In china's 5,000-year history, there have been countless wars, not only large-scale expeditions, but also heroic confrontations with narrow paths. Whatever the beginning and the end of the war, the battle against the city will always be a crucial part of it. The occupation of a city is often the key to the success of war. It is almost impossible to eliminate the enemy completely if it cannot take the enemy's town。
The battle against the city can be described as the most challenging of all. Even the strong mongol army, while attacking the solid town of south song, has repeatedly hit its walls, and even during the battle against the fishing city, mongol khan lost his life during the attack. Many of the classic battles of history have often been fought in urban battles. Even the famous ones may not be able to win the battle。
Why is it so difficult to attack? Even the last choice? The sun tzu law has stated: “it is only necessary to attack the city.” this sentence means that the attack should be the last option and best avoided. Because the battle is not only time-consuming but also extremely risky. Smart generals always choose to attack the city only after other failures, and it is usually left to last。
Many people who are not familiar with history may underestimate the difficulty of attacking the city, and video shows a situation in which once the gates are broken, the city can easily change its masters and guard its forces against them. But the fact is that the ancient walls were extremely complex and robust, and not simply broken doors could easily be breached。
First, ancient urban pools, unlike modern cities, are relatively small, usually only a few square kilometres. If the number of guards in such a town reaches around a thousand, it can create an extremely strong defence capability, with no visible defensive angle。
Secondly, many cities in critical locations are designed as forts. The wide range of moats outside the city makes it more difficult to move the attacking forces. In some dry areas, there are also many obstacles on the outskirts of the walls, such as trenches, antlers, slash and traps. The mere arrival of the attacking forces under the walls requires considerable time and manpower。
Another feature of the ancient solid city pool is its complex structure. Many cities will be built with the presence of the “silver city”, a defensive facility connected internally and externally. Even if the attacking forces break through the town, the core of the town pool remains secure, and the attacking forces need to further attack the gates of the city. This process is extremely dangerous, as the inner city can be heavily counter-attacked in four directions, and it is highly likely that the enemy will be trapped once it enters the city。
In addition, the ancient walls are designed strictly, they are thick and thick, and the use of traditional methods of attack is difficult to destroy in a short time. Moreover, many border cities are not isolated, usually surrounded by forts that form a defence network. During the attack, if those forts are not cleared first, they can easily be attacked behind their backs and caught in the crossfire。
As history evolved, the city pool became more and more defensive. During the spring and autumn wars, the city became part of a defence facility that effectively protected the guards from long-range attacks. On the way to handy, the “on the horse” designs emerged, and the rectangular poles were constructed at every distance, allowing the guards to counter the enemy from side to side, forming a trap。
As defence facilities continue to improve, so does the difficulty of attacking the city. The ancient defence apparatus is diverse and includes plasters, wolf tooth pats, grabs, arrows and crossbows. In particular, the “bed crossbow” of the northern song period, which not only allows for the launching of large numbers of bows and arrows in a short period of time, but also has a very long range of range and can even pose a lethal threat to enemy forces and offensive equipment。
For example, in 1004 a. D., when the liao guangcheng army led the attack on zhouzhou, the north song guards succeeded in killing xiao zheng using eight calves, eventually forcing the liao guang to withdraw. As a result of this ultra-strike threat, the liaoku state has no longer carried out large-scale aggression, and the border with zhaozhou has been at peace for centuries。
However, with the invention of the gun, the crossbow was gradually replaced. Nevertheless, at the early stages of the artillery, the defensive side's advantage was more obvious, as the artillery was more powerful at the defensive end than at the offensive end, and the difficulty of attacking the city remained high。
The upgrading and upgrading of offensive equipment is lagging behind the continuous upgrading of defence facilities. During the time of the spring and autumn wars, offensive equipment such as ladders, stone-throwing vehicles, etc. Played an important role, but they were more technically demanding and prone to damage and difficult to operate than defensive facilities. In addition, attack equipment is usually very heavy, used in an inflexible manner, and can easily be aligned with the city approach。
Moreover, the transport and preparation of offensive equipment is extremely complex. Many of the attack equipment requires a large number of wood and craftsmen to produce, and its arrival and use will be constrained by the environment. If the guard were prepared in advance to destroy the surrounding trees, the attacking forces would face enormous obstacles。
However, the greatest cause of the attack was the issue of morale. In ancient wars, the morale of the guards tends to be higher than that of the attack. It is not only cities that are protected by the guards, but also homes and loved ones, and the soldiers who attack the city may not be clear as to the ultimate purpose of the war. Many of the historical failures have often been due to low morale and the inability to sustain pressure。
Thus, most experienced generals, when considering an attack, will ensure their own overwhelming advantage. The attack on the city is a high-risk task and, with a little carelessness, could bury all previous efforts. It is for that reason that the success of many wars often depends on patiently waiting for the right time, and that attack remains the last resort。
In conclusion, the attack was a game that required careful planning and deliberation. It is not just a confrontation of strength, but a battle of wisdom, patience and determination。
