Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 132 Disaster Is Coming
"Smash!"

"Boom bang bang-"

Outside Jialin City, as the sound of a wooden hammer hitting the mechanism was heard again, fifty stones weighing dozens of pounds once again crossed the gloomy sky and slammed heavily on Jialin's city walls and horse paths.

A small number of stones were thrown over the city wall and into the city, causing damage to roads and houses.

For a moment, the sounds of crying and fear filled people's ears.

The people huddled among the ruins, their hands covering their heads, tears and blood mixed together, the fear in their hearts seemed to be able to drip blood.

On the horse trail, the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and dust, making people feel suffocated.

"Cough cough..."

"Hold the stone gently and hit it!"

Mang Longhua dodged two waves of stones in a panic and fought back shouting at the top of his lungs.

Under his orders, the armored soldiers who were leaning against the parapet in a panic, although very frightened, still held their weapons and threatened the civilians to fight back.

The eyes of the civilians were filled with fear, but under the pressure of the armored soldiers' swords, they could only follow orders tremblingly.

Their hands seemed to have forgotten the temperature, leaving only mechanical movements.

The catapult was finally ready. With a dull sound, the catapult broke through the air, drew arcs, and whizzed towards the position of the Guiyi Army, while the Guiyi Army also fought back.

"Smash!"

"Boom bang bang-"

For a time, both sides were using catapults to fight each other, which were no different from cannons a thousand years later, except that their range and power were far inferior.

The stones thrown by the Shandan catapult weighed dozens of pounds, mostly between 70 and 80 pounds, while the catapults in Jialin City could only throw 30-pound stones 300 steps away.

Their actions did threaten the Guiyi Army, and Zhang Huaishen quickly ordered a retreat of fifty steps, but that was all.

In comparison, the catapults of Jialin City had no way to avoid the attack and could only confront the Guiyi Army's catapults head-on.

The stones were flying all over the sky, and many people were unlucky enough to be hit, but the Guiyi Army suffered fewer casualties, and no catapult was damaged.

In comparison, Jialin's situation is very bad.

The two sides had been fighting for less than an hour and had thrown stones at each other nearly twenty times. As a result, Jialin had as many as seven trebuchets destroyed.

When these catapults were hit, the shattered and flying debris could easily take the lives of the civilians, and there were no less than a hundred people killed or wounded.

"You guys continue to deal with them here, I'll go to the city to take charge!"

Mang Longhua resisted for an hour, but was finally frightened by the Guiyi Army's massive stone-throwing attacks.

After instructing a guard, he hurried into the city and found a place that was close enough to observe the battlefield without being affected by the stones.

His departure caused the morale of the Jialin defenders on the city wall to plummet. Even though the Jie'er and the captains kept urging them to supervise the battlefield, under the threat of stones, they only wanted to save their own lives.

"Bang!!"

Dust flew, and another section of the parapet suffered a devastating blow.

As the dust dissipated, dirt and soil particles were scattered all over the ground. The soldiers and laborers who were nearby hurriedly left the place and looked for other safe places to hide.

The stone-throwing continued, and the soldiers of the Guiyi Army could only watch from their positions as the armored soldiers in front of them swung the wooden hammers and pulled the mechanisms to release the stones.

"This siege is so boring. Don't you think those famous generals would get bored when attacking a city?"

On horseback, Zhang Chang clicked his tongue a few times, while Geng Ming smiled naively and said, "I think attacking and defending a city is pretty good."

"You deserve to guard Qilian City!" Zhang Chang spat at him, but Geng Ming did not refute, but nodded with a simple smile.

Liu Jilong was not interested in the two's antics. He was more concerned about whether Shang Moling would lead his elite cavalry to rescue Jialin.

If Shang Moling dared to leave the city, he would be able to leave Shang Moling and his two thousand elite cavalry in the wild.

But Shang Moling ultimately disappointed him, because he waited from noon to dusk, but did not hear any trace of Shang Moling from the mouths of the Tangqi under the command of Jiu Juyan.

Originally, he had thought of surrounding the city and attacking the reinforcements, but now it seemed that they were probably frightened by his attack and did not dare to leave the city to fight.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong felt a little regretful, and the sky gradually darkened.

"The army will rest for an hour. After an hour, Suo Xun, you will lead the armored soldiers to take over the catapults and continue to attack Jialin City!"

"The last general takes command!"

Seeing that the soldiers were hungry, Zhang Huaishen ordered them to return to the camp to eat. At the same time, he arranged for Suo Xun to attack Jialin City with catapults at night.

Soon, the Guiyi Army’s horn sounded, but the happiest people were not the soldiers of the Guiyi Army.

"Great!"

"These Han slaves are finally tired of fighting!"

"Pig and dog stuff, bah! It made my mouth full of dirt!"

"Where's the food?! The Hannu have already eaten, where is our food!"

"Where's the food..."

For a while, there were cheers from all sides on the city wall of Jialin. Some were rejoicing that the Guiyi Army had withdrawn, some were complaining, but more were grateful that they had survived the disaster.

The armored soldiers climbed up from behind the parapet, and with knives in hand, urged the group of surviving civilians to clean up the broken equipment and corpses on the road.

Soon, broken equipment and corpses were carried down the city wall. Most of them were civilians, with only a few unlucky soldiers who were crushed to death.

Only two hours after the two sides started fighting, 172 civilians and 33 armored soldiers on Jialin's side died.

Faced with such a situation, Mang Longhua angrily threw the general's register to the ground, stomped on it twice in anger, and then lied to himself:

"Humph! So many of us died, I don't believe they won't have any casualties!"

"Come on, kill fifty sheep to reward the troops!"

Mang Longhua mercifully ordered the slaughter of fifty sheep, even though this amount of mutton was a drop in the bucket for the soldiers and civilians defending the city. But Mang Longhua did not care about it. He just wanted the general to convey his meaning.

It was a pity that before the sheep they slaughtered became food for the soldiers, the Guiyi Army outside the city started throwing stones at the city again.

Although it was already night, Zhang Huaishen didn't care. They had enough spare parts to replace the badly worn equipment.

What he wanted was to attack Jialin day and night, break through the psychological defenses of the soldiers defending the city, and make them unable to do anything on the horse road and only want to survive.

As long as this can be achieved, Jialin City will have already taken half of it.

"Boom bang bang-"

For the entire night, the Shandan army's stone throwing showed no sign of stopping for even an hour, and they fired more than a dozen rounds almost every hour.

In order to make up for the consumption, the civilians began to collect slingstones early in the morning, and Liu Jilian also sent a mixture of light cavalry and elite cavalry far away, leaving only the elite cavalry from Shanzhou on guard.

"Damn it! We've been fighting all night and the city wall hasn't collapsed yet!"

Zhang Chang got up and came to the front of the battle line, cursing, but at this time Jialin City still deserves the word "strong city".

Although the walls of the city have begun to fall off, the rammed earth layer of Jialin City is thick enough and no gaps have been exposed.

However, if this continues, no matter how much the people in Jialin City reinforce the city walls, it is only a matter of time before the city walls collapse.

Mang Longhua could naturally see this situation, so after hearing the report from Jie'er in the front, he immediately sent more than a hundred elite cavalry to break out from the east gate and send a request for help to Guzang.

Zhang Huaishen's posture was to surround three sides and leave one side open, in order to let Mang Longhua send out the message and change the offensive into a siege and attack on the reinforcements.

At the same time, Changsong also received the first batch of scout news sent by Guzang.

"Liu Jilong, the pig-dog, is here with the intention of destroying us!"

Inside the Changsong government office, everyone stood up and slammed the table. The Guzang scout who came to deliver the message also saluted and said, "Please ask Dongben to lead the troops to Guzang and join Qiliben!"

"Okay, I'll..." Xilunqin was about to agree, but seeing that the situation was not good, Zheduosibie stood up and interrupted him:

"We understand, you step back first!"

"Yes..." The scout didn't dare to disobey Zhe Duoxibie's instructions and could only get up and leave the main hall.

After he left, Zheduosibie looked at Xilunqin and advised:

"Dongben, the old Dongben is still in Liu Jilong's hands. If we send out troops rashly, let alone what will happen to Changsong, let's just say that if Liu Jilong uses the old Dongben to threaten us, how will we deal with it?"

Although Xilunqin was angry at being interrupted by Zheduosibie, he had to admit that what Zheduosibie said made sense.

Seeing that he was silent, Cuo Ben also stood up and saluted, saying: "Dong Ben, what we should do is to protect Changsong, not to go to Guzang to defend the city."

"If Guzang is defended, we will not benefit. If Guzang is not defended, Changsong will not be defended due to lack of troops."

"If I were to say, it would be better to defend Changsong or continue to ask for help from Lanzhou and Huizhou."

Cuo Ben exposed his shortsightedness, and although Xilunqin was young, Xiduoyu had hired him as a teacher, so he knew one thing very well. "The Han people have a good saying, which is that the lips and teeth are cold..."

Xilunqin said: "What this means is that if there are no lips, the teeth will be exposed and be attacked by the cold wind."

"We have this kind of relationship with Shang Moling, so we can't just stand by and watch him die, but..."

Xi Lunqin showed hesitation on his face, and stammered: "But my father is in Liu Jilong's hands. If Liu Jilong really uses my father to threaten me as Zhe Duo Xibie said, what should I do?"

Xiduoyu is in Liu Jilong's hands, which makes the whole Changsong cautious.

If Xiduo Yu was killed or died in battle, they would naturally defend to the death to seek revenge, but Xiduo Yu did not die in battle and was captured by Liu Jilian.

For more than half a year, there was no news from the west that Xiduo Yu was executed by Liu Jilian, which made Xilunqin not know how to deal with it.

Looking at his hesitation, Zheduoshibie sighed.

If Silent Qin showed decisiveness, he would be a heroic leader regardless of whether he chose to abandon Sitayu or save Sitayu.

However, his performance was indecisive and hesitant, which made Zheduosibie see Changsong's future.

In the future, even if Changsong was not annexed by Liu Jilian, it was annexed by Shang Moling and Qiliben from other states.

With Xilunqin's methods, he could not control the entire Changsong at all. Even with his own help, it was bound to be annexed.

"But let's wait and see for now." This was the only solution that Zheduosibie could come up with.

But facing this solution, Xilunqin hesitated and said, "What should we do if Shang Moling questions us later?"

Zhe Duoxi was helpless. With the current situation in Liangzhou, not to mention whether Shang Moling would have a future, even if Shang Moling could hold on, he would probably suffer heavy casualties.

"There are plenty of excuses. We can just say that there are traces of the Umutu tribe in the northeast, and we must be on guard against the Umutu."

Zheduoxibie thought of an excuse for Xilunqin, and Xilunqin nodded quickly after hearing it: "Okay! Tell him this."

"Then I'll tell the light cavalry outside!" Cuoben stood up and saluted, and after getting Xilunqin's approval, he hurried out of the yamen.

Soon, Cuoben returned to the government office, and when Xilunqin saw him coming in, he had no choice but to tell him and Zheduo to say goodbye: "You guys guard the city well, I'm going back to my study to study first!"

"Yes..." The two replied in unison, but they both sighed in their hearts.

With the war approaching, Xilunqin actually still had the mind to study.

It would have been fine if he had read military books, but what he read were some poems, which were of no help in defending the city.

Thinking of this, the two of them looked at each other and walked out after Xi Lunqin left.

After arriving at the street, Cuo Ben, who originally supported Xilunqin, took the initiative to communicate with Zheduo Xibie: "Dong Ben does not have the ability of the old Dong Ben. If Liu Jilong attacks, Changsong may find it difficult to defend."

Upon hearing this, although Zheduosibie also agreed with it, he still shook his head and said, "Let's wait until he conquers Guzang first."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left the yamen gate. Cuoben thought of Liu Jilian's action of releasing them. After hesitating for a long time, he finally caught up with Zheduosibie.

"If Liu Jilong uses Lao Dongben to threaten Kaesong to surrender, what should we do?"

Zhe Duoxi was stopped by his question and asked with an unpleasant expression: "What do you think?"

"I think..." Cuo Ben hesitated for a moment, and after calming down, he said, "Dong Ben has a strong personality, but he doesn't know how to lead troops in battle."

“If Liu Jilong attacks and uses Lao Dongben as a threat, I’m afraid many people in the army will be shaken.”

“I’m not afraid of death, but I’m worried that not only will I fail to defend the city, but I’ll also endanger the lives of old Dong Ben and Dong Ben.”

Cuoben has already expressed it very clearly. If Liu Jilian really breaks through Guzang and takes Xiduo Yu hostage to Changsong, he will probably choose to surrender.

Zheduosibie was not angry about this, because he thought the same way in his heart.

Although Changsong is strong, it is not as strong as Guzang, not to mention that Liu Jilian still has Xiduoyu in his hands.

If Changsong fought to the death, even if he could hold on, he would have to pay a huge price.

In this case, it would be better to negotiate terms with Liu Jilong, sell Changsong for a good price, and preserve everyone's wealth.

After thinking about it, Zheduosibie slowly said, "Let's see the situation first. If Guzang is really breached, it won't be too late to discuss it then."

"Good!" Cuoben's face was overjoyed. He could tell that Zheduosibie also wanted to surrender.

If the two of them joined forces, they wouldn't have to worry about not being able to sell the product at a good price, and at least their own wealth would be preserved.

He then started to inspect the city defenses with Zheduosibie, while Xilunqin, who was reading in the study, did not know that he was losing control of Changsong.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye it was night. Shang Moling, who was in Guzang, also received news of Jialin after nightfall.

"Is Mang Longhua a loser? He can't hold on for just two days!"

Inside the Guzang government office, Shang Moling cursed the second batch of light cavalry sent by Mang Longhua, and the light cavalry could only lower their heads and be scolded.

At this time, Zhe Buluo was still able to analyze calmly: "According to what you said, Liu Jilong's army has more powerful catapults?"

"To the Protector General, it is like this!" The Qingqi lowered his head and replied:

"Their trebuchets can throw stones weighing 70 to 80 kilograms. After only one day and one night of attack by 50 trebuchets, the walls of Jialin City have already begun to collapse."

"Dong Ben said that Jialin can hold out for two days at most. If no reinforcements are seen after two days, he will surrender the city to Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilong..."

"You pig! He still has the nerve to surrender!"

Shang Moling interrupted the Qingqi and stood up angrily, "I sent him a thousand armored soldiers, not to ask him to surrender!"

"If he dares to surrender, I will chop off his head!"

His words made the Qingqi tremble, and Zhebuluo quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Qiliben, calm down."

"It seems that we have no choice but to send troops. At least we have to help Mang Longhua withdraw to Guzang."

"If Mang Longhua surrenders, Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilong will have two thousand more armored soldiers, and the situation we face will be even more unfavorable."

"Humph!" Shang Moling snorted coldly: "They have nearly 20,000 people, but I only have 3,000. How can I fight them?"

"No, not all 20,000 soldiers are armored soldiers." Zhe Bu Luo comforted Shang Mo Ling and looked at the light cavalry: "Don't you think so?"

"This...we don't know either." Qingqi's words made Zhe Buluo kick him angrily: "How can we not know?!"

"Protector General, calm down!" The Qingqi knelt down and explained: "They sent more than 2,000 elite cavalry to patrol the other three city gates, and there are only 1,000 armored soldiers in the formation to operate the catapults."

"Behind these 1,000 armored soldiers, more and more gather every day. There are too many of them and they are too far away for us to see clearly..."

The light cavalry's explanation made Shang Moling more resolute in his thoughts. He originally thought that Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilian could not mobilize many people to march east, but now it seems that the military strength of these two people far exceeds what he can handle.

"Go back and tell Mang Longhua to lead his troops to break out. If he wants to surrender, I will never let him go!"

Shang Moling continued to threaten the Qingqi, and even though Zhe Buluo kept winking at him, he pretended not to see it.

"get out!"

"Yes……"

Driven away by Shang Moling, the Qingqi had no choice but to leave the yamen and return to Jialin City at night with the Qingqi.

After he left, Zhe Bu Luo said anxiously: "We should appease Mang Longhua now. What if he really surrenders if you threaten him like this?!"

"Humph!" Shang Moling said unconcernedly, "His father was killed by Liu Jilong. I don't believe he would surrender to the enemy who killed his father!"

"You...this...ah!" Zhe Bu Luo couldn't think of anything to convince Shang Moling. After all, the saying that the hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable is also commonly used among the barbarians.

Liu Jilong killed General Mang Luo and now surrounded Jialin City. If Mang Longhua was a man of blood, he would not surrender to Liu Jilong.

In Shang Moling's view, those words of surrender he uttered were nothing more than words to increase his bargaining chips.

"I'm going to rest. If Changsong has anyone coming, you can make your own arrangements!"

Shang Moling gave some instructions and turned to walk towards the inner hall. Zhe Buluo and the other generals agreed to it, but after Shang Moling left, they all gathered together.

"Protector General, if Jialin is lost, Guzang will be next. What should we do?"

"That's right, Protector General, Jialin can't be lost!"

"Protector General..."

For a moment, there were noises all around, which gave Zhe Bu Luo a splitting headache.

"alright!!"

He yelled, then suppressed his temper and said, "Let's see how long Manglonghua can hold out. If Jialin is really breached, Qiliben and I will naturally discuss it."

After saying that, he pushed everyone away and walked out of the yamen angrily.

When the generals saw this, their worries increased instead of diminishing, and they left the yamen with their own thoughts.

(End of this chapter)