In East Lake County, Dancheng County.
County Commandant Han Ning looked at the anxious soldier, his expression shifting between surprise and uncertainty: "Are you saying that Gefeng's Jinyang Army is attacking your Shan Pass County?"
Dancheng County was a neighboring county to Shan Pass County, not too far apart.
The soldier nodded repeatedly: "That's right. The Jinyang Army has tens of thousands of troops. Our Shan Pass County is in peril. We hope you, County Commandant, can spare some men to come to our aid."
Han Ning's breath caught, thinking he had misheard: "How many?"
The soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Tens of thousands—at least twenty thousand. County Commandant, can you send troops quickly? The Jinyang Army's combat strength is formidable, and their crossbows are devastatingly powerful. It will be too late if we delay."
Han Ning lowered his head in thought, then sighed after a moment: "You know that Dancheng County only has a thousand garrison soldiers. Even if I spare a few hundred men, facing a Jinyang Army of tens of thousands would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
The soldier's heart sank, and he urged: "Our county commandant has also sent word to several nearby counties. If we pool our forces, the numbers won't be small."
"Moreover, we've sent messengers to Zhou County and the East Lake County garrison to request reinforcements. They will arrive before long, and we can launch a pincer attack to wipe out the Jinyang Army."
Han Ning shook his head: "Since you've already sent for help from East Lake County, I'll wait for them to arrive before heading over together. After all, Heichun County must pass through my Dancheng."
Heichun County was the seat of East Lake County, and the East Lake garrison was stationed there.
He wanted to help—after all, if the lips are lost, the teeth will feel cold. Once Shan Pass County fell, his neighboring county would face hard times ahead.
But he knew his own situation. With only a thousand troops total, facing a Jinyang Army of tens of thousands would be suicidal if he agreed to go now.
Besides, he couldn't send all his troops; some had to remain to defend Dancheng. Sending a few hundred men would only mean sending them to their deaths, and he couldn't see any other use for it.
The soldier fell to his knees, pleading: "County Commandant, Shan Pass County's closest neighbor is your Dancheng. Please, you must go to our aid."
Han Ning looked down at him: "I will muster the troops immediately, but I must wait for the garrison to arrive before setting out."
Nearly all the counties near Shan Pass County were stirred up, with similar conversations taking place. The entire northeast region of Feng Province erupted into activity.
Bang.
A thunderous crash echoed from the hall of the Shan Pass County government office.
The guards who were about to kill a Han Chinese woman turned their heads.
They saw the county magistrate, who had just stepped out of the hall, thrown back inside, crashing to the ground. He spat out blood, his body convulsing in pain, unable to speak for a moment.
Zhou Sui strode in at the front.
Dong Si followed behind him. Seeing the servants carrying chests, his eyes lit up: "Where do you think you're taking my lord's wealth?"
He was no good at siege warfare, but when it came to collecting riches, he was an expert.
Shan Pass County was no small town like Gefeng. The pickings here were sure to be substantial. He had to keep a close eye on his lord's money and goods, ensuring no one embezzled them.
Not just here—he had also instructed the heads of other units to guard his lord's assets vigilantly.
He even gave orders to the body collectors and taught them his private technique: the Thirty Styles of Looting Corpses, or the "Thirty Loots" for short. It was said that even looting a thigh involved three separate steps, ensuring no single copper piece went into the grave.
The woman's face went pale as she shielded her young son and daughter behind her. She forgot the magistrate for the moment, staring in shock at Zhou Sui and his men: "You... you..."
She had never imagined that in such a short time, not only had the county been breached, but the Jinyang Army had moved so smoothly into the county office!
What was Qu Tianshi doing? How could he be so useless?
Dong Si paid her no mind. He glared at the servants carrying the chests and said sternly: "Put those down, and I'll spare you an intact corpse."
The magistrate finally recovered, burning with humiliation, and roared: "Kill them all!"
The guards looked at the Jinyang soldiers behind Zhou Sui holding crossbows, fear flickering in their eyes. Yet, at the command, they gritted their teeth and charged at Zhou Sui with their blades drawn.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
Before they could get close, crossbow bolts flew.
Chaos erupted in the hall—screams, cries for help...
On the other side, Dark Five led Yao Ji toward the eastern part of the city: "The eastern district is almost entirely inhabited by the Quzhao people."
Yao Ji nodded: "Not one of them will escape."
The eastern district was in chaos. Some Quzhao people were continuously sending scouts for news, while others had already packed valuables and prepared to flee.
Some of the quicker ones had already ordered servants to ready their carriages, intending to escape, only to be caught by Yao Ji.
Soon, the eastern district was surrounded by the Jinyang Army.
Dark Three, meanwhile, led his men straight for the granary. He worried that the Quzhao people, in desperation, might burn the entire grain stock.
At the West Gate, Jiang Jin pulled her greatsword out of a Quzhao soldier. By now, no enemy soldiers remained standing on the city wall.
She turned to Frostfall, who was also drenched in blood and grime: "Frostfall, take your people and seize the North Gate immediately. Kill any Quzhao soldiers you encounter."
"Yes, ma'am!" Frostfall responded loudly, leading a squad along the city wall toward the North Gate at a sprint.
"Zhao Feng, hold this gate with your men. If you see any Quzhao soldiers, kill them."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Jiang Jin led several dozen crossbowmen along the wall toward the South Gate. She aimed to take that gate and eliminate all Quzhao soldiers on the walls.
In the city, Yun Ce led the Jinyang Army through every corner, hunting down fleeing or scattered Quzhao troops. Cries of agony rose up now and then.
Xie Nanxiao led his men toward the East Gate, galloping through the city's turmoil.
Suddenly, the South Gate opened, and the drawbridge lowered. Several carriages burst out, followed by sixty or seventy guards.
A few miles away, Luo Aman's face lit up with a smile. Battle merits were coming!
She gave a low command: "Wait until they enter the ambush zone before firing. Otherwise, they'll just scurry back into the city."
"Company commander, you can count on us!" The female soldiers watched the approaching Quzhao with wolf-like intensity.
Due to Lu Aman's unique position, her company usually didn't get assigned to major collective tasks. They could only pick up the leftovers.
Aside from the West Gate, the other three gates had Jinyang Army units stationed outside. Except for the messengers deliberately allowed through earlier to seek help, no one could escape from the city.
Her company had been assigned to the South Gate. If anyone tried to flee through that gate, they would be their battle merits.
Soon, the carriages and guards entered their ambush range.
Luo Aman shouted at the top of her lungs: "Fire!"
The archers immediately drew their bows and released.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
The Quzhao, already fleeing in panic, were caught off guard. One after another, they were shot off their horses.
A charioteer in the lead carriage was struck in the chest. His hands instinctively jerked the reins.
The horse, in pain, neighed and reared up, its front hooves high in the air before crashing down. It suddenly bolted in a wild frenzy.
The charioteer was thrown off and then crushed by the following carriage, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.
Just then, an arrow struck the front horse's leg.
The horse neighed again in agony, crashing to the ground with a thud, and the carriage flipped over.
The road was narrow. The overturned carriage blocked it almost completely, forcing the carriages behind to stop.
Luo Aman rejoiced: "Charge!"
Shouting, she led the way, blade in hand.
She was nearly at the carriage when, for some reason, she stumbled and fell hard, sending up a cloud of dust.
Qu Zhaoren, who had just scrambled out of the carriage in a panic, was startled. He followed the sound and saw the woman who had been charging at them suddenly fall flat on the ground?!
Luo Aman’s subordinates were very calm—this was routine.
They orderly swept past her, charging toward the remaining Quzhao people, who had been shot down in large numbers.
Luo Aman was on the verge of tears over her lost military merits.
Nan Wen stared into the distance at the North Gate. He had been assigned the same task as Luo Aman, except he was guarding the North Gate. But so far, no Quzhao people had come out from there.
“I’m going. Let’s move,” he called out, striding over from a concealed spot by the roadside.
His men followed reluctantly, knowing that Shuang Jiang had already led her forces to the North Gate. Soon, the North Gate would fall under the control of their Jinyang Army.
If they didn’t join the fight now, their chance for military merits would truly slip away.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jin was having some trouble. She had encountered a troop of Quzhao soldiers rushing in from the camp to provide reinforcements.
