Chapter 475: Battle at the City Walls

At dawn, a faint white light began to spread across the distant horizon. At Shouchun's southern wall, the Han army's camp gates swung wide open, war drums thundered, and horns blared, startling the Tang soldiers on guard duty early in the morning.

On the barbican, over a hundred garrison soldiers, most still bleary-eyed, sensed the commotion in the Han camp but took a moment to react. They had held the city for nearly an entire winter—two full months of siege since the Han Emperor personally led his great army to encircle them—without a single day of assault. Over such a long stretch, despite He Jingzhu's lashing from behind, psychological slackening was unavoidable, even numbness.

Below the barbican, the city-ward Commander was curled up in a thick pile of dry straw, wrapped in a filthy hemp robe, sleeping soundly. After two months of siege, how could the defenders' appearance remain neat and tidy? If the officers were like this, one could imagine the common soldiers. The air was inevitably thick with a foul stench—though after today, it would be tinged with even more blood...

"Commander, the Han army is stirring!" A centurion on the wall hurried down to report.

"What's all the noise!" The city-ward Commander, roused by the voice, lashed out and slapped the centurion across the face, snapping angrily: "I heard it! It must be the Han army at their drills and competitions again!"

"No, Commander, you must go up and see for yourself—the Han army is about to attack the city!" Ignoring the burning sting on his cheek, the centurion said urgently.

At these words, the city-ward Commander's bleary eyes finally sharpened somewhat. Grabbing the war saber he'd been using as a pillow, he strode out, grumbling: "If you're lying about military intelligence and ruined my good sleep, I'll make you pay!"

He blustered loudly, but when the Tang Commander rushed up to the wall and saw the scene below, he sobered up instantly—and even reached up to rub his eyes hard. The Han camp was pitched brazenly close, less than three li from the city, and their movements were clearly visible.

A great mass of Han soldiers surged forth, already formed into battle arrays, layered and distinct, war banners fluttering, killing intent billowing. Sword-and-shield formations stood on both flanks, spear-and-shield formations spread out in a crescent at the front, and in the center sat a great crossbow and archer formation—over three thousand strong—while roughly two thousand cavalry roamed the two sides as support.

Most importantly, those great things slowly advancing from the Han camp—trebuchets, siege ladders, battering rams...

"Quick! Quick! Notify the Chief General, report to the Military Governor—the Han army is about to attack the city!" The panicked cry nearly tore itself from the city-ward Commander's throat as he hurriedly issued orders. From the Han army's posture, this was absolutely the real thing.

As the city-ward Commander, holding the front line and bearing heavy responsibility, he was hardly an incompetent man. He immediately rotated all the soldiers on the wall—after all, those who'd stood watch half the night were exhausted in body and mind, with little fighting strength left. At the same time, he urgently redeployed his subordinates into strict vigilance, while he himself counted those war machines the Han army called "thunderclap catapults."

One, two, three... he soon lost count, and from the Han camp, trebuchets continued to be pushed out in an unending stream.

At Shouchun's southern wall, masses of soldiers and able-bodied men, driven by whips and shouts, kept replenishing defensive supplies on the wall—arrows, rolling stones, logs, bamboo screens, sand and earth. Dozens of cauldrons had already been set over fires, boiling "golden broth," the whole scene one of bustle and chaos.

The moment he learned of the Han army's movements, He Jingzhu donned his armor and mounted the wall, issuing orders to the entire city to prepare for battle. He had made some emergency preparations in advance against a Han assault, but when the moment actually came, the officers below executed with far too little efficiency.

Amid the chaos on the wall, He Jingzhu's short frame stood like a pine among wind—unshakable, gazing calmly at the Han army outside. Below the southern wall, with the Xiaodi Army as the core, the Han assault formation had already taken firm shape—black armor, black banners, a dense, oppressive mass that struck the eye with immense force.

To support the Xiaodi Army's attack, Liu Chengyou had transferred numerous crossbowmen and archers from his other forces, allocated a hundred thousand arrows for their use, and added two thousand Tieqi cavalry as support.

Of course, the most intimidating sight was the hundred-plus thunderclap catapults occupying vast space in the Han formation—the entire battle array was organized around protecting the "catapult battery."

After Liu Chengyou personally took the field, he had brought over a hundred thunderclap catapults from the Eastern Capital, and after arriving before Shouchun, he had the accompanying craftsmen build nearly a hundred more. As for fire-oil bombs, he had brought a full five thousand—and with a grand wave of his hand, Liu Chengyou directly allocated fifteen hundred to Sun Li.

A full hour or more of preparation passed, and still the Han army had not launched its attack—simply because the distribution of fire-oil bombs and stone projectiles had not yet been fully completed.

On the wall, He Jingzhu took a deep breath and asked: "Any movement from the Han army at the other gates?"

Zhang Quanyue, Commander of the Baoxin Army, had followed him up. Gazing grimly at the Han formation outside, he said: "I went to check—they've all deployed and pressed close to the walls, but not with as much commotion as here at the southern wall!"

"So the Han army is making the southern wall their main thrust!" He Jingzhu pointed at the Han forces outside and said: "The Han army has camped at our walls for two months without striking, and the moment winter recedes, they launch this. Their assault is certain to come—they must already be resolved to break the city. Army Commander Zhang, I will personally hold the southern wall; for the other three gates, I entrust you with patrol and defense—drive the troops hard and keep the city ready!"

"Take care, Lord He!" Zhang Quanyue cast a few more glances outside—black clouds pressing down, threatening to crush the city—then, without lingering, saluted He Jingzhu, turned, and led his personal guards away.

Outside the city, within the Han formation, Sun Li and Gao Huaide stood side by side on horseback, surveying the might and majesty of their great army, their bearing brimming with confidence. With a wave of his hand, Sun Li directly ordered: "First, smash the walls with stone projectiles—let's see how hard this city really is!"

At the command, the operators beside the thunderclap catapults immediately loaded stones and fired. With crisp mechanical clatter, the polished stone projectiles hurtled toward Shouchun with tremendous force.

At first the shots were scattered and mostly inaccurate, but gradually, as the trebuchets were adjusted and calibrated, though the strikes remained imprecise, at least they reached the wall.

Faced with such an assault, the Tang soldiers on the wall could only endure passively, suffer, and pray not to be hit. Stone projectiles carrying thunderous force—any mortal flesh they touched was either killed or maimed.

Seeing the garrison soldiers below scattering like rats, He Jingzhu shouted fiercely, ordering his officers to restrain the men. He had several beheaded before order was restored, forcing the soldiers to cower trembling behind the parapets.

But the unlucky ones who were struck—the dead were a horrifying sight, the living screamed in agony. In just over half an hour, the Han army had hurled nearly three thousand stone projectiles at the wall.

Shouchun's wall, though sturdy, was now pockmarked and scarred. The actual damage to the Tang army was naturally not great, but the blow to morale was severe. Though He Jingzhu was minded to face the Han stones directly to bolster his troops' spirit, his personal guards dragged and pulled him down to shelter below the wall.

When he climbed back up and saw no more flying stones, the Han assault had temporarily paused—but He Jingzhu's heart did not relax in the slightest. He knew clearly that the Han army would now deploy their fire-oil bombs. He still vaguely remembered the power of those fire-oil bombs when the Han army first attacked the city last year—even with precautions, the casualties had been heavy and the carnage appalling. Even with a thick layer of sand spread on the wall, it was hard to defend against.

"Quick! Prepare bamboo screens and set them over the wall!" He Jingzhu shouted.

Before long, just as He Jingzhu had predicted, the Han army switched to fire-oil bombs, repeating the same adjustment and firing process. Compared to stone projectiles, they had less impact force, but their destructive and killing power was on an entirely different level. Even though He Jingzhu had prepared in advance, this time was not like before—over a thousand fire-oil bombs detonated in dense succession, and sand, bamboo screens, and the like were nothing but a drop in the bucket.

Gazing at Shouchun's wall—flames leaping skyward, thick smoke rising on all sides—even from over a li away, one could feel the venomous intensity of the blaze. Listening with relish to the screams and wails within, Sun Li wore a look of pure enjoyment, muttering: "These Huai bandits—daring to resist! Serves them right to be burned!"

"Report to the Chief General: all fifteen hundred thunderclap bombs have been fired!"

Hearing the report, Sun Li couldn't help licking his cracked lips and said to Gao Huaide beside him: "Cangyong, though stone projectiles are sharp and fire bombs are venomous, these trebuchets alone cannot break the city. We must rely on the soldiers' blood and courage to storm the walls, to take it with sword and blade. In a moment, I'll lead the charge on the city; you command the army from behind!"

Hearing Sun Li's words, Gao Huaide immediately urged: "You are the chief commander of the army—you should stay at the center. Let me lead the men up!"

"No need to argue with me!" Sun Li immediately showed his decisive side: "Directing troops in the heat of battle is not my strength—charging and commanding below the walls suits me better. Say no more; this is a military order. While the wall is in chaos, set out at once—don't squander the opportunity!"

"As ordered!" Gao Huaide responded at once.

Soon, with Sun Li at the fore, the crossbow formation advanced to lay down suppressing fire, while conscripted laborers risked death carrying great timbers and planks to lay bridging spans. Siege ladders pressed toward the city, and behind them, great shields raised high, the Han armored soldiers launched their assault on Shouchun.

Swarming the walls like ants was always brutal—even for elite Han troops, it was the same. Lives had to be spent to win.