From Chief to Ball

Chen Jian also strictly forbids his clansmen to go out of the city to harass them, and has them observe the piles outside and report to him every day.

From the very beginning, he didn't stick to it, but prepared to take this opportunity to weaken the strength of the grassland tribes to the greatest extent. There were many tribes in the lower reaches of the Caohe River and on both sides of the river. He didn't have time to entangle with the barbarians on the grassland.

This is a very delicate degree, and he needs to master it carefully.The longer it takes, the lower the morale outside will be; but it doesn't take too long, otherwise, if the enemy outside rides in overnight, it will be useless if you can't catch up.

So it is still necessary to give the people outside a glimmer of hope, let them feel that it is possible to capture the city, and they cannot be allowed to run away now.

The prairie tribes outside the city were worried about a surprise attack by the people inside the city, so they left thousands of people ready at any time, but for a few days, the people in the city seemed to be asleep, and there was no movement at all.

Just as Chen Jian expected, the group of people outside could fight wars and herd cattle, but they were powerless when it came to digging pits and building mountains.

Luoxing led people to make a batch of stone axes suitable for cutting trees. Because his tribe had built a star-picking platform before, it took him three days to build the wooden tower with ease this time.

The wooden tower is about three or four hundred steps away from the city wall, completely out of the range of bows and arrows.

When the leaders of the grassland tribes boarded the wooden tower, they couldn't help but praise and were shocked. Standing on it, they could see the situation in the city clearly.

Several leaders couldn't help but said: "If this is the case earlier, when we attacked the city that day, our people would be able to shoot the archers in their city. How can we not even know where they are?"

Looking at the wide roads in the city and the soldiers who were training, some of them counted for a long time, and said with a smile: "there are not many people. I saw that there were only 400 to [-] people. Ten of us beat one of them. How can this city be captured?" .”

What I saw with my own eyes may not be true. When Chen Jian built the wooden tower, he let half of the soldiers enter the house and strictly prohibited them from coming out.

This illusion of a small number made those leaders who were thinking of withdrawing their troops no longer have any worries, and the temptation in those rumors seemed to be easily available in the illusion seen by the eyes.

As for the temptation of rumors, it is even more real in this illusion: there are no sheep in the city, not much pasture, only a hundred horses, but they don't eat horses, so what do they eat?Apparently there must be something magical that keeps them fed without grazing... like the Golden Oak Immortal Pig.

A few days later, Dawu led this person to finally repair the first wooden platform, which was not too big and could only accommodate 80 to [-] people, and the subsequent ones were still being built slowly.

The leaders couldn't wait to send the good hunters of the tribe to the wooden platform a hundred steps away from the city wall. Seventy or eighty of the best archers began to suppress the city wall, and selected dozens of tribesmen to try to attack once.

This time they knew it was impossible to attack, but they all wanted to try to see if it would work.

There was another fight on the battlefield that had been silent for seven or eight days, and the effect was beyond the expectations of all the leaders. It was surprisingly good.

The dozens of people selected to attack the city were not the strongest warriors, they were just trying as cannon fodder, but these people achieved results that even the elite tribes did not achieve a few days ago.

This time the commander of the siege attempt was Dawu, which was unanimously requested by the leaders of all tribes. Although the old leader was reluctant, he had no choice.

The first wooden platform that Dawu built was in the northwest corner of the city, not directly in front of the city. This is also the method he summed up a few days ago.

Because Yangguan City is a right-angled city, not concave and deformed, people on the west wall cannot attack the enemy in the north to form a cross projection. If you choose the northwest corner to attack the city, the defenders in the city can only shorten the contact surface, within a unit area Not many soldiers can be deployed.

Dawu may not understand the calculation method, but he knows it with his talent. Once there is a fight, the defenders on the west side of the city wall can only watch.

The archers on the wooden platform can see the people on the city wall clearly, and they can also guard against the salvos of the archers in the city. It is much more comfortable than shooting randomly under the city with their heads up.

Under the cover of archers, dozens of siege cannon fodder assembled together, someone actually touched the city wall. This was something that even the strongest warriors in the tribe could not do a few days ago.

Although he was stabbed down without taking a breath, the kick of standing up still boosted the confidence of the leaders outside the city.

When the troops were withdrawn at night, the leaders swept away the dullness of the previous few days. Dawu's name echoed throughout the camp, and many people said, "If Dawu had been in command a few days ago, I'm afraid we would all be able to enter the city now." !"

These words spread intentionally or unintentionally in the camp. Although the leaders of several small tribes in the tent did not say so directly, they offered their lamb legs to Dawu with the most noble etiquette in the grassland.

"In another ten days, let's build more wooden platforms, and those people won't be able to hold them!"

"Yes, did you see that? The archers in the city didn't shoot a salvo today, and our people suppressed the people on the wall. The enemies in the west were anxious, but there were also people in the west, and they didn't dare to go over...Dawu It’s a really good way.”

"It's just that it's too slow to repair... We have to divide seven or 800 people to cut down trees. Two people can walk so far against one tree, and they can only fight a few trees in a day, and they have to be piled up with stones... What do you think of the opposite city? Repaired it?"

It's slow, it's slow, it's not clear, but the wooden platform outside the city is still being repaired day by day, and Dawu's reputation is getting louder and louder day by day.

Although the jerky and sheep in all ministries were almost eaten, victory was at hand, and no one wanted to withdraw.

The riders sent out by Dawu brought back news that there was another city half a day’s distance south of Yangguan, but only women and children. As long as all the men in Yangguan were killed, the city could be robbed.

The riders who came back described the magnificence and magnificence they saw with scarce words, especially the lush pastures outside the city, the horses like to eat, and there are many, many, almost no weeds-in fact, it is wintering of wheat.

All kinds of hopes that they saw with their own eyes made the leaders persevere, and the city will be captured in ten days at most. Anyone who thinks of retreating at this time will be kicked in the head by a horse's hoof!

It's just that they didn't know that these hopes were also what Chen Jian wanted them to hope for.

On the evening of November [-]th, the leaders of the grassland tribes became even more excited. The people on the wooden tower reported that there was a fire in the city, and several houses near the city gate were burned, and thick smoke billowed.

They thought that the spirit of war was protecting them, so they laughed loudly, hoping that the fire would burn more and more, and it would be best to burn down the entire Yangguan City.

However, it was not the spirit of war that brought the fire, but their enemy Chen Jian.

There is no wind today, and the weather is a bit humid, so the smoke from burning wormwood and horse dung diffuses in the moist air, covering some places in Yangguan City.

Those who rushed to put out the fire were not carrying water, but wet horse dung, which smothered on the fire and smothered thick smoke.

Taking advantage of the sunset and the moon before sunrise, the people in the city quietly removed the wood blocking the city gate under the cover of white smoke, and the two armies assembled near the openable city gate under the cover of night.

For more than ten days, Chen Jian never harassed the enemy. The enemy gradually began to relax in the confidence that victory was within easy reach, and the guards in the camp at night were no longer strict.

The besiegers made many mistakes. For example, they didn’t dig trenches and build wooden fences to imprison the city. The outside of the city was flat, as if they were naked and waiting for others to attack at night; They don't know how to farm and don't have tools, so they don't know how to dig soil. The arrow rests are all made of wood.

About 130 people went out to harass the city, and more than [-] people were divided into the south, most of whom were new soldiers and veterans who had fought several battles in the past.

The task in the south is to harass the siege camp in the southeast corner, and fight harder to create an illusion of breaking out of the city, and mobilize people in the northwest corner to support.

The team was led by wolf skin. Chen Jian drew a simple picture with charcoal, pointed to it and said, "There are only 900 people in the southern camp. We have been quiet for more than ten days. They never thought that we would go out of the city. You lead people straight Run to the camp, make more noise...but don't really knock them down."

Then he called the calm Acorn and said: "Look at the tower, the moon is very round tonight, and you can see clearly from the outside. Going from the northwest corner to the southeast corner to support, even if you ride a horse, it will take a long time. I calculated that they ran away." The past time, you keep an eye on them, when they get to the place I said, they set fire to the tower and beat the drums to bring the wolf pelt back before they come back."

"Wolf Pi, you must look inside the city. Once there is a fire or you hear the sound of drums, retreat immediately. I will send you all the archers of the new army. When you retreat, let the archers hold the line."

"how about you?"

"I took people to the north and burned their arrow rests and wooden towers. The more noise you make, the easier it will be on my side. You know, they always thought that we only had three or four hundred people. From their point of view Look, we definitely want to run, not just for the wood burning table."

After instructing all these, Chen Jian came to the north gate, where all the sword and shield soldiers of the new army were gathered. This is the main force tonight, and those people at the south gate were just a feint.

He still didn't want to disperse the enemy. It was meaningless for the infantry to defeat the cavalry, and the pursuit at night would not produce results.

There were no other people around the sword and shield soldiers. Even though the crescent strider offered to fight, Chen Jian still refused, and only let him act with the wolf skin. There is no danger in night raids, and it just gives this young child a chance to show off his tribal power. .

Another purpose of driving away the crescent strider is that tonight will be the first show of gunpowder in the history of the world.

On the assembly ground at the north gate, two clansmen trusted by Chen Jian brought two large baskets covered with moisture-proof birch bark and wheat straw.

Chen Jian first lit ten matchlocks, blocked the firelight with rolls made of birch bark, and distributed them to the sword and shield soldiers.

Each of the sword and shield soldiers assigned to the matchlocks carried a large bundle of birch bark and turpentine balls. The matchlocks were burning slowly, and the light of the fire was covered by the bark tube, making it impossible to see.

Chapter 50 Counterattack ([-])