Chapter 68: Failure of the Siege The news of Zhang Jue's death was soon known to Lu Zhi. Coincidentally, Huangfu Song also arrived in Guangzong and joined forces with Lu Zhi. Without much hesitation, the two men discussed for a while and immediately decided to send troops to attack the city. In order to win the battle in one go, Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi were prepared to give their all. All the infantry battalions and archery battalions of the five schools of the Northern Army went into battle, and even Tian Ze was asked to lead 500 elite soldiers to participate. This was the first time that Tian Ze personally participated in the siege. Although I had watched the Han army's siege from afar before and knew the cruelty of the siege, it was only after I personally participated in it that I deeply understood what hell on earth was. Before this, Lu Zhi did not just wait passively and hold his ground, but instead built a number of siege weapons. The battle was commanded by Huangfu Song, who had been conferred the title of Marquis of Duxiang. He and Lu Zhi stood on the towering Chaoche, overlooking the situation in Guangzong City from above. With Huangfu Song's order, the command flag waved in the air, and the mighty Han army, like a surging tide, tightly surrounded all kinds of siege equipment and charged towards Guangzong City with great momentum. The Yellow Turban Army on the city wall would naturally not sit idly by and watch the government troops attack the city, but only a small number of arrows fell.
Because the Yellow Turban Army lacked sufficient ordnance and did not have many well-trained archers, the damage caused by this wave of arrow rain was extremely limited and posed little threat to the Han army's charge. Huangfu Song saw this and smiled coldly. He did not let his soldiers approach the city wall immediately. Instead, he commanded the archers on the ledge to launch a powerful counterattack against the Yellow Turban Army on the city wall. Guangzong City was very large, but there were more Yellow Turban Army soldiers in the city. The city walls were crowded with them, and most of them did not have decent armor and shields. The slightly better ones only held up a simple wooden board or wooden sign. Therefore, the archers on the battering ram only needed to shoot arrows at the general area on the city wall, and it was very likely that they would cause effective casualties to the Yellow Turban Army, and the results were quite significant. Under the cover of archers, the siege troops rushed to the city wall relatively easily. However, in contrast, the soldiers who followed closely behind and attacked the city with ladders, after climbing up the city wall, found that they were surrounded by the Yellow Turban Army and there was no space to stand, and they were hacked to death by the Yellow Turban Army in an instant. The Yellow Turban Army in the city seemed endless and fearless. As one Yellow Turban Army after another fell, another one immediately rushed up without hesitation and quickly filled the gaps. As countless heavy logs and rocks rolled down from the city walls, the government troops also suffered heavy losses, with many soldiers being smashed to pieces, their heads bleeding, their limbs broken, and their screams in agony. Under the extremely limited logistical support conditions of this era, being injured most likely meant death for the soldiers, especially when the Yellow Turban Army could use methods such as gold juice. Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi looked at the tragic scene before them with slightly ugly expressions. The situation is not looking good; it seems that these Yellow Turban soldiers have become a desperate army. Lu Zhi began to think of withdrawing his troops, but Huangfu Song, unwilling to give in, still wanted to give it another try. As the flags were waving, the archers on the battering ram, who were originally attacking in separate areas, immediately changed their tactics and fired at the same area at the same time. Almost in an instant, a blank area was cleared on the city wall. At the same time, a team of elite Han troops who had been ready for action immediately climbed onto the city wall and quickly formed a battle formation around it to resist the incoming Yellow Turban Army and to protect the officers and soldiers in the rear as they continued to climb the city wall. Huangfu Song lived up to his name and his ability to command and dispatch soldiers was terrifying. Soon, relying on this tactic, groups of officers and soldiers of all sizes appeared on the city walls. Tian Ze, with five hundred personal guards, and Dian Wei and Pang De on the left and right, also launched an attack on a city wall. Rushing all the way to the city wall, listening to the roars one after another beside him and watching the lives falling to the ground and dying tragically before his eyes, Tian Ze felt his brain stagnate slightly, and only the sounds of the words "charge" and "kill" were echoing wildly in his ears.
Tian Ze had personally experienced some smaller-scale wars while traveling around the world before. Although he felt some physical discomfort when he killed someone for the first time, he quickly calmed down with his strong will. Perhaps it was because his state of mind had improved a lot after practicing Taoism. Although he instinctively disliked killing, he did not feel too much about it. However, being in the middle of such an extremely fierce battlefield, he still unconsciously suffered some strong shocks. "rush!" For a moment, Tian Ze was also ignited by the passion of war and became excited. Relying on his extraordinary physique, Tian Ze directly carried a specially made huge round shield and stepped on the sturdy ladder carefully made by the Liaodong Army, and rushed to the front like a tiger. Although the round shield with a diameter of more than half a meter is extremely strong and weighs dozens of pounds, it is enough to daunt ordinary people, but in Tian Ze's hand it seems as light as a feather. Thanks to the high quality of the ladder and its special and ingenious design, Tian Ze managed to successfully climb up the city wall despite the fierce impact of two heavy wooden beams. He threw the round shield into the crowd with all his might. The huge force instantly caused three people to fall to the ground, rolling over and groaning in pain. Tian Ze took the opportunity to leap forward nimbly, and swept the Mo Dao in his hand with a sharp sound. Several Yellow Turban bandits were beheaded in an instant, and their blood and internal organs splattered all over the ground. The bloody scene was horrifying. The heroic spirit and killing intent in his heart were instantly ignited, and Tian Ze swung his sword wildly again, chopping down dozens of Yellow Turban bandits around him. The huge and sharp sword, under the blessing of Tian Ze's terrifying power, made the bodies of these bandits all torn into pieces, horrible to look at, and blood splashed all over the ground like a fountain, which looked extremely terrifying, like the Asura hell. After slashing several times, Tian Ze calmed down a little in the bloody atmosphere. Looking at the bloody "masterpiece" he created, he sighed slightly in his heart. He failed to restrain himself and committed so many murders, wasting a lot of precious spiritual energy. If he wasn't afraid of heavy casualties among his personal guards, he would never have gotten involved in this mess. Although he has spiritual energy and can ensure his absolute safety, as a lord he really shouldn't do this kind of charging into battle. It's okay for him to be willful this time, but he probably won't have the chance again in the future. Seeing Tian Ze's horrible killing method, the surrounding Yellow Turban Army couldn't help but be terrified, their eyes filled with fear, and they instinctively retreated. Dian Wei and his bodyguards behind immediately took the opportunity to rush up like wolves and tigers, quickly and skillfully guarded Tian Ze, and formed a solid military formation for defense with extremely skillful movements. "My lord, you kill too quickly! Leave some for me!" Dian Wei protected Tian Ze behind him and shot wildly with the small halberd in his hand. Every time he shot, a Yellow Turban would fall down. A tiger guard behind him kept handing him a small halberd. "Hold on here first, try to protect the guards and avoid too much damage!" Tian Ze shouted. Soon, dozens of guards formed a tight and huge circle, and Tian Ze was firmly protected in the center. He did not dare to act rashly anymore, and would only take decisive action to stop the attack when his personal guards were in life-and-death crisis. To Tian Ze's relief, his personal guards did not disappoint his expectations. They usually receive hard training that is unimaginable to ordinary people. Not only are they physically strong, but they are also well-trained. Combat skills and teamwork have almost become instincts engraved in their bones, and they basically don't need his protection. Although the training methods used by Cheng Yu and others were harsh and cruel, the effects were extremely significant. If we put aside the talents of Tian Ze's personal guards, their actual combat power is no less than that of the elite soldiers of the five schools of the Northern Army. They were very calm and composed on the battlefield and did not rush for success. After reaching a certain number, they directly occupied a small section of the city wall and firmly covered the other siege troops to continue to climb the city. Seeing more and more Han troops rushing up the city wall, Huangfu Song was overjoyed, as if he saw the dawn of victory.
However, Zhang Liang, who had never appeared before, arrived with a group of brave and fearless Yellow Turban warriors. Zhang Liang, with a cold face, activated his talent without hesitation. The many Yellow Turbans on the city wall seemed to be energized. Their fighting power instantly doubled, and they became even more crazy and brave. Even Tian Ze's personal guards were unable to withstand the attack and several of them were killed in a hurry. Officers and soldiers from all over the place were driven off the city walls like dumplings. Upon seeing this, Tian Ze quickly led his personal guards to retreat down the city wall in an orderly manner using the ladders. Huangfu Song realized that the situation was not good and frowned. He then immediately ordered the soldiers attacking the city to retreat and sent out cavalry to support them. The siege failed. The Yellow Turban Army, whose potential had been stimulated, was not satisfied with defending the city. Instead, they took advantage of the situation to pursue the government troops after they were defeated and attacked them. Zhang Liang led a group of brave and fierce Yellow Turban warriors to act as sharp arrows, and chased the government troops fiercely and attacked them fiercely, as if they were in an empty space and were unstoppable. Countless Yellow Turban bandits followed closely behind, rushing in all directions like the endless, surging Yellow River, as if to swallow up everything. The government troops were swept away by the surging waves. Looking at the endless Yellow Turban bandits surging around them like a tide, they felt extremely small and helpless. Their morale dropped sharply, and their original orderly retreat quickly turned into a chaotic escape. Fortunately, the supporting cavalry quickly arrived at the battlefield. They were like extremely sharp swords, slashing through the border between the government troops and the Yellow Turban Army swiftly, leaving behind a series of gaps and giving the government troops a precious chance to catch their breath. However, facing the fearless Yellow Turban bandits, even elite cavalry such as the Sanhe Iron Cavalry and the Five Schools of the Northern Army found it difficult to resist and soon had to withdraw from the battlefield. Some of the soldiers from the counties and states who lost order and ran slowly were held tightly by the Yellow Turban Army and ultimately failed to escape successfully. Although they were later blocked by elite cavalry such as the Tunqiying, Yueqiying, Changshuiying, and Sanhe Cavalry, the Yellow Turban Army still achieved considerable results with their bravery and madness. After a fierce battle, the Han army lost more than 3,000 soldiers, and more than 20 of Tian Ze's 500 personal guards were also killed. Zhang Liang took advantage of the situation and led 100,000 Yellow Turban troops to decisively set up camp on the edge of Guangzong City. The tents were connected and the flags covered the sky, showing an attitude of preparing for a head-on confrontation with the Han army. (End of this chapter)