My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 493: Kill Xiahou Shang first, then kill Xiahou Yuan

Xiahou Shang launched a desperate attack on the southern section of the east wall of Diaoyucheng without caring about casualties. Waves of Cao's sword and shield soldiers swarmed up and fought hand-to-hand with Liu Bei's long spear soldiers and swordmen.

Batches of Zhang Lu's surrendered soldiers carrying ladders were killed by rolling logs and rocks at the base of the wall. At several points where the fighting was most intense, the bodies of the dead were piled up seven or eight feet high, more than half the height of the earth wall.

The fierce fighting and trampling also caused the edges of the rammed earth wall to collapse, and the collapsed earth scattered on the corpses, making the pile of corpses more stable and solid, and easier to trample. Subsequent attacking soldiers could even jump up directly on their companions' corpses without the help of ladders to gain a firm foothold on the earth wall.

At this point in the battle, Xiahou Shang's rear army reserve troops could move forward without any scruples. Because the battle on the wall had entered a fierce melee, the archers of Liu Bei's army could not stand firmly on the wall to shoot arrows, and they were all caught in a close combat.

Since there is no threat from the archers of the defenders, Cao's army does not have to stick to deploying only sword and shield soldiers. They can send a large number of spearmen and halberd soldiers as the second and third formations, following the bloody path created by their comrades, and attack upwards smoothly to make the gap in the defense line bigger.

With the large-scale deployment of Cao's spearmen and halberdmen, the length advantage of weapons on both sides was equalized.

The original arrogance of Liu Bei's melee soldiers, who were in a dominant position and could defeat ten enemies with one, was finally curbed a little. Although they could still fight one against three or four, they were not as overwhelming as at the beginning.

After years of confrontation, Cao Cao's army was no fool and knew that Liu Bei's army's weapons and equipment were powerful, so Cao's army also concentrated on dispatching high-quality steel from all over the world to build spears and halberds.

The head of the spear or halberd is made of only a few pounds of steel, but the damage caused by piercing with full force can penetrate armor. This was also the most effective way for Cao's army to bridge the gap in weapons between the two sides.

It was inevitable that Wei Yan had to temporarily retreat when the battle reached this point - it was not because Wei Yan fought badly, nor was it that the terrain of Diaoyu City was not strategic enough, but because there was a huge gap in the degree of completeness of the construction between Diaoyu City of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Diaoyu City of the later Southern Song Dynasty.

Wei Yan had only a few days to build the city and strengthen the defense, and all the facilities were too sloppy. At present, he could only use flexible defense and multi-layer defense, and could not completely stop the enemy on the front line.

……

As Cao's spearmen and halberd soldiers gained a foothold in the southern section of the east wall, Wei Yan did not send in reserve troops to block the entrance. Instead, he organized a new line of defense at the second and third trenches and deer horns behind the east wall.

The last defenders of the southern section of the east wall retreated in batches after gradually losing their strength.

Most of the soldiers retreated directly to the second trench antlers in the rear. The few soldiers who were left at the end retreated northward along the top of the earth wall, toward the tower on the east wall.

Although Cao's army wanted to take advantage of the situation to expand the victory, Liu Bei's army retreated in a very orderly manner, one group after another, with the soldiers at the rear and the city tower as a support point.

Cao's army's attack was quickly repelled by the dense crossbow fire from the city wall, so they had to give up temporarily and focus their energy on opening a breakthrough as quickly as possible.

"Don't worry about those fleeing soldiers! Charge straight in and completely penetrate the enemy camp!"

Xiahou Shang, who had been cautiously supervising the battle outside the east wall, was ecstatic when he saw that a decisive breakthrough had finally been achieved. He quickly assessed the situation and issued strict orders, asking the soldiers to distinguish between the primary and the secondary.

As long as there are enough soldiers rushing in through the gap, what does it matter even if Wei Yan still occupies the tower and the section of the city wall north of the tower?

By then, Cao's army will have an absolute advantage in military strength everywhere on the battlefield and will be able to completely crush the enemy without having to worry about one or two strong fortifications.

It was at this time that Xiahou Shang finally chose to lead his troops into the city to expand the results of the battle.

After climbing over the east wall, the vanguard of Cao's army quickly rushed more than 200 steps to the west and reached Liu Bei's army's second trench antler defense line.

During this process, the archers of Liu Bei's army behind the second antlers would naturally continue to shoot arrows to kill and weaken Cao's army. But how much effect could a mere antler have on the enemy who just relied on the city wall to shoot arrows and failed to stop them?

After suffering hundreds of casualties, Cao's army soon engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Liu Bei's soldiers behind the second line of deer horns.

This time, Cao's army hardly needed sword and shield soldiers to clear the way. The two sides directly stabbed each other with spears and halberds through the deer horns, and the intensity of the fight reached its maximum from the beginning.

"Roll down the rocks! Fire the rockets!" Just as Xiahou Shang's banner broke into the east wall, the Cao army's vanguard also engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Liu Bei's army on the second antler. At the top of Diaoyu Mountain south of the east wall, Zhuo Ying finally followed Wei Yan's orders and pushed down dozens of huge rolling stones along the steep slope of the cliff, and then fired countless rockets.

These big stones were wrapped with circles of thick hemp ropes soaked in grease. Before they rolled down, the flames were ignited and then they rolled down.

It can be seen from this that the cost was not small, and a lot of oil should have been used, which were all the city defense supplies that Wei Yan asked his lord and Mr. Zhuge for before the battle. Liu Bei took into account that Wei Yan was under time pressure and had a heavy task, so he naturally did not hesitate to support him at the material level.

Before setting out, Zhuge Liang had given Wei Yan special and urgent instructions, teaching him how to use the various city defense materials and equipment according to local conditions for the best results. At this moment, Wei Yan just picked out a few tactics that he had learned before the battle, and used them to apply them on the spot.

Xiahou Shang on the opposite side saw the flaming boulder falling down, and was shocked and confused for a moment.

He thought Wei Yan was planning to use falling rocks to block Cao's rear army from rushing over the east wall, but this was obviously unrealistic.

How many people can be killed by falling rocks? Can you keep throwing rocks? When the rocks roll over and stop, won't Cao's army rush in again? Can you pile up so many rocks that you can form a new wall and completely block the road? This is obviously impossible.

"Don't be afraid, the rear troops should catch up quickly! Stones can't kill many people! Anyone who is afraid to fight will be beheaded!" Xiahou Shang was unmoved and continued to give orders majestically.

But after just a dozen seconds, Xiahou Shang could no longer laugh.

"Boom! Boom!" With the sound of boulders rolling down, the ground on the inside of the east wall (that is, the west side), which had been trampled by countless Cao soldiers, was suddenly smashed into some dents by the boulders.

The thick wooden boards, which originally had no flaws when people stepped on them, and the thin supporting pillars underneath, could not withstand the impact of the huge rocks falling from the cliff and broke into pieces. Some Cao soldiers barely avoided being hit by the huge rocks, but found that the ground under their feet had collapsed due to the huge rocks and they fell directly into the pit.

Xiahou Shang also witnessed all this. His pupils suddenly shrank and a thought flashed through his mind: "Did Wei Yan also dig a pit inside the east wall? It was just supported by wooden planks and thin pillars at the beginning, so people walking on it could not see any flaws, but it collapsed when hit by the huge rock on the top of the cliff? Did he plan from the beginning to let us break through this weak point, so he set an ambush?!"

Xiahou Shang felt uneasy, but he subconsciously told himself: It doesn't matter! Even if there is a pit, it won't kill many people! These are just a drop in the bucket!

Unfortunately, after a few seconds, Xiahou Shang's feeling of relief was strangled.

"Oh no! The pit is full of dry firewood! Fire! It's on fire!"

The pit Wei Yan dug in advance was not an ordinary pit, nor did he expect many people to fall or be stabbed to death in the long pit. He just dug a pit that was dozens of feet long, several feet wide, and several feet deep, along the southernmost part of the inner side of the east wall, close to the cliff, and then piled as much firewood as possible in it.

It is now the end of September in the lunar calendar, late autumn and early winter. The weather is dry and all the grass and trees are dead. It is very easy to find enough dead grass and branches in the mountains.

Wei Yan discovered a few days ago that it might be too late to build a high and steep city wall with sufficient defensive power in a short period of time, so he started to prepare a second backup plan. He set up this plan according to the method of arson and ambush taught by Mr. Zhuge. He also pulled up most of the dead grass on Diaoyu Mountain to make up the amount.

In order to start the fire faster at the beginning, a layer of grease is inevitably sprinkled on the surface of the firewood, which is also a huge expense.

Fortunately, Liu Bei's army had very advanced fishing technology in recent years, and the production of fish paste was huge, so they always brought a large amount of reserves with them when they went to war.

If it were another prince, he really couldn't afford to burn so much fish paste.

Suddenly, a raging fire broke out on the inner side of the southern section of the east wall that Cao's army had finally broken through. The flames did not spread very fast, but there was no place to get water on the battlefield, and it was impossible to put out the fire in the chaos, so it would only burn more and more.

As the fire grew more and more intense, the Cao army reinforcements that had not yet entered the city were also blocked outside by the fire.

How could ordinary soldiers have the courage to rush into the fire zone that was several meters wide? They couldn't see the situation behind the flames, and they didn't know whether their comrades who had already entered the city were doing well or badly, and whether they had the upper hand or were about to be beaten back.

With thick smoke blocking the way ahead, rockets fired overhead, and huge rocks tied with flaming ropes rolling down, the first reaction of most Cao's soldiers was that they had fallen into a trap. If the brothers in front of them could no longer hold on and would be defeated and forced back, wouldn't they have to rush back in the fire soon and suffer twice?
Fire is always a powerful weapon to disrupt a general's command system on the battlefield.

Even if the general himself is calm enough and knows that this fire is not enough to have a decisive impact, he cannot control the soldiers under his command to be as calm as him.

"The Cao bandits have been defeated! Their rear troops are blocked by the fire and cannot get in! Brothers, follow me to kill!" Wei Yan seized the opportunity, personally drew his sword, mounted his horse, shouted loudly to supervise the battle, and then took the lead in breaking out of the second line of defense of the deer horn trench.

In just ten days, he had used this "flexible defense, defensive counterattack" tactic for the third time.

It's just that he didn't fight in person the first time, but he did the next two times. The first time he used this trick, he killed Yang Ang, the second time he killed Gao Zuo, and today, the third time, he faced Xiahou Shang.

The details change every time, the tactics, the weapons used, and the terrain also change, but the core essence remains the same.

Each time, we would let in a part of the enemy, and then do everything we could to block the enemy reinforcements. We would concentrate superior forces locally to defeat the enemy with more troops and eat up the enemy that rushed in first.

"Why doesn't the rear army charge? Let them rush through the fire and come in to reinforce! Why do those rubbish dare to be afraid of fighting? I must kill them when I go back!" Xiahou Shang was so anxious that his eyes were blazing with anger when he saw Wei Yan launching a counterattack.

He knew that if he looked at the overall situation, he was clearly the side with the advantage in terms of military strength. But why didn't the rear army dare to rush in despite the fire when it was blocked? Those cowards! Trash!

They just watched helplessly as the part of Cao's soldiers who had already entered the city fell into a local disadvantage in terms of manpower once again.

"Hold on! Don't panic! The fire won't last long! The firewood in the pit will burn out in less than half an incense stick!"

Xiahou Shang tried his best to maintain morale and discipline, and ordered the spearmen and halberdmen around him to fight in formation. He did not dare to engage in hand-to-hand combat against the enemy's antler trench defense line, and wanted to buy time until the fire died down and reinforcements caught up.

But how could Wei Yan let him do what he wanted? Xiahou Shang had just retreated and formed a dense formation, and Wei Yan also changed his tactics abruptly, stopping the charge and counterattack, and instead ordered the archers to move forward, using the deer horn trench as a cover, and shoot arrows at the Cao army in the dense formation.

The main force of Xiahou Shang's attack this time had been replaced by spearmen and halberdmen from the sword and shield soldiers at the beginning. These soldiers held long weapons in both hands and were not equipped with shields. They were shot at in a dense formation and of course suffered heavy casualties immediately.

Xiahou Shang was confused and cursed Wei Yan in his heart for being despicable! When he was attacking, he cut off the rhythm of his reinforcements; now that he wanted to slow down, he immediately shot arrows and consumed Cao's army in vain!
There was no other way. Xiahou Shang certainly couldn't stand there and wait for the fire to die down. He could only either retreat immediately or rush forward and engage in hand-to-hand combat with Liu Bei's halberd soldiers behind the second antler trench, not giving the other side a chance to shoot him in vain.

Xiahou Shang chose to continue fighting hand-to-hand regardless of casualties and wait for help.

Because he knew that if he retreated at this time, Wei Yan would take advantage of the situation to attack him, and most of him would be killed or injured, and even trampled on by others when passing through the fire. But if he went forward, he still had a chance to win.

Since if we retreat at least half of our troops will be killed, injured or captured, we might as well give it a try.

Xiahou Shang, who changed his tactics twice before the battle, once again launched a desperate attack. Unfortunately, his soldiers had lost most of their morale after being tossed back and forth like this, and the battle became more and more chaotic.

Xiahou Shang, who was only 25 years old, had never experienced a brutal war after all. His understanding of military tactics was still based on the advice given by his elders. It was no surprise that he made mistakes repeatedly in critical moments.

"Come on! I was just afraid you wouldn't fight to the death!"

Seeing that Xiahou Shang was being mobilized by him like a dog again, Wei Yan countered his moves and, seizing the moment when the morale of the soldiers around Xiahou Shang was declining, launched an all-out and desperate counterattack.

Wei Yan personally rode his horse and charged into the battle, slashing wildly with his sword. The only cavalry team around him also charged forward, sparing no effort in terms of horsepower or casualties, and charged forward desperately in order to end the battle as soon as possible and cut the Gordian knot.

Wei Yan fought hard and killed several Cao soldiers, getting closer and closer to Xiahou Shang. Wei Yan was a strong martial artist and was able to deflect the spears and halberds of Cao soldiers, but his horse also suffered multiple injuries from the continuous charge and collision.

Fortunately, the personal guards around Wei Yan were also fearless and brave. They charged on horseback and created a gap, protecting Wei Yan as he jumped off his injured horse and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

Xiahou Shang on the opposite side was also fighting on foot because he rushed over the city wall and climbed in to fight.

Both sides were caught in a bloody clash of spears and halberds, with no room for maneuver.

Even if there are military generals with great martial arts skills, they have no room to display their skills. The best they can do is to deflect the enemy's weapons and stab one to death.

However, the personal fight between Wei Yan and Xiahou Shang boosted the morale of their own soldiers. Seeing their commanders fighting in person, the soldiers on both sides all bravely rushed forward.

"Stab Xiahou Shang to death! The one wearing the red helmet is Xiahou Shang! Stab him to death!"

Countless soldiers of Liu Bei's army with long spears stabbed and surrounded the direction of Cao's army's spear defense, knocking down layer after layer of Cao's soldiers to the ground.

Xiahou Shang swung his sword wildly, but it was too late to save the situation. In the end, he was stabbed with more than a dozen transparent holes by the halberds, all of which penetrated his chest, soft abdomen, waist and ribs, and came out through his back.

With Xiahou Shang being killed and the fire still not extinguished, Cao's army, which had already rushed into the city, completely collapsed.

The surviving soldiers all rushed back, not caring how big the fire was or how thick it was, they just rushed into the fire without hesitation.

When many people crawled out of the fire and climbed over the wall again, they were already covered in flames, like burnt people, rolling on the ground wailing in pain.

Unfortunately, the Cao soldiers outside the fire scene were unaware of the situation of the friendly forces in front of them, and some were trying to get in. The fire scene was in chaos, and the people inside wanted to get out, but the people outside were still blocking them, causing serious trampling.

Wei Yan certainly would not miss this opportunity. He ordered his troops to counterattack with all their might, chasing and beating Cao's army wildly, further exacerbating the chaos.

The surviving soldiers of Zhang Lu's army had never seen such a scene before, and they were unwilling to work for Cao Cao anymore. They just knelt down and surrendered, laying down their weapons and begging for their lives.

Even the veteran soldiers of Cao's army were so panicked that they had nowhere to hide and had to surrender.

……

After another half hour of fighting and flexible defense, Wei Yan completely regained control of the east wall of Diaoyu City, and the counterattack was considered a success.

The number of Cao's soldiers who suffered casualties or surrendered was probably several thousand. Considering that it was only a one-day siege, the number was already very impressive.

This also shows that the idea of "Cao's army taking advantage of the time to quickly attack and break through the city before Wei Yan has time to complete the fortifications" has completely failed.

The news of Xiahou Shang's death was quickly transmitted back to Cao's camp later that day and was known to Xiahou Yuan.

When Xiahou Yuan heard this, he was stunned for a while, then he drew his sword and slashed at the table to vent his anger.

"Shang'er! It was your uncle who harmed you! Your uncle will mobilize all the troops right now to kill Wei Yan and avenge you! Tomorrow, the entire army will attack and break through the city at all costs!"

Fortunately, Xiahou Yuan's deputy general and military advisor had also arrived with the rear army. Jia Xu and Zhang Xiu urged Xiahou Yuan to calm down. Jia Xu, in particular, was quite knowledgeable in military tactics. He held Xiahou Yuan tightly and urged him:
"General, please do not raise an army in anger again! I just arrived the day before yesterday and did not understand the situation, so I could not stop the young general from taking risks. Now it seems that Diaoyucheng is so dangerous that it is difficult to break through even without a strong fortress!
We suffered a great loss just because we tried to rush for time! We must be fully prepared this time! Build the best siege equipment, and then fight again! The young general was defeated in this battle, and our army has lost its fighting spirit. We will definitely not win if we rush for time! "

-

PS: The above is already 5,000 words, this is the only update today. I have an appointment to see a heart doctor at Run Run Shaw Hospital in the afternoon...

(End of this chapter)