The Jin army sounded their horns, and the war drums suddenly rose, as if the heavens were enraged.
The siege begins, with siege bridges, ladders, and cannonballs all being used.
As the legends had it, the Jin army surged forward like a pack of wild bulls, while the archers in the rear drew their bows and fired arrows into the sky, a dense swarm like locusts.
Not to be outdone, Zhao Huan, though unable to personally lead the charge, still had hands and feet. On the main city tower, the emperor snatched the drumstick from the drummer, broke free from the obstruction of his ministers, and began to beat the drum with all his might!
Zhao Huan has been exercising diligently every day and has also adjusted his diet very reasonably. His body is much better than before, and when he goes down in a daze, it's like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
Seeing the emperor personally beat the war drums, the soldiers' morale soared and their blood boiled with fervor.
As the first wave of arrows from the Jin army flew in, shields were raised on the city walls.
Taking advantage of this opening, the Jin army quickly pushed the siege ladders and sleds toward the moat.
Chen Keli roared, "Divine Arm Crossbow Suppression!"
Every Song soldier carried a crossbow. When they were all fired at once, the arrows were more than twice as powerful as those from a bow. They rained down like a storm, piercing through the Jin soldiers' armor, sinking into their flesh, and embedding themselves in their bones, making a sound that made one's teeth ache.
The Jin soldiers pushing the ladders and sleds hid behind them, avoiding the crossbow bolts.
Upon seeing the Song army, Wanyan Zongwang immediately deployed his crossbow. With a wave of his hand, Wanyan Chamu shouted, "Slingshot!"
The messenger rushed forward waving flags, and all ten tall catapults started operating. With a series of powerful explosions, huge stones were hurled into the air and smashed towards the city wall.
boom……
The cannonballs struck the battlements of the barbican, smashing them to pieces, while the remaining cannonballs were thrown in different directions.
At this moment, the emperor was surrounded by a large group of people.
The emperor was drenched in sweat, but he rolled up his sleeves, covered his forehead with a headscarf, and continued to beat the drum tirelessly.
Li Gang immediately distributed and arranged all the attack points of the Song army's cannons. The Song army had a total of twenty cannon points, while the Jin army had ten. Li Gang's idea was to use two cannon points to deal with one Jin point, defeating them one by one.
boom……
A cannonball hurtled towards Zhao Huan. Two soldiers rushed forward and caught the cannonball with their bodies. The two soldiers were killed on the spot. The third and fourth soldiers were smashed in the head and bled profusely before the situation was brought under control.
The Song army quickly launched a counterattack with cannon fire.
Meanwhile, the Jin army's siege ladders and siege carts had reached the moat, and the uppermost wooden ramps were broken down, with the exit set up on the city wall of Bianjing.
Upon seeing the situation, Li Gang immediately ordered, "Prepare the flammable oil!"
The raging flames burst forth, sweeping towards the cloud ladder and goose cart, but burning takes time, and the oil used in the Song Dynasty was not as intense as the natural gas of later generations.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Jin army quickly climbed the ladders and the goose carts. In just over ten seconds, the first batch of Jin soldiers rushed out of the wooden passage. However, the first Jin soldier to rush out was immediately slashed in the face by a Song soldier.
With a snap, that was the sound of a knife hitting bone. The knife was embedded in the bone, and the Song soldier struggled to free himself.
At this moment, Jin soldiers kept rushing out of the goose carts, and the fierce oil began to play its role.
Meanwhile, countless Jin soldiers were climbing the cloud ladders below.
Soon, a small-scale melee broke out on the city wall, with both sides witnessing blood and gore flying everywhere.
One of the Jin soldiers slashed at a Song soldier's sword with his longsword, but with his left hand, he swiftly drew a short knife and stabbed it into the Song soldier's neck. The Song soldier's face turned red, and he let out a final, beast-like roar. He sheathed his sword, letting the Jin soldier's longsword fall over him. At the same time, with his last strength, he plunged the knife into the Jin soldier's eye and pulled it down, tearing off half of the Jin soldier's face.
Such scenes began to appear more frequently on the city walls.
The ministers were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and some even collapsed to the ground, wetting themselves in fear.
The emperor's war drums were the best stimulant, constantly inspiring the warriors on the city walls.
The first siege lasted a full half hour, during which the Jin army's suicide squads were all wiped out, and only the elite troops followed.
At this moment, the city walls were already stained red with blood!
Chen Keli roared, "Men, don't let the Jurchen invaders get past the barbican!"
"yes!"
The Song soldiers on the city walls kept changing shifts, while the soldiers and civilians in the rear bandaged the wounded soldiers who had fallen from the battle and transported them to nearby treatment centers. On this day, all the doctors in the city of Tokyo were mobilized and fifteen emergency stations were set up. All the medicines had been prepared in advance, and the most basic operation training had been given to some ordinary people so that as soon as someone was brought over, the medicine would be applied immediately.
The Jin army's elite troops began their assault on the city, making the war even more brutal. The battle raged until dusk, when the setting sun, like blood, illuminated the wisps of clouds on the horizon in crimson.
The Jin army destroyed all their cannons, including seven that were destroyed by the Song army. Two-thirds of their siege engines and ladders were also lost, and the death toll reached 10,000.
Wanyan Zongwang's expression remained calm, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
Wanyan Chamu roared in fury: "General, please give me three thousand elite troops, and I will take the city wall!"
"withdraw troops."
Wanyan Chamu thought she had misheard: "General!"
"Order a withdrawal!"
"General, withdrawing our troops at this time will severely damage our morale!"
"I hereby order a retreat. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
Zhao Huan was almost exhausted. He had long since stopped beating the drums. Sitting on the city wall, watching the Jin army retreat in an organized and disciplined manner, he smiled at Wang Yanbo and said, "Wang Qing, you saw that dog Wanyan Zongwang was driven away by me!"
Wang Boyan quickly replied, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty! The Jurchen invaders are nothing but clowns! May the Great Song Dynasty live on forever!"
Seeing Wang Boyan flattering the emperor, the other ministers were not to be outdone and quickly stepped forward to sing praises of the emperor's achievements this time.
Holy crap! If my ministers are as good at fighting and governing as they are at flattering, what do I have to worry about?
As darkness fell, torches illuminated the night in front of the city gate. Wounded soldiers were treated with medicine and sat on the ground. The commander leaned against the wall and drank water, while some women bandaged the wounded soldiers.
The emperor sat on the high platform, just sitting there casually, without any airs of imperial authority.
"On the second day after I ascended the throne, four prime ministers came to me to discuss peace! I was foolish. My Great Song Dynasty is a celestial empire with countless patriotic men. Why should we negotiate peace? I executed four prime ministers in succession! What use are prime ministers who only talk to me about peace?"
No one spoke. The emperor continued, "My Great Song Dynasty belongs to the millions of people. If I were to negotiate peace, pay reparations, or cede territory, how could I face the people of the world?"
"Although the Jin invaders have retreated today, the war between the Song and Jin has only just begun. I will fight the Jin invaders to the bitter end!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Great Song Dynasty!"
The shouts grew louder and louder.
"Li Gang!"
"Your subject is here!"
"You make the arrangements. Everyone who participates in this battle will be rewarded!"
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