Yan Liang replaced Tian Feng and Gao Gan, and was located in the mountain stronghold on the Taihang Mountain Trail. He watched the Zhengxi soldiers on the opposite mountain ridge begin to cut down trees, repair the platform, and start building the trebuchet position. numb.
The trebuchet is also called a cannon. Strictly speaking, it should be the word "cannon". It has already appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Many people pull down one side of the lever to throw the stone projectiles on the other side. The cannon is also used for all stoning. A general term for a machine. If it has wheels that can be pushed along, it is called a "cannon cart."
A human-powered trebuchet that uses only human power uses manpower to pull the tips connected to the crossbar together at a place far away from the trebuchet, and uses the principle of leverage to eject the stone projectiles. The tip is mounted on a wooden frame, and one end is The rope is tied to the holster that holds the stone bullets, and the other end is tied with many ropes for human power to pull and throw the stone bullets. The gun tips are divided into single tips and multi-tips, with the most seven gun tips mounted on a gun carriage. , it takes 250 people to cast.
However, because this kind of stone cannon is bulky and lacks accuracy, and after the unification of the Han Dynasty, more time was spent dealing with the surrounding nomads, and there was relatively less time to attack cities in the civil war. Therefore, the stone cannon The technology tree did not receive much improvement until the emergence of Huang's Workshop, which Fei Qian participated in.
More than ten stone cannons were forcing the camp to stand.
There are many soldiers, mules and horses carrying baskets of stone bullets up the mountain!
Yan Liang could even imagine that after the Zhengxi soldiers had set up all the stone cannons, they would be met with an overwhelming barrage of stone bullets!
"Damn it!" Yan Liang couldn't hold back his rising anger and shouted angrily, "It's been so long and we still haven't found the mountain road leading to the opposite mountain ridge! Are these scouts and sentinels just freeloaders!?"
Seeing that the general was angry, Yuan Jun's soldiers all suspected it, but they couldn't say anything. They could only lower their heads and pretend to be grandsons.
"Damn it! Send people out again!" Yan Liang roared, "We must find a way to get there!"
At this distance, it is like a situation where Wangshan is running to death. It can be seen but cannot be touched. There is a deep mountain stream across it. Although the sounds from both sides can be vaguely heard, whether they are arrows or crossbows, they are all within range. Not enough, only big things like trebuchets have enough range and lethality.
Of course, the catapult also has a sufficient range, but the catapult is more of a point-killer. Unlike the catapult, it has the additional effect of splashing and projectile damage. Therefore, Jia Qu deliberately chose the catapult. Anyway, the counterweight The catapult is actually not difficult for some of the great craftsmen of Huang's workshop, but it is more difficult to find a suitable location, so it was only displayed here after many days.
To be fair, this offensive weapon that appears here again is far from the highest level of this era, and it is not as convenient as the later return cannon. Not to mention it is thick and heavy, and the gun power is not strong, and it cannot throw huge rocks. , and it doesn’t shoot very far. In addition, stone bullets are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and very inconvenient.
If used in ordinary siege battles, such heavy engineering equipment can easily attract the attention of the defenders. In addition, the defenders have always been taboo about defending the city, so this kind of siege equipment is often the defender's soldiers. The first choice counterattack point is easily destroyed. It takes a lot of effort to build it but it is of little use. It is very useless.
However, this time the soldiers of General Zhengxi used stone cannons, but they used them without restraint and with great joy. Because Yuan Jun adopted a step-by-step strategy, which was stable, but it also lost the suddenness and battlefield options. After all, On the Eight Trails of Taihang, there are only a few hills where a stronghold can be established. Coupled with the distance and advancing speed, it is basically possible to calculate where it will appear at what time. Therefore, Jia Qu only needs to choose a suitable location. That’s it.
For example, here now.
Yuan Jun came from afar and climbed the mountain roads. Although there were cavalry, they were not many in number and were not easy to deploy. In addition, the Taihang Mountains were rolling and mountainous. Although the most direct attack route was short, it was also difficult to deploy. The most difficult, almost upright mountain stream. In this era, if you want to climb up and down in a straight line, it is no less than a natural chasm.
Yan Liang has sent out a lot of scouts, trying to find a passage that can swing around to attack the mountain ridge on the opposite side. But the problem is that the soldiers of General Zhengxi on the opposite side also know this, so the scouts of both sides have to fight with each other everywhere in the surrounding mountains. battlefield.
As a result, Yuan Shaojun's scouts were in serious trouble.
It's very simple. In such a mountain, the defender who is familiar with the terrain will have to pay a heavy price if he wants to regain the upper hand. The scouts led by Ling Jie are both battlefield veterans, rich in experience, and ambitious. The desire to avenge his father's compatriots and make a difference was so sharp that most of the scouts Yan Liang sent out failed to return, and naturally there was no progress in finding a way out.
What is before Yan Liang is either to hope to find a mountain road that can directly destroy the trebuchet position on the opposite side, or to simply abandon the mountain stronghold and find other paths. But if he discovered Zhengxi before establishing the mountain stronghold, If this trebuchet position is located, it may be better to abandon the cottage and choose another place. However, after all the efforts have been made to build the cottage and stabilize it, and a large amount of material food and grass have been transferred to the cottage, even if you want to change places , I can’t bear to part with it, and at the same time, it can’t be done within three to five days...
And in these three to five days, the Zhengxi soldiers on the opposite side may have been able to directly cover the camp and beat it to pieces!
Of course, stone bullets are still stone bullets after all. Even if they can bounce, refract and splash, they are not as good as later generations of artillery shells. Although they have the power to kill soldiers, it is impossible for Yuan's army, who is good at fighting in Yan Liang, to count on relying on his strength. Stone bullets can kill them all. The main purpose is to destroy the camp and incidentally destroy the materials that Yuan Jun worked so hard to transport from the mountain road.
More importantly, it also frustrated Yuan Jun's military morale and morale!
Is there anything worse than the feeling of having to stand and be beaten, with no strength left but no power to do anything about it?
If Yan Liang hadn't still been supervising the battle in the camp, if he hadn't still hoped that the scouts searching for roads on the flanks would be able to find the path to attack, and if the soldiers on the opposite side of the expedition hadn't been deployed yet and hadn't launched an attack, maybe Yuan Jun's The morale of the army will be lost step by step until the camp is abandoned and the whole army collapses and flees!
On the other side of the mountain stream, the soldiers of Zhengxi were calm and orderly. Even though they were under Yuan Jun's nose, what could Yuan Jun do?
"Try firing a few rounds first and see!"
Jia Qu stood on the rock on the mountain ridge and waved his sleeves. The red shirt covering his armor was flying in the mist of the mountain, like a dancing flame. In order to ensure that they would not affect each other, the stone cannons were placed It was staggered and divided into two levels. If it weren't for the site restrictions, Jia Qu would have even wanted to erect more stone cannons.
After hearing Jia Qu's order, the soldier who was the first to assemble the stone cannon responded loudly, then trotted back to his position, and began to direct the more than 20 people under his command to start assembling the stone bombs, busy Start operating.
The soldiers, auxiliaries, and civilians who had not yet been assembled on the side were speeding up the men in their hands while casting envious glances.
"rise!"
Several people dragged the tip of the cannon and fixed it to the ground. The counterweight on the other end was raised high. Three or four civilians held a stone bullet and loaded it into the ejection bag.
"put!"
Following the order, a soldier used a hammer to knock off the latch, the rope was loosened, and the counterweight dropped, driving the long cannon tip and shooting the stone bullets into the air!
"Oh oh oh oh..."
Although only one stone bullet rose into the air, almost everyone cheered involuntarily, and their morale was high.
"Ahhhh..."
Yuan Jun, who was on the hilltop opposite, screamed in surprise.
This stone bullet, amidst the completely opposite emotions of the soldiers on both sides, drew a high and graceful arc, leaping over the mountain stream, across the clear sky, across the mountain stronghold, and then fell to the other side while everyone was stunned. As we went down the hillside, there were a few clicks, and I didn’t know what I hit...
Soldiers with different affiliations on both sides of the mountain stream seemed to be equally stunned for a moment.
"Damn it!" Captain Shipao, who was the first to wake up, roared, "That one is too big! It's too big! The next two come down!" Although he said it without a beginning or end, the people around him quickly understood the meaning. , several people rushed to the frame of the counterweight, untied the rope, removed two of the stone counterweights, and then tied them again with ropes.
"Do it again!" the captain roared, "Move your hands and feet faster!"
"rise!"
"put!"
"Whoosh"
Another stone bullet was bounced into the air, and then smashed towards the opposite mountain village with a roar. It hit the mountain village wall with a click, immediately breaking two or three wooden pillars of the village wall, and smashed out a huge
There was a gap, and the flying wooden piles and sawdust hit the Yuan Jun soldiers on the side, causing a puff of blood.
"Oh oh oh oh~"
"I hit it~! I hit it~!"
On one side, there were cheers and cheers, and on the other side, there was silence and bloodless faces.
Yan Liang looked at the huge gap that was smashed and couldn't help but shudder. In the face of such a terrifying force, no matter how powerful he is, as long as he doesn't dodge, he will definitely die!
"Report!" A Yuan Jun scout staggered over, bowed down in front of Yan Liang, and reported, "General! Look, I found the way... I found the way!"
Yan Liang was overjoyed and immediately pulled the scout up and said, "Say quickly! Where is the road?"
The Yuan Jun scout was covered in mud and looked tired, but he still pointed in the direction and said: "Go down from here, go around the foot of the mountain, and climb over two hills, and you can see the way for the soldiers of the Western Expedition to go up the mountain!"
"Okay! Come on! Get some wine and meat!" Yan Liang patted the scout on the shoulder and laughed, "You can go down and repair for a while, and then lead the team after you have gathered the troops! If this problem is eliminated this time,
, you will be the leader..."
Before Yan Liang could say the last word, he heard the guard on the side yelling: "General, be careful!"
Yan Liang suddenly raised his head and saw a black shadow coming quickly in the air. He was so frightened that Yan Liang immediately ducked down. He didn't care about his manners and demeanor. He got down on his hands and feet and hurriedly jumped to the side before running out for two seconds.
As soon as I stepped forward, I heard a loud bang, and a stone bullet hit the place where I was standing. It bounced and whirled, happily leaving a big hole on the ground, along with the flesh and blood of several Yuan Jun soldiers.
After rolling out of a bloody path, it crashed into a tent and finally stopped...
Even though Yan Liang has been on the battlefield for a long time and has seen many lives and deaths, the feeling of walking on the edge of life and death in person still makes Yan Liang tremble with fear and make his face turn pale.
Well, if Yan Liang had beautiful face.
"..." After a few breaths, Yan Liang finally came to his senses. He couldn't help but jump up and shouted angrily, "Send out troops! Send out troops! Send out troops immediately and kill all these damn Zhengxi bastards! Kill them all! Then... that...
Um?"
Yan Liang glanced around half a circle, feeling a little confused: "Where was the scout just now?"
A Yuan Jun standing next to Yan Liang pointed tremblingly at some stumps and blood clots on the ground, and seemed to say a few words from between his teeth: "General... General... General, then... then...
Yes……"
Yan Liang(#⊙□⊙!)
It seemed as if a heavy cloud hung over Yuan Jun's stronghold. The joy of defeating the vanguard of the Western Expedition just a few days ago was swept away, leaving only boundless fear and confusion.
"Complete the team! March! These Zhengxi bastards can only play tricks like this! They can't fight head-on! Let's kill them and avenge our brothers!"
Yan Liang encouraged loudly. He knew that something must be done. Otherwise, if this continues, morale will collapse to the extreme! Then a few stone bullets were fired. If all the slings were set up, the stone bombs would be destroyed.
The bombs are coming from all over the place, and I'm afraid the soldiers will disperse on their own without even having to fight!
"Ho ho ho!"
"Revenge! Revenge!"
"Kill these bastards!"
The guards following Yan Liang were naturally more clever. Seeing Yan Liang's words, they naturally responded, waving their swords and guns and shouting loudly, and then began to gather soldiers, preparing to go around the mountain stream to find trouble for the soldiers on the opposite side.
Now that he had something to do, instead of waiting blankly for death to come, Yuan Jun in the village gradually calmed down a bit, and was no longer as fearful and helpless as before.
Although the unlucky scout who just pointed the way was dead, several scouts also rushed back. They met and discussed together, and generally they were able to know the direction. Therefore, after a short period of gathering the team,
Yan Liang then set off with his troops, preparing to attack the Zhengxi trebuchet position on the opposite mountain ridge.
As for the camp, Yan Liang asked the soldiers to find a bunker to hide. Anyway, as long as the stone bullet is not so unlucky to be hit from the front or scratched, generally speaking, nothing will happen, so Yan Liang thinks that as long as the stone bullet is used,
The trebuchet position on the hilltop opposite has been destroyed, so there is nothing to worry about anymore.
However, the development of things went far beyond Yan Liang's consideration...
