Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 160: Chang'an is right behind them; they must fight (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Tang Meng).
"put!"

With a command.

Just as the Turkic general outside the city was about to aim at the Tang banners, he heard a whooshing sound.

The dense rain of arrows before his eyes vanished in the blink of an eye.

Wen He didn't know what he was thinking before he died; in such a short moment, he probably couldn't have thought of anything.

But through the binoculars, he clearly saw those desperate eyes, and then…

"vomit!"

"Wenxianzi! What are you doing? Why are you looking at a corpse for no reason?"

Li Junxian couldn't help but chuckle. He quickly had someone bring a bowl of hot water, and he personally patted Wen He's back to help her catch her breath.

Wen He gagged a few times, but after drinking some hot water, she felt better.

The saying "curiosity killed the cat" is absolutely true.

"Xu~"

The Turkic army was deathly silent. They stared wide-eyed at the corpses beneath the city wall, their bodies riddled with quills like hedgehogs.

When did the Tang army become so ruthless?

This is just a demonstration, and it hasn't even started a war yet, and they're already using such methods?

"Damn Han Chinese! Khan, give the order! Charge forward and tear them to pieces!" someone gritted his teeth, his angry eyes filled with murderous intent.

Jieli gazed solemnly at the city wall.

They originally thought it was just a city that could be easily captured, but in just two days, they have lost two thousand warriors and one Meilu.

The agitated gazes of the crowd around him ignited a fire of anger within Jieli as well.

"Ashina Mopi!"

"The general is here!"

A Turkic general rode out on his horse to Jieli's left.

"Take your eagle master with you. If you cannot capture Huizhou within two hours, then commit suicide and go to see Tengri!"

"Yes!"

A single falcon division of the Turks numbered over seven thousand. Although not all of them were necessarily elite, at least four thousand of Ashina Mopi's seven thousand men, who were trusted confidants of Jieli, were armored soldiers.

On top of the city wall.

Watching the Turkic army move in the distance, Li Junxian knew that it was about to begin.

He immediately ordered his men to take Wen He down from the city wall.

Meanwhile, in addition to the three thousand men remaining on the city wall, the rest of the reinforcements were also on standby.

The seven thousand Turks could not possibly attack all at once; they only attacked the western wall.

Ashina Mopi divided his troops into three groups and surrounded the state.

At his command, his troops launched an attack from three sides.

The Turks charged toward the city wall as if they had gone mad.

The men at the forefront carried ladders several meters long; they wore no armor and didn't even have weapons.

They were dressed in tattered clothes, looking like a group of beggars.

They did not look like Turks; many of them were Han Chinese and people from the Western Regions.

These were all slaves captured by the Turks. Whenever they attacked a city, the Turks would drive them to the front to set up siege ladders.

The Turks, carrying shields, quickly followed behind them, advancing swiftly.

"Bang the drum!"

Li Junxian shouted, and a series of drumbeats suddenly rang out in the western part of Huizhou.

"Gale!"

Cheers erupted.

Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison.

The crossbowmen quickly took their positions, while the spearmen crouched away from the battlements. The ordinary infantrymen lifted the tarpaulins covering the city walls and lit the oil cauldrons and broth.

At this moment, Wen He was extremely grateful that he didn't have to go up the city wall, otherwise the smell of that golden soup would have been enough to make him feel awful.

He stood at the foot of the city wall, watching the busy figures carrying stones and logs, and felt that he should do something too.

He's too weak to lift heavy objects, so helping with stones and wood is definitely out of the question; he might even cause trouble.

So after thinking for a long time, he decided that he could only go and help out with the cooks.

"gentlemen!"

From afar, Li Chengqian arrived with a hundred riders.

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to stay in the back?" Wen He frowned and scolded.

Li Chengqian grinned and said with a determined look, "Sir, the Turks are attacking the city. The soldiers are fighting desperately at the front. Although I cannot fight on the front lines, I still have to do something."

Even Wen He hadn't expected Li Chengqian to grow up so quickly.

Were all children in ancient times so precocious?
"Alright, then come with me to chop wood and start a fire." Now that they're here, Wen He can't possibly let him turn back the way he came.

If word gets out that the future crown prince is personally tending the fire, the soldiers in the army will surely be grateful to him, and it will serve as a way to establish his authority.

"You hundred riders, don't just stand there! Get to the city walls and defend against the enemy! What kind of soldiers are you if you've never killed anyone!"

Wen He pointed at Zhang Wenxiao.

This was also one of the reasons he brought the hundred riders; only those riders who had seen blood could play a greater role in the future.

Zhang Wenxiao and his group had this intention, but they also had the responsibility to protect Wen He and Li Chengqian, so they dared not leave.

Now that they had his order, they were overjoyed. After bowing to Wen He, they all went up to the city wall.

"Sir, why are they so happy?"

Watching their retreating figures heading towards the city wall, Li Chengqian was filled with doubt.

Wen He handed him a piece of wood and said earnestly, "Because they all know that behind them are the people of the Tang Dynasty, their brothers and sisters."

"Chang'an is right behind them, they must fight!"

Just like the words shouted by that group of people more than a thousand years later: "Our motherland is behind us, we have nowhere to retreat!"

Perhaps Zhang Wenxiao and most of the soldiers here were aiming to make meritorious contributions and secure a good future for their families, but they were also fighting for their country!

outside the city.

Under the barrage of arrows, not a single slave soldier at the forefront was spared.

Seeing this, the Turks who followed had no choice but to set up their own ladders and charge towards the city walls.

But soon after, another volley of arrows rained down, and more than half of the Turks fell.

Seeing this, the other Turks looked at each other in bewilderment, and without needing to communicate, turned and ran back.

"Trash, trash!"

Ashina Mopi cursed loudly, drew his scimitar, and immediately killed one of the fleeing soldiers.

"No retreat! Keep charging! Everyone, charge forward!"

Jieli gave him two hours, but he thought his soldiers would be able to storm the city walls in less than half an hour.

However, half an hour later, not only did his troops fail to get close, but even those who managed to escape were reduced to half their original number.

"What about the other city gates? Have they been breached yet?"

Ashina Mopi assumed that the Tang army had focused all its main force on the west gate, leaving the other two city walls undefended.

Perhaps the attack over there will be more successful!

"Report!"

Not far away, a messenger was seen rushing towards him.

Ashina Mopi was overjoyed upon hearing this, but when he turned around, his eyes widened in surprise.

The messenger was covered in blood, with an arrow stuck in his arm.

Before he even reached him, a mournful neighing of a horse was heard, and the messenger suddenly fell from his horse.

(End of this chapter)