Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

At this moment, outside Wuhu City, the people were still unaware of the news of Jianye's fall.

General Cao Zhen has led an army of over 40,000 to besiege the city. Having gained experience from attacking Ruxu, Cao Zhen is now quite adept at siege warfare.

It's simply a matter of first trapping the enemy in the city with superior forces, then using artillery to bombard the city and destroy its defenses. Once the morale and fighting spirit of the soldiers in the city are low, then attack the city from a position of advantage!
Cao Zhen, who couldn't even capture Jiangling ten years ago, can now be called a famous siege general of the Great Wei.

Wu Gai, the Privy Councilor in charge of overseeing the transport, clapped his hands on the dock, then put his hands on his hips and let out a long sigh: "After several days of hard work, we have finally disassembled all these catapults and transported them to Wuhu. Taichu can now order the armies to prepare."

Xiahou Xuan, who was waiting at the dock, nodded and said with emotion, "Although the catapult is ingenious, it is too cumbersome to disassemble and move, and it also takes a lot of time to make the stone projectiles. If it weren't for the use of the Ruxu River and the Yangtze River for water transport, it would be difficult to attack the city so easily."

“Who says otherwise?” Wu Gai also felt a little sad: “Lord Liu said in person that the General was waiting for our catapults to arrive. I didn’t dare to delay for a moment. When the last boat arrived in Wuhu, my duty was temporarily over.”

"By the way, Taichu, which unit deployed the catapults this time?"

After the army set out, Xiahou Xuan, who held the position of a 600-stone official in the Military Affairs Office of the Privy Council, was swiftly promoted to Grand Master of Works. Outside Ruxu City, it was Xiahou Xuan who led a group of craftsmen and laborers from the Directorate of Works to assist the Right Army of the Imperial Guards in deploying catapults. Now in Wuhu, this is still Xiahou Xuan's job.

Xiahou Xuan replied, "The General said that he ordered all of General Bei Yan's cavalry to dismount, and together with Cao Zhaobo's five thousand Yingzhou infantry, a total of ten thousand men, to take charge of the stone-throwing task."

"That makes sense. Before the troops were deployed, the Wuwei Army and Xiaowei Army practiced the catapults the most. After the troops were deployed, Xiaowei went to the east, and Wuwei was no longer allowed to do this kind of thing."

Wu Gai smiled and said, "Can the soldiers of Liaodong compare to the Right Wing Army of the Imperial Guard? I'm afraid Taichu will have a lot to do."

Xiahou Xuan chuckled helplessly a few times: "Busy as I am, the situation is still in Wei's favor. Brother Yuanxia, ​​when will you return to Ruxu?"

"I'm heading back now. I'll be returning by ship in a little while." Wu Gai shrugged. "My post is in Huainan, not in the Directorate of Works. I'll have to trouble Tai Chu. You'll surely receive a reward for your military achievements... Wait, I forgot, you're already a county marquis! How can people be so different?"

"Say less," Xiahou Xuan waved his hand, smiling as he took an official document bearing the seal of office from the clerk behind him. "Your father is also a county marquis, so it's not much different!"

After Wu Gai left, Xiahou Xuan returned to his usual meticulous demeanor and began directing the laborers transporting timber and stone.

Before dusk, the first batch of hastily assembled catapults began launching stones at Wuhu from four directions of the city. Due to wartime manufacturing precision, each catapult had slight differences, and before the official attack began, the angles of the catapults were often adjusted for the several locations where they were intended to be launched.

At this moment, General Cao Zhen summoned his generals to a meeting in his central command tent located south of Wuhu City.

General Cao Tai, General Zhang Hu, General Bei Yan, Colonel Jiang Wei, Colonel Cao Shuang, and Colonel Bian Lan, a total of six generals, stood solemnly in the tent.

Cao Zhen strode in, accompanied by his personal guards, and looked at the generals in the tent.

Once upon a time, when Cao Zhen led his troops in Guanzhong, his subordinates included renowned generals and veterans such as Zhang He, Guo Huai, Lu Xun, and Fei Yao. Today, in this new leadership, apart from Cao Tai, who is relatively senior, Bei Yan is a surrendered general, Zhang Hu is a border general who has spent many years on the frontier with little future, Bian Lan is a relative of the emperor, Jiang Wei is a confidant of the emperor, and Cao Shuang is his own son!

It truly feels like a new generation is replacing the old.

Although Cao Zhen was thinking to himself, he remained serious on the surface: "Half of the stone-carts have been deployed today. We will begin a full-scale attack on Wuhu City tomorrow."

The allocation for tomorrow is hereby announced as follows.

"Cao Shuang, Jiang Wei!"

"Your subordinates are here!" Jiang Wei and Cao Shuang stepped forward in unison.

Cao Zhen said, "Jiang Wei, after the military council, hand over the remaining eight hundred cavalrymen in your central army headquarters to Bian Lan. Cao Shuang, do the same for your one thousand cavalrymen. There aren't many elite cavalrymen in the central army here; take them all under my command."

"Your subordinate obeys the order." Although Jiang Wei and Cao Shuang were surprised to have their headquarters taken away, they did not hesitate at all and immediately accepted the military order.

"Bei Yan, your unit will be responsible for breaching the city walls in the west and south tomorrow, as originally ordered." Cao Zhen then selected another person. "Your subordinate obeys!" Bei Yan stepped forward and bowed.

Cao Zhen turned his gaze to his son: "Cao Shuang, your five thousand infantrymen will be responsible for the east and north of the city, as originally ordered. Remember, the east is the direction from which the Wu army is most likely to launch an attack. Do not lose your position, or I will dismiss you!"

Cao Shuang instinctively felt a sense of fear: "This subordinate obeys!"

Cao Zhen nodded, then looked at Cao Tai: "Cao Tai, tomorrow you will accompany me. I will distribute your 10,000 men as follows: 3,000 men from Dian Man's unit will assist in the defense of the stone cart in the east of the city; 3,000 men from Zou Gui's unit will assist in the defense of the south of the city; 2,000 men from Li Ji's unit will assist in the defense of the north of the city; and 2,000 men from Wang Qi's unit will assist in the defense of the west of the city."

"Yes, sir!" Cao Tai replied.

"Bian Lan!" Cao Zhen then looked at the emperor's relative by marriage: "You shall leave three hundred soldiers to guard my side, and the remaining two thousand five hundred cavalry shall be under your temporary command. If there is a battle, they shall be under Cao Tai's command. Do you understand?"

Although Bian Lan was somewhat unwilling, he had no right to speak in front of the army's tent: "Your subordinate obeys!"

"Jiang Wei!" Cao Zhen pointed at Jiang Wei: "Your 4,000 infantrymen from the Liaodong vassal state are to be placed under the command of Cao Tai in the central army tent. You will lead 10,000 Hu cavalry to be responsible for patrolling the outer perimeter and collecting grain. All people within 50 li of Wuhu will be conscripted here as laborers. All grain and fodder will be transported outside the city for the army's use. Do you understand?"

Jiang Wei cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble general obeys your command!"

Wuhu City was a place where the Wu Kingdom had long stationed its military troops and settled the families of its retainers. There were many plains nearby, and several granaries were distributed along the river. Requisitioning grain was indeed a necessary matter.

"Go forth," Cao Zhen said. "Be extra vigilant at night, lest the Wu army sneak into our camp. Anyone whose camp is raided by the Wu army will be punished according to military law in the central army tomorrow!"

After the generals left their tents, they returned to their respective camps. Camp affairs were numerous and complex, and after returning, the generals still had to assign military tasks to their officers one by one, so it was normal for them to stay up until midnight.

Previously at Ruxu, everyone thought that the Grand General was merely a figurehead commander, only capable of directing battles, while crucial matters would still be assigned by the Privy Council. But now, having just crossed the river, Cao Zhen has completely reorganized the 40,000-strong army with just a few words.

Bian Lan, who rose to power through connections, only led three hundred men as the head of the guards.

The four generals under Cao Tai's command of the Wuwei Camp were separated, with Dian Man, Li Ji, Zou Gui, and Wang Qi being personally commanded by Cao Zhen. Cao Tai, on the other hand, became the commander of the most elite 2,500 central cavalry, tasked with handling unforeseen events.

The younger Jiang Wei and Cao Shuang, who were trusted by the emperor, were both doubted by Cao Zhen, even though Cao Shuang was Cao Zhen's eldest son. Cao Zhen seized their headquarters...

Don't underestimate the great general. Once he displays his power, no one dares to refuse him even a single word, leaving him completely at Cao Zhen's mercy.

The following day, January 29th.

As the stones whistled as they crashed onto the city walls from all sides, the Wu soldiers inside the city were filled with terror once again.

The approximately 15,000 Wu soldiers inside the city, those who had retreated from Ruxu Dock, were filled with terror upon hearing the sound of the stone projectiles piercing the air. Hu Zong's 10,000 men fared better; although they had prepared for the stone projectiles according to Zhu Ran's instructions, they were still in a very passive position.

Faced with trebuchets launched from outside the city, the best course of action inside the city is to build trebuchets in return, using artillery to counter artillery fire, and retaliate from inside the city outwards.

Stone cannons were nothing new, and their principles were simple and easy to understand. However, while the theory was sound, the engineering challenges were considerable. Several days prior, Zhu Ran and Hu Zong had ordered their soldiers to build replicas of trebuchets within the city. But due to a lack of experience and the absence of necessary securing ropes, wood, and iron components, the hastily constructed trebuchets were practically useless, unable to even launch the trebuchets up to the height of the city walls!
There was simply no other way.

Zhu Ran, Hu Zong, and Zhang Cheng, their faces ashen, hid under cover, exchanging glances. It was Zhang Cheng who first broke the silence:
“Zhu Chariot Cavalry, Hu Attendant, this won’t work.” Zhang Cheng said through gritted teeth, “A small portion of the soldiers in the city are those who retreated from Ruxu. They have long lost their will to fight when faced with stone projectiles hitting the city. Wuhu City is not as high as Ruxu Dock, nor are its walls as sturdy. It is only slightly larger. The city’s defense relies entirely on the layers of fortifications built inside and outside the city.”

"Who would have thought that the Wei army transported all the catapults from Ruxu? In just a few days, they had to transport troops, supplies, and so many weapons and catapults. How many ships would it take to get all that over here?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Zhu Ran's expression was equally grim. "Do you think I don't know the situation here is precarious? But what else can we do but wait here for His Majesty?" (End of Chapter)