vrcanaries Chapter 312 Departure
Chapter 312 Departure
With flags fluttering, helmets and armor shining, and horses neighing, the army of 80,000 men heading out to the battle is mighty and majestic.
When the common people who lined the streets to see him off saw the flag of His Royal Highness the Regent Zhao Defang, they seemed to feel less worried. They hoped that His Royal Highness the Regent, the God of War of the Song Dynasty, would return victoriously with his army, and that their children would be able to fight bravely and be rewarded.
Regent Zhao Defang believed that quality was more important than quantity. Although the army for the Northern Expedition only had 80,000 soldiers, plus the troops stationed at the border, the number was only over 120,000. But the soldiers were confident of victory. After a year of hard training, the quality of the soldiers had improved several times, and their morale was high!
The army commander Zhao Defang was even more confident of victory. In addition to his elite soldiers and generals, the magical bows and crossbows and thunderous bombs were the basis of his confidence in victory.
At the fork in the road, Yang Yanzhao and the Regent Zhao Defang went their separate ways with their 30,000 troops. The Yang Family Army was the main force of the Western Army in the Northern Expedition. Yang Ye, the Golden Sword Master, was the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, and Yang Yanzhao was the vanguard. The father and son fought side by side, responsible for going out from Yanmen Pass to capture Shuozhou, Huanzhou, Yingzhou and Yunzhou that had been captured last time, and to attack the Eastern Army from both sides to capture all the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
Regent Zhao Defang boldly used young generals Cao Wei and Gao Yingxiong, and appointed himself as the commander-in-chief of the 50,000-strong army, with Cao Wei and Gao Yingxiong serving as the vanguard generals.
When the eastern army arrived at Yizhou City, the defending general Cheng Yu led his deputy generals out of the city to welcome them.
When Zhao Defang was guarding Yizhou City, he had already recruited Cheng Yu, the chief general of the 16,000-man army. Now, the new emperor has ascended the throne, and the King of Qin has been appointed as the regent with real power. Several deputy generals admire the vision of the chief general Cheng Yu. He made the right choice and has a bright future!
There is no need to be too polite to one's own people. After Cheng Yu and others paid their respects to His Royal Highness the Regent, they exchanged greetings with Cao Wei and Gao Yingxiong, and then entered Yizhou City chatting and laughing casually.
Regent Zhao Defang pointed at the sand table with a thin wooden stick in his hand and said: "This time the Eastern Army will still attack from Zhuozhou. After taking Zhuozhou, the retreat routes of Yingzhou and Mozhou will be cut off. General Cheng, you will lead 15,000 soldiers to recapture these two states.
I will lead General Cao and General Gao to continue to attack Youzhou, Jizhou, and Danzhou in the north, and then join forces with the Western Route Army to attack from both sides and recover the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
After Cheng Yu accepted the order, he said with some regret: "Yingzhou and Mozhou were originally taken back by the Song Dynasty a few years ago. Your Majesty once went to Yingzhou to investigate the corruption case of disaster relief funds. However, the useless commanders of the two cities lost them again. I heard that the people in the two cities are eagerly waiting to be rescued!"
Regent Zhao Defang said with a firm look in his eyes: "If we take it back this time, we will never lose it again. The border with Liao will be temporarily set at the foot of the Great Wall in the north, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. After a few years of recuperation, I will lead my army to attack Huanglong and capture his Shangjing City!"
His Royal Highness the Regent spoke with confidence and domineering, inspiring the blood of the generals, and they all clasped their fists and responded: "We are willing to fight for the prince and kill the enemy, and follow him until death!"...
After easily capturing several strongholds, the 65,000-strong army arrived at the city of Zhuozhou.
Cheng Yu looked at the high walls in front of him that were full of Liao soldiers, and cautiously suggested: "Your Highness, the walls of Zhuozhou City are tall, wide and thick, and there are more than 15,000 defenders in the city, all of whom are elite Liao soldiers. If we attack rashly, our army will suffer heavy losses. I suggest that we build more siege goose carts and catapults to shoot at the Liao soldiers on the walls from a distance, consume the enemy's arrows and morale, and then attack and capture Zhuozhou City in one fell swoop."
Regent Zhao Defang just smiled faintly, "General Cheng, I will capture Zhuozhou City today. You will see how the war will be fought in the future."
Cheng Yu was surprised, but when he saw the confidence on the prince's face, he became excited again. The generals would not question the words of His Royal Highness the Regent Prince, the God of War of the Song Dynasty.
"Cao Wei will lead two teams of archers to attack from both sides to provide protection. Yun Yi will lead 20 shadow guards and 1,000 elite Moyun cavalry to take charge of the main attack.
Gao Yingxiong, lead 3,000 elite infantrymen, follow Yun Yi closely, and be responsible for controlling the city wall after it is captured."
Several generals responded respectfully, gathered their soldiers, and prepared to cooperate with each other in attacking the city.
Cheng Yu and his two deputy generals were a little confused after listening to the prince's arrangements and dispatches. Is the prince so confident that the twenty shadow guards and one thousand elite Mo Yun cavalry led by Yun Yi can capture the city wall?
I only heard His Royal Highness the Regent give another indifferent order, "Wuxing, push the catapults forward and fire more explosive shells at the enemy troops on the city wall."
"Understood sir!" Wu Xing bowed and accepted the order, directing his subordinates to push the catapult forward.
Yun Yi, with his armored shadow guards and Mo Yun cavalry elite soldiers, carried siege ladders and stayed on the city wall outside the range of bows and arrows, waiting silently.
Yelu Buhua, the Liao army defender on the city wall, looked at the situation below, his heart beating fast, and he was looking forward to the arrival of reinforcements as soon as possible.
The commander-in-chief's order from the rear told him to defend the city for ten days until reinforcements arrived. But when he saw the banner of Regent Zhao Defang in the distance, he complained bitterly. When the war god of the Song Dynasty came to the city to command the battle, it was a miracle for these 15,000 soldiers to defend the city for seven days.
Seeing the trebuchets being pushed forward in the distance, Yelu Buhua gave the order, "Catapults, prepare the crossbow carts for the city defense, and fire at the enemy."
He was not afraid of long-range attacks. On the three-meter-high city wall, he had a great advantage compared to the enemy's attack from above.
Wu Xing commanded the trebuchet team to enter the range. The well-trained soldiers quickly adjusted their positions. The team leaders beside each trebuchet took a ruler to adjust the projection parameters. This was a new skill they were trained to have. It was said that Shen Qiu figured it out according to a booklet on mathematical functions. It was several times more accurate than the original shooting.
There were no millstone-sized stones in the rattan net bag, but a few black iron things.
The Liao army on the city wall took the lead in firing test shots. After a round of catapults were fired, millstone-sized stones fell a few dozen steps to the right of the Song army's catapult positions. The ground was covered with dust, and the millstone-sized stones rolled and jumped. The formation was not small, but the enemy was killed without success.
Yelu Buhua looked at the soldiers in front of the catapults on the city wall, who were adjusting their shooting angles in a tense and orderly manner. He thought that it would be the opponent's turn to test the next wave of shots. After three rounds of shooting, the two sides would be able to find the landing point.
Seeing that the enemy's catapults were ready to launch in the distance, Yelu Buhua was not nervous. He just hoped that his side's catapults could gain the upper hand in the next two rounds of shooting.
The enemy's catapult was finally launched, and Yelu Buhua was surprised to see that what flew over were not big stones, but dozens of small black things.
Yelu Buhua looked at those dark little creatures flying accurately towards the city wall, and hurriedly shouted to the soldiers to hide. He also hid under the battlements on the city wall.
More than forty dark bombs landed on or behind the city wall. "Boom!..." "Boom!..." "Boom...!"...
Thunder exploded, flames ignited, smoke filled the air, and there were screams and wails of the soul-destroying...
Yelu Buhua, who was squatting under the battlements of the city wall, was stunned. The same terrifying sky thunder used by the elite soldiers of the Mo Yun cavalry could also be launched by a catapult?
"Good! If the gunpowder fuse is cut one inch shorter, it will explode directly above the enemy's head!" After Wu Xing praised, he ordered the soldier in charge of lighting the thunder bomb to cut the gunpowder fuse one inch shorter.