So Shen Bing had to take the artillerymen to build a high platform in front of the formation that night.
In order for the fire bomb to penetrate as far as possible into the city, the trebuchet must be close enough to the city wall and the platform must be high enough.
Being high enough is not a big problem, because it just takes some time and manpower to build.
Close enough to the city wall...this becomes a big problem.
There are also trebuchets on Zhao Jun's city walls. These trebuchets have not only been improved, but they are also condescending.
Although these trebuchets still use radish baskets as counterweights, their accuracy is not high.
But if the Qin army had to move the trebuchet forward and build a high platform, the situation would be different.
Nothing unexpected happened that night.
During this period of time, the Qin army had been building a stronghold outside the city, knocking and banging all day long. Zhao Jun was already used to it.
So the Qin army successfully built high platforms several steps high in front of the formation and built trebuchets on them.
The next day, something happened when it was only dimly lit...
The high platforms erected were very conspicuous outside the empty city, and Zhao Jun discovered them immediately.
So the horns of horns sounded immediately from the top of Handan City.
Soon there were trebuchets hitting the high platform from a distance...
Only then did Shen Bing discover a more serious problem: the high platform was hit by a large surface, like an erected target.
This shortcoming makes it easy to be hit by Zhao Jun's trebuchet.
In addition, Zhao Jun also learned to use counterweights to adjust the point of impact, whether a shot was closer or farther, whether it was left or right, and after adjustment, another shot...
The high platform could not be moved, so he could only watch Zhao Jun adjust.
As a result, one high platform after another was destroyed by the stone bullets of Zhao Jun's trebuchet.
Yang Duanhe even had to order his troops to attack the city in advance to cover the high platform.
To be precise, it should be Wang Jian, because the siege at this time was already a joint operation between Wang Jian and Yang Duan and the two armies.
Then the war was about to break out, and the entire battlefield was boiling like a pot of porridge.
However, this still didn't have much effect.
The trebuchets on the high platform were reduced one by one, and they barely fired a few batches of linen fire bombs, but they were like mud cows entering the sea without any response.
The Qin army's charges were beaten back by the Zhao army one after another.
The artillery division suffered casualties of fifteen craftsmen in this battle.
It would be better if they died on the spot, but what would be even worse would be those who were injured...
A craftsman's leg was broken by a stone bullet. The whole leg was bent back from the knee, and the broken leg bone protruded diagonally from the other end, which looked very strange.
When he was carried down, he kept holding his legs and screaming miserably. When the medical staff arrived, they were helpless.
To be precise, it was done hastily...that is, the feet were forcibly straightened and then tied up using branches as clamps.
As a result, he passed out from the pain before he was tied up.
The other fell from a high platform and was pierced through the shoulder by splinters of wood.
They also forcibly pulled out the splintered wood and then wrapped it with a healing band without even checking whether there were still splinters in the body.
What's even more exaggerated is that when a patient's abdomen was punctured and the bleeding couldn't be stopped, the medical worker stuffed the healing cloth into the wound, just like plugging up a leaking clay pot.
In addition, Shen Bing found that there were several medical workers beside the wounded, mumbling words and dancing...
As mentioned before, people in Qin Dynasty were extremely superstitious.
Those medical workers are also called medical witches. It’s hard to tell whether they are treating illnesses and saving people or performing magic tricks.
Shen Bing actually knew why this happened.
In this era, science and technology and medicine were extremely backward, and many things could not be explained scientifically and rationally, so it was natural to classify them as theories about ghosts and gods.
However, I know that in reality, it is difficult to accept that they treated the injury so simply and crudely.
At the same time, I felt a sense of fear and chill in my heart.
Because Shen Bing would unconsciously think:
If one day I am injured, will I leave my life in the hands of these medical workers or medical witches like them?
At this time, Shen Bing came to a conclusion: You must not be injured, otherwise you will get sick even if you are not sick.
And this is just the beginning.
The next day the artillery division suffered casualties of twenty-one craftsmen.
The reason why there were more casualties was that Zhao Jun began to suppress the high platform at night.
They even learned to use Mai fireball bombs...
This is one of the reasons why Shen Bing adopts a conservative attitude towards invention.
Most of these inventions have no scientific and technological content, they are just creative issues, and you can basically learn them at a glance.
So today the Qin army uses new inventions to deal with the enemy, and tomorrow the enemy will use it to deal with the Qin army.
At this time, the artillerymen suffered such hardships.
They were secretly building a high platform at night, and suddenly dozens of fireballs shot through the sky, illuminating the area brightly.
Shen Bing secretly thought that something was wrong and immediately asked Ren to issue an order to withdraw the artillery division.
However, it was too late, and several more people were injured after a hail of stone bullets.
This often happened again and again. Few high platforms could be built, but many people suffered casualties.
Twenty-one gunners and craftsmen alone were lost.
You must know that the artillery division only has more than a hundred people, and it suffered 36 casualties in two days. If this continues, it will be Shen Bing's turn in a few days.
In fact, it was not only Shen Bing who was troubled by casualties, but also Wang Jian and Yang Duanhe.
At that time, Yang Duanhe was reporting the battle situation to Wang Jian. He said helplessly:
"Report to the General."
"The Handan defenders seem to have regained some morale and are resisting very tenaciously."
"Our army suffered more than 3,000 casualties in just two days."
"If this continues..."
Needless to say, Wang Jian can also do the math.
The total strength of the Qin army besieging Handan was no more than 100,000. If there were one or two thousand casualties every day, the total strength would be halved in less than a month.
Even if the Zhao army does not leave the city to counterattack, the Qin army itself will collapse.
But Wang Jian was also very helpless:
"Your Majesty has ordered us to obey."
"The king has been asking about the situation of the war every day for the past few days."
"He also said that when he arrives, he will rest in the Handan Palace..."
As he spoke, Wang Jian sighed heavily.
Although he could understand Ying Zheng's eagerness to destroy Zhao, it was absolutely unacceptable to fight in such a chaotic manner.
Wang Jian regretted a little. If he had known this, he should not have suppressed Yang Duanhe in the first place.
If Yang Duanhe had not been forced to the north gate, Handan would have been plunged into a sea of fire, and it would not be easy to break the city.
but now……
After thinking for a while, Wang Jian said to Yang Duanhe:
"Tell Shen Bing that erecting a high platform won't work, and let him think of another way."
Yang Duanhe said "Promise" and left.
After leaving the tent, Yang Duanhe felt secretly ashamed.
In fact, Shen Bing had already told him that this method would not work, but he insisted on doing it.
Sure enough, Shen Bing made the calculation accurately.
When Yang Duanhe returned to Beiying, he immediately found Shen Bing and asked anxiously:
"Your Majesty will arrive in Handan in a few days."
"And ordered us to break the city before then."
"But now..."
Shen Bing was speechless after hearing this.
This is almost an impossible task.
What's even more irritating is... Sooner or later, this Handan belongs to you Yingzheng, so why are you so anxious?
You can satisfy your own selfish desires for a short time, but you don’t know how many more people will die on the front line because of it!
But then again, when would Ying Zheng care about how many people died?
Shen Bing thought for a while and asked:
"General, I wonder if we have any medicine for sweating?"