Chapter 72: Sneaking into the Enemy City; Sickly Younger Brother Flees with Brother, Loyal General Fiercely Pursues…
The southern expeditionary forces had the city completely surrounded.
Guangling Prefecture was a tough nut to crack!
Xie Meng ordered the troops to launch a forced assault on the city for the fourth time. Day and night, the fierce battle raged on. Everywhere above and below the city walls, black and red intersected in a scene that was both magnificent and tragic.
Xie Meng stood atop a wangche (observation tower) over a hundred feet high. The tower was taller than the city walls, allowing the commander to see the entire situation during the siege.
Xie Meng drew his blade and shouted: âKeep killing! Kill! That man named Jia is acting like a cowardly turtle. Killââ
His voice was hoarse as over a hundred soldiers pushed a chongche (battering ram) toward the city.
The wheels ground against the earth with a heavy sound. The ram struck the city gate, and the city walls shook, dust falling as a deafening roar erupted! Dong-weng!
Countless soldiers atop the wall were shaken off, only to be crushed into bloody mud by the battlefield.
Taking the opportunity, rows of siege ladders were propped against the city walls. The soldiers climbed with all their might.
The defending troops on the wall tried to push the ladders over. The southern expeditionary army was prepared; the soldiers who were the first to scale the wall scattered lime, blinding the defending soldiers.
More and more soldiers climbed the walls along the ladders, and one by one, the war flags bearing the name “Jia” fell from the city battlements.
The southern expeditionary army below the city shouted insults: âTell Jia Ruzhen to come out!â
âTell that Jia guy to get out here!â
âJia, get the hell out!â
Their powerful voices joined together into a single roar.
Xie Mengâs tiger-like eyes focused on the battle.
Even though he was already furious, Xie Meng still tried to maintain a shred of reason. As the battle reached a stalemate, he caught the scent of victory: Something was wrong with that Jia guy.
His clansman had searched along the river, and he wasn’t outside the city;
Even with Guangling under siege, he had yet to appear.
Xie Meng remembered that this man had been heavily struck by Xie Qianli.
That 108-pound Youlong-e (Dragon-Roaming Spear)âeven if he wasn’t pierced by the spearhead, and even if Jia Ruzhen had practiced hard internal arts, it was impossible for him to be unscathed.
If he truly suffered internal injuriesâŚ
Xie Meng shouted: âCurse him! Keep cursing him! Curse this cowardly turtle son of a bitch back into his mother’s womb!â
When Xie Meng fought, he was always full of passion, shouting and cursing and fighting; every part of him was invested in the battlefield. Therefore, the soldiers were easily inspired by him, leading to another wave of fierce assault.
At the main city tower, another “Jia” flag was cut down by a southern expeditionary soldier.
The war flag crashed down onto several rebel mooks.
The soldier who seized the flag was overjoyed, intending to plant the Imperial Dragon Flag atop the wall. If he succeeded, both the rebels inside Guangling and the soldiers outside would believe the city’s capture was imminent, and morale would surely soar!
The Dragon Flag was raised!
The soldier holding the flag cheered, waving to those below: âGreat Qin will be victorious! The Jingzhou Navy will be victoriousââ
Just as this soldier was celebrating, a crescent-shaped sword arc swept past behind him. The sword light was snowy bright, and the bladeâs edge was incredibly fast.
The soldierâs head was severed by the Yuchang (Fish Gut) Sword, and his body crashed down the tower, pinning the Imperial Dragon Flag beneath it.
Behind the headless corpse appeared a thin, hunched man. Jia Ruzhen was dressed in the official robes of the rebel army, his lips pale and his voice calm.
âLight it. Release the fire-oil quilts.â
A ghostly figure appeared atop the wall as Jia Ruzhen ascended with a normal expression.
If anyone were standing beside Jia Ruzhen, they might even think his complexion looked much better than before.
Atop the observation tower, Xie Meng was suddenly stunned: Could it be that this brat isn’t injured?
Xie Mengâs expression showed a hint of stiffnessâthis was simply impossible!!!
However, such was the reality.
Jia Ruzhen stood at the wall and beckoned. Immediately, a hundred soldiers surged from below the wall. Each rebel held a quilt soaked in oil in one hand and a torch in the other.
The torches lit the quilts.
The hemp oil fueled the flames!
In an instant, over a hundred massive fireballs appeared atop the walls of Guangling.
The light illuminated the sky as if dawn had arrived early.
The fire-oil quilts were dropped!
It was like a dense rain of fire falling from the heavens.
This substance ignited immediately upon contact with the body, and because of the oil, the flames were not easily extinguished.
The soldiers who had been climbing the ladders just moments ago were turned into orange-red flaming men!
The soldiers at the top of the ladders were in such pain they wanted to jump. Below them were other soldiers; the fire spread from person to person. As people struggled, the ladders naturally became unstable.
The rebels worked in groups of three to five, pushing hard at the tops of the ladders. One by one, the siege ladders were overturned.
As they fell, they traced orange-red arcs against the city wall.
When they hit the ground, they became clumps of writhing fireballs until the people were burned into charred black bones.
Screams of agony erupted from the Jingzhou army below the city!
If the city walls were high and the moats deep, and the citizens within had supplies, a forced assault on a city was inherently disadvantageous. As the saying goes: “Attacking the city is the lowest strategy.”
However, the Imperial Court wanted to suppress the rebellion quickly. Guangling was the western gateway to Yangzhou. If Guangling was opened, the rebels would be threatened from both sides; otherwise, if the eastern front continued to push deep, they might be surrounded and annihilated.
Xie Meng only felt a great fire burning in his heart, not a bit smaller than the fire before his eyes.
But beneath the observation tower was already a sea of flamesâŚ
An adjutant climbed the tower and shouted: âGeneral, withdraw the troops!â
Seeing victory within reach only for the situation to suddenly reverseâwho could accept that?
Thus, Xie Meng drew his blade, intending to descend from the tower and take the city himself, his eyes nearly splitting with rage: âKill with me! Follow me and charge into Guangling!â
The adjutant used all his strength to restrain Xie Mengâs waist, shouting his advice: âGeneral, the rebels are powerful! You hold the position of the Western Front Commander. Please, for everything, take care of yourself. Our army still has Bixia overseeing the battle in the ranks. General, you must strive for stabilityâŚâ
At this moment, Xie Meng thought of the Emperor.
Xie Meng shouted: âBixia has shown great kindness to my Xie family. Such favor and recognitionâI would die ten thousand deaths to repay it!â
The adjutant could only shout back: âThe Western Front war is still long! If you lead your brothers to die beneath this city, wouldn’t that delay Bixiaâs great cause of reclaiming lost territory even further!?â
Atop the observation tower, Xie Mengâs massive frame seemed frozen for a moment.
Reason gradually returned. Xie Meng reined in his blood-boiling courage, forced to admit that the forced assault on Guangling Prefecture was once again hopeless.
Xie Meng said deeply: âWithdraw the troops.â
Suddenly, the hurried sound of gongs echoed across the battlefield.
The rear of the siege army became the front as the soldiers pushed away the siege equipment, occasionally looking back at the city walls with hatred.
Many brothers who had been laughing and playing in the encampment just a moment ago were now charred, stinking corpses left at the foot of the city wall.
On the battlefield, human life was always as cheap as grass.
As the southern expeditionary soldiers hurriedly retreated, Jia Ruzhen raised a hand from the wall: âRelease the arrows.â
Ten thousand arrows were fired from Guangling, falling like rain upon the ground below.
The soldiers who were hit fell near and far outside the city. At a visible distance from their camp, their vision blurred, and then their eyes closed, falling into an eternal sleep.
Dawn gradually broke outside the city.
âŚ
By noon, the city tower was bathed in sunlight.
The southern expeditionary army would not launch another attack for the time being.
The dilapidated main city gate of Guangling creaked open slightly, and a team of men swarmed out from the city.
The burial detail had to rush to clear the corpses outside the city before the next round of attacks began.
Otherwise, given the current temperature, the bodies would soon rot.
Once rotting corpses triggered a plague, the sealed city would face a disaster and collapse without a fight.
Jia Ruzhen was an experienced veteran of the jianghu and understood this principle well, so he gave his soldiers a death order.
âHurry and move them!â
âThe Prefect has ordered us to clean the battlefield within half an hour!â
âCorpses are not to be thrown into the river, nor are they to be buried. No survivors are to be left; everything must be cremated together. Pile them far away and burn them!â
And so, the piles of soldiers’ corpses gradually formed, looking like small mountains.
Many soldiers had already burned to charred black, yet they were still tossed into the corpse mountain to be turned into ashes.
There were even soldiers who, after struggling through a night and half a day, could still move their limbs, yet they were treated as corpses to be burned alive. Their faces were covered in filth, and their eyes were filled with despair.
At this moment, Ying Xiâs eyes happened to meet such a pair of eyes.
He was young, and he wanted to liveâŚ
He had traveled far from home to this place because of an Imperial Decree, and now he was about to die here.
He is my soldierâŚ
Ying Xi struggled with all his might to move his body!
However, it was futile. Ying Xi was also completely unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as that soldier was thrown onto the corpse pile to await cremation.
A rebel soldier tossed a torch toward the top of the pile.
The corpse mountain caught fire!
Tragic screams could actually be heard from within the burning pile:
âHelp!â
âI don’t want to dieâŚâ
âFather, Mother, your son will fulfill his filial duties to you in the next life!â
âJia Ruzhen, you bastard!â
âYou named Jia, even if I become a vengeful ghost, I won’t let you goâŚâ
âIt hurts, it’s burning, ahââ
The fire seemed to scorch Ying Xi as well; rage occupied the young Emperor.
Visiting the south to oversee the battle had allowed him to see the cruelest side of the world. War was more terrifying than banditry, and the enemy’s treatment of prisoners was even more cruel than that of outlaws.
If he could still move, if he could make any contribution to this battle, he would slaughter Jia Ruzhen!
But just as Ying Xi thought this, his xue point on his back was struck again by Prince Yong, making his body even stiffer than before.
As long as he showed even a hint of struggleâeven if it wasn’t an attempt to run awayâit would make Prince Yong treat him like a formidable enemy.
Ying Dang let out a low grunt.
Beside the fire, a rebel soldier was moved: âWhy not take those who can still move as prisoners? Why kill them all?â
The squad leader replied: âThe Prefect doesn’t allow it.â
That soldier opened his mouth but his brow furrowed into a knot; in the end, he didn’t dare to ask why it wasn’t allowed.
The tragic screams from the corpse pile gradually subsided. All were dead.
The squad leader suddenly shouted toward Ying Dang: âHey, everyone learn from that kid! Bring back our wounded. You guys look around some more; take back anyone who can still move!â
The squad leader pointed at Prince Yong for the rest of the burial detail.
Just now, Prince Yong had killed two rebels, swapped clothes for himself and the Emperor, and blended into the squad, letting the paralyzed Ying Xi play the role of a wounded rebel soldier.
The rebel soldiers searched at the foot of the wall and found two or three more wounded men, reporting back to the squad leader.
The squad leader ordered: âReturn to the city!â
The team moved.
Men supported the wounded as they lined up to return to Guangling Prefecture, stepping through mud and blood along the way.
One of Ying Xiâs arms was draped over Prince Yongâs shoulder. Supported by Ying Dang, they gradually moved away from the stinking, charred corpse pile.
At this moment, Ying Xi was holding on purely by sheer willpower; he could no longer keep his eyes open.
They were close, closeâŚ
Guangling Prefecture was just ahead.
Ten years ago, he and his younger brother had left their hometown through this main gate by carriage.
Ten years later, although he had reached the pinnacle of power, he never expected he would return to this place in such a pathetic state. Alone in the lion’s den, arriving at the very heart of the enemy army.
Ying Xi slowly exhaled a long breath of stagnant air.
The team passed through the sliver where the city gate had opened.
At the base of the arched gate, even the gaps between the bricks were loose, and craftsmen were carrying buckets and pouring mortar into the cracks.
The craftsmen were working meticulously.
Ying Xi stared with wooden eyes; he had a good memory and actually felt that these craftsmen looked somewhat familiar.
âXie Meng conquered Yuzhang Prefecture but only replaced the local officials and moved the original soldiers; he didn’t touch the common people at all.â
âPrefect Jia killed countless subordinates of Xie Meng. If Guangling is conquered, will the Imperial army massacre the cityâŚâ
âGuangling is, after all, a dragon’s birthplace. If it returns to the Court, will the sovereign be mindful of his fellow townsmen?â
âShh! Do you want to die!â
The voices of those two craftsmen were extremely low, their words softly reaching Ying Xiâs ears.
Guangling was currently ruled by Li Yilong, so those words just now were equivalent to treason.
The battlefield clearing unit below slowly walked past.
The two craftsmen leaned against the brick wall, pretending nothing was wrong.
Fortunately, the squad leader at the back didn’t hear them.
But the squad leader, seeing that Ying Xi wasn’t even moving his feet, thought he was a lost cause. He shouted from afar: âKid, I see that one you’re carrying is wounded too heavily. Might as well give him a quick end! Don’t bring him into the city to waste food!â
Ying Xiâs heart tightened.
Prince Yong was wearing a rebel helmet, the brim covering his upward-tilting phoenix eyes. Ying Dang said sinisterly: âI will naturally make him feel ‘quick’ day and night; there’s no need for you to worry.â
âYouââ The squad leader felt his authority being undermined, and his eyebrows immediately shot up.
This soldierâs tone had a touch of something demonic!
The squad leader barked: âStop! I think there’s something wrong with you!â
The squad leader strode forward, reaching out a large hand to grab Ying Xiâs shoulder.
Unexpectedly, he touched Prince Yongâs reverse scale right away.
An intense killing intent brewed in Ying Dangâs phoenix eyes!
He had already snuck into the city; why would he care about these petty soldiers?
Thus, as the squad leader approached, Prince Yongâs short blade left its sheath, the pigeon-blood ruby on the hilt dazzling to the eye. The blade was incredibly fastâa blur of shadows passed, and two of the squad leaderâs fingers instantly hit the ground. The severed knuckles were still twitching.
The squad leader cursed: âItâs a spy! Capture him!â
The rebels immediately turned their spears toward the two.
But since it wasn’t a time of mass mobilization, the soldiers were resting in shifts. Therefore, beneath the city gate, there were only these few dozen mooks.
Prince Yong contemptuously wounded six or seven of them with his blade, breaking a gap in the encirclement. He lifted Ying Xi by the waist and leaped onto the rooftops, stepping on the shoulders of the city’s commoners.
Ying Dang leaped across the high and low rooftops of Guangling; in a short moment, his figure had vanished!
The commoners of the city had been suffering from the war lately. Seeing this scene, they looked up numbly and then lowered their eyes just as numbly.
Clutching his hand with the missing fingers, the squad leader roared: âA spy has snuck into the city! Report to the Prefect immediately! Go, go quicklyâŚâ
Translatorâs Note: Phew! The tension is rising. See you in the next chapter for more of Prince Yong’s antics!
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