January of the 696th year of the continental calendar was a month full of mysterious changes. Especially in the Guanxi County of the Empire, wars were raging and wars were everywhere. Several forces fought to the death on this fertile land for their own goals and interests. The fighting and the boiling shouts of killing were enough to shock the entire Eastern Continent.
On January 15, 696 in the Continental Calendar, Peake, the Imperial Undersecretary of State who was responsible for supervising the war in the Kansai War Zone, saw that the Empire had already achieved a major victory in the Battle of Qinghe in the north, and also hoped to win a victory in the Kansai region to exert influence on the Empire's central government. According to the instructions, the three divisions of the Fourth Army assembled in Longdong Prefecture were ordered to launch a full-scale attack on Longdong Prefecture, which choked the throat of the empire's westbound passage, with the support of one division of the Third Army Corps transferred from Heshuo County.
Bo Jinchen, the new military minister of the Taiping Sect, was keenly aware of this situation in advance. After careful analysis and confirmation that the Northwest Army stationed at Partridge Pass had no intention of moving eastward or southward in the near future, Bo Jinchen made an almost risky decision. , all the 30,000 troops stationed in Xikang Prefecture were sent to Longdong, leaving less than 5,000 troops stationed in Xikang Prefecture to be responsible for the defense of the entire Xikang Prefecture. Thirty thousand troops marched day and night, detoured from Xikang into northern Hanzhong, and secretly entered the mountains in northern Hanzhong to rest and recuperate.
Starting from January 14, 695, the four main army divisions of the empire, with the cooperation of the Tianshui garrison division that was later reinforced, launched wild attacks on Longdong Fucheng for seven consecutive days. The commander-in-chief of the Western Military Region, Duke Wuda, and the commander of the Fourth Army Corps, Marquis Miao Feng, personally went into battle to supervise the battle. In front of the military police supervising the battle team with sharp law enforcement knives in their hands, officers and soldiers at all levels of the four divisions did not dare to neglect, and took turns to go into battle, heading towards this plug. The nails in the northwest of the Empire launched wave after wave of overwhelming charges.
Looking at the bloody battlefield in front of them, the battle-hardened Wu Da and Miao Feng were also shocked. No matter how ferocious the charge of the imperial soldiers was, every time the wave of attackers climbed up the city wall, they would always be counterattacked. The Taiping Army soldiers blocked back, full of hope again and again, sighing with regret, shaking their heads in disappointment again and again. The Taiping Army soldiers' crazy momentum of fearlessness and fear of death made Wu Da and Miao Feng, who stood at the front of the battle formation, couldn't help but Fearing for it, fighting for life, and exchanging life for life, not just any soldier in the army can do this, and almost all soldiers can hold this belief, which is even more extraordinary for the army to do it. Yes, but the army in front of me seems to have done this.
The Taiping troops standing on the city wall commanding the defense did not seem to be as indestructible as Wu and Miao imagined. Bo Jinchen was well prepared and took a lot of precautions in advance. He not only strengthened and raised the city wall, but also renovated it. Four city gates were built, and even the moat was widened and deepened. In order to strengthen the defense capabilities, a sufficient number of rolling logs, stone hammers, crossbows and large slings, which were very precious in the Taiping Army, were also prepared. A small number of them were even specially equipped. The honeycomb ballistae (Note 1) introduced from Kaman greatly enhanced the defense capabilities of Longdong Fucheng.
When they learned that the Imperial Army was about to launch an attack on Longdong Fucheng, in order to prevent chaos and rebellion in the city, the defenders conducted strict and even harsh searches and inspections in the city in advance, and put many unstable elements into prison first. To avoid future troubles.
But even Bo Jinchen, who was full of confidence in Longdong's defensive capabilities, did not expect that the empire's victory in the north would have such a great stimulus to Piqué, who was responsible for supervising the battle in Guanxi, that he not only mobilized five divisions Moreover, four of them are the main army divisions of the empire, and they personally sit behind the main force, allowing a military region commander and a legion commander to personally supervise the battle.
Under the strong pressure from the top generals, the combat effectiveness of the main divisions of the Imperial Army was fully squeezed out. The four divisions' successive group charges made the Taiping Army, although fully prepared, still feel like they were on a crumbling high wall. , seven consecutive days of repeated attacks, soldiers as far as the eye can see, city assault vehicles as dense as ants, mobile ladders arranged like a forest, arrow towers that are higher than the city wall, powerful trebuchets and ballistae, it is enough Any resistance was crushed into powder, but they still survived. Although less than 20,000 of the more than 50,000 defensive soldiers remained, they survived after all.
"Old Miao, these Taiping soldiers are really desperate. It has been seven days, seven whole days, and we have paid such a heavy price and still haven't been able to open a hole. It's no wonder that these guys can do it in such a short period of time. It caused such a big storm." While diligently observing the progress of the siege, Wu Da sighed, but he also knew that it would be a matter of time before the city was captured, and the situation in the past two days was already better than the previous few days. Many, it is obvious that the enemy's resistance has been greatly weakened. Maybe in two days, he will be able to stand on the towering city wall and overlook the vast land of Longdong. Wuda is already immersed in the illusion of victory.
"Yes, but based on the current situation, the enemy can no longer organize much effective resistance. It is estimated that it is at the end of its war effort. According to my subordinates' opinion, the war here should be resolved within two to three days and the enemy can be completely captured. Longdong City!" Miao Feng's words are much more certain. After all, he has three main divisions participating in the battle here, and he has a good understanding of the combat effectiveness of his troops.
"Well, I think it was a matter of time, but I didn't expect that these guys were so desperate and made us pay such a high price." Wuda was also quite sad, watching the pile of corpses carried by the logistics soldiers. Like mountains, he was even more angry. After all, they were all subordinate troops belonging to his military region.
"When Longdong City is captured, I will take care of these stubborn guys!" Miao Feng said with a ferocious expression on his face as he gritted his teeth as he looked at the war-torn situation on the city wall. In order to conquer this fortified city, the three divisions under his command suffered a lot. Dozens of soldiers and officers fell to the swords of the military police supervisory team alone. The situation of the battle can be imagined. His other two divisions were dragged into the Jerok battlefield and suffered heavy losses. It can be said that the Fourth Army has been in many disasters for more than a year, and it has suffered the heaviest losses in the past. No wonder he got angry.
Just when the shouts of killing from the front line were shaking, a fast horse ran straight towards the two coaches as if they were in an uninhabited land, attracting the attention of the guards. However, after quickly identifying the other party's identity, they all let them go. .
Before the visitor came close, Wu Da and Miao Feng already felt that something was wrong just by the panicked look on the other side. Their hearts were beating, and they looked at each other and exchanged uneasy glances. Know what kind of bad news you will hear.
"My lords, something bad has happened!" The horse rushed forward. The soldiers above had already rolled off their saddles and dismounted, and were lying on the ground.
Wu Da and Miao Feng both groaned in their hearts and complained secretly. Wu Da calmed down first and said in a cold voice: "Hurry up."
"My lords, in the early hours of this morning, Huatian Town was attacked by enemy troops. The direct regiment and Tianshui Garrison Division in charge of the garrison were attacked by the enemy's main force, and the entire army was defeated!" The man's face was ashen, and his body was stained with blood. It was obvious that It was only after a life and death struggle that he broke out.
"Ah?!" Even though Wuda, Miao and Feng were mentally prepared, they still didn't expect such nightmare news. They stood up almost at the same time and asked, "What about Mr. Pique?"
"Mr. Pique's whereabouts are unknown. The whole army is now defeated and cannot be organized at all." Seeing the faces of the two coaches, the visitor did not dare to continue talking.
What rout? It was clear that the entire army had been wiped out. Wu Da and Miao Feng's faces had become paler than the soldiers who reported the news, and their bodies were trembling slightly. What should they do? The whereabouts of the empire's deputy military minister responsible for supervising the war were unknown during the battle? what does that mean? Thinking of the emperor's cold gaze, waves of chills surged from the hearts of the two of them, seeping into their hearts, and the large beads of sweat on their foreheads gurgled out uncontrollably.
On the evening of January 20, 696 Continental Calendar, 30,000 Taiping troops who had rested for a few days in the northern mountains of Hanzhong came out overnight and inserted themselves into Longdong. Due to the various cover methods adopted by this army on the way from Xikang to Hanzhong, and after entering the boundaries of Hanzhong, Then they marched into the mountains, which prevented the empire's intelligence forces in Kansai from accurately obtaining information. When everyone's attention was focused on whether the Taiping Army stationed in Hanzhong City would reinforce Longdong, no one noticed that There will be such a wolf and tiger army hidden in the mountains in northern Hanzhong.
In the early morning of January 21, 30,000 Taiping troops launched an attack on the rear headquarters of the Imperial Westward Advance Group stationed in Huatian Town in eastern Longdong without the opponent being prepared. Although there were nearly 30,000 troops stationed for protection, the Tianshui Garrison Division The combat effectiveness displayed by the regiment was enough to humiliate any Imperial Guardsman. The entire division was defeated in less than an hour of resistance. The Fourth Army's direct wing, which only had one wing, persisted in fighting. Although the losses were huge, it finally managed to break out.
On January 22 of the Continental Calendar, the Empire's westward advance group paid a huge price, but was forced to give up the attack on Longdong Fucheng because the rear headquarters was attacked, the back road was cut off, and the logistics supply line was also cut off. , and turned to counterattack Huatian Town. On that day, the imperial army occupied Huatian Town without encountering any resistance. The Taiping Army had already evacuated Huatian. Although Huatian Town was occupied, what worries Wu Da and Miao Feng the most is that the whereabouts of Peak, the Imperial Deputy Minister of Affairs, have not yet been identified, and the Imperial Army has lost its best opportunity to capture Longdong Fucheng. However, the Taiping Army in Longdong got a rare chance to breathe, which laid the foundation for ensuring that the city of Longdong was not lost.
The entire Taiping Army was immersed in celebrations. For them, this undoubtedly gave a special boost to the morale of the people who had been somewhat depressed after the failure of the Qinghe Battle in the north.
Note 1: Fengwo Crossbow Cart - a powerful weapon capable of both offense and defense. It is derived from crossbow arrows. It uses a large frame structure to fix multiple crossbow arrows and is assembled using a mechanical structure. Its accuracy and power are higher than that of a bed ballistae. Great improvement, but range decreased. However, it has extremely high mechanical requirements, is expensive, and is easily damaged. There are two types: mobile and fixed. It originated from the Famini Empire in the Western Continent.