It was almost noon at this time, and the soldiers were ready to go, so Yuan Xi tentatively organized a siege.
While attacking the city, Yuan Xi also sent out several soldiers with loud voices to shout the words that had been agreed upon in advance into the city.
Seeing that the soldiers were having a hard time shouting, he wondered if he should make a loudspeaker.
In ancient battlefields, unlike modern battlefields where there are a variety of auxiliary tools to help, commanding troops was a very difficult task.
The so-called command, simply put, is to collect intelligence to find out the battlefield situation, respond in time, and convey orders to soldiers.
These sound simple, but are actually quite complicated. The most relevant to modern times is the second step of decision-making. However, the first step of information collection and the third step of command transmission are difficult to achieve in a short period of time due to various conditions.
The first step in obtaining information and intelligence basically relies on cavalry scouts, who need to report back in a timely manner after discovering the enemy situation. It is unknown how much time it takes to go back and forth, and the situation on the battlefield has already changed by then.
However, Yuan Xi's telescope extended the range of vision several times, which was equivalent to real-time perception and had great advantages in small-scale combat.
But Yuan Xi's telescope has now reached its limit. Relying purely on the crystal polished by water workers, it can only see at a distance several times farther, and it is still blurry.
The third step is to convey the order through beacon fires, golden bells and drums, as well as flags, or messengers.
The conditions for beacon fires are very strict, drums and gongs are easily overlooked in the noisy environment of the battlefield, and there are too many unexpected events involving messengers.
What Yuan Xi needs now is something like a telescope that can transmit signals extremely quickly.
Radio is definitely out of the question, but something that can barely work has been made into a prototype, and Tian Yu has brought it over.
It's just that it's not appropriate in the current situation.
Yuan Xi stood in front of the formation, watching the soldiers holding shields and rushing towards the city wall.
He turned around and saw a carriage a few dozen steps behind the rear army. Inside it was Zhen Mi, holding a telescope and looking towards the top of the city.
Soon, Zhen Mi's face began to turn pale.
Through the telescope, the reality of the battlefield is so cruel.
Qu Yi, who was beside Yuan Xi, said, "Sir, you shouldn't be so harsh. Why would you let a woman read this?"
Yuan Xi said, "Women are also human beings. There is no reason why we cannot look at them."
"I want her to see what these soldiers have sacrificed so that she can live a stable life in the city."
On the top of the city wall, weapons pierced into each other's bodies, and blood and internal organs flowed out.
The kerosene ignited the clothes, the skin was burned and cracked, and the fat in the body fueled the fire.
The boulders broke his limbs, revealing white bone fragments, and the blood spurting from his mouth dyed the city wall red.
Along with it, screams of pain resounded through the sky, and the wind was filled with a burnt smell.
Zhen Mi put down the telescope, covered her chest, and felt annoyed and wanted to vomit. She turned sideways to look at Cai Zhaoji who was also holding a telescope, and found that her face was very calm.
Zhen Mi knew that when Cai Zhaoji saved Yuan Xi's life, she had witnessed the life-and-death fight with her own eyes, and thought to herself that it was no wonder that she could remain calm in the face of such a scene.
Cao Xian said at the side: "Is it really that scary?"
Zhen Mi sighed, "I never thought the battlefield would be like this."
"You'd better not look at it."
After hearing this, Cao Xian hesitated for a moment, but still took the telescope from Cai Zhaoji and put it in front of his eyes.
Zhen Mi and Cai Zhaoji thought that Cao Xian would change so quickly that they would not be able to bear it, but Cao Xian's face only changed slightly at first, his hands trembled a few times, and then he returned to normal.
She looked for a long time before putting down the telescope and sighing, "It's really... miserable."
When Zhen Mi and Cai Zhaoji saw this, they were very surprised. Zhen Mi couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid? Don't you feel uncomfortable?"
Cao Xian raised the telescope and looked a few more times, then said, "There are indeed some, but probably because it is far away, it is not as shocking as when the Bian family was exterminated."
Zhen Mi and Cai Zhaoji looked at each other.
Cao Xian was completely unaware and continued, "At that time, my mother, sister and I were staying in the backyard, and we heard a commotion outside the gate, followed by screams."
"We were just panicking when we saw my father and several servants running in covered in blood, with many soldiers chasing after them like wolves and tigers."
"I still remember my father yelling at us to run."
"Then a very vicious general rushed over with a pair of halberds in his hands. With a flash of cold light, my father's neck was cut off, and his head fell off and rolled in front of my mother and me."
"As my father's head kept turning, the blood inside his chest splattered everywhere, staining my and my mother's clothes red."
"The head stopped, and my father's eyes widened and stared at me. I still remember this scene."
When Zhen Mi and Cai Zhaoji saw Cao Xian say these words with calm expressions, a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts.
Cao Xian put down the telescope. "I still remember that scene clearly, so the scene on the top of the city seems a little ordinary to me."
Cai Zhaoji recalled that her father died in prison. What was the scene like before his death?
She didn't dare think about it anymore.
Zhen Mi bit her lip. She finally understood that she had always been well protected and had never experienced the cruelty of the world!
Compared to Cai Zhaoji, whose father was killed, who became a widow and was abducted by the Huns, and Cao Xian, whose entire family was exterminated and who was forced to recognize his father's murderer as his father, I am the most naive one.
This is why my husband asked me to come, right?
Thinking of this, Zhen Mi raised the telescope to her eyes again and forced herself to continue looking.
However, Yuan Xi discovered that the resistance of the enemy soldiers on the city wall was somewhat weak.
There is a chance!
His attack was originally just a tentative one, but it seemed like the siege was quite effective?
Seeing that Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and Tian Yu had all gone to the battle, he said to Qu Yi, "Brother, please come forward with me!"
After hearing this, Qu Yi laughed and said, "I have been waiting for you to say this for almost two years!"
Yuan Xi sighed, "Yes, it's been two years. After the battle of Liu Bao's suicide, we two brothers haven't fought side by side for a long time!"
Guo Jia wanted to speak, but when he saw Yuan Xi and Qu Yi riding out on their horses, he could not help but shook his head.
The young master still couldn't bear to sacrifice the lives of his soldiers, so he personally went into battle, which would definitely boost morale greatly, but it would also be dangerous.
Zhen Mi's hand holding the telescope suddenly tightened, and her five fingers turned white in an instant.
Cai Zhaoji sensed Zhen Mi's nervousness and comforted her, "It's useless for us to worry now. We can only hope that the young master will return safely."
Zhen Mi clenched her teeth and her heart began to beat rapidly.
Qu Yi and Yuan Xi rode out on their horses, galloped back and forth in front of the city, and kept drawing their bows and shooting arrows at the top of the city.
Yuan Xi shouted, "The fierce tiger of the Yuan family is here!"
"Those on the city walls, surrender immediately, or you will be spared!"
"If we continue to resist, when the city is breached, have you thought about what will happen to you?"
When the defenders heard this, they panicked even more. They all lay down and whispered, "That's the fierce tiger of the Yuan family, the one who defeated General Gongsun!"
"Yes, I heard that he has never been defeated since he went into battle. How can we resist him?"
"I heard that he also defeated the Black Mountain Army, which had dozens of times more troops than him. Everyone said that he was a real person incarnated on earth!"
Seeing that the defenders had no fighting spirit, a general named Gongsun Zan stood on the top of the city wall and cursed: "Whoever spreads evil words to confuse the people will be killed first!"
"Hurry up and drive them out of the city!"
While he was speaking, with a whoosh, an arrow shot out from the crowd of attacking soldiers below the city!
The archer was only a few dozen steps away from the city. Not only was he close, but his arrow was also extremely accurate, hitting the defender right in the face!
The guard screamed and fell from the city wall to his death.
Qu Yi put down his bow and arrow in disappointment. He recognized that it was Taishi Ci who shot the arrow while hiding among the attacking soldiers. His archery skills were the best among all the generals under Yuan Xi.
Qu Yi thought to himself why the people the young master found were all so powerful, and Tian Yu was also an excellent martial artist. Is it because the young people nowadays are so powerful, or is he really getting old?
The death of the defending general caused even more panic on the city wall. Yuan Xi took the opportunity to shout, "Whoever opens the city gate first will be promoted three levels, and the rest will be rewarded!"
The city was in complete chaos now. As the sounds of fighting and shouting grew louder, the city gate finally flew open with a bang.
When Yuan Xi's soldiers saw this, they rushed in. Yuan Xi shouted, "Don't disturb the people when you enter the city. You will be rewarded according to your merits later!"
When he saw Zhao Yun charging on horseback, he felt relieved. With Zhao Yun present, the soldiers would not engage in indiscriminate killing and looting.
However, to Yuan Xi's surprise, Piaoyuyi was taken down just like that.
Although the city here is not big, there are tens of thousands of people inside. If Yuan Xi wants to defend it to the death, he doesn't know how many people will die.
However, ever since Gongsun Zan's defeat, the people in the city have lost their morale. Everyone knows that the Yuan family will attack sooner or later, and no one thinks they can hold the city forever.
Gongsun Zan was not kind to the people in the first place. In addition, there were salt and iron resources around the city, and the forces that resisted Gongsun Zan often plundered the city, which made the morale of the people in the city even lower.
Today, when Yuan Xi saw the situation on the battlefield, he felt that he had an opportunity, so he went into battle decisively, using the Yuan family's reputation as a fierce tiger to intimidate others, and ultimately achieved success in one fell swoop.
Guo Jia then rode up and followed, sighing in his heart that although the nickname of "the ferocious tiger of the Yuan family" could only scare people who didn't know Yuan Xi's true martial arts level, Yuan Xi's vision for seizing opportunities in battle was indeed getting better and better!
The remaining troops of Gongsun Zan were kneeling on the ground at the city gate. Yuan Xi was surrounded by soldiers and entered the city gate. When he passed by, the soldiers shouted.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master!"
"Envoy!"
"Envoy!"
The voice came from far away, and the three women in the carriage showed joy on their faces. Zhen Mi patted her chest and thought to herself, is her husband such a powerful person?
Filled with joy, the smell of blood and burnt food that came with the wind didn't seem so bad anymore.
The soldiers all poured into the city, some withdrew, some began to clean up the battlefield, and some returned to the camp to get ready.
As the night gradually darkened, Yuan Xi hurried back from the city and rode his horse to the carriage of the three women.
He said, "Let's get going now."
Zhen Mi's heart tightened, "What happened?"
Yuan Xi laughed, "Nothing, I just remembered that we didn't go out for a honeymoon after we got married, so I'll take you to the beach."
After hearing this, Zhen Mi was completely confused. What was he trying to do?