Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 806 The South of the City is Now Encircled by Multiple Encirclements (Part 2)
Hao Donglai had been watching this group of Jin soldiers from the city wall for quite some time.

He and a dozen villagers guarded the city wall, their only duty being to boil the broth; even pouring the broth down from the city was not their responsibility.

However, once the fighting started, casualties were like a flowing river, and before long, Hao Donglai had to take a few of his companions into battle.

At first, only a few Jin knights shot arrows from below the city walls, but as the siege towers drew closer, the archers on the city walls were unable to harm the Jin army. Instead, the Jin army used the siege towers as cover to snipe any soldiers who showed their faces with crossbows. After several rounds, the Jin army suppressed the Loyal Army behind the parapets, making it difficult for them to move.

Because the Loyal Army had suffered heavy casualties in previous battles, the commander guarding this place was a young man with no hair on his head.

He initially wanted to fight the Jin army head-on, but Hao Donglai was a shrewd old man who knew that the less than fifty loyal soldiers and sixty-odd auxiliary soldiers on this section of the city wall would die without even knowing how they were killed if they clashed with the Jin army head-on.

Therefore, he simply set up a simple ambush, hoping to inflict heavy casualties on the Jin army that was climbing the city walls in the first instance.

Hao Donglai gathered more than thirty crossbows, cocked them, and hid to the side. The rest of the men all took up large shields or long spears, ready to fire.

It should be said that Hao Donglai's simple plan was half successful.

When Zhuo Lu Ali and more than ten Jin soldiers scaled the parapet and climbed onto the city wall, they were immediately riddled with arrows from the Shenbi crossbows fired at close range. Several unlucky Jin soldiers fell headfirst off the city wall without uttering a sound, crashing heavily to the ground like broken sacks.

Zhor Ali's three layers of armor were very thick. Even though he took four crossbow bolts head-on, he only suffered some superficial wounds and was not fatal.

Stimulated by the pain, he drew his iron whip from his waist and was about to slash wildly. However, the Loyal Army had no intention of engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Dozens of guards wielding spears and shields stepped forward and pushed Zhuo Lu Ali, along with more than ten Jin soldiers who had climbed up later, off the city wall.

The Jin soldiers who were climbing the ladder felt a sudden darkness above their heads, and then they were all knocked down, ladder and all.

In an instant, nearly a hundred armored soldiers fell from the city wall, their groans echoing around the base of the wall.

Shi Dunzhong stared in disbelief at the scene, then flew into a rage: "Ali! You piece of trash who eats dog shit, you tore such a huge gap in the entire army for me, and you just wasted it like this! I considered you a hero, and this is how you repay me?!"

This place was about fifty or sixty steps away from the base of the city wall. Shi Dunzhong naturally knew that his angry curses would not be heard by Zhuo Lu Ali, but he still could not suppress them.

Just as Shi Dunzhong was about to organize another wave of troops to charge forward, he saw more than a dozen people swaying as they stood up at the base of the city wall and tried to climb the ladder to attack the city again.

Shi Dunzhong immediately perked up, completely disregarding his earlier scathing remarks: "Ali is truly a fine son of our army, a real hero!"

At this point, his trusted advisor, Mou Ke, disregarded everything else and shouted, "General, let's go too!"

Shi Dunzhong immediately nodded: "I have already made a promise to Ali in the military council, and for his successor, I must keep my word."

"Saba, you stay here and hold the fort. I'll take my banner and march onto the city walls. If I can establish a foothold, the matter will be settled today!"

After shouting a few commands, Shi Dunzhong immediately took his own banner, carried a makeshift ladder, and charged toward the city wall.

Thanks to the Jin army's strict discipline of executing soldiers in single combat, when Shi Dunzhong, a man of great military prowess, personally led the charge up the city wall with a large banner, his Jin soldiers were all greatly encouraged and immediately followed him forward, disregarding their own safety.

However, this was precisely the time to scale the city walls, and the siege ladders were not a direct route to the top. As a result, a large number of Jin soldiers, unable to scale the walls, used their bows and arrows to suppress the enemy from above.

The Loyal Army, which had just won a minor victory, was caught off guard and immediately suppressed by the incoming arrows.

Hao Donglai was like a skilled cook without rice; he knew that with all means of counterattack lost and so many Jin soldiers climbing the city walls, this section of the wall would fall. But he was, after all, just a garrison commander, wearing only a tattered leather armor. Under these circumstances, he truly had no power to turn the tide.

The young captain seemed to have noticed Hao Donglai's hesitation and nodded, saying, "Uncle Hao, you should lead your men to retreat first. Our armored soldiers can hold out here for a while longer; you are no match for us."

If you're determined, go to the city gate tower, hold your position on high ground, and wait for reinforcements to retake this section of the wall.

Hao Donglai looked in the direction the captain pointed and saw that there was a set of more than thirty steps at the junction of the city gate tower and the city wall. If that place were to fall, the Jin army on the city wall would be able to break into the arrow tower on the city gate and drag the archers inside into hand-to-hand combat.

This will inevitably lead to a serious consequence.

If the Jin army were to push large siege engines like goose carts close to the city gate, then all would truly be lost.

"Hold that step!" the young captain roared, leading the remaining dozen or so loyal soldiers forward to meet the enemy.

Hao Donglai was about to speak again when he saw that ladders had also been erected on the city wall behind him. He didn't have time to ask anything else and led more than twenty villagers to turn back and try to hold the steps.

But this was in vain. When a proper military commander personally scaled the city walls with a do-or-die attitude, the fighting power unleashed by the Jin army was immense.

Admittedly, it is far too dangerous for a general to personally charge into battle. If Shi Dunzhong were killed in battle, not only would the offensive he organized have to be halted, but even the offensive in Beicheng today would have to stop.

However, risk also means reward. When he actually climbed the city wall with his own banner, the three Meng'an who launched the attack from the north of the city were all excited and their offensive became even more fierce.

The battle situation in the north of the city was naturally observed by the Loyal Army, and the planned flags were raised one after another.

"Commander! The north city is in crisis. Should we send some troops to support it?" At the corner between the east and north of the city, after just suppressing a wave of Jin troops, Shan Ding asked Zhang Anguo breathlessly, "It's already the Red Flag. They're about to give up."

Zhang Anguo's armor was covered in blood, and his face was flushed an unnatural red. After the ceasefire, he simply slumped to the ground, shook his head and smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "Let's each look after ourselves. We're about to give up too. Let's see if the central army has any strength left."

Upon hearing this, Shan Ding also gave a wry smile: "How can one person defend one person in a city? If that wall is breached, is there any way out for us on this wall?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Anguo thought for a moment, then stood up, leaning on his spear, and nodded: "Old Dan is right. I'll take..." Zhang Anguo hesitated for a moment, looking at his subordinates who were also almost exhausted, and remained silent for a while: "I'll take fifty men with me. Old Dan, it's not easy here either."

Dan Ding could only sigh and remain silent. There was nothing he could do.

After a series of fierce battles, the Loyal Army's reserves were almost exhausted, and the fifty armored soldiers were Zhang Anguo's last personal guards.

Just as Zhang Anguo led his troops to sweep along the city walls, the battle situation on the north city wall became extremely difficult.

Shi Dunzhong easily climbed the city wall, and then, relying on his heavy armor, he began to kill indiscriminately.

Zhuo Lu Ali's body was half blood red, and it was hard to tell whether it was his own or the pile of corpses at the foot of the city wall. His legs were also injured during the fall, making him limp, and several crossbow bolts were stuck in his body.

But he still maintained his fierce nature, gritted his teeth, and wielded two steel whips, striking the defending soldiers.

Like a mad tiger, Zhuo Lu Ali smashed down several armored soldiers in succession. Despite taking an axe blow to the shoulder, he used all his strength to smash a young officer in front of him, flattening his helmet and splattering his brains before collapsing to the ground, unable to get up again.

Although the Loyal Army killed the ferocious marching strategist, they also suffered heavy casualties. More than a dozen Jin soldiers climbed up the ladder and gained a foothold, and the north city wall was in full danger.

As Heshi Lieliangbi gazed at the several Jin flags erected atop the city wall, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the horse's reins.

"Send another five hundred men to scale the city walls! Push the goose carts over and ram the city gates!"

As soon as Heshi Lieliangbi's military order was issued, shouts were heard from the city walls. A large Wei banner swept across the city walls from east to west, while a smaller Zhang banner swept across them from west to east.

The banner with the character "Zhang" was relatively slow in sweeping across the city walls, while the banner with the character "Wei" moved much faster. After cutting down two Jin army banners that were stationed on the city walls, its momentum did not diminish, and it continued to rush forward.

After taking a deep breath, Heshi Lieliangbi immediately gave the order: "Have those five moukes scale the city walls from this direction and block Wei Sheng's retreat!"

The military envoy immediately went to relay the order, while the five moukes, who were already poised to attack, quickly carried makeshift ladders and lined up to advance, attempting to scale the city walls.

Wei Sheng led less than two hundred longsword-wielding soldiers, sweeping all the way to the vicinity of the city gate tower. He was already panting heavily and his arms were sore.

After the fierce battle, even with Wei Sheng's strength, he had to lift his helmet and take deep breaths of fresh air to relieve the dizziness.

"Marshal! The thieves are coming again!"

Just as Wei Sheng was about to catch his breath and gather his troops to continue attacking the Jin soldiers carrying the 'Shidun' banner about twenty paces ahead, he heard his personal guards loudly report from behind.

Wei Sheng leaned on his long sword and looked back. He saw another wave of Jin soldiers scaling the city walls, disregarding their own lives. He felt a sudden tightness in his chest and was caught in a dilemma.

Dozens of armored soldiers under the banner of "Shidun" had already climbed the steps to the city gate tower, routing dozens of soldiers dressed as civilian laborers. Meanwhile, some of the Jin soldiers who followed had already scaled the city walls, using their maces and halberds to drag the loyalist army's longsword-wielding soldiers into brutal close-quarters combat.

The situation was extremely critical, and precisely because of this, Wei Sheng had no time to think further.

"Kill the traitors!" Wei Sheng raised his long sword, his beautiful beard fluttering, his phoenix eyes wide open, like Guan Yu descending to earth, fiercely attacking the Jin army that had just climbed the city wall.

The long, gleaming blade spun rapidly, unleashing a storm of blood and gore.

Upon witnessing this scene, the morale of the Loyal Army was greatly boosted, and they all shouted to kill the Jin invaders, engaging in a brutal meat grinder battle with the Jin soldiers.

The commotion naturally caught the attention of Shi Dunzhong, who was only twenty paces away. When he stood on the steps and looked down at the gleaming blades, he instinctively felt a sense of fear.

This was not because Shi Dunzhong was cowardly, but because a martial artist's keen sense of danger made him immediately judge from his skills and imposing manner that this person must be Wei Sheng.

Because Shi Dunzhong was a competent martial artist, he immediately suppressed his fear and realized that this was an opportunity.

"Atuer! Zhehe! Wuli!" Shi Dunzhong shouted loudly to several of his guards who were skilled with bows and arrows: "A golden opportunity! Follow me and shoot that swordsman to death!"

Upon hearing this, several Jin soldiers standing on the steps dared not delay and simultaneously drew their bows and arrows.

Hao Donglai, who had been forced to the top of the steps, was shocked to see this. Ignoring the villagers who had begun to retreat, he raised a wooden shield and rushed forward, trying to push the Jin soldiers in front of him down the steps.

But it's too late.

The arrows flew like shooting stars, and amidst shouts of alarm, more than ten arrows shot towards Wei Sheng.

Years of battlefield experience had honed Wei Sheng's sense of danger, allowing him to dodge the vast majority of arrows at the last moment. However, as he turned, a sudden pain in his arm wound weakened the right side of his body that was dragging his broadsword, preventing him from dodging all of them.

Looking at the three arrows lodged in his chest and abdomen, Wei Sheng, leaning on his long sword, knelt on one knee, suddenly feeling utterly powerless and unable to stand up.

"marshal!"

"Protect the Marshal!"

The loyal soldiers were all greatly alarmed, but Shi Dunzhong, who heard this from afar, immediately became excited, raised his strong bow and shouted: "The one who killed Wei Sheng is Shi Dunzhong!"

(End of this chapter)