Book 45 - Chapter 12 – City Under Siege (1/2)

‘Thus the highest foreneralshi+p is to balk the enemy’s plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy’s forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy’s are walled cities[1]’

In all cities, the factors that hold strategic significance include thick and high city walls, deep uard, difficult to attack, and the ability to use the few to defeat the many; therefore, even Sun Tzu, as able to lead military operations with extraordinary skill, still said that besieging a city was to be the last resort Translated by foxs

Oftentie of Kou Zhong’s mouth, he even had comprehensive and profound experience on it In the battle of Jingling, he was the defender of the city, but in this battle of Liyang, he was on the attacking side

If he had a choice, he would advise Dou Jiande to only besieging without attacking, but the probleh provisions to last for a year or a half The next problem was that if the enemy’s reinforcement came to help the down on the passive

After researching the situation and deliberating, they decided to adopt the strategy of surrounding the city froht to attack violently, in order to break the ene-the-ene, they wiped out up to ten thousand th of the standing ar number was no more than twenty thousandmust deploy all its soldiers In other words, Dou Arood luck Thus the crucial nature of the battle outside the city was clear

This ti Reinforce Up to this th already surpassed one hundred and fifty thousand ’s defenders

All heavy equiph over the enemy’s deep moat and tall rampart, it would be absolutely iular saber, sword, bow and arrows Therefore, they anization, the preparationround-the-clock offensive, all aspects of the requireent

In the first place was the construction of a moveable observation platform, the ‘nest car’ and the ‘tower car’, which enabled theher elevation, or to release arrows to aid the offensive

After understanding the enee as ‘crossing the trench’ Only by successfully crossing the city of Liyang’s e equipment, as well as the suicide squad – had the chance to approach the city wall and unleash the siege battle Both Dou Jiande and Liu Heita were old hands in besieging a city As soon as the battle started, they immediately cut off the water source to thethe sluice gate when the water is shallow’ ed dirt and transported stones, by filling up carts with dirt and rocks and pushed it directly into the moat, to let these commonly referred to as shrimp toad carts forcefully filled thethe trench’ was followed by ‘taking over the city walls’ battle, and in this kind of situation, ‘wooden donkey’ was essential Wooden donkey was a large cart on four wheels, the roof was pointy and slanting, fore wooden structure, unafraid of bows and arrows, and did not fear stone strike either It was covered in chemically treated cowhide, not easy to burn, under which nearly a hundred soldiers could hide It has an a a city Translated by foxs

As they got close to the city walls, it was the e equip vehicle, ladder cart, battlement cart with hook, fire car, skyscraper, cloud ladder and giant wooden log to batter the city gate, all with ten-thousand-jun­-thunderbolt ainst the wall, to raate, to climb over the city wall by all means, and then when they obtained steady foothold on top of the city walls, they would progressively expand the gap to h, to consuth

Kou Zhong and Liu Heita rode side by side at the front line conducting this bitter besieging-the-city battle, Dou Jiande stayed on a command platform, a temporary structure that was built co the overall situation of advance and attack and retreat and defend using bugle horns and battle drums

The difference between this battle and the battle of Jingling was that in the past, Du Fuwei carried out the ‘opening one corner’ strategy, by keeping one way out of the siege, to give the army-civilian inside the city an opportunity to escape This tied the city, in an attempt to wipe out all officers and soldiers inside the city, to prevent Li shi+ji and Li Shentong fro their forces

However, no matter how adequate Dou Jiande’s preparation was, their resources were, after all, limited; therefore, Dou Jiande concentrated his ate, so that the scale of the attack on the three other gates was oal was only to control the enee and run away

Under the illu defenders, who had been enduring several days and several nights, never-stopped violent offensive – were already weary, and it showed

Three tied up the city walls, beheading over a hundred of the eneet out of the city again by Li Shentong, Xu shi+ji [sic], and a group of martial art ht him Just now he returned to the camp to rest for two sichen, this moment his spirit and physical power has recovered co for the moment the city would be broken Translated by foxs

He sat high on the Thousand-Li Drea proudly on his left shoulder, his tiger-eyes were flashi+ng brightly, yet his aze over the enemy and us, two sides’ you die, I live desperate attack and defense battle

‘Booainst the city gate, one strike at a ti’s troops being eroded one bit at a ti of the enemy, the attackers also had to pay a heavy price

Outside the city, several wooden donkeys and tower cars have been burned to ashes by the ene out clouds of thick s the air

Inside the city, ments of fire filled the atmosphere, to pay tribute to the fireballs shot by the stone-throwing machines, whichabout endlessly trying to deal with it

Arrows and stones were flying like locusts back and forth fro the number of the departed spirits who sacrificed their life in this pitiless war In here, compassion andame of chess, and that it must be in this kind of callous ht frame of mind to conduct the advance and retreat of his side’sthe city was like a large nu the ladder, scaling the wall, to attack the ene on the high walls to stake their life to hold back the ene to climb the wall to an end in the battlee co its climax

It was the third wave of offensive that the Dou Ar Ar oil, and rocks toward the Dou Ar their desire to break the city This time evidently their resources and supplies were depleted, so that the defensive force greatly differed froer able tocart to directly strike the east gate

Before each attack, Dou Jiande always offered Li shi+ji and Li Shentong a chance to surrender, but each ti his head, Liu Heita said with a sigh, “Li shi+ji is lost!”

Kou Zhong looked up to where Li shi+ji’s co, indeed he did not see Li shi+ji and Li Shentong’s figures anyht take advantage of the e and escape” Translated by foxs

Liu Heita looked back at the thousand-hing coldly, he said, “How could it be that easy?”

And then he shouted his order The re cars, and two units of troops ar on either side of the cavalry, each unit numbered five thousand infantryate under the command of the battle druate finally gave in, it collapsed inside into the gateway, raising a cloud of dust and wood frag troops’ side, the reatly aroused, their shouts shook the heaven, co the noise of the battle and the sound of clashi+ng weapons

Liu Heita’s countenance changed, he shouted, “Back off!”

The bugle horn was sounded, the squad in charge of the battering cars pulled back in panic, but they were already a step too late

Only Kou Zhong understood the reason why Liu Heita’s countenance changed; it was because theyof the gate It goes without saying that the ene away the sand and stones and iron carts blocking the gateway and strengthening the resistance of the city gate, so that the gate was easily broken It should be noted that according to the original plan, thecars must withdraw ie of clearing away the obstacle inside the gateway, to let the infantry charging into the city first, and finally Liu Heita and his cavalry troops would ed to attack But this moment the fact appeared to be inconsistent with their estih the Dou Army side occupied the superior position, in term of time they still had no rooh, inside the city the gongs were struck, a large nued out froht indiscriroups, breaking the siege toward four sides, eight directions The wailing of the construction battalion responsible for clearing the fortifications of the gate shook the heavens, as they scattered in all directions to run for their lives, which increased the opportunity for the enemy riders to escape even ate was in total chaos, ene proe!”

Together with Kou Zhong at the front, he paid no attention to the ene the forces, the sound of the one-thousand-ht into the open east gate

Kou Zhong let out a shrill whistle He co to fly up to the sky, while unleashi+ng thehis beloved colt Thousand-Li Dreae ahead rapidly Translated by foxs