Chapter 321 Li Jing: I have never fought such a frustrating battle

The wind is biting cold at the Tongguan front line.

The imperial court’s thunderbolt finally arrived at Tongguan.

Li Jing was wearing heavy armor and was staring at the sand table in deep thought, his brows furrowed.

This sand table was designed by Li Chengqian and has now been promoted in the military.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin strode into the general’s tent, their cloaks fluttering with their steps, carrying a murderous aura from the battlefield.

“Lord Wei.” Yuchi Jingde spoke first in a voice as loud as a bell, “I heard that the thunderbolt made by the court has been sent to the front line. I can say that I have finally received this treasure.”

Li Jing nodded slightly, his expression solemn: “Well, although the Thunderbolt has arrived, the prince has artillery, which is more powerful. We must not take it lightly.”

He knew some of the situation. Although these Thunderbolts sounded good, they were actually slightly inferior to the Prince’s Thunderbolts. Moreover, the Prince used a more powerful artillery than the Thunderbolts.

This is like a battle between fully armored cavalry and light cavalry. It can only be said that there are cavalry.

Cheng Yaojin scratched his head, his face naive but also somewhat anxious: “Who cares about the cannon? With the Thunderbolt Fire, we can definitely kill the rebellious prince. When are we going to use the Thunderbolt Fire to attack and give them a warning?”

Li Jing glanced at the marks on the sand table and said slowly, “General Cheng, don’t be reckless. Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Su Dingfang are by no means ordinary people. They must have a careful deployment of artillery. If we attack rashly and are targeted by them, not only will the Thunderbolt Fire not be effective, but it may also reduce our military strength.”

From Li Jing’s perspective, it is obviously not reliable to use Thunderbolt to confront Li Chengqian head-on.

Yuchi Jingde crossed his arms and said in a muffled voice, “We can’t just stand there and defend. The soldiers are full of anger and are just waiting to have a big fight with the rebels. Besides, it’s freezing and snowy here, and if we keep wasting time like this, the morale of the brothers will be affected.”

Li Jing walked to the entrance of the tent, looked at the snow-covered mountains in the distance, and said in a deep voice: “Jingde, I understand the feelings of the soldiers.”

“But this battle concerns the fate of the Tang Dynasty, and we cannot afford to make the slightest mistake.”

“Now that the Crown Prince has occupied Luoyang, he has sufficient food and fodder, and has the advantage of artillery. A frontal attack will be extremely disadvantageous to us.”

“We have to come up with a comprehensive plan and make good use of Thunderbolt to achieve a surprise victory.”

At this time, a messenger hurried into the commander’s tent and knelt on one knee: “Reporting to General Manager Li, the Thunderbolt has been deployed at the designated location according to your instructions and is ready to be deployed at any time.”

Li Jing nodded slightly: “Okay, keep a close eye on the enemy’s movements, and report immediately if there is anything unusual.”

As for the use of Thunderbolt Fire, after much thought, Li Jing still used Li Chengqian’s old routine.

That is to use crossbows and catapults to throw the ignited thunderfire.

This is the method Li Chengqian used when he attacked Goryeo.
–
Luoyang Palace City, sunset.

Li Chengqian was having dinner with Su Yuer.

“Your Highness, I heard that the court has produced a lot of Thunderbolts and sent them to the front line of Tongguan.”

There was a hint of worry in Su Yuer’s voice.

Her eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, and her beautiful eyes were fixed on Li Chengqian, trying to find a little comfort from his face.

Since arriving in Luoyang, there has not been a single day when Su Yuer is not worried, for fear that she would wake up to hear the news of the prince’s defeat.

Li Chengqian raised his eyes, his mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a confident smile: “Yu’er, don’t worry. Not to mention the power of the imperial court’s thunderbolt, even if it is not much different from mine, the power of artillery is not something that can be easily compared.”

As of now, due to the limitations of technological conditions, the power of gunpowder has a limit.

In the area of ​​black gunpowder, Li Chengqian has reached the highest level.

The imperial court had only created Thunderbolt Fire not long ago, so how could they find the most precise ratio so quickly?

And even if it is found, there is still a granular production process.

These cannot be figured out in a short period of time.

For Li Chengqian, gunpowder is the foundation, but for people today, it is like an alien creation and they have no idea about its principles.

The ones that could be made were just imitations of the previous purchase records of the Eastern Palace.

It would be incredible if it could have five or six levels of power.

The key to artillery lies not only in the gunpowder itself, but also in the production of shells.

Li Chengqian’s artillery shell loading is similar to shrapnel, and is more lethal.

“Your Highness, that being said, there is still a variable. Li Jing is very shrewd and has the Thunderbolt. I’m afraid he will come up with many schemes to deal with us.”

Su Yuer bit her lower lip gently, her eyes full of concern: “I’m really worried.”

Li Chengqian comforted him, “Yu’er, the power of the artillery is far beyond the power of Thunderbolt. Even if Li Jing has thousands of strategies, they are in vain in the face of absolute strength.”

“I know you are worried, but I have been planning for a long time to raise an army, and I have carefully considered every step.”

“Though Tongguan is strategically located, with artillery in hand, we will surely be able to break through the defenses. As for the imperial court’s thunderbolt, it is just their last-ditch effort.”

Hearing this, Su Yuer could only temporarily put aside her worries: “I believe in your highness, you will definitely win.”
–
In winter, the walls of Tongguan towered high, like a dormant dragon lying between the mountains and rivers. The biting cold wind carried snowflakes, hitting the defenders on the walls wantonly.

The army led by Su Dingfang approached Tongguan like a surging tide, with military flags blocking out the sun and swords and spears shining with cold light.

Su Dingfang was wearing silver armor, riding on a tall horse, staring firmly at the gate of Tongguan.

The prince has ordered that Tongguan be breached and the gate to Chang’an be opened before the end of the year.

After preparing for so long, it’s time.

On the city wall of Tongguan, Li Jing was ready for battle.

The war against the prince was probably the most frustrating thing in his life.

I have fought battles all my life, and I have never felt so miserable.

Su Dingfang has some talent and can be considered a rising star, but in Li Jing’s eyes, he is still not good enough.

No matter whether it is strategy, tactics or layout, it is not enough.

But all of this was made up for by the cannons made by the prince.

Once, when Li Jing learned the news about Thunderbolt, he knew that future wars might be changed because of Thunderbolt.

But who would have thought that the prince not only created Thunderbolt, but also made a cannon.

By now, Li Jing had a bad feeling.

Maybe I will lose my reputation in my later years.

With Su Dingfang’s order, dozens of artillery pieces slowly moved forward.

In this attack on Tongguan, fifty-eight cannons were used.

The shells piled up like mountains.

The city was about to be attacked by artillery fire.

On the top of Tongguan City, Li Jing looked solemn.

“Pass the order down, prepare the crossbows, and use thunderfire to meet the attack!”

In fact, for now, Li Jing doesn’t want to use Thunderbolt Fire directly, but now that things have come to this, there is no other way except using Thunderbolt Fire.

This was completely different from previous siege methods. The soldiers did not move forward at all and were still almost two miles away.

We can’t let the soldiers go out of the city to meet the enemy.

Although there were 50,000 defenders in Tongguan, that was more than the 30,000 outside the city.

But it was totally impossible to get through under the artillery fire, and they would have to disperse halfway along the way.

The crossbow was quickly pushed to the battlement, with the huge crossbow arm carrying a burning thunderbolt. With a dull sound, the crossbow was fired, and the thunderbolt flew towards the enemy like a meteor.

However, due to the limited range, most of the Thunderbolts fell to the ground when they were still some distance away from the artillery, splashing a cloud of dust. Some Thunderbolts arced in the air, leaving burning trails, but extinguished before approaching the enemy’s artillery positions, leaving the defenders on the city wall with helpless sighs.

Seeing this, Su Dingfang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile.

“Fire!”

In an instant, artillery fire roared and the earth shook violently.

One shell after another, accompanied by billowing smoke, whistled towards Tongguan City.

The huge explosion was deafening, and flames suddenly shot up into the sky at the city gate, with bricks and stones flying everywhere.

The shells hit the city gates like thunder, blasting huge gaps, and stones flew everywhere like raindrops. Many soldiers defending the city were knocked to the ground by the powerful impact, and some were even hit by stones, causing them to scream in pain.

Unlike traditional sieges that rely on climbing ladders and battering rams, artillery can deliver devastating blows to city walls from a long distance, making it difficult for defenders to defend in close range.

Li Jing frowned, looking at the tragic situation at the city gate, and ordered: “Get the catapults ready! We must stop the enemy’s attack!”

This is not Li Jing’s fault, because the matter is urgent and there is no time for him to understand Thunderbolt Fire.

As soon as the news of the court’s transportation of Thunderbolt Fire spread, Li Chengqian began to attack the city.

If you haven’t used something before, you will naturally be unfamiliar with it.

This is not a mistake, it can only be said to be battlefield practice.

The catapults were urgently started, and huge stones with ignited thunderbolts were thrown at the enemy.

But the catapult’s accuracy was so poor that most of the stones missed the target, and only a few landed in the enemy camp, causing a small explosion.

Moreover, the detonation time of Thunderbolt is extremely difficult to control. It will either explode prematurely, greatly reducing its power, or explode long after landing, allowing the enemy to avoid it.

Even if the thunderbolts that fell among the enemy troops exploded successfully, their power was far less than that of artillery. They could only cause a brief panic among the enemy troops, which was quelled in an instant.

After all, the soldiers of the prince’s army are very familiar with Thunderbolt.

Most of these Shenwu troops were elite troops from Goryeo.

Many of them came from Liaodong City.

Back then, they were frightened by the thunder fire, allowing the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty to directly break into the city.

Nowadays, the offensive and defensive dynamics are different.

When they saw Thunderbolt again, these Liaodong soldiers actually felt a sense of familiarity. What was there to be afraid of?

Besides, this roar is much smaller than the one made by the prince back then.

“Like a doll.”

Some Liaodong soldiers laughed.

This immediately caused a burst of laughter.

They are professionals and have undergone rigorous training. They will never laugh unless they have to.

It’s just that this is really unbearable.

Then an officer shouted, “Silence.”

Middle-level officers are the backbone of the army, because it is impossible for a general to talk directly to every soldier when he is in charge of so many people.

Li Chengqian’s army, starting from the captain of the ten-man team, all came from the Military Academy or had been trained at the Military Academy.

According to current military requirements, before becoming an officer, one must train at the Military Academy for at least one month before being promoted.

Without training at the Military Academy, one does not meet the hard requirements for promotion.

If you fail to pass the training at the Military Academy for various reasons, your promotion will be cancelled.

So from the perspective of the military framework, Li Chengqian’s army actually now has stronger organization, cohesion, and combat effectiveness than the imperial army.

After gaining the advantage, Su Dingfang did not rush to attack the city, but continued to order artillery to advance.

Under the continuous attack of artillery, the defenders’ defense line gradually showed flaws. Every roar of artillery was like a heavy hammer hitting the defenders’ psychological defense line, making them deeply aware that this was no longer the familiar war mode. The traditional cold weapon confrontation seemed so powerless in the face of the powerful power of artillery.

The first day of siege lasted until dusk.

Su Dingfang did not send a single soldier, but he had already made the once fortress city of Tongguan on the verge of collapse.

This is completely different from previous siege methods, and Li Jing also deeply realized this.

In the past, the main method of attacking a city was to rely on equipment such as ladders, battering rams, and catapults.

Ladders required soldiers to climb at close range and were vulnerable to arrows and rolling logs and rocks from the defenders.

Battering rams were pushed by manpower to hit the city gates, which was inefficient.

Historically, before the invention of gunpowder, people dug tunnels under city walls and set fire to them, such as when Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan.

After the invention of gunpowder, it developed into tunnel blasting, such as the Taiping Rebellion’s siege of the city.

Either they burned the city gates or diverted water to flood the city, such as Bai Qi’s flooding of Yancheng, but this was affected by the city’s fire prevention design and terrain conditions.

According to normal development, after the invention of gunpowder, the design of cities will also improve.

For example, the impact of artillery shells can be dispersed by tilting the walls of the city walls to reduce the risk of collapse.

But today’s artillery has transcended the limitations of the times, so that today’s city walls have no measures to deal with artillery.

On just the first day, the city wall of Tongguan was about to collapse.

Tomorrow, if Su Dingfang does this again.

Can the city walls withstand it?

Li Jing found it difficult.

This battle was very painful for him.

He could only passively take the beating and had no ability to fight back.

In the past, when attacking a city, one only needed to store enough food and fodder in the city. Even if the enemy had several or even ten times the number of troops, it would be easy to hold out for several months.

It is even normal to keep it for a year or two as long as there are no mistakes.

In the later Song Dynasty, gunpowder had gradually matured. Even so, when the Mongols invaded, the Battle of Xiangyang lasted for thirty-eight years.

But now, let alone years or months, it’s just two or three days.

The change that artillery brought to the times was that it greatly shortened the duration of siege warfare.

In Su Dingfang’s military camp.

The craftsmen began to clean the cannon.

The use of artillery will leave gunpowder residue in the barrel. If it is not cleaned up, it can easily cause the barrel to explode.

There is also maintenance of the artillery, so that these artillery can be used more times.

Su Dingfang was not too worried as Luoyang was very close to here.

The firearms workshop is continuously producing artillery and artillery shells. It only takes a few hours for a two-horse-pulled artillery to travel from Luoyang to the front line.

Even if this batch of artillery cannot be used temporarily, a new batch can be replaced quickly.

(End of this chapter)