The sixth day of the siege arrived, and the Zhao Emperor finally got his wish and stepped onto the battlefield. With the dignity of the Son of Heaven, he personally donned armor, drew his bow, carried his saber, and awaited the battle.

Although Liu Yan personally led a hundred members of the Liaodong Loyal Guard to escort him, and generals such as Wang De and Fu Qing were also armored by his side, the densely packed soldiers nearly filled that section of the city wall. Moreover, due to the dismantling of the watchtower, many young civil officials also accompanied him, making the city wall look rather flamboyant… Nevertheless, this act greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers on the wall.

However, the Zhao Emperor did not encounter the ‘opportunity’ he had hoped for in the previous days, nor did his proud archery skills come into play. Because on this day, the Jin army adopted an unexpected siege method.

“What are the Jin doing?”

Beside the Zhao Emperor, a group of civil and military officials stared at the Jin army’s front line, far beyond their striking range. They watched the bustling scene there, each feeling bewildered. After a full quarter of an hour, Hu Yin, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, finally asked the question.

Hearing Hu Yin’s inquiry, those around him exchanged glances, unsure of how to answer.

As for the Zhao Emperor, perhaps due to his extensive knowledge and experience as a former engineering student, he realized almost immediately what the Jin army was planning. However, he struggled to find the right technical terms to describe it.

“Are they digging tunnels?” Hu Yin pressed on.

“No.” Zhao Jiu, clad in iron armor, regained his senses and finally spoke. “The Nanyang area has abundant water systems, and the winter is cold, making it impossible to dig tunnels. If I had to say, they are building tunnels above ground and advancing them towards the city wall.”

Hu Yin and the others remained bewildered, but the generals, like Wang De, seemed to grasp the idea… Clearly, these experienced military men, like the Zhao Emperor, had at least mentally understood the Jin’s intentions.

“It’s a Yōngdào,” a junior academician suddenly said. “It’s something that existed since the Qin Dynasty. It involves building a road, constructing walls on both sides, and adding a roof to avoid arrows. It fills in ditches and pushes down walls… At the end of the Qin Dynasty, when Zhang Han and Wang Li fought against Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, in Hebei, they built a wide Yōngdào to connect their camps, to protect their grain supply and facilitate the transportation of troops.”

“I remember now,” Hu Yin exclaimed, instantly enlightened. “Indeed, it’s a Yōngdào! Cao Mengde, Emperor Wu of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, also made Yōngdào, connecting large carts and adding fences… That’s it! But how do we break this Yōngdào?”

Hu Yin still directed the last question to the junior academician, but clearly, the junior academician didn’t understand these things. He remained silent for a long time.

As for the Zhao Emperor, who was observing with a cold eye, he had already thought of no less than three methods in an instant, but he didn’t say them aloud. Instead, he ordered someone to summon Chen Gui to make the decision.

While the city wall was in turmoil, the Jin army camp was filled with a different atmosphere… To be honest, Wanyan Wushu never expected Zhang Yu to bring him such a pleasant surprise!

Not only Wanyan Wushu, but also the other myriad households and Meng'an were extremely excited. After all, with this thing, the moats and chevaux-de-frise seemed no longer to be a problem!

Therefore, after summoning and rewarding Li Dayin, who had come up with such a brilliant plan, Wanyan Wushu officially ordered that, in addition to the three Yōngdào that Zhang Yu had already started on the north side, the rest of the Jin army’s main force should also build Yōngdào, two on the north side and one each on the west and south sides.

In other words, the Jin army leaders, realizing the excellence of this siege strategy, unhesitatingly increased their bets, simultaneously starting seven Yōngdào, either leading directly to the city gates or directly under Nanyang City in the hope of digging through the city walls!

On the city wall, Chen Gui arrived in haste, his expression turning serious after a distant observation. “Your Majesty, for now, there are only three strategies…”

“Two strategies!” Zhao Jiu interrupted without turning his head. “I just saw that they have begun preparing felt cloths, intending to soak them in water and lay them as an outer layer to prevent fire and smoke.”

“Then…” Chen Gui paused slightly, his expression becoming even more serious. “Which of the remaining two strategies does Your Majesty think we should use?”

“Go out to battle!” Zhao Jiu gave the order directly without any hesitation, clearly having made a decision beforehand. “The more than ten thousand men of the Imperial Guard and Loyal Guard in the city must go into battle.”

Chen Gui paused slightly, then nodded slowly.

And those around him, from the junior academician who understood without speaking to Hu Yin and the others who were still somewhat bewildered, to the military generals who were either rough or meticulous but had some calculations, all understood in their hearts.

Speaking of the three strategies to deal with this kind of wooden artificial Yōngdào… one was inevitably to set fire to it and smoke it out, just like dealing with tunnels; another was inevitably the military order that Zhao Jiu had just issued, to go out of the city directly behind the chevaux-de-frise after the enemy reached the city walls, using the terrain to their advantage for melee combat; and the third, which Zhao Jiu and Minister Chen had not explicitly stated, but everyone understood clearly, was most likely to bombard it with cannon stones!

In fact, if anyone still had doubts at the moment, it was why Zhao Jiu still insisted on not firing the cannons?! It must be known that cannon stones had long been prepared in the city.

“The other two sides are easy to handle, but who is willing to lead troops down against the five Yōngdào in front?” Zhao Jiu stared at the generals behind him, not having time to think too much.

These people were not unfamiliar with melee combat against the Jin, and moreover, the Emperor had spoken, and they were fighting under the protection of the city walls? Therefore, from Wang De downwards, the generals simply clasped their hands together and volunteered!

“After going down, the key is not only to fight, but also to dismantle the Yōngdào,” Zhao Jiu asked with a serious expression. “How do you plan to do it?”

“The walls of the Yōngdào must be hastily nailed together with wooden planks, able to block arrows, but not necessarily sturdy. They can be torn open with iron hooks!” Fu Qing answered first. “I request to lead a thousand armored soldiers from my command, divided into teams, five hundred armored soldiers in five teams, holding swords and shields to face the enemy, and the other five hundred, also divided into five teams, will hold hooks and ropes to pull and dismantle the Yōngdào from the surroundings, which will surely succeed! Even the Yōngdào on the other two city walls leading to the city gates can be dealt with in this way, without exposing the city gate mechanisms.”

This strategy was extremely pertinent, and Zhao Jiu nodded immediately.

“Your Majesty!” Wang De quickly spoke upon seeing this.

It is said that at this time, Hu Yantong was in Fangcheng, Qiao Zhongfu was in Xiangyang, Zhang Jing was in Guanghua Army, and Xin Xingzong (Big Xin) was in Wuguan. The five remaining generals in the city were Wang De, Fu Qing, Xin Yongzong (Little Xin), Yang Yizhong, and Liu Yan, with a total force of seventeen or eighteen thousand, including twelve or thirteen thousand armored soldiers and over ten thousand laborers. Therefore, it should have been Wang De, the highest-ranking officer, who presided over the situation. However, in reality, due to Chen Gui, the Minister of War, personally overseeing the city defense, and Grand Councilor Lü of the Privy Council making the major decisions, with Staff Officer Liu of the Office of Personnel responsible for setting some plans, Wang Yacha was reduced to an ordinary figure, basically no different from the other generals, simply following orders.

Therefore, Wang Yacha, who had been thinking about the Nanyang Four-Wall Defense Commissioner position, was truly unwilling to give up this good opportunity to show his face before the Emperor.

However, when Zhao Jiu turned to look at Wang De, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard was momentarily speechless, then blushed with anxiety, clearly unable to think of his own strategy, but unwilling to plagiarize others.

“Commander Wang is eager for battle, which is understandable,” Zhao Jiu said with a slight smile upon seeing this. “But since Commander Fu has offered a strategy, let him handle it this time! If it doesn’t work, Commander Wang can go down to assist.”

Wang De wanted to say something but stopped. However, this Emperor had shown some skill from the Huai River to now, and had at least some prestige… So, Wang Yacha ultimately didn’t dare to say anything more.

Thus, after deciding that Fu Qing would be the main attacker, Zhao Jiu pointed to Xin Yongzong and Yang Yizhong, who should have been sitting in the military workshops within the city, to go out from the south and west sides respectively to cut off the Yōngdào. Then, he sent Chen Gui to the other city walls to oversee the defense, and only then did he wait quietly on the city wall for the Jin army's Yōngdào.

Time passed neither quickly nor slowly. In the afternoon, the Yōngdào extended to the outer moat and entered the range of the Song army's conventional projectile weapons… And with three sides shielded, the Yōngdào, barely more than a Zhang wide and slightly taller than a man, tightly protected the Jin soldiers inside. Although they didn’t have much hope, when the crossbow bolts and fire arrows proved ineffective against the wet felt cloth, the Zhao Song civil and military officials under the imperial banner on the city wall were indeed somewhat disappointed.

Correspondingly, on the platform just over three hundred steps away from the city wall, Wanyan Wushu and the other Jin generals were much more excited.

That's not all. With seven Yōngdào being dug at the same time, the effect became even more obvious when they reached the outer moat. Because the Jin soldiers in the Yōngdào only had to face a narrow tactical section of more than a Zhang, the constantly expanding Yōngdào easily reached the chevaux-de-frise like the tentacles of the Jin army! And this wall, which had worked wonders yesterday, was now powerless. It was quickly dug through by the Jin soldiers with shovels in the Yōngdào, opening seven gaps.

Next was the inner moat. At this point, Wanyan Wushu and the three myriad households and dozens of Meng'an could no longer sit still. They almost all stood up and watched from afar.

Unsurprisingly, the narrow inner moat did not stop the extension of the Yōngdào… But just as the Jin army crossed the inner moat and came within the last dozen steps of the city wall, a deafening battle cry suddenly rang out from behind the chevaux-de-frise.

This situation was in stark contrast to yesterday… Yesterday, the Jin army shouted incessantly, and the Song army was stern and silent. Today, the Jin army silently built the Yōngdào, and the Song army took the lead in shouting and killing.

“Why were the soldiers in the Yōngdào unprepared?” Wanyan Wushu turned and asked.

“Yesterday, the soldiers who fled back from the chevaux-de-frise said that there was no drawbridge in front of the Nanyang city gate, but instead a thin wall was set up,” Han Chang blurted out. “I thought it was strange at the time, but now it seems that it was to conceal the opening and closing of the city gate, facilitating the stealthy deployment of troops… Like the lower ground inside the chevaux-de-frise, it should be a strategy of the defenders, quite interesting.”

“So that’s how it is,” Wanyan Wushu said, watching the melee combat begin at the foot of the city wall in front of him, and suddenly grinned. “But such tricks are at most cunning. Since it has come to close combat, it will still be decided by real swords and spears!”

“What Fourth Prince says is true,” Han Chang blurted out, but in the next moment, he and the others around him, such as Balisu and Chizhan Hui, changed their expressions.

It turned out that Wanyan Wushu's trusted general now saw with his own eyes that the Fourth Prince's personal guard Meng'an actually silently separated five Mouke and directly poured into the five Yōngdào in front… And almost everyone in these five Mouke was wearing full-body lamellar armor!

It should be known that these lamellar armor warriors had some special features. Because they usually fought on horseback, once they mounted armored warhorses, from the gourd-shaped helmets to the horses' knees, they were all covered in iron armor, looking like an iron pagoda, hence the name Iron Floatilla (Tie Futu)!

Even for Wanyan Wushu, at this time, he had only a thousand Iron Floatilla, and half of them were borrowed from his brother, the Third Prince, Eliduo.

But regardless, five hundred Iron Floatilla fighting on foot were still Iron Floatilla! With the Iron Floatilla deployed, it would be a fool's dream for the Song army to break these Yōngdào with melee combat!