Chapter 376 Reinforcements

The border troops suddenly appeared behind the besieging army, which made the generals of the besieging army very nervous. They came to ask Xiao Beiheng one after another. Now the army is blocked by Leshan in front and attacked by the enemy behind. The situation is unfavorable. Should they withdraw the troops back to the camp for defense first?

Just as they were about to capture Leshan, everyone started to think about retreating. Xiao Beiheng was furious and scolded them:

"You cowards, what's wrong with 30,000 border troops? The Leshan defenders are only about 10,000 strong, plus 30,000 reinforcements, which makes 40,000. We still have 80,000 troops, twice as many as the enemy. What are you afraid of?"

Unlike other generals who panicked at the mere appearance of an enemy force, he remained much calmer. He ordered General Yan Yilong to lead 30,000 infantry and 10,000 archers to block the border troops, while the remaining 40,000 troops continued the assault on Leshan. Yan Yilong had been captured by the border troops but was later rescued by the Iron Buddha. Returning to the city of Leshan, Yan Yilong, eager to redeem himself for his crime, immediately led his troops out to meet the border troops.

"The walls of Leshan have collapsed. Continue the attack. Anyone who dares to retreat will be punished by military law."

Seeing that Xiao Beiheng was going all in and determined to decide the outcome here, everyone was a little puzzled at first, but when they thought about the 80,000 troops they still had and that they did have the advantage, they each returned to their own army to continue organizing the attack.

Xiao Beiheng sent away all the generals, stood under his banner, and looked at the dilapidated Leshan City in front of him.

The two sides had been fighting for days under Leshan City, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties. While the losses on both sides were roughly equal, his side had suffered more casualties, but he also had more soldiers. Now, victory hung before him like an apple, waiting to be plucked from a branch. With just one more effort, he could snatch it and be free from all worries. How could he possibly withdraw his troops at this moment?

He wants to achieve his goal in one go.

The sky in the east was already turning pale, and the walls of Leshan were thick with smoke, making it impossible to see anyone more than a few meters away. Qiu Liming struggled to free himself from the heavy body that was pressing down on him, sitting up, panting heavily. His face felt a burning pain, and a pungent smell filled his nostrils. He reached out and ripped a piece of cloth from someone nearby, wiping it roughly on his face, then discarded the red and black stained piece of cloth.

The blade in his hand was already bent, and he didn't know how many times he had to replace it. He stood up, threw the bent blade off the wall, stretched his aching arms, bent down, found a sharp sword, weighed it in his hand, picked up a shield, took two deep breaths, and shouted, "Those who are still alive, report your numbers quickly, the enemy's next attack is about to begin."

"General Qiu, I'm alive." Not far from him, a sergeant staggered to his feet, leaning on his spear.

On the city wall, voices of counting came from all directions: "Six... seven... eight... thirty... one hundred and seven."

"One hundred and seven, one hundred and seven," Qiu Liming repeated loudly, "Are there any more?"

"Yes, yes, yes," a hand stretched out from a gap in the pile of corpses, "Come and help me, there are so many people pressing on me, I can't climb out." The soldiers nearby hurried over and pulled the man out like pulling a carrot.

Qiu Liming gathered the soldiers together and said, "Everyone, find some kerosene and burn the ladders on the city wall. I'll go get some more troops from Prince An."

He had been guarding the city walls since the enemy began to attack. With him as the backbone, the soldiers on the city walls never panicked. Everyone took action. Some poured kerosene they found on the ladders outside the city walls and set them on fire with torches, while others searched everywhere for arrows and weapons.

Qiu Liming came to the gap in the city wall, leaned over and shouted, "Lord, there are only about a hundred people left up there."

Xiao Zhuo was resting on the ground, his hands resting on his sword. After a night of fighting, his entire body was stained red with the enemy's blood, yet he remained erect, showing no sign of fatigue. Beside him was Qiang Lin, who looked just like him, sitting cross-legged, pouring water from a water bag. Hearing Qiu Liming's call, Xiao Zhuo looked up and said, "The Queen will be here soon with the reserve troops."

Soon, Mei Dai emerged from the smoke and dust. After the enemy began their assault with ladders, she and other women, including Shen Lan, retreated to a safe location within the city to prepare their troops and the necessary supplies for the defense. Unlike the bloodstained men, despite the fierce fighting, she still found time to wash her face, comb her hair, and polish her armor. This made her a striking presence on this gruesome battlefield.

"Prince An, these are the last ten thousand infantrymen. They've run out of arrows," Mei Dai said as she approached Xiao Zhuo. "Chen Lan is having the lightly wounded soldiers gather rolling logs and pounding stones, but they might not be able to be brought here in time for the battle."

"The last ten thousand?" Xiao Zhuo looked at her and paused for a moment before saying, "The Queen is willing to fight alongside me. Xiao Zhuo will always remember this."

Mei Dai smiled and said, "Prince An, Xiao Beiheng will not let our four counties of Xiliang go. If we lose this battle, Xiliang will definitely not be able to be saved. I will not go to the city." After that, Mei Dai personally led 5,000 soldiers to the top of the city and began to arrange defenses.

Xiao Zhuo smiled slightly, turned to Qiang Lin and said, "Qiang Lin, you..."

Qiang Lin knew what he was going to say, so he put down the water bag and said, "Prince An, there's no need to say anything. I also know that this fight will end after the last ten thousand people are gone. But Xiao Beiheng and I have an irreconcilable feud. If I can't take revenge, it's the will of the gods. I will never flee from the battlefield."

Xiao Zhuo nodded and whispered, "That's right, the last ten thousand... I wonder if Yue Xi is okay? She has Xiao Bai, so she won't be caught. Her riding skills are even better than mine."

"Lord," Qiu Liming shouted from the top of the city wall, "the enemy has begun to form up again."

Xiao Zhuo jumped up and said to the five thousand soldiers near the gap, "Soldiers, the enemy is about to attack. Help me to block the gap."

The soldiers agreed in unison, holding their weapons tightly, and followed Xiao Zhuo towards the gap in the city wall.

On the top of the city wall, Mei Dai picked up a shield and held it in front of her, then grasped her sword and stood with the defending soldiers. Qiu Liming saw her and hurried to her and said, "Queen, it's too dangerous up there. If an arrow hits you, you will definitely be injured."

Mei Dai said calmly: "General Qiu, these are the last 10,000 soldiers in the city."

A gust of morning wind blew past, dispersing the smoke and dust below the city walls. Exposing the ground was a mass of corpses and an ant-like swarm of enemy soldiers. The enemy was so densely packed that it was impossible to tell how many there were, slowly approaching the city walls.

Qiu Liming and Mei Dai both wore solemn expressions, gripping their swords tightly. Mei Dai removed her mask, pressing it against her chest, and murmured, "Father, brother... Mei Dai has given it her all. The moment Leshan falls, I will die."

"General Qiu, Queen, look over there," a lieutenant suddenly pointed to the east, "that's... that's the general's flag."

Mei Dai was startled, then turned and looked eastward through the thick smoke. When she saw the border troops marching towards Xiao Beiheng's army, she first showed an expression of disbelief, then her body began to tremble, and she ran to the gap in the city wall like a fly and shouted, "Prince An, reinforcements are coming."

Xiao Zhuo shouted, "Is it the border troops?"

"Yes, my lord, it's the border troops," Qiu Liming also ran excitedly to the gap, "there are estimated to be more than 30,000 of them, and they are attacking the enemy's flank and rear."

"It's Yuexi, it's Yuexi who's here," Xiao Zhuo said with surprise, but then calmed down and turned to the crowd, saying, "The reinforcements are behind the enemy. Our entire army should charge out of the city immediately and attack the enemy together with the reinforcements."

The defenders on the city walls also saw the reinforcements coming and cheered. Under the leadership of Xiao Zhuo, they rushed out from the gap in the city wall and charged towards the enemy.

Under the city of Leshan, the final battle between the two armies began.