Volume 2 Chapter 49: Five Paths (Part 2)
At the beginning of the hand-to-hand combat under the city wall, the Song army naturally had the upper hand.
The narrow cross-section of the corridor effectively protected the Jin army from attacks by bows and crossbows, but it also seriously hindered their speed of dispatching troops. Moreover, Chen Gui's interesting designs always had some simple and practical effects.
For example, a thin wall in front of the city gate effectively concealed the opening and closing of the city gate like a screen wall, making it impossible for the Jin people to observe the closing status of the city gate at all. Therefore, they were almost caught in a surprise attack at the beginning and were almost blocked at the entrance of the corridor.
It was not the first time that Emperor Zhao watched the battle from a close distance on the top of the city wall, so he only took a few glances to confirm the battle situation before squinting his eyes to the north. From this position, he could clearly see the general platform set up by Wanyan Wushu in the distance, and because Wanyan Wushu led the crowd forward to watch the battle, Zhao Jiu could even vaguely see the dense crowd of Jin generals under the flags of the Jin army's general platform.
Without anyone's guidance, Zhao Jiu immediately realized that the historical enemy of his own body, as well as Han Shizhong, Yue Fei and others, that is, his old friend Wanyan Wushu from Huaishang, should be there.
"Your Majesty." It was unknown how long it had been, when most people's attention was on the city walls, the Minister of War Chen Gui, who had hurried back from supervising the dispatch of troops to the west of the city, suddenly stepped forward and lowered his voice behind Zhao Jiu. "This is a good opportunity..."
Zhao Jiu obviously hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head firmly: "No hurry!"
Chen Gui immediately shut up.
This veiled conversation was obviously concealed, but except for Scholar Kobayashi, almost no one noticed or paid attention to it, because the battle situation outside the city was excellent and progressing rapidly. Fu Qing had basically suppressed the Jin army and began to tear the walls of the corridor with grappling hooks.
But the good times did not last long. As they were talking, the situation on the battlefield below gradually changed... From some point on, the people pouring out of the corridor were no longer ordinary Jin soldiers, nor were they Zhang Yu's insignificant reinforcements. Instead, they were elite Jin warriors in full armor, and they came in groups!
By the way, the Song army was not unfamiliar with this kind of armor... because the Jin people could have such outstanding armor, which was directly related to the craftsmen looted from Dongjing City. Even if we ignore the gourd-shaped helmets, the rest of the armor parts on these Jin soldiers were simply the most traditional and proud infantry armor of the Song army!
At this time, the imperial guards and the personal soldiers under the command of the various commanders in the city were wearing this kind of armor.
However, precisely because they were familiar with and understood this type of armor, the Song army instinctively fell into panic, because they knew very well how powerful this armor was. Thousands of armor plates, weighing from more than 50 kilograms to more than 60 kilograms, were stacked layer by layer, covering almost the entire body except for a few parts such as the elbows, armpits, and ankles!
Moreover, those who can use such armor and move freely must be elite soldiers selected from ten or even a hundred miles away.
Relatively speaking, although the thousand soldiers of Fu Qing's army had armor, it was just ordinary single-layer iron armor. Although it was also carefully selected, it must be remembered that the army in the imperial camp had only spent half a year in peace in Nanyang. It was actually expanded after the capture of Xiangyang. How could an army of thousands, no matter how elite it was, be compared with the enemy?
Not to mention weapons. This time, because they were fighting in a narrow city, in order to facilitate close combat, Fu Qing's troops brought mostly swords and knives... How could these things be used against the enemy's lamellar armor? How about sharpening the swords?
As a result, the situation on the battlefield outside the city turned around almost instantly, and the civil and military officials watching the battle on the city wall became worried.
Chen Gui did not dare to neglect it. He hurriedly sent people to the west and south to check the battle situation there. At the same time, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again to Emperor Zhao, who remained calm:
"Sir...hand-to-hand combat is not good, why not let Commander Fu enter the city temporarily?"
"What if the enemy takes advantage of the situation and chases us in?" Hu Yin suddenly interrupted and asked without waiting for the official to say anything. "What if they seize our city gate?"
"It's okay. The city gates are well equipped. If they chase us, we can kill them all with just a few hundred soldiers." Chen Gui responded immediately, as if he was confident.
"What about the corridor?" Hu Yin looked at the complex city defense buildings behind him and almost instinctively believed the other party, but continued to ask.
"I just thought about it. We can wait until the tunnel is close to the city wall, and then drop rocks from the city wall to temporarily block the tunnel exit." Chen Gui immediately answered. "Then we can add some more poles overnight and hit the top of the tunnel from the top of the city wall. If all else fails, we can use a hook rope to hook the tunnel from the top of the city wall... This is actually very effective, because the hook rope is equipped with the pulley made by the official before, and it has great strength. It can tear open even the strongest tunnel."
Hu Yin remained silent.
Besides, the two ministers were both in the palace. Hu Yin, Chen Gui and Lin Jingmo were the three people with the highest political status in the city. After the two men finished their conversation, Scholar Lin did not say much, so everyone naturally looked at Emperor Zhao.
However, Emperor Zhao turned around and did not look at the civil officials. Instead, he looked at Wang De: "Did Lord Wang seem to want to make a suggestion just now?"
"Yes!" Wang De responded quickly. "The emperor said before that if Commander Fu fails in the battle, I will go to rescue him. However, since Minister Hu and Minister Chen have a good idea, I dare not say more."
"Can you deal with these armored soldiers under the city?" Zhao Jiu asked seriously.
"Infantry armor." Wang De, who was as strong as a bear, glanced at Hu Yin and answered quickly. "I am not afraid of swords, but I am most afraid of hammers and long axes... I have two hundred Beiwei soldiers under my command, but there is not a single cavalryman. They are all wearing heavy armor and using long axes like me! If the emperor allows me to go to the battle, as long as I lead these two hundred Beiwei soldiers with long axes, not to mention bringing General Fu back safely, I can easily sweep the several corridors under the city!"
Zhao Jiu had no expression on his face and nodded in public: "Then I will stay here and watch the general sweep the city."
Wang De was naturally overjoyed, and the surrounding soldiers were also quite excited. However, Chen Gui, Hu Yin, Lin Jingmo and other civil officials on the city looked at each other in silence... Compared with these rude soldiers, these smart people were keenly aware of the abnormal attitude of the emperor after he went into battle today.
Fu Qing at the foot of the city was already a little panicked, and the heavy armored soldiers of the Jin army had already broken through the entrance of the tunnel and regained control of the area around the tunnel, but fortunately, Emperor Zhao on the city made a decision very quickly, so about a quarter of an hour later (mainly because it took time for Wang De's Beiwei army to put on armor), Wang De personally led two hundred heavily armored and long-axe soldiers out of the city to provide assistance.
Once Wang Yasha left the city, the battle situation outside the city was easily reversed again.
Emperor Zhao could see clearly from the top of the city. The two groups of heavy armored infantrymen met each other, and both sides almost took the initiative to charge at each other. Wang De was the first one to swing his long-handled axe easily, and with just one axe, he directly hit the gourd-shaped helmet on the head of a Jin army officer in front of him. The helmet was of excellent quality and did not break, but the axe blade penetrated into it. Judging from his attire, he should be a Puliyan (Muke's deputy, fifty years old) Jin army officer. After being hit, he fell down with his head raised, and there was no movement... As for the other long-handled heavy armored soldiers, although they were not as brave as their own commander, they swung their axe. Even if the axe blade could not hit the vital point, the weight of the axe itself was like a sledgehammer, which could easily make the opponent lose their combat effectiveness through the armor.
All I can say is, as Wang Yasha said, the long-handled axe is very effective against heavily armored infantry!
In contrast, the heavily armored warriors of the Jin army fell into the same embarrassing situation as Fu Qing's army before... because the Beiwei army of Wang De's army on the opposite side were all heavily armored like them, but they did not have the armor-piercing weapons like the opposite side.
It’s not their fault, because they are cavalry!
As long as the warhorse charged, the ordinary spear plus the quality of the warhorse would be the best armor-piercing weapon... What else? Would they charge with long-handled axes? At most, they would be equipped with fist-sized hammers and use the horse's power to hammer the enemy's heavily armored infantry. At this time, they dismounted and fought in a close combat posture. Even if some of them brought hammers, how could they fight against the long-handled axes on the opposite side?
In fact, this axe was so useful that Emperor Zhao, who was watching the battle on the top of the city, almost wanted to have all his imperial guards replaced with long-handled axes.
And not to mention how Emperor Zhao was fantasizing, back to the present, the opportunity for battle was revealed, and Fu Qing was not incompetent. On the one hand, he ordered the original hand-to-hand combat troops to disperse and assist Wang De's troops in strangling the heavily armored soldiers of the Jin army who were in trouble, and on the other hand, he urged the grappling rope troops to quickly dismantle the tunnel.
The Jin army was temporarily restrained and could only watch as the tunnels were torn and destroyed. From a distance, the five tunnels shrank together, as if five tentacles were rapidly shrinking.
"Fourth Prince!" Han Chang, who had a sharp eye, spoke up immediately. "The tunnel has been destroyed, and the offensive behind the Sheep and Horse Wall will certainly be blocked... Should we withdraw the troops?"
Wanyan Wushu turned his head and looked at the other person with cold eyes.
Han Chang was helpless and could only explain in a low voice: "I am not saying to stop attacking the city, but since the tunnel is broken, it can only be said that the Song army must have a way to deal with the Iron Pagoda. It is difficult for the Iron Pagoda to form an army, so why not let the 500 people withdraw first, and then let Zhang Yu continue to send troops to fight through the tunnel."
"That's right." Chizhanhui also advised. "Fourth Prince, the Iron Pagoda is too precious. Since it won't work today, why let them be damaged in vain?"
"That makes sense." Wanyan Wushu looked at the dragon banner on the opposite wall thoughtfully, and nodded. "But if we want to save the Iron Pagoda, why do we need them to withdraw? Have you ever thought about it? The Iron Pagoda is the most elite unit of our army. If they withdraw in defeat, their morale will be greatly damaged!"
Han Chang, Chi Zhanhui, and Balisu, who had been silent, were all stunned.
"You go." Wuzhu withdrew his gaze from the dragon banner, turned around, raised his finger and pointed at Han Chang and gave a serious order. "Let Zhang Yu withdraw all his troops, send your regular troops, while there are a lot of Song troops under the city, go out from the five corridors at the same time, advance in large numbers, and bite them under the city! Today I want to see your subordinates, Han Chang, fighting with the Song army under the city until dark! Then withdraw with the Iron Pagoda openly!"
The meaning of this statement is very clear. They don't expect to use the tunnel to attack the city, but only use it as a safe passage for transporting troops into the Yangma Wall.
Upon hearing this, Han Chang, the commander of the Han army, who had seemed a little lazy and contemptuous since arriving at the city of Nanyang, suddenly became serious, bowed his head in agreement, and then quickly put on his armor and left.
As for the other generals, many Meng'an and Mouke of Han Chang's army naturally followed suit, and the rest of the people also became serious and no longer had the attitude of endless discussion as before.
The war continued, and Zhang Yu was naturally overjoyed when he heard the order. From Zhang Yu to everyone else, from Li Dayin who had just been promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of the army, to Zhou Bin, a newly promoted soldier who was about to enter the tunnel to provide support, almost all felt as if they had been pardoned.
Just like that, Han Chang's troops suddenly joined the battle in large numbers, proving that although Wanyan Wushu's method was unexpected, it was actually very effective... The Song army gathered under the city, and the long-range projection power on the city was completely unavailable. They could only watch the hand-to-hand combat below, and the arrival of the elite reinforcements of the Jin army quickly diluted the Iron Pagoda, making the previous restraint of the long-handled axe on heavy armor no longer obvious.
At the same time, as the main force of the Jin army continued to replace the civilian laborers and reinforcements of Zhang Yu's army, the demolition work of the corridor was forced to be stuck at the Yangma Wall.
"Officials!"
The evolution of the war situation has exceeded everyone's expectations, and Chen Gui instinctively asked Emperor Zhao for instructions.
"Activate the backup city gates, take turns to attack, and suppress the enemy." Behind the shield of the parapet, Zhao Jiu looked at the movement under the city with an expressionless face. As expected, as many people guessed, he made a decision without hesitation, and sent reinforcements to fight to the end. "Liu Yan goes down, find Fu Qing and escort him into the city... When Yang Yizhong breaks through the tunnel in the west, let him come back and wait for Wang De to take over. Only one general of the commanding level needs to be left outside the city to preside over it !"
Having said this, without waiting for the people around him to say anything, Emperor Zhao paused and continued coldly: "Jin Wushu just wants to demonstrate today, and I am determined to accompany him to the end, so you don't need to say anything more!"
Chen Gui had no choice but to give in.
Soon, something strange happened on the northern wall of Nanyang City... Suddenly, several walls were knocked open by the Song army from the inside, revealing several city gates hidden inside.
Needless to say, this was Chen Gui's design. It was a method to send troops to launch a surprise attack outside the city when necessary. It was also a means to secretly send Emperor Zhao out when necessary. But at this time, it was forced to be exposed in advance by Emperor Zhao himself.
It is said that Chen Gui behaved extremely passively today, but this was not because Minister Chen was incompetent or because he lacked decisiveness. Rather, the battle today was completely different from Chen Gui's idea of defending the city from the very beginning.
Chen Gui painstakingly designed and built a defense system for Nanyang City. From the inner and outer double trenches of the Yangma Wall, to the completely new design on the city wall, to many other things, it was basically an idea that followed the characteristics of artillery warfare and then utilized the depth of the city defense to kill and exhaust the enemy as much as possible.
This idea actually coincides with Emperor Zhao's.
However, before entering the artillery battle stage, it must be said that Minister Chen's thinking was generally conservative.
As for today's battle? In fact, it was out of Chen Gui's control from the very beginning.
The cause of all this was none other than Emperor Zhao and the fourth prince of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Wushu. The two supreme commanders of the two armies, taking advantage of the new tunnel, almost had a tacit understanding and kept micromanaging and increasing the stakes, and their respective decisions were extremely quick.
It is more like showing each other's determination rather than countering each other's moves.
In this situation, what can the people below do even if they are rational?
Don’t you see, even Du Mingming turned off the radio deliberately, but he still couldn’t escape the guidance of the supreme commander, let alone people like Chen Shangshu and Han Wanhu who were already in front of the supreme commander?
Back to the present, with the orders of Emperor Zhao, the battle under the city wall and behind the inner moat quickly entered a new stage.
So far, the Jin army's escalation has actually reached its limit, because they are constrained by the speed of the troops at the tunnel entrance. The Song army's combat power was originally slightly inferior, especially after the passive cessation of long-range projection on the city wall, it seemed a little weak, but fortunately there were still multiple city gates that could be used, and they could flexibly send out large numbers of troops from the city gates to fight in rotation.
Therefore, the battle under the city soon entered a crazy and seemingly meaningless state of consumption.
But whether it was Zhao Jiu on the top of the city wall or Wanyan Wushu who was hundreds of steps away, neither side wavered at all.
In fact, the battle lasted until sunset, and both sides were even prepared for a night battle!
However, the Song army soldiers suddenly discovered that the wet felt cloth on the corridor had already been dried, and then they immediately launched rockets filled with gunpowder above the corridor... As the five corridors lit up the night sky like five torches, and meandered in the twilight like five fire dragons, the day's fighting came to an end.
