lcionline Chapter 118 Cover Attack
Chapter 118 Cover Attack
At this point, the Xiliang army had no choice but to bring out their crossbows, which they had not given up on, and start firing. The Chang'an army had advanced to within 70 or 80 meters, which was the distance at which the crossbows could exert their maximum power.
Gongsun Zan had anticipated that the Xiliang army had this trick up their sleeve. The Chang'an soldiers in front stopped in place almost at the same time the Xiliang army fired their arrows. The shield bearers rushed to the front and raised their shields to build a not-so-solid defensive line for themselves and their comrades behind them.
Muskets are direct-fire weapons and are unlikely to pose a threat to the archers hiding behind the battlements. Gongsun Zan could only order the Shenwu cannons to increase their firepower and try to cover the attacking infantry.
However, to hit their targets accurately, the Xiliang archers sometimes had to peek out to shoot. This gave the Chang'an musketeers another opportunity. Although the rate of fire of muskets could not keep up with that of bows and arrows, their range was longer, so they were relatively safe and could shoot with confidence and without restraint.
The battle proceeded quickly. Twenty minutes later, the attacking forces from the south city scaled the city wall in one go. It's hard to say whether Niu Fu had started to hold back, but in any case, the Chang'an army was driven off the city wall in less than three minutes.
In the midst of this back-and-forth, by noon, Gongsun Zan had launched five or six attacks. Among them, the troops responsible for the south city even climbed the city wall three times. Although they were driven back each time, this gave Gongsun Zan hope of breaking through the city.
After a hurried lunch, Gongsun Zan immediately resumed his attack. However, in the afternoon battle, the Xiliang army defending the city became somewhat fatigued. The Chang'an army climbed three of the city walls several times, and almost every wall was captured and then taken down by the Chang'an army. In fact, this was a deliberate act by the Xiliang army. Facing the long-range advantage of the Chang'an army, the Xiliang army deliberately let the attacking Chang'an army climb the city walls so that they could take advantage of their close combat skills and kill as many of Chang'an Jun's troops as possible.
Gongsun Zan also noticed this, so in the afternoon battle, he simply ordered some of the arquebusiers to follow the melee soldiers up the city wall and fire at the Xiliang army from behind.
The battle continued until sunset, with the fiercest fighting taking place in the south of the city. The city walls changed hands several times. Just as sunset was approaching and it seemed that the city walls would be completely captured and the city gates opened, the soldiers of the Second Division of the First Army of Chang'an were driven back down.
However, it was getting dark, so Gongsun Zan had no choice but to sound the retreat. It was a pity; if time had allowed, they might have been able to take the city today.
Today's battle made Gongsun Zan a little complacent. He began to seriously doubt the fighting strength of the Xiliang army. Gongsun Zan felt that the fighting strength of the Xiliang army had declined too much. This was no longer the Xiliang army he had seen under Ding Yuan. However, the strategy of Guo Si and his men was still effective. In today's battle, the Chang'an army had suffered at least 5,000 casualties, of which more than 4,000 were killed in action (those who were wounded on the city wall basically did not return).
However, when Gongsun Zan thought about how the army in the southern city was under the command of Niu Fu, he didn't find it strange. After all, Niu Fu was just an incompetent fool.
"Make sure the brothers eat and drink well, and we'll continue the attack tomorrow!" After responding, Gongsun Zan addressed the officers, both high and low.
The night passed quickly, especially after a day of fighting. Back at camp, many soldiers collapsed into their tents and fell asleep without even eating. The night passed very quickly in their sleep, as if it had gone by in the blink of an eye.
On the third day, the attack continued. After yesterday's battle, Gongsun Zan felt that the southern city, which was under the command of Niu Fu, was the easiest place to break through. He concentrated most of his elite troops in the southern city, ostensibly focusing on the eastern city as the main direction of attack, but in reality, he made the southern city his main direction of attack.
The morning proceeded as planned, with a routine attack. However, the situation suddenly changed in the afternoon. The Chang'an army launched a fierce attack on the south city, with siege troops continuously pouring up the south city wall. By 4 p.m., the south city gate was opened.
The southern city has fallen!
Like wolves drawn by the scent of blood, the Chang'an army stormed into the southern city. However, their joy was premature. The troops that had entered the southern city were blocked before they could advance even 500 meters, and they were unable to advance any further, not even a single step.
What happened?
With no news coming from the front lines for a long time, Gongsun Zan quickly dispatched three messengers to the front lines to find out what was going on.
Five or six minutes later, there was finally a report: it turned out that the troops entering the city had engaged in street fighting with the Xiliang army.
According to a report from a regimental commander at the front, the Xiliang army was well prepared. The city was full of traps and enemy archers were hidden everywhere. You never knew when you would step into a trap or be shot to death by Xiliang archers in a dark corner.
Faced with such a battle, the front-line troops could only clear one house at a time, making their advance very slow. Moreover, the Xiliang army would set up key defensive lines in critical areas, stationing more troops to intercept enemy forces entering the city.
As the sun was setting, Gongsun Zan understood that although he had breached the southern city, it did not mean that the city could be captured. Gongsun Zan ordered the frontline soldiers to withdraw and the entire army to establish a defensive line centered on the city wall, making sure to clear any possible hiding places around the city wall.
Although Gongsun Zan understood that this was most likely a trap set by Guo Si and Li Jue, he would not give up such a good opportunity. Since the city wall had already been captured, there was no reason to give it up voluntarily. Gongsun Zan simply moved his command tent to the top of the city wall, wanting to be with his soldiers.
"The plan is half successful." In the general's mansion in the north city, Guo Si, Li Jue and Niu Fu held a meeting to discuss today's battle. Judging from the current situation, the Xiliang army's plan seems to have succeeded, and the Chang'an army's attention has been basically drawn to the south city wall.
"Now we'll see how tomorrow goes," Niu Fu said.
“Yes, as long as we can teach Gongsun Zan a painful lesson tomorrow, this plan will be considered a success,” Li Jue said. “However, tonight we should also give Gongsun Zan a gift; we can’t let him sleep so peacefully on the city wall.”
“Alright, leave this matter to me.” Niu Fu stood up and said, “After all, Nancheng was lost under my watch. Although it was intentional, I should still take some responsibility. After all, some of the soldiers below did not know that this was a plan.”