ing his words, he signaled the hunched old man to snatch Yelu Qiming's corpse. However, Sanzhao was quick-witted and swift in action, blocking with all his might and ultimately retrieving Yelu Qiming'...Chapter 1249: War

Ladders were thrust into piles of corpses, and Liao soldiers surged forward, climbing them relentlessly. However, the vast majority couldn't climb far before being crushed by falling stones.

The stones specifically reserved for defending the city weighed dozens of jin each. If they were dropped from the city wall, anyone hit on the head would be crushed instantly, helmet and all.

And when they go down the ladder, it often isn't just one person who falls, but several people beneath them get hit too.

Those who were lucky enough to lie on top of the dead bodies, using them as a buffer, managed to survive. However, those who weren't so fortunate were crushed by the bodies of their comrades.

If those warriors, who were both lucky and skilled, managed to dodge the first volley of stones, they would be immediately doused with boiling hot oil from atop the walls.

On the city walls, every ten or so meters there would be a bonfire with a huge black iron pot placed on it. The pots were filled with boiling oil that was heated until it smoked. Then soldiers would use buckets to scoop out the hot oil and pour it down all at once.

Oil at this temperature, if it were to splash on you, even just a drop, would cause a huge blister. The piercing pain wouldn't be something an ordinary person could endure.

After the hot oil comes the torch.

Each torch hurled onto the soldier drenched in hot oil would instantly transform him into a screaming, burning figure.

Instinctively, they would struggle frantically and run towards their nearest comrades, but the moment they were touched, they would also be engulfed in flames. Therefore, facing such soldiers, Liao army soldiers would without hesitation give them a quick end, sending them to their final rest.

The scaling ladders were constantly being burned, pushed away, and then rebuilt.

Every time an escalator was set up, countless Liao army soldiers would go mad, biting their weapons with all their might, using their hands and feet to try everything they could, praying to heaven and earth that they could survive safely, only to be repeatedly knocked down by the Qin army.

Casting one's gaze over the battlefield, which stretched for miles, one could see Liao army soldiers being knocked down from ladders like dumplings every moment.

What falls can either kill or severely injure. If injured, it will be a severe injury.

In the face of backward medical technology and a massive number of casualties, in this cruel war of cold weapons, being seriously wounded is no different from death.

Even worse.

After all, death is just a moment, but being mortally wounded means enduring excruciating pain that slowly tortures you to death.

Throughout history, sieges have been the most brutal form of warfare. The attacking force must always outnumber the defenders severalfold to even stand a chance of success. This is a fact recognized by every military commander who has studied the art of war.

A siege is when the attacking side uses human lives to overwhelm the defending side's resources.

Either the attacking force would be crippled by heavy casualties, or the defenders would run out of supplies and be overrun, slaughtered upon their walls.

Facing the death of comrades, attackers would accumulate a great deal of resentment and fear. This emotion must be vented, which is why in most history's arduous sieges, the victor party mostly conducted massacres after victory.

Even if it means being condemned by the world, it's better than suppressing the soldiers and risking a mutiny.

The attacking side was under immense psychological pressure, and the defending side wasn't faring much better.t as well.Looking at Wu Qingcang as he took the jade pendant, Li Chen said: “Your identity cannot be made public for now, so everything must be done in secret. This jade pendant, like my presence, is...