"Who is the General commanding the Guard Corps?" Ye Shikai walked into the military formation and said loudly. As soon as he finished speaking, a man clad in heavy armor stepped forward.
"At your service, Li Li, Vice Commander of General ng’s Guard Corps," the man said with a bow. ng Tian’s Guard Corps consisted of 5,000 soldiers, with 2,000 of them deployed, naturally requiring a vice commander to lead.
"Li Li, from now on, I need you to fully obey my commands," Ye Shikai must first ensure the army fully follows his orders; otherwise, weak execution by the troops renders even the best tactics useless.
"Before my departure, Great General ng specifically instructed us to follow General Ye’s arrangents."
"Very well." Ye Shikai nodded. It’s fortunate to have the Token given by ng Tian as proof, otherwise controlling such a powerful troop would indeed not be easy.
"Vice Commander Li, I need your Guard Corps on the city walls, following my orders on defense. Do you dare?" Ye Shikai tested.
"Since I now follow General Ye’s orders, even if facing great danger, I will comply without hesitation. Moreover, myself and my more than a thousand brothers have followed Great General ng for a long ti, having seen all kinds of formations. Rest assured, General Ye, with myself and these two thousand Guard Corps brothers here, the Wolf Clan shall not step a foot past the fortress," Li Li said firmly, allowing Ye Shikai to breathe a sigh of relief. With two thousand elite troops at the fortress, the chances of victory were seventy percent.
"Ye, what do you think about sending the Cavalry unit into battle?" At this mont, Han Hao stepped down from the city wall to find Ye Shikai and inquire. As the commander of the garrison, he naturally hoped to mobilize all forces to alleviate the pressure on the infantry. Moreover, there were a thousand cavalry.
"Impossible. Given the current combat strength of the Cavalry unit, charging through such narrow city gates is akin to a death wish." Ye Shikai imdiately refuted. He was never one to act rashly. This thousand-strong Cavalry held potential, not yet realized strength. The war was fierce, and perhaps they might not survive to see their hos again. But Ye Shikai would never let them die aninglessly.
"Then, if the Wolf Clan retreats, can the Cavalry unit pursue them?" Han Hao pressed.
"Lord Han, you should understand, the Wolf Clan is a well-trained army. Even if defeated, their retreat is orderly and not a rout. Moreover, their Wolf Riders have not suffered losses. Sending the Cavalry out to pursue them now is tantamount to suicide."
In short, Ye Shikai would never let the Cavalry deploy before they were properly trained.
In the ti it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"Chiliarch, the Wolf Clan seems to be showing movent."
Ye Shikai walked up the city walls, and sure enough, dust rose again within the Wolf Clan’s camp as n and horses began to regroup, bringing new siege equipnt after a brief rest period to regain their strength. Gathering to besiege once more.
"All troops, prepare for battle." Ye Shikai drew his sword and shouted loudly. Thousands of soldiers imdiately grabbed their weapons, ready and waiting, seizing this precious "mont to breathe" for the Qin Army.
"Bown and crossbown step forward. All troops, avoid incoming stones," Ye Shikai reminded. As expected, the Wolf Clan’s catapult began "operating," with massive stones pounding heavily against the walls, causing Ye Shikai to feel a tremor beneath his feet. The catapult attack follows a parabolic arc with two possible outcos: stones being blocked by the wall or flying over the wall to hit the fortress inside. So Ye Shikai instructed the soldiers inside the fort to stick closely to the inner side of the city walls, thus avoiding being struck by incoming stones.
After a barrage of "bombardnt," the Wolf Clan’s heavy infantry began advancing slowly again. Unlike before, this ti they used shields to clear the path, especially the troops responsible for pushing the siege hamr and ladder. They were well-protected by shields to prevent being killed by the Qin Army’s strong bows and crossbows.
"Chiliarch, how shall we respond?"
"Everyone follow my command. Crossbows should aim at the siege hamr. Bown and crossbown prepare," Ye Shikai’s expression was stern, yet he remained calm. While the ladder is the most direct way to climb the wall, everyone knows that hard assaulting such a solid wall using ladders might an only one in ten soldiers reach the wall, and the siege hamr poses the greatest threat.
Thus, as long as the siege hamr is destroyed, the Qin Army can hold the fortress.
"Crossbow, fire." At his command, large crossbow arrows the thickness of a finger and several ters long shot out, with great force, directly piercing the Wolf Clan’s shields. Compared to crossbow arrows, large crossbow arrows exceed in mass and velocity, with enough kinetic energy to send entire bodies flying away...
"Now, bown and crossbown aim at the siege hamr, fire arrows."
The large crossbow shattered the Wolf Clan’s shield formation, and the subsequent barrage of thousands of crossbow arrows mowed down the soldiers lacking shield protection to the ground. This ti, Ye Shikai ordered concentrated "firepower" solely on the siege hamr, with many soldiers hit by dozens of arrows, dying tragically.
"Ignore others, bown and crossbown switch to fire arrows to destroy the siege hamr," Ye Shikai, long prepared, had fixed fire sources to the arrowheads. Although the destructive power against soldiers was reduced, and the range shortened, the burning flas could destroy the wooden siege hamr.
...............
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
"Retreat, retreat."
Suddenly, the Wolf Clan’s camp sounded the drums of retreat, signaling withdrawal. Sure enough, tens of thousands of the Wolf Clan abruptly halted, slowly retreating backwards while Ye Shikai refrained from ordering his troops to pursue but instead watching calmly.
"What, the Wolf Clan retreated?"
"The Wolf Clan really retreated."
"That’s great."
Seeing this, the Qin soldiers couldn’t help but rejoice, unexpectedly the Wolf Clan withdrew before close combat.
"Chiliarch, why did the Wolf Clan retreat?"
"Without the siege hamr, the Wolf Clan appeared as though they lost their siege "tusk." Are they supposed to crash through the city gates with their bodies?" As expected, Ye Shikai had caught the key point. The Wolf Clan lacks heavy siege equipnt, naturally not having nurous siege hamrs. This ti it was "winning by surprise."
"I see; Chiliarch, your strategy is brilliant. I am in admiration."
"Don’t celebrate too soon. All troops remain vigilant and prepared for battle." Ye Shikai knew well that the Wolf Clan would surely co prepared the next ti, such as wetting the siege hamr. So this ti rely delayed their assault, buying ti for reinforcents to arrive.
Thunderous.
Suddenly, the sky rumbled with thunderous sounds. Unbeknownst, dark clouds had gathered overhead, a precursor to heavy rain. Ye Shikai looked up at the sky, his face grew somber, and the reinforcents had yet to report any news.
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