Chapter 769
Mutual Destruction
As the war continued, Feng Sheng kept trying to find out the location of the heavy artillery in Luoyang.
Therefore, the battle was extremely fierce, with ladders and battering rams attacking relentlessly.
However, Luoyang was heavily defended, and two full hours passed.
At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), bad news arrived: Tang He's rear army had crossed the river. Seeing that Feng Sheng had been unable to breach the defenses of Luoyang for a long time, Tang He finally couldn't hold back any longer.
When smoke signals rose from the southern city wall, Chen Xiaohu knew that the worst was about to happen.
Tang He's military tactics were partly influenced by Xu Da's, characterized by ruthlessness and decisiveness. He didn't bother to reorganize the troops; the first thing the rear guard did after crossing the river was to push all the catapults to the front line, aiming them at the weakest point of the city wall—the southeast corner, which had been added during the previous dynasty's expansion. The rammed earth there wasn't as solid as the old city wall, and Chen Xiaohu and his men hadn't had time to reinforce it after taking over; they had just hastily plastered it with cement, but its sturdiness was certainly not as good as the old city wall.
A total of eighty catapults were transported to the front line. These catapults were Zhang Shicheng's military legacy. After his death, all of his military equipment was seized by Zhu Chongba, who then sent all of this military equipment to the front line in Luoyang.
The goal was to make a strong start, to let Chen Jiu Si know how powerful he was, to make Huangzhou Prefecture feel panicked, and even to make them afraid of fighting.
At this time, Tang He's rear army arrived at the battlefield with eighty catapults, some of which were heavy catapults that Zhang Shicheng had prepared to counter Chen Jie's artillery, capable of launching stones weighing two or three hundred catties.
At Tang He's command, eighty catapults began to fire.
During the first test firing, a section of the city wall's crenellations was chipped away.
The five crossbowmen hiding behind were smashed into a bloody pulp, their blood splattering onto the three-zhang-high flagpole.
"Get the Vermilion Bird Army to the city walls!" Chen Xiaohu roared at Shi Gengming, who had retreated back to the city. "The White Tiger Army will guard the city gates, and you will guard the city walls! Tell the brothers that Tang He is going to breach the city walls. Once the breach is opened, it will be time to fight to the death!"
At this moment, Shi Gengming swept his spear and said, "Tiger Commander, how about I guard the city gate? I've been wanting to meet Zhu Chongba's men for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "There will be opportunities. You keep an eye on the battlefield. In today's battle, you keep an eye on Feng Sheng, and I'll keep an eye on Tang He!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Gengming said, "Good. When the King of Han ascends the throne, the civil officials can still offer a few words of congratulations, but we military generals can only congratulate the King of Han on his ascension to the throne with the heads of the enemy. Now that people like Tang He and Feng Sheng have come, it's even better. Let them know how powerful we are."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "In short, be careful. The King of Han said that we should despise the enemy strategically but take the enemy seriously tactically. In this battle, we can only win and not lose."
"Understood. Watch me, Tiger Commander. In this first battle since the founding of the nation, I must make a name for myself."
Shi Gengming brandished his spear, clearly excited. War was something to fear for civil officials, but for military generals, it was something to celebrate. Victory meant being ennobled and appointed prime minister, defeat meant being remembered in history. What was there to fear? As long as one did not retreat and died for one's principles, it was still a success. Kill!
The entire White Tiger Army and Vermilion Bird Army were excited.
For the next half hour, Luoyang City experienced its most brutal bombardment since the start of the war.
Stones rained down on the city wall, each impact causing the earth to shake violently.
The section of the wall in the southeast corner began to crack, with cracks spreading like a spider web, and rammed earth blocks kept falling off.
The soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Army tried to reinforce the area with wooden fences and sandbags, but they were often crushed to dust along with their belongings by the next wave of boulders as soon as they rushed up.
Finally, at the beginning of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), that section of the wall could no longer hold.
First, a large bulge appeared on the inside, then the entire outer layer of cement wall peeled off, revealing the blackened rammed earth core inside.
Finally, with a heart-wrenching cracking sound, a gap three zhang wide was suddenly opened.
"The city has fallen!!!"
The Wu army erupted in a thunderous cheer.
At this moment, Wu Jun seemed to see the dawn of victory. Then Tang He raised his hand and said, "Beat the drums, charge!"
"Kill them!"
Tang He shouted, and at this moment, Liao Yongzhong, Tang He's deputy general on the right wing, clasped his hands and said, "Commander Tang, leave this charge to me. I will lead the brothers to charge."
Upon hearing this, Tang and Zhou Dexing, the deputy general of the Left Army, said, "Commander Tang, let me do it. The task of charging is to be handled by our Left Army."
Liao Yongzhong said, "Old Zhou, you are not as good as me in terms of martial arts. Why did you take the charge mission? This credit for being the first to charge is mine."
Zhou Dexing said, "I..."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Tang He said, "Alright, stop arguing. Yongzhong is strong in martial arts, let Yongzhong lead the troops to charge. If Yongzhong is no match, Dexing can go in."
Upon hearing this, Liao Yongzhong grinned and said, "Hahaha... Good, good, then thank you very much, Commander Tang. Don't worry, Commander Tang, we will definitely break through Luoyang and come back!"
As he spoke, Liao Yongzhong raised his long sword and shouted, "Right Army, follow me!"
With a breach in the city wall, Chen Xiaohu's expression hardened slightly, but he remained calm. His White Tiger Army was not afraid of close combat.
At this moment, Chen Wang spoke up: "Brother Hu, I'll lead the brothers in."
Chen Xiaohu nodded, then looked at the enemy general charging towards them and said, "The enemy general Liao Yongzhong is a fierce general, so be careful."
Upon hearing this, Chen Wang grinned and said, "Hehe, fierce general, he is a fierce general, but my sword is not inferior either. Tiger General, please give the order."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "Chen Wang, I order you to lead your personal guards to hold them off first."
"Yes!"
Chen Wang accepted the order and was the first to rush to the breach.
He wasn't even wearing a helmet—while commanding from the arrow tower, a boulder grazed his head and knocked his helmet off.
At this moment, his hair was disheveled, and his face was a mixture of blood and ash, with only his eyes shining terrifyingly.
"White Tiger Army!" He stood with his sword drawn in the center of the breach, with three hundred personal guards who had just arrived behind him. "Form ranks!"
There was no time to build fortifications, no time to set up obstacles.
These three hundred men are the last line of defense.
Outside the breach, Liao Yongzhong had already led his elite troops in a charge.
Those were five hundred heavily armored elite soldiers, true veterans of countless battles, each clad in black mountain-patterned armor and wielding twelve-foot-long spears, charging straight at the breach in a cone formation.
Behind them came a surging tide of infantry: swordsmen, archers, halberdiers... countless weapons gleaming with blood in the setting sun.
"put!"
On the remaining walls on both sides of the breach, the Vermilion Bird Army's musketeers fired desperately.
Bullets crisscrossed into the enemy ranks from both sides, and the heavily armored soldiers at the forefront fell one after another, but those behind them continued to charge forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades, and their formation remained intact.
Thirty steps.
Twenty steps.
Ten steps —
"kill!!!"
Chen Wang was the first to greet them.
His sword was a specially made extended sword, a foot longer than a regular sword. With a sudden thrust, it precisely pierced through the gap in the armor of the opposing soldier. With a twist of his wrist, he pulled the sword out, bringing with it a spray of red and white substances. The soldier fell to the ground with a thud, but the spears on both sides were already piercing his eyes.
Captain Chen Dao swung his shield to deflect the spear on the left, but the one on the right pierced through his shoulder armor.
Chen Dao grunted and instead of retreating, he thrust forward, letting the spear tip pierce his shoulder, while simultaneously slashing his sword to sever the spearman's arm.
Amid screams, the two rolled around in a heap and were quickly overwhelmed by the enemy soldiers who surged forward.
The battle at the breach instantly escalated into the most brutal hand-to-hand combat.
There is no room for maneuver, no tactical maneuvering; it's all about the most primitive collisions, slashes, and thrusts.
The White Tiger Army formed a circular formation, shields on the outside and spears thrusting out from the gaps in the shields. But there were too many enemies; often, for every one spear felled, two more would immediately take its place. The line retreated slowly but steadily, leaving behind layers upon layers of corpses with each step.
Chen Wang had lost count of how many people he had killed.
If the sword blade gets dulled, pick up the knife from the ground; if the knife breaks, use the dagger; if the dagger gets stuck in the enemy's ribs and can't be pulled out, swing half a spear shaft to smash it.
He was hit in the left shoulder by an arrow, and his right leg was slashed open with a knife, leaving a deep gash that exposed the bone. Blood flowed into his boots, making a squelching sound with every step he took.
But he cannot back down.
Luoyang is right behind us.
These are the people who are still carrying bricks, doors, and even furniture into the gap.
These were the women and children who carried the last batch of arrows and stones up from behind the city wall.
It was the last vestige of dignity for the White Tiger Army and the Vermilion Bird Army, the two brotherly units that had fought alongside him through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
It is also about the face of our own Han King.
They are generals of the Chen clan. If they are defeated, it will be a disgrace to their own King Han. The people of the Chen clan must not let down King Han.
"General! Watch out!"
With a roar, Chen Wang instinctively turned to the side.
A long knife slashed down past his ear, striking the rammed earth and penetrating half a foot deep.
The man wielding the knife was a towering giant with a face full of scars. Seeing that his first attack had missed, he raised his knife and looked at Chen Wang, saying, "Who are you? Where is Chen Xiaohu?"
Chen Wang looked at the towering giant and asked, "And who are you?"
The giant spoke up: "I am General Liao Yongzhong, the Right Army Deputy Commander of the Expeditionary Army!"
Chen Wang said, "You must be Liao Yongzhong. Well done! I am Chen Wang, the deputy general of the White Tiger Army."
Upon hearing this, Liao Yongzhong's gaze sharpened, and he asked, "Surname Chen?"
"Chen Jiu Si's clansmen?"
Chen Wang roared, "You scoundrel! How dare you address my Prince of Han by his name? Take this!"
Chen Wang was furious. In the hearts of all the Chen clan members, Chen Jie was no different from a god. Now this bastard dared to insult the god in his heart, so he was immediately enraged. He drew his long sword and attacked Liao Yongzhong directly.
Just then, Liao Yongzhong saw a sword coming at him and dodged it. He then swung his ghost-head broadsword, which was very thick and wide, with a blade as wide as a door panel. The edge of the blade was mottled with dark red, indicating that it had drunk a lot of blood.
At this moment, a roar was heard, and the ghost-headed broadsword slashed down at Chen Wang's head and face.
Chen Wang's pupils contracted, and he raised his longsword, the tip of which instantly touched the weakest point on the back of the blade.
With a clang, the sound of metal clashing against metal pierced the eardrums, and sparks flew everywhere.
Using the momentum, Chen Wang retreated, his figure as swift as a swallow, his sword flashing like lightning, instantly transforming into dozens of cold beams that fiercely pierced towards Liao Yongzhong's throat and armpit, a vital point.
Seeing this, Liao Yongzhong roared and wielded his giant sword with incredible speed and precision, creating a fierce wind that sent sand and gravel flying as he desperately defended against Chen Wang's sword strike.
Immediately afterwards, he stomped his foot on the ground and used the recoil to sweep across the enemy ranks, forcing Chen Wang to retreat repeatedly.
The two were of similar martial arts skill, but used very different weapons. One was agile, while the other was wide and sweeping, making it difficult to determine a winner.
By this time, no one knew how many moves had been exchanged.
Both men had numerous wounds, and the soldiers behind them couldn't get close at all.
At this moment, Chen Wang directly used the move "Earth Rolling Star," a flash of cold light.
Liao Yongzhong then used a move called "Desert Sandstorm, Wind Sweeps Away Clouds".
The two men drew their knives and swords almost simultaneously, their weapons grazing and sparking as they passed each other. The next moment, they both thrust out with their knives and swords, the sword piercing Chen Wang's chest and the knife striking the other man's right shoulder. The next instant, both men let out a scream of agony.
They then fell to the ground, both sustaining injuries.
Upon seeing this, both sides' personal guards rushed forward and snatched their commanders back.
The intense pain caused Chen Wang to faint.
Then the shouts and sounds of battle around him gradually faded into the distance.
Chen Wang was awakened by the cold.
At three-quarters past midnight, the cold wind on the walls of Luoyang was like a knife.
Wrapped in a blood-soaked cloak, he leaned against a broken pillar of the arrow tower, his left shoulder braced with a wooden board. His left shoulder had almost been chopped off by Liao Yongzhong, which terrified the White Tiger Army's medic. Fortunately, the White Tiger Army's medical facilities were quite good, with penicillin, which ensured the injury did not worsen. Then, the camp provided emergency treatment, and Chen Xiaohu gave Chen Wang one of the three life-saving pills that Chen Jie had prepared for him.
The inside of this elixir was refined by Chen Jie using his life force, while the outer shell uses medicine to ensure that the life force is not lost. It can save lives in critical moments.
It was this life-giving elixir that kept Chen Wang alive.
"You're awake. Have some hot soup."
Chen Xiaohu brought over an earthenware pot containing a thin rice porridge, with vegetable leaves and bits of meat floating in it.
Chen Wang didn't answer, but only asked, "Is Liao Yongzhong dead?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "No, the soldiers snatched it back, but it must have been a near-death experience. Your sword was very close to the heart meridian."
Upon hearing this, Chen Wang said, "It's a pity we didn't kill him; he was a true hero."
Chen Xiaohu said, "You're not bad either, you've almost lost your life."
Chen Wang chuckled and asked, "What are our casualties like now?"
"The casualties are quite severe. More than 3,000 people died, 5,000 were seriously injured, and about 80% were slightly injured."
Chen Xiaohu said slowly, "Fortunately, Luoyang is still in our hands, and our heavy artillery hasn't been exposed, so we can still fight!"
Where is the enemy?
Chen Wang asked.
Chen Xiaohu said, "The casualties are about the same as ours. Tang He and Feng Sheng are definitely not cowards!"
Chen Xiaohu poured himself a bowl of hot porridge. The porridge was so hot it burned his throat, but he swallowed it mouthful by mouthful, as if he were swallowing the long night.
What is Feng Sheng doing?
"The campsites were set up outside the North Gate, and the campfires stretched out like a sea."
"Tang He was even more cunning. He retreated to the east bank of the Yi River to rest, but he didn't remove the catapults—they would definitely bombard us again at dawn."
Chen Xiaohu looked out of the city.
Feng Sheng's camp was brightly lit, and the faint sounds of horses' hooves and metal clanging could be heard, indicating that the enemy was working through the night to build siege weapons.
Further away, Tang and Jun's catapults resembled a silent forest, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Chen Wang glanced over there and said, "These big guys are really annoying. How about we take the troops out tonight and take them out?"
Chen Xiaohu said, "That might be bait. Don't be impulsive. We're not at our wits' end yet. The heavy artillery can be put to use tomorrow!"
At this moment, dawn was about to break in the east. (End of this chapter)