Tiger Owl

Chapter 256 The Battle at the Beginning of the Month (Part 1)

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" The resounding war drums of Cao Cao's army echoed along the broad eastern bank of the Han River. Amidst the deafening sound of thousands of drums beating simultaneously, five massive formations, each with ten thousand men, escorted their commander Cao Ren as they slowly approached Queyue City.

Two 10,000-strong infantry squares were distributed on each side of the main commander's formation, in front of and behind it. The dark army stretched for miles.

This time, Cao Ren commanded the most elite ironclad army in Cao Cao's army. This elite army was built up little by little by Cao Cao through countless battles and the iron armor he had captured. Every soldier was covered in iron armor, wore a solid iron helmet, and only their eyes and mouths were exposed. They held extremely sharp infantry spears.

There was also a logistics army of 10,000 men in the distance. For this attack on Queyue City, Cao Ren bet 60,000 troops. He wanted to crush Queyue City in one fell swoop, wash away the shame of his crushing defeat last year with the myth of defeating the Western Chu army, and then cross the river to completely destroy the Western Chu regime.

Cao Ren, riding a tall and magnificent warhorse, stared coldly at the ditches and ravines blocking the road for the Western Chu army, which had been filled in and leveled a mile away, and at the majestic city standing in the distance.

At that moment, he saw the scene of Queyue City being captured, with flames soaring into the sky, enemy soldiers kneeling before his horse begging for mercy, and the city walls collapsing under the iron hooves of his army. At that moment, the shame of last year was finally completely wiped away.

The incredibly tempting and longed-for scene was about to unfold, and Cao Ren was already impatient. At this moment, he was no longer just seeking revenge for himself; he wanted to raze this city to the ground and make Gan Ning and Sun Quan understand that the strength of Cao's army was invincible, that Cao's iron hooves were unbreakable, and that any resistance was futile.

Cao Ren stared at the direction of Queyue City with a cold, leopard-like gaze, then turned to Zhang Liao and said sternly, "General Zhang, I'm giving you three days to raze Queyue City to the ground!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Zhang Liao knew the mission would be difficult, but he still accepted the order despite his reluctance. There was no room for negotiation when it came to military orders.

The 60,000-strong army began to set up camp, cutting down trees around the area to build palisades. Large tents suddenly appeared like mushrooms after rain, forming a vast white tent area.

The distance between Cao Cao's main camp and Queyue City was about three miles. This was not a coincidence, but a safe distance determined by Cao Cao's army after testing it time and time again with fire hawks.

Huang Zhong stood atop the city wall, holding up his telescope, his brow furrowed as he observed Cao Cao's army camp. The telescope provided him with more detailed intelligence.

He saw it clearly: Cao Cao's intelligence was wrong, they underestimated the enemy, and they had not prepared giant catapults or various protective equipment. Cao Cao's army only wanted to use conventional siege methods, such as pontoon bridges and siege ladders. Perhaps they never expected that three hundred giant catapults had been prepared inside the city.

Although he knew that Cao Cao's army had underestimated him, Huang Zhong was not complacent at all. His gaze was serious as he considered how to strike the enemy army to the maximum extent and completely defeat Cao Ren.
The following morning, bugle calls sounded continuously, and 50,000 troops assembled. Under Zhang Liao's command, the army began its grand march towards Queyue City. Thousands of large drums beat, their thunderous sound audible for dozens of miles.
The 50,000-strong army exuded a murderous aura. Hundreds of siege ladders and pontoon bridges followed the densely packed troops. Cao Cao's soldiers carried them forward with all their might, charging towards Queyue City, three miles away, with an unstoppable killing intent.

Banners fluttered atop the Queyue City Wall, where six thousand Western Chu soldiers stood in formation. He wore leather armor, an eagle-horned helmet, and carried a bow and arrows. Each soldier had a resolute gaze, and three hundred giant catapults stood like three hundred giants within the city.

Cao Ren's army stopped a mile away from Queyue City, but the drumbeats did not stop and continued to shake the earth. Zhang Liao waved his hand, and countless soldiers carried pontoon bridge rafts and rushed towards the moat.

These pontoon rafts were also built yesterday when the camp fence was constructed. They are a simple type of floating bridge for crossing the river. The rafts are connected by iron chains. As long as both ends are fixed, soldiers can step on the rafts to cross the moat.

Arrows rained down overhead, and the defending soldiers used the most conventional defensive methods. Huang Zhong's eyes were cold and sharp. He planned to wait until the enemy had crossed the moat in large numbers before cutting off their retreat.

A dense rain of arrows fell from the sky, and Cao Cao's soldiers laying the pontoon bridge were constantly struck by arrows, screaming in agony. But thousands of Cao Cao's soldiers continued to lay the pontoon bridge on the water, shields in hand. "General, use firearms!" Deputy General Fu Tong said anxiously.

"No!" Huang Zhong stared coldly at Cao Cao's army. "It's not time yet. Await my orders!"

"Yes, sir!" Fu Tong hurriedly left.

Cao Ren's gaze was also fixed on Queyue City and its moat. He was secretly surprised by the city's defenses. In his memory, the cities in Jianghuai were relatively low, with moats that were at most a little wider. But this castle was so tall and sturdy, with a wide moat. He secretly regretted that he had said too much about three days.

"General, I'm afraid we won't be able to take this castle in three days," Yu Jin said worriedly to Cao Ren.

"We must fight even if we can't take it!"

Cao Ren gritted his teeth. Although the city was tall and sturdy, the enemy army numbered only six thousand. It was like a thin, short soldier holding a giant shield. If the foundation was weak, no matter how strong the shield was, it would be useless.

"General!" Yu Jin continued to advise, "The enemy's defenses are too weak. With Gan Ning's shrewdness, he wouldn't make such a mistake. I know him well; he always plans carefully before acting. They may still be hiding some secret weapon. If we commit too many troops, we will suffer heavy casualties."

Yu Jin had dealt with Gan Ning before, and he understood Gan Ning. Gan Ning never did anything meaningless. Leaving such a poorly defended city in Jiangbei was meaningless.

Cao Ren wavered for a moment, but his eagerness to wash away the shame made his momentary hesitation disappear immediately.

He gritted his teeth and ordered, "Pass on my order: send 30,000 troops to take Queyue City before noon."

Cao Ren was prepared to spare no expense and launch a fierce attack to take down the fortified city in one fell swoop.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The deafening drumbeats rang out again, and 30,000 Cao troops surged forward like a tide, surrounding more than a hundred siege ladders, and charged toward Queyue City.

A hundred siege ladders were carried by soldiers and charged toward Queyue City, which was a mile away. The first batch of 10,000 soldiers rushed across the moat, which was 30 feet wide, along three pontoon bridges.

They charged into the range of the arrows, and the Western Chu army on the city walls unleashed a hail of arrows. Five thousand soldiers' arrows were densely fired at the enemy. These soldiers' arrows were used for defending the city and were longer and heavier than the cavalry arrows. When fired from a high place, they would carry their own weight as they hit the enemy, making them extremely lethal.

Cao's soldiers raised their shields to meet the attack, but the shields could not withstand the dense crossbow bolts of the Western Chu army, let alone the heavy arrows. Many shields were pierced by the arrows, killing the enemy soldiers behind them. Groups of soldiers screamed and fell to the ground.

But Cao's soldiers continued to advance wave after wave, clad in leather armor, wielding shields and spears, their battle cries shaking the heavens. The war finally broke out in this slightly chilly autumn.

(End of this chapter)