Chapter 197 Gold Content Yuan Shao's attack method that ignored losses was indeed effective. Because of the influence of Cao Cao's catapult, not only did the frequency and density of arrows fired by the Huguan defenders decrease a lot, but the originally dense blockade area also began to have loopholes, allowing more and more soldiers to successfully break through. But Zang Ba's reaction was also quick. Half of the catapults and crossbows immediately adjusted their angles, extending the blockade area farther and attacking towards the position with the maximum range. Although they lost their ability to accurately shoot, the trebuchets were very accurate, and the coordination of the operators under Zang Ba's talent was extremely tacit. In a short time, a large number of trebuchets were destroyed one after another. They were in a commanding position, and the catapults operated by Zang Bajun were all fixed and most of the operators were experienced. The gap between them was indeed too big. In just half an hour, dozens of catapults within range were destroyed. Now it was Cao Cao's turn to look unhappy. But thinking of Ju Su's reasoning yesterday and the promise he made, Cao Cao gritted his teeth and continued to order catapults to rush forward one after another to suppress and tie down the Huguan defenders.
In this way, although a lot of catapults were lost, the suppressive power of Zang Ba's army's city defense equipment was reduced by more than half. At this time, even though the space on the city wall was too small to accommodate many city defense equipment, the several long-range catapults that Zang Ba insisted on leaving behind began to play a role. Huge rocks were thrown over one after another, and some of them were far beyond the range of ordinary catapults, and they hit directly near the catapults that thought they were out of range. Under the continuous concentrated fire, most of Cao Cao's catapults were suppressed, and he regained the city. At this point, the two sides were completely deadlocked in long-range firepower. Cao Cao's continuous losses of catapults reduced the kill rate of Zang Ba's blockade zone composed of catapults and powerful crossbows from 60% to about 40%. "Benchu, we have an agreement that I will provide the technology and manpower, and you will pay for making the catapult." Cao Cao asked again, still worried. Yuan Shao said without even raising his eyelids: "Don't worry." He knew well that Cao Cao was poor. When they had agreed to this battle, Yuan Shao had promised to support him with some money and food. The reason is simple. Cao Cao cannot afford a long war, and the money and grain in the treasury could only last for three or four months. Yuan Shao estimated that this campaign would not be able to end for at least half a year, or even longer. Both sides will have to fight in terms of consumption and wealth. Even Cao Cao can hardly afford to fight such a battle. But even so, the battle must be fought, he has no way out. This strategic decisive battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops is not only a test of combat power and strategy, but also a test of logistical support. Several major battles at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Yiling both lasted for nearly a year, and the Battle of Hanzhong lasted for nearly two years in total. In large-scale battles, logistical support is often the most critical factor determining success or failure. The reason why Yuan Shao dared to fight this battle was mainly due to Tian Ze's efforts in the Jixia Academy and the Northeast Plain. The Jizhou noble families have now gone all out, and are supporting Yuan Shao with almost all their might. Originally, they only put in about 30% of their strength, but now they have put in almost 70% of their strength. In contrast, Yuan Shao also made many promises and completely embarked on Liu Xiu's path, choosing to share the world with the aristocratic families.
There is no other way. If we don’t do this, it will be the end. We must conquer the world first. Zang Ba was very smart and focused his main target on Yuan Shao’s army’s large siege equipment. With the bonus of talents, the defenders had extremely strong organizational and coordination capabilities, and coupled with accurate city defense equipment, the siege equipment of Yuan Shao's army was severely damaged. The siege towers and ladders could not get through at all, and only simple flying ladders could be barely used. The archers on the city wall fired arrows like rain, and whenever a flying ladder approached, there would be rolling stones and wooden beams to greet them. Without large-scale siege equipment, those sporadic and loose attacks could not pose an effective threat. After a day of fierce fighting, Yuan Shao's army tried their best but still failed to climb the wall of Huguan. They only killed and injured dozens of defenders with catapults and bows and arrows. The casualties of Yuan Shao's army reached four digits. Although Yuan Shao didn't know how many defenders he had killed or wounded, he knew it was definitely not many, and he no longer cared about his own casualties. As long as he could capture Huguan, he would not feel any pain even if all the 100,000 troops were buried here. Cao Cao, who witnessed the tragic battle with his own eyes, was shocked. Even after he withdrew his troops back to the city, he still couldn't calm down for a long time. The look he gave Yuan Shao was filled with admiration and pity. What kind of life is Yuan Shao living! If it were him, he would have collapsed long ago! After all, he didn't have that much manpower and money. It turns out that Yuan Shao is not too weak. This role model is absolutely valuable. Who else in the world can hold on for so long under Tian Ze? Yuan Shao felt Cao Cao's complicated gaze, and while he felt very aggrieved, he also breathed a sigh of relief. It's really not that I can't do it! If you don't fight it yourself, how can you know what kind of existence I am facing? At this time, Yuan Shao felt a bit like a modern principal after the end of a peninsula battle. Finally someone understands me! On the other hand, Lü Bu's army, which was just there to help, suffered few casualties, only a few hundred men. Similarly, the results of the battle were minimal. However, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had never counted on them. In the strategic plan discussed at the beginning, Lu Bu's army only needed to hold their positions and participate in the battles every day, without sacrificing themselves. As long as they are still there, they can serve as a deterrent and restraint to the defenders in the city. After three consecutive days of fierce attacks, they were still unable to set foot on the city wall and the results were almost zero. Yuan Shao and others were not panicked at all. This situation is perfectly normal. It is basically difficult to capture such a dangerous pass within a few months. Even after the Battle of Guandu, it took Cao Cao two or three months to capture Huguan, and that was when Gao Gan was isolated and helpless. The stage has been set, now it all depends on how Tian Ze will react. In Youzhou, after learning about the movements of Yuan Shao and others, Tian Ze was not at all panicked. On the one hand, he believed in Zang Ba's ability. On the other hand, Tian Ze also knew that this was just a test by Yuan Shao, and there must be a backup plan waiting for him. While Tian Ze was speeding up the preparation of troops to send troops to Bingzhou, he ordered Guan Yu and Xu Huang to strengthen their vigilance and be ready to support Zang Ba at any time.
The spies that Jia Xu had placed in Jizhou were constantly monitoring the movements of Yuan Shao's main forces. After years of development, the number of troops under Yuan Shao's command once approached 500,000. What was the point of an army of 100,000 troops marching out of Huguan? Soon, news came that Gao Lan was leading an army of 250,000 troops, with Xun Chen as his military advisor, to march north to Zhongshan State. After hearing the news, Guan Yu and Xu Huang became alert as if they were facing a formidable enemy. As proud as Guan Yu was, although he appeared to be dismissive of Yuan Shao's army, he was still very cautious when he really faced them. There is no need to say much about Gao Lan's strength. With an army of 250,000 men thanks to his talent, if a real fight breaks out, I'm afraid even if he now has an army of 100,000 men, it would be difficult for him to secure a win. Xu Huang on the side did not hesitate to leave behind 20,000 troops to defend the city and personally led 30,000 elite troops to provide support. (End of this chapter)