Aspiration

Chapter 83 Capture Xiangyang
Li Laiheng tested it twice, the security in Xiangyang city was really top notch, there was nowhere for the idlers to go, and the inns and hotels took turns to check.In the entire Xiangyang City, there is almost no beggar.If it weren't for the fact that Li Laiheng's soldiers were one in a thousand, it would not be easy to get a foothold in it.

Li Laiheng didn't put too many people in the city. It was enough for a squadron to be able to control a city gate.The others were hiding in Tianjiawan and waiting for Zhang Kewang to attack the city.

Li Laiheng estimated that Zhang Kewang's siege would not be very smooth, because although his 3000 men were elite and good in field battles, they were used to attack cities like Xiangyang with short attacks.In particular, Xiangyang City is Yang Sichang's headquarters, he runs the army rigorously, and his lair must be built as solid as an iron barrel.

There is another reason why Yang Sichang has to pay attention to Xiangyang. There is a king living here, King Xiang. Once something happens and someone kills a king, it will be a disaster.

Therefore, Xiangyang City was heavily guarded and guarded by elite soldiers. Half of the standard battalion brought by Yang Sichang from Beijing stayed in Xiangyang.There are about 8000 troops stationed in Xiangyang, and there are more than 30 elite soldiers in Xiangfan on the other side of the river.In addition, Tangjiaying has an army of [-] Herenlong, which is only more than [-] miles away from Xiangyang.

In the whole of Xiangyang, the three places add up, and there are actually [-] troops stationed there.

Only people like Zhang Kewang have the guts to attack [-] with [-].

Lao Jiu came back from Shiguan camp.

"Old Jiu, have the officers and soldiers in the city found any traces of Zhang Kewang?" Li Laiheng asked Lao Jiu.

"No. But the officers and soldiers already knew that Zhang Xianzhong was protruding from Sichuan, and the interrogation became even more severe. The number of troops defending the city has increased a lot. The six city gates are all guarded by President Qian."

"Oh, Yang Sichang is really good at running the army. From this point of view, he is not far behind Hong Chengchou. When will Zhang Kewang's attack start?"

Lao Jiu smiled and said: "His secret work has also gone in, there are 27 in total, the leader is also surnamed Zhang, he should be Zhang Wenxiu's apprentice, and he is very calm when facing the interrogation at the city gate. His 27 people are actually like this It’s amazing to go in. Since there are internal responses in the city, it is estimated that the attack will start at sunset.”

This analysis is correct.Zhang Kewang's troops were limited, and under cover at dusk, the officers and soldiers of Xiangfan and Tangjiaying did not dare to reinforce them easily.

Li Laiheng wanted to see Zhang Kewang's strategy for attacking the city.

Qiao Jiachong.A mountain pass outside Xiangyang City.Zhang Kewang's army is hiding here.They have been here for a day and a night.

Zhang Kewang looked serious.

Looking at the sky, the sun always hangs in the western sky, seemingly motionless.

Time is too slow.

Looking at his eight thousand soldiers, he felt an urge for revenge.

Last time, starting from here, he had [-] elite soldiers.Yang Sichang chased after him in Sichuan, and was ambushed by Zuo Liangyu. Now, thirty thousand has become eight thousand.

He is ready for revenge.

His father Zhang Xianzhong had informed him that he had broken through Yang Sichang's siege and was sailing down the Yangtze River to meet him.

Yang Sichang's Xingyuan and King Xiang are Zhang Kewang's goals.In addition, there is a mountain of grain and grass in Xiangyang City, and he has to burn him up with a fire.

All of this is to make Yang Sichang die without a place to bury him.

Zhang Kewang looked up at the sky again.

That's fine, it only takes an hour to reach the city of Xiangyang.

"set off!"

Zhang Kewang let out a deep and powerful voice like a lion, which spread far away.

8000 people, in four phalanxes, rushed towards Xiangyang City like a tide.

Li Laiheng's more than 700 cavalry were looking at Zhang Kewang's mighty army on the three slopes two miles away from the south gate of Xiangyang.

The outposts in Xiangyang found this army that appeared suddenly, they had no time to go back to report, let alone find out whose army it was, they had already been killed by Zhang Kewang's elite team.

Seeing how brave Zhang Kewang's elite was, Li Laiheng couldn't help but admire in his heart, their galloping speed and cleanliness in killing the enemy were no less than the Manchu soldiers he saw last time.

Soon, the siege began.

The city gate of Xiangyang was temporarily closed in a hurry, and when Zhang Kewang's large army was only one mile away from the city wall, the defenders discovered the abnormality.

The surprise attack was unsuccessful.

For some reason, the insiders in the city did not control the city gate.Zhang Kewang was a little surprised. He prepared a second plan, a strong attack!
His soldiers all used hard bows, and 150 paces away, the guards on the city wall were shot to death.Will add again soon.

Another shower of arrows, this time with fewer arrows, and they hid behind the battlements.

"attack!"

Zhang Kewang shouted.

Soldiers with shields form the first phalanx.The ladder followed.Archers cover.The ladder climbed up the city wall, and the first batch of soldiers rushed up.The city wall was hacked and killed, fierce and cruel.

However, not only Zhang Kewang's soldiers are tenacious, but also the soldiers defending the city are equally tenacious.They are the generals of Yang Sichang's standard battalion.

The second batch failed to go to the city, or it was too late to go to the city wall, and was knocked down by the rolling logs, stones, and lime on the city wall.

had to retreat.

The first batch of upper city soldiers were completely lost.

pity.

Li Laiheng sighed softly.The first batch went up, but the second batch didn't go up in time. This is Zhang Kewang's weakness.He didn't go up by himself, the soldiers' individual ability was not enough, and he couldn't stand it, so he had to give up if he couldn't stand it.It can be concluded that Zhang Kewang is the soul of his army. Without the soul, his army cannot be regarded as elite, but can only be regarded as elite soldiers.

"Old Jiu, why can't his internal organs move?" Li Laiheng asked Lao Jiu beside him.

"It's not that Zhang Kewang's people are incompetent, it's that Yang Sichang is too powerful." Lao Jiu had a look of unbearable expression on his face. He estimated that the people Zhang Kewang entered would have no one to live.

"Can our people start?" Li Laiheng seemed to be talking to himself.

Lao Jiu smiled slightly.

Zhang Kewang is ready to attack again.

This time, he was going to go up the city wall himself.His soldiers and generals are ready to fight desperately.

"General, the city is on fire!"

Sure enough, thick smoke billowed in the city, and the fire was so fierce!
Zhang Kewang was puzzled.Why, the soldiers entering the city temporarily changed their tactics?Burning food and grass is something after the siege, why is it earlier now?Is it because the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate could not be defeated?

That's okay, as long as the city is in chaos.

"Siege!"

The second wave of attacks begins.

Still the South Gate.

Above and below the city, arrows rained down.Both sides have lost.The ladder climbed up the city wall and was overthrown by the people on the city wall.Build again, overthrow again.

The battle stalemate.It is not good for Zhang Kewang.

"Archers, shoot arrows!" This order is not just to ask the archers to shoot arrows, but to ask the archers not to dodge, but to shoot forcefully and suppressively.

The suppressive shooting had an effect, and the first batch of soldiers went up the city wall again.Zhang Kewang also went up.In front of him, the four enemies turned into eight half corpses.

However, when a pour of lime was thrown, Zhang Kewang's eyes were completely white. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and rolled on the spot following the momentum of the lime flying, and rolled out of the place covered by lime.

He looked back, bad!

He is alone.

Follow-up troops were stopped at the city.

Worse things happened.Outside the city, a cavalry rushed forward.Although the number is not thousands, those who have led the army can tell at a glance that this is an invincible elite army.

Zhang Kewang's heart sank, and he sighed: "It's over!" Then, he yelled: "Kill!"

He was angry.

The surrounding officers and soldiers were stunned by his ferocity, and in front of them were several half-length corpses.The scene where the internal organs are all over the floor is too scary.

It was not officers and soldiers who attacked, but Li Laiheng's troops.

Li Laiheng's troops used shields to open the way again, and more than 200 ropes were cast over the city wall. As the hooks came up, people followed.In the first batch, more than 200 people came up, and in front of them were more than 200 corpses.The second batch, the third batch, more than 700 people went to the wall.

The officers and soldiers defending the city were in chaos.

The south gate suddenly opened wide.Li Laiheng had already sneaked into the squadron in the city, killed the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate, and opened the city gate.

Zhang Kewang's troops rushed into the gate.

Zhang Kewang looked at everything in front of him in astonishment.There were no enemies ahead of him.

"Xiangyang was captured like this? All that's left is street fighting?

he was asking himself.

"Li Laiheng is here to help. General." Zhang Kewang's soldiers and generals finally approached Zhang Kewang.They were also stopped under the city wall just now.

"Li Laiheng?"

Zhang Kewang whispered to himself.Last time, Li Laiheng didn't kill him.Li Laiheng told him that no one can die before the decisive battle.Today, his words came true.

Now is not the time to hesitate, nor is it the time to consider such things.

"Street fighting! Capture King Xiang." Zhang Kewang gave the order.

Li Laiheng withdrew from the battle.He waited in a mountain depression for news from the old city.

"Wanji escaped."

Lao Jiu reports.At night, Xiangyang City is brightly lit.Zhang Kewang was cleaning up the remaining enemies and officials in the city.Lao Jiu's people in the city kept reporting the situation in the city.

"Unfortunately, this superintendent's fate is really great."

Li Laiheng said lightly.Wanji is the second supervising army, very capable, and there is no loophole in the governance of Xiangyang.It's a pity that his life is not good, and the opponents he meets are the two most powerful characters in the peasant army.

"King Xiang was killed and his body was whipped." The second wave of information came.

In 12 years, the peasant army killed the first king.The court must have been shocked by such a major event.

"Zhang Kewang is preparing to burn Xiangyang." The third batch of information.

Li Laiheng gave a painful "hmm".It's too much, why burn a city?
Soon, the city of Xiangyang was indeed on fire.

Alas, what a pity.When the soldiers and civilians from Xiangfan come to put out the fire, most of it will be burned.

"Zhang Kewang started to retreat!" The fourth batch of information.

"Let's go. Nine, will Yang Sichang receive the report within seven days?" Li Laiheng gave the order to retreat.

"After seven days, it's time for Yang Sichang to die." Lao Jiu smiled happily. The plot they planned to kill Yang Sichang could finally see the result.

(End of this chapter)