Chapter 356: The Siege
Chapter 356: The Siege
September 25, 2017
Well, the scene wasn't exactly a sight to behold.
Although the several-ton heavy object came crashing down, it would undoubtedly be deadly for an ordinary person, a guaranteed death or severe injury.
But who was Lu Bu? His Strength Value had reached an astonishing 95 points, making him a near-inhuman existence. A few tons of weight crashing towards him was not a significant challenge for someone of his caliber.
After all, this wasn't the original world; the people in this world were far more powerful than those in Lu HaiKong's previous one, to an unknown extent.
Lu Bu, startled by the arrival of the Mechanical Iron Tiger, was still capable of handling the situation. However, Lu HaiKong proved to be far more treacherous than he had anticipated.
As he sent the Mechanical Iron Tiger crashing down, he immediately ordered his troops to attack.
The scene became truly breathtaking. The Mechanical Iron Tiger's Strength Value was as high as 90 points, and its attack power far surpassed that of other commanders of the same level. The sheer force of this attack was terrifying, and with the momentum of the beast crashing down on Lu Bu, the strike was incredibly exhilarating.
In an instant, Lu Bu's Heaven-Splitting Halberd cleaved the head of the Mechanical Iron Tiger, but the beast managed to grab Lu Bu, who couldn't dodge in time, and flung him several meters away. The warhorse beneath Lu Bu was smashed to pieces.
Everyone present was stunned by this sight, especially the followers of Ding Yuan, who were amazed by the dramatic entrance of the Mechanical Iron Tiger and shocked to see the seemingly invincible Lu Bu apparently 'defeated'.
"Hmph, Lu Bu is nothing special!" Lu HaiKong boasted arrogantly, showing no shame for his underhanded sneak attack and instead exuding a sense of loneliness that came with being an undefeated warrior.
"I'm feeling generous today, so I'll let you live, you dog!"
Lu HaiKong had intended to take Lu Bu away, but the troops behind him had already rushed over, and seeing Lu Bu, who had been thrown away, wobble to his feet, he seemed to have only suffered damage to his armor without any apparent injuries. Although he had sustained some wounds, it didn't seem possible to take him down in a short time, so Lu HaiKong could only retreat strategically.
Lu Bu, who had just gotten to his feet, almost spat out a mouthful of old blood upon hearing Lu HaiKong's shameless words.
"You despicable scoundrel! If you have the guts, fight me fairly!"
Lu HaiKong ignored him and directly led his troops back, knowing that Ding Yuan's forces were approaching. It would be foolish to stay and fight Lu Bu at this point, especially since Lu HaiKong wasn't sure he could defeat this psychopath.
Although he had succeeded in the sneak attack with the Mechanical Iron Tiger, the beast's defense had dropped by thirty points after Lu Bu's strike, and it might be rendered useless after a few more hits.
Lu HaiKong's group retreated in an orderly manner, while Lu Bu, without his warhorse and weakened by the Mechanical Iron Tiger's attack, couldn't pursue them, despite not being severely injured. He could only watch as Lu HaiKong's group shamelessly retreated.
On the other side, Ding Yuan, watching Lu HaiKong's group retreat to their fort, felt a hint of regret in his eyes.
"I didn't expect this small fort to have such a formidable warrior and a top-tier Mojia Mechanized Beast. I underestimated them."
"But today, I will take this fort!"
As he spoke, Ding Yuan, leading his troops, arrived at the base of Lu HaiKong's fort. After sending someone to check on Lu Bu, Ding Yuan officially began his attack.
Ding Yuan's preparations were far more thorough than Zhang Yan's, and his original plan was to rely on Lu Bu's unmatched martial prowess to directly conquer Lu HaiKong or to boost morale by slaying several of Lu HaiKong's military leaders. However, this seemingly foolproof plan failed.
As a calm and experienced military commander, conquering this mountain stronghold was not a difficult task for Ding Yuan.
Ding Yuan's troops could be divided into three parts, one of which was the force he personally led into Bingzhou.
This contingent was not large, only about a thousand strong, but they were all elite soldiers who had fought alongside him through countless battles and emerged unscathed.
Another part of his force was the troops he had trained in Wuyuan over the past few months. While not as elite as his personal troops, they were still superior to the county soldiers. Among them was also a cavalry unit led by Lu Bu, which was incredibly powerful, though not yet fully formed. The final part was a county soldier unit temporarily assigned to him.
The quality of the county soldiers was not bad, but there was an issue—they were hastily assembled, making it challenging to form a cohesive unit in a short time. However, this was not a problem for Ding Yuan.
Within five days, he integrated the troops he had trained in Wuyuan County with the county soldiers, using them as temporary middle-level commanders. He then replaced the original middle-level commanders of the county soldiers and provided additional training. After a few days, the county soldiers were finally molded into a cohesive army by Ding Yuan.
This newly formed army displayed remarkable discipline and unity, far surpassing the previous county soldiers in both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Under Ding Yuan's command, the siege began with the catapults clearing the way, followed by a portion of the county soldiers scaling the walls with cloud ladders and siege towers, advancing towards Lu HaiKong's mountain stronghold.
On the wall, the defensive commander, Lu HaiKong, had entrusted the defense to Gao Shun. As Gao Shun observed the orderly advance of Ding Yuan's forces, a gleam of determination flashed in his eyes: "For a temporary force to achieve such coordination in just a few days is impressive, but relying solely on this to capture the stronghold is a tall order."
Gao Shun quietly estimated the distance between the enemy and the stronghold, waiting for them to enter the range of the catapults. With a single command from Gao Shun, five catapults launched simultaneously.
Although Lu HaiKong had twenty catapults, their size and the terrain limitations meant he could only position them on the wall, and only five of them could be effectively deployed.
Despite this, the simultaneous attack of the five catapults was still intimidating, with basketball-sized stones raining down from above. Although not many were directly hit, the sight of blood and flesh flying amidst the falling boulders still dealt a significant blow to Ding Yuan's morale.
After Lu HaiKong's wave of catapult attacks, he followed up with a couple of waves of crossbow fire.
These three waves of attacks directly took out over a thousand of Ding Yuan's men, leaving him helpless. Defending against the catapults and crossbows was nearly impossible.
However, after enduring these initial assaults, it was Ding Yuan's turn to strike back. After all, with his forces at the wall, the catapults and crossbows became less effective, as these large-scale weapons had their blind spots...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
