Tiger Owl

Chapter 173 Tactical Replication
The 30,000-strong army marched all the way to Shuxian. A small river connected Wanxian to Shuxian, and thousands of supply boats traveled along this river to reach Shuxian at the same time as the army.

The Yuzhang Commandery set up a large camp on an open space three miles west of the county seat, close to a small river.

The three armies that set out to conquer Lujiang County and Jiujiang were Taishi Ci's army, Zhao Yun's army, and Xu Sheng's army, with Huang Zhong's army as a reserve force. All of them were capable of leading an army independently.

However, in joint operations, Gan Ning himself or his strategist are usually the commanders-in-chief. This is a characteristic that Gan Ning's army has gradually formed after many battles. Therefore, the commander-in-chief who captured Lujiang County this time was the strategist Xu Shu.

As for Jiujiang Commandery, that would involve negotiations with Cao Cao's army, and Gan Ning would have to personally take on the role of commander-in-chief.

Xu Shu stood in front of the city wall to observe the defenses of Shu County. Although they had already collected a lot of intelligence and knew the city like the back of their hand, Xu Shu still wanted to take a closer look at the city in person.

Surrounded by dozens of generals, Xu Shu walked around the county town. The county town of Shu County was about thirty li in circumference. The city walls were tall and sturdy. Although the moat was not wide, only about three zhang, the drawbridge was very high and thick, pulled by huge iron chains. Moreover, there was no water gate. The loopholes in Wan County did not exist here.

It seems that attacking from the city gate will be difficult. Xu Shu nodded secretly, then turned back and asked Zhao Yun with a smile, "General Zilong, what are your thoughts on attacking the city?"

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and said, "I have carefully examined this city and I feel that it is very similar to Xiling County. I suggest that we continue to use the same tactics as Xiling County."

Xu Shu then asked Taishi Ci, "What is General Taishi's opinion?"

Taishi Ci nodded, "This humble servant agrees with General Zilong's plan. Fire attack is the best method, especially since we have powerful siege weapons, which is worth a try."

Xu Shu nodded, "Both generals have spoken to my heart."

On the city wall, Xu Qian nervously watched the Yuzhang Army below. Their arrival was too sudden, and he was not prepared at all. What made him even more distressed was that no news had come from the camp on the other side of the Wan River. He feared that his brothers were probably already in grave danger.

"General Wang, send a scout to scout twenty miles outside the east gate to see if there are any enemy ambushes."

"Yes, sir!" Deputy General Wang Huai hurried off.

Xu Qian then beckoned the leader of his personal guards forward and whispered, "Arrange the warhorses. If things go wrong, we will retreat from the east city immediately."

The head of the personal guards nodded and hurried away.

Xu Qian is cunning and shrewd. He never puts himself in danger. He is not loyal to any lord; he is only loyal to himself.

The next morning, the war drums sounded in the Yuzhang Army camp, "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The 30,000-strong army quickly formed ranks, banners fluttering, spears like a forest, the army exuding a murderous aura. At the very front were 3,000 vanguard soldiers. Vanguard soldiers were always the most meritorious, with exceptionally generous rewards, ten times that of ordinary siege soldiers, or a hefty reward of thirty acres of arable land. The compensation for those who died in battle was also several times that of ordinary casualties. Participating in the vanguard army once basically guaranteed a worry-free life.

At this time, a hundred siege catapults appeared. These were medium-sized catapults, and their appearance was exactly the same as the tactics used to attack Xiling County. However, the catapults were upgraded, and their accuracy was improved by more than a little.

Each catapult was guarded by twenty soldiers. Ten soldiers walked at the front, forming a shield wall, while the other ten soldiers pushed the catapult forward slowly.

Just as they approached 150 paces away, arrows rained down from the city walls, raining down on the Yuzhang Army outside the city. However, the Yuzhang Army only had 2,000 catapult operators, who were relatively scattered and protected by shields. After one volley of arrows, only a few dozen people were slightly injured, and the impact was minimal. But 100 catapults were already in place.

"Free launch!" the leading general shouted. "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

One after another, fiery incendiary bombs flew towards the city wall. The so-called incendiary bombs were a euphemism for oil canisters. Of course, they were not the original earthenware jars used to hold water. They were specially fired round, thin-skinned earthenware jars with only a small tubular opening through which ten catties of oil were poured into the jar, and then sealed with wax.

When launching, the outer shell is coated with a layer of oil, which is then ignited and launched. Once it lands and breaks, the burning ceramic shards will ignite the overflowing oil, making it very convenient and simple.

Of course, simplicity means ease of imitation, and this type of incendiary bomb will soon be widely used in various military units, which is unavoidable.

Hundreds of incendiary bombs soared into the air and flew towards the city wall. The soldiers on the wall shouted and crouched down. Then, round pottery jars shattered around them, and flames quickly broke out. The city wall was instantly thrown into chaos.

Before long, the city walls were ablaze with fire and thick smoke filled the air. Xu Shu shouted, "Beat the drums! Attack!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The war drums beat fiercely, and three thousand vanguard soldiers carried siege ladders and charged toward the city. Each of them was covered with a soaked military blanket, and their clothes, shoes, and socks were soaked through from the inside out.

A temporary wooden bridge was quickly erected across the moat. The vanguard rushed across the moat and placed siege ladders on the city walls. Soldiers, with swords in their teeth and shields in hand, swarmed upwards.

By this time, five rounds of incendiary bombs had been thrown from the city walls. The flames were raging and the smoke was thick. Even if the defending soldiers did not escape, they would be knocked unconscious by the smoke.

The soldiers climbed to the top of the city wall but found no defenders. They immediately covered their mouths and noses with wet cloths, crouched down, and ran along the moat of the city wall. They quickly rushed out of the inferno. The defenders on the city wall were stunned when they suddenly saw a large number of enemy troops rushing out of the thick smoke.

With a shout, both sides launched into fierce fighting. The vanguard's mission was clear: to seize a section of the city wall unaffected by incendiary bombs, thus creating conditions for the main force to scale the wall.

Led by Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci, the 20,000-strong army charged towards the city wall. A conspicuous red flag had already been raised on the wall, marking the place where they were to scale the wall.

Hundreds of siege ladders were erected on the city walls, and 20,000 soldiers bravely climbed upwards. The defenders on the city walls began to flee, and many people realized that Shucheng County was doomed.

Xu Qian led three hundred personal guards on horseback out of the east gate and galloped eastward. This was actually a way out that Xu Shu had deliberately left for the enemy's commander. As long as the commander escaped, street fighting would not break out.

Twenty thousand troops stormed into the city walls, where soldiers were kneeling and surrendering everywhere. The drawbridge at the west gate had been lowered, and the gate was wide open. The remaining ten thousand troops also stormed into the city through the west gate.

As expected, street fighting did not break out. Xu Qian took the lead and fled. The army in the city was leaderless and had no choice but to surrender. This was their only way to survive.

The war ended in just one hour. Never before had a fortified city been captured so decisively. There were many reasons for this: the defending troops were unprepared and had to fight hastily; the commander was incompetent and fled; and the incendiary bombs used by the Yuzhang army played a crucial role.

With the fall of Shucheng County, it also meant the fall of Lujiang Prefecture.

At the same time, Gan Ning also set off from Chaisang to Lujiang County, and he personally commanded the attack on Jiujiang County.

(End of this chapter)