Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 203: Applying Pressure, Fighting, Retreating, or Surrendering

On the towering top of Ueno Castle, groups of Japanese pirates in armor were marching in neat steps, forming patrol teams and moving back and forth.

They focused their eyes, staring into the distance, closely following every move of the Tang army camp.

This city wall is built by repeatedly compacting huge pieces of bluestone. Its solidity is beyond imagination, like an indestructible fortress.

Even if the sharpest sword is used to cut it, it can only leave a shallow mark.

On top of the city wall, there were piles of large and small boulders and huge, sturdy trees.

These fortifications are arranged closely together, forming a tight line of defense.

If you want to break through such a strong city with ordinary means of attack, you can imagine how difficult it would be.

Because of this, this place became the last base of confidence for the Japanese pirates.

However, at this moment, a cloud of dust suddenly rose up from the far end of the field, and then, brightly colored flags fluttered in the wind, and a mighty army approached like a tide.

The Japanese pirates on the top of Ueno Castle suddenly became chaotic, with panicked shouts coming one after another.

"Is the Tang army going to attack the city so soon? Didn't we agree that we still have three days?"

Azumi Hirafu looked at Mao Ye Zhizi beside him with horror and asked in doubt.

Mao Ye Zhizi was not as panicked as the others. He calmly watched the approaching Tang army and said slowly:

"Li Chengqian is a man of great military ability, cunning and changeable, often surprising and unpredictable. So we must not easily believe what he says."

Obviously, Mao Yezhizi had already been mentally prepared for the actions that Li Chengqian might take.

No matter what kind of behavior is done, it seems to be expected.

"Since Li Chengqian is here to die, let's help him. Let them know that siege is not the same as cavalry battle."

Azumihirafu regained his confidence. Having been defeated in both naval and land battles, he now placed his hopes on the city's defense.

"How does our Ueno Castle compare to the mountain castle of Goguryeo?"

Mao Ye Zhizi said coldly.

"It is said that Li Chengqian was able to capture the mountain city of Goguryeo because he mastered a siege weapon."

Jushideduo also looked solemn. When it comes to city defense construction, the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo must be the best.

All of their cities were imitations.

Rumors are not necessarily groundless.

After all, Goguryeo did fall under Li Chengqian's cavalry.

Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla were all destroyed by Li Chengqian.

How can one not feel fearful?
With the power of destroying a country as theirs, the Japanese pirates did not want to fight against Li Chengqian.

Before, it was because the Tang Dynasty was taking the lead. They believed that Li Chengqian would definitely fail, so they joined the group to divide Baekje.

He is also proud of the invincibility of his navy.

However, even now, there is no sign of the Tang Dynasty putting pressure on Li Chengqian. Instead, it allows him to free himself to lead the expedition to Japan.

It took less than a month to advance from the southern end to Ueno Castle.

If Li Chengqian had not carried out the massacre, the advance might have been faster.

When facing such an enemy, Jushi Deduo did not dare to underestimate him like Azumi Hirafu.

Instead, we face the challenge in the most conservative way.

Before, when the numbers were almost equal, he retreated.

When his army had three times the number of troops as Li Chengqian, he launched an encirclement and suppression campaign, but was defeated instead.

So now, even though he was standing in a strong city with countless defensive equipment, he was still worried.

Li Chengqian could lose many times, but he couldn't lose again.

Once Ueno Castle is lost, the country will be destroyed soon.

"Stop it!"

A mile away, the Tang army stopped advancing in unison.

This made all the nervous Japanese pirate officers secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Is Li Chengqian here to demonstrate? Do you want us to surrender?"

Mao Ye Zhizi guessed.

As soon as he finished speaking, changes occurred in the Tang army's formation.

I saw soldiers standing on both sides, and several huge monsters were pushed out.

"what is that?"

Looking at the towering unknown object, the Japanese soldiers fell into inexplicable panic.

"This is a nest car, the siege weapon of the Tang army."

Jushi Deduo was also knowledgeable and recognized it at a glance.

This is a more advanced siege device than the ladder and one of the final achievements of ancient siege machinery.

The best nest cars are wrapped with fine iron on the outside, so they cannot be burned or smashed.

However, these nest vehicles were only built temporarily and have not yet reached that level.

As the nest car moved forward, the top of Ueno City was crowded with Japanese pirates' archers.

Arrows are usually fired at the same time upwards, relying on gravity to increase their lethality.

However, these archers were powerless against the nest vehicles that were several feet taller than the city walls.

"Is this what the Tang army calls a siege weapon?"

Mao Ye Zhizi murmured, it seems that this design has put the defenders at a disadvantage.

But there were only a few of them, and they were far from being able to capture the city.

It’s not too difficult to crack it.

"Prepare the kerosene!"

As long as it's wood, you can use fire to destroy it.

Rows of archers immediately switched to fire arrows and fired thousands of arrows at once.

Countless rockets took off into the sky, like a sea of ​​fire.

A squeaking sound was heard.

Under the powerful firepower, the nest car burst into flames.

However, the speed of those several nest vehicles increased a bit and they crashed into Ueno Castle.

"Step aside!"

Jushi Deduo had no idea what Li Chengqian was up to, and seeing that the Tang army had no intention of launching a full-scale attack, he could only temporarily evacuate the guards in several urban areas.

The Japanese pirates did not launch any more attacks, but looked at the approaching fire nest vehicles with confusion.

When they were about to hit the city wall, the speed of the nest cars slowed down, and dozens of Tang soldiers jumped out from the bottom of their respective nest cars.

They are all protected by iron shields, so even rockets can hardly hurt them.

Only huge rocks and trees can cause fatal damage to it.

However, there was no one above the city wall at this time.

The nest car is just a cover.

"Defend quickly!"

Ju Shideduo was horrified. Although these dozens of people were not enough to pry open the city gate, Li Chengqian spent such a huge price to send them here, so he must have some ulterior motive.

But it was too late. The shield soldiers quickly approached the city and entered the corridor of the city gate. When the Japanese soldiers returned to the defense zone, they could no longer hit the Tang army.

"Send more troops to defend the city gate!"

The huge Deduo can only counter the opponent's moves.

there is always a solution to a problem.

But he didn't know that his order was actually asking his soldiers to block the muzzle of the gun.

"I don't know what Li Chengqian is up to. I feel a little uneasy."

Mao Yezhizi felt a chill in his heart for no reason, and always felt that Li Chengqian had other intentions.

"There are only a hundred or so of us. It shouldn't be possible to break into the city. Otherwise, we should open the city gates to meet the enemy and kill the Tang army on the spot."

Andumihirafu said viciously that the Tang army was still a long distance away from the city, and they were absolutely sure to destroy this small group of Tang troops before they arrived.

"Before we find out Li Chengqian's trick, we should not act rashly. We can only respond to the ever-changing world by remaining unchanged."

Jushi Dedo rejected the proposal as it was a bit risky.

A cavalry charge would not necessarily take too much time. The city gate corridor was narrow, the Tang army was highly powerful, and their advantage in numbers could not be realized. What if an accident really happened?

The confrontation between the two armies made the atmosphere even more tense.

Suddenly, without any warning, an extremely strong vibration swept over like a surging sea wave.

The Japanese pirates on the city wall instantly became like fallen leaves in a strong wind, tossing here and there, unable to keep their balance, struggling desperately to keep their footing.

At the same time, a deafening sound, like a sudden explosion of thunder in the sky, rang in everyone's ears.

The noise was so shocking that many people felt dizzy, as if the whole world was spinning.

Looking at the indestructible city wall again, a huge hole was blown open at this moment, like a hideous beast opening its bloody mouth.

The heavy and sturdy city gate had long disappeared, vanishing in the chaos and smoke.

Thick smoke spread like a dark cloud covering the sky, and the pungent smell of gunpowder filled every inch of the air.

At the same time, shrill screams came one after another, incessantly, and were creepy.

The once impregnable defense line has now become riddled with holes and vulnerable to any attack.

Behind the crowded city gate, there were now only broken limbs and bloodstains.

The loss of the city gate was a disaster for the Japanese pirates.

As long as Li Chengqian seizes this excellent opportunity and decisively launches a full-scale general offensive, the city defense advantages that the Japanese pirates have painstakingly built up will collapse and disappear without a trace.

"Quick! Hurry up! Station up quickly and close the gap for me!"

Seeing this, Jushi Deduo screamed in fear. At this moment, his heart was filled with despair and helplessness, as if the sky was falling.

"This... could this be the legendary Tang army's city-breaking weapon?"

Mao Yezhizi stood there in a daze, staring at the shocking huge gap, and his whole body was in a trance.

There was an undisguised fear in his eyes, a fear that even surpassed the fear he had felt whenever he faced death before.

Nothing is more despairing than dashed hopes.

Surprisingly.

Li Chengqian did not order an attack, but watched the Japanese pirates in a panic from a distance.

Cheng Mingzhen rode out alone and entered the shooting range of the Japanese army.

Ju Shide couldn't see the intention of the archer, so he didn't let anyone shoot arrows. He raised his right hand and stopped the archer.

Li Chengqian's actions left them with no way of guessing.

Why not attack when such a good opportunity is lost?

If a general attack was launched while the Japanese army was still in panic, Jushideduo felt that he would most likely not be able to hold on.

Cheng Mingzhen walked to the foot of the city and looked at the large gap that was blown out.

At this time, the place was already full of Japanese pirates, each holding a spear and forming a human wall.

It can be seen that they all showed uneasiness and anxiety.

Cheng Mingzhen then raised his eyes and looked at the huge Deduo on the top of the city.

"Our Crown Prince said that if you don't surrender in three days, the city will be massacred. This time, I came here to send General Mao Ye off to show the etiquette of our Tang Dynasty, and to tell you that it is easy for us to break the city. I am not exaggerating to show the grace and power of our Tang Dynasty."

After delivering the message, Cheng Mingzhen turned and left.

The best strategy is to defeat the enemy without fighting.

Although it cost hundreds of lives, it was worth it.

If we had attacked just now, the Japanese pirates would have fought to the death knowing that they would die.

The Tang army will also pay a very heavy price, and then Ueno Castle will become a bloody city.

By then, the Tang army might not even have the strength to fight again.

You know, now Ueno Castle has gathered half of Japan's combat power, with nearly 200,000 soldiers and civilians.

It is still extremely difficult to capture it by force.

Stimulated by the desire to survive, these Japanese pirates with poor equipment and low combat skills can also burst out with amazing fighting power.

It is very likely that Li Chengqian will capsize here.

But now it is different. The hole blown open in Ueno Castle is like a curse, gradually devouring the faith of the Japanese pirates.

Strike fear into their hearts.

It was telling them that the Tang army could break into the city, and three days later, it would be the end of them.

Many negative emotions such as anxiety and despair have spread throughout Ueno City.

It is also gradually disintegrating the fighting power that they have worked so hard to build up.

This is what it means to kill someone and destroy their heart.

Prolonged fear is likely to lead to a mutiny in Ueno Castle.

After achieving his goal, Li Chengqian led his troops to retreat.

He knew that such a large-scale mobilization would not be in vain.

"What is the Tang army doing? Are they retreating just like that? Or is there some other conspiracy?"

Mao Yezhizi said in a trembling voice, always feeling that things would not be that simple.

"Li Chengqian is too scary. Even though he has retreated, our army's morale is like that of Ueno Castle. There is a gap and we may collapse in one blow."

Jushi Deduo turned his head and looked at the soldiers who had lost their fighting spirit. The situation was more serious than he had imagined.

Even senior generals like them lost confidence in fighting the Tang army.

The sound of the cannon not only destroyed their solid walls, but also destroyed their confidence.

Being afraid before the battle is a sign of great defeat.

"General Jushi, should we retreat, fight, or surrender?"

Mao Ye Zhizi asked, in such a crisis, a solution must be come up with as soon as possible.

"If we retreat, where can we retreat to? If we fight, can we win with our current morale? If we surrender, won't Li Chengqian kill us?"

Jushi Deduo asked back, feeling equally conflicted.

"this…!"

Mao Ye Zhizi was stumped by the question. Ueno Castle was the last line of defense of the imperial city. If they retreated any further, they would only be able to retreat to the sea and feed the fish.

(End of this chapter)