In this way, the Western Xia army only needed to point their guns at those places without having to aim too closely, and they could easily cover the entire mountaintop, causing huge casualties to the Song army.
And because the terrain was narrow, the Xixia army's artillery fire could more easily hit the target, making it difficult for the Song army's artillery to get up.
"What if they run out of ammunition?"
Jia Kui asked again.
Zhang Kang said, "Zhao Siluo bought tens of thousands of shells from us. When will they be used up?"
"Is there really no other solution?"
Jia Kui frowned.
“Maybe we should move beyond that and stop being so stuck on that hill.”
Zhang Kang's eyes were still scanning the nearby mountains and terrain.
Jia Kui asked puzzledly, "What does the commander-in-chief mean?"
"That hill is indeed the best place for us to bombard Miaochuan City. We know it, and the Xixia people know it too, so they will definitely keep a close eye on it."
Zhang Kang put down the telescope and pointed to the small hills to the north. He said, "If we continue to fight around this mountain, we may succeed in the end, but our casualties will definitely be heavy."
"The commander-in-chief is saying that we can just ignore them? Attack from somewhere else?"
Jia Kui began to understand a little.
"Um."
Zhang Kang nodded. "Our best strategy for attacking Miaochuan City now is to lay siege to it and drain all its food. The Xixia people will then be helpless and ultimately face defeat."
"But this will take a long time. After I return to the northwest, I won't have achieved anything. It's very likely that Jingtai will have already taken Zhuolao City. How can I be willing to fall behind?"
"So in this situation, I have to find another way out and not get stuck on that hill."
"Only by getting beyond the idea that both sides are fighting for this hill can we find a solution."
Besieging the city is definitely the best way. The Xixia people have traveled a long distance and have no supplies outside, so they can only survive on the food in the city.
Although the Xixia people robbed the food and grass of Qingtang City and Miaochuan City, the trade in the city was already developed, and there must have been a lot of livestock such as cattle and sheep. The salt produced in Qingtang could be killed and made into pickled meat, which could be eaten for a long time.
But there are tens of thousands of people in the city, and no matter how much food there is, it won’t last long, at most a year.
However, Zhang Kang's character was relatively radical. In history, he took the initiative to attack the Western Xia many times and fought bloody battles with the Western Xia people on the grassland. He gained a lot every time, which was enough to show his aggressiveness.
Asking him to patiently besiege a city for more than a year is not his style.
"So where do you think is the best place to start?"
Jia Kui asked.
Zhang Kang narrowed his eyes, then looked up at the gloomy weather of late autumn and early winter. He suddenly smiled and said, "No rush. Let's wait a little longer. Wait for a dark and windy night. Before that, we need to act as if we are eager to place the artillery on that hill."
The only downside to the weather in the northwest is that it's often cloudless and clear. Even when it rains, the moonlight at night is so bright that anyone with good eyesight can see clearly for miles around.
But since we have entered the age of firearms, long-range weapons no longer need to be confined to commanding heights.
That hill was indeed the best place to bombard the city, but the open air was also possible. As long as they could set up their artillery a mile from the city during a dark and windy night and bombard it, they wouldn't have to worry about the army being unable to reach the city.
Zhang Kang immediately went back to make arrangements.
In the next few days, the Song army continued to show great interest in the small hillside. Several times, small groups of soldiers appeared on the hilltop, seemingly to observe the situation in the city and prepare to install artillery positions.
The Xixia army in the city was not polite either. They used the artillery captured from Zuo Silu to bombard the top of the mountain, scaring the reconnaissance Song soldiers into fleeing in panic. The Xixia people in the city laughed out loud, mocking that the Song army would also be frightened by artillery one day.
Just when the Xixia people thought that the Song army only wanted to occupy the hill and suppress the city with firepower, seven or eight days later, the Song army's opportunity finally came.
It was a dark and windy night, and heavy rain came as expected, rendering the artillery unusable.
While artillery is powerful, it also has its drawbacks. When it rains, water can flow down the muzzle and easily wet the gunpowder, preventing it from igniting. It can also dampen the barrel, causing it to misfire.
Secondly, heavy rain is not suitable for observation and aiming. Although you can calibrate the gun position and aim in the right direction during the day, what if the enemy is not in that position?
Finally, rainy days will also affect the flight stability and safety of artillery shells. Therefore, not only the Xixia people, but even the Song Dynasty would not carry out artillery fire on rainy days.
However, the Xixia people had also made some preparations. They found a way to build awnings for the artillery positions in each city in order to prevent the Song people from sneaking up the mountain during the heavy rain and setting up artillery positions on the mountain.
For this small hill only one mile away from the city, the location is extremely important. Once they lose it, the entire Miaochuan City will be in a passive position.
It has to be said that the Xixia general Yeli Wangrong in the city had already considered everything that could be considered and had done almost his best.
However, in this dark night, the Song army outside the north city quietly approached.
Under the cover of night and heavy rain, tractors struggled to transport the artillery toward the north of Miaochuan City.
The Song Dynasty's artillery also built waterproof equipment, using sheds made of sheepskin. Tens of thousands of Song soldiers were scattered outside the city, making a lot of noise.
The only good news was that due to the long distance and the strong wind and rain, even if there was thunder, people could not see more than a mile away. Therefore, the Western Xia defenders in Miaochuan City were completely unaware of what was happening here.
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