A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Salim, Archer, Vora, kurtis newman, 66835, Alex Rushing, Nhoxious, Tom89.
You can read 50 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
Fei Qian's soldiers stood behind the earthen wall. Built from packed yellow soil, it stood less than half a man's height, serving as a temporary parapet. One White Wave soldier, having climbed halfway up, cunningly paused, attempting to stab at the feet of a defender above with his blade. He found, however, that his knife was blocked by this mound of earth. Although the yellow soil was not packed with extreme firmness, piercing completely through it with a combat blade was not something that could be accomplished quickly. After just a couple of stabs, he suddenly noticed a spearhead thrusting down from above. With a terrified cry, he let go of his own blade—not even having time to pull it free—and threw himself backward. He collided with several other White Wave soldiers in his fall, sending them all tumbling back to the ground…
Most of the White Wave forces did not resort to such tricks. They gritted their teeth and climbed upward. If struck by a long spear, and if the Fei Qian soldier's weapon could not be withdrawn swiftly enough, these climbing soldiers would clutch the shaft with a death grip, determined to drag an enemy down with them in their final moments…
Nevertheless, holding the high ground still conferred a significant advantage. Fei Qian's side needed only to thrust downward desperately. The White Wave attackers, meanwhile, had to climb upwards while also defending against spear thrusts that could come from the upper left or the upper right without warning. Whether struck in the head or the chest, a single spear thrust essentially meant death or severe maiming.
For a time, the battle reached a stalemate. Although the breach in the city wall was not small, it still could not allow Hu Cai to fully deploy his superior numbers. Hu Cai therefore began sending his troops upward in successive waves, attempting to exhaust the physical strength of Fei Qian's defenders through sheer sacrifice of lives…
After all, the defenders no longer had any arrows left. The fight had devolved entirely into a contest of manpower. And currently, Hu Cai's manpower held an absolute advantage. The breach in Pingyang County's wall seemed like a fragile bar across a gate; it appeared that if Hu Cai just applied a little more force, it would snap.
Several times, White Wave soldiers surged onto the battlements, and quite a few even scrambled over that low earthen wall. Unfortunately, they could not hold their positions for long, soon being killed or driven back down. A tug-of-war unfolded between the two sides. The area around the breach quickly became piled with corpses. Flowing blood soaked the yellow earth, rendering the entire surface of the earthen slope somewhat slippery, virtually increased the difficulty of climbing…
However, for Fei Qian's defensive side, the disadvantage of dwindling numbers gradually became apparent. Fierce combat easily led to exhaustion, necessitating timely rotation of troops. Yet, the soldiers pulled off the line often could not obtain sufficient rest and were forced to return to the fray…
Fortunately, Hu Cai's soldiers were also weary. Having marched for a day and launched an attack without proper rest, their strength was at least diminished. Coupled with the earlier loss of archers, which had blunted some of their initial sharpness, they were no longer as fiercely aggressive as at the beginning.
The precarious defensive formation on the wall remained just that—precarious. It seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment, yet somehow, time and again, it managed to hold…
"Damn it all! How long is this going to take?!"
Hu Cai looked up at the sky. The sun had already begun its westward descent. If things dragged on further, it wouldn't just be a question of whether his soldiers had any stamina left. By nightfall, most of his troops would be practically blind, unable to see clearly. Even if they captured Pingyang County then, pursuit would be impossible, let alone encircling, chasing, intercepting, and seizing weapons and armor.
He could delay no longer. He had to seize the remaining daylight, while his men still had some fight left in them, and take this damned broken city in one decisive push!
"Er Gouzi! Take the men and secure that wall for me!" Hu Cai directly ordered the personal guards beside him.
Er Gouzi, the captain of the personal guards standing behind Hu Cai, responded with a gruff acknowledgment. He licked his lips, waved a hand backward, and immediately led a group of guards charging towards the Pingyang city wall!
Hu Cai's personal guards, meticulously selected, were physically robust and equipped with superior weapons and armor, giving them formidable combat capability. Therefore, when these elite guards began their assault on the crumbling wall, Fei Qian's defenders gradually found themselves unable to hold. One by one, men were cut down under this intensified pressure, soon dismembered by a flurry of blades…
Instantly, Fei Qian's formation became disordered, beginning to crumble. It didn't hold for long. Following the first soldier who turned and fled, the entire defensive line collapsed completely. Soldiers turned and fled along the path that had been opened through the city just two days prior, escaping deeper into the city's interior.
Seeing this, Hu Cai was overjoyed. He shouted loudly, "Charge in! Charge in! Whoever brings me the enemy commander's head gets a sheep and a hundred gold pieces!" After saying this, he himself urged his horse forward, preparing to enter the city. In his view, although the enemy had resisted well, victory now belonged to him!
"Ooh ooh ooh…" The White Wave army erupted into a cacophony, almost frenzied as they converged beneath the breach and swarmed inside…
×××××××××××
Everything, in the end, is tested by actual combat.
Although he had previously witnessed the power of this trump card of his, that was not real combat. Today was the moment of verification…
As the time approached to reveal his hidden card, Fei Qian felt sweat bead in his palms. Even the armor he wore seemed to grow heavier and more stiflingly hot.
This was not some game where you could reload a save file, shouting "Try Again" to rewind time and start over when things looked bad.
Here, he was no invincible, diamond-bodied master of martial arts. If cut or slashed, he would bleed, he would die…
But he had no choice but to fight.
He had to fight.
What is called warfare: a commander's skill and wisdom in directing battle can play a role, but more crucial factors are depth of resources. You fight with money and grain; you fight with population.
Fei Qian understood clearly that his current foundation was very weak. Although he now commanded some troops, as had been discussed during the council at the Northern Bend camp, he lacked a solid base.
Coming here served two purposes. The first was aimed at this very land. Controlling the three counties of Yong'an, Pingyang, and Puzi would place the entire Xin River watershed in his hands. With water sources and arable land, cultivation could begin. Coupled with the low-cost supplies transported from the Sili region and trade with the Hu people, if he could survive this year, he would reap the harvest…
The second purpose was naturally aimed at manpower. Cultivation required a large number of farming households. The masses of miscellaneous troops and common people coerced by the White Wave army were the best nourishment for Fei Qian to strengthen himself…
However, all these blueprints depended on winning this battle.
"Withdraw to both sides! Withdraw to both sides!" Huang Cheng shouted, leading his men towards this position while directing the soldiers retreating from the wall to move along the sides of the road, avoiding a head-on collision with Fei Qian's main formation.
"Shuye, how are you? Do you need to rest in the rear first?" Fei Qian asked as Huang Cheng approached.
"Hahaha, no need! I'm fine. I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time!" Although he had been supervising the defense on the wall, Huang Cheng had not directly participated in much fighting, merely shooting a few arrows from the side. His stamina was largely untapped, so he replied with undiminished vigor.
"In that case, I entrust this to you, Shuye. I will anchor the formation here for you," Fei Qian said.
This was the central intersection of the cross-shaped main street in the old Pingyang county town. Here, Fei Qian would meet the enemy!
This battle was a crucial turning point in Fei Qian's own efforts to establish himself in the northern territories. Now, just like this battle formation awaiting the enemy, he too stood at a crossroads…