Fenghou

Chapter 136 Slaughterhouse

The entire hillside was engulfed in flames, and a large number of logs and branches were also burned. Thick smoke billowed and flames raged. Zheng Ping stared blankly at the fireworks on the hillside. He suddenly slapped his thigh, "I understand now!"

"Fatty Zheng, what do you understand?" Yang Yuanqing asked with a smile beside him.

Several generals nearby all looked towards Zheng Ping.

Zheng Ping said with a mysterious smile: "When cutting trees, didn't I say that our slope is not steep enough, and the rolling logs are of little use?"

Liu Cui laughed and said: "To be honest, the effect of the rolling log is not as great as that of Wang Jianpo, and I haven't seen many people killed by it."

"The leader is not used as a log at all!"

Zheng Ping pointed to the raging fire on the slope and said with a smile: "These logs will burn for at least half a day, unlike kerosene, which will be extinguished in a short time. Fighting for half a day, burning for half a day, and continuing to burn at night, will it drag on day by day?"

Only then did everyone suddenly realize that setting fire to block the way was really clever.

"Is Yuan Qing here?" Chen Qing came galloping on horseback.

"The humble job is here!" Yang Yuanqing quickly stood up.

"Be careful on duty tonight, the other party seems to be testing a trebuchet!"

Yang Zaixing was startled, "Did Jin Bing build a trebuchet so quickly?"

Chen Qing nodded, "If you don't pursue stability and precision, a simple trebuchet is easy to manufacture, and we have experienced it ourselves."

"But what do they want the trebuchet for?" Zheng Ping asked puzzled.

Chen Qing smiled lightly, "If the road on the ramp is blocked, Jin Bing will definitely find another road!"

Chen Qing glanced at the surrounding board walls, and then said to everyone: "There is likely to be a fierce battle tonight, everyone hurry up and rest!"

Chen Qing turned his horse's head and headed towards the warehouse. Yang Zaixing thought about it, got on his horse and chased after him.

"Leader, go slowly!" Yang Zaixing shouted from behind.

Chen Qing reined in his horse and asked with a smile, "What's the matter?"

"Because I just remembered something, I want to talk to the commander."

"you say!"

"When Beizhi burned down the enemy's camp, he found that a large tent was filled with a kind of ladder. Unlike other siege ladders, it was very rough. It was made directly from two pine tree trunks. There were probably hundreds of them. Many, although it was burned by the fire in the end, but Beizhi felt that if the Jurchens recreated this simple ladder, it should be very easy."

Chen Qing nodded, "You are right. If the Jin soldiers want to attack from both sides, ladders are absolutely necessary. Since the trebuchet is already being tested, the ladders should be almost ready."

"Actually, I want to discuss with the commander, how to deal with this simple ladder?"

Chen Qing said with a smile: "I think you already have an idea, why not talk about it."

"Actually, I have been thinking about this problem for the past two days. I heard from General Zheng that you used an ax to cut off the front rungs. In fact, this is a good way."

Chen Qing shook his head and said, "I can bet you that the first few rungs of the ladder Jin Bing made this time must be made of iron. They have learned a profound lesson and will not make such low-level mistakes again."

"What about using fire?"

Chen Qing still shook his head, "We have also learned a profound lesson. When the fire burns the ladder, at least two hundred people can climb up the golden soldiers. It is actually unrealistic to burn the ladder with fire."

"Bizhi said that using fire does not refer to burning ladders, but to burn enemy troops. At that time, Beizhi used a kind of leather bag. Squeezing the leather bag, the fire oil can be sprayed out. Using this kind of leather bag to spray fire oil has great effect. It will be nice."

"I understand your idea!"

Chen Qing sighed and said, "There are only [-] bags of this kind of kerosene in bags. You took away [-] bags, and now you don't even have [-] bags. There are about [-] bags left."

"Use an iron fork, or an iron hook!"

Zheng Ping jumped out from the side, and said with a smile: "How can such a bad idea save me, fat brother? The simplest way is to use an iron fork to prop it up, or sprinkle some water on the edge of the cliff to make it freeze and smooth. One point, when the time comes, put a rope around the ladder, pull it sideways, and go down with a squeak, it must be very cool.”

Yang Zaixing's eyes lit up, "General Zheng is right. The simplest method is actually the best. You can let the soldiers work in groups of five to deal with a ladder."

Chen Qing was also interested, and smiled happily: "Go and call Liu Cui, Lao Yang, and Wang Duo, and Hu Yanyun, let's discuss together, and then mobilize the soldiers to find a way, three cobblers can beat one!" Zhuge Liang, besides, there are so many people here that we have to go."

At two o'clock, a thunderous sound woke Chen Qing from his sleep. He didn't sleep all night last night and was really exhausted.

Although his body was still sleepy, Chen Qing sat up instinctively and asked loudly, "What's the sound outside?"

After a while, a soldier reported, "Commander Qi, Vice-General Yang said that the enemy army has started attacking the wall with trebuchets."

Chen Qing's drowsiness disappeared immediately, and he got up immediately. He was wearing iron armor, but he just put on the iron pocket, took the weapon, and walked out the door quickly.

Chen Qing got on his horse. He was now behind the big camp, and he could see the fire still burning in the direction of the slope in the distance, and the black smoke was billowing. They had cut down enough trees, and it would be no problem to burn them for several days and nights. Come, you can only play ideas on both sides.

"Boom!" There was another muffled sound, and a big hole appeared on the east panel wall.

Chen Qing urged the horse and ran over.

Their slab walls were built by special engineering soldiers of the Western Army. They were made of mud and wood. The east and west sides were relatively thin, so soldiers could not go up to the city. A bed crossbow can be placed.

Of course, this kind of mud wall cannot be compared with the city wall. It is easy to be penetrated by a trebuchet, and it will even collapse under a heavy rain.

Thousands of torches were lit under the cliff on the east side, illuminating the surroundings like daylight. The east side is relatively open, and the battlefield can be set up, while the west side is densely forested, and even the trebuchets cannot enter. Naturally, Jinbing would not consider it. west.

Under the plank wall stood more than a thousand soldiers of the Song Army on night duty, holding spears and crossbows, very vigilant.

The observation tower with the huge wooden wheel has moved to the east. Chen Qing stepped up to the observation tower quickly, and Yang Yuanqing greeted him and said: "The situation is not good, the plank wall is almost unable to support it."

Chen Qing stepped forward and looked out of the camp. He saw thirty or forty large trebuchets lined up dozens of steps away. They were very crudely made, and several of them were damaged before they were launched and fell to the ground.

At this time, more than [-] trebuchets were fired at the same time, smashing dozens of large stones on the high wall, making a series of dull sounds, like thunder rolling over the clouds.

It turned out that what I heard was not a heavy blow, but the chorus of dozens of blows.

"Boom!"

A section of the plank wall finally gave up and collapsed.

The soldiers standing below retreated one after another. The collapsed slab wall was about [-] feet wide, and it collapsed as a whole rather than broken, and the base below was also crushed.

Chen Qing's eyes narrowed, and he found that there were dense figures of people in the dark behind the thousands of torches.

"Not good! The enemy is about to attack!"

Chen Qing immediately ordered, "Sound the alarm!"

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The harsh bells rang in the camp, and thousands of soldiers woke up from their sleep. They all slept with their armor on and their weapons beside them. As soon as the alarm bell sounded, the soldiers turned over and jumped up. Run to the big tent.

Thousands of troops were gathering quickly, and the golden soldiers below also changed. Thousands of Jurchen soldiers rushed towards the collapsed place carrying more than a dozen ladders. The trebuchets were still smashing the wall, but the war had already begun.

Chen Qing was extremely calm. At this critical juncture, he issued three orders:

First, the fire on the other side of the slope could not be stopped. Wang Duo was required to closely monitor the situation below the slope, and the five hundred soldiers with the God Arm Crossbow could not evacuate.

Second, dismantle all the big tents immediately to protect the horses from being disturbed by the war.

Third, invest in two hundred ten-man teams, Yang Zaixing and Zheng Ping lead one hundred teams each, Yang Yuanqing leads five hundred cavalry as support, and Liu Cui leads one thousand spear troops as backup.

(End of this chapter)