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The Sassanians were caught off guard by the unexpected rain of arrows, and the city was better, and the soldiers under the city were immediately shot down, and the Sassanians panicked, and the soldiers who were hit by the arrows let out a terrible scream, and the orderly ranks were thrown into chaos, and the Sassanids fled in all directions, fighting for the shields that could be obtained nearby, and more people scrambled to hide where they could, leaving only the badly wounded soldiers lying on the ground and wailing, but their screams were immediately broken by the ensuing long arrows. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The Sassanids at the head of the city heard the screams of the city, and also saw the rain of arrows under the city, which was much more dense than before, and did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly raised their shields, and the archers who shot boldly close to the city wall did not dare to hold it up any longer, and looked for cover to protect themselves. Their movements made the city's resistance stagnant, and the momentum was suddenly suppressed. The Kushans under the city seized this opportunity, and twenty siege engines started at the same time, approaching the city wall as fast as possible.

After more than ten days of training, these slaves have greatly improved their movement coordination, and with thick wooden planks, they are no longer afraid of the Sassanid resistance, they are full of spirit, shouting neat trumpets, pushing huge siege vehicles to quickly approach the city wall. The archers in the siege cart also drew their bows and continued to suppress the Sassanids at the head of the city, while the foot warriors with swords and shields climbed to the top, holding wooden shields, ready to jump into the city.

Ibrahim looked at the rapidly approaching siege engines, shocked, but not yet out of order, he loudly ordered the soldiers at the head of the city to calm down, the archers immediately launched a counterattack, and the ballistae attacked the archers under the city to reduce the threat to the city.

At the sound of the rapid trumpet, the two sides entered a white heat from the beginning, and the Sassanids, who were well-trained, were at first stunned by the Kushans, but under the command of Ibrahim, they quickly reacted, and a large number of shieldmen stepped forward, forming a wooden wall by the wall, covering the archers to shoot. The ballistaemen skillfully pulled the ropes and smashed the mud bricks into the archer positions below and the rapidly approaching siege engines.

The mud bricks tied with straw ropes flew in the air, making a whistling sound, hitting the giant shield and the siege vehicle, the giant shield made a roar, the supporting wooden sticks vibrated endlessly, many were broken, the giant shield fell to the ground with a bang, revealing the warriors hiding behind, and the archers at the head of the city immediately followed, shooting sharp arrows one by one, and many archers were shot before they had time to move, and died in front of the battle.

The siege vehicle was huge, and it was also the object of the ballista's key care, and the whistling mud brick balls smashed on the siege vehicle, making the siege vehicle rattle, and the scattered mud blocks flew everywhere and fell on the soldiers hiding inside, but the soldiers did not even blink their eyes, staring intently at the city. A mud brick ball struck a warrior with a shield, and the powerful impact knocked him back several steps, knocking down the warrior holding the bridge ladder behind him, and both of them planted the siege engine at the same time, falling to the ground. The warriors next to him didn't have time to check their situation, so they immediately came over to fill their positions.

Arrows rained down in the air, mud bricks flew in the air, and screams came and went.

Although the Sassanid people encountered a strong counterattack, but the Kushan people were like a rainbow, twenty siege vehicles continued to approach the city head at an unprecedented speed, the distance became shorter and shorter, but a cup of tea, the first siege vehicle successfully placed the bridge ladder on the city wall, and the soldiers brandished their war swords and stepped on the bridge ladder to rush to the city head.

Bo Tiao was in a good mood, stroked his beard and said to Li Yan beside him: "General Li, this siege is going well, you should be able to break the city today, right?" ”

Li Yan bowed slightly: "The king is wise, the Kushan warriors are good at fighting, and they will definitely be able to break through the ancient Seleucid city today." ”

Bo Tuo didn't say a word, and a pair of sharp eyes stared at the city.

The Sassanids placed a number of movable wooden frames at the head of the city, on which they placed huge logs, which they pulled high with levers, and then lowered them again, smashing the bridges and ladders of the siege engines, cutting off the back roads of the besiegers, and cutting off their reinforcements, and then using their superior forces to kill the enemy who attacked the city. This is how they buried groups of besiegers at the head of the city. Generally speaking, they do not use this method as soon as the stairs reach the top of the city, but wait for a certain number of enemies to reach the top of the city. In response to this method, according to Sun Shao's arrangement, Li Yan asked people to transform the siege vehicles, in addition to strengthening the protection of the slaves who pushed the siege vehicles, the most important point was the transformation of the bridge ladder.

The original staircase was a ladder with no cover on it, and the besieging warriors had to rush over the staircase as fast as possible and jump on the head of the city to fight the enemy hand-to-hand, otherwise they were likely to be shot by the enemy on the staircase. The bridge ladder is level with the head of the city, about three zhang from the ground, and it makes people a little panicked when looking down from above, not to mention the bows and arrows on both sides, so the short few steps from the siege vehicle to the head of the city are no different from the life and death. Sun Shao asked people to transform the bridge ladder into the style of a covered bridge, with protective planks on both sides, and a triangular top on it, which can not only protect the bow and arrow attacks on both sides, but also block the line of sight from looking down, so that people do not feel that this is walking at a height of two or three feet above the ground, which is very beneficial to stabilizing the mind.

Now, the most important test is whether the modified bridge ladder can withstand the heavy blows of the Sassanids.

The Sassanids roared in unison, loosened the ropes, and the thick log fell in the air with a "boom" and slammed into the top of the staircase. The bridge ladder let out a groan and sank down sharply, and the soldiers on the bridge ladder also sank down with their hearts, and involuntarily held on to the handrails on both sides. With a grinding sound, the log bounced up, landed on the staircase again, and slid along the staircase to the side, squeezing the staircase out of the way, making a creaking sound that even the siege vehicle shook violently.

The slaves shouted in unison, and several slaves quickly put several thick logs into the wheels of the siege engine, which was more than one person high, and stopped the siege vehicle from turning, and after a while, calm was restored in the siege of the siege, the logs were missed, and the bridge ladder was straight again. The warriors on the bridge ladder were frightened, looked at each other a few times, and then burst into excited shouts:

"Long live King Yue—"

"Kill—" The warriors who had survived the death were overjoyed, and their fighting spirit burst out, and they crossed the bridge and ladder with their swords in their hands, and swooped down on the stunned Sassanids, and the Sassanids retreated. Ibrahim saw it in his eyes and cried bitterly. As soon as he saw the changed appearance of the siege vehicle, he had some foreboding, so he paid special attention to this attack, and when he saw that the attack failed, he did not dare to hesitate, and immediately ordered the soldiers at the head of the city to intercept it, and at the same time let the soldiers who were riding on the wooden frame pull up the logs and attack again.

Bo Tuo let out a long breath, a satisfied smile appeared on his face, and pointed at the siege lane that had stood the test with his horsewhip: "General Li, after your transformation, this siege vehicle is indeed much easier to use." ”

"This is just a little bit of His Royal Highness King Yue's intention to help the king." Li Yan said politely: "The real meritorious service is still the brave Kushan warrior and the command of the king. ”

Bo Tuo laughed, laughed for a while, and then pointed to the north and said, "Is General Lu there to help the Romans?" ”

Li Yan shook his head: "No." His Royal Highness the King of Yue said that with you attacking the city here, it was only a matter of time before Seleucus was taken, and he had to defend the rear for the two of them, so as not to be exploited by the Sassanids. The Sassanids are mainly cavalry, and if they arrange a cavalry in the back and rush out when the siege is raging, it will not be a good thing, so he arranged for General Cao to guard the rear of the Kushans and General Lu to guard the rear of the Romans to make sure that you have no worries. ”

Bo Tuo breathed a sigh of relief and sighed: "His Royal Highness King Yue is really meticulous, no wonder the gods have blessed him." With you behind us for protection, what else do we have to worry about? Bo Tuo pointed to the ancient Seleuc, full of spirit and pride: "Let's take the Seleucid with one heart and give Ardashir's old dog a little color." He then lowered his voice and said, "It's better to get into the city before Quintus, then I'll have face." General Lee, do you think I have a chance? ”

Li Yan smiled slightly: "King, the battlefield is changing rapidly, and anything is possible." However, I advise the king not to think too much, it is not a good thing to be angry on the battlefield. ”

"Understood, understood." Bo Diao's eyes rolled, and then he nodded again and again. Sun Shao sent Li Yan to help him, but Lu Xun was arranged to defend the rear for the Romans, which looked similar, but in fact there was still a gap. It's just that such a thing can't be explained, anyway, Rome and Yue are still brotherly countries, if it is too obvious, wouldn't it be embarrassing for Quintus? Bo Tuo is also a person who is a king, and he can experience some of the twists and turns in this.

"Come on, blow the trumpet, cheer up the soldiers, and enter the city early, and there will be a great reward." Bo Tune shouted.

"Uh......h Woo...... Woo ......" More than a dozen strong soldiers puffed up their cheeks and blew long horns, and the melodious sound of the horns sounded, echoing over the battlefield, encouraging the Kushan soldiers to charge forward like a tide. Most of the twenty siege engines were already in position, firmly holding the top of the city, and a group of soldiers rushed up the siege ladder to the top of the city, and engaged the Sassanids in a life-and-death struggle.

While the Kushans launched an onslaught, the Romans also launched waves of attacks. The Romans were outnumbered and attacked more fiercely than the Kushans, and Quintus sent four of his cronies in one go, 20,000 men under the two-mile-long city walls, and fifty siege engines almost next to each other, overwhelming the Sassanids and exhausted. Ibrahim, though he was running and shouting on the city walls, put almost all the men he could mobilize into battle, and he barely managed to hold on. However, because of the enhancement of the ability of the modified siege attack to resist strikes, in the past, it was possible to break a bridge ladder at a time, but now it takes at least three or four times, and the efficiency is greatly reduced.

The Romans were in a state of flux, and the Seleucid city was crumbling under their attack, threatening to break the city at any moment.

Ibrahim was in pain, he didn't know how long he could hold out, and this attack was more intense than any previous one, and he felt extremely stressed. He felt that the city could be broken at any time, and he had sworn to Ardashir that he would hold Seleuche for at least a month, but now it seemed that this promise would be difficult to fulfill, and there was only one other promise left for him to fulfill.

People are in the city, and people are dead in the city.

Ibrahim sent one last messenger, who reported to Ardashir that the enemy's siege ability had improved by leaps and bounds after ten days of adjustment, and that their attack was steady and sharp, as if it had been reborn, and that it was very different from what had been understood, and that Ardashir should be prepared and, if possible, send reinforcements immediately.

The messenger jumped into the boat, rowed across the Tigris and delivered the news to Ardashir.

Ardashir looked at Ibrahim's news, his thick eyebrows tightened, his big hand clenched, crumpled the note into a ball, and looked at the other side of the river with a slightly melancholy gaze.

He had already sent reinforcements, 20,000 light cavalry, and he hoped to take the Romans and Kushans by surprise when they were in the middle of their siege, and not need much damage, just teach the Romans and Kushans a lesson, let them not be too arrogant, and at the same time give an explanation to the defenders of the city, so as to prove that Ahura did not abandon him.

Supposedly, this is a relatively certain thing, but I don't know why, Ardashir's heart is up and down. As soon as he thought of Sun Shao's smiling face, he felt a little uncomfortable and felt that his self-confidence was insufficient. He often asked himself, did he lose his self-confidence because of the battle of Axum, so that he lacked confidence in the face of Sun Shao?

No, by no means. Whenever this happens, Ardashir immediately interrupts his thoughts. This time, I retreated thousands of miles and let them drive straight in, until they were outside the city of Tessie, which was to lure the enemy deeper, and then retaliate with a tooth for a tooth. If Sun Shao was a smart man, he would not fail to see the danger, but he still came, which shows that he is still too young and immature enough, and has lost his judgment in the face of victory.

This is the opportunity God has given me to turn defeat into victory and re-establish the strong position of Sasansan.

And now, it depends on whether this raid can be successful.

Thirty west of the Seleucid city, a force of 20,000 Sassanid light cavalry stopped on a shallow dirt slope, led by Ardashir's younger brother Kavad. Since Ardashir led the army, Awad has followed him to fight, but I don't know why, Awad has not made great contributions, and then the limelight was gradually robbed by Alpha and the Shapur brothers, but Awad has not fought any big defeats, and his position has been relatively stable. Alpha and Shapur were killed in Axum, and Awad, who was originally inconspicuous, suddenly became a pivotal figure.

This raid, which was very important to Ardashir, fell on Awad's shoulders.

Awad felt a little overwhelmed. He didn't know what the success of the raid would mean for Ardashir, but he knew that the stakes were enormous. It is said that the opponent has enough superior forces to protect the rear during the siege, Ardashir is a man who has been in battle for a long time, even if he is sent out to harass the enemy's rear and share some pressure on Seleucus, he will not be forced to succeed.

But that's what Ardashir said, he asked him to make sure the sneak attack was successful within the specified time, it didn't matter how many people he killed, he had to make the sneak attack successful and get out of the way. This may not seem like a high requirement, but for the light cavalry, who are known for their speed, it is too simple to come like the wind and go like the wind. But Awad never figured out Ardashir's purpose, why was he so resolute? Instead of arranging Shapur and giving him a general task, as they did before, just give him a general task? Awad thought about it, and finally felt that Ardashir still didn't trust him, didn't believe in his abilities, and felt that he didn't know how to complete the task without a specific prescribing. This conclusion made Awad very disappointed, even a little annoyed.

The news of the war ahead has been in Awad's hands for a long time, but Awad hesitated for a long time, he faintly felt that this matter was a little strange, and he always felt that there was an unspeakable danger in it. He thought about it for a long time, but in the end he was afraid of Ardashir's might and did not dare to retreat without doing anything. It was humiliating for him to have this thought, but he didn't have the courage to resist.

Twenty thousand hussars mounted their horses and marched under Seleucid with a cautious attitude. After only walking for more than ten miles, the vanguard sent back the news that there was an enemy in front of them who stopped the invitation to fight. When Awad heard this, he was taken aback, and hurriedly rushed to the front with the guard battalion and looked into the distance.

There was a military formation in front, close to the Tigris River, which flowed eastward, about two hundred paces wide, and the number of people was more or less invisible, but it could be seen that these should all be foot soldiers, and there was no shadow of cavalry.

"Who's up ahead?" Awad breathed a sigh of relief, since the other party was all foot soldiers, the initiative to fight or not to fight was still in his hands, he could fight if he could, and he could retreat if he couldn't.

"I don't know." The scout's answer made Awad furious.

"I wonder what you're doing here?" Awad raised his hand with a horsewhip, and his eyes glared: "Don't you want to explore?" ”

"No...... No. The scout was whipped, but he did not dare to resist, and quickly explained: "Those people are not Kushan, nor are they Romans, they are Han Chinese." We don't know their battle flags, all we can see is a flaming red flag. The scout glanced timidly at Awad, and then said, "They are about 10,000 men, all Han Chinese foot soldiers, and the leader is a Han general, who has been drinking. ”

"Been drinking?" Awad couldn't help laughing, and after laughing, he was a little annoyed, 10,000 foot soldiers want to block my 20,000 cavalry, that's it, you may not know that I have so many people, but you still drink in front of the battle, this seems to be a bit too much, right? Awad was just about to give the order to attack and kill 10,000 people, when he suddenly remembered something: "Have you seen the shadow of the Han cavalry?" ”

Awad had heard Ardashir say that when he first came out of the desert, he was nearly ambushed by the Han and Kushans. The King of Guishan was rash and rash, and he was ambushed, and if the Han cavalry had not arrived, he might have killed the King of Guishan. Awad didn't ask at the time, but he could hear that Ardashir was very jealous of the Han cavalry, and since that was the case, where were the Han cavalry? Cavalry could not have been able to storm the city, and it was supposed to be in the rear, especially when they knew that the Sassanids were dominated by cavalry.

Awad suddenly felt a chill in his neck, and he straightened up and looked behind him, just in time to see several scouts galloping from behind and to his right, and the galloping horses stirred up clouds of smoke and dust. The knight on the horse didn't feel fast enough, and whipped the horse desperately.

Awad was taken aback, and opened his mouth to exhale, but no sound came out. Just as he had swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva, a scout had already rushed up to him, and shouted loudly while circling his horse: "General, traces of the enemy have been found in the rear, the number of people is unknown, and further reconnaissance is underway. ”

Awad let out an "ah" at this time, and his face suddenly turned pale.

Immediately after, another horse rushed to him and reported to Awad that he had found an enemy on his right.

Awad gasped, he didn't want to attack anymore, it was already clear that the 10,000 men in front of him were a decoy, and when he rushed up to kill them, the two cavalry would rush out from behind and on the right and attack from three sides, and at that time, he would have no other way to go except to jump into the Tigris. Even if he has enough strength to save the tide of the battle, if the damage is too great, he will still have no success after he returns, and maybe he will be punished.

Awad didn't think about it, and immediately ordered 20,000 cavalry to turn back and quickly retreat from the enemy's encirclement. As soon as the Sassanid knights heard this order, although they were a little inexplicable, they also knew that the situation was grim when they looked at the speeding scouts, so they didn't dare to stay longer, turned their horses' heads, and ran away in a puff of smoke.

Looking at the Sassanians who had gone away, Cao Zhi scolded, first scolding the Sassanians for not planting and running away if they didn't fight, and then scolded Cao Zhang for being too impulsive and not hiding their good deeds, and was discovered by the Sassanids in advance. He rushed all the way to Sasanian, originally full of confidence to fight a few battles, but was run away by Ardashir for the first time, this time it was easy to ask for a chance to fight from Sun Shao, but I didn't expect it to be the same again, the other party ran as soon as they met, and they set up a formation for a long time, but they didn't shoot a single arrow, and they didn't even have time to beat the war drums.

"No, I have to order cavalry, how the hell do you go back, watching the enemy run away, I don't even have a chance to chase." Cao Zhi angrily threw the flask on the ground. "You can't let Lao Tzu run so far and not fight, don't make any achievements. Rather than that, I might as well stay in Guanzhong. ”

(To be continued)