Chapter 842.2: Holding the City Together
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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O R A N G E S T A R
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G O L D S T A R
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R A I N B O W S T A R
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C E L E S T I A L C O N Q U E R O R
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Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*≧∀≦*)
The vendor smiled. “Of course. The family head is wholly devoted to the people of the State of Yan. His loyalty is evident to both heaven and earth. The family head places great trust in General Chang; this mission is both a responsibility and an honor. General Chang must not let the family head down. After all, you are the most trusted retainer in the Nangong Family.”
Chang Wei looked squarely at the vendor, his expression solemn. “Does the family head... truly see me that way? Doesn’t he think I’m nothing more than a loyal dog raised by the Nangong Family?”
The vendor let out a sigh. “How could General Chang think like that? Did someone say something to you? Ah, General Chang, the family head brought you back to the border all those years ago. Have you ever seen him do anything that would betray the people of this country? Yes, abandoning the city was wrong, but it was for the greater good. Don’t forget who saved your life back then. Without the family head, you wouldn’t even be here. Don’t be ungrateful.”
After the vendor left, Chang Wei, for the first time, went to visit the prisoners of war.
They had been stripped of their armor and deprived of weapons, but not a single one had suffered abuse in any form.
Whatever the Black Wind Cavalry ate, they ate as well, not a meal had been skipped.
The wounded had all received timely treatment, and the bodies of the fallen had not been desecrated in the slightest. Every corpse had been sewn up and properly interred by coroners, ensuring they were buried with dignity.
Their military tags had also been collected and were being safely kept by Advisor Hu.
Chang Wei went to Advisor Hu and retrieved the iron military tags that had belonged to the fallen soldiers.
The next time everyone saw Chang Wei was when the great army of the State of Liang had already arrived before the city gates, poised for battle.
He stood atop the city tower, where the west wind howled fiercely, clad in armor that gleamed with a cold, piercing light, holding a massive bow in his hands.
In front of the State of Liang’s military formation, Song Kai rode his horse leisurely to the very front of the troops, standing alone on the wide, empty battlefield. He raised his head to look up at Chang Wei atop the city wall, gave a casual smile, and spoke in clumsy, barely fluent State of Yan language, “You must be General Chang Wei. Looks like there’s no need to fight this battle. The Nangong Family has already reclaimed Quyang City——”
Before he could finish his sentence, Chang Wei drew his bow and released an arrow that pierced straight through Song Kai’s shoulder!
The immense force knocked Song Kai clean off his horse!
With a scream of pain, Song Kai crashed heavily to the ground.
He clutched his wounded arm, staring up in disbelief at Chang Wei, who had just loosed a cold-blooded arrow at him from the city wall. “Chang Wei! Have you lost your mind?!”
Chang Wei lifted his hand, and in an instant, hundreds of archers appeared atop the city tower. The sound of bowstrings being drawn filled the air as they all took aim at the State of Liang army below.
These soldiers… they weren’t the Black Wind Cavalry from Shengdu!
They were troops from the Nangong Family!
Chang Wei looked down at Song Kai with a cold, biting gaze and said, “Didn’t you say the defenders of Quyang City were all weak and useless? How does it feel to be shot by one of those so-called useless men?”
“When did I ever...” Song Kai’s pupils shrank suddenly!
Yes, he had said something along those lines! Right in front of Nangong Jue, he had mocked the defeated Nangong troops, calling them some ragged and broken remnants of the Nangong Family!
But how did Chang Wei know?
Was it Nangong Jue who told him?
No. That was impossible. Nangong Jue would never do something like that.
Unless——
Song Kai’s eyes went cold in an instant. “You were the one who sabotaged the military equipment that night!”
Chang Wei didn’t bother denying it. Arguing with someone like Song Kai was already a waste of breath.
He gave a scornful snort. “It’s true that my strength is nothing impressive. But to deal with you, and with you pack of mongrels from the State of Liang… it’s more than enough! Now open your eyes wide and watch how we so-called useless soldiers are going to drive you traitorous scum from the State of Liang out of the borders of Great Yan!”
Despite the searing pain in his arm, Song Kai couldn’t shake the ominous feeling rising in his chest. “What is this man planning to do?”
From his vantage point high above, Chang Wei gazed down at the sea of soldiers from the State of Liang and issued his command in a voice that shook the air, “Archers, take aim. Fire!”
A sky-blotting storm of arrows tore through the long stretch of air with a soul-shaking whistling sound, howling like a tempest and descending with a force fierce enough to topple mountains and shatter rotted wood, weaving a dense, inescapable rain of death across the heavens.
As soon as the first row of archers emptied their quivers, they swiftly retreated to reload, while the second row stepped forward through the narrow gaps, without the slightest hesitation, unleashing another lethal volley with ruthless precision.
There were three ranks of archers in total, working together in perfect synchrony, ensuring not only that the barrage never paused for even a breath, but also that each man had time to rest and restore his arm strength fully before his next round.
The terrifying arrow storm crashed down upon the frontmost ranks of the State of Liang army like a tidal wave, forcing them to raise their shields in frantic defense.
But shields could only guard one direction; block the top and you leave the front exposed. So as arrows came raining in from multiple angles, there was always one that found a gap to slip through and strike the soldiers of the State of Liang.
By the time the first wave of arrow barrages ended, dozens of soldiers in the State of Liang’s front ranks had already fallen.
Chang Wei pressed the attack, ordering the archers to fire again, drawing their bows so fiercely that sparks seemed to fly from the bowstrings, and the terrifying sound of arrows piercing through the air echoed across the entire stretch of the city wall, while the cries of the wounded and dying from the State of Liang army rose like a tide, filling the night with agony.
After three rounds of attacks, over a hundred soldiers from the State of Liang army had been struck by arrows.
For an army of the State of Liang with twenty thousand vanguard troops, the loss of a hundred men might not seem like a devastating blow, but if such a toll could be exacted in the blink of an eye, then the situation was indeed turning grim.
What made it worse was that the enemy hadn’t lost a single soldier in return, just a few arrows spent, nothing more.
Song Kai could feel the mounting pressure from the defending forces of Quyang City.
What exactly was going on?
Wasn’t Chang Wei supposed to be a trusted subordinate of the Nangong Family? Why would he suddenly turn and wage war against the State of Liang?
Could it be that the supposed peace negotiation from the Nangong Family that night had merely been a ruse, meant to distract their attention, giving Chang Wei the opportunity to sabotage their military supplies?
Had the Nangong Family been playing them, the State of Liang’s great army, from the very beginning?
Song Kai’s cold eyes narrowed sharply. No matter the reason, since Chang Wei dared to declare war on the State of Liang today, then they shouldn’t blame him for retaliating mercilessly!
Snapping off the arrow lodged in his shoulder, he shouted in a thunderous voice, pushing it out with his internal force so it echoed across the battlefield, “Do not panic! Follow my command! Left vanguard camp, form up! Flying Crane Formation!”
The Flying Crane Formation was a battlefield tactic created by the legendary general Chu Feipeng of the State of Liang; it involved raising shields to form a defensive canopy, and when viewed from above, the formation resembled a soaring crane, which was how it got its name.
While a single shield could only protect a limited area, when dozens were combined, they formed an impenetrable iron dome, and the front was sealed tightly with vertical shields as well.
There was nowhere left for the arrows to land.
But if they thought this was all Chang Wei had up his sleeve, then they were sorely mistaken.
“Catapults!” came Chang Wei’s commanding voice.
Without delay, the archers retreated in a trained, orderly fashion, while the catapults were pushed up to the city walls by soldiers with practiced efficiency, loading the stones, lowering the levers, and firing, all executed with clean, synchronized movements.
Some of the Black Wind Cavalry officers were present as well.
Cheng Fugui’s jaw dropped open in disbelief and hung there for a long moment, “These… these rookies… are actually pretty damn good…”
He had once watched this very group of rebels get annihilated by the Black Wind Cavalry, and he had assumed they were worthless——
Gu Jiao remarked, “Each has their area of expertise. They may not hold up in close combat, but when it comes to defending a city, they are unrivaled.”
Quyang City stood as strong as an iron fortress, not just because of its solid walls and gates, but because its defensive strategies were equally impenetrable.
If only Yuegu City of the State of Zhao’s had had a force like this, their defense wouldn’t have been nearly as desperate back then.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…