Chapter 338: The Siege Engines Advance
Chapter 338: The Siege Engines Advance
2017-09-25
The imperial court's grand actions were no secret to Lu Haikong, even without Zhang He's report.
The court's intentions were clear, as they gathered troops from various counties and prefectures over eight days, but interestingly, they seemed to have overlooked the need for provisions.
It was evident that they believed the official forces could easily subdue Lu Haikong's mountain stronghold with the mobilization of three counties and five myriads of troops, including the renowned Zhang Family Army of Bingzhou. They deemed it unnecessary to prepare extensive provisions for a swift operation.
Meanwhile, Lu Haikong, inadvertently caught in the vortex, was bewildered by the Zhang Family's seemingly excessive response.
The formidable display was clearly aimed at his demise, and there was undoubtedly something amiss. However, Lu Haikong couldn't immediately pinpoint the issue.
With the situation at hand, Lu Haikong had no time to ponder further. Regardless of the reasons, his immediate concern was to survive this suppression campaign.
In early July 182, about 25 days after the Dingxiang incident, the massive army stationed in Qiangyin, numbering between fifty and sixty myriads, marched towards Lu Haikong's stronghold under the command of a Zhang Family general.
On that day, the Dingxiang Aristocratic Family and Qiangyin, along with other aristocratic families with business dealings with Lu Haikong, mournfully acknowledged the impending loss of their financial patron. Everyone knew that after this day, the God of Wealth on the Bingzhou border would cease to exist.
The stab in the back by Ding Yuan was a severe blow to the Zhang Family. Even if they succeeded in capturing Lu Haikong and destroying the wealth of numerous aristocratic families, they would undoubtedly face widespread hostility from their peers.
The Zhang Family, already the most prominent aristocratic family in Bingzhou, was envied by many. Now, with this additional incident, their situation would become akin to being surrounded by enemies on all sides. Ding Yuan could exploit this, using He Jin's influence to gather supporters. Within a few years, or even less, they could easily undermine the Zhang Family.
The situation would be even worse for the Zhang Family if they failed to capture Lu Haikong.
Zhang Yi was well aware of this predicament, but he was helpless. Forced into a corner, he could only do his utmost to capture Lu Haikong. Although there would be losses in doing so, failure might cost him his life. What other choice did he have in this situation?
The imperial army swiftly arrived outside Lu Haikong's fortifications, where Gao Shun's Vanguard Legion had already taken position.
"Is this the mountain stronghold? In half a day, I, the general, will conquer it!"
A general clad in black armor among the imperial troops exuded confidence as he declared, then waved his hand. His messenger soldiers promptly relayed the attack order, and the imperial army surged forward.
A grand battle commenced without any exchange of words. Lu Haikong had no opportunity to negotiate, and the opposing forces showed no inclination to parley. Upon their arrival, they immediately charged, and fifty myriads of county and prefecture troops rushed towards Lu Haikong's stronghold.
What did fifty myriads of troops signify? From atop the fortifications, Lu Haikong surveyed the scene, and all he saw was a sea of black—an endless mass of humanity.
Despite the county and prefecture troops' average strength, barely reaching a 10-point strength value, the sheer number of troops amassed was somewhat awe-inspiring.
"Catapults, fire!"
On the fortifications, Lu Hai Kong silently calculated the distance of the county troops. When they entered the range of the catapults, Lu Hai Kong gave the order without hesitation.
Five sharp sounds of projectiles breaking through the air followed, as five catapults, hastily constructed by the Blacksmith and Carpenter Camps, launched their attack.
Catapults were typically used as siege weapons, but in this situation, with fifty thousand troops densely packed together, they proved to be equally effective for offensive purposes.
The stones launched by Lu Hai Kong's catapults were not massive boulders but rather basketball-sized stones bundled together, with each volley containing dozens of them.
Launching these stones was not an easy task, and mistakes were common, often resulting in friendly fire.
The Blacksmith and Carpenter Camps had made countless modifications to address this issue, and although it was initially troublesome, the results were impressive once the catapults were put to use.
Five catapults fired simultaneously, and in an instant, the enemy camp, which had resembled a surging tide, erupted with splashes of blood like scattered waves.
It was impossible to calculate the exact number of casualties, but initial estimates suggested at least several hundred enemy soldiers were taken out in a single volley. This was an impressive feat.
"What's going on? What is this? Who can tell me why a mountain stronghold has such a devastating weapon?" Witnessing this, a general who had boasted about capturing Lu Hai Kong's stronghold within half a day now had a dark expression. Without even engaging the enemy, his own troops were suffering heavy losses, and the appearance of the catapults gave him an ominous premonition.
On the other side, at the mountain stronghold, each use of the catapult required at least twenty minutes of preparation time before it could be used again.
However, Lu Hai Kong's stronghold had fifteen Gongsun Crossbows, which had been constructed with great effort in recent days, in addition to the original five. Now, twenty Gongsun Crossbows stood atop the fortifications.
In the 619th chapter, a look at the correct version!
As the catapults entered their cooldown period, the Gongsun Crossbows took over the offensive.
Twenty Gongsun Crossbows fired simultaneously, covering a distance of several hundred meters and raining down upon the enemy camp.
In the densely packed enemy ranks, each volley of crossbow bolts took out at least five or six soldiers, and sometimes even a dozen or more.
Although less powerful, the Gongsun Crossbows had the advantage of a shorter cooldown time, allowing them to fire again in about five minutes.
From the moment the imperial troops set out, even before they reached the fortifications, they had already endured a round of catapult attacks and two volleys of Gongsun Crossbows, resulting in the loss of over a thousand men.
While the casualties were insignificant to the imperial army, the blow to their morale was devastating.
However, as the imperial troops reached the fortifications, a general clad in black armor on the other side of the wall, revealing a cold smile.
"The real war is just beginning!"
(End of Chapter)
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