Three Kingdoms: Prosper Han from the beginning of brushing favorability

Chapter 330: Attacking Xiangyang
Occasionally falling huge stone bullets not only frightened the defenders at the top of the city, but also caused the common people, who were forced to serve as slaves like strong men, to be shrouded in a terrifying shadow that could turn into flesh at any time.

The cries of killing were deafening, but most of them came from the wolf-like Han troops outside the city.

The defenders in Xiangyang City were much stronger than the loosely trained soldiers in Wudu.

But in the face of such a severe situation and such a powerful new stone-shooting vehicle, they could still grit their teeth. It was not easy to defend mechanically under the supervision of the war team, and they could not ask for more.

The strong man laboriously moved the stone up the city wall. On the way down, he glanced at the servants who were digging a hole behind the city gate. Those people, like him, had been forcibly taken into the city by Cao's army a few days ago.

He knew a short, thin, half-grown boy who was the son of Brother Li in the village.

When Cao's army came to move people, he had already been stabbed to death by Cao's soldiers after they had a few quarrels because his son was ill...

Now his only son who has lived to be an adult is lying beside the pit, being whipped continuously by a scolding Cao soldier.

"Get up! Trash, get up!"

At first, the kid struggled a few times, but now, the bloody little body has completely stopped moving...

"Why are you pretending to be dead! Get up!" The Cao soldier was still whipping, but soon he realized something was wrong and stopped the whip in his hand, "Huh?"

He stepped forward and turned the young man over with his feet... The other man's chest had stopped rising and falling.

"Tsk, bad luck! Another worker is missing." Cao Bing kicked the young man into the big hole being dug and continued to inspect the surrounding laborers.

The other laborers in the pit, after their expressions twitched slightly, all silently lowered their heads and continued to do their work.

No one dared to stop, no one even dared to take a second look at the increasingly cold body... Otherwise, they might be the next ones lying there.

The strong man also quickly turned around, withdrew his gaze and hurried away with his head lowered.

……

The Jingzhou Army's stone cannonballs were not unlimited. After most of the day's offensive, the first batch of suitable boulders were destroyed.

Guan Yu gave a decisive order and ordered his soldiers to start a massive attack. They filled ditches with soil, built bridges when encountering water, set up ladders, dug holes at the base of walls...all siege methods were used without reservation.

After all, the defenders of Xiangyang were different from Wudu, and Man Chong was not comparable to Yang Fu. Guan Yu knew that if he wanted to capture Xiangyang, it would be impossible without paying casualties.

There is no shortage of food, grass, and water in Xiangyang City. It is unrealistic to rely on siege to make the city run out of ammunition and food.

Moreover, Cao Wei still has his main force in the north, and I don’t know how the battle to defeat Wu in the east is going, and it is likely to change soon.

Now that there are thunder cannons to help, we should still go all out to attack Xiangyang as soon as possible.

Man Chong in the city also responded to Guan Yu's offensive one by one.

When the Lei Gong Pao misfired, the city defenders returned to their familiar rhythm, which relieved the pressure on the Wei army a lot.

Although the army was pressing down on the city and the retreat was blocked, at least they were familiar with the enemy's tactics, so they were no longer as frightened as they were at first.

They used bows and crossbows to ride and shoot, threw wood and stones, set up empty jars under the city wall, listened to the sound to determine which direction the enemy was digging tunnels from, and dug trenches along the city wall...

Once the metal hook on the ladder catches the city wall, the heavy ladder cannot be pushed or knocked down by one or two people.

The experienced defenders would not do this useless exercise at all. Cao Wei's veterans squatted under the battlements with swords and axes in hand, and quietly waited for the enemy to climb the city wall.

The chopped hands are exposed, and the thorns are exposed on the head!
The Han army used bows and arrows to cover up... Of course, they would occasionally shoot friendly troops by mistake, which was inevitable on the battlefield.

Cao Jun under the city was not idle either. After they ordered the civilians to dig a large pit behind the city gate, they used broken spear points and sharpened wooden sticks to make ground thorns at the bottom of the pit.

Then it is covered with a large spliced ​​mat, and loose soil is spread on the surface.

After modification, there is no longer a big hole in the ground behind the city gate. This is a trap Man Chong made in advance to prevent the Jingzhou army from breaking through the city gate.

But his arrangements don't stop there.

A second barrier also began to be erected behind the traps at each city gate.He ordered people to pick up the wooden structures of abandoned houses and pile them together to surround the city gate and pit. Urns of kerosene prepared in advance were placed next to them.

Once the city is breached, use torches to ignite these roadblocks, delay the enemy in front of the city gate, and then shoot at them from the city walls and rooftops!
You have Zhang Liangji, I have a wall ladder.

The generals of both sides commanded their soldiers to fight hard for Xiangyang's return, refusing to give in...

After a fierce siege battle for most of the day, Guan Yu saw that he could not capture Xiangyang on the first day, so he decisively called for gold and retreated his troops, guarding the mountain passes through which Xiangyang fled, and set up camp on the road.

And set up light and dark sentries on the mountain to observe the movements in Xiangyang City.

Cao Ren of Fancheng knew that Xiangyang was definitely going to be besieged since the Jingzhou navy blocked Mianshui. This was also expected.

The defenses in Jiangbei have been completed long ago, and the army is ready to deal with the enemy's landing operations.

However, the weather is good today and there is no fog above the Mianshui River. Cao Ren, who climbed up and looked far away, could easily see that Guan Yu's army seemed to have changed its strategy. They were attacking Xiangyang!

Cao Ren, who discovered this, regretted a little. If he had asked Man Chong to deploy troops to defend in the mountains outside Xiangyang City... it might not have been a bad idea.

But it's too late to say anything now. The Jingzhou navy's fleet seems to have formed a giant dragon on Mianshui River.

And unlike before, the warships of the Jingzhou navy now come in different sizes and shapes, including huge building ships!

At a glance, if the flags with "Han" and "Guan" weren't so conspicuous, he almost thought it was Soochow's elite fleet coming...

Even if he wanted to save him, Cao Jun would not be able to fly across the river with wings on his back.

"For today's plan, I only hope that your majesty can break through Ruxu and attack the enemy's rear as soon as possible. Otherwise..." Cao Ren whispered softly, saying words that only he could hear, "otherwise Man Boning will definitely die."

From what he knew about Guan Yu, if he wanted to take Xiangyang Gucheng hard, he would be able to win it sooner or later. It was just a matter of time and price.

"Bo Ning, if you die, I will avenge you!"

But even if Man Chong dies, he will definitely consume a lot of Shu troops in Xiangyang.

On his side, he is waiting for work. As long as Guan Yu dares to land, he will give this old opponent a head-on blow!
Cao Ren clenched his fists tightly and secretly made up his mind, not only to avenge Man Chong, but also to wash away his previous stigma and defeat.

"Guan Yu, don't think that I, Cao Zixiao, am really afraid of you!"

……

Although the siege battle on the surface was over, both sides still couldn't relax.

The Jingzhou Army used the precious time before dark to establish camps, set up sentries, treat the wounded, and at the same time went into the mountains to collect suitable boulders for the next use of Thunder Artillery.

After all, the wooden structure is not durable enough. After today's high-intensity continuous fire, some partially damaged thunder cannons will also need to be repaired and maintained, or severely damaged parts will simply be replaced.

At this time, Zhuge Liang's advantage of being rigorous and crazy is reflected. Only by being as meticulous as he is and achieving the ultimate in "quality control" can Liu Chan's ideal "standardized" and "modular" production be completed in this era.

If found to be substandard, there will be severe penalties, and the person responsible for production will be held accountable. However, at the same time, it is absolutely guaranteed that the treatment of the craftsmen will not be deducted.

The most important point is that no matter how rich or poor your family is or what your background is, everyone is treated equally before the law.

Therefore, although after the founding of the Ji Han Dynasty, under the auspices of Zhuge Liang, the rule of law was solemn, the subjects complained very little.

The new batch of Jingzhou county officials such as Hao Pu and Ma Liang were unambiguous in executing the central government's orders, so they could have such well-made equipment.

If we had equipment and logistics of this quality during the last Northern Expedition, Xiangfan would have changed hands long ago.

The Jingzhou army was busy, and the Cao Wei garrison in the city was even busier.

They also had to carry earth, stone and wood out of the city quickly, try their best to repair the damage caused by the thunder cannon to the city wall, re-dig the filled trenches, repair the damaged sheep and horse wall, etc.

In addition, Manchong also arranged manpower and even personally led people to launch a large-scale anti-insurgency campaign in the city...

(End of this chapter)