Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Wang Xuanji, you are not dead, you are still...
"Master, the newly appointed female general of the Great Zhou court is a cunning and cunning general. She has already conquered the four cities of Sikou, Fuyang, Xiapi, and Liuxian!"
"Captain, the enemy camp is only twenty miles from Pengcheng. We can see it from the city gate tower. This is clearly a provocative demonstration!"
"Yu Chang, she has already killed several of our sisters! The grain route to Xia Pi has been cut off, the water outlet to Sikou has been blocked, and Liu County fell five days ago. We have nowhere to retreat!"
A woman nearly eight feet tall, with curly hair tied high, stood before the map. Despite the successive reports of bad news, her face showed no sign of anger or regret. She simply nudged her back teeth with her tongue and said in a deep voice, "When did such a person appear in the Great Zhou?"
She turned, dressed in the Xianbei style of fur hunting, trousers tucked into leather boots, her curly hair braided in silver, and copper earrings dangling slightly. Her complexion was the color of wheat, her eyes sharp as a hawk's, and a wolf-head totem perched fiercely on the side of her neck. A fierceness etched between her brows, a fierceness tempered by battle, revealed herself to be none other than Yuwen Yue, the Xianbei leader now defending Pengcheng.
During the Northern Expedition, she had been a valiant general under the command of Helian Shu, the eldest daughter of the Xianbei clan. Now, those who followed her into this city were all sworn sisters who had shared life and death together.
Yuwen Yue strode up the steps to the city wall, stepped onto the battlements with his long legs, and gazed into the distance. In the distance, he saw a dense mass of military camps. Atop the largest tent in the center hung a striking red flag with the Chinese character "Zhou" on it.
Suddenly, the central army's curtain rose, revealing a female commander wearing dark two-tongue armor and no helmet. She accepted the long bow offered by her personal guards and swiftly mounted her horse. Behind her followed two lieutenants wearing helmets with curtain-like hoods. With the clatter of horses' hooves, the army rapidly formed like a tide, marching in unison towards Pengcheng's north gate.
Yuwen Yue's face darkened. This was the declaration of war before the siege. His personal guards immediately blew the horn, and the city walls were suddenly filled with swords and spears, and the security was tight.
According to ancient military practice, before a major battle, the attacking side must first send an envoy to deliver a declaration of war. This serves as a clear announcement of the attack date, allowing the defending side to consider surrender. Secondly, it allows time for the civilian population to evacuate, thus avoiding the consequences of the conflict. Naturally, only a merciful army would resort to this strategy. A ruthless general would likely launch a surprise attack at night, even allowing his soldiers to rape and murder the city's inhabitants at will.
The heads of several aristocratic ladies are still hanging high on the walls of Pengcheng, and there are trenches and tripwires everywhere in front of the city.
Xie Tingyu raised his hand to stop, and the entire army responded. Someone nearby waved a flag, and a row of engineers quickly advanced and neatly cut the tripwires in front of them.
At this moment, a Zhou soldier stepped out, untied the brass trumpet from his waist, and shouted, "Xianbei girl! You son of a bitch! I'll give you a few more days to surrender, or you'll be kneeling and washing your pants/crotch when the city is broken!"
This is called a war of words. One purpose is to enhance our military prestige, and the other is to vent anger and provoke the generals.
As expected, as soon as these words were spoken, a female general standing beside Yu Wen Yue, who was as burly as a female eagle, shouted, "Scream at your father's soul! A mere few tens of thousands of people dare to act so arrogantly in front of me!"
She pointed her spear at Xie Tingyu in front of the battle line, "You're just a pretty boy, you read a couple of military books and you're showing off your skills in front of an expert! I'm going to chop off your head and let the emperor kick it around like a ball!"
The female general who cursed was called Yuan Min'er.
Holding the spear, she bowed to Yuwen Yue and said, "Wait a moment, my Lord, while I bring the pretty boy's head to you!"
After saying this, he jumped onto his warhorse and roared in Xianbei: "Your mother Yuan Min'er is here! That pretty boy from the Great Zhou in the middle, come out and die! I'm going to chop off your head and kick it like a ball!"
Wang Lanzhi frowned, "What's all this babble about?"
Xie Tingyu remained calm and said, "He said he would chop off my head, hold it in his arms when he slept at night, and carry it with him every day to ward off evil spirits."
Yuan Wangshu raised his eyebrows, "What a despicable thing! How dare you act so presumptuously here! Xie Tingyu, I'm going to chop off her head right now and hang it in front of your tent to exorcise the evil spirit for you!"
Xie Tingyu raised an eyebrow: "Won't I have nightmares every night then?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Wangshu burst into laughter, then suddenly drew his sword from his waist, slapped his warhorse, and galloped out into the battle, shouting, "You arrogant barbarian! I'm here to take your life!"
Recalling the previous battle against the Black Mountain bandits, Yuan Wangshu had suffered greatly from the disadvantages of short weapons. This time, she wielded her sword against a spear. Though still using the short against the long, she had learned from past experience to exploit her strengths and avoid her weaknesses, relying less on strength than on agility. The blade flashed, stabbing and slashing, aiming for the most elusive points. Yuan Min'er was caught off guard, and she slashed her upper arm, drawing blood immediately.
Yuan Min'er roared, drew his spear and threw it towards Yuan Wangshu!
Just at this moment, a cold arrow shot from the city wall. Yuan Wangshu was being fought by Yuan Min'er and had no strength left to resist this fatal blow.
Xie Tingyu's quick eyes and hands drew her bow like a full moon, and an arrow shot out, shattering the incoming arrow in the nick of time, saving Yuan Wangshu's life. She immediately nocked another arrow, the second one piercing Yuan Min'er's wrist and hitting her right in the middle of the pulse!
How could Yuan Wangshu miss such an opportunity? He thrust his sword forward, piercing the gap in Yuan Min'er's armor at the throat. Blood splattered like a waterfall, staining the helmet crimson. His vision was instantly blurred, and only the smell of blood was in his face.
Yuan Min'er fell off her horse with a loud bang and died.
Yuan Wangshu turned his horse around, stepped on the blood and returned, then stopped beside Xie Tingyu and pulled the reins.
Xie Tingyu raised her eyes and glared at the figure on the city wall, drawing his bow. Instantly, she recognized him as Yuwen Yue, the Xianbei sharpshooter from the Northern Expedition. In those past battles, she had repeatedly dueled with Yuwen Yue, always gaining the upper hand. However, he was always forced to retreat by his personal guards, and she had never been able to capture him alive.
She drew her bow again, and the eagle-feathered arrow pierced the air, striking the city walls. Yuwen Yue, however, didn't blink, his body steady as a rock, not dodging or flinching. The arrow grazed her ear, the copper ring ...
Someone below shouted, "The challenge has been issued! All you scoundrels, die!"
“Hahahahahahahahaha!”
Yuwen Yue, far from angry at the death of her commander, instead held her head high and laughed aloud, her voice shaking the city walls. A wolfish glare flashed across her fierce face, and she pointed towards the city below: "Excellent archery! Such a creature must be captured alive. I will personally chop off her hands and see if she can still draw a bow!"
That night, Yu Wen Yue lay on the couch. With her eyes closed, she could see Xie Tingyu's indifferent and stern expression when he drew the bow and arrow, the calmness when he raised his hand, and the decisiveness when he pulled the string. Everything reminded her of that man.
The man who had single-handedly stormed into the Xianbei camp and beheaded her lord, Helian Shu. From then on, he became a deity within the Xianbei army, feared by the mere mention of his name. His swordplay and archery skills were unparalleled.
Thinking of this, Yuwen Yue felt her blood boiling, her fighting spirit burning. Although it was a cold winter night, she felt a burning sensation all over her body, as if she had fallen into a furnace.
"Wang, Xuan, Ji."
She uttered the name slowly in Chinese, enunciating each word.
This man was her nemesis, but also the very person she secretly admired. When she heard that Wang Xuanji had died in battle, his body completely gone, she was distraught.
How could such a brave man, with his strategic plans buried within him, perish in such a state? I still remember the trembling that went through my body and the trembling in my heart when I first heard the tragic news.
Yu Wen Yue, lost in the past, tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she simply threw on her clothes and walked into the courtyard. She drew a bucket of cold water from the well and poured it over her head. The chill water bit her bones, instantly soaking her curly hair and causing droplets to drip from her clothes.
She couldn't accept Wang Xuanji's death like this. How could she be allowed to perish so easily when she hadn't even defeated him once? How could she dispel the resentment and obsession that had been pent up for years?
During the Northern Expedition, Helian Shu was killed, and the main force of the Xianbei was shattered. Although they managed to recapture a city in the third battle, they were ultimately no match for the relentless pursuit of the Qingluan Army of the Great Zhou. As a former subordinate of Helian Shu, she knew that if she returned to the Xianbei, she would be purged by the other imperial princesses. She was forced to sneak across the northern border with her remaining sisters and escape to the Great Zhou. Ultimately, she was captured due to her injuries and enslaved.
Later, at a banquet hosted by Wang Ning, she unexpectedly encountered a man she had met several times on the battlefields of the Great Zhou. Having long suffered Wang Ning's oppression, she harbored deep resentment, and that very night, she seized the opportunity to strike, beheading him with a single blow, and then slaughtering all the guests at the banquet, leaving only Ji Yao behind.
After several rounds of torture and forced confession, the only result obtained was that Wang Xuanji was already dead.
The knot in my heart is hard to untie, and the anger is hard to relieve.
The person she had spent her entire life longing to fight again and vowed to defeat, had passed away before her!
She was dissatisfied and resentful!
But now it's different.
She finally encountered a powerful opponent who could rival her. A rival who could take away all her cities.
It doesn’t matter. As long as she defeats this man, the city will eventually return to her hands.
The warlike blood boiled to the extreme at this moment.
Another bucket of cold water poured down on him, and the water beneath his feet gradually spread, transforming into a thick pool of blood. The silence in his ears suddenly turned into the sound of arrows whistling through the air.
Today is the day to attack the city.
Looking down at the city, the dark army formation was advancing like an iron wall.
The shield soldiers formed a strong fortification at the forefront, deflecting the rain of arrows. The rear rank soldiers followed closely behind, carrying ladders and using the shield formation as cover to press forward towards the city walls. Crossbows fired continuously from within the formation, the air rained down arrows incessantly, and the cries of killing shook the heavens.
The brass trumpets below the city bellowed: "We are all citizens of the Great Zhou. Why are you obeying the orders of a Xianbei barbarian leader? Have you forgotten the land and mountains that nurtured you? If you lay down your weapons and surrender now, you will all be spared—"
A soldier on the city wall was startled by the sound, and his hand, about to throw a stone, paused slightly. Before he could recover, he saw a tall Xianbei female general staring at him intently! A cold light flashed, and a ring-handled knife swept across, and a head fell to the ground. The female general raised her head and shouted, "Anyone who dares to retreat will suffer this fate!"
Yu Wen Yue waved his hand fiercely and ordered sternly: "Pour the golden juice!"
The golden juice is actually human feces. After boiling it and pouring it down, the burn wound will easily become infected and fester.
At this moment, the Zhou army, under the cover of the shield formation, had already fastened their grappling ladders firmly to the battlements. Although rolling logs, stones, and gold liquid rained down like rain, one man fell, and another immediately took his place. The determination of the soldiers who fought bravely and bravely moved the onlookers to the awe.
Xie Tingyu's eyes flashed, and Cen Xiu immediately waved the command flag and shouted loudly: "Charge the chariots and attack!"
But a huge battering ram, pushed by the troops, crashed into the city gate.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The roar of the huge trees crashing against the city gate was deafening. The city gate was finally breached, and even though the defenders desperately tried to block it with their sword-carrying chariots, it was too late to save the city.
Xie Tingyu turned to a woman beside him in a lieutenant's uniform and said in a deep voice, "Go."
"As you command."
Zhang Yan shoved his horse under his belt, and, with his sword in hand, he charged ahead, charging like lightning. His steed leaped into the city, his sword flashing as it slashed, slicing down the heads of several defenders.
From then on, the city gates burst open and the soldiers of the Great Zhou rushed forward like a tide. The Northern Army led by Xie Tingyu was the most swift and firmly in the forefront.
"Good! Good! Good!" Yu Wen Yue raised her arm and brandished her sword, her long braid swinging like a leopard's tail. "Sisters! This is a life-or-death battle. Only by fighting hard can we survive. Follow me!"
The remaining Xianbei troops behind him all raised their troops and shouted: "Charge!"
Wang Lanzhi and Cui Yuanying had already led their troops to scale the city walls and storm it as soon as the ladders were set up. Yuan Wangshu, escorting Xie Tingyu, charged into the city, but within a few steps they ran head-on into a group of elite Xianbei soldiers.
Yuan Wangshu was anxious to protect Xie Tingyu, but the Xianbei people kept pressing on and besieged her in turns. She was deeply entangled in the fight and could not get close.
The personal guards of the Xie family who were also protecting their master were also entangled by the soldiers defending the city who swarmed in, and it was difficult to separate them for a while.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew straight in the face!
Xie Tingyu suddenly leaned back to avoid the fatal blow, then turned around and drew his sword, with both blades crossing in front of him, and the red silk fluttered.
Yu Wenyue's eyes flashed, and she charged in immediately. Her sword was as fierce and violent as a violent storm, and every strike against Xie Tingyu's sword sent sparks flying and clanging loudly.
Xie Tingyu's sword moves without any hesitation. The sword in her hand is like a dragon stepping on snow. She cuts, chops, picks and stabs one after another in one go. She is ruthless and swift, leaving her opponent almost no room to breathe.
Yu Wenyue's eyes lit up, and she was actually excited by this hearty fight. She stepped on the wooden box, used the momentum to climb the wall, and leaped high, her sword flashing like thunder.
Xie Tingyu flipped in the air, barely brushing past her nose, then he turned his wrist and slashed, the blade heading straight for Yuwen Yue's wrist.
At this moment, Zhang Yan, who had been charging ahead, suddenly turned his horse, stepped on the stirrups to gain momentum, and raised his Mo Dao to strike directly at Yuwen Yue. Seeing that Yuwen Yue was gradually outnumbered, the other Xianbei female generals also rushed to his aid without hesitation.
A cold light flashed in Xie Tingyu's eyes, and the sword in his hand swung rapidly and stabbed into Yu Wen Yue's lower abdomen fiercely.
This situation is exactly the same as the one that happened on the Northern Expedition battlefield twelve years ago.
Yu Wen Yue felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, blood gushing out, and at the same time, someone kicked her in the knee, bringing her to her knees. Soldiers from all around her rushed over and pinned her to the ground.
Under the dim winter sun, she looked up at the figure holding two swords. Blood flowed from the corners of her lips, and she hoarsely said in Xianbei language: "Wang Xuanji, you are not dead after all, you are still alive..."
No one could wield two swords in one hand so smoothly, and no one could use the swordsmanship as fiercely as she did, with every move being flawless, unless she was herself.
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The author has something to say: This chapter is called the literature of old enemies, also called the literature of Wanwan and the nobles.
I will update it tomorrow too [glasses] I said I would challenge myself to finish it in September and I was serious!
I hope to write the next chapter faster and longer enough to cover the return of the army to the capital!!! [Hahaha] [Hahaha]
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