686. Giving Qingzhou a Surprise

“On what grounds are you so certain?”

Miao Youfang was unconvinced. Resting on his sabre, chewing on a cornbread, he said,

“I just like to launch sneak attacks at night, because people need to sleep at night, that’s when they’re least alert.”

Xu Xinnian patted the wooden barrel filled with kerosene at his feet and smiled,

“Our oil isn’t just for burning the enemy to death. At night, it can also be used for illumination. If we launch it with catapults, as soon as it bursts into flames, the soldiers up on the walls can see exactly what’s going on below.

“But the enemy can’t clearly see the arrows being shot from the ramparts. No matter how many men they send, it’s just sending them to their deaths.

“Your trick only works as a pre-emptive sneak attack before the real fighting begins.”

But presently both sides were prepared for full confrontation, an attack and defence.

Miao Youfang felt this scholar’s words made sense. After thinking it through, his eyes suddenly lit up,

“Then what if they send in experts?”

Xu Erlang looked at him silently. “Why do you think I ordered the experts in our ranks to patrol at night? What else could I be preparing for?”

Miao Youfang finally accepted the explanation and gave a thumbs up.

“No wonder you’re Silver Gong Xu’s younger brother, shows you take after your elder brother.”

The corner of Xu Erlang’s mouth twitched subtly. He inwardly thought, you’re just as vulgar as my brother.

He knew Miao Youfang was a follower of his brother. Last time his brother returned to the capital, the two had met on several occasions. On the eve of his deployment to Songshan County, Miao Youfang suddenly turned up, insisting on following him to war.

Xu Erlang had asked if his brother had sent him.

Miao Youfang shook his head, saying it was a man’s duty to protect his family and country.

A fifth rank Transforming Force martial artist willingly offering his service, with no issues regarding his background, was of course warmly welcomed by the military, so Miao Youfang had accompanied him to Songshan County.

“But there really aren’t many experts among the garrison, just a single fourth rank,” Miao Youfang shook his head.

“Fourth rank experts generally hold high positions, so their numbers are inevitably scarce,” Xu Erlang replied.

“Scarce? When I was following Silver Gong Xu fighting all over the country, I wouldn’t even look twice at fourth rank small fry,” Miao Youfang boasted.

So you’re aware it’s because you were with my brother… Xu Erlang braced himself on the parapet and slowly said,

“To me, the noble officials of the court are hardly rare, Jinluan Hall is filled with them. But Brother Miao, how many men in scarlet robes have you actually seen?”

His brother was now operating on a different level. The opponents he faced were inevitably the top leadership of various forces. The higher-ups in major factions, naturally, were among the most outstanding figures in Jiuzhou.

So fourth rank was hardly impressive.

But in somewhere like Qingzhou, in a tiny county as insignificant as Songshan, a fourth rank was considered someone of great stature.

Within the Songshan County garrison, there was only a single fourth rank officer, which put him on an equal footing with Xu Erlang himself.

That officer was responsible for guarding the northern gate.

Xu Erlang was not about to get bogged down in this topic, so he took a breath of the chilly night air and said,

“I remember my brother once said your goal was to become a hero famed throughout the world. But in wartime, it’s hard for your chivalrous deeds to be spread around, because the people you save today may well die tomorrow.

“The common folk and refugees, they’re either rescued by the Great Feng army or the rebels, shuttled back and forth like cargo. They aren’t going to deliberately remember some hero who once gave them a hand.

“If you want to be a great hero, you should go to a peaceful region. Perform a single act of robbing the rich to aid the poor, and soon tales of you will be all over the jianghu.”

Faced with Xu Xinnian’s question, Miao Youfang scratched his head and thought for a while, then said,

“Of course I’m going to become a great hero.

“But I am in my prime years, so whether it happens a few years sooner or later is no big deal. The Great Feng, on the other hand, is showing its age, if we can’t keep it alive, there really will be a change of dynasty.

“To be honest, as far as I’m concerned, who sits on the throne is none of my business.

“But for the ordinary people, it’s a disaster. If Qingzhou can’t be held, the flames of war will sweep up north, all the way to the capital, burning tens of thousands of li into scorched earth along the way.

“So I was thinking, what if we could pin the rebels down in Qingzhou, and stop the chaos there?”

Xu Xinnian was a little surprised, and smiled,

“Brother Miao, you’ve truly made me see you in a new light. There are very few heroes in the jianghu who are as patriotic and compassionate for the people as you.”

Miao Youfang shrugged.

“Not really. Actually, I don’t have any particular fondness for the Great Feng court. It’s just that when I parted ways with Silver Gong Xu, he once said something to me.

“The reason he trained me and guided my cultivation is that, back in the day, someone gave him an opportunity. All they hoped for was that, in the future, he could become someone useful to the court, useful to the people.

“Silver Gong Xu lived up to that person’s expectations.

“So, I don’t want to let him down either.”

My brother really knew how to pick good men… Xu Erlang nodded silently, just as he was about to speak, he saw Miao Youfang’s expression change as he shouted,

“The enemy’s pushing cannons here!”

Xu Xinnian’s heart skipped a beat as he focused his gaze on the darkness. He could see nothing at all, but he knew Miao Youfang was a fifth rank martial artist, with eyesight far sharper than ordinary men, so he had no doubts and shouted loudly,

“Beat the drums!

“Ready the cannons, ready the ballistae.”

The soldiers resting against the parapet and those sleeping on the wall promenade in light armour all jolted awake. They sprang into action in an orderly fashion, loading cannonballs and bolts for the ballistae.

Miao Youfang pushed aside a cannoneer, personally adjusted the angle, and lit the fuse.

Boom!

A ball of fire expanded, lighting up the distance, allowing the soldiers on the walls to see the enemy pushing their cannons up under cover of darkness.

Before the burst of flame had faded, the ballistae and cannons on the wall opened fire one after another, raining devastation down on the enemy.

The defenders’ advantage became immediately apparent. Their cannons, firing from high ground, had a longer range than the enemy’s artillery.

If the enemy wanted to bombard the walls, they had to weather the defenders’ deadly fire first.

Miao Youfang handed the cannon back to the gunner, turned to Xu Xinnian and growled indignantly,

“Didn’t you say the enemy wouldn’t launch a night assault?!”

“Eh? What was that?” Xu Erlang picked his ear and shouted back,

“The cannon fire’s too loud, I can’t hear you.”

Miao Youfang spat a foul word, thinking: a scholar’s thick skin is no weaker than a martial artist’s Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.

By now, the enemy artillery and ballistae, after losing three cannons and two cart-mounted ballistae, had finally advanced into range. A barrage of cannon fire immediately erupted, rumbling incessantly.

Balls of fire continuously exploded on the walls and battlements.

Amid this were the sharp twangs of the ballistae.

The destructive power of a ballista was far below that of a cannon, whether against the walls or against the soldiers atop them, it was much less deadly than gunpowder explosions.

But there was one thing that kept the cart-ballistae and platform-ballistae in use alongside cannons, ensuring they would not be phased out: the killing power of their bolts in single combat.

A cannon blast might not kill a martial artist with Bronze Skin and Iron Bones, but the armour-piercing force of a crossbow bolt could seriously wound or kill experts in the army.

When martial artists entered the battlefield, their danger sense would dull, as the constant threat everywhere desensitised them. This made it easy for them to overlook the deadly threat of a ballista bolt, unable to dodge in advance.

With a bit of luck, a single shot might kill or seriously injure an enemy martial artist, a truly rewarding outcome.

During the artillery duel, over a thousand conscripted infantry in rattan armour advanced with battering rams, ladders, and shields, beginning their assault.

These troops were refugees gathered by the Yunzhou rebels, used specifically to soak up the defenders’ firepower.

Two guards, shields raised, stayed close to Xu Xinnian, while he himself ran tirelessly along the ramparts, commanding the defence.

“Sir, you should fall back for now. If you’re caught in the artillery fire, it’ll be a great loss,” his guards pleaded.

“Compared to my own safety, the morale of the troops is far more important,” Xu Xinnian replied, one hand on his sword as he ran to and fro, directing soldiers to fill gaps, ordering militiamen to clear corpses and treat the wounded.

These were not tasks that only he could do, and yet nobody else could take his place.

As the highest commander in Songshan County, so long as he stood on the wall fighting alongside the troops, their resolve would never falter.

The battle raged until the latter half of the night. After leaving a field of corpses behind, the enemy finally broke and retreated.

…

Southern Marches.

By the waterside, Luo Yuheng, draped in her feathered robe, sat on a smooth stone by the bank, with Xu Qi’an’s robe under her as a cushion.

From beneath the hem of her feathered robe, her small, exquisite, alabaster feet extended, soaking in the cold pool water.

The blush on her cheeks had not faded, and her beautiful eyes were half-closed. It was unclear whether she was enjoying the coolness of the pool, or savouring the lingering pleasure after the surge of passion.

Xu Qi’an stood in the pool, reaching out to fish up a pristine embroidered lotus-patterned dudou, playing with it in his hands.

Luo Yuheng’s gaze was even clearer than the pool water, and as she glanced at him, a trace of embarrassment flashed across her face, difficult to discern.

Xu Qi’an caressed the smooth dudou with his fingertips, savouring the delicate softness of the chest he had just touched, and grinned, saying,

“National Teacher, might you get pregnant?”

Luo Yuheng’s gaze turned cold, but a blush bloomed on her face. With a kick of her jade-like foot, “splash”, the spray of water struck the little Silver Gong’s face like the sharpest sword energy in the world.

Xu Qi’an’s face stung, burning hotly.

Luo Yuheng snorted, “Between us, it is only a transaction. I borrow you to quell the karmic fire, and you may borrow my strength. As for children, don’t even think about it.”

Having said that, when she saw him staring at her abdomen, her shame and anger deepened.

You talk tough, but you cooperated even more enthusiastically this time than last… Xu Qi’an thought to himself.

Whether a woman likes you, or how much she loves you, you could feel it during dual cultivation. Despite her sharp tongue, Luo Yuheng’s body had fully accepted him.

If she truly had no feelings for him, she could not have moved her hips for him.

You and Mu Nanzhi really are good friends, you never admit it with your mouths, but your bodies are honest… Xu Qi’an brazenly said,

“I’m only worried I might get killed one day, so at least I’ll have an heir left behind.

“Speaking of serious matters, I discovered a huge secret on this trip to the Southern Marches.”

With that, he told Luo Yuheng, in detail, about the conversation the Heaven Gu Grandma had with him regarding the Gu God and Baidi.

After listening, Luo Yuheng’s elegant brows lightly furrowed, and she pondered for a long time:

“If you clarify three things, you can learn the secrets each question hides.

“One, the reason for the fall of the ancient gods and demons; two, the crux of the Heaven, Earth, and Human Sects’ cultivation paths; three, why the Gu God believed the Confucian Sage is the gatekeeper.”

These three matters correspond respectively to “the end of a great era,” “the whereabouts of the Daoist Venerable,” and “who the gatekeeper is.”

Seizing the moment, Luo Yuheng raised her hand, snatched back her dudou, and placed it beside her, then gathered her feathered robe around herself. After all, it was the only item of clothing she was wearing.

To prevent Xu Qi’an from snatching it again, she spoke quickly,

“The era of gods and demons is too distant, with no clues to follow, but if you are able to converse with Baidi and the Gu God, you will know the truth. I do not recommend you try. As people in the present, we do not have the qualification to speak as equals with them.

“As for the Daoist questions, when I advance to first rank, I will make a trip to the Heaven Sect. Wait for my message then. As for the gatekeeper, you can ask Zhao Shou or the Jianzheng.

“These two, one a successor of the Confucian system, the other able to peer into Heaven’s secrets.”

“As expected of National Teacher, brilliant as ice and snow.” Xu Qi’an gave her a thumbs-up.

Luo Yuheng’s expression was cool, but there was a trace of a smile in her eyes.

For a woman of high status and strong character, such flattery worked best. Of course, it had to come from Xu Qi’an.

Because he was Luo Yuheng’s “nominal” dual cultivation partner, no other man, however flattering, could affect her.

“A pity, anyone who knows Heaven’s secrets is bound by them. Even if the Jianzheng knew, he could not tell me.”

Xu Qi’an shook his head regretfully, “Forget it, there’s no rush for this matter. The war in Qingzhou is the real emergency. You just returned from Qingzhou, how does the situation look there?”

Luo Yuheng replied,

“I did not particularly pay attention.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Your cousin seems to have been sent to guard Songshan County, which is one of the vital strongholds in Yang Gong’s second defensive line.”

Her meaning is that the situation in Qingzhou was temporarily stable, but Xu Erlang is in danger… And you call that not paying attention? National Teacher, you really are prideful, clearly you’ve been watching over my family… Xu Qi’an complained in his heart, a shadow coming to his face.

“The Nine-Tailed Fox will soon return to the mainland, and the Yao of the Southern Marches are also gathering. I must make sure the Southern Yao’s rebellion succeeds, so as to pin down the Western Buddhist Sect. As for the Qingzhou war, I fear I might not be able to intervene.”

Victory or defeat in Qingzhou would tip the scales of the entire war, but the war in the Southern Marches was even more important. If the Southern Yao could not reclaim the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they could not restrict the Buddhist sect.

And if the Buddhists got free to support Yunzhou, it would not just affect the outcome, rather it would be gg for the Great Feng.

“You can have the shaman clans send troops to reinforce Qingzhou.” Luo Yuheng said.

“Yes, let’s give Qingzhou a surprise.” Xu Qi’an nodded.

Though the beyond-mortals of the shaman clans could not leave, the people of the seven tribes could take part. The Heart Gu, Poison Gu, and Corpse Gu were the spoilt children of the battlefield. The Dark Gu was an elite assassin.

That should greatly ease the pressure on Qingzhou.

686. Giving Qingzhou a Surprise

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