On the other hand, the Tang Dynasty soldiers all knew that the initial attack had little to do with them. Only the transport troops were the most nervous because they had to deliver the artillery shells. If they transported slowly, the artillery attack might stop.
You know, the initial period is the most precious for all artillerymen. If the soldiers on the city wall can't bear it, the city gate may be opened in the next quarter of an hour, and a large number of troops will rush out. Our artillerymen will not be able to attack the city wall calmly. Although our cavalry will also go up to meet them, there will be no good attack opportunities.
So before the other side reacts, especially when these people are still watching on the city wall with surprised expressions on their faces, we can bombard them with all our might. By the time they come back to our senses, half of the city wall will be basically destroyed. This is a time difference for us, and a good fight can determine the outcome of the entire war.
Although the city wall has not collapsed, from a distance it looks like it is covered with a lot of plasters and looks shaky. People outside feel unsafe. In fact, the city wall is really unsafe. People on it can even feel the shaking. If the bombardment continues like this, the city wall will definitely not be able to hold on.
Of course, the people on top are still relatively safe. At this moment, the artillery attacks are mainly on the sides of the city wall, and there is no direct attack on the people on top, because in this case, as long as the city wall is blown down, no matter how many people are on it, they will eventually be buried by these things.
But if the city wall is thick enough and we have to fight a long war, then the shells will have to hit it and kill their manpower. Now, according to General Sima's order, the most important thing is to blow a gap in the city wall, so the main attack points are concentrated on the right side of the city gate.
The people on the city wall also discovered this scene soon, but whether they discovered it or not, they were helpless about the action in front of them because they didn't know how to fight back. They should have opened the city gate now and let our cavalry rush out. They couldn't let their artillery attack so calmly.
But many people were already frightened, including their city lord. If the city gates were opened now, would anyone be willing to rush out? Many people already had a conclusion in mind: if we rush out, there might be no chance of returning. So if you really open the city gates, some people might disobey.
The city was already on the decline. If a few more people disobeyed orders, the remaining soldiers would probably abandon the city and flee. This was one of the strongest cities in the Byzantine Empire. Only two hours had passed. If someone abandoned the city and fled, it would be a very serious matter. I am afraid that the entire Byzantine Empire would be like this city and would not be able to hold on.
The city lord and the Byzantine soldiers finally understood how the Arab Empire was defeated. They had previously believed that the Arab Empire was so powerful that no army could possibly defeat them. Now they finally understood that compared to the Tang army before them, the Arab Empire's defeat was not unjust.
"Lord City Lord, we can't go on like this! Let's send our catapults into battle. If we don't send them into battle, our city wall won't last more than two cups of tea. And look at the right side of the wall. There are the most bullet holes there. If I'm not mistaken, the Tang army wants to open a gap here. If the city wall collapses, our chances of holding on are very low."
A general ran over from the right. He had already sensed the weakening of the right wall. Although the left wall was also attacked, the total number of shells dropped was less than twenty. The right wall was different. At least ten times more shells fell. If he didn't make a decision quickly, the right wall would definitely be finished.
"Trebucket."
The city lord nodded, then raised the sword in his hand. A large number of soldiers behind him pulled up the catapults. They placed the catapults under the city wall, close to one side of the wall, in order to prevent the artillery from hitting them. This was also the only weapon that could fight back.
According to what the Arab soldiers said, if you place catapults on the city wall, it will be easy for the Tang army to discover their position. Once the Tang army discovers their position, the experienced artillery will know how to attack these catapults. At that time, no matter what method you use, these catapults will be destroyed in the first time, and then the only weapon you can use to fight back will be gone.
Therefore, accepting the advice of the Arab Empire, the city lord placed all these catapults on the inside of the city wall. Although the accuracy of the attack was much lower and it all relied on the observers on the city wall, this way these catapults could be preserved. The Tang army could only calculate their approximate position. Moreover, it was not easy for artillery shells to fall from the inside of the city wall. A large number of artillery shells either flew far away or hit the city wall directly, giving them more time to attack.
Just as the fourth round of artillery fire ended, several large stones flew out from inside the city wall, causing a commotion among the Tang army. However, the large stones fell four hundred meters away from them, and it was obvious that the force was not enough. When we chose the location earlier, we had already taken the power of these catapults into consideration.
If you place them all on the city wall, we will have to retreat 200 meters. After all, you can hit us. But if you place them all on the inside of the city wall, then we have nothing to worry about. Even if you increase the force to the maximum, you will still have to rely on luck to hit us.
"Speed up the bombardment."
General Sima gave the order again. Although the gun barrel was overheated, we had to attack with all our might now. If we stopped, the other side would definitely find a way to repair the city wall. Once we gave the other side this opportunity, we would have to restart our attack tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Who knows what variables will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? When we can take them down, we must do it in one go. Delay will lead to changes. Everyone understands this.
