Blood Talisman's First Sound
The deathly silence inside the command tent was shattered by the scout's scalding blood and the heart-wrenching cry of "Enemy attack!"
Qin Zhaoyang's palm, pressed against the sand table, veins bulging, the cold edge of the stone almost digging into his flesh. The small scarlet flag shattered silently between his fingers, tiny splinters pricking his fingertips, causing a negligible sting, far less than the icy chill in his heart. Ashina Tulu, this wolf of the northern frontier, had revealed its sharpest fangs at the very moment when Qin Zhaoyang was shackled by the chains of imperial power! Taking advantage of the warm snow, muddy supply lines, and the suspicion in the court and the unrest in the army, they had launched a full-scale attack on his camp! This was not a test; this was an attack aimed at crushing Qin Zhaoyang and his tens of thousands of border troops!
"Pass on the order!" Qin Zhaoyang's voice boomed, like a thunderclap sweeping across an icy plain, instantly silencing all the panic and gasps in the tent. He whirled around, the hem of his robe billowing in a chilling wind, his gaze like a quenched blade, sweeping over Gao Huaien and Zhao Ran, their faces ashen and lips trembling as they couldn't speak, before finally fixing on the faces of his two personal guards, who had instantly drawn their swords and whose eyes were sharp as wolves.
"Commander of the Central Army, beat the drum! Assemble the generals! The entire army—prepare for battle!" The order was decisive and allowed no hesitation.
"Yes, sir!" the older guard roared in response, bursting open the tent flap and disappearing into the howling wind and snow and the sudden burst of chaos and noise outside.
"You!" Qin Zhaoyang's fingertip almost touched the young guard's nose, his tone filled with iron-blooded resolve. "Take a troop of fast horses and leave the camp immediately! Head west! Find Li Chong, the 'Black Cloud Cavalry' captain! Tell him the wolf is coming! Tell him to hold onto Ashina Tulu's left flank tightly! Hold him off! At all costs, hold him off until I've laid the trap! Tell him that if we win this battle, I, Qin Zhaoyang, will personally recommend him for credit! If anything goes wrong..." Qin Zhaoyang's voice suddenly turned fierce, like a bone-chilling wind, "...bring his head to me!"
"Your subordinate obeys!" The young guard's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently. He clenched his fists, his armor clanging, and turned to rush out of the tent. His roar to summon his men was instantly swallowed by the wind and snow.
Qin Zhaoyang's gaze finally fell coldly back on Gao Huaien. The eunuch's smugness had long been replaced by terror. His body trembled slightly beneath his crimson official robes. He forced a show of authority and shrieked, his voice sharp and menacing, "Qin Zhaoyang! What... what do you want to do? The bandits have arrived! Why aren't you going to defend them? What are you doing here?!"
"My lord," Qin Zhaoyang's voice was terrifyingly low, each word like a block of ice hitting the ground, "the bandit chieftain has surrendered, and the vanguard is less than thirty li from here. The camp is not secure, and the morale of the army is wavering. At this moment, I am the backbone of these tens of thousands of soldiers! Wherever I am, the central army will be!" He stepped forward, his tall figure carrying an imposing pressure, "Since you are acting on behalf of Heaven to inspect military affairs, why not move to the gate and join me... to observe the battle? You can see with your own eyes how these 'hesitant and fearful' border troops 'fight bravely and soar like eagles' and 'avenge their past humiliations'!"
"You...!" Gao Huaien choked, his face turning purple. The sarcasm in Qin Zhaoyang's words and the cold threat implied by the word "spectator" made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. He wanted to refuse, to rebuke, but the approaching hoofbeats and deafening battle horns outside the tent, like muffled thunder, choked all his words into a sore throat, leaving only the sound of his teeth chattering.
Qin Zhaoyang stopped looking at him, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Ran, who was slumped on the ground, trembling like a leaf. He shouted sharply, "Guards! Escort the Military Supervisor and the Left Chancellor to the observation platform at the gate!" The black-armored warriors guarding outside the tent lifted the curtain and entered, their cold armor exuding a murderous aura. Without a word, they "invited" Gao Huai'en and Zhao Ran to their feet. Gao Huai'en tried to struggle, but the warriors' iron-like hands held his arms down, half-pushing, half-dragging him out, leaving behind only a few distorted screams that were swept away by the wind and snow.
The command tent emptied instantly, leaving only Qin Zhaoyang and the pool of dark red blood on the ground, gradually congealing. The heavy stench of blood mixed with the acrid smell of burning pine resin filled the cold air. Outside the tent, the sounds of drums and horns shook the heavens and the earth; footsteps, the clanging of armor, the shouts of officers, the neighing of warhorses... all merged into a surging torrent of iron and blood, crashing against the camp's walls.
Qin Zhaoyang slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The cold air, carrying the scent of rust and death, rushed into his lungs, like drinking the strongest liquor. When he opened his eyes again, all the turmoil had subsided, leaving only the frozen lake surface, reflecting the impending blood and fire. He grabbed the simply decorated bronze longsword beside the sand table, and with a clang, the blade was drawn half a foot from its sheath, its cold light illuminating his resolute, iron-like face. The cold spine of the sword pressed against his forehead, the piercing chill instantly coursing through his limbs, freezing the last trace of distraction.
He strode out of the command tent. The wind and snow lashed at him like countless icy whips. The world was a dark and chaotic gray, the wet snow hissing and steaming as it landed on his scorching armor. The entire camp had transformed into a massive, frantically operating war machine.
---
Above the gate, the wind howled like ghosts.
The massive log watchtower swayed slightly in the wind and snow. Gao Huai'en, "protected" by two armored warriors, was practically hoisted onto the cold observation platform. The biting wind instantly filled his wide, crimson official robe, making him shiver uncontrollably. Zhao Ran was even more pale, gripping the cold wooden railing tightly, his knuckles white, as if it were his only lifeline.
The sight before him caused Gao Huaien's pupils to contract sharply, and he even forgot to chatter.
Beyond the camp, the desolate plains as far as the eye could see were now covered by a moving, churning black tide! Those were the Northern Barbarian cavalry! Tens of thousands! Like a black flood bursting its banks, carrying an aura of annihilation, they surged forth from the depths of the chaotic snowstorm! Their hooves pounded the muddy snow, producing a dull, terrifying rumble, as if the earth itself were groaning in agony. Snow and mud were billowed high, forming a murky, grayish-yellow mist that shrouded the surging tide.
Closer! Even closer!
The ferocious faces of the knights in the front ranks were now clearly visible! Their faces were smeared with indigo and ochre paint, making them look like demons crawling out of hell, howling like wild beasts. The scimitars in their hands reflected the pale light of the snow, casting a dense, chilling glint! Each heavy thud of the horses' hooves felt like a trampling on the hearts of everyone on the spectator stand!
"Waaaaaah!"
A desolate and urgent horn blast rang out from the Di cavalry formation, like the collective howl of hungry wolves. With the blast, the surging black tide accelerated violently! The lead rank of heavily armored cavalry, like iron bullets fired from a gun, slammed into the hastily erected antler-barriers surrounding the camp! Splinters flew everywhere! The thick antlers, struck by the heavy, iron-clad horses, cracked with a teeth-grinding sound! The antlers were breached, and the following light cavalry, like sharks smelling blood, surged through the gap! Arrows, like dense locusts, whistling sharply, soared from behind the Di cavalry formation, piercing the gray sky, and rained down on the camp like a torrent!
"Raise your shields—!!!"
On the stockade wall, a Qin army captain with a full beard roared, his voice like thunder. The Qin infantry, who had been waiting in battle, roared in unison, and huge shields were raised with a crash, instantly forming a solid wooden and iron barrier along the edge of the stockade wall!
"Thud thud thud...!" A dense rain of arrows slammed into the shields, producing dull, rapid explosions like hailstones hitting a roof! The force was so great that the soldiers holding the shields went numb, and their hands split open! Arrows occasionally pierced through the gaps in the shields or flew over the shield wall, whistling through the air and splattering warm sprays of blood into the crowd! Screams instantly echoed throughout the stockade!
"Hold on! Hold on, you bastards!" The bearded captain swung his sword, deflecting an arrow aimed at his face. His face was splattered with blood from who-knows-who, his beard and hair bristling, making him look like a mad tiger. "Crossbowmen! Where are the crossbowmen?! Shoot them! Shoot those bastards who are charging at the barricades! Shoot the horses' eyes! Shoot the horses' legs!"
"Buzz—!"
The chilling chorus of bowstrings finally rang out! The crossbowmen, already poised to fire between the shields, pulled the pins at the officer's sharp command! Hundreds of massive bolts, carrying devastating force, tore through the air with ear-piercing whistles, like the scythe of death, instantly raining down upon the densest mass of Di cavalry charging beneath the stockade walls!
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft...!"
A terrifying series of piercing sounds filled the air! The heavy armor of the Di cavalry at the forefront was easily pierced like paper! Warhorses collapsed with mournful cries, throwing their riders heavily off their backs! Powerful crossbow bolts could even pierce through two or three men and horses in succession! The charging wave of Di cavalry crashed into an invisible, spiked iron wall, and the front ranks instantly fell to the ground! The following cavalry, unable to stop in time, slammed into the corpses of the fallen men and horses in front, causing another chaotic tumble and screams! The filthy snow was trampled into a dark red mud!
"Good! Well shot!" The Qin soldiers on the stockade wall roared with thunderous fury, their morale soaring!
However, this brief respite failed to deter the Di cavalry's frenzied attack! The cavalry, seemingly endless, surged forward even more frantically, trampling over the corpses of their comrades and horses! They abandoned a frontal assault on the remaining chevaux-de-frise, instead moving swiftly along the edge of the camp like a pack of cunning wolves, searching for weaknesses in the defenses. Meanwhile, more light cavalry dismounted, carrying makeshift wooden shields and hastily felled logs, and under the cover of a hail of arrows, howled as they charged towards the camp walls! They intended to form human ladders and swarm over the walls!
"Rolling logs! Boulders! Smash them! Smash these beasts to death!" The bearded captain's roar was already hoarse.
Heavy logs and massive stones were pushed off the stockade wall by the soldiers working together! With a dull thud, they crashed down on the swarming Di soldiers below! The impact of the heavy logs produced a sickening cracking sound, and screams of agony were instantly drowned out by the roar of the rolling logs and stones! Dark red blood and shattered limbs splattered in the mud! A makeshift ladder that had just been erected on the wall was struck in the middle by a huge log, sending splinters flying. Several Di soldiers climbing the ladder screamed as they fell, trampled into a bloody pulp by the chaotic forces below!
Blood and fire, mud and snow, death and roars instantly transformed the entire outer perimeter of the camp into a boiling hellscape!
---
Deep within the camp, near the supply area, at a relatively low corner of the camp wall.
The sounds of fighting, arrows whistling through the air, and the dying screams surged like a tidal wave, crashing against the eardrums and heart of the new recruit, Xiao Yuxuan. He gripped the heavy halberd tightly in his hand; the rough wooden shaft was slippery with sweat, and the cold bronze head reflected a faint light in the dim light. His fingers were stiff and white from excessive force, his knuckles cracking. With each heavy impact, his body involuntarily shuddered, his stomach churning, almost vomiting up the thin millet porridge he had eaten that morning.
Beside him stood Sheng Guo, a fellow villager. Sheng Guo's face was even paler than his, his lips bloodless, and he bit his lower lip so hard it almost bled. He gripped a bronze short sword and a small round shield, his arm trembling slightly, the edge of the shield scraping against his leather armor with a soft, frantic sound.
“Yu…Brother Yuxuan…” Sheng Guo’s voice trembled uncontrollably as she looked in terror at the chaotic battlefield outside the stockade walls. The rising dust and the vaguely visible fighting figures were like a nightmare. “Will we…will we die here?”
Xiao Yuxuan's throat went dry. He swallowed hard, wanting to say something comforting, but found his tongue stiff and unresponsive. Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, coiled around his heart, tightening its grip. He remembered the parched fields of Longxi, the despair in his father's eyes as he was dragged away, the rough burlap talisman his mother had tucked into his arms… the rough touch seemed to still linger in his chest, yet it brought no warmth. He had joined the army simply to survive, to earn a living. He had never imagined death could be so close, so terrifying.
"Don't...don't talk nonsense!" an old soldier with a scar on his face growled, his voice hoarse yet strangely calm. His name was Old Geng, the squad leader of their unit. Leaning against a pile of sacks filled with earth and stones, he squinted, like a seasoned lone wolf, warily scanning the snow-covered battlefield ahead. "Hold your shields steady! Keep your bodies low! Ears perked up! Listen to the squad leader's orders! Charge when told to charge, retreat when told to retreat! What's the panic! The more panicked you are, the faster you'll die!"
Old Geng's words were like a shot of adrenaline, calming Xiao Yuxuan and Sheng Guo's chaotic thoughts slightly. Xiao Yuxuan took a deep breath and tried to imitate Old Geng, lowering his center of gravity and pressing his shoulders firmly against the cold wooden stakes of the stockade wall. He didn't even feel the rough wooden splinters piercing his flesh, but just stared intently at the death zone shrouded in wind, snow, and dust in front of him.
Sudden!
"Woo—!" A shrill whistle, unlike the Qin army's bugle or the Di people's ox horn, suddenly rang out from the snow and dust not far in front of them, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue!
"Watch out!" Old Geng's pupils contracted sharply as he shouted a warning!
Almost simultaneously, from the muddy, snow-covered ground littered by rolling logs and boulders, dozens of low-lying figures sprang up like ghosts! Their greyish-white fur, stained with mud and snow, blended almost seamlessly into the snow. They had been lying motionless amidst the corpses and mud of their comrades, deceiving the Qin scouts! Now, spurred on by the sharp whistle, they moved like arrows, their speed astonishing, heading straight for the relatively low corner of the stockade wall, where the defenses seemed somewhat weak!
They are the Northern Barbarian assassins! "Icebreakers" born to scale walls and breach fortifications!
"Fire! Fire now!" The junior officer in charge of this section of the stockade shouted hoarsely, his voice distorted!
Sparse arrows flew out, hastily and chaotically. The wind and snow impaired visibility and accuracy, and only a few of the leading Di warriors fell with muffled groans. But many more had already reached the base of the stockade wall with the agility of monkeys! They didn't bother with ladders; instead, they swung out ropes with iron claws, and with a few shouts, the iron claws gripped the wooden stakes at the top of the wall! Then, using their hands and feet, and aided by the ropes, they climbed the slippery wooden wall as if walking on flat ground! Their movements were so swift it was chilling!
"Roll the logs! Smash them! Smash them to death!" The junior officer's voice was filled with desperate sobs.
But it was too late! The heavy logs and boulders needed time to be prepared and moved! And the Di people's assassins were too fast!
"Halberd bearers! Step forward! Throw it down for me!" Old Geng's roar was like thunder. He was the first to leap out from behind the straw bag! He held a heavy, long-handled iron mace in his hand, and with an indomitable and ferocious momentum, he pounced on a Di assassin who had just poked his head out halfway!
Xiao Yuxuan felt a surge of adrenaline rush to his head! Fear was instantly overwhelmed by a primal, survival instinct! Almost by muscle memory, he roared, brandishing his halberd, and followed behind Lao Geng, charging fiercely towards the nearest crenellation! There, a Di man with his face painted with indigo paint and eyes as fierce as a hungry wolf was already gripping the wall with one hand, his other hand holding a gleaming curved sword, about to leap over!
"Kill—!" Xiao Yuxuan's roar was hoarse and ferocious, a sound he himself didn't recognize! He didn't know any techniques; he simply used all his strength to thrust his halberd fiercely towards the Di man's face! The bronze halberd tip tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek!
The Di assassin reacted with lightning speed! He shrank back abruptly, narrowly avoiding the halberd tip! His curved blade swung out with a gust of wind, slashing fiercely towards Xiao Yuxuan's neck! The angle was tricky, and the speed was incredibly fast!
The shadow of death loomed over them in an instant!
Xiao Yuxuan's pupils contracted sharply! He didn't even have time to retract his halberd to block! His body's instinct made him lean back violently!
"Pfft!"
A sickeningly sharp sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out!
Warm liquid splashed all over Xiao Yuxuan's face! It carried a strong smell of blood!
The expected excruciating pain did not come. Xiao Yuxuan staggered to his feet and looked around.
The ferocious Di assassin froze in mid-air, his movements frozen. A blood-stained bronze sword tip pierced through his wide-open, paint-smeared mouth! Half a scarlet tongue still clung to the sword tip!
It's a bountiful harvest!
He had somehow managed to rush to the side, and at the critical moment, with all his might, he plunged the bronze short sword in his hand into the mouth of the Di man from the side! His eyes were wide open, his face splattered with the enemy's blood and brains, his expression twisted with extreme fear and rage, his hand gripping the hilt of the sword trembling violently, yet he refused to let go!
The Di assassin made a strange hoarse sound from his throat, the fierce light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and his body convulsed. Sheng Guo pushed him hard, and he and the short sword that had pierced his head fell off the stockade wall and crashed into the mud below.
"Sheng Guo!" Xiao Yuxuan's heart pounded wildly as he shouted hoarsely.
Sheng Guo seemed stunned by her own actions, staring blankly at her hands covered in sticky blood, then at Xiao Yuxuan, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
"Don't just stand there! Behind you!" Old Geng's roar exploded again!
More Di assassins had scaled the stockade walls! Like hungry wolves pouncing on a flock of sheep! Scimitars gleamed with a deathly light, slashing fiercely at the terrified Qin soldiers! Screams instantly erupted near the battlements! A young Qin soldier had half his shoulder cleaved open by a scimitar, screaming as he fell, blood splattering onto the cold wooden wall!
A bloody close-quarters battle erupted instantly! The cramped space between the battlements became the most brutal meat grinder!
Xiao Yuxuan had no time to think. His fear was replaced by a stronger will to survive and the thrill of witnessing Sheng Guo's fierce battle. He roared, raised his halberd, and charged again at a Di man who had just scaled the wall and was still unsteady on his feet! This time, he didn't blindly thrust; instead, he imitated Old Geng, using the lower end of the halberd to sweep fiercely at the man's ankle!
Caught off guard, the Di man staggered from the blow! Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Yuxuan used all his strength to thrust his halberd diagonally upwards!
"puff!"
The halberd tip pierced through the leather armor and plunged deep into the Di man's abdomen! The Di man let out a beast-like scream and swung his curved sword wildly at Xiao Yuxuan! Xiao Yuxuan desperately held onto the halberd shaft, his body staggering forward from the force of his dying struggle! The cold blade almost grazed his scalp!
"Die!" Old Geng, as if possessed by a god of death, smashed a mace hard into the Di man's temple! Red and white splattered instantly!
Xiao Yuxuan abruptly drew his halberd, unleashing a torrent of scalding blood that splattered onto his face and body. The pungent stench of blood and entrails assaulted his nostrils, sending shivers down his spine. He stared at the limp, skull-masked corpse, his hand gripping the halberd trembling violently. This wasn't the training dummy; this was a living, breathing person! He had killed him!
"Hold the line! Hold the line! Don't let them gain a foothold!" Old Geng's roar jolted him from his brief daze. More and more Di assassins were surging up! Scimitars like a forest, roars like thunder!
Sheng Guo also picked up a short halberd dropped by a fallen comrade, gripped it tightly with both hands, his eyes bloodshot, and roared as he joined the battle. He moved clumsily, narrowly escaping death several times, only managing to avoid being cut down thanks to the cover of the veterans beside him.
Xiao Yuxuan fiercely wiped the blood from his face. The icy liquid sent a chill down his spine and cleared his muddled mind somewhat. He forced himself not to look at the corpses on the ground, not to think about the horrific sensation of the halberd tip piercing his flesh. He gritted his teeth, held his halberd straight, and once again faced the charging enemy. He imitated the veterans, using the length of his halberd to try to stab or trip the enemy before they got close, working with his comrades in the troop, who were armed with short weapons, to form a defensive line built of flesh and will in front of the narrow crenellation.
Every parry, every thrust, was accompanied by the muffled thud of bones shattering, sparks flying from clashing metal, the dying screams of enemies, and the muffled groans of fallen comrades. Sweat, blood, and mud mingled, soaking through their thin winter clothes and leather armor, chilling them to the bone. Xiao Yuxuan's tiger's mouth was already cracked and bleeding; every swing of his halberd brought excruciating pain, his arm feeling as heavy as lead. His lungs burned, and every breath carried the heavy stench of blood.
Death has never felt so real and close.
Just as he mechanically parried a scimitar and prepared to stab again, he caught a glimpse of a Di assassin who had just climbed up to his side. The scimitar in the assassin's hand was silently slicing the neck of a young Qin soldier who was fighting another enemy with his back to him!
"Watch out!" Xiao Yuxuan roared without thinking! At the same time, he slammed his body to the side! The halberd flew out of his hand, and he slammed his shoulder into the young Qin soldier!
"puff!"
The sound of a blade piercing flesh was clearly audible! Accompanied by a suppressed groan!
Xiao Yuxuan felt a tearing pain in his left shoulder! The cold blade sliced through his leather armor and embedded itself deeply in his shoulder blade! The enormous impact knocked him to the ground! The young Qin soldier who had been knocked aside turned around in astonishment and saw the Di assassin grinning as he drew his curved sword, leaving a trail of blood, and slashed at him again!
"Ah—!" the young Qin soldier roared, raising his short halberd to meet the attack!
Xiao Yuxuan collapsed into the cold mud, his left shoulder burning with excruciating pain. Warm blood gushed out, staining the snow beneath him. He struggled to get up, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing his vision to blur. The chaotic sounds of battle seemed to fade into the distance, leaving only his heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart.
Just then, in the blood-soaked mud beneath him, an inconspicuous, half-buried object pressed against his ribs. In excruciating pain, he instinctively reached out and touched a cold, rough-edged piece of wood. He instinctively clenched it tightly in his hand. The wood was small, but heavy, with sharp edges, like a fragment of an object forcibly broken by some immense force. It seemed to bear faint, blood-soaked markings.
Was it a fragment of a weapon? Or something else? Xiao Yuxuan had no time to think about it. The shadow of death had not receded; the Di assassin's scimitar could fall again at any moment. His survival instinct made him grip the cold piece of wood tightly, as if it were the last straw a drowning man was grasping at. He struggled, using his still-functioning right hand, trying to reach for the shaft of the fallen halberd not far away.
The cold, sharp edge of the wooden piece dug deep into his palm, bringing a strange stinging pain. This insignificant pain, however, was like a weak electric current, piercing his nerves, which had been numbed by fear and agony, bringing a brief moment of clarity to his chaotic consciousness.
He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the pervasive blood mist and snowflakes, past the chaotic battlements, and landing on the tall watchtower in the direction of the main gate. In the wind and snow, he could vaguely see the glaring crimson robe of the supervising eunuch Gao Huai'en, like a cold flag hanging above the boiling sea of blood.
A thought, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly burrowed into my mind, bringing with it endless chill:
This overwhelming bloodshed, this hellish slaughter, the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers... what was it all for? Was it for the beautiful land behind them? Or was it for... that cold, piercing gaze from the watchtower, a symbol of imperial suspicion and death knell... a touch of crimson?
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