Chapter 45: The Most Difficult Time Is About To Arrive

  "General Pang, the bandits' offensive is relentless, they're trying to wear our army out!"

  A deputy general covered in sweat ran up to the gate tower and reported to Pang Zhong, who had been directing the battle from the gate tower.

  "Let this be known, order the brothers to slow down the interval between the two shots as much as possible, aim and then shoot, don't exhaust themselves before nightfall!" Pang Zhong gave the order with a dark face.

  Every batch of soldiers has already shot out at least a dozen arrows, and the situation of physical exhaustion is beginning to emerge. The height and strength of the arrows shot by the soldiers are already somewhat different from the initial ones.

  This is a very bad phenomenon, Pong Zhong knew that if this continues, the soldiers will not get rest and many people will be unable to draw their bows.

  Pang Zhong also knew that the rebels must have known that there were not many defenders on the city wall of Hantanguan, and they could not be replaced, so they would attack continuously, with the aim of using continuous attacks to consume the energy of the defenders on the city wall or exhaust the arrows in the city.

  When the arrows shot from the city head became sparse and the range was near, it was the time when the rebel army started a larger-scale attack.

  The arrows shot from the bottom of the city to the top of the city head still have a very large killing power, although the lethality is slightly weaker. Before now, the rebels had no chance to launch a large-scale shooting at the city head, and only a few scattered arrows were shot up to the city, but there will definitely be next!

  Pang Zhong had already commanded the soldiers to repel five or six hundred rebels in five charges, at the cost of dozens of casualties, and killed more than a thousand rebels. Such casualties can be said to be a brilliant achievement, as brilliant as the battle of Tongguan a few months ago. But he also knew that as long as the rebels did not give up and continued to use such tactics, the defenders would ultimately lose this battle.

  Pang Zhonglong hoped that reinforcements would arrive, allowing them to take turns resting. He occasionally looked back at the direction of Suizhou City, hoping to see the arrival of reinforcements, but unfortunately, he didn't see any.

  Pang Zhong also knew that neither Geshu Han nor Yang Hui would send reinforcements, because the number of defenders in the rear's Suizhou Pass was also severely insufficient. That was the key to defending Chang'an, the final gate of defense. Many of Yang Hui and Geshu Han's arrangements were just trying to slow down the rebel army's attack on Suizhou Pass as much as possible until the arrival of subsequent reinforcements.

  Pang Zhong was also well aware that if he were to command all his troops, even in the ruined city of Hantang Pass, he would only be able to deploy a small number of soldiers, which would only serve to delay the enemy. He would definitely use a small number of soldiers to defend Hantang Pass City at all costs, blocking the rebel army's advance and buying time for the arrival of reinforcements.

  He thought of the word "abandoning pawns to save the chariot" again, believing that they were the "pawns" abandoned by Yang Guozhong and Geshu Han. These two people were willing to sacrifice these 2,000 soldiers to defend Hantong Pass, slowing down the rebel army's attack speed.

  At the thought of this, Pang Zhong's heart was filled with a sense of desolation. Although Lingbao had been defeated and his army of 100,000 soldiers almost completely annihilated, the imperial court would not be able to avoid holding him accountable. If he were to die defending Hantong Pass, making a heroic sacrifice for the country, the imperial court might possibly forgive his previous failures and not hold him responsible.

  But like being abandoned like a deserted soldier, he was always unwilling!

  Just as Pang Zhong was worried and feeling emotional, Yang Hui's order arrived, which was to pay attention to the rhythm of the rebel army's attack, to find a way to ensure the soldiers' physical strength, and to hold on until nightfall no matter what.

  After the dark rebel army's attack stopped, set up a fake formation again, making the rebels dare not to easily attack the city, and then think of a way to retreat back to the rear Suizhou City.

  Upon hearing Yang Jie's order, Pang Zhong's heart, which had been harboring a hint of resentment, was greatly alleviated, and he couldn't help but admire Yang Jie for being able to discern the rebel army's intentions from afar.

  Such a young man, after watching for a while, can see the intention of the rebel army, it's not simple at all. At least many people who are fighting on the city wall have not seen the true intention of the rebel army, and even Li Fude in another direction may not be completely clear.

  Yang Kai did not give up on them, but instead ordered them to hold out until nightfall and find a way to set up a decoy formation, making the rebels think they had not given up on Hantang Pass City, but rather strengthened their defenses, so that the rebels could not easily attack the city. This would allow them to safely retreat while also confusing the rebels, preventing them from discovering that they had abandoned Tongguan City.

  After hearing Yang Kai's order clearly, Pang Zhong felt a sense of gratitude. He also knew that it was not appropriate to feel grateful to Yang Kai at this time, but the feeling was uncontrollable and arose naturally.

  Feeling better, his energy seemed to be abundant as well, Pang Zhong issued his latest order in a very powerful voice, that is, to command the soldiers to extend the shooting time of two rounds of arrows, and shoot again after the rebels advanced for another distance, unless the rebels accelerated their attack rhythm.

  As Pang Zhong's order was given, the arrows flying down from the top of the city wall became less dense.

  But this did not bring any celebratory feeling to the rebel soldiers who were attacking, the threat of death was still there and as they advanced forward, the killing power of the arrows shot from above the city walls also increased.

  In the summer, thick armor is unbearable to wear, otherwise you would be cooked to death. The soldiers attacking the city, apart from the shields held above their heads, had almost no other equipment that could withstand arrows. The shields were unable to effectively block the arrows shot from several directions on the city walls. If one was not careful, some part of the body would get hit by an arrow. After being hit by an arrow, it was natural that the shield in hand could no longer be held firmly, and without the cover of the shield, they were almost like targets for the Tang army.

  The casualties of the rebel army did not decrease, but they had the opportunity to shoot some arrows at the city head. However, the hastily shot arrows either failed to land on the city head or did not have a significant impact on the defending soldiers on the city head, and the defense of the soldiers on the city head did not become disordered.

  Li Fude also received Yang Hui's order.

  After receiving Yang Hui's order, Li Fude also immediately adjusted the frequency and speed of the shooting.

  However, his troops had not experienced the battle of Tongguan, and when they saw the rebels attacking wave after wave, they fired continuously without regard for anything. After the rebels' fifth round of attack, they had shot many more rounds of arrows than Pang Zhong's troops, and their physical strength was also much more exhausted than that of Pang Zhong's troops.

  Some soldiers had already pulled their bows, and the arrows they shot only fell not far from the city. Some people's arrows even hit the rebel soldiers, but the damage was not great.

  Fortunately, Yang Kai's order arrived in time, allowing Li Fude to adjust his deployment and use the hundreds of reserve soldiers for rotation.

  Fortunately, the terrain in front of Tongguan City is treacherous and the rebel army cannot launch a larger-scale attack. Otherwise, it would be a critical moment now, and many cloud ladders might have been placed on the city wall!

  It's not the most difficult time yet, but everyone knows that the most difficult time is coming soon.