Chapter 822
Subutai: This, how is this possible!
Boriged retreated back into the city, and Subutai looked at him and asked, "How was it?"
Boriged said, "We did underestimate the Han army before. Their bravery is by no means inferior to ours."
Upon hearing this, Subutai said, "I will personally meet them tomorrow. I want to see what they are capable of."
Thinking this, Boriged said, "If the commander-in-chief can take action personally, the enemy will surely crumble and be easily defeated."
Subutai said nothing upon hearing this, but a fighting spirit appeared in his eyes. He had not encountered a worthy opponent for a long time, and these Han people aroused his interest.
Meanwhile, in the Han army formation, Zhang Dingbian looked at the slightly disheveled Fu Youde and said, "Youde, you're taking too much risks. As the commander-in-chief of an army, how can you always be the first to act?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde said, "Hey, Commander, you're wrong. As the commander-in-chief, you should sit firmly in the center, but I am the vanguard officer. The vanguard officer should charge forward headlong, not be hesitant and unwilling to move forward."
Zhang Dingbian said, "That's not necessary. You should always be at the forefront in every battle. Besides, I remember you used to wear black armor. When did you change into this bright silver armor? Are you afraid that the enemy won't be able to spot you, the vanguard general, in the crowd at a glance?"
Zhang Dingbian's words made a lot of sense. According to military common sense, the commander-in-chief should not actively expose his position, but should disguise himself as much as possible and wear the most ordinary armor. However, Fu Youde changed into a bright silver armor.
This armor looks cool, but on the battlefield, it's a sitting duck. Who wouldn't think he's a high-ranking officer? It's like he's afraid the enemy won't know he's a big shot.
At this moment, Zhang Dingbian wished he could say, "Why don't you stick two opera-style feathers on your head? You'd look so handsome like Sun Wukong!"
Ni Wenjun watched as Zhang Dingbian reprimanded Fu Youde, saying, "Haha, I think Youde did a good job. When you're a vanguard, you have to be at the forefront. How can you fall behind others? Haha, well done!"
Zhang Dingbian looked at Ni Wenjun, who seemed eager to stir up trouble, and said, "Commander Ni, you can't encourage this bad trend."
Seeing this, Ni Wenjun laughed and said, "Never mind, never mind."
At this moment, Fu Youde said, "General, I know I was wrong. I will be more careful when we attack the city again tomorrow."
"tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian said, "No, no, there will be no battle tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde was stunned and looked at Ni Wenjun.
"No more fighting?"
Ni Wenjun remained silent, while Fu Youde said, "The enemy is fighting a major battle today, and they will surely be exhausted tomorrow. Why don't we fight them?"
Zhang Dingbian said, "If we continue fighting, we'll be using human lives to pay the price. The lives of us Han people are very valuable. Wait, wait for the artillery to come up, and I, the commander, will personally meet this Subutai!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde said, "Then it will take another three days."
Zhang Dingbian looked at Fu Youde and said, "We've waited seven months, what's three more days?"
Fu Youde remained silent upon hearing this, and Ni Wenjun also kept quiet, waiting for the new cannons to be delivered by the Hanwang Academy of Sciences.
Subutai and his men were unaware that Zhang Dingbian was waiting for artillery, so they strengthened the defenses of the inner city. However, after waiting for a day, they still did not see Zhang Dingbian's attack, and Subutai frowned deeply.
One day, two days, three days.
Subutai finally couldn't sit still any longer.
"What are they doing? Why aren't they attacking?"
Subutai questioned loudly, and upon hearing this, Boriged replied, "I wonder why they have only been forming ranks these past few days without attacking, as if they are waiting for something?"
"Wait for what?"
Subutai frowned deeply: "Investigate! Find out exactly what they're hiding!"
"Yes!"
Boriged immediately agreed, and scouts were immediately dispatched. However, Zhang Dingbian also sent men to block the direction they were trying to investigate. After a night of fruitless searching, Zhang Dingbian personally led a large army to the pass the next day.
On the morning of the fourth day, before dawn, the inner city of Daomaguan was already under the highest level of alert.
Boriged stood on the city wall all night, unable to find out why the Han army had stopped fighting for three days, and he was restless and unable to eat or sleep.
As the first light of dawn appeared in the east, his bloodshot eyes caught sight of a slowly moving patch of dark clouds on the horizon—the main force of the Han army.
Unlike Fu Youde's vanguard, what appeared in sight this time was a true war behemoth.
Banners fluttered like a forest, spears and halberds stood like reeds, and tens of thousands of soldiers marched in formation, their steps perfectly synchronized. The sound of their footsteps echoed like muffled thunder rolling across the plains, even shaking the dust off the walls of the fortress.
Under the central banner, a general sat upright on his horse, clad in black armor and a black robe. Even from several miles away, one could still feel his imposing and dignified presence.
Zhang Dingbian, the commander-in-chief of the Han army.
"It's finally here." Boriged muttered to himself, his fingers gripping the city wall turning slightly white. He had long expected this day to come, but when it actually arrived, the weight of it still made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"General, look over there." The lieutenant's voice trembled as he pointed to the rear of the Han army's formation.
Boriged looked in the direction he was pointing, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Behind the Han army lines, dozens of massive vehicles covered with tarpaulins were being slowly pushed onto the front lines.
Those objects resembled huge wooden boxes with wheels underneath. Although he couldn't make out their exact shape, his intuition told him that they were definitely not ordinary siege weapons.
"Order the entire army to prepare for a desperate battle." Boriged's voice was unusually calm. "Today, we either defend Daoma Pass or perish with it."
"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant clasped his hands in a fist salute and left, but his steps were somewhat unsteady.
Boriged did not turn around; his gaze passed over the Han army's formation and looked further north. At that moment, footsteps sounded from behind, and Subutai appeared on the city wall.
"General!"
Boriged bowed, and Subutai said, "You take command, and I will oversee the battle."
"Yes!"
As he spoke, Boriged felt a sense of security.
At this moment, Zhang Dingbian reined in his horse and gazed into the distance at the front of the Han army. His eyes were bright and sharp, as if they could see through all illusions. After observing the layout of the inner city's defenses for a while, he nodded slightly: "Boriged, his reputation is well-deserved. In just one day, he was able to repair the damaged parts to this extent. His ability to defend the city is rare in this world."
His eyes then fell upon Subutai, the most powerful general of the Golden Horde, who stood like an iron tower atop the city wall.
Subutai also saw him, and the two locked eyes, a surge of fighting spirit rising between them.
Without further ado, Zhang Dingbian raised his hand and said, "Attack!"
"promise!"
At the beginning of the Si hour, the Han army moved.
Unlike Fu Youde's probing attack yesterday, this time, the Han army launched a thunderous attack.
Tens of thousands of troops were divided into three routes and simultaneously launched a fierce attack on the east, west and north walls of the inner city. Ladders were as numerous as forests and arrows flew like locusts. Battering rams were slowly pushed toward the city gate under the cover of heavy shields.
On the city wall, Boriged personally directed the frontline command. His thin figure paced back and forth on the tower, his voice already hoarse, but every command was clear and decisive:
"The Han army has already scaled the third section of the east wall. Send the reserves up!"
"When the logs rolling down the west wall are all used up, replace them with molten gold!"
"Beware of ramming vehicles at the North Gate, prepare for falling rocks!"
Under his command, the defenders displayed astonishing resilience. When they ran out of arrows, they used stones; when they ran out of stones, they used rolling logs; and when they ran out of rolling logs, they poured boiling molten gold over their heads.
Every inch of the city wall was fought over repeatedly. The Han army climbed the city wall several times, only to be driven back by the defenders who fought desperately for their lives.
Blood soaked every brick on the city wall, and corpses piled up like mountains, some even higher than the crenellations, forcing the soldiers to step on the bodies of their fallen comrades to continue the fight.
The war reached a fever pitch from the very beginning.
Fu Youde led his elite troops in a fierce attack on the east wall, displaying unparalleled prowess with his spear wielded with one hand. After successively killing seven defenders, he finally created a breach in the east wall, and hundreds of elite Han soldiers surged forward.
"Block it!" Boriged roared as he personally led his men to charge forward.
He wasn't known for his strength, but wielding a curved sword, he managed to cut down three or four Han soldiers. Seeing their commander's prowess, the morale of the defending troops soared, and a fierce hand-to-hand battle erupted on the narrow city walls, each advance costing several lives. An hour passed.
Two hours have passed.
As the sun rose higher, the stench of blood on the battlefield grew increasingly pungent in the high temperature. The Han army's offensive surged wave after wave, and although the defenders fought desperately, their numbers were rapidly dwindling. Boriged had counted them; fewer than three thousand were still capable of fighting, and most of them were wounded.
"General, the north gate is under attack! The battering ram has breached the outer gate!" The messenger rushed in, his face covered in blood.
Boriged's heart sank. The North Gate was the most sturdy gate in the inner city, reinforced with iron and copper, and should theoretically have held for at least half a day. But the Han army's relentless attack, regardless of the cost, coupled with the losses of the previous two days, finally caused the gate to give way.
"Let them in according to the second plan," Boriged said through gritted teeth.
"But General, the trap can only hold back the first wave..."
"Excuting an order!"
Outside the north gate, the Han army cheered as they saw the city gate breached. Hundreds of heavily armored infantrymen pushed battering rams, broke through the last bolt, and swarmed in.
Then, the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed.
The first few dozen men, caught off guard, fell into a pit ten feet deep. The bottom of the pit was riddled with sharpened wooden stakes; those who fell in were either killed or maimed. The Han army that followed hurriedly stopped, but the hundreds who had already stormed into the fortified city were now trapped like turtles in a barrel.
"Release the arrows!" Boriged coldly ordered from the city wall.
The garrison, who had been lying in ambush in the hidden caves surrounding the city, revealed themselves and unleashed a volley of arrows. The Han soldiers who had entered the city had nowhere to hide and were instantly riddled with arrows.
But there were simply too many Han soldiers. The first wave fell, and the second wave continued their charge, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.
The pit was quickly filled in, and the defenders' arrows gradually thinned out. When Boriged ordered the last batch of molten gold to be poured out, the Han army had already breached the barbican and began ramming the inner gate.
“General, we can’t hold on…” The lieutenant’s voice trembled. He had been shot in the left arm with an arrow, and it was only hastily bandaged with a strip of cloth. Blood had already soaked through half of his body.
Boriged looked out of the city. Although the Han army had suffered heavy losses, its forces were still coming in droves. This charge was truly aimed at a decisive battle!
"Order everyone to retreat to the last line of defense in the inner city." Boriged slowly drew his scimitar, the blade reflecting his blood-stained face.
The remaining defenders silently gathered behind the inner gate. This was the last line of defense for the inner city; once breached, Daoma Pass would fall completely to the enemy.
Outside the city, Zhang Dingbian took in everything. Then he looked up and saw Subutai still standing on the city wall, showing no signs of panic.
"General, should I charge one more time?" Fu Youde was covered in blood, whether his own or the enemy's, it was hard to tell. The Trapped Camp behind him had less than five hundred men left, but each of them had fierce eyes, like a wounded pack of wolves.
Zhang Dingbian did not answer immediately. He looked towards the inner city. Although the defending troops were battered and bruised, their fighting spirit remained undiminished. Borigede's tactics were like nails, inch by inch wearing down the Han army's strength and morale. Moreover, Subutai was still there, motionless, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
I don't care what you think, you're all trash in front of my cannon!
"Order the vanguard to retreat three hundred paces," Zhang Dingbian said calmly.
"General?" Fu Youde asked, "Are we going to use that?"
"Execute the order." Zhang Dingbian's tone left no room for argument.
"Ok!"
Fu Youde immediately gave the order, and the vanguard began to slowly retreat. The defenders on the city wall were taken aback when they saw the Han army suddenly retreat, and then burst into a faint cheer—they thought that the Han army had finally exhausted its strength and was going to rest and fight again.
However, Subutai on the city wall had a furrowed brow. Although he had never met Zhang Dingbian, he knew from Zhang's military style that Zhang was a master strategist, and every move he made was carefully considered. This sudden withdrawal must be suspicious.
Then, he saw it.
In the Han army formation, those massive objects covered with tarpaulins were slowly pushed to the front. The tarpaulins were lifted, revealing the dark, menacing steel structures beneath.
Shaped like a giant cylinder, over ten feet long, with a mouth the size of a bowl, and cast entirely from refined iron, it was mounted on a specially made wooden cart, with a complex mechanism at the rear. Dozens of Han soldiers surrounded it, some adjusting the angle, some moving the dark, spherical object, and others filling it with some kind of black powder.
"A cannon? It's too big!" the lieutenant muttered.
Subutai didn't answer; a nameless fear gripped his heart. His animalistic instincts told him that those things were dangerous, extremely dangerous.
In the Han army formation, Zhang Dingbian nodded slightly to an elderly man in a white coat beside him: "Thank you for your trouble."
The old man had white hair and beard, but his eyes were bright and piercing. He was a firearms expert from the Huangzhou Prefectural Science and Technology College. He stroked his beard and smiled: "General, rest assured, we will definitely show this kind of weapon to the barbarians today."
After saying that, he walked to an iron cylinder, carefully checked the angle and the contents of the gunpowder, then took the torch and nodded to Zhang Dingbian.
Zhang Dingbian took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand.
The entire battlefield suddenly fell silent. The wind stopped, the clouds dispersed, and even the birds seemed to hold their breath. Tens of thousands of eyes, those of the Han army and the Golden Horde soldiers, were fixed on the raised hand.
"put."
Zhang Dingbian's hand fell heavily.
Xuanjizi brought the torch close to the fuse at the end of the iron tube.
"laugh--"
The sound of the fuse burning was exceptionally clear in the silence.
The next moment, an unprecedented roar resounded throughout the world.
That wasn't thunder, thunder isn't this violent; nor was it a crack in the earth, the cracks aren't this sharp. It was the roar of some primordial beast, a furious howl from the depths of the netherworld.
"boom--!!!"
The first iron cylinder spewed out a tongue of fire several feet long, and a black iron ball shot out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, drawing a twisted trajectory in the air before crashing heavily onto the inner city tower.
There were no screams.
The section of the city wall that was directly hit instantly turned people and bricks into dust.
The shockwave spread outwards, and the defenders within a radius of ten zhang were thrown into the air like leaves in a gale, landing unrecognizable.
Stone fragments, severed limbs, and broken weapons rained down, half of the city wall collapsed, and dust billowed into the sky.
Dead silence.
Absolute silence.
The defending troops, the Han army, and even the warhorses were all stunned into immobility by this sudden and terrifying power that exceeded all comprehension.
Boriged was a little further from the epicenter, but he was still knocked to the ground by the blast wave. He struggled to his feet, his ears ringing, unable to hear anything, only able to see the soldiers around him with their mouths agape and their expressions contorted, as if they were screaming silently.
Then, a second loud bang was heard.
Then came the third tone, the fourth tone...
Dozens of cannons fired in succession, sending black iron balls hurtling towards the inner city of Daomaguan like meteorites. With each shell, a section of the city wall collapsed, and a group of defenders were reduced to blood and flesh. The stone walls, built of bluestone, were as fragile as paper before this devastating force.
“Divine punishment…this is divine punishment!” Some of the guards dropped their weapons, knelt down, and wailed.
"Eternal Heaven, have you abandoned your people?"
"Escape, escape!"
The collapse began the moment the first shell landed.
Faced with swords and spears, these steppe warriors could fight to the death; faced with siege ladders and battering rams, they could fight to the bitter end. But faced with this power beyond comprehension, courage lost its meaning. That was not a battle, that was slaughter, that was gods trampling on ants.
Boriged tried to shout, to stop the rout, but his voice was drowned out by the incessant roar of cannons. He saw his centurion beside him struck in the head by a flying piece of stone, half his head gone. He saw his personal guards, who had served him for ten years, buried alive by the collapsing city walls. He saw his valiant warriors, now fleeing like a flock of frightened sheep, torn apart by the next shell.
This is Zhang Dingbian's trump card.
The new cannons of Huangzhou Prefecture were extremely powerful and ahead of their time.
Endless shells rained down, and even the usually composed Subutai was utterly shocked, staring at the shells in the sky: "This, how is this possible!" (End of Chapter)