A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 532 Hellfire

On Bottle-shaped Ridge,

The city gate was closed, the charcoal fire was burning bright red, and the water in the kettle had already boiled.

The night wind suddenly turned fierce.

The wind howled as it swept across the stacks, causing the red flags to flutter wildly.

In the distance from the fortress, a fiery dragon composed of countless torches was encircling the fortress.

Gao Kaidao's side was already under attack from all sides, and more and more troops were arriving from behind. The small fortress was surrounded by that huge fire dragon.

The momentum is terrifying.

Tunbao city wall,

Liu Heita's burly body appeared even taller after he donned the luminous armor, looking like a god descending to earth in the flickering firelight.

He looked at the Yan army besieging the city from all sides, relentlessly firing arrows, and sneered incessantly.

"Bang the drum!"

"Let's beat all those big cowhide drums! The spring breeze blows, the war drums beat! We're all from Hebei, do you think I, Liu Heita, am afraid of Gao Kaidao, a mere salt merchant!"

Liu Heizi was also on the city wall, inspecting it with his hand on his sword, and ordering the soldiers guarding the city to extinguish their torches.

The torches outside were as bright as day, making it easier to fight when the enemy was in the light and we were in the dark.

Boom boom boom!
The war drums exploded like muffled thunder, more explosive and inspiring than the drums of the Yan army outside the city, suppressing their clamor and frenzy.

"Archers, let the enemy get close before you fire!"

These rebels are all carrying torches, so conspicuous, they're all here to die. Shoot them when you see them!"

There was a moat more than two zhang wide and a city wall more than three zhang high.
This fortress is not so easy to attack.

In the night sky, countless arrows flew wildly, but the defending troops had the parapets for cover, giving them a natural advantage.

Under the city,

The Yan generals planned to take advantage of their superior numbers to capture the city in one fell swoop.

They were not entirely unprepared for the moat that was more than two zhang wide and the fortress wall that was more than three zhang high.

"Dig and fill the trenches to make a road!"

"Archers, hold down the city walls!"

"Big shields, gather them together, hold them at the front, and seize the city gate..."

Chaos reigned outside Tunpu under the cover of night.
The generals who led the way were shouting at the top of their lungs, brandishing their swords and spears and ordering their soldiers to attack.

The Tang army on the city wall seemed to be suppressed by their archers.

"quick,"

"Charge! Get up there quickly!"

"Quick, quick, quick."

The Yan army generals who led the Gao Kai Road used the same methods they had employed in looting places like Xin and Dai during this period. They fought in this way when facing powerful manors, landlords' courtyards, or even poorly defended county towns and fortified villages.

Surround them, stir them up, charge!

To catch the enemy off guard.

Although the trenches are wide and deep, simply filling them with soil is a very simple solution.

Liu Heita looked at the densely packed enemy forces in front of the trench.

He laughed out loud.

This distance is just within the range of the archers.

With so many torches on the other side, it was as bright as day. At such close range, they were practically sitting ducks; you could hit a few with your eyes closed.

"Fire arrows!"

"Aim and fire."

"Shoot the hell out!"

A short, sharp clapper sound rang out from the top of Tunpu city wall.

This is the order to fire the arrows.

The archers were already drawing their bows and ready to fire, and upon receiving the order, they released their arrows without hesitation.

The buzzing sound continued.
Arrows flew like locusts.

They suddenly emerged from the darkness atop the city wall.

A downward shot from above
Arrows rained down, densely covering the equally dense enemy ranks in front of the trench.

The squelching sounds continued.
Flesh and blood were pierced.
The Yan soldiers who were hit by arrows screamed in agony.
Someone fell into the deep trench.
Someone fell to the ground.

In the firelight,
Rows of Yan soldiers fell before the trench.

Cries of agony rose from all sides.

"Shield!"

Someone roared.

Only then did the Yan army officers realize that the Tang army on the city wall was not truly being suppressed by their archers.
They only fired their arrows when they were blocked in front of the trench.

The wind is howling.
A person is shouting.
A chaotic battle of attack and defense continued into the night.

The stench of blood in the wind grew stronger.
The corpses in the moat kept piling up.

After countless casualties, the Yan army finally managed to build tunnels using corpses, mud, and firewood, and finally reached the rammed earth fortress walls.
They did not achieve victory immediately.
Instead, they were met with even more terrible harm.

On the city wall,
Liu Heizi waved his hand, and immediately the soldiers brought over many black jars.

Open the seal,

They poured down on the enemy below the city walls.

It was dark, sticky, and had a pungent smell.

That's grease, also known as stone lacquer or grease water. Once ignited, it is insoluble in fire and cannot be extinguished by water, allowing it to burn continuously.

In many places, this kind of rock grease will emerge from the ground. For example, it is common in Yanzhou. People will put this rock grease in earthenware jars and bring it home to use for cooking and heating.

However, it is surprisingly effective in defending cities.

For example, at this moment, the defenders poured the tar stored in jars down the city wall, soaking the Yan soldiers. Before they could even figure out what this sticky stuff was,

Torches were thrown down from above.

The Yan army all gave way.

The torch fell to the ground.

Many of them fell onto the grease on the ground and quickly ignited, setting the ground ablaze. Many of the Yan soldiers who had been covered in grease were also set ablaze.

Screams erupted.
No one expected that thing to be so terrifying. They rolled around on the ground, but they couldn't put out the fire.

The rolling Yan soldiers ignited even more grease.
The Yan army, who had charged through trenches and fired arrows, screamed in agony under the raging flames.

A wall of fire spread out.
Flames shot into the sky,

Like fire from hell.

On the closed city tower,
Two miles apart,
Li Yi could smell the aroma of barbecue.

"You guys burned the meat." Li Xuantong thought that Song Yi and Chen Lingjiao had burned the lamb skewers.

Li Yi sat there, but from the screams carried on the wind, he knew that it must be the acrid smell of burning oil from the Yan army.

Another pot of water boiled on the small charcoal stove in front of him.

Ma Zhou threw the ground tea powder into the pot, added salt and pepper, and continued to boil, releasing the aroma of tea.

the other side,
Song Yi and his family retainers were grilling fresh mutton skewers until they sizzled and dripped with oil.
"Prefect Li, our kebabs are grilled perfectly, not burnt."

Wang Xingmin also noticed the problem and exclaimed in surprise, "Master, what kind of burning material is Liu Heita using? How come the fire is burning so fiercely?"

“It’s a black oil that flows from underground; once it’s burned, even water can’t extinguish it,” Li Yi said.

Upon hearing this, a general exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be hellfire?"

Li Yi was speechless.

The tea was boiled, and Ma Zhou poured tea for everyone. Li Yi suddenly felt a little nauseous, and it seemed that he wouldn't be able to eat the barbecue tonight.

I gently blew on the tea, took a small sip, and suppressed the nausea.

Wang Xingmin exclaimed, "Liu Heita's fire is truly exhilarating, but Gao Kaidao must be heartbroken."

"The barbecue is ready," Song Yi said, bringing over a skewer of freshly grilled lamb. It was made from freshly slaughtered lamb leg meat, with some lamb tail fat added for grilling, and sprinkled with cumin powder and other seasonings.

Li Xuantong grabbed a skewer and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing the whole thing in one bite. His mouth was full of oil as he chewed, and he mumbled a praise: "It's not burnt at all, it's just right, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil, and the seasoning is just right too."

"Sikong, you should have a few skewers too. It's the middle of the night, and we're sitting on the city wall in the cold wind, watching the rebels attack. We're getting hungry."

Li Yi had no appetite.

He slowly sipped his tea.

The gaze was turned to the battlefield of Tunbao, two miles away.

Gao Kaidao's counterattack,

In the end, they still crashed into this carefully prepared trap and suffered heavy losses.

His behavior was reckless and impulsive.

The small Tunpu,
Yet it was an impregnable fortress that even 20,000 Yan soldiers could not shake.

After looking for so long, I haven't seen any Turks.

The Tang generals watching the battle from the city walls were in high spirits, their appetites were whetted, and they were praising the grilled meat skewers. Song Yi and Li Yi's soldiers couldn't keep up with the demand.

Tunbaoxia
The rock-paper fire wall eventually burned out slowly.

Gao Kaidao arrived at the front of the formation.
His face was ashen, and his eyes were bloodshot.

That small fortress blocked his path; he thought he could break through it easily, but it turned out to be so fierce.

"Take this fortress, march back to Weizhou, and rescue our parents, wife, and children!"

"The first person to reach the top of the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and promoted three ranks!"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with ferocity, "Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!"

His henchmen immediately transformed into a supervisory team.

Dozens of makeshift shield carts, hastily constructed from horse-drawn carriages and shields, were pushed forward by the soldiers, forming a mobile fortress that moved slowly ahead.

Meanwhile, the horse-drawn carriages, fitted with felled tree trunks and converted into battering rams, were pushed forward under the cover of the shield carts.

Many sections of the trench have been filled in.

They intend to attack the barbican and seize the city gate.

A makeshift ladder was also brought over.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

The generous reward and the archers' swords temporarily suppressed their fear, and they launched another fierce attack.

Countless Yan archers also desperately fired arrows at the city walls.

Moreover, this time there were also many rockets mixed in.

Liu Heita held a large shield above his head, blocking several arrows.

Seeing that the rebels had not retreated and had launched another attack, he merely sneered.

They won't give up until they see the Yellow River; they won't turn back until they hit a brick wall.
Since that's the case, then I'll see you off.

"Balloons, keep an eye on these siege weapons, don't let them get close!"

These siege weapons were rudimentary.
But Tunpu is not very tall, and if they get close, it will still pose a great threat.

The barbican gate tower and the corner towers on both sides of Tunpu
Suddenly, a loud, vibrating sound came from the bowstring; the winch crossbow had fired.

The massive crossbow shafts, as thick as a child's arm, shot out like spears and lances, tearing through the night sky with a sharp, piercing whistle.

They fired fiercely at the slowly moving shield vehicles and battering rams.
There was also a long ladder being carried by many soldiers.

A massive crossbow bolt struck a shield-cart; the large shield, hastily placed on top of the carriage, shattered and exploded upon impact with the crossbow bolt, which was as thick as a child's arm.

One after another, the ballistae were continuously loaded and fired.
The Yan army could only watch as these hastily assembled siege weapons were destroyed one after another in round after round of firing.

Those Yan soldiers pushing their shield carts and battering rams forward,

Some unlucky ones were hit by the giant crossbow and died instantly; some even had a single crossbow bolt pierce through two or three people, stringing them together like blood gourds.

You have your clever plans, and I have my countermeasures.

When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it.
The Yan army's siege never ceased, yet they were unable to capture this small castle.
They couldn't even get onto the city walls.

There is a severe shortage of siege equipment.

The number and ferocity of the defending troops far exceeded their expectations.

The petroleum ash has burned out.
They started pouring the boiling hot broth down from the city wall again.

There's also hot oil and boiling water.

The corpses of the Yan soldiers piled up beneath the city wall, making the wall several feet shorter.

(End of this chapter)