Chapter 1 The Power of Gliding Bombs

Gliding bombs were not very powerful, but they could play a very special role in siege warfare. Due to their long range and unpredictable wind direction, although gliding bombs were certain to fall within the city, no one knew exactly where they would land. For the defending soldiers, they were constantly worried about their families, not knowing if the next gliding bomb would fall on their loved ones. Soldiers who couldn't concentrate posed a significantly reduced threat. This psychological tactic had proven to be extremely effective in the back-and-forth battles between Ye Tao's forces in the Northern Frontier and Xi Ling. However, the Blood Kirin Army was a proud force, and they would not have used this method if not for the current situation. Even when they did, Zou Shuangwen only used it sparingly, limiting it to two shots.

The rails of the ballista made a harsh scraping sound, and two gliding bombs were instantly launched by the torsion springs. The gliding bombs whistled as they drew elusive curves towards Xiangning City, then crashed to the ground before the eyes of all the soldiers on the city walls. One gliding bomb struck the eastern market of Xiangning City, where most of the shops were concentrated, which relieved the officers on the city walls. Currently, apart from the laborers helping to defend the city and transport supplies, everyone else in Xiangning City was hiding at home. The eastern market only had a very small number of shopkeepers remaining. But their relief only lasted for a dozen seconds. The other gliding bomb flew even further, more erratically, and smashed directly into a low-lying residential area. Orange-red flames splashed everywhere, immediately spreading in all directions along with the densely packed houses.

"Not good!" Tan Yan, the defender of Xiangning City, felt a pang of anxiety. That residential area was where the poor people of the city lived. Although the "Clear Fields" policy was now in effect, most of these down-and-out men in the city were gathered into groups of laborers. Those who had relatives to rely on in distant places had already left. However, the simple buildings and countless illegal structures piled together made it easy for the fire to spread. Once it turned into a prairie fire, it would be difficult to control. Tan Yan quickly ordered, "Send some of the laborers over there to put out the fire, and do it quickly. A’jin, you stay there and organize the people. Wherever there's a fire, you rush over there to put it out."

Tan Yan's personal guard deputy captain was the man called A'jin. He acknowledged the order and left immediately.

Although Tan Yan reacted quickly, the Blood Kirin Army's fire oil bombs came even faster. After the initial salvo of gliding bombs, the Blood Kirin Army's ballista array, arranged in neat formations, opened fire. The Blood Kirin Army divided the ballistae into groups of three. Except for the initial two rounds of simultaneous firing, they fired in rotating groups of three, creating a sustained output of firepower. These initial two rounds of simultaneous firing launched hundreds of fire oil bombs towards the city walls. Clusters of orange-red flames burst open one after another on the city walls, and the scorching flames and explosive airwaves threw the original orderly defense of the city walls into chaos. Even in this rapid firing, the Blood Kirin Army habitually maintained a firing sequence that maximized its power. The first wave of fire oil bombs covered the entire city walls, and then they began to adjust their direction slightly, concentrating their fire on areas where people were concentrated, as well as the stairs and slopes where personnel and supplies moved up and down the city walls. Three rounds of firing consumed hundreds of fire oil bombs, but they also basically isolated the city walls from below.

"Very good, continue firing. After another two rounds, the entire army will advance at a slow speed. How many fire oil bombs did the Heavy Ordnance Battalion bring this time?" Zou Shuangwen asked indifferently.

"There are still three base numbers of fire oil bombs, one hundred gliding bombs, and one base number of firestar bombs. This was the reserve before the start of the war, now there is a slight change," the adjutant replied, even more calmly than Zou Shuangwen.

"After the archers suppress the city walls, the Heavy Ordnance Battalion will advance five hundred steps. Conduct continuous free fire into the city, without igniting them."

"General!" After recording the order, the adjutant lowered his voice to confirm, "Are you planning to carry out a deflagration across the entire city? Doing so…"

"There's enough ammunition," Zou Shuangwen coldly snorted and said, "What does it matter if we destroy Xiangning City and kill everyone? I just need to see results today, so I can go support Marshal Ye tomorrow. As long as Marshal Ye is safe, I don't care about anything else. What do you think?"

The adjutant saluted with his hand on his chest and turned away to convey the order without saying a word. Actually, he was just asking. The Blood Kirin Army's powerful determination and even surprising combat power shown in this attack on Xiangning City were all because they wanted to quickly resolve the battle and go support Ye Tao's blocking battle. Zou Shuangwen was simply pushing this point further forward. On this path, fifty steps and a hundred steps made no difference. The Blood Kirin Army, with its very high average level of education, also understood this point. After the order was passed down, the Heavy Ordnance Battalion happily accepted the order and had the soldiers and auxiliary soldiers who were resting and rotating begin preparations. The Heavy Ordnance Battalion had always been a unit that received too much attention and protection. Even in the largest battles, their casualty rate was so low that they were somewhat ashamed, especially compared to the melee infantry, heavy infantry, and cavalry who suffered the greatest losses. This time, the Heavy Ordnance Battalion was finally advancing to the city walls in battle. Theoretically, this was within the range of the enemy's longbows. This sense of excitement made the Heavy Ordnance Battalion even more motivated.

"Heavy Ordnance Battalion reports that the large ballistae will concentrate their attacks on the city gates. According to reports from the outpost observers, there are signs that the city gates are loosening."

"General, the Longbow Battalion is beginning to advance."

Based on the situation on the battlefield, Zou Shuangwen, who had already formulated the general strategy for the entire operation, no longer needed to make specific decisions one by one. Commanders at every level of the Blood Kirin Army would make adjustments based on the battlefield situation in real time. Various dynamic information gathered at Zou Shuangwen's location, and he only adjusted those that deviated from his overall concept. He had served as the Blood Kirin Army's supervisor for many years, and his tacit understanding with those above and below him was the best of any previous supervisor. His rapport with his subordinates even surpassed Ye Tao. He felt that it was only natural, as he had invested more time and energy in the Blood Kirin Army than Ye Tao. Moreover, he felt that the problem was not just time, but that Ye Tao's ideas were too advanced and extraordinary. Probably no one in the world could keep up with his ideas, except perhaps for Princess Zhaohua, Tan Weixin, who had similarly astonished the world. Zou Shuangwen only felt that he was a mortal and naturally could not be compared to Ye Tao's great achievements.

"What about the aerial observation reports?" Zou Shuangwen frowned and urged.

"Just arrived. The troop allocation is not much different from the beginning of the war. It has been confirmed that the enemy has been withdrawing many wounded and dead from the city walls. The airships cannot observe at low altitude and are trying to confirm the numbers."

Zou Shuangwen frowned and asked, "Is Xiangning's air defense very strong?"

"There are already forty anti-air crossbow carts that have been exposed," the adjutant said with a slightly tense voice. "Two airships have been damaged."

"Oh, it's okay, no need to observe at low altitude, just try to protect yourselves. They are not like us; we can't afford to lose even one," Zou Shuangwen said faintly. "Tell Li Mingtao not to rush up. It wouldn't look good if he was driven down. I only want to scale the city once. If we can get up there, that's fine. If we can't, hmph, I'm really not interested in wasting troops with them. Anyway, we have only one day, and there are plenty of ways."

When Zou Shuangwen instructed the Heavy Ordnance Battalion to prepare to advance, he had already considered the worst-case scenario, which was to turn the entire Xiangning City into scorched earth with fire oil bombs. It might not be possible to burn all the remaining people in Xiangning City to death, but within a few days, they would inevitably lose their ability to fight against the Blood Kirin Army. And all they needed was these few days. As long as they survived these few days, whether it was Xue Yuan and Qiu Haohui's forces from Zhenning Pass, or part of the large armies under the command of the Northern Frontier Pacification Office's Central and Northern Routes, they should be able to reach the battlefield.

At this time, Li Mingtao had already led his troops to a place less than two hundred steps away from the city walls of Xiangning City. In front of him were three rows of heavy infantry. They were holding new-type square shields with double-layered metal plates lined with a gel grid. Their protection ability completely reached the level of their original one-armed square shields, but the weight was only slightly more than half of the original. The armor they wore was already impossible to count as the nth generation of products. The weight was getting lighter and lighter, but the protection ability was becoming more and more able to withstand the test, especially in preventing arrows from penetrating and preventing blunt weapons from causing damage. These functions, which traditional armor could hardly achieve, now also had very good performance. There was no army in the world with better equipment than the Blood Kirin Army. Every time the Blood Kirin Army's heavy infantry went into battle, they walked forward with their heads held high, fearless.

Li Mingtao followed behind, carefully watching the section of the city wall in front of him. He had been designated as the first person to scale the city and open a breakthrough. The soldiers under his command were eager to try, and each person's division of labor was also very clear. Who was responsible for unfolding the siege ladders, who pulled open the supports, who pushed the siege ladders to approach the city walls, and who was the first to climb the siege ladders to attack the city walls were all assigned to specific people. And Li Mingtao himself was the third to scale the city. However, on such a vast battlefield, in a strict battle formation, he could only choose a point on the twenty-zhang-long city wall in front of him. Other places were the territory of other siege ladder teams.

Moreover, when they scaled the city, the Longbow Battalion behind them would definitely stop attacking, so as not to cause any danger to them from behind. The main force for scaling the city was the former melee infantry, now the light infantry. The defense behind them was not as comprehensive as that of the heavy infantry. The coordination with the Longbow Battalion determined how many casualties they would suffer and how seriously they would face the enemy.

After advancing another hundred steps, Li Mingtao pointed to a place in front and instructed, "Keep an eye on that place. The ninth battlement counting from the tower. It's here." The soldiers under his command responded loudly. Li Mingtao was a little nervous. His palms were sweating. Although he had been an officer for many years, it was the first time that the trend of the entire battle was decided by his breakthrough, and he was being placed with such expectations...

————

Sorry everyone, I can only write in such a piecemeal way.