The daylight was about to end, the lone city was in a desperate place
The daylight was dim, dusk clouds hung low.
The army of King Tianshou surged forward like a tide, and in the blink of an eye, they encircled the Nanping Prefecture city, turning it into an isolated island.
The trees outside the city were nearly cut down by the Jingzhou Army, and the ground was destroyed into countless gullies, like unsightly scars, and also seemed like reefs jutting out of the sea, barely visible amid the overwhelming waves, then disappearing without a trace in an instant.
The rebel army pushed wheelbarrows filled with sand and mud into the trap-filled trenches, then laid down planks for people to cross.
These things were all brought from Hua County, which was only half a day away from the Prefecture city, so hauling them over was not difficult.
The defenders inside the city saw their painstakingly arranged first defensive line gone just like that, and felt both shocked and enraged.
โHow preposterous!โ General Ma, who oversaw the city walls, was so furious that he almost went to settle accounts with the Jingzhou bigwigs.
They had previously said that King Tianshouโs army was just a bunch of mud-stained peasants, starving refugees whose eyes turned red from hunger. Although they looked unstoppable, all one needed to do was endure the first few waves of attacks. The refugees, with empty stomachs and anxious hearts, would naturally go elsewhere.
The walls here were tall, the city was deep, and neither provisions nor troops were in short supply. Supported by King Jing and many noble families, General Han impulsively thought that fortune favored the boldโhis clanโs revitalization rested on his shouldersโso he accepted this duty.
Yet they had not even truly fought; just this one exchange made General Han want to start cursing.
โA bunch of damned rabble, this was clearly organized by someone who understood military strategy. Look at their formationsโcould that come from a leader who knew nothing about warfare?โ
They had prepared in advance, brought sand and wooden planks to fill trenches, avoided trampling, and still kept a coordinated formation. General Han felt even his own Jingzhou troops did not have such ability, so he cursed loudly.
The soldiers defending the city already felt nervous, and upon hearing this commotion, they grew even more alarmed.
Several vice generals tried to smooth things over: โโฆโฆPerhaps those sinister flags are causing mischief, duping the masses and leading them forward. Thereโs no real military strategy in that.โ
โExactly, laying bridges so swiftly doesnโt prove theyโre elite soldiers. The rebels are peasants from Yizhou, and that areaโs mountain paths are treacherous. Theyโve probably been used to doing this sort of thing for a long time.โ
At this point, they nearly convinced themselves.
Yes, it had to be so. Otherwise, how could a group of refugees with empty bellies sweep through all of Jingzhou?
Surely, people first underestimated their combat strength, then upon seeing the rebelsโ formations, they overestimated their skill, got scared, and avoided battle or even fled.
General Han spat hard, his expression improving, then issued a series of commands. Arrows, rolling stones, and logs were all prepared.
He thought that since it was already evening, the rebelsโ first wave of attacks would not last long, and holding out would not be difficult.
โโPoor folk who couldnโt afford to eat would see nothing at night; how could they keep fighting?
Let alone refugees, even most of the Jingzhou Army suffered from night blindness except for a few elite troops, so night battles were basically impossible. If this were the Qi Army from the North, perhaps General Han would worry about whether those soldiers were well treated and whether their pay and rations were embezzled. What if their eyes worked well at night? But it was only a bunch of rebels, so what was there to fear?
General Han waved his hand, ordering the archers to shoot.
Seeing the rebels below the city fall like stalks of wheat, he burst into loud laughter.
โKeep shooting, kill these bastards.โ General Han strode to the edge of the city wall and cursed gleefully.
The rebel front line grew chaotic at first, but the chaos did not last long, because charging forward was easier than turning and fleeing. Once they ran past the range of the arrows, they naturally no longer endured the hidden assaults.
โBoom.โ
As soon as the first rebel soldier swung an axe heavily against the city gate, the frenzied assault began.
The defenders on the city wall hurled rolling stones, logs, and even poured boiling water.
Flesh and blood suddenly became as trampled mud. Most of those who fell were not mortally wounded at first, just unable to stand briefly, but they soon died. Nobody paid attention to how they perished, for the soldiers behind kept charging up, while those on the walls kept hurling stones.
Soon, the stones, logs, and even the piled corpses formed a protective barrier.
No matter what was thrown, it no longer rolled far as before, toppling a large swath at once.
โStop! Cease fire!โ
General Han realized the danger and hurriedly gave orders.
After tearing down houses in Nanping County, the defenders had no shortage of stones or wood. Faced with King Tianshouโs soldiers who charged like crazed tigers, the defending troops panicked and fired arrows wildly, wasting many arrows. The stones and logs they threw also piled up in one place.
This predicament was supposed to emerge after a full hour of fierce fighting, but the rebels charged too fiercely and the defenders panicked, leaving no time for proper command from atop the walls.
Although General Han came to his senses in time, the advantage was already lost.
Gongs resounded, horns blared.
Lines of troops from King Tianshouโs army suddenly appeared, clad in armor and wielding shields.
They raised shields overhead, pressing forward slowly under the rain of arrows.
The Holy Lotus Sectโs guardian saintesses repeatedly shouted words of enticement, drums and conch horns boomed all around, dust swirled in front of the city walls, and piles of logs and stones rose like hills. The rebel soldiers at the rear could not grasp the situation of the front ranks.
When they finally got close enough to see the ground strewn with corpses, their formations instantly wavered.
โThe demons have tracked us here. If we fail to seize the Prefecture city today and gain the might of heavenly soldiers from the city godโs temple, we will all meet a terrible end!โ
The saintessโs shrill voice echoed in the rebelsโ ears. This time, they did not wear veils, and the number of cult followers and protectors around them was especially large.
Seeing the saintesses whom they had long revered charge together into battle, the rebels found the will to hold fast.
Ever since the demon attacked Hua County the other night, injuring many cult followers and rebel generals, hearing the word โdemonโ made them shudder like startled birds.
As the saying went, seeing was believing and hearing was not. The Master of the Sect had repelled that bloody-shadow demon, yet it turned out there was another demon lurking unseen. When it struck suddenly, they did not even clearly glimpse the demonโs form. Some claimed that under the firelight, the thing twisted instantly. Others said that the flames were sucked up into a vortex by some mysterious force. Others felt a fierce wind rise, shaking them so badly that they lost their footing, followed by splitting headaches and dizziness, unable to tell east from west. By the time they recovered, they were sprawled on the ground with blood oozing from their noses and mouths.
If that was not a demon, then what was it?
Rumor had it that King Tianshou was gravely wounded.
Rumor had it that the Sect Master repelled the demon.
Their attempt to offer sacrifice to Heaven failed, and blood stained the land, so a great calamity was coming.
Some lost heart and wished to flee. After all, they had already reached this wealthy land of Jiangnan. Grab some spoils, find some random village to farm or hunt in, and they might survive. But those who tried sneaking away at night were all found the next day hanging atop the Hua County city gates, bodies covered with bizarre wounds.
Word spread throughout the army that demons lurked nearby, and without the saintessโs protection, nobody would survive outside.
The sacrificial rites were held again, and the incense fumes made their heads spin. The blessings of the familiar scriptures echoed in their ears, and the Holy Lotus Sectโs followers repeatedly reminded them of the days when they had neither food nor clothing, rekindling the fear hidden deep in their hearts.
Indeed, what was having land to farm worth? If Heaven refused to send rain or sent a flood, an entire yearโs harvest was ruined.
Even if they managed to slip past the demons and escape in the chaos, the tax collectors and officials would hound their families to death. Better to fight one last battle. Even if they did not become officials, they could at least take land and rent it out like wealthy landlords.
โโOnce you had killed someone and had blood on your hands, you found it was not so difficult anymore.
They gripped their weapons tightly, growling low. Words of enticement and blessings rang incessantly in their ears.
โKill!โ
โThe Ziwei Emperor watched over us!โ
Only by following King Tianshou did they have a way out. They had not starved to death and had traveled all the way to Jiangnan.
โKill!โ
โHeavenโs Mandate had descended!โ
The shouts beneath the city slowly changed from chaotic to orderly. Suddenly, the drums in the rear stopped, and tens of thousands of people all roared out the word โkillโ at the same time.
The wave of sound rushing forward shook the spears and halberds resting on the city walls until they quivered, causing sand and dust to crumble down.
The Jingzhou troops stationed on the city walls turned pale, and someoneโs legs grew weak.
Close on its heels came a second shout, like muffled thunder rolling across the horizon.
The daylight was about to end, the lone city was in a desperate place.
Viewed from afar, it seemed like a reef in a desert about to be submerged by a tide of darkness. The final rays of the setting sun could not penetrate the thick layers of cloud; they only flickered in the gaps, while slowly sinking. Darkness was like an invisible monster; its shadow climbed steadily up the city walls, ready to swallow everything.
***
โDamn it.โ
Meng Qiโs expression changed drastically, and his breathing was uneven.
When he saw that Hua County had become an empty city, he sensed trouble and grabbed Mo Li, rushing forward.
Before long, they encountered people from Fengxing Pavilion by the roadside.
โWhere was King Tianshouโs army?โ
โTwo hours ago, they might have already reached Nanping Prefecture City.โ
It was the โMountain-Shaker Tigerโ who spoke, panting heavily. โA message sent by carrier pigeon had gone to Jiangxia. Under our Pavilion Masterโs orders, I was about to find a few senior experts from the Hengshan Sect to contain the major Protectors of the Holy Lotus Sect and the Thunderclap Hall. The longer Nanping Prefecture City held out, the more advantageous it would be.โ
โWhat Chief Qiu said was correct, provided thatโฆthey could hold.โ
After seeing King Tianshouโs troop deployments and grain provisions in Hua County, Meng Qi felt it was thorny.
Although the rebel army appeared disorganized, they happened to be kept in line through the Holy Lotus Sect. It could temporarily turn those ignorant people into an obedient force.
That aside, numerous details showed that there were quite a few soldiers used to military discipline within King Tianshouโs ranks. Meng Qi had checked their camp thoroughly. A generalโs foresight was useless if his subordinates were incompetent; mistakes would occur at every step, even in cooking, pitching camp, or setting up tents.
Likewise, when occupying the civilian houses in Hua County, the rebels were split into two completely different groups. Some people only wanted to find big houses in search of soft beds, while others stayed together in houses arranged in a circle, even knocking down parts of the walls to connect them.
โThere were definitely not just refugees and common folk among them, but elite troops too.โ Meng Qi realized this and swung his sleeve forcefully, sending sand flying at his feet. He nearly stamped a hole in the ground. โYizhou used to be under the Chu Dynastyโs domain. The imperial court not only stationed garrisons at Xuanchuan Passโwhere did the soldiers in all the Yizhou counties go?โ
They could not all have been killed by refugees, nor could they all have fled and vanished.
โThe Qi Dynasty simply never seized control of those troops, nor managed to bring them back.โ
Meng Qi gritted his teeth and spoke each word. โThe authorities were incompetent. After being routed by the Holy Lotus Sect or King Tianshou, those soldiers might have turned bandit, and later King Tianshou gathered them under his banner.โ
Thus, though the number of soldiers had greatly diminished in the back-and-forth, they slipped under the outsidersโ radar, making people think the rebel army was merely starving refugees and mountain bandits.
But these soldiers, accustomed to military ways, had encountered a commander familiar with warfare. With promises of wealth, women, promotions, and riches dangled like a carrot before them, even if half were eliminated, the remaining would still shape up.
โLu Zhang, that worthless good-for-nothing!โ
Meng Qi grew furious and pressed a hand against his forehead.
In the ten-plus years since Qi replaced Chu, up until he met Mo Li, Meng Qi had not known much about what happened beyond Shangyun Mountain, especially in remote places like Yizhou, Pingzhou, and Yanzhou.
โWhere is King Jing? Who is guarding Nanping Prefecture City now?โ
He had to ask Fengxing Pavilion about such things. Mo Li still seemed composed because he believed that, no matter how inept the Jingzhou army was, at a time like this, anyone the local officials and aristocrats pushed forward to take on this duty would surely have some skill, for everyoneโs lives were at stake.
However, Meng Qi was not as optimistic as Mo Li, for he knew all too well that many people stayed muddled even in a crisis.
The most troublesome kind were those who overrated themselves and made others believe they had real ability, yet when faced with trouble, they had no resourcefulness at allโlike a scarecrow with straw for brains. If the defense line collapsed, not even an immortal could save the day.
โIt was General Han Fu. That Han clan was the head of Jingzhouโs military households, a branch from the main lineage that once controlled all horse trading in Jingzhou. But they landed in trouble years ago, and the Jingzhou Han family has since declined.โ The โMountain-Shaker Tigerโ was indeed from Fengxing Pavilion; with a few words, he peeled back several generations of history. โ…Itโs also somewhat odd. Fengxing Pavilion never found out the cause.โ
Meng Qi paused, his gaze turning strange.
The โMountain-Shaker Tigerโ quickly explained, โI am surnamed Han myself, though weโre not connected even by the longest stretch of branches. However, Fengxing Pavilion records the ups and downs of the great families in Jingzhou. I just read a bit more. Recently, I heard it had something to do with people from Xiliang.โ
Indeed, that unfortunate Han family, who mysteriously vanished after trading horses in Jingzhou, was the one who bought Su Li and beat him all day, only to be intercepted by Ayanpuka, who took an interest in the horse trade.
Mo Li recalled that, too.
Unaware of the inside story, the โMountain-Shaker Tigerโ asked in surprise, โCould there be remnants of the Xiliang factionโฆโ
โNo.โ Meng Qi waved. โTalking too much does no good. We must hurry to Nanping Prefecture City.โ
The people of Fengxing Pavilion looked at each other.
That was impossibleโonly a few hours had passed, and even if Han Fu was worthless, the Prefecture City would not have fallen so soon.
Meng Qi was in no mood to say more.
One could never predict how a city would hold out. Some might hold for half a year, others might not last a single night.
It did not even depend on how many troops defended it, how many layers of walls there were, or how strong they were built.
โโMeng Qi arrived at the worst outcome.
Nightfall cloaked the land.
In the distance, flames soared into the sky.
Mo Li halted abruptly beside Meng Qi, gazing at Nanping Prefecture City with its wide-open gates.
โWhatโs going on?โ
โโฆThey threw down too many stones from the city walls.โ
Meng Qi murmured. With his and Mo Liโs eyesight, they did not even need a spyglass to see the rough situation.
โThe defenders were too panicked, messing up their formation. That Han Fu possibly assumed King Tianshouโs army would not continue attacking at night, paying no attention to these thingsโฆ People in the martial world do not suffer from poor night vision. They used the stones as footholds, brought ropes and hooks, and scaled the walls.โ
In order to guard the city, the Jingzhou troops had to light torches.
With illumination, the rebel army continued its assault without restraint. And with such a long city wall, there had to be dark corners that escaped notice. Once those Holy Lotus Sect followers leaped onto the wall, with no will among the Jingzhou troops to fight to the death, the defenses collapsed in an instant.
Authorโs note:
It did not even depend on how many defenders there were, how many layers of walls there were, or how strong they were built.
โโโโ
At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianjing reportedly had three layers of walls, all very solid.
Yet the Northern Song court executed one suffocating maneuver after another, practically destroying their own great walls. In the end, the Emperor and his officials believed some swindler who said they could summon the Six Ding Six Jia Divine Troopsโฆ (Perhaps they really believed in the wallsโ strength in their hearts.) (It was like removing the goalkeeper in a soccer match, benching the substitute goalie as well, and believing oneโs own goalposts to be invincible.)
Then you know the rest: the divine troops did nothing, and the Jin Army broke through the city.
