Chapter 219 New Concept War (I)

Ideals are full, but reality is too skinny. It was not until this moment that Li Shimin realized how lucky it was to have a capable subordinate. If Chen Ying was asked to command this offensive and defensive battle, he would be good to himself, soldiers, and better to the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, Chen Ying was not here, and what was even more regretful is that Chen Ying was not his subordinate, but Li Jiancheng's person. For some reason, Li Shimin felt a sense of resentment at this moment. This resentment was not aimed at the evil Wang Shichong, nor was it aimed at the overwhelming rain of sparks, but at the elder brother of his mother, Li Jiancheng.

Why is Li Jiancheng the prince?

Why did Li Jiancheng get the support of the aristocratic families in the world? Why did they support Li Jiancheng? Boling Cui, Qinghe Cui, Taiyuan King, Taiyuan Wen clan, and Hedong Xue clan?

There are also ministers like Chen Ying who can promote the country with literature and martial arts, who only serve as loyal to Li Jiancheng, but not him?

I have to say that Li Shimin's brain is very powerful. At such a critical moment, he was not thinking about how to retreat to the enemy, but was angry that Li Jiancheng was better than his own.

The night wind became stronger and stronger. More and more red stones were burning into the Tang army camp. The red stones ignited all the substances that could be ignited, and the entire Tang army camp in Cijian was filled with thick smoke and could not see things. Although they were invisible, from the touch of their faces, Li Shimin felt that there would be a greater crisis coming to his face.

In fact, Li Shimin had a good guess. With the densely populated horse-rejected horses outside the camp, the deer fort was destroyed by the meteor-like catapults, and the Zheng army soldiers began to move forward slowly.

Wang Shichong did not ask the Zheng army soldiers to fill the trenches with their lives, but under the cover of swords, shield soldiers and archers, the craftsmen and civilians began to move forward again.

Seeing that using a catapult to fire red stones could smash the Tang army soldiers to the point of storm, Wang Shichong received the sweetness of this trick. Of course, this trick was not thought of by Wang Shichong with a clever idea. This trick was actually thought of by Wang Shichong's central general Zhao Jiqing.

Chen Ying originally captured Wang Xuanqiong and Zhao Jiqing in Taolin Jinsha Camp and detained him in Taolin Gold Mine for labor. However, Zhao Jiqing, who had betrayed Wang Shichong in history and surrendered to Luoyang City Gate, used the mine chisel to hold the gold mine in charge of the gold mine and took the opportunity to escape. Wang Shichong did not hold him responsible for his defeat, but trusted him well. In this case, Zhao Jiqing, who was familiar with the mining matter, offered this clever plan.

In the era without explosives, there is only one way to mine ore, which is to burn the stones red with fire, and then pour water on the burned stones. In this way, due to the physical effect of thermal expansion and contraction, these stones will burst and split with the originally integrated mountain. If you are not careful, these burned stones can fly a hundred steps away and injure the craftsmen.

Although Zhao Jiqing did not understand physics, he also knew that this method would amplify the power of the stone bomb. Wang Shichong first conducted an experiment and found that whether it was iron armor or leather armor, he could not prevent such pervasive stone bomb fragments.

Wang Shichong was not even interested in dismantling the catapult. While he asked someone to demolish the houses in Xin'an County and surrounding villages and towns, he obtained dry wood to build a catapult. While he asked someone to take advantage of the contraction of the defenders in the Tang army camp, he directly pushed the catapult position on the edge of the trench less than thirty steps outside the Tang army camp.

Although Li Shimin did not see clearly that at least hundreds of trenchers had slowly built the bases of thirty steps outside the Tang army camp, he felt something was wrong.

However, the catapult fired red rock bombs, which was too pitiful. The ordinary method was not useful at all. Putting the soldiers in front of the camp wall may lead to a few rounds and morale will collapse.

Using the bed crossbow to counter the catapult is Li Shimin's most valuable method of putting the box. Now Li Shimin doesn't care whether to put the box or not. If Zheng Jun's throws the box, he may not have a chance.

Fortunately, although the catapult fired red stone bombs were powerful, in the dark night, the burning stove used to heat the stone bombs was the best target.

The Tang soldiers trembled and adjusted the firing angle of the crossbow. When the crossbow was ready, the crossbow made a heart-warming sound with the order of the Tang army general. The crossbow made a heart-warming sound. As the trembling sound of the crossbow strings of the crossbow strings shook everyone's heart-warming. More than 100 six-foot-long crossbow guns shot out. Then, the Tang soldiers seemed to find the feeling, quickly loaded the crossbow arrows, then moved the ratchet, quickly skewed the crossbow. The huge wooden hammer hit the machine basket, the crossbow, and shot again... Three hundred crossbow guns were poured out!

However, something unexpected happened to Li Shimin. Zheng Jun's catapult was still firing red-hot stone bullets in an orderly manner. Even if the accuracy of the bed crossbow is low, more than 300 crossbow guns, even if the blind cat hits a dead mouse, he should have hit a few, right? But even a catapult was not silent, which was too abnormal.

Not only Li Shimin is strange, but even Qin Qiong is very strange.

Qin Qiong couldn't help but snatch his lacquered iron-tied bow from his personal soldiers, pulled out a light arrow, then pulled out the arrow, wrapped it in fine linen cloth, soaked it in tinder oil, then ignited it, and shot towards the camp.

However, after the rocket was shot out, it illuminated the scene near the Tang army camp. Seeing Qin Qiong's rocket passing by, Li Shimin was shocked and sweated.

It turned out that the Zheng army soldiers were crowded with the night, advancing layer by layer like a dark tide. The Zheng army was advancing in the dark. The Zheng army had been surrounded by the Tang army for many days, and they knew the defense of the Tang army camp in Cijian. Although in the dark, the people sent out were rushing to the defensive corner of the Tang army in Cijian.

These Zheng army soldiers did not directly attack the Tang army camp, but instead dug soil and built walls on the spot. Li Shimin suddenly realized at this time, no wonder the crossbow of the bed could not hit Zheng's catapult. Because the Zheng army became much more cunning, these catapults were filled with sacks or baskets in front of the formation, and built a chest wall that was less than five feet high.

Although the bed crossbow is powerful, there is no way to deal with such a soft chest wall. Some bed crossbows and crossbow guns shot on the chest wall more than thirty steps outside the camp. Even though these crossbow guns are almost completely within this chest wall, they cannot cause fatal damage to the catapult and the catapult operators.

Li Shimin was also furious when he saw this situation. The catapult was not a direct aiming equipment. It was an ancient cannon. It could shoot along the parabola trajectory to enemies within a certain range like a cannon. However, the bed crossbow was a direct fire weapon. Although within the effective range of 800 steps, the crossbow's crossbow's crossbow's crossbow had a somewhat arc, but it was not a parabola. If Qin Qiong had not accidentally fired a rocket and forced these catapults to thirty steps away from the Tang army camp to speak, I am afraid that the Tang army camp would not be able to defend the first camp.

"Hurry up, drive the Zheng army out!" Li Shimin hurriedly ordered, and Lei Yongji shouted in a stern manner: "Follow me with the guards of the Qin Prince's Mansion!"

Wang Shichong saw Li Shimin launching a small-scale counterattack and said happily: "The whole army will press forward and tear this Tang army to pieces!"

In fact, Wang Shichong was really anxious. Chen Ying's army had approached Yanshi, less than a hundred miles away from Luoyang. Although Wang Shiyun went to Yanshi, Wang Shichong really had no confidence and thought that Wang Shiyun could block Chen Ying. At this time, the Zheng army had already suppressed the slashing army troops in the future. Zheng army soldiers with great morale roared and rushed to the battlefield where corpses were everywhere.

Chen Ying never dreamed that because his troops performed too well, he forced Wang Shichong to no avenue from the beginning and could only fight Li Shimin to the end. In this desolate field, the most tragic battle between the Tang army soldiers since they formed the army began.

As Wang Shichong expected, the Zheng army's fierce catapult attacks caused Li Shimin to vomit blood. Especially when it was approaching thirty steps, the newly assembled catapults launched the first round of extremely dense artillery fire, which even fooled Shimin. This was the first time he had encountered such fierce firepower from the Zheng army after fighting with Zheng army for such a long time!

Under the succession of Zheng's soldiers' catapults firing red stone bombs, the Tang's soldiers had almost no chance to use their offensive and defensive skills that they relied on, and kept working hard to get beaten.

The stone bullets as fast as meteors were fired at close range, covering almost the entire Tang army camp within 300 steps. The first target of the burned stones was aimed at the crossbows of the Tang army soldiers. The main material of these crossbows was wood. Once covered by the burned stone bullets, almost all the crossbows turned into burning fires.

Seeing the crossbow at the bottom of the box turning into a burning fire, Li Shimin was so angry that he smoked and roared like thunder. He waved his horse spear and tried to rush into the center of the Zheng army formation to kill him. However, Changsun Shunde did not dare to let Li Shimin go up and fight to the death, so he hugged Li Shimin.

Fortunately, Qin Qiong did not hesitate to rush to the edge of the camp with stone bullet fragments flying everywhere on his head and shot Zheng Jun thirty steps in front of the camp. However, under the attack of Zheng Jun's catapult, the Tang Army still suffered heavy casualties.

Just like a classic line in "Soldier Assault", at the end of the war, people are fighting for it.

Wang Shichong struggled all night but did not break through the first line of defense of the Tang army camp, but he successfully suppressed the morale of the Tang army soldiers.

Looking at the wounded soldiers who were wailing and screaming, Li Shimin murmured in his heart: "I don't know if I can hold on until Chen Ying's arrival."

...

In fact, Chen Ying was not as relaxed as Li Shimin imagined. As the saying goes, one trick is to eat everything.

The tactics of the catapult invented by Zhao Jiqing were not only used by Wang Shichong, but also by Wang Shiyun. In a hurry, he arrived at Yanshi City to learn the tactics of Modao and Li Siye. He took advantage of the advantages of the Modao Army not afraid of arrow shooting, and was ready to carry the ladder to participate in the siege with one move.

However, before the Modao Army approached Yanshi City a hundred steps, the Zheng army catapult on the wall of Yanshi City fired stone bullets and smashed their skin and faces. In particular, the Modao Army was burned by the burned red stones and burned hundreds of people, which made Chen Ying feel so sad that he felt like he was bleeding.

Chen Ying did not have heavy bed crossbows or heavy equipment like catapults. What's more, the ants siege was a tactic that Chen Ying hated the most.

When Li Xiuning learned from Hou Junji that Li Shimin was in crisis, he came to ask for battle automatically. He said, "General, let me fight. This will not work!"

Chen Ying refused and shook his head and said, "The time has not arrived yet."

"Not arrived? When will it be?"

Li Xiuning shouted: "Wang Shichong has added more than 50,000 troops. If he cannot break the city and kill Xin'an as soon as possible, not only will the 50,000 troops surrounded by Cijian cannot be saved, but more than 30,000 remaining soldiers in Beijian camp cannot hold on. Now the situation in Henan is gradually becoming clear. Wang Shichong plans to attack Cijian first and then capture Beijian. Could General Chen have to wait for more than 80,000 Tang army soldiers to be wiped out by Wang Shichong?"

However, Liu Tong said: "In view of the current situation, although the situation of His Highness of Qin is not good, it is also a collapse. We have a slight advantage over Yanshi in terms of military strength. However, for Wang Shichong as a whole, there is no advantage. As Princess Pingyang expected, Wang Shichong first attacked Cijian and then defeated Beim. However, Wang Shichong still has a possibility!"

Li Xiuning looked at Liu Tong in surprise. She didn't remember that Chen Ying had someone like Liu Tong under her command. Li Xiuning looked at Chen Ying with inquiring eyes, but Chen Ying was silent and didn't know what he was thinking.

Li Xiuning asked: "What tricks does Wang Shichong have?"

Liu Tong said: "That is to take advantage of our eagerness to rescue His Highness the King of Qin and use his plans. The real goal is not the King of Qin, but General Chen. The Modao Army has no advantage in the Zheng army's catapults. If the cavalry and lances are not good at terrain, they will be slaughtered. Meng Jin and Dou Jiande's Cao Zhan's troops have unknown goals. He is too close to Luoyang. Once Cao Zhan's troops join the Central Plains, we are afraid that our situation will be very bad."

Li Xiuning said: "I know what you mean..."

Chen Ying heard Li Xiuning's dissatisfaction and interrupted her, "But what I want is not just to rescue His Highness the King of Qin! What I want is to fight a beautiful battle, hurt Wang Shichong, or even destroy it. That way I can temporarily withdraw from here, lead the army northward, and fight Dou Jiande."

Chen Ying turned to look at Li Xiuning and said, "You should understand what I mean!"

Li Xiuning said: "I understand, but...

"Don't worry!" Chen Ying looked at Li Xiuning's eyes seriously and said loudly: "This war has lasted too long, and it's time to end."

When Li Xiuning saw Chen Ying's eyes, she felt inexplicably at ease.

Chen Ying turned to Luo Shixin and Zhang Shigui and said, "You lead the cavalry along the Yellow River embankment and patrol the west. When you encounter an enemy, kill them without any consequences!"

Luo Shixin and Zhang Shigui did not ask why. Although they were very confused, they still carried out Chen Ying's order.

Chen Ying looked at Liu Tong again and said, "How many days will it take for the Beiwei Army to sneak into Luoyang secretly?"

When Li Xiuning heard this, she seemed to understand something.
Chapter completed!