Chapter 165 It's because she's not fortunate enough to find you the best and most...
The smoke of war rose from all directions and swirled above Zhenyong City, the black smoke obscuring the sky.
This battle to defend the town has been going on for almost half a month without sleep, with thick smoke and the smell of blood mixed together.
Corpses piled up like mountains at the foot of the city wall, layer upon layer, with congealed blood visible everywhere outside the wall.
Thick logs and stones rolled down the siege ladder, while pot after pot of boiling oil and water poured down from the city wall, flowing along the ladder. The Southern Yin soldiers could not withstand the intense heat that could instantly penetrate to the bone, and they fell with screams.
Soldiers on the parapet lowered spiked maces, which were slung with iron barbs, down the wall with ropes and rolled them back and forth to strike the enemy. Other soldiers used iron forks and spears to stab several Southern Yin soldiers who were about to reach the top, the spear tips piercing their leather armor and drawing out gushing blood.
Severed limbs lay scattered on the ground beneath the city walls as waves of the Southern Yin army surged in.
Archers, under the cover of shields, fired upwards at the city walls, covering the troops behind them as they erected new siege ladders. Each pound of the battering ram shook the walls, and the defenders behind the gates desperately reinforced the walls with wooden pillars, each one on edge.
Burning stones streaked across the sky, some striking the city walls and igniting them into flames, their impact mingling with the sounds of war drums, battle cries, and exploding bamboo fire bombs.
Inside the city wall, bundles of arrows with bamboo rockets were handed to the defenders. The archers, covered in black ash and blood, then fired the arrows. In an instant, the arrows with bamboo rockets exploded among the endless streams of Southern Yin soldiers attacking from above.
The deafening explosion, mixed with the screams of enemy soldiers, and the shockwave from the exploding bamboo and iron filings knocked some of the Southern Yin soldiers to the ground.
Huan Xun, who was standing on the city wall directing the operation, glanced at the mountains of corpses and seas of blood outside the city with his dark eyes.
A burning stone streaked past, trailing black smoke, and struck a corner tower not far away. Wood and stone shattered, flames erupted, and the scorching heat wave billowed the scarlet cloak on his armor.
"General!" A hurried cry rang out amidst the explosions and battle cries.
A lieutenant clad in heavy armor rushed to him: "This place is too dangerous, General! Arrows have no eyes. Your safety is the responsibility of the entire army. You must not stay here any longer. Please move the army immediately!"
Logically speaking, a general who leads a campaign to conquer the south should be in a high position and wield great power, and should be stationed in the rear to strategize and plan, rather than personally going to the front lines and being under the weight of arrows and stones.
However, due to the long-standing tradition of valuing civil officials over military ones in Beiye, there was a shortage of capable military generals, and the number of talented generals who could fight and lead independently had almost completely disappeared.
Looking around, the generals were either old and senile, cowardly and incompetent, or fond of armchair strategizing; those who could truly be relied upon as pillars of strength were few and far between.
Zhenyong City is strategically located and crucial to the entire war effort; such an important city cannot be entrusted to mediocre individuals.
There were too few capable people available, and the city was too important, so Huan Xun had to personally brave the danger and come to command.
Huan Xun's gaze remained fixed on the battle situation. He spoke up, "Zhenyong cannot be lost. I must stay here. Vice General Sun, there's no need to persuade me any further."
Seeing his expression, Deputy General Sun swallowed back the words of advice he wanted to say.
Then he stepped forward and stood side by side with Huan Xun behind the parapet, looking at the endless waves of enemy troops outside the city. He analyzed rapidly, "General, the Southern Yin offensive is too fierce. For almost half a month, they have been taking turns to fight, and the loss of troops seems to have no effect on them. Judging from this, the enemy is determined to swallow Zhenyong whole and is willing to sacrifice lives."
"Our casualties are also mounting, and our reserves of arrows, logs, and oil are being depleted at an alarming rate. In particular, our defensive equipment may not be able to hold out for much longer. General, should we... should we immediately send men to break out of the siege and seek reinforcements from neighboring cities?"
After speaking, Deputy General Sun stared intently at Huan Xun, awaiting his decision.
Below the city, another siege engine fell apart under the barrage of arrows and rolling logs.
Huan Xun continued to stare intently at the every move of the Southern Yin soldiers.
Instead of immediately answering Deputy General Sun's suggestion to request reinforcements, he asked, "How much gunpowder do we have left?"
Deputy General Sun: "Reporting to the General, if we continue to consume resources at this rate, we can only hold out for two more days at most."
This number weighed heavily on his mind, but he immediately added, "However, I just received a message from Jiangling that their new batch of gunpowder is on its way and the messenger said it will arrive soon."
"Soon?" Huan Xun finally turned his head to look at Deputy General Sun: "'Soon' means how long? One day, three days, or five days?"
His voice was not loud, but it made Deputy General Sun and several captains who were listening intently tense up.
Deputy General Sun, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, immediately lowered his head and clearly reported, "Reporting to the General, I will arrive no later than noon the day after tomorrow. This humble general just... it was my oversight that I failed to report the exact date in time. Please punish me, General!"
After hearing Deputy General Sun's explanation, Huan Xun said nothing more, but said, "The existing gunpowder is enough for two days."
When asked about requesting reinforcements, he replied, "Other cities are also under immense pressure on their own defenses, and the number of troops they can spare is limited. Rashly requesting reinforcements may not be able to relieve our siege, but may instead weaken their own defenses and give Nan Yin an opportunity to take advantage."
Deputy General Sun frowned deeply: "General, if Nan Yin is determined to besiege us for another ten days or half a month, gunpowder alone will certainly not be enough. I have also heard..."
Huan Xun: "What did you hear? Speak."
Deputy General Sun hesitated, then stammered, "The messenger from Jiangling said that the craftsmen at Leiyao Workshop haven't had a proper rest for almost a month. Since discovering that Nan Yin also has firearms, they've been working day and night, and many... many have collapsed from exhaustion in the workshop."
Deputy General Sun's words pierced Huan Xun's heart like a needle.
His expression remained unchanged, but his grip on the sword hilt tightened suddenly as the image of Yu Nie flashed through his mind.
Yes, he hadn't received a single word from her since he sent that brief letter ten days ago to let her know he was safe.
After days of fierce fighting and a rapidly escalating military situation, he had no time to write back. But now, after hearing what Deputy General Sun said, he felt uneasy, as if vines were creeping up his limbs.
The young man suddenly turned his head, his dark eyes sharp as a hawk's, his voice tense: "How is Lady Rong?"
Sun was taken aback by the abrupt question. When he saw the urgency that was almost bursting out of the wall on the person in front of him, he immediately lowered his head and replied, "Madam Rong is doing well. The messenger mentioned that Madam Rong has been staying at the pharmacy almost all day recently, personally supervising the work, and has not left."
Yu Nie's name has now spread throughout the army. Everyone knows that there is an all-powerful Lady Rong in Leiyao Workshop. Some people even say that she is a fairy, otherwise how could she make such a powerful thing?
Huan Xun was aware of this nickname that had spread throughout the army, but to him, she was no fairy maiden. She had risked her life to become what she was now, continuously supplying weapons to the army.
Upon learning that she was safe and sound, he turned his gaze back to the direction of the Southern Yin Commander's flag in the distance.
Deputy General Sun's worried voice rang out again: "General, if Nan Yin continues its relentless attack regardless of casualties, we..."
"No, it won't happen." Huan Xun interrupted him, tilting his head back to look at the dark sky above, murky and smoky.
“No.” He repeated, each word as cold and hard as iron: “If the deaths of so many people are not enough to make Xiao Nansheng, who is in charge of this war, give up, then just kill him.”
The Xiao Nansheng he referred to was one of the princes of the Xiao family's royal family. When attacking Zhenyong City, Xiao Daozun specially transferred him to command the battle.
Deputy General Sun appeared quite shocked by this decision.
Immediately, Huan Xun withdrew his gaze and instead stared sharply into the depths of the Southern Yin army formation.
"To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first. Xie Cheng's men should be bringing back results soon."
*
On a distant hill, as night deepened, a team calmly observed the battlefield ahead, where flames raged.
Xiao Chengyan, who was in the midst of it all, also watched all of this.
As night approached, Xiao Chengyan finally couldn't help but turn his head to look at the person beside him: "Brother, we've been attacking for so long without success, only increasing casualties. Why don't you order Brother Nan Sheng to retreat?"
Xiao Daozun, who came specifically to oversee the battle, said, "I gave your imperial brother 100,000 men, while the Zhenyong garrison is only about 20,000 at most."
As he spoke, he looked at Xiao Chengyan, who was standing beside him with a worried expression: "He always says he's very capable, so I'll give him this opportunity to test his abilities. That way, he won't say later that I'm biased and don't give him a chance to gain experience."
Xiao Nansheng is the half-brother of Xiao Daozun and Xiao Chengyan. He strongly supported Xiao Daozun when he quelled the internal strife, and now he is highly regarded by Xiao Daozun.
Xiao Chengyan frowned: "But Brother Nansheng is facing Huan Xun. As Your Majesty knows, he may not be able to win against Huan Xun in terms of numbers."
Xiao Daozun sneered: "So what if it's Huan Xun? He's not a god, he's not omnipotent."
"If he were truly omnipotent, how could he have lost Changting Pass?"
Upon hearing him mention Changting Pass, Xiao Chengyan suddenly recalled that day in the Jietang Hall, Xiao Daozun had clearly said that Ge Fei went to Changting Pass to test the strength of Beiye's troops.
If Huan Xun goes to the rescue, it will prove that Beiye indeed has more than 200,000 people; if he does not go to the rescue, then the opposite will be true.
But Huan Xun clearly went to the rescue, so why did his elder brother still conclude that Bei Ye was bluffing?
Thinking of this, Xiao Chengyan, who was once again by Xiao Daozun's side, couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, in the Battle of Changting Pass, Huan Xun went to the rescue. So how did Your Majesty determine that Beiye actually didn't have 200,000 troops?"
Hearing himself ask such a shallow question, Xiao Daozun smiled and said, "These days I sent Huaichuan to learn and gain experience from other people, but it seems they are not good teachers and have not taught you anything useful."
"I told you to come back to the capital long ago. Your brother would personally teach you military affairs, but you just wouldn't listen."
Then he gave Zhao Yunfu a good scolding, saying that during Xiao Chengyan's years in Jian'an, Zhao Yunfu had not supervised his studies properly, and had even complained about the aging Empress Dowager.
After saying these trivial things, Xiao Daozun finally revealed his original method of judgment.
He said that Ge Fei deliberately exposed his position, and Huan Xun must have received the military report long ago, but their reinforcements only arrived after the city fell.
This shows that although he made the correct judgment, he was a step too slow in execution.
There is only one explanation for the slow pace: it was extremely difficult for Huan Xun to mobilize this army, requiring painstaking efforts to draw and coordinate troops from the complex battlefront.
If he had sufficient reserves, this reinforcement should have set off earlier and arrived when Ge Feijin attacked the city.
His lateness proved that he had reached the limit of troop deployment and could not spare any troops.
After Xiao Daozun finished speaking, Xiao Chengyan clearly saw the gap between himself and his elder brother.
That's not just a misstep, but the world of difference between having the whole game and being trapped in a corner.
He understood that the Xiao royal family... truly could only be shouldered by his elder brother.
Just then, a muffled bang suddenly came from afar, followed by more explosions that shook the ground beneath our feet.
The towering flames dyed half the sky red.
Following the sound, Xiao Daozun reined in his horse, the firelight flickering in his deep eyes.
His face betrayed no emotion; he clicked his tongue, his tone carrying an inscrutable admiration: "This Shunhe, he's really got some skills, managing to create something so impressive."
He looked at Xiao Chengyan and said, "If I had known she was so capable, I should have had Zhao Yunfu betroth her to you much earlier."
Xiao Chengyan did not respond.
After his brother finished speaking, he simply lowered his head in silence.
Xiao Daozun was a man of great stature; with just one glance, he could see the dejection in his younger brother as his innermost thoughts were exposed.
He patted Xiao Chengyan's shoulder with his strong hand, the force firm and carrying an undeniable sense of reassurance.
"Why are you still upset?" Xiao Daozun teased. "Don't be upset, Huaichuan. If she doesn't marry you, it's because she's unlucky and has a narrow mind."
"Cheer up! When you achieve your goal and return in triumph, your brother will personally arrange for you to marry the best and most virtuous noblewoman in the world. She will be just like your sister-in-law, well-educated, dignified, and able to live in harmony with you. What do you say? Your brother promises you that he will never let you suffer any injustice."
Xiao Chengyan felt as if something was blocking his heart, making him feel suffocated.
He looked up at Xiao Daozun, about to say something, when a hurried voice interrupted him.
"Report—!"
A fast horse came galloping toward them.
The man on horseback didn't even have time to rein in his horse before he tumbled off and staggered straight to Xiao Daozun, where he knelt on one knee and held up a secret letter with both hands.
"Your Majesty! Urgent report from the northern frontier! The spies who were monitoring the movements of the Beiya army risked their lives to send back news that Beiya, the Beiya army has crossed the pass and is marching day and night. The vanguard has entered the Jianghuai region and is almost there!"
"What did you say?!" Xiao Daozun snatched the secret letter away.
His profile, illuminated by the flickering firelight, resembled a rock, its lines cold and hard.
Before he could open the letter, an unexpected event occurred on the battlefield behind them.
A chaotic commotion, unlike the previous orderly resistance, came from the army at the front.
Accompanied by several cryptic bugle calls, the Southern Yin soldiers who had been attacking suddenly began to retreat!
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