The north wind is blowing more and more violently, it is the beginning of October, winter has arrived, and the weather is getting colder and colder.

The weather was sunny for the past few days, although the weather was cold, but at least there was still the winter sun shining with white flowers during the day, and the leeward and sunny places were still warm. But as we approached the afternoon today, the strong northerly wind brought white clouds, and before you knew it, the winter sun was obscured by the clouds, the sky became dark and low, and the weather became more and more cold and biting.

Li Guangbi's siege battle was officially launched at this time when the clouds were gathering and the cold wind was cold.

Beginning in the afternoon, more than 800 catapults that had been built were pushed out of the camp one by one, and began to approach the city under the pull of mules and horses. Of the 250,000 troops of the whole army, except for 50,000 soldiers and horses left as reserves, the remaining 200,000 troops were ready to go.

Li Guangbi's strategy was to attack the city from the southeast with 250,000 soldiers and horses, and only need one breakthrough to capture Tongzhou. According to Li Guangbi's original plan, an army of 300,000 troops would be surrounded on all sides and attack the four cities of Tongzhou at the same time. But reality forced him to make adjustments.

In the past few days, Wang Yuan has eaten more than 30,000 soldiers and horses, plus more than 10,000 soldiers and horses were forced to be sent to dredge the mountain road, so there are only 250,000 soldiers and horses left in his hands. Originally, the number of 250,000 troops mobilized in the four cities at the same time was enough, but the problem was that the siege carried out in advance prevented the construction of siege equipment from reaching the expected number. The originally expected 1,500 siege vehicles were completed only about 800. The 60,000 chain shields that were originally expected to be completed were only half completed. Only twenty giant siege vehicles were completed. In this case, if the four cities are attacking the city at the same time, it will be difficult to exert the power of the siege equipment.

Under such circumstances, Li Guangbi had to make adjustments, and he decided to take Dongcheng, which is the most open terrain, as the main attack point, equipped with 500 siege catapults, 15 siege vehicles, and 180,000 troops to carry out a fierce attack. Another 70,000 soldiers and horses, supported by 300 catapults and five siege vehicles, launched an auxiliary attack at the southern city gate. In this way, you can not only disperse the strength of the opponent's defenders, but also spread out your own superior forces to the greatest extent.

The wind swept dust and dead grass through the air. The black pressure was like a dark cloud of siege soldiers and horses spread along the earth to the city, and the scene was truly terrifying. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses wriggled on the ground beneath Tongzhou City, like a moving army of ants, devouring everything along the way.

Approaching 500 steps below the city of Tongzhou, 70,000 siege soldiers and horses began to move towards the southern city, completing the deployment of Li Guangbi's siege on the southeast side. In just one hour. Lee Kwang-pil completed all the pre-war preparations.

After receiving the news that the other party was going to attack the city, the soldiers and horses of the Shence army had already boarded the city wall to prepare to defend the city. Even though the soldiers of the Shence Army were full of belief in victory, they still felt tremendous pressure when they saw the opponent's soldiers and horses approaching densely all over the mountains.

Two hundred and fifty thousand, even if it is two hundred and fifty thousand rats and two hundred and fifty thousand birds, gathered together and pounced, it will make people tremble. Not to mention the 250,000 heavily armed enemy troops. Unless it is a heartless person, but any normal person, when he sees this scene, his throat will roll, his breath will be short, and his blood flow will increase.

Wang Yuan was dressed in black armor, wearing a silver double-eared winged helmet, and stood above the city tower with the hilt of his sword. Behind him, the scarlet cloak was hunting in the wind, and the bright red tassels on the top of his head were flying in the wind, and the whole person was still tall and tall. I don't know when he started to wear his overly ostentatious golden bright light armor, and instead wore the same low-key black armor as Gao Xianzhi. But even so, his figure still attracts everyone's attention and is still the focus of everyone's eyes.

Wang Yuan stood quietly at the head of the city and stared at the enemy troops advancing under the city, with a calm expression. His composure also quieted down the soldiers around him. The mood of the commander determines the mood of the army, and the temperament of the commander determines the temperament of the army.

When all the pre-battle preparations were in place, the city and the city fell silent at this moment. Up and down the city, in the wilderness and valley, only the howling wind blew in the ears, and hundreds of thousands of people confronted each other like clay sculptures and wood sculptures. They didn't know each other, they didn't have a personal grudge, and most of them didn't even know why they were involved in this fight. But they had to stand here, waiting for a bloody battle, and I have to say the sorrow of the ordinary people of this era. They have no way to control their own destiny, and can only live or die, sink or float in the waves of fate like ants.

"Stomp, stomp." The sound of horses' hooves sounded in front of the army formation under the city, and Li Guangbi also wore black armor, put on a gray cloak, and rode a purple-red high-headed horse slowly out of the formation. Beside him, dozens of guards with shields followed closely to the left and right.

Li Guangbi and his entourage slowly walked towards the city tower, until they reached a distance of 100 steps and stood at Lerma.

Li Guangbi raised his head on horseback, his indifferent gaze wandered along the city wall, and soon fixed his eyes on Wang Yuan, who was standing behind the battlements of the city tower. And Wang Yuan stared at Li Guangbi from the moment he rode out, and the eyes of the two met in the air, like two sharp swords clashing in the air, and then firmly locked together.

"Wang Dashuai, don't come unharmed." Li Guangbi's dull voice floated up from under the city, and there was no joy in his words, only a chill that was colder than the north wind around him.

"Li Shuai, the demeanor is as good as before." Wang Yuan laughed and arched his hand.

Li Guangbi bowed his hand slightly, and his eyes did not leave Wang Yuan's face. He said coldly: "Wang Yuan, you and I haven't seen each other for almost two years." Who would have thought that you and I would meet again in such a situation. ”

"Li Shuai, I've thought of it a long time ago. Didn't you think of it? Wang Yuan said with a smile.

Li Guangbi snorted coldly and said, "This is the difference between you and me. What I want is that on the day you and I reunite, we will be to assist the new emperor and do our best for the peace of the world of the Tang Dynasty. It's a pity that you're not what I thought. That's why you and I have this reunion scene today. This is a pity. ”

"Li Shuai, when you say this, I am a little ashamed of myself, as if I have done something sorry for you. In that case, why don't Li Shuai go with me to see Your Majesty immediately, and let's assist the new emperor to open up the cause of peace and prosperity? ”

"Wang Yuan, until now, you are still obsessed, and you really make people sigh. You are a pillar of talent, how did you get to where you are today? You have done the wrath of heaven, do you understand? It's not too late to rein in the precipice, you and I used to kill the enemy side by side, and it can be regarded as some friendship. If you can trust me Li Guangbi, I can promise you here today that as long as you immediately stop the precipice, Li will desperately keep you safe, and with your talent, you will be reused by the court. Why should you be a rebel and a thief, and you will be crushed in the future? ”

Wang Yuan laughed and said, "Li Guangbi, Li Guangbi, do you think anyone will believe these words of yours?" Do you want me to believe you as a person? How can I trust you? I know better than anyone else in the world what kind of person you are. Do you want me to expose your old bottom? ”

Li Guangbi snorted coldly and said, "Don't be obsessed. You have committed a great sin, and surrender is your only way out. ”

"Don't bother, it's not your turn to worry about my way out. But you came to me in desperation, but I gave you a way to live. You don't say thank you either. Originally, I thought that before the big war between you and me, you would come and say thank you to me, but it seems that you don't mean that way. ”

Li Guangbi's face was blue, he didn't want Wang Yuan to mention the past, and shouted in a deep voice: "Wang Yuan, don't you know the seriousness of the situation until now?" The 500,000 troops of the imperial court are crusading against you, and you still don't know that the death period is coming? If it weren't for the old friendship, I wouldn't have come to talk to you. Your mind knows everything in the world, and I already know what you're going to do, so that's why I parted ways with you. Whether you win a hundred battles, whether you are eloquent or strategic, even if you are good in a thousand ways, if you want to usurp the throne and stand on behalf of the Tang Dynasty, then you are a heinous person, and everyone will be punished. ”

Wang Yuan sneered and shouted: "What a loyal and filial son, so passionate and generous, those who don't know still think that you Li Guangbi is the most loyal courtier of my Tang Dynasty." But in my eyes, you are an out-and-out villain when you strip your clothes. ”

"Shut up, people in the world have their own teachings, it's not that you can slander Li if you spew blood."

"Slandering you? You, Li Guangbi, are just a narrow-minded, narrow-minded, traitorous and speculative villain. Don't pretend to be a loyal and good general, don't look like you are for the country and the people, you can deceive the world, but how can you deceive me. You are not here to accuse me, let me ask you, over the years, what has I done Wang Yuan to bring disaster to the country and the people? I, Wang Yuan, fought in the east and west, fought in the south and in the north, who were the opponents? What did you Lee Kwang-pil do again? In the crusade against Tibet, you buried more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. When the imperial court was in distress, you and Ge Shuhan buried hundreds of thousands of imperial troops in Tongguan. When the rebels attacked Chang'an, you and Guo Ziyi left without a fight with fifty or sixty thousand people. After that, if it weren't for my divine army to rescue you, you would have been trapped and died in Fengzhou. Not to mention that you support Li Mao to stand on his own in Lingzhou, and His Majesty Chengdu is still here, but you have done such a big rebellion and speculation. Tell me yourself, what are you doing except fighting in the nest? What contribution have you made to Datang? It's the turn of people like you to accuse me of Wang Yuan, it's really a wonder in the world. ”

Li Guangbi's face was flushed, and he said angrily: "What if you have made meritorious contributions? Can we have a disobedient heart? No matter how much credit you make, everyone can condemn you for usurpation. ”

Wang Yuan said coldly: "I'm tired of hearing the words usurpation, you put these two words on me a long time ago, and I don't want to explain them." Before, you said that I was a usurper, then you can crusade against me. But now that Emperor Tai has been reinstated, and Li Mao's throne has been announced to the world as an illegal usurpation, why did you lead your troops to attack again? If you are really a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, you should immediately turn the gun to Li Mao. His Majesty in Chengdu is the only imperial court in the world. You didn't do that, because you're not a loyal servant at all, and you're a rebel. Since you and I are all the same, what right do you have to accuse me? ”

Li Guangbi said angrily: "Strong words, all this is your conspiracy, are you deaf and blind in the world?" ”

Wang Yuan spread his hands and said: "Isn't this enough, if you say that I am playing a conspiracy, I can also say that you are playing a conspiracy." You and I, my lords, the winner is the king and the loser is the thief, so what else is there to say? If you attack a city, you will attack it, and what will you do here to tell me? ”

"I ...... I'm just giving you one final piece of advice. Once activated, there's no turning back. ”

"Phew, I want you to give me a chance to turn back? You also don't want to think about what you've been through these days. How many days of rations do you have in your army? Do you want me to help you? You dare to come and argue with me. I, Wang Yuan, told you in front of hundreds of thousands of people today, you Li Guangbi don't want to defeat me in this life, in front of me, you will always be a loser. I will ravage you as I want. You should have withdrawn immediately, but you chose to attack the city, which once again shows your stupidity. You have not only harmed yourself, but also the lives of these hundreds of thousands of innocent soldiers. If I were you, I would immediately withdraw from Shu now, or I could breathe for a while. But I know that a fool like you would never will. Don't say much, let's go to war. Wang Yuan shouted loudly.

Li Guangbi's face was full of iron, he opened his mouth to say something, but finally he didn't say half a word, he turned his horse's head, galloped back to the formation, and the moment he arrived in the formation, he almost gritted his teeth and gave an order.

"Attack the city now! Twelve hours of non-stop siege! I want to capture Wang Yuan's dog thief alive! I'm going to tear him to pieces! ”

The siege began, and to the sound of trumpets and drums, 800 catapults began to frantically shoot stones at the city. A loud noise rang out from the catapult, and countless fist-sized stones in the throwing basket cut through a distance of two hundred paces and landed up and down the city, crackling and smashing on the battlements and walls, jumping and rolling at the head of the city.

Countless stones smashed large clouds of smoke and dust, and soon enveloped the city. Although the city defense of Tongzhou has been reinforced, it is far from reaching the point of impregnable, although these dense stones can not smash the city wall, but the rammed earth and battlements in a large area begin to collapse and fall off, from time to time there is a huge roar sound, from time to time there is a huge smoke and dust in the air. It was the scene of peeling facades and crumbling battlements.

On the city wall, tens of thousands of Shence soldiers could only shrink under the battlements, or several people could huddle in the corners with iron shields together. The stone landed on the shield with a crisp clanging sound, shaking their arms sore.

Although the siege suppression of catapults is primitive, it has to be said that in ancient wars, a large number of catapults were still the best means to suppress the city. This is much more effective than other means such as bows and ballistas, because this is a large-scale pressing, which does not require precision. Fist-sized rocks don't seem to be very lethal, but if you don't dodge them in time, expose yourself to the rain of stones for a moment, and you will be stoned to death. Another advantage of large-scale suppression is that it can smash the defenses on the city wall, allowing the infantry to get closer to the city wall more completely, and can launch a siege faster.

Of course, the Shence Army also countered the opponent's siege catapults, but the means were extremely effective. The dozens of tiger squat cannons on the head of the city were useless, because the opponent's catapults were distributed in a range of 150 to 200 steps, which was the near dead end of the tiger squat cannons. As soon as the Tiger Squat Cannon was fired, it was all outside the mile, and the amount of charge could not be controlled for a while, so that the distance was only within one or two hundred paces. But Liu Dehai still placed the remaining dozen tiger squat guns on the West Gate Square in Tongzhou. This widens the distance between the entire city, and it is possible to fire cannonballs outside the city from one city to the other. The solid iron bullets fired by a dozen cannons also smashed many catapults, but this attack method obviously did not have a very good effect, and it could only be better than nothing.

The heavy stone bombardment lasted for half an hour, and Li Guangbi ordered the infantry formation to begin to advance. At the sound of an order, Li Xuchang's attack formation advanced like a wave, and the scene was extremely spectacular.

This time, the siege infantry was neither a phalanx nor a swarm rushing towards the city, but a horizontal formation arranged horizontally. This formation is rarely used in siege battles, it is a primitive formation that has been obsolete. Under the fierce fire of the opponent's city head of the crossbow, this formation is equivalent to queuing to die. But this time it was completely different, and the reason Lee did it was because of the chain shield he designed. And this wave-shaped formation, which is lined up, can give full play to the characteristics of a chain shield.

There were three rows of soldiers in each horizontal column, and the task of the soldier at the front was to lift a huge wooden shield nearly a man high, and the edges of hundreds of large wooden shields were hinged by iron hooks, connecting left and right to form a huge horizontal row of barriers. And behind it, there was a row of archers, a row of siege infantry carrying ladders. In this way, every three rows of soldiers formed a horizontal column, forming a wave formation of 1,200 men. There are fifty of them, which is exactly what all the chain shields are using. Then the first wave of siege troops was as high as 60,000 people. There were 20,000 shieldmen, 10,000 archers, and 30,000 siege infantry.

The siege wave array slowly approached, and soon, the front team was within a hundred paces of the city. At this time, the catapult was still roaring, and the city was still shrouded in smoke and dust, but a standard-bearer on the high wooden tower at the top of the tower waved his flag. The next moment, a black cloud came out of the smoke and dust at the head of the city, and shot towards the besieging soldiers and horses under the city with a whooshing sound. The density of the arrows is staggering, it was the first wave of bows and arrows on the eastern city wall, yes