In the years since Zhao and Wei were captured by the imperial army, Yuan Shao used Handan as an important town to defend against the imperial army and deployed heavy troops.
The person in charge here was Yuan Shao's general Jiang Qi.
In fact, when Zang Hong led his army to confront Yan Liang of Julu, Jiang Qi could have led his army to outflank Zang Hong's retreat, but Jiang Qi did not dare.
Although he had more than 10,000 troops, he needed To defend Handan, there is Yecheng not far to the south.
There are Han Hao's troops in Yecheng to contain him.
Once he leads his army to leave Handan, Han Hao will definitely lead his army north to capture Handan.
"It's not good, it's not good, general, tens of thousands of imperial troops suddenly appeared at the gate of the city."
A soldier ran in in a panic and reported to Jiang Qi.
"Bang Dang" Jiang Qi was startled and the wine cup in his hand fell to the ground.
He stood up and said with a surprised look on his face: "The imperial troops have entered the city."
The soldier quickly said: "That's not true.
The captain on duty on the city wall discovered a large number of enemy troops outside the city and quickly ordered the city gate to be closed.
However, there are very few soldiers on the city wall now.
The defense is lax and the defensive force is too weak.
The captain was worried that the imperial troops would launch an attack immediately.
The current strength of the troops on the city wall could not be defended at all, so he sent a special person to report to the general and asked the general to order the mobilization of troops to mount the city wall to participate in the defense of the city."
Handan City is also a big city.
Jiang Qi was not worried that the imperial soldiers and horses would break through the city wall so quickly.
He waved his hand and said: "Why are the walls of Handan City so easy to attack?
I ask you, how many people are there in this imperial army and horses?"
Where did it come from?”
The soldier replied: "Back to the general, this imperial army came from the south.
What the villain saw were cavalry, about three thousand in number.
The captain on duty speculated that this might be the vanguard of the imperial army, followed by There must be a large number of troops and horses, and there are three thousand cavalry in the vanguard.
I can imagine that the number of the main army will definitely not be small."
"Three thousand cavalry" Jiang Qi was a little frightened.
In recent years, the imperial court has blocked the Kwantung princes and strictly prohibited the flow of horses and cattle to the territory of the Kwantung princes.
Therefore, there are not many cavalry, including Yuan Shao, who can make up three thousand cavalry.
The cavalry is already overwhelming, and the court's vanguard has three thousand cavalry.
How can we fight this battle?
However, when Jiang Qi thought about it, the cavalry could not attack the city, and no matter how many they were, it would be useless.
He felt relieved and immediately shouted: "Come here!"
A civil servant came in, cupped his hands and said, "General, what are your orders?"
"Immediately write a letter asking for help and report to the lord, saying that the imperial court has sent at least 30,000 horse and infantry troops to attack Handan.
Please lord to send troops to rescue quickly, otherwise Handan will not be protected."
There are three thousand cavalry in the vanguard, and the total strength may not be less than thirty thousand.
Jiang Qi's estimate is correct, but he doesn't know that Liu Cheng has brought fifty thousand cavalry this time.
Fifty thousand and thirty thousand are essentially the same.
Differentiated.
The letter for help was quickly written.
Jiang Qi called a close aide and asked him to hide the letter for help close to his body and send it out before the imperial army's vanguard had just arrived and had time to lay siege to the city.
After the messenger left, Jiang Qi took some soldiers to the city wall to observe the situation of the imperial army outside the city.
Before he could board the city wall, he heard a loud shout from the city wall: "Get down, get down quickly."
"Rumble" the sound of a large number of horse hooves came from outside the city, and the whole ground was shaking.
Jiang Qi had never heard such a deafening sound.
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His expression changed.
Before he could react, he saw a large circle of black spots suddenly appear in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, these black spots fell like raindrops in an instant, and screams of "Ahhhhh" could be heard endlessly, and there were also tinkling sounds from time to time.
It’s the rain of arrows.
These are the arrows shot by the cavalry when they are galloping under the city.
Jiang Qi is horrified, how is it possible that the imperial cavalry can be proficient in the barbarian riding and shooting methods?
Not everyone can learn the art of riding and shooting.
When riding a horse at high speed, you not only have to use your legs to control the horse, but you also have to use your hands to shoot arrows.
This is not something that ordinary people can do easily.
One bad move can Losing control of the horse resulted in tragedy.
The rain of arrows kept falling from the sky, lasting for a cup of tea before it ended, and the sound of horse hooves gradually faded away.
Not long after, when Jiang Qi and his soldiers climbed up the city tower and looked outside the city, the cavalry outside the city had already begun to assemble within a stone's throw.
They actually completed the assembly and formation in such a short time.
Moreover, it was such a neat military formation, which shocked Jiang Qi too much.
I saw a fierce general in front of the cavalry formation.
He was tall and strong, with a strong back and a strong back.
He was riding a sweaty horse and holding an iron gun.
He looked extremely fierce.
"General Zhang Xiu of Jianwei is here, and General Jiang Qi of Handan comes out to answer the question."
The loud shouts outside the city forced Jiang Qi to respond loudly: "This general is Jiang Qi, the guard of Handan.
How is it that General Zhang invades our territory for no reason and shows off his power under my city?"
Zhang Xiu laughed loudly: "Hahaha, that's ridiculous.
The whole world is not the land of the king, and the coast of the land is not the king's ministers.
I am the general of Jianwei of the imperial court, and I was ordered to lead the troops to attack the ministers.
How can I be considered as invading your territory and the city without any reason?
Everyone listen, Yuan The four generations and three princes of the same family do not want to repay the emperor's favor, but separatize Jizhou and proclaim themselves officials and nobles.
This is really treason.
I will give you a chance to surrender and avoid death.
If you resist stubbornly, you will only die."
Jiang Qi was not a pure idiot, but knew some politics.
He retorted loudly: "If the emperor is close to virtuous ministers and far away from villains, my lord will naturally be loyal to the emperor and the court.
But now the power of the court is controlled by the traitor Liu Cheng , emperor The emperor cannot help himself.
Of course my lord will not obey the orders of the traitor Zhang Xiu.
I see that you are quite brave.
It would be a pity to follow the traitor Liu Cheng.
Why not bring your troops to join my lord?
My lord will definitely become one of the above generals.
Waiting for you” "Hahaha, the rebellious ministers and traitors actually want me, Mr.
Zhang, to abandon the light and surrender to the dark side.
There is such a shameless person like you in the world.
Stop talking nonsense.
Will you surrender or not?"
Jiang Qi sneered: "Zhang Xiu, my Jiang Qi's head is right here.
If you dare, climb up and take it away.
Otherwise, you can go back to where you came from.
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Soldiers, be prepared for battle.
Let's kill each one who comes." , come two and kill a pair."
"yes" Zhang Xiu was furious, took off his long bow and arrows, drew the bow and shot at Jiang Qi.
With a "whoosh" sound, Jiang Qi instinctively ducked and turned his head to avoid it.
The arrow passed by the tip of his nose, and he felt a stinging sensation from the tip of his nose.
He heard a click, and when he turned around, he saw that the big flagpole stuck to his side had been broken by the arrow. .
Zhang Xiu secretly felt that it was a pity that Jiang Qi was not hit, but the soldiers around him roared in unison: "Okay, General, you are mighty."
Jiang Qi's face turned pale with fear, and cold sweat was pouring from his forehead.
If he hadn't escaped so quickly just now, he would have fallen to the ground and died.
"What a pity, retreat."
Zhang Xiu waved his hand, turned around and galloped away in the direction in which the horse was coming.
The three thousand cavalry behind him turned around and left one after another.
They could keep the team neat and orderly without any chaos when turning.
This made the people on the city wall Jiang Qi felt a chill in his heart.
Such cavalry was really terrifying.
Zhang Xiu did not go too far with his troops.
He ordered a camp ten miles away and sent many small groups of cavalry to block the roads from Handan to surrounding cities.
The next morning, Liu Cheng led the main force of the army to arrive.
After Zhang Xiu welcomed Liu Cheng, he led the army into the camp.
Liu Cheng rode his horse and asked, "How is the situation in Handan City?"
Zhang Xiu clasped his fists and said: "Our army came suddenly, and the guard Jiang Qi did not have any preparations in advance.
Ever since the general appeared at the bottom of the city at the end of yesterday, intense city defense arrangements have begun in the city.
They only have one day, and the city wall defense should not be ready yet." in place" After hearing this, Liu Cheng reined in his horse and stopped, and said to Xu Huang: "Gongming, you lead the army to camp in Zhangxiu, and you take me to the city to see their defense situation."
"yes" Liu Cheng, under the leadership of Zhang Xiu, did not bring a large group of troops, but only hundreds of bodyguard cavalry.
The group galloped on horseback and soon arrived outside Handan City.
The busy garrison troops on the city wall saw some cavalry coming and ignored them.
From yesterday to today, many groups of cavalry have come, but they all just took a look and left.
There were also some who ran around the city wall, nothing special.
However, Liu Cheng's arrival was somewhat different.
There were more people coming this time, more than a hundred people, which somewhat attracted the attention of some of the city's defenders, but they didn't pay much attention.
Liu Cheng reined in his horse and observed a cup of tea not far away, then turned around and said to the people accompanying him: "Their defense materials are not fully prepared yet.
If they launch a fierce attack on the city today, there is a 80% chance that they can break through the city and attack Xu Huang Convey the king's military order and ask him to send people to recruit people from the surrounding area to collect stones and transport them.
We will attack once this afternoon.
If we can break through, it is best.
If we cannot break through, we will attack again in three days."
"Yes, Your Majesty" After Liu Cheng returned to the camp, he immediately ordered a fire to make food.
Originally, even during the march, he only had two meals a day.
Only during the battle, he only had three meals a day.
Now he ordered a fire to make food at noon.
Apparently, he was preparing to attack the city in the afternoon.
The generals were not stupid.
After hearing this order, they silently prepared for the battle in the afternoon.
I was quite full at lunch, and after resting for more than half an hour, the rally horn finally sounded, and the soldiers quickly began to assemble, forming into formation under the command of the officers and generals.
A quarter of an hour later, the army walked out of the territory under the leadership of Liu Cheng.
Five thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry were left in the camp to guard the camp.
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All other soldiers were taken away by Liu Cheng, accompanied by a large number of carriages and horses.
It was filled with supplies, all covered with tarpaulin.
When they arrived outside Handan City, the army formed a formation outside the city.
The number of soldiers and horses arriving frightened the defenders on the city wall.
Didn't they say there were only 30,000 people?
Seeing that this posture was not only more than that, but also more than a large number, the defenders on the city wall were frightened.
Chaos immediately broke out.
Jiang Qi quickly learned the news.
He and his people rushed to the city tower as quickly as possible.
He saw dozens of square formations of the same size outside the city.
The soldiers were as densely packed as ants.
The flags were fluttering in the formations with great momentum. , shocking.
Jiang Qi's face was solemn.
He didn't expect that the main force of the imperial army would arrive so quickly, and they would attack the city today, without resting for a day or two.
Don't you need to make preparations before attacking the city?
How can you attack a city without siege equipment?
Can climb up with both hands The imperial army outside the city answered Jiang Qi's doubts with practical actions.
The carriage pushed forward from the rear of the military formation stopped.
The soldiers removed the oilcloth on the carriage, and each soldier removed the wooden pieces on the carriage.
Remove the parts and start installing them next to them.
The trebuchets were assembled, and then many people came over carrying stones of varying sizes and put them aside.
They put down the stones and went to the officials nearby to collect their wages.
They moved a stone and received their wages once.
It didn't take long before each trebuchet piled up a mountain of stones.
The stones were neither big nor small, and could be carried by one person.
Someone was carrying them with a basket, two at a time, weighing one hundred and fifty-six kilograms.
This weight is nothing.
After the trebuchets were assembled, many new siege equipment were assembled, which turned out to be shafts.
Soon, Xu Huang came over on horseback and reported to Liu Cheng with clasped fists: "Your Majesty, all the siege troops and equipment have been arranged and can start at any time."
Liu Chengdao: "Let's start then.
Let the trebuchet launch the stone bullets first and throw out all the stone bullets."
"Yes, Your Majesty" As the herald conveyed the order, the general commanding the trebuchet gave the order to launch.
More than twenty trebuchets fired the first batch of stone bullets at the same time.
Due to time constraints, these stone bullets were not polished and had limited deterrence.
However, if they really hit people or buildings, they would not cause any damage at all.
It's bad, but it would be better if it was spherical, because after it lands, it will continue to roll and impact with inertia, causing damage and visual effects that will make people more frightened.
As a large number of stone bullets fell inside and outside the city wall, the rubble on the city wall flew everywhere and the houses in the city collapsed.
The defenders on the city wall were terrified.
Many people had never experienced such a horrific scene in their lives.
How could they not afraid Many of the parapets were smashed down, and the defenders hiding behind the parapets suffered many casualties.
More people were so frightened by the terrifying lethality that they did not dare to show their heads.
Some people ran directly down the city wall to avoid the stone bullets.
A full hour has passed, and the morale of the defenders on the city wall has bottomed out.
They don't know how long this doomsday scene will last.
After all the stone bullets were fired, Liu Cheng issued the order to attack the city.
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The first wave of attacks was launched by three thousand infantrymen.
They divided into several echelons and rushed towards the city wall.
A large number of siege ladders were set up on the city wall.
Each soldier held a sword in his mouth and climbed up to the city wall with his hands and feet.
They had practiced climbing the ladder many times in the past few years.
They were so familiar that they couldn't be more familiar with it, no matter how brave they were.
Even the smallest people can come out.
The flexible and vigorous movements of the imperial soldiers made the defenders even more frightened.
As the archers advanced and began to shoot arrows at the city wall to suppress the defenders, the defenders' attack on the siege army weakened a lot.
Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen well railings were quickly pushed to the edge of the city wall, and a bridge was built to hook the city wall.
The imperial soldiers rushed up to the city wall with spears and swords and started fighting with the defenders.
The defenders never thought that the enemy would attack the city wall in the first round.
Everyone was in a panic.
These imperial soldiers were very organized and disciplined.
Three or five of them gathered together to cover each other and gradually advance. .
Liu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the fighting on the city wall, and said: "Let me just say that in such a short period of time, they did not have enough time to prepare for defense.
With Zhang Xiu's constant harassment, many of the city's defense supplies were lost."
There was no time to transport it to the city wall”: