The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Therefore, under Wang Yun's orders, almost all the soldiers in Chang'an were equipped with bows and crossbows. After simple training, they only needed to know how to draw a bow and shoot arrows. They could shoot in the direction of the enemy and hit the densely packed siege force even if they fired randomly.

Dong Cheng thought the same way, so after the Xiliang army entered effective firing range, Dong Cheng ordered them to fire, especially the new recruits. Dong Cheng wanted to show them that the Xiliang army was not invincible. If they were hit by muskets or arrows, the Xiliang soldiers would fall at a glance. Once the fear in the hearts of the new recruits was broken, the battle would be much easier.

"shooting!"

The Xiliang musketeers and archers below the city also began firing. Relatively speaking, the Xiliang army's formation was more complete, with shield bearers, musketeers, and archers providing cover in turn. Moreover, the accuracy of the Xiliang musketeers and archers was significantly better than that of the Chang'an city defenders.

"Hold on, don't be afraid! The Xiliang army also has two shoulders and one head. As long as you shoot them, they'll die the same way!" Dong Cheng snatched an arrow from an archer and fired at the Xiliang army. As a man from a noble family, Dong Cheng adhered to the traditional Confucian education, and his shooting was quite good. He killed a junior officer of the Xiliang army with one arrow. Seeing their general so mighty, the soldiers on the city wall regained their morale and fired a barrage of arrows at the Xiliang army!

Outside the city, there was a chorus of wails; the offensive of the Xiliang army on this side was temporarily suppressed.

"Damn it, I never expected that Dong Cheng, whom we thought was a good-for-nothing, would actually have such abilities. We really underestimated him before," said Guo Si, who was in charge of the eastern city wall.

“General, this is nothing but a desperate struggle. With so few troops in Chang’an, how long can they hold out?” said Niu Shan, a general under Guo Si.

"Hmm, not bad. Order the soldiers to intensify their attack and commit all the musketeers to the battle!" Guo Si said to his generals. "As long as we can be the first to enter the city, all of you brothers will be able to be made kings and prime ministers!" In order to be the first to enter Chang'an, Guo Si was issuing empty promises without any regard for their own future. His men didn't care whether these promises could be fulfilled or not; as long as there was hope, the attack intensified again, and the Xiliang army had already approached the city walls.

Dong Cheng faced even greater pressure, while Wang Yun's Xiliang army had already scaled the city walls, and the situation seemed precarious. Wang Yun also took to the battlefield himself, but his skills were more about having someone protect him than actually fighting, so he could make a good impression on the generals and the emperor.

"A scout reports that our army is less than thirty li from Chang'an. The Xiliang army is so fierce that Chang'an may not be able to hold out."

"I think we shouldn't let the cavalry set off for Chang'an first. This will not only give the defenders some hope, but more importantly, it will put pressure on the enemy and make them hesitant to use their full strength when attacking the city."

"My lord, I disagree with General Wang's opinion. Our army can reach the thirty-mile distance in less than two hours. Can't the garrison of Chang'an even hold out for two hours? Our army is also outnumbered. I believe that our army should conceal itself and catch the Xiliang army off guard."

“General Li’s opinion is good, but who can guarantee how long the garrison in Chang’an can hold out? Once Chang’an falls and is reoccupied by the Xiliang army, our army will be in a passive situation, and wouldn’t it be even worse if we were caught in a dilemma?” said the general surnamed Wang.

"Alright, enough said. My mind is made up. The main objective of this reinforcement of Chang'an is to welcome His Majesty back to the capital. The Xiliang army is the biggest threat to His Majesty's return. General Li's suggestion is beneficial for our army to eliminate the Xiliang army's manpower. I don't know Wang Yun very well, but with a fierce general like Dian Wei, even if the outer city of Chang'an cannot be defended, we won't lose the entire city of Chang'an within two hours." Lu Zhi waved his hand to interrupt the argument between the two generals and said to the main generals of the Bingzhou army around him, "My suggestion is to march in secret. As long as we are not discovered by the Xiliang army, our army must wait until we reach five miles north of Chang'an before launching a surprise attack on the Xiliang army outside Chang'an."

Lu Zhi looked around at everyone and asked in a deep voice, "Do you all understand?"

"Yes, sir, we understand!"

"Go and prepare. Tell the soldiers that we have reached the most critical moment. During the march, they should conserve their energy. When we arrive at the battlefield, I want to see everyone ready to fight immediately."

"Yes, my lord!"

On August 21, 2188, the day after the Xiliang army launched its attack on Chang'an, Lu Zhi led 30,000 elite Bingzhou troops across the river and arrived outside Chang'an. They launched a surprise attack on the Xiliang army, which was caught off guard and its morale was thrown into chaos. The Xiliang army hastily retreated.

Guo Si and his two men huddled together, forming a stalemate with the defenders of Chang'an and Lu Zhi's reinforcements from Bingzhou. The two days of siege had exhausted the Xiliang army, and with Lu Zhi's surprise attack, the Xiliang army now had less than 40,000 troops, which was basically equal to the strength of the Chang'an side.

However, Lu Zhi's elite troops were elite musketeers who had followed him in battle for many years. In terms of both firepower and training, the Bingzhou army had already suppressed the Xiliang army.

However, the large number of Xiliang cavalrymen caused Lu Zhi a great deal of trouble. Although they were able to defend the city walls, it was difficult to defeat or even completely crush the Xiliang army.

"This humble official greets Grand Commandant." Upon seeing Wang Yun approach, Lu Zhi quickly stepped forward and bowed to him. He deliberately ignored the fact that they were both Grand Commandants. However, Lu Zhi did not understand Wang Yun at all, nor did he know how petty Wang Yun was. Hearing Lu Zhi's humble manner, Wang Yun not only did not feel that Lu Zhi was giving him face, but also felt that Lu Zhi was deliberately embarrassing him. However, Wang Yun still needed to rely on Lu Zhi's army, so he did not show it on the surface.

"Lord Lu, you are too kind. You are a regent appointed by the late emperor. I should be your subordinate," Wang Yun said to Lu Zhi with great humility.

"You flatter me, Grand Commandant. The late Emperor's personal appointment is no match for the current Emperor's conferment. His Majesty has appointed me as the Governor of Bingzhou. Since you are the Grand Commandant of the court, I should naturally be your subordinate."

"Someone, arrange lodgings for Lord Lu Zhi's soldiers," Wang Yun said to the officer behind him. Then Wang Yun turned to Dian Wei and said, "Dian Wei, Lord Lu Zhi is now the governor of the province, and his Bingzhou army is from the same source as yours. You should get closer to each other."