Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 259 Black Bone City

"Go! Everyone, go!"

"Go and hold off that monster!"

Yeon Gaesomun, looking like a mad tiger, brandished his treasured sword, forcing the soldiers around him to turn around and block the super mining truck.

The surrounding Goguryeo cavalrymen all pretended not to hear and galloped away with their heads covered.

It's one thing to flatter and fawn over him on ordinary days, but it's another to stand up to the king and do the same.

At this critical moment of life and death, who would be willing to die for him?

"You deserve to die!"

Yeon Gaesomun was furious, wishing he could immediately kill these scumbags who dared not die for him.

"Just wait!"

"When I get back, I'll kill your whole family!"

"Leave no chickens or dogs behind!"

He habitually issues threats; he has long been accustomed to this style of behavior in Goguryeo.

But they forgot that the current environment is different.

In the face of life and death, a ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of those around him.

He suddenly swung his sword and slashed at Yeon Gaesomun.

Yeon Gaesomun, who had practiced martial arts for many years, successfully dodged the attack, but his horse was not so lucky. It was stabbed hard in the rump and bled profusely.

The warhorse, in pain, staggered and slowed down, eventually rolling and crashing to the ground.

Anyone who has ever fallen from a horse knows that it is extremely painful to fall off the back of a horse running at high speed.

Yeon Gaesomun, who had fallen to the ground, fainted from the pain.

He was jolted awake by the ground shaking and the deafening roar.

The moment I opened my eyes, all I saw was a sea of ​​red and black that almost completely blocked out my view.

The giant tire, carrying the pungent smell of blood, rolled in, covering the entire field of vision under Yeon Gaesomun's wide-open eyes.

The bumpy forest road brought back that familiar feeling.

Driving freely without having to follow traffic rules is indeed a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

"I'm just a driver."

"It's just driving."

"I didn't do anything, I just drove around a few times."

After the battle, faced with the compliments and bows from the crowd, Lin Dao humbly waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing, nothing at all~"

In the era of cold weapons, when armies clashed, the fear was not of your superior numbers, but of your own troops lacking morale and collapsing and scattering.

Once the collapse begins, it's a death journey of being hunted down and hacked to pieces.

Most of the casualties actually occur during the escape.

Lin Dao was indeed just driving.

But his super mining truck, as imposing as a mountain, rampaged through the enemy lines, shattering the morale of the Goguryeo people.

Faced with this irresistible force, the Goguryeo people collapsed, fled, and were relentlessly pursued until they broke down.

The Goguryeo people's mobile field army suffered a devastating blow.

Next came the phase of the Tang army's sweeping conquest.

Li Ji led his troops north, broke through Gaimou City (Fushun), captured Xincheng, and killed many enemies.

Li Shentong marched south, conquered Jian'an City, occupied Beisha City (Jinzhou), and his army advanced directly towards the Yalu River.

The fortified cities that the Goguryeo people were so proud of, cities that had once withstood a million Sui soldiers, hardly lasted until the second day.

The Tang army's heartless cannons launched explosive charges to bombard the city walls.

Those supposedly sturdy city walls are as fragile as paper in the face of modern mining explosives.

Li Erfeng witnessed all of this firsthand, and her heart raced with envy.

He led the central army straight to the capital of Goguryeo. When attacking Baekam Castle on the way, he even personally fired a heartless cannon shot.

The black powder inside the gasoline drum burned and expanded, pushing the baffle against the explosive charge, sending it flying over the city wall and landing inside the city, creating a towering cloud of smoke and flames.

"it is good!"

"Great!"

"Thunder from the sky is coming!"

Li Erfeng trembled with excitement: "With this divine object, there will be no more impregnable cities in the world."

He instructed Du Ruhui, who was accompanying the army, to "send orders to all prefectures and counties that the expenditure on the repair of the city walls can be reduced."

Lin Dao earnestly explained, "If you really want to destroy the city wall, the best way is to pile up a dozen or more explosive charges under the wall."

"Firing the 'heartless cannon' is more suitable for field battles."

"No matter how tight the enemy's formation is, if dozens of explosive charges fly over and explode, they will break their formation."

"Moreover, not all cities can be captured once their walls are blown up. For some cities, it doesn't matter even if the walls are lost."

"Does such a city really exist in this world?" Li Erfeng frowned.

“You’ll see it soon,” Lin Dao replied earnestly. “Just keep going forward and you’ll reach Wugu City. You’ll see when you get there.”

Wugu City is a fortified city built in the valley between Phoenix Mountain and Goryeo Mountain.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the city walls, built with the help of the mountains, could be breached even if they were blown up.

The mountain is so steep that ordinary people can't even climb it, let alone attack a city.

Historically, this city remained unconquered for decades despite repeated campaigns by the Sui Dynasty and Li Erfeng.

They were firmly blocked on the supply route to the capital of Goguryeo.

If we cannot conquer this place, we cannot proceed to the capital with peace of mind, and our supply lines will be attacked at any time.

"This city."

Looking out at the city of Wugu, built around the mountains, Li Erfeng felt a chill run down her spine; it was "too eerie."

The walls of Wugu City were built on the mountain ridge, more than two zhang high and one zhang thick.

The thickness and height are not important here; what matters is the steepness of the ridge. Even if elite troops are selected and manage to climb up with great difficulty and conquer a section of the wall, it will be difficult to send reinforcements afterward.

They will also face a fierce counterattack from the enemy through the city walls.

He exhaled and said, "Brother Zihou is right. Even if we blow up the city walls, it will be useless."

"It seems the only option is to attack the city gate."

"The main gate of this Black Bone City is built on a gentle slope," Lin Dao said slowly. "It is extremely sturdy due to its high vantage point."

"Other city gates were built deep in the valleys, using hidden paths to connect with the outside world and allow people and goods to enter and exit."

"It's better not to waste time looking for a trail deep in the mountains and forests."

Du Ruhui, who was standing nearby, suggested, "How about besieging the city?" "Besieging the city is certainly possible," Lin Dao said bluntly, "The problem is that we can't kill it."

“The city has mountain springs, cultivated fields for growing grain, and hidden paths connecting it to the outside world.”

"And how long can the siege last?"

"In the freezing cold, the people in the city haven't starved to death yet, but those besieging the city will freeze to death."

"What you say is absolutely right, Daoist Master." Du Ruhui nodded and bowed repeatedly.

"Without the Taoist priest's help, this city alone would have been enough to stop the army from advancing."

Smart people always have a pleasant way of speaking.

Having slightly adjusted her mindset, Li Erfeng also joined in the boasting, "Brother Zihou is an immortal descended to earth; what is a mere Wugu City compared to that?"

"With the help of Brother Zihou, this is a divine intervention for Goguryeo, a destiny ordained by Heaven."

Even the proud and arrogant Li Erfeng had no choice.

The strength Lin Dao displayed left him helpless.

There was absolutely no way to deal with it; all we could do was offer our support.

Fortunately, there are benefits to supporting it, so it's not a loss.

Moreover, by elevating him to the status of a celestial being descended to earth, his imperial prestige remains untarnished.

Just like the rumors circulating in Chang'an, the emperor was already among the immortals, so it was only natural for him to be on friendly terms with the immortals who had descended to earth.

This rumor was spread by someone arranged by Li Erfeng herself.

He pointed to the city gate at the entrance of the valley and said, "If you want to break into the city, you have to go this way."

"Organize a suicide squad to dig pits near the city wall and bury explosive charges."

The main gate of Wugu City is built on a slope at the entrance of a narrow valley.

If you use a ruthless cannon, the explosive packs that land on the city wall will slide down.

Su Dingfang signed up again to join the suicide squad.

They wore thick military overcoats underneath and sturdy iron armor on top.

With an iron shield on his head and explosives hanging in front of him, he endured the rain of arrows from the defenders and gritted his teeth as he climbed up the slope.

Due to the angle, Tang Jun could provide very little long-range support.

The truly effective support came from Lin Dao's M700 sniper rifle.

He mounted his sniper rifle on a cart, while he sat on a stool and used the scope to lock onto the Goguryeo defenders on the city wall.

'boom! '

'boom! '

'boom! '

There's no need to worry about enemy counterattacks. With a calm mindset, the shooting accuracy is extremely high, ensuring one kill per shot.

Through the scope, a Goguryeo soldier appeared, holding a gray bottle in both hands.

Lin Dao put the upper body into the ring and pulled the trigger.

The shot went slightly off course and hit the defender in the shoulder.

His arm was broken in an instant.

The gray bottle in his hand fell and smashed on the city wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Two Goguryeo soldiers worked together to lift the rolling stone.

Just as they were about to throw the stone off the city wall, one of them was struck in the chest, and the rolling stone hit the other man's foot, smashing him to pieces.

On each of the watchtowers (enemy platforms) on either side of the city gate, there is a powerful crossbow.

The crossbow was extremely powerful, enough to pierce through the iron armor and shields of the Tang soldiers.

These two powerful crossbows are also Lin Dao's main targets.

As soon as anyone gets close enough to struggle with the string, Lin Dao fires a shot.

The defenders, having been hit hard by sniper fire, became even more aggressive.

They brought in a group of armored soldiers carrying heavy shields to guard the ballistae as they were cocked.

Lin Dao knocks down one person, and someone else immediately steps up to take their place; he's absolutely risking his life.

"You think you can bully me because I'm slow? I have rapid-fire."

Lin Dao put the M700 aside and picked up the MG machine gun at his feet.

He waved to Li Erfeng, who was watching from a distance.

Li Erfeng, who had been eyeing the place for a long time, hurriedly ran over.

"Hold the bullet chain with both hands, like this~~~"

After being instructed, Li Erfeng squatted beside the cart, holding the ammunition belt in both hands, and observed closely how the forest road used these powerful weapons.

'Zzzzz~~~'

There is a tracer round between every four bullets.

The bright tracer rounds illuminated the flight paths of the hail of bullets.

The armored soldiers with giant shields on horseback were knocked down by the bullets, shields and all.

The battlements and parapets were smashed, and the flying rubble would break bones and rupture muscles if it hit you.

After two rounds of firing, there was no one left standing next to the ballista.

Lin Dao turned his gun around and opened fire on all moving targets on the city wall.

No matter how tenacious the defending troops were, they all collapsed under such attacks.

Su Dingfang and others outside the city gate were using the iron pickaxes they carried to vigorously chisel at the frozen ground.

They dug a pit and placed the dozens of explosive charges they had brought into it one by one.

Specially trained engineers, ignoring the hail of bullets whizzing overhead, carefully connected all the wires.

The Tang soldiers quickly backfilled and compacted the soil.

The engineer took out a windproof lighter, lit the fuse, and immediately shouted.

“Run~~~”

Previously fearless and defiant against the advancing suicide squad, he turned and ran like a wild horse, wishing he had two more legs to run.

With a deafening roar, the formidable city gate, which the Goguryeo people boasted was impregnable, was reduced to ruins.

After removing his earplugs, Lin Dao instructed Li Erfeng, who was standing beside him.

"The people in this city are all die-hards."

"Slaughter them."

(End of this chapter)