The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 679 Pay-to-Win Tactics
If you lack the skill, make up for it with money.

Liu Fan's strength was undoubtedly the weakest among the seven kings, so he placed more emphasis on various "ingenious and ingenious techniques" that could make up for his lack of combat power.

In particular, the Mohists improved upon their new catapults and ballistae.

As a powerful tool used throughout ancient warfare, both offensive and defensive, Liu Fan equipped his forces with it on a large scale.

These powerful weapons can play a significant role not only in siege warfare and defensive battles, but also in open field battles.

Liu Fan's field warfare tactics were the most unique among the Seven Kings.

They rarely launched proactive attacks, instead deploying large numbers of catapults and ballistae, supported by heavy infantry and shield bearers, primarily employing defensive counter-attack tactics.

As long as the enemy cannot break through the defense line, relying on the firepower coverage, any enemy will be reduced to dust and mincemeat.

Of course, correspondingly, Liu Fanjun's flexibility and mobility were somewhat lacking, and he could only be equipped with a small number of elite cavalry.

But every gain has its loss, and Liu Fan was quite satisfied with this outcome.

Especially right now.

As Surya's shield infantry phalanx advanced to the optimal firing range, accompanied by Wu Yi's aura waving.

Hundreds of large catapults in the camp turned their axles simultaneously, and the moment their iron arms were raised, meticulously crafted boulders were hurled into the sky.

When the first wave of stones landed, a circular crater several meters in diameter exploded in the Kushan army's formation. Fragments of flesh mixed with shield shards rained down, and countless shield soldiers were directly shattered of their internal organs, bleeding from their mouths and noses as they died.

"That's it! Smash them hard, let them taste the power of the catapult!" Liu Fan laughed wildly, stepping on the railing.

Although the hastily constructed camp was sturdy, it was ultimately too small and had limited capacity. It was equipped with small to medium-sized catapults and ballistae.

As the wealthiest of the three kings, Liu Fan was the largest buyer of military equipment for the Great Qi Dynasty and a staunch supporter of the Mohist school.

A massive influx of foreign people was unleashed, and the most advanced catapults and ballistae were transported in like a flowing river.

Among the seven kings, Liu Fanjun had the most engineering soldiers, accounting for a full 20%.

Seeing the Kushan army so badly beaten they couldn't even lift their heads and were completely unable to move, Liu Fan was filled with excitement.

Who says I can't do it!
When the lethality, density, and frequency of long-range strikes reach a certain level, a qualitative leap will occur.

Liu Fanjun is now showing the beginnings of a tactic of queuing up and shooting.

After realizing the results achieved by the area-of-effect attack, Wu Yi felt a great weight lift from his heart.

It seems that this tactic is indeed feasible.

The impact of the falling boulders on the enemy was secondary; the most crucial aspect was the deterrent effect and the blow to morale they created.

The Kushan army, which had originally formed a battle formation, had completely scattered and become a disorganized mob, and its offensive speed had been greatly slowed down.

Looking at the five rows of heavy infantry and a large number of crossbowmen outside the camp, Wu Yi had no more worries.

With the waving of command flags, a series of repeating crossbow carts rushed out of the camp gate in an orderly fashion, forming ranks behind the crossbowmen.

Once the ballistae were in place, dozens of ballistae turned their axles simultaneously, and nine iron crossbow bolts, each as thick as a baby's arm, shot out like black lightning, carving several bloody trenches in the Kushan army's ranks.

A Kushan shieldman tried to raise his shield to block, but was shot through along with his shield. The arrows continued to pierce through three men before stopping, like skewering candied hawthorns. The fletching of the arrows was still vibrating violently in the chest cavity of the last man.

The crossbowmen followed suit, unleashing a barrage of bolts.

The shield bearers in the front ranks crouched on the ground, tilting their shields to make way for the ballistae and crossbowmen, while simultaneously scattering large amounts of caltrops in front of them. They had to be wary of boulders falling from the sky at a distance, and at medium to close range, they faced a double barrage of catapults and crossbow bolts, while also having to be mindful of dodging the caltrops under their feet. Further ahead, there were trenches and stag antlers for protection.

The Kushan army, encountering this tactic for the first time, was completely stunned.

Surrey stared blankly at the scene, his worldview being challenged once again.

What kind of playing style is this?
He discovered for the first time that long-range attacks were not just for deterrence and support, but could serve as the main force.

When the range and armor-piercing capability of crossbow bolts are sufficient, the problems of loading and rapid-fire are improved, and there are enough bolts and dedicated personnel to reload them, crossbow bolts can truly play a decisive role.

In the past, Li Ling led 5,000 infantrymen in battles against 80,000 Xiongnu cavalry, killing tens of thousands of them, all thanks to the powerful weapon, the "Great Yellow Crossbow".

In the present-day Great Chu, the Great Yellow Crossbow has been improved several times.

With over twenty years of technological accumulation and over ten years of diverse perspectives, Tian Ze has never stopped improving weaponry, and has achieved a qualitative breakthrough in technology.

However, due to limitations in cost and the required technology, the actual production of these powerful tools is not high.

If Tian Ze hadn't defied public opinion and sold half of them to the Seven Kings, Liu Fan would never have had the chance to equip them.

Although the seven kings were all quite wealthy, each had its own elite troops that needed to be strengthened, and they also invested heavily in domestic affairs and people's livelihoods.

Even knowing these are all valuable items, they can't afford to consume many due to their high cost, and can mostly only arm a few hundred people as a last resort.

But Liu Fan, who was rich and powerful, didn't care about these things. His soldiers were relatively weak in combat, so he naturally hoped to change this problem by "spending money".

Under the threat of a powerful crossbow, all beings are equal, and everything depends on luck.

Five thousand crossbowmen were positioned in front of the battle lines, along with a large number of specially made catapults and ballistae. The Kushan soldiers didn't even get to touch the trenches before they fell like wheat being harvested.

"Chariots! Elephant troops!"

Seeing that his offensive was completely crushed by the enemy, and that countless lives were exchanged for only a large number of catapults and crossbow bolts, Suriya's eyes instantly turned red.

It's not that he hasn't suffered defeats; his first two battles were particularly devastating.

But this was the first time he had faced a battle where everyone was being slaughtered.

In just the first exchange of blows, no fewer than several thousand of our soldiers have fallen, while the enemy has yet to suffer any casualties, with perhaps a few dozen killed by stray arrows at most.

The two armies seem to be products of completely different eras.

Seeing no hope whatsoever, Surya was consumed by rage and instinctively wanted to unleash his most relied-upon heavy troops, the elephants and chariots.

However, the lieutenant quickly advised, "General, there are too many catapults and ballistae on the other side. The chariots and elephants are too big of a target and cannot stop the enemy's attack. Charging forward will only make things worse!"

"Then we'll outflank them and attack from three sides! I refuse to believe that the Han army's catapults and crossbow bolts are endless!" Suriya said unwillingly.

In the current situation, retreating is no longer an option.

He was absolutely certain that Liu Bei and Sun Ce were already on their way, and retreating would only lead to a desperate situation of being attacked from three sides.

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant said in a deep voice.

Since there's no way out, we have no choice but to fight to the death.

(End of this chapter)