flstandardbreds Chapter 284 The Battle of Liangshan by Li Family Army
Chapter 284 The Battle of Liangshan by Li Family Army
Just three days after Qian Dazhuang's Li family army successfully took over Liangshan City, Wanyan Ping personally led his massive army of over 100,000 cavalry, approaching the city walls like a dark cloud. Earlier, the 30,000 elite Jin troops had already formed an impregnable wall, firmly sealing off Liangshan's only connection to the outside world, turning this once heroic stronghold into an isolated city cut off from the world in an instant.
On the city wall, the rebel leaders gazed at the endless, surging Jin army outside the city, and a sense of fear crept into their hearts. Their legs felt as heavy as if they weighed a ton, and they could hardly stand up. A chill crept up their spines, making the backs of their necks feel cold, as if even the air itself had frozen in that moment.
A volunteer leader strolled over to Qian Dazhuang, who was holding binoculars, his eyes gleaming as he closely watched the enemy situation in the distance.
"General Qian, besides the 10,000 elite troops in front of you, are there any other ambushes hidden in your rear?"
The leader's words carried a hint of inquiry.
Qian Dazhuang slowly lowered his binoculars, turned to look at the leader, and a confident smile appeared on his lips: "Your rebel army is overthinking it. My lord has indeed only allocated 10,000 troops to me. But rest assured, every son of my Li family army is brave and fearless, capable of taking on ten men each. With us stationed at Liangshan, this place is impregnable. Moreover, your rebel army still has 20,000 brave warriors. With our combined strength, what is there to worry about in defeating the bandits?"
Beneath the city wall, a crowd surged, their anxious gazes fixed on the rebel leader as he slowly descended the steps. His face was ashen, as if he had just returned from the underworld. Upon seeing him, the crowd instinctively swarmed forward, bombarding him with questions.
"Tell me quickly, what's the situation? Are there any reinforcements arriving from behind Li's army?"
The leader's body trembled slightly, his voice filled with undisguised despair: "It's over... This time, we're really finished. The Li family army never intended to defend Liangshan to the death. Apart from these 10,000 isolated troops, there are no other reinforcements."
After hearing these words, everyone looked as if their fathers had died. Ever since they learned that hundreds of thousands of Jin troops had come from outside the city, their already dwindling fighting spirit had vanished. If it weren't for Qian Dazhuang's Li family army defending Liangshan, they probably would have surrendered long ago.
Outside the city walls, under the iron hooves of the Jin soldiers, several brave rebel warriors who tried to break through the blockade were unfortunately captured. They were tightly bound with rough ropes, like lambs to the slaughter, and were ruthlessly escorted to Wanyan Ping.
Wanyan Ping's face was gloomy, his eyes flashing with undeniable authority. His voice was deep and powerful, as if it could penetrate people's hearts: "Who would be willing to reveal even the slightest bit of information about the city to me? I, Wanyan Ping, have always appreciated capable people. As for those useless people, in my eyes, they are no different from walking corpses."
A small, thin rebel soldier hurriedly pleaded, "Please, General Jin, spare our lives. We had no choice but to join the rebels. Right now, the city is under the tight guard of the Li family army. We took advantage of the cover of night and used ropes to quietly escape during the changing of the guard."
After obtaining crucial intelligence from within the city, Wanyan Ping subtly gave a meaningful glance to a general beside him. The general understood immediately and ordered his Jin soldiers to escort the rebel soldiers out. A short while later, a series of piercing screams broke the surrounding silence.
Despite knowing that only 10,000 elite Li family troops were stationed in the city, Wanyan Ping did not rashly order an attack. Instead, he adopted a more cautious strategy. He urgently summoned all the artisans in the army and ordered them to work day and night to produce siege equipment that could isolate the enemy's superior strength. In the candlelit workshops, these artisans watered their hopes with sweat, and with each hammer and chisel stroke, they embodied the fighting spirit and wisdom of the Jin Dynasty.
Wanyan Ping was well aware of the formidable weaponry of Li's army; the advanced firearms that had left a deep impression on him on the battlefield still haunted him. It was precisely for this reason that he had, against all odds, strongly advocated for the Jin state to establish its own firearms force. This foresight ultimately enabled the Jin state to possess a new type of force capable of resisting powerful enemies amidst the chaos of war.
However, the cost of establishing this firearms unit was staggering. The development of firearms and the casting of cannons were like bottomless pits, devouring the wealth of the Jin Dynasty. Those heavy metals were transformed into weapons of war in the hands of craftsmen, but they also caused the Minister of Revenue of the Jin Dynasty to look distressed whenever he saw Wanyan Ping, fearing that he would be dragged into discussing the headache-inducing military expenditures again.
During these tense and challenging days, every decision Wanyan Ping made was crucial. He not only had to face the enemy on the battlefield, but also win support in the court to ensure that the Jin state could maintain its strong fighting capacity and indomitable will throughout this long war.
After several days of intensive preparations, the Jin army finally launched a fierce attack on Liangshan City, aiming directly at its east gate. Outside the city walls, a dense array of catapults, booming cannons, and menacing crossbows surged towards the top of the walls like a raging torrent, instantly plunging the Li family army's defenses into a sea of fire and a rain of stones.
In the sky, incendiary bombs traced brilliant yet deadly trajectories, like restless meteors streaking across the night, yet carrying an aura of destruction. Stones, like the furious hammers of a god, slammed heavily against the city walls, sending up clouds of dust and sparks. Although the warriors of the Li family army were already on high alert, constructing layers of defense, this overwhelming attack still tore open wounds among them, causing considerable casualties.
Amidst the raging flames of war, every moment is a struggle between life and death, and the fate of Liangshan City sways with the progress of the battle.
The main force that the Jin army deployed in this siege was a dozen or so huge siege ladder carts. Each siege ladder cart had six or seven wheels underneath, and with twenty or thirty Jin soldiers pushing them, they began to slowly approach the east gate of Liangshan City.
On the battlements, Li Jiajun's officer stood tall and straight, the bright red flag in his hand fluttering in the wind. His voice pierced through the raging flames of war and resounded through the sky: "Mortar team, prepare! Target locked—that colossal wooden cart directly ahead. Fire two test shots to test its strength!"
With a sudden roar, the howls of mortars echoed through the air, yet the shells narrowly missed the Jin army's position, falling just ten meters away—a matter of life and death. The officer's face instantly hardened, his eyes flashing with unwavering resolve. He swiftly adjusted his tactical orders:
"Immediately adjust the firing parameters, raise the elevation by two degrees, and ensure accuracy! Next, fire all three cannons simultaneously to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy!"
This time, the artillery fire surged forth like a dragon emerging from the sea, precisely tearing through the enemy's defenses and striking the slowly advancing siege ladders. In the instant of the explosion, flames soared into the sky, dust flew everywhere, and beneath the ladders, hordes of Jin soldiers fell like leaves. The warriors who had attempted to use the giant logs as a vanguard to breach the city's defenses also staggered under this fierce barrage, their morale shattered.
On the city wall, the morale of Li's army soared due to the series of precise strikes. Every soldier's eyes burned with an indomitable flame, vowing to defend this land and not let the enemy set foot on it.