Yelu Yuhu was inexplicably enraged. He took a deep breath and asked the king of the southern courtyard, "When Beiliang attacked Qingzhou and Xiangfan City, they were experts at digging tunnels. Since they know how to attack, they're no newbies in defense. Moreover, the thousands of Beiliang cavalry in the city have clearly been on the city walls. Even if a few hundred men make it to the surface alive, what can they do? "
Dong Zhuo smiled, as if he didn't want to mention the five thousand dead soldiers who didn't make any contributions. He said, "Two days ago, there was a group of cavalry in the city, and they were forced to climb up the city wall to defend it. They were much stronger when they dismounted from their horses than when they were exhausted. Two of my chiliarchs had already led their men to the top of the city wall. They were only four hundred steps away from each other, and they almost gained a foothold on the city wall."
Dong Zhuo pressed his thumb and forefinger together. "Just a little bit."
Tuoba Tianyun said helplessly, "This little bit of opportunity was obtained by General Dong's order that every chiliarchs must suffer four hundred casualties before they can retreat. This is a huge price to pay."
Dong Zhuo laughed. "It's not even half over yet."
Yelu Yuhu asked rudely, almost interrogatively, "Dare I ask General, how many grassland men have died to the blades of our own people?"
Dong Zhuo gave it some serious thought before replying, "There are three chiliarchs and many centurions. Including the ordinary soldiers, there are 2,700 of them as of yesterday if I'm not mistaken."
Yelu Yuhu said angrily, "Aren't you afraid of triggering a mutiny?!"
Dong Zhuo asked in return, "You want a mutiny after killing so many cowardly trash?"
Yelu Yuhu sneered. "Indeed, General, you have a hundred thousand Dong family private soldiers who haven't suffered any casualties. You're also a general who commands troops with divine precision. You can definitely nip the bud in the bud."
Tuoba Tianyun said, "Say no more."
Yelu Yuhu wanted to say something but hesitated. Seeing Chun Jemo's displeased expression, she finally decided not to provoke this king of the southern courtyard who didn't live up to his name.
The two riders bid farewell to Dong Zhuo and left.
Yelu Yuwei turned his head to look at the sturdy figure who had stopped his horse. He said in a low voice, "This fatty, so this is how he leads his troops. As an official, he is really capable. The war has already reached this point, yet he still doesn't forget to follow someone's wishes and beat down the forces of the grasslands little by little in front of Tiger Head City. A Chiliarch had consumed the direct troops brought from the tribe, but where would the rest of the troops come from under the rapid rotation? Either they were replenished from the Southern Dynasty's military towns and mixed with sand, or they were simply mixed up with the remnants of the two armies.
Yelu Yuhu's face was gloomy. He gritted his teeth and said, "It's all because of the people of the Central Plains of the Southern Dynasties. The Zhao clan of Liyang used the Guangling Road to take back military power from the local vassals and generals. We're not bad either. The grassland people are all hurt here. Even if we break through Beiliang and enter the Central Plains in the future, how many of our own people will be left?"
Tuoba Tianyun laughed. "You, ah, complaining too much will cause your intestines to break."
Yelu Yuwei glared at him. "You can still laugh?! Do you think your Tuoba surname can stay out of this?! "
Tuoba Tianyun shook his head and smiled without saying anything.
The fat man who stood alone in the crow's cage looked at Tiger's Head City. In his field of vision, the attacking infantry was like an unending tide, and then the tide surged up the city walls, creating waves that spread upwards.
He waved his hand to call over a young strategist who was accompanying him. He said, "Pass down the order. First, stop digging the tunnel from today onwards. Second, increase the intensity of the attack. During the day, more than half of the infantry will be killed. During the night, the attack will not be based on casualties. Each Chiliarch only needs to attack Tiger Head City for two hours. Third, send a message to the Western Capital. In the entire Southern Dynasties, no matter their surname, as long as the family is on the ranking list, they must take out all the wine in their cellars to treat the wounds of the Eastern Front army. Remember, this is all the wine of all the families of the Southern Dynasties. If someone secretly hides a jar, once exposed, the family's ranking will be downgraded from First to Second, and so on. Fourth, tonight I want to summon all the Generals and Chiliarchs on the Eastern Front who are not on the battlefield. "
The strategist quickly left to pass down the order.
Dong Zhuo said in a low voice, "Yelu Chucai!"
A burly officer who was temporarily acting as the leader of the crow's pen hurriedly urged his horse closer. This time, this general who was both a member of the Beimang Imperial Tent and the brother-in-law of the Great King of the Southern Courtyard did not dare to smile. As long as his brother-in-law called out his real name, it meant that something big was about to happen. Yelu Chucai's sister was Dong Zhuo's eldest daughter-in-law. They both had the surname Yelu, but compared to Yelu Yuhui, she was much more noble. However, compared to Yelu Yuhui, who was said to have gone to the Central Plains of Liyang to do nothing, the brother and sister were further away from the throne. Yelu Chucai had never had such an extravagant wish. Since he was young, he wanted to be a pure general who galloped on the battlefield. After having a brother-in-law like Dong Zhuo, who was very much to his liking, he had been like a fish in water in the Dong Army. However, in this southern expedition to Beiliang, his brother-in-law, who had always been easy to talk to, refused to let him be the vanguard. This made Yelu Chucai feel very hurt. Even when the Dong Army went to Liuzhou not long ago, he had nothing to do with it. During this time, Yelu Chucai was as bitter as a widow.
Dong Zhuo glanced at his brother-in-law and smiled. "I'll give you a job, but it's a bit far. Do you want to take it?"
Yelu Chucai asked carefully, "Will I get any military merits?"
Dong Zhuo said, "Not necessarily."
Yelu Chucai said decisively, "Then I won't go!"
Dong Zhuo smiled. "It's fine if you don't go. You still have a chance to attack the city tomorrow. I'll just switch people. "
Yelu Chucai was confused. "Attack the city?"
Dong Zhuo nodded. "The Dong Clan has twelve thousand soldiers. I'll leave them all to you. Tomorrow, we'll start attacking Hutou City."
Yelu Chucai's mouth was wide open in shock. With his figure, it was really a big mouth. Compared to his sister's beauty, it was really a far cry. It really didn't look like they were born from the same parents. Yelu Chucai's eyes suddenly burned. He did not call Dong Zhuo brother-in-law, but respectfully called him Great General. "This general was born in the cavalry. If you want me to dismount and attack a city, forget it. This general has decided. I'll take the first job!"
Dong Zhuo stared at him and said calmly, "I'll leave the eighty thousand Dong Clan cavalry to you. Rush out of the Gourd Mouth as fast as you can. Although I've arranged for people to keep an eye on that place, I'm still worried. Also, before you leave, write a will. If you die, I'll have something to say to your sister. "
Yelu Chucai, who was famous for his playfulness in Beimang, grinned. He clenched his fist and pounded his chest. "Great General, if … this general doesn't come back and have no chance to see Great General and my sister's children, I'll tell them in the future that their uncle's only regret is that he didn't let them ride on his neck to play."
Dong Zhuo hesitated. "If it's the same with or without you at the Gourd Mouth, don't force yourself. Since you like children, get a wife and have them yourself. "
Yelu Chucai nodded and left on his horse.
Dong Zhuo remained motionless. No one could hear this fatty muttering to himself. He was repeating a number, "Thirty-eight, thirty-eight …"
— —
In Tiger Head City, the few towering watchtowers near the north of the city had become the main targets of the Northern Mang's catapults. Meanwhile, the building where the main general Liu Jinu was located was even further back, so the threat posed by the catapults wasn't fatal. On the other hand, those Northern Mang master archers who participated in the siege and were able to get close to the top of the city were all proud of themselves for being able to shoot down this building with their arrows. Even though this wouldn't be counted into their military exploits, they would still be treated as heroes after retreating from the battlefield.
Liu Jinu stood beside the table with the map of Tiger Head City. The map had marked all kinds of details of the battlefield, such as the degree of damage to the city wall, the area where the ballistae were missing, and the dangerous battlements that had been hastily built several times, etc. Liu Jinu stared at the northeast area of the city defense map. After the ballistae were destroyed in this area, Beimang didn't give up on attacking the city from the north. They focused on increasing the density and thickness of their attacks in this area. A large number of siege weapons began to move from the northwest to the northeast.
A city patrol officer walked into the building with large strides, laughing loudly as he said, "General, these Northern Mang barbarians really don't have a good memory. Another seven hundred or so 'rats' died today, a small half of them suffocated to death. When this general brought people down, they were all slaughtered without much effort. Same as before, that tunnel has been completely filled up. In addition, there will be two acupoint masters and a cavalry troop watching the nearby area day and night. "
Liu Jinu nodded. He raised his head and asked, "Have you used up all the lightning bolts hanging outside the watchtowers?"
Lightning bolts were a special type of soft curtain used by the Central Plains to deal with siege. They were tightly woven from coarse hemp and covered with mud to prevent fire. They were very effective against catapults and rockets. Although Tiger Head City's city wall was abnormally sturdy, if there weren't a large number of lightning bolts to reduce the impact of the flying rocks, Tiger Head City wouldn't be as easy to repair as it was now.
A deputy general said helplessly, "That's right. I didn't expect these barbarians to be able to get so many catapults. Fortunately, General, you've already made preparations. Otherwise, it would really be dangerous. Besides, we're running out of water bags. Not only the city gate, but all the sections of the city wall are also having a headache. There's no problem with the water source. It's just that the water bags made from the fur and internal organs of cattle and horses can't keep up. Those barbarians are risking their lives to pour oil on the top of the city wall and fire arrows like a rain of fire. They're really crazy. Fortunately, our mud-stained brooms to deal with fire attacks can be used repeatedly. "
Liu Jinu, who hadn't slept much for two days and two nights, picked up an arrow from the table and handed it to a captain beside him. "All of you, look carefully."
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