After determining that the defenders of Gaoling City left more than half of the soldiers to rescue the siege of Jingyang City, Zhao Xun immediately issued several military orders: "Send a message to Yang Wangqing, the privy deputy envoy outside Jingyang City, and ask them to prepare for retreat. Their goal was not to fight a decisive battle with the defenders of Jingyang City, nor to fight with the reinforcements of Gaoling City, but to delay them in Gaoling City. ”

"Command the baggage team, let them immediately build the required ladder, we can't do anything about the other siege equipment, but the ladder should be fine."

"Send scouts to kill any enemy spies around, and also let the teams in the east and west be careful, don't let the enemy troops in the city find the abnormality before noon, the reinforcements of Gaoling City have not left the warning range."

The guards of Gaoling City are still very capable, at least, Zhao Jun can't put too many people in the city. It is impossible for caravans and clans in other cities to exist in Gaoling City, which also increases the difficulty of the Zhao army's siege. However, with the current strength of Gaoling City and the weapons in the hands of Zhao Jun, Zhao Xun was not worried that this city would be difficult to attack.

At ten o'clock at noon, the Zhao army, which had already been prepared, under Zhao Xun's military order, 30,000 soldiers came out from the east, west and north of Gaoling City, and began to show their fangs against Gaoling City.

"Woo woo woo ......"

"Knock Knock Knock ......"

The distant and long sound of trumpets and fierce war drums resounded in the sky, and on the empty fields on all sides of Gaoling City, a black line appeared on three sides, rushing straight to Gaoling City. The army outside the city is like a colony of black and red ants, from the field of vision of the guards on duty, there is a distance quickly approaching, sweeping towards the city, the hunting fluttering banners cover the sun, the towering spears and halberds reflect the long sky, the black iron armor and red helmets gradually converge into a sea of red and black.

It was originally impossible for the Zhao army to appear in Gaoling City, but now it is actually in the city!

Because he didn't rest last night, Zhong Linyu, who was sleeping, was also awakened by the sound of the horn, and hurriedly put on his armor and ran up to the city tower. Since then, he was awakened by the sound of horns outside the city, and he knew that he was afraid that Zhao Jun was coming. He was originally puzzled that tens of thousands of Zhao troops did not gather together to conquer the city, but scattered in all directions, but now when he heard the sound of the horn, he understood that he was afraid that the Zhao army in front of him would besiege Jingyang City, and it was also the conspiracy of the Zhao army to ask for help here.

Zhong Linyu stood on top of the tower in the north of Gaoling City, letting the streamers of the banner on the city slap his thin face, his bloodshot eyes were deep because of the hard work and lack of rest, and his face was as gloomy as ink.

"How many people from Zhao Jun appeared outside Chengwai?" Feeling that there seemed to be a horn sound in the other three gates, Zhong Linyu, who had not yet figured out the situation to the west, asked in a deep voice.

"General Hui, there are more than 30,000 Zhao troops outside the city, except for the north city, the east city and the west city, each has a Zhao army of 10,000 people."

Zhong Linyu took a deep breath of cold air and said in a condensed voice, "How could Zhao Jun appear in Gaoling City?" Didn't Tanma find out that Zhao's army was in the east and west? An army of 30,000, how is it possible? ”

"General, according to the reports of the other two parties, the Zhao army outside the city is all cavalry, or foot soldiers on war horses, and in addition, there is not much food and grass materials to carry with the army. Judging from this speed and the current situation, it is clear that the Zhao army galloped at night at the speed of cavalry, and abandoned the materials and large materials used in the siege, and in addition, it may be that the merchants deliberately hid the materials between the surrounding towns and villages for their needs. ”

"General, there are 30,000 enemy troops outside the city, but we only have 10,000 soldiers, but only half of them are full soldiers, so I am afraid that it will be difficult to resist. Is it time to send an order to the reinforcements who left early in the morning, and ask them to return immediately? ”

Zhong Linyu shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Coming back? Don't forget, it became 30,000 Zhao troops, all of whom were cavalry or foot soldiers on horseback. You say, how many scouts and scouts are around? Do you think the city can still connect with the outside world now? Even if there is no Zhao army's army at the south gate, there must be a Zhao army exploring horses within a few miles of the south gate. ”

"However, you don't need to worry, my Gaoling City is strong, but the Zhao army outside the city is almost all cavalry, and it is not easy to attack the city. Now, immediately recruit the young men and prepare to participate in the defense of the city. I hope that Jingyang City will find out that the situation is not right, and will return to rescue in time. ”

Zhao Xun did not immediately attack the city, but sent men and horses to start cleaning the towns around Gaoling City, completely controlling these towns, recruiting the young and strong among them, helping to build siege equipment for themselves, and blocking the news from spreading. Of course, more importantly, Zhao Xun needed the grain and grass materials hoarded by the big landlords in the surrounding towns.

In the evening, the Zhao army had already controlled all the towns and villages in the territory of dozens of miles around Gaoling City, and recruited more than 5,000 young and strong people. Immediately afterwards, with the craftsmen of the craftsman battalion and the soldiers of the baggage team who arrived with the army, a large number of ladders were soon made. In addition, the logistics team, which had been waiting in the northern land, also transported the materials needed by the army in time. Although there were no large siege equipment such as catapults, the bed crossbow and other equipment were dismantled and transported. As for other arrows, crossbow arrows, etc., they were also brought smoothly.

As night fell, the Zhao army began to attack Gaoling City. The Zhao army did not directly attack the city with all its strength, but took advantage of the night to disperse the team and walk around the city, and the arrows in the hands of the cavalry poured down like heavy rain. Because the Zhao army outside the city was scattered, and because the Zhao army did not assemble an army to attack the city, the catapults on the city lost their effect. The only ones who could fight against the Zhao army were the bed crossbows and archers in the city.

It's a pity that the number of Zhao troops outside the city is far beyond the imagination of the defenders. The Zhao army went out on three sides, and the 30,000 troops took turns, and the defenders who could shoot were only more than 8,000 of them, and the rest of the young men assisted in defending the city.

"Damn! Could it be that Zhao Jun's arrows are so easy to make? Looking at the black shadows flashing in the firelight and the continuous whistling sound, Zhong Linyu scolded gloomily.

"General, you can't go on like this. In less than an hour, we have consumed hundreds of thousands of arrows, not to mention, the soldiers are now also sore in arms, and it is difficult to continue to pull the bowstring. However, the offensive of the Zhao army outside the city did not weaken at all. There are so many of them that they can take turns resting, but we really can't. ”

The Zhao army now took turns to march around the city in the form of mounted archery, using a rain of arrows to consume the defenders' troops and supplies. Because the defenders occupied the advantage of the city, in addition to the lights of the main array of the Zhao army, the place where the army moved was pitch black. Although the defenders could see the situation of the Zhao cavalry outside the city through the fire on the city wall and the fire in the Zhao army's array, it was far from being as clear as the Zhao army outside the city to see the defenders in the city.

Because the Zhao army outside the city was far away, and the Zhao army that rode around the city moved quickly, and scattered and shouted, and it was close to the city, so the defenders' catapults, a defensive weapon, could not play a role at all. Especially after the Zhao army was close, the catapult could not attack the target at close range.

In just one hour, I don't know how many arrows the Zhao army shot, and I don't know how many arrows the defenders shot. In short, the defenders lost two or three thousand soldiers and two or three thousand young men, not to mention that all the soldiers felt the pain of their arms about to break at this moment. Archers are also human beings, and it takes strength to draw a bow and shoot arrows.

For this situation, Zhong Linyu has no way at the moment, this is clearly the means of the northern Hu people to invade the Han land. Although the Zhao army could not leap into the city, the Zhao army was not a northern Hu person, and they were also good at attacking the city. Even if these Zhao troops are cavalry, they are stronger than the Hu people in siege battles. What's more, the Zhao army has all kinds of weapons and siege equipment, and it is not like the Hu people who do not know how to use weapons.

The most important reason for this is that the difference in strength between the two sides is too large, and the Zhao army is far stronger than the defenders in terms of armor and equipment. Although Zhong Linyu used Qingzhuang to draw a bow and shoot arrows at the head of the city in the middle, unfortunately, the results they brought were not enough to make up for their morale and military morale that led to a big drop.

In addition to the cavalry cavalry, the Zhao army also began to shoot letters of persuasion. Zhao Jun also persuaded those defending soldiers and young men in his heart to tell about the situation of Zhao and the benefits of their surrender. In this way, the morale of the defenders was even worse. Although there was no direct surrender of the defenders, the strength of the soldiers' counterattack was much smaller. In addition, many young people who were drafted also began to express dissatisfaction. Zhao Jun's continuous rain of arrows was simply the black and white impermanence of hell for them, and the soul seducers had already fallen to the ground before they saw the arrows flying.

Next, the Zhao army stopped attacking, after all, if they continued to shoot, not only were the arrows a problem, but also the Zhao army's cavalry had sore arms, and in addition, the defenders of the city dodged much faster, so that the Zhao army's arrow rain could not play a too effective role. Therefore, the Zhao army did not continue to shoot arrows at the city, nor did it directly attack the city, but died down and the army returned to the camp.

The fierce battlefield that was still fought suddenly stopped moving, which made Zhong Linyu feel weird, as if there was no big battle just now. However, the wailing soldiers above the city and the dense array of arrows on the ground made him clearly realize that the Zhao army had already attacked them in the previous hour and a half.

"What about the losses?" Zhong Linyu looked at the Zhao army camp, which was far from moving, and asked in a deep voice.

"There were more than 3,200 casualties among the soldiers and more than 2,800 among the young and strong. Sixty percent of the arrows hoarded in the city have been consumed. However, catapults were not used in the city. In addition, the materials for defending the city, such as fire oil and rolling wood, were not consumed. ”

"So many casualties?" Zhong Linyu's head was suddenly as big as a fight, and the casualties of the soldiers were the deadliest for him. Now, there is no shortage of others in Gaoling City, but there is a lack of soldiers.

"General, because the Zhao army's arrows were raining fiercely before, most of the Zhao army's persuasion letters were privately hidden by the soldiers and young men in the city, and now, I am afraid that almost all of them know the content of the persuasion letters. The last general is worried that if one is not well controlled, there will be changes in the city. ”

"The order goes down, due to the tension of the war, the remaining young and strong will all enter the camp with the soldiers to repair, and they must not leave without permission." Zhong Linyu frowned, and ordered in a condensed voice.

"Half of the soldiers were left in the city to guard, and the local Zhao army. The rest of the soldiers returned to the camp to rest. Looking at the generals with a tired face, Zhong Linyu suddenly felt a touch of worry in his heart. He understands that the Zhao army will never be so simple, the army is coming, it is just a simple horse shooting, not even a head-on battle, and even, he doesn't know who the commander of the Zhao army is now. Although he knew that the Zhao army must have another conspiracy, but now that the defenders in the city were few and their morale was unstable, they could not do other actions and could only defend passively.

Sure enough, what Zhong Linyu was worried about appeared, and an hour later, after the defenders and civilians in the city had rested, fierce war drums and horns sounded again from three sides outside Gaoling City. Suddenly, the entire Gaoling City became lively again, and the soldiers resting in the city also hurriedly turned over, and hurriedly supported the three gates under the order of the officers.

The Zhao army once again launched cavalry shooting, this time the Zhao army's attack was not as fierce as an hour ago, and there were not too many cavalry. However, neither the Han army nor Zhong Linyu who were defending the city dared to underestimate it.

However, this time, although the Zhao army continued to attack the city with cavalry as the previous time, it did not last long. After the defenders and young men in the city were brought to the city wall, the Zhao army maintained a stick of incense for a while, and then continued to return to the camp, making the entire battlefield silent again.

"Damn Zhao Dog, what do they want to do? Let the old men sleep can't sleep! Disgusting! Looking at the silent battlefield and the wailing city, many generals and soldiers began to curse angrily, especially those soldiers who had just arrived at the city after being awakened from their sleep. However, they are only taking advantage of them, and if they really want them to fight with Zhao Jun, they are absolutely not happy.

"Damn! Back to camp and rest! Zhong Linyu also appeared above the city with dark circles under his eyes, because the Zhao army's siege of the city made it difficult for him to sleep, and he finally fell asleep, but Zhao Jun was looking for trouble. Zhong Linyu, who was angry, saw that the war had ceased, and after giving the order, he turned around and left.

However, when Zhong Linyu had just rested and fell asleep, the sound of horns and war drums sounded again, and he was awakened again and appeared above the city again. Like the previous time, this time Zhao Jun also wreaked havoc for half an hour, and then died down again and did not move.

"Not good! This is Zhao Jun's tired strategy! Damn it! This time, Zhong Linyu, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly saw the problem. However, there is no way to deal with it. There is no way, the gap in strength is a fatal shortcoming, although he understands the purpose of Zhao Jun, but he can't crack it.

In the dark night, he didn't dare to guarantee that the next time the Zhao army would really attack in full force. He saw it in the daytime, in the Zhao army camp, there was a cloud ladder. If Zhao Jun took advantage of the situation to climb the ladder into the city, then everything would be over.

As a last resort, Zhong Linyu could only let the soldiers rest at the foot of the city wall, so as to support the city head at any time. It's not that they don't want to continue the rotation system, it's just that if the defenders in the city are divided into two, they will not be able to hold on to the official siege of the Zhao army.

The next situation was not expected by Zhong Linyu, and the Zhao army continued to attack the city after the defenders fell asleep. Although the soldiers knew about this situation, they still had to get up and prepare for battle. Fortunately, it was already spring at this time, the weather had warmed up, and the soldiers were out at night, but there was no discomfort, if it was winter, I was afraid that the defenders would have collapsed long ago.

After the Zhao army attacked and harassed twice, the night had passed. It was at dawn that the defenders rested for a while.

The Zhao army camp, the whole camp was full of smoke, and the Zhao soldiers began breakfast.

"Lord, we can toss the defenders in the city this night, and when the last two attacks were disturbed, the defenders moved much faster, and they either did not rest, or, directly who was above the city. In addition, we can hear their angry voices. ”

Liu Wenqi, the privy deputy envoy, also smiled: "Yes, but they can be tossed well, and they haven't rested all night." In today's battle, we will definitely be able to take Gaoling City in one fell swoop. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said: "After the dinner to attack the city, we have to take Gaoling City in one fell swoop, and when Gaoling City goes to support Jingyang City's 10,000 Han troops to return, we can also swallow it up." In this way, in the entire north of Chang'an, there will be no Han army that can stop our army from moving south. ”

The sound of war drums and trumpets reminded me again, and the defenders, who had just rested for more than an hour, had to get up again. Many of the soldiers were lying in the corners, reluctant to get up at all. However, at this moment, Zhong Linyu has already issued a strict order, all soldiers are young and strong, and they must go to the city. Because, he has already seen that the Zhao army camp outside the city has been fully dispatched. Except for a part of the cavalry, the remaining half has been converted from cavalry to foot soldiers. In addition, in the Zhao army's military array, there were also many large bed crossbows.

In addition, there is the thing that worries Zhong Linyu the most, the cloud ladder. Although the cloud ladder is just the most basic existence among the siege equipment, under the comparison of the powerful forces of the Zhao army, he can't help but feel endless pressure.

Is it finally about to start...... Zhong Linyu endured the dizziness and drowsiness in his brain, observed the situation of the Zhao army by himself, and urged the soldiers to get up and prepare for battle. I have to say that the current Zhong Linyu and his sleepiness, if possible, he really wants to fall to the ground and sleep, but unfortunately, he can't do this, and he has no chance.

Zhong Linyu knew that the purpose of some of the Zhao army's attacks was for the purpose of the big war at this moment. Now, Zhao Jun is afraid that he is also ready to start attacking the city. Worried about the situation on the other two city walls, Zhong Linyu immediately asked the deputy general and the personal guards to go to the east and west cities to give orders, and the soldiers of the two east and west cities prepared to welcome the arrival of the big war.