Chapter 706: Storming the City |
He had just received news from the Song Kingdom's imperial palace about the massacre of the prisoners. What negotiations could possibly be held now? He realized that the Yan Kingdom had simply deceived him. Therefore, he immediately rushed here in a fit of rage. Who could have known that Shang Jian Xiong would refuse to see him?
They still wanted to negotiate with him, yet refused to meet him? Tong Mo, who was responsible for the negotiations, was also here. But all the Yan Kingdom officials seemed to be avoiding him.
Since that was the case, he immediately rushed to the main courtyard and began to curse everyone.
There was nothing else he could do. He bore responsibility for the negotiations concerning six hundred thousand soldiers. And now these prisoners had been slaughtered. How could he not curse? This way, he could at least vent his fury on the Yan imperial court.
Since that was the case, he would curse everyone and raise a ruckus. After all, he needed to report something to his superiors—that he had at least tried to do something for the sake of the six hundred thousand prisoners.
Initially, no one paid him any mind. The officer in charge of the guards also did not appear. But who knew that Qian Lian Sheng would curse more and more fiercely? So, two guards had to be assigned to escort him away.
However, Qian Lian Sheng was unyielding; he twisted free, returned, and continued to curse everyone.
Seeing his approach, the guards seized him. However, no matter what, they had no intention of harming him. There was an unwritten rule between kingdoms not to touch envoys, regardless of the relations between the states. Moreover, the ministers of the imperial court felt uneasy in Qian Lian Sheng's presence.
Each minister harbored selfish thoughts. They believed that if they killed Qian Lian Sheng now, then upon the fall of the capital, the Song Kingdom's forces would surely slaughter them. This way, at least they held onto a last shred of hope.
The rumbling was quite loud, allowing everyone at court to hear it clearly. The emperor's concubines in the harem could not calm themselves.
Standing on the high palace steps, Shang Jian Xiong broke out in a cold sweat. He was worried, unsure of how else to defend the capital.
Meng Xuan had taken command of the imperial court. Several Bird Kings constantly descended from the sky. The three sects had already made all preparations for escape. They were ready to evacuate important individuals from the capital when the time came. Outside the city, the Song Kingdom's forces were also not resting. To exert pressure on the capital, they had already cleared nearby forests and prepared siege weapons in advance. They had not expected, however, that they would truly need to use them.
The massive army attacked the capital like a tidal wave. The entire earth trembled. Siege structures also moved closer to the city walls.
Very soon, archers from both sides began exchanging volleys of arrows. Cries of pain also resounded from both sides.
In this aspect, the archers on the wall were not so fortunate. There was little space on the wall, forcing them to crowd together. Defensive armaments further hindered them.
Song Kingdom cultivators soared upwards, attempting to clear a path for the common soldiers. On the wall, Yan Kingdom cultivators rose to meet their enemies, giving them no chance to break through. Common soldiers dared not even approach the cultivators' battle.
The Song Kingdom soldiers also positioned siege ladders, wanting to ascend the wall. But the Yan Kingdom soldiers, conversely, pushed the ladders back with forked grappling hooks, causing them to fall onto their own men. However, the ladders were raised again, and other Song Kingdom soldiers attempted to climb.
Ballistas assailed the walls with steel spikes. And soldiers also attempted to climb them upwards.
Burning oil was poured down from the walls, eliciting screams of terror.
After the ballista stones reached the wall, the next batch of stones flew over the walls and, along with arrows, landed inside the city, crushing and killing civilians. Some fled backward in fear. The commanders immediately organized the men standing behind them to hold back the fleeing masses.
Fires lit up on the walls. Siege weapons were already being prepared.
A massive ram was brought to the city gates. The soldiers intended to breach the city gates. But from above, hot oil was poured onto them, and then the ram was set ablaze, forcing the screaming Song Kingdom soldiers to retreat.
And at that moment, a group of Song Kingdom cultivators surged forward. They wanted to breach the city gates!
Swish! Standing on the wall, Ga Miao Shui drew a flexible sword from his waist. He sternly shouted, "Brothers, follow me!"
He was the first to leap down to defend the gates. His cloak fluttered behind him. He descended like a hawk diving for its prey. A group of palace eunuchs also followed him. They intended to fight the advancing cultivators, and they battled them fiercely!
One should not underestimate the eunuchs, especially their combat skills. These palace eunuchs possessed extraordinary cultivation abilities. Under Ga Miao Shui's leadership, they repelled many waves of enemy cultivators, making it difficult for them to approach the gates.
Under the orders of the attackers, the cultivators retreated. And a group of archers fiercely unleashed a cloud of arrows towards Ga Miao Shui and the others.
As a result, Ga Miao Shui and the others experienced immense pressure.
Ga Miao Shui unleashed a palm strike on the flaming storm ram, causing the ram to turn over. The group of palace eunuchs then hid beneath it.
At this moment, the thunder of hooves echoed in the distance. A massive cavalry guard, like thunder and lightning, suddenly swept in.
"The Yinyang and Wuli Guards!" "It's the Yinyang and Wuli Guards!" "The Yinyang and Wuli Guards have arrived!"
On the wall, the defending soldiers cried out joyfully. Confusion erupted in the rear ranks of the Song Kingdom's forces.
Ga Miao Shui raised his head from beneath the ram, but he couldn't see anything clearly. In the end, he soared onto the wall and began to peer into the distance. There, he saw a banner with the *Shang* emblem. The powerful cavalry had pierced the attackers' rear, creating chaos among them. This cavalry swept away all soldiers in its path like a wind.
The Song Kingdom's forces were breached. The attacking commander immediately ordered his men to retreat from the city walls. And those who couldn't retreat in time were doomed to death beneath the cavalry's hooves.
The cavalry, flashing like the wind, swept everything from its path, and then, also like the wind, galloped away into the distance. It did not engage in a prolonged battle with the attacking forces.
Only at a distant range did the cavalry halt. The Yinyang and Wuli Guards, like tigers, stared at the attacking Song Kingdom army. The Shang banner fluttered in the wind before the cavalry. And Shang Chao Zong, sword in hand, stood before his men!
According to Meng Shan Ming's plan, he was not supposed to participate in direct battles. He was only to carry out sudden raids on Luo Zhao's army, harassing them and attempting to seize or deprive the Song Kingdom's forces of their provisions. However, upon receiving news that the capital was being stormed, Shang Chao Zong could not remain indifferent. Therefore, he would not allow the Song Kingdom's forces to so brazenly assault the capital. For Shang Chao Zong, his Shang dynasty was sacred. How could he allow the capital of the Shang dynasty to be so easily captured! He, the son of Ning Wang.
His tactic was quite simple: not to engage in direct combat, but also not to allow the capital to be easily captured!
After this, the Song Kingdom's forces resumed their assault on the city. And Shang Chao Zong attacked the weak points of the Song Kingdom's army, preventing them from massing their troops beneath the walls.
At this time, movement within the city ceased. Instead, joyous cheers could be heard from the city wall.
"Ning Wang's Yinyang and Wuli Guards have arrived!"
The common people of the city began to shout with joy. With this attack, Shang Chao Zong instilled faith and hope in the city's defenders.
Hearing the shouts, the completely blood-stained Ga Miao Shui looked at the distant forces of the Southern Domain. Complex emotions overwhelmed him.
"The Southern Domain's forces suddenly attacked those storming the city?" In the main hall beneath the canopy, Shang Jian Xiong asked in disbelief.
Tian Yu nodded: "That's right. Shang Chao Zong repelled the Song Kingdom's first attack. After the sudden assault by the Southern Domain's forces, the Song Kingdom's soldiers no longer dare to openly advance on the capital!"
Hearing this, complex emotions also overcame Shang Jian Xiong. Tong Mo, Gao Jian Cheng, and Shang Yong Zhong, who stood nearby, exchanged glances.
Standing atop the palace, Meng Xuan hummed. He seemed not to have expected this. He pondered...
Five hundred thousand soldiers, facing Shang Chao Zong's hundred thousand cavalry, seemed to no longer dare to attack the capital.
However, the immense threat, as expected, arrived. At dawn on the second day, Luo Zhao, leading a colossal army, finally arrived.
Clouds of soldiers. Three million warriors marched towards the capital, like thunder, causing the capital to truly tremble!
Luo Zhao, in silver armor on a white horse with a white cloak, personally assessed the situation. He listened to the reports from the vanguard. After all was said, he turned towards the position of the one hundred thousand cavalry and, sighing, said, "The Southern Domain's forces are truly extraordinary. They didn't flinch before my three-million-strong army. Unlike the unorganized rabble of the Yan Kingdom!"
Although he spoke this way, the one hundred thousand strong army looked rather pathetic compared to the three million strong army.
The vanguard commander said, "Shang Chao Zong with his cavalry is truly a headache for assaulting the city!"
Luo Zhao turned his head and said, "Order the soldiers to rest in shifts. Let each unit send men into the mountains to fell trees. Construct siege weapons. At night, begin to storm the capital from all sides!" He waved his hand, signaling them to proceed as instructed.
The vanguard commander merely asked, "Attack at night?"
Luo Zhao replied, "During the attack, have the men in the rear extinguish their fires. Shang Chao Zong will not be able to clearly see the disposition of our forces. He will be afraid of falling into a trap. Therefore, he will not dare to risk it."
That commander understood him immediately.
After this, results indeed appeared. Shang Chao Zong saw that siege weapons were being prepared near the city. But by evening, he could not see what was happening in the enemy's rear. Therefore, he no longer dared to attack the Song Kingdom's forces. The scale here, of course, was much greater.
Towards evening, Tong Mo returned to his residence. And the household manager, Minister of Public Works' advisor, Tong Ming, met him at the entrance. He quietly whispered, "Lady Yang has arrived. She awaits Master in the library."
Tong Mo's eyes gleamed. He quickened his pace and headed there.
As soon as he entered the library, he saw an elegant silhouette. A charming young woman was gracefully flipping through a book with her delicate fingers. A captivating fragrance emanated from her. Only her gaze was rather cold.
The so-called Lady Yang was none other than Yang Bao Ru, a cultivator second only to Ximen Qinkong, the top-ranked cultivator on the Dan List from Tianwai Palace. The second cultivator on the Dan List!
As soon as Tong Mo saw her, he immediately stepped closer, clasped his hands, and said, "Lady Yang, you have finally arrived."
Yang Bao Ru glanced at him, then put down the book. She rose slightly with a faint smile and, nodding, said, "Minister Tong."