Artillery was the Tang dynasty's weapon to deter the barbarians. It could also be said to be a national treasure. Of course, such important technical equipment must be prevented from being leaked.
Explosives and shells were consumables of artillery, so the Tang dynasty naturally needed to strictly seal the technology. They must not let outsiders master this technology, otherwise, it would cause a lot of trouble for the Tang dynasty.
Although the formula of gunpowder was very simple, as long as Ang Lee did not say it, it was really difficult for others to get it. As for the shell technology, it was more complicated and more important to the Tang Empire, so it could not be leaked.
Altik was quite disappointed when he heard this. After seeing the powerful power of artillery, Altik had been obsessed with this weapon. He very much hoped that he could also have such a weapon. Unfortunately, the Tang dynasty was not willing to provide it, which made him very regretful, but there was nothing he could do.
Since they didn't have much ammunition left, they had to use it sparingly. If Seiyad approached the city wall, they could still use it to snipe him. In addition, although the pressure was great now, it wasn't the most critical moment yet. Therefore, it was better to use it sparingly.
"Since we can't make shells, it's impossible to leave the city to get them. If we use them up, there won't be any left. Alas!"
Altik said helplessly.
The young general of the Tang dynasty thought for a moment and said, "It's impossible to destroy all the weapons outside the city with artillery. There are too many of them, especially the catapults. They are so far away that it's difficult to hit them. The best way is to organize a commando team to attack the enemy's weapons and destroy them all."
A general said helplessly, "It's easier said than done. The enemy cavalry is behind the weapons. As long as our soldiers and horses rush out, they will immediately attack. How can our infantry defeat the battle-hardened Khorasan cavalry? It's no different from suicide."
"The battle hasn't even started yet, but you're saying that we can't defeat them. You have no confidence in yourself. Even if there's no chance of winning, you should try harder."
The young general of the Tang dynasty said.
Several generals shook their heads repeatedly. They did not agree with the young general of the Tang dynasty. They felt that the young general of the Tang dynasty was crazy and was thinking about unrealistic things. They knew their subordinates very well. They knew that these guys could not defeat the Khorasan cavalry outside. Going out to fight would be suicide.
Altik also shook his head and said, "Most of our soldiers are new recruits. Even our most elite troops are mostly new recruits. If we leave the city, we won't be able to defeat the Khorasan cavalry. This is not a joke."
The young general of the Tang Dynasty said, "It's better to lose than to not dare to fight. If your soldiers don't even have the courage to fight, what's the point of fighting? Besides, it doesn't matter even if you lose. You can just withdraw."
"What kind of joke is this? Once the drawbridge is down, it will be very difficult to raise it again. After our soldiers retreat, the enemy cavalry will follow and take the opportunity to charge into the city. In that case, won't the city fall?"
A general said.
The young general of the Tang dynasty said, "What are you afraid of? Don't we still have the barbican? Isn't it a good idea to lure the enemy cavalry into the barbican and let them be annihilated in the barbican?"
It suddenly occurred to Altik that they had annihilated the enemy's elite troops in the barbican last time. This time, they could do the same and annihilate the enemy cavalry in the barbican, thus eliminating the effective force of the siege troops.
There were no ladders inside the barbican that led to the city wall. The only passageways were the front and back gates. A screen was built in the middle to prevent the two gates from facing each other. It could also prevent the cavalry from quickly charging into the main gate. It played a very good defensive role.
"You mean to send troops out of the city to launch a sneak attack and then fake defeat to lure the enemy cavalry into the barbican? But the enemy cavalry is very fast. If our soldiers are slow, won't they suffer heavy losses? Moreover, there are no ladders in the barbican. If our soldiers want to withdraw to a safe place, they must withdraw from the main gate. But if the enemy cavalry rushes in, the gate will really be broken, unless … unless we close the main gate, give up the soldiers who go out to fight, and watch them all die in battle."
A general said.
The young general of the Tang Dynasty said, "Casualties are inevitable in war. If no one is willing to take the initiative to sacrifice himself, then this battle will not be easy to fight. If we send a suicide squad out of the city to launch a sneak attack, the enemy will definitely not expect it. We can cause great damage to the enemy's siege weapons in one fell swoop. If we retreat into the city after encountering the enemy cavalry, we can also lure some of the enemy cavalry into the barbican and eventually eliminate these enemy cavalry who have entered the city, which will greatly reduce the enemy's morale and slow down the enemy's siege progress."
"Forming a suicide squad is also a way, but it's a little too cruel. These suicide squad members are destined to all die in battle. Not a single one of them will survive."
Altik felt it was a little cruel.
"Since there is no possibility of survival, the number of the suicide squad can't be too large. Otherwise, even if we annihilate the enemy, we will suffer heavy losses. A few hundred people should be enough."
A general said.
The young general of the Tang Dynasty said, "Three hundred people! A suicide squad of three hundred people will definitely be able to complete this task well. "
Altik looked at a subordinate and said, "You will be in charge of the formation of the three hundred suicide squad."
Hearing this, the general looked at Altik and said, "My Lord, my men are all recruits. I don't think they have the courage to go out of the city to fight. Let's choose the most elite troops in the city for this suicide squad of three hundred people! Only they have the courage to go out of the city to fight. "
Altik was stunned when he heard this. He was a little reluctant to let his elite troops go out of the city to die. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Choose one hundred elite troops and let them charge at the front. Then, choose two hundred people from the recruits to follow them. That's enough."
"Yes, My Lord."
The subordinate could not give a reason to object, so he quickly nodded in agreement.
Soon, one hundred of the most elite troops in the city were selected, and two hundred of the recruits were also selected. They gathered at the north gate and accepted the glorious mission of going out of the city to fight.
Of course, in order to prevent them from being afraid, the general did not tell them the serious consequences of going out of the city to fight, nor did he say that they would definitely die in the battle. He only asked them to complete this difficult task. They would go out of the city to destroy some of the enemy's siege weapons, and then quickly retreat into the city. There would be troops to cover them. In this way, these warriors who went out of the city to fight would feel that they still had a chance to survive. Thus, they would not despair and refuse to go out of the city to fight, or simply run out and surrender.
Deception existed everywhere, and it was no exception in the army. Sometimes, in order to win, it was inevitable to cheat. For example, when the water source was cut off, in order to encourage the soldiers to move, they would tell the soldiers that there was a water source not far ahead. Then, they would be able to drink water if they rushed over.
Sometimes, in order to get rid of the enemy, they would use deception to let a small number of people stay behind to hold back the enemy and cover the main force to retreat to a safe place. These were all deception.
An army was often full of deception, especially in ancient times. Not only did they have to deceive their enemies, but they also had to deceive their subordinates. Of course, there were also some deceptions with good intentions.
For example, when the army's provisions were about to run out, they would tell the soldiers that there was still plenty of provisions, so that the army's morale would not be affected by the lack of provisions.
This time, the suicide squad was sent out of the city to fight in order to exhaust the enemy's equipment. At the same time, it was also to lure the enemy's cavalry into the city and annihilate the enemy's cavalry to boost the army's morale. However, for absolute safety, after the army left the city, the main city would be closed, thus deciding the fate of the suicide squad.
"These men are all good. Allah will remember them."
Altik closed his eyes and prayed.
All the soldiers who left the city to fight were equipped with the most basic weapons. However, the hundred elite soldiers at the front were equipped with shields and scimitars, while the two hundred new soldiers at the back were only equipped with scimitars. At the same time, they also needed to carry something to ignite the fire and be responsible for burning the equipment outside the city.
In other words, the hundred elite soldiers at the front were responsible for opening a path, while the two hundred new soldiers at the back were responsible for burning the siege equipment. As long as they were fast enough and could solve the problem before the enemy reacted, then they would have the ability to retreat into the city. However, what they did not know was that after they left the city, the main city's gates would immediately close and would not open because of their return. They were destined not to return.
"Ka ka ka …"
The main city's gates were the first to open. The three hundred soldiers brought their weapons and igniting materials into the barbican. Then, the barbican's gates opened and the three hundred suicide squad left the city through the barbican. At this moment, the main city's gates were closed. Due to the existence of the screen, the soldiers who left the city could not see the main city's gates even if they looked back.
After more than half of the soldiers walked out of the barbican, the drawbridge not far from the city gate was gently lowered. The moment the drawbridge was lowered, the three hundred soldiers shouted and charged forward, launching a surprise attack on the unprepared enemy in the city.
The siege troops outside the city were already very close to the moat. In other words, as long as the suicide squad charged across the moat, they would be able to attack the troops outside the city. The main force outside the city was concentrated at the back, while the arrow-blocking chariots and a small number of crossbowmen were at the front. There were also soldiers who were responsible for filling the ditches and civilians who were captured. Their combat strength was relatively weak, and in a moment of desperation, there was no way they could stop the troops who suddenly charged out of the city.
A few crossbowmen who were hiding behind the arrow-blocking chariots were quickly killed. Some of the soldiers jumped into the ditches and madly killed the Khorasan crossbowmen who were hiding inside. Even more soldiers charged forward quickly, because the most threatening siege equipment, such as the ladders, were still at the back. Their mission was to destroy the siege equipment that posed the greatest threat to the city in order to protect the safety of Maia City.
In order to be able to kill the defenders in the city, the closest catapults were only one or two hundred steps away from the city wall. It was a very short distance. Therefore, when the troops charged forward, they were in front of the catapults and quickly set them on fire.
The soldiers who were responsible for operating the catapults were not equipped with weapons. After all, the catapults were their weapons. However, the suicide squad was already in front of them. They did not have the ability to equip the catapults with bayonets. Therefore, other than those who were killed, the rest of the soldiers fled. They did not want to fight with their fists. There were also many civilians who were captured. When they saw the suicide squad charging at them, they desperately ran back.
Ziyad was watching the battle from a distance. In order to prevent a surprise attack from the cannons in the city, he had to stay far away. The task of commanding the troops near the city wall could only be completed by his subordinates.
The general in charge of commanding the troops was first stunned when he saw the troops suddenly charging out of the city. After all, this was far beyond his expectations.
He immediately ordered the cavalry to attack and eliminate the suicide squad. However, the retreating soldiers and civilians who were captured blocked the path. This caused the cavalry to lose some of its suddenness. The speed of the cavalry's attack was greatly reduced. This gave the suicide squad enough time to burn the siege equipment in front of them.
However, the enemy cavalry was not deployed very far away. After the fire was lit, the Khorasan cavalry was almost in front of them.
When the suicide squad saw the enemy cavalry charging at them, they knew that if they did not retreat, they would die. Therefore, they immediately retreated in the direction of the city. The most elite soldiers retreated even faster.
However, humans could not outrun horses. Just as they were about to escape, they were caught up. The soldiers running at the back all became targets for the Khorasan cavalry to practice slashing. In a short period of time, they suffered heavy losses.
However, because the distance was only one or two hundred steps, the fastest soldiers still managed to reach the drawbridge and quickly crossed it into the barbican. At the same time, the archers on the city wall continuously fired arrows to protect the suicide squad as they returned to the city. They did not know that Altik had already given up on these soldiers. He would not let them know about such a confidential matter.
The continuous crossbow fire caused many Khorasan cavalry to fall off their horses. Some of them fell into the moat. However, even more Khorasan cavalry charged into the barbican and pursued the suicide squad that escaped into the barbican. They were prepared to charge into the city in one go and occupy the city.
Almost all the suicide squad members who ran to the back were killed by the Khorasan cavalry. Less than fifty people successfully escaped back into the barbican. However, there were more than three hundred Khorasan cavalry that followed them into the barbican. Behind them, there were even more cavalry charging in with all their might.
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