New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Glazed tiles have a protective glaze, making them impossible to ignite. While tung oil can burn, it also provides some lubrication. As long as the Jin army's oil quickly slides to the ground and is covered by sand, the buildings inside the city will not suffer significant damage.

As long as the city's defenses remain intact, the Jin army will have no chance to take advantage of the chaos and scale the city walls.

Having figured all this out, Ye Zhao felt a surge of mixed emotions deep within her.

Originally, he thought that Tang Qian, who was two years younger than him, had only obtained the formula for making new gunpowder by chance and under the guidance of an expert, which gave him the courage to make the tough statement that he would defend Guangling and never retreat. Who would have thought that this kid knew the Jin army inside and out, and that none of the enemy's attack methods had escaped his expectations.

How did this guy manage to anticipate the enemy's moves to such an extent?

It was at this point that Ye Zhao finally came to truly admire his brother-in-law, and that it was entirely fitting for him to serve as the lord of Guangling City.

Ye Zhao admired Tang Qian's flawless strategy, but Tang Qian frowned, showing no joy whatsoever at having withstood the Jin army's strongest attack.

"The Jin army is now at its wit's end, we should be drinking three cups of wine, why is my brother-in-law still frowning?"

Tang Qian gave a bitter laugh and said something that made Ye Zhao feel like she had instantly fallen into an ice cave: "If Wanyan Zonghan is cornered and resorts to a night attack, how should we deal with it?"

"A night attack on Guangling? Impossible! Throughout history, the Central Plains has experienced countless wars, large and small. There are indeed examples of night raids, but there has never been an instance of a siege. Does the Jin army really dare to set such a precedent?"

"The enemy commander knows that our advantage lies in our long-range explosive charges, while our close-combat capabilities are almost negligible. If the Jin army launches a surprise attack at night, they could catch us off guard. If any enemy troops enter the city, we will be in danger."

Attacking a city at night doesn't necessarily require using ladders to climb the city walls; they can easily enter the city by water by destroying the sluice gates.

“We can send more people to patrol the city walls and order everyone to hold their positions. I don’t believe those Jin dogs are really not afraid of death.”

“With limited visibility at night, the enemy deliberately created the illusion of an attack outside the city. If we launch an attack without knowing the enemy’s situation, our weapon consumption will inevitably increase exponentially. If they just intend to waste our ammunition, even if we are well prepared, we cannot withstand such a siege.”

Tang Qian's words make a lot of sense. The chances of the Jin army succeeding in attacking the city under the cover of night are not very high, but they might actually be able to do it by simply using up explosives.

"Therefore, I plan to take the initiative and not sit idly by and wait for death."

Meanwhile, inside the Jin army camp outside the city, the two armies led by Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Zonghan sat upright on either side of the military tent, their faces solemn and silent.

The divine fire, bestowed by heaven, had been invincible in previous battles. In the Battle of Shangjing alone, it helped the Jin army to defeat Yelü Yanxi's 200,000-strong Liao army and completely burn down the Liao Kingdom.

They thought they were overkill when they offered sacrifices to the divine fire in Guangling, but who would have thought that Tang Qian would so easily extinguish the so-called inextinguishable fire?

How can this battle be fought? Is it possible that Cheng Zhen can only look at the city and sigh in despair, and then return defeated?

This is definitely not the style of the Jin generals.

How long will it take for Wanyan Zongbi to capture Lin'an?

The current situation is very passive. We can't break into Guangling. Wanyan Xieye's 50,000 troops have been reduced to less than 8,000 scattered soldiers. Wanyan Zonghan's 70,000 troops have also suffered heavy losses after two fierce clashes. What's more frustrating is that the Song army has suffered almost no casualties except for the consumption of weapons.

What's even more worrying is that a Song army unit lying in ambush outside Chuzhou City has intercepted two supply convoys transporting provisions in the past two days. Even if the main army adopts a strategy of encirclement without attack, they cannot hold out for a month without food supplies.

"The wheat outside Guangling City is ripe, so food is not a problem. What I'm worried about is that our attack on Song has taken too long, and our 200,000 elite troops are too far from the Jin royal court. What if something goes wrong at home..."

"Our Great Jin is currently riding high, and the Liao and Western Xia dare not offend our imperial might. How could they possibly cause any trouble? Moreover, this war was originally intended to destroy the Song Dynasty. The Song emperor is currently in Lin'an. As long as Wanyan Zongbi brings back Zhao Gou's head, this expedition will be a great victory. When the three armies surround Guangling, I don't believe Tang Qian can hold out for long."

After hearing Wanyan Xieye's tone, it was clear that he was determined to take Guangling City this time. Wanyan Zonghan also felt that if Tang Qian were to defend Guangling, this boy would become a major threat to the Jin Dynasty in the future. Even if it meant paying a heavy price, they had to get rid of this kid.

"But his weapon is truly invincible, and our divine fire is ineffective. Who can come up with an effective solution?"

"This humble general does not believe that Tang Qian's gunpowder is some inexhaustible magical substance. If there is a way to deplete their explosive packs, the day they run out will be the day our army storms the city walls."

The general's words made the two marshals' eyes light up, but then dimmed again.

Guangling City was not large in scale, and waterways were scattered around the city. For the Song army, which had explosives at its disposal, the only open space at the north gate, where they could launch an attack on the city walls, was a strategic pass that was impregnable.

The blast radius of a single explosive charge can cover an area of ​​ten feet in diameter, so defending such a small space does not require much loss.

"The daytime targets are too clear, so they don't have much pressure to defend against them. But if our army adopts a nighttime feint attack tactic, it will definitely cause panic in the city. With their vision obstructed, the Song army will be a bunch of blind men who can't see anything. In order to protect the city, they will definitely throw out more and more explosives. If we keep fighting like this, I don't believe we can't exhaust Tang Qian's firearms."

At this point, everyone present understood his intention. Wanyan Xie laughed and ordered his guards, "Make a note of this attack for General Wuzhuo. If we capture Guangling in the future, I will reward him with a thousand taels of gold and ten women from the Song Dynasty."

It must be said that Tang Qian's worries were by no means unfounded. What he could think of, how could these battle-hardened killers not think of?

"The matter of harassing Guangling will be fully handled by General Wuzhuo. To avoid any unforeseen complications, we will begin the operation tonight. The generals and I will await your report of victory in the camp. At dawn, the entire army will drink a celebratory toast together."