At this time, it is dusk, and the infinitely beautiful sunset is reflected on the gurgling Han water. In the midst of the sparkling, the golden sunlight is repeatedly folding and jumping.

In addition, on both sides of the Han River, the vegetation is dense, rows of weeping willows stretch their waists, and all kinds of water birds fly and hover on the aquatic plants and branches.

This situation is beautiful, if the literati travel here, they will be poetic, and write poems to praise the beautiful rivers and mountains.

But at this moment, the Han army's giant battleship was anchored in the center of the river, the battle flag on the ship was unfurled, and there were countless huge troop carriers behind the warship.

The defenders of the second city of Xiangfan were on the city wall as if they were facing a great enemy, and they were on guard. On the high ground on both sides of Fancheng, the Yuan army's water village, fortress, and Tucheng planted wolf smoke, so that the flag fluttered, and the soldiers moved back and forth, as if a big war was about to start.

"Fifth brother! The landed troops have arrived! ”

At the bow of the Han King's flagship Dadu, Guo Xing said behind Zhu Wu.

"Let the infantry rush to Anyang Beach, cover the navy, and calculate the shooting coordinates!"

Zhu Wu looked at the cities on both sides of the Han River and said lightly.

On both sides of the Han River, Xiangyang and Fancheng are respectively, the Han River is a natural barrier, and then the two cities dig out a moat with a width of more than 100 zhang, and surround and linger. The two cities, connected by a huge iron cable pontoon bridge, above the Han River, the iron cable across the river, is like a scene in a science fiction movie.

Even Zhu Wu, who is accustomed to seeing countless modern great buildings, can only sigh at this moment, this is really the greatest crystallization of wisdom in human history.

The water was used as a natural defensive barrier, and then on top of the bluestone brick walls, behind each battlement, there were huge three-bowed cannonballs, and the enemy came up from the Han River or from the moat, which was a live target.

The three-bow artillery crossbow is the most powerful among the bed crossbows, with a range of more than 1,000 meters. Before the appearance of the cannon forged by Old Man Xi, it was one of the most powerful long-range strike weapons in the world. The Mongol army obtained it in the capital of the Jin Kingdom and brought it to the west.

The Persian historian Zhifeni recorded the great power of this bow in his book, The History of the World Conquerors.

In addition to the cannonballs, there are also many trebuchets on the city wall, and the warships come from the river, facing the double fire coverage of the ballistae and trebuchets of the city cast, who comes and who dies. Hundreds of years later, the various firepower coverage, ammunition delivery, etc., proposed by Westerners, are actually leftovers from our ancients.

What's more, the 70,000 defenders of Xiangfan Second City were the most elite troops of the Yuan court south of the Yangtze River. These soldiers participated in the extermination of the Tianwan Empire, participated in the conquest of Liu Futong in Henan, and even went to Hanzhong to suppress the uprising of the People's Army.

Moreover, in addition to the civil and military officials in Xiangfan Ercheng, there is also a figure who is like a Dinghai god needle for the military heart of the Yuan army, and Xiangyang Wang Boluo does not spend it. He is the bloodline of the Golden Family, and the ancestor Qu is the third son of Ogedai Khan.

This person is a royal nobleman, but he is a rare man and military. It is also a rare enlightened person among the nobles of the Great Yuan who does not have the so-called distinction between north and south. The armies of all ethnic groups under his command shall be treated equally, and at the same time, military discipline shall be restrained and the people shall not be harmed.

In short, this is a very prestigious and popular figure.

At this moment, Wang Boluo of Xiangyang stood at the head of the Fan City Wall, looking at the Han army sailors who turned from the Han River to the canal, and looked worried. State affairs are difficult, but at the age of his early fifties, the king of Xiangyang is already full of silver hair.

"The center is stupid and incompetent, causing the thieves to become bigger!" Bo Luo Buhua sighed and said, "Now Da Yuan is even the strength of the poor country, and he can't make up such a warship sailor." ”

He Dongzhe, the head of Xiangfan, smiled bitterly on the side, "The center is stupid, and no matter how stupid it is, the situation of Dayuan at this time is better than that of the late Han and Tang dynasties, but the minister has read all the history books, and he has never seen so many thieves in the world at the same time." ”

"Hey!" Bo Luo Buhua shook his head and said, "The big thieves of the Han and Tang Dynasties are just killing corrupt officials and equalizing the fields." And today's big thief wants to expel the Tartars and restore China! The difficulty of the Great Yuan is difficult in the late Han and Tang dynasties! As he spoke, he let out a long breath, "It's useless to talk more, give the order to prepare for battle!" ”

The battlefield began suddenly.

The warships of the Han army slowly stopped in the shallow water, and the infantry who rushed to land on the beach got on the boats and were preparing to rush to Anyang Beach next to Fancheng.

Inside and outside Fancheng, the highlands, water villages, fortresses, and soldiers in the city walls all silently stared at the Han warships that slowly stopped.

The moat was one hundred and twenty zhang wide, and the shallow water area of the battleship was twenty zhang away from the land of Anyang Beach, and the ships of the Han army actually entered the fire coverage of Fancheng.

"Ready!" The officers of the One Yuan Army raised their arms high.

But suddenly, there was a loud bang.

More than 70 guns of the three gunboats of the Han army on the canal opened fire at the same time, and at the same time, the warships that followed these gunboats also lowered their guns and aimed at the target.

Zhu Wucai would not be unprepared and let his warship enter the opponent's range like a target.

As early as before the Han army went up the river and attacked Wuchang, the Han army's ubiquitous meticulous work drew the city defense around Xiangyang clearly and submitted it.

The first round of artillery salvos, in front of Anyang Beach, the Yuan army's Shuizhai fortress, nearly a hundred artillery salvos, the tall Shuizhai wooden gate, instantly made a huge gap.

The second round of artillery salvo extended the barrage to the high ground by the Han River, where the Yuan army, which was stationed in the field outside the city, and there were many cavalry among them.

The third salvo was fired, and finally the gunboats from Hanshui arrived at the corner of the canal, and more than 70 guns vented the city.

The sound of continuous explosions, like lightning and thunder in the dark clouds, gushed endlessly.

Between heaven and earth, under the infinitely beautiful sunset, it is full of gunsmoke. On the ground, on the walls, and on the fortress, there were large pits with thick smoke, and the soldiers who were unfortunately hit were blurred with flesh and blood, screaming again and again.

"Fire!"

The officers of the Han Army's naval division were roaring loudly.

No matter how majestic Xiangyang is, it is just a fixed dead thing, a dead thing, and these gunners of the Han army are the most experienced.

At the same time, the landed boat began to move forward with all its might, desperately trying to reach the shore.

Zhu Wu was on the Dadu, clenching his fists nervously.

I haven't felt like this for a long time, because this battle is the most direct offensive and defensive battle between the Han and Mengyuan, and the other party is the elite troops of the King of Xiangyang, so this battle is not easy to fight.

The Mengyuan army in Xiangyang is indeed elite. The gunboats of the Han army kept venting their artillery fire on the city wall, but the defenders of the city wall did not panic.

These Yuan troops, looking at the Han troops gradually coming on the canal at the battlement, showed a hideous smile.

"Put!"

Bang bang bang!

The Yuan army began to counterattack, and in the dark castle, the three-bow cannon crossbow on the city wall roared instantly.

In the line of sight, it was dense and overwhelming, heading straight for the advancing troop carriers on the canal.

Syllable!

The thigh-thick cannon crossbow hit the small boat, and the wooden boat suddenly shattered and flipped over, and the people on board were planted in the canal, not knowing whether they were alive or dead.

Immediately afterwards, I saw black spots surging like locusts on the top of the city, with a sharp whistle, smashing into the canal paper.

Trebuchet!

The Yuan army also had high-ranking people, and the firing coordinates were preset, which was not the patent of artillery. The trebuchet on the city wall, waiting for the Han army to enter the firing range, began to fire.

The boats were constantly being smashed, and the entire canal was within the range of the Yuan army's crossbows and trebuchets, and there were no dead ends. At the moment of the Han army's fierce bombardment, the three-bow artillery crossbow at the head of the city was also adjusting its angle.

The well-trained soldiers, twisting the winch to the most powerful, aimed at the warships of the Han army on the Han River on the canal.

Bang bang bang!

"Fifth brother, be careful!"

"King Han be careful!"

In the exclamations of the guards and generals, a giant like the Dadu became the target of the Yuan army's first attack. Countless crossbows flew past the side of the ship, and one smashed the mast, which crashed into the water like a felled tree.

Immediately after that, the hull felt a slight tremor, and several thigh-thick crossbows penetrated the side of the Dadu, even the gunboats of the Han army had long considered that they would become the key targets of the giant bow crossbows, and the side of the ship was wrapped with thick iron sheets, which was considered the world's earliest ironclad ship.

But at the moment, it was still damaged.

"Three-bow cannon crossbow! 1,500 meters, indestructible! Zhu Wu smiled self-deprecatingly, "Sure enough, it deserves its reputation!" As he spoke, he suddenly turned around and yelled, "Continue firing cannons, shooting in the direction of crossbows and trebuchets to cover the landing of the soldiers." ”

After speaking, Zhu Wu continued to look at the city in the midst of the war.

There is no trick to be said in this battle, and it can only be pushed all the way through.

And even if there are artillery explosives and other items, this battle will pay a lot of casualties. Because the geographical location of Xiangfan is too superior, their powerful cold weapons can cover the entire Hanshui River and moat.

No matter how many artillery pieces the Han army had, it would be close to the city from the water. As soon as they approached, they used the cover of the city and geography to shoot at them with three-gun crossbows and trebuchets.

Under the cover of the tried and tested gunboats of the Han army, the infantry landed, and in front of the second city of Xiangfan, they encountered the most ferocious resistance.