Ten o 'clock in the morning, at the southern gate of Lin' an.
In just an hour, the Mongolian warriors had been replaced three times. Other than being stained with blood, the southern gate was still as sturdy as ever.
The hour was a complete disaster for the Mongolian warriors. Some of them were crushed into meat paste by stones, some of them were turned into roasted pigs by boiling vegetable oil, and some of them were killed by powerful bows and crossbows.
The way they died was different, but the result was the same.
As time passed, there was no progress in the siege. Zhang Hongfan's face became more and more serious. His palms were sweating, but he couldn't wipe them off.
Although Khubilai didn't say anything, there was an invisible pressure that seemed to be crushing Zhang Hongfan.
Zhang Hongfan had no choice but to grit his teeth and send wave after wave of soldiers onto the battlefield. He wanted to attack fiercely and break through the gates of Lin 'an.
The tenacity of the Southern Song army and the fierceness of their counterattack completely exceeded Zhang Hongfan's expectations.
"How could this be?!"
As the first deputy general under Boyan's command, Zhang Hongfan had attacked the Southern Song army with Boyan. He had conquered at least twenty of the Southern Song army's cities, but he had never encountered such tenacious resistance.
"Are these still the weak and easily bullied Song people I know?"
Standing at the top of the command tower, Zhang Hongfan couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the fearless Southern Song recruits on the city wall.
It was as if someone had cast some kind of magic on Lin 'an City overnight.
All the people in the city became excited. They were no longer weak and dispirited. Instead, they were filled with blood and determination to fight the Mongolians.
"What a strange people."
Zhang Hongfan muttered to himself. His face was pale. He had fewer and fewer tricks up his sleeves. Once he ran out of them, if he didn't get a good result, he would be mercilessly punished.
What promotion and nobility? That was all a lie.
At this moment, a messenger came from the stairs of the command tower. He was one of Khubilai's guards. "General, His Majesty has ordered you to go to the Emperor."
Hearing this, Zhang Hongfan's legs softened and he almost fell. He wondered if His Majesty was completely disappointed in him and was prepared to execute him on the spot as a sacrifice to the military flag.
Fear washed over Zhang Hongfan like a tidal wave. For a moment, Zhang Hongfan even thought of jumping down from the command tower and ending his life.
"General?"
Seeing Zhang Hongfan's gloomy expression, the messenger reminded him.
"Oh, okay, okay, I'll go now."
Zhang Hongfan suddenly came to his senses. He felt ashamed of his thoughts just now. How could it be like this? He was a great general, how could he be so timid?
Even if he was going to die, he wanted to die honorably.
In the end, it was the recent setbacks that had greatly impacted Zhang Hongfan's confidence.
…
Under the guidance of a messenger, Zhang Hongfan quickly met with Khubilai.
Khubilai sat on his throne. His expression was no longer as relaxed as it was at the start, but it wasn't very serious either. As a ruler of a generation, Khubilai had seen all sorts of storms.
"Minister Zhang, I want to know how much longer it will take to take down Lin 'an." Because he was surrounded by Han officials, Khubilai was very familiar with the Han emperor's methods.
Zhang Hongfan opened his mouth wide, but he couldn't say a single word. Of course, he wanted to pat his chest and say that he would definitely be able to take down Lin 'an within half a day, but he didn't dare to.
Seeing this, Khubilai said plainly, "Minister Zhang, I am very disappointed!"
Hearing this, Zhang Hongfan almost reflexively knelt down and kowtowed, "I have failed His Majesty's trust and deserve to die. I am willing to accept my punishment!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed again and again until his forehead broke.
Khubilai looked at the 'performance' of his beloved general and didn't say anything. After a while, he said, "Get up, we can talk about your punishment after the battle. I will give you another 100,000 soldiers. If you still can't take down Lin 'an, bring your head to me. "
Zhang Hongfan was indeed clear-headed. He didn't immediately agree. Instead, he once again expressed his loyalty to Khubilai and worriedly said, "I don't dare."
"Why not? Are you afraid of the Southern Song?" Suddenly, a sharp killing intent rose from Khubilai's body. He was like a wolf on the plains, ready to tear his enemies into pieces at any moment.
Khubilai couldn't tolerate a cowardly general.
"I'm not afraid, I'm just worried about His Majesty's safety. The enemy has stationed 200,000 soldiers in the north. If we send another 100,000 soldiers, I'm worried that the Southern Song will attack first. "Zhang Hongfan explained.
Khubilai's expression softened and his killing intent disappeared. He said, "You don't need to worry about that. I have 300,000 soldiers to protect me. Even if the Southern Song dares to attack first, they won't be able to return. "
Even though he hadn't personally seen the power of the Mutants, Khubilai was still very confident in the Mongolian cavalry under his command. This army had fought with him all over the world and had never lost a battle.
Khubilai still didn't believe that there was something stronger than his army in this world. In order to shirk the blame for the crushing defeat in the previous ambush, the losers would naturally exaggerate to the enemy.
He believed this without a doubt.
There was an old saying that experience could help, but it could also kill.
Khubilai was currently making the mistake of 'empiricism'. He was using his past battle experience to estimate the enemy. He didn't know that there was an even bigger world outside of the battle map.
Although Zhang Hongfan didn't agree, he didn't argue anymore. These 100,000 reinforcements were his last hope. He had to hold on to them to save his own fate.
Just like that, the matter was decided.
Soon, 100,000 Mongolian soldiers left the Northern Barracks and moved towards the east and west.
…
Lin 'an City, North City Tower.
As the commander of the 200,000 soldiers, Guo Ziyi didn't appear on the battlefield. Instead, he stayed at the North City Tower. He looked down from above and observed the enemy's every move, preparing to attack at any moment.
In order to face off against the Southern Song army, the Mongolian army also walked out of the Northern Barracks and formed a formation in front of the camp. The Mongolian army was formed in units of 10,000 soldiers. There were 40 cavalry formations, which made people's scalps go numb.
Such a shocking battle scene could only appear in a game.
Khubilai's imperial entourage also appeared on the battlefield, but it was at the back of the army. The 40 cavalry formations were arranged in four rows and ten rows. Khubilai's personal guards were in the fourth and fifth rows.
Just at this moment, five 10,000-strong soldiers from each side of the formation moved towards the flanks. They were the 100,000 soldiers who were sent by Khubilai to reinforce the flanks.
Even so, the end of the cavalry formation couldn't be seen. No wonder Khubilai was so confident.
Guo Ziyi also smiled. "You finally moved. I was just worried that you wouldn't move!" Before the battle started, the Grand Council had made a detailed evaluation of Jia Xu's plan.
With the strength of 150,000 cavalry, they could at most fight against 350,000 Mongolian cavalry. Anything more than that would be too much for them, so they could only give up on the plan to kill the leader.
Because of this, Wu Qi, who was commanding the defense of the city, had to mobilize all of the defensive forces and display their strength to attract the enemy to reinforce the frontlines.
As expected, Khubilai fell for it and immediately mobilized 100,000 soldiers.
Because of this, the situation was very good for the Southern Song army.
When the 100,000 Mongolian cavalry gradually left, Guo Ziyi started to move.
"Send my order, all troops, get ready!"
She waved the flag at the top of the city wall, and the troops at the foot of the city immediately received the signal. The order was like a wave, and it was quickly and accurately sent down layer by layer until it reached each cavalier.
Once they received the order, all the cavaliers felt their spirits lift. They used the shortest amount of time possible to check their equipment and make sure that they were in the best condition for battle.
A huge battle was about to break out at any moment.
"Attack!"
Guo Ziyi was very decisive. She did not hesitate at all.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The war drums beat, and the flag fluttered.
At the left was the fierce general E Lai, who had made great contributions during the ambush and killed Boyan. He suddenly opened his eyes, and Rakshasa under him became alert as well.
"Boys, charge with me!"
E Lai did not say anything else. He tapped the ground lightly on Rakshasa, and like an arrow, he took the lead to charge at the Mongolian army.
The 50,000 elite cavaliers moved like a single entity, and for a period of time, smoke and dust rose into the air.
Strangely, the cavaliers at the left did not charge in the usual straight line. Instead, they followed E Lai's path and moved diagonally from the left to the center.
At the same time, Zhao Zhuang's troops on the right also moved out.
Just like the left, the right also moved diagonally from the right to the center. If there were no surprises, the two armies would converge at the center of the enemy army.
During this process, the 50,000 elite cavaliers in the center did not move at all, as if they had no intention of charging.
A strange charge!
The strange behavior of the mutants was quickly noticed by the Mongolian army. When Khubilai received the news, he stood up from his seat and grinned, "They really dared to come. Alright, let's have a good fight."
Although he was the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Khubilai still had the blood of the Gold Family flowing in his veins. He was a warrior and a general who had killed countless enemies.
Khubilai was not afraid of the battlefield at all.
On the contrary, the provocation of the mutants aroused Khubilai's desire for battle. He could no longer control the boiling blood in his body, and he decided to fight.
"Huala! Huala! "
The people around Khubilai were all elite Mongolian cavaliers, so they were naturally fearless. Once the order was given, they all turned into wolves and wanted to devour the enemy.
Almost at the same time, the Mongolian cavaliers moved. First, the first row, then the second, third, and fourth row. It was as if they were going to topple the mountains and overturn the seas.
Throughout the entire process, only the five formations around Khubilai did not move. They loyally guarded the area, acting as the last line of defense for the Emperor.
The wind was howling, the horses were neighing, and the earth was roaring.
At around 11 am, a sudden clash of cavaliers occurred in the northern suburbs of Linan City.
Because there were too many cavaliers facing off against each other, the charging cavaliers stirred up a cloud of dust that almost covered the entire battlefield.
Amidst the cloud of dust, the center of the mutants army began to move!
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