The death of Ruan Tianque dropped another heavy bomb on the already restless Annan Province and cast a shadow over Haifang City, which was resisting foreign enemies.
The Cliff Mountain Fleet of Great Xia had arrived in the nearby waters, and it was unknown how many more days Haifang City could resist.
The Annan players had mixed feelings about the death of Ruan Tianque, but the death of a person was like an extinguished lamp. No words of blame could be said, and they could only grieve for the death of their own kind.
The giant ship of Annan had suffered heavy losses and was already riddled with holes. It was about to sink to the bottom of the sea.
What was even more ridiculous was that Ruan Tianque apologized with his death, leaving Annan Province with no allies to support them. In a sense, it accelerated the destruction of Annan Province.
Perhaps at the moment of his death, Ruan Tianque no longer cared.
…
Ruan Tianque was dead, but the war had to continue.
When the three armies of Annan received the news of returning to Shiwang City, they immediately stopped attacking and temporarily returned to the camp, preparing to withdraw overnight.
The question was, would Great Xia allow them to withdraw?
Take the northern battlefield as an example. As early as two days ago, Shi Wansui received news that the second batch of expeditionary troops had assembled in the northwest. Seeing that the enemy was about to withdraw, how could Shi Wansui let it go?
If the Annan army withdrew, Shi Wansui would definitely lead his troops to follow behind and nibble at the enemy step by step. As a result, the situation of the Annan army was very awkward.
If they insisted on retreating, not only would there be the risk of being chased by the enemy, but even if they returned to Hanoi successfully, the Great Xia army would naturally follow.
By then, not to mention entering the city, they would probably be attacked by the two armies of Great Xia and buried outside the city.
Withdrawal seemed to be an extravagant hope.
"What should we do?"
Faced with this dilemma, the commanders of the three armies made different choices.
Because the northern and eastern armies were closer to Hanoi, they were still prepared to obey the king's order. In any case, they had to return to the capital first.
The southern army had just fought with Great Xia for a day. Because of the long journey, they gritted their teeth and advanced instead of retreating, ready to fight to the death with the southern army of Great Xia.
On May 4, Bai Qi led the 280,000 vanguard troops to the suburbs of Hanoi and began to set up camp. In the afternoon, the army launched a tentative attack on Hanoi.
Hanoi was garrisoned with 200,000 imperial guards and 100,000 combat professional players. In addition, there were more than two million professional players and more than seven million citizens.
Their only hope was to hold on until the three armies returned.
In the evening of the same day, the 560,000 expeditionary troops arrived at Hanoi. Following Bai Qi's arrangements, they surrounded Hanoi so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through. A great battle was about to break out.
The next morning, the Great Xia army got into action.
Bai Qi's strategy was very simple. Although he had surrounded them from all four sides, he was only prepared to attack one side. "As long as we can break through one of the city gates, let the cavalry enter the city and destroy the stone stele of Hanoi's city, we will win this battle!"
As for the specific target, Bai Qi chose the east side.
After choosing a hillside in the eastern suburbs as the command center, Bai Qi gazed at the majestic Royal City not far away and said, "Who is willing to volunteer to be the vanguard and break through the eastern gate?"
"Marshal, this general is willing to go!"
Right after Bai Qi finished speaking, a general requested to go to battle. It was Chen Tang, the Commander of the Flying Bear Army's First Corps.
Chen Tang was incorporated into Great Xia along with Jiangchuan Province and was considered a "half-surrendered general." As such, he had yet to truly integrate into the Great Xia army and was eager to prove himself on the battlefield.
Seeing this, Bai Qi nodded and said, "Alright, count the general in!"
For this attack, Bai Qi was prepared to send two corps into battle. It would be best if they were infantry corps.
The Flying Bear Army's First Corps, which was led by Chen Tang, was formed from the armies of the various territories in Jiangchuan Province. Their combat strength wasn't a problem, but Bai Qi didn't know how well Chen Tang, the Commander of the Flying Bear Army, would integrate them.
The battle of Annan Province would be a touchstone.
When Pei Renji saw this, a trace of vexation flashed in his eyes. As a general who had just joined Great Xia, Pei Renji also wanted to make contributions. However, due to a moment of hesitation, Chen Tang snatched the opportunity first.
Bai Qi couldn't possibly leave two quotas for the Flying Bear Army, so Pei Renji was not fated to participate in this mission.
Seeing that the marshal had chosen Chen Tang, the five commanders of the Dragon Stallion Army couldn't sit still. After all, they were the marshal's "direct subordinates". How could they let an "outsider" monopolize the limelight?
"Marshal, this general is willing to go!"
Almost at the same time, the two valiant generals, Lai Hu 'er and Luo Shixin, requested to go to battle.
When Bai Qi saw this, he seemed a little hesitant and didn't know who to choose. Lai Hu 'er and Luo Shixin could only look at the marshal with eyes full of desire.
"Let the second corps go to battle!"
In the end, Bai Qi still chose to protect his son, not for any other reason than that Luo Shixin was better at cavalry battles.
"Thank you, marshal!"
Lai Hu 'er's face was flushed with excitement, while Luo Shixin was a little unhappy.
Although Lai Hu 'er had been ambushed by Swordsman City in the battle of Sichuan and had been demoted by the king, he had learned from his mistakes. In the end, this valiant general had won back Ouyang Shuo's trust with his accomplishments.
At the same time, he had also won the trust of the commander of the Dragon Stallion Army, Bai Qi.
After selecting the attacking force, the army immediately began to make arrangements.
Boom! Boom! Dong dong! "
Accompanied by the familiar sound of war drums, the four armies simultaneously launched their attacks to provide cover.
The real main attacking force, Chen Tang, had come. The Child Protection Division was also mixed in with the attacking force as they resolutely attacked the eastern wall of Hanoi.
Because there was a limited number of places to spread out, Bai Qi, in order to be fair, arranged for Chen Tang to be the main attacking force in the first wave. The Child Protection Division would follow behind, ready to replace Chen Tang at any time.
Of course, this was something that Chen Tang didn't want to see.
"My sons, today is the day to make contributions. Follow me and kill!"
As he spoke, Chen Tang took the lead with his personal guards to launch an attack. The 70,000 soldiers followed behind him and charged toward the eastern gate. As soon as they came up, they assumed the stance of fighting to the death.
They only stopped when they were 500 meters away from the city wall.
Next, it was time for the construction equipment to perform. Siege vehicles, catapults, and mobile arrow towers were pushed to the forefront and began to suppress the defending army.
Because they were marching through the tunnel, the amount of siege equipment they could carry was very limited, which was a shortcoming of the expeditionary army. Chen Tang didn't care at all. After the catapults and mobile arrow towers slightly suppressed the offensive of the defending army, he immediately issued an order to attack the city.
One division after another was sent to the frontline.
Since he had made a military order, Chen Tang had no way out.
The Annan defending army on the city wall also had no way out. They would either die on the city wall or wait for their country to be destroyed. The collision between the two forces was destined to be an extremely tragic confrontation.
Under the counterattack of the Annan army, the ferocious Flying Bear Army's first three waves of attacks were all in vain and were resolutely beaten back by the defending army. In the blink of an eye, 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers from the first legion of the Flying Bear Army died in battle.
Chen Tang's face twitched when he saw this, but he made up his mind and sent out another fresh army.
"My sons, the other party is a tough nut to crack, but the Flying Bear Army isn't a coward. This battle concerns the honor of the legion. Our brothers from the other legions are watching us from behind. The marshal is watching us, and the king is watching us from thousands of miles away. "
"Whether the Flying Bear Army can make a name for itself depends on today's battle!"
Chen Tang was passionate and incessant to cheer for the officers and soldiers. His words made the soldiers' blood boil as they roared and charged forward. "Kill! Kill! Kill! "
This was the DNA of the Great Xia army.
This was the most formal professional army, and every one of them valued honor above their lives.
An even crueler battle was about to begin. In order to boost morale, Chen Tang even ordered the division commanders to personally lead the charge and take down the eastern gate before noon.
However, this was easier said than done.
Regardless of whether it was the Annan Imperial Guards or the Annan combat players, they were all fighting with their backs against the wall. Behind them were their families, brothers, and friends. There was no way out.
"We can only fight to the death!"
From eight o 'clock in the morning, the battle in the east had entered a white-hot stage.
Although the first legion of the Flying Bear Army was elite and the officers and soldiers were all fearless, Hanoi was a royal city after all. Not only were the city's defenses perfect, but they were also very rich.
Successive attacks were met with setbacks.
The tall city walls were like the graveyard of the Flying Bear Army that devoured fresh lives. Chen Tang's face turned darker and darker. He clenched his fists unconsciously and stared straight ahead.
At around 11 o 'clock, the Flying Bear Army had already lost nearly 30,000 soldiers, and nearly half of them were casualties. The Flying Bear Army could be proud that they could hold on until now.
The deputy general said to Chen Tang, "General, retreat and reorganize first. The officers and soldiers can't hold on any longer!" Even though the military discipline of Great Xia was as strong as a mountain, such a large number of casualties inevitably shook the morale of the soldiers.
Chen Tang pursed his lips and gritted his teeth, but he refused to relent.
"He's not resigned to this!"
Under the fierce attack of the Flying Bear Army, the defenders at the top of the city walls weren't having a good time either.
"Let the officers and soldiers hold on a little longer."
This was what Chen Tang was thinking, but before he could say anything, a messenger suddenly ran over from behind and said to Chen Tang, "General Chen, General Lai said that if you guys can't hold on any longer, you should retreat and let the Dragon Stallion Army take over."
"What did you say?"
Chen Tang exploded upon hearing this. His eyes instantly turned red, and he stomped his feet in anger. "What a scoundrel! Go and tell that guy with the surname Lai to stay at one side. The Flying Bear Army will break through the city gates soon. If he dares to charge at this time, don't blame us for being merciless. "
"This …"
The messenger looked like he was in a difficult position.
"Hurry up and go!" Chen Tang was almost roaring like a ferocious tiger.
The surrounding officers of the Flying Bear Army were also apprehensive when they saw this. They really didn't know that the usually mild-mannered commander could be so frightening when he was angry.
"Yes, yes, I'll go immediately!"
The messenger was stunned as well, and hurriedly ran back to where he came from.
Chen Tang didn't have the energy to pay attention to a messenger anymore. He quickly turned around, looked at the surrounding officers of the Flying Bear Army, and said loudly, "Did everyone hear that? If we don't take down the city gates, those bastards from the Dragon Stallion Army will shit on our heads. Can you tolerate that? "
"No!"
"I can't either!" Chen Tang took a deep breath and unsheathed the sword at his waist. "I won't say anything unnecessary. My sons, follow me and kill. We won't rest until we break through the city gates!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill! "
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