Let's look back at the situation of the rebels. Just as the Luoyang garrison judged, Yang Xuangan's rebels are indeed bound to win this siege. To make up for the weakness in the number of bows and arrows, during the nine-day preparation period, the rebel army mobilized tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers and civilians to cut down common timber, rushing to build various siege weapons day and night, holding the mill The knife is not mistaken, and the woodcutter's mind is frantically preparing all the siege equipment that can be prepared. The trebuchet, which requires extremely high levels of wood strength and craftsmanship, was built by the rebels. Sixty-four were built, and two of them were finally collected. The big nanmu was also made into a hook cart by Yang Xuangan's order, which was directly used to deal with and destroy the city wall of the Eastern Capital! As for other siege equipment, the number is in the hundreds!
In addition, in order to boost morale and fighting spirit, Yang Xuangan also issued a heavy reward, promising that once the eastern capital Luoyang is captured, all the gold, silver and jewels in the Luoyang imperial city will be rewarded to the rebels who participated in the siege! All the money, cloth and silk confiscated from the homes of civil and military officials in Luoyang were rewarded to other auxiliary rebel troops, and Yang Xuangan himself wanted nothing!
As mentioned above, the old general Li Zixiong, who was eager to save face, also made great efforts to arrange the siege tactics this time. Based on experience, according to 'Pei Hongce''s last tactic of defending the city, he arranged insidious traps one after another for the defending army, so as to consume the defender's physical strength and defending materials, laying a solid foundation for the final fatal blow.
The inexperienced commander of the defending army was indeed fooled by General Li and wasted a lot of precious rockets that were not easy to manufacture on meaningless targets. It didn't work much—the wood was too brittle and would break if stepped on, and after General Li ordered it to be pushed to the front on purpose, he managed to induce the defenders' archers to concentrate a large number of rockets on these cannon fodder ladder vehicles, which consumed the defenders' energy. The materials also relieved the pressure on the siege party.
The sudden moat also killed the commander of the defending army by surprise. The rebels had already used the frog car to fill up the 1-mile-long moat in the northern section of Shangchun Gate. The focus of the siege battle was also at this location. Old General Li expected that the defending commander, who had few troops in his hands, would inevitably hoard heavy troops here, and deliberately stormed the northern section of Shangchunmen in the first three rounds of siege battles, luring and forcing the defending commander to keep adding more troops to this position. The strength of the troops, the exhausted team was rotated to other sections of the wall to rest, and after the sky had exhausted the strength of the Hei defenders, General Li suddenly resorted to the tactic of trench bridge vehicles and stormed the southern section of Shangchunmen, which had been relatively safe before. Give the defenders the opportunity to continue to rotate and rest, and continue to expand the advantage of the rotation of the rebels with sufficient troops.
With Zhenghe and Qisheng, Old General Li, who is familiar with military books, has brought the essence of Zhenghe Qisheng to the fullest, but what makes Old General Li dissatisfied is still the lack of combat effectiveness of the rebel army. Under the tactical command, and with the cover and help of a large number of siege weapons, he stormed from noon until it was getting dark in the evening. Old General Li sent more than 12,000 rebel troops to attack the city in turn, but they still failed. Even if they successfully captured even a piece of the front of the city, they were still firmly blocked by the defenders, and no breakthroughs were made.
But it doesn't matter, General Li is still full of confidence in the final victory, because General Li can see that the defenders on the city wall are obviously tired and hungry, and the number of bows and arrows released is obviously less and closer , and the southern section of Shangchunmen, which was suddenly attacked, the defenders on the city wall who had just rested after their rotations also began to panic. If it weren't for those annoying white-robed soldiers who came to reinforce in time, the rebels might have died. A gap has been opened in the southern section. In view of these circumstances, Old General Li firmly believed that he would be able to break through this damned Luoyang City, and he would also be able to save this face.
Old General Li was sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, but the generals of the rebel army had already begun to lose their composure. Before it was dark, many rebel generals had already rushed to Yang Xuangan and Old General Li, or were cautiously Ask for suggestions, or beg and beg with mournful faces, "Duke Chu, the casualties of the soldiers are too great, it is impossible to continue fighting like this, should you reconsider the siege tactics, such a siege is simply killing people."
Old General Li is indeed taking human lives, and the casualties of the rebel army are indeed huge. From two hundred steps outside the city to the land under the city wall, the bodies of rebel soldiers are already lying here and there, and the scene under the city wall is even worse. Miserably, the corpses of mutilated rebel soldiers were layered on top of each other, as high as half a person. The blood had already soaked the ground below the city, and began to merge into a stream and flow slowly.
Fortunately for General Li, his only boss, the rebel coach Yang Xuangan, is a character with a firm will and will not give up. Even though some rebel generals have shed tears in front of Yang Xuangan, Yang Xuangan only answered one sentence. He said, "Fight! Continue to fight! No matter how many casualties there are, we must continue to attack the city! Anyone who takes a step back will be executed immediately! Persevere, we will definitely win the Eastern Capital Luoyang!"
Three reasons determine that Yang Xuangan cannot give up. The first is of course the blood feud with the defenders of the Eastern Capital, as well as the bitter hatred for Fan Zigai and Chen Yingliang; The main force of the Sui army will soon arrive at the Luoyang battlefield, and Yang Xuangan has no time to prepare for a second siege of this scale; The Ma Kou brothers, who were in charge of the internal response and sent their brother-in-law as a hostage, created an opportunity for them to burn down the Luoyang granary and open the city gate from the inside.
Another point is that Yang Xuangan doesn't have to care about the casualties. He is a talented man who doesn't know the blessing of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, no matter how heavy the casualties of the rebel army are, it is just a meaningless number in front of Yang Xuangan. Yang Xuangan firmly believes that as long as he can break through Luoyang, after taking control of the Eastern Capital, the defenders in Luoyang City will kneel and surrender to him in groups, and the strong men who live in the city and cannot leave the city will also join their team in the tens of thousands. If one soldier is killed in a siege battle, five soldiers can be replenished after entering the city! even more!
It was finally dark, and the full-scale attack of the rebel army was fully launched. Centered on the city gate of Shangchunmen, the attack surface of the rebel army had extended from the bank of Luoshui River to the corner of the city wall, and the sound of killing was everywhere. , There are torches shaking everywhere, and the flaming siege weapons will reflect half of the sky red, and the rebel team attached to the siege has become a group of real ants, constantly charging and crawling towards the top of the city, and constantly falling Under the city, repeatedly.
Although the offensive of the incomparable self-satisfied army is huge and violent, Yang Xuangan and Old General Li still inevitably become anxious gradually, because as time goes on, not only the casualties of the rebel army continue to expand, but the morale and fighting spirit of the rebel army is also inevitable. Gradually fell down, the rebels who had been attacking the city by the Ants had already relied on the supervisory team to kill the deserters so as not to retreat, but the expected collapse of the defenders never happened, and the defenders who had fought hard for most of the day were still While desperately resisting the attack of the rebel army, those extremely annoying white-robed soldiers are still filling in the gaps again and again, and helping the friendly army to stabilize the line of defense time and time again.
At the same time, General Li, who had the most experience in the battlefield, also began to realize that something was wrong. The defenders, who should have been exhausted to the extreme, for some reason, showed signs of increasing morale. Old General Li, who is not deaf, even faintly heard cheers from the defenders. At the same time, Old General Li didn't find any signs of reinforcements from the defenders rushing up the city wall for reinforcements. Something is not right, knowing that today's battle may be even more difficult.
Sure enough, with the passage of time, the garrison team, which should have been exhausted, became more and more courageous as they fought. Not only did they completely stabilize the city's position that showed signs of chaos, but they also knocked out a large number of rebel flying ladders in one breath. At the same time, he threw out a large amount of precious fire oil without hesitation, as if he only planned to hold this time, and set fire to kill the enemy wantonly, no longer thinking about how to deal with the rebels' siege next time. A huge fire broke out and turned into a sea of flames. The rebel soldiers cried for help in the sea of flames, and the rebel soldiers who were splashed with fire oil also turned into people on fire, rolling and begging for help in the sea of flames, screaming The screams resounded through the sky.
"What's going on?" Yang Xuangan also sensed that the situation was not going well, and said with horror on his face, "Why did the officers and soldiers stabilize again? Are they in the reserve team? Didn't you see the reserve team of the officers and soldiers going to the city?"
No one could answer Yang Xuangan's question. Old General Li's face sank like water, and he suddenly yelled: "That Ma Kou and brother, why don't you do it? The old man has already created such a good opportunity for them, why don't they do it yet?" ?”
Still no one could answer Old General Li's question, only Yang Xuangan was reminded by Old General Li, and immediately shouted: "Come on, send a fast horse back to Jinyong City, and ask Li Mi to send someone to bring that Huang Youwei here. Ask him personally why his brother-in-law Ma Kou hasn't done anything yet?"
"Chu Gong, there is no need to send someone to pass the order, I have already come."
A familiar voice came suddenly, and under the light of the shaking torches, Li Mi, who was supposed to stay in the Jinyong City camp, staggered slowly, and walked slowly in front of Yang Xuangan, Old General Li and the others. Yang Xuangan was taken aback and blurted out: : "Li Mi? Why are you here? Why don't you stay in the Jinyong City camp, what are you doing here?"
It was very dark, and Li Mi's little black face was darker than the pitch-black night sky, and he cupped his hands in pain, and said, "Forgive me, Duke Chu, there is an urgent military matter, and I have to report it to you face to face, so I am here. "
"What urgent military situation? Tell me!" Yang Xuangan hurriedly said.
Li Mi looked puzzled, looked left and right, then cupped his hands and said: "Grand Chu, please take a step to speak, I will report to you alone."
Li Mi, who was lucky enough to escape from Captain Chen's butcher's knife, ran out of luck, but at this moment, screams and shouts came from the front. Up and down, they threw down the siege weapons and fled backwards. The rebel warlord team tried their best to stop them, but with little effect, and there was a possibility of being crushed by the defeated soldiers in a blink of an eye. Seeing this scene, Yang Xuangan was of course furious. In addition to ordering his third brother Yang Wanshuo to lead the army to kill the deserters and force them to come forward again, he roared at Li Mi: "Stop talking nonsense! If you have any military information, report it face to face!"
"Chugong, don't you regret it?" Li Mi started to cry, and said again: "Let me advise you again, it's best to keep this matter a secret for now, Chugong, you'd better listen to my report alone!"
"No need!" Yang Xuangan roared angrily, "Don't be afraid of the sky falling, report it face to face! Even if that tyrant Yang Guang brought back the main force of Liaodong, he would also face to face the Zhu Kingdom..."
When the roar reached this point, Yang Xuangan suddenly stopped, his face turned pale as paper, and the faces of the rebel generals beside him also turned pale. Old General Li also jumped up, and exclaimed: "So fast? How is it possible? Really! Or fake?"
"I also hope it's fake." Li Mi shook his head in pain, and said: "Unfortunately, our scouts have repeatedly confirmed that three hours ago, Qu Tutong, the lackey of the tyrant Yang Guang, led the main force of Youwuhou under his command. The team has arrived at Heyang City, which is just north of Luoyang, and it is less than fifty miles away from Luoyang City."
With a bang, Yang Xuangan sat back in the handsome chair. The faces of the rebel generals next to him were all pale, and old general Li Zixiong was also pale. After standing there for a long time, old general Li suddenly cupped his hands to Yang Xuangan and shouted: "Chu! Gong, we still have time, we still have a little time, Qu Tutong just arrived in Heyang, if he wants to reinforce Luoyang, he must cross the Yellow River first! We can also attack Luoyang first, and then go back to fortify along the river, Stop Qu Tutong from crossing the river!"
Like a drowning man grabbing the last straw, Yang Xuangan, who was already in despair, jumped up again, shouting loudly: "Beating the drum! Beating the drum! The whole army will attack! Before dawn, we must give I will take Luoyang City!"
"Grand Chu, it's too late!" Li Mi stopped with tears in his voice: "The news of Qu Tutong's arrival in Heyang may have already entered Luoyang City, at least it will soon be transmitted to Luoyang City! We will only encounter tenacious resistance from the defenders of the Eastern Capital, increasing casualties in vain!"
"Go away!"
Yang Xuangan pushed Li Mi away, rushed to the front and roared again, ordering a full-scale attack! Li Mi was in a hurry, knelt down to Yang Xuangan, hugged Yang Xuangan's thigh and cried, "Grand Chu, don't let the soldiers die. It's useless! It's useless! Let's not talk about it." We have no hope of breaking through Luoyang City. Even if we break through the outer city, that old man Fan Zigai still has the imperial city to defend! The imperial city is stronger and more difficult to attack than the outer city! Duke Chu, I beg you, Retreat...!"
"get out!"
Yang Xuangan kicked Li Mi away, insisted on giving the general attack order, and even kicked and beat the generals present to lead the army to attack the city. Old General Li was also sweating profusely to cheer up the rebel generals and persuade them Make a desperate fight, use the last time to take Luoyang, and then go back to the division to deal with Qu Tutong's team that has not yet crossed the Yellow River. Qu Tutong's elite Zuo Xiaowei Tiger Wolf only dared to dream of relying on the natural danger of the Yellow River to resist.
If the war continues, the main force, morale and morale will be wiped out in the siege battle, and Yang Xuangan's rebel army will basically be doomed to be completely wiped out on the Luoyang battlefield, but at this critical moment that will determine the fate of the rebel army Li Mi, the outstanding leader of the Peasant Uprising Army, decided to try again, stood up struggling, walked up to Li Zixiong, who was already sweating profusely, and bowed his hands, and said in a deep voice: "Old General, please take a step to speak, how many juniors are there?" It’s a heartfelt statement, and I want to tell you alone.”
"Master, what time is it? What are you talking about from the bottom of your heart?" General Li said, wiping his sweat, "If you have anything to say, let's talk about it after we take down Luoyang City first. Now I want to help Duke Chu dispatch troops and generals." , no time."
"It won't take up too much of your time." Li Mi insisted: "Old General, as long as you have a moment, this junior can assure you that you won't regret listening to my heartfelt words."
After seeing Li Mi's solemn expression, and seeing that all the rebel generals had obeyed the order to lead the troops to attack the city, Old General Li pursed his lips, but still nodded. At that moment, Li Zixiong and Li Mi strode to the side together, found a place where there was no one to stand still, and then Li Zixiong said: "Master, if you have something to say, speak quickly, we really don't have much time."
"Old general, this junior must first declare that this junior has never held any grudges against you." Li Mi said sincerely, "Although you have taken away the position of military adviser from this junior, this junior really doesn't care, this junior is willing to assist you."
Old General Li Zixiong looked a little embarrassed, and couldn't find anything to answer Li Mi for a while, but Li Mi pointed to the Shangchun Gate in the distance and said: "Old General, I want to tell you one more thing. That little thief Chen Yingliang, he and his juniors are the same people, they only care about the purpose and not about the status and treatment. According to the captives, that little thief Chen Yingliang is still a bureaucrat of Henan Zanzhi Mansion without rank, but this little thief The thief never cared about his official position, but devoted his life to the tyrant Yang Guang, charged forward and retreated, miraculously trained a group of recruits into elite dead soldiers in only thirteen days."
"The younger generation and the little thief Chen Yingliang are all the same way." Li Mi said to himself, "The little thief Chen Yingliang devoted his life to the tyrant Yang Guang, and I worked wholeheartedly for the Duke of Chu, assisting the Duke of Chu to overthrow the tyrant and establish a peaceful and prosperous world. Therefore, whether you believe it or not, the old general, this junior has never hated you. Even if this junior guesses that he was demoted and excluded from Duke Chu’s central army account, it may have something to do with you, the old general. This junior has never hated you. Thank you, because your purpose is the same as that of the junior, to assist Duke Chu to overthrow the tyrant, I am a junior, and I don't mind being your deputy."
Old General Li, who was somewhat apologetic, blushed a little, and said awkwardly, "Master, how could you think like that? What exactly do you want to say? We don't have much time, so just say what you have to say."
"We don't have much time." Li Mi nodded, and suddenly asked: "Old General, your reputation should be hundreds of times greater than that of the younger generation, right? The former Youwuhou General was hailed by the tyrant Yang Guang as the reincarnation of Zhuge." , In this world, I'm afraid there aren't many people who don't know you, right?"
"Master, what exactly are you trying to say?" Old General Li became even more confused, he didn't understand what kind of medicine was sold in Li Mi's gourd.
"What this junior wants to say is that once Duke Chu is defeated, you will not be the first one to run away!" Li Mitu saw him poorly, and said in a low voice: "Once Duke Chu is defeated, this junior can run away, because I am a junior and have no reputation." , Not many people in the world know me, I will hide my name and change my name temporarily, there is still a chance to make a comeback, the tyrant Yang Guang and the court will not pay too much attention to me, an unknown junior!"
"But, old general, you can't run away no matter what!" Li Mi whispered viciously: "Because your reputation is too great, and there are too many people in this world who know you! You just fled to the ends of the earth, and the tyrant Yang Guanghe His accomplices and lackeys will also chase you to the ends of the earth, catch you back to the ends of the earth, and put you to death! No matter how anonymous you are, no matter how disguised you are, you will be caught by people who know you sooner or later! Now You are already a grasshopper on the same rope as Duke Chu. If Duke Chu dies, you will die! Only if Duke Chu lives can you live!"
Old General Li Zixiong's old face began to turn pale again, and he was completely moved by Li Mi's words. Li Mi observed his words and said in a low voice: "Old General, you should be very clear about why Duke Chu is the most hopeful to live now. As you said, we don't have much time. If you don't stop Duke Chu from wasting time for nothing, and don't persuade Duke Chu to go west immediately to attack Sansuke, which is currently in an empty state, then you will be the same as Duke Chu , are all dead!"
"Old general, the younger generation has finished speaking. I wish to live and die. Please, the old general decides on his own." Li Mi strode away, leaving the old general Li Zixiong on the spot with a pale face and trembling quietly.
I don't know how long it has passed, but old general Li Zixiong suddenly ran up to Yang Xuangan in big strides. After wasting a lot of saliva, Yang Xuangan finally pulled out the sword at his waist, roared and shattered the handsome chair beside him with a sword, and roared hysterically, "Ming Jin! Take the troops back to the camp! Throw away all the siege weapons! No more!"
Hearing this, Li Michang heaved a sigh of relief, looked up to the sky and sighed softly, "We still have hope."
Before he finished speaking, two crystal clear tears had quietly seeped out of the corners of Li Mi's eyes...
On July 20th, the ninth year of Daye Daye in the Sui Dynasty, in the evening, Qu Tutong, the famous general of Youwuhou in the Sui Dynasty, first led his main forces back to the edge of the Luoyang battlefield, stationed troops in Heyang City on the north bank of the Yellow River, and set about crossing the river to rescue Luoyang City. . Upon learning of this news, Yang Xuangan, who was attacking Luoyang City overnight, was forced to order his troops to retreat, throwing away all the siege equipment and hastily returned to the Jinyong City camp. The Luoyang defenders, who had been besieged by the rebels for nearly two months, won the last battle With the victory of the Great War, the situation on the Luoyang battlefield was completely reversed.