Moma Liangshan

Chapter 236 Showing Weakness to the Enemy, Planting People in the Trench, New

In Wanyan Zongwang's original plan, a full-scale attack of 30,000 Jurchen troops would be enough to raze the city's outer camps within a single day. However, on the day of the decisive battle, the Liao army's disciplined formation and composed morale gave this veteran general a bad feeling. The Jurchens were a nation founded on military might, and the military strength of their princes and nobles was a direct reflection of their power, sometimes even the sole measure of it. Wanyan Aguda was already over fifty years old, a rare longevity for the people of the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River region. Although Wanyan Wugumai had held the position of Anbanbojilie for many years and was recognized by the tribal council as the first in line to the throne, princes like Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zonggan harbored various ambitions, which in turn bred countless schemes and betrayals.

Wanyan Zongwang ultimately abandoned his plan for a full-scale attack. His 30,000 troops were divided among three commanders of ten thousand each, taking turns in battle. Yelü Dashi similarly divided his 30,000 Youdu troops into three groups, rotating them for defense. However, while both used ten-thousand-strong units as their basic combat unit, their tactical arrangements differed significantly. As the attacking force, Wanyan Zongwang's three ten-thousand-strong units could only attack in rotation. Yelü Dashi, on the other hand, had a semi-permanent fortified camp, allowing for flexible rotations. Of the 30,000 Youdu troops, 10,000 were responsible for the morning defense, 10,000 for the afternoon, and the remaining 10,000 served as reserves, ready to provide support at any time. Night defense was jointly handled by Xiao Shanbie and Xiao Yu.

The military camp outside the city was built against the eastern city wall of Shangjing, stretching three li east to west and three li north to south. The base of the wall was rammed earth, about three chi high, and the upper part of the wall was supported by a wooden palisade, also three chi high. Outside the city wall, a moat about ten zhang wide and eight chi deep was dug, filled with silt, and covered with dry grass. The passage reserved above the moat did not lead directly to the camp gate, but rather required walking a li around the narrow passage between the camp wall and the moat to reach the gate.

Wanyan Zongwang, standing a hundred paces away, looked at the Liao army camp and shouted, "Use your battle axes to smash those wooden planks on the walls!" The commander roared like a beast, wielding a massive axe weighing dozens of kilograms, and charged towards the Liao army camp. Behind him followed two hundred fierce warriors, each also wielding battle axes, with two infantrymen carrying tower shields providing cover. When the Jurchen warriors with battle axes and tower shields crossed the trench and reached the foot of the camp wall, the Khitan defenders unleashed their first volley of arrows. However, the massive tower shields provided impenetrable cover for the soldiers hidden behind them, rendering them completely ineffective. Seeing that arrows were ineffective, the Khitan soldiers immediately switched to catapults. However, due to the height of the camp wall, the narrow area between the trench and the wall became a blind spot for the catapults. Unless Yelü Dashi disregarded the consequences and used the catapults to smash his own camp wall first, they could not inflict any damage.

Seeing the unfavorable situation on the observation platform, the Shu princess couldn't help but feel anxious. She unconsciously questioned Wang Hao, "As far as I know, the fortifications between the trenches and the camp walls were your work, weren't they?" Wang Hao smiled and replied, "Indeed!" The Shu princess grew increasingly angry, saying, "The fortifications built by ten thousand men in two days and three nights are so useless! How could I have trusted you so much?" Wang Hao shook his head helplessly, saying, "Your Highness, didn't you see this is Yelü Dashi's ploy of feigned weakness?" The Shu princess, confused, said, "Feigned weakness? I'm afraid the enemy's battle axes will have cleaved our camp walls in half a moment!" Wang Hao, absolutely confident in this battle, didn't explain further, simply saying, "Let's wait and see!" The Shu princess, furious, turned to leave the observation platform, but at that moment, Wang Hao suddenly grabbed her wrist, preventing her from moving. The Shu princess, her face contorted with rage, stared intently at Wang Hao. Wang Hao, however, said calmly, "The show is about to begin!"

As Yelü Dashi waved his command flag, the rapid and rhythmic beat of war drums resounded. Soldiers waiting at the front suddenly raised logs concealed beneath dry grass. These logs, as thick as an adult's wrist and about three zhang long, were carried by four soldiers, then advanced in unison, crashing through the gaps in the upper palisade of the camp wall against the Jurchen's large shields. The Shu princess on the viewing platform was instantly awestruck by this overwhelming force; hundreds of unstoppable logs swept the invading enemy into the trenches like autumn leaves in the wind.

Wanyan Zongwang never expected this outcome. These were six hundred elite soldiers, each capable of fighting ten men, yet they hadn't even touched the enemy's clothes before finding themselves in peril. Without hesitation, he immediately dispatched three thousand troops to their rescue. The mud in the trench was at least two feet deep; once a person was trapped, it was as if they were rooted to the ground, impossible to escape by one person alone. Only through the combined efforts of several people could they be pulled out. The Jurchen soldiers who came to the rescue proved to be veterans of the battlefield; even in the urgency, they clearly divided their tasks: some provided cover with shields, while others seized the opportunity to rescue the trapped soldiers.

At this moment, a ruthless smile appeared on Yelü Dashi's face. Sixty heavy crossbows were brought out, and with the turning of the winches, the bows were drawn to their fullest extent, three arrows per string. The enemy was only twenty paces away, and one hundred and eighty heavy arrows, like lightning, tore through their defenses and pierced their bodies. At this moment, the Shu princess understood Wang Hao's plan, but still wanted to hear Wang Hao tell her himself, saying, "You know that ordinary arrows cannot break through the enemy's tower shields, so why did you fire arrows indiscriminately instead of using heavy crossbows?" Wang Hao replied, "When digging trenches, some people think they should be deepened and widened, some think they should be filled with river water, but I think none of these are as good as 'planting' the enemy in the trenches." The reason Wang Hao repeatedly feigned weakness at the beginning of the enemy's attack was to make the enemy lower their guard and enter the ambush. Imagine if he had used heavy crossbows from the beginning, it would have meant that the enemy would "die" in the trenches, not be "planted" in them!

The princess of Shu was suddenly shocked and said, "I didn't expect you to be so ruthless!" Wang Hao shook his head slightly and said, "The enemy is strong and we are weak. If we cannot win by force, we can only outsmart them!" The princess of Shu said, "Those men in the trench are like a fishbone stuck in the throat of the enemy commander, but this fishbone happens to be made up of his trusted and beloved generals. I really want to know what choice that commander will make?" Wang Hao said, "Later, don't forget to send some food and water to the prisoners in the trench. They can't die so easily!"

None of the six hundred prisoners were rescued, and the three thousand reinforcements suffered hundreds of casualties within half an hour. Sweat beaded on Wanyan Zongwang's forehead as he ordered again, "Push the trebuchets up! Rescue the fallen soldiers no matter what!" Wanyan Zongwang had a compelling reason to rescue them, as the commander of the Pituo army was among them.