Chapter 638: Bombardment, withering the defense line!

Chapter 638: Bombardment, withering the defense line!

Just when Zhao Shuo was still immersed in his thoughts, a deafening roar of killing suddenly exploded like thunder, waking him up from his trance. He suddenly came to his senses, propped himself up with difficulty, and looked around. He was shocked to find that the Southern Border Army had already rushed towards the city wall like a surging tide, and was less than a hundred steps away from the city wall!

Zhao Shuo's eyes widened in astonishment. He didn't even have time to wonder what kind of powerful weapons the Southern Border Army used. He started running wildly on the city wall without hesitation. As he ran, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "The enemy has begun to attack, quickly counterattack, counterattack..."

Before he finished speaking, a series of loud noises suddenly rang out, as if the earth was shaking. Zhao Shuo watched in amazement as the city walls were once again enveloped in flames and smoke from the explosions. The soldiers on the city walls were once again thrown into chaos by this sudden attack.

In this brief period of chaos, the Southern Border Army had already rushed to the city like a hungry tiger. Zhao Shuo was extremely anxious, as he knew that if the enemy attacked the city wall, the consequences would be disastrous. Fortunately, after the first round of bombing, his body recovered significantly faster.

At this moment, the shouts of killing were deafening, as if they were echoing in my ears, and a large number of arrows were shot at the city wall like raindrops. Zhao Shuo felt a chill in his heart, and he knew that this battle had reached a critical moment of life and death.

At this moment, the mystery in Zhao Shuo's heart was finally solved. He suddenly realized why Han Xin was so confident and dared to besiege the city in such a grand manner. It turned out that the Southern Border Army also possessed this mysterious weapon! This is simply beyond human power!

Originally, Zhao Shuo thought he could hold out for at least three days, and if he was lucky, he might even be able to hold out for seven days. However, when he learned that the Southern Border Army had such a terrifying weapon, he realized how naive and ridiculous his previous thoughts were.

Zhao Shuo knew very well that he would not be able to wait for reinforcements. But he also knew that if Han Xin could not capture Xiayuan City within seven days, he would definitely choose to retreat. After all, the other allied forces of the princes were not easy to deal with, and they would not remain idle after receiving the news.

Zhao Shuo thought to himself that once Han Xin decided to withdraw his troops, it would be extremely difficult for him to continue his march north. Wei Bao would definitely not allow it, and Wu Rui would not sit idly by either. They would definitely send troops to intercept Han Xin's army and trap it in Langya.

By then, if Wei Bao stationed his troops in Langya and Wu Rui sent troops to cut off Han Xin's retreat, then at least hundreds of thousands of troops would surround Han Xin's army. In this way, Han Xin's army would be in a desperate situation and unable to escape.

Even a famous general like Han Xin could not escape easily, so Zhao Shuo dared to estimate the number of seven days and dared to make such a statement to the soldiers.

As for hoping that Feng Yu could lead troops back to help, Zhao Shuo had no such idea at all. Although Feng Yu had great ambitions, he was actually mediocre and had nothing particularly outstanding. He had neither outstanding strengths nor particularly bad weaknesses. The reason why Zhao Shuo worked so hard for him was entirely because he had shown him a favor. Regardless of whether the battle ended in victory or defeat, Zhao Shuo felt that he had repaid the favor.

What Zhao Shuo never expected was that the Southern Border Army actually possessed such a powerful weapon! The power of this weapon was beyond imagination. Coupled with the deafening and close shouting at this time, Zhao Shuo knew very well that it would be difficult to hold out for three days, let alone seven days, let alone this day. Especially this sudden attack, which almost instantly destroyed the morale he had just built up with great difficulty.

Originally, the enemy's number was several times that of their own, and with the sudden appearance of this terrifying weapon, Zhao Shuo's army completely lost its fighting spirit. In this situation, it was almost an impossible task to resist the attack of the Southern Border Army.

"Quick! Get up! The enemy has already reached the city!"

Zhao Shuo's voice exploded on the city wall like thunder, and he shouted anxiously at the defenders who were still stunned. Although he knew very well that after many days of hard fighting, these soldiers were already exhausted and their morale was low, he still held on to the last glimmer of hope and tried to awaken their fighting spirit.

With Zhao Shuo's hard work over the past few days, he still had a certain prestige among the soldiers. Although his shouts were not as loud as before, they still attracted the attention of some soldiers. They slowly stood up and picked up their weapons, with a hint of confusion and fear in their eyes.

Zhao Shuo felt relieved when he saw this, because he knew that as long as these soldiers could stand up, they still had a chance of survival. He led the troops without hesitation, holding a spear, standing firmly on the city wall like an indestructible mountain, without any intention of retreating.

At this moment, Zhao Shuo knew very well that if he turned around and fled now, the city would be directly open to the Southern Border Army, and the consequences would be disastrous. Therefore, he could not retreat a single step and had to use his actions to inspire the soldiers and let them hold their ground.

Han Xin, who was attacking the city, saw from afar that the defenders of Xiayuan City had quickly organized a counterattack under Zhao Shuo's call, and he couldn't help but reveal a hint of surprise in his eyes. He originally thought that after the baptism of artillery fire, the defenders of Xiayuan City should have lost the will to resist, but he didn't expect that they could organize an effective defense so quickly under such difficult circumstances.

The use of black powder shells is not limited to artillery, but can also be used in catapults. The key lies in the proper handling of the fuse. As long as the fuse is designed reasonably, the expected effect can be achieved.

In comparison, the structure of a catapult is much simpler than that of a cannon. Of course, the "simple" mentioned here is relative. The manufacture of a cannon requires exquisite smelting skills, and its complexity is far beyond the ability of ordinary military craftsmen to master. Therefore, it is impossible to bring the craftsmen who make the cannon with the legion.

Each legion was equipped with craftsmen who specialized in making catapults. Although making a catapult might take some time, most of the required materials could be obtained locally and did not need to be transported long distances. In this way, making catapults with local materials not only saved time, but also reduced transportation costs and risks.