It took the Jingzhou Army a total of eleven days to completely fill in the moats on the east and south sides of Chaisang, and these two directions will also be the focus of the Jingzhou Army's attack.
As for the west and north sides of Chaisang, due to the waterfront, it is inconvenient to deploy on a large scale. They can only serve as a containment and auxiliary attack. Filling the moat is time-consuming and laborious, and of little use. When the city is attacked, the temporary
Just build a few corridors and Haoqiao will be enough.
The siege equipment, including eight Linchong (siege towers), has been prepared. Now everything is ready. Considering that Sun Quan's reinforcements are quickly coming towards Chaisang and it is not advisable to delay for a long time, Liu Jing immediately issued an order to attack Chaisang.
instruction.
Gan Ning was appointed as the siege governor by Liu Jing. He was fully responsible for the siege and personally supervised the soldiers. He launched the attack from the east. Generals Wenpin, Feng Xi, and Gao Xiang were responsible for other directions. At one time, tens of thousands of people marched across Jingzhou.
The army surrounded Chaisang.
In these eleven days, the Jingzhou Army not only filled in the moats on the east and south sides of Chaisang, but also built a hill on each side, the height of which was higher than the first line of Chaisang's city wall.
The first step for the Jingzhou Army to attack the city was to send a large number of crossbowmen up the mountain and fire concentrated fire at the head of Chaisang City to suppress the defenders on the city and cover the follow-up troops.
Xu Sheng was well-known in Jiangdong for his courage. He was not the kind of person who could stay at the rear and command calmly. Especially now that he was trapped in an isolated city, he had to go to the front line in person to share weal and woe with the soldiers defending the city and inspire everyone.
Xu Sheng, wearing armor and holding a spear, led dozens of close followers, constantly running back and forth on the east and south city walls, organizing bows and crossbows to counter-suppress the Jingzhou army on the mountains outside the city.
The two sides went back and forth, fighting numerous times, and were locked in a stalemate until the Jingzhou Army's eastern and southern formations simultaneously launched hundreds of flying stone chariots.
The height of these flying stone carts is between 10 feet and 30 feet. Since the structure is quite similar to that of a ladder truck, people who have never seen it can easily confuse them when seeing it from a distance. Xu Sheng mistook it for a ladder truck at first and was surprised.
Liu Jing's handiwork. It should be noted that ladder trucks are not simple ladders. Hundreds of them are used at a time. You have never heard of them, let alone seen them.
However, when hundreds of ladder trucks were parked hundreds of steps away from the city wall, Xu Sheng finally realized that these weapons were not ladder trucks at all, but the rumored Jingzhou Army's siege weapons - flying stone trucks.
Liu Jing built his own trebuchet, which was only used in a few places such as the defense of Ling County and the attack on Wuling and Jiangling.
Except for Liu Jingjun's officers and men, few people have seen the actual trebuchet. Most people follow what they say, and it is even more distorted when it comes to Jiangdong. It can fly hundreds of steps, the sound shakes the heaven and the earth, rocks are like hail rain, it is indestructible, and it sinks into the ground several feet... In short
It's just an exaggeration.
Xu Sheng always only listened to it as a joke, but Liu Jingsu was known for his ingenuity. The racket stick he developed was learned by Huang Zu and used against Jiangdong Army, causing Jiangdong Army to suffer heavy losses.
Xu Sheng believed that even if the flying stone chariot was not as exaggerated as the rumors, it must be a weapon for attacking the city. It was always good to be prepared. Based on the characteristics of the flying stone chariot throwing rocks and hitting objects, he was very likely to attack the towers, oars, walls, gates, etc.
The city facilities were damaged, so a large amount of wood and stones were collected in advance.
But as hundreds of flying stone carts began to roar, and stone bullets crashed down on the city wall with a roar like thunder, Xu Sheng's eyelids couldn't stop beating, feeling both happy and helpless in his heart.
Fortunately, wood and stone were prepared in advance, so that the city defense facilities would not be destroyed by the opponent's flying stone carts, and they could always be repaired afterwards.
Unfortunately, the wood and stone reserves are only enough for one or two repairs. If the opponent's flying stone carts keep attacking day and night, and when the wood and stone are exhausted, our own side will have to use flesh and blood to resist.
One of the guards grabbed Xu Sheng's sleeve and persuaded him: "Captain, this stone chariot is like the power of heaven and cannot be resisted. It is too dangerous to stay in the city. It is better to go to the city to take shelter first."
Xu Sheng raised his eyebrows when he heard this, raised his arm to throw away the guard, pointed the spear in his hand at his face, and said sternly: "Before the battle, I made an oath with the officials: 'I will live and die with the soldiers, and live and die with the city.
.'Now, as soon as I see danger, I break my oath and abandon everyone, evacuate the city, and enjoy peace alone. How do you expect me to face the soldiers who are standing on the city in the future?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a stone the size of a human head whizzed and hit the fence wall not far from Xu Sheng, then passed through the fence and went straight into the ground. The stone shattered into pieces, and in an instant, gravel and wood chips were scattered.
Shooting in all directions, the surrounding defenders suffered a sudden disaster and were swept down in large areas.
There were even a few stones flying towards Xu Sheng. Fortunately, his close followers reacted in time and formed a wall in advance to block the gravel.
By coincidence, another flying stone came and landed on the other side of Xu Sheng. This time, the flying stone hit a soldier guarding the city. It knocked over several people before it landed. However, the soldier hit by the flying stone was not
A tragic death means a serious injury. Wails and moans can be heard one after another, and the expressions of everyone who sees it change.
Even with Xu Sheng's courage and bravery, he couldn't help but feel chilled when he saw such a tragic situation.
"Captain, this place is dangerous..." The guard wanted to persuade Xu Sheng to go to the city and take shelter temporarily.
Xu Sheng said without changing his expression: "Why are you panicking? It's just a few pebbles."
Seeing that the soldiers around him were worried, Xu Sheng added: "The stone-throwing chariot may seem to be extremely powerful, but in fact it has no accuracy. Even if I stand here motionless, it may not be able to hit me."
Hearing the words, the surrounding soldiers calmed down a little, but they were still extremely frightened in their hearts. The stone cart was indeed not very accurate, but there were so many of them that they couldn't handle it. The stones were like hail rain, and they might not know that they would fall on their heads in the next moment. This thing
The power is simply a reminder of death, how can everyone not be afraid of it.
After several rounds of heavy blows, the city guards did not dare to show their heads again. They huddled on the battlements, under the fence walls, on the garrison towers, and in the gate towers. They were also attacked one after another by the flying stone chariots.
Escape and escape.
After several rounds of stone rain poured down on Chaisang City, the largest flying stone truck began to launch earthen jars filled with charcoal ointment one after another.
In just a moment, a raging fire broke out in Chaisangdong and at the head of the southern city, and clouds of black smoke shot straight into the sky. Even Taishi Ci's camp, which was more than ten miles away, could be seen clearly.
Taishi Ci stood on the watchtower, looking at the thick black smoke filling the north, frowning deeply.
While the Jingzhou Army was attacking Chaisang, they also intensified their efforts to blockade him. Taishi Ci now had limited knowledge of Chaisang's situation. He didn't know what Chaisang's situation was now. Why did the city of Chaisang fall upon him as soon as the attack started?
Fires are everywhere, and if this continues, how can Chaisang keep guard?
Taishi Ci was anxious, but Xu Sheng was even more anxious than him, hurriedly organizing people to put out the fire.
In this era, it is normal for the defenders to use fire attacks and to burn siege equipment, but it is rare for the siege parties to use fire attacks.
Not to mention that the Jingzhou Army used flying stone chariots, a siege equipment that was ahead of its time, to launch a fire attack. It would be strange for Xu Sheng not to be in a hurry.
Lushan Mountain to the south of Chaisang is not only rich in wood, but also in stone. After more than ten days, the Jingzhou Army collected thousands of baskets of large and small stones. Therefore, the Jingzhou Army completely let go of their hands and feet, and the flying stone carts roared from sunrise to noon.
The fire continued to burn until noon.
Liu Jing was at the rear of the military formation, sitting in a military chariot with an umbrella cover. When he received a report from the front that more than half of the stone bombs had been consumed, he ordered the flying stone chariot to stop the attack, and then handed over the flag symbolizing command authority.
Gan Ning.
Gan Ning solemnly took over the flag, then bid farewell to Liu Jing, rode to the front of the battle formation, raised the flag high, and while inspecting the battle formations, he said in a loud voice: "The general appointed me, Gan Ning, as the siege governor, and granted me the title of commander."
Banner, I will take charge of the siege. You all know that I am a Gan Ning person, and I am definitely not a person who is greedy for life. I will go hand in hand with you, fight to the death, and pull out the strong city together!"
"Long live...Long live...!" Tens of thousands of soldiers beat their mounds and shouted in response.
Gan Ning's rough face couldn't hide the flying look, and his flag pointed forward: "Attack!"
In an instant, Linchong (siege tower), cloud ladders, well gates, crash carts...all kinds of siege equipment were dispatched, and under the guard of a large number of soldiers, they drove towards the bottom of Chaisang City.
There are eight Linchong (siege towers), four in the east and four in the south. Among all the siege equipment, Linchong (siege tower) is a giant that looks extremely unexpected.
It attracted the attention of the Chaisang defenders.
If Jiangfang Dongfang could hear only a few rumors about flying stone chariots, he knew nothing about Linchong (siege tower).
Linchong (siege tower) was completely beyond imagination to the people of the Han Dynasty, and few people could remain calm when facing it for the first time.
Xu Sheng looked at the approaching and oppressive Linchong (siege tower), suppressed his inner uneasiness, and shouted to the left and right: "Get the cud ointment quickly, quickly, quickly...!"
The Jingzhou Army's previous fire attack with flying stones and chariots not only burned a large number of oars and fences, but also burned the cud-binding ointment and other flammable materials accumulated at the top of the city. These things were originally used to deal with siege equipment.
, but instead fueled the fire and burned his own head, eventually causing the city head to be almost burned to the ground.
What made Xu Sheng vomit blood even more was that the fire spread to the military camp below the city. In addition to the ointment and other supplies, at least 30% of the military supplies, food and fodder were completely reduced to nothing. The losses were extremely heavy.
Xu Sheng had no choice but to use the reserves in the county temple. At this time, it was time to deliver flammable materials such as ointment to the city. He also had to soak the ointment, cloth, and make torches and rockets. It was too late.
.
"Dong...dong...dong..."
The Linchong (siege tower) suspension bridges were gradually built up on the top of the city. Xu Sheng personally led the defenders to prepare for the attack. However, what surprised them was that a group of ferocious iron beasts rushed out from the opposite side.
They wore full-covering hoods on their heads, and their faces were also covered by armor, with only their eyes exposed. Their upper body armor extended to their arms, and their lower body skirts and armor were embellished to their calves. They did not hold spears, but only spears and halberds, and charged forward with an indomitable momentum.
Go up to the city head.
The unknown is the most terrifying thing. Seeing the enemy covered in armor and unable to even see the opponent's face is like facing a ferocious ferocious beast. Before engaging in battle, the Chaisang defenders were already timid.
, and the army was instantly defeated.
Liu Jing had made the robe armor that covered the whole body as early as the Lingxian period. Unfortunately, the cost was too high and it was difficult to popularize it among soldiers. Only Sima and above could get this armor.
With the unification of Jingzhou, Liu Jing gathered the manpower and material resources of the entire Jingzhou, spent a year to build a thousand robes and armor, and selected a thousand elites from tens of thousands of troops to form the Iron Tower Army.
As the name suggests, Liu Jing hopes that they can be as indestructible and invincible as movable iron buildings. This is their first actual combat.
The effect was also surprisingly good. Jiangdong's soldiers were obviously not used to the fully armored opponent. They were already panicking and didn't know where to attack with the weapons in their hands. While hesitating, they were either killed or retreated. Iron Tower first
Deng easily occupied the city head position.
With the cover of the Iron Tower, the Jingzhou soldiers under the city became more courageous. They climbed to the top of Chaisang City through the ladder one after another. Soon, hundreds of soldiers gathered on the east and south walls. On the west and north sides, Jingzhou soldiers
The army also launched a feint attack to contain the Chaisang defenders.
Not long after the war started, Chaisang was already in a precarious state, forcing Xu Sheng to fight in person to boost his low morale.
Xu Sheng's approach of not avoiding the target and taking the lead has indeed achieved very good results. Wherever he appears, he can always repel the enemy.
The problem is that he is only one person, but dangers are emerging one after another. He cares about one and misses the other. If the situation is allowed to develop, Chai Sang will surely lose.
Sure enough, in just over two hours, the Chaisang garrison showed signs of weakness, and the defense line could collapse at any time.
Xu Sheng's clothes were stained with blood, and he looked very embarrassed, but his aura did not diminish even a little bit, and instead became more powerful and intimidating.
Seeing that the situation was critical, Xu Sheng knew that he could no longer hold back, so he urgently ordered the remaining 500 troops, the reserve team, to go to the city to fight.
These five hundred troops were different from the soldiers and horses that Sun Quan later allocated to him. They were all originally subordinate troops of Xu Sheng. They were composed of Qingxu refugees who he recruited when he was in Wu Commandery. They had been training for many years and were very elite.
As long as these original subordinates were there, Xu Sheng had the confidence to defend Chai Sang. It turned out that the Jingzhou army was far more brave and good at fighting than rumored. Chai Sang actually couldn't withstand it for even a day, forcing Xu Sheng to show off in advance.
The final trump card.
Xu Sheng regarded the five hundred original subordinates as his confidence, and it was reasonable. As soon as they boarded the city, they stabilized the dilapidated situation at the top of the city.
After a fierce battle, he not only repelled the Jingzhou army with the defenders, but also took advantage of the victory to destroy two Linchong (siege towers).
Of course, although Yuan Congbu Qu achieved impressive results, he also suffered heavy casualties, with more than a hundred people killed in battle alone and dozens more seriously injured.
In other words, if the Jingzhou Army continues to maintain this intensity, every one of them will be dead in just two or three days.
When he thought of this, most of Xu Sheng's joy at defeating the Jingzhou army disappeared.
The Jingzhou army must not be allowed to attack Chaisang. For the current plan, the only way is to send people to ask Taishi Ci for help and let him take the initiative to invite the battle, forcing the Jingzhou army to divide its troops and not attack the city with all its strength.
Xu Sheng was a very ambitious man, and he couldn't help asking Taishi Ci for help after only defending the city for one day. What did Sun Quan think of Taishi Ci? This was simply more uncomfortable than killing him. But without asking for help, Chai Sang would never be able to hold on, and he would die.
It's a pity that if Sun Quan's plan is ruined, his life will be irredeemable.
Thinking of this, Xu Sheng immediately lost his face and sent people out of the city after dark to ask for help from Tai Shici.