The Blood Crown - Chapter 18

On the day when the Jin army arrived at the city’s doorstep, the sky was ominously dark, heavy clouds hung low as if they could collapse at any moment, crushing all living beings beneath them.

The large army was arrayed before the city, and at a glance, their banners obscured the sun, their armor gleamed like ink, and their spears were as numerous as a forest. The central force consisted of infantry, with cavalry on both flanks, and in the rear, there were mechanical units with thunderous cannons, catapults, and battering rams. Amidst the central army, a three-colored great banner fluttered in the biting cold wind of Liaodong, the command flag of the supreme commander of the three armies, Zhuoletai.

Seventy thousand troops stood resolute, in eerie silence, a testament to the strict discipline of their commander.

Yuanmao had already conscripted all able-bodied men within the city, but the Jin forces still outnumbered them nearly twentyfold. If it weren’t for their ample provisions, such overwhelming odds would have surely led to their demise. In such a disparate battle, where the weaker side often broke before the fight began, those who could stand tall on the city walls in the face of an endless sea of foes displayed true courage. Even before the two armies clashed, the aura of impending battle permeated the air with every breath.

Yuan Sikong stared at the sea of black-clad troops below the city, trembling deep from within, but he was quickly ushered down from the city wall by Yuanmao.

Zhuoletai’s army began pounding the war drums, their sound like distant thunder, echoing with each beat, following the rhythm of their racing hearts. The army joined in with shouts, likely in the Jurchen language, which they couldn’t understand, but the short and spirited cadence held a potent enchantment. It transformed into an invisible sword, sweeping through the ranks, and the shouts grew more urgent, the tension in the air threading through every pulse. Heartbeats unconsciously synchronized with that frequency, as if they might burst and die in the next instant!

The drumbeats and shouts abruptly ceased as they neared the climax. After a sudden and unexpected silence, the men beneath the banners drew their swords, pointed them toward Guangning City, and cried out, “Release the arrows!”

The sound pierced the heavens!

The archers drew their bows, and thousands of arrows flew toward Guangning City like locusts.

As soon as the arrows left the bows, the Jin infantry, well-trained, raised their shields in unison, forming a protective barrier around the archers as they began advancing toward the city walls.

Almost simultaneously, the defenders on the city walls also raised their shields to fend off the engulfing arrowstorm. War drums resounded atop Guangning City, and Han Zhaoxing, shielded by his shield, shouted, “Attack!”

Arrows flew like a forest towards the Jin forces, piercing their pitch-black shields, leaving bamboo shafts quivering. The Jin archers, undeterred, quickly emerged from behind their shields and released a second volley of arrows.

In the exchange of arrows between the two sides, the Jin shields beneath the city were constantly riddled with gaps, while soldiers atop Guangning City fell one after another, with cries of agony echoing.

Zhuoletai, leading the way with his archers, sought to weaken the Sheng forces’ assault, then dispatched a second wave of infantry, still shielded, aiming to bring siege rams to the base of the city walls.

Yuanmao himself lifted the fiery curtain of the Fengshen cannon and, under his command, the artillerymen unleashed their fire upon the troops attempting to transport the siege rams.

The Fengshen cannon was a breech-loading cannon, safer and faster to reload compared to the earlier muzzle-loading cannons. However, it came at a high cost, and Liaodong had only received four of them, all stationed in Guangning City.

Both cannons fired simultaneously, sending the siege rams flying into the air.

Zhuoletai halted the siege rams and directed two trebuchets to hurl massive wooden and stone projectiles toward Guangning City.

When those enormous stones struck the city, they caused blood and flesh to fly, and when they hit the walls, they shattered bricks and tiles. Primitive power displayed its dominance.

“Fire!” Han Zhaoxing shouted, “Archers, get ready!”

“Charge!”

Drums thundered, shouts pierced the clouds. The Jin forces came with massive stones, and the Sheng forces replied with artillery fire. Back and forth, casualties piled up.

The troops with the siege rams continued to advance under their protective shields, one team replaced by another after being blasted away. Finally, they set aside their wooden planks, crossed the moat, and marched toward the main city gate.

The Sheng forces hurled oil jars at the shields protecting the siege ram teams, then ignited rockets to target the spilled oil, creating a wall of flames. Underneath the blazing shields, agonizing screams resounded.

Zhuoletai’s artillery war wagons advanced steadily, armed with these breech-loading cannons, modified from Red Barbarian cannons. In terms of mechanical manufacturing, the Manchus lagged far behind the Central Plains, but he had a substantial number of them, with eight in total, giving him the advantage in quantity.

As the Fengshen cannons lit up the land with fiery blooms, Zhuoletai’s cannons thundered in unison, blasting towards the walls of Guangning City.

The walls of Guangning Weicheng were two zhang (approximately six meters) thick, and with the ice layers poured over the past days, they were nearly three zhang thick, incredibly sturdy. Even under a barrage of cannonballs, they showed no sign of fundamental damage.

However, this was only temporary.

After waves of soldiers piled up corpses to create a path, the Jin siege ram finally struck Guangning Weicheng’s city gates for the first time. The force of that single blow did not harm the gates in the slightest but struck at the heart of every Sheng soldier.

Han Zhaoxing, sweating profusely in the severe winter, commanded back and forth on the city walls, with Yuanmao assisting. In this critical situation, they put aside their personal disputes and worked together to defend the city. Nevertheless, the Jin forces were as fierce as a tiger, and the small city of Guangning was in grave danger.

“Report—The south corner of the city has been breached by a giant stone!”

“Chen Yulong, take three hundred soldiers and reinforce the south corner.”

“Yes!”

“Liang Huiyong, dispatch two hundred archers to protect the west city gate.”

“Yes!”

By this time, the battle had lasted for nearly two hours. Zhuoletai’s assault remained relentless, and the Sheng forces maintained their composure. The siege rams repeatedly struck the city gate but were repelled by the defenders on the wall. Zhuoletai continued to push the siege ram teams forward while also sending infantry with scaling ladders to charge the walls.

Countless long ladders were propped against the city walls, and fearless soldiers climbed up one after another. The defenders on the wall greeted them with arrows, stones, and boiling water, killing one wave and facing another. Jin soldiers continued to fall from the ladders, their harrowing screams echoing.

Throughout history, besieging a city was considered a last resort, and the tactic of attaching like ants was the lowest form of siege warfare. However, it was also the most common and easily controllable tactic, especially when the outnumbered defenders faced scattered Sheng firepower due to cannons and siege rams. Climbing the walls, repeatedly broken and reattached ladders, wasn’t just a test of manpower but also of determination.

Yuanmao divided the defenders on the city wall into two groups: one group attacked the climbing Jin soldiers, while the other rested, continuously rotating. They vowed not to retreat, staunchly defending the city wall, and not allowing a single Jin soldier to climb up.

Gradually, no one dared to climb up anymore.

The stubbornness of the Sheng forces surpassed Zhuoletai’s expectations.

This battle raged from noon until dusk, with the Jin forces suffering thousands of casualties. Several times, they saw breaches open in the city defenses, but their fierce assaults were repeatedly repelled, and they never managed to capture the city.

Zhuoletai harbored a sense of frustration but continued the attack.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, exhausted and depleted of troops. As daylight faded and twilight descended, Zhuoletai, instead of retreating, intended to use their numerical advantage to wear down the defenders of Guangning City until they succumbed to exhaustion.

“General, the south of the city may not hold much longer!”

“Han General, it seems we are running short on arrows.”

Han Zhaoxing, anxious but forcing himself to remain calm, responded, “Continue to hold, hold on!”

Yuanmao’s eyes were bloodshot, his face pallid, as he continued to direct his soldiers tirelessly. No one knew whether Guangning City could survive the night, but as long as he had breath in him, he vowed to kill one more Jin dog!

Zhuoletai faced immense pressure as well. The corpses beneath the city piled up as high as two men, and even with promises of great rewards, no one dared to climb the ladders anymore. Moreover, the soldiers were fatigued, having gone half a day without water, causing their offensive to slow significantly.

When the night fell completely, Zhuoletai, seeing the morale of his troops flagging and realizing that a continued assault would only result in more losses, reluctantly ordered a retreat.

With this, Guangning Weicheng had endured the first night of the war.