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Military Preparedness Manual, Volume 39

Page 39

Operations The use of the trebuchet is not the same as that of the cannon; once the cannon was adopted, the trebuchet was discarded. This marginalia reflects a later Ming dynasty perspective, noting how gunpowder artillery eventually replaced the mechanical "pao" described in the text. The brilliance lay in the feigned surrender, which left the enemy in utter shock.

Even in areas where the bandits had not yet reached, the patrols and guards never slackened their vigilance. Consequently, the rebels found no way to break in. Li Guangbi recruited anyone within the army who possessed even a minor specialized skill, ensuring that every individual's talents were put to use. He obtained three skilled miners original: "coin workers" (qiangong), likely a transcription error for "drillers" (zuangong), who were specialists in excavation. who were experts at digging tunnels.

The rebels constructed siege ladders, battering rams, and earthen mounds to assault the city, but Guangbi countered by digging tunnels to meet them. As soon as the enemy's siege engines neared the walls, the ground beneath them collapsed. He also constructed large trebuchets traction trebuchet (pao) that launched massive stones; a single discharge would kill more than twenty men. After losing twenty to thirty percent of their force, the rebels were compelled to retreat and reset their camp several dozen paces further back.

Guangbi then sent messengers to falsely propose a surrender, while secretly digging tunnels that extended directly beneath the rebel camp. When the appointed day arrived, he sent several thousand junior officers and soldiers out of the gates as if they were processing to surrender. While the rebel masses watched the spectacle with rapt attention, the ground beneath their own camp suddenly gave way, and over a thousand men were killed in the collapse. In the ensuing panic and chaos, the government troops charged out to the sound of thundering drums, taking tens of thousands of captives and heads.

At this time, it happened that An Lushan The initial leader of the rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. died. His son, An Qingxu, ordered Shi Siming to return and defend Fanyang, leaving Cai Xide and others to maintain the siege of Taiyuan. Guangbi once again led his forces out...