After repeatedly depleting the manpower on the city wall, they used ladders to climb the wall and engage in hand-to-hand combat!
Simple and straightforward.
In the absence of large siege engines such as catapults, siege towers, battering rams, and siege engines, this was the most effective means for the Xiongnu.
There was no way they could create such a machine; they lacked the advanced technology and skilled craftsmen.
Moreover, it's not convenient for nomadic peoples to carry these things.
They excel at field battles and skirmishes!
Attacking the city was a last resort!
The commander of the 10,000 cavalry in charge of this siege was King Wenyudi.
He received Qiangqu's order and summoned his ten commanders of a thousand cavalry for a discussion.
It was definitely impossible to successfully scale the city walls during the first wave of attacks.
Its main purpose was to intimidate and inflict damage, putting immense psychological pressure on those defending the city.
At this moment, ten thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen were already lined up quietly two miles outside the West Gate, their warhorses snorting!
The cavalrymen could hear their own heartbeats and breathing.
The air became extremely oppressive!
This is the deathly silence before the great battle!
On the western city wall of Shanwu, a thousand swordsmen and shieldmen, a thousand spearmen, and three thousand archers were also on high alert.
This city of Shanwu is ten li from east to west, eight li from north to south, and twenty-five zhang high.
If this were placed in the Central Plains, it wouldn't even be as grand as a county town.
However, when the Qin and Han ancestors drove out the Xiongnu, conquered this place, and built this city as the seat of Dingxiang Prefecture, it took the sweat of countless people.
The city was repaired by people of all dynasties until a few decades ago, when the Han army withdrew and the city fell into disrepair.
Later, Juvro occupied the area.
However, instead of settling in the city, he set up tents around the city of Shanwu.
Those living in the city were mostly Han Chinese commoners and merchant families.
Since Liu Wei defeated Yufuluo and occupied this place, the city has remained unchanged.
It wasn't until the Xiongnu launched a full-scale attack that Liu Wei ordered Xue Rengui to impose martial law and temporary military control over the entire city.
Xue Rengui arranged the 13,000-strong Great Wall army, plus 6,000 Hu (non-Han) retainers, as follows:
The cavalry battalion of 4,000 Great Wall Legion soldiers temporarily maintained order in the city and guarded the prisoners.
A large force of 5,000 men was stationed at the west gate, with the entire archer battalion deployed.
The remaining three were each given 1,000, and the remaining 1,000 was kept as a reserve to rescue the wounded and so on.
The 3,000 Xiongnu who had emerged from the infighting among the 20,000 Xiongnu, along with the 3,000 Xianbei soldiers, were placed under the command of Liu Du.
As auxiliary personnel, they boiled "golden juice" throughout the city and transported supplies and equipment for the city's defense.
Half an hour later, King Wenyudi gave a final pep talk to the thousand cavalry commanders!
Woohoo!
As a long, resounding bugle call echoed across the Shanwu Basin, ten thousand cavalrymen stirred!
The Xiongnu's siege has begun!
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