(2-in-1.) There are some things to deal with in reality lately, so there are fewer updates, sorry. It may take five or six days, and then try to make up for it. Thank you. ）

In the city of Zhuozhou, busy soldiers and civilians are strengthening the city wall, preparing for the next attack of the Great Zhou soldiers and horses. Although they won a big battle last night, the city guard Xiao Dasi and the prince Yelushi both understood that this was just the beginning. The hundreds of thousands of troops of the Great Zhou are approaching, and a big war is about to break out.

After the battle last night, Yelushi and Xiao Sida immediately passed on the news of the siege of the Great Zhou. In addition to informing Yelu Zongyuan, who was preparing to fight the Jurchens in Zhongjing Mansion, the two also jointly wrote a letter to Han De, the king of the Southern Yuan stationed in Nanjing's Xijin Mansion, asking for reinforcements. Because it is obvious that the next attack of the Great Zhou soldiers and horses will be extremely fast, and it may be difficult to hold with the tens of thousands of defenders in Zhuozhou City. There are more than 100,000 defenders in Xijin Prefecture, and if reinforcements can come, Zhuozhou may be able to defend. Otherwise, I'm afraid it's going to be difficult.

In the evening sunset, Yelushi stood on the city tower with a sad face, looking at the soldiers who were busy reinforcing the city wall and the people carrying the equipment and materials for defending the city, and he did not have a trace of joy in his heart. Because not long ago, he received a reply from Han Desui, the king of the southern courtyard of Xijin Mansion, in which Han Desui told Yelushi that Xijin Mansion was the place that needed the most protection, and he could not mobilize his troops and horses to cross the Sanggan River to come to Zhuozhou for reinforcements. Now that Da Zhou had declared war on Da Liao, he needed to immediately deploy troops and horses to fight. Han De then told Yelushi to leave Zhuozhou immediately and return to Jinfu, which was not safe.

This letter was a private letter written by Han Desui to him, and the guard general Xiao Sida received another letter. It's a different story. In that letter, Han De then ordered Xiao Sida to defend Zhuozhou, because Zhuozhou is the southern gateway of Daliao and the key city leading to the ferry, and the city must be defended at all costs. He also told Xiao Sida that he had sent 50,000 soldiers and horses to support, but because he had to travel a long distance and need to cross the river, he might need to be delayed, so he had to defend the city to the death and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

When Xiao Sida showed this letter to Yelushi, Yelushi was very speechless. He wanted to tell Xiao Sida the truth, but he couldn't. Yelushi didn't blame Han Desui for deceiving his generals, because he knew that Han Desui had no way. At present, the number of soldiers and horses in Daliao is stretched, and several major tribes are ready to move, and the imperial court must not only guard against the Jurchens, but also prevent these people from suddenly becoming chaotic. Now he has to fight against Da Zhou again. The entire Great Liao has reached a time of turmoil, and the soldiers and horses are stretched. Han Desui only had a total of 180,000 soldiers and horses, shouldering the important responsibility of guarding the southern part of Great Liao, and he really did not dare to send soldiers and horses to Zhuozhou casually. In terms of importance, Xijin Mansion is the most important central city in the south of the Great Liao, if the Xijin Mansion is lost, not only the passage to Zhongjing and Shangjing will be greatly opened, but the most densely populated area will be occupied by the Great Zhou, and the Great Liao will basically be wiped out by more than half. Although Zhuozhou is also very important, compared to Xijin Mansion, it is a place that can be abandoned. Han De then asked Xiao Sida to defend Zhuozhou, not to send him to death, but to gain time and make full preparations to meet the enemy.

Yelushi knew that Zhuozhou was afraid that he would not be able to hold it, but he did not plan to leave. Because he knew that if he left at this moment, it would greatly weaken the morale of the military and civilians in Zhuozhou. When this society survived, although he Yelushi did not have the power to turn things around, he should also contribute to Daliao. All he could do was stay in Zhuozhou at the moment, and he couldn't leave until the last moment. Even if it only has a small morale-boosting effect, it is still a contribution.

Yelu Shi took a long breath and walked out of the city tower to the city wall, and all the soldiers and people saluted him, all of whom knew this prince of Da Liao. Yelushi took the burden from an old man, and staggered forward with two baskets of stones, merging into the flow of people.

……

The army of more than 200,000 people of the Great Zhou marched rapidly, and finally arrived in the mountains outside Zhuozhou City at the noon requested by Yang Jun. The soldiers and horses all over the sky looked chaotic, but in this chaos it was actually very orderly. The soldiers and horses, mainly infantry, arrived first, and were cutting down logs and enclosing camps in the mountains. Thousands of soldiers are sorting out a flat area of ground for the siege equipment that arrives later. The two cavalry marched back and forth in the gravel beneath the city, both as a demonstration to the city and to prevent the other from suddenly leaving the city and attacking while the army was in a precarious state of confusion. Yang Jun took into account everything, all the experience and skills from leading the army in battle many years ago had been resurrected in his mind, and every order he gave was actually targeted and practical. As he said at the oath meeting, his existence is the guarantee of the victory of the Great Zhou soldiers and horses. All the generals and soldiers carried out his orders to the letter.

In the afternoon, in the center of the camp, which had begun to see its scale, a blue Chinese army tent was erected. The Yellow Dragon Flag was raised high and waved in the wind on the flagpole in front of the big tent. This means that the commander's camp has been set up, and the hearts of the soldiers have been stabilized.

After a simple meal, Yang Jun led dozens of generals to ride their horses out of the camp and came to a mountain under the city of Zhuozhou to check the terrain of Zhuozhou and draw up a siege strategy on the spot.

Zhuozhou City is surrounded by mountains and hills. Zhuozhou City is like a gate located on the passage to the north, holding the intersection to the north.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the terrain of Zhuozhou City is quite dangerous, but it seems that this is not the case. The height of the city wall is more than two zhang, which does not exceed the height of the cloud car. The Spir Bike does not need to be retrofitted. However, the gravel on the ground below the city may make it difficult for the Vapor Coaster to move forward, and something needs to be done. Yang Jun carefully observed the terrain and spoke in a deep voice.

"The marshal Mingjian, the last general also noticed this. Gravel terrain affects the speed of the Arctic Carter. The last general has already figured out a solution. Paving the road with wooden planks allows the roller to move smoothly. Planks we have ready-made. Bai Qi said.

"Okay, doable." Yang Jun glanced at Bai Qi approvingly and nodded. Since the dispatch of the army, Bai Qi has never made mistakes in his conscientious work, and he has done everything correctly, which is deeply appreciated by Yang Jun. Yang Jun almost forgot that he was the deputy marshal of the prison army sent by Guo Xu.

"When the Han first attacked the city that day, it is said that their bows and arrows were very powerful. There is also a catapult that can project dozens of pebbles and is mounted on the city walls. Therefore, these must be considered before attacking the city, and Ben Shuai does not want to kill and wound too many soldiers and horses in the small city of Zhuozhou. Thousands of dead and wounded people were no longer supposed to be. The first charge allows shielded soldiers to advance to reduce casualties. Yang Jun said.

"Dashuai, why don't you suppress it with a catapult. Our 500 catapults bombarded the city, and he let everything collapse. The Liao army at the head of the city is also untenable. Why attack with a shield and increase casualties? A general asked, puzzled.

Yang Jun sneered and said, "Use a knife to kill chickens." Catapults have a limited lifespan and are troublesome to manufacture, and the goal of our army is not only this Zhuozhou city. Zhuozhou is not a strong city, but the Dading Mansion of Xijin Mansion is, and those catapults are to be used in those cities. There may be more casualties, but so what? If you really want to suppress it, you will suppress it with archers. But Ben Shuai thought it was unnecessary, our bows and arrows did not have a long range as theirs, and the effect would not be very good. Attacking with shield soldiers should be the best strategy. If he didn't want to be entangled for too long, Ben Shuai wouldn't even want to use the cloud car. ”

The generals were speechless, and the marshal looked at Zhuozhou, but what he was thinking about was Xijin Mansion and Dading Mansion, as if this Zhuozhou was already in his pocket. Is the marshal too underestimated? But since the marshal has decided, he can only do it.

"With the cavalry and horses ready on the flanks, the most worrying thing for the commander is that they will send cavalry to kill from the east and west and disrupt the siege battlefield. Other than that, Ben Shuai has nothing to worry about. The order was given to the whole army to rest and recuperate, and to be on guard. Attack in the early hours of tomorrow morning. After taking Zhuozhou, we still have half a day to rush, and we should arrive at the Sanggan River before dusk tomorrow. Do you understand? ”

Yang Jun obviously did not underestimate the enemy, and from the words he said, it was clear that his thoughts were very thorough. He even considered the possibility that the opponent would go out of the city and attack the siege formation with elite cavalry, which was definitely not a sign of underestimating the enemy.

"The last general obeys!" All the generals bowed their hands in unison and loudly agreed.

……

The siege battle started at dawn, and with the roar of war drums resounding through the mountains, the defenders of Zhuozhou, who had been worried all night, finally woke up from their sleep, and when they got up and looked at the city, the city was already a sea of black and oppressive human heads.

Once Yang Jun commanded the battle, he seemed to be brave and rough, but in fact, he thought it out to the extreme. Originally, he set up camp yesterday afternoon, and it stands to reason that he could attack the city last night, but he had to delay the attack until the early hours of this morning. Of course, this is not to rest the soldiers and horses, but to hurry, and the soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou are not so tired. Yang Jun actually did this to exhaust the defenders of the city. Because he knew that after the army was encamped under the city, the Liao army in Zhuozhou City did not dare to slack off in the slightest. They will be frightened this night and dare not take it lightly, because they are afraid that the soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou will attack at night.

What Yang Jun wants is that they are frightened, even if the other party can camp in the city, but this weather, when the spring is cold, is enough for them. And even if they slept at the head of the city, they could not sleep peacefully. Yang Jun, who has been in the army for many years, will naturally fully understand this. He knew how important a good night's sleep was for the soldiers to regain their strength. He also knew how a half-asleep, half-awake and frightened sleep could affect the soldiers and horses. He didn't tell his generals about this, even if some of them asked why they had to delay for half a day and a night if they wanted to fight quickly. These things are all Yang Jun's secret means of pressing the bottom of the box, and many battles have been won because of these small details. This is in great contrast to Yang Jun's appearance of liking positive toughness and fierce and fierce style.

This is Yang Jun, attention to detail, and this is the secret of his success. It's just not enough for outsiders.

A low trumpet sounded at the head of the city, and all the Liao defenders immediately took their positions, their swords unsheathed, their arrows wound, their catapults in their positions, and spoons of pebble bullets were also ready, ready to attack.

They soon discovered that the formation of the Great Zhou soldiers and horses was a little strange. The soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou Dynasty advanced to the city in the form of a phalanx. Accompanied by the beat of the drums, the phalanx lined up in two rows and walked towards the city in a very regular manner. Yes, it was indeed walking, not charging, not running, just walking step by step towards the city. In the middle of each phalanx was a huge siege engine that stood tall. It's like a swarm of ants carrying a large beetle. The phalanx traveled extremely slowly, as the Skycart moved extremely slowly.

There are ten phalanxes in total, and I have the intention to count the number of people in the phalanx and get an approximate number. The number of each phalanx should be between three thousand five hundred and four thousand. In other words, the number of soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou Dynasty who entered the attack was about 40,000. This is not a large number, but the Liao army guard is a person who understands, and he immediately realized that the other party is an expert. In the terrain of Zhuozhou, only the southern city is open and can launch a formation attack. The east and west sides were hilly and mountainous, and it was impossible to deploy troops at all. The terrain of Nancheng can accommodate 30,000 or 40,000 people to attack in formation, and no matter how many soldiers and horses they have, they can only block their own offensive passages. The number of soldiers and horses attacking the opponent is exactly below the upper limit of the number that can be accommodated in the attack of Nancheng, so it can be seen that the opponent's coach is carefully calculated and not arbitrary.

However, Xiao Sida, the defender of the Liao army, felt that it was strange that the other party attacked the city in such a dense phalanx? Isn't it just the right time to provide a live target for the archers at the head of the city? The result of concentrated fire would have resulted in heavy casualties in these dense phalanxes. This is definitely not what a good leading general should do. It's even a bit stupid.

The mystery was quickly revealed, and when the five phalanxes in front of them entered the range of one hundred and eighty steps, that is, the farthest range that the Liao's strong bow could shoot, after a loud order, all the phalanxes quickly changed their appearance. Suddenly, a layer of shields was covered above the phalanx, and the shield was a rare square shield, spliced together one by one to form a huge iron plate. If you look closely, you will see that all the shields have tiny hooks around the edges, which are connected to each other by hooks, forming a huge barrier. Long shields were also erected at the front and flanks of the team. The entire phalanx instantly formed a whole protected by a shield without any dead ends.

This is the shield array designed by Yang Jun, and the original intention of this square shield design was to prevent the Liao cavalry from raiding. Yang Jun knew that fighting with the Liao people would inevitably have to fight with the opponent's elite cavalry. The soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou Dynasty were mainly infantry, and how to prevent cavalry raids was a serious problem that had to be solved. Traditional means such as bows and crossbows can be used, but it is also necessary to prevent the cavalry from being too fast and causing great damage to the infantry when breaking up the formation. Therefore, Yang Jun improved the shape of the shield, so that the shield and spear formation, a formation that resists cavalry raids, can play a greater role. Originally, the shield had to be strengthened by manpower, but once the shield was hooked together, it formed a wall of shields with hundreds or thousands of men working together to counteract the onslaught of the cavalry.

Before attacking the city, Yang Jun thought about it, this shield can be stood in front of him, and naturally it can also form an anti-arrow barrier above his head, forming a shield array with a phalanx situation, and no matter how dense the opponent's arrows are, they will not be able to harm their own soldiers.

Leaders need to be not only strategic, but also able to adapt to local conditions. This is the embodiment of the quality of a good leader.

This was soon proven. When the phalanx entered within one hundred and fifty steps of the city, the arrows of the Liao archers at the head of the city attacked like a storm. Dense arrows rose from the top of the city like dark clouds and fell into the phalanx at great speed. It crackled and made a popping sound. It was as if a shower had fallen on a pool of lotus leaves, dense and noisy.

The shields are made of hardwood and iron, and arrows cannot penetrate them. Some of the arrows did break through the iron sheet and nail it on, forming a jungle of arrows above the phalanx. But most of the arrows bounced off the roof of the shield and glided through them, causing no damage at all. After the dense rain of arrows, the phalanx was safe and sound, and continued to march forward noisily, approaching the city step by step.

"Shoot that skyrocket, rocket, shoot!" Xiao Sida roared and gave the order.

Arrows dipped in oil were shot at the high body of the Scooter, which was always made of wood, and if it burned it, it would indeed cause trouble for the siege. The shell of the mob was soon filled with flaming arrows, but only arrows were burning. The sides of the huge cloud carter are covered with iron sheets. Arrows can be nailed through the iron, but burning is unsustainable. It looked like smoke and dust were billowing from the whole cloud car, and the fire was rising in many places, but it was just the shaft of the arrow burning, and when it was burned, it was over.

"Boom! Thundered! "The phalanx is advancing calmly. The sound of the huge wooden wheels of the cloud car running over the planks laid on the ground roared hoarsely.

The unwilling Liao defenders once again fired more dense and powerful arrows, but the result remained the same. Except for the countless arrows on the top of the shield array, and more burning arrows on the cloud car, like a monster covered in smoke, there was no way to stop the opponent's advance. On the ground behind the phalanx, only scattered dozens of corpses remained. That's because the shields weren't too close together, and some of the dense arrows happened to go into the gaps, causing casualties. But it can't hit the overall formation at all.

"Stone-throwing!" After the phalanx entered a distance of 100 paces, Xiao Sida reluctantly gave an order. Although he also knew in his heart that these pebbles were even more unlikely to inflict a serious blow on the opponent's formation. However, this is the inherent procedure of defending the city, and he can only give orders mechanically to see if it is effective.

Without any suspense, the small catapults at the head of the city threw countless fist-sized pebbles. Stones fall on the shield and make a ping-pong noise. But the shield was intact, and the iron sheet was smashed out of holes, but there was no choice but for the soldiers below. It can't be said that it is completely ineffective, and there is a gap in the phalanx in front of the city gate, which seems to be a little chaotic. But it wasn't because it was smashed, it was crushed. A large number of stones were piled up on the shield, and the weight was not light. The soldiers below could not support the weight and fell a dozen people, causing a brief confusion in the entire formation. The Liao archers took the opportunity to pour a rain of arrows through the damage and shot dozens of soldiers, but soon the entire shield array was quickly connected and returned to its original state.