A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 446 The Battle of Mingshui
Dark clouds hung low, pressing down on the battlements of the Mingshui city wall.

Liu Heita still had bandages wrapped around his body, wounds from the Battle of Lieren City. That battle was a deeply humiliating defeat for him; he had led 30,000 infantry and cavalry to capture Mingshui City, only to be ambushed halfway by Qin Shubao, Li Shiji, and eight other generals.

The enemy had only half his men, but he fought a bloody battle all day and was ultimately defeated, with less than 5,000 escaping.

They lost 25,000 men.

He also suffered fifteen wounds.

Instead of punishing him, Dou Gong praised him for his bravery and strength, saying that he was able to fight against eight Tang generals single-handedly.

The Xia king led his army and ignored the Tang army in Lieren City, directly attacking the city of Mingshui.

Mingshui City is the key. If they don't take back Mingshui, they will be completely surrounded and won't be able to hold out for long.

Liu Heita disregarded his own safety and begged the King of Xia to allow him to redeem himself by personally commanding the siege.

Dark clouds rolled in.

Liu Heita looked up at the red flags fluttering on the city wall, the large flags with the character "Tang" and the large flags with the character "Li".

Li Yi was the Tang general who killed his younger brother Liu Shishan in Chanyuan.

"Push the artillery up!" Liu Heita roared.

Heave-ho, heave-ho,

Countless auxiliary soldiers pushed the artillery carts forward.

One by one, artillery cars were pushed to their designated positions. These artillery cars had large wooden beds, four wheels underneath, and double steps on top. Between the steps was a horizontal bar with a single pole in the middle, the head of which was shaped like a well sweeper.

A giant cannon with two or three hundred men pulling the ropes could send large stones flying two or three hundred paces.

A true siege weapon.

Li Yi stood on the city wall.
Looking at these artillery pieces, they were quite similar to those used by the Tang army; they were all towed lever catapults. These catapults were relatively primitive, especially these giant cannons capable of throwing dozens of kilograms of stones, which appeared particularly bulky and cumbersome.

It would take two or three hundred people to pull it.

When Xia Jun's artillery vehicle arrived at the designated position, it began to deploy the feet on the vehicle and bury them in the ground to secure them.

Each large artillery vehicle was equipped with a battalion of auxiliary soldiers, more than two hundred men, to pull it, a few men to set it in place, and others to carry the stone projectiles.

The stone bullets were also polished beforehand.

Xia Jun lined up dozens of artillery vehicles, which amazed Li Yi.

Generally, for expeditions, cannons were built by local timber-cutting and craftsmen sent with the army, with the size of the cannons depending on the size of the city being attacked.

The cannons that Dou Jiande brought this time were all moved from the Feixiang camp, and even if they were disassembled and transported, it was still very difficult.

"Can our guns hit the enemy's guns?" Li Yi asked.

Sheng Yanshi nodded, "Don't worry, our cannons are even better than the Xia army's cannons. They were made by craftsmen from Luoyang, who were all craftsmen from the former dynasty's military equipment bureau."

Our cannons can fire farther and more accurately than theirs.

Li Yi didn't have much faith in the accuracy of the data.

These catapults utilize the lever principle, with a fixed fulcrum as the boundary. One end of the crossbar is slightly longer, serving as the resistance arm, and a sac is fitted at the top to hold stone projectiles; this is the sling. The other end is slightly shorter, serving as the power arm, and a rope is attached to the tail.

At launch, everyone pulled the rope with all their might, and the stone projectile flew out quickly. With its own gravity acceleration, it caused damage and casualties to enemy cities, camps, and other fortifications and personnel.

A large cannon, two to three hundred people pulling the cable, launches the missile in roughly one direction and at a roughly certain distance; as for accuracy, that's up to chance.

There's no way there could be any precision strikes.

It relies on sheer numbers and long-range dominance.

Li Yi felt that the artillery of the Sui and Tang dynasties had entered a developmental misconception, focusing solely on size and the weight and distance of the stones thrown.
The trebuchet improved by Cao Cao at the end of the Han Dynasty was equipped with a base and wheels, making it mobile.

The Sui and Tang dynasties were simply much larger.

Li Yi remembered that historically, the back of the catapult should have been modified to be counterweight type, which would have thrown the catapult farther and could even be operated by a few people instead of hundreds.

The garrison in Luoyang even possessed super-heavy artillery vehicles, including seven-barreled cannons pulled by three hundred men, capable of hurling 100-pound boulders fifty paces away—truly formidable defensive weapons.

In general field battles, the most commonly used type is the light catapult, which is mainly a single-bladed cannon. The projectile weighs half a pound and can be launched by two people. Don't underestimate a half-pound stone projectile; its destructive power can far exceed that of a bow and arrow.

Currently, on Mingshui City, Li Yi has ten seven-barreled heavy cannons assembled from parts brought from Luoyang, requiring 250 men to pull the cables, and ten five-barreled heavy cannons requiring 200 men to pull the cables.

There were also dozens of double-barreled cannons, with fifty men pulling the ropes, which could throw stone projectiles weighing twenty or thirty pounds to a distance of seventy or eighty paces.

The heavy artillery was too big.

They were placed directly within the city.

For each heavy cannon, an observer was stationed on the city wall to observe the distance and direction of the target. Then, flag signals were used to notify the observer inside the city, who in turn informed two gunners who were responsible for aiming and adjusting the direction.

The 250 people each held a rope, and the ropes had a knot at intervals to prevent slipping.

They chanted in unison, pulled back the breech, and launched the stone projectiles from the other end.

Last night, some generals suggested firing cannons, but Li Yi did not agree.

The heavy artillery in the city could launch a surprise attack on the Xia army, just like now, when the Xia army pushed out their artillery carts...
That would be perfect for attacking those who destroy the city walls.

"Keep an eye on the enemy's artillery vehicles and destroy their guns. I will reward you handsomely for every enemy heavy gun you take down."

These heavy cannons, if not properly prepared, would be the vanguard in breaching the city.

Li Yi gazed at the tomb of King Duan, twenty miles south of the city.

Even Li Quhuo didn't know which Duan King was buried in that Duan King's tomb. Li Yi guessed that this Duan King should be a prince with the surname Duan. For example, the father of Duan Decao, the current governor of Yanzhou in the Tang Dynasty, was Duan Shao, the Prince of Pingyuan in the Northern Qi Dynasty. He was known as Duan Lao, and he was extremely stingy, but he was a senior official who assisted in the government of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

Of course, his eldest son also inherited the title of Prince of Pingyuan.

Li Yi couldn't recall any other Wangs with the surname Duan at the moment.

The tomb of King Duan rises like a hill on the plain, a rare high ground.
That red flag kept fluttering in the wind.

"Master, there are signal flags on the tomb of King Duan; they are sending signals."

"Then translate it quickly."

Using flag signals to transmit information in the military is nothing new. Each army has its own set of flag signals, using different colored flags and specific hand gestures to express different meanings.

Li Yi couldn't understand it, but there were special flag bearers in the army who knew these things.

Li Shimin's flag signals were quickly recorded and translated. The day before yesterday, at Lie Ren City, Liu Heita was decisively defeated, with over 3,800 heads taken and 21,000 prisoners captured.

Today, the King of Qin personally led a large army to pursue Dou Jiande and engaged in battle with Dou Jiande's forces south of the city. He will move towards Mingshui City as soon as possible and instruct Li Yi to hold the city firmly. He also told him that the King of Yan, Li Yi, and his 50,000-strong army are also heading down the Mingshui River and will soon arrive for the battle.

In this battle, Li Yi's Mingshui City will serve as the chopping block, and Dou Jiande's 100,000-strong army will be utterly crushed here.

Li Yi smiled as he looked at the translated flag signals.

"Dou Jiande wants to attack Mingshui City and block the Qin King's army at the same time. He has to do both, which is heartbreaking."

···
"Load!"

On the front lines,

Liu Heita roared at the top of his lungs.

Thirty five-barreled heavy artillery pieces have been secured.
Xia Jun carried the fifty-pound stone bullet into the ammunition pouch at the end of the cannon tip.

At the other end of the cannon of each large artillery vehicle, three hundred Xia soldiers each held a rope, their hands firmly gripping the knot, and their feet spread apart.

Several artillerymen are observing the distance and direction.
A whistling sound suddenly came from the sky.
Liu Heita roared, "Who gave the order to fire ahead of time? Aim first, then fire! Fire a volley! Heavy cannons, medium cannons, small cannons, as well as crossbows, triple crossbows, and archers all at once!"

"General, it's not our cannons. Judging from the sound, they've been fired from inside the city."

"In the city?"

One whistling sound after another rang out, gradually becoming more frequent.

A gunner's face changed drastically. "Oh no! There are heavy cannons in the city, a lot of them! General, be careful! The enemy is firing at our cannons!" This gunner was experienced and immediately recognized the sound of the stone projectiles piercing the air as the sound of heavy cannons weighing at least fifty pounds each, and there were no fewer than twenty of them.

"Five-barreled cannons, no, there are also seven-barreled cannons!"

Liu Heita was taken aback.

"Nonsense. Li Yi seized Mingshui City by surprise. He didn't even take Enping City to the east. How could he have transported so many heavy cannons so quickly, let alone manufactured so many heavy cannons on-site in Mingshui City?"

"General, I've been firing cannons for over twenty years, and I'm absolutely certain. The enemy has hidden many heavy cannons in the city. They didn't fire a single one last night; they've been waiting for our cannons, ladders, battering rams, and other siege equipment!"

If he had known there were heavy artillery pieces in the city, he would never have positioned the artillery carts so far forward.

The closer they were, the more accurately the artillery hit them.

The whistling sound was sharp and piercing.
Liu Heita looked up.
I saw countless black dots flying out of the city.

They might seem inconspicuous and few in number, but they were all heading towards his artillery position.

Boom,

One after another, giant stone bombs rained down from the sky.
They were heading straight for his artillery position.

A volley of stones missed one of the artillery pieces, but hit two triple-bow ballistae next to it, and then hit the hand of a chain-action cannon behind a heavy cannon.

A series of screams rang out.

The artillerymen, numbering three hundred, were killed instantly by the falling stones; the stones bounced up and killed several more, then the stones bounced and rolled.

I don't know how many people's legs were broken.

This attack killed or injured at least twenty or thirty people.
The gunners of that gun were reduced by 10%.

"Counterattack! Quick, load the ammunition! Counterattack! Smash it into the city, smash their cannons!" Liu Heita roared angrily, his face dark.

Before he could finish speaking,
Another chorus of shrill whistles rang out, and countless cannons flew up from the city walls of Mingshui City. This time, the cannons looked smaller, but there were far more of them—several times more than the first volley.
This is a salvo from medium and small artillery vehicles.

The larger ones weigh twenty or thirty pounds, while the smaller ones only weigh half a pound.

It came crashing down with a whoosh.

Covering the Xia army's artillery positions,

This time, the two artillery pieces did not escape. They were hit by stone projectiles, their pylons broke, and their frames disintegrated. The flying splinters, like sharp spears, pinned a group of gunners to the ground.

The cannonball had just passed,

The rain of arrows has already risen into the sky again.

Although the artillery positions were beyond the range of individual crossbows, the triple crossbows, eight-bow crossbows, long-range crossbows, and large bamboo crossbows could still cover them.

Li Yi watched for a while,
Xia Jun's artillery positions had been subjected to wave after wave of attacks, with artillery pieces being hit one after another.
The casualties among the artillerymen were even greater.

Liu Heita's face was scratched by a splinter, leaving a long, deep gash from which blood flowed freely.

"General, quickly move the artillery cart to the back!"

"No retreat! Counterattack! Fire immediately!" Liu Heita roared, his eyes flashing with bloodlust as he brandished his sword.

He disregarded the damage to the artillery vehicles and the casualties among the gunners.
He would never back down. The Tang people had cannons, and so did he. Although he was tricked by the Tang people again, he would never back down.

at last,

In his roar,

Those lucky gunners, no longer caring about firing a volley, quickly loaded their stones. Once loaded, the gunner aimed and launched the stones.

Xia Jun's cannonballs roared as they rose into the air one after another.

Mingshui City Wall

Liu Shiche quickly gave the order, "Raise the cloth curtains and straw mats, quickly, hang them outside the city wall!"

Though the stone projectiles are fierce, they are indestructible.
However, the defenders could also hang cloth curtains outside the city walls to use softness to overcome hardness; the stone projectiles would be intercepted by the cloth curtains, effectively absorbing their force.

It can also be used to build defensive structures such as battle tents.

The well-prepared defenders immediately hung cloth curtains and straw screens a few feet outside the city walls to protect the parapets, towers, and soldiers.

Liu Heita's refusal to retreat and his desperate counterattacks were almost entirely blocked by these cloth curtains and straw screens.

The Tang army's artillery and crossbows were reloaded and fired again, continuing to wreak havoc. The Xia army's artillery positions, which were fighting to the death, were once again covered by bullets and crossbow bolts. This time, the Tang army's arquebusiers were even more accurate.

One after another, artillery pieces and ballistae were hit.

Large numbers of gunners and crossbowmen were hit, their screams of death and pain echoing throughout the area.

(End of this chapter)