Chu Feng's advice to Liu Bei was good. Zhang Xiu, who was also far away in Wancheng, also slowly fell into Chu Feng's trap. Jia Xu, who was by Zhang Xiu's side, also saw it. However, since the last time he surrendered to Cao Cao, he had become a loner. Surrendering to Cao Cao was his idea, which also led to Aunt Zhang Xiu being taken by Lao Cao to talk about life ideals. This was also related to Jia Xu. Therefore, in order to not be excessively hated by Zhang Xiu, Jia Xu would not say anything even if he saw it.
Just when Escapist Liu and Puerile Feng were in high spirits and were ready to go all out and look forward to a better future, good news came! Guan Yu had lost Shouchun! In just one day, the entire Shouchun City's defenses had been completely destroyed.
"Second brother, how is this possible!" Escapist Liu was stunned. His second brother, Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang, was not someone to be trifled with. Needless to say, there were only a few people in the world who could defeat Guan Yu. Not to mention, Guan Yu also had a sure-kill sword technique that could kill people who were stronger than Guan Yu! Although Guan Yu's martial arts were very strong, he was not much better than Zhang Fei. However, in Escapist Liu's mind, Guan Yu was a talented general. Guan Yu was able to stand alone. This could be seen from the fact that Escapist Liu had always let Guan Yu be the main general. Originally, Guan Yu was even the person in charge of Jingzhou. Although he was careless and lost Jingzhou, it was undeniable that Guan Yu's ability to command troops was very strong!
A general was not terrible, but a general with a culture! No matter how strong a person was, as Xiang Yu said, he was only able to fight against a thousand people. However, a person who truly knew how to command troops was able to fight against ten thousand people. Guan Yu, who had been studying the art of war, was able to fight against ten thousand people.
Guan Yu had ten thousand men and horses under his command. These ten thousand soldiers were all elite soldiers of Qing Province. In addition, Shouchun was a strategic place that was easy to defend and hard to attack. No matter how they fought, they couldn't just lose it in one day! One must know that the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, was able to withstand the attack of Sun Cejun's 100,000 troops. And now, the attacking party was the Lvbu's Army. How many troops could the Lü Bu send to attack Shouchun? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand?
"General Guan, where is he now?" Pang Tong frowned. Even if Pang Tong had 30,000 soldiers under his command, he would not be able to break through the city in a day. Pang Tong had already taken into account all of Liu Mang's men. More than 10,000 navy, 3,000 City Guard, and 3,000 Black Flag Army. Pang Tong had also considered the recruitment order from Hefei. At most, Pang Tong could give him another 10,000 soldiers, which was only 30,000 soldiers!
30,000 soldiers against a city guarded by 10,000 elite soldiers. Even if they lost the city, they should be able to hold on for at least ten days to half a month! Even a pig could defend the city. Shouchun did not have anything. Military provisions, ordnance, and even Pang Tong, in order to let Guan Yu delay the Lvbu's Army, was like a nail that was nailed into Shouchun. Pang Tong had also allocated almost all of the arrows in the army to Guan Yu to defend the city! But now, the city was lost!
"Second General is on the way back. The 10,000 troops did not bring much provisions, so their speed is very slow!" The messenger gasped for breath and explained to Pang Tong and Liu Mang.
"10,000 troops?" Guan Yu brought a total of 10,000 soldiers. Now, he still has 10,000 soldiers? What does this mean? It means that Guan Yu did not lose the city, but he gave up the city. Otherwise, how could he have 10,000 soldiers?
"Nonsense, nonsense! How can Second Brother become like this! " Liu Bei was a bit angry. If before he was worried about Guan Yu's safety because of Shouchun's capture, then now he is really angry. Pang Tong's strategy is to firmly stick to Shouchun and use Shouchun as a bridgehead to prepare to sweep Yangzhou. This is also to prevent Lu Bu's army from defending along Yingshang Huai River.
But now, Guan Yu had given up on Shouchun without even fighting. Pang Tong didn't say anything. He also didn't understand what Guan Yu was thinking. Although he was valued by Liu Bei and was also recognized as a military advisor, and even Liu Bei was very respectful to him and called him Mister. But Pang Tong knew that he was still an outsider compared to Guan Yu. So, he could not say anything bad about Guan Yu.
Fortunately, when the two people in the hall were lost in thought, a movement came from outside the hall. "Second General, wait, wait!" The guards hurriedly stepped forward to stop the newcomers, but they were pushed aside by the newcomers. The leader was a green-robed warrior with a red face. The black beard on his face extended all the way to his chest, and he held a large saber in his hand.
"Second Brother?" Liu Mang Tong and Young Feng who were sitting on the table quickly stood up. The person who came was none other than Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang.
"Big Brother!" Guan Yu saw Liu Mang Tong and immediately knelt down "Big Brother, Guan Yu failed big brother's trust and lost Shouchun. Big brother, please punish me "Guan Yu's face was full of shame and knelt in front of Liu Mang Tong.
"This general failed to live up to Milord's trust, please punish me!" Several generals who were standing behind Guan Yu saw Guan Yu kneel down. They did not have any reason to stand, so one by one they also knelt down and asked Liu Mang Tong to punish them.
"Second Brother, Second Brother! It's good that you're back, you're back! " Liu Mang Tong was worthy of being a man who was able to conquer the world at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His understanding of the psychology of using people was very thorough. Usually, when a Lord saw his men suffer a defeat, even if he did not say anything, he would still be very angry. However, Liu Mang Tong did not ask why Shouchun was lost at the beginning. Instead, he was concerned about Guan Yu's safety. This concern was very good!
"Quickly get up, quickly get up, let big brother take a good look at you!" Among the three friends of the peach garden, Liu Mang Tong was the most effeminate. However, this kind of effeminate was able to make Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were tough men, feel a kind of warmth. This was because this kind of concern was not found among the other brothers.
"Big brother!" The more concerned Escapist Liu was, the more bitter Guan Yu felt in his heart. He was also very ashamed.
"Second General, what about Shouchun?" Liu Bei did not open his mouth. Naturally, Liu Bei became the one who inquired. On the side, Liu Mang Tong also interjected and said, "Teacher, let Yunchang rest for a while first. After all, the journey was very tiring!" Although Liu Bei said so, his eyes were fixed on Guan Yu. He wanted to know more than anyone else what happened to Shouchun.
"Big Brother! Let Guan Yu speak first! " Guan Yu stood up with the help of Liu Mang Tong. His army was brought back by Guan Yu's deputy general. Guan Yu wanted to discuss things with his big brother first. Therefore, he left the army early and rode back to Runan.
"Big Brother, this time, Guan Yu was not willing to abandon Shouchun, but this Shouchun city could not be defended!" Guan Yu's mouth was full of bitterness. Since Guan Yu followed his big brother Liu Bei, he had fought no less than a hundred wars. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the eighteen warlords crusaded against Dong Zhuo. Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang's shadow was everywhere. The reason why Guan Yu was called the Martial Sage was because Guan Yu not only knew martial arts, but also knew how to command troops! Therefore, when he learned that Hefei's King Of Shu, Liu Mang had sent troops to Shouchun to attack Shouchun, Guan Yu was not worried at all. He had 10,000 Qingzhou elites under his command, and he also had the high city walls of Shouchun. It could be said that Guan Yu even disdained this King Of Shu. Guan Yu had also been trying to understand Liu Mang. He had also seen Liu Mang in Kaiyang City. Liu Mang almost made Cao Cao vomit blood. This made Guan Yu's impression of Liu Mang very good!
After that, the Lvbu's Army left Xuzhou. The battle at Mt. Bagong and Wancheng city had pushed Liu Mang to the front. It could be said that His Highness, the King Of Shu, was also a person who knew how to use his troops! But even so, what could he do? With Shouchun, without an army of 50,000, it would be impossible to break through Shouchun!
To defend the city, it was nothing more than preparing provisions, rolling stones, and boiling oil! There were 30,000 shi of provisions in Shouchun city. This was enough for 10,000 soldiers to use for a year. Arrows! There were 200,000 arrows in the city. These were all given to Liu Bei by Military Advisor Pang Tong! The number of rolling stones and logs was even more uncountable! With the military equipment and supplies, the only thing left was the troops! Guan Yu's Qingzhou soldiers were also elites!
These were the former Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army. Even if they encountered Lao Cao's Ferocious Cavalry, they would still dare to charge. Therefore, their fighting strength was very amazing. Just when Guan Yu was ready to wait for the arrival of the King Of Shu, Liu Mang's vanguard arrived!
When the vanguard troops set up formation outside the city, Guan Yu laughed. This King Of Shu was exaggerating! He had never fought a war before! How many people did Liu Mang bring with him? It was laughable to say that he only brought two battalions of City Guard and Black Flag Army. Even if the City Guard and Black Flag Army had expanded their armies, they would only add up to 10,000 soldiers. You want to use 10,000 soldiers to attack a city defended by 10,000 soldiers? Is this a joke?
Originally, Guan Yu thought that there was a trap because Liu Mang should have 30,000 soldiers. Now, only 10,000 soldiers appeared. Where did the rest go? However, the scouts reported that Liu Mang and Gan Ning's 12,000 soldiers had directly passed through Lujiang County! This time, Guan Yu was really relieved. This King Of Shu was definitely someone who did not know how to fight. He was afraid that the previous battles he fought were all with the help of the Lvbu's Army's generals.
Guan Yu had seen many cases where the King Of Shu did not live up to his name.
Liu Mang's subordinates did not exceed 10,000 soldiers. Among them, the Black Flag Army were heavy armored soldiers. Their heavy armor was not the alloy armor worn by the City Guard. Instead, it was made of iron. Those heavy armors weighed more than a hundred jin. Climbing up the city wall while wearing those armors was a joke! What kind of ladder could withstand that?
Therefore, Guan Yu calmly prepared to see Liu Mang's army make a fool of themselves. However, he could not laugh after a while! This was because Liu Mang's troops stopped 500 steps away from the city wall. This distance was just outside the range of the city wall's arrows.
At this time, a golden armored general came out from the City Guard. Behind him was an old general wearing battle armor. This was Liu Mang and his proud assistant, Huang Zhong. Why did Liu Mang walk in front of the army? Of course, it was to persuade them to surrender! Liu Mang was very impolite. He told Guan Yu and his Qingzhou soldiers that he will give them an hour to think about it. Either they withdraw now or they will be chased away by Liu Mang.
Liu Mang's words really made Guan Yu happy. Not only did he not know anything about war, he even dared to talk nonsense now! Guan Yu had already made up his mind. He would wait until the 10,000 soldiers were tired from sieging the city. Then, he would pull out his troops and fight outside of Shouchun. He wanted to teach this King Of Shu a lesson! War was not fought that way. Guan Yu politely used a five-picul bow to tell Liu Mang his answer.
"You are too polite!" Liu Mang looked at the red-faced Guan Yu on the city wall with a trace of anger on his face. The reason why he was so polite was because Guan Yu had a very high evaluation in history and the end of the Han Dynasty. This man was loyal and righteous, and he was highly skilled in martial arts. Therefore, he was worshipped by many people. Those who didn't have money worshipped Guan Yu's loyalty and righteousness, while those who had money worshipped Guan Yu's God of Wealth!
Liu Mang was polite to Guan Yu. If Guan Yu did not want it, then forget it! Let the facts speak for themselves! A group of people came from behind the City Guard and the Black Flag Army. These people were not soldiers, but a large group of craftsmen. Some of them were transporting food, while others were taking care of their families! These people are the people who will settle down in Shouchun in the future. Liu Mang brought all of them here because he is determined to win Shouchun in a single battle.
Among the things that the craftsmen were transporting, there was a pile of good stuff. It was a derivative of the ballista, a ballista!
Calling it a ballista was a bit too formal. To put it bluntly, it was a catapult. This catapult was not an ordinary catapult that required dozens of people to use manpower. This kind of catapult had a small arm strength, and the weight it threw was also small. The distance it threw was also not far.
Liu Mang's catapult used gears, lever theory, and mechanism theory. There was even a metal spring inside.
The original catapult relied on a group of people to push down the side that threw the stones. This catapult relied on manpower to throw the stones up the city wall! This kind of catapult's strength was sometimes strong and sometimes weak. It could only throw the stones a hundred steps away. Moreover, the weight of the heavy objects was definitely not more than a hundred jin. The accuracy was also very poor. If one wanted to hit someone, it completely depended on one's luck. If one's luck was good, then naturally, there would be a big harvest. If one's luck was bad, then there would be an infinite deviation.
Now that it used gears, it was different. As long as the handle at the bottom of the catapult was shaken, the rollers, gears, and bowstring could be pushed down deeply. As long as the arm could support it, even a half-ton boulder could be thrown out. Moreover, its shooting range had greatly increased. Within three hundred steps, it could throw a half-ton boulder. Within five hundred steps, it could throw a 300jin boulder. Within seven hundred steps, it could throw a 100jin boulder. Now that it was within five hundred steps, Guan Yu, who was in Shouchun, should be prepared to receive the impact of the boulder!
There were more than ten thousand craftsmen, their families, and the people who migrated with them. There were nearly fifty thousand people. There was strength in numbers. Boulders were piled up in front of the catapult!
Under Liu Mang's command, the catapult began to roar. Boulders weighing a hundred jin were placed in the catapult and thrown towards Shouchun. Liu Mang had ordered the craftsmen to work day and night in Hefei for a month. There were a total of fifty catapults here. In a breath's time, fifty boulders of about three hundred jin were thrown at Shouchun's city wall. These boulders were placed on the catapult and thrown in the air. They fell according to gravity. Whether it was heavy armor or huge shields, they were directly torn apart! Some who were directly hit died even more miserably. They were directly smashed into meat patties! Let's not talk about people! Even the city wall was very uncomfortable. The boulders smashed the bricks of Shouchun's city wall, causing a huge pit to form!
"What is this?" Guan Yu was really confused! Five hundred steps away, under this kind of attack, a huge rock suddenly drew a parabola in the air and fell in the direction of Guan Yu.
"General, be careful!" A guard at the side rushed towards Guan Yu and pushed him away. This guard was directly smashed into meat patties by the falling boulder. There was no way for him to survive. This scene happened on every side of the city wall.
"Catapult? How is this possible? How is this possible? " Guan Yu had seen catapults before. When the eighteen warlords attacked Hulao Pass, some warlords took out a catapult to attack Hulao Pass. However, those things could only throw stones weighing a hundred jin. Moreover, they could only throw stones weighing a hundred jin. Moreover, the distance was less than a hundred steps! But now, there were things below the city wall! They were at least five hundred steps away. Those stones were definitely not the size of stones weighing a hundred jin! What were these?
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