He Xiao waved his hands again and again, supervising the battle: "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot these bastards to death!"
"General! General!" The messenger rushed forward and shouted, "The Lord has an order! Get the stone crusher ready!"
A row of catapults more than three meters high were pushed onto the top of the city wall. These were not ordinary battlefield catapults. They were larger, thicker, and more powerful. They were supported by three more axles and driven by springs. They could rotate for more than twenty weeks. Once launched, the range was more than four hundred steps, which was twice as much as that of a normal catapult.
A soldier stood on the top of the city wall, his forehead covered with sweat, but his eyes were filled with fanatical anticipation. He held a dagger in his hand, suddenly shouted loudly, and chopped the rope with the knife.
The sound of the spring starting was heard suddenly, and the grinding mill turned violently, followed by a crackling sound. Just as everyone was stunned, a huge stone as big as a millstone suddenly flew up from the top of the city wall, and with a loud bang, it hit the two cavalrymen hard. Screams rose to the sky and everyone looked back in panic, only to see that not only the cavalry, but even the horses under them were smashed to pieces and turned into a ball of blood foam.
"Long live the Lord, oh!" On the top of the Chidu City, the crowd suddenly burst into terrible cheers. Since being besieged by the Xia army, it was the first time that they had the thought "maybe we will win."
Everyone would be terrified by such a terrifying weapon. The Xia army looked around and even forgot to charge. However, at this moment, the real nightmare finally began. A large number of stone crushers started at the same time, and thousands of huge rocks fell from the sky.
The scene was horrifying. Those stones fired from the stoning machines were not ordinary stones. Some of them were millstones at home, some were roof beams, and some were millions of broken tiles. Just now, more than a dozen soldiers were defeated at the same time by a heavy object. The survivors on both sides looked carefully and found that it was a mighty stone lion placed in front of the gate of the mansion!
No armor or shield could withstand such weapons. The swords were smashed into pieces of discarded iron, and the spears became firewood. Flesh and blood turned into mud, and brains were splattered. The Xia army fell in a pool of blood one after another!
Zhao Yang's eyes were red. He grabbed the director of the weapons production department by the collar and shouted angrily, "What kind of weapon is that? What kind of bow and arrow is that? Why can it shoot so far? Why is it so fast? Tell me!"
The gray-haired director's face turned pale, and he shouted with difficulty breathing: "Your Highness, please forgive me, Your Highness, please forgive me, I really didn't know!"
"A bunch of rubbish!"
"Your Highness! Let the soldiers withdraw. We can't get through like this!" Situ Jing said with a sad face.
"No retreat!" Zhao Yang said coldly with a stern look in his eyes, "Anyone who dares to take a step back will be killed without mercy!"
"Kill the enemy!" Xia Jun let out a crazy and desperate roar like death.
There were sharp arrows nearby and the sound of rolling stones in the distance. The sky and the earth were vast, and the screams of death were everywhere. The fierce battle lasted for three days and three nights. At dawn, the soldiers and civilians on the top of Chidu City could hardly believe their eyes. They watched the Xia army rushing away in a vast expanse. The people of Chidu and the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government cried for joy, cheered and hugged each other.
"The Xia soldiers retreated! The Xia soldiers retreated!" A wave of ecstasy swept in from the top of the city.
Chu Qiao was sitting at the central military headquarters, drafting an attack order, when she suddenly heard news from the front. The girl, who had not slept for three days and three nights, was suddenly stunned. She sat there with her back straight, the setting sun outside was shining on the earth like fire, the blood-red light sprinkled on her face, making her look ethereal and somewhat unreal.
"My lord! My lord! The Xia soldiers have retreated! We have won!"
Ping'an, wearing a messenger's uniform and waving a sword that was half his height, ran in hurriedly, but was stunned when he entered the door. Chu Qiao was seen sitting quietly in front of the desk with a calm expression, but a crystal tear rolled down her cheek.
"My Lord! My Lord!"
The officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government came running over. Chu Qiao wiped away her tears, stood up, and turned into the fierce and courageous commander of the army again. She strode out of the room, and a thunderous cheer followed. Both civilians and soldiers gathered around her, happily reporting the battle situation.
She didn't blame them for being so excited, because such a record was enough to make anyone proud. With only 10,000 ragtag troops against the enemy's 200,000 elite troops, except for the 3,500 people sent out before, there were less than 200 casualties in the army, and more than 50,000 enemies were annihilated, and 17 attacks of the enemy were defeated.
As a result, the Southwest Town Envoy will be listed as the elite army of the continent, and the Battle of Chidu will go down in history as a great turning point in the First Northern Expedition!
That night, the two armies temporarily ceased fighting. Chu Qiao was not as excited as the middle-level officers. She knew that the reason why Zhao Yang lost to her today was because he was not familiar with her combat methods and advanced attack techniques, and was caught off guard by her attack. He will definitely adjust his strategy for tomorrow's battle. It will be impossible to win so easily.
Moreover, the director of the weapons department reported to her that in today's battle, 300 Pai Tian crossbows were damaged, which is three quarters of the total, and most of the arrows were also used up. Although the stone mills can be repaired, the city is now a pile of rubble and scorched earth, and all the boulders and logs have been used up. Except for the Flowing Fire Bombs, there are not many attack supplies left. She had hastily made all of these before the Beishuo Campaign began. She had long anticipated that Chidu would become a strategic stronghold, so she stockpiled a large number of city-defending weapons in advance, which indeed came in handy.
Chu Qiao rubbed her temples, frowned as she looked at the marching map, and repeatedly pondered over several defensive plans. Ping'an walked in quietly and changed the pot of tea. Seeing that the charcoal fire in the room had gone out, he hurried to change a pot.
"Ping An, what time is it now?"
The child looked up and replied, "It's already the second watch, sir. You should get some rest. You haven't slept in several days."
Chu Qiao's eyes were red and she felt like she could hardly keep them open. She leaned over the desk and said, "Wake me up at three o'clock in the morning."
"knew."
It seemed that he had just fallen asleep when a soldier outside called for an urgent official document. Ping An impatiently whispered, "My Lord, you just fell asleep. What do you want? Can't you wait until dawn?"
"Peace, let them in."
"Master Chu!" Four young soldiers walked into the room under the leadership of Ping An. The leader stepped forward and said, "We are Miss Yu's subordinates. Miss Yu received a letter from Master Chu, and there is a message for us to bring."
"Miss Yu, did you receive my letter?" Chu Qiao was overjoyed. She stood up and said with a look of surprise on her face, "What did you say? When can you pick us up? Do you have a detailed strategic plan?"
"Sir, the girl didn't say anything. She just said that you should go to Blue City immediately because she has something important to discuss with you."
Chu Qiao frowned and said slowly: "What did you say?"
"Sir, the girl asked you to go to Blue City immediately. She has something important to discuss with you." The soldier repeated it carefully.
Chu Qiao nodded and said, "Did the girl say anything else?"
The soldier replied, "No, sir."
"Oh, that's good. Wait a minute. I'll pack my things." Chu Qiao nodded and said to Ping An, "Ping An, come here and bring me the fur coat in the room."
Ping An frowned slightly. The child was surprisingly smart. He said nothing and turned around and walked into the inner room.
At this moment, a soldier who had been kneeling on the ground grabbed the child's hand, looked up and said, "Sir, don't bother. We are ready. Let's go now."
The light was cold and sharp. In a split second, Chu Qiao raised her hand and an inkstone flew out, hitting the soldier's wrist with a bang. With a crisp sound, the soldier's hand bones were broken instantly. It was amazing that the soldier was still a tough guy. After being hit, he didn't even make a sound.
Ping An was smart. He rolled on the ground to avoid the attacks of those men and jumped out through the window!
"Catch her!" The leader saw that the matter had been exposed and simply stopped hiding. Several people rushed towards Chu Qiao, each of them was an agile fighting master.
Chu Qiao moved very quickly. A cold light flashed on her hand. Her arm shook, and the dagger tied to her forearm immediately slid down. A cold light flashed in the light, and a man groaned. Fortunately, he was very skilled, and only the shoulder was stabbed. Chu Qiao supported herself on the desk with both hands, swept her thigh across, and kicked one of the assassins in the abdomen. The man flew backwards and hit the bookshelf. Two vases were smashed to the ground with crackling sounds.
At this moment, the door suddenly opened, and more than 30 guards rushed in and subdued several people in a few moves.
These people were the personal guards that Yan Xun left for Chu Qiao when he left. They had always been responsible for Chu Qiao's close protection. The chief guard Song Qifeng came forward and asked nervously in a low voice: "My lord, how are you? Are you injured?"
"I'm fine," Chu Qiao shook her head and said in a deep voice, "They didn't kill me."
Chu Qiao took two steps forward, looked at the assassin leader, and asked, "Who sent you here?"
The man smiled bitterly, "I knew you were very skilled, and now that I see you today, you are indeed extraordinary."
"Tell me the truth, and I will spare your life."
"Sir, everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, there is nothing I can do."
Chu Qiao frowned slightly, a series of chaotic thoughts flashed through her mind, so fast that she couldn't grasp the clues. She turned around and said to Song Qifeng: "Who let them into the city?"
Song Qifeng looked strange, and said in a low voice: "I don't know."
Chu Qiao glanced around and suddenly asked, "Where's Ping An?"
"Safe?" Song Qifeng replied, "I didn't see it."
"Didn't you see it?" Chu Qiao looked at Song Qifeng intently with sharp eyes. Suddenly, she smiled gently and said, "Oh, he might have gone to call someone. He must have gone to the Southwest Town Government and missed you. Let's go out and take a look."
With a swish, more than ten sharp blades were suddenly placed on Chu Qiao's neck. Song Qifeng smiled bitterly and said, "Since the lord has already guessed it, I don't need to act anymore."
Chu Qiao's face was as cold as ice. When she saw Song Qifeng loosening the ropes on the four men, her eyes were like cold arrows.
"Sir, I'm sorry. Qi Feng was just following orders. If I've offended you, please forgive me."
Chu Qiao's face was calm, and she said coldly: "Who do you work for? The Datong Guild? Or Daxia?"
Song Qifeng bowed respectfully and said, "Your Excellency will know when we get there."
The man stepped forward and said, "I know you are very skilled, so I had to do this. Please cooperate with me." Then he covered Chu Qiao's eyes and mouth and tied her up tightly.
"Let's go!" Song Qifeng ordered, and everyone immediately walked out of the room. After a while, a carriage came and Chu Qiao was put on it, and the carriage drove quickly north.
"Stop! Who is it?"
Song Qifeng sat on his horse and said, "I am the head of your personal guard, and this is the messenger of Miss Yu from Lancheng. We have to rush to Lancheng right now. This is your order."
When the soldier saw that it was Song Qifeng, he immediately said politely: "It turns out to be Mr. Song. Please wait, I will open the city gate immediately."