Hot flashes

The north wind swept across the early spring fields, carrying with it the lingering chill of winter and the rusty scent of weapons.

The target is Pinggao City, a strategic military fortress guarding the choke point between the Northern Liang and Qi King's territories. Without capturing this city, the Northern Liang's eastward advance will remain firmly choked by an iron fist.

Inside the central command tent, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

On the huge sand table, Pinggao City is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with high and thick city walls, complete with barbicans, arrow towers, and moats, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The intelligence gathered by scouts and spies piled up on the desk: the defending general was Cao Meng, a veteran under the command of the King of Qi. He was cautious and not good at surprise attacks, but he was quite methodical in defending the city; the city had ample food and supplies, and the defending army numbered about 15,000, all of whom were elite troops from the King of Qi's own forces.

The generals under his command were in high spirits, and most advocated besieging and wearing down the enemy, or dividing their forces to launch a feint attack and probe for weaknesses.

Xiao Jue stood silently in front of the sand table, his black armor still on, his gaze like the coldest ice blade, scraping inch by inch across the mountains, terrain, and city wall models on the sand table.

He observed things very closely.

Cao Meng was cautious in his military operations and always tried to make his defenses as comprehensive as possible. However, the more comprehensive his defenses were, the more likely he was to fall into the predicament of "defending everywhere but being weak everywhere" when his troop strength was fixed.

The northwest corner of Pinggao City is adjacent to a steep cliff with a rapid current below, which is naturally considered difficult for a large army to deploy. Therefore, reconnaissance reports indicate that the garrison deployment in this section of the city wall is relatively conventional, relying more on natural defenses.

However, Xiao Jue's gaze lingered for a long time on the section where the cliff met the city wall.

Although the cliff is steep, it is not impossible to climb; it just comes at a price.

Although the current is swift, its momentum can be controlled in a short time if a dam is cleverly built upstream. Cao Meng's "thoroughness" may have been his blind spot—he relied too much on that natural barrier.

"Cao Meng's military tactics are like building a wall; they emphasize a tight fit, but they are too rigid." Xiao Jue finally spoke, his voice not loud, but instantly silencing all the discussions in the tent.

He picked up the red flag representing the main force of Beiliang and planted it firmly and without doubt between the cliff and the city wall on the sand table in the northwest corner of Pinggao City.

"This is the key to breaching the city."

The generals were stunned.

General Zhao couldn't help but say, "My lord, the terrain here is treacherous, making it unfavorable for a large-scale troop deployment. Although Cao Meng's forces are slightly weaker here, a direct assault by our army would likely result in heavy casualties and a slow victory. If we fail to capture the city, we could be surrounded and attacked from the flanks by the remaining defenders..."

"Who said I was going to 'storm' here?" Xiao Jue interrupted him, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. "What I want is to 'break through'."

His fingers traced the sand table as he began to deploy, his speech steady yet carrying immense weight:

"First, starting tomorrow, General Zhao, you will lead the vanguard of 8,000 men, carrying siege equipment, to launch daily feint attacks on the east and south gates in rotation. The scale of the attacks should be impressive, but the main objective is to preserve your strength and exhaust the enemy. Cao Meng is cautious and will surely deploy heavy troops to defend these two points."

"Secondly, Han Lie, you will lead two thousand light cavalry, equipped with grappling hooks and ropes, and secretly move to the foot of the cliff in the northwest."

Within three days, at any cost, three paths were to be opened at night for soldiers to climb. At the same time, the engineering battalion, "pointing to a small tributary on the sand table," he said, "built a temporary earthen dam overnight and stood by."

"Third, the main force of the central army, numbering 12,000 men, will be personally commanded by me and concealed in the forest valley ten miles to the northwest. Once Han Lie successfully opens the path and sends the signal, the main force will immediately advance, not attacking anywhere else, but concentrating all ladders, battering rams, and crossbows to launch a full-scale attack on the northwest corner!"

"Before Cao Meng can react and mobilize the eastern and southern garrisons to reinforce, I will use overwhelming force to smash and tear down this section of the city wall within one to two hours!"

He surveyed his generals, his gaze sharp: "The key to this battle lies in 'speed' and 'aggregation.' Speed ​​will turn Cao Meng's caution into sluggishness."

I will gather my iron fist and smash it hard against his 'fingernail,' which he thought was the strongest but was actually relatively weak due to the division of forces!

Once the breach is opened, Han Lie's reinforcements can disrupt the city from within, allowing his main force to pour in, and the city will surely fall!

The tent was silent, save for the crackling of the charcoal fire. The generals pondered deeply, feeling a chill run down their spines and their blood boil simultaneously.

This is a risky move by the Marquis, and it's also a calculated move with extreme precision!

Using regular troops to feign an attack to confuse the enemy, and using surprise troops to open up dangerous paths, ultimately concentrating all forces on one point to form a thunderous local absolute advantage, this is no ordinary siege tactic, but a battlefield art as skillful as a butcher dissecting an ox.

"Gentlemen, do you still have any doubts?" Xiao Jue's voice turned cold.

"We have no objections! We are willing to follow you, Lord Marquis, to conquer the city!" The generals responded in unison, their fighting spirit boiling.

The battle proceeded according to plan.

For the first two days, General Zhao launched a fierce attack at the east and south gates, with arrows raining down and the sounds of battle deafening.

Cao Meng fell for the trap as expected, concentrating his main forces and attention on these two sides. The city walls were densely defended, and rolling logs, stones, and hot oil were readily available.

Although there were garrison troops in the northwest corner, seeing that the Northern Liang army was not making any moves, they gradually became complacent, and the patrol efforts visibly relaxed.

On the third night, dark clouds obscured the moon.

Han Lie's troops, like geckos in the dark, with astonishing perseverance and sacrifice, carved out three narrow but usable paths on a seemingly impossible steep cliff. At the same time, the upstream earthen dam quietly closed.

The fourth day, the darkest hour before dawn.

Xiao Jue's main force, like a silent tide, had moved silently to less than three miles outside the northwest corner of Pinggao City.

Twelve thousand elite armored soldiers, swords drawn, arrows nocked, eyes blazing, awaiting only the order.

Xiao Jue rode his black warhorse, gazing at the silhouette of the colossal city in the darkness. He raised his hand.

"Ignite the fire, give the signal."

Three rockets wrapped in tarpaulins roared into the sky and exploded in blinding red light.

Almost simultaneously, the upstream earthen dam was breached, and the accumulated river water surged down. Although it did not change course, it successfully created a brief roar and chaos, attracting the attention of the nearby garrison for a moment.

"Beat the drums! Attack!"

The war drums roared like thunder, instantly shattering the silence of dawn.

Hundreds of siege ladders and dozens of reinforced battering rams, already prepared, launched a desperate charge towards the northwest corner of the city wall of Pinggao City amidst the deafening battle cries of the Northern Liang army!

The crossbowmen's arrows rained down so densely they resembled dark clouds, completely covering the city walls!

The Cao army on the city wall was stunned. They had anticipated all sorts of attacks, but they never expected that the Northern Liang army would choose this most difficult "natural stronghold" as their main attack point, and that their offensive would be so fierce and concentrated!

In the chaos, the alarm bells rang loudly, and the defending troops responded hastily, with stones and logs falling down. However, faced with the Northern Liang warriors who were willing to pay any price and swarmed up the ladders like ants, as well as the battering rams below violently ramming the city gate and the base of the wall, this resistance was quickly drowned out by the even more intense wave of attacks.

Upon hearing the deafening battle cries from the northwest, far exceeding the level of a feint attack, coming from the east gate tower, Cao Meng's expression changed drastically. He urgently ordered the reserve forces and parts of the garrison to reinforce the northwest. However, it was too late.

The point that Xiao Jue chose was already relatively weak, and it was then subjected to a saturation attack by forces exceeding its defensive limits.

Faced with absolute power and speed, even natural barriers and conventional defenses crumble swiftly.

Less than an hour and a half later, just as the rising sun leaped above the horizon and cast its golden light upon the battlefield, a section of the city wall in the northwest corner of Pinggao City was breached by the final, fierce impact of the battering ram and the disruption caused by the internal reinforcements!

"The city has fallen!!!"

The cheers of the Northern Liang army were like a tsunami. Xiao Jue pointed his longsword forward, his cold, stern face like a war god in the morning light: "All troops, charge! Annihilate the remaining enemy forces and capture the four gates!"

The main force, which had been gathering strength for a long time, surged into the city through the breach like a flood. Street fighting immediately broke out, but the city gate had fallen, the commander-in-chief had been separated, and the morale of Cao's army collapsed instantly.

Before noon, the Qi King's banner flying atop Pinggao City was cut down and replaced with the Northern Liang banner with a black background and gold trim.

Xiao Jue stepped through the gap in the city wall, which was covered in blood and debris, and entered the conquered fortress.

The sunlight was blinding, and he squinted slightly as he scanned the kneeling prisoners and his own soldiers who were cleaning up the battlefield.