"Attack!"
As the word "attack" was spoken, a large number of massive stones were hurled.
These colossal rocks, tumbling through the sky, carried immense power as they hurtled towards everyone.
At this moment, Zhang Han's voice also echoed through the Qin army.
"Defend!"
With this command, the soldiers immediately sprang into action. They raised their shields high, positioning them diagonally above their heads.
More than that, behind them, other soldiers extended their hands, bracing against the back of the shields.
It was through their combined might that they lifted the shields, deflecting the attacks from the state of Zhao.
The next instant, the massive stones launched by the trebuchets descended, striking the shields held by the soldiers.
"Thump!!"
A deafening impact reverberated through everyone's ears. Many felt an overwhelming force surge towards them.
The shields, held aloft by their combined strength, were momentarily on the verge of collapse.
Their hands were pushed downwards.
It was at this precise moment that the soldiers beneath the shields lowered their heads, shifted their bodies, and braced the shields against their shoulders.
This adjustment allowed them to withstand the immense weight bearing down on the shields.
While two or three men might have been unable to fend off the assault of the massive stones, and might even have been crushed to death, the situation was entirely different for over a dozen armored soldiers standing together, shouldering their shields.
Although some sustained injuries, very few were directly killed by the falling stones.
After this volley of attacks, the formation of Lin Tian's army remained unbroken. They continued to advance.
This sight caused the Zhao generals to widen their eyes in disbelief.
"They... they held? They actually withstood our bombardment of massive stones?"
"How... how is this possible? How could they possibly resist our stone attacks?"
"What kind of formation is this? Why are our trebuchets useless against them?"
"Terrifying, this group of people is too terrifying, their military formation is too formidable!!"
Trebuchets were divine weapons on the battlefield, their heavy-caliber projectiles capable of smashing through the defenses of countless armies.
Especially for Wolf Ridge City, this was one of their primary means of defense.
It was precisely because of the trebuchets, coupled with the narrow terrain before Wolf Ridge City, that they had been able to hold the city for so many years.
Yet now, the trebuchets were rendered ineffective against Lin Tian's army. How could they possibly accept this?
"No, I don't believe it, this isn't real, they couldn't possibly withstand our trebuchet attacks!"
"Trebuchets, keep attacking them!"
A tactic that had always been invincible suddenly failed.
How could the commander of Wolf Ridge possibly accept such a situation?
Therefore, he ordered his soldiers to continue their assault, to keep launching stones.
He simply refused to believe that the Qin army could continuously withstand their bombardment.
Soon, the second wave of massive stones arrived, their formidable power once again bearing down on the soldiers.
Many were forced to bend their backs, and the large shields were visibly dented by the impact.
Yet, even so, the majority of the stone attacks were blocked.
The damage inflicted by the trebuchets was minimal.
This turn of events further infuriated the commander of Wolf Ridge.
Trebuchets were one of their key defensive assets. The moment they lost their effectiveness, it meant one of their primary means of defense was gone.
Under such circumstances, wouldn't it be incredibly easy for the Qin army to capture Wolf Ridge City?
Thinking this, how could he not be anxious?
"Archers, fire your arrows quickly, have our archers unleash a volley!"
"Trebuchets, don't stop, keep firing!"
"Everyone, unleash your rolling logs, let our logs smash them!"
While the Zhao army in Wolf Ridge was launching their attacks, Lin Tian's army did not cease their forward momentum.
They continued to advance.
Consequently, they were now very close to the city gates of Wolf Ridge.
This proximity instilled fear in the Zhao soldiers within Wolf Ridge.
They abandoned all pretense of restraint, unleashing all their offensive capabilities in an attempt to halt the advance of Lin Tian's army.
However, they failed to notice that in the distance, Lin Tian's army had already set up their own trebuchets.
"General, although this distance is too far to strike their trebuchets, it is definitely close enough to attack their city walls!"
"Being able to attack their city walls is enough. As long as they cannot establish a foothold on the walls, capturing Wolf Ridge City will not be difficult!"
The defending force within Wolf Ridge City was not large, numbering only three thousand men.
Once they were unable to secure their positions on the city walls, they would lack the strength to impede Lin Tian's army from breaching the city.
And once the gates of Wolf Ridge City were opened, it would signify the fall of the city.
Three thousand Zhao soldiers would be no match for fifty thousand men on the open battlefield.
Not to mention, Lin Tian himself was preparing to intervene.
"All soldiers, prepare yourselves! Once the gate is breached, we charge!"
"Yes!"
The next moment, a multitude of massive stones soared through the air, hurtling towards the Zhao soldiers on the walls of Wolf Ridge City.
At this moment, the Zhao soldiers within Wolf Ridge were still frantically drawing their bows and preparing to push large logs, attempting to impede Lin Tian's army's advance.
But as they tried to resist, their vision suddenly darkened, and then a colossal stone slammed into one of them.
"Thump!!"
This falling stone carried immense power, shattering every bone in the soldier's body and reducing him to a pulpy mess.
They did not have shields to block, like Lin Tian's army, nor did they have others to share the burden of resisting the immense force of the massive stones.
Therefore, if a massive stone landed near them, even if they didn't die, they would be instantly crippled.
Such devastating lethality also sowed widespread panic.
"Trebuchets, they have trebuchets!"
"Fall back, retreat quickly, it's too dangerous here, we can't hold our ground!"
"General, what do we do? What are we going to do?"
At this moment, the commander of Wolf Ridge was also losing his composure. The continuous sounds of massive stones impacting the city walls further exacerbated his panic.
He had no effective means to counter the trebuchets.
The only recourse was to sacrifice lives!
"Hold steady, everyone, hold steady, do not panic, just focus on dodging the trebuchet stones!"
"Archers, keep firing, don't stop, don't give them a chance to get close!"
"Trebuchets, aim for the Qin army's trebuchets, don't let them fire any more stones, destroy them!"
Destroying them was impossible, as the Zhao trebuchets were too far away.
He uttered these words merely to soothe the morale of the Zhao soldiers.
However, no matter how much he tried to comfort them, the Zhao soldiers on the city walls were in utter disarray.
More importantly, amidst their panic, Lin Tian's army had already reached their city gates. Multiple men combined their efforts, directly smashing open the gates of Wolf Ridge City.
...