Chapter 1482 – Cutting Down Nie Liang and Attacking Yang Tao, Aiming for the World (Part 21)
Jiang Pengji wore a helpless expression as she said, “Don’t panic so much; can you not keep it steady?”
Qi Guanrang cast aside his prized feather fan. If he had any more sense, he would have thrown the guy over his shoulder by now.
Whether one could take them down or not was another story.
“My Lord,”
Jiang Pengji continued, “Instead of trying to talk me out of it, just follow my orders. Adjust the crossbow’s angle to target the joints of the enemy’s trebuchets. If we take out their trebuchets, the crisis will resolve itself. If that doesn’t work, we can use fire arrows.”
Most trebuchets were made of wood—not that metal ones wouldn’t be better—but due to the current poor smelting technology, there wasn’t much copper or iron available. Using metal would make transporting the heavy machinery difficult and cost-prohibitive, so wooden ones were preferred.
Because they were wooden, their joints were either made with mortise and tenon joints or tied with thick ropes. The former was okay, but the latter could easily come loose.
Aiming fire arrows or crossbows at the joints would likely deal a blow to the enemy’s trebuchets.
If one arrow didn’t work, use two; if two didn’t work, use three—there was no way to just let the enemy attack freely.
Seeing that his Lord was unfazed, Qi Guanrang could only sigh and prepare to apologize.
If anything happened to his Lord at this moment, he would bear the blame for not being able to persuade her and letting her go wild.
“Understood!”
Qi Guanrang immediately dispatched orders, continuing to fend off the enemies attempting to scale the walls while pulling resources to deal with the trebuchets.
Jiang Pengji remarked, “Thankfully we are defending the city, and the trebuchets can be shielded by the battlements; otherwise, we might be facing the same fate.”
Qi Guanrang: “…”
To be honest, he knew about the idea of burning trebuchets, and he planned to do so himself if Jiang Pengji didn’t come, but aiming for the joints…
Qi Guanrang began to understand why his Lord was so fond of woodworking; there were indeed benefits to “losing oneself in one’s hobbies.”
The enemy wouldn’t recklessly leave an area unguarded while attacking with trebuchets; there would also be heavy soldiers guarding around them.
Jiang Pengji ordered a soldier operating a crossbow to step aside for her; while she couldn’t take the joy of killing up close, she could still show off her archery skills. Seeing this, Qi Guanrang could only sigh and have the soldiers protect her to prevent accidental injury from stray arrows.
The power of the crossbow was evident, especially since the one they were using had been upgraded multiple times.
It not only had enhanced aiming assistance but also boasted significantly improved range compared to the original version.
Outside, the noises of battle roared, but Jiang Pengji was focused.
She simply aimed at her target and fired.
This version of the crossbow also enhanced its rapid-fire capacity, allowing for reloading arrows without pausing her shooting operation.
For safety, the other soldiers controlling the crossbows chose to attack the bases or other parts of the trebuchets while Jiang Pengji targeted the lever. Even though the lever would move, for Jiang Pengji, shooting a stationary target and a moving target were pretty much the same.
Moreover, choosing the lever had its advantages; at least it didn’t have a cluster of enemies gathered like the base did.
From the perspective of the idle folks, they didn’t even know which trebuchet Jiang Pengji chose, let alone which part she was targeting.
As she shot arrows at astonishing speed, hitting the same spot on the lever each time, the spectators could only praise her with “666.”
Fresh Meat Cutie: Offering a knee for the streamer this year, please enjoy!
Qi Qingcheng: As an idle fish, can I ask a question? Why are you guys shouting “666” again?
In the chaotic battlefield, each idle spectator had different focal points, and the live broadcast was in real-time, making it impossible to rewind.
Thus, many spectators didn’t even know what was happening; they just joined in shouting “666” since that couldn’t possibly be wrong.
The Real Deal: Thanks to my excellent dynamic vision, I can responsibly tell you how slick the streamer’s moves are. That last shot was simply bombastic! While the enemy’s trebuchet was launching, the streamer shot arrows that broke the lever. With the lever broken, the projectile lost its force and fell back into the enemy’s ranks. That massive rock probably turned three or four people into mush.
Jiang Pengji bit her lip and had them adjust the angle to aim at another trebuchet within range.
Up on the walls and down below, boulders were being exchanged, and casualties were significant on both sides.
Jiang Pengji remained steady, not a bead of sweat in sight, as she methodically destroyed five enemy trebuchets.
The pressure from those five trebuchets targeting the walls immediately lessened.
Other soldiers had also seen some success.
As their own pressure decreased, the enemy’s pressure skyrocketed.
In the rear, Nie Liang’s brows were deeply furrowed, and his pale face accentuated the blue undertones beneath his eyes, making him look even more fearsome.
“My Lord,”
Nie Liang said, “I underestimated Liu Xi’s capabilities.”
In less than a stick of incense, the enemy had quickly taken down a small cluster of trebuchets, indicating that there was an astoundingly skilled archer among them. Each of those trebuchets was hit at its weak spots while in the process of launching.
With the battlefield in chaos, changing the levers took a lot of time, essentially rendering them useless.
“Why haven’t I heard about such a talented person under Liu Xi before?”
This kind of archery was incredibly effective for defense, rendering the attacking trebuchets severely limited—a true nightmare.
Seeing no one respond, Nie Liang sighed, “Well, it’s about time to call it a day.”
The number of trebuchets in this assault wasn’t substantial, and with the enemy dismantling them so efficiently, the chances of a successful siege were almost zero.
Nie Liang was not stubborn about winning; he clearly remembered the real purpose of today.
He lowered his gaze and issued several commands, his eyes resembling a deep pool that one could not see the bottom of.
Before long, Qi Guanrang and the others noticed the enemy’s momentum slowing, seeming to signal a retreat.
After a fierce hour of battle, the combined casualties on both sides approached seven thousand; if this dragged on, neither side would benefit.
Nie Liang’s side was feinting an attack; while they had enough manpower, they lacked sufficient military supplies, raising concerns about their sustainability.
As for Jiang Pengji, several batches of supplies were still en route; continuing to hold up would inevitably lead to a shortage in supplies for defending the city.
Nie Liang retreating at this point granted them a sigh of relief.
Jiang Pengji stared for a while but felt a sense of foreboding growing within her.
Qi Guanrang also said, “Nie Liang took such a huge loss yesterday; if he doesn’t split wins and losses today, doesn’t this mean…”
Thinking this, he felt that Nie Liang still had something up his sleeve.
But what other moves could Nie Liang possibly have at this moment?
Standing on the city wall and looking down, Jiang Pengji noticed a high pile of corpses had accumulated, and suddenly, she recalled something.
“Wenzheng!”
“I’m here!”
“Go quickly and have someone prepare clean water! Just in case!” Jiang Pengji said, “I suddenly remembered the Jia Gate incident.”
Back in the day, Meng Zhan and Changshou Wang colluded; it was Meng Zhan who used corpses as fuel to set fire to the Jia Gate, breaking through the defenses of Chenzhou and marching straight toward the Dongqing royal family.
