Chapter 951

First Volume_Chapter 951 Lone City Hard to Defend

Although the Enemy Army's Vanguard Main General was not Chen Si, his military literacy was extremely high—he was just as formidable a foe.

By this point in the battle, all large-scale enemy offensives had been repelled, and the defenders had achieved an exceptionally high casualty ratio at minimal cost—clearly a decisive victory, with morale soaring to unprecedented heights.

But Qin Feng could not bring himself to feel joy.

At that moment, a faint voice suddenly came from his side.

"Marquis, our DefensiveLine is impregnable, the enemy has suffered heavy losses—why are you so gloomy?"

Qin Feng turned his head and discovered it was Zhang Zhenhai!

Since the battle at Wanggang Village, Zhang Zhenhai had been severely wounded and had been under the careful care of the Military Doctor; Qin Feng, wanting him to rest properly, had never visited him.

But over these past two days, as fighting outside the city continued, all the Military Doctors had been dispatched to the Front Line to treat the wounded, leaving Zhang Zhenhai without supervision—he dragged his injured body here secretly and happened to see Qin Feng sitting alone in the DaTang, sighing heavily.

Qin Feng rose and supported Zhang Zhenhai, asking softly: "How is your wound?"

Zhang Zhenhai forced a light smile: "I won't die."

Qin Feng sighed: "Don't say 'won't die'—even a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal, let alone your injuries. You must rest carefully during this time; don't worry about the Front Line."

Hearing Qin Feng's advice, Zhang Zhenhai felt deeply moved, but with the battle still raging, he could not stay idle—he changed the subject: "Marquis, I heard from the Military Doctor that the Enemy Army's Vanguard has suffered heavy losses—we've already won this battle, so why are you still gloomy?"

At this, Qin Feng sighed lightly: "We've won the first battle—but what about the second? The third? As long as the City Defense Equipment hasn't been brought up to the City Wall, my heart will remain suspended."

Qin Feng himself knew he was being overly pessimistic—even if the City Defense Equipment reached the Front Line, it would still take considerable time for the soldiers to master its use.

In short, during this period, Qin Feng would always feel a sharp blade hanging over his neck, ready to fall at any moment.

Qin Feng looked toward the door, listening to the faint cries of battle coming from the Front Line, and sighed again: "The enemy are Elite Troops, their Main General is no pushover—even after repelling their large-scale assaults, they still launch small-scale Ambushes."

"At this point, the offensive-defensive dynamic has already shifted."

"During large-scale battles, we only need a few men to hold back their assaults—but when they switch to Ambush and Consumption War, even if they send only a hundred or so men each time, every soldier along the entire DefensiveLine must remain on Readiness. In this way, we are the ones falling into disadvantage."

"Moreover… even if information is blocked and we cannot learn what's happening in Wang Du, we can be certain that Chen Si, as Commander-in-Chief, will crush dissent with iron fists—the entire Wang Du is now under military control. Thus, the main force will concentrate, and within three to five days at the latest, they will arrive at our gates."

"Originally, we estimated the enemy would bring around sixteen thousand troops—but judging by the intensity of the Vanguard's attacks, we clearly underestimated their determination."

"Just the enemy's main force likely exceeds sixteen thousand."

"When that happens, each time the enemy sends only one or two thousand men to attack, it will be equivalent to a full-scale assault on us. Even if the Tianji Camp Guards and Beixi Soldiers are as valiant as ever, they cannot withstand a Carriage Wheel Battle like this."

Hearing Qin Feng's analysis, Zhang Zhenhai finally grasped the gravity of the situation—no wonder Qin Feng had made so many thorough preparations; even now, as war erupted, he remained on edge.

Zhang Zhenhai felt a tightening in his chest—after all, even the all-capable Marquis Qin was treating this war with such caution; how could he dare to be careless?

"Marquis, since we are in such a dire situation, how should we defend the city going forward?"

Qin Feng replied bluntly: "We have only the Bed Crossbow as our reliance!"

Although both Catapult and Bed Crossbow are City Defense Equipment, only the Bed Crossbow can truly play a decisive role.

Catapults can only inflict casualties during the early stages of battle; their tactical value declines sharply over time.

This is because Catapults have two fatal flaws: first, they are positioned inside the city, blocked by the City Wall, requiring angle adjustments before blind firing—making the chance of hitting enemy troops extremely low.

Second, there is the problem of ammunition resupply—where in the city is there enough Stone to use?

Large stones are scarce, and binding small stones consumes Sheng Mao and cloth—can we really tear down houses?

In contrast, the Bed Crossbow is far more reliable: once mounted on the City Wall, it can deliver PreciseShooting at approaching enemies, and its massive Arrows often cause "mass" casualties.

Although replenishing Bed Crossbow Arrows is also troublesome, the city has stockpiled vast quantities of wood—if needed, we can cut down trees, or even dismantle roof beams—we will surely have enough to last until the war ends.

Most crucially, the Bed Crossbow's psychological pressure is overwhelming: one shot can cause mass casualties; in its early deployment, it will undoubtedly shatter enemy morale. Even later, when the enemy adapts, they still cannot escape being struck—after all, on the Battlefield, soldiers are packed tightly together; the Bed Crossbow doesn't need to aim—just fire into the thickest crowds.

To get the Bed Crossbow into battle as soon as possible, Qin Feng forcibly sent Zhang Zhenhai back to rest and went to the construction site himself.

When he arrived, the tension in Qin Feng's chest finally eased.

Construction of the Bed Crossbow was still ongoing—it would take at least ten to fifteen days to complete the first batch.

But the Catapult construction had accelerated significantly: three were already in final assembly, likely to be finished by nightfall and ready for transport tomorrow; five others were more than halfway done.

Qin Feng summoned the team leader among the craftsmen and said gravely: "Since Catapult progress is faster, for the next few days, focus all efforts on building Catapults—put the Bed Crossbow on hold."

Qin Feng feared the enemy's main force could strike at any moment and urgently needed City Defense Equipment deployed immediately; otherwise, facing an ocean of enemy troops, manpower alone would be insufficient to hold the DefensiveLine.

The craftsman team leader, Wang Qiang, nodded while blaming himself: "Marquis, if we had more craftsmen, we would have already built the Bed Crossbows."

"Unfortunately, more than half the craftsmen here are temporary conscripts from the city—they don't even qualify as carpenters, let alone know how to build a Bed Crossbow."

"If the Bed Crossbow fails to enter battle in time and we lose the war, I accept full responsibility—I await your judgment, Marquis Qin."