Of course, Yang Wanhu didn't know about the decision He Zongzhe made in Yanzhou City. Although he couldn't guess why the Yuan army in Yanzhou refused to come to the rescue, he still carried out Zhao Guo's military orders without discount, personally commanded the soldiers, and set off another onslaught on Ningyang.

In the previous sieges, he always started to attack directly; This time, it was different, before the offensive was launched, all the troops participating in the war were ordered to hold high their banners, show their armor, and go around the city first. The clamor and the cymbals and drums sounded. While walking, they all shouted to kill, and the sound shook the roof tiles of Ningyang.

He stood on a high place, saw that the morale of the three armies was high, held the long knife at his waist, and said to the left and right: "A small county town, only two days, actually caused nearly 100 deaths in our army. Ben will fight with the lord, and he has never been so pickled! Zhao Zuochengjun reported a strict order, asking us to continue to attack the city, thinking that we didn't hurt Ningyang! Today's siege, even if the city still can't be laid, at least the so-called 'Mao Hulu' will be severely hurt by Lao Tzu! Look at it Yanzhou or not to come to reinforcements. ”

After speaking, he looked into the distance and looked at Yanzhou City dozens of miles away. raised his voice again and scolded twice. Two or three horsemen rushed to the high ground, but it was a messenger who reported: "Return to the general, our department has been around the city for a turn." ”

"What about the Tartars in the city?"

"All of them are as earth-colored as the earth!"

"Yang Si!"

"The end will be."

"For the first time, you will lead the team."

Yang Si and Yang Wanhu are related, and they sent Yang Si up for the first time, which shows that Yang Wanhu is indeed very aggrieved. Yang Si answered the order loudly. He was a cavalry general, and he didn't need to ride a horse to attack the city, so he turned over and dismounted, saluted Yang Wanhu, raised his spear, slightly trimmed his armor, and attracted more than a dozen cronies, and then turned around and ran to the front line.

I don't blame Yang Wanhu for being aggrieved. If he let go of the onslaught, the small county town of Ningyang would have been captured long ago, where would it take two days! But because of a strategy to lure the snake out of the hole, he had to rein in his military strength. If the strategy can be successfully effective, it will be enough to reinstate the military strength, and Yanzhou will not move so far. Seeing that nearly 100 brothers were killed and injured in vain, how could he not be angry from his heart and grow evil to the side of his guts? If he had changed before, maybe he would have forgotten the military order a long time ago, but a while ago he had just been beaten by Deng She because he was dissatisfied with Monk Li, and he understood that the military order was like a mountain, so he had to swallow his anger.

Seeing Yang Si lead his life away, Yang Wanhu only felt that there were thousands of words turned over in his chest, and they came out into one sentence, but he didn't know what to say, so he stomped his feet, spat on the ground, and said, "Damn it!" As he said, he had never fought such a battle since he was in the army.

A deputy Qianhu on the side said: "I really don't know what Tai'an thinks? Obviously, Yanzhou did not move according to the army, and nine times out of ten they saw through our army's plan. No matter how happy our army is to fight here, I am afraid that it will still be empty of bamboo baskets and water, and it will not be able to attract Tartar reinforcements. Why do we have to continue to attack the city? ”

This doubt is not only shared by this deputy thousand households, but also by Yang Wanhu. However, Yang Wanhu, as the chief general of the first army, has led the troops for a long time, although he still does not know much, but under Deng She's words and deeds, he still understands the truth of "it will be the courage of the first army" and "the fox is the disaster of the three armies". His doubts could not be spoken. Hearing this, he turned his head, glanced at the Qianhu, his face was cold, and he didn't scold him or beat him, only a few words came out between his teeth: "You also go to fight for Lao Tzu!" ”

Since the formation of the Anliao Army, Yang Wanhu has been the commander of the capital, and his prestige in this army is very high. It can be said that in the eyes of the soldiers of the Anliao Army, in the Haidong Army, in addition to Deng She, it is Yang Wanhu. Once an order is given, no one dares to disobey it. Although the Qianhu was stunned, he didn't dare to say more than half a sentence, and took the order. also only brought a dozen personal soldiers, followed Yang Si, and rushed to the front line.

The reason why the "Mao Hulu Army" and the "Spear Army" can become the two most famous strong armies under the command of Chahan is that they have their own unique characteristics. For example, the "pikemen" are good at using spears, and when they encounter battle formations, thousands of spears are erected, which is terrifying to look at. If you add a large shield in front, some of the particularly elite battalion leaders can even fight against cavalry. And the "Mao Hulu Army", in addition to the soldiers are all from the same place and are very united, they also have their own strengths in the battle array. That is to be extremely good at using a strong bow.

Although it is said that artillery and guns were already relatively common at that time, it was impossible to equip every ordinary soldier with them. The main weapons used by the soldiers to kill the enemy are still cold weapons such as guns and bows. The "Mao Hulu Army" was transformed from the local armed forces, and the use of cold weapons was more common than the regular army of Mengyuan. And among the cold weapons, the most powerful and lethal are undoubtedly the bows and arrows. In this regard, the "Mao Hulu Army" has the style of the former Song Dynasty.

In the pre-Song Dynasty, archers were used on a large scale. At that time, out of every 100 horse troops, except for thirteen gunners and standard-bearers, the rest were archers; Of every 100 infantrymen, all but eight were axemen and sixteen gunmen. Against the enemy, arrows rained down. Of course, the military system of the former Song Dynasty was arranged in this way, perhaps to better deal with the enemy's cavalry, but once the archers were on scale, they could not only deal with the cavalry, but also more than enough to deal with the foot soldiers.

Therefore, from the beginning of the establishment of the army, the "Mao Hulu Army" won with a strong bow.

Nowadays, the soldiers in Ningyang City are defending the city, not a field battle, and they are condescending, and the power of the bow and arrow is naturally greater. Yang Wanhu's troops suffered nearly 100 casualties in two days, most of which were killed or injured under the rain of arrows from the other side. Take the western city wall as an example, it is not too long, lined up, with only hundreds of battlements. However, three archers could stand in front of and behind a battlement, which was more than three hundred. More than 300 people took turns to shoot arrows, and it seemed that there were not many people, but the problem was that the arrows rained non-stop, and the lethality of long-term shooting was obviously very great.

And it's not just the archers. Ningyang City is a county seat, it is also a city, and it is located at the front of the border with Tai'an Prefecture, and there are still things such as artillery, trebuchets and so on in the city. Where the rain of arrows is out of range, trebuchets and cannons can be released. Haidong's soldiers rushed to the nearest place with stones and bullets, and had to blow several more waves of arrows. Even after the arrows, it is easy to come to the city, and there are also sandalwood, boiling oil and other things. If you take another risk, climb the city wall, climb to the battlement, and face the enemy's sword and axe.

Although the sparrow is small, it has all kinds of organs.

Although Ningyang County is small, the defensive measures are also very complete. It can be far, it can be close, it can go up and down, if you add the trench in front of the city wall, and the enemy tower on the head of the city, it can be called a three-dimensional defense. It was not easy for Yang Wanhu to defeat a section of the city wall on the edge of the West City with only nearly 100 casualties in the face of a strong enemy within two days, or under the condition of deliberately shrinking his own military strength.

More importantly, the fighting will of the officers and men of the "Mao Hulu Army" is indeed tenacious.

Yang Si and the deputy Qianhu had already led the team separately, risking arrows and stones, and began to charge. There were artillery and trebuchets in Ningyang, and there were also those brought by Yang Wanhu, all of which were concentrated in one place, placed in the position, aimed at the west city wall, and opened fire fiercely. Cannons, stones, and the ground are shaking everywhere. If there is a hit, it hits the city wall or the battlement, and the stone chips are splashed and the smoke and dust are billowing up. The enemy troops guarding the city were screaming from time to time. After two days of fierce fighting, the casualties of the defenders in the city were not small. In some areas, the head of the city has been covered with black blood. Beneath the walls of the city were littered with severed limbs and stumps that had not yet had time to be taken away.

However, even so, through the smoke, Yang Wanhu could clearly see that no enemy was willing to take half a step back!

Even the archers, who were seriously wounded, could not stand up, and their backs were against the inner battlements, facing the artillery fire, and firing arrows into the sky. The arrows converged in one place, like a dark cloud, covering the sunlight for a moment, and fell from a high place on the ground, and where they fell, the Haidong soldiers who couldn't dodge screamed again and again.

Suddenly, the originally sunny morning suddenly turned into a bloody killing field.

"I heard that the soldiers of the 'Mao Hulu Army' are all from the honest people in the countryside. Sure enough, he is full of courage and spirit! Even Yang Wanhu, as an enemy, saw this, but he had to praise from the bottom of his heart.

Since ancient times, the method of selecting troops has been "courage is the mainstay". It will be based on boldness. I like honesty the most, not in martial arts bravery, but in courage. First of all, the most suitable person to join the army is the rural farmers. Why? The farmers in the countryside are the most honest, can bear hardships and stand hard work, are easy to be restrained by military discipline, and are conducive to driving the enemy into battle.

To build an army, if all the soldiers are cunning people in the market, who are self-interested in the face of the enemy, unwilling to fight to the death, and turn the rudder when the wind blows, then what will be the combat effectiveness of this army? Go without saying.

Even, even the convenience of strength, in the principle of selecting troops, is still ranked behind the courage and spirit. No matter how strong you are, no matter how convenient you are, if you don't have courage or spirit, you will inevitably "forget your skills when facing the enemy", no matter how high your kung fu is, there is no place for you to kill the enemy, what's the use? In vain became a burden.

"Those who are clever and courageless will benefit themselves when facing the enemy; Those who have art but no courage will forget their skills in the face of the enemy; He who is great and courageless will be a burden to the enemy; Those who are strong and courageless must be cowardly before the enemy; The way to defeat is also. ”

These principles of selecting troops are also followed by Haidong in peacetime. The so-called "layman looks at the lively, insider looks at the doorway", therefore, Yang Wanhu saw at a glance that this "Mao Hulu Army" does have its unusualness, no wonder it is famous.

A pro-soldier said: "Yesterday I interrogated the prisoners and asked about the usual training of the 'Mao Hulu Army'. The captives said that not only did they train hard, but they were also very strict when they first began to recruit soldiers. He said that all of them were more than 5 feet 4 inches tall, and they were all able to carry heavy loads and travel 100 miles a day. And most of them can shoot ten arrows on the stack, and the inner two arrows can be pasted. He pursed his lips and added, "I don't know if I'm bragging!" With their conditions, it seems that they are about to catch up with our Anliao army! ”

Five feet and four inches, converted into the conversion of later generations, is almost 1.7 meters. In the pre-Song Dynasty, the standard for conscription was that the height must be between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 6 inches, which was equivalent to 1.62 to 1.81 meters in later generations. In the former dynasty, the crossbowmen were the most important in the selection of soldiers, and their height standards were higher, which was six feet, which was one meter eight or seven today. The northerners are taller, and the "Mao Hulu Army" has this rule, which may not be false. Tall and powerful soldiers will take advantage of the battlefield after all.

Yang Wanhu was noncommittal, just looking at the fierce battle ahead.

There is an old saying in the army, which is called: "Don't be afraid of artillery, only arrows." "Although artillery and trebuchets are very powerful when they are cast, in fact, the lethality of these two weapons is not necessarily too great. Using them to siege a city is of course the best. It's hard to expect them to be able to kill enemies in a wide area. For the men on the battlefield, the most threatening thing is the ancient weapon of arrows.

A single arrow may be avoided; But when the arrows rain, hundreds or thousands of arrows are endless, even if the skill is outstanding, it is unavoidable. Fortunately, the Anliao Army is one of the five Ya in Haidong, and it has always been given priority in terms of armor and weapons. Even if it is an ordinary soldier, most of them can wear relatively complete leather armor and cotton armor. Facing arrows, the damage can be greatly reduced.

Even so, before they reached the city, many were wounded.

Perhaps it was because of the "Mao Hulu Army" that the soldiers who charged in Haidong, whether they were injured or not, as long as they could rush forward, they were just like the enemy troops on the city, and none of them were willing to retreat or turn around. The difference in the personality of the main general often leads to differences between the armies. Yang Wanhu can fight tough battles and dare to fight tough battles, and the impact is that his subordinates are also not afraid of death.

Yang Si has the style of Yang Wanhu, his left arm was hit by an arrow just now, because the armor is excellent, in fact, there is no major trauma, but it has aroused his arrogance, in a rage, while running forward, while taking off the armor, brandishing a spear, shirtless, hoarse, shouting: "Rush!" Rush! ”

Many of the Dingqi troops under the city were from Liaodong; The "Mao Hulu Army" in the city is all from Nanyang and Dengzhou, and at this time, whether it is at the head of the city or under the city, thousands of enemy soldiers are shouting. The mixture of two different dialect accents seemed to suppress the roar of artillery and trebuchets.

From Yang Wanhu's point of view, I saw the Dingqi soldiers with red scarves, like one wave after another, scattered outside the west city wall of Ningyang, one after another, moving forward bravely. And the "Mao Hulu Army" with a black scarf, but in a trance a boulder, standing at the head of Ningyang City, although in the face of the angry tide beating, from time to time someone will fall under the city, or turn over and fall, but always standstill.

Before you know it, it's going to be noon. The battle under the city is getting hotter.

Yang Wanhu did not forget the true purpose of this siege, and in his busy schedule, he called the deputy hundred households of the scout team and asked: "How is the movement in the direction of Yanzhou?" ”

The deputy of the scout team replied: "The sound of our army attacking the city can be heard clearly from thirty miles away. Not long ago, Ningyang County sent two more messengers to Yanzhou for help. The last general, on the orders of the general, pretended not to know, and as if he had not seen it, he only killed one of them and let the other pass. However, the Tartars of Yanzhou Mansion still haven't had the slightest reaction. ”

"Still unresponsive?"

"Yes."

Yang Wanhu suddenly had a feeling of helplessness, looking at the siege battle in full swing in front of him, and then looking at the quiet Yanzhou Mansion dozens of miles away, he increased his forehead with his hand, sighed, and said: "Yanzhou He Zongzhe, what are you thinking about?" Before he could finish sighing, a horse suddenly rode up.

"How?"

"General Qiyu! In the rear of our army, a detachment of military horses came from the east! ”