Arrows flew everywhere, and large plumes of grayish-white smoke rose into the air. The wind was too weak to disperse them, and the deadly weapons roared furiously in the swirling smoke, like wild beasts.

Brother Zhang's bloodied hands gripped the city wall, blood still dripping from the corners of his mouth on his pale face. He raised his tired eyes to look at Xiao Hu, his lips moving as if to speak, but was stopped by Xiao Hu's sudden shout.

"Brother Zhang! What's wrong? What happened?"

Seeing Zhang Ge's bloodied appearance, Xiao Hu finally recovered from his shock, but the overwhelming grief made his voice lose its natural tone.

"What happened?! How did you get like this?!" Xiao Hu exclaimed in panic, dropping his bow and arrows and grabbing Zhang Ge to check his injuries.

But as soon as his hand touched Zhang Ge's body, Xiao Hu's pupils contracted, and he dared not move his hand any further, which was still resting on Zhang Ge's left abdomen.

He suddenly realized that earlier on the Sheep and Horse Wall, although Brother Zhang was holding a shield, he had actually been hit by a cannonball. The powerful impact of the cannonball even blasted him onto the city wall.

That was a cannonball! Although it came from a very far place, and although it had lost too much power by the time it reached the city wall, it was still a solid cannonball.

Brother Zhang, who was hit by that shell, probably had his internal organs ruptured from the impact. He endured the intense pain and carried himself all the way to the corner tower.

His thoughts abruptly stopped there, as Zhang Ge's faint voice reached Xiao Hu's ears.

"I'm afraid... we won't be able to hold on much longer."

As soon as the weak voice fell, Xiao Hu hurriedly shouted, "No, no!"

"I'll take you to the army doctor, Brother Zhang, I'll take you there!" Xiao Hu's face was ashen, and his palms were already ice-cold, but he still helped Brother Zhang up.

"You're such a fool..."

Zhang leaned against Xiao Hu, a pale face bearing a wan smile. "When I said I couldn't hold on, I wasn't referring to myself..."

“I mean, this place won’t last long.” He looked up at Xiao Hu’s grief-stricken face and continued, “A recruit like you shouldn’t have come to a battlefield like this in the first place.”

Xiao Hu loosened his tightly bitten, pale lips, shook his head, and choked out, "Don't say anymore, Brother Zhang."

"I'll take you down."

Brother Zhang smiled and waved his hand, then grabbed Xiao Hu's shoulder firmly with his other hand. He lowered his head, looked directly into Xiao Hu's slightly red eyes, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice:

"Kid, let's go."

“This is not a battlefield for you…” He swallowed the blood that surged up in his throat again, but blood slowly seeped from his nose.

Xiao Hu stared at him, his body stiff. The sounds of cannons, arrows, and countless shouts around him seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving only the murmurs of the person in front of him.

"It now appears to be a battle that is destined to be difficult to win."

"It's almost over, Nanze... Da Gan... really, I can't take it anymore..." Brother Zhang breathed heavily for a moment and slowly turned around.

Tears welled up in Xiao Hu's eyes, but he kept shaking his head:

"No...no...!"

"Nanze will not be breached, and I will not desert. I will hold the line... I will defend this place to the death!"

With his back to Xiao Hu, Brother Zhang slowly walked towards the city road, muttering to himself:

"Yeah?"

"But..."

"Why...why did we end up like this...?"

"We've survived such hard times before, so why is it declining so quickly after entering a golden age..." He slowly walked forward, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind him.

"Brother Zhang, where are you going?" Xiao Hu looked at the trembling figure and knew that the injury was beyond saving. From the moment he was hit by the shell, he had been heading towards death.

Brother Zhang stopped in his tracks, and when he turned his face, his expression was surprisingly calm, though a little pale.

"Like you, I will stay here forever."

"If you're not leaving, then keep doing what you want to do," Brother Zhang said with a smile, waving his hand as usual, before taking another step and shuffling forward.

Xiao Hu didn't speak again. He silently watched the figure for two or three breaths, then turned around and ran to Brother Zhang's arrow window. He picked up the blood-stained bow and arrow, and then took the arrow from the quiver that Brother Zhang had left on the ground.

Just like before, Xiao Hu shakily drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it on his bowstring.

He pursed his lips and began to draw the bowstring, his face as tense as the bowstring being drawn taut.

The bowstring was finally drawn taut, but the arrow was unsure where to aim, for everything was now a blur and nothing could be seen clearly.

The enemy's roars, the shouts of their own side, the rumble of tanks crushing the ground, the violent collisions of cannons hitting chariots—the chaotic and complex sounds flooded into Xiao Hu's ears like a tide, while the few words Zhang Ge had said before leaving also lingered in his mind.

The smell of sweat, the smell of blood underfoot, and the smell of gunpowder in the air were so strong they seemed almost tangible. Xiao Hu felt as if this war had blinded him, blocked his ears, and stuffed his nose.

"Aaaaaah!!"

His tense expression suddenly collapsed, and Xiao Hu's features contorted as he opened his mouth and howled in pain.

Anger, grief, confusion, and helplessness welled up inside him, and with this unheard wail, there was a loud "bang"!

The bowstring was suddenly released, and the arrow, without a target, flew towards the smoke-filled battlefield.

"Bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

First, there was one shot, then two and three. The cannons that the Yan soldiers took out from the chariots finally fired cannonballs at the outer barbican tower.

——

The fourth quarter of Hai hour.

At this time of day, Jin Fengluan would have already gone to sleep, but tonight she sat upright in the Military Affairs Pavilion.

The operation against the rebels was one that she personally participated in and devised. Jin Fengluan's level of attention to this battle was evident, and she couldn't wait to hear good news from the front lines.

In the past, almost every battle against the rebels had ended in a crushing defeat. But now that she was involved, the tactics, while not perfect, were well-balanced. As long as the soldiers on the front lines fought according to plan, she believed that they would never repeat the same mistakes and suffer a disastrous defeat.

Just then, a battle report finally arrived.

Jin Fengluan looked up and saw that Xiong Yong, who had come to report on the military situation, had already bowed and entered the hall under the guidance of the imperial eunuch.

"How is the situation at the front?" Jin Fengluan asked before Xiong Yong could speak.