He came back to his senses after a long while.
Gelan hadn't lied!
The Tang army did have a secret weapon!
The Turkic armies attacking the other three directions were also subjected to a baptism of explosive packets.
Jieli watched his soldiers, who were in a state of panic and fear from the explosive packets, and reluctantly gave the order to retreat.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A gong sounded.
The Turkic soldiers below the city walls, as if hearing heavenly music, dropped their weapons one by one, fearing they would be slow. They ran backward with all their might.
For a moment, it was chaotic, like herding sheep.
As a result, some wounded soldiers and some unfortunate soldiers who tripped were trampled to death by their own people.
Ashina Simo, Zhi Shisili, Shi Nima Dan, and Zhi Shikuai Si, the four tribal leaders, stood before Jieli with expressions of panic.
"Great Khan, this city cannot be attacked anymore. That thing the Tang army threw out is too powerful. One can kill a group of soldiers. Why don't we retreat?"
Shi Nima Dan looked cautiously at Jieli's expression and said nervously.
On the way, he had met Zhi Shisili, who had forced him to be the first to persuade Jieli to retreat.
Coincidentally, he had the same intention.
Among the tribes that followed Jieli south, he was at the very bottom. If they won, he wouldn't gain much, but if they lost, he would lose even this meager foundation. He wished he could retreat to the grasslands, herd sheep and horses during the day, and make children with his wife at night. It was much better than fighting the Tang army!
"How many men and horses did you lose?"
Jieli asked with a blank expression, his heart bleeding.
"Great Khan, my side lost over six thousand men and horses," Ashina Simo said through gritted teeth.
"Great Khan, my side lost over four thousand men and horses." Shi Nima Dan was a little uncertain.
He hadn't gone all out during the siege, so the losses caused by the explosive packets were, arguably, the least for him.
"Great Khan, my side suffered eight thousand casualties." Zhi Shisili also gritted his teeth.
"Great Khan, my side had fifty thousand troops, and less than twenty thousand retreated." Zhi Shikuai Si angrily stuck his long saber into the ground.
Jieli was also a little flustered at this point.
Fourteen thousand troops had surrounded and attacked the city, but before they even reached the city walls, over forty thousand had been lost.
When did the Tang army become so terrifying!
But he was unwilling to retreat to the grasslands just like that.
Li Er had just ascended the throne, the court was unstable, and Luo Yi had rebelled. This was such a rare opportunity, but it ended like this!
If Li Er were given time to stabilize and develop, how many more years could he roam freely on the grasslands?
"We cannot retreat! If we retreat this time, we will never have the chance to go south again! Li Shimin, that brat, has just ascended the throne. Once he stabilizes the situation, coupled with that thing from just now, if he attacks the grasslands, where will we run? Therefore, this battle must be fought, and it must be won!"
"Moreover, that thing is incredibly powerful, and it must not be easy to manufacture. The Tang army has never used it before, so there must not be many of them. Let's go for one more wave! Gather all our troops and attack one side. I, the Great Khan, will lead the charge personally!"
Jieli issued an order to the tribal leaders.
These people had already begun to retreat, but after Jieli's words, they all understood their current predicament.
Jieli was right. Chinese emperors, once they gained power, liked to attack the grasslands. The allure of military achievements like Feng Lang Ju Xu was too great for the southern barbarians!
An hour later, Jieli, mounted on his warhorse, faced the Turkic soldiers, drew his saber, and delivered a pre-battle declaration.
"My soldiers! Tang Emperor Li Shimin murdered his father and usurped his brother's throne! Heaven cannot tolerate it! Even his commanding general, Luo Yi, has rebelled against him. What right does he have to sit on the throne of the Central Plains!"
"The grasslands are poor, and the Central Plains are prosperous. Soldiers, follow me, take this city, point our swords at Chang'an, and in the future, we will reward everyone who captures the Tang Emperor!"
"Han women are beautiful, and Han lands are rich in grain. All of this will be ours in the future. Now, follow me to attack the city! Whoever reaches the city walls first will be rewarded with a hundred beautiful women and a thousand taels of gold! Follow me and kill!"
With that, Jieli led the way, followed by the tribal leaders, and attacked Jingyang City once again.
"Damn it, will these guys ever leave us alone!"
Just as Yuchi Baolin caught his breath, he saw the black mass of Turkic soldiers advancing again and couldn't help but curse.
"This is a battle! Do you think it's a game? You want peace? Prepare your defenses quickly!"
Yuchi Jingde kicked him when he heard him speak.
Since the moat had been filled last time, after a few rounds of archery from both sides, the Turkic soldiers, under the cover of arrows, once again reached the city walls.
Jieli and several tribal leaders had somehow fallen behind.
Zhi Shisili and Zhi Shikuai Si exchanged glances. Their intentions were unspoken as they subtly pulled back their horses, slowing down.
No one who could become a leader was a fool.
As long as they were not sure if the Tang army's explosive weapon had run out, they would never charge the city walls themselves.
Yuchi Jingde watched the Turkic soldiers below the city, like ants, place ladders against the city walls and climb up one by one.
But he didn't see any Turkic soldiers trying to flank them from the left or right.
"Bad news! The Turks have concentrated their forces to attack one side!"
But he dared not move the defending troops from the other three directions, fearing it was a Turkic ploy.
"Explosive packets!"
He could only use explosive packets to clear the area again.
But this time, only a sparse hundred or so were thrown, and then, they fizzled out.
The explosive packets were used up!
Jieli looked at the city walls, where no more explosive packets were being thrown, and rejoiced.
"Zhi Shikuai Si! Zhi Shisili! Lead your men to attack. The Tang army's weapon should be used up!"
Jieli turned around and saw the two brothers, who had somehow been trailing at the very end, and directly ordered them.
The two brothers had no choice but to brace themselves, lead their respective units to the city walls, and climb up.
As the explosive packets were depleted, Yuchi Jingde's heart sank.
Without the explosive packets, defending the city with three thousand men against two hundred thousand troops—no, now only one hundred and sixty thousand—there was no hope at all!
The worry on Yuchi Jingde's face flashed by but was not missed by his son's eyes.
"Father, have you forgotten something that hasn't been used?"
Yuchi Baolin reminded him.
"What?"
Yuchi Jingde asked in confusion.
"Monghan hand grenades!"
Yuchi Baolin took a Monghan hand grenade from his waist, lit the fuse, and threw it outside the city.
Yuchi Jingde slapped his forehead and shouted to the defenders on the city walls, "Hand grenades!"
Laborers carried crates of hand grenades from inside the city to the city walls.
When Yuchi Jingde led his troops out to harass the Turkic army, he found that the weapon was not as effective as he had imagined. In field combat, both sides were mobile, and it was impossible to stand there and wait to be dazed. Therefore, he only brought the explosive packets and left the Monghan hand grenades in the city. Over time, he had forgotten about them.
Crates were opened, revealing rows of Monghan hand grenades, each containing at least a hundred! There were dozens of these crates!