Chapter 706: We Have People Inside the Pass (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The two powerful auras collided and clashed, exploding in mid-air.
The shockwave turned into a strong wind that made it impossible for people to open their eyes.
Despite the brief exchange, a sense of foreboding washed over the defending general; his opponent was likely stronger than himself. He couldn't help but think of that unfortunate Jiang Qianshen, a chill creeping over him, as if a thorn was in his back. Following the direction of the strong wind, he easily landed on the battlements. His gaze swept across the area, finally settling on a young general in red robes and silver armor, who was also looking at him.
No--
To be precise, I was looking at his neck.
This discovery particularly infuriated the garrison commander.
He angrily shouted, "Who goes there?"
The voice of the young general in red and silver armor clearly reached his ears.
"You scoundrel, it's obviously your ancestor who came back to life!"
That was an extremely youthful and frivolous response.
The defending general's eyes widened in fury: "You're asking for death!"
The allied forces' choice, in the eyes of the defending general, was suicidal. Without the morale boost from dueling, the allied forces lacked the necessary weaponry for the siege, and their firepower was weak. In contrast, their own side had formidable passes to rely on. Had they truly gone mad and chosen to sacrifice human lives?
Since that's the case, then let's grant their wish.
The commander steeled himself, raised his hand, and shouted, "Rise!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the allied forces unleashed another barrage of sparks-filled arrows, but this time they failed to hit the city walls. Outside Chaoli Pass, a towering, illusory city wall rose from the ground. The arrow rain was completely blocked, creating countless ripples of raindrops.
Who crossed the border?
The voice seemed to come from the sky.
"Who has crossed the border!"
It seemed as if tens of thousands of people were shouting in unison.
Countless visible streams of malevolent energy surged from the ground, instantly transforming into figures dressed as soldiers, which rapidly solidified over time. These "people" wore various armors, wielded different weapons, and stood in neat formation. A rough estimate put their number at around 40,000. At the forefront were three cavalry formations, each with approximately 3,000 men. Although their numbers were small, their imposing presence indicated they were elite troops.
Each cavalry formation featured a general whose entire body was protected by thick metal armor, clad in heavy armor, wielding a massive sword, with only his eyes visible. His warhorse was similarly tackled. The ground trembled as the horse's hooves touched the ground.
Two clusters of cold, white flames shone in their eyes.
Just riding a horse gives one an extremely heavy sense of oppression.
The defending general drew his sword, pointed it at the city walls, and roared, "Kill!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the three cavalry forces, which had been stationary, sprang into action. The central formation, like a sharp blade, plunged straight into the allied forces, while the left and right flank formations circled in an arc, searching for weak points on both sides of the allied forces to cut them off in coordination with the main force.
As the warhorses accelerated in unison, the ground beneath their feet trembled violently, and the thunderous sound of hooves surged like a mountain collapsing into the sea, assaulting everyone's eardrums. In this world where science doesn't apply, as long as one's martial energy is sufficient, the warhorse can maintain peak stamina, perfectly complementing the incantation of its charge. Even with its cumbersome nature, it can still achieve maximum acceleration within a hundred zhang (approximately 50 meters).
If they couldn't hold them off, and the enemy managed to break through and break into their lines, the losses would be devastating. The Allied forces understood this and had been preparing for this from the start. Cavalry? They had those too.
Quality aside, the quantity is definitely large.
Not only were there cavalry, but also crossbowmen on high alert.
Along the enemy's path of attack, countless magical energy barriers rose from the ground, but they failed to pose much of a hindrance. They were all shattered by this massive war machine.
This was the first time Shen Tang had ever seen such a scene. Although she had encountered barriers rising from the city walls during previous sieges, she had only heard about summoning "ghost soldiers" to fight but had never seen it with her own eyes. At this moment, she understood why the Allied Forces had such a hard time defeating Zheng Qiao.
They, a group of living, breathing people, not only have to fight against another group of living, breathing people, but also against these "ghost soldiers" before them. Every one of their own comrades who dies is one less to lose, but if the "ghost soldiers" are scattered, they can be reused again as long as enough national fortune is provided.
However, this is not entirely incomprehensible.
As a military fortress, Chaoli Pass's defenses were far more than just a man-made natural barrier; it couldn't be easily breached. Shen Tang patted the motorcycle's neck, and the Compassionate Mother Sword in her hand transformed into a cold, gleaming longsword: "Giddy up!"
When facing enemy cavalry, the first principle is—
Don't be a coward, confront them head-on!
In short, Shen Tang went out partying again.
It's one thing for her to enjoy being carefree, but another is that if she doesn't, then her subordinates will have to be. Shen Tang weighed her own life against her will and decided it was more worthwhile for her to be carefree herself. Chu Yao and the others had only been distracted for a short while, and she had already dashed off somewhere.
Don't let the fact that the motorcycle is a mule fool you; it's an enormous, snow-white mule, heavier than a heavy warhorse, and fierce in battle. Clad in full armor, it's like a land tank in a charge. Combined with the Charging Incantation, even in a traffic jam, it can forcefully carve a path to safety! Shen Tang skillfully switched between a longsword and a mace.
Although the armor provides full-body protection, the skull and neck beneath the helmet are not made of steel. A blow from a hammer-like object during a charge can still be fatal. Even if the victim survives, they will be disoriented and dazed.
A moment's lapse in concentration during the chaos of battle will mean certain death!
Martial arts masters can also project their martial energy outwards.
Melee or ranged combat, switch between them at will.
However, anything can happen on the battlefield.
Shen Tang's allies are Zhang He and Qian Yong, and the relationship between the three is somewhat complicated—Shen Tang and Qian Yong have a grudge, Zhang He has been kind to Qian Yong but the two are only superficially friendly, and Shen Tang is also wary of Zhang He. Because of the same goal, the three parties have to temporarily put aside their differences and cooperate. There is absolutely no tacit understanding. This leads to delayed support, Shen Tang's troops are attacked, and the soldier responsible for commanding the operation is pierced through the forehead by a stray arrow.
The towering flagpole fell to one side.
Just as it was about to hit someone, a burst of martial energy rushed in. Hands stained with sticky blood gripped the flagpole, holding it upright, and beneath the visor were a pair of resolute eyes. She roared, "Follow me!"
With a flag in one hand and the enemy in the other, her warhorse broke through the encirclement, forcefully suppressing the simmering unrest and stabilizing the situation. The blood-stained flag fluttered wildly as she charged. Her own soldiers followed closely in the direction of the flag, charging and killing the enemy.
Bai Su wanted to save Qi, but Qi beat her to it.
She was distracted by the person carrying the flag and recognized him.
It's Yang Ying!
"Where is Wei Yuanyuan? Where did Wei Yuanyuan go?"
The commander, watching the battle unfold below, relaxed slightly. These fallen heroes alone were enough to give the allied forces a run for their money. Chao Li Pass was temporarily safe, and they could buy time to prepare defensive equipment and manpower. However, looking around, he noticed that his own forces consisted mainly of the Chao Li Pass garrison and his own men; the former commander, Wei Shou, was nowhere to be seen. A surge of anger welled up within him.
At that moment, a soldier returned with a message.
He was panting heavily, and before he could answer, the garrison commander heard Wei Shou's impatient voice appear, cursing, "Are you the garrison commander or am I? If the enemy attacks, you should defend. Why are you yelling at me? These little bugs from the Dragon Slaying Bureau think they can shake Chaoli Pass? I think you're out of your mind..."
The garrison commander angrily asked, "General Wei, why are you so late?"
Wei Shou replied matter-of-factly, "I'm packing my things and getting ready to leave...aren't you the ones who're urging me to leave?"
When the garrison commander and Li He arrived to take over Chaoli Pass, they hinted to Wei Shou to report to Zheng Qiao as soon as possible. However, Wei Shou, being a shameless character, made excuses, saying he still had much to pack and asked for a few more days. The garrison commander, not wanting to provoke him, agreed. Now, Wei Shou was using this as an excuse to block him, which infuriated him even more: "Chaoli Pass is in trouble! As your subordinates under the king, you should be on the front lines! What excuses do you have?"
Wei Shou shrugged: "I'm here now, aren't I? It's good that you admit your incompetence. I've seen plenty of these kinds of situations when I was guarding the pass. When have I ever hastily raised the barrier like you? I could have driven them back in no time..."
He was practically saying that the garrison commander was no good.
The defender was so enraged by his few words that he felt dizzy and pointed down angrily, saying, "All those attacks were feints before, but this time it's for real!"
Wei Shou was taken aback, as if he had just realized it.
"Are they serious? Have they gone mad?" he exclaimed in astonishment.
The garrison commander sneered, "Looks like he's really gone mad."
The battle below is fierce.
Despite the presence of high-ranking warriors from the allied forces leading the way and the formations using morale as a shield to resist, the allied forces were already expending a great deal of morale and martial energy from the outset. Once these heroic spirits were repelled, the troops stationed at Chao Li Pass would remain in full combat readiness, putting the allied forces at a disadvantage.
Wei Shou watched the battle for a while, his brow furrowed.
They asked the defending general, "Why don't you open the city gates and go out to fight?"
In war, fight if you can win; only hold your city and fight to the death if you can't. The heroic spirits are holding off the enemy's main force; our own troops should follow up and provide support. Otherwise, at this rate of attrition, the heroic spirits will be driven back soon, and our side will be forced to passively defend the city. Wei Shou's suggestion was not adopted.
"This doesn't seem to be General Wei's usual style." The garrison commander narrowed his eyes slightly; he hadn't forgotten that Wei Shou's stance was suspicious.
"...This general is not only good at defense."
Wei Shou felt it necessary to explain himself.
Wei Shou was fond of the tortoise-like defensive strategy, but that doesn't mean he only knew how to hold his ground. For him, whether it was defense or offense, the essence was to maximize his own advantage. If things were already escalating, why remain passively defensive?
Chu Yao, that bastard, can testify that he's more patient than a tortoise when defending, but more frantic than a mad dog when attacking! Wei Shou remained outwardly calm, but inwardly rolled his eyes.
Since the garrison commander refuses to listen, then I'm sorry.
Just half an hour later, less than 30% of the heroic spirits remained.
With the support and cover of the left and right wings, the main force of the allied army was about to reach the foot of the Chao Le Pass, and the siege equipment, fueled by their high morale, was already in place. Several catapults launched huge stones into the air above the Chao Le Pass, but they were all neutralized by the defensive equipment inside the city.
The defending general found the allied forces' tactics increasingly incomprehensible.
Without the morale boost from duels, the soldiers' base morale alone isn't enough to provide sufficient siege equipment. Deploying them all at this stage will leave no strength to sustain the later stages of the siege, only increasing casualties…
Wei Shou was also puzzled, and he even took the initiative.
Looking at the garrison commander with suspicion, he stroked his beard and said meaningfully, "Could it be that this makeshift team has a backup plan?"
_(:з」∠)_
My darlings, I need to take a break. I only have 3,000 words today.
PS: The average subscription has reached 9782. It will probably take another half a month or so to reach 10,000 subscriptions? It's a female-oriented genre, not easy.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
