The first day of the rebel army's attack ended in failure. The price they paid was the lives of more than 30,000 innocent people and 40,000 elite troops.
Chang 'an was stronger than Di Chen and the others had expected.
As night fell, the setting sun shone on the blood-stained city walls, the dilapidated towers, the piles of corpses at the foot of the city walls, and the ground that was dyed red by the corpses.
After the System update, the corpses could no longer be swept away. To avoid spreading the plague, Ouyang Shuo ordered to bury the corpses on the spot or burn them together under the cover of darkness.
Billowing black smoke mixed with a foul smell spread in the air, making people's hair stand on end. In the rustling cold wind, faint sobs could be heard. It was the sorrow of losing their loved ones.
After a day of fierce fighting, more than 20,000 of the 100,000 young men temporarily recruited were killed. Most of them were injured by the rebel army's catapults or mobile arrow towers. The 60,000 new soldiers were even worse off. They lost one-third of their men.
The men of the Tang Empire lived up to their name.
At night, a rumor gradually spread that the rebel army only wanted to "clean up the emperor's side" and did not want to rebel. After the army entered Chang 'an, they would not offend the people and hoped that the people would not make unnecessary sacrifices.
An Lushan's spies in the city began to work.
As soon as the rumor came out, some people really believed it, especially those who saw their neighbors killed in the battle. They were even more worried that such a disaster would befall them.
The people had lived peacefully for a long time and hated war. It would be better if they could stop fighting.
As a result, the people's hearts began to waver.
Ouyang Shuo snorted at the rumor and ordered people to put up a notice, saying, "The rebel army rebelled under the slogan of crusading against Yang Guozhong. Yang Guozhong has long been executed, but the rebel army has not stopped their rebellion. Their wild ambition is obvious. This is the first reason. During the day, the rebel army drove the innocent people to attack the city. They are crazy and have no sympathy for the people. It is obvious that they did not offend the people. This is the second reason. "
"With these two reasons, it shows that the rebel army is cunning and their words cannot be trusted."
As soon as the rumor-refuting notice was posted, the people were suddenly awakened. "Yes, the rebel army did not care about the lives of the people outside the city. If they really entered the city, would they let them go?!"
It could be said that the rebel army's act of driving the people away during the day was digging their own graves.
At the same time, Ouyang Shuo once again sent out the Divine Martial Guards to deal with the rats that had jumped out. He cleaned them up so that they wouldn't jump out again to disgust people.
…
Over the next two days, the rebel army launched fierce attacks on Chang 'an City again and again. Each time, they returned without any success, leaving only cold corpses behind.
Chang 'an City was like a greedy beast from the abyss, endlessly devouring fresh lives.
After attacking the city for three days, the morale of the rebel army plummeted.
"We can't go on like this. Sooner or later, we will fall at the foot of the city wall." Di Chen was still able to keep his composure. He clenched his teeth and made up his mind. "We have to change our battle strategy and win by surprise."
The few of them gathered together and urgently discussed countermeasures. The atmosphere in the group was no longer as relaxed as it was at the beginning. All of them were extremely solemn and frowning.
Only when it was late at night did they disperse.
…
On the fifteenth day of the battle, in Chang 'an.
The attack of the rebel army in the morning was no different from the previous two days. The only difference was that the attack of the rebel army was more ferocious. They did not care about sacrifices and were not afraid of death. It was as if they had cut off all means of retreat.
"The enemy is going all out. Everyone, stay alert!"
On the city wall, the slightly experienced regimental captains noticed the abnormality of the enemy and reminded their men to pay attention. There were no eyes on the battlefield. A small mistake could be fatal, not to mention at such a critical moment.
The three consecutive days of fierce attacks by the rebel army were also a huge test for the defending army. Casualties, diseases, fatigue, fear, and so on constantly eroded the will of the defending army. The soldiers were constantly on the verge of collapse.
If the attack continued like this, the defending army might not be able to resist. After all, the difference in strength between the two sides was obvious. However, the rebel army had suffered heavy casualties and their morale was at rock bottom. They might not be able to hold on until the moment the city was breached.
This was a battle of wills and also a psychological battle between the commanders of both sides.
It all depended on who could hold on first.
Without a doubt, Di Chen and the others were the first to be unable to sit still and were ready to change their battle strategy.
At noon, when everyone was at their most relaxed, the rebel army suddenly made a new move. They saw that the 70,000 soldiers that Di Chen had been treating as reserve troops suddenly moved.
"Not good!" Shi Hu and the other generals felt their hearts sink.
The rebel army sending in reserve troops at this time was really fatal.
"Fight to the death!"
The bravery of the barbarian soldiers was vividly displayed at this moment.
For the glory of the dynasty, the 30,000 barbarians did not hesitate to die here to defend the glory of their king.
Just when Shi Hu and the others were ready to fight to the death, the 70,000 soldiers suddenly turned and moved toward the east. Their target was the East City Gate that had not been moved.
"This is a diversion!"
The 70,000 soldiers rushed toward the east like hungry wolves.
Di Chen's goal was very simple. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when the defending army was attracted to the west and south to try to open a gap in the East City Wall and reverse the situation.
Then, which troop of the Tang Dynasty was guarding the East City Wall?
It was none other than the original 3,000 imperial guards of Chang 'an City.
Although the retired emperor Li Longji had left Xingqing Palace with his beloved concubine and hid in the Taiji Palace in the inner city as soon as the battle started, the 3,000 imperial guards were still guarding the East City Wall.
In the face of the sudden attack of 70,000 rebel soldiers, even with the moat as a cover, the 3,000 imperial guards would not be able to defend.
When Ouyang Shuo received the news, he immediately called Ma Xiu over. "It's time for you to show up!"
"Yes!"
Ma Xiu straightforwardly saluted, turned around, and left.
The 20,000 Tiger Leopard Cavalry rode their horses to the East City District and uniformly got off their horses. Like hungry wolves, they climbed up the city wall with swords in their hands. They immediately became elite infantry and surrounded the East City Wall.
In any case, Ouyang Shuo was a veteran, so how could he not leave a reserve force?
It was to guard against the rebel army.
The battle was about to start. The surprise attack of the rebel army did not work, and it immediately became a bitter battle.
The surprise attack of the rebel army caught the defending army unprepared. The eastern side did not have enough archers to fully display the killing power of the giant crossbows, nor did they have any auxiliary troops to transport the defensive supplies.
Soon, the 70,000 rebel soldiers killed their way to the top of the city wall and fought with the Tiger Leopard Cavalry.
The scene was very tragic, and it looked like they were going to defend to the death. Fortunately, the Tiger Leopard Cavalry were the elites of the elites and the trump card of the trump card. Their combat power was really terrifying. Under the leadership of Ma Xiu, they stubbornly repelled the enemy's attacks and tenaciously defended their position.
The might of the Great Xia army was invincible.
Just as the two sides were fighting fiercely, a team suddenly appeared on the outskirts of Chang'an. They looked at the battlefield from afar and did not come over.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that the fastest troops to rescue the emperor had finally arrived in Chang'an.
The battle of Chang'an had ushered in a turning point.
Di Chen received the news and did not dare to take the risk, so he immediately ordered a retreat. The day's siege ended anticlimactically, and the battle situation was becoming more and more disadvantageous for the An Lushan camp.
The troops that arrived today were just the beginning. Over the next few days, more and more troops gathered in Chang'an, causing the rebel army to not dare to attack the city. They directly retreated to the barracks east of the Ba River.
"This is so frustrating!"
Although Di Chen was depressed, An Qingxu was even more irritable. After a few days of fighting, one-third of the 150,000 troops that An Qingxu brought had already been killed.
However, Chang'an still stood tall and did not even lose a hair.
As the various troops arrived in Chang'an, the hope of attacking Chang'an became more and more uncertain. It could even be said that when the troops increased, whether they could retreat in one piece was a problem.
An Qingxu was already quite dissatisfied with Di Chen and the others, and even had the idea of leading his troops back to Luoyang.
"At most, I'll withdraw from Fanyang!" An Qingxu had other ideas in mind.
Little did he know that the retreat route that An Qingxu thought had already disappeared.
Just two days ago, Guo Ziyi led the 150,000 Tang troops and 100,000 elite cavalrymen. Not only did they wipe out Shi Siming's troops, but they also directly attacked Fanyang and destroyed An Lushan's nest.
Now, this army was heading straight for Luoyang with the momentum of a great victory.
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