The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the two armies began exchanging arrows again. Below, the laborers still braved arrows and falling stones as they pushed wheelbarrows to fill the moats. Two hours later, several sections of the moats had already been leveled by the Qin Army.
At this time, dozens of siege ladders were pushed out from the Qin Army's formation. The ladders stood roughly thirty feet tall, with huge iron hooks at their tops to catch onto the city walls. They were about ten feet wide, broad enough for five or six men to charge abreast. The ladders slanted at a forty-five-degree angle to the ground, allowing soldiers to walk upon them as easily as on level earth. Four rows of wheels were fitted beneath them, allowing them to be pushed forward by manpower. The positions for the men pushing the carts were also fitted with shields to block arrows.
Dozens of siege ladders formed a line and slowly approached the city walls. They were already packed with soldiers holding sabers and shields. The moment they drew close, those men could rush up the walls and become the first brave warriors to scale them.
Being among the first to storm a city in war was an enormous honor. Thus, although the death rate was exceedingly high, countless soldiers still flocked to it like ducks to water.
If one could be the first to climb onto the city wall, one would be promoted at least two ranks in nobility. Many people fought their entire lives without managing to raise their rank by two levels.
With fame, achievement, wealth, and rank all within reach, everyone naturally fought to be first.
The great Qin Army followed close behind the siege ladders. Braving the Chu Army's rain of arrows, flying stones, and flying spears, they advanced slowly toward the city walls in orderly steps. From time to time, someone was wounded and fell, yet the companions beside them did not spare them another glance. Their gazes remained resolute as they continued forward.
At this time, the defenders atop the walls concentrated their attacks on the siege ladders. Arrows, flying spears, and flying stones were all hurled toward them.
Only one siege ladder approached the section of wall defended by Wang Hong. Wang Hong took aim at the ferocious-looking soldier standing on the ladder. A short spear shrieked through the air, streaking like lightning toward the soldier in the front row. That soldier was clearly a battle-hardened veteran as well. Seeing the short spear coming with overwhelming force, he did not dodge. He raised his shield before him and held his saber horizontally across his chest.
The short spear arrived in an instant. First came a sharp "clang," and the saber broke into two pieces. Then came a "pfft" as the spear pierced through the shield, bored into the soldier's chest, and emerged from his back with a foot-long spearhead protruding.
Until his death, that soldier did not understand what kind of person Wang Hong was, or how he possessed such tremendous strength.
Watching the soldier topple headfirst from the siege ladder, Wang Hong shook his head, dissatisfied that he had only pierced one man. He put more strength into his arm and hurled another spear. This time was better. Three Qin soldiers were skewered together like candied hawthorns and fell from the ladder. After that, Wang Hong kept stringing together "candied hawthorns," while the Qin Army continuously replenished the men on the ladder from behind.
Wang Hong showed the Qin soldiers not the slightest mercy. If he did not kill them now, once they climbed the walls, they would kill his comrades-in-arms. Moreover, the Qin Army had a habit of slaughtering cities after capturing them. If they lost, the soldiers and civilians of Huju City would become slaves even if they were not killed.
When the siege ladder was only thirty feet from the city wall, the soldiers pushing it had already been shot down in two volleys by the spear throwers. The soldiers standing on the ladder were even more like targets, and more than half had already been killed or wounded. Several siege ladders were smashed apart outright by hurled stones, and the soldiers atop them were thrown down with shattered tendons and broken bones.
At this time, the Chu Army threw earthen jars filled with fire oil onto the siege ladders, smashing them apart and sending the oil flowing everywhere. Then a great mass of flaming arrows was fired. Flames immediately surged up across the ladders. Many soldiers caught fire. No matter how fierce they usually were, they now howled for their fathers and mothers as they burned.
Seeing this, the Qin Army dispatched large numbers of soldiers. Some took out wet cotton quilts prepared beforehand and threw them over the burning areas, extinguishing whole patches of flame at once.
Others helped push the siege ladders forward, increasing their speed. In only a few breaths, they rushed to within ten feet of the wall, only for a huge wooden fork extending from the city wall to catch the ladder and prevent it from advancing another step.
Some soldiers on the ladder hacked at the wooden fork with their sabers, while others kicked off with both legs and leaped directly toward the wall. The moment they reached midair, they were pierced by long spears thrust out from the wall and fell below, dead or crippled. The few fish that slipped through the net and luckily landed atop the wall were also surrounded and killed.
Yet Qin soldiers continued leaping toward the walls in an endless stream, and more and more fish slipped through the net. So long as one or two men could gain even a slight foothold, they could tear open a breach in the Chu Army's defense. Then an endless stream of Qin soldiers would leap onto the battlements.
At this time, one section had taken advantage of a gap in the defense to send a small squad of soldiers onto the wall, and they helped one siege ladder reach the city wall. Like a hornets' nest that had been stabbed open, the Qin soldiers waved their sabers and spears, shouting as they surged madly toward the battlements.
The Sixth Battalion under Wang Hong's command was not having an easy time defending its siege ladder either. Some men had to hold the ladder at bay with wooden forks to keep it from approaching. Others had to fight the Qin warriors leaping onto the wall. They also had to find time to shoot the cart drivers continuously transporting earth and stones beneath the wall. Meanwhile, the rain of Qin arrows below never ceased suppressing the defenders.
Wang Hong carried over a boulder weighing five or six hundred jin, raised it high above his head, and smashed it down onto the siege ladder. With a loud bang, blood sprayed everywhere across the ladder, accompanied by endless screams.
After smashing down several more boulders in succession, Wang Hong frowned. The results were not very good. His goal was to smash the ladder apart, but those stones had only broken a few crossbeams and had little effect on the ladder as a whole.
Wang Hong hurled another massive boulder from the side. With a crack, one of the supporting pillars on that side snapped in response.
"There's hope!"
Wang Hong hurled more than a dozen massive boulders in succession.
"Rumble!"
That siege ladder finally broke apart. The Qin soldiers upon it fell with the collapsing ladder in terror.
"Mighty!"
"Mighty!"
As the siege ladder fell, waves of cheers erupted from atop the city wall.
To use one's personal strength to forcibly smash apart a siege ladder was an exceedingly rare sight even on the battlefield. After all, not just anyone could move boulders weighing several hundred jin.
With the siege ladder down, the Sixth Battalion's defense became much easier. At times, they could even spare a hand to support their allies on either side.
The battle continued until nightfall before the Qin Army finally withdrew. During that time, Qin soldiers charged onto the city wall several times, only to be met by the Chu Army's desperate resistance. The Chu Army had to mobilize reserve forces and pay no small price before eliminating them.
Beneath the walls, the Qin Army had already piled corpses, earth, and stones into a mound more than ten feet high. If they raised it another twenty feet, they could charge directly from the mound onto the city wall.
The Chu Army's casualties atop the walls were also considerable. Several more soldiers in Wang Hong's battalion had been wounded, and only a little over sixty men still retained their combat strength.
The Sixth Battalion was considered to be in fairly good condition. Some battalions of new recruits had already been reduced to only thirty or forty men.
At this time, the Chu soldiers, hungry after an entire day, leaned against the battlements and ate meat in great mouthfuls while gnawing on white steamed buns. Each person received a large bowl of braised pork, while steamed buns and rice were provided without limit. Everyone also received a small bowl of wine. Although drinking was forbidden in the army, that prohibition only applied to those who became drunk and neglected their duties or caused trouble while drunk. During war, some wine was always supplied to relieve fatigue and bolster morale.
Wang Hong took a silver bottle from his robes and poured himself a bowl of wine. He then poured a bowl each for Li Xiaoya and Lu Jingou beside him.
"Drink some of this. It's quite useful for relieving fatigue. Tomorrow's battle should be even fiercer," Wang Hong said. Then he turned to ask Li Xiaoya, "How is Zhang Tiemao's injury recovering?"
"He can already walk. He should recover in another dozen or so days." A rosy blush rose across Li Xiaoya's face. It was unknown whether it was from the wine or something else.
Li Xiaoya and Lu Jingou lifted their bowls and took a sip. At once, they felt a current of warmth flow into their stomachs before rapidly spreading throughout their bodies. They felt warm from head to toe, as though every pore had opened wide, leaving them utterly refreshed. More than half the fatigue accumulated from a day of fighting instantly dissipated, and strength filled their bodies once more.
Their eyes immediately lit up with delight. This wine was far too miraculous. They had never heard of such a wondrous thing in this world. It could actually dispel fatigue and restore strength so quickly.
Just as they were about to speak, Wang Hong waved a hand to stop them. Revealing such a thing would bring Wang Hong no benefit; it might even invite disaster. He casually handed each of them a piece of dried meat.
After the two finished eating, not only had all the fatigue accumulated over the past two days of battle vanished, but even their own cultivation had improved somewhat. They gave Wang Hong grateful smiles and bowed to him.
Wang Hong smiled and waved his hand. These things meant nothing to him. Their cost was not high, and he still had plenty in his space.
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