Chapter 958: First Volume_Chapter 958 Attack on a Fortified City Is No Different from a Meat Grinder

First Volume_Chapter 958 Attack on a Fortified City Is No Different from a Meat Grinder

But the assault had already begun; unless the entire force collapsed in chaotic flight, orderly retreat was nearly impossible, and even though commanders knew full well that continuing the attack would bring massive casualties, they still gritted their teeth and led their soldiers toward the County City.

"Grand General's order: spare no cost to capture Changshui County!"

"Any soldier who shows cowardice or delays in battle shall be executed on the spot!"

"The first to scale the wall shall be rewarded with ten thousand taels of White Silver and a hundred mu of Good Field!"

"Whoever severs an enemy officer's head shall be granted the title of Thousand-Household Lord!"

Although it is said that heavy rewards produce brave men, the overseers' roars still failed to stir the soldiers' fighting spirit, for the constant whirring of Bed Crossbows on the City Wall and the massive rocks arcing through the air to crash behind them had shattered their morale. Where in their lives had they ever fought such Siege Warfare?

Those struck by massive rocks or hit by Siege Crossbow Bolts left no intact corpses—only scattered limbs and severed limbs flying everywhere.

More and more soldiers crowded together beneath the City Wall, where defenders simply had to keep pouring down arrows and chunks of wood and stone; casualties mounted beyond count.

Finally, the Bow Infantry formation of the attacking force advanced within one hundred steps, and under the protection of Great Shields, over a thousand Bow Infantry began parabolic shooting into the city.

At that moment, another massive rock flew out from within the city and slammed down thirtySteps behind the Bow Infantry formation.

Though startled, the Bow Infantry still held their nerve and began rhythmic, dense parabolic shooting.

Moments later, another massive rock flew out from the city—this time landing less than ten steps behind the Bow Infantry formation!

The entire Bow Infantry formation was thrown into panic, cries of alarm erupting everywhere.

"The enemy defenders are adjusting their Catapults!"

"Quick! Move the line!"

Over a thousand Bow Infantry began shifting rightward, forced to use parallel movement to prevent their formation from collapsing.

Unbeknownst to them, Qin Feng on the City Wall had fixed his gaze entirely on the enemy Bow Infantry formation, and the instant they halted, he immediately issued orders downward.

"Enemy Bow Infantry, moving seventySteps east!"

"Catapults retreat twentySteps."

The orderlies sprinted down the City Wall to notify the soldiers manning the Catapults; even the Siege Engineers had joined the battlefield, primarily responsible for operating the Catapults.

Upon receiving the order, the Siege Engineers immediately led the conscripts and soldiers to push the Catapults—first seventySteps east, then twentySteps north.

With the rope tension unchanged and the stone weights roughly equal, when the next massive rock flew out from the City Wall and traced a perfect Arc Trajectory before crashing down, it struck directly within the enemy Bow Infantry formation—ten or more men instantly crushed into Meat Paste, while surrounding Bow Infantry screamed and scattered in terror.

Threatened by the Catapults, the enemy Bow Infantry could no longer form dense formations, and thus could not deliver concentrated volleys.

As a result, they scattered into small groups across the army, fighting independently; their effectiveness became severely limited.

Meanwhile, the two Bed Crossbows on the City Wall relentlessly unleashed Siege Crossbow Bolts into the densest enemy clusters; before the devastating power of these heavy bolts, every Shield and Helmet became mere decoration.

Although the enemy had successfully advanced to the City Wall, the entire army was now in chaos, disrupted by Catapults and Bed Crossbows, making any organized or concentrated assault impossible.

And this was only the City South front; the defenses at Chengdong and West of the City were even stronger, and after several failed attempts, the enemy forces there simply broke and fled.

As pressure eased on Chengdong and West of the City, reinforcements were redirected to City South and North of the City.

The slaughter intensified!

Boom—

With a deafening roar, over a hundred soldiers crowded at the City Gate, as dozens of men jointly swung a massive Liang Wood to slam against the gate.

The immense force shook not only the gate but made the entire City tremble.

Unfortunately, though the gate was made of wood, it was extraordinarily sturdy, reinforced from behind by several thick Liang Wood beams, and to prevent enemy siege, stone and earth had been piled behind the beams to construct a wall eight Chi high—making it even harder to breach.

Just as the enemy focused on battering the gate, a torrent of oil suddenly poured down from holes above the gate.

Soldiers holding Great Shields to guard against arrows had no defense against the oil seeping through every gap.

The next instant, flames erupted at the gate, accompanied by deafening screams and Scream—Ning Hu, crouched at the oil spout, spat in disgust.

"Think you can break the gate? Easy as that?"

"Come as many as you like—I'll kill them all!"

Watching the burning figures below the gate, Ning Hu's eyes held no mercy—only satisfaction. On the Battlefield, there was no such thing as "kindness"; if Ning Hu did not kill the enemy, the enemy would kill him. In this life-or-death bloodbath, any kindness was cruelty to oneself.

Human lives meant nothing before war.

At this moment, in the distant camp, countless orderlies ran back and forth.

"General, the siege is failing!"

"General, the enemy defenses are as solid as gold and bronze—we cannot break through!"

"General, the enemy Heavy Crossbows are too powerful; our Shields and Armor offer no protection—our casualties are catastrophic!"

"General, frontline commanders propose retreat; our formation is in chaos. Even if soldiers risk their lives to reach the City Wall, they'll only be shot down by enemy defenders."

Chen Si frowned, sitting at the table, his temples throbbing.

This war had shattered Chen Si's understanding of the very word "war."

Though it is said that Siege Warfare is the worst strategy, even the strongest City should crumble under the assault of ten thousand Elite Troops—but… the resilience of Changshui County left Chen Si's scalp crawling.

According to frontline Military Intelligence Reports, every defender on the City Wall carried two Shields—one large, one small—and wore full Armor; ordinary Arrows could not pierce them, and even specialized Armor-Piercing Arrowheads were blocked by their Shields.

Moreover… the enemy defenders had stretched their DefensiveLine extremely wide, turning every area covered by Catapults and siege Heavy Crossbows into a killing zone.

Under this fierce Counterattack, the ten-thousand-strong army could not maintain formation unless they stayed beyond three hundred steps.

But once they assembled beyond three hundred steps, the enemy's siege Heavy Crossbows would target them directly—those crossbows had terrifying range, conservatively estimated at seven hundredSteps!

This was no Siege Warfare—it was like trying to devour a Hedgehog, only to be pierced and torn apart by its spines.

Clearly, Changshui County had become a Heavy Fortress; the only way to take such a place was to besiege it without attacking.