Military Preparedness Manual, Volume 30 (Lower)

Record of Strategies

Tang Dynasty, Part 32

Preparedness ○ for ○ defense ○ equipment. ○ The ○ rebels ○ constructed ○ Cloud ○ Ladders Cloud Ladder (yunti): a massive, wheeled siege ladder often featuring a protected platform for troops, ○ their ○ appearance ○ like ○ great ○ arched ○ rainbows original: "牛虹" (niuhong) — a metaphor for the towering, curved shape of the siege engines, ○ and placed ○ two ○ hundred ○ elite ○ soldiers ○ upon ○ them. ○
They ○ pushed ○ them ○ forward, ○ approaching ○ the ○ city ○ walls ○ intending ○ to ○ have the men ○ leap ○ inside. ○ [Zhang] Xun Zhang Xun (709–757 AD), a Tang general famous for his miraculous defense of Suiyang had beforehand ○ secretly ○ bored ○ three ○ holes ○ in the city walls. ○ Waiting ○ until ○ the ladders ○ were about ○ to arrive, ○
from ○ one ○ hole ○ he thrust ○ out ○ a great ○ beam, ○ with an ○ iron ○ hook ○ at its ○ end, ○ to snag ○ it ○ so that ○ it could ○ not ○ retreat. ○ From another ○ hole ○
he thrust ○ out ○ a great ○ beam ○ to prop ○ it ○ up ○ like a pillar, ○ so that ○ it could ○ not ○ advance. ○ From the third ○ hole ○ he thrust ○ out ○ a beam ○ with an ○ iron ○ cage ○ at its ○ end, ○
filled ○ with fire ○ to incinerate ○ it. ○ The rebels ○ then ○ used ○ Hook ○ Carts ○ to snag ○ the wooden ○ palisades ○ atop ○ the wall. ○
Xun ○ used ○ large ○ beams ○ fitted ○ with ○ interlocking ○ chains ○ and large ○ rings ○ to pull ○ out ○ their ○ hooks ○ and ○ snap ○ them. ○ The rebels ○ then ○ built ○ "Wood ○ Donkeys" Wood Donkey (mulu): a mobile, armored shed used to protect soldiers as they approached the base of a wall to mine or breach it ○ to attack ○ the city. ○
Xun ○ melted ○ "golden ○ liquid" original: "金汁" (jin zhi) — a euphemism for molten metal (iron or lead), or sometimes boiling excrement, used as a weapon ○ and poured ○ it ○ over them. ○ The rebels ○ then ○ used ○ earth ○ sacks ○ and piled ○ firewood ○ to create ○ a ramped ○ path ○ to ○ scale ○ the wall. ○
Xun ○ secretly ○ threw ○ pine ○ torches ○ and dried ○ mugwort ○ onto ○ it. ○ After allowing it to ○ accumulate ○ for over ○ ten ○ days, ○ he sent ○ men ○ to use ○ the favorable ○ wind ○ to carry ○ fire ○
and burn ○ it. ○ All ○ of ○ Xun’s ○ actions ○ were ○ immediate ○ responses ○ to the ○ situation; ○ the rebels ○ were so awed ○ by his ○ ingenuity ○ that they ○ dared ○ not ○ attack ○ again. ○