Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 61 The troops are approaching the city
After confirming Qi Shaoshang's condition, Cha Nan made several more trips to transport the five-headed elephant pot along with several thousand kilograms of wheat to the Liu family's stronghold in Xiangyang City.

That day, the city of Xiangyang was filled with the rare aroma of noodles. Mixed grain steamed buns, made with wild vegetables and some coarse grains, and handmade belt noodles appeared at various large pot meals, allowing the people of the city, who had been hungry for a long time, to have a good meal.

Many people, who had previously tightened their belts, loosened their belts. After eating their fill, they stared blankly into the distance, as if they felt that dying like this wouldn't be so bad.

On that very day, many people witnessed grain carts entering Liu's residence. It seemed that the warehouse, which had been so empty that even mice wouldn't run away, was now finally filled with grain.

The Mongol spies who had infiltrated the city, however, showed disdain.

They didn't even bother to send the message back, because the walls of Xiangyang were tightly locked, and no grain could be transported in.

The so-called Liu Mansion granary is just a deliberate attempt to create a false impression.

Such tactics were undoubtedly akin to "quenching thirst with plums" for the defending troops in Xiangyang. They emptied the city's granaries, allowing the entire city to have a full meal before bravely facing death. This was the consensus among many so-called insightful people.

The Mongol army, which had already completed its formation outside Xiangyang, did not rush to attack after receiving news from inside the city. Instead, they set up fires and cooked, adding dried meat brought from the Mongolian grasslands to boiling broth along with various grains. The enticing aroma of meat was then deliberately blown into Xiangyang, where the fragrance of meat mingled with the aroma of noodles, creating a unique kind of confrontation.

The next day, even more varieties of noodles were made in Xiangyang City, including steamed, fried, pan-fried, and grilled noodles... almost everything was available, as if there was no tomorrow if today was not made.

Although flour made from wheat that hasn't been fully dried will be sticky, affecting its texture and elasticity, being able to eat one's fill is more important than anything else, and at this point, no one will care about such a difference in texture.

Everyone continued to eat to their heart's content, and those who had been weak from prolonged hunger gradually regained their energy after two days of hearty meals.

The Mongol army outside the city was still in no hurry to attack. In some areas, they even lit large bonfires, roasted whole cows and sheep, and gathered together to sing and dance.

In the art of war, winning hearts and minds is the best strategy, while attacking cities is the worst. Psychological warfare is superior to physical warfare. The Mongol army swept across the world, and its leaders naturally understood military strategy; they couldn't have relied solely on their archery and horsemanship.

Xiangyang is located at the crossroads of a basin, where all four roads—east, west, north, and south—must pass through; otherwise, one cannot get around them. At the same time, the location of Xiangyang City also determines that it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Given that the Mongol army had equally sufficient food and supplies, choosing to launch a direct attack would have been the most foolish thing to do.

In this way, the two sides competed to make various delicacies and to stockpile food, which lasted for nearly ten days.

The Mongol forces, who had initially thought that Xiangyang was merely a spent force, were now completely unable to remain passive.

Their large number of soldiers and generals is an advantage, but if they just sit there and do nothing, it will definitely be more difficult for them to wear each other down.

Putting aside other things, the sheer number of warhorses alone consumes astronomical amounts of fodder every day. Moreover, the warhorses also defecate after eating, and with the army occupying one place for a long time without moving, the military camp quickly becomes stinking.

Currently, there is still internal debate within the Song state regarding whether to go all out to support Xiangyang. Once the Song state is determined to defend Xiangyang to the death and arranges a large number of soldiers and supplies to support it, the Mongol army will suffer more casualties and be delayed for a longer period of time if it wants to take Xiangyang.

The side advocating for a strong offensive repeatedly entered the Khan's camp to request orders.

"Grand Preceptor! I asked you to send men into Xiangyang to find out where their grain and fodder are stored. Have you found out?" Tachar, the commander of the Eastern Route Army, asked the Mongol Grand Preceptor, Golden Wheel Dharma King, who was standing in front of him.

The Golden Wheel Monk, clad in a yellow robe, was extremely tall and thin, his body resembling a bamboo pole. His forehead was slightly sunken, like a saucer, a typical example of martial arts training leading to an unusual and extraordinary physique. Facing Tachar's questioning, the Golden Wheel Monk calmly replied, "General! Scouts report that the grain in Xiangyang City is being transported in and out of the Liu residence; there is no other place."

Tachar was clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but after much deliberation, he said, "Today we will launch our first feint attack. You should quickly arrange for men to take advantage of the chaos to burn down Liu's mansion in the city, and at the same time, set fire to various ignition points."

"Even if we can't take Xiangyang in one fell swoop, we must still throw their army into chaos and make them unable to take care of themselves!"

The Golden Wheel Dharma King nodded, clasped his hands together, and said nothing more.

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Just past noon, the drums sounded three times.

The Mongol army finally launched its attack again. The captured slave soldiers, used as suicide squads and expendable resources, charged to the front line, followed by a large number of Mongol soldiers pushing siege equipment such as ladders and siege engines, and began to advance towards the city walls.

The defenders on the city wall immediately unleashed a volley of arrows, and then, as the army drew closer, they began to use various tools to throw stones.

Large and small stones flew out and crashed into the densely packed, ant-like swarm of invaders. Some of the invaders fell to the ground, while more of them charged fiercely, determined to swallow up the formidable pass before them, even if it meant stepping on the corpses of their comrades.

One generation after another died, and yet another surged forward, shield in hand.

Finally, ladders and siege engines were deployed to the city walls.

Boiling oil was poured down the siege ladders and siege engines, not only scalding the soldiers who had climbed up and causing them to fall from the sky, but also making these siege machines sticky with grease, making them difficult to climb. With a fire, the siege ladders and siege engines clung to the city wall, turning into balls of fire or fire snakes.

Soon, pillars of gray smoke rose from the walls of Xiangyang, and broken ladders were embedded in the silt of the moat, trampled by iron hooves.

The situation in the war was by no means one-sided; the Mongol side's massive catapults had already begun hurling stones stained with kerosene at the city walls.

These ignited stones pounded against the city wall like primitive cannonballs, tearing parts of the wall apart and crushing soldiers hiding behind it.

The wooden beams of the collapsed Eight Bulls Crossbow Platform were stuck into the parapet, and the iron winch was broken into sharp crescent shapes. Looking through the cracks, the catapult position fifty paces away was still steaming with lingering gunpowder smoke, and the smell of kerosene and rotting corpses stung the nose.

However, this was merely a probing attack, intended to create chaos and provide cover for some of the inside agents who had already infiltrated Xiangyang City.

After all, during the siege, most of Xiangyang's defenses were on the city walls, leaving the city's interior defenses vulnerable.

Outside the Liu residence, a group of people dressed as beggars, carrying various weapons, began to fight against the guards at the gate.

Cha Nan was originally in a room cultivating his internal energy while holding a piece of Paru ore. Guo Fu was sitting back to back with him, providing him with the assistance of her partner skills. At this moment, upon hearing the shouts of battle coming from outside the door, she waved her hand and summoned the Blazing Bull and the Gale Falcon.

The swift falcon flew outside and hovered high in the sky, scouting the situation outside.

(End of this chapter)