ATPnovel Chapter 096 Fierce Battle in Hancheng
Chapter 096 Fierce Battle in Hancheng
Provoked, the rebel army immediately launched an attack on the city.
It's unclear what the other side was thinking. They had just arrived, and before all the siege equipment was even ready, they issued the order to attack the city based solely on that one arrow.
This move by the rebel army was exactly what Hong Chengchou wanted.
Hong Chengchou wasn't afraid of the enemy attack; his only concern was that the enemy outside the city fought with a disciplined approach. This situation was perfect; they were unprepared and attacked by manpower alone. Did they really think they could break through Hancheng with just a few makeshift ladders? It was simply a pipe dream.
Hong Chengchou, fully armored, did not descend from the city wall. He personally supervised and commanded the battle, holding a sword in his hand without any fear.
Seeing Hong Chengchou like this, the soldiers defending the city were greatly encouraged, and their previous anxiety vanished instantly.
Moreover, Hong Chengchou directly issued an order: anyone who beheads the rebels will be richly rewarded. After defeating the rebel army, he will not only reward them with silver, but also fulfill his previous promise to recommend them for promotion.
The only reasons for joining the army and getting paid are to earn merit, get promoted, and make money!
With Hong Chengchou's promise and the various actions he took upon arriving in Hancheng that proved his credibility, the soldiers were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and they charged onto the battlefield with shouts of excitement.
The rebel army outside the city clearly intended to take Hancheng in one fell swoop.
Thousands of men carried ladders and surged toward the city wall like a tide. Under Hong Chengchou's command, the defending soldiers were quite organized. They not only used the reinforced city walls and fortifications to inflict casualties on the enemy with bows and arrows, wood, stones, and even firearms, but also aimed carefully and poured pot after pot of molten gold directly down from the city wall.
In an instant, heart-wrenching cries echoed outside the city walls as the attacking rebel army suffered heavy casualties. Though the rebels lacked discipline, they possessed a relentless fighting spirit; even as their comrades fell before their eyes, those behind continued their charge forward without regard for the consequences.
As the rebel army surged in greater numbers and the battle intensified, the defenses on the city walls inevitably became overwhelmed and gaps appeared.
At one section of the city wall, the rebel army took advantage of a gap in the defenders' defenses and saw their leader about to climb onto the wall.
Upon seeing this, Hong Chengchou didn't hesitate at all; gripping his longsword, he led his men to block the way.
He darted forward and approached the enemy. The bandit at the front of the ramparts had just poked his head out from the top of the city wall, a knife still in his mouth. He was exerting force with his hands and feet, and his face showed the joy of being the first to reach the top.
But just as this joy was beginning to show, Hong Chengchou, who had arrived, slashed at him with his sword.
The thief had no time to react and watched helplessly as the sword arrived in an instant. In desperation, he was terrified and realized it was too late to dodge; he could only loosen his grip and barely manage to avoid it.
But as soon as he loosened his grip, and with the people following behind completely unaware of what was happening ahead, they pushed upwards with all their might... and the thief couldn't even stand on the ladder. He only had time to let out a scream before he fell to the side from the high ladder, crashing heavily onto the hard ground outside the city. He didn't even utter a sound before he stopped moving.
Although Hong Chengchou's sword missed its mark, it still forced the opponent to fall off the city wall and die.
But at this moment, he had no time to look at his gains. He went to the parapet, pressed himself against it, and wildly stabbed at the thieves climbing behind him with his sword, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Someone! Push the ladder down! Push it down!"
His personal guards arrived just in time, and the group of men worked together to push the ladder that was propped up on the city wall.
But the ladder was incredibly heavy, and it had hooks securing it to the wall; how could a few people possibly move it with just their bare hands? Just as the situation became critical, a voice rang out: "Sir, get out of the way!"
Hong Chengchou turned his head and saw several soldiers carrying a pot of steaming hot broth.
Overjoyed, he hurriedly moved aside, and even the guards who had been pushing the ladder with all their might stopped pushing and all dodged away.
At this moment, the following bandits took the opportunity to quickly climb up. But just as they peeked out and were secretly pleased to be the first to reach the top, they suddenly saw a large pot of steaming, foul-smelling liquid being carried by several government soldiers directly above their heads.
The thief was so frightened that he screamed in terror and despair.
"Go to hell!"
Several soldiers carried the pot of broth, placed it on the city wall, and poured it directly down the wall.
Smoke billowed and a stench filled the air, accompanied by heart-wrenching screams from below the city.
As the pot of golden broth was poured down, the bandits climbing the ladders fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Not only that, but the bandits below the city walls fared no better. The golden broth was extremely lethal; anyone touched by it would be severely injured or rendered incapable of resistance instantly.
Even if the wounded received treatment after the war, less than one in ten survived.
After pouring out the pot of golden broth, the rebel army that had scaled the city wall suffered heavy casualties. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hong Chengchou quickly ordered his soldiers to push down the ladders that were propped up on the city wall.
With the bandits no longer able to climb it, and with the combined effort of several soldiers, the ladder was quickly pushed down, crashing heavily onto the muddy ground outside the city. It even caught two bandits who couldn't get out of the way in time; they only had time to cry out before they were buried under the ladder, their fate unknown.
The battle raged from noon until evening, and the fighting was extremely fierce.
Hong Chengchou led his personal guards to plug breaches everywhere, going wherever danger lurked. Thanks to his leadership and thorough preparations, the defending army gradually shifted from a passive defense to a more stable and methodical approach. As time passed, they not only firmly held the city walls but also inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy forces outside.
Night fell. The rebel army outside the city launched another desperate attack, but was once again repelled by Hong Chengchou. After fighting for most of the day, the rebel army hadn't even managed to climb the city walls, let alone breach the city.
Moreover, the bandits suffered considerable casualties in this battle, and with the continuous and fierce attacks, their fatigue was becoming increasingly apparent. Seeing that it was getting late, the bandits retreated like a tide, and the day's battle was finally over.
Seeing the enemy troops outside the city retreat, Hong Chengchou, who had been overseeing the battle from the city walls and even personally fighting on the front lines, finally breathed a sigh of relief. With this sudden relief, he felt a heaviness in his body, his legs went unsteady, and he swayed involuntarily. His personal guards rushed forward to support him, and Hong Chengchou managed to regain his footing.
"Sir, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a little exhausted," Hong Chengchou said, using his sword to support himself and managing a weak smile.
He was a scholar who had never even killed a chicken in his daily life, yet today he fought against the enemy on the battlefield and even personally forced one to his death with his sword. This was enough to make him proud.
Although he was so tired that he could barely stand, he knew it wasn't time to rest yet.
Although the rebel army outside the city had temporarily retreated, the battle was not over yet, and they could launch another attack at any time. Moreover, while the battle had inflicted considerable casualties on the rebels, the defenders had also suffered significant losses. As the highest-ranking official, Hong Chengchou had to make proper arrangements for the subsequent garrison and operations, so he had to persevere.
Taking a deep breath, Hong Chengchou dragged his weary body and began to inspect the ruined city walls.
At this moment, Liang Jun, half-covered in blood, also arrived beside him.
The Liang army had a clear view of Hong Chengchou's actions on the city wall. They were only able to defend Hancheng today thanks to Hong Chengchou's personal command; otherwise, how could they have possibly held off the enemy's relentless attack? Especially considering Hong Chengchou, a third-rank civil official, personally led the charge, a gesture that earned the Liang army's utmost respect. Seeing the enemy retreat, the Liang soldier had his wounded arm hastily bandaged before heading towards Hong Chengchou.
"How badly are you injured?" Hong Chengchou glanced at his arm and asked with concern.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about!" Liang Jun grinned. Unlike Hong Chengchou, who had spent half a day fighting on the city walls and had more than ten enemy soldiers die by his blade.
Besides, how can one avoid getting injured in a war? As warriors, Liang Jun was already used to it.
"My lord, the enemy has retreated. I'll take care of things on the city wall; you should go and rest first..."
"No need. Come with me to see the soldiers." Hong Chengchou refused before Liang Jun could finish speaking.
Seeing this, Liang Jun stopped trying to persuade him. At this moment, Magistrate Fang Yongzhong also went up to the city wall. Although he hadn't fought on the city wall, he had been busy for half a day below, leading the laborers to replenish supplies and treat the wounded. Seeing Fang Yongzhong covered in sweat and his clothes stained with blood, Hong Chengchou nodded slightly to him and invited him to accompany him on his inspection.
The inspection took half an hour.
The wounded were settled one after another, and the bodies of the fallen soldiers were moved down, covered with white sheets, and placed aside. Today's battle losses were also calculated.
The battle was extremely fierce, with the defenders of Hancheng suffering more than 230 casualties, including 73 dead and 19 seriously wounded, a considerable loss.
It should be noted that there were fewer than two thousand people stationed in the entire city of Han, nearly half of whom were temporarily drawn from the ranks of able-bodied men and yamen runners. The only ones who could actually go to the battlefield were the garrison soldiers of Liang's army and the Beijing garrison troops brought by Hong Chengchou.
In this battle, Hong Chengchou has lost more than 20% of his main force. Of the wounded, only about thirty lightly wounded can continue fighting; the rest are temporarily unable to fight.
Hong Chengchou looked out of the city. It was completely dark outside, and not far from the city, the rebel camp was brightly lit, and faint sounds could be heard on the wind.
Compared to the casualties of the defending troops in the city, the rebel army that attacked the city suffered even greater losses today. Although Hong Chengchou was unable to tally the casualties at the moment, judging from the battle situation, the rebel army's casualties were at least twice that of his. Judging from the battle casualty figures, Hong Chengchou won today's battle, not only defending Hancheng but also inflicting considerable losses on the rebel army.
The problem is that there are more than 5,000 rebels outside the city, and there may be reinforcements behind them. Even if we lose 500 or 600 men in today's battle, it is only about 10% of the rebel army, and it is not a serious blow.
If they continue their fierce attack on Hancheng tomorrow and try to repel the enemy army as they did today, it won't be so easy.