Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 424 The Battle of Yuanzhou (A long chapter of 10,000 words)
"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

On the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, outside Pinggao City.

While the catapults continued to fire, Pinggao City had already been under attack by them for seven days.

In seven days, the walls of Pinggao City were ravaged by the Han army's catapults, with only 30-40% of the parapets on the horse path remaining, and the western wall was uneven from the trebuchets.

Even so, the Yiwu Army was a tough nut to crack. Under Zhang Fan's leadership, they took it easy during the day and went out of the city at night to transport the catapults back into the city. They then used the catapults to repair the city walls, thus maintaining the situation in the western city.

However, this was the best the Righteous Army could maintain.

As Liu Jilong observed carefully, he guessed that there were not many winch crossbows in the city. Wang Chongrong was worried that if he used the winch crossbows too early, they would be destroyed by his gunpowder. Therefore, he wanted to save the winch crossbows for last.

After guessing Wang Chongrong's idea, Liu Jilong immediately ordered the catapults to continue advancing, pushing the position to a position of one hundred paces, and the weight of the catapults was changed to seventy-pound catapults.

Despite being struck by a 70-pound stone, the thick city wall of Pinggao County inevitably developed cracks and crumbling stones.

Even if only two or three out of ten stones hit the wall at the end of each round of slingshots, each hit would still cause a lot of broken bricks to fall off the surface of the wall.

Under such an intense offensive, Pinggao Fortress wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

"There's no need to look any further. In five to ten days, the walls of Pinggao City will surely be breached."

At the entrance of the camp, Liu Jilong gave instructions to Husiguang, Jiujuyan, Anpohu, and others on his left and right.

At the same time, he also looked up at the sky.

Seeing Liu Jilong look up at the sky, Shiro saw him hesitate for a moment before realizing what he was thinking and couldn't help but say:
"The rainy season seems to have come a little late this year, but in the past eight years, the Hexi Corridor and Longxi regions have experienced years of little rain, and the Guanzhong region is probably in the same situation."

"Except for last year when the rainy season came early and it rained for half a month longer than usual, it has been like this for the past few years. It is estimated that it will not rain until July, which will make it easier for us to capture Wonju and settle down."

Sakaju Noboru was simply describing the climate situation over the past few years, but Liu Jilong felt something was amiss after listening to him.

He noticed something was wrong when the rainy season came early last year and the seasons changed, but he didn't know if it was related to the delayed rainy season this year.

Unfortunately, Liu Jilong was ignorant of astronomy. Apart from a few droughts in the late Tang Dynasty related to the Guiyi Army and the Hexi Corridor, he had not studied the situation in other regions.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong said, "Let's go back to camp for a meal first. Given the weather, we have plenty of time to attack."

"Yes!" the crowd replied, and then followed Liu Jilong back into the camp.

Although they left, the laborers on the catapult positions continued their attack on the city.

Countless stones rained down, crashing against the city wall and shattering the parapet.

The rows of houses near the west city wall had been destroyed beyond recognition by the slingshots, and the firewood in the warehouse had visibly dropped in height.

“These bastards have been using catapults all day, but they dare not go forward to fight.”

"That's how sieges are done. If you can break down the city walls and attack through the gaps, who would want to use cloud chariots and Lü Gong chariots?"

Inside the county government office, the generals expressed their opinions, but they all felt frustrated by the fighting style of the Han army outside the city.

Pinggao didn't have a large population to begin with, and Zheng Tian had previously transferred more than 30,000 laborers from the city back to Zhisheng Pass. Even if they wanted to build catapults to counterattack, they would need to find enough manpower and supplies.

These days, they have collected quite a few catapults from the Han army, but these catapults can be used to repair the city walls at critical moments.

Wang Chongrong ordered his men to prepare clay at the base of the city wall at any time, and also ordered the soldiers inside the city to place catapults on the horse path.

All of this was so that after the Han army used magic to breach the city wall, they could quickly send troops to repair the breach.

He was not like Zhang Fan and Liu Guang, ignorant and fearless fellows. If a gap were really created, tens of thousands of Han soldiers would swarm in, and he probably wouldn't even be able to break through.

Thinking of this, he reassured everyone, "Although the rebels' catapults are powerful, in recent days they have started digging for catapults on the western ridges in order to search for them. It can be seen that they have almost collected all the catapults around them."

"The city wall has been damaged in the past few days. If there is any damage, the Heyang Army and the Hezhong Army will definitely handle the repair of the city wall, and the breach will be handed over to the Yiwu Army and the Zhaoyi Army."

"If we can hold out, I will never claim this honor for myself in the memorials I submit to the court."

Wang Chongrong calmed everyone down briefly, then took the initiative to say to Wang Chongyi, "There are still quite a few livestock in the city. Wulang, send someone to slaughter ten pigs and add plenty of spices. Although there isn't much meat, we should make sure that the generals and soldiers of each unit have a taste of meat and that the brothers have some meat soup."

"Yes!" Wang Chongyi nodded in agreement, and then sent people to slaughter pigs and process thirty pigs into meat to provide extra food for the 20,000 Tang soldiers in the city.

Ten pigs may seem like a lot, but the eight-browed black pigs raised in the Northwest, even when ready for market, weigh only about 100 jin (50 catties), with the heaviest weighing no more than 170 or 180 jin (55-60 kg).

Even after removing the bones and internal organs, the amount of pure meat left is only about 120 to 130 pounds.

Thirty pigs, when converted into cash, would at most be enough to satisfy the officers and a small number of soldiers for a small feast.

The marrow inside the bones was a delicacy, and only the generals could eat it, while the offal was mixed with dried vegetables and rice porridge and distributed to the ordinary soldiers.

Although the food was ordinary, it was still much better than what the Han army outside the city ate.

This is why Wang Chongrong could send people to prepare meat dishes while the wind was blowing, so that the aroma of meat would continuously reach the Han army camp outside the city.

Due to the Tang army's scorched-earth policy, the Han army had not eaten meat for many days and was waiting to capture Pinggao County so they could buy enough meat to reward the troops.

Now that the smell of meat is wafting through the air, many Han soldiers are swallowing hard, and morale in the army is inevitably somewhat low.

Seeing that it was not a solution for the army to eat military rations for several days, Liu Jilong immediately instructed An Pohu to have Gao Jinda buy some meat from the villages north of Longcheng in Qinzhou and transport it by horse-drawn cart.

An Pohu had been waiting for this military order, and as soon as his King of Han spoke, he immediately dispatched a fast horse to the direction of Longcheng.

Longcheng is farther than Xiaoguan, but the meat in Xiaoguan had already been mostly eaten up during the time that Jiujuyan and other troops were stationed there, not to mention the food that Liu Jilong's army was given as a reward after they arrived.

"We'll eat meat in five days, then prepare to attack the city, capture the next few cities, and feast on meat to our hearts' content!"

Within the camp, the flag bearers constantly shuttled between the various detachments, spreading the good news that they would be able to eat meat to the entire army.

Upon hearing the news, many cheered, and even soldiers like Wang Jian and Wang Zhi, who were used to hardship, couldn't help but swallow hard.

These days, everyone's mouths have been bitter from eating tasteless military porridge every day.

If they don't eat meat, even if the Han army has excellent discipline, they can't help but complain a few times.

Therefore, upon learning that they would be able to eat meat in a few days, the morale of the Han army inevitably rose.

"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

"Damn it, have the rebels gone mad?!"

As darkness fell, the Han army outside the city continued to launch a fierce attack on the city walls with catapults. The officers and soldiers of the various towns inside the city couldn't help but feel that the Han army had gone mad, and even the meat in their hands tasted delicious.

As the days went by, the walls of Pinggao City became increasingly dilapidated.

Five days later, as the meat that Gao Jinda had ordered to be purchased arrived at the Han army camp, hundreds of goats and more than ten old cattle were slaughtered directly.

The aroma of meat filled the military camp, and the morale of the Han soldiers, who had been eating millet porridge for several days, soared after tasting fresh meat.

Not only them, but even generals like Liu Jilong had more smiles on their faces after eating fresh meat.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong simply announced the military order to attack the city the next day.

"Today we will have plenty of meat and rice. Tomorrow morning at dawn, Husi Guang will lead 5,000 soldiers to attack the city with shield carts and gunpowder. After the city is breached, Anpo Hu will lead the three armies into the city, and Jiuju Yan will lead the Hexi army to guard the camp."

"Yes!!"

The crowd bowed in agreement, while Wang Chongrong, inside Pinggao City, became tense when he smelled the aroma of meat wafting from the Han army camp.

"Damn it, the rebels haven't tasted meat these days, but today they suddenly taste meat. I'm afraid they'll attack the city tomorrow."

Thinking of this, Wang Chongrong immediately discussed the defense of the city with Zhang Fan, Liu Guang, Yi Zhao and other generals. When the generals learned that the Han army was about to attack the city, they were not afraid, but were full of fighting spirit.

"If the Hu people of Hexi and Longxi had been even slightly stronger in the past, how could they have been enslaved by barbarian bandits?"

"In recent years, they have not resisted the barbarian invaders, but seeing that the barbarian invaders have weakened, they have finally taken up the banner of the imperial court to resist."

"Now that the court has come to protect them, they have instead invaded. They are repaying kindness with enmity, and are disloyal and unjust."

"When we go to battle tomorrow, we will surely terrify the barbarian tribes of Hexi and Longxi!"

The Hexi Corridor was enslaved by the Tibetans for many years. There are many insults directed at the Hexi Corridor army, but none are as crucial as the phrase "Hu Za".

Seeing Liu Guang and the others say this, Wang Chongrong greeted them with a smile: "In that case, let's see how General Liu displays his prowess tomorrow."

"Of course!" Liu Guang replied with a cold snort, displaying extreme arrogance.

Seeing his behavior, Wang Chongrong thought to himself, "I hope you won't be asking for help on the battlefield tomorrow."

After making a sarcastic remark, Wang Chongrong had no choice but to summon Wang Chongyi again and order him to slaughter all the adult pigs in the city. If there was not enough meat, he was to slaughter oxen to make up for it.

Tomorrow the army will have to fight to the death. If this is not enough to satisfy the soldiers' need for meat, then Wang Chongrong probably won't dare to sleep soundly until midnight.

If we anger those arrogant soldiers, who knows if they might risk their lives to join the rebels?
In the past, during the Jingyuan Mutiny, the Jingyuan army had only traveled three or four hundred li. Wang Xu, the Prefect of Jingzhao, did not lack food for the Jingyuan army, but there was a shortage of meat, which led to the Jingyuan army's rebellion.

Now, Wang Chongrong's troops are all soldiers who have traveled one or two thousand miles to get here. If there is not enough meat, it is not unreasonable to cut off his head.

Wang Chongrong had no intention of killing himself for a few bites of meat, since all the livestock belonged to the people of Pinggao County.

He wasn't the military governor of Jingyuan, so these people wouldn't be able to find him after the incident.

Thinking this way, the livestock kept at home by the people in the city were undoubtedly forcibly confiscated by the government, without even a receipt left.

For a time, the aroma of meat wafted throughout the city, but the people who raised these livestock could only eat millet porridge and didn't even get a sip of meat soup.

A meal of meat put both armies at ease, and both sides rested for the night with a sense of tension and peace.

The following day, tens of thousands of laborers in the Han army camp began to build siege engines such as Lü Gong chariots, cloud chariots, battering rams, shield chariots, and nest chariots. In addition to the 6,000 troops from Hexi, the remaining 40,000 troops from Longyou, Shuofang, and other places in the Han army camp also gathered behind the laborers and formed ranks to prepare for battle.

"Quickly, quickly, put on your armor!"

"Prepare the winch crossbow, fire at the cart with the shield, ignore everything else!"

Inside Pinggao City, Wang Chongrong shared his past experience in defending the city against the Han army. The officers and captains of each army did not dare to neglect this and passed on their experience to the soldiers below.

Half an hour later, more than ten Lu Gong chariots and dozens of cloud chariots had been set up outside the city, as well as battering rams, shield chariots, and nest chariots.

The ten moat bridges have been completed and are now placed on eight-wheeled carriages, waiting to be pulled by four draft horses.

"King Han, everything is ready!"

Husiguang rode back to the central army and bowed to Liu Jilong of the central army.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong nodded: "Sound the horn, attack!"

"Uuuuuu——"

In an instant, horns sounded, and tens of thousands of laborers drove horses or carried loads on their shoulders to push these siege machines.

They avoided the catapults and triple-bow ballistae head-on and launched an advance from the left and right flanks.

The moat of Pinggao County was only two zhang wide, which was not enough to stop the construction of the moat bridge.

Therefore, when the laborers began to advance, Zhang Fan on the city wall commanded the Yiwu Army to attack the shield carts with winch crossbows.

"put!"

"Bam—"

The winch crossbow pedal was pressed down, and the chisel arrow, which was more than ten feet long, instantly broke through a hundred paces, either piercing the ground or penetrating the siege equipment.

However, this damage was not enough to stop the laborers, who continued to advance. Upon seeing this, Sakae Nobu, who was in charge of the catapults and triple-bow ballistae positions, immediately ordered his troops to counterattack.

In an instant, dozens of triple-bow ballistae fired first, followed by leather belts loaded with anti-tank weapons that hurled them violently.

"Bam—"

"Uh-huh!!"

"Get out of the way! Everyone, lie down!"

The chisel-shaped arrows either smashed the corners of the parapet or struck the standing soldiers of the Righteous Army directly.

Blood mist filled the air, and the surrounding Yiwu soldiers became somewhat nervous after smelling the blood, but they still hooked the hooks onto the bowstrings of the winch crossbows.

"pull!"

The soldiers shouted at the laborers in the city, and the laborers, in groups of dozens, immediately began to pull hard to wind up the winch crossbow.

But before they could successfully mount the warp, the Ten Thousand Man Invincible exploded as it fell from the sky.

"Boom——"

The iron pellets inside the pottery jar exploded and shot out. Apart from the unlucky soldiers on the city wall who were looking up and were shot to death, the rest of the soldiers only felt a pain like being hit by hail.

Compared to them, the laborers who were loading the crossbows were incredibly unfortunate.

Without any protection, they were basically killed on the spot by the iron pellets, and even if they didn't die, they were severely injured and convulsing, not far from death.

"Watch your head! This is the rebels' magic. Keep your head down and don't look up!"

Wang Chongrong arranged for veteran soldiers to run around the city wall, constantly reminding the soldiers of the Yiwu Army.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Righteous Army were stunned with fear; they had never seen such a bizarre method before.

Not only them, but even Zhang Fan, the commander of the Righteous Army, was stunned.

Fortunately, his years of experience brought him back to his senses, and he said sternly, "Keep your heads down, don't look up!"

"Move all the winch crossbows back! Don't look up!"

Many laborers were killed or wounded. Without the laborers, the dozens of winch crossbows that required thousands of people to operate became useless.

While soldiers could certainly wind up the crossbows, wearing armor and still having to wind up the crossbows was undoubtedly a waste of energy.

The rebels are about to attack the city. If we expend too much of our soldiers' strength, the Yiwu Army will definitely be at a disadvantage in the upcoming battle.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan kept urging them on, while the Han soldiers and laborers had already driven the carriages and brought the moat bridge to the front of the city moat.

They swiftly pushed the moat bridge off the carriage and struggled to place it across the moat.

After doing all this, they hurriedly withdrew, while Zhang Fan directed the archers in the Yiwu Army to keep shooting arrows.

"put!"

Arrows rained down like locusts, but the Han army's laborers wore iron helmets and breastplates captured by the Han army. As long as their heads and torsos were saved, even if their hands and feet were hit by arrows, they could be saved.

Hundreds of laborers were wounded and were taken away from the battlefield by other laborers.

At the same time, all the siege equipment stopped near the moat bridge, and the laborers withdrew.

The Tang army's crossbows kept firing arrows, and many civilians were wounded as a result, their cries of pain echoing across the battlefield.

As the laborers retreated, Husi Guang immediately spurred his horse into battle, with five thousand infantrymen already ready behind him.

"Move out!!"

He raised his arms and shouted, and five thousand vanguard infantrymen immediately began their advance, while horns and drums resounded across the battlefield.

"Archives for city defense!"

Seeing the Han army launch an attack, Zhang Fan calmly ordered his soldiers to drive the remaining laborers to transport the city's defensive equipment onto the horse track, cart by cart.

Siege weapons such as rock slabs, catapults, logs, and siege engines were transported onto the horse path, while five thousand Han soldiers on the battlefield rushed to the siege weapons, pushing them across the moat bridge and to the foot of the city wall.

"Uuuuuu——"

The bugle calls continued to sound melodiously, and the Han archers on the siege towers began to suppress the Yiwu army on the Pinggao city wall from their high vantage point.

Lu Gongche crashed into the city wall. As the barrier fell, the soldiers of the Yiwu Army suddenly pulled the trigger, and countless arrows shot into it, turning the Han soldiers into hedgehogs.

The shield was pierced, but the armor stopped the crossbow bolts.

"kill!!"

Abandoning their shields, the Han soldiers roared as they jumped off Lü Gong's chariot and onto the Yiwu Army's ranks on the horse path, forming three-by-three formations and engaging in fierce combat.

The expressions on everyone's faces were extremely ferocious. They brandished axes and hammers, wishing they could kill everyone in front of them.

"The rebels are launching a tunnel attack!!"

At the same time, sounds came from the countless earthen vats buried at the base of the city wall. Upon learning of the situation, Wang Chongrong hurriedly sent someone to inform Zhang Fan to attack the shield carts with raging oil and catapults.

Zhang Fan dared not delay. Having already witnessed the Han army's magical methods, he hurriedly threw grease and slingshots at the shield carts and set them ablaze.

Inside the shield cart, the Han soldiers coughed incessantly, but they still worked hard to break open the broken blue bricks with pickaxes and shovels and dig pits.

Many people couldn't stand the fumes and withdrew from the shield carts. After the wet cowhide on the surface of the shield carts dried, the shield carts inevitably caught fire.

Seeing this, the Han army quickly pushed aside the shield carts, made room, and continued to retreat to the other side of the moat, pushing the new batch of shield carts that the laborers had just pushed up to attack.

"Damn bastard!"

"What are you barking about, you dog from Northeast China?!"

On the horse trail, the Han army and the Yiwu army, who were in formation, fought each other. The Han army had stronger organization and discipline, but the Yiwu army had more people.

For a time, the two sides fought to a standstill, but as the number of Han troops continued to increase, the Yiwu Army's defenses became increasingly precarious.

"Zhang Dalang! I'm here!!"

At a critical moment, Liu Guang, the leader of the Zhaoyi Army in Nancheng, led his troops to provide support. The addition of 3,000 Zhaoyi soldiers brought the battlefield back into a stalemate.

On the wide horse road, three armies were entangled together. With the arrival of reinforcements, the Han army was gradually suppressing the Zhaoyi Army and the Yiwu Army.

Even so, they were still unable to expand their base. At this moment, Husi Guang was not worried about his own soldiers on the horse path, but stared intently at the firearm soldiers who had just crashed into the base of the city wall and were then set on fire with grease by the government troops.

"Beep--"

Suddenly, a piercing wooden whistle rang out. Upon hearing it, Husi Guang immediately waved his command flag, and the flag bearers followed suit. The soldiers on the chariots and those attempting to climb the horse path via the cloud chariots and Lügong chariots began to retreat.

This was undoubtedly the most difficult moment for the Han soldiers who had already climbed the city walls.

But if they can hold on through this moment, they can turn the tide and win.

Is the distance sufficient?

"The nearest point where our troops can advance is at least a hundred paces away, which is more than enough!"

Husiguang questioned the several generals who had returned. Seeing that the generals nodded, Husiguang immediately picked up a wooden whistle and blew it.

"Beep--"

As the whistle blew, dozens of soldiers emerged from the tightly packed shield carts and fled for their lives.

"The rebels are going to use magic to blow up the city walls! Everyone, stay away from the shield carts! Quickly!!"

Upon hearing the echoing of two whistles and learning that the Han army had begun to retreat, Wang Chongrong immediately guessed the Han army's intentions.

The Han army only had these three tricks for attacking cities, but they were surprisingly effective.

"Beep--"

"Get off the horse track, quick..."

"Boom!!"

In an instant, dust rose high, bricks and stones flew, and clods of earth flew everywhere.

The deafening explosions rang out, leaving the Yiwu and Zhaoyi armies, who were engaged in battle, terrified and disoriented, while the Han army itself was also shaken.

Fortunately, they were prepared. Faced with the sudden dimming and dusty environment around them, they quickly adjusted their mindset and began to expand their gains.

"Enter!!"

Husi Guang raised his arms and shouted, and the more than 4,000 Han soldiers who had just withdrawn turned back and charged towards Pinggao County.

Braving the dust, Wang Chongrong led his troops toward the city wall that had been targeted by concentrated blasts. Fortunately, the wall was thick enough that it did not collapse.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chongrong immediately ordered, "The soldiers in the river, get on the horse path and dump the stones and clay into the gap to block it!"

"Yes!!" The five thousand soldiers of the Central Army, after being replenished, began to climb the horse path.

At this point, the outer bricks of the city wall had been blown down, exposing most of the rammed earth.

If the Han army were in a hurry, they could have easily climbed the city wall through this gap, but Husi Guang chose a more conservative approach.

As the army in the river continued to throw stones and clay, several shield carts rushed out from the dust and crashed heavily into the spot.

"You damned bastards from the Helong region! Brothers, throw stones at them!"

"Bang bang bang-"

Seeing that the Han army was about to use the same trick again, the soldiers of the Hezhong army, in groups of two or three, picked up catapults weighing dozens of kilograms and threw them at the shield carts.

Fortunately, the shield carts were sturdy enough, and the blue bricks at the base of the city wall had been blown away, leaving only rammed earth, which was not difficult to dig.

After a dozen or so breaths, the wooden whistle sounded again from the shield cart.

"The Hu bastards are about to use magic! Retreat!!"

"Get out! Get out!"

The Hezhong army, which had been shouting and cursing, fled for their lives when they heard the whistle coming from inside the shield cart. Upon hearing the whistle, Husi Guang immediately waved his command flag, and the more than 4,000 Han soldiers withdrew again to prepare for the demolition.

The Han army, still fighting on the horse path, is now surrounded, but Husi Guang has no choice but to sacrifice the lesser for the greater good.

"put!"

Husiguang spoke through his pain, and the flag bearer beside him immediately blew his wooden whistle.

"Beep--"

The wooden whistle sounded again, and the gunners inside the shield cart lit the fuse of the gunpowder pack, immediately ran out of the shield cart, and ran to the rear.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of Han soldiers who were surrounded also made preparations again.

After about twenty breaths, as the dust gradually dissipated, an even taller cloud of dust rose from the spot where the dust had originated.

"Boom!!"

This time the explosion was much more intense. Even though Wang Chongrong had led his troops dozens of steps away and even taken refuge in a residential house, he could still feel the tremors coming from all around.

"Damn it, do these rebels' magic techniques come without any consequences?!"

Wang Chongrong cursed and, feeling the tremors subside, immediately led his soldiers out of the houses and ran towards the city wall.

When they arrived at the city wall, they saw that all the blue bricks on the inner side of the wall were protruding and full of cracks.

Wang Chongrong personally climbed the horse path and saw that the city wall, which was nearly four zhang thick, had been blasted open with a gap three zhang wide and more than two zhang deep.

If they bombard it a few more times, the inner city wall will probably collapse completely.

"Damn it, what are you all standing there for? Hurry up and throw stones to fill the gap!!"

After realizing what had happened, Wang Chongrong cursed loudly and hurriedly ordered his troops in the river to fill the gap with the stones they had collected earlier.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of Han soldiers who had first scaled the city walls were now being held back by thousands of soldiers from the Zhaoyi Army and Yiwu Army.

They clung to the Han army like mad dogs. Seeing this, Husi Guang could only grit his teeth and say, "Send five hundred brothers to support the brothers on the city wall."

"Once the breach is blown open, you must immediately seize the city gate tower so that the army can enter the city through the gate."

"Yes!!"

Seeing his brothers in dire straits, Husi Guang ultimately couldn't bring himself to make a firm decision. Instead, he ordered reinforcements while continuing to send firearms soldiers to the breach.

Dozens of firearms soldiers, carrying thousands of kilograms of gunpowder and under the cover of hundreds of infantrymen, pushed shield carts toward the breach.

Seeing this, Wang Chongrong could do nothing but urge his soldiers to speed up the throwing of stones.

Countless stones fell, blocking most of the breaches that had been blasted open, but this was of little importance to the firearms soldiers.

"Damn it, these bastards have blocked the entrance with stones!"

The infantrymen, panting as they pushed the shield carts, spoke, but the artillerymen preparing to detonate remained completely unmoved.

"Let them stuff it in, let's see if they can stop it!"

After saying that, he opened the gunpowder pack on his back. Inside the gunpowder pack, which resembled a backpack, were small gunpowder packets tied together.

He stuffed these gunpowder packets into the gaps between the catapults, and dozens of kilograms of gunpowder quickly filled the spaces created by the catapults.

He wasn't the only one doing this; other firearms soldiers were doing it too.

"Beep--"

"withdraw!!"

As if the scene were being reenacted, when the wooden whistle sounded from inside the shield vehicle, Wang Chongrong on the horse track immediately ordered a retreat.

"Beep--"

The sound of wooden whistles came from the other side of the moat, and the firearms soldiers lit their fuses and fled back under the protection of the other infantry.

At the same time, five hundred Han soldiers charged up the horse path using ladders and Lü Gong's chariots. The morale of the Han soldiers who had suffered many casualties on the horse path suddenly soared after seeing the reinforcements.

Faced with the siege of thousands of Zhaoyi and Yiwu soldiers, they no longer panicked. At the breach in the city wall a hundred paces away from them, a third explosion occurred instantly.

"Boom!!"

This time, the firearms soldiers filled the gunpowder pack with more gunpowder, and after filling it, they used falling stones to block the gunpowder pack, leaving only space for the fuse to burn.

That is why the explosion was undoubtedly more powerful this time.

As the explosions rang out, countless catapults that had been inserted into the breach were blown away, smashing countless houses, and the already protruding bricks of the inner city wall collapsed completely.

The city wall of Pinggao County was blasted open with a gap three zhang wide. The originally solid foundation of the city wall has now been turned into a pile of soft soil and rubble.

Seeing this, Husi Guang no longer hesitated and raised his arms, shouting, "Attack the city!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

Upon hearing the bugle call, An Pohu, who was behind, immediately looked at Liu Jilong and said, "Your Majesty, this humble general is leading the troops into battle."

“Go!” Liu Jilong nodded without hesitation.

Seeing Liu Jilong's actions, An Pohu immediately mustered his troops and led 8,000 elite cavalry and more than 20,000 infantrymen to bypass Pinggao County from the rear, completely surrounding the entire county to prevent the officers and soldiers of the various towns from escaping. At the same time, he personally led 7,000 infantrymen to press forward.

"Commander, the city wall has collapsed, and now only about a hundred brothers are forming ranks at the breach!"

"Damn it, the city wall has been blown up! Summon the troops from Hedong and Heyang to garrison it! If we rest any longer, we'll all be dead!!"

As soon as Wang Chongrong stepped out of the house where he was hiding, he learned of the collapse of the city wall and immediately began to lead his troops to stop the Han army.

The sun was high in the sky when the Hedong and Heyang armies were summoned and rushed to provide support towards the west of the city.

Soon, seven thousand Zhaoyi and Yiwu soldiers were besieging more than one thousand Han soldiers on the horse path.

Five thousand soldiers from the Hezhong army first gathered at the breach, and then the Hedong army, the Heyang army, and the troops from Yicheng and other towns arrived one after another.

Husi Guang led more than 3,000 Han soldiers to press forward. On the horse paths on both sides of the gap, the Heyang army used catapults and crossbows to guard the pass, while 4,000 Heyang soldiers held the gap from the front.

Husi Guang commanded a thousand Han soldiers to fight the enemy with crossbows, and personally led more than two thousand Han soldiers to launch repeated attacks on the breach.

The long weapons of both sides clashed within the gap, and arrows flew like locusts, constantly falling into the enemy's ranks.

An Pohu led his army to the scene and immediately divided his forces into 5,000 to launch a strong attack on the city walls using Lu Gongche and Yunche. He also divided his forces into 2,000 to use crossbows to attack the Heyang army on both sides of the breach.

For a time, the Han army and the Tang army were locked in fierce fighting, and the battle was intense.

Smoke and gunpowder debris billowed at the breach in the city wall. When the long weapons of both sides clashed, if a soldier on one side was knocked down, there was absolutely no chance of him being rescued.

Even the Han army, skilled in battlefield rescue, was unable to pull the wounded out of the crowded gaps.

The battle was fought with long weapons clashing, with the fighters leaping and wielding axes and hammers, ready to finish off the enemy at any moment, while the garrison behind them constantly suppressed the enemy with crossbows.

More and more corpses fell, and the Han army had forced the Tang army into the city. The Tang army could only desperately defend the breach in the inner city.

However, after the Han army achieved this level of capability, they also faced more and more attacks on the horse trails. Countless stones were being thrown at them, and even if soldiers were shot in the face, the falling corpses could still hit many Han soldiers.

The battle raged fiercely at the breach, and the situation on the horse track was no exception.

Holding an iron mace, An Pohu led his troops into battle after climbing the horse path. The Han army, which surged onto the city wall, separated the Zhaoyi Army and the Yiwu Army, with one army on the left and the other on the right.

As the Han army advanced and its ranks grew, both Zhang Fan and Liu Guang felt the pressure.

Even more pressured are the frontline combat teams of the two armies.

The Yan and Zhao regions are known for their many brave warriors, but the He and Long regions are no less formidable.

Both sides were of similar height, both burly men, clad in armor and wielding weapons. In this battle, what mattered was no longer individual physique, but rather organization and discipline.

In this respect, the Han army undoubtedly far surpassed the troops of other garrisons of the same era.

Countless spears were broken, and the spears of the three armies were riddled with arrows. The faceplates of the Han soldiers were pierced, and blood dripped from their chins onto their chests.

Instead of arousing fear, it made them even angrier, and they pressed forward relentlessly.

"Press it down!!"

An Pohu fought bravely in the vanguard, wielding an iron mace and killing seven or eight people, greatly boosting the morale of the entire army.

With An Pohu as their role model, the morale of the Han army seemed inexhaustible, constantly pressing forward and almost destroying the psychological defenses of the Zhaoyi and Yiwu armies.

"Aren't they tired?!"

At this moment, the soldiers of Zhaoyi Army and Yiwu Army had only one thought, but when they met the eyes of the Han army, they saw that the Han soldiers had wide-open eyes under their masks, just like the Immovable King.

"Damn it, he seems even more valiant than those dogs from Lulong!"

"No retreat! The deputy captain is in charge; anyone who retreats will be executed!!"

"Damn it! Zhan Feng retreats, what can we do if we don't retreat!"

"You barking bastard, Wang Sanlang, if you dare to lay a hand on us, we'll cut off your head first!!"

Faced with the Han army's strong pressure, even though the Yiwu Army and Zhaoyi Army wanted to strictly enforce military law, the soldiers would not tolerate them.

As the deputy captain in charge of the battle, he was too embarrassed to lay a hand on his comrades. After all, they were all from the families of the colonel and the captain, and they would see each other all the time, so he naturally dared not to be ruthless.

As a result, the Zhaoyi Army and the Yiwu Army were constantly pushed back by the Han army, and soon the city gate tower was exposed.

Without hesitation, An Pohu immediately dispatched over a hundred men to storm the city walls.

The city gate was pushed open, and dozens of crossbow bolts shot towards them. An Pohu was hit by several arrows in the chest, but he raised his iron mace and led his troops to charge in.

The dozens of militia soldiers guarding the city gate immediately took out axes and spears and engaged them in battle.

Taking advantage of his height and strength, An Pohu raised his hand, tucked the spear under his arm, and swung his iron mace fiercely at the head of the Yiwu Army colonel in front of him.

The righteous army colonel quickly squatted down, but was still hit in the iron armor.

The iron helmet flew far away, and Lie Xiao hurriedly took out his axe and slashed fiercely at An Po Hu, but was hit on the forehead by An Po Hu's iron mace and immediately fell to the ground.

Two Yiwu soldiers came to the rescue from the left and right. An Pohu swung his iron mace and knocked one of them down, but was hit on the shoulder by the other with a hammer.

In pain, he grabbed the man's arm, pushed him to the ground, and slammed his head down repeatedly with his thumb.

"Eh!!!"

Red and white liquid welled up in his eyes, and the soldiers struggled to stay upright. The Han soldiers around him quickly surrounded and protected An Pohu.

Only when the faces of the righteous soldiers beneath him were soaked in blood and they no longer had the strength to struggle did An Pohu release his head. He then walked breathlessly to the mechanism and, together with the soldiers, turned the lever to close it.

At this moment, the Han army on all sides had suppressed the Yiwu army inside the city tower. They kicked the Yiwu army's flags in half and planted the Han army's flags instead.

"The city gate tower has been lost!!"

"You scoundrel, you boasted so much a few days ago, and now you've turned into a dog and a rat!!"

Looking at the Han army banners fluttering on the city wall, Wang Chongrong angrily began to curse.

Even so, he could not reverse the decline and could only divide his troops to guard the city gates.

The Yiwu Army was driven by the Han army to the horse path on the north city wall, while the Zhaoyi Army was driven to the foot of the city wall.

The Han army began to deal with the Hezhong army on both sides of the breach. The veteran soldiers of the Hezhong army had long been terrified by the Han army's attack at Maijishan, and seeing the Han army coming in large numbers, they had no intention of resisting.

Anpohu easily seized the ramp leading to the west gate and began leading his troops down the ramp in an attempt to capture the gate.

Meanwhile, the Han army outside the city saw that their own banners had been replaced on the city gate tower, and immediately began to ram the city gate with battering rams.

Without the help of the heavy sluice gate, the copper-clad wooden city gate could not withstand the repeated impacts of the battering rams.

Before long, as the city gate bolt was broken, countless Han soldiers suddenly poured into the passageway, and together with their comrades who had charged down from the horse path, they began to besiege the thousands of Tang soldiers guarding the city gate.

"Si Lang, the city gates and the ramparts have been lost! How can we defend them now?!"

Seeing that the city gates had fallen, Wang Chongyi immediately looked at his fourth son.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chongrong immediately looked at Yi Zhao, the general of the Hedong Army: "General Yi, Pinggao cannot be defended. Now we can only retreat to the city to the south."

"We can't retreat. The rebels' elite cavalry and infantry have surrounded the city!"

Yi Zhao's words were like ice water, pouring cold water over Wang Chongrong's head.

He had a bright future ahead of him, but now he's going to die here?
Wang Chongrong was so angry he jumped up and down, but there was nothing he could do.

Seeing that the Heyang army on the horse path had been dealt with by the Han army, the Han army began to use catapults and crossbows to deal with the Heyang army at the gap.

Under the attack of the Han army at Madao and Huokou, the tens of thousands of Tang soldiers at Huokou were also retreating continuously.

"Damn you, God!!"

Wang Chongrong couldn't help but curse loudly, but he could only watch helplessly as the Han army continued to pour into the city.

They were forced out onto the street through the breach, and although they joined forces with the Zhaoyi Army and the Yiwu Army, the situation was still far from optimistic.

"Defeat is inevitable. Breaking out will also mean death, and holding out will also mean death. We might as well surrender!"

Wang Chongrong shouted, and Zhang Fan and the others couldn't help but waver after hearing his words.

Seeing that they remained silent, Wang Chongrong simply looked at Wang Chongyi.

"The three armies retreat to the county government office, and then send someone to find the Han army generals and tell the King of Han that we have surrendered!!"

"Yes!!"

Wang Chongrong's change of heart was so rapid that it was unimaginable, but Zhang Fan, Liu Guang, Yi Zhao and others remained silent, clearly wanting to pin the blame for surrender on Wang Chongrong.

Wang Chongrong was well aware of this, but he had no confidence in the imperial court at all.

Putting aside the fact that an army of over 100,000 was defeated by tens of thousands of soldiers, the power struggles among the eunuchs of the Northern Division over the past year or so have made him despise such a court.

"How can the Great Tang Dynasty become strong by coexisting with such insects?!"

(End of this chapter)