Chapter 30: The Eve of the Great War!

  Just as Guo Jie and Zhang Liao were leading their troops to confront Ji Mountain Pass's Yu Yi and Huo Gang, General Guan Yu led Zhang Ren and Gao Shun with an army of 80,000 to arrive. Yu Yi was caught off guard, not expecting that at the critical moment in Xincheng, Commander-in-Chief Li Yu would actually send troops to support him at Ji Mountain Pass. Seeing this, Yu Yi did not dare to slack off and immediately led Huo Gang and other generals out of Ji Mountain Pass to welcome General Guan. General Guan saw Yu Yi and Huo Gang come to greet him and understood that although he had traveled day and night, he was always in control of the scope of information about this campaign, so Yu Yi and others were unaware of it. Yu Yi invited General Guan, Zhang Ren, and Gao Shun into his command center, then sat down beside them to analyze the current situation at Ji Mountain Pass with General Guan and the others.

  Guan Yu saw the crowd of generals and soldiers, all seated and opening their mouths to say: "Now Dong Zhuo's army is 500,000, divided into two groups to take our lower Bian city and Qi mountain pass. How many troops do we have in Qi mountain pass? How many famous generals does the enemy Dong Zhuo have here, leading his troops?"

  "Reporting to General, after 21 days of fierce battle at Kishan Pass, our original army of 50,000 has been supplemented by the local militia, totaling 83,000 soldiers. However, we have suffered heavy casualties: 12,231 wounded and 17,800 killed. Currently, we have 49,969 soldiers left. We also have 20,000 war horses, 1 million bows and crossbows, 2.7 million arrows in stock, with more being manufactured urgently. Additionally, we have 70,000 wooden knives, 100,000 long spears, and 93,200 sets of armor in storage. I have ordered the manufacturing department to work day and night to produce more bows, arrows, armor, and wooden knives, which will be ready within ten days. The entire Kishan Pass is currently under our control. As for the enemy, Dong Zhuo's army, led by Guo Si, originally had 100,000 soldiers, but after several battles, I estimate they have around 70,000 to 80,000 left. Zhang Liao's Western Liang elite troops numbered 50,000, but after two defeats, I believe they are down to less than 10,000. We also still control the six arrow towers previously built at Kishan Pass. This is our current situation; please advise, General!"

  Guan Gong nodded and stroked his beard, saying: "General Ji Yi, my fourth brother, General Li Yu, often told me that you are capable of taking charge alone. Now that I've met you, it's indeed true. But I ask you, do we still have our army's secret weapons - the crossbow cannon and stone thrower - in storage?"

  "Reporting to General Number Two, we have 100 sets of five-row crossbows, 200 sets of four-row crossbows, 230 sets of three-row crossbows, 500 sets of two-row crossbows, and 1,000 sets of single-row crossbows. Additionally, there are 200 double- direction stone throwers and 500 single-direction stone throwers. However, these are all our army's top-secret weapons, and without the Commander-in-Chief's personal written order, I dare not use them. They remain sealed in storage as before!"

  What are catapults and crossbows? Li Yu, because he is from modern times, now thinks that having real guns and bullets is impossible, because the Three Kingdoms era did not have such equipment and technology. But Li Yu shared his knowledge with Liu Hua, who was one of Cao's top strategists. Liu Hua was not simple; he was good at using tactics and was also skilled in manufacturing. During the Battle of Guandu, Liu Hua recommended using his self-developed thunderbolt cart! This thunderbolt cart made it difficult for Yuan Shao to respond during the Battle of Guandu.

  Catapults have been used since prehistoric times; humans would use animal hides to create catapults to throw small and smooth stones. This was more powerful than simply throwing with one's arm, and had a greater distance. These projectile devices also used mud-baked pellets, and later adopted lead pellets. In the ruins of Pompeii and other ancient sites, stone balls have been found.

  The slingers on the Balearic Islands had a highly skilled technique for using catapults. They usually had three types of catapults, each used for long-range, medium-range, and short-range throwing. David (1040-970 BCE, King of Israel) killed Goliath with a catapult [translator's note: according to the Bible]. For several centuries, catapult troops played an important role in battle formations.

  In some regions, throwing stones gradually changed to throwing sharp sticks, which later evolved into javelins and curved wooden darts. In fact, catapults and thunderbolt carts are essentially the same, but Liu Hua was not simple; he understood the whole situation at a glance and immediately began improving and manufacturing two-headed catapults. Currently, they are preparing to manufacture three-headed and four-headed catapults!

  Crossbows were different. In 399 BCE, Dionysius of Syracuse faced the powerful threat of the Carthaginians. At this time, a weapon that surpassed all others was born - Dionysius' craftsmen designed and manufactured the first torsion spring crossbow in the history of warfare! As armor developed and fortifications appeared, the role of individual bowmen was weakened; they could not penetrate bronze shields, let alone destroy brick-and-mortar fortifications.

  Although people had tried to manufacture giant crossbows, the power generated by the elastic deformation of the bow arms had reached its limit, and it was impossible to give arrows or pellets greater power. Dionysius' craftsmen invented a crossbow that used the latest research in mechanics - torsion springs, which utilized two bundles of tightly wound horsehair, leather straps, or animal tendons to produce torque as the driving force, propelling the bow arms to shoot pellets or stones.

  The Greek-designed crossbow had a sturdy frame, with the main beam placed on top of the frame. At the front end, there were two torsion spring assemblies, each driving one bow arm. The bow arm was connected to the bowstring, which had a net bag in the middle that held the projectiles. To make it easier to wind up the crossbow, metal teeth were set on both sides of the main beam, allowing for adjustable shooting power and range.

  Later, the metal teeth were replaced with round cogwheels, making the operation simpler and more reliable. To give the crossbow flexible direction and elevation, they designed a freely rotating base, which was one of the earliest designs of a universal joint. Crossbows are not simply enlarged versions of ordinary bows; they use two bundles of tightly wound horsehair, leather straps, or animal tendons to produce torque as the driving force, shooting pellets in an instant.

  In contrast, ordinary handheld crossbows rely on the elastic compression of the bow arms after tightening to generate power and propel arrows. The bowstring cannot be stretched. It is necessary to distinguish between crossbows and catapults; crossbows can shoot stone projectiles, but they have a sliding track that allows projectiles and arrows to fly straight.

  Liu Hua led a research team to develop these weapons, changing them from the original single-row design to a five-row series! Now Liu Hua is still researching and updating in Chengdu.

  Guan Yu heard this and said: "General Ji Yi, today the Grand Marshal ordered me to take out all the stored stone-throwing machines and crossbows from row one to five! This is a personal decree from my fourth brother, Grand Marshal Li Yu. You can take a look!"

  Yu Ji did not dare to slack off, and quickly ran up to the front with both hands holding the letter of command handed over by General Guan Yu. He opened it carefully and took a look! On it was written: Due to the sudden arrival of the old thief Dong Zhuo's army, I now order the two generals, General Guan Yu, to take all the crossbows and catapults from the warehouse at Mount Qi and prepare for the decisive battle. One move will annihilate the old thief Dong Zhuo! The order also appoints General Guan Gong as the supreme commander of the front line of Mount Qi, and General Yu Ji as the chief strategist. I hope you two can cooperate sincerely and annihilate the army of the old thief Dong Zhuo! Our general is in Xiangyang City with General Xu Huang, ensuring that Xiangyang City is safe! I hope you two will defeat the enemy soon, capture Tianshui City, and form a three-sided siege to destroy the old thief Dong Zhuo! As for now, do not discuss defending Mount Qi, but rather surround and annihilate the enemy who dares to attack the front line of Mount Qi! Our general is in Xiangyang City, eagerly awaiting the good news from all the generals! This battle is very fortunate! Yizhou is very fortunate! The people of Yizhou are very fortunate! King Hanxing is very fortunate! The whole world is very fortunate!

  Behind it was also sealed with Li Yu's handsome seal, this letter is absolutely true. After seeing the letter, Ji Yi knelt down on the ground and said to General Guan: "General Ji Yi of Qishan Pass will follow the commander's dispatch, only looking up to the two generals!"

  Huo Ge saw Ju Yi like this, Huo Ge also followed closely and said: "The end will follow the command of the two generals!"

  Lord Guan and General Zhang Fei saw this, burst out laughing, stepped forward to help them up, saying: "Now the commander's attention is fixed! Let me lead the army with Generals Zhang Ren and Gao Shun, and 80,000 troops to reinforce General Ji Ping. Now adding the troops at Mount Qi Pass, our total number of men and horses has surpassed that of Guo Si and Zhang Liao's armies, reaching nearly 150,000! How can we not win this battle? Our soldiers are united in their determination to defeat the enemy, and we must be able to destroy Dong Zhuo's army in one fell swoop!"

  Huo did not speak, but Ji Yi was not simple. Ji Yi heard the meaning of General Guan Yu's words, which is to decide the battle with Guo Si and Zhang Liao's coalition forces! Ji Yi saw this and immediately came forward to advise: "Report to the two generals, our army has many advantages, but it is not possible to fight against Dong Zhuo, Guo Si and Zhang Liao's coalition forces. Although we can win in battle, if we want to capture Tianshui City, it is still unrealistic. For now, let us discuss how to capture Tianshui City! If this battle cannot be won and Tianshui City cannot be captured, the situation will not change!"

  Guan Yu nodded upon hearing this, and at that moment a scout came to report that the governor of Zigui, Jian Yong, was leading an army of 30,000 to provide reinforcements. Guan Yu was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately ordered his men to welcome Jian Yong in!

  As soon as Jian Yong arrived, Guan Yu's troops were nearly 180,000, more than twice the combined forces of Guo Si and Zhang Liao! Then Guan Yu told his idea to Zhang Ren, Ju Yi, Jian Yong, Gao Shun and others. At this time, Ju Yi saw that Jian Yong had brought troops and agreed with Guan Yu's plan. However, Jian Yong refused Guan Yu's plan and said: "I have a letter from the Right Prime Minister Chen Gong and the King himself, please take a look!"

  "Lord Guan did not dare to be slow and went forward to receive the two letters. He opened the one from his elder brother Liu Bei first: 'The intention of Liu Bei's letter is that, now that Chen Gong, the Right General, has observed the changes in the overall situation and integrated the strategic ideas of the four younger brothers Li Yu, through deduction, it can be seen that the number of soldiers and horses in the Battle of Mount Qi is less than 200,000. The idea of attacking and defending Tianshui City and coordinating with the four younger brothers Li Yu to surround on three sides is not possible to achieve a comprehensive victory. Now, he has sent Tian Feng as the military advisor to lead an army of 50,000 new soldiers to come and assist the second brother.'"

  Lord Guan was overjoyed when he saw this, and his brother had found a military advisor for himself with an army of 50,000. He hastily opened the second letter from Chen Gong and read: "Chen Gong wrote in the letter that Dong Zhuo's army has 500,000 soldiers, and our army should have defended firmly and waited for them to become tired. However, the great general's military strategy has already been decided! Although I feel it is a bit too risky, if the great general's plan succeeds, not only can we annihilate Dong Zhuo's invading army, but also capture Tianshui City. If we capture Tianshui City, our western attack can directly strike Xiliang, and our northern advance can directly take Luoyang! This is an important passage for future conquests! Now, I have ordered the governor to fully cooperate with the great general and all the generals to defeat the enemy, and to recruit soldiers throughout the entire territory of Yizhou. We have recalled all retired soldiers within five years to come and assist in the battle, totaling 150,000 soldiers. I have ordered Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao, two generals, to lead their troops out to fight, and they will take effect on the battlefield! Now, I have ordered General Tian Feng to lead 50,000 soldiers to support the two generals at Qishan Pass. I hope that the two generals will win a great victory! I have also ordered Deng Mao to lead an army of 100,000 to support the great general at Xiabian City, and I have also ordered Zou Dan to lead 20,000 soldiers from Yangping Pass to go to Xiabian City as well. In this way, the total number of troops in Xiabian City is already 230,000, which is more than enough for defense. Please don't worry, generals! Today's battle, all you need to do is fight bravely and kill the enemy. I, Chen Gong, swear that if there are any problems with supplying military rations, I will take responsibility first! I eagerly await your good news!"

  The Second Master Guan finished reading the two letters from Liu Bei and Chen Gong in one breath, but before he could catch his breath, a third letter arrived, which was personally written by General Li Yu! When Guan saw this, he didn't dare to be slow and immediately opened it to take a look. It turned out that Li Yu had only two simple sentences in mind! What were the two sentences? One sentence was that Tian Feng was wise and had many strategies, and Second Brother should listen to his opinions before attacking! The second sentence was that Ji Yi was a reliable person, and after the expedition, he would still guard the Qi Mountain Pass, ensuring that the rear would be secure! Guan had always sincerely admired his fourth brother, and seeing Li Yu specially sending a letter to tell him to discuss with Tian Feng before attacking, he could only put aside his own suggestions for the time being and wait for Tian Feng's arrival.

  The eve of a great war is often quiet! But this time is often the beginning of a decisive battle!

  I'm really sorry to all book friends, a few days ago due to an unexpected loss of manuscript, so I didn't have time to update, this week rest assured, it will definitely not happen again!

  If you want to return home, please come back early. True love doesn't wait for dawn, it pierces the heart!