lovenovelstory Chapter 125 I want this Wild Wolf Valley to be barren!
Chapter 125 I want this Wild Wolf Valley to be barren!
Guo Jia placed a military report on Yuan Tan's desk, his expression solemn.
"Gan Ning reports urgently. Our army has been ambushed on the riverbank. Lü Bu's army used Sun Ce's troops as bait to lure our army ashore, where they set up a crossbow ambush. Gan Ning reacted quickly and led his troops to break through the encirclement and retreat to Langya. However... nearly four hundred soldiers were lost, and six trebuchets were captured by the enemy."
Yuan Tan picked up the military report, quickly glanced at it, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"Six captured..." He put down the military report and looked at Guo Jia. "Fengxiao, what do you think Lü Bu will do after obtaining these trebuchets?"
Guo Jia said in a deep voice, "They will definitely imitate it. Lü Bu also has skilled craftsmen under his command, and Chen Gong is very intelligent. Even if they cannot completely replicate it, it is not difficult to create a usable weapon with a little research. War is always the fastest way to promote the spread of technology."
Yuan Tan nodded: "That's right. He has Zhang Liang's plan, and I have my countermeasures. If he builds trebuchets to attack, we must have a way to counter it."
He stood up and walked to the map of Langya City's defenses hanging to one side:
"Immediately order the Imperial Workshop to expedite the production of oil jars, with thin walls of earthenware, filled with potent oil, and sealed with wet mud. The first batch of five thousand jars should be transported to Langya immediately. Also, order Gan Ning: If Lü Bu attacks the city with a swarm of trebuchets, we can imitate his method by launching these oil jars from our trebuchets. There is no need to aim precisely at the trebuchets; simply let them land in their formation, and the oil will splatter and ignite, creating a sea of fire. The trebuchets are made of wood, and the soldiers will panic, causing their formation to collapse on its own."
"My lord, this plan is brilliant!" Guo Jia's eyes lit up. "A long-range fire attack can indeed counter their trebuchets. I will carry it out immediately."
……
Sun Ce led his troops to the entrance of Wild Wolf Valley.
Before me lay towering mountains, deep forests, with only a narrow path winding its way in. The wind whistled through the treetops.
Sun Ce reined in his horse, his brow furrowed. This terrain was too similar...it was exactly like the ambush sites that had caused him to lose so many soldiers at Niuzhu and Huainan months ago.
A chill ran through him.
"Demou," he called to Cheng Pu, "take a team of elite scouts and go into the forest to investigate first. Beware of traps, and if anything seems amiss, retreat immediately."
"Yes, sir!" Cheng Pu accepted the order, gathered three hundred veteran soldiers skilled in mountain warfare, and carefully stepped into the dense forest.
The forest was dimly lit and eerily silent. Cheng Pu waved for the group to disperse and advance slowly in a fan shape.
suddenly!
"Snap!"
"ah--!"
A sharp crack, followed by a piercing scream! A soldier stepped into a crater buried under decaying leaves, and his calf was instantly pierced by a sharpened bamboo skewer!
Screams echoed throughout the forest, and men and women quickly responded to each other from all sides.
Cheng Pu immediately knew something was wrong. There must be an ambush in the woods right now. He couldn't run around recklessly.
We could only carefully examine the surrounding terrain and slowly retreat.
Just as he was about to warn them, the soldiers in front triggered some kind of mechanism, and screams of agony erupted.
Almost simultaneously, a cry of alarm came from the side. With a sharp crack of ropes tightening, a giant, bent log suddenly sprang up, sweeping across and smashing two soldiers who couldn't dodge in time!
"Ambush! Be on alert!"
Cheng Pu shouted loudly, and before he finished speaking, the sound of air being torn apart suddenly arose all around!
Bows and crossbow bolts shot out from the concealed positions, and more than ten people fell instantly!
"I've been shot with an arrow, please help me!"
A soldier with crossbow bolts stuck in his body cried out pitifully.
The soldiers nearby were about to step forward to check.
A huge rock suddenly crashed down.
Blood and bits of flesh splattered all over Cheng Pu's face.
This chilling situation infuriated Cheng Pu.
He knew that at this moment, the only thing to do was to remain calm.
Only by remaining calm can we minimize casualties.
"Retreat! Retreat along the same route!"
Cheng Pu made a decisive decision, ordering the troops to retreat, and the wounded were helped up and slowly moved backward.
Each step back required probing with a spear, and screams of agony from time to time could still be heard as traps were triggered.
When Cheng Pu led his remaining troops out of the forest, nearly half of his three hundred elite soldiers had been lost, and most of them were wounded, resulting in low morale.
Sun Ce looked at the wounded being carried out and listened to Cheng Pu's report. His face turned ashen, and veins bulged on his forehead.
"Good! Excellent!" He suddenly drew his ancient sword, pointing it at the dark forest. "Burn! Set this hellhole on fire! Let's see how many more traps there are!"
His subordinate advised, "General, the fire may be difficult to control, and it could easily expose our position..."
"Burn it!" Sun Ce roared. "I want this Wild Wolf Valley completely desolate! Let's see how they can set up an ambush then!"
A raging fire erupted, billowing thick smoke engulfing Wild Wolf Valley and reflecting on Sun Ce's face, twisted with rage.
The fire that the wolf encountered burned for a full day and night.
The once lush and verdant mountains and forests have now become a scorched wasteland.
Looking at the scene before him, Sun Ce finally nodded in satisfaction.
Although Wei Xu's scolding might delay his trip, he finally felt relieved.
He was determined to get his money back, principal and interest, on this trip to Langya.
……
On the city wall of Langya, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, and Zang Ba stood side by side, gazing at the thick smoke rising from Wild Wolf Valley in the northwest.
"Sun Bofu... has suffered another setback? He's quite angry."
Gan Ning crossed his arms and grinned.
Zang Ba spoke in a flat tone:
"The forest prepared some 'little gifts' for him, and it seems he received them, but he wasn't very satisfied."
Zhao Yun's gaze remained calm:
"The fire at Wild Wolf Valley, while venting their anger, also extinguished their hopes of a surprise attack. Next, it will be a frontal assault. I heard they acquired a few trebuchets?"
Gan Ning's expression turned serious:
"It was my oversight. Six trebuchets. Lü Bu will surely replicate them. At that time, the enemy will also have the power to attack cities from a distance."
Zhao Yun shook his head:
"Now is not the time for self-pity. The important thing is to find a solution."
The three of them walked down from the city wall and came to the sand table in the government office.
Zhao Yun pointed to several markings on the model of the Langya city wall:
"The outer walls on the northwest and east sides of the city were damaged during last autumn's floods. Although they have been reinforced, they are still quite weak. If the enemy concentrates their trebuchets to bombard this area, there is a risk of collapse."
Furthermore, if the enemy places their trebuchets behind earthen ramparts or scatters them among villages and houses, our trebuchets will find it difficult to destroy them with direct fire.
Gan Ning picked up a small wooden block representing a trebuchet and began to work out the scenario on the sand table:
"If they concentrate, it suits my purposes perfectly. The new method taught by my lord is specifically designed to counter groups. Throwing the oil jars at them will cause the oil to splash and ignite, throwing their chariot formation into chaos. If they disperse..."
He sneered.
"Outside Langya City, the terrain is not flat. There are very few locations that are flat enough, within range of the city walls, and can also block our line of sight. Their deployment and cover are major problems."
Even if some sections are usable, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Our army, on the other hand, is connected by waterways, with an uninterrupted supply line; trebuchets, arrows, and oil are plentiful. We can wear them down through attrition.
Zang Ba added:
"Moreover, their trebuchets are cumbersome to operate and take time to set up. Our cavalry can seize the opportunity to leave the city and raid their lines, destroying their trebuchets."
As Zhao Yun listened to their analysis, he slowly nodded, the last trace of worry between his brows disappearing.
"In this light, Langya is defensible. With Xingba's naval forces providing protection, Xuan Gao's city defenses being well-managed, and the lord's new strategy to defeat the enemy, Yun feels confident."
Gan Ning laughed heartily and patted Zhao Yun on the shoulder:
"Don't worry, Zilong! Holding him off for three to five months is no problem! After we defeat Lü Bu, I'll treat you to a meal at the newly opened Tingtao Pavilion in the city—we'll drink until we drop!"
Zang Ba also showed a rare hint of a smile:
"Count one of them."
A faint smile appeared on Zhao Yun's face:
"Okay, it's a deal."
(Thanks to reader 161118074204884 for the two monthly tickets. I am deeply grateful to my godfather. I will add two more chapters later. I'll do my best!)