Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 581 Bed Crossbow Hungry
Qiaojun, the main camp of the Wei army.

Inside the tent, Cao Pi looked at the map hanging on the screen and asked, "What is the situation in Li City today?"

"Your Majesty, Xu Sheng, the guard of Zhongli, refused to fight with our army and stayed behind closed doors. According to the scouts, Xu Sheng was Huo Jun's trusted general. Since Zhongli was suppressed, he often led his troops across the Huaihe River and plundered the countryside in Huaibei. Today. If you can't get out, you will have to fight to the death!" Sun Zi said.

Cao Pi looked at everyone and asked, "Can Zhongli City be destroyed quickly?"

"I'm afraid it will be difficult!"

Liu Ye stepped out of the queue, raised his hands and said: "Although Zhongli City is small, it is close to the Huaihe River and the city is deep and difficult to fill. And since last year, Xu Sheng has built more walls. There are many bows and crossbows in the city, and the grain and grass are as heavy as mountains. And there are big crossbows guarding the city, so the only way to capture it is to surround it with troops!"

Zhongli City is ancient and was owned by the Zhongli State early on. Then it was built here by the Chu State, and then the county was established by the Qin Dynasty.

Zhongli City is made of rammed earth and is square on all sides, about 380 meters long from north to south and 360 meters wide from east to west. The four corners of the city are 5 meters high. The moat is meters high and surrounded by a moat.

In order to break through Zhongli City, the moat outside Zhongli City must be filled with soil. Due to the soil quality of the Jianghuai River, it is almost impossible to dig tunnels into the city.

Cao Pi frowned, looked at Cao Xiu, and asked, "Wen Lie has been guarding Shouchun for many years, and he just returned from Zhongli. Is there any strategy for breaking the city?"

"Your Majesty!"

Cao Xiu looked solemn and said in a deep voice: "Although the water thieves are not the enemy of our army in the field, they can defend the city well. Now we sent out elite troops to attack Zhongli City, but we suffered a lot of casualties. We won't be able to gain long-term advantage, and we won't be able to defeat it." The loss will be huge.”

"Don't be willing to lead thousands of elite infantry and cavalry, carrying ten days of food, march to the southeast, take Guangling directly, block the Hangou waterway, and cut off the flow from the river to the Huai River. Your Majesty led the army to Zhongli, march directly to Huaiyin, and then Go down the road and meet with me at Guangling."

"This~"

Cao Pi looked surprised and said: "Guangling is close to the river and is located in the middle of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. It should be thousands of miles away. Wen Lie led his troops to attack Guangling. If the thieves have a heavy army in Guangling, they are in danger of being annihilated. Don't do it!"

Cao Xiu sounded a little anxious and said: "Your Majesty, the bandit army is guarding Huaiyin now, and Guangling is empty and unprepared. If Xiu leads his elite troops to attack, he will be able to break it. If Guangling is captured by our army, Huaidong will no longer be owned by water thieves!" "

"As for grain and grass, thieves recruited people in Huaidong, cultivated acres of land, and accumulated a lot of money and grain. Guangling is an important town for thieves, and there must be grain and supplies in the city for the use of our army. Sun Tzu said, if you eat the enemy for one hour, I will eat twenty. This means That’s it!”

"In the past, Lai She attacked Lueyang to capture Wei Xiao's strong army. After holding on for several months, Wei Xiao could not defeat it. Guangwu then entered Long from the main road and joined forces with Lai She to defeat Wei Xiao. Now I would like to serve Lai She, Your Majesty, if you follow us with troops, you will be able to sweep across the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. If unfortunately I am defeated and die, I hope your Majesty will not take it too seriously."

Cao Pi shook his head, looked at everyone and asked, "Do any of you agree with Wen Lie's words?"

Everyone in the tent looked at each other, and then fell into silence.

Cao Xiu is crazy, they are not crazy yet!

Before leaving the city today, we directly crossed a thousand miles to Guangling. If the Guangling garrison is prepared, all ten thousand people will be handed over to Jianghuai.

Of course, although Cao Xiu has a strong temperament, he is not a fool. Because the current Guangling army is moving northward, the garrison in the city is empty. If Cao Xiu could really attack Guangling, taking Guangling City would not be a problem.

The question is whether Cao Xiu can occupy Guangling City and withstand the siege of the Southern Han Dynasty like Lai She did, but whether Cao Pi can break Huaiyin City and lead his army south to Guangling remains to be seen.

Cao Ren coughed a few times and said, "Your Majesty, although Wen Lie's intentions are good, Guangling is isolated and far away, and Jiang Ji's troops are guarding Huaiyin. If there is a change in Guangling and they attack back, Wen Lie may be in danger of defeat!"

After a pause, Cao Ren said: "Your Majesty, given the current situation, it is better to defeat Zhongli first, then advance eastward to Huaiyin, then join Qingxu's troops and go south to Hangou to Guangling."

"Your Majesty~"

Cao Pi interrupted Cao Xiu's words and said comfortingly: "It is very dangerous to attack Guangling. How can you do it as a general. Now we should use our troops carefully and advance step by step. First break Zhongli City and then go to Huaiyin."

Although Cao Xiu was dissatisfied with Cao Pi for not adopting his opinion, he had no choice but to surrender due to Cao Pi's majesty as the emperor!

"How should the army advance now and how can we defeat Zhongli?" Cao Pi asked.

"Return to your majesty!"

Cao Ren thought for a while and said: "The Huai River is shallow and narrow, and now your majesty has a boat for use. It is better to make a pontoon bridge and set up camps above and below Zhouzhu, so that it can connect the north and the south. The army can go back and forth, and the food and trains can cross the bridge to the south. The army will build it in the south. Use tools to fill the ditches with sand, and then use rush vehicles to break through the city, so it can be pulled out!"

"feasible!"

Cao Pi nodded and said: "From Da Sima~"

Before Cao Pi could finish what he said, Man Chong hurriedly stepped out of the queue and interrupted: "The late emperor was too wise and brave to cross the Huaihe River easily. Now that your Majesty wants to build a pontoon bridge to reach Huainan, he is underestimating the enemy. Although the pontoon bridge connects the north and the south, it does not go all the way. "It's very narrow and should be a taboo for military strategists."

"If thieves frequently attack the pontoon bridge, there may be leaks. The troops and horses in Zhuzhong may not belong to Wei, but will be captured by thieves. When the Huaihe River surges, cutting off the north and south, how can the elite troops in Zhugang defend themselves? I hope that your majesty will be aware of it to prevent it. The above things.”

"Based on what Boning said, it means that a pontoon bridge cannot be built, so how can we defeat Zhongli?" Cao Pi asked dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty, I think we can advance eastward, cut off Sikou, take Pi together, and then go south with Qingxu's troops." Man Chong said.

Cao Pi waved his hand and said: "If Huaiyin is conquered, then Huaibei belongs to our army. Why should we march eastward to compete with Boren for credit!"

With that said, Cao Pi looked at Liu Ye who was thinking and asked: "Zi Yang, our army is going to attack Zhongli, can we build a pontoon bridge?" Liu Ye pondered for a long time and said: "Your Majesty, what Prefect Man said is true. But Shouchun and Ma Tou are owned by our army. We are located upstream, and the bandits are stationed downstream. The situation is favorable to Your Majesty. If the bandits want to attack our pontoon, they should sail up the river. "

"In order to prevent thieves from destroying our pontoon bridge, Your Majesty can build fire boats. Whenever the thieves' navy goes up the river, and our army meets them with fire boats, we can destroy the thieves' navy and make the thieves dare not attack lightly. We can also station troops in Jiangzhu On top of it, build a high platform, and if any thieves dive under the bridge, shoot them with bows and crossbows. This will ensure the passage between the north and the south."

"it is good!"

Cao Pi smiled with great joy and said: "Now the great Sima Lao and Wen Lie have led their troops to Huainan to besiege Zhongli City; General Hussar (Cao Hong) has led his troops to garrison Huaibei to prevent water thieves from destroying the bridge."

"promise!"

Under Liu Ye's supervision, Xia Houru led his army to camp at Zhouzhu on the Huai River, and then built a pontoon bridge. Cao Rencong led 30,000 troops across Huainan, joined Cao Xiu's troops, and began to build siege equipment.
-
In Zhongli City, Xu Sheng stood on the tower, looking at the densely packed Wei army outside the city, and couldn't help but tighten the handle of his saber.

Seeing the large number of thieves, Xu He said worriedly: "General, with the number of thieves outside the city, it has been a long time since the governor's troops came to help. I'm afraid we don't know how long we can hold on!"

Xu Sheng looked at the sergeants on the left and right, boosted their morale, and said: "I, Sergeant Zhongli, have sent troops and horses to the governor's tent, and the governor An will abandon us!"

Pointing to the south, Xu Sheng said in a loud voice: "The bandit army is ready for slaughter. Your family and mine are all in Huainan. If Zhongli is lost and the bandit army marches in, my wife and daughter will be bullied, and my children and nephews will be killed. Now we must not only defend the territory for the Han Dynasty, but also Defend the city for your wife and children!”

"If you have accomplished meritorious deeds, you will repay your wife and children!" Xu Sheng cheered.

The sergeants on the left and right had expressions of emotion, and they shouted one after another: "If you have established meritorious deeds, you will repay your wife and children!"

Xu Sheng drew his sword out of its sheath and shouted: "Anyone who invades the territory of the Han Dynasty will be attacked and defeated!"

"Anyone who invades the territory of the Han Dynasty will be attacked and defeated!"

After Xu Sheng boosted morale, the morale of the generals in the city was strong.

Afterwards, Gao Chen went to Xu Sheng, tugged on his clothes and said, "The governor ordered us to stick to the fifth month, why do we not say anything now?"

The military orders sent from Wuhan were sent to Huaiyin in an urgent manner.

After Xutai guard Gao Chen received Huo Jun's letter, he immediately abandoned Xutai and led his troops into the city from the south gate while the Wei army's encirclement was not yet tight.

Xu Sheng patted the city wall with his hand and said in a deep voice: "We will guard the city with four thousand soldiers and horses for five months. If we tell the soldiers the truth, they will die for it. When the morale in the city is greatly reduced, we will then produce the letter and tell the truth." Only when you defend the city for a limited time can you inspire your soldiers.”

Xu Shengyong not only surpassed others, but also had some strategy. Guarding for five months, a full one hundred and fifty days, such a long time, if the sergeants in the city were told, they would definitely complain about it. Now the only way to boost morale is to hide it first and then tell everyone.

Gao Chen nodded and sighed, saying: "The general is rough, but Chen Yuan is not as good as him!"

Xu Sheng patted Gao Chen on the shoulder and said: "The bandit army will first fill in the moat in the near future, and then attack the city with weapons. From now on, you will guard the west gate, and I will guard the north gate personally."

"promise!"

Without chatting with Gao Chen for a few words, Xu Sheng summoned the crossbowmen on the tower to give them instructions about the battle again.

It has been many years since Huo Jun summoned craftsmen to develop the three-bow bed crossbow. The three-bow bed crossbow was gradually manufactured and put into military operations. However, because the three-bow bed crossbow was huge and extremely heavy, it was difficult to use during the Northern Expedition, so most of them were used to defend cities.

Xu Sheng put his hand on the huge eight-oxen crossbow and said: "Although the bed crossbow can shoot more than 800 steps, it requires the combined strength of dozens of people to kill, so it can shoot without seeing the enemy. You must obey my instructions. , I can’t shoot it without my order.”

"Zhang Gui!"

"exist!"

"The three crossbows in the north of the city are under your command, and you only follow my military orders. However, if you see the leader of the thief, you can find an opportunity to join forces and fire a volley." Xu Sheng warned.

Zhongli is an important town on the Huai River. Under Huo Jun's deployment, there are seven bed crossbows in the city. As an important military weapon, Xu Sheng attached great importance to it. Its power is astonishing, and it can be used to shoot siege engines, destroying them all. Even hundreds of steps away, it can hit the enemy.

Zhang Gui has bright eyes and a clever person. He joked: "I can shoot a thief in the head with a bed crossbow, but I don't know what the general's reward will be?"

"what do you want?"

"hey-hey!"

Zhang Gui scratched his head and said, "I want the general's wine!"

"Look at your potential!"

Xu Sheng lightly kicked Zhang Gui and said with a smile: "If you can shoot the thief in the head, you will go to Beijing to meet His Majesty and the Governor. I'm afraid you are just daydreaming, and the smoke will be emitted from the ancestral graves!"

"Haha!" Everyone laughed.

(End of this chapter)