“My lord, this time our town has completely fallen out with the county. Those damn bastards will surely come looking for trouble again. What are we to do?”
“There’s no need to wait for them to come knocking. I’ll go to the county myself and deal with every last one of them.”
At Chishan Town, Pei Shan had removed his armor. Having won his first battle, he was swollen with pride and delight. He waved a hand and had the military physician stitch up the wound on his arm, without even blinking.
“Has everything been counted? What are the numbers for casualties this time?”
The man below hurriedly reported, “Twenty-three soldiers dead, and some thirty or forty wounded. But in this battle, we killed more than sixty of the county’s troops. Their commanding officer was slain by you in a single blow, my lord, and we seized sixty or seventy weapons as well!”
Pei Shan gave a cold snort. “If the county troops hadn’t attacked at the pass, our losses would have been even lighter.”
Still, hearing the result, his delight far outweighed his displeasure over the casualties.
Constable Zhao saw that, under Pei Shan’s influence, the militia’s morale had risen tremendously. Yet this battle had left him shaken to the core.
Pei Shan intended to seize the county as well, so Constable Zhao cautiously said, “This humble one will say something my lord may not wish to hear. Our town has indeed won a great victory this time, all thanks to your valor and capable leadership. But this battle was fought on our own territory, after all. If we attack the county seat, we’ll be fighting on the enemy’s ground. I fear we may suffer some disadvantage.”
Hearing Constable Zhao pour cold water over his spirits at the height of his triumph, Pei Shan surprisingly did not lose his temper. “Before we go to the county, we must first strengthen our numbers.”
Constable Zhao’s thick brows twitched. “What does my lord mean?”
“Take the neighboring town first! The weather’s been dry this year, and the harvest is barely worth anything. Yet those damn fools have been so obsequious to the county that they’ve somehow managed to squeeze out grain to send there. They must have stockpiled plenty last year.
“They may be a bunch of useless weaklings, and they may have let that pack of starving mountain bandits take advantage of them, but they’re still extra manpower.”
Pei Shan narrowed his eyes, his expression ruthless. “We’ll take something good from them before the New Year and let the brothers under me enjoy a prosperous holiday!”
The town had long ago set its sights on the neighboring town, that fat little lamb. The livestock penned up in one’s own backyard was bound to be slaughtered and eaten sooner or later. If they had not previously been tied up with constructing the town’s defenses, that fat lamb would never have survived until now.
Still, when Constable Zhao heard that Pei Shan intended to slaughter it before the New Year, unease stirred in his heart. “According to custom, pigs and sheep are supposed to be slaughtered for the New Year. But we’ve only just fought the county, and our blades have taken some wear. To launch another attack before the holiday…”
Before Constable Zhao could finish, Pei Shan interrupted him. “What’s there to fear from those soft-shelled cowards? There are only a few of them in total, and we cut off their supply of iron early this year. They barely have any weapons. Their walls may be built sky-high, but at most they can keep out that nest of starving mountain bandits. Could they possibly withstand my well-trained soldiers?”
“We suffered hardly any losses and crushed a powerful force from the county. However poor the county may be, can it really be worse than that mountain ditch called Yan Town?”
“That bunch of country bumpkins has been getting on my nerves for ages! Last time I asked them for salt, they pretended to be deaf. This time, I’ll go cut off their ears and show them who truly rules this territory!”
Constable Zhao felt that things would probably not go so smoothly. But Pei Shan looked so confident, and everyone answered his call as one, that he did not dare say anything more. When it came to war, this town inspector was surely far more experienced than people like him.
Besides, they had already fallen out with the county. No one knew whether the county would raise another force and return, or crawl back into its shell and refuse to make another move.
Whatever the county chose to do, they had to grow stronger—and they did not have much time. If they could take the neighboring town sooner, they would at least avoid being attacked from both sides when the county raised troops and sent them down again.
That day, after several days of light snowfall, the snow finally stopped. A thin ray of sunlight poked half a face through the clouds. The shallow layer of snow covering the ground was on the verge of melting. Each footstep softened it into mud, leaving the roads indescribably slippery and filthy.
The stretch of flagstone road connecting the town to the main gate was stained with bright red slush.
Suddenly, hurried hoofbeats rang out. A figure came galloping over the muddy flagstones, shouting, “They’re here! They’re here!”
The cry, nearly tearing the throat apart, shattered the town’s peace.
It was past breakfast but not yet noon, when the town was at its busiest. At the sentry’s warning, the entire town fell silent for an instant. Then came the chaotic sounds of running footsteps, children crying, water buckets and market stalls being knocked over—it was like a pot of boiling oil splashed with cold water.
“Quick, quick! Everyone get back to your homes and bolt the doors!”
The guards received the news and immediately began dispersing the people and restoring order. “Farmers from the villages, don’t run about! The gates are shut! Those with relatives should go stay with them. Those without anywhere to go, head to the shelters outside the drill grounds!”
All through the town came the heavy banging of doors opening and slamming shut, one after another. The clamor pounded against people’s hearts like frantic drums.
“Pei Shan, that bastard! It’s only been a few days since he fought the county, and he’s already too restless to sit still. He’s come attacking us!”
When the yamen received the news, everyone was startled. They had known that a battle with Chishan could not be avoided, but they had not expected it so soon. They had assumed the enemy would take some time to recover. Who would have thought they would choose to strike while the iron was hot?
“The county has emboldened Chishan. He clearly doesn’t take Yan Town seriously at all!”
Duan Yan swung onto his horse. “He’s come at just the right time. That saves us from worrying about him all day.”
With that, he was already racing away like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The sentry’s message had traveled quickly, and the town’s preparations were just as swift. By the time Duan Yan reached the battlements, he could see Chishan’s army bearing down on them with murderous momentum. Against the pale, snow-covered winter landscape, they formed a dark, brooding mass.
Even from a distance, there seemed to be more than two hundred men.
Chishan was determined to swallow Yan Town in a single bite.
Duan Yan’s gaze turned cold and solemn. Since this was to be a life-or-death struggle, there was no room left for retreat. He barked an order: “Since they dare to come, make sure they never leave!”
The soldiers stationed on the walls shouted their assent in unison, their voices mighty and fearless.
“We swear to defend the peace of Yan Town to the death!”
The enemy advanced rapidly. Their formation beat drums as it charged, the rhythm so dense that it sounded like hail striking roof tiles. The pounding roused Chishan’s soldiers and battered at Yan Town’s defenses.
Yet just as the cavalrymen at the front were charging forward, the lead horse suddenly stepped into empty air. With a thunderous crash, horse and rider plunged into the trench together, followed immediately by a terrible scream.
The bottom of the ditch had been planted with sharpened wooden stakes, specifically prepared to deal with attackers storming the walls.
Seeing the sudden disaster, the cavalry behind hurriedly reined in their mounts. The horses’ shrill neighs threw the formation into momentary chaos.
Pei Shan wore a suit of iron armor. Watching the men who had fallen into the trench impaled like trapped prey, he showed not the slightest trace of fear. Instead, the sight stoked the vicious fury in his chest.
He raised a hand and shouted, “Raise the bridge!”
Immediately, more than a dozen infantrymen carried wooden planks and walked forward in an orderly manner. The heavy planks thudded into the mud.
"Guardians, shoot the arrows!"
Duan Yan waved his hand and gave a sharp order.
The captain of the archery team lying in ambush under the parapet subconsciously wanted to shoot the arrows according to the order. But when he heard clearly that Duan Yan was ordering the guardians, he couldn't help being stunned for a moment.
For a moment, not only the captain of the archery team frowned and looked at Duan Yan in confusion, but also the entire archery team all looked at him in unison.
In the whole town, their archery team had the best archery skills! At this moment, instead of letting them take action to intimidate the enemy and let the enemy know that Yan Town was not to be trifled with, why did he order the guardians who rarely used arrows?
In such a critical moment, there was no room for such a shoddy performance. Could it be that their Chief Drillmaster was so panicked that he gave the wrong order!
However, Duan Yan only said in a deep voice, "Get focused, listen carefully to the orders, and pay attention to protecting yourselves!"
After hearing the scolding again and being sure that the order was not given wrongly, although the soldiers of the archery team were still puzzled, they had developed the habit of obeying orders during the intensive training on the drill ground. In the end, they didn't question it. Instead, they quickly stared closely at the enemy troops outside the city wall again.
But when the soldiers of the archery team looked at the situation outside, their brows furrowed even more, almost into a knot. The cold and howling wind on the city wall was biting, but it still made them break out in a cold sweat on their backs.
The trench was a bit far away. The archery skills of the guardians were still in the stage of improvement. They couldn't shoot accurately from a hundred steps away, and there were limited number of them. Few of the arrows they shot could reach the wooden plank bridge smoothly.
The arrows flew out sparsely from the city wall, and they drooped limply halfway and fell in front of the city gate. Even those that luckily flew in front of the wooden plank bridge were all crooked.
"Hahaha!"
Although the soldiers of Chishan were also disturbed by the flying arrows, very few of them were actually hit. Looking at the completely inaccurate archery skills, it was enough to make them laugh.
Pei Shan picked up an arrow. When he saw that it was just a bare bamboo without an iron arrowhead, he became even more arrogant. "Those up there, listen up. Surrender now, open the town gate and welcome me in. Offer up the salt and grain with both hands, and I'll spare your lives. If you still stubbornly defend, we won't spare a single one of you when we enter the town!"
The soldiers of Chishan then let out loud and powerful shouts.
"Pei, don't go too far. Watch out that you have the nerve to rob but not the life to enjoy it!"
"Stubborn fools. Kill them!"
As soon as the wooden bridge was built, the soldiers rushed over immediately, directly crossing the defensive line of Yan Town, and came rolling like a herd of wild buffaloes.
Seeing that the enemies were getting closer and most of the large troops had charged up, Duan Yan roared, "Shoot all the arrows!"
At this time, the well - trained archery team aimed the arrows that had been already strung on the bowstrings at the enemy and shot them out. The rustling sound of the arrows breaking through the air was louder than the howling cold wind.
"Puff!" "Snap!" The short and rapid sounds of arrows hitting the targets rang out frequently. The soldiers of Chishan who were carrying heavy logs to rush towards the city gate to ram it and those carrying ladders to attack the city were all stunned for a moment.
Seeing their comrades being hit by arrows repeatedly, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts and looked up at the city wall in panic. "How did their archery suddenly become so sharp!"
"They have an ambush. They must have an ambush! They were just trying to deceive us before!"
The soldiers of Chishan shouted in panic.
"What are you shouting about!" Pei Shan spurred his horse forward, waved his sword and chopped down a deserter who was about to turn around and run, and shouted sternly, "A bunch of idiots. How were you trained on normal days! Those weaklings have no other skills but to play tricks. All of you, charge! The first one to break into the town will be handsomely rewarded!"
Under Pei Shan's loud shout, the somewhat disordered morale of the army stabilized again.
The soldiers wearing bamboo armor braved the flying arrows to break through the siege and rushed forward shouting.
Although the archery team of Yan Town was fast, accurate and fierce, they were using bamboo arrows after all. Although these arrows had undergone special treatment, their sharpness was still not as good as that of iron - tipped arrows. They could shoot the soldiers in cloth clothes, but it was really difficult to shoot through the soldiers wearing armors.
During this gap, the bamboo - armored soldiers of Chishan carried the heavy siege log together and rammed the city gate hard. The two huge and thick city gates shook, and a long crack appeared every time they rammed.
The door bolt behind the door creaked, and the sawdust rustled down.
On the six - meter - high city wall, there were seven or eight ladders lying on it. Soldiers kept climbing up, just like a swarm of locusts that had found a crop field. Occasionally, those who were hit by arrows screamed and fell, smashing like a pile of rotten meat at the foot of the wall, but immediately someone else would fill in their place.
"It won't work, it won't work!"
The militiamen of Yan Town were so anxious that their voices changed in pitch.
"They outnumber us. We can't hold on, Chief Drillmaster!"
Duan Yan's eyes were as cold as iron. He stared fixedly at the surging enemy tide below the city. After some luring, the Chishan Army had all entered the range. Seeing this situation, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He waved his big sword and shouted, "Bring out the powerful weapons!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers in charge of the shells had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Finally, when they heard this order, an uncontrollable joy appeared on their faces. They crouched down, quickly carried out the things, dodged the arrows shot from below, and rolled to the parapet.
The fire starter sent out a tongue of fire, which swayed in the wind and licked the fuse.
On the city wall, in several directions, the soldiers of Chishan had climbed to the top of the wall. They were grinning ferociously because of their own ability, and raised their swords high to slash at the defenders of Yan Town. However, before their swords fell, a burning clay pot suddenly smashed in front of them.
"Bang!"
A loud and explosive sound.
In the middle of winter, where did the thunder come from?
The soldiers of Chishan were still wondering when there were several more loud explosions in succession, "Bang, Boom!" Immediately followed by the sound of people "thumping" to the ground.
The bamboo - armored soldiers and ladders lying on the city wall fell down like kites with broken strings.
The scene suddenly became chaotic.
"What is that?"
"There are demons. There are demons in Yan Town!"
Looking at the panicked Chishan soldiers shouting about demons on the city tower, the defenders of Yan Town sneered, "Well, we let you have your laugh long enough. Now it's time to serve you some real hard dishes!"
"Pei, here's a big one for you. Catch it well!"
A shell with a burning fuse was accurately thrown at Pei Shan, who was sitting on his horse looking suspiciously.
This warrior was no ordinary person either. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw a huge... "clay pot"? It was rushing straight towards him. Without thinking twice, he raised his sword to deflect the pot. But he didn't expect that the moment the sword touched the pot body, "Bang!" It exploded directly.
In an instant, a cloud of black powder was ejected, blinding people's eyes for a moment. Sharp tiles and bamboo bones rushed in from all directions, much more powerful than individual arrows.
Pei Shan was wearing iron armor. Although he clearly felt many impacts on his body, fortunately, they were all blocked by the iron armor. Only his face was severely scratched by a flying animal bone piece, leaving a cut as long as his index finger.
Blood immediately gushed out, and the wound was so deep that the bone was visible.
Those militiamen without iron armor were in a terrible situation. The shells that exploded at close range directly pierced their intestines and bellies. Several rocket arrows flew out, covered with gunpowder, and immediately set them on fire.
"Ah! Help!"
"What kind of weapons are these... There are demons and ghosts causing trouble! There are demons and ghosts causing trouble in Rock Town!"
The soldiers hit by the cannonballs were on fire. Screaming, they ran around the field trying to put out the flames. Meanwhile, from the upper floors, cannonballs and clay pots were being accurately thrown down. The soldiers were caught off guard and completely lost their bearings. They just kept dodging blindly, and the scene was in complete chaos.
"These are just simple cannonballs! Stand up straight! Attack the gate!"
Pei Shan had seen a fair bit of the world. After recognizing what the falling clay pots were, he was greatly shocked. How could such a shabby place hide such powerful weapons?
It was impossible for him not to be flustered. Especially when he saw those cannonballs being thrown out without restraint, they were more terrifying than thunderbolts from the sky.
But since things had come to this point, he could only try his best to stabilize the morale of the troops and organize the formation: "Follow my orders and charge together!"
Charge? Charge my foot!
These militiamen who had never seen such a big scene looked at the cannonballs constantly flying out from the city wall and their comrades who were burned or stabbed to death by the flying projectiles. They felt as if they had strayed into the eighteenth level of hell with rolling thunder. They were so frightened that their souls had fled their bodies.
They threw away the siege logs and ladders and just ran away frantically, looking even more disheveled than the county soldiers before.
Duan Yan overlooked the defeated Chishan Army and knew the time had come. He raised his long sword high and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Open the gate and pursue!"
The soldiers in Rock Town were inspired by the seemingly heaven - sent cannonballs. The moment the city gate opened, fifty elite soldiers rushed out like a tide.
These were all militiamen who had fought against bandits and had actual combat experience.
Duan Yan rode his horse with his sword in hand, his eyes as sharp as lightning, and charged straight at Pei Shan.
At this time, Pei Shan, with his face covered in blood and ash from the cannonballs, looked rather disheveled. When he saw Duan Yan riding towards him, his hatred had reached the extreme.
"Giddyap!"
Pei Shan rode past the defeated soldiers, holding his weapon tightly, his eyes red with rage, and charged forward to meet Duan Yan.
Song Fengsui rode his horse, avoiding the open spaces and areas without roof coverings. When he reached the main road in front of the town, he was stopped by the soldiers who recognized him before he could even get close to the city gate.
"Sir, why have you come here!"
Song Fengsui was out of breath, and white mist came out of his mouth. He couldn't sit still in his house. There was not a single person on the four streets and eight alleys in the city, and it was eerily quiet.
Even with the house doors closed, he could still hear the sounds of gunfire in front of the town gate, which made his unsettled heart feel like it was being fried in oil.
This battle had come suddenly. Duan Yan had gone directly from the yamen to the drill ground to assemble the troops. By the time Song Fengsui heard the news that the Chishan Army was coming, Duan Yan was already on the battlefield.
He calmed his mind, settled his family, and then immediately wanted to go to the city gate. But his family wouldn't let him go out at this time, and they couldn't persuade him no matter what.
If the Chishan Army attacked the town and the city was breached, the common people might still have a chance of survival. But as the Chief Drillmaster leading the troops to defend the town, if the town was taken, Duan Yan would surely be killed.
In the chaotic times, life and death were often beyond one's control. But if Duan Yan was gone, what would be the point for him to live on?
Of course, Song Fengsui didn't dare to say such things in front of his grandfather and mother. He only said: "Life and death may be decided in this moment. I didn't see him before the battle. How can I not even take one last look!"
Grandpa Song and Mu Linghui had no choice but to send someone to escort him carefully to the city gate to take a look. They told him to come back quickly no matter how the battle went.
Only then did Song Fengsui manage to get away. By this time, the two armies had been fighting for almost an hour.
"How is the battle going now? Where is the Chief Drillmaster?"
Song Fengsui saw from afar that the city gate seemed to have been opened. His heart was in his throat. He grabbed a soldier and asked anxiously.
The soldier thought it was not safe below and didn't answer his question. Instead, he led Song Fengsui to the city wall first so that he could meet some of the officials.
Song Fengsui climbed up to the city wall and carefully hid in a safe place. Looking down at the outside of the city, he saw a mess. In the chaos, he immediately spotted the familiar figure fighting on horseback.
He stared at the figure without blinking, almost holding his breath.
He saw Duan Yan clamping his horse's belly tightly with his legs, leaning forward, and his long sword held horizontally by his side was very sharp.
The dazzling cold lights of the swords clashed, and the two of them were evenly matched in the fight.
Actually, Duan Yan was not very good at fighting on horseback because he had little training experience in this aspect before. And Pei Shan was indeed a martial artist. He attacked fiercely and methodically, and was really not easy to deal with.
But after two life - and - death battles with bandits, Duan Yan had already mastered many key points of fighting for one's life on horseback.
He didn't dodge Pei Shan's sharp blade attack head - on, using this to lure the enemy into being careless. When it seemed that his neck was about to touch the blade, at the critical moment, he suddenly fell back and pressed himself against the horse's back. While dodging the fatal blow by raising his neck, he jumped up from the horse's back and stabbed downwards quickly and accurately with his blade.
Song Fengsui on the city wall subconsciously closed his eyes. In one breath, he only heard a heavy sound of someone falling off the horse.
Then Duan Yan's loud voice rang out: "The bandit leader Pei Shan is dead! Put down your weapons and surrender quickly!"
When Song Fengsui opened his eyes again, he saw the man standing against the wind on the battlefield, with the body of the Chishan town inspector at his feet. The heart that had been hanging in his throat finally settled. At the same time, he felt as if all his strength had been drained from his body.
There were continuous sounds of surrendering weapons and cheers from the militiamen on the battlefield, which were so loud that it seemed as if his ears had stopped working. He couldn't hear anything except the intense beating of his own heart.
It was as if the man below the city wall sensed his presence. He looked up at the position where Song Fengsui was. There was comfort in his eyes, and only then did Song Fengsui regain some strength.
