(Ha! The rewards were very popular yesterday! Thank you to the alliance and all brothers!)

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On May 18th, as the first long ladder was erected across the moat, the Xia soldiers who crossed the river put the ladder on the Dingzhou city wall, grinding it like sheep shit for seven or eight days during the attack and defense of Dingzhou.

The battle started to get intense.

The moment of hand-to-hand combat and bloodshed has arrived.

Wang Gui, the commander-in-chief of Dingzhou, has three brigades in his hands - but wait a minute, these three brigades only have infantry, and each brigade only has two combat battalions and one auxiliary force. In other words, Wang Gui only has three brigades at his disposal.

There are less than 5,000 troops, of which only more than 3,000 combat soldiers are deployed on the four walls. The number of troops in each direction is no more than 700 or 800.

Even with these four or five thousand troops, they faced nearly 30,000 enemy troops.

Fortunately, the Xia army's 30,000 troops, excluding the servants and supporting troops, could only be used to attack the city, only half of them.

Even so, with more than 4,000 troops against 15,000 troops, the strength ratio was almost four to one. A bloody battle was unavoidable. On the first day after they entered the city, the battle quickly became fierce.

The scorching sun hangs in the sky, the sea of ​​clouds is vast, and under the towering Helan Mountain, the land is vast. A battle involving tens of thousands of people attacking the city is in full swing.

The bulging tents of the Xia Army camp are like nests of ant nests; the Xia soldiers swarming out are like swarms of ants; the tall and heavy siege equipment slowly moves among the "ant colonies"

The movement resembles the scene of ants carrying food.

One after another, ladders and wooden siege towers were pushed up the earthen city along the hundred-foot slope and transported to the moat. Under the continuous kerosene bombs thrown by the defenders, they turned into balls of flames and thick smoke billowing, covering the sky and blocking out the sun.

The brave Xia soldiers rushed over the ladder one after another before the fire destroyed it, and rushed towards the city.

Guns exploded, projectiles flew, and each step of the way dragged out a long howl, falling from mid-air and falling into the moat. There were clouds of blood.

The Xia soldiers who served as cover on the siege wooden tower also took advantage of their condescending position to fire crossbows, bows, arrows, javelins, and flying axes. Under this attack as dense as locusts, the Chinese musketeers were attacked by all kinds of defenders.

He was protected by city facilities and fell down from time to time.

For Xia Jun, the most terrifying thing was the round explosives. With the sound of "harp" from the top of the city, they sprayed out from the large iron barrels, streaked through the air, and fell from the sky. If thrown,

If it misses the mark, it's just a coincidence. If unfortunately it hits the right spot, within ten paces, the slow runner doesn't have to run anymore...

The sound of explosions, guns, string strings, screams, the sound of stepping on ladders, the sound of fire crackling, the sound of swords, guns, axes and sticks clashing, and the sound of falling into the water...were intertwined into a grand war march.

At noon of the battle, as a Bubazi escorted the troops to the top of the city, the attack and defense of Dingzhou entered the stage of hand-to-hand combat.

The Chinese army used a chariot defense mode to defend the city. The spearmen stabbed from a distance, the swordsmen slashed at close range, and the musketeers took advantage of the opportunity to bombard. The three-talent battle formation was organized and coordinated alternately. Although the Xia army was numerous, there was only one

Each Xia soldier who ascended the city had to face a small battle formation composed of three to four Chinese soldiers at the same time. No matter how brave you were, it would be difficult to please you.

The Chinese army relied on this tight formation to fully display the power of the battle formation, fighting four times the enemy with a small number of enemies.

At the height of the battle, even the general Wang Gui went into battle himself. He first stabbed the enemy soldiers with spears and broke three spears in succession. Then he switched to a hand knife and chopped full of gaps. Finally, he picked up the bones and smashed them in one go. Three heads were broken... He gasped for air, his bones stood firm, he stretched out his hand to wipe the blood and sweat on his face, opened his bloody eyelids, and looked to the south, a voice was rolling back and forth in his chest that was rising and falling sharply. Roaring: "Fifth brother, Sanlang, I, Wang Liu, can hold on to this scene! It's up to you from now on!"

…

Just as Wang Gui was leading the Dingzhou Army in a bloody battle, twenty miles to the south, the army camp was broken, and the Chinese defenders were also engaged in a bitter battle.

Just as Cha Ge had judged, the Chinese army in Pojunzhai only had 400 people - at least that's what it looked like on the surface. But what they had to face was a full 20,000 people!

On May 16th, the Xia army's reinforcements, led by Ye Lirong, the commander of the left wing of the heroic army, appeared at the foot of the Pojun stronghold. Twenty thousand Xia troops arrived. These twenty thousand troops, all They are veterans of the five major military divisions on the border. In addition to nearly half of the support troops, there are tens of thousands of regular soldiers. Their combat effectiveness is even higher than the 30,000 troops led by Cha Ge.

Ye Lirong arrived with a large army. After receiving the order from the Du Marshal to raze the village, he immediately sent out a thousand elite infantrymen, divided into three echelons, carrying wooden signs for siege, and attacked fiercely.

Ye Lirong originally wanted to make a breakthrough with one blow, quickly occupy the stronghold, mop up the remaining enemies, and then quickly set out on the road. He was still waiting for reinforcements in front of him, but the result made him greatly surprised and angry.

The firepower of the small village was extremely fierce, including not only muskets, thunderbolts, but also explosive packets. The attack was unprecedentedly fierce. After a thousand steps, in just half an hour, the attack failed three times, with more than 300 casualties. In one attack, even the commander was hit by three bullets and died. No matter how tyrannical Bubazi was, they could not withstand such heavy losses and blows, and they retreated one after another.

Ye Lirong had a gloomy face. He was one of the very few senior generals of the Xia Kingdom who had fought against the Chinese army and had some experience in fighting the enemy. Through this short confrontation, he was keenly aware that although the village was small and the enemy was few, Its combat power should not be underestimated. It also takes advantage of the terrain to force the attacker to adopt tactics of adding fuel to the attack and wearing it down little by little. Although this bone is small, it is strong enough!

Ye Lirong immediately ordered the entire army to camp, and at the same time sent a messenger to Xingqing Mansion to request the deployment of siege equipment. Although doing so would make the courtiers criticize and ridicule - 20,000 people were fighting 400 people, and they even needed to mobilize siege equipment! For veterans like Ye Lirong, winning battles and reducing losses are the first priority. Personal dignity, external honors and disgrace are just a matter of laughing.

The forty-mile journey back and forth was very fast. In just one and a half days, the Xingqing Mansion Armory delivered twenty wooden siege towers, goose carts, and even ten vertical tornado cannons according to Ye Lirong's request. During this period, Xia Jun also dug earth to pave the way and paved a long, gentle slope leading to Pojun Village.

The weapons were in place and preparations were complete, and the general attack began. Ye Lirong did not have much time to delay. He had to wipe out this abominable stronghold in the shortest possible time. Otherwise, even ten heads would not be enough for the crime of delay. He had already delayed. It has been too long. This time, we must use the power of thunder to defeat it in one fell swoop.

On May 18th, the same day as the fierce battle in Dingzhou twenty miles away. A fierce decisive battle was also going on in the small Pojun Village.

Twenty siege engines, ten cyclone cannons, three thousand infantrymen, and seven thousand regular soldiers ready to go - this formation is more than enough to attack a state city.

On the top of the mountain, behind the dilapidated wall, Sun Zhangong was looking anxiously outside the village - Yue Yun and four soldiers were stringing the mines. After finishing, there was a whistle and the five people quickly withdrew. They bypassed Luzhai and jumped over. The trench was turned over through the gap in the wall.

Sun Zhangong helped him and looked down the mountain: "It seems that Xia Jun is serious this time."

Yue Yun glanced at the circle of "death zone" and smiled: "We are not joking with them either."

Sun Zhangong took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and suddenly said something that was not something a rough man like him could say: "Today will definitely be very long..."

Yue Yun straightened the iron helmet that was running crookedly, and beads of sweat appeared on the top of his lips that had just grown light hair. Yue Yun wiped it carelessly, ignoring the few mud marks on his face, and turned his head to look back. He glanced at me and said in a low voice: "Have you asked for permission? How long do you have to guard?"

Sun Zhangong took off the big bow on his back, took out an arrow from the quiver, and thrust it hard into the mud. His cheeks puffed up a few ridges, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Persevere! Try your best!"

Boom, boom, boom! A burst of blood-draining drums interrupted Yue Yun's questions, and the Xia army's attack began.

Thousands of servants shouted slogans and pushed twenty siege engines up the slope of the earth that was pressed hard by rolling logs. Behind the siege engines were dotted with squares of soldiers. Behind the formation, there are ten cyclone cannons weighing more than three hundred kilograms. Pulled by a group of Poxi soldiers, they push forward upwards.

Yue Yun's eyes widened nervously, watching the row of siege engines approaching step by step, his teeth grinding loudly, and he raised his hand suddenly: "Throw it away now!"

In response, more than a dozen soldiers carried up a purlin that was riddled with holes—it was probably removed from the roof of an abandoned house.

"One, two, three—go!"

The purlin beam rolled down the hillside, breaking the string, and with a fierce momentum, it hit a siege tower at the front of the team.

There was a loud bang, and the siege wooden building shook violently. The wooden walls cracked and tilted backwards, but it did not fall. But the half-ruined purlin was broken into two pieces, and debris flew everywhere. In the end, The five or six servants who were pushing the siege equipment in front screamed and covered their faces and fell to the ground, while the servants behind screamed and scattered.

Immediately afterwards, the second, third, and fourth purlins rolled down, constantly colliding with the wooden siege tower. Finally, the wooden siege tower could no longer withstand it and collapsed. The purlins continued to roll and smashed again. A goose carriage was broken down - but that was all.

Sun Zhangong shook his head and sighed: "Unfortunately, this hilltop is just like the heads of Xia people. It is bare and has no trees to cut down. There are not many purlins on the houses, and they are all rotten wood..."

Yue Yun suddenly opened his hands, with his fingers forming a flower shape, and closed his mouth: "Bang!"

Boom! As if receiving a silent command, the delayed mines were as dense as firecrackers and exploded in series. Some exploded at the bottom of the siege engine, causing holes to crack and the wooden buildings toppling; others detonated at the feet of the noisy laborers, stirring up There was a bloody storm; some blossomed right in the middle of the Xia Bing formation...

Twenty-three mines destroyed all the belongings of the Chinese army in the army camp, killing and injuring nearly a hundred Xia soldiers and servants, destroying two siege engines, trampling on each other in the chaos and throwing the Xia soldiers down the cliffs on both sides. There were even hundreds of people, making the Xia army's first attack end in vain.

The supervising team at the foot of the hillside slashed and killed, using more than a dozen heads to quell the chaos. The soldiers reorganized their ranks. After struggling for an hour, the war drums beat again and they attacked again.

All the attacking Xia soldiers and soldiers, during the climb, saw corpses on the ground, bloody, and their companions with severed limbs and limbs, who were still alive and howling in agony. Think about it when you are walking through a minefield with a skull and crossbones sign on it.

Fortunately, the explosion did not happen again. Just when Xia Jun took a breath, disaster fell from the sky - thunderbolts, kerosene bombs, and explosive packets were thrown one after another from behind the stronghold. Flames were rising and explosions continued. The siege equipment might be destroyed. Burnt or blown up, even the cyclone cannon that had not yet functioned was knocked to pieces by hundreds of frightened laborers.

The Xia army was severely damaged again, and its losses were even greater than in the first attack.

In just one hour, thousands of people were lost, and the morale of the attackers dropped greatly. The general who commanded the attack knelt down in front of Yeli Rongma to apologize.

Ye Lirong only said lightly: "Push out the first fifty people who fled back down the mountain and behead them. Continue the attack. If you lose again, you don't have to come back to see me."

The bloody suppression and death threats finally made the Xia Army soldiers go crazy. They pushed the only five remaining siege engines and the last four cyclone cannons to launch a desperate attack on the Pojun stronghold.

And the Chinese army's three-blade ax in Pojunzhai has almost been used...

The Western Expeditionary Army lacked weapons of mass destruction. They didn't even have much heavy armor. The mixed battalion of Sun Zhangong and Yue Yun rushed in a hurry and didn't carry much ammunition. When they failed to defeat Xia Xia with intensive bombing, After the army, the real battle of life and death came.

At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the 18th, at the cost of more than 500 casualties, the Xia army continued to approach, relying on the corpses of the soldiers who died in the battle, and finally broke through the Chinese army's musket array, climbed over the trench and wall, and fought hand-to-hand. catch.

The Hengshan Bubazi were the most elite infantry of the Xia army. Although many people were killed and injured, there were still nearly five hundred people. These Hengshan Qiang people, known as "Shanxi", were the best at climbing high and far, and were light-footed and good at walking. Although they were extremely afraid of explosions and bullets, once they were forced to retreat by the supervising team and the Chinese army was short of ammunition, these wild "mountain Qiang people" became red-eyed.

The two red-eyed armies collided heavily——

Long clouds covered the sun, the mountain wind was fierce, the ruins were broken, and corpses were piled in the fields. The shouts of killing that shook the mountains gradually weakened as each soldier fell. Both the offensive and defensive sides worked hard to the limit of each other's endurance. a heavy price.

Sun Zhangong had already shot all his arrows, his big bow was broken, his sword was cut off, his helmet was knocked off, his hair was disheveled, and he looked like a ghost. Yue Yun only had one double iron cone spear left, and half of his body was stained with blood, but look at how agile he was still. , most of this blood belongs to the enemy.

"Commander Sun, it's almost done, right?" Yue Yun and a dozen spearmen had just killed seven or eight Xia soldiers who rushed into the wall. Seeing that the Xia army's offensive was slightly frustrated, it was a great opportunity to break away from the contact. , immediately rushed to Sun Zhangong's side and said in a hoarse voice. Even though Yue Yun had extraordinary physical strength, he was still out of breath after fighting for a long time.

"Okay... let's withdraw..." Sun Zhangong's throat was filled with smoke, and he couldn't even speak. Looking up, he saw remains everywhere. I'm afraid half of the mixed camp of 400 people was left. Sun Zhangong's eyes were moist. His lips trembled slightly, "We tried our best..."

After receiving the order, Yue Yun immediately ran around to organize the remaining Chinese soldiers to retreat.

Sun Zhangong gasped for air and was about to turn around when a Bubazi suddenly leaped over the wall and slammed down the iron rod in his hand. Sun Zhangong hurriedly raised his knife to block, but the blade broke. The iron rod still had power and hit Sun Zhangong's left shoulder.

Even with armor, he was still in severe pain.

Sun Zhangong endured the pain and roared. He held the iron rod with one hand and kicked the stepman down with his flying feet. He was raising the stick to strike when suddenly there was a darkness above his head and a stone bullet the size of a fist shot through the air - poof, his eyes were filled with blood.

…

Yue Yun saw it from a distance, roared with anger, and threw his spear, nailing Bu Bazi to death as he was about to kill him.

When all the Chinese soldiers rushed forward and helped Sun Zhangong up, they saw that the northwest man's forehead bone had been sunk in, his face was covered with blood, one eyeball was protruding, blood was spurting from his mouth and nose, and he was dead.

"Commander Sun..." Yue Yun's voice was choked with sobs and he could no longer speak.

Sun Zhan Gong's Qi was like a thread, and his throat made a gurgling sound: "Is there... any more explosives...?"

Yue Yun nodded with tears in his eyes: "There are still two last ones for later use."

"Give me...go quickly, don't get caught by...Xia Bing..."

No matter how many words Yue Yun had at this time, he couldn't say anything - on the battlefield, life and death take place in seconds, how could there be any room for hesitation?

"Leave the explosive packets and withdraw!" Yue Yun ordered with tears in his eyes.

Sun Zhangong crouched in the pile of corpses, with two twenty-kilogram explosive packs pressed under him. When the figures of Xia Bing appeared behind the wall, he pressed the fire in his hand... The fuse was sizzling and smoking, and Sun Zhangong tried his best to open the blood paste.

The swollen one eye looked at the blood-red sky and murmured: "Today...is indeed...very long..."

The flames of the explosion soared into the sky. Ye Lirong, who was standing on the mountain watching the battle, seemed to be burned by the light. He involuntarily raised his hand to cover it. There was a spasm in the corner of his eyes and he exhaled heavily: "What a Chinese army!

With a crowd of four hundred, they killed

Injure my three thousand men and horses... However, no matter how strong you are, you can't escape the fate of destruction! Send an order to leave five hundred men and horses to clean the battlefield, and the whole army marches towards Dingzhou with all its strength. You must arrive at the gate of Dingzhou City before dusk.
Chapter completed!