sjar Chapter 25 The army presses the territory
Chapter 25 The army presses the territory
Two days later, the city of Beining was still filled with a somber atmosphere.
The continuous martial law and the cavalry riding through the streets from time to time made the people realize that war was imminent.
Especially seeing the Shence Army reinforcing the city walls time and time again, and constantly transporting various supplies to the city walls, everyone's hearts were once again on edge.
"Report..."
"Report..."
Suddenly, a sharp shout broke the silence of Yingzhen Beining City.
Inside the command tent, Qin Xuan's expression was cold and his gaze sharp as he waited for the scout to continue.
"Twenty miles outside the north city gate, the Great Qi Allied Army has appeared, numbering approximately 150,000!"
"About fifteen li outside the south city gate, the Jurchen Tulan army has appeared, estimated to number 100,000!"
finally come!
Qin Xuan slowly rose to his feet and said in an unusually calm tone, "All soldiers, listen to my command and defend the city according to plan!"
"Yes!"
Generals Zhao Luoying, Ning Yuanfeng, and Du Manjiang rushed to the south city, with Zhao Luoying as the main commander.
As for the northern part of the city, Qin Xuan took the lead, leading Guan Xingsheng and the remaining generals to stand on the city wall.
Looking out into the distance, the 150,000-strong allied army of the Great Qi Dynasty stretched out in a single line, seemingly endless.
Like a giant beast on this desolate land, slowly opening its fangs, it is about to swallow Beining City whole.
Sun Wei rode a warhorse, and the generals beside him exuded a strong fighting spirit.
Even Liu Zhizhong was secretly filled with excitement, wanting to climb the city wall and kill Qin Xuan without leaving a single survivor.
On the other side, in an open space on the outskirts of the southern city, the battle flags of 100,000 Tu Lan soldiers fluttered like clouds.
"Grand Preceptor, you guard the rear, and watch how I break through the city."
Tu Lan, his fighting spirit already boiling, gripped his sword in one arm and roared, "Kill!"
The 100,000-strong Tulan army immediately sprang into action like a massive war machine.
The infantry battalion, holding oval wooden shields in their left hands and wielding the scimitars unique to the Jurchen army in their right, took the lead, followed closely by 20,000 archers, ready to counterattack at any moment.
1,000 meters, 800 meters, 600 meters, 500 meters, 300 meters...
As the Tulan army continued to advance, the Shence army on the city walls was already poised to attack.
Two hundred meters...
"Fire arrows!"
Zhao Luoying suddenly shouted, and the archers who had been preparing for a long time instantly drew their bows and pulled back their strings.
Countless arrows rained down like a storm, and large numbers of Tulan soldiers fell to the ground screaming in agony.
However, the Tulan army was numerous, and like mad beasts, they trampled over the corpses of their own men and rushed towards the city wall.
Just like when the Shence Army attacked Daman City, grappling hooks and siege ladders gradually took over a certain position after lives were taken.
Zhao Luoying galloped across the city wall, constantly switching between a long spear in her hand and a bow and arrow behind her.
Whenever she saw enemy soldiers climbing the city walls, she would shoot them down with an arrow.
"boom!"
With a muffled thud, a Jurchen soldier who had just climbed the city wall using a ladder during the chaos was struck on the forehead by a spear before he could even see what was happening in front of him.
He only had time to let out a scream before his body fell off the city wall and was smashed into a bloody pulp.
"I suppose she must be Zhao Luoying, the general of the Crimson Cherry Army. She's really something."
Tu Lan did not participate in the frontline offensive; that was not the commander's doing.
However, upon seeing Zhao Luoying, a hint of greed appeared in his eyes.
On the other hand, the fighting power unleashed by the 150,000-strong allied army of Daqi should not be underestimated either.
Thirty thousand infantrymen, clad in specially made rattan armor and wielding iron shields, advanced rapidly.
This iron shield is quite heavy, but it is heavy enough to withstand any arrow.
Moreover, the iron shield is long and wide, making it extremely difficult to hit a person if they hide inside.
"The rattan armor soldiers and the square shield soldiers are utterly shameless."
Guan Xingsheng cursed loudly.
This special type of armor and shield was actually improved and created by Qin Xuan after he joined the army.
This was supposed to be used to deal with foreigners, but now it's being used to kill each other.
"The arrow rain is not very effective against the Great Qi Allied Forces. Apply tung oil."
Since Qin Xuan created this thing, he must also have a way to break it.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan and did not provide Emperor Qin Tian with the more powerful chainmail and Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, otherwise he would have faced an even more terrifying attack.
"Qin Xuan, I'd like to see how you manage to defend this city gate."
In the distance, Sun Wei watched the battlefield with a cold gaze.
Thirty thousand rattan armor soldiers took the lead, advancing step by step in the most tightly packed formation.
"Fire arrows."
On the city wall, Qin Xuan immediately gave the order.
Arrows rained down, but the Daqi allied forces below immediately raised their square shields. The sharp arrows struck the shields, producing only a few sparks, with most of them being deflected.
"Haha, Qin Xuan is really stupid. He knows that this square shield is the best counter to arrow formations, yet he still dares to fire arrows."
Liu Zhizhong laughed heartily in the Daqi Allied Forces camp.
Sun Wei glanced at him from the side and thought that this person was too low-class.
If Qin Xuan were truly so foolish, how could the 150,000-strong allied army have been led around like dogs on a leash?
"Archers are ready to suppress at any time."
Sun Wei calmly gave the order, placing Qin Xuan in a very high position as the commander-in-chief.
If he had previously held a degree of contempt for them, after being deceived and witnessing the massacre of 30,000 prisoners of the Tu Lan army, he had already abandoned his contempt.
With his order, over a thousand archers from the archer battalion advanced, ready to retaliate when the Shence Army fired their second volley.
What made Sun Wei somewhat uneasy was that the second volley of arrows was delayed, while his own rattan armor soldiers had advanced fifty meters, and were only a hundred meters away from the city wall.
"Is it because there is a shortage of arrows in the city, or is Qin Xuan plotting something again?"
Sun Wei frowned slightly. At this moment, Cao Xueguang, the military supervisor and vice minister of the Ministry of War, noticed Sun Wei's worry and couldn't help but ask, "General Sun, what are you worried about?"
"When things go wrong, there must be a monster."
Sun Wei nodded: "Logically, with our infantry constantly pressing forward, the enemy should be able to offer some resistance. Otherwise, once they reach the city walls, it will be a face-to-face battle to scale the walls."
The so-called siege warfare is like the Shence Army's surprise attack on Daman City, relying on grappling hooks and siege ladders to launch a forced attack.
At such times, the two armies are extremely close together, which can even affect the performance of archers.
Especially once the siege ladders reached the city walls, it was a true close-quarters battle, a bloody fight.
Therefore, the defending side usually tries to deplete the enemy's forces as much as possible in the early stages, while the attacking side is well aware that before reaching the city walls, human lives are just a number, or merely a series of steps to climb the walls.
Cao Xueguang, being the Vice Minister of War, naturally noticed the oddity after being reminded by Sun Weiyi.
Only Liu Zhizhong couldn't help but laugh: "General Sun, Qin Xuan was just lucky before. If we're really talking about military campaigns, how can he compare to you?"
"Hmph, General Liu, since that's the case, why don't you be the vanguard and attack the city first?" Sun Wei was no longer going to tolerate Liu Zhizhong at all, thinking that this guy was a good-for-nothing who had almost caused him to lose his head.
"I..." Liu Zhizhong's face instantly turned ugly. He was about to speak when he suddenly screamed, "What is that ball of fire?"