March 22nd.
Hu Jun's military advisor Nayan Shiyou had already known that there were no Zhao troops in Hanyang City, and only a few Zhao generals were leading the Qingcheng defenders.
Based on the lessons learned from previous defeats in battles with General Zhao, he believed that there was no need to waste troops in Hanyang, a place that could still defend the city and be commanded by General Zhao.
Now that the back mountain has been captured, the army should go straight to Qingcheng.
There are no troops there now, so we can march straight in.
First capture Qingcheng and then attack Hanyang.
Duan Qian Guanshi did not listen to Yan Shiyou's suggestion at this time. He had just arrived at Hanyang City and had lost nearly 20,000 men before he could fight.
After a whole day of fierce fighting yesterday, another 10,000 men and horses were lost.
Thirty thousand troops were lost to Han Yang. How could he bear the humiliation? He said arrogantly: "Whenever I fought against General Zhao before, I was criticized for not being able to defeat him.
Now Zhao's army is in name only and cannot fight.
There are only less than 20,000 defenders left, and I am now commanding an army of 270,000. They pressed at the foot of Zhao Dingshan's city, but they bypassed it and could not be captured. How can this show the majesty of our Hu army!
We should first kill all the soldiers and civilians in this city, and then the whole army marches into Qingcheng with their blood, singing and dancing. Wouldn't it be more enjoyable? "
So Duan Qian Guanshi still insisted on besieging Han Yang with an army of 270,000, and ordered that the river on the back mountain be poisoned. Let's see how many days they can last.
After yesterday's battle, the defenders of Qingcheng in Hanyang only had a total of 12,000 people left with fighting power.
Tang Xianhua, the general who defended Qingcheng, discovered that the river water had been poisoned. In view of the huge disparity in strength between the two sides, Han Yang's troops were depleted, there was no fighting spirit internally, and there were no reinforcements externally. The situation was extremely unfavorable to Han Yang.
Therefore, Tang Xianhua has insufficient confidence in sticking to Han Yang.
The city defenders who fought hard were also panicked. After all, they were not soldiers who actually went into battle to kill the enemy.
Over the years, Zhao Jiajun has been stationed in front.
They have never been to the battlefield at all, and they spend their days hanging out and getting military pay. This time he was temporarily transferred here, so he didn't know that the situation was so dangerous.
They were worried about their wives and children and wanted to disperse back to protect their Qingcheng.
Seeing this situation, General Zhao said to everyone: "Currently our army is short of water and water, and there is a powerful enemy outside the city. If we can concentrate our forces to fight against the enemy, there is still a possibility of victory. If we disperse and go back, we will definitely None of them can be saved. Once Hanyang City is lost, Qingcheng will definitely be annihilated. Now, we can only work together, share weal and woe, and make achievements together. Those who are greedy for life and fear death, shake the morale of the army, and only care about protecting their wives and property! "
The words were loud and powerful, intimidating those who wanted to escape before the battle. The morale of the soldiers in each battalion was greatly boosted. Following Zhao Shuangquan, Zhao Xingwen, and Zhao Xingwu, they held on to Hanyang City for another day.
March 23rd.
The battle became more and more difficult. Wang Xifeng, deputy general of Qingcheng, and others felt that the letter sent to the court might have just arrived in the capital, and reinforcements were far away, so they secretly begged Duan Qianguanshi for surrender.
However, Duan Qian Guanshi believed that the capture of Hanyang City was just around the corner and did not allow the Hu army to accept their surrender.
Otherwise, it would not be considered a great achievement, and it would show his determination to defeat Han Yang.
This made the defenders realize that they could only survive by holding on desperately and waiting for reinforcements, so they fought with Hu Jun even more tenaciously.
Nayan Shiyou saw that it was difficult to capture Han Yang in a short period of time, so he suggested to Duan Qian Guan Shi: "The art of war says that siege should be left open. We should allow Han Yang's enemies to escape a little, so that they can spread the news of failure and lower their morale." .”
However, Duan Qian Guanshi relied on his abundant troops and sufficient food to occupy an absolutely dominant position. He once again rejected Nayan Shiyou's suggestion and continued to intensify his attack on Han Yang, so that he could station hundreds of thousands of troops under the fortified city.
March 24th.
Zhao Shuangquan said to his father: "Today may be the last battle. There are only 6,000 fighting forces left."
General Zhao ordered Zhao Shuangquan to shoot the secret message "King Mo's army has arrived" into Hanyang City. At the same time, it also fell into the hands of Hu Jun, causing panic among Hu Jun's commander Duan Qian Guanshi.
The officers and soldiers of the Hu army were shocked when they saw the secret message. They sent scouts to explore the direction of Yucheng for a hundred miles and made sure that there was no one there before returning with confidence.
While the scouts went to investigate, Hu Jun did not dare to continue attacking the city with all his strength.
Therefore, Han Yang's defenders were able to take a break.
In addition, they saw the secret message and saw Hu Jun's attack getting weaker and weaker. They really thought that King Mo's army was coming, so their morale increased greatly, and they all fought bravely.
March 25th.
General Zhao put on his armor and went into battle in person.
He knew that today was the last battle.
Xia Chu asked him to stick to it for five days, and he would do it if he agreed.
As for whether Xia Chu could come back or not, he didn't mind if it was late or not.
Having a grandson like this has no regrets. Wrapping his body in horse leather is also his long-cherished wish.
The east wind blows and the war drums beat.
When the sound of drums began to spread continuously from the war drums to all directions, the majestic sound that was born with him appeared with Zhao Dingshan's military uniform, almost approaching the power of the emperor's personal conquest to swallow up mountains and rivers.
Bian Ding also appeared. He was wearing a red uniform without armor. He walked to Zhao Xingwu on the right side of the tower and generously promised: "I will guard the tower on this side. No barbarians will be allowed to step foot on it."
Old General Zhao looked at the raven beside him and ordered him: "You can also choose a position. You don't have to guard me anymore. If the city is there, I will be there. If the city is destroyed, I will perish."
Raven glanced at Old General Zhao solemnly and said to him: "As long as you can stand here, you will be safe. I hereby promise to guard this back mountain for you."
Old General Zhao smiled and agreed: "How can I be willing to die in battle before Yi Dao comes back?"
Raven got General Zhao's promise, turned around, jumped down from the city, rode a black horse, and galloped towards the back mountain.
Raven came to the entrance of the back mountain and said to Zhao Shuangquan: "You all go back to guard the city tower. I can stay here alone."
Although Zhao Shuangquan saw his extraordinary momentum, he also knew that he was the person left by Xia Chu to protect General Zhao, and his martial arts must not be weak.
However, it is still too much effort for one person to guard a mountain.
He was about to say something to help, but he saw a cold light in his eyes, filled with murderous intent.
Then he said no more and withdrew to the tower with two thousand troops.
"I, the good men of the Xiao Kingdom, are the old and weak women and children in the city, and behind you are your wives, sons and daughters. We are men who stand upright. Protecting our homeland is the most basic bottom line that every man adheres to. In today's battle, either Make great achievements and be famous for generations, or die in battle and leave your name for eternity. No matter what happens, I will be with you, live and die together, I will be here in the city, and I will never betray the country!"
General Zhao stood in the center of the tower, his deep voice echoing melodiously in the sky.
All the standing soldiers were moved and their morale was high.
(End of chapter)