After a quick bite to eat, Han Zhongyu went to arrange the next combat mission.
All the brothers who were wounded in the battle have been taken away for treatment. As for those who died in battle, their name tags were collected and they were taken to the mortuary in the city to await unified burial.
It was the end of the world at dusk, the setting sun was like blood, and the city walls and surrounding areas were full of devastation. The soldiers, wearing blood-stained battle robes, still stood firm in their positions. Occasionally, the hooting of an owl could be heard, making the battlefield even more tragic and desolate!
Xie Yushu stood on the city wall, reached out to feel the wind direction, and was extremely disappointed. It was already the end of October, late autumn and early winter, and the north was always blowing north winds. She had originally thought of using the wind to do something, but unfortunately the time was not right.
We'll have to think of another way.
After the defense personnel were arranged, Han Zhongyu told the others to take a break. Liu Ji and the others had been holding their posts for two days and one night, and their physical strength had reached its limit. They could only take turns to rest and hold their posts tonight, and then switch shifts tomorrow morning.
This way, Liu Ji and his men can rest well and be better able to engage in battle.
Seeing Xie Yushu still on the city wall, Han Zhongyu couldn't help but say...
"I'll keep watch for the first half of the night. You can go and rest; it's cool at night."
This time, Xie Yushu didn't refuse. Since there was no war yet, it was pointless for the two of them to just wait it out. It would be better for one of them to rest up first.
"Alright, I'll pick you up later tonight. You can take a break here."
Han Zhongyu nodded
"Don't worry, I will."
Xie Yushu nodded and led Nanxing and the others down the city wall.
Han Zhongyu also took a military blanket, just like the other soldiers, wrapped himself in it, and lay down to rest. At first, his mind was wandering, but he forced himself to conserve his energy and finally fell asleep.
After descending the city wall, Xie Yushu did not rest. Instead, she went to find the prefect of Tianshui City and instructed him to do his best to find some white phosphorus and kerosene in the shortest possible time, and to find all the trained carrier pigeons in the prefecture.
The prefect had also heard of Xie Yushu. Although he didn't know what she wanted to do with these things, he figured they must be beneficial to the war effort. He didn't dare delay for a moment and immediately summoned his men to find kerosene and carrier pigeons. However, he didn't know what white phosphorus was and could only ask Xie Yushu.
Xie Yushu then remembered that Bai Lin and the others couldn't understand, so she said...
"Go find magicians, itinerant performers, and Taoist priests, and get them to make things like igniting fire out of thin air, playing with ghost fire, and creating talismans that spontaneously combust without fire."
Oh, and bring the person who trains the homing pigeons along too.
"Yes, I will take care of it immediately!"
As Xie Yushu left the government office, she ran into Wang Wu and his group who were arriving later. Since there was no fighting at the moment, Xie Yushu asked them to work with the government soldiers who came to reinforce Jinyang Mountain City to transport arrows, liquor, and other supplies to the city wall.
Then let them take the time to rest and recharge so they can be fully prepared for battle.
Fortunately, the harvest season has just passed, so there is no shortage of food here. The kitchen staff at the back prepares meals around the clock.
After traveling for two days, they were finally able to have a hot meal before resting.
After settling them in, the Taipu (Imperial Stables) gathered nearby villagers to weave straw curtains and tie up more than 800 straw figures. They led the villagers to transport the straw curtains to the city wall and spontaneously and quietly helped to hang the straw curtains on the city wall, and also fixed the straw figures against the city wall.
Seeing that all the necessary preparations had been made, Xie Yushu led Nanxing and the others to a random room to sleep.
Xie Yushu was suddenly awakened by a series of urgent horn sounds. The master and servants, who had been sleeping fully clothed, immediately got up and went straight to the city wall.
Sure enough, as soon as we reached the foot of the city wall, we heard a deafening roar.
Xie Yushu ran up and saw Han Zhongyu holding his breath and aiming intently, so she didn't disturb him. She took out her bow and arrow and joined the battle.
The sky was pitch black, and people in the distance could not see clearly at all. They could only vaguely make out the people who were attacking nearby. This time, there were not only chariots that rammed the gates, but also long ladders carried by more than a dozen people, also called ladders to the sky, which were specially used to attack the city walls.
It's likely that the Tatars chose this time to launch their attack in order to take advantage of the darkness and avoid their crossbows and hidden arrows!
They've added a ladder to heaven; it seems they're preparing for both possibilities.
Being completely in the dark severely limited Xie Yushu and her team's effectiveness with their crossbows and hidden arrows. They had no choice but to abandon long-range defense and fire all their crossbows, hidden arrows, and bows at close range.
Fortunately, dense straw curtains had been hung on the city wall, and a straw man was placed every few steps. This not only served to catch arrows but also provided cover for the soldiers on the city wall, reducing many casualties.
However, there were an unusually large number of Tatar soldiers below the city wall. As soon as one group was shot down, another group would come up, as if they would never be killed off.
The city gate had been reinforced with three extra bolts, but the sounds of ramming from outside the city were still deafening.
Before long, a ladder to heaven was erected outside the city wall.
As the enemy troops climbed the walls, the people on the walls felt immense pressure.
Xie Yushu shouted
"Go and have the men bring up all the strong liquor, light it, and pour it down!"
As soon as Xie Yushu finished speaking, a soldier immediately ran down to call for help.
In a short while, jars of strong liquor were carried up, and everyone immediately opened the jars, lit the liquor inside with torches, and poured it down the ladder.
The area outside the city wall immediately became a wall of fire, and the Tatar soldiers who had climbed most of the ladders were drenched and rolled down the wall.
The ladder they had climbed was now engulfed in flames, completely thwarting their plan to scale the wall.
Illuminated by the firelight, those nearby at the foot of the city wall could see clearly that arrows rained down from the wall, and with the added fire, they reaped another substantial harvest.
The city walls remained pitch black, and the Tatars couldn't see what was happening on them, so they could only blindly shoot arrows and ram the gates.
Xie Yushu and the others, using the straw figures for cover, kept shooting arrows without stopping.
With crossbows at their disposal, each man could take on ten men. The men on the city wall were emboldened and fought with all their might. They fought until dawn, when the enemy below sounded the retreat once more.
It wasn't until the fighting stopped that many people realized they had been hit by arrows without even noticing. Some were hit in the arm, others in the shoulder armor or chest, and they were covered in blood. But in the heat of battle, they hadn't even realized it.
As the enemy retreated, the wounded began to feel the excruciating pain and started to cry out in pain.
Xie Yushu and the others were also so tired that their arms were trembling.
Fortunately, they managed to repel the enemy once again.
After staying up all night, it was time to switch shifts.
Liu Ji also led his men and the people who arrived last night to relieve the guards and clean up the battlefield.
After the medical team had carried away all the wounded and fallen soldiers, Xie Yushu and Han Zhongyu finally came down from the city wall.
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