The next morning, Xu Shu saw Giant Shield Soldiers standing under the city walls. They were lined up in neat rows. Giant Shield Heavy Armor? The corners of Xu Shu's mouth curled up into a cold smile. Did they think that they could block the ballistae with this formation?
The ballista in Xu Shu's hand was an improved version. His predecessor was able to penetrate the wooden planks of a warship. These planks were very thick, some were even several feet long. They were all cut out from the planks and were reinforced with iron sheets, making them very strong. But even so, they were still penetrated by the ballista. These shields and heavy armors might be tough bones in front of the arrows, but in front of the ballista's arrows, they were nothing more than a pile of clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow.
"Load the bowstrings!" Without waiting for Xu Shu to speak, Deng Yi pushed the 12 ballistae out and placed them on the city wall.
"Military Advisor, is this really okay?" Liu Bei asked Feng Chu. It was no wonder that Liu Bei was worried. These Giant Shield Soldiers were all white-eared heavy armor. Liu Bei did not want to lose any of them. Chen Dao wanted to fill the moat but was stopped by Liu Bei. Now, he had no choice but to take them out.
"Don't worry, Milord. With the sharp weapons in the camp, it is only a matter of time before Shouchun is breached!" Pang Tong said confidently.
"But!" Liu Bei was still very doubtful. His eyes drifted to Zhang Xiu from time to time. What he meant was that Zhang Xiu had set an example for everyone. When the ballistae shot down from the city wall, the heavy armor could not withstand the impact. The heavy armor that was supposed to make everyone feel at ease became like paper. Generally, the ballistae shot from the city wall could penetrate seven or eight layers of heavy armor, including the cavalry and warhorses. With such lethality, how could the Giant Shield Heavy Armor withstand it?
"Did Milord forget the Second General's Battle of Shouchun?" In order to make Liu Bei feel at ease, Pang Tong had no choice but to drag Guan Yu into this. Guan Yu's Shouchun Battle? It was no longer a battle, but an escape. Liu Mang went down to Shouchun in one day, and Guan Yu didn't even have the slightest ability to fight back. He abandoned the city and fled. In the end, he left behind a lot of military provisions in the city, which was a pain in Guan Yu's heart.
"Second brother's Battle of Shouchun?" Guan Yu's pain didn't make Liu Bei sad. Instead, Liu Bei's eyes lit up. Apart from the fact that Liu Mang's Army had besieged Shouchun, there was another reason why Shouchun was attacked. That was why Liu Bei had lost Shouchun. Even if he had persisted, he would have only added to the casualties. But now, the roles had been reversed. It was Liu Bei's Army who was attacking the city, and Liu Mang's Army who was defending the city. "Can the weapons in the camp really compete with the trebuchets of the false king?!"
"This?!" The information Pang Tong got from the youth was that it couldn't! According to Guan Yu's description, Liu Mang's trebuchets could throw more than 300 jin of heavy stones 300 to 500 steps away. If it was loaded with more than 100 jin of heavy stones, it could be thrown 700 steps away. In this era, there was basically no lever principle, no lathes, and no springs. All trebuchets were made of wood. The youth naturally felt inferior. However, he wasn't that unconfident about his trebuchets. If it was a duel with Liu Mang's ballista, it might not be a match for Liu Mang's ballista. After all, Liu Mang's ballista was equipped with springs, but it was still more than enough to bombard the city wall.
Of course, Pang Tong wouldn't say that his trebuchets were inferior to Liu Mang's ballista to attack Liu Bei's self-confidence. Instead, he said indifferently, "It's even better!"
This sentence finally made Liu Bei feel relieved. He immediately ordered Chen Dao to act according to the plan.
"This general obeys!" Chen Dao cupped his fists and said. Then, he went to prepare.
"My lord, what do you think Liu Bei wants to do?!" Next to Liu Bei's camp was Zhang Xiu's camp. Zhang Xiu was also paying attention to the battle at Shouchun. Yesterday, the loss of his Xiliang Cavalry made Zhang Xiu miserable. There were more than 1,000 innocent casualties. Even if he wanted to cry, he had nowhere to go. After all, he was the one who ran to Shouchun and was hit in the face by Xu Shu's ballista.
"Liu Bei?!" Zhang Xiu was also very confused. What was Liu Bei thinking? Could it be that he wasn't afraid of the ballista on the city wall just because he used huge shields and heavy armor? Zhang Xiu was a general. He naturally knew the penetrating power of the ballista. It could nail a heavy cavalry to the ground. Even if the ballista was aimed at him, Zhang Xiu wasn't confident that he could block it. However, now that Liu Bei was using the White Eared Heavy Armor to test the ballista, Zhang Xiu couldn't help but feel confused. However, when he saw Chen Dao giving instructions to the White Eared Heavy Armor, he believed that Liu Bei's Army might really have a way.
"Everyone, grab the sandbags!" Chen Dao shouted. Other than the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers in the front row who were holding huge shields, the rest of the soldiers carried the sandbags on their shoulders and waited for Chen Dao's order.
"Good, the target is Shouchun Moat!" Chen Dao roared. The White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers were his pride. Although Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei had helped build the White Eared Heavy Armor, most of it was still managed by Chen Dao. It was his blood, sweat, and tears.
In Chen Dao's opinion, only the world's number one cavalry force, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, could fight the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers one on one. Even the Black Flag Battalion and the famous City Guard under the King Of Shu were nothing in Chen Dao's eyes. Now that the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was crippled, it would be impossible for them to appear again for at least half a year. They were basically invincible in the Central Plains.
"Boom, boom, boom!" Unlike the Heavy Armor Cavalry, the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers were orderly and orderly. Not only was it Liu Mang's rule for the City Guard, but it was also the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers' rule. Even if it was hell in front of them, they had to charge forward. This was also the reason why Cao Cao's Ferocious Cavalry could not stop Liu Bei.
"Heavy Armor with Huge Shields? Hehe, I'll turn you into a tanghulu today! " Xu Shu sneered as he watched the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers getting closer and closer. Finally, when the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers were within the range of the ballistae, he gave the order and the 12 ballistae roared again.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" One after another, the ballistae were shot out. Under the powerful force of the bowstrings, each of the ballistae tore through the air and made the air vibrate.
"Boom!" The White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers in the first row finally came into contact with the ballistae. Just like the Xiliang Cavalry, they did not have a second choice. Even with the help of the huge shields, the ballistae's power was still revealed. The huge shields were directly shattered and the ballistae effortlessly pierced through the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers who were hiding behind the huge shields. The White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers were infantrymen who wore two layers of heavy armor. In addition to the outer layer of heavy armor, there was also a layer of chain armor on top of the inner layer of armor. This inner layer of armor may not have as high defense as the outer layer of armor, but it had a very good ability to resist sharp weapons like bows and arrows. The arrows of the ballistae could not penetrate the inner layer of armor, but now, it was like child's play. The first row of White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers were killed or injured.
"Continue, don't stop shooting!" Xu Shu stood on top of the city wall and gave orders to the ballistae. Xu Shu could also see that these were the White Eared Heavy Soldiers. Otherwise, they would not be so orderly. The White Eared Heavy Soldiers were the elites of Liu Bei's army. If Xu Shu could cripple them in front of Shouchun, then Xu Shu's Army would have profited greatly.
Although there were only twelve ballistae, the rain of arrows they formed was not inferior. After all, their bodies were huge and the ballistae could shoot continuously. The White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers were indeed elites. After the first row of huge shields and heavy armor were pierced through, the second row quickly took over from the first row. Those who could be saved would naturally be saved. Those who could not be saved would be directly abandoned.
"No matter how many shields there are, can they be more than my huge arrows?" Another row of dense arrows rained down. Logically speaking, Liu Bei's Army should be very distressed by the loss of the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers. However, Chen Dao's eyes were shining as he looked at Liu Bei's Army camp.
In Liu Bei's Army camp, there was another youth besides Pang Tong who was standing on top of a high platform watching the scene in front of him. "Two hundred steps, directly piercing through the first and second row of huge shields. The heavy armor is completely useless!" He said while recording. "Alright, Military Advisor!"
"Alright!" Pang Tong nodded and waved the command flag in his hand. Chen Dao who was among the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the command flag. To be honest, Chen Dao also could not withstand the attacks of the ballistae. Seeing the command flag, Chen Dao immediately shouted, "Retreat, one hundred steps!"
One after another, another row of huge shield soldiers blocked in front of them. The White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers began to retreat.
"Want to run? Leave half of them for me! " Xu Shu said coldly. Yesterday, the Xiliang Heavy Armor soldiers were defeated in the middle of their charge. The originally concentrated troops were scattered all of a sudden, causing the accuracy of the ballistae to be greatly reduced. Moreover, because the warhorses were very fast, the Xiliang Heavy Armor soldiers were able to run out of the range of the ballistae very quickly. However, today was different. The White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers of Liu Bei's Army were infantrymen. Naturally, they were not very fast. Wave after wave of arrows rained down on them.
"Every ten arrows, a cycle?" The young man recorded again. The ballista on the city wall fired very quickly each time. However, after every ten shots, it would pause for a moment. Even though the pause wasn't long, the young man still noticed it.
"General, one hundred steps!" The White Eared Heavy Armor soldier said to Chen Dao. Chen Dao nodded and the army slowed down again.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" In front of the ballistae, there was no difference between three hundred steps and two hundred steps. They still directly tore through the huge shield and penetrated the heavy armor soldiers behind.
"Three hundred steps, they still penetrated the huge shield?" The youth began to frown. He did not expect that there would be such a person in this world who could design such a sharp weapon. Three hundred steps might be an instant for a cavalry but it would take a long time for an infantryman to run. If every city wall had such a sharp weapon, it would be very difficult to attack a city in the future. "Let's continue, Military Advisor!" Pang Tong waved his command flag again.
Chen Dao's White Eared Heavy Armor retreated another hundred steps. This time, it was much better. However, the huge shield was still penetrated. However, only two or three soldiers behind the ballistae were killed.
"Military Advisor, these White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers are really slow. Is the commander a fool? The arrows are living targets. At this time, they are retreating and still running? They are still carrying those huge shields! " Deng Yi said disdainfully as he looked at the corpses of the White Eared Soldiers. If Deng Yi was the one commanding this troop, he would definitely order his men to throw away their shields so that they could run faster. Moreover, it would also cause his men to scatter. Once they gathered together, they would be innocently attacked by the ballistae.
"No, no!" Xu Shu was finally reminded by Deng Yi. Was the commander of the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers a fool? If he was a fool, would Liu Bei let him lead? Using heavy-armored infantry to fill up the moat wasn't a good idea. Heavy-Armored infantry ran slowly and carried a lot of weight. Naturally, the sandbags they carried wouldn't be too heavy. But how many times could they run back and forth? Xu Shu was a little uneasy. He quickly picked up the binoculars Liu Mang gave him and looked around. He was not only looking at the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers but also Liu Bei's camp behind them.
"What's wrong with Military Advisor? Aren't they here to fill up the moat? They think that with a huge shield, they are a turtle shell. Unfortunately, in front of our ballistae, everything is useless! "Deng Yi said proudly.
"They are not here to fill up the moat!" Xu Shu shook his head. Although the soldiers were carrying sandbags in their hands, they were not close to the moat at all. Moreover, many of their sandbags were thrown away. The sandbags were simply used to confuse them.
"That is?!" Xu Shu finally saw a command flag. It was in the hands of his best friend, Young Phoenix Pang Tong. Every time the command flag was waved, the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers would take a step back.
"Not good!" Xu Shu finally knew what was wrong, but it was all too late.
500 steps! Six hundred steps, all the way until seven hundred steps, the ballista's power finally decreased. Although the ballista was still able to destroy the shield, it was only able to penetrate the shield. It couldn't penetrate the shield, it was stuck on the shield.
"Seven hundred steps?!" The young man in Liu Bei's camp finally finished recording. He smiled and said to Pang Tong, "Military Advisor, we can fight back now!"
"Fight back!" Pang Tong laughed. He was waiting for the young man to say this. "Come, pass down my orders. We have been passive for so long, it is time to show our weapons!" “
"Yes!" The soldiers on the side received the order and left. The command flag in Pang Tong's hand was not idle. He continued to wave it. This time, it was no longer an order for the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers to advance or retreat. Instead, it was an order for them to return to the camp.
Chen Dao finally felt relieved after seeing the flag's meaning. He was suffering a lot just now. He fully understood Hu Che Er's grief and indignation. Being attacked without being able to fight back and the casualties were very heavy. In just 700 steps, Chen Dao had lost more than 700 bodies. They were all White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers. Chen Dao felt heartache every time one of them died. Previously, when he ambushed the Wolf Cavalry, he only lost 500 men. But now, he lost 700 men. How could he feel good? Fortunately, it was finally over. "All troops, return to camp!" Under Chen Dao's command, the White Eared Soldiers calmed down. Walking through the rain of ballista bolts wasn't something an ordinary person could do. After all, they didn't know if they would be the next person to die.
"Milord, look. Big Eared Liu Bei's army has been chased away. They are returning to the camp!" Hu Che Er had a gloating expression. After all, when his Xiliang Cavalry suffered so many casualties yesterday, the generals of Liu Bei's Army did not give him any face.
"Are they chased away?" Zhang Xiu was a general and a Lord. He naturally thought more than Hu Che Er. How could Liu Bei send the White Eared Heavy Armor soldiers to their deaths? There must be a problem.
After a while, Zhang Xiu's doubts were resolved. This was because there was a loud sound coming from Liu Bei's camp. Zhang Xiu looked carefully and discovered that there were 10 large wooden frames being pulled out from Liu Bei's camp.
"Milord, what is this?" Hu Che Er came from Xiliang and was from the Qiang tribe. He was not very familiar with the battles in the Central Plains. He also did not know much about the wooden frames.
"Trebuchets!" Zhang Xiu spat out these three words. Since the ancient times, they had to guard against the attacks of wild beasts. Therefore, the ancient people designed walls to protect the city from the attacks of wild beasts. At that time, the walls were made of fences and were made of wood. They were very low. Very few wild beasts would climb the walls. Later on, humans slowly became the main character of the world and became the top of the food chain. The threat from wild beasts decreased, but the threat from humans increased. Therefore, the walls were made of stone and bricks. The walls also became bigger and taller. It was impossible to climb over the walls by climbing. The side with the walls had a natural defensive advantage.
However, the battle between humans would not stop because of the height of the walls. Since there were defensive structures like walls, there were also offensive structures that could break through the walls. The thing in front of Zhang Xiu was a weapon that could break through the walls. It was called the Three Great Weapons. There were many people who knew how to make siege vehicles, and there were also many people who knew how to use siege vehicles. However, there were very few people who could make siege vehicles. This was because it was related to mechanical engineering. After Emperor Wu of Han, Dong Zhongshu abolished the Confucian school of thought. There were very few people who knew how to make siege vehicles. Therefore, not only did trebuchets rarely appear, but trebuchets were also rarely seen.
Normally, when sieging a city, siege vehicles would be at the front and ladders would be at the back. They would rely on the lives of the enemy to see who had more people and who would be the first to collapse. However, with trebuchets, a lot of people would die.
"Trebuchets?" Hu Che Er looked at the wooden frame with a puzzled expression. These things of the Han people were really magical. Although the huge arrow shot by the ballista made Hu Che Er feel very uncomfortable, it also made him understand that the ballista was a treasure.
"Trebuchets?" Xu Shu also exclaimed. He did not expect Liu Bei's Army to be able to take out trebuchets. "Could it be that the industrial zone was not completely burned? Did Liu Bei get the blueprint? " Xu Shu did not dare to think so. If Liu Mang's Army's ballista fell into Liu Bei's hands, then Shouchun would really be difficult to defend. With the ballista's attack power, what kind of city wall could withstand such an attack?
"Absolutely not, Military Advisor!" Deng Yi stood at the side and explained. "The blueprint of the ballista is not in the industrial zone. The craftsmen who can make the ballista have already been moved into the city!" Liu Mang's policy in Shouchun was based on talent. This included the craftsmen who were skilled in mechanical engineering. Although they did not know anything about mechanical engineering, they had their own skills. Many of Liu Mang's things were not only made by Liu Mang but also by these craftsmen. Therefore, the status of the craftsmen in Liu Mang's Army was not lower than the officials. Liu Mang had given a salary of 500 shi for a master craftsman. Therefore, these craftsmen were the first people that Deng Yi wanted to protect.
"How can that be?" Xu Shu looked carefully again and found that these trebuchets were different from the ones developed by Liu Mang's Army. Liu Mang's ballista was formed by a long lever, but the trebuchet in front of him was made by a huge wheel. Xu Shu did not know how powerful it was, but he knew that since Liu Bei's Army took out such a thing, it would not be careless. "There are experts in Liu Bei's Army!"
"Deng Yi, pass down the order immediately. Have some wet cowhide and bedding sent up here. Hurry up!" Xu Shu hurriedly ordered. No matter what the trebuchet was like, Xu Shu needed to be on guard against it.
"This general obeys!" Deng Yi quickly went down and came up in a short time. It was impossible to find many wet cowhide bedding in such a short time. He could only take out dozens of cowhide and some bedding. "Quickly, spread these wet cowhide bedding on the city wall. Wrap the top of the city wall for me! " The boulders shot by the trebuchets would fall on the city wall and cause damage due to the huge impact. Xu Shu's method was to wrap the city wall with something soft so that when the boulders fell, there would be a cushion to reduce the damage.
"Oh, using wet cowhide and bedding?" On the high platform of Liu Bei's Army camp, the youth looked at the preparations on the city wall and laughed. "If this thing was an ordinary trebuchet, it would have many uses. Unfortunately, it is my Ma Jun's Rotary Trebuchets!"
Soon, Xu Shu experienced the feeling of being bombarded by trebuchets.
"Reporting to the Lord, everything is ready!" Ten of Ma Jun's Rotary Trebuchets were ready in no time. Huge rocks were placed on the wheels of the trebuchets one by one.
"Good, pass down my order. Blow up all the ballistas on the city wall!" Liu Bei was finally able to vent his anger. He had been suppressed by the ballistae on the walls until he could not breathe. Now that he could finally retaliate, how could he not feel refreshed?
"Yes!" The junior colonel received the order and the ten trebuchets began to operate. There was a long handle on the huge round plate. Dozens of soldiers were rotating the huge handle. The handle was transmitted to the round plate, causing the boulders in the round plate to rotate at high speed. When the boulders reached a certain speed, the boulders in the round plate were directly thrown out.
"Boom, boom, boom!" The first wave of boulders fell. The first to bear the brunt of the impact was the city wall. Xu Shu's wet cowhide and bedding played a role. Under the cushioning force, the damage caused by the boulders on the city wall was reduced by a lot. Because it was the first round of shooting, both the angle and the accuracy were much lower. The soldiers on the city wall could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oh? Is the power only this strong? " Liu Bei was disappointed. He originally thought that the trebuchets would bring him a great victory. He did not expect them to directly blow up Shouchun. In any case, they should at least destroy the ballistas. But now, the first round of shooting only brought about such a small result. On the entire city wall, only one or two unlucky soldiers were hit by the boulders.
"My Lord, please calm down!" Pang Tong was also sweating. If the trebuchets were useless, then they would really have to rely on the people to pile up the boulders.
"Wet cowhide, can the bedding block it? You are dreaming! "The youth was very confident and shouted loudly." Speed up, speed up! Raise the angle and throw! " Under the youth's guidance, the trebuchets adjusted the angle and raised the shooting point. Beside the trebuchets, there were not only people pulling the handles, but also people picking up the boulders and quickly putting them into the round plate. After the high-speed operation, boulders were thrown out one after another.
"Boom, boom, boom!" This time, it was not like the previous time where it was just a wave of boulders. This time, the boulders were thrown out one after another. Although the wet cowhide and bedding could form a buffer to reduce the damage, it could not be used continuously. After being bombarded for a long time, the city wall would not be able to withstand it.
"What?" Xu Shu really did not expect that the trebuchets outside could shoot continuously like ballistas. Even Liu Mang's trebuchets could not reach this level! Liu Mang's ballistas could not shoot continuously because he paid attention to the quality and strength of the shells. Each boulder had a weight of three hundred jin. Ma Jun's trebuchets, on the other hand, pursued shooting speed and continuous shooting. It did not give the people on the city wall any time to rest.
Soon, the wet cowhide and bedding could not withstand the boulders anymore. The boulders fell down and smashed on the city wall. The soldiers who were directly hit had no way to survive. Those who were not directly hit had their bodies split open due to the falling boulders. Those who were not hit directly were hit by the boulders. Those who were hit by the boulders directly died on the spot.
The original trebuchets were like a big scale. One end of the trebuchets was filled with large and small boulders. The other end of the trebuchets was hung with many ropes. During the battle, the soldiers would pull the ropes together and the other end of the trebuchets would quickly tilt up. This way, the boulders would be thrown out to hit the enemy. This trebuchets had many shortcomings. Every time it was fired, it took some time and the effect was not great. The new trebuchets designed by Ma Jun overcame these shortcomings. It used a wooden wheel and hung the boulders on the wooden wheel. This way, it could be equipped with a mechanism to drive the wheel to rotate quickly. The large boulders could be shot out continuously and the enemy would not be able to defend in time. Ma Jun once experimented with this trebuchets. It could continuously shoot dozens of bricks hundreds of steps away. At that time, this was quite powerful.
"Return fire, return fire! Use the ballistae to shoot them back! " Deng Yi shouted loudly. The soldiers operating the ballistae quickly changed the direction of the ballistae and shot directly at the trebuchets.
"Haha! Use the ballistae?! What a pity, what a pity! " The youth was somewhat proud. The trebuchets he created could actually suppress the ballistae made by the King Of Shu. How could the youth not be happy?
"General, our ballistae can't hurt them at all!" A general exclaimed. This was because their ballistae's arrows were basically blocked. The trebuchets also had groups of large shield soldiers beside them. The ballistae could only harass them but could not hurt them.
"What!" Deng Yi was stunned. Only Xu Shu smiled bitterly. Sure enough, it was just a test!
Pang Tong and Ma Jun had sacrificed the lives of nearly 700 White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers to find out the safe distance. Previously, the White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers had died under Pang Tong's command flag in order to find out how far the ballista could shoot and how far the ballista could shoot, or how far the ballista could reduce the ballista's damage to the minimum. Obviously, 500 to 700 steps was a very good distance.
"Boom boom boom!" The accuracy of the catapults of Liu Bei's Army was getting higher and higher. Under the constant bombardment, the rocks were thrown into the walls. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Not good, the ballista!" Deng Yi shouted, "Push the ballista in, push it in! Deng Yi wanted the soldiers to push the ballistae into the city tower. He even helped the soldiers with the ballistae to push them. But it was all too late.
"General, be careful!" The guard at the side pushed Deng Yi. Deng Yi was about to curse, but before he could say anything, he was stunned. This was because the place he was originally standing on had become a large pit. A hundred-jin rock was steadily falling there. The ballista and the guard who had pushed him were all scattered on the ground. The ballista had fallen apart, and the guard had been smashed into minced meat. His blood splattered on Deng Yi's face.
Twelve ballistae, with their lives on the line, were only able to push two of them into the city tower. The other ten were all destroyed.
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