Zhang Shixun immediately counted the number of casualties, and the result surprised him.
Thirty-two people were killed and twenty-seven were wounded.
A total of fifty-nine people.
Most of them were caused by arrows.
There were only 500 people in Zhang Xiaozhuang who could fight, and one-tenth of them were lost in this battle.
Although the Jin army suffered several times more losses than ours, they had more people.
What's more, most of the casualties were suffered by Guo Yaoshi's resentful army, while the Jin army hid behind and only a hundred or so people were killed or injured by the thunder bombs thrown by the catapults.
This loss is just a minor one.
Zhang Shixun called Chen San and Yue Fan together and explained the next steps to take.
"When the Jin army begins to attack, don't all stand on the city walls. Just leave a few observation posts. When the Jin army sets up their ladders on the wall and starts using blowtorches, then organize a counterattack to minimize our casualties."
Chen San said disapprovingly: "Military Lord, we can afford this little loss."
He believed that his side had gained a great advantage in this battle.
"Can you afford it?" Zhang Shixun's expression turned serious. "Chen San, they are all our brothers. If we can save them, we should save them. As a commander, you should use your brain and try to achieve the greatest victory at the lowest cost."
"Yes!" Chen San nodded quickly.
Zhang Shixun saw Yue Fan frowning, as if he was thinking about something, so he asked, "Yue Fan, what are you thinking about?"
Yue Fan said, "I'm worried about something."
"What's up?"
"This time, the Jin soldiers are only attacking the east and west gates. If they attack from all sides, our limited manpower won't be enough."
Zhang Shixun nodded. "I've considered this as well. Let me be honest with you two. I'm not prepared to fight the Jin army to the death. If the situation becomes unfavorable, I'll abandon the village and hide in the tunnel."
"We obey the military commander in everything."
Zhang Shixun looked up at the sky and said, "Although the snow has stopped for now, the sky is still dark. It might snow again soon."
Yue Fan and the other man also looked up at the sky.
"While the Jin soldiers are retreating, let the brothers take this time to rest... I'll go to the tunnel to see if they have resettled the people."
As soon as Zhang Shixun finished speaking, he heard bursts of explosions coming from the direction of Gao Laozhuang.
He quickly contacted Wang Dong, "Old Wang, what's the situation over there?"
"Damn it! That old man Jiemu is a lunatic. He attacked us from all sides right away. He had forty or fifty ladders alone. I definitely can't hold this place. I was just planning to throw the existing earth bombs and then dig a tunnel."
"Yeah, I don't think I can hold on for much longer here. You go down first, and I'll play with them for a while."
After ending the call, Zhang Shixun said to Yue Fan and the others, "Gao Laozhuang can no longer be defended. Manor Master Wang is preparing to dig a tunnel."
Yue Fan was surprised and asked, "It was lost so quickly?"
"Well, the one attacking over there is Jiemu. He will immediately adopt a siege from all sides... The two of you should be prepared. If the Jin army here also adopts a siege from all sides, throw all the thunder bombs in your hands and then retreat to the tunnel."
They both agreed in unison: "Yes!"
Taking advantage of a brief break, Zhang Shixun entered the tunnel to check on the resettlement of the people.
Although the tunnel was long and large enough, it still seemed a bit crowded with so many people coming in at once.
Li Shishi, who was in charge of resettling the common people, was sweating profusely from her busy work. Seeing Zhang Shixun come in, she asked, "Sir, what brings you here? What's the situation up there?"
"The Jin soldiers' first attack has been repelled. It won't be long before they launch a second attack."
"Can...can you hold it?"
"I don't think we can hold it. Over at Gao Village, Manor Master Wang is already preparing to dig a tunnel... Oh! Tell me about the people we saved. Are they feeling stable?"
"The men were okay, but the women we exchanged for were... Alas! The Jin soldiers were all beasts. They raped all the women we exchanged for. Many of them were covered in wounds, including more than a dozen imperial concubines and wives."
Zhang Shixun learned about their experiences from historical records.
"You and Saisai have worked so hard, try to persuade them more."
Li Shishi smiled bitterly, "We really don't know how to persuade someone in this situation."
As the two were talking, Liang Hongyu appeared from nowhere and said to Zhang Shixun, "Shixun, I want to discuss something with you."
"What's up?"
"I want to organize a team, do you agree?"
Zhang Shixun hurriedly asked, "Jinzi, please be clear. What kind of team do you want to organize?"
"A women's team."
Zhang Shixun was stunned for a moment, then he understood her intention.
"You're planning to recruit members from among the returning women, aren't you?"
Liang Hongyu nodded. "They've been raped by the Jin soldiers and no longer want to live in this world. If we want them to survive, there's only one way—revenge!"
"Okay! I promise."
Seeing that Zhang Shixun agreed so readily, Liang Hongyu was very happy and turned around to leave.
"Sister-in-law, come back." Zhang Shixun called her.
Liang Hongyu thought he regretted it and asked hurriedly, "Why, do you want to regret it?"
"No, I want to ask you, what are you going to name this team?"
"I haven't thought about this yet."
"In that case, let's call them the Women's Army."
Liang Hongyu's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands, saying, "That's a good name. I'll follow your advice and call it the Women's Army."
After she left, Zhang Shixun, accompanied by Li Shishi, inspected the situation in the tunnel and then hurried back up.
Just as they worried, the Jin army's attack this time was no longer limited to the two village gates, but launched multiple attacks.
In addition, the Jin soldiers also got involved.
Zhang Shixun climbed up to the top of the wall and saw a dark mass of Jin troops below the city. They ignored casualties and even the bombardment of grenades and rushed towards the ice city wall desperately.
Without hesitation, he ordered Yue Fan, "Fire all the thunder bombs and destroy the catapults."
Yue Fan took the order and left.
Zhang Shixun then said to Chen San, "When the Jin soldiers reach the city, have the soldiers throw all the grenades in their hands, and then retreat into the tunnel in an orderly manner."
"yes!"
Several thumb-thick arrows flew past his head with a whistling sound, startling Zhang Shixun.
Hei Wuchang said beside him: "Master, this is a jackdaw arrow, shot from the Eight Oxen Crossbow."
"Eight Bull Crossbows?"
The Eight Oxen Crossbow is actually another super bow and arrow in the Song Dynasty, also known as One Gun, Three Swords and Arrows.
This thing is very abnormal. It can shoot at a maximum range of 700 to 1,000 steps, which is about 1,000 meters. It surpasses all kinds of bows and crossbows in all dynasties. After all, the range of many modern firearms cannot reach this distance.
Although the Eight Ox Crossbow is extremely powerful, it requires several people to pull the reel and draw the bow.
There are seven arrow lanes on its crossbow arm, and a giant arrow is placed on the middle arrow lane, which is "three feet and five inches long" and "five inches thick".
In the Battle of Chanyuan, the Liao army's main general Xiao Talina was killed by this arrow. He was 500 steps away at the time. This shows the tremendous power of the Eight Ox Crossbow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
