Just as the bridge was nearing completion, a sudden downpour of fire rained down from the walls of Kuanglan City. Using a device invented by Mo Rong, the Peace Army poured molten iron from the city walls, directly onto the wooden bridgehead. Dozens of soldiers crowding onto the bridge to cross the moat were also splashed with the molten iron, instantly burning their skin and bones, turning them into a black mess. Beneath their charred faces, white grease was visible. Several who were doused headfirst died instantly, while others rolled on the bridge, emitting weak screams, but moments later, they sank into the moat along with the bridge, which had been destroyed by the molten iron, and were never seen again.
This horrific scene shattered the courage that Song Xi had emboldened them with his killings and rewards. The soldiers retreated far away, fearing they would be splashed by the molten iron poured from the city walls. In truth, the molten iron was extremely difficult to control once poured. Even with all her efforts, Mo Rong could only aim it relatively accurately within ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) of the city walls. Beyond that distance, not only would it avoid hitting others, but it could also burn herself when it was poured.
However, fearing Song Xi's ruthless methods, the soldiers dared not retreat to their own lines. Instead, they erected a shield wall some distance from the moat, and the vast majority of them began to draw their bows and fire arrows, exchanging fire with the two thousand-plus Peace Army soldiers on the city walls. In terms of strength, the two thousand-plus men on the walls were clearly outnumbered, but the Peace Army, relying on the city's fortifications and superior weaponry, temporarily maintained a stalemate with Peng Yuancheng's army on the western city walls. Although Song Xi was unwilling to accept this, he couldn't think of a good solution in the short term. Simply sending soldiers to their deaths would not only be futile but could also incite a mutiny—a principle Song Xi naturally understood.
While the western part of the city remained locked in a stalemate, the southern part presented a different picture. Under Peng Yuancheng's personal command, his soldiers fought with extraordinary zeal. Moreover, the main force attacking this area consisted not of inexperienced soldiers, but rather regular light infantry and a small number of armored infantry. Their combat experience was far superior. First, the armored infantry formed a sturdy shield formation, slowly advancing. Arrows fired from the city walls could barely penetrate this iron shield barrier. Following closely behind, siege equipment, escorted by light infantry, was dragged to the moat by soldiers using livestock.
"Catapults, crossbows, attack!" Seeing that they were already within attack range, Peng Yuancheng ordered these two types of machines, capable of inflicting heavy damage on the city walls from afar, to fire first. Huge stones flew towards the city walls with a heavy whooshing sound, while the crossbows, each over ten feet long, fired their blazing fireballs.
"Raise the net!" The city's garrison commander, Tu Longziyun, seeing the situation was dire, immediately gave the order. From the beacon tower on the city wall, a layer of iron chain nets as thick as a child's arm was spread out, protecting the weak points of the city wall and the soldiers' encampments. Huge stones falling from mid-air crashed into these chain "nets," making clanging sounds. They either shattered or slowly rolled down from above, but they could not cause much damage to the soldiers or the city wall under the net, only smashing some equipment.
But the fire crossbow was much more troublesome. Not only did it have a longer range and greater penetrating power than catapults, but the thick layer of grease coated on it, once ignited, could set anything on fire. Although Mo Rong had strictly ordered that no wooden buildings be placed near the city walls when designing the city defenses, it was still impossible to protect all the soldiers. Every now and then, Peace Army soldiers would be pierced by fire crossbows that pierced through the gaps in the iron mesh, the flames burning even inside their bodies.
The nets raised on the city walls could not be seen from below, so Tu Longziyun ordered the soldiers to take their positions and not to make a sound or move around. Peng Yuancheng, who was below the city walls, thought that the soldiers on the city walls had been suppressed by the attack and had taken cover, so he ordered the bridge to be built and the city walls to be attacked.
During the siege, Peng Yuancheng was busy preparing siege equipment. In contrast, although Kuanglan City also tried its best to manufacture them, most of the catapults and crossbows were hastily made by Li Jun and sent to Chen State. They were not only crude but also far fewer in number than those prepared by Peng Yuancheng. In the first round of attacks, most of them were burned or smashed. Even the large cauldrons on the city wall that were prepared to melt molten iron were smashed with holes.
Tu Longzi knew that Peng Yuancheng's army would soon launch a direct attack. To prevent the enemy from crossing the moat, the first step was to eliminate their ranged attack equipment. To do this, the armored infantry protecting these equipment had to be separated from the equipment.
Therefore, on the one hand, he strictly ordered the soldiers to stay in their positions and not to make loud noise or move around at will. On the other hand, he organized people to repair some of the attack facilities that Mo Rong had fixed on the city wall and to repair the damaged ones as soon as possible. Among them, he placed great hopes on a long crossbow located on a beacon tower.
As expected, after the pontoon bridge was built, the armored infantry stepped onto it and advanced, while the guards rushed to the city walls and brought the siege ladders towards the top. Seeing that the time was right, Tu Longzi Yun waved his hand and shouted, "Aim! Fire!"
The powerful crossbows, specially made by Mo Rong and requiring six warriors to draw, were concentrated and aimed at the siege catapults and giant crossbows. Accompanied by the rapid clanging of gongs, they emitted a piercing, shrill sound, piercing the air like lightning and striking the siege equipment of Peng Yuancheng's army. These crossbows, over ten feet long, sank deep into the siege equipment, completely destroying their intricate mechanisms and turning them into useless junk. Some of Peng Yuancheng's soldiers controlling the siege equipment were even pinned to the ground by the crossbow bolts, not yet dead, struggling and groaning in vain in pools of blood.
"Damn it, intensify the attack!" Peng Yuancheng realized his mistake. He didn't order the armored infantry to retreat and defend; doing so would have meant handing back Hollywood's easy access to the city. Nor did he order the siege engines to be withdrawn, because for such heavy and massive machines, they would be destroyed by the enemy before they could even fully turn around. Besides, his reinforcements were currently advancing, and turning the machines around would only hinder their progress. It was better to let the siege engines attack with all their might before they were completely destroyed; inflicting greater casualties on the enemy would be a bonus.
The soldiers brandished their weapons and began scaling the city walls. Suddenly, bricks crumbled, revealing a row of holes the size of bowls. A pitchfork extended from one of these holes, knocking down the ladders. Soldiers halfway up the walls plummeted from mid-air, colliding with their comrades below. Immediately afterward, rocks and logs rained down from the walls. The defenders didn't even need to peek out to avoid being shot by archers; they could simply throw them down from behind the battlements. The massive Peng Yuan army was huddled together below, and the falling rocks and logs struck the enemy without any need for aiming.
In the blink of an eye, the area beneath Kuanglan City transformed into a living hell. Wounded soldiers, missing limbs and mangled bodies, crawled out from piles of corpses with splattered brains or bloodied flesh, dragging long trails of blood as they scrambled back towards where they had come from. But most of them struggled halfway before losing their lives forever. A few managed to crawl to the moat, but were unable to cross. They then crawled toward the pontoon bridge, only to be overtaken by rolling logs and stones hurled from the city walls. Interestingly, a significant portion of these stones were those that Peng Yuancheng had just ordered the catapults to launch.
Peng Yuancheng watched as his army suffered losses every moment, while the Peace Army, which he had initially thought was severely damaged by long-range attacks, revealed a surprising strength. It now seemed that the only way to take the city in one fell swoop was through his own strategic planning.
However, the strength of the Peace Army in the southern city proved that his order for Shi Ze to lead 30,000 elite troops to wait in the western city was indeed opportune. Now, if he could maintain his offensive for a while longer, making the Peace Army even more certain that his location was the main attack direction, then Shi Ze's 30,000 elite troops would suddenly appear in the weakly defended western city. The Peace Army's western city defenders, already heavily depleted in their stalemate with Song Xi, would be unable to withstand the attack of these 30,000 elite troops. By the time they tried to transfer reinforcements from the southern city, it would be too late. Therefore, Peng Yuancheng was not discouraged by the minor setback in the siege, but instead ordered the rear guard to accelerate their advance.
Just then, the pontoon bridge he had erected suddenly collapsed, and the soldiers crossing it fell into the moat. They struggled on the surface for a few moments before letting out sharp screams. The traps and mechanisms, such as spikes and spinning blades, that had been set underwater during the construction of the city had taken effect; the more they struggled, the faster they died. Those floating on the surface had intact limbs, but beneath the water, their bodies were already mangled and rotten.
Peng Yuancheng was stunned by this sudden change. Unbeknownst to him, Mo Rong had already set up traps in the flat areas where pontoon bridges could potentially be placed during the city's construction. Feng Jiutian, after obtaining the city defense map, also realized these traps could be used. If molten iron was sufficient to burn down the pontoon bridges, there was no need to use them; otherwise, this small secret of the city's defenses would be exposed. This worked perfectly. The rear army was blocked by the moat and could not advance an inch, while the vanguard of five or six thousand men were stuck beneath Kuanglan City, unable to retreat.
Seeing his own troops remaining below the city walls being easily slaughtered by the defenders on the walls, Peng Yuancheng looked back at his own side. The ranged weapons that could have protected his troops below were almost entirely destroyed, and his archers were no match for the Peace Army archers positioned high above. His troops, trapped below, were trapped in a miserable, helpless situation, at the mercy of their captors. Peng Yuancheng's heart burned with anguish. Among these thousands of soldiers were a significant portion of his elite armored infantry, whose equipment he had painstakingly acquired and whose training had been incredibly demanding, yet he could only watch helplessly as they perished.
"Surrender! We surrender!" someone shouted. The voice was initially drowned out by screams and curses, but soon more men joined the ranks. Peng Yuancheng's troops below the city walls threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground. Faced with such a desperate situation, even the most fearless would not want to die like this. The attacks from the city walls indeed gradually thinned. Peng Yuancheng coldly watched his men who were about to surrender. An advisor approached and whispered, "If we let them surrender, they might join the enemy. Perhaps..."
"Shut up!" Peng Yuancheng slapped him across the face, venting all his anger on him, and roared, "They are in dire straits. I already feel guilty for not being able to save them. How can I kill them further? Soldiers below the city, surrender if you want. I, Peng Yuancheng, will not stop you!"
His voice was extremely loud, delivered with all his might, so that even the surrendered soldiers could hear it. Some of his loyal followers felt tears welling in their eyes and replied, "Please rest assured, Lord City Lord, we have no choice but to surrender to save our lives, but under no circumstances will we be your enemy!"
In an instant, the situation that was originally unfavorable to Peng Yuancheng's morale was transformed by Peng Yuancheng's deliberate action into a situation that inspired his entire army to fight with one heart and one mind against the enemy. Tu Longziyun stared at the city wall for a long time, then suddenly sighed. In his heart, he would rather kill all these thousands of surrendered soldiers, but if he killed these defenseless enemies now, not only would it seem unheroic, but more importantly, it would further provoke Peng Yuancheng's men to fight to the death to avenge these people.
However, it would be inappropriate to simply take in these surrendered soldiers. The city's garrison numbered less than 20,000, while the surrendered soldiers numbered several thousand. If they were to cause trouble after entering the city, even if the disturbances were suppressed, it would inevitably cause unnecessary losses to the city. Although the initial battle was a minor victory, it had given Tu Longziyun a headache.
two,
"Sir, do you mean to execute that Zheng Dingguo?"
At the military conference held the next day, Li Jun was taken aback when he heard Wei Zhan's terms for negotiating with Cheng Tian. Zheng Dingguo's bravery and strength made him a worthy general. Cheng Tian must have been very protective of him. If he were killed, how could Cheng Tian let it go?
“Indeed, Zheng Dingguo is a peerless warrior, a valiant general under Cheng Tian. Whenever Cheng Tian encounters a strong enemy, he always uses Zheng Dingguo as his vanguard,” Wei Zhan said with a smile. Li Jun’s surprise proved that his plan had completely taken him by surprise, which made him quite pleased with himself. “That’s why. If the commander can still kill Zheng Dingguo in this unfavorable situation, Cheng Tian will fear the commander’s strength and know that our army still has the ability to fight to the death. He will not dare to push our army too far. At this time, if I explain the advantages and disadvantages to him, even if he does not want to lift the siege, his soldiers will surely be terrified and have no will to fight.”
"Commander, you absolutely must not!" Vice General Pan Lang objected, saying, "Zheng Dingguo was able to kill Shang Huaiyi in three moves, so he must be a brave general. Even for someone like you, Commander or General Lan, it would be difficult to kill him amidst thousands of troops. Besides, if we can kill him, why not just take Cheng Tian's head directly? Wouldn't that lift the siege of Lianfa Army?"
"Haha, General Pan is mistaken. Cheng Tian is the commander of hundreds of thousands of troops. How could his defenses be inadequate? On the contrary, Zheng Dingguo relies on his martial prowess and always charges forward in battle. Although he is brave, he is nothing more than a brave man. Killing him would be as easy as turning one's hand," Wei Zhan retorted.
"Lanqiao, do you think you can take down Zheng Dingguo in just a few rounds?" Li Jun didn't state his own opinion, but instead asked Lanqiao. Lanqiao had fought Zheng Dingguo once, albeit briefly, but it was far more accurate than their guesses.
“Killing him will be extremely difficult.” Lan Qiao rarely admitted that his opponent was no less capable than himself. He said, “If we were fighting on foot, I could kill him within thirty rounds, but he is on horseback while I am on the ground. If I want to kill him, I’m afraid it will take half a day to fight.”
"If that's the case, then I'll personally slay him!" Li Jun's spirits lifted. He habitually touched his throwing dagger. As the Peace Army grew stronger, his opportunities to personally engage in one-on-one battles became fewer and fewer, leaving him feeling somewhat powerless. But as commander-in-chief, if he constantly competed with his subordinates, the army would not last long. This time, he was determined to fight personally for three reasons: first, to kill Zheng Dingguo as quickly as possible to prevent him from being surrounded by the Lianfa Army; second, besides himself, only Infantry General Lan Qiao could defeat him; and third, he genuinely wanted to find a tougher opponent to test his progress over the past six months.
"No, no!" the head guard once objected. "The commander is responsible for the entire army. How can he fight against that brave man? Please, Mr. Wei, think of another plan."
"That's not a problem. As long as we arrange things cleverly, killing Zheng Dingguo will only require a little trickery." Wei Zhan was confident, showing no sign of difficulty. "Just follow my plan, and everything will be fine. Please give the order immediately, Commander!"
Li Jun stared at him for a long time. He was confident in defeating Zheng Dingguo, but he had some doubts about Wei Zhan's unexplained plan. It wasn't that he didn't trust Wei Zhan, but rather that people are always wary of things they can't fully control.
Wei Zhan smiled in response, his eyes sparkling. Li Jun nodded emphatically. Even if it meant taking a risk to gain this man's wholehearted loyalty, it was worth it.
Cheng Tian, who was outside the city, felt uneasy. After releasing Ge Lu back into the city, the Heping Army made no move. Could it be that Li Jun had such extraordinary abilities that he could keep the entire army calm in the face of danger?
Unbeknownst to him, Li Jun had instructed his generals to inform the soldiers of the true situation without concealing anything. The soldiers were deeply moved. Furthermore, Li Jun had always treated his soldiers with great kindness, and with defeat still uncertain, they believed he would surely find a way to escape. This trust was unique to soldiers who followed a consistently victorious general, just as Liu Guang's men followed him to Chen after being abandoned by Heng.
While Cheng Tian was discussing matters with his generals in the camp, drums suddenly sounded loudly in the city, and both the east and west city gates were flung open, with the Heping Army rushing out like a tide. Upon hearing the sentry's report, Cheng Tian immediately stopped the meeting and went outside the camp gate.
"Could it be that Li Jun is desperate and ready to fight to the death?" he thought to himself. Looking into the distance, he saw that the Peace Army was well-organized and Li Jun stood in front of the formation with his halberd held across his arm, loudly challenging his side to battle.
"Ignore him. If he attacks, fire arrows back!" After observing for a moment, Cheng Tian sneered. Although Li Jun was shouting battle cries at the front, he dared not charge, clearly seeking an opportunity to boost morale. Engaging him in battle would suit his purposes perfectly.
Not long after retreating to their camp, the sentry indeed reported that Li Jun, seeing that the Lianfa army was ready for battle but refused to engage, retreated back into the city in frustration. Cheng Tian laughed and said, "Just as I expected, Li Jun is probably helpless now."
"Master, we must not be careless," Tang Gan said slowly. Although he coveted the position of Master, he also knew that this matter was crucial to success or failure, and he had to remind Cheng Tian, "Now it seems that Li Jun is very likely to make a desperate gamble, and our army must avoid the enemy's sharp edge."
“What the Master says is absolutely right,” Cheng Tian nodded. “Where does the Master think Li Jun will go all in?”
"Our army's weakness lies in our leader," Tang Gan said, his words startling everyone in the tent. Only Cheng Tian seemed to understand his meaning, stroking his beard and smiling.
"Our army numbers 100,000, each under its own command. Only the Commander-in-Chief holds a high position and enjoys the hearts of the soldiers. He is sincerely respected by all. If Li Jun succeeds in ambushing the Commander-in-Chief, it will severely damage our morale. Furthermore, with the generals distrusting each other, our army will only be able to collapse. Therefore, I urge the Commander-in-Chief to be on high alert and not give Li Jun any opportunity to take advantage of the situation."