The next day, at dawn, Li Jinquan, donning armor, climbed to the top of Shouzhou City. Although the rebel soldiers guarding the city looked tired, they were gathering in twos and threes at various crenellations on the city wall, looking into the distance and whispering.
In the past, the Tang army would launch offensives in the morning. Seeing that the soldiers were clearly slacking off, Li Jinquan immediately stepped forward with a gloomy face to stop them.
When I took a closer look, I saw that the Tang Army's camp outside the city was already crowded with people shouting and shouting. A large number of soldiers and horses were constantly coming and going from Bagong Mountain to the camp, and they were busy transporting materials such as timber and boulders.
After all, he had seen all kinds of siege methods used by the Tang army. At first, Li Jinquan didn't care. He just ordered his soldiers to be on guard at all times, and then returned to the city to patrol.
Several hours passed, and soldiers kept coming to report, but the Tang army showed no sign of attacking the city. It was not until afternoon that Li Jinquan finally couldn't hold himself back and boarded the city again.
But this time, there were several behemoths standing impressively on the Tang Army's camp. These unknown towering instruments were lined up in a row, heading straight towards the head of Shouzhou City like giant monsters, which made Li Jinquan suddenly frightened. So they quickly sent out several groups of skilled soldiers to go out of the city and take a closer look to find out.
Not long after, a sentinel hurried back first, but the content of the report made Li Jinquan and all the generals stunned.
"Commander, the Tang Army recently cut down trees and took stones to make this thing. If you look carefully at the appearance, it must be a trebuchet! The young man desperately reached the bottom of Bagong Mountain and happened to see the Tang Army testing it. Unexpectedly, this kind of trebuchet can weigh hundreds of kilograms. He can throw heavy boulders and actually fly at least 300 steps away, directly creating a bottomless pit! It’s really scary! If this falls on the top of the city..."
The soldier who spoke seemed to have just escaped from some horrific experience. His face was livid and his forehead was sweating. He was obviously still panicking.
Hearing this, all the soldiers looked at each other, and it gradually became clear in their hearts that why the Tang army had not been seen attacking the city for so long today. It was not that the Tang army was resting and recuperating, but that it was creating terrifying weapons for the next round of siege.
If this sentry is true, and these huge rocks weighing hundreds of kilograms can fall out of thin air like meteors falling to the ground, then Shouzhou City may not be saved!
"Nonsense! Get out!" Seeing that the sentry's words had made all the soldiers present look frightened, Li Jinquan kicked him over hard, then gritted his teeth and fell into a struggle.
Everyone is made of flesh and blood, how can Li Jinquan not be afraid of such a disaster of being shattered into pieces? In his mind, he could even inexplicably foresee the tragic scene of Cheng Po's death. But starting a rebellion would mean a narrow escape from death. Now as the commander-in-chief, how could he allow such pessimism to spread in the army?
Li Jinquan tried his best to soothe his restless mood and shouted loudly: "Throwing a huge stone of a hundred kilograms out of the air is a divine power, how can it be done by a mortal? How can you believe such ridiculous words that deceive the hearts of the soldiers! It must be that the sentinel is in a hurry. I missed it for a moment. We have already seen the trebuchets of the Tang Dynasty recently. They look like bluffs, but they are actually just fake things! You don’t have to worry, Shouzhou City is so strong. Even if the Tang Army has all kinds of weapons, All means are in vain!"
Li Jinquan's words seemed to have an effect, and the soldiers' minds became somewhat calmer.
Indeed, they had already seen with their own eyes the trebuchets used by the Tang army to attack the city recently. Although these roaring stone bullets looked fierce, they were not painful or itchy when they hit the Shouzhou city wall. They only occasionally collapsed a few crenels, or killed some people. Just a few soldiers. As for what the sentry said is indeed unimaginable, could it be that in just two or three days, the Tang army really received help from a god?
Moreover, since they followed Li Jinquan in the rebellion, everyone has known how ruthless this coach is. The supervising team never shows mercy when killing people. Even if they are afraid, they must not speak randomly, otherwise are they seeking death in vain?
After giving instructions to everyone to defend the city safely, Li Jinquan immediately descended from the city and quickly returned to the camp to summon his only think tank, Ming Hanrong.
In the commander's tent, Li Jinquan couldn't wait to tell Ming Hanrong in detail. Seeing that he started to look worried, he frowned and asked, "Hanrong, what do you think?"
Ming Hanrong paused and replied in a low voice: "Commander, please forgive me for speaking frankly! I have never heard of the so-called trebuchet that can throw huge stones of hundreds of kilograms, and I can't believe it! But most of these sentinels in our army are He is a veteran who has followed the commander for many years. He has always been loyal, so how can he dare to deceive him? I'm afraid this is going to be bad..."
Hearing this, Li Jinquan did not get angry. Instead, he sighed deeply and lamented: "Alas! How can I not know the loyalty of my subordinates! Han Rong, if the Tang army had really built this kind of trebuchet, once the huge boulders of a hundred kilograms fell in turn, they would be Our city, Shouzhou, is in danger of being destroyed. Although the city wall has been heightened and thickened, it may not be able to be penetrated, but with such magical power coming out of nowhere, the crenellations will definitely collapse, and even the soldiers on top of the city will not be able to stand! What should we do? ?”
Seeing Li Jinquan shaking his head in frustration, Ming Hanrong thought for a moment, and then said in a deep voice: "Commander, this matter is far from getting out of hand! From what I see, the power of these trebuchets cannot be underestimated, but There is also a way to deal with it! Commander, if you think about it, once a stone weighing hundreds of kilograms is thrown, the soldiers of the Tang Army will not dare to climb the city wall, otherwise they will be accidentally injured!
It is better to fill up the fragile crenellations one by one and build a new fortification. As long as it can withstand the impact of the huge rocks, our soldiers will have time to go to the city to defend..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Jinquan immediately interrupted: "It won't help at all! Can you guarantee that these fortifications can withstand the force of the boulders? What's the use of your fortifications if even the city wall is broken through? That’s a beating in vain!”
Ming Hanrong was refuted, and suddenly choked up. He changed the topic and said: "The commander-in-chief is right! I am ignorant, and it is not advisable to interrupt in vain... Commander-in-chief, this trebuchet must have been recently made by the Tang Army. , the number must be small. Now they are not attacking the city, but are cutting wood and collecting stones day and night, and are stepping up their production! It doesn't matter if they only have three or five. If they just sit back and watch them make ten, fifty, or even a hundred , then it’s completely unstoppable!
I suggest that you simply send a group of elite troops out of the city to attack the camp and try your best to disrupt the Tang army's movements. Of course, it would be great if you can take advantage of the chaos to destroy these trebuchets and the timber..."
"What do you mean?" Li Jinquan suddenly raised his head, and then asked doubtfully: "Han Rong, didn't you always persuade me to hold on and not leave the city hastily? Besides, the Tang Army's camp is just outside the city, only a stone's throw away. No matter which city gate our army attacks from, how can the Tang army not know? I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed, and it will only increase casualties!"
Ming Hanrong calmly took two steps back and firmly said: "Commander, this moment is another moment! Now that we know the inside story of the Tang Army, how can we sit back and wait for death? At this time, a large number of soldiers and horses of the Tang Army are being used for logging. Even if we are prepared for transportation, as long as our army can attack quickly, the Tang army will be caught off guard!
As long as the Tang army can be prevented from making trebuchets, it will not only protect Shouzhou, but also stabilize the morale of the army. No matter how heavy the casualties are, it will be worth it! Commander, at this critical juncture, we must not hesitate..."
Li Jinquan frowned. After struggling for a moment, he finally nodded and ordered: "Summon the generals quickly for discussion!"
