flstandardbreds Chapter 379 Inhuman Siege Equipment
Chapter 379 Inhuman Siege Equipment
Knowing that time was of the essence and there was no time to waste, Liu Zan did not rest and went straight to work after finishing his meal. He led two thousand people to transport the grain and fodder in batches to the mountains outside the city for safekeeping, using the method of "ants moving house" (carrying grains on their shoulders and by hand).
Liu Zan found this job exceptionally easy because he had both Zhuge Jin's absolute trust and the unconditional support of the Wu army in the city; no one would disobey his orders.
After all, he was a cavalry captain under Zhuge Jin, the second-in-command in Yuhan City, and his prestige in the Wu army was second only to Zhuge Jin. Not to mention small matters such as transporting grain outside the city, he could also perform micro-management of the city's defense and transfer people in key positions at critical moments.
Don't underestimate this micro-management skill; using it at the right time can absolutely determine the outcome of the battle.
Therefore, compared to enemies, those who flatter you on the surface but stab you in the back are the most deadly.
Upon returning to Yu Han, Liu Zan used his power and Zhuge Jin's trust to actively set traps for Zhuge Jin. After two days of this, Guan Xing arrived.
Pan Zhang's camp was only a hundred li from Yu Han City, and it would only take two days if they sped up. However, Guan Xing took three and a half days to allow Liu Zan time to make his move.
That evening, Guan Xing led his troops to the city, but instead of attacking immediately, he set up camp five miles away and ordered his men to build siege equipment overnight in preparation for the attack. At the same time, he sent Wang Shu into the mountains to the agreed-upon location with Liu Zan to see if he could find any information left by Liu Zan.
Wang Shu was the Wu army battalion commander under Liu Zan who was captured by Ning Huan using a human pyramid technique. He was familiar with both the mountain terrain and Liu Zan's habits, making him the most suitable person to send.
But Guan Xing wouldn't be foolish enough to send only him; he also sent several trusted confidants along. If Wang Shu dared to use trickery, he would be dead immediately.
Two hours later, Wang Shu returned and handed Guan Xing a sealed bamboo tube. Guan Xing dismissed the others and checked it with Deng Hong and You Chong. After reading it, he was overjoyed and said, "Old Liu is awesome! In just two days, he transported nearly a third of Wu's grain reserves into the mountains. This batch of grain is enough for us to use for half a month."
Deng Hong said excitedly, "I feel very sorry for my previous doubts about Liu Xiaowei. What should we do now?"
Guan Xing said, "We'll build siege equipment overnight and launch a fierce attack tomorrow morning. I need to enter Yuhan City before sunset tomorrow."
After speaking, Guan Xing divided the army into three groups: one group took a break to prepare for the attack on the city the next morning, another group was on guard to prevent Zhuge Jin from launching a night attack, and the remaining group went into the mountains to cut down trees and build siege equipment.
When Deng Hong came from Wuyishan that day, he brought over a hundred saw blades, axes, chisels and other tools of various kinds. Although the quantity was not large, it was definitely enough. He worked very easily and created a huge number of siege weapons in just one night. These weapons might not be enough to attack Jianye, but they would definitely be enough to attack Yuhan.
Moreover, the weapons Guan Xing created were highly targeted, and the cloud ladder designed specifically for the Yuhan city wall was a marvel to everyone.
Because that wasn't a siege ladder at all, but a right-angled triangular staircase made of thick wooden planks, the same height as the city wall. The two right-angled sides could fit perfectly against the city wall and the ground, while the sloping sides were solid steps like stairs. There were also four wheels at the bottom. After the attacking soldiers pushed it to the city wall, they didn't need to climb it; they could just run up the steps.
Even more outrageous, Guan Xing added a half-meter-wide protrusion to the side of the siege ladder that was flush with the city wall, at the same height as the wall, forming a half-T-shaped structure. When the attacking soldiers pushed the siege ladder to the city wall, the half-meter-wide protrusion would get stuck on the wall, pushing the defending soldiers standing on the edge of the city back half a meter.
Imagine you're standing by the ramparts, shooting arrows and throwing stones at the enemy. Suddenly, the enemy's siege ladder is pushed down to the foot of the city wall, and at the top of the ladder, there's a box-like wooden block that pushes you backward repeatedly, ruthlessly pushing you to the center of the wall and even off the wall. How would you feel? You'd have no choice but to curse.
Besides the inhumane steps and ladders, there were also the siege rams used to deal with Pan Zhang. Soldiers hid in the chariots and pushed the siege rams to smash the city gate. I wonder how many impacts Zhuge Jin's newly built city gate could withstand.
With everything in place, Guan Xing didn't delay any longer. Just after breakfast at dawn, he sounded the war drums and launched an attack on Yu Han.
Encouraged by the drumbeats, the Han soldiers pushed more than a dozen siege ladders toward the city wall. Zhuge Jin, who was supervising the battle from the top of the wall, pointed at the strange siege ladders and asked in astonishment, "What are those things?"
Liu Zan shrugged, indicating he didn't know. Due to the limited view, they could only see the vertical section directly in front of the ladder and the protruding section above it, but they couldn't see the steps on the sloping side. However, judging from the height of that protruding section, it didn't seem like a good thing.
Liu Zan asked doubtfully, "Guan Xing wouldn't be planning to use the protruding part at the top of the ladder to push all the defenders off the city wall, would he? The width doesn't seem enough."
Zhuge Jin smiled bitterly, "That's because there wasn't enough time, or rather, Guan Xing thought this width was enough to deal with us. That damned Guan Anguo is really underestimating me!"
"However, the design of this siege weapon is quite ingenious. If the protruding part were a bit higher and the same width as the city wall, it might actually push all the defenders on the city wall off and raise the city wall by a few meters. In that case, the enemy could easily climb the city wall with their prior preparations, while the defenders would be unable to climb the city wall due to the sudden increase in height. That would be a bit of a reversal of the natural order."
Liu Zan said, "Not only that, if the defenders want to counterattack, they can only use ladders to climb to the top of this machine. But don't forget that the machine is movable. Once the defenders have climbed to the top, the attacking enemy will suddenly move the machine away, and the defenders will be pulled out of the city wall and into the enemy's ranks."
The thought of the defending soldiers finally climbing to the top of the machine only to be dragged out of the city by the enemy using the machine sent chills down Liu Zan's spine. This thing was too inhumane. How did Guan Xing come up with this idea?
While the two were chatting idly, Wu Jun was not. Seeing the Han army pushing the strange siege ladder into firing range, he immediately launched a counterattack. Arrows, crossbows, and catapults were turned around and fired at the Han army's siege ladder. He even fired many fire arrows, but unfortunately, they were useless.
The Han army's siege equipment was all made of solid wood, so arrows and crossbows posed no threat to it. Stones hitting it would only leave slight dents and wouldn't damage the frame structure. Rockets were even more ridiculous; solid wood isn't dry grass, so how could it ignite instantly? Even if it did catch fire, it would take time to burn. By the time the tiny flames burned the equipment, the Han army would have already pushed the equipment to the city walls and stormed into the city.
Moreover, Guan Xing had taken many other precautions when building the ladder, so the Han army did not suffer much loss before pushing the ladder down to the city wall and using the protruding part to force the defenders on the city wall back half a meter.
Then, the Han soldiers, hiding behind the siege ladders, raised their shields and rushed up the steps to the city. With the bulges, the defending Wu army could not attack from the front and could only launch a counterattack from the side. Under these circumstances, they could not stop the Han army that kept pouring in like a tide.
At the same time, the siege hammer of the chariot was also pushed to the city gate, and the Han army pushed the siege hammer to repeatedly strike it, making the city gate teeter on the verge of collapse.
After fighting for less than an hour, Deng Hong personally led the Han army to climb the city wall, occupy an area more than ten meters wide, and guided the Han army to quickly ascend the city wall. After securing this area, he immediately led his troops to attack the city tower where Zhuge Jin was located.
Zhuge Jin led his men in a desperate struggle, but after several failed counterattacks, he sighed helplessly, "I finally understand why Pan Zhang was defeated so quickly. The Han army's attacks are too damn sharp. We simply can't hold on. Let's prepare to retreat."
After saying this, he was about to lead his troops downstairs when Liu Zan rushed to the top of the stairs first, drew his sword, and held it to his throat, saying, "General, surrender. I am informing you, not discussing it with you."