Guo Zhao said, "Commander in Chief, if you don't adopt this strategy, we'll have to fight head-on. We'll hold on for a while and make a decision based on the situation. "
Liu Hongcheng nodded and said, "Mister Guo, I also think we should hold on for a while. Besides, we're subjects of the Tang dynasty. Du Qi won't believe us if we surrender to Du Qi right away. Instead, we should hold on for a while. When we can't hold on any longer, we'll consider a fake surrender. That's the only way we can make Du Qi believe us. "
Guo Zhao nodded and said, "You're right, Commander in Chief."
"Report!"
At this moment, a soldier came to Liu Hongcheng's side and said, "Commander in Chief, the scouts have reported that the army led by Du Qi is less than ten miles away from our county. They'll be here soon."
"Scout again!"
Liu Hongcheng ordered.
He looked at the public road in the distance. A mere ten miles wouldn't take much time for Xia Xia's army, which was marching rapidly. It wouldn't be long before Du Qi's army arrived.
Liu Hongcheng waited quietly. Time passed slowly. When Liu Hongcheng saw the mighty army on the public road in the distance, he knew someone was coming. Liu Hongcheng and Guo Zhao didn't stay on the city wall. Instead, they stood on the side and commanded.
This was to avoid being bombarded by the mortar.
It would be too pitiful if he were to be killed by the explosion while commanding from the city wall tower. It didn't take long for Xia Xia's army to get into formation. The black mass of soldiers stood in formation, their armor gleaming. Under the golden sunlight, the entire army outside the city exuded an unparalleled spirit and was extremely intimidating.
Du Qi's army had arrived at the city wall.
Du Qi sat on his horse and looked at the city wall tower. He shouted, "Where's Liu Hongcheng?"
Liu Hongcheng hid in the crowd and shouted back, "Du Qi, attack if you want. Why act like a little girl? Zhangye County and Gan Province swear to fight to the death and never surrender. "
He was hiding in the crowd.
Du Qi couldn't determine Liu Hongcheng's location even though his voice was heard.
Du Qi smiled. Liu Hongcheng's approach was quite cautious. But in reality, he never intended to bombard Liu Hongcheng with the mortars. It was just that Liu Hongcheng had hidden himself.
Du Qi said in a deep voice, "Liu Hongcheng, the current situation of the Tang dynasty is like a river going downhill with each passing day. Even a clay Bodhisattva crossing the river can hardly protect himself. Now that you're working for the Tang dynasty, you can only put up a desperate struggle. Open the city gates and surrender, and I will guarantee you a lifetime of glory and wealth. "
Liu Hongcheng said disdainfully, "Du Qi, you killed my clan brother Liu Hongji, and you still want to protect me with riches and honor, what a joke! Let me tell you, I, Liu Hongji, and you, Du Qi, are irreconcilable. Zhangye under my rule will never surrender. I, Liu Hongcheng, will fight to the death. "
Du Qi frowned.
Liu Hongcheng was really stubborn!
The city of Zhangye County could not be said to be weak, but compared to a real strong city, it was still lacking. But even so, if Du Qi wanted to force an attack, there would definitely be losses.
"Your Majesty, this general requests to fight."
At this moment, Zuo Xianfeng took the lead to come out. His eyes were sharp as he said domineeringly, "This subject is willing to lead the elephant soldiers under my command to attack the city tower and seize the county."
Du Qi shook his head and said, "The elephant soldiers will be useful in attacking the city. But the Tang army has gunpowder. Once the gunpowder explodes everywhere, it will cause the elephants to go crazy and lose control. At that time, it will be impossible for you to stabilize the formation, let alone attack. "
Zuo Xianfeng paused for a moment and said directly, "This subject is willing to lead the soldiers in the army to attack and not let the elephants participate in the battle."
Du Qi said, "Have you thought it through?"
Zuo Xianfeng said, "This subject has thought it through."
Du Qi looked at Xue Rengui and ordered, "Assign 2,000 elites to Zuo Xianfeng and let him personally lead the attack."
"No need!"
Zuo Xianfeng shook his head and said, "The elephant soldiers under my command are enough to attack directly. Although the elephants can't participate in the battle, the elephant soldiers are all elites. These elephant soldiers can also participate in the battle. This subject will lead 3,000 elephant soldiers to participate in the battle. We will attack the city tower and directly kill our way up. "
Now that they were attacking the Tang dynasty, Zuo Xianfeng cherished this opportunity very much. Only by seizing every opportunity would he have the chance to advance further and make greater contributions.
Du Qi nodded and said, "I will deploy the mortars to support you and 10,000 elite soldiers to attack fiercely to help you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zuo Xianfeng immediately thanked him.
To him, the bombardment of the artillery and the support of ten thousand elites was more than enough.
As long as he could take the lead, he would have profited this time.
Du Qi directly instructed Xue Rengui to make the arrangements. Following the order, the mortars began to bombard the city tower one after another. Amidst the rumbling of the cannons, Zuo Xianfeng had already transferred the soldiers under his command to launch a fierce attack.
A total of 13,000 people began to attack Zhangye County. The densely packed army spread out. Zuo Xianfeng was dressed in armor. As he ran, he shouted, "Boys, kill! Today is the day to make contributions. Whoever is the first to kill will be the first to make the contribution. Follow me and kill. The soldiers under my command are not cowards. Every time, it is the other armies that make contributions. Today, our elephant army will also make a contribution. Kill! "
Beside Zuo Xianfeng, the soldiers charged quickly.
One by one, the soldiers charged continuously.
After the black mass of people approached the city, the city tower responded not long after. Some soldiers drew their bows and shot out arrows. Some catapults also threw out gunpowder pots to bombard the city. However, under the bombardment of the mortars, the counterattack on the city tower guarded by Liu Hongcheng was suppressed and could not form any momentum.
As a result, the army led by Zuo Xianfeng was rapidly approaching the city tower.
Patter! Patter!
Scaling ladders were quickly placed on the city tower.
One by one, Xia Xia's soldiers started to climb up the ladders. Zuo Xianfeng took the lead. With a steel saber in his mouth and a ladder in his hands, he quickly climbed up like an ape. He climbed at an extremely fast speed. As he moved left and right, he got closer and closer to the city tower. Even though the city was heavily guarded, Zuo Xianfeng did not stop at all.
Zuo Xianfeng quickly climbed up and finally charged up the city tower. He swung the saber in his hand and chopped down several Tang soldiers around him, buying time and space for Xia Xia's soldiers to climb up.
When the surrounding Tang soldiers saw the situation, they swarmed over and surrounded Zuo Xianfeng, intending to kill him.
Facing a strong enemy, Zuo Xianfeng's expression was cold and fearless. He swung his saber and killed the Tang soldiers that charged over. Even so, Zuo Xianfeng was still injured. There were wounds on his back and ribs. Blood flowed out and dyed his clothes red. However, under the stimulation of the blood, Zuo Xianfeng became even more ferocious. He swung his saber continuously.
One by one, the Tang soldiers who charged forward were all killed.
Zuo Xianfeng grinned. His bloodstained face was even more ferocious and terrifying. Corpses were strewn all around him.
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