dognovel Chapter 223: A pincer attack captures Jieting
Chapter 223: A pincer attack captures Jieting
His shout was so loud it could probably be heard from two miles away, but Zhang Fei remained frozen in place as if he hadn't noticed anything.
At that moment, he felt surrounded by immense happiness, as if he were in a dream.
He had been launching a fierce attack on Jieting for several days, but due to the stubbornness of the defenders and the narrowness of the road, his army could not be deployed in a wide area, resulting in each attack ending in failure.
He thought he would hold out at Jieting until Zhuge Liang finished the great battle, but unexpectedly, the strategist Zhuge was so considerate that he sent Zhao Yun to lead the White Feather Army to attack from behind and meet him. The strategist Zhuge was truly a timely help.
Thinking of the scene of attacking Jieting from both sides with Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei wished he could fly over the Qinling Mountains right now, rush to Zhuge Liang, and kiss his old face.
Seeing him in a daze, Jiang Wei said in a low voice, "This humble general dares to ask, General, how many troops are guarding Jieting? Is a night attack feasible?"
Startled awake by the shouts, Zhang Fei quickly regained his senses by biting his tongue. He said angrily, "The garrison at Jieting numbers seven or eight thousand. The commander is Zhang He's son, Zhang Xiong. Although his abilities are average, the terrain at Jieting is too suitable for defense. To put it bluntly, even a dog could hold out there for half a month."
Jiang Wei was taken aback; the Third General's words were truly down-to-earth.
Zhang Fei asked, "What does Zilong plan to do, and what does he want me to do?"
Jiang Wei handed Zhuge Liang the brocade pouch, and after Zhang Fei finished reading it, he said, "General Zhao Yun has decided to make his move at dawn, so I would like to ask the Third General to launch an attack immediately and try to draw all the attention of the Jieting garrison to your side."
Zhang Fei patted his chest and said, "No problem. With Zilong's help, I will definitely be able to enter Jieting by dawn."
As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Quan arrived, and Zhang Fei handed him the brocade pouch, saying, "What do you think?"
Huang Quan was equally delighted after reading it and said, "No problem, with General Zhao Yun's help, we will definitely take Jieting tonight."
Zhang Fei then said, "Jiang Wei, right? Do you want to go back and report to Zilong?"
Jiang Wei shook his head and said, "No need. As long as the fighting starts here, General Zhao Yun will naturally know that I have contacted the Third General, and he will definitely launch the attack on time."
In the days before radio, it was impossible to consult and communicate at any time; one could only make contingency plans and agree on code words in advance.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Then it doesn't matter. Order the army to prepare immediately and launch a night attack on Jieting in 25 minutes."
Two quarters of an hour was a bit short to prepare, but Zhang Fei didn't plan to bring all 20,000 troops up at once. He would take a portion of the troops first, and then the rest would arrive and join the battle later.
Half an hour later, Zhang Fei, carrying a torch and pushing the newly built catapult, arrived at Jieting. Without further ado, he roared, "Attack..."
At Zhang Fei's command, arrows and stones rained down relentlessly on Jieting.
At the same time, the garrison at Jieting did not rest but were on high alert. After being attacked, they immediately launched a counterattack. The garrison commander, Zhang Xiong, rushed up the city wall at the first opportunity and angrily cursed, "Damn those ring-eyed thieves, what are they doing out of their minds in the middle of the night? Give them a good beating!"
Siege warfare isn't as flashy, and since both sides have been fighting for several days and are familiar with each other's tactics, the battle gradually turns into a turn-based game of punches and kicks.
Although the siege did not make much progress, the shouts of battle from both sides resounded throughout the sky and successfully reached Zhao Yun's ears.
Zhao Yun hid in a mountain valley about seven or eight miles northwest of Jieting. The location was chosen by Jiang Wei, so its secrecy was guaranteed.
Zhao Yun was dozing on the hillside when a scout rushed back and said, "General, the battle at Jieting has broken out. Flames are shooting into the sky and shouts of battle are deafening. It's quite a fierce fight. It seems that General Jiang Wei has contacted the Third General."
Zhao Yun, with his eyes closed, calmly said, "Continue to rest. We'll set off again at 4:45 AM. If you're hungry, eat some dry rations, but don't eat too much, or you'll fall asleep."
Eight hundred White Feather soldiers slept soundly amidst the battle cries at Jieting, and Zhao Yun also began to snore.
But Zhao Yun, who was asleep, seemed to have an alarm clock installed in his body. At three quarters past Yin hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, quickly got up, and kicked his companion next to him, saying, "It's time to go."
The soldiers held their breath and rose one after another, quickly forming ranks and following Zhao Yun toward Jieting.
The scouts had already covered the road to Jieting, so it was familiar to them. In less than 45 minutes, Zhao Yun reached the foot of Jieting City. Looking around, he saw that Jieting was in ruins and the city walls were not even three meters high.
Jieting was already dilapidated due to years of disrepair, and the Wei army had to resist Zhang Fei's fierce attacks. They had to use their limited energy to reinforce the fortifications in front, so who had time to care about the rear?
As a result, the defensive line behind the Wei army at Jieting was practically non-existent for Zhao Yun.
After observing carefully, Zhao Yun immediately said, "Attack."
The White Feather Soldiers, in groups of one hundred, charged towards Jieting at top speed. Such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of the defending troops, who, pale with fright, hurriedly shouted, "Enemy..."
Before the enemy could finish speaking, the White Feather Soldiers at the forefront raised their crossbows and mercilessly pulled the triggers, sending countless bolts whistling towards the Wei army.
The White Feather Soldiers didn't even look at the arrows they had shot. They threw away their crossbows and rushed to the city walls, forming human ladders by interlocking their hands in pairs. Zhao Yun, on the other hand, threw away his spear, grabbed a sickle he had somehow acquired, rushed in front of the two men, stepped on their interlocked hands, and with their combined push, leaped up. He then used the sickle to hook onto the city wall and with a powerful jerk, easily jumped onto the wall.
The White Feather Soldiers were all speechless at this swift and decisive action; they truly could not imitate General Zhao Yun's skills.
As Zhao Yun leaped onto the city wall to steady himself, he swung his sickle to force back the nearby Wei soldiers. He then threw the sickle at the Wei soldier closest to him and, taking advantage of the soldier's dodge, suddenly reached out and grabbed the spear thrown by his subordinate.
With his spear in hand, Zhao Yun went berserk, easily repelling the Wei army in front of him and securing a foothold for the White Feather Soldiers behind him.
The White Feather Soldiers were not to be outdone; they pulled and dragged each other to quickly climb the city wall and protect Zhao Yun on either side.
As time went on, more and more White Feather soldiers rushed up the city wall. Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhao Yun decisively rushed down the city wall and attacked the city gate.
At the same time, the main force of the Wei army, which was engaged in fierce battle with Zhang Fei at the front, finally noticed the movement behind them. Upon learning that they had been attacked from behind, Zhang Xiong's heart sank to the bottom. He asked incredulously, "Damn it, how could the Shu army attack from behind? Come with me and let's fight off the Shu army behind us first."
In this urgent situation, Zhang Xiong didn't have time to think and quickly dispatched a force to attack this side, intending to drive Zhao Yun out of the city. But was it too late?
Zhao Yun successfully stormed to the city and opened the city gate. The White Feather Soldiers who were waiting outside rushed in and followed Zhao Yun to the left and right, and naturally ran into Zhang Xiong.
What else is there to say? Let's fight.
Zhao Yun charged at Zhang Xiong first. At this moment, Zhao Yun was in a berserk state and no one could defeat him. After only two rounds of fighting, he knocked Zhang Xiong unconscious with a single blow of his spear.
"This kid looks like an official, tie him up."
Zhao Yun gave the order to continue the charge, and no enemy could stand against him along the way. He easily rushed up the city wall and attacked the Wei army defenders who were fighting fiercely with Zhang Fei.
The Wei army was disheartened. They were already struggling to hold off the Shu army in front, and now another Shu army was attacking from the rear, and it was so fierce. How could they possibly fight back?
As expected, Zhao Yun easily repelled the nearby Wei army and captured a section of the city wall. Under his protection, Zhang Fei's army, which was attacking the city, quickly climbed the city wall and charged towards the Wei army.
The Han army was in high spirits, while the Wei army was filled with despair and their morale was completely broken, so there was no need to fight anymore.
Two quarters of an hour later, the entire Wei army surrendered. Zhang Fei climbed the ladder up the city wall, came to Zhao Yun, ignored his blood-stained body, gave him a big bear hug, and excitedly said, "Zilong, it's so good to see you alive!"