Han Shizhong and the three of them went back quickly after a short time.

When he arrived at the city, Yao Pingzhong couldn't help but say: "Oh no, the Western Xia people are driving the people." ”

Chao Yong smiled: "Let's go to the city." ”

The three of them beat their horses and ran from the road to the city, and when they arrived, they turned over and dismounted.

Han Shizhong arched his hand and said: "We walked seven or eight miles out of the city, and we saw a lot of people from Western Xia coming towards Xingqing Mansion. We looked to the east and west again, and everywhere there were people from Western Xia coming this way. ”

Sun Li frowned and said, "Are they going to use the people to attack the city?" ”

Ma Lin was puzzled: "Those people are also Western Xia people, how dare they drive their own people to death?" ”

Han Shizhong shook his head and said: "It may not be that they drove it away, the Xixia people are fierce, women often go into battle, and it hasn't been many years since the party and tribes were abolished." ”

Chao Yong said: "Whether they came voluntarily or were driven away, they are all Western Xia people, and they are not my Liang people. As long as they attack the city, we will attack. Moreover, the news that the army led by Chonggong to attack should also spread, and even if the Western Xia soldiers and horses outside the city do not collapse, they will not dare to stay under the city and wait for us to attack before and after. ”

Sun Li nodded and said: "If Renzhong's army does not march in a hurry, the army led by Chonggong will soon threaten Lingzhou, and the Western Xia soldiers and horses outside the city will not last long." ”

Han Shizhong shook his head and said: "Hengshan is steep and difficult to travel, even if Renzhong marches in a hurry, it is difficult to intercept the soldiers and horses. ”

Chao Yong smiled: "Don't think so much, even if the soldiers and horses come a few days late, won't I be able to hold this Xingqing Mansion with five thousand soldiers and horses?" ”

When Ma Lin heard this, he immediately said: "Swear to follow the prince to the death." ”

"Swear to follow the prince to the death."

"Swear to follow the prince to the death."

The soldiers immediately followed suit and shouted.

Chao Yong said with a smile: "Don't make the situation seem to be serious, our army has divine weapons such as fire and thunder and divine arm crossbows, and I'm afraid that the siege equipment of the Xixia people is not enough." Ordered the other three gates, each of whom sent a hundred men to the south gate. ”

Soon a thousand archers were mobilized at the south gate, and countless black dots appeared in the distance of the horizon.

"Woo woo"

In the sound of the majestic trumpet, the Western Xia soldiers and horses advanced to the rest of the formation outside the city.

It was followed by countless Western Xia people. Many siege engines were also driven by the people.

Soon, several five-zhang high arrow towers were pushed to the front of the battle.

The arrow towers are all nailed with strong wooden planks, and the outside is covered with cowhide for fireproof. An arrow tower needs hundreds of people to pull and push together before it can move forward slowly.

It is not easy to make siege equipment outside Xingqing Mansion, when the Western Xia was founded, Li Yuanhao also knew that the Western Xia was only a small place compared with the Song Dynasty, and the Yinchuan Plain was a rare plug in the south of the Yangtze River. Afraid of the Song Dynasty's attack, he ordered to cut down all the thick trees between Guanglingzhou and Xingqing Mansion, so as not to prevent the Song army from attacking the city. Siege equipment can be made from local materials.

The emperors of the Song Dynasty have always maintained the use of force against the Western Xia, so the successive lords of the Western Xia Dynasty have also maintained this national policy, only planting saplings outside the city, and cutting them down once they grow up.

This was supposed to prevent the enemy, but now it has become a problem that plagues the Tanguts.

Renli had previously sent people to cross the Yellow River and then cut down and transport the siege equipment from Helan Mountain, so he was afraid that the siege equipment would be destroyed by the girder firearms a few days ago.

Today, Renli moved out all the siege equipment made in the camp.

"Ho"

"Ho"

"Ho"

In the sound of the trumpets of the people of Western Xia, several arrow towers were getting closer and closer to the city wall.

One hundred steps

Ninety steps

Eighty steps

Seventy steps

Sixty steps

"Stop"

A fan will keep measuring the distance, to sixty paces. Shout.

Liu Qi glanced at the place where the arrow tower stood and said: "The bows and arrows of the Western Xia people have lethality at about fifty steps, and the arrow tower is two zhang higher than the city wall, so they can attack the people on the city wall from the arrow tower. If we use the bows and arrows of the Tanguts, it will be difficult to shoot and injure the people on the arrow tower. ”

Chao Yong smiled: "They are forcing us to use the Divine Arm Crossbow, then we will use the Divine Arm Crossbow to greet them." Ma Lin, dial a hundred crossbowmen with divine arms to deal with the arrow tower. ”

"Yes"

Ma Lin immediately replaced a team of 100 people with a divine arm crossbow. Step on the hoop and wind it with all your strength.

After the arrow tower outside the city stopped, a group of Xixia soldiers climbed up.

Soon. It is convenient for Western Xia archers to appear on the arrow tower. But what awaited them was the Divine Arm Crossbow, and as soon as they showed their heads, one sharp arrow after another burst through the air.

At a distance of sixty paces, the Divine Arm Crossbow was enough to shoot through iron armor, not to mention the leather armor of archers.

As soon as a soldier stood up, he was shot in the chest by an arrow, and the powerful arrow fell backwards with it, and fell from the arrow tower with a scream, knocking down several archers in line below.

Under the shooting of the Divine Arm Crossbow, several arrow towers had no effect at all, but the Western Xia people kept climbing up, obviously making up their minds to consume the arrows of the Divine Arm Crossbow.

The people of Western Xia in the distance were digging and putting it in their pockets, and after Renli decided to fill the moat with the people last night, he asked people to inform the people nearby, and each household prepared five cloth bags, and at the same time transferred everyone over the age of fifteen.

The people in the nearby cities who were afraid of being implicated in the war had fled, and the rest were all fierce tribesmen, and not many people had fled because of this order.

Soon, the people of the city came to the moat with earthen bags, and Renli also sent thousands of archers to cover it.

Although Chao Yong mobilized a thousand men, it was not enough to defend the entire city wall, so he only concentrated near the gap to strengthen the guard, and the farther moat was left to the Tanguts to fill in.

As yesterday, the archers of the Great Liang completely suppressed the archers under the city.

Occasionally, the archers were densely packed, and a few fire mines were thrown down on the city, killing and wounding the archers and civilians one by one.

Today, it is the soldiers and horses of Dingzhou who are responsible for covering the people.

The Dingzhou guard general watched the soldiers and horses under his command being suppressed, and in less than half an hour, the casualties exceeded 1,000, and he couldn't help but hurriedly said: "The matter of consuming the arrows of the Han people is better left to the people." All of our men can draw bows and shoot arrows, and they will fill the moat, and then we will attack the city. Otherwise, before the moat is filled, more than half of my men will be killed or wounded. ”

Renli was waiting for a person with a bad name, nodded and said, "Since the general said so, then let the people replace your ministry." ”

Renli was well versed in Sinology and knew the importance of the people's will, so although he had already known about the result, he was still reluctant to bring it up.

In his opinion, the military power in his hands is the greatest capital, as long as there are soldiers in his hands, no matter how the situation changes, he can ensure his own interests.

Soon, the archers in the city were replaced by party members.

However, the people's endurance was obviously not as high as that of the soldiers, and after discovering that it was a life to the death, many began to wander back within the range of the archers at the head of the city. Seeing this, the people in charge of filling the moat also began to strike.

In the end, Renli had to order the soldiers and horses to force the people to come forward. (To be continued......)