Chapter 1078 The end is coming
Chapter 1078 The end is coming
On February 330th of the fourth year of Kaiping in Daliang () and the first year of Taihe in the Great Jin Dynasty, the sun was shining brightly.
A sound of horse hooves was heard, and more than a thousand riders came out from behind, advanced several hundred steps, and then slowly stopped.
Xu Yu, the commander of the Yicong army, dismounted and looked at the dozens of riders running back from the front, and asked, "Could it be a gallop?"
"No." The scout who returned from exploring the way answered concisely.
Xu Yu nodded and said no more.
There are too many places in Jiangling, Jiangxia, Jingling and even Xiangyang where cavalry cannot be used, and he has long been accustomed to it.
For example, in the lake area east of Jiangling, some places are OK, at least you can run, or you can run in winter, but not in summer. But some places are just mudflats. In winter, the water level is low and the lake shrinks. People can walk on it, but it is impossible for cavalry to charge on a large scale.
Moreover, there were crisscrossing unnamed rivers that cut the terrain of the battlefield into pieces. A piece of land could only accommodate two to three thousand people or even less. When the two sides fought, they were like beasts in a cage, unable to threaten the opponent in another cage.
But the cavalry was not completely useless. Xu Yu carefully observed the battlefield, trying to find a place where he could charge.
After a moment, he gave up and gave the order instead: "Take off your armor."
Everyone was a little surprised, but still followed the order strictly.
The thousand-plus cavalrymen around him were not like the Youzhou Tuqi commander who wore heavy armor on both men and horses. Instead, they had armor on the men but not on the horses. They were heavy cavalry, but not armored cavalry, or half-armored cavalry (only horse head armor and breast armor, no body armor, back armor, skirt armor, etc.).
After removing the iron armor from the human body, the weight is greatly reduced, so maybe you can give it a try.
Thinking of this, Xu Yu had already sent people forward to test the situation.
Behind them, groups of heavily armored infantry were sitting on the ground.
They looked at the Jin navy on the lake with ease, their eyes gleaming with eagerness to try.
Come on, get ashore quickly and have a good fight.
Farther away, there were still a large number of cavalrymen leading their war horses. As I walked, my eyes could not help but glance to the east.
The siege also stopped.
The young and strong men in all counties and the various tribes breathed a sigh of relief. It was too cruel.
Some people who had never experienced this were so nervous that they burst into tears. A moment later, the military supervisor came with soldiers and arrested him on the spot, chopping him off with swords and beheading him at the gate.
When the bloody head rolled to the ground, everyone was silent.
Is it easy to obtain fame and fortune immediately? In fact, it is not easy to obtain. Most people cannot obtain it and will become a pile of dry bones.
The sound of "boom boom" drums resounded throughout the earth. Battalion after battalion of soldiers marched out of the city. In the wilderness, some stood solemnly with guns in hand, while others sat on the ground, staring closely at the enemy troops on the lake.
Looking at the posture, it is obvious that it is like a lion fighting a rabbit, and it is dealing with it with all its might.
A total of 15,000 infantry and cavalry were on full alert, as if they could drive the invading enemy into the water at any time.
The enemy ships on the water were also moving.
Small boats cruised back and forth between the upper and lower reaches of the Yangshui River, either patrolling or delivering messages.
Every now and then, a fleet would set out and head south. Knights would immediately rush out from the shore and keep a close watch. Both sides watched the other's movements without relaxing for even a moment.
The only things that were moving in the field were probably the platforms.
The crossbow carts were still firing non-stop, and the archers were aiming carefully ahead, shooting arrows from time to time, continuing to harass the Jiangling defenders.
The atmosphere of a major war was thick.
******
Tao Kan didn't want to fight.
As a veteran who has been fighting for many years, he has given up all his illusions. He knows that when things are impossible, he has to stop no matter how unwilling he is.
Just like a gambler who has lost all his money, he always thinks that maybe things will be different if he tries again, but the cruel reality tells him that he can’t even keep the last penny. He will sink deeper and deeper and finally cannot get out of this situation.
He has now reached the south of the city.
Dozens of ships sailed into the vicinity of the original water fort.
The white-haired Tao Kan stood solemnly at the bow, staring at the burnt-to-shatters water fort, speechless for a long time.
The boatmen paddled hard, and each boat was carrying dozens of fully armed soldiers, approaching the water fort little by little.
The Liang army that was monitoring on the shore discovered the enemy approaching, and some of them immediately retreated, galloped on horseback, and reported the news.
There seemed to be a burst of fierce shouts and screams in the north wind, and drumbeats could be heard everywhere. Slowly, deep horn sounds also sounded, as if a fierce battle was breaking out in the north of the city.
Tao Kan remained unmoved.
The boat approached little by little.
Some boats fired dense arrows, forcing back the few Liang troops who were monitoring them.
"Bang!" Tao Kan's ship quietly approached the water fort that was burned black.
Tao Kan drew out his sword with a swish, glanced at everyone on the boat, and said, "Some of you have followed me for more than ten years. Have I ever treated you unfairly?"
Without hesitation, the guards clasped their fists and said, "Ming Gong has been very kind to me, and I will repay you with my death."
Tao Kan sighed and said, "I am already over seventy years old, so I will die without regrets. But I cannot rest in peace for having caused trouble for so many warriors."
Seeing that some military students wanted to speak, Tao Kan gently waved his hand and said, "As long as I, the son of the Tao family, am here, I will ensure that you, your wives, children, and elders will have no worries about food and clothing."
"Mingsir." A personal officer knelt down and said, "My mother was seriously ill in the past. It was all thanks to you that you invited famous doctors to treat her. She was able to live a few more years. If I don't repay this kindness, I would be unworthy of being a man."
"Ming Gong." Another person knelt on the ground and cried, "Without Ming Gong, I would have starved to death on the street. Now I want to take revenge."
"If it weren't for you, my lord, how could I marry and have children? A man should die if he wants to. Please give the order, my lord."
"Ming Gong..."
Everyone expressed their opinions and risked their lives. Tao Kan looked relieved and said, "I will go ashore with you."
As they were talking, they stepped onto the green grass on the shore.
Hundreds of personal soldiers followed closely behind him, surrounding him. After marching for a distance, they dispersed slightly and formed a military formation.
Behind them, more than two thousand people silently came ashore and marched forward in a line.
The marching column of 2,500 people also displayed a unique momentum.
It was not convenient to deploy a large army in the south of the city, but in fact there was always a small group of Liang troops responsible for surveillance.
Seeing that the Jin army had actually landed, the brave military school officers rushed up with a hundred people, without any fear.
But this time they faced different opponents.
Hundreds of Tao Kan's personal soldiers were determined to die, and each of them was extremely brave, fighting with the palace soldiers who rushed over.
People on both sides kept falling, and as more than 2,000 Jingzhou soldiers in the rear line spread out and encircled the enemy from both wings, the palace soldiers who were charging finally sensed something was wrong and retreated directly.
The sound of crisp horse hooves was heard on the long dike, and dozens of riders rushed over.
The Jin army fired their bows and crossbows together to keep them out.
The main force advanced slowly and steadily, forming a wall.
More than half of the hundred soldiers were killed on the spot and nailed to the ground, while the rest fled in disarray.
The south gate of Jiangling City was opened from the inside.
Soon, hundreds of soldiers went out of the city first. After seeing that most of the Liang army had been driven far away, they were overjoyed and escorted more than ten carriages out.
Tao Kan didn't even look at them and continued to lead his troops forward, driving the Liang cavalry who were still unwilling to give up further forward.
People were still pouring out of the city.
In addition to the hundreds of people at the beginning, many men, women, old and young came out this time. They looked frightened and anxious, and some even cried and shouted loudly. It was quite a mess.
Tao Kan turned his head and frowned, but he soon sighed and didn't care any more.
The sound of galloping horses came from the west, as if thousands of troops were rushing towards this side.
Tao Kan and others were startled, knowing that the Liang army was about to attack them in large numbers.
******
At the critical moment, Tao Bin finally retained some backbone.
After hundreds of vanguard troops escorted their families, guests, and servants away, he ordered the families of officials and officers in the city to follow closely and retreat towards the water fort.
He led more than a thousand Jingzhou soldiers and walked at the back, rushing towards the south gate.
The sound of killing was also heard in the east of the city.
He knew that a part of the naval and land soldiers had come ashore, and the Liang army, which had been keeping an eye on them for a long time, would certainly withdraw troops and rush over to attack them.
Those people were not elite soldiers and their fighting power was weak, so they could not stop the Liang army for long. Thinking of this, he urged them to rush out of the South Gate with a long dragon-like army.
Fighting also broke out outside the South Gate.
The Liang army should have been drawn from the west of the city. A part of the heavily armored infantry was in the front, followed by the lightly armored infantry with yellow scarves on their heads, and the cavalry with high noses and deep eyes came forward from both wings, holding swords and round shields, and not caring about casualties, and rushed towards their own formation.
The narrow battlefield was almost filled with troops from both sides!
Tao Bin sighed secretly.
How could he abandon his father and run away at this time? Wouldn't he be scolded to death? But the morale of his men was already low, and they only wanted to escape, so how could they fight?
At the critical moment, he asked his subordinates to take these Jingzhou soldiers away, and he led 200 personal soldiers to reinforce his father.
The battle intensified.
Almost half of Tao Kan's 400 personal soldiers were lost, and the palace soldiers who rushed from the opposite side also suffered heavy casualties, but they still gritted their teeth and persisted.
One side was determined to die, the other side was in high spirits, both sides were throwing their lives away wantonly, falling one after another.
The sound of orderly footsteps was heard again in the west, and more Liang troops arrived.
They stopped outside the narrow battlefield and quickly deployed their troops: the heavily armored elite soldiers were in the front, the ordinary soldiers were in the back, and they advanced in a wall formation.
A large group of soldiers also rushed to the long dike.
"Grandpa, let's retreat." Tao Bin rushed forward and said loudly.
There was actually a noise behind them. With so many people retreating in a hurry, how could there be no impact?
It would be better to retreat before the main force of Liang army arrives.
Tao Kan did not answer, but just stared at the Liang army infantry who were lining up in the west.
Tao Bin gestured to his bodyguards.
Everyone understood and immediately lifted up Tao Kan, saying, "Mingsir, let's retreat."
Tao Kan still had less than 200 personal soldiers. Upon seeing this, they roared and rushed forward together, fighting like mad dogs without caring about their lives, and forced the opposing soldiers to retreat step by step.
Tao Bin followed closely with his 200 personal soldiers and attacked the Liang army. At the same time, he ordered the more than 2,000 Jingzhou soldiers who had landed to retreat towards the water stronghold.
Outside the South Gate, more and more people were crying and shouting, with faint sounds of shouting and cursing.
The barbarian soldiers, Xiangzhou soldiers, and servants of the wealthy families rushed out in a panic.
They had just received the order to retreat and immediately realized that they were left behind as scapegoats, although the other party was not completely heartless and still knew to let them retreat.
The entire southern part of the city was in chaos, as if the end of the world had come.
(End of this chapter)