Several huge streams of people, accompanied by banners all over the sky, surged on the great plain on the north bank of the Huai River.
The direction of travel all points to one place, Guangling.
This is a coalition of nearly 700,000 troops composed of Liu Bang's own Han army, Liang Wang Pengyue, Han Wang Xin, Zhao Wang Zhang Er, Yan Wang Lu Wan and others.
After crossing the Huaihe River, they quickly stationed themselves in various counties and cities in Huainan, forming a siege situation around Guangling.
Their intention was obvious, which was to besiege Guangling and induce Xiang Yu to cross the river to help, so as to achieve the purpose of fighting Xiang Yu with superior force and Han Xin's command ability.
"Your Majesty, the plan is for our army to besiege Guangling, but I see that Guangling has now built a tight peripheral position, backed by the river.
We can surround it on land, but the river cannot block it from Jiangdong.
What should I do?"
Zhou Bo looked at the Guangling City in the distance and asked Liu Bang doubtfully.
"Haha, this Han Xin said he has a way.
I absolutely believe Han Xin on this point.
When he said there is a way, there must be a way."
Liu Bang replied.
"Nachen never saw him make any move."
Liu Bang glanced at Zhou Bo and said casually, "That's because I want him to wait until the war in Xiangyang progresses, so that some Xiang Yu's troops can be mobilized."
At this time, Xiang Yu on the other side of the river was also looking at Guangling across the river.
He had already received a military intelligence report.
After reading the report, he burst into laughter.
This situation is exactly what Xiang Yu wants.
If Liu Bang could wait patiently for a few more months, Xiang Yu would send troops to the Northern Expedition.
In that case, the decisive battle would be between the Huanghuai River and the Han camp would have some geographical convenience.
In terms of supply transportation alone, it saves hundreds of miles.
Unfortunately, anxiety and frustration caused a wise man like Zhang Liang to lose his composure.
"Expedited military intelligence report from General Jibu."
A messenger came in a hurry and handed a letter to Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu glanced at it and knew that the Han army was attacking Xiangyang with overwhelming force, but Ji Bu did not ask for reinforcements.
It seemed that he had a plan to retreat from the enemy.
"From now on, the amount of grain and grass transported to Guangling will be increased, and Guangling City is required to stockpile enough grain and grass for at least half a year.
In addition, the entire army, including Huben, the reclamation army, and county garrison troops, have entered the highest combat readiness state.
"Xiang Yu issued a military order.
Xiangyang, inside the general office.
A Lingxin soldier paid a military salute to Ji Bus and said: "Inform the general, five thousand newly trained Bashu soldiers have come to report."
These Bashu soldiers were some of the surrendered soldiers that Zhongli Mo accepted when he captured Bashu.
The surrendered soldiers of the Han army that had been gathered in Xiangyang had been transferred to Bashu.
Ji Bu said happily: "We came just in time.
We will organize three thousand of them and send them to Fancheng for reinforcements."
"promise" The general on the side asked doubtfully: "General, I don't understand something.
I want to ask the general why our army has to defend Fancheng, which is not easy to defend.
If we concentrate our troops in Xiangyang, won't we be able to cause greater damage to the enemy?"
What’s the casualty ratio?”
A strange smile appeared on Ji Bu's lips and he said: "That's a good question, but I can't tell you the answer yet.
You will know it in a while.
In short, we must defend Fancheng during this period."
In the early morning of the next day, amidst the rumbling drums, Liu Jia's Han army began a new round of attack.
This time was different from the past.
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Amid rounds of shots fired by Han crossbowmen, Han infantry surrounded seven tall movable "towers" and approached Fancheng's low wall.
Three of them are distributed on the north side, and the other four are distributed on the east and west sides.
Liu Jia knew that the Chu army had equipment that could launch "fire dragons", so he had already ordered his soldiers to water the seven wooden staircases to make them extremely moist, and the roofs were covered with thick soaked straw.
When the Chu army at the top of Fancheng saw this, they braved the opponent's arrows and used crossbows to shoot at the Han army pushing these "towers" at the crenellations.
"Launch the "Fire Dragon".
For moving targets, the bed crossbow, which has little shooting accuracy, is even more difficult to hit.
After several rounds of fire, several "fire dragons" finally landed on the roof or supports of the tower, and flames rose.
However, the fierce fire could not immediately burn the city-climbing carriages themselves.
After burning for a while, the kerosene burned out, leaving a trail of black smoke.
Some of the Han soldiers pushing the carts were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, and some came up to replenish them.
The slow-moving carriage was getting closer and closer to the city wall.
At this time, ten centipede ships suddenly sailed out of the water gate in the north of Xiangyang City on the opposite side of the river.
This was the only part of the Huben Navy that Xiang Yu left for the Xiangyang defenders.
It is also the only remaining Tiger Army on the entire Western Front.
The Centipede ships galloped across the Han River, parked in two groups in the waterway near the east and west walls of Fancheng, and began to throw stone pellets at these carriages with ship-borne ballistae.
What was thrown this time was a large stone projectile weighing five kilograms.
Although the range was greatly reduced, the power was greatly increased.
Stone bullets flew in with a roar, some shattering the bodies of the soldiers crowded in the tower, and some hitting the thick wooden supports of the tower.
The carriages could not withstand such damage, and the two carriages closest to the Han River collapsed amidst screams of fear.
But at this time, a large number of Han army crossbowmen rushed to the bank of the Han River, and the Centipede warship was forced to retreat a certain distance to the center of the waterway.
In this way, the range of the ballista could not reach the two carriages further away.
When Ji Bu, who was standing at the top of Xiangyang City, saw this scene, he couldn't help but sweat in his heart and regretted: It would have been better if some ballistas had been unloaded earlier for Fancheng to defend the city.
At this time, we can only hope that the soldiers defending the city can hold on.
Thinking of this, he ordered, "Pass my military order to use ships to reinforce Fancheng with two thousand troops."
Soon dozens of large ships sailed out from Xiangyang Water Gate, entered the water gate on the south wall of Fancheng opposite, and unloaded two thousand soldiers.
Ji Bu originally thought about dismantling the ballistae and installing it at the top of the city, but Xiang Yu specifically told him to protect these ballistae, so he decided not to do so.
The remaining five carriages quickly reached the city wall of Fancheng, and the Han army's ejection cover had also stopped.
The springboards of the carriages were lowered one after another, and the Han soldiers who had been stationed in the carriages swarmed out.
The soldiers of the Chu army who were crouching behind the battlements also came out with their halberds raised, and intercepted the Han troops at the top of the city at the entrance of the springboard.
The two sides immediately started a bloody fight.
These Han soldiers who were responsible for the first attack were elite and brave soldiers selected from hundreds of thousands of troops.
Their well-equipped equipment was not inferior to that of the Chu army.
A Chu army soldier holding a halberd was stabbed through the stomach by a spear as soon as he rushed forward and fell to the ground.
The Han soldier who killed him climbed up the tower and was about to kill deep into the city.
He was struck in the hamstring by a swinging halberd blade, and he collapsed to the ground in severe pain.
It turned out that it was the Chu soldiers who had their stomachs stabbed to pieces.
Regardless of whether they would accidentally injure one of their own, the crossbowmen on both sides fired arrows at close range, and the arrows whizzed through the crowd.
Wails and screams were heard.
Groups of Han troops continued to pour up the carriages: