The Divine Might Cannon entered its cooldown state, preparing for the second round of ignition.
"Finally, some peace? The enemy's sorcery iron balls seem to have a limit to their use. Repair the city walls immediately!"
Hannibal breathed a sigh of relief and ordered soldiers to bring hemp sacks filled with sand and gravel, preparing to fill the breaches.
City defenses were one of the most crucial forms of protection, offering significant advantages to the defenders and reducing casualties. Therefore, they had to ensure the city's defenses remained intact at all costs.
Tianri soldiers, using ox carts, hauled a pile of sacks towards the gaps in the city walls.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Just then, dozens more stone projectiles descended from the sky, landing on the surface of the city walls and within the inner city.
"Thump~"
With muffled thuds, the bombardment from the Huihui cannons caused the damaged city walls to shake violently!
"The enemy's tactic is to create breaches with sorcery iron balls, then bombard the remaining ruins with trebuchets! Within the trebuchets' range, our ballistae can also strike!"
Upon realizing the Great Qian army's intentions, Hannibal's face contorted with rage. He immediately ordered the ballistae to retaliate with smaller stone projectiles.
A hundred ballistae fired in unison, sending a hundred stone projectiles plummeting from the sky!
Yue Qingtian and a large contingent of heavy shield bearers protected the front lines, with the Thunder God Shields positioned at the very forefront. The surfaces of the other large shields were covered with iron sheets, beneath which were layers of thick, blackened cotton. The innermost layer was the actual shield!
A distance of one li was enough to significantly reduce the power of the stone projectiles. Even those from the Huihui cannons would be affected by air resistance and unable to exert their full force.
The cotton padding on these shields was an emergency addition. While the shields appeared bulky, the cotton was light. The iron sheets were only to guard against any fire arrows the enemy might launch and were not excessively thick, so the shields did not gain much weight.
As the ballistae's stone projectiles struck, they penetrated the iron sheets but were cushioned by the cotton, ultimately losing all momentum. Each shield bore only an indentation on its surface.
Only three heavy armored soldiers suffered dislocated shoulders due to the impact of the ballistae and were quickly replaced.
Neither side had sustained casualties, but the Great Qian army had been the first to breach the outer wall of the Jiao Prefecture allied forces!
Liang Xiao observed from the high ground, seeing clearly that one siege tower had been destroyed by the Divine Might Cannon. Nine remained, and their destruction was only a matter of time!
"What can be done about this..." Xiao Che beside him was somewhat flustered.
He understood military strategy, having been able to rally the Sun-Moon Army back then, but the Great Qian's new trebuchets and sorcery iron balls were far beyond his comprehension, leaving him at a loss.
He too harbored ambitions. Being the first to conquer a Great Qian city would greatly increase his prestige. He could also sustain his forces through war, strengthening himself, and perhaps in the future, he could be the first to ascend to the throne, or at least share the imperial title with Emperor Xiao Chang.
However, after the Sun-Moon Army's successive defeats in Luzhou and Xichuan, nearly annihilated, he had effectively lost military command in Jiao Prefecture. Emperor Xiao Chang had then taken full control of the Jiao Prefecture army, but the two remained close like brothers and maintained a harmonious relationship.
But now, even Xiao Chang could not appease the Jiao Prefecture army, preventing the Jiao Prefecture allied forces from marching north to attack Great Qian. Xiao Chang was still working on it!
Yet, a foreboding premonition now gripped Xiao Che's heart.
"With such terrifying siege weapons, the enemy's objective is likely not to outflank Jiao Prefecture through the mountains, but to annihilate our army here, perhaps even to burn the mountains!!"
The surrender letters shot into the city had already unsettled the morale of the Jiao Prefecture soldiers.
The sorcery iron balls, combined with the trebuchets, were about to destroy the impregnable city walls and wear down their spirits...
By the time Xiao Che realized the gravity of the situation, twenty more solid iron balls flew in from afar!
Another series of dull roars.
The city walls were strongest before their first impact.
With three breaches already in existence, the walls were far less stable when bombarded by the Divine Might Cannons.
In an instant, the outer city walls were blasted with five more gaps, destroying three siege towers!
Following this, stone projectiles from the Huihui cannons rained down, shattering the already precarious sections of the city walls.
The alternating volleys of the Divine Might Cannons and Huihui cannons rendered the outer walls of the fortified encampment virtually useless!
Xiao Che could no longer contain himself. Forgetting the formalities of their relationship, he urgently advised, "We cannot delay any longer. We must immediately dispatch cavalry to harass and disrupt the enemy's sorcery iron balls and trebuchets!"
Hannibal quickly regained his composure and roared at the stunned Tianri soldiers behind him, "Cavalry, flank attack! Tianri Elite Cavalry, prepare to don armor and engage! First, the ordinary heavy cavalry will charge to disrupt the enemy's ranged weapons!"
The Tianri Elite Cavalry, who had been observing the enemy and conserving their strength, began to put on their armor, followed by their warhorses in their own armor, preparing to depart.
Liang Xiao, observing from a distance, also noticed the enemy's movements and immediately ordered, "Guard against the enemy's charge! Adjust weapon angles and eliminate the enemy's heavy cavalry!"
The vanguard units stood their ground, retreating twenty paces as per the captain's instructions, ensuring the enemy's ballistae would not be effective.
The Tianri cavalry gradually deployed, their vanguard clad in heavy armor, exuding an imposing aura. They let out fierce roars towards the Great Qian army and charged.
Behind them, large numbers of armored light cavalry followed, using the heavy cavalry as a screen, steadily advancing.
Before the enemy could get close, tens of thousands of waiting Shenbi bows unleashed their volleys.
Myriad arrows pierced the air, their sharp tips instantly punching through the armor of the foremost heavy cavalry, even passing through and striking the heavy cavalry behind them!
Hundreds of warhorses were also shot dead on the spot by the arrows!
The Shenbi bows eliminated over six hundred enemies in a single volley and injured or brought down over three thousand!
In front of the Shenbi bows, twenty thousand longbowmen stood ready, ironwood shields placed before them, nocking arrows and aiming at the advancing heavy cavalry.
The divine might of the Shenbi bows did not deter the Tianri heavy cavalry; instead, it ignited their ferocity.
The Tianri cavalry charged en masse, roaring towards the Great Qian formation, their lines stretching for several li!
The longbowmen, who were prepared, quickly drew their bows, sending countless arrows showering down upon the enemy!
The Great Qian archers closest to the heavy shield bearers, armed with Great Qian bows, stood ready.
"Thwack, thwack!"
A large number of vanguard heavy cavalry were dismounted and killed, their armor pierced by the Great Qian Wind Feather Arrows.
The defensive lines of the Great Qian Garrison and Qingtian Guards formed a shield wall, preparing to repel the enemy's charge.
The Huihui cannons behind them fired another volley, this time targeting the Tianri cavalry. As the distance closed, they switched to larger stone projectiles!
The air roared as dozens of massive stone projectiles descended, smashing into the rear of the enemy's heavy cavalry.
A cavalry captain stared blankly as the stone projectiles whizzed past, striking the cavalry with unstoppable force, carrying them and crushing two more cavalrymen behind them. Three men and a horse were pulverized, kicking up dust on the ground!
This was the norm for the Huihui cannons. A single volley killed hundreds of cavalrymen. The number was secondary; the most important factor was the severe blow to enemy morale.
"Scatter and charge! Avoid the enemy's stone projectiles!!"
The captains roared desperately, and the cavalry quickly dispersed.
Ahead, more than twenty thousand Great Qian archers stood ready, drawing their bows to their full extent, their aim fixed on the enemy's heavy cavalry!