When Zhu Xiang ordered his men to build the bamboo fence, he had in mind the possibility that the enemy might attack with fire.
Trebuchets? Rockets? Cavalry? They were just a few.
The Chu army has catapults, and our thunder chariots have the bonus of Zhu Xiang and Mohist physics knowledge, so the firing rate and range are slightly higher, so we are not afraid.
The bamboo fence was covered with mud, and it was difficult to set it on fire using only ordinary arrows wrapped in oilcloth and ignited.
After thinking about it, Zhu Xiang, Meng Tian and others believed that the enemy would use fire bulls to charge the formation.
Although the farming technology of the Chu State was not as developed as that of the Central Plains and Guanzhong, since Wu Qi's reform, oxen were used in rice fields.
Xiang Yan burned the city and looted countless things, including oxen. The army would not use precious horses as fire starters. The oxen, which were precious in normal times but only used for meat, became the only choice for charging into battle.
Cows are very stubborn animals. But when they are ignited by fire, anger and fear will overwhelm their heads, making them rush forward stubbornly, and will not turn back even if they encounter obstacles along the way.
The cruel bullfighting in the West uses this characteristic of bulls for fun.
When it comes to the Fire Bull Formation, the most famous one is Tian Dan, a famous general who helped restore the Qi Kingdom. Tian Dan's achievements were so great that the King of Qi gave him to the Zhao Kingdom in exchange for three large cities, and he later died in the Zhao Kingdom.
Before Tian Dan became famous for his battle with the Fire Bull Formation, he used a strategy of sowing discord to force the enemy Yan general Le Yi to leave Zhao. The two mortal enemies died together in a foreign land. It is said that they could also drag Lian Po to drink and quarrel together. The hot-tempered Lian Po could only persuade them to stop fighting.
Lian Po and Zhu Xiang talked about many past events of Tian Dan and Yue Yi, including the Fire Bull Formation.
"Mr. Tian said that the fire bull formation must be launched unexpectedly. If the enemy discovers it before the fire is lit to anger the oxen, then the enemy only needs to scare the oxen with fireworks and loud noises, and the frightened oxen will rebel against the enemy formation."
Jiao Yun thought about what Duke Zhu Xiang had said to him.
Duke Zhu Xiang had anticipated this when he handed the telescope to him. Although it would waste the thunder jar, he didn't care.
Jiao Yun gave the order to prepare for launch.
The Chu army was preparing a fire bull formation, but they were stunned when they saw that the enemy had pushed the catapults out of the defense range of the bamboo fence.
Xiang Yan immediately became alert, considering whether to continue using the fire bull formation, or to first use strong crossbows and cavalry to destroy the advancing defenders.
Nan Chujun beside him was also very surprised: "Why would they send heavy catapults? Was it Duke Zhu Xiang's order? It seems that Duke Zhu Xiang is very stupid when it comes to mercenaries."
Nan Chujun's slightly gratified and mocking laughter made Xiang Yan feel annoyed. He wanted to comment as usual, but Jiao Yun had already opened fire.
After the fuse of the black can was lit, it was smashed out by the catapult, drawing a high parabola in the air.
The Chu army did not dodge.
Anyone with eyes could see that the objects thrown by the catapult could never reach the Chu army's formation.
The Chu general watched everything indifferently and ordered his soldiers not to move.
Xiang Yan was also very calm. The Lord of Nanchu was still mocking him, and Duke Zhu Xiang must have been frightened.
It was not until dozens of seconds later that the can exploded at a height of half a meter from the ground, and the iron sheets burst with a loud noise.
The gunpowder can that Jiao Yun threw this time had undergone a temporary modification, from a clay can to an iron can.
There are not many experimental products in this batch. In order to make the gunpowder can explode, the iron sheet is very thin, and not necessarily as thick as the clay pot, and it is easy to produce duds. Therefore, the ammunition cans of the Thunderbolt car are still mainly thick clay pots, which are cheap and easy to use.
However, the iron can made a very loud noise when it exploded, and was jokingly called a "sonic boom bomb" by Zhu Xiang. It was a weapon that Zhu Xiang used to scare the enemy cavalry and possible fire bulls.
The iron can exploded, and the metallic sound pierced everyone's eardrums like countless sharp arrows. Even the soldiers guarding the city behind Jiao Yun were frightened and turned pale.
The oxen were forced to be pulled into the crowd, and they had experienced a long journey before, so they were already in a very irritable mood. But after a loud thunderous roar, they finally couldn't hold back their temper, and they lowered their heads and pushed the soldiers who were leading them to the ground.
Some of the fire bulls have been covered with flammable materials, and some of the fire bulls have already been on fire, but the bulls are slow and only feel a little pain in their bodies and have not yet reacted.
After a loud bang, the cow, in pain, went wild, leaping left and right, raising its head high and smashing down hard with its hooves. The soldier holding it screamed as the cow's hoof smashed half of his head.
Xiang Yan was horrified and quickly asked someone to control the cow.
Jiao Yun picked up a telescope and saw this scene. He ordered his men to push the Thunderbolt Chariot forward. When the chaos of the Chu army seemed to have subsided, the first batch of Thunderbolt bombs were fired.
The tin can exploded again, and this time the flying iron pieces hit the oxen that had run to the front in the chaos.
The oxen were immediately frightened by the loud noise and the wounds on their bodies and turned around and ran away, and the horses on the chariots of both sides were also frightened.
Animals have a survival instinct. They know which direction there is danger and will run in the opposite direction.
Animals also have a herd mentality. When one ox turned around and ran for its life, more oxen and even well-trained war horses would become agitated.
Xiang Yan was good at commanding the army, but he couldn't control the cattle.
He robbed more than 200 strong cows from several cities to form a fire bull formation. These 200 cows, frightened by Jiao Yun's thunder chariot, caused an extremely terrible riot among the Chu army, causing chaos in the Chu army's phalanx.
At this time, the first bamboo fence line of defense of Guangling City was moved away. The cavalry camped in the low wall defense line, led by two Qin generals, crossed the bamboo fence line of defense of Guangling City on the left and right and rushed towards the Chu army.
The Qin soldiers stationed in Guangling City led by Meng Tian under Li Mu were all elite soldiers trained by him. They had a very high rate of armor and war horses, and their generals were all veterans who had experienced many battles.
Zhu Xiang sent out two veteran generals, each leading 500 fully armored war horses to guard the low wall. Not only could they retreat back into the city in time, but if they saw an opportunity, they were allowed to decide for themselves whether to attack and use cavalry to disrupt the Chu army's formation.
When Jiao Yun went out to fight, he sent someone to inform them of his decision.
The two Qin generals asked scouts with good eyesight to stand on the top of the low wall to observe the situation of the Chu army. When the Chu army was frightened and thrown into disarray by the thunder chariots, they immediately rode out to attack.
Even if the enemy has dozens of times more troops, what does it matter? Once the formation is disrupted, the soldiers are no more than pigs and dogs.
If you have horses on your side, you can retreat after a battle if you find the situation is not going well.
The Qin general, who is good at finding military merit, will not miss this good opportunity.
Xiang Yan was indeed the only famous general of Chu. When he saw his troops being disturbed by the oxen, he immediately guessed that the Qin army might take the initiative to attack.
He immediately mounted his horse and went forward with his well-trained soldiers to fight against the Qin army's attack.
Xiang Yan was not afraid of the Qin cavalry.
If the Qin army went out, then the catapult that was very loud but seemed to have no killing power would not be used. He believed that his bravery far exceeded that of ordinary generals, and so did his elite soldiers.
Xiang Yan's decision was very timely and correct.
Although the Qin army attacked quickly, it took some time to cross its own defense line; although Xiang Yan was disturbed by the confused soldiers and oxen in front, the distance was shorter.
When the two sides clashed, it happened to be in front of the Chu army formation, and then there was a fierce fight.
Jiao Yun took this opportunity to transport the Thunderbolt car back to the defense line.
At this time, Zhu Xiang's order came, and more cavalry led the neat and uniform infantry phalanx to take the initiative to attack.
After seeing the Qin army's flag, the Qin army, which had failed in the sneak attack, took the initiative to return.
Upon seeing this, Xiang Yan quickly gathered his cavalry and returned to the square formation, ordering the Chu army to change to a defensive camp, ignore the running oxen and war horses, and resist the attack of the Qin army.
The young general Meng Tian rode his horse to fight in person.
He said he wanted to rest, but soon he got up.
It was impossible to sleep during such a big battle. Besides, he had nothing to do last night, so he had a nap on the top of the city wall and was in good spirits now.
"Xiang Yan, Qin General Meng Tian is here! Do you dare to fight me?"
Meng Tian shouted as he charged into the battle.
The Qin soldiers around him also shouted: "Qin General Meng Tian is here, Xiang Yan, come out and fight!"
Xiang Yan was furious when he heard this.
Who is Meng Tian? I have never heard of him. If it was Li Mu or Wang Jian, it would be fine, he would still look back. But a little-known young general of the Qin State should order me around
Xiang Yan was just about to turn his horse around to see who was so arrogant.
After the Chu army abandoned the running oxen and horses, the army quickly returned to order. Xiang Yan could have led his soldiers to fight Meng Tian with his personal bravery.
Personal bravery on the battlefield is also very important. As long as he kills the Qin general, the Qin attack will be immediately defeated.
But Xiang Yan was stopped by the panicked Nan Chujun's carriage.
Nan Chujun was not a general, but one of the most respected people in the Jing clan. He followed Xiang Yan to fight in person, using his military exploits to improve his reputation.
Xiang Yan had been fighting smoothly and winning all the games, so Nan Chujun began to look down on the battlefield. He had been watching from the back and gradually followed the army to attack, but now he ran to Xiang Yan's side and put his flag together with Xiang Yan's flag, as if he was also leading troops and serving as a general.
When Xiang Yan commanded the Chu army, he was basically at the vanguard. He was a brave general who often wore armor and went into battle, not a commander-in-chief who sat in the back and commanded the enemy but was a weak commander himself.
Now that the Chu army is in chaos, Xiang Yan is in a position to make timely adjustments to the Chu army.
But Nan Chujun was in trouble.
How could he be in such a dangerous situation? He was so panicked that he was at a loss, like a headless fly, and he didn't even know where to escape.
At this time, Xiang Yan's place was the only safe place in his heart. So Nan Chujun ran towards Xiang Yan, shouting "General, help me".
Nan Chujun traveled with great pomp. His chariot was modified to be very comfortable and large, and he was surrounded by guards and servants.
He came towards Xiang Yan and immediately blocked Xiang Yan's way.
The cloud-like flags even blocked Xiang Yan's vision.
Xiang Yan was so anxious that he shouted to Nan Chujun to move away and not disrupt his command.
After Xiang Yan's scolding, Nan Chu Jun became even more panicked.
His favorite attendants also thought that Xiang Yan was going to escape on his own, so they pressed the carriage frame closer to Xiang Yan.
Xiang Yan was so angry that he wanted to kill Nan Chujun's groom, but he couldn't bring himself to do it after raising his sword.
Xiang Yan's personal soldiers were also very confused when they saw this and didn't know what to do.
But there was a Nanchu Jun in the army who ran around everywhere and didn't obey orders at all. The army, which had just become orderly, became chaotic again, and even Xiang Yan's orders were no longer effective.
Because Xiang Yan's face was covered with Nan Chu Jun's flag, he couldn't even see his own army formation.
Although Meng Tian was only a young general, he was also a potential general. Although he didn't know what happened in the Chu army, he knew that the Chu army was in chaos again.
Meng Tian laughed loudly, waved his sword, and rushed into the Chu army without fear.
He actually wanted to lead the cavalry to directly break through the Chu army's formation.
If it were Xiang Yan under normal circumstances, Meng Tian would have been so reckless that he would have been trapped in the Chu army commanded by Xiang Yan, unable to advance or retreat, and would have been trapped to death.
But now Xiang Yan couldn't even see where Meng Tian was, and could only hear the Qin army's shouts of fighting and killing.
Xiang Yan has a lot of flags here, which makes him a great target.
Meng Tian rushed towards the flag, killed the chaotic soldiers caused by the ceremonial guard of the King of Nan Chu, and actually came directly in front of Xiang Yan.
"General Xiang, young general Meng Tian is here, let's fight!" Meng Tian smiled and waved his long sword, chopping off Xiang Yan's flag with one stroke.
The Qin army shouted: "Capture the flag! Capture the flag!"
Xiang Yan's flag was separated from his own by the carriage of the Lord of Nan Chu. He watched helplessly as his flag was cut down by Meng Tian, and his face turned pale with anger.
Meng Tian swung his sword for the first time and cut down Nan Chu Jun's coachman.
Nan Chujun screamed in the carriage, louder than Xiang Yan's roar.
The Qin army shouted: "Nan Chu Jun is dead! Nan Chu Jun is dead!"
Although Jiao Yun did not know what had happened in the Chu army, as soon as he saw Xiang Yan's general's flag being cut down, he ordered the soldiers who were left beside him to defend against any emergency to shout together, "Xiang Yan is dead."
The Qin army that charged into the battle line shouted "The King of Southern Chu is dead", and the defenders under the city of Guangling shouted "Xiang Yan is dead", and the Chu army was horrified.
In ancient times, the command of the army depended entirely on the flag, so "capturing the flag" was a great achievement. Once the flag was captured, it was like the headquarters of the army in later generations being bombed, and the army became blind.
Unless the army is well-trained and has enough quality to decide what to do on its own without a general in command, it will almost become a headless fly.
In ancient times, there were very few such armies.
If Xiang Yan had only led his own soldiers, it might not matter if his flag was taken away. But in order to attack the city, Xiang Yan incorporated too many displaced Chu people from the north bank of the Yangtze River into his army as cannon fodder.
Normally, these Chu people would numbly carry out orders under the intimidation of the supervisors.
But when their flags were snatched away, their army was in chaos, their oxen and horses were running wildly beside them, and they heard people shouting in their ears that their commander and king were dead, they could no longer hold back the panic in their hearts.
At this time, someone shouted in Chu language: "Fellow villagers, take this opportunity to escape! Why would you want to die for your enemies?"
More people shouted the same words one after another. It was not known whether the defenders of Guangling City took the opportunity to cause trouble, or whether someone picked up the wooden sign that fell from the floating lantern in the sky of Guangling City and aroused resentment in their hearts.
The captured young and strong men, who had no fighting spirit to begin with, immediately dropped their weapons and fled in all directions.
Deserters are like a snowball. Once there is a small number of them, they will soon drag along a large number of soldiers who have no idea what is happening and flee together.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, why are you here?" When Jiao Yun was observing the battlefield, he didn't expect that Zhu Xiang would ride to the front on horseback.
Zhu Xiang said: "The Chu army is in disarray, and it is difficult to see clearly from the city wall."
Jiao Yun sighed deeply and glared at the Confucian scholar behind Zhu Xiang.
The scholar's face was full of bitterness. Zhu Xianggong is my teacher, if he wants to come, what can I do? I can't just hold his legs and stop him from leaving
Zhu Xiang asked: "How many more troops can we send out? Are there any generals who can lead the troops?"
Jiao Yun thought for a moment and said, "We have soldiers but no generals. However, if Duke Zhu Xiang wants to send troops, I can be the general."
Zhu Xiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Go ahead, I'll command the defense line."
Jiao Yun sighed deeply, clasped his fists and said, "Yes. Duke Zhu Xiang, please be careful."
He went back and gathered all the disciples of Mohism, handed the Thunderbolt Chariot to the people brought by Zhu Xiang, mounted the war horses that Zhu Xiang and others had brought, and rushed into the enemy camp.
The Chu army is already in chaos. Adding another cavalry unit at this time would be like cutting the edge of the Chu army's battle formation like peeling skin, which would make the Chu army fall into chaos even faster.
Zhu Xiang picked up the telescope and looked at the chaotic Chu army, feeling neither sad nor happy nor afraid.
People's bottom line drops very quickly. On the first day, Zhu Xiang was not used to it. He felt very guilty for the Qin soldiers who might be killed in the battle to defend the city because of his willful behavior. However, on the first day, Zhu Xiang had no more extra sympathy.
The only thing left in his mind was mechanical and rational thinking, thinking about how to win.
The Chu army is in chaos, so does he not need to hold out for ten days
Zhu Xiang didn't believe that Li Mu had to wait until ten days before appearing. If there was a chance to directly wipe out the Chu army, Li Mu would definitely seize the opportunity.
He is Li Mu.
Even without prior notice, Zhu Xiang believed that Li Mu would cooperate with him.
Li Mu was indeed lurking near Guangling City.
The army he led had not returned yet, so he sailed a sailboat and risked his life to return to Wujun quickly, just in time to stop the mad Ying Xiaozheng.
Xue Ji came back, and Ying Xiaozheng was completely mad.
Is that uncle sick? Even the teacher wants to give up Guangling City, how can you defend it? Can you defend it
Ying Xiaozheng was so angry when he saw his uncle's letter which read "I acted on my own, Li Mu cooperated with me, Zheng'er you must also cooperate with me" and his feet left the ground. Even Xue Ji almost couldn't hold him down.
"I'll go too! I don't believe my uncle doesn't even care about my life!" Ying Xiaozheng cursed, "I wonder which is more important, the life of the people of Guangling or the life of my only son!"
The people around Ying Xiaozheng were hesitant to speak.
Prince, is there something missing before your "only son"? People who know you understand that you mean that Duke Zhu Xiang would not ignore the only son of the King of Qin, but people who don't know would think...
Ah, wait, the prince is not the only son of the King of Qin!
Everyone was stunned.
"Zheng'er, just like when your uncle went to Changping, wait for him to come back home." Xue Ji was the only calm person present. She was so calm that she seemed a little cold and said, "If you show up, your uncle's plan will be ruined. Believe in your uncle, and also believe in your teacher."
Ying Xiaozheng screamed: "I don't believe it! He is always like this! Always!"
As Ying Xiaozheng was speaking, he choked up for some reason.
He wiped away his tears and said, "I am the crown prince. I can lead my personal guards to go to war. Apart from the order of the King of Qin, no one can stop me, not even you, aunt!"
"I will lead the troops to fight, so I don't need you." Li Mu walked over quickly.
"Teacher!" When Ying Xiaozheng saw Li Mu, he felt like he had found his backbone and immediately rushed over to him, "Uncle..."
Li Mu said: "It was my idea."
Ying Xiaozheng paused: "Ah?"
Li Mu said: "It was my idea to let Zhu Xiang guard the city."
Ying Xiaozheng: “…”
He finally calmed down.
Ying Xiaozheng wiped his face and asked, "Why?"
Li Mu said: "If Zhu Xiang can lead the Chu people to fight against Xiang Yan, I will send troops to support Zhu Xiang, and the Chu people in Jiangbei who have never returned will return to Qin."
Ying Xiaozheng's mind worked rapidly, and then he made a sharp judgment that what Li Mu said was true.
Moreover, the strategy Li Mu mentioned is indeed very feasible.
Except for letting my uncle take some risks.
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Teacher, are you serious? This little trouble of the Jiangbei Chu people is more important than my uncle's life?!"
Xue Ji sighed and said, "Zheng'er, to your teacher, your uncle's life is definitely more important."
She stopped Li Mu from continuing to take on tasks and said, "Zheng'er, don't you understand your uncle? Your uncle wanted to save the people of Guangling, so your teacher came up with a way to save the people of Guangling and silence the Qin monarch and his ministers."
Xue Ji has understood a lot of things. Even if her husband wants to save the Chu people, he can't sacrifice the lives of Qin soldiers for a "Chu city" that has no loyalty to Qin.
Not only would this not be recognized by the Qin court, but my beloved herself would not agree to it.
Therefore, it is very likely that Liangren will turn a blind eye to the tragic situation that the people of Guangling will suffer and retreat back to Wujun.
But if there is a chance to save the people of Guangling and bring enough benefits to Qin, the good man will definitely do it. Li Mu gave the good man this opportunity.
But if his beloved had no desire to save Guangling, why would Li Mu come up with such a strategy
For a general, the only thing to do is to send troops. Whether the troops are loyal or not is not something Li Mu should consider, nor is it his responsibility.
Xue Ji has seen a lot of things, and now she has finally cleared up the fog in her mind and understood the difficulties of her lover and Li Mu.
With the persuasion of his aunt, Ying Xiaozheng finally calmed down.
He took a few deep breaths, then threw the letter Zhu Xiang wrote to him to the ground and stomped on it a few times.
"Damn uncle! You only know how to cause trouble for others!" Ying Xiaozheng cursed a few times and bowed to Li Mu to apologize, "Teacher, I was too anxious and rude."
Li Mu said: "No need to apologize to me."
He picked up the letter that Ying Xiaozheng had stepped on several times, patted the mud off it, and looked at what Zhu Xiang had written.
Seeing that Zhu Xiang portrayed himself as a bully who forced his friend to give advice, Li Mu, as the friend who was "forced into a dilemma", was speechless and wanted to laugh.
As expected, it’s Zhu Xiang.
(End of this chapter)