General Qin

"My mother, fortunately, was chosen as a general and short soldier. If we were to attack the city in the daytime, I'm afraid she would have died a long time ago."

"That's right, thanks to the blessing of the hundred generals, otherwise we would have been corpses."

In the camp, Heiyu, Xiaobai and the others felt lingering fears, and even Xiqigu, who was eager to make meritorious deeds, agreed with him.

When they were besieging the lower capital of the Yan State, they were wounded soldiers and spent a month in the rear before escorting the captives to Wuyang. They did not see the worst scene of the siege in the early stage, so they only heard that the siege was miserable, but they did not I imagined it would be that miserable.

During the day, they followed the general and stood on a high hill, overlooking the siege of Jicheng.

The corpses and stumps all over the ground, the blood-stained city wall and the ground, looked dazzling and permeating from a distance.

Ant attached tactics.

Countless Qin soldiers were like ants, pushing siege equipment and holding weapons, climbing up the ladder to the city wall.

They were swept down one by one, and the arrows and logs all over the sky fell like a shower of locusts, accompanied by screams, the scene was very terrifying.

Hearing everyone's words, Zhao Tuo also frowned. While he was grateful to Li Xin in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder: "How long will it take to win Jicheng with this way of fighting?"

Jicheng.

Although the geographical location of this northern capital with a history of thousands of years is not as dangerous as that of the lower capital Wuyang, since it was captured by the Qi people during the reign of King Yan, the subsequent generations of King Yan have learned lessons and continuously strengthened the city walls. Build defenses.

As a result, today's Jicheng city wall is tall, thick, and extremely strong, like a tortoise shell. It is difficult to quickly capture it with the siege technology of this era.

Wang Jian's psychological strategy in Wuyang, the lower capital, is also difficult to achieve results in Jicheng.

This is the old nest of Yan Kingdom.

Not only the king of Yan and the crown prince are in the city, but also countless nobles of the kingdom of Yan who have been passed down for generations.

If the Yan Kingdom is destroyed, these old nobles, as ministers of the subjugated country, even if they do not die, their status will plummet. Therefore, until the last moment, the aristocratic class of Yan Kingdom will never surrender.

As for ordinary people, under the propaganda of Prince Dan, they have long feared and hated Qin Jun. In addition, Yandi's man has a fierce personality and is full of blood, so he will not have the half-hearted intention of surrendering.

The right time, the right place, and the harmony of people.

Qin Jun took less than half of the advantage.

How can it be so easy to destroy a big country that has been passed down for 800 years, with one knife and one gun, there is no room for falsehood.

"If I'm allowed to come, this city of Ji will be destroyed in the near future."

Zhao Tuo was very unwilling. He came from later generations and had many insights beyond this era.

Facing this Jicheng, among other things, as long as he can make a counterweight trebuchet, the time to break the city will definitely be much earlier.

The so-called counterweight trebuchet is often called the Huihui gun in later generations. It was a siege weapon invented by craftsmen in the Western Regions 1,500 years later. After being used by the Mongolian army, it shocked the world.

The trebuchets in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period could only throw more than ten kilograms of stones. Although they could kill soldiers, they could only do limited damage to the city walls.

The counterweight trebuchet can throw a boulder weighing more than 150 catties, and its power can be called earth-shattering.

The Mongolian army besieged Xiangyang for five years, but failed.

So the craftsmen were asked to make a counterweight trebuchet and put it outside the city. At that moment, "the machine was launched, and the sound shook the world, and everything hit was destroyed, and it fell seven feet into the ground."

The terrible power frightened the Xiangyang city guards to open the city and surrender.

This siege weapon is amazingly powerful, and the production principle is not complicated. As long as Zhao Tuo points out the direction, it can be produced with the productivity level of the Qin Dynasty.

Bombarding the city of the Warring States Period with a giant cannon 1,500 years later, even if it does not destroy the city immediately, will scare the Yan people in the city so that they will lose their will to resist.

Under ideal circumstances, the Qin army could obtain a sharp siege weapon, reduce casualties of soldiers, and quickly destroy the country of Yan. Zhao Tuo can also rely on the credit for inventing this thing, and it should be no problem to upgrade his title.

Win-win!

But alas.

Zhao Tuo didn't dare to speak out, let alone invent and create indiscriminately in this era.

"The rigid Qin people, this rigid system, discourages the enthusiasm for invention and creation!"

Zhao Tuo gritted his teeth, feeling very unwilling.

When he first entered the state of Qin, he originally thought of winning the title by virtue of his inventions and creations. Wouldn't it be beautiful to be able to get promoted and make a fortune all the way without fighting on the battlefield.

However, the reality hit him hard.

Things that could be achieved in other dynasties were difficult to achieve under the Qin system.

Because Qin has strict household registration restrictions!

Shiwu, hundreds of craftsmen, merchants, travellers...

The Qin State divided the common people into household registrations, and stipulated that people with which household registrations could only do corresponding things, and they must not exceed their duties.

Shiwu can only farm at home and fight on the battlefield, Baigong makes all kinds of utensils and weapons, and merchants are in charge of doing business...

According to the logic of the Legalists, this is the so-called chicken controlling the night, the cat controlling the mouse, each showing its own ability.

If the soldiers were to make farm tools, the merchants were farming and fighting, and all the craftsmen were doing business, wouldn't the whole social order be in chaos.

Therefore, the Qin law stipulates that if you do something beyond your household registration, you will be punished severely.

Even if the thing you invented is indeed very useful, but it has set a bad start for the society of Qin State, if the people at the bottom are eager to follow suit, it will be fine.

Therefore, Zhao Tuo, who was originally a scholar, dared to invent and create indiscriminately, such as making treadmills and papermaking.

Not to mention whether he can get the title and money rewards, I'm afraid he won't even be able to keep his own title.

"It's a pity that I don't have a relative who is a native of Baigong, otherwise I can use his hands to invent a lot of things."

Zhao Tuo felt sorry.

In fact, Baigong's invention of such things as counterweight trebuchets is naturally a matter of course.

But at the same time, it is also a weapon of war, and it seems to be reasonable to make it out of Wugu, a soldier who specializes in farming and fighting.

After all, the purpose of inventing this thing is to destroy the city. As a general in the army, I worry about the war and come up with a useful siege weapon. Shouldn't this be considered a breach of duty?

But Zhao Tuo still didn't dare.

Because in addition to household registration restrictions, Qin's military laws are also very strict.

The so-called "the one who goes beyond the mark and asks for more will die."

Anyone in the army who dares to leapfrog to ask for instructions will be executed immediately.

Zhao Tuo could not speak directly to Li Xin and Wang Jian, otherwise he would be beheaded in public.

If he wanted to make a counterweight trebuchet, he could only ask his superior, the five hundred masters, for instructions. Then the five hundred masters asked the two or five hundred masters for instructions, and after reporting layer by layer, they could reach Li Xin and Wang Jian's ears.

However, Su Jiao, Zhao Tuo's superior, had warned him not long ago.

"If I find out that you have other thoughts, I will definitely punish you."

Zhao Tuo repeated what Su Jiao had said with a wry smile.

Does this invention of a siege weapon count as a "different idea"?

Su Jiao didn't like Zhao Tuo's eyes. If he didn't wait for Zhao Tuo to finish his sentence, he punished him with the crime of Vietnamese nationality, it would be a disaster.

"Wei Liaozi General Order": "Left, right, and central armies all have divisions of duties. If you exceed the division and go up to ask for it, you will die."