Abu Muslim was personally commanding his main force to attack Maia City from multiple directions in an attempt to confuse and divert the attention of the defenders.
In order to achieve the momentum of a forceful assault, Abu Muslim had used half of his siege weapons, including shields, battering rams, and catapults. As long as they attacked, they would be able to put enormous pressure on the defenders. If the defenders were too lax in their defenses, the feints might be able to break into the city.
Seiyad was in charge of the underground attack. The troops he personally commanded were divided into two groups. One group would sneak into Maia City through the underground tunnel, while the other group would launch an attack from the entrance of the underground tunnel near the city gate. They would cooperate with the elite troops that had sneaked into the city to attack the city gate. As long as the city gate was controlled, a large number of troops outside the city would be able to enter Maia City and take down the city in one fell swoop.
According to Seiyad's arrangements, 3,000 troops would enter the city through the tunnel. Of course, they would enter in three batches, and 20,000 troops would be in charge of receiving them from the front. As there was a certain danger in sneaking into the city, these troops in charge of sneaking in were the most elite soldiers. Their combat strength and equipment were the best.
In order to take Maia City in one fell swoop, Abu Muslim and Ziyad had mobilized all their elites and resources.
All the attacking teams were in their designated attack positions. All they needed to do was give the order from Abu Muslim and they could begin the siege.
At the same time, the first group of one thousand elite soldiers had gathered at the entrance of the tunnel, and the remaining two thousand were ready to enter Maia City through the tunnel at any time.
"Is everything normal at the entrance of the tunnel?"
Ziyad nervously asked.
His subordinate replied, "General, be at ease. The entrance of the tunnel has already been disguised. In addition, our ten-some soldiers dressed as beggars have taken complete control of the courtyard. There won't be any problems."
Ziyad nodded, instantly feeling much more at ease.
"Once the attack begins, enter the tunnel and enter Maia City as fast as you can. After gathering half of your men, you don't have to wait for the soldiers behind you. Launch an attack directly at the city gate. Cooperate with our troops outside the city to take down the city gate and the enemy soldiers on top of the city gate. Remember, opening the city gate is the first and most important step. Attack the soldiers on top of the city gate after that."
Ziyad said.
"General, be at ease. The city gate and the barbican gate are just two lines of defense. If five hundred soldiers suddenly attack, they will definitely be caught off guard. Our army is certain to emerge victorious. Just wait for the good news from us!"
The subordinate confidently said.
In the eyes of his subordinates, the guards in the city were just new recruits. As long as he took advantage of the cover of the night, even if he only led 500 people, he could create the momentum of 5000 people. It would be no problem for him to take down two city gates in one go. In addition, there would be more reinforcements in the tunnel to be their strong backing.
Satisfied, Seiyad led his main army towards the city gates, looking like he was going to break through the city gates in one fell swoop.
Altik, who was standing on the city wall and inspecting the military situation, looked at the scene of torches outside the city and felt somewhat nervous. It was clearly night, but the sky outside the city was lit up by the enemy's torches. It looked almost like evening. The weapons and soldiers of the enemy could be seen clearly, especially those tall siege weapons. Even from a distance, he could feel the unstoppable momentum of those weapons.
"Mayor, the main force of the enemy is about to attack the city. It's very dangerous here. You should go to the back!"
The subordinate advised.
"What are you afraid of? If you're not afraid, what am I afraid of? I want to fight with my soldiers."
It was rare for Altik to be so strong-willed and stay on the dangerous city wall.
"Mayor, the city wall is indeed too dangerous. If something happens to you, we will lose our backbone. You should go to a safer place!"
The subordinate continued to advise.
"Alright, I'll go to the city gate tower. It's safer there than the city wall and I can see more clearly."
Altik stepped toward the city gate tower.
His subordinate had no choice but to follow him. Moreover, in the era of cold weapons, the city gate tower was indeed safer. After all, the city wall was very spacious. There was no shelter except for the parapet wall in front. The city gate tower had a roof and windows, and it was located higher, so it was not easy to be attacked by bows and arrows. Even if it was attacked by catapults, it would be blocked by the roof and walls. For the commander inside, it was a relatively safe place.
"Mayor, the enemy will launch an attack soon. There are dozens of Tang dynasty artillery troops in the city. Do we need them to join the battle?"
The subordinate suddenly remembered that a small troop of Tang dynasty troops was still in the city, so he asked.
Altik said, "In such a large-scale battle, it doesn't make a difference whether there are small troops of Tang dynasty or not. Let them rest! When they are needed, they will naturally join the battle. "
Obviously, Altik did not intend to use the elite artillery troops of Tang dynasty unless it was a critical moment. After all, the artillery troops of Tang dynasty only had five cannons, which could not play a role in a defensive battle. When Ang Lee transferred such a small troop to them, it was to blow open the city gates along the way and play a huge role at a critical moment. In a large-scale battle, the participation of these five cannons would not have any impact on the final result. After all, there were too many soldiers involved in the siege. Five cannons could not play a role. Such an important weapon should be used sparingly.
"Mayor, the enemy has begun to move. They are going to attack the city."
"Fireball, protect the Mayor."
"Order the whole army to prepare to meet the enemy."
Very soon, the soldiers outside the city began to attack the city. More than a dozen catapults were in the vanguard. They shot out burning fireballs. The fireballs were very powerful. They were even more lethal than rocks. After all, the buildings in this era were mainly made of wood. They couldn't withstand fire. In addition, if these fireballs fell into the fire oil pots, they could cause huge losses to the soldiers. Therefore, the soldiers attacking the city generally liked to use fireballs. Using catapults to throw fireballs onto the city walls was a very common method used by the soldiers attacking the city.
The city gate of Maia City was made of wood and could not withstand fire. Moreover, it was a relatively large target. Therefore, it naturally became the main target of the siege troops. Fireballs fell on the city gate. However, because of the protection of the soldiers, these fireballs did not have a chance to set the city gate on fire.
The defending soldiers would risk their lives to throw these fireballs under the city wall in order to protect the people and supplies on the city wall.
The overwhelming fireballs really scared Altik. He did not want to die here. Therefore, he consciously retreated to a safe position at the rear. In the era of cold weapons, the enemy's attack method was not enough to penetrate the city gate. Therefore, they could not hurt Altik.
"The enemy's attack is very fierce! How are our casualties? "
Altik asked nervously.
"Mayor, the enemy's attack has just begun. These fireballs and stones will not cause much damage to our army. They will only cause some losses."
The subordinate said.
"Is there a problem with the enemy's deployment at the tunnel entrance?"
Altik asked.
"Don't worry, Mayor. The location of the tunnel entrance has already been determined. It is in an unused courtyard. Our troops are deployed around it and tightly surrounded the courtyard. We will not let the enemy's plot succeed."
The subordinate said confidently.
"Very good. How are the deployment of the city gate and the barbican?"
Altik continued to ask.
The subordinate pointed to the window behind the city gate and said, "Mayor, please take a look. A large number of elite troops are deployed on both sides of the barbican. Elite archers are also lying in ambush on both sides of the city gate. As long as the enemy dares to come, they will not be able to return."
Altik looked at the large number of elite troops lying in ambush on both sides of the barbican and nodded with satisfaction. He said, "Good, very good. Tonight, it's up to you."
Ziyad, who was commanding the siege outside the city, looked at the large number of soldiers on the city wall and ordered, "All troops, attack. We must attract all the troops guarding the city and reduce the pressure on the troops in the tunnel."
Soon, the elite troops on the besieging side launched a fierce attack on Maia City. All kinds of temporarily built siege weapons were put to use. The grandiose momentum made it seem as if they were really going to attack the city.
"The enemy's attack is so fierce. Our elite troops are deployed near the tunnel entrance and the city gate. Will we be unable to defend the city?"
A civil official said worriedly.
"Definitely not. Our defense is complete. Even if we don't have elite troops, we will definitely be able to stop the enemy's attack. Moreover, we already know that the enemy's main goal is to break through the city gate through the tunnel entrance. Therefore, their troops outside the city will definitely not use their full strength to reduce casualties. If the troops outside the city attack with all their strength, our defending troops will indeed be in more danger. However, the enemy will definitely suffer heavy casualties. They are pinning their hopes on attacking the city through the tunnel, so they will definitely not choose to attack with heavy casualties. They are just putting on a show."
Another civil official said.
"Alright, we have to focus on the city and the tunnel entrance. That is the key to tonight's battle. We have to be sure of this."
Altik emphasized.
Whether or not they could inflict heavy losses on the elite Khorasan cavalry in one fell swoop would depend on tonight's battle.
At the tunnel entrance, the elite Khorasan cavalry appeared one by one. They entered the courtyard to give orders. Under the command of the receiving personnel, they gathered in the courtyard. In order to gather enough forces at once, they used all the space in the courtyard and quickly filled it to the brim. However, more troops were still pouring into the courtyard, which greatly exceeded the capacity of the courtyard.
The leading general ordered: "After we charge out, everyone will charge directly to the city gate. The main force will attack the gate directly. The two of you will each lead fifty soldiers and charge up the city wall from both sides. Take care of the enemy soldiers on the city gate. After the main force enters the barbican, half of you will charge up the barbican and receive the main force. The rest will charge up the barbican from both sides and eliminate the enemy soldiers on the city wall to reduce the losses of the main force."
"Yes, understood."
A few of the subordinates replied.
After a little preparation, the gathered five hundred elites rushed out of the gate and charged at full speed towards the city gate that was a few hundred steps away. They planned to take down the city gate in one go and achieve their grand wish of conquering Maia City.
Their progress was very smooth and they did not encounter any obstacles at all. This made them very excited. They felt that the siege and defense of the city had attracted the defenders in the city. That was why they were able to advance so smoothly.
When they reached the city gate, these people became even more excited. This was because there were only a few defenders at the city gate and a few soldiers on the stairs on both sides.
"Charge! Open the city gate!"
The five hundred people were divided into three groups, with fifty on each side and four hundred in the middle. They charged ferociously. Behind this group of soldiers, there were still intermittent reinforcements.
The few defenders were quickly cut down and the city gate was opened. The soldiers on both sides successfully charged up the city wall. The four hundred main force entered the barbican and quickly launched a fierce attack.
However, after entering the barbican, the four hundred main force found that there were no stairs on either side. There were only two city gates in the entire barbican that people could pass through. They had no choice but to charge at the city gate. As long as the city gate was opened, the main force outside the city would be able to enter the city and Maia City would be conquered.
However, they were really wrong. When they were halfway through their charge, a large number of archers suddenly appeared on both sides of the city wall. There were at least a few thousand of them. It was obvious that they were prepared.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh …"
The four hundred soldiers didn't even have time to shout before they were all turned into hedgehogs. Not a single soldier was able to reach the gate of the barbican. The two teams of fifty soldiers that had been split up earlier were immediately attacked by the elite defenders after they climbed up the wall with great difficulty. After a few rounds of arrow rain, there were only a few people left.
Five hundred elite soldiers had been obliterated in a flash, and all of this had happened right under Altik's nose. He was extremely happy to see his plan succeed.
"These are all elite Khorasan soldiers, but we killed five hundred of them in one go. When Ziyad and Abu Muslim learn of this, they will definitely be furious, haha!"
Altik chuckled.
"City Lord, what's next? There are still a lot of scattered enemy soldiers coming. They can't see what's going on inside the barbican, so they probably think that we've succeeded. Haha! "
One of the subordinates laughed happily.
"We also don't know how many enemy soldiers are coming through the tunnel, but we'll kill as many as they come until we've wiped them all out, haha!"
Another subordinate heartily laughed.
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