Chapter 1113: Obstructed
??Just when Zhang Ji arrived at Suyi, Yang Jun also rushed to Tongguan with his troops.
??Yang Jun sat on the horseback and looked at Tongguan City in the distance. Three long strands of beard were fluttering in the cold wind, which gave him a somewhat elegant feeling, but Yang Jun himself did not feel elegant at all.
?Tongguan City in the distance is as quiet as a ghost land, so quiet that it makes people''s hearts tremble.
The dozen or so soldiers who were sent to shout at the city stretched their necks and shouted for a while, but there was still no response. Not even a human figure was seen, let alone a reply. No flags were seen above the city, nor at the city gate. Closed and silent.
The soldiers who shouted became more and more timid as they shouted. They gradually lowered their voices and looked back at Yang Jun in embarrassment...
Yang Jun coughed lightly. The winter wind was biting, and he seemed to be a little unwell. But this was not important. What was important was that Tongguan originally had two or three thousand soldiers of the Yang family, and there were also guards. But why is this happening now? Looks weird?
??If something happened in Tongguan, why was there no one to report the news?
??Yang Jun looked around at the surrounding terrain, feeling a little frightened and a not-so-good feeling creeping into his heart.
From the day it was built, Tongguan was built to defend against the soldiers and horses of Shandong. It and Hangu Pass guarded both ends of this long Hangu Mountain Road from the east to the west. Tongguan was built on the Tongyuan Highlands, with the towering Yao Mountain to the south and the river rolling eastward. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although it has not been fully repaired in recent years, you can still see the three Its majesty and precipitousness are not inferior to those of Han Valley.
“Yang Congcao, what are you going to do now?” asked the captain beside Yang Jun.
“…send more people…” Yang Jun was silent for a moment, and then said, “…if that doesn’t work, just set up a ladder and climb up! Whether you’re dead or alive, it’s important to take a look!”
The captain responded, and then sent a group of soldiers to urge dozens of civilians who were transporting food with the army to go to Tongguan City with two ladders.
?There was silence in the city, so silent that it was difficult to understand.
The ladder was set up on the wall. When the soldiers were halfway up the ladder, suddenly there was a sound of drums on the city, and many figures suddenly appeared on the edge of the battlements of the city wall. A rain of arrows was shot amidst the sound of bangs, and suddenly the people who were climbing the ladder were The soldiers were shot so hard that they jumped up and down.
??The civilian husband who was lucky enough not to be shot was so frightened that he hurriedly ran away.
??Tongguan did not continue shooting, but raised the general''s flag...
??The soldiers around Yang Jun suddenly burst into an uproar!
"Zhengxi?!" Yang Jun narrowed his eyes and his heart sank suddenly, "How could General Zhengxi''s troops be here? Where are the original defenders in Tongguan? If it fell, how could Yang Tong not even report the news? None?" Although he knew that Yang Tong might be in danger, if Yang Tong was still alive in front of him, Yang Jun might tie Yang Tong up again and cut him again in front of the formation to use his blood. Sacrifice the flag!
?Looking at the figures standing steadily on Tongguan, and then at the restless soldiers around him, Yang Jun frowned deeply.
What people fear most is comparison.
All Tongguan’s actions from before to now are almost like clearly writing four big characters in front of Yang Jun, “orders and prohibitions”…
Quiet, able to be silent.
Move, capable of thundering.
Are all the soldiers under General Zhengxi like this?
If this is really the case, it will be difficult to fight...
?Yang Jun was thinking quickly.
There is another possibility, is it just for bluff?
So that means there are not many troops in Tongguan?
"Commander Chang, since we have come here, we cannot return without success..." Yang Jun said, "You can lead the front troops and attack the city gate with chariots..."
No matter what, you need to try it to know...
Hash the car is relatively simple. The main thing is to cut down some trees and hang them up. Simply remove the front and rear parts of the baggage truck and reinforce the brackets. Then put the hastily felled trees in the middle and hang them up, and then nail them with wooden boards as the roof. It will be a slightly protective rush truck.
After working for a long time, Yang Jun gave an order and the war drums rumbled. The archers who had lined up on both wings slowly advanced forward under the cover of the sword and shield men, and were ready to hang on the head of Tongguan City. Shoot to cover the advance of the central charge.
The two-winged swordsmen, shieldmen and archers formed a mixed formation, moving closer and closer again.
"end!"
The captain in front of the formation shouted loudly.
The swordsmen, shieldmen, and archers all stopped. The swordsmen and shieldmen lined up their shields in a row, and then the archers huddled behind the swordsmen and shieldmen...
“Load the arrow! Raise the bow! Accurately…”
Before the captain finished shouting, he heard the war drums on the top of Tongguan City suddenly sounding again, and suddenly countless black lines flew out from the city wall!
“Shield! Raise your shield!”
??The captain shouted quickly, and then he also shrank under the shield.
“Buzz!”
The condescending arrow rain came down, hitting many archers who had no time to dodge and sword and shield players who had exposed flaws. The formation suddenly seemed to be pulled by a rake, looking a little scattered amidst the blood and screams. .
??Yang Jin looked at the mess of blood and flesh in front of the battle, but he couldn''t help but feel a little happy in his heart, because he saw that although there were some casualties on both wings, the number of arrows flying down from the top of the city was actually not many!
What does this mean?
It shows that there are not many troops in Tongguan!
“Bang the drum! Keep attacking!” Yang Jun ordered loudly.
?Colonel Chang in front of the battle formation heard the drums beating from behind, and he didn’t feel much dissatisfaction or surprise in his heart, because in the battle formation, human lives were just like ants, there was not much difference. What''s more, no matter what, since we have gone forward and made these preparations, there is no reason to retreat immediately under a hail of arrows...
"Raise the bow! Cover and shoot!" Captain Chang shouted loudly while taking advantage of the gap between the bows and arrows on the top of Tongguan City. "Don''t **** look at the ground! Keep an eye on the city!" Commander Shesheng in the queue shouted loudly, "Be smarter with your hands and feet! If anyone can''t move, just tell him, I''ll give him a knife and help him on his way. !”
The archers hiding behind the shields heard the order in fear. Although the unlucky ones who had just been shot died beside them, and some who were not dead were howling miserably, but after the military order, another military leader came. The old soldier was supervising the battle from behind, holding a shining knife very penetratingly, so he swallowed his saliva, suppressed his timid thoughts, and focused his attention on Tongguan again.
"shoot!"
The captain gave the order to shoot.
“Buzz!”
??The archers finally fired the first column of counterattack arrows towards the city of Tongguan...
As this batch of arrows rose into the sky, there was a loud crash on the top of Tongguan City, and a neat row of shields was immediately raised, as if the city wall had suddenly become taller, sealing the battlements tightly. , the arrows fell on it, or were bounced off, or stuck on the shield, like waves hitting the rocks. Although it looked good, it actually had no effect.
?Seeing this scene, Yang Jun couldn''t help but sigh secretly.
The soldiers of General Zhengxi are indeed extremely powerful...
For the troops defending the city, the only thing harder than shields is the adobe battlements. Therefore, when enemy arrows come, in order to avoid the rain of arrows, a common way to avoid them is to retreat behind the battlements. , using battlements to resist arrow attacks.
But such a choice will lose the vision of the battlefield, and a very important point is the psychology on the battlefield. Once you retreat, you will need more courage than before to come out again next time!
A slight hesitation will not only destroy the overall collaboration, but also lead to a decline in morale. The withdrawal of one or two people may accumulate into the withdrawal of more people...
Using a shield to block arrows is of course not as safe as using a city wall to block arrows. However, such a move is indeed a unanimous act. When giving the courage to the comrades around you to cooperate, the comrades are also supporting themselves, and the formation will not chaos!
?This is what it means to take risks and never retreat.
?After welcoming the rain of arrows, the shields suddenly separated, and then another rain of arrows was thrown down, rushing towards the archer position below the city.
??The long arrow passed through the air, and then there was the sound of being pierced on the shield, the sound of being shot into the flesh and blood body, and the screams of the injured soldiers, and the sounds were chaotic again.
??The defenders were condescending, and their shooting range and power were stronger than those of the siege. Even with shield cover, the archers arrayed under Tongguan City still suffered heavy blows.
A soldier with an arrow in his name either fell down or fell backward, while the others tried their best to forget about the coming of death. They just shot out the arrows in their hands as much as possible, because if they didn''t shoot out, , cannot delay the opponent''s rhythm, then the soldiers who died before are meaningless...
?While the archers and sword and shield bearers on both sides were trying to support themselves, the captain shouted: "Charge forward! Attack the city gate!"
??The swordsmen and shieldmen in the array erected their shields, put them together to cover their companions pushing the cart, and then approached the city gate as quickly as possible.
Tongguan originally had trenches and a moat, but when Huangfu Song attacked Tongguan, they were basically filled in. Therefore, the current Tongguan no longer has such convenience for defending the city, and Yang Jun can only let Yang Jun charge straight into it. Under the city.
When the ramming vehicle converted from a baggage vehicle approached Tongguan, the archers on top of the city gradually focused their targets on the baggage vehicle. Although there were sword and shield men guarding them, there were still many people coming one after another. People were shot in the exposed gaps and fell to the ground screaming...
“Quick! Quick!” The captain held his shield and shouted loudly, and then urged the surrounding soldiers to speed up.
?Amidst the roar, the soldiers pushed the chariot faster and faster and rushed towards Tongguan City Gate!
“Boom!”
??The huge battering ram made of simple swinging trees hit the city gate with a deafening bang. At this moment, the Tongguan City Gate seemed to be shaking back, and you could even see the light emerging from the gap in the city gate...
As if seeing a light of hope, Lieutenant Chang shouted loudly for the soldiers to hit the city gate again!
The loud sound of Tongguan hitting the city gate came over. Yang Jun couldn''t help but feel happy, his brows relaxed, and he suddenly felt that the pressure on his body was reduced a lot. Normally speaking, the city gate is the biggest weakness of a city. After the city gate is opened, the morale of both sides is almost reversed, and the defending side will quickly fall into a passive situation.
??Furthermore, Yang Jun knew that most of the previous barbicans in Tongguan had collapsed due to disrepair, so if the city gate was knocked open, it would basically be possible to break through!
“Chinese army is ready!” Yang Jun shouted loudly, “Come forward to pick up...”
Before Yang Jun could finish the word "response", he suddenly saw a bright light under the gate of Tongguan City!
With a "hoo" sound, a huge flame burst out from under the Tongguan City, and immediately engulfed the city-attack vehicle converted from a baggage train and all the surrounding soldiers!
?The flames soared into the sky, reflecting a huge change in Yang Jun''s face. The originally excited blood suddenly turned pale.
Several soldiers staggered out with fire all over their bodies. They covered their faces, howled loudly, and rolled on the ground, but they still couldn''t extinguish the flames on their bodies, and soon fell silent. He fell to the ground, dead, but his body and legs were still twitching and twisting under the flames, and then gradually curled up into a ball and turned into charcoal...
??In the air under Tongguan City, in addition to the original smell of blood, bursts of burning aroma were added...
??Yang Jun''s scalp was numb, and he subconsciously took a step back, as if the flames had burned him, swallowing up the order he had originally planned to give.
The flames at the city gate also completely ruined the rhythm of the attack. Before the flames were extinguished, no one could get close to the city gate. The archers on both wings lost the meaning of cover, and they quickly retreated despite the orders. , leaving corpses here and there.
Seeing Captain Chang retreat, Yang Jun barely suppressed the uneasy look on his face and asked calmly: "How is it?"
The captain took off his helmet. Even though it was winter, sweat was still flowing down his face, "Yang Congcao, judging from the defense of the city gate, Tongguan has already been prepared... If we attack Chui City again... Door, I’m afraid it’s also…”
The captain shook his head and continued: "If we still want to attack the city, we can only attack it with ants... Judging from the counterattack just now, there are at least a thousand defenders on the city. If we want to attack it with ants, we have the manpower I''m afraid it''s still not enough, and we still need to mobilize additional reinforcements... Previously, General Huangfu attacked the city, mobilized countless civilians, and injured thousands of soldiers... If the Xiliang soldiers had no reinforcements at that time, I''m afraid..."
??Yang Jun heard this and looked at Tongguan in front of him. Although the city wall was dilapidated and some of the damage left in the last war had not been completely repaired, it did not damage the power of Tongguan. Like a ferocious beast, even though its body is scarred, it is still majestic.
"...Come here! Report this matter to Duke Yang immediately!" Yang Jun thought for a long time in silence, and then said, "All the troops! Retreat five miles to form a stronghold!"
What the captain said is true. Although he has thousands of soldiers and horses, he is still not enough in front of Tongguan. Therefore, since he is powerless, let Yang Biao judge whether to advance or retreat...
(End of this chapter)