After Helian Jue left, Su Nian sat in the tent for a long time, her mind reeling. His last look, his words "You're fine," were like a pebble thrown into a still lake, disturbing the calm waters that had been solely focused on the mission. She shook her head, forcing herself to bring her attention back to reality—this perilous border, this impending night raid.
She blew out the oil lamp and lay down fully clothed on the cold bed, but sleep was elusive. Her ears were perked up, catching every sound outside the tent: the wind, the rhythmic footsteps of patrolling soldiers, the faint neighing of horses in the distance… every sound was amplified, tugging at her nerves.
I don't know how much time passed, but it was during the deepest part of the night, when people were most tired—
"Waaaaah—!"
A piercing and urgent bugle call, like a sharp blade tearing through the night, suddenly came from the northwest of the military town! It was a pre-programmed signal representing the highest level of alert for enemy attack!
It's here!
Su Nian sat up abruptly, her heart leaping into her throat!
Almost at the same instant the bugle sounded, the entire Pan Shi military town was like a beast awakened from its slumber! The once silent camp erupted with roars, the sound of weapons being drawn, and the officers' hoarse commands!
"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"
"On your positions! Archers, take up the walls!"
"Prepare the ambush!"
The footsteps pounded like a rapid drumbeat against Su Nian's heart. She took a deep breath, suppressed her fear, quickly put on her coat, carefully hid the important notes and the packet of emergency medicine powder close to her body, and then lifted the tent flap and went outside.
Outside, chaos reigned, yet order prevailed amidst the disorder. Following the pre-arranged plan, the soldiers swiftly rushed to their posts. Torches were lit, their flickering flames illuminating the tense yet resolute faces.
Su Nian saw Helian Jue's figure, like a black war god, already standing on the high platform outside the command post, with Batu and Tuoba Ye standing on either side. His gaze was as calm as ice, scanning the direction from which the battle shouts came from the darkness, and issuing a series of clear and swift commands.
The battle broke out first in the pre-designated "lure" area in the northwest corner of the military town!
That was the dry riverbed area with complex terrain and easy concealment that Su Nian had pointed out earlier. At this moment, shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and shrill screams mingled together, breaking the deathly silence of the night. The elite Jie tribe soldiers lying in ambush here were engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy who were trying to infiltrate from here.
Protected by a guard, Su Nian climbed a low wall that was relatively safe near the command post. From here, she could vaguely see flickering firelight and moving figures in the darkness in the distance.
She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms. This was the first time she had experienced warfare in the era of cold weapons so closely. There were no grand special effects, only the most primitive and bloody fighting. The air quickly filled with a thick stench of blood, carried by the night wind, making one feel nauseous.
"Release the arrows!" Tuoba Ye's roar rang out from the high platform.
The archers, who had been waiting behind the battlements for some time, immediately unleashed a barrage of arrows fitted with new arrowheads at the shadows of the enemies trying to approach the main wall. The improved arrowheads provided greater penetrating power, and the dull thuds and cries of enemies falling to the ground after being struck by arrows echoed continuously from the darkness.
However, the enemy was clearly well-prepared and exceptionally fierce. Using the terrain for cover, they braved the rain of arrows and surged forward like a tide, attempting to force their way through the ambush area and head straight for the heart of the military town.
The battle was at one point deadlocked.
Just then, in the southeast direction of the military town, another relatively weak defensive position suddenly sounded an alarm!
"A feint to the east while attacking in the west?!" Batu's expression changed.
Helian Jue's eyes sharpened: "They've come after all! Execute the second plan!"
The order was quickly relayed. Reserve units originally deployed in the center immediately moved southeast to provide support. Meanwhile, the ambush troops in the northwest intensified their counterattack, attempting to quickly eliminate the infiltrating enemy.
Su Nian's heart was in her throat. The enemy's cunning and ferocity exceeded her expectations. Although her designed early warning and ambush system had worked, the pressure remained immense.
Suddenly, an unusual commotion arose from the northwest! A small group of well-equipped and exceptionally agile enemies, using some unknown method, broke through the ambush and, like a sharp dagger, plunged straight into the military town, their target clearly the direction of the command post!
"Protect the King!" Batu roared, drawing his scimitar and leading his guards to meet the enemy!
Below the platform, an even more brutal melee erupted instantly!
Su Nian stood on the low wall, watching the enemy squad that had stormed in. There were about twenty or thirty of them, each one exceptionally fierce, with a crazed look in their eyes. The weapons they used were also quite peculiar, with hooks and barbs, clearly elites specializing in close combat!
Although Batu and his guards were brave, the enemy was fearless and fought ruthlessly, and for a time they were entangled!
Helian Jue remained standing on the high platform, watching the battle below with an expressionless face, seemingly detached from it. However, his tightly pursed lips and unconsciously clenched fists betrayed the tension within him.
A cold arrow shot out from an unknown corner, cunningly aiming at Helian Jue's side!
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Su Nian cried out in alarm!
Helian Jue didn't even turn around, he just slightly turned his body, and the arrow flew past his arm armor! But a soldier responsible for flag signals next to him was hit in the shoulder by a stray arrow, screamed and fell to the ground, and the command flag in his hand fell to the ground!
The command system's flag signals instantly became chaotic!
The archers on the wall hesitated for a moment when they lost clear instructions! The pressure on the front suddenly increased!
"Signal! Restore the flag signal!" Tuoba Ye shouted anxiously amidst the chaos of battle.
Su Nian looked at the command flag lying on the ground, then at the slightly chaotic defensive line due to the lack of command, and a flash of inspiration struck her! She remembered that among the improved signal designs she had created, there was a simple backup plan that used torches of different colors to replace flag signals!
"Torch! Use torches!" she shouted with all her might towards the high platform. "Red means frontal suppression! Green means free fire coverage area! Yellow means requesting support!"
Her voice wasn't loud in the noisy battlefield, but Helian Jue caught it clearly!
He suddenly turned his head and looked at Su Nian on the low wall, his eyes sharp as lightning!
He hesitated for only a moment, then immediately roared at another messenger beside him, "Do as she says! Quickly!"
The new instructions were quickly relayed through the torchlight! The archers on the wall understood the signal, and the rain of arrows became orderly and precise once again, effectively halting the enemy's charge!
At the same time, Helian Jue's gaze locked onto the leader of the enemy squad that had stormed in—a giant man with ferocious tattoos on his face and wielding two swords. The giant man was hacking and slashing wildly, trying to break through the guards' defenses and go straight for Helian Jue!
A cold glint flashed in Helian Jue's eyes, and he leaped down from the high platform! Like an eagle swooping down on a rabbit, a dark, curved blade appeared in his hand without him noticing. With a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, he cleaved straight for the giant's head!
"clang--!"
A deafening roar! The twin swords and the scimitar clashed violently, sparks flying everywhere!
The giant staggered back a step, an expression of disbelief on his face. His tiger's mouth had been split open, and blood was flowing freely!
Without pausing, Helian Jue's blade flashed like black lightning, relentlessly attacking the giant! His movements were fast, ruthless, and precise, brimming with explosive power and unparalleled killing skills!
Although the giant was brave, he could only barely hold on in the face of Helian Jue's absolute strength, and several deep wounds that exposed bone appeared on his body in an instant!
Just as Helian Jue was about to finish off the giant with a single strike, another unexpected event occurred!
Thick smoke suddenly billowed from the direction of the military town's granary, accompanied by cries of alarm for help to put out a fire!
"The granary! Someone's setting it on fire!" a soldier shouted in terror.
A traitor! There really was a traitor!
This sudden turn of events threw the already tense defense system of the military town into even greater chaos! Some soldiers instinctively tried to put out the fire, causing the defensive line to weaken!
A crazed smile flashed in the dying giant's eyes as he roared, "Let's die together!"
He suddenly ripped open his leather armor, revealing a row of dark, pottery-like objects strapped to his chest! The fuses on those pottery jars were hissing and burning!
Gunpowder?! Such rudimentary use of gunpowder in this era?!
Su Nian's pupils constricted sharply! She recognized that thing! Although it was rudimentary, an explosion at such close range was enough to engulf Helian Jue and everyone around him!
"Watch out! It's going to explode!" Su Nian's voice became shrill with extreme fear!
Helian Jue also saw the burning fuse and the giant's crazed eyes! His expression changed drastically, and he wanted to back away, but the giant opened his arms and pounced on him like a vengeful ghost, trying to hold him tightly!
The distance is too close and the time is too short!
The fuse was about to burn out—
At the critical moment!
Almost instinctively, Su Nian picked up a fist-sized stone left over from the previous defense from the low wall and, with all her might, hurled it at the giant's right hand, which was holding a tinderbox (it seemed that he had lit the fuse himself and then thrown it away, but it had not been completely extinguished).
Her strength wasn't great, and her aim wasn't particularly good either. But the rock struck the giant's wrist precisely, causing him to flinch in pain!
It was that split second of hesitation!
Helian Jue seized this fleeting opportunity! His body twisted at an incredible angle, and his scimitar drew a strange arc, not slashing at the giant, but precisely aiming at the burning fuse!
"laugh!"
The fuse was snapped off by the tip of the knife, and the last spark went out on the dark earthenware pot.
At the same time, Helian Jue's left foot lashed out like an iron whip into the giant's chest!
"Crack!" A clear sound of bone breaking rang out!
The giant was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs, twitched a few times, and then lay still.
Crisis averted!
Helian Jue stood there, slightly out of breath, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield and landing precisely on Su Nian, who was pale and trembling slightly from exhaustion and lingering fear, on the low wall.
His eyes held an unprecedented complexity.
Shock, inquiry, and a hint of... a lingering sense of relief that even he himself was unaware of.
He looked at her, as if trying to etch her current appearance deeply into his eyes.
Su Nian stared blankly at him, at the fire behind him that was gradually being brought under control, at the defensive line that was gradually stabilizing and beginning to counterattack under orderly command, and at this man who stood firm amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
An indescribable emotion was growing wildly in her heart.
(End of Chapter 109)
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