My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 318 A small test of one’s skills
Zhou Bin finally couldn't suppress his burning desire and decided to risk going to Qu'a.

Regardless, Teng Dan, whom Liu Feng sent to Qu'a, had a far greater reputation and status than the person sent by Sun Ce.

So Zhou Bin and Teng Dan set off by boat to Qu'a.

Halfway there, they heard that Liu Feng's army had already set out, heading south to Wuxi, where they were besieging the city.

So Zhou Bin and Teng Dan changed direction and headed to Wuxi.

By the time Zhou Bin and Teng Dan arrived at the city of Wuxi, a full month had passed since the Southern Expeditionary Army besieged the city.

Although Xu Kun and others in Wuxi City repeatedly ordered strict defense, the Southern Expeditionary Army only built fortifications and manufactured equipment, and did not launch a single probing attack in the past month.

Xu Kun's soldiers naturally relaxed their guard.

This is human nature; even the most elite soldiers can only prolong this time, but cannot remain vigilant forever.

At this time, Zhao Yun was stationed in the east of the city, Gao Shun in the west, and Liu Feng personally oversaw the north.

Liu Feng also assigned Zhao Fan and Yu Zi to Gao Shun. Gao Shun was skilled in training troops, and Zhao Fan and Yu Zi's troops happened to be newly formed units. Liu Feng specially asked Gao Shun to give Zhao Fan and Yu Zi some pointers, and also asked Zhao Fan and Yu Zi to humbly learn from him.

In this way, Gao Shun's forces now numbered seven thousand, plus the three thousand former troops of Zuo Rong assigned to him, totaling ten thousand men.

Liu Feng strengthened Gao Shun's forces because of their unique position.

Liu Feng's main camp and Zhao Yun's eastern camp were both east of the Han Canal, while Gao Shun's western camp was west of the Han Canal. Compared to the two eastern camps, Gao Shun's western camp was clearly more isolated.

In the past month, in addition to civil engineering work, the Southern Expeditionary Army has also been training its various units.

Leaving aside the other units, Zhao Fan and Yu Zi's units alone have achieved great results. Although they are still far from being as effective as the other units, they are already sufficient to be deployed to the battlefield.

Just as Liu Feng was about to give Xu Kun a surprise, Teng Dan brought Zhou Bin to the army camp.

Upon receiving the report, Liu Feng immediately summoned Teng Dan and Zhou Bin.

Zhou Bin was quite brave and strong, and had loved reading military books since childhood. Although he did not achieve great military exploits, his military abilities were indeed remarkable. It was precisely because of his military abilities that he was able to discern the strength of the Southern Expeditionary Army from subtle clues.

Since entering the military camp, Zhou Bin's expression has changed slightly time and time again.

Unaware of this, Teng Dan continued to explain military affairs to Zhou Bin with great interest.

Zhou Bin's expression grew even more serious. Along the way, he had seen that the military camp was extremely well-organized, with strict checks and everyone performing their duties.

In the military camp, soldiers rested in each tent.

The soldiers remained silent, some resting with their eyes closed, others wiping their weapons; very few made a sound. Occasionally, shouts would be heard, but these were from officers summoning their troops, and the assemblies were usually assembled in a very short time.

Zhou Bin was always proud of governing his troops with military law, and he always believed that his troops were quite powerful and could be considered elite.

But it wasn't until they entered the camp of the Southern Expeditionary Army that they realized what a true elite force should look like.

"What are they doing...?"

As Zhou Bin and Teng Dan passed by an open space, Zhou Bin immediately recognized that it was being used temporarily as a training ground.

What he couldn't understand was that there were hundreds of soldiers standing on the drill ground, neatly arranged in rows.

He couldn't help but ask Teng Dan out of curiosity.

Teng Dan turned his head and looked at it, then smiled and said, "This is standing at attention."

"Standing at attention?"

Zhou Bin asked in surprise, "What does this mean?"

Teng Dan shook his head: "I really don't know, but the Southern Expeditionary Army does have this kind of training. Their standing is sometimes for a quarter of an hour, sometimes for half an hour, but I have never asked for the specifics."

Zhou Bin thanked him and suddenly noticed a tall, strong man in front of him, like a moving city wall.

Zhou Bin was greatly alarmed. Even though he was very confident in his courage, he did not think he would be a match for his opponent.

This burly man was none other than Xu Chu, the commander of Liu Feng's personal guards.

Although Xu Chu exerted immense pressure on people, especially valiant warriors like Zhou Bin, who could feel Xu Chu's terrifying nature.

Xu Chu, however, was quite polite. He stopped when he got closer, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou Bin, and asked, "May I ask if you are Lord Zhou?"

Zhou Bin was somewhat surprised. He glanced at Teng Dan, who smiled and nodded at him.

Immediately, Zhou Bin returned the greeting to Xu Chu, saying, "I am Zhou Bin, greetings, General."

Xu Chu said politely, "I am only a captain, and I dare not accept the title of general. Mr. Zhou and Military Advisor Teng, please follow me."

Xu Chu then turned around and led the two to a large tent, before going inside to report.

A moment later, a young man came out of the tent to greet him; it was none other than General Liu Feng, who was leading the southern expedition.

Zhou Bin panicked and quickly bowed, saying, "Bin greets Liu Zhengnan."

"Why is Mr. Zhou so late?"

Liu Feng stepped forward to help him up, then turned to Teng Dan and said, "Military Advisor Teng, you must be tired from your journey."

When he first heard that Zhou Bin had returned with Teng Dan, he didn't actually know who Zhou Bin was.

It wasn't until the visitor introduced Zhou Bin as the head of the Zhou family of Yangxian that he realized that this person was actually Zhou Chu's grandfather and Zhou Fang's father.

Unfortunately, he didn't have many opportunities in history, and his fame was far less than that of his son and grandson.

His grandson, in particular, rose to prominence as a renowned general during the Jin Dynasty.

If it weren't for the fact that in this holy dynasty where filial piety reigns supreme, and northerners genuinely look down on southerners and discriminate against them from every angle, he might have gone even further.

On that day, Liu Feng invited Zhao Yun, Gao Shun, Zhao Fan and other generals, along with officers and soldiers from the camp, to a banquet to entertain Zhou Bin.

Seeing the abundance of talented people under Liu Feng's command, with each fierce general performing their duties, Zhou Bin felt that this trip had not been in vain.

The next day, Zhou Bin couldn't wait to serve Liu Feng and offered him the land of Yangxian.

“Bin is a man of some courage and strength. He was born into a chaotic world and has no choice but to defend his hometown because he can only rely on the people of his village.”

Zhou Bin declared to Liu Feng, "Today, I have encountered the Southern Expedition, which is like a timely rain after a long drought. I am willing to serve the people of Yangxian with all my might."

Liu Feng laughed. He had actually prepared a big dish for Zhou Bin long ago, but he didn't expect that Zhou Bin would be satisfied before the dish was even served.

However, since the dishes were all prepared, they still had to be served eventually, just to broaden Zhou Bin's horizons.

After Liu Feng accepted Zhou Bin's offer of allegiance, the Southern Expeditionary Army launched a large-scale offensive the following morning, advancing towards Wuxi City.

Liu Feng had arranged eight counterweight catapults in two staggered rows, four in each row, about 300 meters away from the city wall.

Meanwhile, 20 meters behind the counterweight catapult, there were 12 well ballasts with wooden shields, each man standing on a platform with four bows and four crossbows.

These well curbs are all equipped with shields on the upper level, increasing their defensive capabilities and allowing archers to shoot freely from behind the shields.

Behind the siege tower, four oxhide battering rams, twelve siege ladders, and twenty-four trench-filling vehicles were lined up.

With cavalry providing cover on both flanks, Xu Sheng's three battalions of six thousand men were positioned in the center of the formation, specifically to protect these siege weapons.

With such a large-scale operation, Xu Kun's troops could not possibly be unaware of it.

Xu Kun and his generals immediately went up to the north gate to observe Liu Feng's every move.

The siege equipment before us was enormous, numerous, and varied in type.

Xu Kun and the others were dumbfounded.

They could clearly identify the battering ram and siege ladder, vaguely guessed the function of the siege tower, but were somewhat puzzled by the counterweight catapult.

During the Han Dynasty, catapults had a range of less than 300 meters, typically only a little over 100 meters, and their power was not great.

As for the trench filling vehicle, Xu Kun and the others didn't recognize it at all, mistaking it for a battering ram, since the two do look somewhat alike.

The trench-filling wagon was just a bit bigger, with an extra compartment at the back for carrying sand.

Liu Feng kept Zhou Bin and Teng Dan by his side. Yangxian held a very important position, and now that Zhou Bin had come to serve him, Liu Feng was naturally happy to demonstrate his abilities. Moreover, Zhou Bin's son and grandson were also quite capable, making it worthwhile for him to invest a little.

Compared to Liu Feng, Zhou Bin was extremely excited at this moment. He never dreamed that he would receive such favor from Liu Feng.

If the banquet the night before last was Liu Feng's way of showing respect and humility, then today he will be brought to the battlefield to observe the performance of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

This made Zhou Bin feel as if he were in a dream, unable to extricate himself.

Liu Feng glanced at Zhou Bin and noticed that the man's otherwise robust body was trembling slightly.

To an outsider, Zhou Bin might seem like a hopeless case, cowardly in the face of battle. But Liu Feng knew he was simply overwhelmed with excitement. "Let's begin."

Liu Feng nodded at Xu Chu.

The order was immediately relayed to the flag bearers.

The stirring drumbeats rang out, and the flag bearers waved their command flags towards the front.

Upon seeing this, the flag bearer immediately relayed the order to Xu Sheng, the commander of the vanguard.

Xu Sheng immediately ordered the cannons to fire.

The first four of the eight counterweight catapults immediately started operating, and four rounded stone projectiles, each weighing about 200 pounds, were thrown into the air by the force of the impact, and were thrown high towards the Wuxi city wall, which was 300 meters away.

Xu Kun and the others on the other side were dumbfounded and couldn't react for a moment.

They just stared blankly as the four giant rocks came crashing down from the sky.

"General, be careful!"

All four boulders were hurtling towards the city gate, clearly indicating that the gunners had been eyeing the area for some time.

Of the four boulders, one crashed into the moat in front of the city gate, another grazed the gate and entered the city, then bounced across the 30-meter-long city gate square and crashed into the houses behind it, smashing two or three houses in succession.

The remaining two, however, hit their target.

One of them hit the bullseye, crashing into the middle of the city wall and smashing through it with devastating force.

In the very center of the building, there was a bloody, fleshy mess, the last trace left by the person who was hit by the boulder.

The stone was fired too directly, preventing it from hitting the beams and pillars; otherwise, it might have collapsed the city gate with a single shot.

Even so, the entire city gate tower is already a dangerous building, and it may collapse at any time.

As a result, the ranged firepower that could have been deployed was no longer allowed, and heavy troops were no longer stationed under the city gate tower, for fear of being affected by the sudden collapse of the city tower.

This, on the contrary, puts enormous defensive pressure on the garrison, especially at the city gates.

The last stone hit the city gate's battlements, then bounced high into the air and crashed into the crowd on the city wall.

This attack instantly killed more than a dozen people, and an equal number were killed or injured by flying stones from the broken crenellations.

This shot was the most effective. These people were not all soldiers; there were also many officers of various ranks, including Xu Kun's most capable platoon leaders and military commanders. Their troops were used as reserves.

But now, at the very beginning of the war, the command of these most elite units has suffered heavy casualties, which has undoubtedly reduced the combat effectiveness of these units by more than one level.

If it weren't for the quick reaction of Xu Kun's personal guards, who used tower shields and human walls to protect Xu Kun, Zhu Chao, Xu Yi, Sun He, and other senior generals, the flying stones from the battlements might have taken one or two of them away.

Looking at the devastation on the city walls, with limbs torn apart and blood flowing everywhere, Xu Kun's face turned ashen.

Xu Kun wasn't afraid of the scene before him; he was afraid of not being able to find a way to counter the other side.

The eight catapults were placed 300 meters away, and the machines were huge and heavy, so it would obviously be very troublesome to move them.

The question is, do I have the capability to attack and obtain them?
Three hundred meters! Even with the city walls providing a commanding view, the catapults in the city could only reach a maximum of one hundred and fifty meters.

If they wanted to send troops out of the city, these three hundred meters might just be enough to drain the city's military strength dry.

Liu Feng deployed 1,300 cavalrymen under Jia Bin's command on both flanks, ready to launch a flanking attack at any moment.

On the front, Liu Feng deployed five hundred armored soldiers to guard both sides of the counterweight catapults. Not to mention Xu Sheng's large formation not far away, ready to reinforce the front line at any time.

Even if Xu Kun's elite troops were exhausted, it would be impossible for them to reach the enemy's siege equipment.

Liu Feng stood on the artificially built earthen slope and looked into the distance. Even with the height advantage, he still couldn't see the situation on the enemy's city wall.

However, it was visible that two of the four boulders in the first round hit their targets.

Liu Feng thought to himself, "If only I had a telescope right now. The simplest version of that thing is a magnifying glass. It's not that hard to make. I can try it out later."

Zhou Bin and Teng Dan, who were standing next to Liu Feng, were completely stunned. Zhou Bin, in particular, felt his blood rushing and wished he could immediately don armor and go into battle.

Liu Feng, however, remained calm and continued to order Xu Chu, "Send the siege towers and moat-filling carts up."

"Yes!"

Xu Chu quickly relayed the order, and after Xu Sheng received the order, the siege towers and moat-filling carts that had been placed on both sides began to move.

The reason Liu Feng ordered a change in attack methods instead of striking while the iron was hot was simply because the rate of fire of the counterweight catapults was too pathetic.

Such a slingshot requires at least fifteen minutes to reload, and in some cases it can take up to half an hour.

Therefore, sending troops to suppress enemy fire on the city walls and cover the trench-filling vehicles to carry out trench-filling operations was a routine operation.

We can't just stare at each other for half an hour before we start having sex.

In stark contrast to the methodical actions of the Southern Expeditionary Army, the city of Wuxi was in complete chaos.

"General! Let's retreat for a moment!"

Xu Yi shouted loudly at Xu Kun from the side.

This was just one round of throwing stones; clearly, they will continue later.

We can no longer stay on the city wall; it's clearly the enemy's main target, and staying here would be tantamount to waiting for death.

Xu Kun remained silent, his face ashen, stubbornly standing still.

Xu Yi and the others were extremely nervous. They didn't know when the terrifying stone projectiles would strike again, and they might not be so lucky next time.

If one were directly hit by these stone projectiles, it would be meaningless to have many shield bearers protecting them; the casualties would only be more severe.

Xu Yi looked at Zhu Chao and Sun He, hoping they would join him in persuading Xu Kun.

Zhu Chao and Sun He immediately took action. Sun He even took advantage of being Sun Ce's trusted general and tried to forcibly drag Xu Kun down from the city.

"Why panic!"

Xu Kun broke free from Sun He's arm and shouted, "Don't panic!"

The people around immediately fell silent, and all eyes were on Xu Kun.

Xu Kun frowned, but his expression remained relatively calm: "Don't panic. How can such heavy artillery be fired continuously? In my opinion, it might not even be able to fire a single shot in a short time. Now that the morale of the troops on the city wall is wavering, if we leave the city wall again, what will we do if the Southern Expeditionary Army takes the opportunity to attack the city?"

"Don't panic, first stabilize the morale of the troops on the city wall."

Xu Kun stared at the counterweight catapult in the distance and continued, "This thing is still a bit clumsy. Even after it's launched, there's still time to dodge."

After hearing this, Xu Yi, Zhu Chao, Sun He, and the others also came to their senses and calmed down.

"Alright, stop crowding around me, go get back to work!"

Xu Kun waved his hand, shooing people away.

Xu Yi and the other generals knew that time was of the essence, so they stopped dawdling, bowed to Xu Kun, raised their own flags, and marched forward from both sides of the city wall.

The soldiers on the city wall were terrified when they saw the stones hitting the tower.

But upon seeing the banners of important generals such as Xu Yi, Zhu Chao, and Sun He, and after they themselves patrolled the city, they gradually calmed down and began to act under the command of their officers.

After Xu Kun responded to the situation, changes also occurred in Liu Feng's army formation, with siege towers, trench-filling carts, and other siege equipment beginning to move forward.

The range of a regular crossbow is 100 to 150 meters, while the range of a divine bow and a large yellow crossbow can generally reach 180 meters, or even 200 meters.

However, few people were able to use the divine bow, and the cost of the Great Yellow Crossbow was also quite high.

In addition, the height advantage of the siege towers effectively increased the range of the projectiles, thus negating the height advantage of the city walls.

Upon seeing the large-scale deployment of siege towers and trench-filling vehicles, the Wuxi garrison immediately became tense.

"The general has given orders! Beware of enemy crossbows!"

"The general has ordered! Prepare the oil for the city gates!"

"General's order! Prepare the rockets!"

One effective order after another was executed, and Xu Kun kept issuing instructions, making the city walls bustling with activity.

This busyness made the Wuxi defenders temporarily forget the terrifying power of the stone projectiles they had just witnessed, and they threw themselves into preparing for the impending bloody battle.

Unfortunately, the Southern Expeditionary Army showed no intention of scaling the city walls; they continued to whittle down the lives and morale of the Wuxi defenders with long-range firepower.

(End of this chapter)