Stones as large as round tables whistled through the night sky and crashed one after another against the city wall of Xiping Pass, making a dull thud.
The soldiers at Xiping Pass had faced Wei Shao's powerful cannons before and knew how to deal with such attacks, so they took cover under the city walls in advance.
In a spot where the stones couldn't reach them, Su Wan and Meng Ruliu climbed onto the roof of a house and watched as the distant city wall trembled slightly, making thumping sounds.
Meng Ruliu comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, my sworn sister. The Southern Chu army's attack is no match for the walls of Xiping Pass. Their trebuchets may look intimidating, but they are no match for the divine cannons."
Su Wan said, "Don't they always send out scouts to investigate? Don't they know what's happening in the east?"
From a sensory perspective, the attack of the trebuchet was indeed not as powerful as that of the divine cannon, and it didn't seem to pose much of a threat to the Xiping Pass city wall.
“What good will knowing do?” Meng Ruliu said. “If they want to storm the city walls, they’ll either use a human barrage or these catapults, or cannons like Wei Shao’s. They just suffered a crushing defeat, so they’re resorting to these things because they have no other choice.”
“But I think Ah Jin seems very nervous,” Su Wan said. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he’s making everyone dig trenches behind the city wall.”
Meng Ruliu was also puzzled and asked, "Why would he dig a trench? The weather is so cold, the ground is frozen solid, it would be difficult to dig down, wouldn't it?"
Su Wan said, "Should we go take a look ahead?"
Meng Ruliu said, "Let's go."
The two came down from the roof and came to the vicinity of the city wall. They saw hundreds of soldiers digging the ground with shovels and picks, and had dug a trench almost two people deep, parallel to the city wall.
Wei Jingzhuo stood by the ditch and said, "Everyone, put down your tools and listen carefully with your stethoscopes. Can you hear the digging sounds from the other side?"
The soldiers put down their tools, took a tin tube that looked like a megaphone, stuck the larger side to the side of the city wall, and put their ears to it to listen.
Su Wan approached Wei Jingzhuo and asked, "A-Jin, what are you doing?"
Wei Jingzhuo frowned and looked at the city wall, saying, "The Southern Chu army's use of trebuchets to launch stones may just be a feint."
Meng Ruliu asked, "Why do you say that?"
Wei Jingzhuo said, "The west city wall is thicker and higher than the east city wall. Thirty Shenji cannons fired iron balls from dusk till nightfall before they could even create cracks in the wall. What makes the Southern Chu army think they can destroy the west city wall with just a dozen or so trebuchets?"
Su Wan thought Wei Jingzhuo's words made sense, and hesitated before saying, "Perhaps they just want to hurt our soldiers?"
“No,” Wei Jingzhuo said, “they are using the sound of trebuchets as cover. They are likely digging tunnels to sneak into the city.”
Meng Ruliu then realized what was happening and said, "Chu Yi can actually use such a tactic?"
Wei Jingzhuo said, "His ability to defeat your father was no fluke."
Su Wan became nervous upon hearing this and instinctively clung tightly to Wei Jingzhuo's arm.
If the Southern Chu army were to infiltrate the city through tunnels, the walls of Xiping Pass would be rendered useless. The city's garrison of only three thousand men was utterly incapable of resisting the Southern Chu army's attack.
Wei Jingzhuo seemed to sense her nervousness and placed his hand on the back of her hand, saying, "Awan, don't panic. This plan can only deal with those who are caught off guard. I have already had the soldiers dig a trench along the edge of the city wall. If the enemy digs over, there will inevitably be an opening. We can hold the opening with a small number of soldiers."
Su Wan nodded: "I understand."
At that moment, several soldiers nearby put down their receivers and came over to report: "My lord, we did indeed hear digging sounds."
There were about three or four digging sounds coming from under the city wall, scattered in different locations.
Wei Jingzhuo said, "Alright, record the locations where the enemy is digging. Leave at least fifty men to guard each location. The rest of you, wait for the trebuchets to stop, and then go up to the city walls to defend."
Meng Ruliu volunteered and said to Wei Jingzhuo, "Your Highness, I will personally lead a team to guard this ditch."
Wei Jingzhuo nodded and said, "The enemy is eager to infiltrate the city, so they must be planning to advance as quickly as possible. Even if they dig a tunnel, the tunnel will definitely be very narrow, and they can only come one person at a time. As long as we guard the entrance, even if the enemy has thousands of troops, they will not be able to break through."
Meng Ruliu agreed and led a team of soldiers to jump into the ditch and patrol back and forth.
Wei Jingzhuo supported Su Wan's shoulder and walked a few steps into the city. He looked at her and asked, "Does your ear hurt?"
"It hurts." Su Wan nodded.
She stood in front of the trench for a while, her little face turning red from the cold. That wasn't all; her ears were also sore and itchy.
Wei Jingzhuo rubbed his hands together to warm them and then covered her ears: "Awan, the Southern Chu army may be attacking all night. It's so cold, you should go back to your room and rest."
“I’m not going back,” Su Wan looked up at Wei Jingzhuo earnestly. “I am your wife. As long as you stay here, I will stand here for as long as you stay here.”
Wei Jingzhuo smiled slightly and gently pinched her cheek.
Su Wan turned her face to the side and pressed it against his palm: "Ah Jin, there's something I want to tell you. The Southern Chu army seems to have great reverence for the Goddess..."
At the trench, Meng Ruliu climbed up and hurriedly ran to the two men, saying, "Your Highness, the soldiers said the digging has stopped, and there are only footsteps coming and going."
Wei Jingzhuo gestured for Su Wan to wait, then turned to Meng Ruliu and asked, "Are all the tunnels being abandoned?"
“Yes,” Meng Ruliu said, “They listened carefully. They did indeed stop digging, it seems the location is…”
She turned to the soldiers in the trench and asked, "Where exactly is the location?"
“Right below the city wall,” a soldier shouted.
Wei Jingzhuo said, "Perhaps they are changing the soldiers digging? The ground is frozen very solid, and they need to use torches to heat it while digging, which is very strenuous. They probably need to rotate..."
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