The Six Arts of the Gentleman in the Bright Moon of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 620: The Fall of Handan City [Subscribe*Monthly Ticket Request]

"Don't go, there's no point in you going, you'll just be sending yourself to die!" Zhao Yi ignored the order from the central army and ordered his soldiers not to climb up the city wall to repair it.

The soldiers looked at Zhao Yida in astonishment, but they were the ones responsible for repairing the city wall, so they knew as well as Zhao Yida knew.

"But the order from the central army and the law enforcement captain supervising the battle..." The soldiers hesitated.

"You ate something bad last night and now you're dehydrated!" Zhao Yida looked at the team leader who spoke and said seriously.

"Ah?" The team leader was stunned for a moment, then he understood instantly and decisively lay down on the ground, his face pale and looking weak.

"Someone threw croton seeds into our water source last night, and you and your soldiers were affected!" Zhao Yi continued to look at the other commanders.

"Understood!" The others were not fools either. One supported another, looking weak and exhausted.

Then the law enforcement guards who were supervising the battle in Handan arrived.

"What's going on? Why aren't you following orders?" The law enforcement captain led the soldiers into the engineering camp.

They were ordered to supervise the battle because the engineering battalion did not follow orders to go to the city to repair the city walls.

But when they entered the temporary base of the engineering battalion, they saw that the soldiers of the engineering battalion were pale, unsteady on their feet, and looking for the toilet everywhere.

Seeing this situation, the law enforcement captain's face changed and he had an ominous premonition in his heart.

In particular, they actually saw soldiers who just found a corner to relieve themselves because there were not enough toilets, and there were more than one of them.

When they saw Zhao Yida, he was in the toilet!
"Someone threw croton seeds into our water source last night...pa pa pa..." Zhao Yida said weakly while squatting in the toilet.

In order to act more realistically, he actually got some croton seeds, and then chewed them dry without even washing them with water, just to make the medicinal effect take effect in time.

The law enforcement captain's expression became even uglier. That voice... couldn't be fake.

So the law enforcement captain had no choice but to cover his nose and leave this dirty and smelly engineering camp.

"The next step is to wait for the Qin army to enter the city...ah~pa pa pa~" Zhao Yi listened to the footsteps of the law enforcement captain leaving, and thought...

On the city wall of Handan, the officers defending the city looked extremely grim. They had never thought that there were so many defects in the section of the city wall where they were stationed.

The place that was originally hit by the Qin army's catapults was not repaired at all, or if it was repaired, it only appeared to be repaired on the surface. The Qin army only attacked fiercely for a while, and that section of the city wall was broken and cracked again.

Because of the cracks and collapse of the city wall, the soldiers who could have quickly maneuvered to provide support on the wall were simply unable to support other friendly forces through the gaps.

The entire city wall was divided into sections.

Because they could not quickly mobilize support, the defenders on the city wall could only fight on their own, watching the Qin army climb up the city wall like locusts. …

Why is it said that the attackers need to have ten times more troops than the enemy? In addition to being able to take advantage of the solidity of the city walls, it is also because the defenders can quickly maneuver to various locations and drive away the attackers, thus forming a situation where they have more people against fewer.

But now, due to the damage to the city wall, they could no longer form a situation of outnumbering the enemy. Instead, as the battle progressed, more and more Qin troops climbed onto the city wall, and in turn the Qin army had the advantage in numbers and was outnumbered.

"We can't hold it anymore!" Zhao Jia, the new general of the State of Zhao and the chief commander defending the city, had a pale face.

No one expected that Handan, which had been able to resist Wang Qi's attacks for three years, would have as many as 17 damaged areas that had not been repaired. Zhao Jia immediately wanted to have all the engineers responsible for repairing the city wall beheaded, but until then, he realized that he couldn't even remember who the engineer captain was, what his name was, or what he looked like.

"Withdraw the city wall, use the Handan city wall and streets to fight the Qin army in the streets!" Zhao Jia finally gave the order.

He knew that once they gave up the defense of the city wall, it would be difficult for them to compete with the Qin army, but now this high and thick city wall could no longer be defended.

The Qin soldiers climbing the city wall had surpassed the Zhao soldiers on the wall.

Rather than continuing to fight with the Qin army on the city wall where they cannot deploy their forces, it is better to retreat into the city and fight in the streets while the army is still well-organized.

Otherwise, once the Qin army climbers opened the gates of Handan from the inside and the army entered the city, but they did not retreat and prepare for street fighting, the situation would only get worse.

So the defenders of Handan withdrew from the city walls one after another and began to evacuate to the alleys and markets of Handan in an organized manner, preparing for street fighting with the Qin army.

But something happened that Zhao Jia could hardly believe.

Originally, he thought that the people of Handan would unite with them, help them retreat into the alleys and markets, and use the houses to fight against the Qin army.

As a result, every household in Handan closed their doors and windows and did not allow them to enter their homes.

Even some people in the market town formed a militia to block the army on the streets of the market town and prevented them from entering.

"General, please leave and don't lead the Qin army into the market!" The head of the village led the people holding farm tools to block the street in the market and confronted the defenders of Handan.

The head of the village had no choice but to consider the people in his neighborhood.

Once the defending army enters the town, the Qin army will follow. Once the two armies start fighting in the town, damage to houses will be a minor matter, but accidental injuries to civilians will be a real problem.

In particular, they wondered whether the Qin army would mistakenly assume that they were helping the defenders and kill them together.

It is never an exaggeration to say that bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like rakes.

If there were no Zhao troops in their neighborhood, then the Qin troops might not dare to mess around in the neighborhood. However, once the defenders escaped into the neighborhood, then the Qin troops would have a reason to enter the neighborhood and search.

What's more, the Zhao army is now going to retreat into the streets and use the houses and streets to fight against the Qin army.

The captain in charge looked at the head of the village who was kneeling and begging in front of him, and the people around him who were staring at him with anger, and finally he sighed, turned his horse around, and left the market with his soldiers.

They never imagined that the people of Handan, who had been willing to sacrifice their families and overcome difficulties time and time again and stood firmly behind them, would now be standing against them and not allowing them to enter the market.

Zhao Jia was also confused when he saw the military intelligence sent back. Where had those most lovely people who had stood firmly behind them gone?

The Qin army attacked, the Yan State launched a sneak attack, for so many years, so many times, they were able to work together and repel the enemy. Why not this time?
If all the people in the city cooperated with them and supported them, even if the Qin army captured the city wall, they would be able to drive the Qin army out through street fighting.

but……

Zhao Jia looked towards the direction of the palace. King Zhao had lost the support of the people, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Retreat!" Zhao Jia issued the final order and led the army to withdraw from Handan from the north gate instead of retreating into the palace!
(End of this chapter)