Altik's strategy was very successful. The Khorasan elite troops that entered the city through the tunnel headed straight for the barbican and fell into his trap, causing them to suffer huge losses.
Even though only five hundred of the enemy troops were wiped out, they were all Khorasan elites. Every single one of them was a huge success. Wiping out five hundred people in one go was already a great achievement. At the same time, more and more troops would come to their deaths, which would undoubtedly make the battle even more glorious.
"Mayor, there's no one left in the enemy's siege weapons camp. They've probably all entered the tunnel. In order to reduce our losses, it's time to go easy on them."
The subordinate observed the enemy camp in the distance through the binoculars and made this judgment.
Altik nodded. "Alright, go easy on them! Drown all the enemy soldiers that haven't made it out yet. "
"Yes, Mayor."
The subordinate obeyed and immediately led a group of people to make preparations.
Since they had already discovered the enemy's tunnel, they naturally made ample preparations. They dug a trench somewhere in the tunnel that was directly connected to the river in the city. It was just that the trench and the tunnel weren't completely connected yet, and the other end of the trench wasn't filled with water either. As such, it looked like a very ordinary trench.
However, such a trench only needed to be poked a few times at both ends to allow the water from the river to flow into the tunnel and drown all the enemy soldiers in the tunnel.
The operation was quickly carried out. More than ten soldiers prepared from both ends. One was responsible for digging the trench and the other was responsible for removing the cofferdam at the other end of the trench, allowing large amounts of water to flow into the trench and eventually into the tunnel.
Because the tunnel was very large, if the water flow was small, it would take a long time for the tunnel to be filled up. This way, the enemy inside would be able to return the way they came and avoid this calamity. Therefore, in order to achieve the goal of wiping out the enemy, the hole in the tunnel was relatively large and the trench was wide enough to allow large amounts of water to flow into the tunnel.
When the soldiers dug the tunnel, they saw the enemy soldiers moving inside. And when the water entered the tunnel, the enemy soldiers inside all shouted loudly, looking very frightened.
The soldiers at the back didn't know what was going on and continued to move forward. However, the soldiers at the front wanted to escape after discovering the flood. This caused a lot of chaos and made the soldiers in the tunnel unable to move. At the same time, more and more water flowed, causing their movements to become slower. Death was approaching step by step, and they could only wait for death in despair.
The water inlet was already very big, and under the continuous impact of the water, it became bigger and bigger. More and more water entered the tunnel, quickly submerging the heads of the soldiers in the tunnel, reaping their lives. Only a small number of soldiers at the two ends of the tunnel escaped proudly.
The soldiers at the back were luckier. They were saved after they escaped, but the soldiers at the front could only enter Maia City and face the attack of the defenders who were several times stronger than them.
In addition to the 1,000 elite soldiers who were killed and the 1,000 soldiers who drowned in the tunnel, the remaining elite soldiers were trapped near the courtyard at the entrance of the tunnel. They were divided into two groups, each with 400 to 500 soldiers, but the army surrounding them had 5000 to 6000 soldiers, more than five times their number. Moreover, these soldiers came prepared. There were a lot of archers, and half of them were equipped with crossbows. Their attack power and attack frequency were very impressive.
These besieged elite soldiers were not willing to give up. They were equipped with heavy armor and various types of small and medium-sized shields. They relied on the terrain to resist desperately, as if they were hoping that the main force outside the city would be able to break into the city and rescue them.
This was because the nearly five hundred elite Khorasani soldiers were all relying on the buildings to resist. This made it so that the five thousand soldiers responsible for attacking the city could not break into the buildings and wipe out these fellows. The battle was now in a stalemate.
"Mayor, the enemy soldiers in the tunnel have all been wiped out. I estimate that there are at least a few hundred of them. The soldiers that entered the barbican have long been annihilated. Now, there are less than 1,000 elite soldiers left in the city. They are divided into two groups, and our soldiers are attacking."
A subordinate explained the situation.
"Mayor, after the flood, the tunnel has been completely abandoned. The soldiers who broke into the city have no way out, and no reinforcements. Only death awaits them."
Another subordinate said.
Altik nodded with satisfaction. "With less than 1,000 soldiers trapped in the city, it is only a matter of time before they are annihilated. Transfer 2,000 soldiers from the barbican as reinforcements to eliminate these enemies as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mayor."
His subordinate replied.
"Mayor, Abu Muslim has appeared, and so has Ziyad. When they stand together, they are very conspicuous. Your subordinate used his binoculars to observe them for a long time. Although I couldn't see their faces, from their clothes and the guards around them, I was sure that it was the two of them."
A subordinate ran over to report.
Altik hastily walked forward and used his binoculars to personally observe.
"Correct, it should be the two of them. They're not too far from the gate. If we can kill Ziyad and Abu Muslim in one blow, the enemy will collapse without even fighting."
Altik said.
"Mayor, they are at least twice the range of the ballistae. Killing them is easier said than done. The enemy has so many soldiers that we can't just charge out and fight! Our army has no chance of victory if we leave the city. "
The subordinate felt that Altik's idea was rather unrealistic, so he tried to persuade him.
Altik chuckled and said, "How could you forget about the Tang dynasty's artillerymen? They've been resting in the city for a long time and have been served good wine and food every day. It's time for them to show off. As long as we can kill Abu Muslim and Ziyad in one blow, no matter how many soldiers the enemy has, they will no longer be a threat."
"That's right! Your subordinate is truly stupid. How could I have forgotten? Mayor, please wait a moment. I will go and invite the Tang dynasty soldiers over. "
The subordinate hastily ran down the wall.
At this moment, the Tang dynasty soldiers also wanted to join the battle. After all, the battle outside was in full swing, and they were in no mood to eat and drink. All of them were feeling extremely suffocated.
When they heard that they were going to participate in the battle, they immediately became happy, because this meant that it was time for them to show off. As long as they participated in the battle, they were certain to render meritorious service, and after they rendered meritorious service, they would be greatly rewarded.
Several officials immediately rode to the top of the city wall. At the same time, they ordered their subordinates to prepare for battle and follow them to the top of the city wall to prepare for battle.
"Mayor, if there's any task, just give us the order."
The young artillery general of the Tang dynasty loudly said.
Altik pointed at two officers in the distance and said, "The two in front are very likely to be the main generals of the enemy. If we can kill them, the enemy will collapse without a fight. But they are too far away. The only ones who can accomplish this task are your artillerymen."
After that, he looked at the young Tang dynasty general.
"They are not very far away. They are completely within the attack range of the artillery. However, we need to carry the artillery to the top of the city wall first. We need 20 people to help us."
The young Tang dynasty general said.
"No problem. I'll leave it to you to kill the main generals of the enemy. If you can accomplish this task, just tell me what reward you want."
Altik generously said.
"Haha! Let's talk about it after we complete the task! "
The young Tang dynasty general said.
Outside the city, Ziyad and Abu Muslim were anxiously waiting. Their elite soldiers should have already entered the city, so why had they still not opened the gate? Had some accident occurred?
"Ziyad, your elite soldiers have been in the city for so long. Why haven't they broken through the gate? What are they doing?"
Abu Muslim angrily rebuked.
"General, calm your anger. Perhaps the enemy's defenses are tighter than we imagined, but they should be done soon! I'm confident that these elite soldiers will definitely be able to break through the gate. "
Ziyad was somewhat nervous, but he still trusted in his subordinates and felt that they could very well complete the task.
"Why don't we just send a few more soldiers into the city?"
Abu Muslim said.
"General, we've already sent three thousand elite soldiers. The number is definitely enough."
Ziyad replied.
"General, it's bad, it's bad."
A soldier covered in muddy water ran over in a panic.
"What's going on? What are you panicking about?"
Ziyad rebuked, and when he saw the muddy soldier, he immediately became nervous.
"The tunnel suddenly began to leak. The majority of the soldiers didn't have time to escape and drowned in the tunnel."
The soldier sorrowfully said.
"The tunnel is leaking? How could it leak? Why is it leaking? "
Seiyade roared in exasperation.
"I don't know. We were at the very back when a flood suddenly came from the front. We hastily ran back, but we don't know why it leaked."
The soldier had an innocent look on his face.
Ziyad suspiciously said, "Could it be that the water from the moat entered the tunnel? But we dug so deep, so how could it leak? Truly strange. "
Abu Muslim would not listen to this explanation and angrily said, "Ziyad, this is your foolproof plan."
"General, this is all my fault. However, the ones drowned were the last group. The first two groups of two thousand soldiers have already entered the city. They are all elites of our army, so they will definitely be able to break through the gate and bring the main force into the city."
Ziyad said.
Abu Muslim said, "If it really doesn't work, we'll just storm the city and take it from the front."
"General, we can't. We don't have enough siege weapons, and the enemy's defenses are very tight. This kind of attack will result in too many casualties."
Ziyad hurriedly tried to stop him.
But while they were arguing, the Tang dynasty artillery on the walls was ready. Five cannons were in position and aimed at Ziyad and Abu Muslim, ready to snipe them down.
Of course, due to the power and accuracy of the cannons, they might not hit, but as long as there was a sliver of hope, they had to do it. What if they hit?
"Fire!"
Following the order of the Tang dynasty general, the five cannons opened fire, firing five shells.
"Boom …"
With a massive boom, the five cannonballs exploded into the enemy ranks, throwing the enemy soldiers into disarray. However, the cannonballs did not hit Ziyad or Abu Muslim, only killing quite a few of the guards around them.
"Protect the general! Protect the general!"
The sudden explosion caused the soldiers outside the city to pale in fright, but the guards instinctively protected their general, so they immediately escorted Ziyad and Abu Muslim back.
"Didn't hit, didn't hit. Continue firing."
Altik could see through his binoculars that Ziyad and Abu Muslim were both unharmed. In his panic, he ordered the Tang dynasty general to continue firing.
"Adjust the angle and fire."
The first shot could only be considered a test. Although it had failed to hit the target, the second shot would be much more accurate.
"Boom …"
Another five roaring cannonballs exploded in the midst of the enemy group, causing a large number of casualties.
"It's off target again. Continue firing."
Altik shook his head in dissatisfaction with the Tang dynasty general.
"Get out of the way! I'll personally fire the cannons."
The Tang dynasty general was also anxious and personally fired a shot in the direction Ziyad had fled.
This shot was very accurate. Abu Muslim was thrown off his horse and Ziyad was almost thrown off his horse.
"Good, it hit! Wonderful! Continue firing! There's one more."
Altik was like a child, so happy that he was about to jump up and down.
The Tang dynasty soldiers continued to reload their shells and fire into the distance.
However, there would not be many opportunities for cannon fire. Abu Muslim, who had fallen off his horse, was quickly carried away by his guards, and Seiyad was nowhere to be seen. Soon after, the besieging army stopped attacking and retreated a certain distance to await further orders.
"The target has disappeared. I can't see anything."
As many of the besiegers had extinguished their torches, Ziyad and Abu Muslim had disappeared, so the bombardment could not continue.
"I just saw an enemy commander fall off his horse. I don't know if it was Ziyad or Abu Muslim, but I don't know if he was injured or dead."
One of Altik's subordinates said.
Altik said, "Forget about that. It's fine as long as we hit. Even if he's not dead, he's still injured. Record this achievement for the soldiers of the Tang dynasty, hahaha!"
Once they were far enough away, Ziyad stopped his horse and hurriedly asked, "General, how is General? How is General?"
"Ziyad, I'm not dead yet. It's just that my right leg is injured. Where's the doctor?"
Abu Muslim said, enduring the pain.
A doctor quickly came over to examine Abu Muslim's injury. After a careful examination, he said, "General's injury isn't very serious, but it's not light either. You will need to rest for a month."
"What? I need to rest for a month? No, absolutely not."
Abu Muslim's mission was still incomplete, so he was naturally very worried.
"General, your injury is more important. Listen to the doctor! Leave the battle to me. "
Ziyad consoled him.
"Leave it to you? How can I be at ease? Your elite soldiers have probably already been wiped out in the city, hmph! "
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