Li Guangyan, whose courtesy name was Guangyuan, was a general of the Turkic Atiao tribe.
He was given the surname Li.
Li Guangjin was his elder brother.
Both brothers served in the Tang army.
The brothers Li Guangjin and Li Guangyan were different from other generals.
When the two brothers came of age, Zhao Ziliang had already put down the rebellion in the feudal town, and he did not reuse the generals from then on.
I have to admit that there are still many talents among the generals. , especially military generals.
Due to their birth environment and natural blood, these people are all fearless and powerful.
Some are speculators and some are always loyal.
Li Guangyan is forty years old this year.
He is in the prime of life.
He has been guarding Silla these years.
However, Silla has long been destroyed by the Tang army.
In the past few years, there were occasional minor rebellions, but they were quickly put down.
Li Guangyan took office in Silla.
After taking command of the army, he has never encountered war and has been very calm.
He is not too old now, not too young at all.
It is when he longs to make achievements, and this Western Expedition just gave him this opportunity.
All the Silla officers were from Silla, and a small number of officers were from Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo, but most of the officers and generals were from the Tang Dynasty.
The reason for adopting this method of employment is mainly to better manage this army, so that it can not only exert its combat effectiveness, but also better control it, so as not to cause chaos.
In addition to the commander, the Silla Army also had two lieutenants.
One of them was Buyok, who was from Baekje, and the other was Gao Chenggong, who was from Goguryeo.
Neither of them were nobles of Baekje or Goguryeo, but they were both They have good military talents, can fight and command, and let them serve as deputy generals.
Not only can their military talents be used, but they can also help Li Guangyan lead the army more carefully.
Because they are not from nobility, so They even hoped to be recognized by the Tang Dynasty.
Fuyu Ke observed the fighting situation on the top of the city wall, turned around and cupped his fists at Li Guangyan and said: "General Li, the overwhelming rocks and kerosene bombs have caused the Eastern Roman garrison at the top of the city to flee, and the defense line has also become lax and leaky. , the general suggested increasing the intensity of the attack and increasing the number of offensive troops, so as to break through the first city wall in one go."
Li Guangyan looked at Gao Chenggong and asked: "General Gao, what do you think?"
Gao Chenggong thought about it and clasped his fists and said: "I think we should attack the city with maximum intensity from the beginning.
If we can't attack it, it will have a great impact on the morale of our army.
The military manual does not say that we can go all out in one go and then weaken again.
And are you exhausted?
There are fifty thousand defenders in Constantinople.
For the defenders, fifty thousand is not a small number.
According to the siege standards in the military book, at least It requires five times the force, that is, twenty-five men and horses are needed to attack the city.
Once the morale drops, it will be difficult to improve it.
If the city is destroyed in a short time, we can only think of other ways, and it is We have not yet discovered the loopholes in the defense line.
Otherwise, it is best to attack the city steadily and step by step.
This is just the opinion of the general.
It is up to the general to decide how to decide."
Li Guangyan thought and weighed the suggestions of Gao Chenggong and Fu Yuke.
Both of them made some sense.
Judging from the current situation, the garrison on the city wall was very sufficient, even though they were panicked and in chaos by the long-range attack just now. , some people were so scared that they hid Come, but this situation will not last long, because people are very adaptable.
It will not take long for these defenders to adapt to this kind of battle scene and quickly enter the battle.
The stability of the city wall defense line will be enhanced.
Otherwise, why is it said that siege warfare is the most difficult battle?
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When the defenders have sufficient strength and there is no shortage of defensive equipment, it is almost impossible to break through the city wall defense line in one go.
You must know that the height of the city wall is not a decoration.
No matter how many siege soldiers are gathered under the city wall, it is almost impossible.
It doesn't help much, it can only provide the defenders with more shooting targets.
If Fuyu Ke's eccentric suggestion succeeds, the credit and reputation gained will be beyond imagination, and the soldiers will lose a lot less.
However, if it fails, the blow to morale will be fatal.
This suggestion has merit. , and there are great sequelae.
The highly successful suggestion is more prudent, but too moderate.
If the siege is carried out step by step, the war may last for a long time, the pressure on logistics will be great, and battle losses and consumption will rise sharply.
Although Zhao Ziliang did not No clear deadline was given, but Li Guangyan did not think that Zhao Ziliang would always let him fight a war of attrition.
However, it would not work if he did not fight, otherwise people would think he was timid.
He thought for a moment and ordered: "Many of our army are new soldiers.
Although they have been training for a long time, they have not really been on the battlefield.
Soldiers They also need time to adapt to the battlefield atmosphere, casualties The situation and the rhythm of the battle, if you use all your strength from the beginning, the soldiers may not be able to adapt, and the possibility of success is unlikely.
Let the soldiers adapt for a few days, and then pass on the order of the general to attack with this intensity for three days.
We’ll see how it goes after three days.”
The two clasped their fists and agreed: "Yes" One by one, the siege ladders were set up on the city wall by Silla soldiers.
The soldiers began to climb the ladders one by one.
They tied small bucklers to their arms so that their hands could be free to climb the ladders.
Some of them even had knives in their mouths.
Inside, he climbed up quickly with both hands, but the defenders on the city wall would not remain indifferent.
Arrows, thunder stones, and rolling wood kept hitting them downwards.
The Silla soldiers who climbed up the ladder were dropped like dumplings.
Compared with the Tang Army and the Western Qin Army, the training of soldiers recruited from subordinate areas such as Silla Soldiers, Goguryeo Soldiers, and Baekje Soldiers must be worse, and their equipment is also much worse.
Therefore, their individual combat effectiveness cannot be improved.
Compared with the Western Qin soldiers and Tang soldiers, the overall combat capability depends on who is commanding them.
A large number of Silla soldiers under the city were attacked by the defenders on the city wall.
Waves of arrows were shot down, and the Silla soldiers fell one after another.
A stone was smashed down, knocking over several others, and a rolling log rolled along the siege wall.
The ladder rolled down and knocked down a row of people.
The dead were left unattended, the injured could not retreat, and the uninjured could only continue to move forward.
The shouts of killing from up and down the city wall were too noisy.
There were too many dead and too many injured, so that the wounded soldiers suffered terribly.
The screams and moans left the others unmoved.
Many times, blood may make people timid and scared, but it may also inspire the hidden ferocity in people's hearts.
Soldiers all know that if they retreat without military orders and fear the enemy, the officers will kill people.
Although rushing may lead to death and injury, it is also possible to kill the enemy and break the city.
No one wants to be a loser or a deserter who retreats without authorization.
It is not everyone’s nature to be brave and fierce, but under the gaze of his comrades and eager officers behind him, no matter how timid or weak he is, In this situation, people will not be able to help themselves and fight bravely with other people to kill the enemy.
Casualties gradually increased, and soon there was a layer of corpses under the city wall, including wounded soldiers and dying people, while other soldiers attacking the city were still climbing the city wall one after another.
Li Guangyan observed the military formation for a while and then ordered: "Send archers to suppress the defenders at the top of the city and ask them to be careful not to shoot their own people."
"Yes, General" After the order was conveyed, several rows of archers approached the city wall in neat steps to provide cover and long-range support for the Silla soldiers attacking the city.
Waves of arrows were fired over, and the defenders on the city wall began to increase their casualties.
With these Despite the suppression of archers, the defenders on the city wall could not attack the siege soldiers below the city without any scruples.
Li Guangyan turned to look at Fuyu Ke and Gao Chenggong, and asked: "What do you think of these Eastern Roman soldiers guarding the city?"
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Gao Chenggong said: "A considerable number of these people should be veterans, and they have at least several combat experiences.
Otherwise, they would not be so calm and calm, and their combat movements would not be so smooth and skillful.
In my opinion, The Eastern Roman side must want to use these elite troops to resist our first few waves of offensive, and at the same time, let them bring some new recruits so that the new recruits can become familiar with and adapt to the bloody and cruel battlefield as soon as possible."
"That's right."
Fuyu Ke also said this.
He continued: "The general who defends the city is quite experienced in defending the city, and he is not a fool.
General, I'm afraid this battle won't be that easy to fight."
Li Guangyan laughed when he heard this and said: "There are no easy wars in this world.
In wars, people will die.
I also asked about Constantinople before I came here.
It is said that it has served as the capital of the Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire many times.
Being besieged and attacked by the enemy, even They have also been occupied by internal rebellions, but they have never been attacked from the front, so it is normal that this battle is difficult.
Today we will try their defensive strength first, and we will do it after we find out their details.
Targeted tactical adjustments”
Fuyu Ke and Gao Chenggong nodded and said: "Very good."
On the first day of the siege, the defenders were not yet familiar with the battle rhythm of the Silla Army, and were not used to having large-scale trebuchets constantly pelting their heads with rocks and kerosene bombs.
While defending, they had to worry about being dropped from the sky.
Stones and kerosene bombs hit the enemy, so an inspection at the end of the day revealed that the ratio of casualties on both sides was one to one.
Leo V felt chilled after receiving this data.
He had already received the news that the main force of the Western Qin army this time was 200,000.
Including the forwards, there were a total of 256,000 troops, maybe more.
If this ratio of casualties continues, I am afraid that before long, Constantinople will be faced with a situation where there are no soldiers available.
Because there are too many casualties, the soldiers' fighting will and determination will definitely gradually weaken, and those who have never The strong men recruited from the residents of the city have not experienced military training.
Although these people can pull up the city wall to help defend, they can only serve as soldiers.
Night Raid has experienced many battles and has become a warrior, but it will definitely not be a qualified one.
Soldiers, because they have not experienced formal training and do not know how to cooperate with their companions to fight, the role of a single horse in such a large-scale war is too weak and is not useful at all
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