The vanguard battalion has already fought a battle with an enemy force outside the city, wiping out two thousand of their men.
They quickly joined forces with the main force, and under the protection of the left and right flanks, the main force approached Shentangbao.
Thick, congealed blood stained the walls of the Fortress of the Gods, and below the walls lay corpses, their bodies long since dead and covered in snow. A row of heads hung at the city gate.
Those are the heads of officers stationed here, including Dimu's head.
They all had their eyes open, their eyeballs gray and dull, their mouths slightly parted, their expressions miserable.
When they were alive, they were all generals who led troops into battle.
But now, the heads are hanging on the city walls, intimidating the soldiers and civilians who have been enslaved, and also stimulating the vanity of the rebels and the Xia army.
Bang bang bang...
A row of war drums was placed on a large wooden cart, which was pushed forward by designated people.
In front of each war drum stood a burly, tall man.
When the deep, solemn sound of the horn resounded throughout the heavens and earth, the men began to beat the drums with all their might.
Neat, uniform formations moved forward in unison across the snow, their footsteps resonating with an astonishing uniformity, producing a deep, muffled sound as if they were about to crush the earth itself.
The armor gleamed with a cold light, and the forest of swords, spears, and banners stretched like clouds, a dark mass that spread horizontally and extended into the distance.
The Song army shouted their magnificent military slogans: Long live the Emperor! Long live the Great Song Dynasty!
The sound shook the snow off the trees not far away, echoing across the vast plains.
When the soldiers and civilians inside the castle, who had already been enslaved, heard such a magnificent and powerful sound, they were all moved to tears.
They felt as if the emperor had arrived, and they felt the strength of their allies!
The walls of Shentangbao were already filled with rebel soldiers and Xia troops, archers and crossbowmen were in position, and all the weapons for defending the city were laid out.
This includes the Song army's powerful fire oil, crossbows, and ballistae, among other things.
Zhang Cheng, a military commander under Wu Jie, said, "General Wu, this humble general is willing to challenge them!"
Wu Jie declared firmly, "No need for a challenge, attack the city directly!"
Moments later, the horns sounded to signal the start of the siege, and the rhythm of the war drums changed, becoming more intense.
Twelve siege ladders were pushed forward, and the soldiers pushing them hid behind them.
The war drums sounded, and the first wave of archers began to fire, instantly unleashing a rain of arrows.
The first wave of soldiers below raised their shields, and arrows shot at them. Some were deflected, some stuck in the shields, and some passed through the gaps and became lodged in the gaps between the soldiers' armor plates.
After the first volley of arrows was fired, the siege ladders were getting closer and closer to the city wall. Soon, the ladders were placed on the wall, and the soldiers hidden behind them began to climb into the ladder's pipes and quickly crawled along them.
The rebel and Xia troops defending the city walls had prepared fire oil, thunderbolts, stones, and so on.
In an instant, shouts of battle shook the heavens and the earth.
Meanwhile, the catapults, neatly arranged at the front of the army, began to operate. Huge stones were placed in the catapults, and with a powerful sound, the huge stones were launched, arcing through the air before crashing down on the city walls.
With a loud bang, the blow smashed open one person's head and struck another person in the chest, who coughed up blood and collapsed dead.
When the Song army's siege ladders were placed on the city wall, fierce flames and thunderbolts appeared on the wall. The intense flames began to scorch the siege ladders, and the thunderbolts exploded with a deafening sound, blasting one of the siege ladders apart. The siege ladder fell off the city wall, and all the soldiers crawling on it fell headfirst.
The siege battle had no warm-up, no pause, and started with the most ruthless tactics.
The twelve catapults began to operate frantically, launching huge stones that slammed into the city walls, each stone capable of killing several people.
Stones also began to fly from the city wall, crashing down on the formation below. The destructive force was greater than that of stones thrown from below; a single stone could knock several people to the ground.
Cao Sheng was inside Shentang Fort at that moment.
Those below rushed to report the situation at the front. Cao Sheng laughed loudly in the military camp: "Wu Jie, that brat, has become arrogant and ignorant since he got promoted. My Dingbian Army is recognized as the strongest army among all the armies in the Northwest. How dare he come here to act wildly! Fine! Cut off his head and send it to the dog emperor!"
Cao Sheng was confident that the army he commanded was not the same kind of incompetent imperial guards and local militias that the emperor had been sweeping through Hebei, Hedong, and the south.
The Dingbian Army was a genuine Western Army, a powerful force honed through long-term battles with the Tanguts, and possessed formidable combat capabilities.
Not only were they strong in combat, but Cao Sheng also possessed just as much military equipment as Wu Jie.
Wu Jie is out again now.
Moreover, Ren Duobaozhong's army is only ten miles away from Shentangbao. The army has now assembled and split into two groups, ready to encircle Wu Jie's left and right flanks at any time.
With enemies on three sides, Wu Jie is doomed to defeat!
Cao Sheng thought to himself.
If Wu Jie's army is defeated, the right flank of the dog emperor will be left undefended. Ren Duo Baozhong can then advance directly down the right flank, taking control of the Qin-Feng Road and heading straight for Qin Prefecture!
Once Qin Prefecture falls, the northwest of the Great Song Dynasty will be in grave danger!
Cao Sheng continued to drink and womanize in the military camp, enjoying himself immensely.
From then on, endless riches and honors awaited him, and he no longer had to live a life of uncertainty on the border.
A moment later, the scout reported: "Reporting to Commander Wu, a large number of Xia troops have been spotted ten miles away!"
Wu Lin whispered worriedly to Wu Jie, "Brother, we are now surrounded on three sides. If we don't capture Shentang Fort within an hour, the pressure on our left and right flanks will increase dramatically. Once they are breached, our army will be in grave danger!"
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