Sizhou, Luoyang City.
Zhu Ji, the governor of Sizhou of the Xiongnu Han Kingdom, stood at the top of the city, looking at the mighty Jin army coming outside.
At this time, the Jingzhou Jin army led by Wang Dun had already reached the outside of Luoyang City.
"It turns out that I just heard that the Jin captives have no generals, but this Wang Dun is actually a good general!"
After seeing the majestic formation of the Jin army outside the city, Zhu Ji couldn't help but panic.
The army led by Wang Dun occupied Yanshi City a few days ago, completely cutting off the communication between Chenggao and Luoyang.
Coupled with the news from Heyin this morning, Hanoi's enemy troops on the north bank of the river have also gathered on a large scale on the north bank. It is estimated that it will not be long before they begin to attack Heyin.
"General, the Jin captives have won successive battles and are now unstoppable. The troops in Luoyang City are now made up of new soldiers and old and weak soldiers. I am afraid that it will be difficult to defend for a long time. It is better to abandon the city and leave. We can still preserve our troops until your Majesty's army arrives. Retake Luoyang!"
After seeing the strength of the Jin army, some Huns generals nearby suggested abandoning Luoyang in order to preserve their troops.
"Yes, General, Luoyang is almost an empty city now, with only thousands of Jinnu Dingkou. There is nothing wrong with leaving Wang Dun an empty city!"
"That's right, General. Didn't His Majesty send someone the day before yesterday to tell you that if you can abide by the rules, if you can't, you will be a strong man who has his wrists cut off!"
After hearing what these generals said, Zhu Ji was a little unhappy.
"If we don't defend Luoyang, then where else can we go?"
"Besides, we have the strong city of Luoyang to rely on to defend Luoyang. If we give up Luoyang and go north, what if we are overtaken by the Jin captives? Wouldn't it be a complete defeat!"
Zhu Ji knew that although the Xiongnu soldiers and horses under his command were large in number, they were not elites. They were even ordinary herdsmen and serfs gathered in a hasty army.
If these soldiers rely on fortified city defense, they are still useful, but if they encounter these Jin troops in the wild, I am afraid they are not the enemy of Yihe at all.
"Hey, how come the Jin captives and the Qingzhou thieves got together? Otherwise, with the three parties standing together, how would Wang Dun dare to be so rampant!"
Zhu Ji saw that the Jin army outside the city had begun to dismantle and transport timber, and knew that these were in preparation for the attack.
"If there is an elite army here, these Jin captives will definitely not dare to be so arrogant!"
Thinking of this, he looked back at the generals beside him and found that none of them had the courage to attack.
Zhu Ji shook his head. These Xiongnu generals had just encountered the Jin army outside the city, and they were no match for Wang Dun.
"Which general can come out of the city and strike for me so that these thieves don't dare to be so rampant!"
Zhu Ji still refused to give up. He pointed at the Jin army outside the city and said to the generals around him.
These Xiongnu generals all looked at each other, but no one dared to answer.
In just one month, they have understood that these Jingzhou Jin troops outside the city are definitely not easy people. Who dares to go out and die.
When Zhu Ji saw this, he was dissatisfied, but he did not have the confidence to kill these Xiongnu generals, so he had to give up.
When a general saw this, he knew that Zhu Ji was worried. Although he did not dare to fight, he immediately spoke to comfort him.
"General, I feel that even if these Jin captives want to attack the city, no matter what equipment they prepare, there is no way they can conquer Luoyang within a month!"
"After all, Luoyang is not an ordinary city. It is definitely not comparable to small cities like Yanshi and Yangzhai. Even if Jinlu uses his full strength, it is absolutely impossible to break the city in a month!"
Although the city walls of Luoyang are somewhat dilapidated, they are definitely tall. As long as they are dealt with properly, before the defenders use all their energy, even if the Jin army sacrifices their lives, they will never get any benefit.
When Zhu Ji heard this, he felt a little moved in his heart. Although Luoyang was besieged now, there were reinforcements from outside and troops and horses from his own confidants stationed inside, which could definitely support the Hun Emperor Liu Cong to come for reinforcements.
"Even if Wang Dun has some talent, I don't believe he can fly over the Luoyang City Wall!"
At the same time, in the Jin army camp outside Luoyang City.
The newly appointed Jin Hussar General Wang Dun was staring intently at a small wooden utensil in the military tent.
"General, this is the stone cannon commonly used in the Qingzhou Army!"
An aide was pointing at this instrument and said to Wang Dun.
I saw that this instrument has a strong bracket in the middle, a long throwing rod in the middle, and a square breeding box at the short end. It is the 'weighted trebuchet' commonly used by Liu Yu among the Han troops in Qingzhou.
"Can this stone cannon really be thrown a hundred steps?"
Wang Dun asked after looking at it carefully.
"A stone of a hundred kilograms can be thrown a hundred steps. If it is lighter, it will still be farther!"
Then, the staffer played with it some more, and with a "bang" sound, the trebuchet sample threw a pebble far away.
"If this thing really existed, how could there be a fortified city in the world!"
Wang Dun had long heard that among the Qingzhou Han army, there were not only treasure weapons that could fire thunder and lightning, but also stone cannons that could hurl boulders up to a hundred paces away.
Regarding the former, Wang Dun felt that it was just rumors spread by some vulgar people. Wherever there were any items that could produce the power of thunder and lightning, they were at most pyrotechnics such as flames and saltpeter.
But Wang Dun had heard many people talk about the stone cannon that could be thrown hundreds of steps, and he couldn't help but not believe it.
After deciding to attack Luoyang, Wang Dun immediately sent people to search for people who knew about the matter.
Finally, a scholar who had moved south from Hebei was found in Huainan County, and he was immediately sent to Wang Dun's army.
The small instrument in front of me was made by this scholar and craftsman after careful consideration.
"With such magical weapons, Luoyang is just a wall of earth!"
"As long as the city wall is breached, the general will definitely lead his elite troops to capture the city first!"
Du Zeng, who had just been promoted to General Jianwei, said immediately.
Wang Dun immediately mobilized a large number of sergeants to build these new stone cannons.
"Hulu has been defeated several times and is already frightened. As long as he can use this thing to break through the city wall, he will definitely be able to defeat him in one go!"
In order to build these stone cannons as soon as possible, Wang Dun strictly ordered the supervision of each division of labor. Any slack and delay would be punished according to military law.
Under a series of strict orders, the besieged Jin army camp began to build siege stone cannons day and night.
After nightfall, dozens of huge bonfires were set up in the Jin army's camp.
Under the light of the fire, the Huns defenders in Luoyang could clearly see the changes in the Jin army's camp.
For several days, these Huns and Hulu watched dozens of huge wooden utensils being built bit by bit.
Although the complete picture has not yet been seen, the tall and sturdy frames and long throwing poles make these strange siege equipment look unusual.
The Huns and Hulu, who originally thought there was a fortified city barrier, began to feel more and more uneasy.
When these weird siege equipment were deployed on the battlefield outside Luoyang City, the uneasiness in the hearts of these Huns became even more intense.
In the cold early winter wind of hunting, Wang Dun personally led his generals and staff to the battle.
The purpose of doing this was to see the power of the stone cannons spread by these Qingzhou rebels.
"let's start!"
Wang Dun ordered to the attendant next to him.
The entourage immediately took the order and went down. After a while, the trumpeting drum began to sound.
As the sergeants operating the stone cannons were busy for a while, the first trebuchet launched the attack.
"Bang!"
With a loud sound of the rope being cut, a heavy stone bullet was thrown into the air.
The stone bullets flying high even stirred up bursts of wind.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, the heavy stone bullet flew across the open space and flew directly into Luoyang City.
"ah!"
"Oh, what a pity!"
"so far!?"
Wang Dun immediately remembered the exclamations that surrounded him, and even Wang Dun couldn't help but exclaim.
The staff member responsible for supervising the construction of the trebuchet also felt proud, and he said to Wang Dun.
"General, the stone bullets just cast are only dozens of kilograms. It will definitely not be a problem if a heavier stone bullet is thrown."
At this time, Wang Dun had seen from a distance that the Hulu garrison in Luoyang was already crowded with people.
Obviously, the Hulu who were guarding the city were also frightened by such a distant projectile.
Wang Dun was very satisfied with the result, and he immediately ordered happily.
"If that's the case, then quickly change to a bigger projectile!"
"This general wants to see if these tools used by the Qingzhou thieves can really break through the city wall!"
The staff member immediately took the order and left.
With another period of busyness, the Jin army's trebuchets began to be replaced by larger and heavier stone projectiles.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound came from afar, immediately causing bursts of cheers among the Jin army.
Wang Dun also stroked his beard and smiled with great satisfaction.
At this point, a full day had passed since the first stone bomb was thrown.
Today's Jin army is already practicing stone cannons with ease.
And many of them are clever and have begun to control the accuracy of the projectile. By adding or removing gravel in the counterweight box, they can completely change the attack distance as they wish.
"Once this thing comes out, there will really be no strong city in the world!"
After Wang Dun was happy, he felt worried in his heart.
Because these novel siege equipment were circulated among the Han army in Qingzhou, if the scholar who moved south to Huainan County was not keen on this, Wang Dun would still not believe that such things existed.
"General, are you worried about the Qingzhou bandits again?"
Qian Feng, the confidant next to him, immediately noticed what Wang Dun was thinking.
"Yes, the Qingzhou thieves not only have more than 100,000 soldiers, but also have such magical weapons. I'm afraid their threat is even greater than that of the Hulu."
Wang Dun nodded and continued.
"It seems like Luoyang is absolutely in trouble!"
Qian Feng was a little confused, "What does the general mean by this?"
"Humph, although Luoyang is just an empty city, it is among the best in the world. If Luoyang is given to Liu Yu, the barbarians will definitely come to take it. In this case, let them compete with each other. No matter who wins or loses, they will all be defeated. Destroy its momentum."
Qian Feng nodded when he heard this.
"Back then, the Shangdang of South Korea surrendered to the Zhao Kingdom, which caused a fight between Qin and Zhao. The Battle of Changping led to the Battle of Changping, which ensured peace for South Korea for several years. Now if the general uses Luoyang as bait, he can indeed make the two thieves fight!"
"It's just that, according to the previous agreement, the Qingzhou bandits occupy the east of Chenggao Pass and will not come unless the Hulu reinforcements arrive. How does the general plan to get Liu Yu to take the bait?"
When Wang Dun heard this, he smiled very relaxedly.
“It’s just a trivial matter, just go with the flow!”
Suddenly, thunderous cheers rang out again from the surrounding Jin troops.
The momentum was far greater than any previous one.
Wang Dun and Qian Feng immediately stopped talking and looked forward together.
I saw a huge gap in the tall Luoyang city wall, and nearly half of the rammed earth wall had collapsed.
The piles of rammed earth turned the gap into a steep slope, which would pose a huge threat to an elite force.
"Magic weapon!"
"Magical weapon!"
Wang Dun couldn't help but admire.
Qian Feng next to him also watched the breach in the city wall from a distance, but began to think about how to deal with it.
"Although the city wall of Luoyang is tall, it seems too thin. If it were thicker, it would never collapse so fast!"
Wang Dun also nodded when he heard this.
"It makes sense, but before this thing appeared, it was difficult to have tools to destroy the city wall!"
"So when we deal with Qingzhou thieves in the future, we must first be careful of this kind of stone cannon!"
=·=·=·=·=·=·
Sizhou, Chenggao.
At this time, Liu Yu didn't know that Wang Dun's army hundreds of miles away had copied the counterweight trebuchet.
However, even if Liu Yu knew about this, he would not care much about it.
After all, although this kind of counterweighted trebuchet can be called the pinnacle of cold weapon siege equipment, the trick for those who are familiar with it is to spend more time on trial and error.
Moreover, Liu Yu now encountered something more important.
"Your Majesty, what should we do with the more than a thousand Hulu captured?"
Zhao Kun, the guard general, asked Liu Yu.
After breaking through the Chenggao Pass, most of the Huns fled, leaving only some Hulu soldiers who lost their horses and were captured.
"Let's go and screen them. Those who can master all the skills will keep their lives and be made serfs! If they only know how to kill people and set fires, then they will be beheaded."
There were only a thousand prisoners, and for Liu Yu at this time, they were not worth taking up any more time.
The guard general Zhao Kun immediately took orders to arrange the arrangements.
At this time, Liu Yu turned to a general next to him and said.
"Is what you just said true?"
The general immediately replied with a serious expression.
"Your Majesty, what the general just said is true!"
"Tuoba Pugen has secretly colluded with the barbarian Liu Cong, and plans to have Tuoba Suolu attack Daijun and Yanmen after Liu Cong sends troops to Guanzhong."
"The barbarian Liu Cong also promised Tuoba Pugen to use the entire Bingzhou as Tuoba Xianbei's horse herding land!"
Anti-collection automatic loading failed, click manual loading, reading mode is not supported, please install the latest version of the browser!
