People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

……

Chapter 473 The Delicious Soft Rice

By the time Wei Zhuang and Zhang Liang requested reinforcements, the battle in Nanyang had already reached a fever pitch.

A section of the city wall not far from the Nanyang city gate collapsed with a roar after Meng Tian decisively used all the divine crossbows.

Left with no other choice, Ji Wuye had to personally take up his sword and lead the charge, blocking the breach in the city wall and engaging the Qin army in hand-to-hand combat.

Meng Tian waved his hand and said, "Charge the city gate!"

A group of soldiers pushed a cloud tower as tall as the city wall of Nanyang, holding up tall shields against arrows as they advanced to protect their comrades.

These Qin soldiers did not belong to the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army, but were the garrison troops of Wusui County. When the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army was stationed in Wusui, they provided military supplies to the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army and were among the most common Qin soldiers in the Qin state.

Unlike the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army, which was constantly drilled and rarely engaged in production, they spent most of their time cultivating the fields, except for providing food and supplies to the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army and conducting intensive training every now and then.

Therefore, their combat effectiveness was much lower than that of the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army. On the battlefield, they mainly provided labor for the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army, such as raising shields and pushing ladders, so that the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army could conserve their energy and have a greater chance of storming the city walls.

Seeing that the battle was progressing as smoothly as he had anticipated, Meng Tian couldn't help but smile.

"Brother Cao, it seems everything is as I predicted. Only by achieving victory in one battle can we avoid being bogged down by the war."

Cao Ze remained noncommittal, saying, "The reason why the Qin army was able to win battle after battle was not because of its superior weapons and skill in combat, but because it had a continuous supply of logistical support. Even if the siege was unsuccessful, it could rely on its logistics to keep the enemy busy and cause them to collapse without a fight."

Meng Tian paused slightly and said, "You can't rely on rigid rules; you have to adapt to local conditions."

"The disparity in the situation between the enemy and ourselves is not significant. Once the Zhao and Wei states send their elite troops to arrive day and night, our army will have at most three days left."

Lightly armed troops can march at a considerable speed without carrying supplies and provisions; they only need to carry a few days' worth of rations to make a long-distance raid.

This is basic military knowledge that anyone who goes to war knows.

Cao Ze calmly said, "Brother Meng, you underestimate Korea."

"Even though South Korea was the weakest of the seven kingdoms, it still managed to survive in a land of constant warfare, and..."

Before Cao Ze could finish speaking, a hail of arrows flew through the sky above Nanyang City.

Almost every Han soldier was equipped with two crossbows, and bundles of arrows were carried to the city walls, forming a dense rain of arrows.

Even though the Pingyang heavy armored troops were all elite, they could not withstand such a continuous barrage of crossbow bolts, and in just a short time, nearly a hundred of them were killed or wounded.

Meng Tian's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he did not become too angry.

Casualties are normal in siege warfare.

"I did underestimate the South Korean crossbow."

Cao Ze sighed softly.

The states that survived during the Warring States period were all formidable; each had its own unique skills.

First, let's talk about the Qin elite soldiers of the Qin state. Compared with the other six states, the Qin elite soldiers formed by Shang Yang's reforms can be described as modern special forces. Not only do they need to be skilled in swordsmanship and archery, but they also need to pass tests in carrying heavy loads, marching speed, and so on. What is even more special is that they must be good at siege warfare, because the Qin army mostly has to attack cities.

This also allows Qin Ruishi to conduct various coordinated operations in complex battlefield situations.

Meanwhile, the Wei Kingdom had the Wei Wuzu, who were formed by Wu Qi. They could wear three layers of heavy armor, wield long halberds, and form square formations. In open field battles, they were like meat grinders.

Of course, the Zhao border cavalry of the Zhao state must also be mentioned. This army originated from the adoption of nomadic dress and cavalry archery by King Wuling of Zhao, and it was extremely mobile.

This is why the Zhao border army was able to hunt down the wolf tribes that raided the border, something even the Qin state couldn't do.

As for the martial arts of the State of Qi, there's not much to say about them.

Although Guan Zhong established this army skilled in spears and halberds after his reforms, it is now a mere shell of its former self in the state of Qi. It is said that the reason it still exists is because the Qi soldiers skilled in combat have begun to serve the powerful and wealthy, engaging in activities such as hiring bodyguards and thugs.

Finally, there's South Korea right in front of us.

Because of its lack of land and manpower, South Korea is famous not for its army, but for its powerful crossbows, demonstrating a technological level in archery that is significantly higher than that of the other six countries.

While the other six countries were still using crossbows with a range of 600 paces, South Korea's crossbows had a range of 800 paces.

The arrowheads also adopted a triangular structure, which is the same structure used in later triangular sabers. They had amazing penetrating power and even had blood grooves to draw blood.

Even heavily armed soldiers like the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army, clad in heavy armor, could hardly withstand the crossbow fire.

Cao Ze said, "South Korea, relying on the Yiyang Iron Mine, has no shortage of these bows and arrows."

"We're likely headed for a tough battle."

Meng Tian felt a slight regret; he shouldn't have risked everything and used up all the divine crossbows.

If one-fifth of the divine crossbows were left, they could counter the Han army's powerful crossbows at this time, or even lure the enemy to gather at the breach in the city wall and fire a volley of divine crossbows, severely damaging the enemy's manpower.

I still suffered from a lack of experience.

I must learn from this and never repeat the same mistake.

Cao Ze glanced at Meng Tian, ​​seemingly unintentionally. Meng Tian's expression was quite telling, and Cao Ze could almost guess that Meng Tian was regretting and reflecting on his actions.

He now understood why Ying Zheng had allowed Meng Tian to personally command this battle.

It has to be said that Ying Zheng was truly biased towards Meng Tian.

They weren't afraid that Meng Tian might impulsively annihilate the Pingyang heavy armored army here.

They actually allowed Meng Tian to lead the Pingyang heavy armored army to train in such a major battle.

He didn't even receive this treatment.

Of course, he couldn't be as loyal and devoted to Ying Zheng as Meng Tian, ​​even as a modern person.

These subtle differences were easily discernible to a wise ruler like Ying Zheng.

Unless one's acting skills can reach the level of Sima Yi.

It can only be said that there are gains and losses, and the balance between them is predetermined.

Upon realizing this, Cao Ze looked at the dust-filled battlefield and the flying blood and flesh, and suddenly felt somewhat disheartened, so he took the initiative to leave the battlefield.

Anyway, he was just sent by Ying Zheng to gain military merits, so there was no need for him to make things difficult for himself.

Under the renowned crossbow and arrow formations of the Seven Kingdoms of Korea, the Battle of Namyang reached a stalemate.

Night was falling.

Ji Wuye dragged his exhausted body against the base of the city wall, panting.

He calmly asked Emerald Tiger, "How long can the crossbow bolts last?"

Emerald Tiger glanced at the city wall that had been blasted open by the divine crossbow, which was almost filled with corpses, forming a new "city wall".

He felt a chill run down his spine and said, "General, at today's rate, we'll run out in three days at most."

South Korea's crossbows are powerful, but not limitless.

Today, in order to repel the Qin army and prevent them from entering the city, crossbow bolts are being fired indiscriminately.

"Two days..."

Ji Wuye's fierce eyes narrowed slightly.

"Tiger, come closer to my ear."

The jade tiger's heart stirred, and it listened intently.

"If the reinforcements from Wei and Zhao do not arrive in three days, then we will..."

Ji Wuye paused and said, "Take advantage of the chaos to run back to Xinzheng, take Yihu with you, and then leave for the State of Chu."

With the alliance of the three Jin states and the attack on Qi, and the Yan state being too far away, his only option was to return to Chu, back to the place he had left years ago.

Emerald Tiger was immediately excited and was about to speak when Ji Wuye stopped him with a look.

"Mo Ya, if you're going to spy on me, do it openly and honestly. What kind of skill is it to do it secretly!"

Ji Wuye, who was known for his fiery temper, looked at the shadows with an unfriendly expression.

Mo Ya slowly emerged from the shadows.

He smiled gently: "General, don't get upset. Mo Ya has come to tell you some good news."

Ji Wuye subconsciously gripped the eight-foot battle sword beside him, which was now stained dark red with blood, obscuring its original gleaming bronze color.

Mo Ya naturally saw Ji Wuye's instinctive reaction.

There's no way around it; compared to Xiao Baifeng, he's a man who pays attention to detail.

"The day after tomorrow, three thousand elite Wei soldiers will arrive in Han. Four days later, five thousand Zhao elite troops will also arrive in Han. Please inform the general."

After saying that, Mo Ya transformed into a crow and left, leaving only a black feather that slowly drifted down to Ji Wuye's feet.

In order to obtain this intelligence, four or five of the spy birds he and Bai Feng raised died.

It should be noted that each Spywing Bird requires three months of one-on-one training from someone of his and Bai Feng's second-rate skill level to be able to transmit intelligence over long distances.

For them, the price was too high.

"So fast..."

Ji Wuye muttered to himself, realizing he had seriously underestimated the power of the Three Jin Alliance.

They actually sent troops to South Korea so quickly.

Based on the estimated time, Wei and Zhao must prepare their troops today and set off tomorrow in order to arrive as scheduled.

Jade Tiger said cautiously, "General, what else is needed..."

Ji Wuye said in a low voice, "It's better to be prepared."

The jade tiger understood immediately.

……

The next day, Meng Tian continued his attack on the city as before.

In order to break through the city as soon as possible and prevent the Wei and Zhao armies from providing reinforcements, he directly set a reward of 100 gold pieces for the meritorious person who was the first to scale the walls!

It should be noted that being the first to scale the walls is one of the four major military achievements.

It could even be said that it is more valuable than the three major military achievements of breaking through enemy lines, beheading generals, and capturing flags.

Because the merit of being the first to scale mountains of knives and seas of fire, resisting rolling logs and stones, burning oil and arrows, and climbing up through piles of dead bodies.

Therefore, the rewards for being the first to reach the summit were very generous, often including a title, promotion, land, and a house.