Xu Erlang pointed at the map and said,
“Songshan County is one of the key strongholds in Administrator Yang’s second line of defence. If Songshan County could be held, the grain and other supplies from Qingzhou would be able to reach the south via the Song River route.
“The entire northwest, with Songshan County as the focal point, could serve as a secure rear for our army, supporting us as we become entangled with the Yunzhou rebels.”
Miao Youfang leaned in for a look. On the map, Xu Erlang had used charcoal to mark out the cities occupied by the Yunzhou army. “Songshan County” appeared like a nail, embedded in the northwest of the rebels’ advancing line.
“Now that you’ve drawn it like this, I can see Songshan County’s importance. I was still puzzled, why would Administrator Yang pay so much attention to such a tiny, run-down county? Even though you kept saying that it was a key stronghold for the defence line.
“But I never really understood exactly why it was important. Now it’s perfectly clear.”
Miao Youfang nodded as he examined the map.
“Erlang, you truly deserve to be a double list jinshi, a scholar from Cloud Deer Academy. This old hero is greatly gratified.”
“Read more when you have time, and try to improve your language skills,” Xu Erlang replied calmly.
After dealing with coarse martial artists for so long, he was quite experienced.
He would never lose his temper so easily.
Xu Erlang continued,
“Unless the Yunzhou rebels suffer crushing defeats on the lines at Dongling and Wan commandery, forcing them to divert more troops to the battlefield and leaving them unable to support Zhuo Haoran, Zhuo Haoran will not withdraw his troops. He will instead wait for reinforcements.”
Dongling and Wan Commandery formed the second line of defence along with Songshan County.
“So, what should we do?” Miao Youfang asked, not understanding.
“There is still ample grain and supplies in the city, as well as enough defensive materials, so we will naturally hold fast and wait for reinforcements from Administrator Yang,” Xu Erlang replied thoughtfully. “That is, provided the battles at Dongling and Wan do not become too bloody.”
“And if they are very bloody?” Miao Youfang asked, still not understanding.
“Then we will need to prepare for isolation and a drawn-out siege,” Xu Erlang sighed.
Relatively speaking, Dongling and Wan Commandery were even more important than Songshan County.
Fortunately, before setting out, Sun Xuanji had given him a huge cache of heavy weapons, including cannons, ballistae, chariot-mounted crossbows, and matchlock guns, ideal for city defence.
As for fire oil and rolling logs, given Songshan County’s wealth, they had been able to store up a great deal.
The garrison of the Great Feng had every confidence that they could endure a prolonged siege.
As he spoke, he summoned a centurion and instructed,
“Send scouts out of the west gate, take pickaxes and shovels, skulk along the Song River, and keep an eye on the enemy’s supply route.”
Once the centurion had left, Miao Youfang took the initiative to analyse,
“Before we get reinforcements, you want to cut off the enemy’s supplies?”
A few days earlier, he had led a cavalry raid, killed and burned up the rebels’ stores of grain. Even if the flames had eventually been put out, the remaining supplies would last only a few days at best.
Xu Erlang gave a little laugh.
“No. I want to destroy the official road and slow down the movement of the enemy reinforcements. Then I’ll anger Zhuo Haoran and force him to attack the city. That way, maybe we can wipe out Zhuo Haoran’s army before the enemy reinforcements arrive.”
War always brought with it the transportation of supplies and armaments, requiring vehicles.
Proper movement of vehicles depended on roads.
A road riddled with holes would greatly delay the reinforcements’ march.
“Brother Miao, you’ve just endured a bitter fight. Go and eat some meat, you’ll still have to keep watch tonight.”
Xu Erlang rubbed his throbbing temples and exhaled, “I need to rest for a while too.”
He had already gone a full day and night without sleep.
After sending Miao Youfang off, Xu Erlang lay down in his light armour and fell asleep face-down. The hard, uncomfortable gear did not bother him a bit, and he slipped quickly into slumber.
This was thanks to his experience supporting the Yao and barbarians up north. Back then, the joint forces of the Great Feng and the Yao and barbarians had been scattered, with the remnants spread out, facing constant danger.
So he had mastered the miraculous ability to fall asleep in armour.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
A dense, deep drumbeat jolted Xu Erlang awake. He sprang upright from the simple bunk, instinctively glancing at the water clock by his bedside. The time was six in the morning.
The hour before dawn.
He grabbed his standard sabre and dashed out of the gatehouse. The sky was pitch-black, the flames of the torches on the battlements blazing in the cold night.
Miao Youfang, hurrying towards the gatehouse, caught Xu Erlang’s gaze, and grinned broadly:
“That madman, he’s actually attacking! Isn’t this just what we want? We don’t even have to bother with provocation!”
As Xu Erlang hurried to the battlements, he frowned and said,
“Zhuo Haoran is hot-tempered and impulsive and easily goaded, but we never even tried to provoke him. He’s no fool either, he must know that the troops he has left are nowhere near enough to storm the city.
“Something is off here.”
Miao Youfang asked, “What’s off?”
I’m not the Jianzheng, how would I know… Xu Erlang reached the battlements and carefully looked into the distance. By the light of the artillery fire from the rooftops, he could see dense enemy troops advancing on the city.
“Is he going for mutual destruction?”
Xu Erlang’s brow furrowed deeply.
As the thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly lunged to the left. A cannonball whistled past and exploded right where he had been hiding, a wave of fire, air, and stone fragments blasting in all directions.
Miao Youfang surged with Qi and shielded Xu Erlang from the burning blast, so he escaped with his life.
“Motherfucker!”
Xu Erlang, covered in cold sweat, scrambled up, half crouched, racing along the rampart and shouting,
“Have the catapults launch fire-oil for illumination!
“Archers, matchlock men, prepare! Don’t bring up the fire-oil barrels yet, start with the rolling logs…”
Under his orders, the defenders methodically began their resistance. Cannon explosions boomed everywhere, the thunder of artillery shells filled the air.
Bursts of fire erupted beneath the walls, exploded above the ramparts.
When an artilleryman fell, reserves quickly filled the gaps.
If a ballista or cannon was smashed, the local militia immediately wheeled up another heavy weapon.
Meanwhile, the conscripted militia, moving crouched along the parapet, rushed to rescue the wounded.
The fighting was intense beyond measure.
Zhuo Haoran, wielding his standard sabre, deftly dodged cannon, arrows, and rolling logs hurled down from the ramparts.
He closed in on the city gate.
The city gate had already been destroyed by his own hand three days ago, but the Yunzhou army had not managed to pass through smoothly, because the defenders had already blocked the gate with tons of stones.
They had left only a small door, just big enough for one person and one horse to pass through.
When defending the city, this small door was blocked by huge stones on the inside.
When leaving the city, several dozen militiamen would use hemp ropes to pull away the boulders.
This tactic was commonplace before the arcanist system appeared.
In ancient times, every city gate would have a separate storeroom for storing stones, to ensure that in times of war, the defenders could quickly seal the gates.
After the arcanist system emerged, border strongholds and main cities were all guarded by formations, so the ‘city-sealing tactic’ was gradually abandoned.
In the past year, Yang Gong had reinstated the city-sealing tactic, ordering every county to build storerooms and prepare stones.
This tactic was mainly to defend against fourth-rank experts, as the gate could not stop martial artists of this level, but the city-sealing tactic ensured that even after the gate was breached, the enemy would still be obstructed.
After all, armies consisted primarily of ordinary soldiers and low-ranked martial artists.
Zhuo Haoran leapt up, took a few steps along the city wall, and effortlessly reached the top. With a sweep of his sabre, he sliced a cannon and two gunners in half.
Thud, thud, thud… Miao Youfang stomped deep holes into the ramp, like a crazed bull, and charged at fourth-rank Zhuo Haoran with his fifth-rank body.
Zhuo Haoran let out a fierce laugh, sabre intent bursting forth, and the standard military sabre turned red hot in an instant, imbued with the intent to destroy everything, aiming to cut down the fifth-rank opponent.
Not far away, Xu Erlang, protected by two guards, was surrounded by a faint azure aura. One hand was behind his back, the other on his abdomen, and he declared gravely:
“A true man should die without regret.”
“A true man should carry benevolence and righteousness in his heart.”
The jade pendant on his waist, given by Yang Gong, glowed, further illuminating the righteous energy around him.
At the same time, the guard to Xu Erlang’s left drew his bow and shot an arrow into the sky.
A firework, tied to the arrow, exploded high overhead.
After those two statements, Miao Youfang seemed invigorated, his aura surging, while Zhuo Haoran’s gaze appeared clouded for a moment. The words ‘benevolence and righteousness’ made him unable to bring his sabre down.
Seizing the opportunity, Miao Youfang closed in, slapped the sabre from his opponent’s hand, then lunged forward, shoulder barging Zhuo Haoran into the air, and followed up with a signature Transforming Force martial artist technique—
I’ll combo you to death!
Xu Erlang was a seventh-rank Benevolent. Just now, he used the eighth-rank Self-Cultivator ability, the power of Literary Courage.
The main effect of Literary Courage was to boost morale, increase the fighting strength of allies, and cure minor ailments.
Additionally, it could briefly affect the enemy’s mind, if used well, it could weaken the enemy.
The advanced version of the eighth-rank Self-Cultivator’s Literary Courage was the fifth-rank Virtuous. As the name implied, Virtuous regulated one’s behaviour, demanding the “Six Virtues of a Gentleman” from others.
This was highly similar to the Buddhist precepts.
However, precepts did not have room for advancement, whereas Virtuous, upon the next step, granted “Laws follow commandments”.
At that stage, regulating behaviour no longer required the “Six Virtues of a Gentleman”, and could be done arbitrarily and forcefully.
Bang!
Miao Youfang’s combo was forcefully interrupted by the now-recovered Zhuo Haoran, who kicked him hard in the abdomen, sending him rolling uncontrollably down the ramp.
Ignoring the dishevelled Miao Youfang, Zhuo Haoran dashed along the battlements, fixing his sights on Xu Erlang.
In previous sieges, this scholar from Cloud Deer Academy had given him nothing but trouble, holding him up with Confucian techniques and, with the help of a fifth-rank martial artist, repeatedly thwarted his efforts.
Miao Youfang dug deep furrows in the ground with his elbows and feet, forcibly unloading the impact. He spread his palms, snatched two cannonballs from a basket, and hurled them at Zhuo Haoran.
Then, he ignited them with his qi.
“Boom!”
The explosion engulfed Zhuo Haoran in firelight, and Xu Erlang took the chance to retreat under the protection of guards.
He remained exceptionally calm, showing not the slightest fear even while being hunted by a fourth-rank martial artist. As Zhuo Haoran burst from the flames, Xu Erlang once again infused himself with clear qi:
“A gentleman should value harmony above all.”
“A gentleman should sacrifice his life for righteousness.”
Miao Youfang, his face contorted, lunged from the side, and he and Zhuo Haoran tumbled off the wall together.
Clang, clang, clang… As they fought, they exchanged blows with hands, feet and elbows, their brawl spilling over onto enemy troops climbing the scaling ladders, who screamed as they plummeted.
Miao Youfang was quickly overpowered, left exposed and struck by Zhuo Haoran’s fearsome palm. Sabre intent exploded against his chest.
Just then, a sharp spear-tip flew towards him like a comet, interrupting Zhuo Haoran’s assault and forcing him to parry with his sabre-hand.
Zhu Jun darted across the battlements, arriving just in time.
With only Xu Erlang and Miao Youfang, facing Zhuo Haoran was difficult. When Zhuo Haoran attacked, Xu Erlang always had a fireworks signal sent to Zhu Jun at the north gate.
Zhu Jun would then know the fourth-rank enemy was here and rush to assist.
“Bang!”
Amid the blast, Miao Youfang broke free, darted up the wall, and stood guard beside Xu Erlang.
Zhuo Haoran, having knocked aside the spear, also returned to the battlements.
Zhu Jun placed himself between them, summoned his spear, and faced off against Zhuo Haoran.
Zhuo Haoran glanced past Zhu Jun at Xu Xinnian behind him, and sneered:
“I once bragged before the commander-in-chief that I would conquer Songshan County in five days. It’s now the eighth day, the city’s still not taken and I’ve lost over half my elite troops.
“I never expected my lifelong reputation would be ruined by you, a snot-nosed brat.”
Xu Erlang replied calmly, “A son falling at the hands of his father is no injustice.”
A flash of anger appeared on Zhuo Haoran’s face, but he suppressed it and spoke slowly:
“Do you know why I attacked tonight?”
It was exactly what Xu Erlang wondered, but he merely replied flatly:
“Because you’re tired of living.”
A vein bulged on Zhuo Haoran’s forehead. “There’s no need to get angry with the soon-to-be dead. The elite forces personally trained by the National Teacher have arrived.”
“Screech—”
Suddenly, an ear-piercing cry sounded from the sky.
At this moment, dawn was breaking in the east, the sky a dark azure.
Underneath the deep blue sky, a flock of giant beasts flapped their wings, swooping toward Songshan County.
“The Vermilion Bird Army!”
Zhuo Haoran glanced at the sky, then grinned savagely:
“The city falls today. I’ll slaughter for three days and nights.”
A flying beast army… Xu Erlang’s pupils contracted.
…
The Southern Marches.
Xu Qi’an summoned the Stupa tower. The door opened, casting a beam of light.
Bathed in it, hugging Baiji, was Mu Nanzhi.
“Why did you call for me?”
As he stowed away the Stupa tower, his gaze fell on Baiji.
The little fox had sent him a message via the tower spirit, saying there was something important to discuss.
Mu Nanzhi’s eyes immediately turned to Luo Yuheng beside Xu Qi’an.
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