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Chapter 482: The Offensive Begins
Chapter 482: The Offensive Begins
September 25, 2017
Jiuzhou, Weizhou, Ye City.
As Lu Zhi feverishly made preparations, the anticipated offensive from Zhang Jiao's side finally arrived.
On the fourth day after Lu Hai Kong entered Jiuzhou, the battle commenced. Zhang Jiao served as the nominal commander, but his forces were divided into three legions, each attacking Ye City from a different direction.
This wasn't Zhang Jiao's first offensive in the past four months; there had been several attempts before, but none on this scale. Each previous attempt had been thwarted by Lu Zhi, ending in failure.
Although the previous offensives hadn't succeeded in capturing Lu Zhi, the large-scale siege battles had provided Zhang Jiao's forces with valuable experience.
As a result, this offensive was far more ferocious from the outset than any previous attacks.
Especially at the front of Ye City, where Zhang Jiao's main force was located, the battle began with immense pressure.
The frontal assault force was not only the most numerous but also the best-equipped legion.
It should be noted that Zhang Jiao's side had a significant numerical advantage, and having substantial control over Jiuzhou, they were no longer the undisciplined and impoverished army of historical records.
After occupying Jiuzhou, they had scavenged significant siege equipment from the region.
Zhang Jiao's main force, positioned directly in front of Ye City and under the command of Daosheng Zhang, began the battle by deploying over a dozen catapults and launching two rounds of bombardment.
The walls of a city like Ye were incredibly sturdy, and a dozen catapults couldn't breach them. However, the catapults did exert tremendous psychological pressure on the defending soldiers.
Fortunately, after the two rounds of catapult attacks, Daosheng Zhang commanded his troops to advance.
It wasn't that they didn't want to continue the bombardment, but overdoing it could be counterproductive. The physical and psychological pressure inflicted by the catapults would diminish, and it was better to attack while the enemy was still adjusting and their morale was low.
Daosheng Zhang was a genius, not only talented in Daoist arts but also in military command.
His current command abilities, while not comparable to famous historical generals, were still commendable.
Of course, even with his commendable command, he couldn't meticulously control the siege of a ten-thousand-strong army.
However, most of the troops under his command were legions led by Mystic Lords.
With the help of these Mystic Lords, Daosheng Zhang was able to organize a formidable assault at the front of Ye City.
A coordinated attack by tens of thousands of troops unleashed tremendous combat power. A typical county city would not withstand such an assault for long.
Fortunately, Ye City was no ordinary county city.
Not only were its walls sturdy, but more importantly, Lu Zhi was present, along with his ten thousand elite troops.
In a city defense battle, the defenders inherently have an advantage over the attackers. Lu Zhi's forces were no less skilled in military command and soldier training than the Yellow Turban Army; in fact, they were even superior.
Thus, despite Daosheng Zhang's fierce offensive, Lu Zhi effortlessly repelled the frontal assault.
After all, Lu Zhi was one of the few renowned generals of the Han Dynasty, and his talents were indeed exceptional.
It was just bad luck that he encountered a much stronger Yellow Turban Army than the one in historical records; otherwise, it would have been Lu Zhi suppressing the Yellow Turbans, not the other way around.
The battle at the front of Ye City raged on with intense fervor, and the fighting along the side walls was equally fierce.
On the other side of Ye City, the Yellow Turban leader Zhang Liang commanded nearly a hundred thousand troops in the siege.
In the historical novel, the Zhang brothers, aside from Zhang Jiao, seemed rather unremarkable. But Zhang Liang was not to be underestimated.
In this world, Zhang Liang was truly a top-tier character. Perhaps due to game balance, his combat strength exceeded 90 points, and his leadership reached 87, making him an incredibly formidable figure.
The first Yellow Turban who learned of this was astounded, expressing that the historical novel they knew seemed like a fake.
Under Zhang Liang's command, despite having fewer troops than the front, their assault was more ferocious, putting immense pressure on the city walls, far surpassing the intensity of the frontal attack.
However, the defense of this side of the wall was not led by Lu Zhi, but by Ding Yuan, who was in charge of Ye City's defense on this side.
Facing Zhang Liang's relentless offense, Ding Yuan calmly held off the attack.
Here, both Ding Yuan and Zhang Liang, who were not particularly remarkable in the historical novel, showcased their true brilliance as warriors.
In the 1691 version of the novel, one can see the truth.
Indeed, this era of turmoil was a time of heroes, but also a time when heroes could easily be buried. Many who were unremarkable in the novel and history might not have lacked ability but simply had bad luck.
Perhaps in this world, many talents buried by history could shine.
If the frontal battle between Lu Zhi and Zhang Daosheng was a complete suppression, with the attackers unable to even reach the walls.
On the side, Ding Yuan and Zhang Liang were like a clash of blades, using the city walls as their strategic battleground, employing a dazzling array of tactics.
It was a spectacle, but during this chaotic and bloody war, few could appreciate it calmly.
In this city defense battle, the newly arrived Liu Bei did not get to participate.
Ye City's defense was already well-organized, and although Lu Zhi appreciated Liu Bei's arrival, he did not assign him a role.
After all, Ye City did not need Liu Bei's meager force at this time. If they had to rely on the two thousand troops Liu Bei had brought, the city's fall would not be far off.
Currently, Liu Bei and his two thousand volunteers were only handling logistics under Lu Zhi's arrangement.
At the start of the war, Liu Bei gathered with a scholar by his side.
"Mingjing, how are my second and third brothers doing?" Liu Bei asked the scholar before him with a hint of concern.
The scholar was not a famous historical figure but a genuine Mystic from the Outsider world.
Hearing Liu Bei's question, Dantai Mingjing smiled confidently.
"Please rest assured, my lord. With Mingjing's items, even if the two generals are in a dire situation, they can still retreat safely."
(End of Chapter)
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