Chapter 108: Battlefield Stalemate

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, on the second day, the Qin army marched out again and challenged the Zhao army. This time, they brought with them 10,000 archers and crossbowmen, including 3,000 crossbowmen and 7,000 archers.

  But this time Zhao Jun did not come out to fight, instead he closed the camp gate and filled the walls with guards, taking a defensive stance.

  Seeing Zhao Jun strictly defending and not coming out, Wang Jian also did not order the attack on the camp, but instead withdrew his troops back to the camp. Of course, he also declared to the Qin army's generals that the Zhao army was afraid of the Qin army and dared not fight, this move was indeed effective, for a while the Qin army who had been suppressed finally managed to take a breath, now forcing the Zhao army not to dare to fight, the frustrated morale also improved a lot.

  In Zhao's camp, his soldiers didn't think that not going to war meant they were afraid of the Qin army. The results of the previous battles had mostly been in their favor, so from the perspective of the Zhao soldiers, it wasn't that they were afraid of the Qin army, but rather that they just didn't want to fight with them. This also didn't have much impact on the morale of the Zhao army, and both sides basically got what they wanted.

  The Qin army then challenged the Zhao army for two consecutive days, but the Zhao army refused to engage in battle. On the third day, the Qin army launched an attack on the Zhao army's main camp. This time, the Qin army first pushed out nearly 400 bed crossbows and lined up at a distance of about 300 meters from the Zhao army's main camp, firing crossbow arrows at the Zhao army's main camp.

  The state of Qin has always been superior to other states in terms of crossbows, especially large-scale bed crossbows. Whether it's the number or the quality of manufacturing, they are far above other states. This time when troops were sent out, the Qin army brought a total of 600 bed crossbows, while Li Mu currently only had more than 350 bed crossbows under his command. In this battle at the Jingxing large camp, there were only 240 bed crossbows, which put them at an absolute disadvantage compared to the Qin army.

  The large bed crossbow has a huge body and is extremely heavy. Although the bed crossbow is also equipped with wheels, it is very inconvenient to move, requiring four horses to pull at the same time. Additionally, two more horses are needed to carry some small accessories and crossbow arrows. Moreover, when one frame of the bed crossbow is launched, more than ten soldiers need to work together to fully draw the string. Therefore, a large bed crossbow requires six horses and twenty soldiers, and it is generally only used during city defense or siege warfare.

  Wang Jian divided the 400 bed crossbows into three batches, firing them in rotation. In one go, nearly 400 bolts were shot out, wave after wave, producing a terrifying whistling sound as they flew towards the Zhao army's main camp.

  A crossbow is about four feet (about 1.3 meters) long and about two inches thick, with a bronze head about half a foot long, which can shoot over 300 meters, and a bed crossbow can fire three crossbows at once, with great force, within the range of shooting, no helmet or chariot can withstand the powerful force of the crossbow, even ordinary wooden fences or rammed earth walls may be penetrated by the crossbow.

  Although the distance of three hundred meters was almost the limit of the crossbow's range, and Zhao's large camp had also built a solid earthwork wall, nearly half of the crossbows flew over the wall and fell into Zhao's large camp. For a time, the front area of Zhao's large camp was filled with crossbows. Li Mu also had to give an order that no other soldiers were allowed to approach within forty steps of the wall without his own command.

  However, Zhao Jun did not passively endure the beating. After all, there were also 240 bed crossbows in Zhao's camp, which were now fully operational and counterattacking. Although the number of bed crossbows on the Zhao army side was less than that of the Qin army, the terrain of the Zhao army camp was higher, and the range of the bed crossbows was farther, and the Zhao army had a stockade wall to cover them, while the Qin army had no shelter at all.

  Both sides went back and forth, attacking each other with crossbows, fighting for nearly half a day. A total of tens of thousands of crossbow arrows were shot out before the Qin army retreated back to their camp. On the walls of the Zhao army's camp, near the ground, countless crossbow arrows were densely inserted, like a forest of thorns. Of course, the area around the Qin army's position was also filled with crossbow arrows, just like thorny bushes all over the ground. However, casualties on both sides were not great, with only 53 soldiers killed in action and another 41 wounded on the Zhao side.

  The Qin army suffered more casualties than the Zhao army, but only lost 76 men, with another 69 wounded. However, all the wounded soldiers were severely injured, as any part of the body hit by a crossbow bolt would be penetrated, and if it hit bone, it would shatter it. Therefore, the wounded soldiers were those who had not been hit in vital parts.

  In the following days, the Qin army did not launch another crossbow battle, but instead launched a formal attack on the Zhao army's large camp. Such battles yielded little gain and only wasted crossbows. After the two sides stopped fighting, the crossbows that fell into the opponent's camp naturally belonged to the opponent. In this regard, the Zhao army had an advantage, as the Qin army had more crossbows than the Zhao army, so more crossbows fell into the Zhao army's camp. Although the state of Qin was powerful, it could not withstand such losses.

  Moreover, after Zhao's army had been closed for several days, the Qin army should have launched one or two decent attacks to let the soldiers move around and continue to put pressure on the Zhao army, making them exhausted. Of course, Wang Jian controlled the rhythm of the attack very well, often just touching and then stopping, although the Qin army's momentum was great, but as soon as they encountered the Zhao army's counterattack, they immediately retreated, so the Qin army's casualties were not large, also fully demonstrating Wang Jian's excellent command ability.

  However, the goal of the Qin army was not hidden from Li Mu, so he did not take the attack too seriously. He divided the Zhao army into several batches to defend and rest in turn, so that the Zhao army would not be exhausted by the Qin army. At the same time, Li Mu also dispatched one or two elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the Qin army, making them unprepared, and also made the Qin army not too proud.

  Time passed day by day in the back-and-forth battles between the two sides. Although there were no more large-scale battles, small skirmishes occurred almost every day, with both sides having their own victories and defeats, and suffering casualties. However, during this period, Gao Yuan did not go to battle but instead stayed in the military camp, training soldiers and replenishing personnel losses from the previous two wars. This also meant that the Qin army's goal of learning Zhao's tactics through combat was not achieved.

  Of course, during this period, the Qin army did not waste time and seized the opportunity to build camps and defensive fortifications. After all, the Qin army was far away from home and had no support or backing, unlike the Zhao army which had already built its camp here. Therefore, as soon as they arrived at Jinyang, building a camp was the top priority for the Qin army. The frequent battles fought by the Qin army in recent days had an important goal, which was to tie down the Zhao army and win enough time to build their own camp. And indeed, the Qin army did seize this favorable opportunity.

  Unbeknownst to them, twenty days had already passed, and the defensive fortifications of the Qin army camp were also basically completed. The main camp of the Qin army was located in the west-north direction of Jingxing, divided into three large camps, arranged in a "?" shape. Wang Jian's main camp was slightly behind, the left camp commander was Li Xin, and its location was closest to the Zhao army's Jingxing large camp. The Qin army's attack on Jingxing mostly started from Li Xin's large camp. The right camp commander was Xin Sheng, located in the northwest of Jijing, which not only could restrain the flank of the Zhao army but also guard against the troops coming from Quyang direction.

  Generally speaking, the three large camps of the Qin army each occupied strategic locations, defended from advantageous positions, and supported each other like the horns of a bull. Whether attacking or defending, they were invincible. Therefore, after Li Mu observed the deployment of the Qin army at the top of Mount Jingyang, he also praised Wang Jian's military strategy without reservation, indeed a rare and famous general.

  At this time, both sides had already gone three days without any fighting. The Qin army did not come to challenge, and the Zhao army did not launch a counterattack. This was the longest period of ceasefire since the Qin army marched out from Jinyang.

  In fact, both sides in the previous stage of fighting were not aimed at defeating each other, but rather mutually preparing and laying out their strategies, probing each other's weaknesses, and making preparations for future battles. Both sides are well aware that this battle has only just begun, and it will be a protracted one, impossible to end within one or two months. There is still a long way to go. At this point, neither side would reveal all their trump cards.

  After the previous phase of fighting, both sides have basically achieved their goals, so the first phase of this war has also come to an end. Both sides have entered a period of adjustment and preparation for the next phase of fighting, resulting in a temporary stalemate on the battlefield.

  Li Mu finished inspecting the Qin army's camp and then brought Zhao Xuan back to the Zhao army's camp. It was also a rare leisure time for Duan, so Li Mu and Zhao Xuan came together to the highland camp.

  Gao Yuan's unit was under Li Mu's central army, and his camp was very close to Li Mu's large camp. However, Li Mu had always adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Gao Yuan, so he rarely visited Gao Yuan's camp. Even during routine inspections, he would only take a cursory glance. Now that there was nothing else going on, Li Mu decided to visit Gao Yuan's camp for a closer look.

  In addition, Li Mu had also heard that Gao Yuan had set up a wounded soldier camp in the military camp, which had an extremely good healing effect on the wounded soldiers. The soldiers who were injured in the last battle had mostly recovered and returned to their posts after rest, and the recovery rate of the wounded was extremely high, reaching over 80%. In this era, this is almost a miraculous number, because generally speaking, if the recovery rate reaches around 40%, it is already a very good result. Now, the number of wounded soldiers in Gao Yuan's camp has decreased significantly, and they have also started to accept wounded soldiers from other camps for treatment. Therefore, Li Mu really wanted to see how Gao Yuan's wounded soldier camp was managed.

  In the previous stage of the battle, Zhao's army did not suffer heavy casualties, so there were not many wounded soldiers. However, as the subsequent battles expanded, more and more soldiers would be injured. If the healing rate of the wounded soldiers could be improved, it would certainly be a good thing for the Zhao army.

  Li Mu and Zhao Xuan arrived at the camp on the plateau together. The guarding soldiers saw them and immediately paid their respects, saying: "Greetings, General."

  Li Mu waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, where is your General?"

  The guard said: "Report to General Ta, General Gao is in the wounded soldiers' camp."

  Li Mu nodded and smiled: "Okay, I'm going to the wounded soldier's camp to take a look, bring me along."

  The guard said: "Yes, General, please follow me."