The Xiongnu who were besieging the city had a protective wall composed of shields, and it was difficult for the Han army's bows and arrows to work, and seeing this situation, Geng Gong asked the soldiers not to shoot arrows for the time being.

Under the cover of shields, the Huns did not make too much effort to get under the city walls. But in the face of the upright city wall, they can only use the way of taking a ladder, one person stepping on the shoulder of the other, and when stepping on the fourth person, one hand is on the top of the wall. But at this time, the shield in the hands of the Huns could not be used, and it was just allowing the swords and arrows of the Han army to play a role.

As a result, the human ladder became a sacrifice to the Han army, and a rope with an iron hook was thrown onto the city wall, and after it was fixed, it grabbed the rope and climbed up. It's just that some of them just climbed halfway, and were cut off the rope by the Han army and smashed on the ground, even if they climbed to the city wall, one or several could not form a threat, and could only be sent to death in vain. No amount of such siegers can be used, and the result is simply self-inflicted. Finally, the king of Zuolu Li gave the order to collect the troops, and let the still alive drag hundreds of dead people back to a safe place where they would not be threatened by bows and arrows.

In such a siege, although the Huns suffered heavy casualties, it was difficult for the Han army to achieve no losses at all. It was difficult for their men to climb up to the walls, but the arrows they could shoot flew up. The Huns also had a team of archers, which followed the siege team and fired at the defending Han soldiers. The strong arm strength of the Hun soldiers compensated for the shortcomings of the bow and arrow. Although they failed to reach the city, more than a dozen Han soldiers fell under the cold arrows that came at them.

It seems that this method of hard attack will not work. King Zuolu set up camp on the open slopes to the south and west of Shule City, forming a confrontation with Shule City. Such a situation is not bad for the king of Zuo Luli.

As a nomad, where there is grass and water, it is home. It is said that there are enemy activities a few hundred meters away from home, which is somewhat inconvenient. But the number of this group of enemies, in addition to the dead, Geng Gong's department is actually less than 500 people, and it really does not pose a threat to the Xiongnu army of more than 20,000 people.

It can be said that without the protection of this castle, the Xiongnu would have wiped out this Han army in minutes. You must know that not long ago, the three hundred Han troops led by Geng Gong's general Liu Sheng encountered the siege of the Hun cavalry from Shule on the way to reinforcements, and the result of all the deaths was enough to make Geng Gong and Zuo Lu Liwang The two generals understood what their disadvantages and advantages were. This doomed the Battle of Shule to be a battle that would not end anytime soon! Both warring sides knew very well in their hearts that Geng Gong and Zuo Lu Li Wang had prepared for the worst.

Since it was impossible to end the battle quickly, King Zuo Luli was not so anxious. The prey has been blocked in the cave, and if you rush into the cave, you will be injured by the prey. Waiting for the prey to come out and then tidying it up is the best thing to do. He had carefully inspected the surrounding terrain, the city guarded by the Han army was a lonely city, and it was indeed difficult to attack, but at the same time, the Han army had also cut off its own retreat.

In other words, he didn't have to worry that the Han army would slip away from under his nose, he didn't know that this worry was superfluous, Geng Gong's Han army had no intention of slipping away at all, and sticking to it was their only choice. Of course, King Zuo Luli led his troops to counterattack this time, and the target was by no means just a country after the chariot division, not just Geng Gong's reclamation troops. He wants to wash away the shame of last year's defeat and destroy all the base areas opened up by the Han army, which is his entire plan of action.

King Zuo Luli originally thought that he would soon recover all the lost territory of the Cheshi Houguo, but he did not expect to meet this guy named Geng Gong in Jinpu City and Shule City, who was not only fierce, but also very cunning. The posture was obviously to fight a protracted battle with him, dragging him back from marching, so as to relieve the pressure on the former Han army stationed in the Che Division south of the Tianshan Mountains.

A wise commander will not be at the mercy of the enemy. King Zuo Luli was not confused, he didn't want Geng Gong and his Shule City to affect his strategic deployment. Using tens of thousands of people to deal with hundreds of people is really a bit like killing chickens with a knife, and it can't be used hard. So he decided to divide his troops and give full play to the strengths of the cavalry and rush to other Han strongholds. Left 5,000 people, surrounded Shule City, and took more than 20,000 soldiers to clean up the former country of Cheshi, and eliminated the Guan Pet of Liuzhong City and the Duhu Mansion and Duhu Chen Mu set up in Yanqi. As for Hami City, it was too far away, and King Zuo Luli decided to be the last one to clean it up.

He called his confidant General Subu into the military tent and gave him the order himself. Subu could use various means to deal with the Han army in Shule City. If he can capture the city, Xu Bu will wipe out all the Han army, which will be a great achievement. If Su Bu can't do it, as long as he doesn't let the Han army go, it can be regarded as completing the task.

King Zuolu knew the ability of Su Bu, although he lacked a little resourcefulness, but he was very cruel. Five thousand people against a few hundred, even if the Han army had a castle to rely on, it would not be able to withstand long-term attrition. When the time comes, there will be no one, and the city will become an empty city, a dead city. At the time of parting, King Zuoluli said to Xu Bu that he hoped that when Su Bu returned, he would see the Hun military flag floating on the head of Shule City.

When King Zuo Luli left with the main force of the army, Geng Gong, who was standing at the head of the city, saw it, but he did not feel relaxed because of this. For he saw that on the north and west sides of the city were still rows and rows of tents.

Indeed, for the besieged city of Shule, there is no difference between a few thousand and tens of thousands. That is, as soon as he and his soldiers leave the castle, the result of waiting is all the same. Fortunately, at this time, Geng Gong didn't want to go out at all. The early reserves were sufficient, and he could live with all the soldiers for more than two months without the slightest difficulty, and four months if he was more frugal.

Geng Gong knew in his heart that his most important task now was to maintain the morale of the troops, that the combat effectiveness of the soldiers should not decline, and that the brave spirit could not be lost. Every morning, all but the soldiers who patrolled the city walls took part in drills. It's all very combat-oriented fighting and bow and arrow shooting.

However, Geng Gong had one more ceremony before the drill. All the people must stand under the military flag, face the sun in the east, and swear to the imperial court that they are willing to shed their blood for the country and give their lives at the expense of their lives. They saluted the military flag and shouted loudly: Those who offend me will be punished even if they are far away.

At this time, Geng Gong didn't know that the imperial reinforcements he was looking forward to would not be able to come in the short term, because the situation in the Western Regions had deteriorated to the point of being out of control, and the long-distance attack of King Zuo Luli had worked. The battle was fought until June, under the second attack of the Northern Xiongnu, Chen Mu, the capital of the Western Regions, was caught off guard and the whole army was annihilated, although the third attack of the Northern Xiongnu did not succeed, but it also surrounded the Liuzhong City of Guan Pet, and was also waiting for the rescue of the imperial court. The entire Western Regions Protectorate was divided into three isolated plates, namely the three strongholds of Shule, Liuzhong, and Hami.

——————

Outside the Yumen Pass, on the bank of the Shule River. This ancient river originating from the Qilian Mountains, gushing out from a series of high mountains and rivers, at first to the north, then to the west, meltwater from the eternal snow-capped rivers moistened the thirsty Gobi, nurturing the oases dotted with dots, but when it zigzagged to the front of the Yumen Pass, it had become silent from the surging river at its source, like a tamed wild horse, and even the river became blurred and even elusive, until it disappeared into the depths of the desert without a trace.

The desert is so thirsty that the oases are distributed from the direction of Liangzhou (Wuwei) all the way to the west, getting smaller and more desolate. This narrow corridor, which had experienced countless booms and declines, was now threatened with war and death, and the prosperity of agriculture and animal husbandry disappeared, and the war between Han and Hungary broke out again. The fledgling Silk Road is also facing the torment of war, and you can see barren homes and bones in the wind and sand everywhere.

In June of the eighteenth year of Yongping, Fan Qiang, who was in charge of asking for help from the imperial court, walked into a large soft Gobi. The sand and gravel under the scorching sun, revealing a trace of heat, looking up, it seems that the yellow sand under the feet has a faint and continuous heat wave, walking until noon, there is no cloud, at this time there is no wind in the sky and the earth, leaving traces all the way, the soles of the camel's feet leave a walking mark in the desert.

Fan Qiang looked back at the last five sergeants on the camel's back behind him, all of them exhausted. Thinking of the Huns fleeing all the way like yellow sheep chased by wolves these days, I can't help but feel bitter on my face. The camel horse slowed down under the scorching sun, and after walking for two hours, a large pile of majestic, white, angular and sharp saline-alkali soil appeared in front of him. When they arrived in the depths of the White Dragon Sea, Fan Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to set up camp here. There are still 300 miles left from Dunhuang, and if everything goes well, you can return to Dunhuang in three days.

The six of them had just set up their tents when the distant horizon suddenly saw a sunset float, smoke and dust billowed out, and the sound of horses' hooves could be faintly heard. Everyone looked the way they came, and the black shadow of the Huns' pursuers finally appeared on the horizon again.

Seeing this scene, Hu Laosan, who was packing up his tent, let out a desperate howl: "It's the Huns!" Oh my! They caught up. We're done! Woo......"

"What a howl!" Fan Qiang roared angrily, kicked Hu Laosan over, pointed at his nose and scolded, "You bastard!" What are you panicking about? Hu Laosan, you are also a fucking man. When the husband dies, he dies, and his head falls off, but it is just a scar the size of a bowl. Brethren! We have no way out, so we all take up arms for me, and let's be loyal to the court here today! ”

With that, Fan Qiang took off his halberd from the camel's back and stood facing the direction of the incoming enemy. His waist was straight, and there was no fear on his face. He shouted: "All of them, array, kill!" ”

"Kill! Kill! The other two veterans also picked up their halberds and stood beside Fan Qiang with a resolute face and roared.

Fan Qiang had already given the order, Ma Wu and Hou Shang did not dare to slack off, leaving behind the crying Hu Laosan, and joined the queue in the same way. Seeing this situation, although Hu Laosan, who had collapsed, trembled with fear, he reluctantly got up and picked up his weapon. Why did you come to the Western Regions to be a soldier? If you knew today, why bother in the first place! His bowels are now repentant.

The six people stood on the Bailong Beach, forming a small military formation, which seemed so small and lonely in the vast Gobi. The wind was flying, and Fan Qiang was filled with a tragic emotion in his heart, and his eyes were staring at the direction of the enemy's attack. The enemy's cavalry is getting closer and closer, their fate has long been sealed, and Bailong Beach is their final destination.

However, at this time, the situation suddenly changed, a loud copper horn sounded, Fan Qiang and Hu Laosan were surprised to find that behind the sand dunes on the left, a cavalry army wearing red cloak rushed towards the Hun cavalry. It was a force of about 100 men, about the same size as the Huns' pursuers. They turned the dunes, and with a whistle they immediately separated from the left and right, like two sharp knives outflanking them. Not to be outdone, the Huns also immediately turned around and set up a sharp formation to meet the enemy.

When the two small cavalry armies were fifty or sixty paces apart, the black-armored cavalry suddenly turned around, and they did not directly collide with the Huns, but opened the distance between the two armies and began to circle around the Hun cavalry. After a sharp chirp, the knights in red cloaks and black armor took off their bows and shot arrows at the Huns.

Fan Qiang's eyes were about to pop out, and he couldn't close his mouth in surprise at this moment. In his opinion, these black-armored knights were more skilled in bowing and horses than the Huns, and they were all like eagle archers. "Bang boom", a bowstring sounded, arrows were like flying locusts, and the Huns were hit by arrows and fell off their horses. And the range of the Huns' bows and arrows was insufficient, and their counterattack could not hurt the black-armored knights at all. This is simply a one-sided massacre.

As soon as the battle began, nearly half of the Huns fell. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Xiongnu generals immediately ordered to disperse the team, divided into a small group to break out, and fled in all directions on the vast Gobi, which is the usual tactic of the Huns. "Tick tock...... Tick-tock", with a strange sound, the black-armored cavalry also disbanded the team, methodically divided into small teams, saw their target, and chased after each other, and the two cavalry chased each other on the Gobi.

This round of fighting was like flowing clouds and water, and it was hearty. The dazzling cavalry tactics made Fan Qiang and the others stunned, and their blood was boiling, and the three Hu brothers had tears on their faces, shouting and rolling on the ground excitedly. Although I was ready to die just now, I didn't want to die after all, and now I escaped death, how can I not be excited?

At this moment, a larger cavalry team turned behind the dunes, and these knights, each with three horses, swept towards the small Han army like a furious hurricane. Different from the common Han army, this cavalry under the banner of the Han army was neatly dressed, all black riding clothes, most of them had leather armor to protect themselves, a few people were also wearing metal armor, and a bright red flag was flying in the wind, with a big and eye-catching "Li" character written on it. The army stopped in unison a hundred paces away, without any extra movements, and raised their bows and arrows neatly, and Fan Qiang felt a wordless pressure rushing towards him. They seemed to have descended from the sky, coming quietly, as if they had been standing there for a long time.

"Haha, Hami Xuanjia ride! It's Captain Li Tong? Fan Qiang came to his senses and shouted at the other side.

At this moment, a horse came out of the crowd, he waved his hand back, and the cavalry put down the bow and arrow, Fan Qiang and the others felt the pressure relaxed, and secretly said in their hearts: What a big evil spirit! I saw the leader of the team riding slowly towards this side, and shouted while maintaining a vigilant posture: "I am Captain Li Tong of Hami, and General Fan Qiang is opposite, why are you so embarrassed?" ”

"Li Tong, you stinky boy! A certain family is Fan Qiang, and he didn't come to visit the old man. Fan Qiang scolded with a happy smile.

Although his current position is several levels lower than Li Tong, it turns out that Li Tong has been a soldier under him, and he is also good to him, so there is no problem with putting on the score. Li Tong breathed a sigh of relief at this time, rode his horse closer, and hugged Fan Qiang tightly, ignoring the dirtiness of the other party at all.

No wonder Li Tong was careful just now, Fan Qiang and his party described it as withered and unkempt, if it weren't for the armor on their bodies, outsiders wouldn't recognize it at all. The two teams converged, and Li Tong immediately ordered to set up camp, and not long after, piles of bonfires were lit on the Gobi. For the rest of his life after the catastrophe, Fan Qiang introduced the situation in Shule and the Western Regions with palpitations, and Li Tong frowned when he heard it, and suddenly fell into deep thought.

"Li Tong, you're not in Hami, why are you here?" Fan Qiang asked.

Li Tong took out Ban Chao's letter from his arms and handed it to Fan Qiang to introduce that he had just gone to Khotan to support the mission at the invitation of Ban Chao, but he didn't expect to run in vain. There was a rebellion in Qiuzi, and the army of Mo Gao had already withdrawn to the country to quell the rebellion, and Ban Chao also heard that the Huns had launched a counterattack, so he asked him to lead the army back to Hami. When he passed through the Gobi, he captured a few Hun scouts, only to know that an army was chasing and killing the Han army messengers, so he followed the trail and rescued them by chance.

After introducing the situation on his side, Li Tong asked with concern: "Brother Fan, how is the situation with General Geng Gong?" Is there enough food? How long will it last? ”

"Li Tong, not long after I left Shule City, I heard that King Zuo Luli had led 30,000 horses to surround Shule City. General Geng had already prepared for the worst, and the food in the city would last for four months at most. I think it's the right thing for you to send someone to escort me to Dunhuang to ask for help from the imperial court now. It's just whimsical that you're planning to rescue Shule. You'd better go back to Hami. I estimate that King Zuolu Li will definitely divide his troops to attack Liuzhong and Yanqi, and it is difficult to say what the situation in these two places is now. Although Hami is far away from the Northern Xiongnu, it is not necessarily safe. You are the captain of the army, and it is your duty to defend the city. ”

Li Tong shook his head disapprovingly, and said softly: "Brother Fan, with all due respect, I estimate that you will go to Dunhuang to report the news this time, and you may not be able to ask for reinforcements from the imperial court immediately." The Western Regions must also rely on themselves to hold on to it in a short period of time. ”

"Why?" Fan Qiang asked in surprise.

Li Tong waved back left and right, and when everyone walked away, to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, he whispered: "Brother Fan, you and I are not outsiders. I really don't want to hide it, I got a reliable news some time ago, the emperor is seriously ill, I'm afraid it won't last long, and the imperial doctor said that I'm afraid it's just a matter of one or two months. ”

"Is that true?" Fan Qiang's eyes widened, and he asked again, "Li Tong, this matter is not trivial. Let me ask you, how did you get such confidential information? Don't talk nonsense and get into trouble! ”

"Old Fan, how dare I joke about this kind of thing?" Li Tong said angrily, "You also know that Hami's glazed products have become tribute, at the end of last year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs asked Hami to pay tribute to a batch of glazed bottles, and one of my stewards overheard the imperial physician discussing the emperor's illness when he entered the palace, and only then did he know the truth." Fan Qiang was anxious when he heard this, and stood up suddenly. He stomped his feet again and again and said, "Oh no, no! How good is that? How good is that? General Geng is in danger there! ”

"Old Fan, don't worry! Although the Xiongnu were good at field warfare, siege was not their strong point, and General Geng was not in danger for the time being. Let's sum it up, and now we have to be on our own. ”

Li Tonghao said that Fan Qiang was stabilized, and the two discussed it all night, and the next day the two parted ways, and the two discussed it. Fan Qiang and his men continued to rush back to Dunhuang to ask for help from the imperial court, and then Fan Qiang would rush to Jiuquan to ask for troops from Geng Bing, the general of Zhengxi. At present, this concubine is guarding Jiuquan, he will definitely not sit idly by and watch his cousin be surrounded, Fan Qiang may be able to get his help.

——————

Shule City, Geng Gong stood at the head of the city and looked at it, the wilderness outside the city, densely packed with Hun camps, 5,000 Hun cavalry surrounded this small fortress, now the Huns are cutting off the water source, if they succeed, the city will face great difficulties, I am afraid it will not last long. The Hun general Xu Bu, who gave Geng Gong a headache now, is a very thoughtful guy, and it is indeed difficult to deal with.

This guy has always longed for the opportunity to make meritorious contributions and become a hero among the Xiongnu nation. Among the Huns, as long as a man becomes a recognized hero, his life will be completely changed. He will get a large number of cattle and sheep, territory, and can also hold the beauty at any time, and live a life of spending and drinking from now on.

So many generals gave him the task of besieging Shule City, which shows the trust of King Zuoluli in him. Not long ago, he presented an aquamarine from the Altai Mountains that he had snatched from the locals to the king of Zululi, which played a role to some extent. Although he was not required to capture Shule City quickly and wipe out the Han army inside, he knew what the outcome King Zuo Luli wanted to see would be.

He knows in his heart the extent to which he must do this so that he can be called a great meritorious service and be recognized by everyone as a great hero of the nation. I understood what to do, and of course I had to do it. After sending off the army of King Zuoluli, he immediately began to think about how to clean up the Han army in Shule City.

The matter of directly attacking the city has already been done, and it has proved that it will not work, and Su Bu will not do it. No matter how fierce he is, he doesn't lack heart, and of course he won't do such a stupid thing as touching a stone with an egg. The Han army is in the city, and if you can't get in, you can't kill the Han army. Only by waiting for the Han army to get out of the city will there be a chance to kill them.

He divided his men into two groups, one set up a sniper position outside the city, sent soldiers to squat day and night, and ordered that whenever the Han army came out, they would be shot to death with arrows or hacked to death with knives. Anyone who kills a Han soldier will be rewarded with five taels of silver. The five taels of silver raised the morale of the soldiers, and they all rushed to the position. But after a few days, let alone killing the Han army, I didn't even see the shadow of the Han army. The Han army seems to have guessed Su Bu's thoughts, that is, not to leave the city and not give him a chance to succeed in his tricks.

It seems that the Han army lacks nothing in the city, and life is very comfortable, and there is no plan to leave the city at all. Su Bu didn't want to wait like this all the time, so Su Bu came up with another trick, that is, to let another group of people start digging the moat outside Shule City, cutting off the water source in the city, and he wanted to draw wages from the bottom of the kettle and force the Han army to break through.

(To be continued)