Liu Xi and Liu Qi, brothers, originally planned to divide their troops to follow those foot soldiers, and annihilate them with Yang Zhi's army in front and back.

But soon they abandoned the plan, because Richard took the lead in dividing his troops, and it seemed that he was going to attack the Jingyu Pass, which was guarded by the two.

However, it was the failure of Bubazi's surprise attack on Jingyuguan that made Richard feel that the Ming army had already taken precautions, so he changed his playing style for the second time.

On the other side of Xiguanbao, he built a camp to confront the Seed Master.

He also let thousands of steps come back to guard the crossing of the Yellow River, and divided his troops to swagger along the north bank of the Yellow River, and there was an open field after the Hutou Cliff. There can not only build a barracks, but also next to the Yellow River crossing, which can advance or retreat in an invincible position.

Then, storm the Jingyu Pass!

Jingyuguan was the hub of the grain route for Yang Zhi's army, and the military grain transported from Lanzhou was first piled up and stored in Jingyuguan, and then transferred to the front line by small boats.

Even if you can't capture here, just besieging the city with a large army is equivalent to cutting off Yang Zhi's grain route.

"Puff!!"

Three hundred whirlwind cannons frantically threw bombs at Jingyu Pass, each stone bullet the size of a fist. Moreover, the stone bullets are irregular, and many of them are picked up nearby. (The Poxi army was full of 300 catapults, and the previous statement of 200 was a mistake.) ）

Due to its small size, this catapult can not only move quickly, but also flexibly change the direction of the throw.

It is a single-tip construction, and the cannon shaft is also movable - large catapults cannot be played like this, because the stone projectile is too heavy and can only be used with a fixed shaft.

Each whirlwind cannon is operated by four people, two of whom are responsible for loading stone bullets and two of whom are responsible for pulling the rope cannon, which can throw three to four rounds in one minute.

300 whirlwind artillery stands outside Jingyu Pass, which can fire nearly 1,000 rounds of stone shells in one minute.

If it is fought in the field, it can cause great damage to the heavy infantry of the Song army.

It is used for siege and does not naturally cross the city walls, but seriously affects the movement of the defenders. Stone projectiles the size of fists fall like hailstones, and the defenders must carry shields or door panels.

Because of the short range, it is dangerous to take it to siege the city.

However, the south side of Jingyu Pass is a mountain, and the Bubazi and the capture army add up to tens of thousands of people, first to capture those mountains, and then set up a whirlwind cannon on the top of the mountain to bombard the city.

"Into his mother, the only bed crossbow and divine arm bow were taken by Yao Gu to shake the Martial City, otherwise it would be the turn of the whirlwind cannon of Western Xia!" Liu Xi hid behind the female wall and cursed in a low voice.

"The enemy is attacking the city!"

The first batch is full of collision Linglang, which properly belongs to cannon fodder.

The defenders were overwhelmed by the whirlwind cannons and had to dismantle the door panels to defend them, one end perched on a low wall of arrow battlements, and the other end supported by soldiers. The archers hid under the door panel and shot arrows outside the city through the battlements.

The soldiers who prop up the door panel will have to be replaced after not many blows, and it is still a trivial matter for the arm to be numb from the shock, and it may be broken or cracked by the shock.

There were constant collisions that caused Lang to fall with arrows in the middle of the way, and as they got closer and closer to the city wall, the whirlwind cannons of the Tanguts finally stopped.

The terrain outside Jingyu Pass is rugged and complex, and it is difficult to use large-scale formal siege equipment. And the time was too urgent, and the Xixia people didn't have the time to build, so they all carried wooden ladders to attack the city at the moment.

"Rolling stones and rolling wood are used sparingly, pour the gold juice first, and then boil it to be dry!"

"Putter!"

A pot of gold juice was poured down, and the besieged Linglang fell to the ground screaming and rolling around.

There were also siege ladders that were overturned, and the enemies on the ladders fell back.

The first offensive was quickly repulsed, and Richard immediately organized the second group, still letting the Han people hit Ling Lang as cannon fodder.

This was the case for two consecutive days, and more than 1,000 of the Lang troops were killed and wounded.

Thirty miles away, the seed master Dao did not send troops to rescue, because he did not have many soldiers in his hands. Once the troops are divided to rescue, the Western Xia soldiers on the other side of the river are very likely to take the opportunity to attack Xiguan Fort.

And here in Jingyuguan, Liu Xi and Liu Qi brothers have 3,000 soldiers in their headquarters and hundreds of original old Song garrisons.

There are also many people near Guancheng, who also withdrew to Guannei to save their lives, just brought in to defend the city together. Women and children can carry supplies, and young people help throw wood and stone oil.

Brother Richard was already crazy, and the intensity of the third day of the siege was even greater, with more than 700 casualties on the same day, and there were some capturing troops mixed in the siege.

"Your Highness, there are a large number of Han cavalry in the river valley, and you can only rush through with iron harriers!" The scout cavalry sent to the river valley to inquire about the news came back with a gray run.

While attacking Jingyu Pass, Richard sent light cavalry to find out the news.

He now wanted to know what was going on with the Southern Army Division. But Li Yanxian led the cavalry to cover the battlefield, and the passage ahead was in that river valley, and it was really difficult for the Western Xia reconnaissance cavalry to get close.

After thinking about it carefully, Richard said: "Send out a thousand iron harriers, and retreat immediately if you are in danger!" ”

1,000 iron harriers, 3,000 Xixia light horses, just plunged into the river valley.

Immediately another messenger came, which was sent by the Gansu Military Division, and they had already set out from Jisang (Gulang). Converting the route and time of the march, it is almost time to reach the city of Henan Army.

After reading the letter, Richard was overjoyed, and the current situation was: Yang Zhi's army was in the middle of the river valley, and Richard led more than 60,000 troops to block the southern entrance of the river valley. And more than 60,000 soldiers of the Gansu Military Division were killing from the north side of the river valley.

The two Western Xia armies in the north and south, combined with nearly 130,000 people, have blocked Yang Zhi's army at both ends.

If the city of the Southern Army has not been lost, it will be even more central flowering.

Even if you lose it, you can get it back!

Looking at the Jingyu Pass, which was not damaged in the slightest, Brother Richard didn't want to waste any more time, so he ordered the whole army to enter the valley area, and even the army that confronted the Seed Master Dao was transferred over.

Don't want a grain channel?

Don't retreat?

Hehe, the Karogawa valley is the grain road and the retreat route. 130,000 people are attacking from the north and south, where can tens of thousands of Ming troops stop it? Kill those Ming troops, and Richard's retreat route will be opened.

For the sake of prudence, Richard even left 10,000 soldiers and set up a camp at the entrance of the river valley to prevent the seed master Dao, Liu Xi, and Liu Qi from leading troops to kill his ass.

Knowing that Richard led his troops into the river valley, the seed master Dao immediately led the troops over to converge, and also transferred the defenders of Jincheng Pass and Lanzhou, with a total strength of more than 10,000 troops outside the river valley.

Liu Qi worried: "The main general of Western Xia dares to give up here, and the whole army will go into it, I am afraid that there are also Western Xia soldiers in the north of the river valley." General Yang is outnumbered, and he is also being attacked from the north and south, nothing will happen, right? ”

The seed master was very confident, and said with a smile: "I have also studied firearms, and after I was reformed, I have observed a lot. With the topography of the southern army, our army has more than 1,000 Shenji battalions and dozens of various types of artillery, which is more than enough to defend the city and protect itself. If the enemy army does not say 100,000, there are millions and there is no fear, and no matter how many people there are, it is impossible to attack the city at the same time. ”

In terms of defending the city, the Song generals were born in the cultivation of the Tao, and did not take the Western Xia people seriously at all.

However, it was said that a few decades ago, when it was the civil strife in Western Xia, Song Shenzong felt that the time had come, and sent troops to attack Xia in five ways, and the results were quite fruitful, expanding the land for 2,000 miles. He also ordered Xu Xi and the seed to dispatch troops and hoard grain and grass, and in the second year, they would destroy the Western Xia in one fell swoop.

The Song army built a city in Yongle, mobilized 200,000 people, and built Yongle New City in 14 days.

This city made the Western Xia like a fish in the throat, and the Empress Dowager Liang poured the whole country's troops to counterattack, claiming to have 300,000 troops.

Xu Xi was afraid that Shen Kuo would rob him of his credit, so he transferred the two of them far away and led 30,000 people to defend the city. The spies reported that there were 300,000 soldiers in Western Xia, but Xu Xi of course did not believe it, but felt that his opportunity to make meritorious contributions had come.

Regardless of whether there are 300,000 or not, the Western Xia soldiers are overwhelming anyway.

Xu Xi actually led 30,000 Song soldiers to take the initiative to go out of the city to fight, and he did not choose to attack half-crossing, and was beaten and fled into the city. Then the water village was taken again, and he could only dig a well to quench his thirst.

Relying on the remnants of the defeated battle, Xu Xi, a civil official, held out for twenty days, and there was no sign of being breached.

It can be imagined how powerful the Han people defended the city, and how weak the siege ability of the Western Xia was.

As for the result of this battle, the Yongle New City built in 14 days belongs to his mother's tofu scum project, and it was obviously not tamped when the earth was rammed. After a heavy rain, the city wall was soaked and softened, and the Western Xia soldiers actually knocked down the city wall with sassalo...... Not only were the defenders of the Great Song Dynasty wiped out, but the 200,000 soldiers nearby were also killed, fled or taken captive.

and the Southern Military Division, it is definitely not tofu scum!

The seed master said to the Liu brothers: "You can divide the two of you, one of you will stay in Jingyu Pass, and the other will follow me to set up a camp outside the valley. Layer by layer interception, not to let the Western Xia soldiers out of the river valley. ”

So, the situation on the battlefield became like this-

A long and narrow river valley with more than 60,000 Western Xia soldiers in the north, more than 20,000 Han soldiers in the middle, more than 60,000 Western Xia soldiers in the south, and 10,000 Han soldiers blocked outside the southern river valley.

It's really not clear who is surrounding whom.

In any case, in Richard's eyes, the Han soldiers in the valley are already dead.

If you want to take away the city of Henanjun, it's not that easy!

Otherwise, the Song army would have taken it away a long time ago, how could it be the turn of the current Ming army?

The troops of the Gansu Military Division in the north marched extremely slowly, fearing that the Han people would set up an ambush in the valley, and almost every time they encountered a ravine, they would send cavalry in advance to check it.

They are not afraid of small forces, but once a large force is ambushed, it will inevitably leave traces in the ravine.

"There are people on both sides, and the enemy from the north is closer." Yang Zhi said.

Li Yanxian said: "The enemy generals are cautious, and it is difficult to set up ambushes, and they will stagnate at the slightest abnormality. Just take advantage of the fact that the enemy in the south has not arrived, take the initiative to attack and defeat the north, and kill and flee. Go back and annihilate the enemy in the south! ”

Li Jinyi said: "There should also be people stationed in the city. ”

Gong Xiu patted his chest and said with a smile: "I have made enough military merits, and I will lead my troops to stay and defend the city, and you will go one by one to earn some credit." ”

Yang Zhi said: "The heavy artillery is left for you, and all of them are erected on the city wall to prevent the enemy from the south from marching and killing in a hurry." The gap between the two cities is barely repaired, and the red soil is not compacted at all, so you must be careful that the enemy army hits the city wall. If the enemy comes quickly, hold out for a day or two at most, and the army will be able to return. If the enemy comes slowly, it is estimated that they will not arrive after the battle in the north. ”

Li Yanxian said: "I can divide the cavalry to slow down the enemy's march in the south. You don't have to go toe-to-toe with them, just harass. No matter how many enemy horses they encountered in the river valley, they would not be able to unfold. ”

"In the south, I will ask General Li," Yang Zhi said, "as for the north, five hundred cavalry can be divided into an army, which will be used to chase down the defeated army by victory." ”

(End of chapter)