Chapter 329 The Situation in Nanyang
The ultimate move that Ma Su had been holding back for two and a half years suddenly came out at this critical moment. Facing such perverted weapons, Man Chong was completely defenseless.
Not only Man Chong, but the entire Wei army was stunned by the battle. Not only did they trample each other, thousands of people died, but the soldiers of various tribes also seriously demonized the Shu army.
"Have you heard that those Shu people in Kunyang City have ghosts and gods to help them!"
"I saw it a few days ago. Countless ghost soldiers wearing heavy armor suddenly shot out from the city gate! No one can resist them wherever they go!"
"I saw a brother cut in half by them! Only ghost soldiers can achieve this kind of power!"
"Everyone, please be careful. It is impossible for our camp to stop such terrifying ghost soldiers!"
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As rumors spread, people in the Wei army were panicked, and the morale of the army began to fluctuate. Although Man Chong responded quickly and banned the spread of rumors, he still could not stop the spread of fear.
What people fear most is what they know nothing about!
The sudden appearance of armored cavalry basically destroyed the morale of the Huainan Wei army led by Man Chong. Even Man Chong didn't dare to force them to attack the city now. If the Shu army came out again, more than a few thousand people would die.
There was no other way, Man Chong could only order all the ministries to surround Kunyang first and focus on holding on. He seized the time to build new siege equipment, and at the same time led his confidants to try to analyze how the Shu army did it.
You know, Cao Wei tried to form heavy armored cavalry. When the horse attack was overdue, Cao Cao used heavy armored cavalry to intimidate him.
However, because the armor is too heavy, it is difficult to maintain balance while riding a horse while wearing armor. If the horses also wear armor, the riding skills of the cavalry will be too high.
But the appearance of Ma Su and his group of armored cavalry was completely inconsistent with common sense. Not only did they hold sabers, but they didn't even shake their bodies after killing the enemy.
"There must be something that allows them to ride on horseback so easily and comfortably!" Man Chong narrowed his eyes and kept recalling the scene on the day of the battle. He seemed to want to memorize all the appearances of the Shu army's armored cavalry.
As long as we can understand the reliance of this armored cavalry, I believe that with the national power of the Wei Dynasty, we can definitely reproduce it. If the Wei Dynasty can also organize and produce armored cavalry by then, the two countries of Shu and Wu will not have anything to worry about!
But no matter how much he thought about it, Man Chong didn't notice anything wrong.
After all, things like stirrups and horseshoes are too small and difficult to notice in the chaos. Especially since Ma Su had done some special cover-up, it was difficult for Man Chong to tell the difference between the armored cavalry and the cavalry.
While Man Chong kept asking how the Shu army came up with armored cavalry and was in a stalemate with Ma Su, the situation in Nanyang began to change rapidly.
Zhang He and Zhang Yi led 30,000 Shu troops to besiege Wancheng with great force. With the arrival of subsequent siege equipment, the Shu army's siege became more and more fierce.
A series of new siege equipment such as the Eight Ox Crossbow, the Huihui Cannon, and the Lu Gong Chariot were taken out by the Shu army.
Faced with such an offensive, as Zhang He expected, the Wancheng defender began to ask for help from outside. He sent a large number of messengers to various places in Nanyang to seek help at the risk of being intercepted by the Shu army.
In this regard, the Shu army still used Zhang He's strategy and sent people to violently intercept and kill the messenger. However, after intercepting most of the messengers, the Shu army deliberately left a few to escape with serious injuries.
After various messengers brought the news with injuries, the Wei army from all over the country also believed that the Shu army was storming Wancheng. Subsequently, garrisons from various places were dispatched one after another, preparing to go to Wancheng for rescue, intending to unite to repel the Shu army.
But before all the Wei army's reinforcements arrived at Wancheng, they were intercepted by Zhang He, the right general who climbed the mountain. The Wei army's troops were originally scattered and few, but after encountering Zhang He's assault, most of them were unable to resist and the entire army was wiped out.
Even if you are lucky and the entire army is not wiped out, there will basically only be a few people left. After only half a month of encirclement and reinforcements, most of the Wei army in Nanyang was wiped out.
To the south, the Xiangfan Wei army was blocked by Wu Ban from Xinye and Xiang Chong from Dangyang. The attack could not defeat Xiang Chong, and the retreat could not defeat Xinye. Tens of thousands of elites were tightly surrounded in Xiangyang and Fancheng.
If this continues, it will basically be a matter of time before Nanyang is captured. In another month at most, the Shu army will be able to break through Wancheng and occupy the entire Nanyang.
But at this time, Zhang Yi and Zhang He received a piece of information.
"The Wei army in Runan entered Nanyang from Wuyin?" Zhang Yi's face was a little solemn, and he was a little nervous after hearing the report.
"It's Qin Lang, the hussar general. He has more than 10,000 troops..." Zhang He also frowned, feeling a little troublesome.
"Qin Lang is a low-key person, cautious and not adventurous. With his character, leading troops into Wuyin will only be a steady attack, which will become the biggest obstacle to us occupying Nanyang!"
Although most of Nanyang now has no garrison, as long as Wancheng is captured, it will be decided by spreading the word. But once the Wei army appears in Wuyin, these counties will begin to waver.
The Han army has few soldiers. This situation will seriously hinder the Han army's advancement.
"What should we do..." Zhang Yi was a little unsure of what to do, and he touched his chin and started thinking.
"Why don't we divide our troops and capture the nearby counties first, and make sure that the north of Nanyang is not lost before making any plans?"
"No, it's the same thing. Doing this will make everyone in Nanyang see our guilty conscience." Zhang He directly refused and said categorically.
"Ma Su is already at war with Man Chong in Kunyang. He can't delay it for long. Once he does this, it won't be possible to take over Nanyang in a year and a half."
"The road from Runan to Wuyin is rugged, and Qinlang may not have a smooth food road. Now is the time when the camp is not stable. Give me five thousand men and half a month, and I will find a way to defeat Qinlang!"
Zhang He's invitation to fight made Zhang Yi hesitate. After all, this was a descended general from Cao Wei, and it seemed risky to let him lead troops into battle. However, Zhang Yi thought for a moment that this person seemed to have a good relationship with Ma Su, and finally nodded in agreement.
"In this case, it's up to General Zhang! If it succeeds, this battle will definitely be the general's first achievement!"
"The first achievement is not the first one, it's not important now..." Zhang He smiled bitterly, shook his head slightly and said,
"I don't want to see Ma Su working so hard, only to fall short in the end. Although this bastard is a bit stubborn, I have to say... he is a gentleman, and I must admire him."
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Ma Su, who was in Kunyang, suddenly sneezed at this time.
"Someone is talking about me again?" Ma Di touched his nose, feeling a little confused.
Why do people always talk about him behind his back? It's really outrageous.
"General, it seems that the Wei army is making moves again." At this time, the scout came in and reported to Ma Su.
"Huh? Didn't Man Chong get conquered in that raid a few days ago?"