The catapult was running non-stop, and countless stones, big, small, round, square, and irregular, were all thrown at Ye City.
The catapults of the Jin army were very distinctive. They were not just large lever catapults, specialized in throwing huge rocks into the city.
At the same time, the Jin army also assembled many small catapults. They were called carts, but in fact they were just leather bags that could be used to catapult stones. The principle of catapults was also the same. They all used the lever principle to send stones to high altitudes.
Compared with their giant brothers, this kind of catapult has a smaller range and is not high enough. This is due to the size of the catapult.
However, this kind of catapult is easy to use and can be easily operated by only two people, and there are many of them.
Even though the stones thrown are only small stones, which may not seem that powerful, in fact, such small stones are enough to deliver a fatal attack.
Just think about hail. No matter how big the hail is, it is much smaller than the stones on the catapult. But even if you are just hit by the hail, it is very likely to hurt people's lives.
Wang Mi often saw such news on TV news in his previous life.
Therefore, when many generals objected to him favoring the smaller one among the two catapults of different sizes, he still resolutely did so.
Moreover, these improved small catapults were personally sent to the Yecheng battlefield.
At this moment, even General Liu Yu had to admit that Wang Shilang's method was indeed the best!
These small catapults are really easy to use!
Countless small stones jumped up in the air like a flock of birds, covering the sky in Yecheng. This caused great harm to the Qin soldiers who were hiding behind the city wall and eager to go into battle to kill the enemy.
Many soldiers died here before they could rush out of the city gate. Although many others were not dead, they were at least injured.
Qin soldiers who were beaten with stones and bleeding all over their bodies were often at a disadvantage during the fight even if they charged out.
Countless small stones seemed to have stretched a net in the sky of Yecheng, brutally attacking the forces in the city.
Of course, this kind of attack was indiscriminate. Due to the fierce fighting, many people in Yecheng were injured by stones.
This further weakened Di Qin's strength.
Could the people still wandering around the streets and alleys in the city still be ordinary villagers at this time?
It is correct to say that they are villagers, but their identity has changed now. It should be said that they are Qin soldiers!
Most of these poor people were temporarily captured by Zhang Hao to replenish his army. They were originally just the most ordinary people in the city.
These people had no interest in fighting, had no experience, and their martial arts skills were almost zero. Now, they were brutally attacked before they even went into battle. It was really pitiful.
As a result, the truth and falsehood of the news from Wang Mi's side can be discerned.
Although it is said that there are still 10,000 troops, there are actually not that many soldiers and horses in the city at all.
Among the so-called ten thousand people, about half were strong men captured temporarily. Not only were these people not to be feared, Di Qin even had to be on guard against them and not turn against them in the face of battle.
It was agreed that the top and bottom would coordinate the operation. Of course, not only was there a protective net of stone formations in the sky, but the Jin army below the city was also busy and did not stop for a moment.
As for the focus of their attack, it was not about killing Qin soldiers but how to capture the city faster.
Like Xiangyang, Yecheng's city wall is also a mud structure wrapped in bluestone bricks. This structure is still difficult to destroy directly with the current Jin army's artillery.
The hole that was blown through was just a coincidence and has no further reference.
Although Di Qin did not fight well in this battle, objectively speaking, their preparations were quite sufficient.
This is mainly because before the Jin people arrived, the Xianbei people had been trapped outside the city for many days. For such a long time, Ye City was in danger of being destroyed.
As a result, the defenders of Yecheng, including Zhang Hao and Fu Pi, all realized that this time they were about to face a tough battle.
During the confrontation, Fu Pi on the one hand sent Yang Baihua to Jingkou for help, and on the other hand strengthened the defense of Yecheng.
Reinforcing the city walls, forging weapons, and training soldiers, almost everything was not left behind, so now it seems that Yecheng's hardware is very complete.
It is not easy to break through directly from the front.
For example, generally speaking, the weakest part of a city wall is the city gate. No matter how strong the city gates of this era are claimed to be, in the final analysis they are all made of wood.
As long as it is a wooden city gate, it is always easy to conquer.
But now, there are also difficulties for the attacking Jin army.
The city gates of Yecheng were originally made of particularly strong and thick wood, not to mention that there were huge bolts placed behind the gates.
Ordinary large wooden piles cannot penetrate the city gate at all.
So, is there nothing the Jin army can do?
of course not!
That giant divine crossbow has the absolute power to attack a city.
In Xiangyang, the Jin army did this.
A divine crossbow passed through the door. What else could stop the Jin army from attacking?
Why don't you use such an artifact quickly?
yes!
I really want to use it, but the question is, is it useful?
No!
Really do not have!
Why not?
Have you forgotten?
This time the Jin army was conducting a long-distance attack, and the environment here in Yecheng was not comparable to that in Xiangyang.
It was too far away from Jingkou, the base camp of the Jin army. In order to get to Yecheng as soon as possible, Wang Mi could only streamline his team as much as possible.
Naturally, you can't take action when it comes to personnel. In this era, wars still rely on heads. Victory with fewer people has always been a minority in all kinds of battles.
Of course, those new weapons that Wang Mi carefully crafted cannot be taken with him, so he can only sacrifice some of the bulky traditional weapons and cannot accompany him.
Since he lacked heavy crossbows for siege, Liu Yu had no choice but to choose other methods.
And this method comes from underground.
In a place firmly occupied by the Jin army not far from the city wall, a group of Jin soldiers were digging tunnels into the city.
The soldiers were attacking the city and digging soil at the same time. Liu Yu had only one idea, which was to hollow out Yecheng from all aspects.
Let Yecheng lose the power to resist, in all aspects.
Therefore, under Liu Yu's various offensives, veteran Zhang Hao was already tired of coping and gradually felt that he was alone.
Now another tip came in, saying that enemy troops were about to appear at the South City Gate.
It was like a bolt from the blue, and the beating made the old general dizzy.
However, he had no other choice but to take it one step at a time.
At this time, Zhang Hao truly understood what it means to be outnumbered and trapped in the vast sea of people.
If Yecheng is now in the hands of the Jin army, then the people in the city will stand by their side as a matter of course.
Help with the defense, and even volunteer to form a death squad and go out of the city to fight to the death.
Unfortunately, the people who occupy this city now are Di people.
Most of the people in the city are Han people, and these Han people will never sincerely help the Di people.
Even if they offered sincerity, Zhang Hao couldn't believe it, because gullibility on the battlefield is the most deadly.
In the past, the Di people were always very powerful and invincible. When the original residents of a city surrendered to their feet, they would not have thought that they would also be at a disadvantage.
Therefore, in the chaotic and fierce battle situation, amid countless fighting and shouting, veteran Zhang Hao felt desolate and sad for the first time.
Perhaps it was his fate to be buried here.
After all, everyone else is dead.
He deserves to die here.
Yecheng is actually a nice place.
The attacks outside the city were still fierce. Ever since Wang Mi added firearms to Liu Yu and the others, Liu Yu was uncharacteristic and no longer used them so extravagantly.
It seems that the moment of embarrassment just now brought a great psychological shadow to him.
Liu Yu no longer dared to fight uneconomical wars.
The firearms brought all the way from Jingkou were not many, so we could only use them sparingly.
Although he had to save money, the effectiveness of the war could not be weakened at all, so Liu Yu improved the efficiency of using traditional cold weapons.
Especially useful weapons like catapults are used with great joy.
With the support of catapults, the Jin army's battle formation was getting closer and closer to the city wall of Yecheng.
As long as we can reach the base of Ye City Wall and meet up with the group digging the tunnel, we can move on to the next step.
That is the official capture of the city!
right!
do not doubt!
So far in this battle, no one, whether it is Wang Mi or Liu Yu, these generals who are good at conquering and fighting, has issued a formal order to attack the city.
In other words, so far, the Jin army has only attacked the city wall, but has not sent soldiers to climb the city.
Why is it arranged this way?
Wouldn't it be better to climb the tower earlier, kill the enemy troops, and occupy Yecheng?
The Jin army is not without this ability.
All of this is because the Jin army is fighting over long distances, and entering the city too early will consume the Jin army's troops in advance.
If we start to seize the city now, we must send soldiers to formally board the city. Once the soldiers' feet leave the ground, they will inevitably be in danger.
If the Qin soldiers want to attack the soldiers who are climbing the city, they only need to occupy the tower, and they can continue to attack the Jin army like hunters waiting for the enemy.
Such a siege operation consumes too much money.
In the absence of follow-up reinforcements, it is not suitable for immediate use.
Therefore, before the war started, Liu Yu and Wang Mi discussed when to start the siege. In the end, they unanimously decided to consume as much of the living forces in Ye City as possible first, and finally wait until the city was empty before attacking the city, so that they could maximize their power.
Use limited troops at the most critical moment.
Therefore, all the breaks in the city walls are not caused by the fierce attacks of the Jin soldiers, but by the artillery.
Although the current artillery is not powerful enough to completely collapse the mud wall, it can still be done with a certain blow.
If the same position happens to be hit by several artillery pieces at the same time, the possibility of damage is still very high.
However, under the current circumstances, simple damage to the city wall will not play a big role in the Jin army's siege operations.
Liu Yu's continuous attacks did cause great damage to the defenders in Ye City, but it did not cause them to completely collapse.
A force is needed. In the dark, everyone seems to be waiting for that moment, not knowing where it will jump out. As long as there is this force, the situation can develop subversively.
Everyone is looking forward to that moment, not just the Jin army, but also the Qin soldiers in the city.
The long and fierce battle is physically and mentally exhausting, even for the generals, let alone the soldiers who need to go into battle in person.
This life is still in my own hands now, but I can't tell whose hands it will be in the next moment.
Everyone wants to live.
There is nothing to be ashamed of if you want to live.
Especially when the war has reached this point, it is already dark, and many people hope that the situation will change in an instant and stop completely.
And where will this force that drives the situation change appear?
Is it Wang Mi, Wang Shilang, who is about to arrive at the South City Gate?
Or Liu Yu and Liu Jinnu who are fighting fiercely under the city?
still……
Some power that has never been noticed?
On the north gate tower, Zhang Hao persisted for too long and was really tired. He saw that the situation had reached a stalemate for the time being. Although Fu Zuan's combat effectiveness was average, he was able to withstand the Jin army's offensive, so he retreated to the city for a while.
rest.
Either the old general wanted to run away from the battle, or he no longer wanted to persist, but if he didn't take the opportunity to take a rest at this time, I'm afraid he wouldn't have time to rest.
It was almost getting dark.
On the battlefield and on the towers, torches and candles were lit everywhere.
Although it is forbidden to light lights in the city, there are still some lights in some places. There are various workshops and soldiers are working hard to prepare for war and make various weapons.
In the darkening night, no one noticed that there were still some people on this most strategically important city tower, and they were always there.
Swish, brush, brush!
Lake lake lake!
We are happy masons!
With Zhang Hao gone, we will be happier.
The little masons A Hua and A Liu were working hard on the lake wall, and their hearts were already filled with joy. They caught a glimpse of Zhang Hao and saw that he had already walked down the tower.
That tired figure showed that if there were no major changes, Zhang Hao would not be back for a while.
Isn't this the moment that everyone has been waiting for?
If you want an opportunity, won't the opportunity come?
Ah Liu was the first to react and immediately moved a few steps towards Ah Hua. Although the project was not over yet, because the sky was getting dark, the battle situation had entered a stalemate, and the old general was not on the tower. If you don't fish at this time, when
Fishing?
Therefore, even the slightest little movement could not attract the attention of the guarding soldiers at all.
They are busy avoiding danger in the tower now!
"Ahua, how are you?"
"I think we can take action!" Ah Liu's voice was very low, almost a whisper, and the noisy sounds on the battlefield also provided them with cover. So far, no one has heard their voices.
Moreover, the work they are doing has not stopped.
This makes it even more covert.
Ahua is a steady person. He looked at the situation above and below the city and still refused.
"It's not done yet. I think that if we want to take action, we have to at least wait until the Jin army starts to attack the city."
What Ah Hua said makes sense. Since the inside should cooperate with the outside, then the inside can only cooperate when the outside also wants to attack the city.
Since the Jin army hadn't moved yet, these unarmed craftsmen wanted to take action in advance. That was not to help, but to die.