone was enough to exceed the tax revenue of ten states in the Central Plains. It was really scary.

"The so-called bustling world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit. Wherever there is profit, there will always be people who take desperate risks."

In the current Tang Dynasty, although the scholar-bureaucrat class still regards business as a lowly industry, whether they admit it or not, they have to admit the fact that the business tax in the Tang Dynasty is increasing year by year, and even last year it was close to the agricultural tax.

This incident shocked Datang from top to bottom. What if the commercial tax exceeded the agricultural tax?
Thinking of Ji Song's hypothesis of using business to support agriculture and using business to return agriculture, I thought it was just an unattainable dream at first, but now if the Tang Dynasty defeated Dashi and completely controlled the Silk Road in the Western Regions, coupled with the maritime The gain of trade.

It seems that it is not impossible for commercial tax to exceed agricultural tax?Easily even.

"Lao Guo, it seems that we must win this battle, otherwise it will be an eternal regret for me in the Central Plains!"

"The cannibals have occupied the middle of the Silk Road, cut off the passage to the west, and obtained benefits several times that of the Tang Dynasty. This old man can't stand it, your Majesty certainly can't stand it, and neither can the people of the Tang Dynasty."

"The people of the Tang Dynasty worked day and night, from dawn to dusk, weaving, reeling, dyeing, and then turning it into silk. But they only got a little profit, and sometimes they couldn't even guarantee food and clothing. But what about the big food? Cut off the silk road and sell the big stuff. The income of the Tang Dynasty was tens or hundreds of times, but he still has ambitions towards the Tang Dynasty. If this thief is not eliminated, I will die in peace!"

Guo Xiaoke was silent. Before, everyone didn't understand the outside world, and they were still complacent, thinking that they took advantage.I don’t even think about it, if it weren’t for the huge interests, those people would have traveled thousands of miles to come to Datang?
Just when he was about to say something, he saw the big cannibal making movement under Guan City!

"what happened?"

The two of them came to the crenel and saw in the distance that the Great Eater had separated an army of about 5 people from the army and was pressing towards them. What shocked everyone even more was that this time the other party was carrying a ladder and waiting. Siege machinery.

What he didn't say was that the other party couldn't help but attack the city.

"Tell the soldiers, as soon as the catapult throws the stones, prepare to fight immediately!"

"promise!"

"The general has an order. As soon as the stone is thrown, prepare for battle immediately!"

"The general has an order. As soon as the stone is thrown, prepare for battle immediately!"

"."

Seeing that the city walls that were once full of ballistae now only had bare cratered walls, he hated those bastards in Chang'an with hatred. If it weren't for them, the enemies who could be suppressed by just one ballista would not dare to attack the city.

But now?

Only a fool would place such an important thing as a ballista at the top of the city when stones were thrown from the sky. It had already been moved down from the city.

Without the suppression of the ballista, the crossbows and archers can put pressure on the opponent, but they cannot stop the opponent's siege at all.

The time has come for real swordsmanship.

On the high platform, Seld saw that the army was already within a hundred steps of Guancheng. Knowing that the opponent was only suppressed by arrows at this time, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Not only him, Amuwiye, Amul and others also breathed a sigh of relief.That day, the overwhelming disaster, like the sky falling, really frightened them.A total of [-] troops were shot dead before they even got close to the enemy. Even when they came back, they were still discouraged.

This makes them dare not attack the city at all. If there is no way to deal with the opponent's weapons, they are likely to give up the siege and turn to other places.

After all, it is better to find another way than to knowingly die.

But this was not easy. The governor of the Tang Dynasty was too cunning. Not only did he strike first and occupy the favorable terrain, but he also deployed heavy troops in the north to prevent him from moving lightly behind Henglus. He even had to prevent the other party from entering his rear.

"It seems that they can no longer use the ballista. If my guess is correct, they have already moved that terrible weapon off the city."

Selder was a little lucky and said: "Fortunately, there is a catapult, otherwise"

Amuwiye nodded and said: "After these days of bombing, the other party must have suffered heavy casualties. Without the suppression of the ballista, what do I have to worry about?"

"Your Majesty the Governor, Amuwiyeh asks for a fight!"

Amuwiye was seen kneeling on one knee and said loudly.

"You get up first!"

Stepping forward to help Amuwiye up, Said felt complicated, but no matter what, Amuwiye was the most loyal warrior in Dashi at this time.

"It's not the time to show up yet. The governor wants to take another look, and he has to take another look!" Amuwiye was puzzled, but seeing that Said had no intention of letting go, he knew that the other party would not agreed.

"Yes, Amuwiye is rude!"

Step aside and never mention the matter again.

Boom boom boom!
The [-] siege troops were slowly approaching Ximen Pass. Even a general like Cheng Yaojin, who has fought hundreds of battles, had to say that the other party was really good. Whether an army can succeed or not, whether it is elite or not, he has a lot of energy. Just know.

"Command, prepare to fight!"

woo~
The desolate horn sounded. This was originally the horn of attack, but it was used when defending the city. It was to tell everyone to have the courage to charge and kill the enemy without leaving any trace behind!
Many soldiers on the top of the city waited in silence. There was no noise, and there were no loud shouts of killing. Some just had indifferent eyes and clenched their swords.

Having been forced to hide under the city wall for such a long time, I had already been suffocating. Now that I was fine, the enemy actually started to attack the city. I was so happy!
They know best whether their own side has suffered losses. After several days of bombing, tens of thousands of boulders fell from the sky. Except for more than 100 unlucky ones who were hit, no one else had any trouble.If it weren't for the strict orders from above not to sleep while guarding the city, they might have been able to sleep for a whole day.

"It seems that Dashi's siege equipment is not very new!"

After looking at the siege equipment, which was mainly a ladder, and the siege vehicle with a collision angle, which looked like a well, both of them relaxed.

Those bastards in Chang'an gave Dashi some siege weapons from the Central Plains. If that happened, he was worried that once the opponent took out these things, their military strength would collapse immediately!
What will the soldiers think then?I'm working hard for you Li Tang, what the hell is going on if you don't give me your full support and support your enemies?Anyway, he couldn't accept this matter if it was placed on him, Cheng Yaojin.

Fortunately, it seems that Chang'an took action, or they just gave the cannibal a tool.

In fact, that was really the case. At the beginning, those people just wanted to give Ji Song a look and let him know that they were not easy to mess with. They didn't think much about it at all.

It was their greatest courage to throw a catapult at the big man-eater. They wanted Ji Song's life, but they were not fools.If Ji Song is fine by then, they will be caught.

"Send the order, wait for the enemy's warning, concentrate your firepower, and destroy the opponent's well first."

"promise!"

He didn't want the enemy to observe the situation at the top of the city. He had to destroy the enemy's commanding heights immediately so that the strength of the Tang army could be hidden.

Since you want to play, let’s have fun and see who can’t hold on first!

"Kill!"

Whoosh whoosh~
While they were talking, the big eater had arrived less than fifty steps below the city. They could already see the panic of the Tang army on the top of the city, which made them extremely happy!

Not only was the Tang army aggrieved, but the cannibals were not much better either!
In the West, they are the enemy's nightmare and invincible lions.But they cannot advance even an inch at a checkpoint. This is contempt for them and a shame for them.

If they want to use the blood of the Tang army to wash away their previous shame, they have no choice but to kill!

The Tang army seemed to be panicked, but in order to be realistic, Cheng Yaojin ordered everyone to use [-]% of their abilities to suppress the enemy's siege.For a time, all parties used their own methods both below and above the city.

One party braved the dense rain of arrows and advanced forward. Even if the people around them continued to fall, it could not stop them from moving forward.

Under the overwhelming rain of arrows, the cannibals in the city suffered a lot of losses.But this was nothing compared to the previous attack by the ballista, and there was no comparison.

Until this time, the Tang Dynasty had not used ballistas, which completely reassured Selder.In his opinion, the Tang Army's ballistae was either turned into powder under the bombardment of boulders, or it was moved away.

Otherwise, how could it not be used?

But if he had read the military books of the Central Plains, he would know that one of them is to regard the enemy as weak.

But unfortunately, if he wants to understand this truth, he will have to pay a lot of losses before he can understand it!
Although the Dashi people suffered heavy losses, their tenacity continued to move closer to the city. When a group of Dashi soldiers arrived at the city, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief. This was a visual blind spot, and bows and arrows could not cover it at all.

But how could it be so simple after thousands of years of war between people?
I saw that before the big eater could relax, he smelled a foul smell.Before I could react, it felt like boiling water was splashed on my face, which was heartbreaking.

That's right, in the attack and defense of the Central Plains city, the most convenient and extremely lethal weapons came into play.Although it is a bit cruel, war is not about romance, nor is it about being a humble gentleman. He is the most cruel and ruthless killing in the world!
"This golden juice is really useful. I wonder if you have encountered the Great Eater before?"

Cheng Yaojin looked appreciative, cruel?This word was not worth mentioning at all in his mind.In the past few years, we have fought [-] or [-] battles. What kind of things have we not seen?

During the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he had personally experienced the tragedy of Zhu Jie in Xiangyang eating people.When Xiangyang City was captured, what we saw were not panicked people or ruins.

Instead, there were piles of bones built as high as the city walls. The old people, children, and women simply entered hell on earth.

His Majesty, who was still the King of Qin at that time, issued a military order, and everyone unanimously agreed without even thinking about it.The next day, all Zhu Jie's troops who were not dead or who surrendered disappeared.

Also disappearing are the mountains of bones. Everyone is silent about the outcome of this battle, and even there is only a few words in the history books. On a certain day of a certain year, King Qin defeated Xiangyang City. Jie was defeated and died!
That is simply unspeakable and unspeakable.

At what age do people start to feed on their own kind?brute?Calling them beasts is an insult to beasts.

As for the cannibals, to be honest, they are not the old enemies of the Tang Dynasty, nor have they been the old enemies of the Central Plains since ancient times.Before this battle, there was a big battle with him in the South China Sea.

Many people in the court disagreed, thinking that Ji Song was making a fuss out of a molehill, wasting people and money, and there was no need to start a war with Dashi.

But when Guo Xiaoke's petition for help arrived, everyone was shocked.

When hundreds of thousands of food troops arrived in the Western Region, everyone fell silent.No one thought that the Tang Dynasty just opened up the sea area and planned to trade in the West with more time and effort, but it completely touched the sensitive nerves of the cannibals?
When someone proposed to negotiate peace with Dashi and stop the westward advance, even the usually gentle prince was completely outraged.He actually beat the opponent violently in front of everyone. If His Majesty hadn't stopped him, he would have been beaten to death in front of everyone!
A little censor knows nothing, and he works like a dog every day. How can he know what is the overall situation of the world, what is a plan for China, and a plan for future generations.

Once he retreats this time, will the cannibals give up?

No, it won't!

Not only will it not happen, but it will get worse.Where there is one there are two, and when there are two there are three.Not only will Datang's retreat not solve any problems, it will actually arouse the other party's ambitions.

The key to this war lies in the struggle for interests, the trade dispute between the East and the West, and the struggle for hegemony in the world.

So, must win!
(End of this chapter)