Chapter five hundred and sixty seventh hanging stone flying attack
He who is good at being a soldier does not use force; he who is good at fighting does not get angry; he who is good at defeating the enemy does not fight against him." [Tao Te Ching·Chapter 68]
Zhou Yu looked at the dissatisfaction of the generals with a calm expression. Sun Ce was extremely repulsive to him even before he came to the military camp. Although this repulsion was not directed at Sun Ce himself, Zhou Yu could not help but admire Xu Huang's mind. It was like a caged tiger.
The longer a leopard is kept in a cage, the longer it is hungry, and the more ferocious it will be after being released from the cage. These days, even the steady Li Tong has been deliberately tempered by Xu Huang. It can be seen that once Xu Huang gives the order,
When the whole army attacks the city, it will be overwhelming.
There are really only a few generals who can do this. It is not only the mastery of "degree", but also the authority and control of the army, or using Sun Ce as a target to provoke the generals. Various methods have made Zhou Yu more than once
I was amazed from the bottom of my heart. Even if Xu Huang has not made any outstanding achievements yet, in Zhou Yu's heart, he is already a figure that cannot be underestimated.
Fortunately, Zhou Yu had warned Sun Ce not to rush over here to compete for Shouchun's merits, otherwise he would really become the target of public criticism and would not be tolerated by the generals.
"After dinner today, the army will attack the city immediately. I and you all have set an appointment for five days. In five days, Gan Ning, Huang Zu, Sun Ce and other soldiers and horses will gather here. At that time, please give me a title and reward, and all of them will be rewarded for their achievements.
Discuss." Xu Huang saw that the generals were in high spirits, with calm expressions, and their aura was like a mountain. After he finished speaking calmly, the noisy people suddenly became quiet.
Zhang Xiu was the first to react, clasped his fists and said, "The last general is willing to be a pioneer!"
"How can we break the city within five days?" Li Tong was very thoughtful. He thought that Xu Huang would never give up the great achievements in front of him to a foreign army, not to mention the newly attached Sun Ce, even if he was sent by the imperial court.
General Gan Ning is not good enough. Since Xu Huang intends to inspire his generals to achieve great achievements, what is the meaning of this five-day period? Didn't he just say "Ten rounds of encirclement" and dare not do anything without permission? He thinks Xu Huang must have
There are other clever ways to destroy the city, otherwise there would be no such excuse.
Xu Ding and others rushed to ask for orders. Xu Huang waved his hand to stop the chaos that was about to start again, and asked the soldiers outside: "Is Liu Changshi ready?"
The story here is about the former general and marching commander Shi Liu Ye. Ever since Xu Huang led his troops to the south, Liu Ye had followed the army south to advise Zhou Yu on the military affairs. Although he held the position of a subordinate of the former general, he never stayed with Zhu Jun for a day.
Zhu Jun also knew that Liu Ye was a subordinate specially sent by the emperor to serve Xu Huang, but Xu Huang was not qualified to open a government, so he made this expedient. As for Zhu Jun who was ordered to move to Pei State, he brought him with him
They paid homage to the former general and military advisor Guo Jia, but did not mention a word about the departure or stay of the marching commander Shi.
Liu Ye has not been part of the army's discussion these days. It is only known that he was assigned an army by Xu Huang and is busy in the mountains and forests all day long.
After learning that Liu Ye was ready, Xu Huang stood up and invited Zhou Yu, Liu Ai and the generals to step out of the tent and go straight to an open space in the back camp. There were dozens of large vehicles on the open space.
The vehicle has a wide platform, and the tilted boom weighs more than a hundred pounds. Several soldiers are surrounding a vehicle, struggling to use a shaft to turn down the boom wrapped with tendon ropes, and then loosen it.
The heavy and thick crane suddenly swung forward. There was a clicking sound in the air, like a giant waving his arm and punching the sky, causing wind to blow.
The generals were frightened by the horrifying sight before them before they even started speaking. They had heard of the name of the trebuchet. This kind of weapon had appeared as far back as the Spring and Autumn Period. It was called a "cannon" and also a "trebuchet". '. However, this kind of weapon is often crudely designed. It only has a shelf fixed on the ground or a base buried underground. It has poor maneuverability and is inconvenient to move. It is time-consuming and labor-intensive to install, and its power is often unsatisfactory. Therefore, in many cases, the two armies attack each other. They rarely build this relatively useless weapon.
But the trebuchet in front of us is different from what is recorded in the military books. Not only is it equipped with wheels under the gun mount, but it also seems to use another wheel-like thing to provide power to the trebuchet, which can make it more powerful. Look at just now The momentum of the swing is enough to carry a fifty kilogram stone.
"Junhou, what is this?" Zhang Xiu looked at Zhou Yu, Liu Ai and others with surprised but not surprised expressions, knowing that they must also understand the origin of the catapult, so he stopped looking at them and asked Xu directly Huang. As long as this thing is powerful enough, not only to destroy the city wall of Shouchun, but also to blast through the arrow tower at the top of the city, he is confident that he can capture Shouchun in one battle.
"This is a catapult developed by Han Gong of the Chang'an Gewu Academy together with Zuo Shi Ma Jun, Zhang Gu and others. When the stone was fired, the sound was like thunder, so the country gave it the name 'Thunderbolt'." Xu Huang actually had it. He had been holding the drawings for many days, but there were no good craftsmen. Fortunately, this time the emperor was about to attack Nanpi, so he specially transferred a large number of good craftsmen from the Gewuyuan and gave him some: "Liu Changshi supervised the construction of this thing recently, and spent a lot of money on it." I’ve thought about it a lot, so I should make some achievements now.”
Liu Ye walked away from the group of people who were testing the performance of the Pili car. He happened to hear Xu Huang's words and bowed to him: "This car is really clever. I just supervise its construction and don't dare to take credit. If there is any reward, , then we should put those craftsmen first.”
As a scholar, it is rare for a scholar to not discriminate against craftsmen, but to give credit to each other. This really opened everyone's eyes. Zhou Yu couldn't help thinking that this person had never been to Chang'an, and he didn't know how he learned that the emperor valued craftsmen. If If you can guess based on these details alone, then this person has some...
"Gewuyuan was built by the state specifically for good craftsmen, with the intention of gathering the ingenuity of the world and making weapons that benefit the country and the people. Not only the thunderbolt chariots in the army, but also the crossbows and armors in the army were all developed by Gewuyuan. "Xu Huang touched the sword on his waist that was made by Shang Fangjian's good workers using the latest steel-filling method. This technology has not yet been completely perfected, so only a few generals in the army have it. It is regarded as the successor to Mingguang Armor. , proof that he was accepted as a confidant by the emperor: "The country will never forget the Gewuyuan after this battle. The credit of Liu Changshi should be accounted separately."
Liu Ye smiled and thanked him hurriedly.
Seeing this, Zhou Yu changed the topic with a smile and introduced the generals: "I heard that the Thunderbolt Car in front of me is not the latest thing from the Gewuyuan. After Ma Jun developed this thing, he also said that there are still many improvements. In the future, if we use a machine drum to turn it, we can make the flying rocks fly from head to tail in succession, and they can fly hundreds of steps away. Not to mention placing it on the top of the city and in the boat to defend against the enemy. In the future, its weight can be reduced so that it can be moved with the army. .”
While Zhang Xiu and others marveled at the existence of such a sharp weapon in the army, their original doubts about Xu Huang's military order to break the city in five days disappeared. They all stepped forward to ask for a fight. If they had just dared to ask for a fight, they were not sure. At this time Seeing the Pili Che, it seemed like I had received a reassurance, and I felt that military success was within easy reach.
Xu Huang noticed the subtle changes in the tone of these people. His expression remained steady. He silently walked to a Perak car, kicked the motionless frame, and suddenly turned around: "As the saying goes, 'the right time is not as good as the right place.
The geographical advantage is not as good as the people. If you dare to ask for orders to seize the city with the help of foreign objects, I will look down on you." He shared his experience as a general without hesitation: "To dominate the world, do not use the advantage of military revolution.
, How can it be indestructible when the hearts of the people are united? Did our Emperor Gao defeat Xianyang just by relying on the advantage of military revolution? It is good to have a thunder chariot today, but if not, you will not be able to capture Shouchun?"
"Thank you, Lord, for teaching me!" Li Tong took a step forward this time, knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists above his head, and said solemnly. How many people only passed down the military skills by word of mouth and kept it secret, but Xu Huang generously taught it to others.
Fishing, how can you not make people admire you?
"Thank you, Junhou, for your advice!" Xu Ding also followed suit, followed by Zhang Xiu. Although he had heard many more sophisticated military techniques from the emperor and Jia Xu, he still admired Xu Huang very much.
of.
Seeing that the generals' high spirits had reached their peak, Xu Huang finally nodded with satisfaction and ordered Liu Ye to push the Pili chariot forward first. In addition to supervising the construction of the Pili chariot, Liu Ye also ordered people to quarry a large amount of stones. According to Ma Jun and others,
After this test, it was concluded that the Thunderbolt Vehicle does not necessarily require large boulders. As long as the distance and angle are adjusted, even loose gravel can achieve the killing effect.
So at noon that day, a dozen Thunderbolt chariots lined up outside Shouchun City and set up a formation. The defenders at the top of the city did not know this thing, so they gathered at the top of the city to take a look.
Ji Ling was also attracted to him. He stood on the city gate tower, leaned over and looked into the distance. He felt that the cars looked familiar, more like rushing cars, but rushing cars are often only used to ram into the city gate, so why build them?
So many? Do they have to be arranged in a row?
"Let it go!" As a uncle waved a small flag in his hand, more than a dozen Thunderbolt cars fired in unison. Stones of different sizes were thrown out by thick wooden poles, flying across the sky in a parabola.
It fell like a meteor to the Shouchun city wall. For a time, there was a loud "bang bang" sound, and dust flew up on the city wall. Countless bricks, earth and rocks were smashed into pieces, and fell like rain. After the dust and mist cleared, almost all the bricks and stones on the city wall were
There were potholes everywhere, and many people were frightened by the sudden rocks. Even if they were not hit, they would run behind them as if they had seen a ghost.
The flying gravel scratched many people, which further aroused the panic of the city defenders: "What is this? Why is the artillery truck like this!"
When Ji Ling heard the faint voices of people, he suddenly remembered this ancient war weapon. Taking advantage of the missed attack from the opposite side, he quickly ordered: "The whole army is not allowed to retreat without permission. Anyone who dares to retreat from the city wall will be killed!"
The whole army holds shields and hides behind the parapet. If there are no boulders here, they won't be able to throw them for long!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Pili car that had been adjusted at a good angle started a new round of ejection. This time, countless small stones were thrown high into the sky. For a moment, it was like a swarm of locusts covering the sky, or like a violent rainstorm.
Falling from the sky.
'Bang bang bang'
At this time, the accuracy of the Thunderbolt Car was improved. Although the gravel was small, it was better because of its sufficient kinetic energy. A stone would often hit people, killing or injuring them. Some people were hit in the head, and some were hit in the eyes. At the top of the city
The whole city was filled with mourning. Even the gate building where Ji Ling was located was smashed by rubble. The tiles on the roof were smashed. Countless broken tiles and rubble fell one after another. Several soldiers rushed beside him and put their shields on Ji Ling's head.
, escorting him to escape down to the second floor.
"This doesn't seem to be in the military manual..." Ji Ling was escorted down the tower, still asking the same question. He had led troops in battles for many years, but he didn't have any ability to parry or crack down on such a sharp weapon.
Facing the enemy's fierce projectile attack, he could only sit on the top of the city in person and passively order the entire army to hide behind parapets or shields, hoping that the enemy's stones would be exhausted.
Seeing that the gravel was gradually losing its effect, Liu Ye changed his tactics again and ordered his men to place the excavated boulders on the Thunderbolt Car, and launched a new round of attacks. This time, after several rounds of shooting in the past, the Thunderbolt Cart's accuracy was greatly improved.
In order to improve the situation, the arrow towers and gate towers at the top of Shouchun City were blown down by the flying stones, and even the solid parapet was smashed into a gap.
Ji Ling looked at the three-story city gate tower that collapsed, and was shocked. How could he fight this battle with such a sharp weapon?
Fortunately, the stock of stones prepared by Liu Ye was limited. After blasting through the city fortifications and making the defenders dare not raise their heads, he ordered the thunderbolt chariot to stop. Upon seeing this, Zhang Xiu, Xu Ding and others immediately led their troops and rushed forward.
, they pushed ladders and other objects, quickly crossed the distance between the two sides amidst shouts reaching into the sky, and climbed onto the city wall before the other side could react.
Ji Ling was feeling very aggrieved. When he saw that the opponent stopped throwing stones, he angrily threw down the shield above his head and shouted angrily: "Stand up and fight the enemy!"
Without the archery tower and other objects, Shouchun City's walls alone could not stop Zhang Xiu and others from attacking the city, and soon fierce hand-to-hand combat began on the city walls.
During this attack on the city, Ji Ling paid the price of an arm and drove Zhang Xiu and others away with all his life. Before he could attack the city the next day, Yuan Shu, who learned that the situation was urgent, ordered people to release Qiao Rui and meet Huang
Yi and others defended the enemy together.
In the next few days, all the arrow towers and other objects on all sides of Shouchun City were bombarded. Only bare corridors were left on the wide city wall. Even the iron pots used to boil water were smashed by rubble. Without the arrow towers and other things,
, the defenders could only rely on the most primitive methods to engage the enemy, and it was really miserable for the past two or three days.
On the third day, Ji Ling, who had lost his arm, walked to the North City for inspection. After listening to the report from his entourage that the opponent's Thunderbolt Chariot seemed to throw fewer stones today, he seemed to have discovered something and bent down to pick it up from the ground.
A stone. The stone was round and smooth, with a light blue color. This stone did not look like it was picked up anywhere, but more like the pebbles that can be seen everywhere in the river.
Ji Ling sighed inexplicably: "Did they throw the stones behind the wall last night?"
"Only." The attendant hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied: "They threw it in the middle of the night. At that time, not only the tents behind the wall, but also the nearby villages were disturbed by the stones. A mutiny almost... almost happened.
But fortunately," the entourage saw Ji Ling's expression was different, and quickly added: "General Qiao happened to be awake that night, so he sent troops to arrive in time, and this suppressed the chaos."
"You happen to be awake?" Ji Ling asked curiously: "What time is it?"
"It seems like... the first moment of Yinshi."
Hearing this, Ji Ling suddenly clenched the pebble in his hand: "It's so late, why is he still up?"