Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

At the beginning of September, the weather was getting colder and colder, and Xu Jun's artillery had not fired for several days.

The next evening is like morning to Zhang Da and the others. There was a rush in the barracks, everyone washed and dressed, and tried to put on clean linings...if there was still time to wash and dry. There is a rule above that the inner lining should be worn cleanly, and wounds are not easy to fester; but the soldiers have been here for too long, and they have been on duty for too long, and they are exhausted. Many people don't wash clothes at all.

Everyone helped each other, Zhang Da put on a four-piece suit weighing 20 to 30 catties, picked up the fire|gun and cleaned the iron pipes again, checked the complicated firearm accessories, and then took off the barrier knife and hung it on his belt. He has to work hard every day, but he is also skilled.

Everyone went to the open space in the fort to "click" together, and then lined up on the wall.

"Crack, crack, crack..." The sound of orderly footsteps was mixed with the clinking of armor, and sporadic musket explosions. Occasionally someone coughed, but no one spoke. The last rays of the setting sun sprinkled on the ground, Zhang Da looked up, and saw a piece of iron helmet shaking.

Sometimes, Zhang Da seems to be transformed into a wooden beam or a piece of rammed earth in that earth cave, because he has to stand in the same place every day.

As the sun went down, the sound of gunfire on both sides never stopped. The Japanese trenches below are within dozens of paces! They built thick planks in front of and behind the ditch, which have a good protective effect against the long-range fire|gun lead pellets... It's a pity that Xu Jun's artillery ammunition is running out, and the last reserves must be kept to deal with the more threatening ladders! Otherwise, a round of artillery salvo will blow those things into pieces!

However, the thick planks could not completely protect the Japanese army, so there were very few people in the ditch during the day. The ditch faces the corner wall on Zhang Da’s side, but the side faces another corner wall, and oblique shots from the wall can completely threaten the enemy soldiers in the ditch; even the bottom of the corner wall is completely facing the longitudinal direction of the ditch, and all the enemy soldiers in the ditch are exposed at that angle... The Japanese army can’t help it. No matter how it is repaired, there is always a corner wall that can threaten them.

But it's different after nightfall.

It was sunny during the day, but very dark at night, the moonlight at the beginning of the month was not clear, and there were clouds.

"Bang!" A rocket exploded in the air like fireworks, and the night flashed. The generals of Xu Jun on the wall took advantage of the brighter light and stared at the ditch below the city with wide eyes.

There are no generals and soldiers outside the fort, and there is no need to send scouts, because the Japanese army's fortifications have already been dug within dozens of steps!

The flash of light quickly faded and disappeared into the darkness.

After a long period of silence and darkness, the frequency of Xu Jun's flares became less and less... Every night, countless rockets were fired, and the rockets were almost exhausted. In addition to the shortage of ammunition, there is not much fuel left.

During the long interval, people could only remain alert without saying a word, listening with their ears and searching for clues in the darkness with their eyes.

Not long after, there was another explosion in the air. When Zhang Da hurriedly opened his eyes, his heart tightened! The ditch is full of hunched people and wooden ladders! Even outside the ditch are sparsely standing people. The sudden bright light surprised the Japanese army, and many people looked up at the sky.

"Bang bang bang..." The musket on the wall immediately rang out, and rows of flashes were dazzling.

Zhang Da also picked up the musket and stretched out the crenel, took a rough look, heard the sound of the gong, fired a "bang", and quickly hid behind the parapet.

Yu Liang whistled in the soil cave, Zhang turned around and left, and three other soldiers came up with firearms.

Suddenly there was a scream of "ah", and the soldiers who had just passed by in the dark cried out in pain.

The sound of killing under the wall shook the sky, and there were crazy shouts. Yu Liang's voice yelled: "The fuel tank is next to the wall, throw it away when you see a ladder!"

But once the fire oil is exhausted, you can only use stones, or try your best to lift the ladder!

... The difficult night finally passed, and wounded soldiers moaning in pain were carried down the city wall from time to time. The soldiers dragged their exhausted bodies and let out a long sigh of relief looking at the pale Dongtian; the rays of the rising sun seemed to be able to disperse the Japanese soldiers like ghosts and ghosts!

Everyone waited for another group of soldiers to come up and change defenses.

But Commander Zhang walked up to the top of the city wall first. Looking at the ladders being built in the camp in the distance, he said loudly, "We serve the country in the army, and the shroud of horse leather is the natural destination. This fort is the place where I will be buried! When life and death are at stake, I hope you will fight the enemy with all your strength and abide by righteousness!"

Commander Zhang shouted again: "Long live Da Xu..."

But his shouts were lonely on this earthen fortress, a fortress full of tired soldiers, like an empty wilderness.

The breath of death inevitably enveloped the entire Iwami Fort. Ammunition and military supplies were running out day by day, and the Japanese army was building ladders again... Without artillery and heavy weapons, the ladders could approach the fort without any pressure... And Liuhua Fort, which had lost its firepower, was more fragile than ordinary cities in the Central Plains, and the walls of ordinary cities were at least higher. The last hard blow may not be too long, Zhang Jiankui thinks that Shi Jianbao will not be able to hold on for another half month!

After boosting his morale, Zhang Jiankui returned to the command office. It was just dawn, and only Zan Jurun was in the signing room inside.

The two looked at each other, the situation was in front of them, they knew each other well, there was no need to say anything.

Zan Jurun said in a deep voice: "To be honest, I regret coming here... I am the servant of the Sixth Department, if I didn't want to come, the official would not have sent me."

Zhang Jiankui was a little surprised when he heard that, a dignified court minister shouldn't have said such a thing. But right now, there is obviously no life, it seems that there is nothing to say, and they will all die.

Zhang Jiankui's expression was very bad, he hadn't slept well for many days, he said casually: "I thought that Minister Zan was righteous and not afraid of death."

Zan Jurun shook his head and smiled wryly: "Commander Zhang knows what the rich and powerful care about the most? It's all right. I didn't expect this battle to be like this at first... This is the most stupid | suffering in the battle formation I have seen..."

Zhang Jiankui whispered abruptly, "Does Minister Zan want to surrender?"

Zan Jurun said without hesitation: "Compared to being out of morals, I'd rather die."

He continued: "Starting today, we will start smashing some cannons. When the iron bullets are used up, the Japanese army will not be able to stay on the ladder for a long time. Commander Zhang will order to stuff the remaining gunpowder into the barrels and blow up all the cannons!"

After hearing this, Zhang Jiankui clasped his fists and said, "The final general will follow Zan's order."

Zan Jurun returned the gift and said: "I am a civil servant. I can't fight to the death with the soldiers. When the city is broken, I will kill myself in the government office first and go on the road!"

...

Not only did Xu Jun suffer, but Ono Koko didn't feel better either. He had already paid ten times the price of Xu Jun's casualties! And it takes a long time, and it can't be attacked for a long time.

But at this point in the battle, the Battle of Iwami Fort is finally coming to an end. A victory without joy, but a tinge of relief nonetheless.

"The strategy we set up still works." Ono Koko said wearily.

Yang Gun nodded and said: "So far, I have not thought of a better way."

Ono Koko looked at the towering ladder and said, "It's just the last blow."

But Yang Gun said: "I'm afraid not necessarily. After these days, I think that the civil and military affairs in Xu Junbao are quite organized. I'm afraid there are still a small amount of artillery and ammunition left. The fire oil can destroy the ladder close to the city wall... watering can't extinguish the fire oil."

Ono nodded his head, but no matter what, Xu Jun's artillery can't always have ammunition, and the ladder is destroyed, so it's just a matter of continuing to build.

Yang Gun said in a deep voice: "The last few steps, the more you can't be impatient, you have to walk steadily."

At this moment, a person hurried into the Chinese army tent, bowed and said: "Mr. Xiaoye, I just got an urgent report. A large fleet of the Xu Army was found on Tsushima Island, at least more than a hundred ships!"

"Ah?" Kono Ono turned pale impatiently.

Yang Gun frowned and said, "Where did the Xu people get so many sea-going ships? Could it be that they used Jianghe sailors to make up the numbers and go on an adventurous expedition?"

Ono Koko quickly stabilized his emotions, and said in a deep thought: "It is possible to buy a sea boat from Korea. The sea boats of the Korean people are not very well built, but it is still easy to get to Tsushima Island."

The visitor said again: "Pingan capital has gathered thousands of warships from Kitakyushu, Shikoku and other waterways to fight!"

Koko Ono looked at the smoky, crumbling earthen castle with mixed emotions, and looked at the towering ladders in the camp, and said, "There is still a chance!" His face turned red, "Maybe this is also an opportunity! The siege of Iwami Fort forced Xu Jun to have more troops forced to fight by sea. My country is surrounded by seas on all sides, and I am good at naval battles. The number of troops is several times that of Xu Jun, so the chances of winning are great."

Yang Gun also felt that what Ono Haogu said made sense. Although the naval forces of the Liao Kingdom were worse, the Central Plains was not much better. The Southern Tang Kingdom was the best at water warfare... But the Southern Tang Kingdom sent ships by sea to bypass the Central Plains to communicate with Youzhou. The ships were blown over twice by the wind and failed to reach Youzhou.

This incident can at least prove that the original sea in the Central Plains basically had no military power, otherwise it could intercept the ships of the Southern Tang Dynasty carrying fierce kerosene. However, when the Southern Tang Kingdom was faced with the threat of destroying the country, it must have been selected to send sea ships, and it was overturned just like that. It can be seen that the Southern Tang Kingdom is also good at running rampant on the Yangtze River, and it is not so good at sea!

Yang Gun pondered for a while, then said: "If the Japanese navy defeats Xu Jun at sea, Ishijian Fort will no longer be able to hold. If the land and water battle is successful, Japan will be considered to have won the war, and Xu Jun may not be able to cross the sea to make an expedition to Japan for many years."

Kono Ono nodded and said: "Equal emphasis on water and land, this is also the strategy that I proposed to the Minister of Sheguan when I was in Heianjing!"

Yang Gun said: "If the Japanese Navy really has a thousand warships, this battle will be very promising!"

"Of course." Ono Koko affirmed, "Although it is a small sailing ship, the navy is familiar with the sea route to the left and right of Japan, so it is quite flexible."

His tiredness has been swept away, and strong emotions such as great anticipation and worry surged into his heart, but more of it is anticipation, expecting a greater harvest than the hard work of Iwami Fort to make up for his suffering!