Chapter 17: Tigers Lair City (1/2)
Chapter 17: Tiger's Lair City
On the first day of their arrival, Wang Hong and his companions were assigned to the city walls. They were now officially part of the Tiger Might Army, with the Qing Yang Academy's reinforcements forming a separate battalion known as the Qing Yang Battalion. It still fell under the command of Instructor Feng Li, who had now ascended to the position of School Captain.
Wang Hong belonged to the sixth squad of the Qing Yang Battalion. Their responsibility was to defend a small section of the city wall. Due to the Qin Army's relentless attacks both day and night, the defending forces had to rotate in shifts, each batch holding the wall for four hours before being relieved.
Standing atop the city wall, Wang Hong marveled at Tiger's Lair City, living up to its reputation with towering peaks on both sides. The city was strategically positioned, nestled between treacherous mountain ranges that extended for over two hundred miles. Even monkeys would find it challenging to traverse, and Tiger's Lair City controlled the sole passage within this two-hundred-mile stretch.
Due to the steep mountain ranges on both sides, defending Tiger's Lair City required focusing on securing only one frontal direction. This strategic advantage made it difficult for the Qin Army, despite their numerical superiority, to breach the defenses.
The city, perched high above, had a slope extending over a mile beneath the city walls. To reach the walls, the Qin Army had to climb this slope, which was laden with traps set by the Chu Army. At the slope's summit, numerous rolling logs and stone catapults were strategically placed.
Particularly menacing were the rolling logs, covered in iron spikes that sent shivers down Wang Hong's spine. Climbing the slope alone demanded a heavy toll from the Qin Army, making their successful assaults on the city walls infrequent after a month of siege.
Since Wang Hong's arrival on the city walls, the Qin Army had been sending small units for harassing attacks. Whenever the rolling logs and stone catapults were deployed, the Qin forces would retreat. Some unfortunate soldiers were crushed, while the survivors returned to sabotage the machinery, cutting the ropes attached to them.
The rolling logs and stone catapults were equipped with ropes, allowing them to be retracted using pulleys for repeated use. This strategic use prevented the city from exhausting its resources by demolishing buildings daily.
The Qin Army's harassing tactics aimed to deplete the city's rolling logs and stone catapults and to test for traps. Until evening, laborers transported food to various positions, providing sustenance for the soldiers.
Wang Hong received a bowl of meat porridge and two large meat buns. Just as he took a bite, the sound of horns echoed from the Qin Army's position below the slope. Following the horns, a rhythmic drumbeat commenced as the Qin Army, a formidable black mass, advanced with disciplined steps toward Tiger's Lair City.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Qin Army moved deliberately, stopping every ten steps to maintain formation. Their synchronized steps resonated with thunderous shouts of "kill," making ears ring with each resounding step.
Many inexperienced soldiers, participating in their first battle, were intimidated by the Qin Army's imposing presence, their faces pale, and limbs trembling. The confidence they had before entering the battle had vanished.
Seeing the approaching force, Wang Hong hastily finished his meat buns, gripped his long spear, and, due to the exertion, his knuckles turned white.
At this moment, from the positions of the rolling logs and stone catapults beneath the city wall, a command was issued, and the soldiers hoisted flags downward. Countless rolling logs and stone catapults roared down the slope.