Chapter 105: Guarding the Western Regions, No Regrets for Death

The next day.

The first year of Lingwu in Daxin, the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The 100,000-strong coalition army of the Western Regions, led by Guli Peiluo, the Khan of Huairen of the Uighur Khanate, finally launched a siege against the ancient city of Yanqi, one of the four towns of Anxi.

At this time, two months had passed since the Western Region coalition army besieged the city.

The young and brave Azar, the head of the military generals of the Uighur Khanate, personally served as the vanguard commander of the siege, riding his horse proudly at the foot of Yanqi City, in front of the three armies.

Behind him were tens of thousands of Western Region coalition troops holding various weapons.

From the commander to the soldiers, the eyes looking at Yanqi City were full of greed and cruelty, as if they wanted to swallow up this ancient city that had stood on the Silk Road of the Western Regions for hundreds of years.

On the city of Yanqi, Tan Li, the lieutenant general of the Anxi Frontier Army, personally sat on the top of the city and commanded the frontier soldiers defending the city to resist the enemy.

Although we were outnumbered and isolated,

but when facing the enemy forces of Huihe, which were several times larger than their own, the Anxi Border Army soldiers, including the city defender Tan Li, showed no fear on their weather-beaten faces, and were determined to die.

The Anxi Border Army soldiers knew very well that what they had to protect was not only their wives, daughters, sisters, fathers and fellow villagers in Yanqi City, but also the military soul of the Anxi Border Army battle flag behind them, as well as the dignity and glory of the Han people on the Western Silk Road.

Due to the long-term drought climate, the city of Yanqi, an important town in Anxi, did not have a wide moat as the first line of defense like the cities in the interior.

Only the city wall, which had been continuously reinforced with blue bricks, boulders and glutinous rice juice for hundreds of years, was the last resort for the 20,000 Anxi Border Army and 50,000 Yanqi people.

The attackers and defenders confronted each other at a distance of hundreds of steps, and they could even see the expressions on each other's faces clearly.

It was noon.

The warm winter sun shone obliquely on the top of the ancient Yanqi City, covering the blue bricks on the city wall, which had been built in Yanqi City for a long time, with a layer of golden warm light, but it still couldn't hide the solemnity and sadness on the eve of the war.

On the city wall, there was silence.

Only the battle flags of the Anxi Frontier Army fluttered in the biting wind.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Suddenly, drums and horns sounded in the Huihe army outside the city.

The Huihe warrior Azar drew his sword and shouted: "Warriors of the Western Regions, follow the guidance of this general's blade and attack the city!"

"Attack the city!!!"

The siege order issued by Azar was roared in unison by his personal soldiers, infinitely amplified.

Until the sound of the siege penetrated the entire Yanqi City.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Then, in the Uighur army, large crossbow carts, catapults, arrow towers and other long-range siege weapons took the lead in attacking the Anxi frontier army on the wall of Yanqi.

Arrows as thick as halberds and huge boulders were thrown at Yanqi City like they were free.

Occasionally, catapults would throw "stone bullets" poured with fierce fire oil into Yanqi City one after another.

In an instant.

On the wall of Yanqi, flames were blazing and smoke was everywhere.

With the help of long-range weapons, Azar commanded the Uighur siege infantry to carry ladders, push siege vehicles, set up siege hammers and other city-breaking weapons, and rushed to the bottom of Yanqi City like a storm.

Delusionally, with the scimitars and sharp blades in their hands, they could easily break through Yanqi City, and then rush into the city, wantonly slaughtering and abusing the people in the city, and looting the property in the city.

This group of Western barbarians charged forward with strange cries and shouts. Every time they attacked the city gate or set up a ladder, they carried their hatred and contempt for the ancient city of Yanqi and the Anxi frontier army on the city.

However, these Western barbarians underestimated the Anxi frontier army who were defending the city and their determination and courage to live and die with Yanqi City.

The Anxi frontier army under the command of Lieutenant General Tan Li was not frightened by the massive attack of the Western barbarians. Instead, it aroused the fighting spirit of the soldiers to die rather than surrender.

While using the bows, crossbows, spears, and rolling logs in their hands to fight back against the Western barbarians who climbed up the ladder, they quickly put out the fire on the city wall with the clean water and yellow sand prepared in advance.

In short, if the enemy comes, the general will stop it and if the water comes, the earth will cover it.

It is better to die one step forward than to live half a step back.

As the battle progressed, the Western Region barbarian army led by the Uighur general Azar launched a wave of attacks, and several times the siege soldiers almost climbed onto the walls of Yanqi.

In the end, they were repelled again and again by the Anxi frontier army defending the city.

This tragic siege lasted from noon to dusk, from the bright sun to the moon on the treetops.

Until the corpses and bloodstains were everywhere inside and outside Yanqi City, the Uighurs who attacked the city finally called off the troops.

The main general of the defending army, Tan Li, dragged his tired body around the city wall, ordering the civilians who came to help to reinforce the damaged city wall, and asked his soldiers to report the casualties on the first day of defending the city.

"Report--"

"General, in today's battle, our army has more than 2,000 dead and more than 800 seriously injured. According to the number of corpses of the Western Region Barbarian Army under the city, their casualties should be twice that of our army."

At this time, the generals under his command immediately reported the casualties to the chief general Tan Li.

Yes!

Tan Li nodded solemnly and ordered: "Pass the order down, except for the soldiers on duty, the rest of the soldiers should take a rest, the real fierce battle is still to come."

"The soldiers on duty at night must also be alert and be vigilant against the night attack of the Western Region Barbarian Army!"

"I have received the order!"

One night passed.

The next day, the first year of Lingwu in Daxin, the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The Western Regions coalition army commanded by the Uighur general Azar had a stronger siege momentum today than yesterday. From the beginning, they adopted the tactic of fire attack, trying to burn the border guards on the city wall to death, so as to achieve the goal of breaking the city.

"Fire attack, fire!"

With Azar's order, the large catapults in the Uighur army threw fireballs one after another at the Yanqi city wall.

In an instant, the Yanqi city wall turned into a sea of ​​fire, and the guards who were burned by the flames screamed and wailed.

Fortunately, the guards' lieutenant general Tan Li predicted in advance that Azar might use the strategy of fire attack, and prepared a large amount of clean water and yellow sand on the city wall in advance.

This ensured that the Anxi border soldiers defending the city did not suffer too many casualties under the enemy's fire attack.

Even so, in the second day's battle to defend the city, more than 500 Anxi frontier soldiers were still killed or wounded, half of them were wounded and half were killed.

On the third day, the first year of Daxin Lingwu, the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month.

On this day, the Western Region Barbarian Army commanded by the Uighur general Azar used the human wave tactic to attack Yanqi City.

When the two sides fought to the most brutal time, several city gates were almost broken by the Western Region Barbarian Army. It was the chief general of the defending army, Tan Li, who personally led his 800 soldiers to run for support, and only then did he manage to keep the city wall intact.

On this day, the casualties of the Anxi frontier army defending the city also ushered in the heaviest casualties since the war began.

More than 3,000 Anxi frontier soldiers slept forever under Yanqi City. After shed their last blood for this city they loved deeply, they gave up their young lives.

There were more than 2,000 seriously injured, and countless lightly injured.

In just three days, more than half of the Anxi frontier troops defending the city were killed or wounded.

However, morale was still there.

The fierce siege was still going on!

......

The first year of Lingwu in Daxin, the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month.

This day was the tenth day of the Anxi frontier troops defending the city.

At this time, of the 20,000 Anxi frontier soldiers defending the city, less than 3,000 were still able to fight on the city walls.

The commander, Tan Li, with a bloody bandage on his forehead, climbed up the tower again with his sword.

Looking at the 3,000 remnants of the army on the city wall, who were already at the end of their strength, and looking at the Western Region barbarian army below the city, which seemed to be out in full force, two lines of hot and turbid tears quietly slid across his knife-like resolute face.

Finally, Tan Li raised the steel knife in his hand, looked at the enemy troops under the city with a firm gaze, and roared in a sonorous voice: "Anxi Border Army, guard the Western Regions, enhance the prestige of our country, and have no regrets even if you die nine times!"

"Anxi Border Army, guard the Western Regions, enhance the prestige of our country, and have no regrets even if you die nine times!"

The three thousand remaining soldiers roared in unison, and the momentum was so great that it was as if there were thousands of troops.