novelhk Chapter 1064 Fierce Battle, Defending the City!
Chapter 1064 Fierce Battle, Defending the City!
Military orders are absolute. Five thousand Chu soldiers swiftly deployed, forming an encirclement outside Xianyang. Their movements were skillful; in less than two hours, they had built a makeshift camp, dug trenches, and set up barricades. The entire process was orderly and efficient, demonstrating that this was a well-trained elite force.
On the city wall, Xiao He hadn't slept all night. Leaning against the parapet, he gazed at the gradually forming Chu army camp outside the city, his face grave. In the morning light, the reflection of the Chu army's armor was clearly visible, and the occasional neighing of warhorses could be heard. Five thousand men besieging the city was expected, but Yi Xiaochuan's caution made his heart sink.
"Lord Xiao He, the Chu army is merely besieging the city without attacking; they seem to be waiting for something," said Yang Tu, the garrison commander, in a low voice.
Xiao He nodded: "They are waiting for Xiang Yu's main force. Yi Xiaochuan is suspicious and dares not attack rashly. This is both a good thing and a bad thing - the good thing is that we have more time to prepare, the bad thing is that once Xiang Yu's army arrives, the offensive will be as fierce as a tidal wave."
He turned and looked into the city. Dawn was breaking, and Xianyang was beginning to awaken, but today's awakening was tinged with apprehension—sparse smoke from chimneys, empty streets and alleys, and only the occasional panicked citizen carrying their belongings, only to be persuaded to turn back by patrolling soldiers. This once prosperous capital was now filled with the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm.
"How is the black powder deployment going?" Xiao He asked.
"As instructed, the gates have been set up at four gates, with the most at the south gate," Yang Tu replied, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "But sir, relying solely on gunpowder, can our army..."
Xiao He offered no explanation. He was well aware of some things; now, all Xiao He could do was do his best and leave the rest to fate. Although he didn't quite understand why Gao Yao always put him in danger, years of habit and trust meant Xiao He wasn't actually worried.
When the sun was high in the sky, billowing dust rose from the distant horizon.
At first, it was just a faint line, but then it spread rapidly, surging in like a tidal wave. Beneath the smoke and dust were countless black dots, which gradually grew larger, turning into banners, weapons, and countless galloping warhorses and soldiers.
Xiang Yu's main force has arrived.
The sight of 25,000 Chu troops arriving on the battlefield was enough to terrify any defending force.
Without stopping, without setting up camp, without even regrouping, this army surged towards the walls of Xianyang like a flood bursting its banks. Leading the charge was Xiang Yu himself, riding his renowned black horse, clad in heavy armor, and wielding a ten-foot-long halberd, its blade gleaming with a bloodthirsty coldness in the sunlight.
"Attack the city!" Xiang Yu's roar was like thunder, rolling across the plains.
The Chu army raised its blood-red battle flag in the center, and the war drums thundered. In an instant, siege ladders, battering rams, and catapults were launched from the ranks, and archers lined up in three rows, raining down arrows on the city walls like locusts.
"Enemy attack! All personnel on alert!" Wang Ben's roar echoed across the city wall.
The garrison in Xianyang quickly took up their battle positions. But just as Xiao He had predicted, with 36 li of city walls and 4,000 defenders—an average of less than two men per zhang of wall—many sections could only be manned by sentries, making it impossible to form an effective defense.
The first wave of attacks was concentrated at the south gate.
Xiang Yu personally led three thousand elite troops straight to the city gate. Chu archers used a dense rain of arrows to suppress the defenders on the city wall, while engineers pushed battering rams made of iron to smash the city gate. The sound of the impact was dull and terrifying, and each sound made the city wall tremble slightly.
"Pour the kerosene!" Yang Tu ordered hoarsely.
Boiling oil poured down from the city walls, followed by the firing of rockets, instantly igniting a raging fire at the city gate. Several Chu sappers screamed as they were engulfed in flames, but reinforcements immediately took their place, extinguishing the fire with sand and continuing the assault.
Xiao He stood on the south gate tower, his face pale. He had never personally experienced such a fierce siege. Arrows whistled past his ears, boulders crashed against the city walls with deafening roars, and the air was filled with the smells of blood, burnt metal, and gunpowder.
"My lord, this place is dangerous. Please move to a safer location!" the guard urged anxiously.
Xiao He shook his head: "If I retreat, the morale of the army will surely collapse."
He forced himself to remain calm and observe the battlefield situation. The Chu army's attack was fierce yet methodical—Xiang Yu personally attacked the south gate to draw away the main force, while simultaneously sending troops to feign attacks on the east and west gates, and Yi Xiaochuan was stationed at the north gate, creating comprehensive pressure. This was intended to keep the defending army busy and unable to attend to all aspects of the situation.
"Yang Tu, use gunpowder," Xiao He said in a deep voice.
Wang Ben was taken aback: "Now? My lord, what if..."
"There's no room for 'what ifs'!" Xiao He said sternly, a rare occurrence. "Execute according to plan!"
The order was relayed swiftly. The defending soldiers brought out those unassuming earthenware jars—the mouths sealed with oiled paper, fuses protruding. Following their training, they secured the jars to the catapult's magazine, lit the fuses, and launched.
The first gunpowder canister flew in an arc and landed in the densely packed area of the Chu army outside the south gate.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Then--
"boom!!!"
A deafening roar erupted, shaking the earth and sending flames soaring into the sky. The Chu army within a three-zhang radius of the blast center was instantly torn apart, while soldiers further away were blown away by the shockwave, their severed limbs and remains falling like raindrops.
A brief silence fell over the battlefield.
The Chu soldiers stared in horror at the lingering smoke and fire, many dropping their weapons. Even Xiang Yu reined in his horse, his pupils shrinking sharply.
"Continue!" Wang Ben was the first to react, his voice trembling with excitement.
More gunpowder canisters were launched. Explosions rang out one after another, turning the area outside the south gate into a sea of fire. The Chu army's offensive stalled, the charging soldiers began to retreat, and their formation became chaotic.
Xiang Yu flew into a rage: "No retreat! Anyone who dares to retreat will be executed!"
He killed two fleeing soldiers with a single blow, roaring, "The enemy's defenses are weak! Charge! The first to scale the walls will be granted the title of commander of a thousand!"
Under Xiang Yu's coercion and generous rewards, the Chu army reorganized its attack. However, the psychological impact of gunpowder had already taken hold—whenever the jars flew, the soldiers would instinctively dodge, and the offensive was no longer as fierce as before.
However, the defenders' disadvantage was not reversed as a result.
Four thousand men defending a thirty-six-mile-long city wall—this numerical disadvantage could not be completely overcome by any weapon. As the battle continued, the defenders began to show signs of fatigue. Soldiers had to run between sections of the wall to provide support, rapidly depleting their strength. Casualties were also increasing—although gunpowder caused significant losses to the Chu army, the Chu army's arrows and catapults were also reaping the lives of the defenders.
At sunset, the Chu army sounded the retreat.
Xianyang barely held out for the first day, but at a heavy cost. The defending army suffered over 800 casualties, nearly half of its arrows were used up, and most importantly, less than 30% of its gunpowder remained.
Xiao He, weary from his journey, inspected the city walls. In the darkness, the groans of wounded soldiers rose and fell; the walls were damaged in many places and needed repair overnight. In the distance, the Chu army camps burned brightly, like a sea of stars—the campfires of 30,000 soldiers.