sweeping the world

Chapter 421 The crisis caused by the glass heart

Huan Wen knew that something was wrong with him, but he couldn't control his irritability and calm himself down.

"The only plan for now is to figure it out slowly." Yuan Qiao considered himself a very knowledgeable person and had read a lot of books, so he had a way of attacking a fortified city in his mind.What he hoped was that Huan Wen could treat it calmly, and suggested: "Smash one place with a catapult, or pile up soil to form a high degree of suppression."

There is no doubt that Xincai's city offensive and defensive battle will turn into a bad battle. Huan Wen took a deep breath and nodded.

The range of the Han army catapult is not exaggerated, the longest range is about [-] steps, and the accuracy can be said to be extremely poor.

If you want to use a catapult, you can only wait for the mound to be built and then pull the catapult up. Otherwise, the catapult will be covered by the long-range attack weapons of the Xincai defenders before it is within shooting distance.

Huan Wen, who had calmed down a little, no longer meaninglessly sent the slave army to die. The whole army obtained equipment that could load sand and soil, and the slave army braved the rain of arrows to run up and put it down, and then carried the soil to fill the height again and again.

It is not easy to build one or more towering mounds. It requires heavy casualties and takes a long time.

The Xincai defenders were strictly ordered by Chu Pei not to leave the city to fight, and even only one city gate was left behind, otherwise the rest of the city gates would be blocked.It is very obvious that Chu Po wants to strictly prevent the arrival of reinforcements who are defending to the south.

A Han army found out what the Jin army guarding the city of Xincai did, and after reporting it to Huan Wen, he immediately laughed angrily when he heard the news.

"If we have enough time, Chu Pei's behavior is seeking death." Huan Wen found that he could not control his anger, clenched his fists and turned to look at Li Kuang: "Let the slave soldiers speed up the pile of soil, day and night. Stop and pile dirt!"

The Han army raided the surrounding areas, and a large number of prisoners of war were escorted to Xincai City every day. Large and small groups of prisoners of war became slave soldiers. Although the slave soldiers under Huan Wen's hands were being consumed, the number of slave soldiers in general has been increasing. increase.

"I don't believe it!" Huan Wen hated the tortoise's shell, and said in a muffled voice, "Arrangement at any cost, let's see how long that old tortoise can hide!"

Chu Pei didn't know what his actions meant to Huan Wen. In fact, he worked hard to build a turtle shell out of a desire to protect himself, and stayed in the turtle shell looking forward to the arrival of reinforcements.His instinct for survival can be said to be extremely correct. At least the group of small court officials in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, including him, basically felt that it was correct. Even if someone had objections, they would be ignored.

Xincai's city offensive and defensive battle continued every day. The slave soldiers on the Han side braved the rain of arrows to pile up high soil, and some slave soldiers were even forced to dig tunnels.

Seriously speaking, the way of digging tunnels to attack the city is not so fun. The direct consequence of Huan Wen letting slave soldiers dig tunnels is that slave soldiers are buried every day due to landslides, and there is not even a tunnel that can be dug into the city.

If you want to dig a tunnel, you need to have a good understanding of civil engineering. Nowadays, the only person who knows this is "Captain Mojin", but Huan Wen doesn't have relevant talents on hand.He was simply forced to try anything, and he wouldn't care if hundreds or thousands of slave soldiers died.

It was not until the eighth day that the first mound higher than the city wall appeared.That was the result of the death of nearly 3000 people. Huan Wen couldn't wait to have people transport catapults up, and even the crossbows were brought to the mound.

"Strong crossbowmen, yes, strong crossbowmen are also on the way!" Huan Wen seemed to be in a better mood, and he said: "Our crossbows have a longer range than the Jin army, and we should suppress the defenders at the top of the city. In addition to continuing to build mounds, the soldiers have to go under the city wall and spread the mounds high!"

The first mound higher than the city wall appeared before Chu Po appeared at the city gate again.He looked at the mound of dirt in front of him in shock, and was angry for the first time: "How could this happen!?"

Zhang Mi immediately frowned. He was an unlucky guy. Others could still attend drug-taking conferences from time to time. Being excluded, he could only stay at the city gate to defend himself day and night.

The slave soldiers of the Han army were piling up soil, and the defensive defenders never stopped firing arrows, but after killing one group, another batch would come again. It wasn't that the Jin army didn't work hard, it was simply that the Han army (slave soldiers) was too desperate.

"It's only been less than three months!" Chu Po used his anger to hide his fear. He raised his finger and shouted at the towering mound where he couldn't see what was behind him: "The first one has appeared. Do you want the Han army to fight against it?" The city wall is suppressing, should we wait for death in the next moment! Fortunately, the old man arranged to block the city gate in advance, or... Humph!"

Zhang Mi wanted to curse people because the city gate was blocked, otherwise it was impossible for him to shoot arrows instead of going out to harass and destroy.He has never been optimistic about the future of Xincai City... Wrong, it is because he has never had much confidence in Chu Po's command of the defense of the three counties.

All because Zhang Mi knew what the mutual adulation between aristocratic families was like, and even a pig could become a so-called great poet, literary giant... or even a famous general through publicity.In the past, many so-called famous generals were lucky not to go to the battlefield. Once they went to the battlefield, they basically dragged their soldiers to death together. However, the small court of the Eastern Jin Dynasty would still continue to build momentum for someone, causing the army to be destroyed again and again.

Although he was dissatisfied and had no confidence in his future, Zhang Mi had no intention of confronting Chu Pei. He would endure it silently but also had to endure it like many aboriginal families south of the Yangtze River.

The situation soon took a new turn. It was the Han army's crossbowmen who first went up to the mound to shoot at the Jin army defending the city... Actually it wasn't about shooting at each other. It should be said that the Han army's crossbowmen took advantage of their range and suppressed them. The Jin troops guarding the city fired a burst of fire, causing Chu Pei and others who were originally watching at the city gate to have to go down from the city gate.

The defenders at the head of Xincai City were suppressed, and the slave soldiers on the Han army's side finally didn't have to risk their lives under the rain of arrows at any time.The slave soldiers kept transporting soil with enthusiasm, partly because their lives were guaranteed, and another reason was that they would not have to go to the field for ten days after finishing their work, and their food would also be improved.

The way to run an army is to have looseness and speed. Huan Wen did not use the slave soldiers inhumanely. The slave soldiers who completed the task would be treated well. Even the slave soldiers who made great achievements could be promoted to the servant army. The slave soldiers would appear to be miserable. The reason is not a system problem.

With the first completed mound, there will soon be a second and third mound. The formation of each mound higher than the city wall indicates that the range advantage of the Jin army defending the city will be lost, and it will gradually become taller. Unless the slave soldiers of the Han army tried to climb the ladder to attack the city at the place where the mound was, the Jin army defending the city would not be seen at all.

As the defensive side, the Jin army is also very difficult. Their powerful crossbows have a disadvantage in range. The Han army’s catapults and crossbows will also be smashed to the ground after they hit the mound. Once they go up, they almost don’t want to come down intact. .Such a change in the situation made the morale of the Jin army defending the city gradually sluggish, especially when slave soldiers from the Han army successfully climbed to the top of the city, and even mounds of soil were slowly forming on the edge of the city wall.

The slave soldiers who climbed to the top of the city failed to successfully occupy the city wall. What they faced was that Chu Su had people build commanding heights in the city, such as wooden platforms or mounds of earth. When the enemy troops climbed up the city wall, they fired a burst of fire. .

"Damn old turtle!" Huan Wen simply couldn't believe that the situation would drag on like this. He had previously thought that being able to climb the city wall would herald victory.He asked in an extremely low tone: "So that means, not only do we have to capture the city wall, we also have to attack those behind..." He paused, almost gritting his teeth: "Obstacles?"

Yuan Qiao regarded Chu Po with high regard. An ordinary person would probably only target the city wall as a battlefield for repeated battles. She never expected Chu Po to be able to play such a trick.

However, it was not Chu Pei, the head of state, who made those tricks happen. It was Zhang Mi who saw something bad and cherished his own life.

However, no matter whose idea it is, the credit or achievements are still to be counted on the head of the country's father, Chu Po. Since the subordinates have racked their brains and worked hard, the credit goes to the leader who has done nothing and knows nothing. .A leader who has earned credit eats meat as long as he can reveal a little soup. If the leader eats alone, the people under him have no choice but to bear it.

Zhang Mi didn't think the city wall would be a good battlefield. One moment he had built a new fortification, and the next moment he was being scolded by Chu Po.

Chu Po, who was already in a panic, was very angry, and scolded Zhang Mi why he didn't take strict precautions against the city wall.

Zhang Mi went to explain in person, gave a detailed account of the battle situation, explained the necessity of establishing a new line of defense, and even presented the actual results of the battle.

"It's wrong to give up the city wall!" Chu Po was finally not in the mood to hold a banquet in the past few days. Of course, he didn't eat Wushisan, but it was because he didn't take drugs that he came out of the state of drunkenness, and he no longer had that puzzling feeling. indifferent.He stared at Zhang Mi very sternly, and said: "The city wall must not be lost, absolutely must not be lost!"

Zhang Mi was already on the verge of eruption, and said in a choked voice: "The powerful crossbows of the Han army have a long range, and they also have the advantages of cart crossbows, bed crossbows, and catapults. As many as we go up, we will die as many as we go, and the army will mutiny!"

Chu Po was stunned by a choke, he looked left and right as if he wanted to get someone's support, but the people present were watching their hearts.

"The section of the city wall is no longer enough to defend, and the defense will only cause casualties for nothing!" After Zhang Mi broke out in anger, he was also a little scared, and turned into a flattery to face Chu Po, and said: "We still have to rely on the army to preserve our limited strength. Only then can we have the power to defend the city. If the city wall cannot be defended, our army can still rely on the complex terrain inside the city, and even build defensive fortifications layer by layer. The loss of the city wall does not mean that the city is lost, ah!"

In fact, Chu Pei, who was choked, already felt guilty. He knew that he was not as knowledgeable about military matters as was rumored, so he was a little timid just now.When he saw Zhang Mi's attitude softening, his original guilty attitude disappeared, replaced by a sense of humiliation and anger with a frustrated self-esteem.

"You!" Chu Po wanted to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything. He had no choice but to face the seemingly unfavorable situation.After a while, he suddenly smiled and said, "Then use your opinion."

At that moment, Zhang Mi not only did not breathe a sigh of relief because of Chu Po's kindness, but looked at Chu Po with a smile on his face, a little creepy.

The flustered Zhang Mi respectfully retreated and left. After returning to his garrison area, he found his confidants and asked, "Where is the letter of persuasion sent by the Han army before?"

The sons of the aristocratic family will always bring the family's private soldiers with them when they go out to battle. The private soldiers are used as personal force, and they also do some secret work.

When the Han army besieged Xincai, Huan Wen could persuade him to surrender in addition to a strong attack. He was persuading Chu Po or anyone in the city. The price he offered was actually very good, but Chu Po, as the head of state, had never considered surrendering. No intention of surrendering.

At the beginning, I don't know whether Huan Wen was intentional or ignored. He didn't tell the Xincai defenders the truth about the Yangtze River, and the rest of the news was also blocked.The change in the matter is that Huan Wen felt that it was not easy to take Xincai City, or else he had hoped to wipe it out instead of persuading it to surrender, and used it to make a big mark on his credit book, and it was later to hit the morale of Xincai defenders Only then did those things spread into the city.

Zhang Mi had already read the letter of persuasion from the Han army before, and when he read it again, it was still the same content, but compared with the previous mentality, it was very different.He said in the persuasion letter that the Yangtze River has been firmly controlled by the Han fleet, and he is somewhat suspicious. You must know that the small imperial court of the Eastern Jin Dynasty would have perished long ago if it did not have a sharp navy.He believed in the fall of Nanyang County. Before the Han army captured Nanyang County and then gave up, it would be nothing unusual to attack again.

Zhang Mi watched and waited while the battle on the other side was still going on fiercely.He is waiting for the feedback from his confidants, what Chu Ling will do will directly affect what he will do.

[The city wall is insufficient to defend, so building layers of fortifications within the city is the right way to resist. 】Zhang Mi held the letter from the Han army persuading them to surrender, and was still thinking about the response in his mind: "The terrain in the city is complex and there are many buildings. As long as the defenders' will to resist has not collapsed, even if the Han army can enter the city, it will still be possible." Continue to resist. 】

The confidants who had been dispatched came back and told Zhang Mi: "Some officers in the army have been dismissed."

That sentence seemed to be a roar in Zhang Mi's mind, and he said in a daze: "Although I expected it, I didn't expect the head of the country to be so eager."

The self-esteem of a high-ranking person is much weaker than imagined, and he is even glass-hearted when facing a dangerous situation. Chu Po felt extremely embarrassed after being yelled at for a while. He fully accepted Zhang Mi's suggestion, that is, to build layers of buildings in the city. The fortifications are used for resistance, but it doesn't mean he won't deal with Zhang Mi.

"...As for the Yangtze River being firmly controlled by the Han army, I don't believe it at all!"

Chu Po found countless reasons to deal with Zhang Mi, including that the section of the city wall that Zhang Mi was in charge of was empty, but the problem was not only the section of the city wall that Zhang Mi was in charge of, but also the other sections of the city wall with towering mounds.He dealt with everything "selflessly", and no one could tell whether it was due to personal hatred or the problem that Zhang Mi was really unlucky.

"I firmly believe that reinforcements will arrive soon!"

(End of this chapter)