Chapter 33 Morning Light on the Frosty Plains
Stones of varying sizes rained down from the sky like a meteor shower. Even a stone the size of a mud pellet could kill a person instantly if it hit a vital spot. Not to mention a stone weighing a hundred pounds, which would make the surrounding houses tremble when it hit the ground, and turn a person into mincemeat in an instant.
Even with his extensive experience, Ruan Bi was horrified. He secretly rejoiced that when Dunluhe led the northern army to besiege Haozhou, he had first used three thousand thunderbolts to destroy nearly half of the siege equipment, leaving Dunluhe without siege weapons for a long time and preventing him from launching such a fierce and intensive attack. Otherwise, given Haozhou's defensive deployment, it would not have been able to withstand a prolonged and intense assault.
Because the soldiers of Haozhou City reacted too slowly at the beginning, losing the initiative, the Northern Rong army advanced rapidly. In less than an hour, the vanguard siege engine phalanx, braving a dense hail of arrows and crossbow bolts, reached the moat and began laying the trench bridges. By evening, the two trench bridges were completed, and siege engines covered with soft shields rumbled in…
Ruan Bichong and Liu Shizhi exchanged a glance, and he understood and made a hand gesture. The flag officer then used flag signals to pass the order down through the ranks.
Several loud explosions were heard, and the two siege engines that had just crossed the bridge suddenly got stuck in the ground, followed by bursts of flame. The Northern Rong soldiers hiding inside the engines scrambled to climb out, while the Haozhou soldiers rushed out from the hidden gates in the city wall, slashing and stabbing fiercely with their swords and spears, before quickly retreating back inside.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
On the Northern Rong command platform, Ji Nuli's hand, gripping the railing, tightened as he asked, "Who exactly is in command in Haozhou City?"
"The deputy commander of Haozhou City is named Li Dingguo. He is said to be the younger brother of Chai Xi, the prefectural magistrate. He was promoted for his meritorious service in suppressing the mountain bandits." Mei Da asked cautiously, "Is there something wrong with that?"
Ji Nuli remained silent, simply staring at the siege engine burning fiercely ahead, which was blocking the exit of the trench bridge, preventing other siege engines from passing. He truly couldn't understand how the city's commanders knew their trench bridge would be built there and had dug the pit beforehand.
Little did he know, Ruan Bi had ordered his men to dig a pit every five meters along the moat. These pits were supported by wooden frames, with oil-soaked straw and thunderbolts placed underneath, so no matter where the moat bridge was built, there was a large pit waiting in front of the siege engine.
Dunluhe said, "In my opinion, that Li Dingguo is a mediocre person. Chai Xi arranged for him to be the deputy commander-in-chief because he did not want him to become a hindrance to Yu Qing. The commander in the city must be someone else."
Ji Nuli nodded approvingly and said, "Great minds think alike. This man is highly talented, but lacks experience. Although he has some ingenious strategies, he cannot use them flexibly, let alone integrate them. However, given time, he will surely become a great general." He paused and said, "General Dunluhe, order your men to capture this man alive. I want to recruit him."
Dunluhe frowned and said, "Your Majesty, there is a saying among the Han people: 'Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts.' Keeping them by our side is like raising a tiger that will cause trouble."
Ji Nuli calmly retorted, "Wild boars cannot cross the fence, but eagles are not afraid of snow-capped peaks. General Dunluhe, I have heard that your Mona tribe has a very skilled hunter who can tame wild wolves. When will you bring him to me to meet him?"
His words were unintentional, but the listener took them to heart. He had only compared himself to an eagle, but to Dunluhe, it sounded like he was being mocked as a wild boar. He was extremely displeased but could not vent his anger, so he said in a rough voice, "The hunter that the Khan mentioned is my slave. When I return to the grasslands, I will give his whole family to the Khan."
Ji Nuli was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what he meant. He glanced at him sideways and said with a half-smile, "In that case, thank you, General Dunlihe."
Dunluhe said sullenly, "It's just a small matter, Your Majesty is too kind."
Fearing an awkward atmosphere, Meda quickly changed the subject: "Strange, why haven't they thrown any fire bombs today?"
This sentence shifted everyone's attention from the previous topic, and they all turned to look at Haozhou City. After an afternoon of bombardment with stones and cannons, the walls outside the city were piled up to half the height of the city. In another night, the city walls would be high enough. At that time, all the densely packed firing ports on the city walls would be rendered useless, and the infantry could swarm up and begin the assault on the city walls.
"Report, Your Majesty, General, there is a cavalry force of about three thousand men in the west, launching a surprise attack on our army from the rear."
Everyone looked westward and sure enough, they saw a cavalry unit, dressed like the soldiers defending Haozhou, charging left and right, displaying remarkable bravery. In particular, the leader, wielding a long spear, parried and thrust with great agility.
“Yu Qing has returned to reinforce.” Ji Nuli frowned and asked, “General Dunluhe, didn’t you have troops lying in ambush for him in Qingfeng Town in the northwest? How did he manage to charge over?”
Dunluhe said, "No battle reports have come, so they probably took a shortcut we don't know about."
When marching into battle, the first thing to do upon arriving at a new place is to survey the terrain. However, there are some shortcuts and paths that even the locals may not know. Ji Nuli was aware of this and said, "Since they insist on taking this journey to the underworld, General Dunlu, why don't you escort them on their way?"
"Yes, sir." After saying this, Dunluhe gestured to Dunluchengxiong standing behind him. Dunluchengxiong nodded in understanding, turned around, stepped down from the command platform, and led two thousand cavalrymen westward. At this moment, Yuqing's troops were surrounded by the Northern Rong army on the field and gradually moved towards the command platform. It looked like they were about to meet Dunluchengxiong's troops head-on.
Meda said, "That's strange, why are their faces all covered?"
Ji Nuli stared intently, and sure enough, the soldiers of Haozhou were not only wearing helmets, but their faces were also covered with various kinds of cloth. A thought flashed through his mind like lightning, and he blurted out, "Not good..."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dense swarm of dark, thunderous bombs and explosive shells suddenly flew out of Haozhou City. The thunderous bombs headed straight for the catapult positions, while the explosive shells rushed straight at Dunlu Chengxiong's troops... Then came a continuous series of explosions, flashes of light, and billowing smoke.
It was already nearing dusk, but now the smoke obscured the sky, making it impossible to see more than ten feet ahead. Meanwhile, thunderclaps and explosive bombs rained down like a meteor shower. Although the Northern Rong army had seen fire bombs and explosive bombs before and knew their limited power, having suffered twice from them in Haozhou City, they were now terrified at the sight of them, and their previously soaring morale began to crumble. The worst off were the cavalry led by Moda Yudunlu Chengxiong, who were choked by the pepper spray, their eyes and noses running, and they were rendered blind. Yu Qing's cavalry seized the opportunity to unleash a massacre…
Just moments before, Ji Nuli had been chatting and laughing, but now his face was clouded as he stared at Haozhou City and said in a low voice, "Withdraw."
If they retreat, all their previous efforts will be in vain. Dunluhe looked at him in surprise and said, "Khan, we have the upper hand..."
"Withdraw." Ji Nuli interrupted him without hesitation.
Although he was still young, he had an imposing presence. Now, with his face darkening, he exuded a menacing aura. Even Dunluhe, who had always looked down on him, felt a chill run down his spine. He instinctively waved to the flag officer.
The gong sounded.
The siege engine quickly retreated...
Dunlu Chengxiong, with his men coughing and spitting tears, retreated while defending himself...
After chasing for a while, Yu Qing led his men and quickly ran towards the city gate...
On the city wall of Haozhou, Liu Shizhi slammed his hand heavily on the rampart. He said, "What a pity."
Ruan Bi also felt deep regret. This battle plan had been discussed before Yu Qing left the city to reinforce Suzhou. The coordination was also perfect. If Ji Nuli had reacted even a quarter of an hour slower, Yu Qing could have annihilated Dunlu Chengxiong's two thousand cavalry, and then set fire to the catapult positions—defending a city is much easier than attacking it. The attacking side relies on the dense, whirlwind-like attacks of catapults and crossbows to paralyze the city's defenses, and then use the siege weapon formations to capture the city.
Below the city walls, cheers erupted. The common people and the defending soldiers welcomed Yu Qing's cavalry, and rejoiced at having once again repelled the Rong enemy's attack. However, Ruan Bi was far from happy. The Great Zhou's gunpowder weapons were still underdeveloped; these thousands of thunderclap bombs were made from firecrackers she had collected from nearby prefectures. Under siege, once used up, they couldn't be replenished. Unlike the stone projectiles used by the Northern Rong's catapults, which were inexhaustible and could be recycled.
Given Ji Nuli's military talent, he will surely plan even more meticulously for the next siege.
She leaned against the battlements, gazing anxiously towards the direction of the Northern Rong command post. Twilight was falling, and only faint figures could be seen on the post. Evening approached, and the night wind rose, as always, slowly brushing against the city walls, against her clothes, against the treetops… If it weren't for the few corpses still on the battlefield, if it weren't for the siege engines still emitting wisps of smoke stuck in the pits, Ruan Bi would have doubted that the battle she had just witnessed was merely a dream.
"Fifth Sister, do you know who came with Yu Qing?" Liu Shizhi ran up the stairs and shouted at the top of the stairs.
Hearing a hint of excitement in his voice, Ruan Bi asked in surprise, "Who's here?"
Liu Shizhi beckoned and said, "Fifth Miss, come and see for yourself."
Curious, Ruan Bi walked to the top of the stairs and looked down. The common people and soldiers guarding the city surrounded Yu Qing and his group, so at first glance, it was a sea of heads. After looking for a while, she noticed that everyone else's eyes were on Yu Qing, while the person next to him kept looking around, his eyes scanning the crowd repeatedly, as if searching for someone.
He was wearing a helmet, so his face wasn't visible from above, but he exuded a familiar aura. Ruan Bi stared at him for a moment, a thought flashing through her mind: who else could this be but Gu Xiaobai? She subconsciously took a small step back and asked in a low voice, "Didn't they say he went to Jiaozhi to find the prince?"
"I just heard him say that halfway there, he heard that the Rong enemy was attacking our dynasty under the banner of avenging Dunluye, so he turned back immediately. He went to Zhenzhou to borrow troops from the former subordinates of the Duke of Dingguo. Just then, the Commander-in-Chief of Zhenzhou led troops to aid Sizhou, and he followed them north. But before he even arrived, Sizhou fell. The Commander-in-Chief of Zhenzhou changed course to rescue Yangzhou, so he led two thousand cavalry to relieve the siege of Haozhou. He met Brother Yu on the way."
"Sizhou City has fallen too?"
Liu Shizhi nodded heavily. "It broke three days ago."
Ruan Bi's heart sank heavily. If Haozhou City fell again, the Huai River would be completely controlled by the Northern Rong.
It was completely dark, and the wind was blowing harder and harder. The city walls were high up, making it even colder than other places. Ruan Bi shivered and said, "The Northern Rong probably won't attack the city again tonight. I'll go back to Xinghua Lane to rest for a while."
"Miss, where are Brother Yu and Young Master Gu?" Liu Shizhi was extremely surprised.
"We'll see each other sooner or later, no rush," Ruan Bi said calmly, walking towards the nearby stairs. She knew she'd see him eventually, but she wanted to delay as long as possible. Every time she faced this boy, she felt a deep sense of guilt. In truth, she didn't owe him anything. But sometimes, she felt she owed him so much.
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