Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 949: Chapter 673: Battle of the Capital City

Chongshan Town has already started taking action, while the siege battle in the Capital City also commenced.

On April 25, the Da Liang army surrounded the city for twenty days, manufacturing a large number of siege equipment.

Early that morning, the sound of drums echoed continuously from the Da Liang army camp.

Subsequently, numerous soldiers emerged from the camp pushing siege equipment such as ladders, trench bridges, nest cars, catapults, crossbows, and more.

The army formed ranks, surrounding three sides while leaving one open, initiating attacks from the west, north, and south of the Capital City.

The horns blared in unison, and the drumbeats reverberated.

Tens of thousands of soldiers surged towards the city walls like ants.

The catapults were launched, stone blocks the size of basins wrapped in grass ropes, with fire oil poured over them, fell into the city ablaze and with a whistling sound.

Meanwhile, many crossbow arrows mixed in, producing piercing sounds as they cut through the air.

Just as the battle horn sounded, the Da Liang army outside the city demonstrated extremely professional siege techniques.

The counterattack within the city was equally impressive, with a large number of crossbows firing, dense volleys of arrows obscuring the sky, making one’s scalp tingle.

Although Da Rong Court has been corrupt for many years, although the imperial guard has been exterminated, although the Emperor’s personal army inside the city can no longer be considered elite, the Capital City is still the Capital City.

Here lie Da Rong’s best fortifications, with over two thousand crossbows, and they are all large crossbows.

Besides crossbows, the city walls also hold a large quantity of logs and rolling stones, as well as much gold juice and scalding oil.

Smoke rises from the city walls, with odors choking the atmosphere.

A large number of soldiers are already in strict defensive positions.

The moat of the Capital City is very wide, indeed over a dozen yards wide, and its depth exceeds two yards.

Merely relying on trench bridges cannot span the moat; it must be filled in before the trench bridges can be placed to ensure the soldiers can quickly and safely cross the moat.

At the start of the siege, the main task of the Da Liang army was to fill in the moat.

On the first day of the siege, the Da Liang army did not reach the edges of the city walls, yet both sides launched fierce attacks, with catapults and crossbows firing at each other, causing considerable loss even without direct contact.

Especially the Da Liang army, suffering over two thousand casualties in just one day.

Then the attack and defense entered an extremely brutal phase.

The Da Liang army incessantly transported mud and bricks to fill in the moat, as catapults and crossbows continued exchanging fire.

Casualties were significant outside the city for the Da Liang army, while inside the city, though the Emperor’s personal army soldiers suffered less, the civilians near the city walls were unfortunate victims.

Numerous residential houses caught fire from the stones launched over, injuring or burning many civilians.

One day, two days, three days…

In the blink of an eye, five days passed, the moats on the west, north, and south sides of the Capital City were nearly filled in, and this most brutal siege battle entered its final stage.

On the morning of the first day of May, the sky was overcast, thick clouds hanging oppressively like lead.

Emperor Tianwu stood at the Central Army banner, holding a telescope, gazing towards the opposite tower.

On the tower, Li Feihe similarly gazed at the Central Army banner of Emperor Tianwu.

The real hand-to-hand combat was about to begin, and both sides were filled with tension.

“Grandfather!” Li Feihe looked at the Li Chao behind him.

Li Chao looked towards Chen Wansong and Wang He not far away; at this moment, eight Innate Martial Artists gathered here, including Chen Wansong, Wang He, Li Chao, and three monks from Dacheng Temple, as well as two Innate Martial Artists from Blood Blade, White Sword, and Hei Dao.

A thin camel is bigger than a horse, no matter how fragmented the Da Rong Court has become, the number of Innate Martial Artists owned by the royal family is still considerable.

The three monks from Dacheng Temple, Miao Xin, Miao Fa, Miao Zhen, are not ordinary Innate Martial Artists; Dacheng Temple has always been a royal monastery, where the monks receive royal patronage.

Compared to Sanshan Valley, Dacheng Temple is closer connected to the royal family.

Because Sanshan Valley is the court’s patronage, Dacheng Temple receives royal patronage.

Though Miao Xin, Miao Fa, Miao Zhen, the three monks do not reveal much, nor possess great fame, and many Innate Martial Artists hardly know of them, their strength cannot be underestimated.

Among them, Miao Xin became an Innate Martial Artist the earliest, now over 140 years old, followed by Miao Fa who is also over 120 years old, and Miao Zhen is the youngest, but also over 100 years old.

As for White Sword and Hei Dao, they are Innate Martial Artists of Blood Blade, although they became Innate Martial Artists just over ten years ago, they are cultivated by Emperor Yanping, loyal to the royal family.

Precisely speaking, Blood Blade is the royal death squad; Blood Blade has 48 members, all possessing impressive skills, and all are determined to die for the Emperor.

Apart from the eight Innate Martial Artists present, there are four Innate Martial Artists guarding Emperor Jianxing within the Imperial City.

Four old eunuchs.

The foundation of the royal family is not Chen Wansong, it is Blood Blade and those old eunuchs.

For the royal family, nurturing eunuchs and death squads is far more cost-effective than nurturing nobles and officials.

Nobles and officials might betray the court, eunuchs and Blood Blade would not.

The great battle is about to begin, and at this moment, eight Innate Martial Artists are gathered on the tower, awaiting the impending decisive battle.

The three monks are sitting cross-legged within the tower, eyes slightly closed, reciting scripture, seemingly conducting rites for the fallen soldiers and civilians.

White Sword and Hei Dao habitually stand in the shadows, their presence so weak it’s as if they do not exist.

Li Chao stands outside the tower, gazing at the surging Da Liang army approaching outside the city.