On February 14th, Xinji County southeast of Xuchang and Yanling County on the east bank of the Jishui River surrendered. Wang Feixiao and Linghuyu completed their first gathering in Xinji County, gathering nearly 30,000 people, and then marched north together, approaching directly
Xuchang.
Qin Liang's troops took the boat and had already followed the Mishui River northward. They stopped at the nearest place to Xuchang, and then started transporting various wooden parts using horse-drawn carriages.
The largest ones were several long wooden pillars. The thickness of the two ends was very different. They had to be pulled by oxcarts. There were some soldiers holding on to both sides to keep the wooden pillars balanced. Ma Jun also arrived with people from the Duwei Mansion.
Supervise people assembling on site.
Of course, Qin Liang prepared large-scale siege equipment. Fortunately, there was water transportation and favorable winds. Otherwise, it would have been very slow to transport the wood. Without this equipment, Qin Liang would not have decided to attack Xuchang, and there was nothing wrong with his mind.
But no matter what, seize the time to force the Luoyang rebels to fight decisively. This early strategic thinking is not wrong!
If there are no siege weapons, the strategy proposed by Wang Feixiao in Lejia can be considered, but it needs to be changed to be more radical. Directly attack Luoyang from Xiangcheng and Jiaxian. Sima Division may not come to intercept, but may think first
Cut off the food road and retreat; King Qin's army should abandon the food road and attack Luoyang directly in depth, gambling on the position and morale of the Luoyang army.
Sometimes what seems like a crazy adventure is actually seizing the opportunity. Otherwise, if someone else is a strong man weighing 200 pounds, he insists on asking you, a thin man weighing 100 pounds, to stand on horseback and punch his fists squarely. Is this fair?
No one talks about fairness anymore, killing the other party by any means necessary is the right thing to do!
If Qin Liang could make Maxim, he would also arrange it for the Sima family. However, he could not make that kind of industrial weapon. However, with Ma Jun's improvement, he was able to make a catapult made of wood, and there were more than one kind.
The pressure of survival is so great. If you don't arrange things that you can do if you have the conditions, then you have to make trouble with yourself.
The Third Army of King Qin arrived at the north of Xuchang City. They ignored everything and started building fortifications. A large group of people built military camps more than a mile away from the moat, and many people went to the front to dig trenches and set up fences and antlers.
Most of the people in the village had fled, and the remaining old and weak were given some food and told to go to relatives and friends. The army directly requisitioned the houses. The wheat fields on the plain were trampled into a mess and were in a mess.
King Qin's army was not as good as Cao Cao's back then, trampling on farmland and beheading them, but they did not massacre the city when they arrived at a place like Cao Cao. They drove the people away and even gave them a bag of rations. Anyway, it was stolen food, and the transportation was difficult.
Mainly by waterway.
The weather was sunny, and the dust outside the ancient and magnificent Xuchang City soon became filled with dust, as if countless people were gathering to build a canal. When the wind blew, the green land in spring was also filled with flying sand and rocks and heavy smoke.
King Qin's army built simple fortifications, mainly to prevent the cavalry in the city from suddenly rushing out and quickly counterattacking, so trenches and antlers were the focus. Two days later, the fortifications and camps were completed, and the assembled trebuchets were also taken shape.
Others are debugging.
The structural principle of the trebuchet is actually very simple, it is just a big lever. However, the design must be exquisite and it requires some skills. Ma Jun actually put two big wheels on the back. He is indeed an expert in wooden wheel machinery.
The wheels are not used to move the trebuchet, but are equipped with slide ropes to pull levers. Just like a water raft, only two people can lift the huge gravity basket in front by stepping on the big wooden wheels on both sides.
.
Qin Liang stood behind the antlers and looked at the North City of Xuchang. There were many people standing on the city, and they were also looking at the people outside the city.
The two sides looked at each other, big eyes staring at each other, for two or three days, but they didn't fire an arrow because it was out of reach. There were also many defensive equipment on the city, and there seemed to be multiple crossbows, but they were not fired.
, it should be far away.
It was too far away, everyone on the tower was wearing a helmet, and there was dust and smoke here that affected his vision. Qin Liang wanted to look carefully for Master Sima, but he only found a suspicious person who looked similar, but he couldn't be completely sure.
There is no urn in Xuchang, but there are two protruding towers on both sides of the city tower to protect the city gate. The towers are also equipped with cowhide tents, which are very tough and can withstand ordinary stones and thrown arrows.
Qin Liang had never seen an Wengcheng during the Wei Dynasty. There was no such big city as Luoyang or Shouchun, and probably none in Wu and Shu. At this time, people had not yet figured out how to build an Wengcheng.
There are only towers on both sides, but they are unique. There are no such towers in the ancient cities of the Song and Ming Dynasties in later generations. The shape is antique and really beautiful.
At this time Wang Feixiao came over, dismounted and said: "General Qin, do we want to send someone up to challenge?"
Qin Liang shook his head and said: "No need, go and ask him to come out and fight. Instead, he thinks that we want to deceive him, so he will make up his mind to hide in the city."
Wang Feixiao showed an ugly smile: "That's good."
...Master Sima is indeed on the city tower. He comes to the city many times every day to look at the scene outside the city.
He and the other soldiers were all wondering about the five wooden frames in the distance, which had been built as high as a building. What exactly were they? They looked a bit like trebuchets, but they had never been seen before.
"What do the rebels want to do?" someone muttered.
Master Sima said casually: "They probably want to attack the city."
It's just that he has never seen such a strange siege deployment.
The rebels did not besiege the city at all, but only built a military stronghold in the north of the city. They could not besiege it because they did not have enough troops. The inner city of Xuchang was the former imperial city, and the outer city wall was more than nine miles long. It would be difficult for 30,000 to 40,000 people to siege such a large city.
It's so big that it can easily be counterattacked if the troops are dispersed.
The other party didn't come up to challenge me, and two whole days passed. They just dug trenches outside and played with the wood. The atmosphere was very strange.
This situation made Master Sima murmur in his heart, wondering what Qin Liang wanted to do. Moreover, the rebels came up from the Mishui River in the east, but instead of attacking the east city, they ran to the north of the city.
Master Sima even suspected that the purpose of the rebels' deployment in the north of the city was not to let him escape!
Because there are rivers in three directions of Xuchang, only the north can go to Songshan Mountain, and Luoyang is also in the northwest.
Master Sima looked at it for a long time, and had already paid attention to the antlers directly opposite the tower. The person standing behind the antlers was most likely Qin Liang. It was hard to see clearly due to the dust, but the figure seemed vaguely similar.
This Qin Liang has never been involved in human affairs. Now Master Sima feels that this man's behavior is getting more and more strange, and people often wonder what he is going to do. For example, when he attacked Xuchang this time, Master Sima couldn't believe it when he heard the news.
Now he is really here, right under the city tower.
Master Sima boldly guessed that Queen Mother Guo's escape to Yangzhou might have something to do with Qin Liang. Because from Zhuge Dan's description, Qin Liang might be the mastermind behind the Yangzhou uprising.
At this time, the general's voice said: "It looks like either a catapult or a ladder. I heard that Ma Jun went to Lujiang County to become an official. Was this thing made by Ma Jun?"
Another person said: "Ma Jun has been working for so many years. If he could build anything, he would have been promoted long ago."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was suddenly a "clanging" sound in the distance, and then a big stone flew into the sky. Everyone looked up and watched. After a while, the stone fell straight to the corner of the city wall, making a loud "thud" sound.
came.
Suddenly, the bricks on the corner of the wall were covered with mud, and the big rocks were smashed directly into the ground, creating a big hole. Everyone was in an uproar.
What is this thing that his wife has?
After a while, another wooden machine started to rotate in the distance. The back of the wooden pole quickly tilted up, and another stone flew over. This time the stone flew directly from the tower, and many soldiers squatted down subconsciously.
As if he was afraid of being hit on the head by a rock.
A moment later, a loud noise came from the city behind. The loud sound sounded like the house had been hit! How could a house withstand such a big stone? It would probably collapse immediately.
All the troops looked panicked. Master Sima immediately shouted: "It's just a bigger catapult!"
Seeing that Master Sima's expression remained unchanged, everyone finally calmed down a little.
In fact, Master Sima was also very panicked. He soon understood the danger: as long as these stones hit the city tower and the tower one after another, causing the roof to collapse and making it impossible for anyone to stand on the upper floor, would the city gate still be able to be defended?
?
The city gate is defended from top to bottom by city towers and towers, and there are various heavy equipment. However, if no one stops the enemy troops from approaching the city gate, the city gate will definitely not be able to hold it and will fall under the impact of the charging car!
Just as I was thinking of this, three more stones suddenly flew towards me. None of them hit the tower, but they were not far away. No matter where they hit, the sound was like thunder! Earth and rocks flew everywhere.
After a while, the second round of stones came, and this time one hit the city wall directly! There was a loud "boom", and a piece of the parapet on the city wall collapsed, the bricks and stones rolled, and some people screamed.
The multi-shot bed crossbow was lifted into the air and bounced wildly on the wall.
Master Sima's eyes widened and he felt his eyelids twitching.
It's over, it's over, can you defend the city now?
Master Sima had mixed feelings in his heart. He saw that the structure of the huge trebuchet was not simple, and he knew that it could not be built in a month and a half. It must have been built in Lujiang County. Ma Jun knew how to build a rotating trebuchet, and
Being an official in Lujiang County is mostly related to Ma Jun.
Qin Liang obviously didn't start the armament this year, and maybe he already had ulterior motives! Master Sima secretly cursed: Why did I lose my sight?
The trebuchet can obviously adjust the distance by observing the position where the stone bombs landed. Because the second stone bomb landed closer to the city tower, and one of them hit the city wall.
If you just let them smash it down, it won't be long before the rocks will fall on the tower.
Sure enough, a general advised: "General, it would be best if you leave here first."
Although Master Sima could still keep his composure, his life was obviously in danger at this time. Hearing someone's advice, he immediately walked down the steps and pretended to be calm: "I'll mobilize the troops."
After that, he strode down to the city. He still didn't show any panic in his steps, but he walked very fast, for fear that the next stone would fall from his head.
When the soldiers saw him leaving, many of them hunched their necks and looked back quietly, not daring to run for a while.
After walking down the tower, Master Sima turned his head and glanced at the closed door.
At this time, it is too late to block it with anything, and it cannot be blocked. The wooden city gate can be burned with fire. If the blocking objects can be moved over, the rebels can move away. The main defense of the city depends on the people on the city.