Jiang Jin watched the Qu Zhao soldiers struggling in the river, utterly numb. This was a bloodlust that had lost all reason.
Yun Chengxuan, too, was in the throes of killing. Turning around and finding no more stones nearby, he attempted to lift a catapult to hurl it down instead.
Several soldiers pushing stones from behind, ready to reload, were startled and shouted, "Stop!"
They were on the verge of collapse—did Young Master Yun have any idea how expensive this large catapult was?
On a normal day, they cherished it like a treasure, and now he was about to simply smash it into people!
What a reckless wastrel!
Seeing the large stones they were pushing, Yun Chengxuan didn’t hesitate. He lowered the half-raised catapult without a word, turned around, picked up a stone, and scurried to the crenellation. Then, with all his might, he hurled it at a battering ram below.
With a thunderous crash, the battering ram shattered into pieces, along with the Qu Zhao soldiers pushing it—reduced to a bloody pulp.
Only then did Yun Chengxuan feel satisfied. He took out his specially crafted bow and arrows and repeatedly shot at the Qu Zhao soldiers, killing one with every arrow.
Qu Bai watched from afar, seeing his soldiers fall one by one. Since the battle began, nearly half of his men had been killed or wounded, yet they couldn’t even cross the moat.
All but a few of the dozen or so bridge-laying vehicles had been smashed to pieces by the catapults. The defeat was sealed, and continuing the fight would only increase casualties.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his calm had returned. "Sound the drums! Retreat!"
As the Qu Zhao soldiers withdrew, Jiang Jin did not order a pursuit. Only after the enemy force had retreated three or four li did she ask, "How are the other gates?"
A messenger immediately reported, "Your Excellency, the enemy at the west gate has retreated. The north and east gates are still under attack, but they are also about to withdraw."
The commander at the west gate was Zhou Sui, while the north and east gates were defended by Yao Ji and Xie Nanxiao, respectively.
Jiang Jin nodded and waved her hand. "Send one battalion down to collect the spoils of war, and make sure to finish off any survivors."
Although the Qu Zhao retreat wasn’t a complete rout, the casualties were immense. The battlefield was strewn with confused warhorses and various weapons.
An hour later, Jiang Jin and the others sat down in the county office.
"Let the soldiers rest in shifts. Boil the horse meat and give it to the soldiers as an extra meal," Jiang Jin said.
Zhou Sui chuckled. "There’s too much—can’t finish it all at once. And the weather is still hot. Best to make some dried meat instead."
Xia Chanyi sighed helplessly. "We’re short-handed as it is. When would we have time to make dried meat?"
Although Ge Feng had brought along a few hundred civilians, they were all busy handling corpses and clearing the city walls. There simply weren’t enough people.
Luo Qingci said, "That’s easy. Just hire some townsfolk to do it."
Jiang Jin nodded. "We can also hire townsfolk to help dispose of the bodies. Just pay them some wages."
With the current weather, if the corpses weren’t dealt with promptly, they’d start to stink within two days.
Zhou Sui frowned. "There are too many bodies. It won’t be easy to handle."
Jiang Jin thought for a moment and decided, "Then burn them."
Though the exact number of enemies killed hadn’t been tallied yet, it was at least ten thousand. Digging a mass grave that large wouldn’t be easy.
Burning them wouldn’t be easy either. With so many bodies, they’d have to burn them in piles. Fortunately, due to the drought, the nearby mountains were full of deadwood and dried grass.
"I suspect Qu Bai might launch a night raid. Everyone should be prepared," Jiang Jin voiced her speculation.
Xie Nanxiao’s eyes widened. "Surely not? Their morale is low now. They shouldn’t attack again so soon."
Jiang Jin glanced at him. "A night raid is about striking when the enemy is unprepared. Either way, stay alert."
Zhou Sui agreed. "I'll take the night watch. I have a telescope."
Yao Ji and the others looked at him, full of envy.
Even Dong Si was sour about it, though he knew how precious such a telescope was. Since he didn't lead troops in battle, having it would just be a waste on him.
Xie Nanxiao eagerly suggested, "I think I could take the night watch. How about letting me keep the telescope for now?"
Xia Chanyi rolled her eyes in secret. "If we're talking about the finest soldiers, that's us, the Dragon Shadow Guard. I propose we take the night watch tonight. If Qu Zhao's army dares to come, we'll make sure they never go back."
Xie Nanxiao smirked. "Precisely because we're not 'fine' enough, we need more real combat experience. No need to fight me over this, right?"
Zhou Sui watched their scrappy back-and-forth with a deadpan face, inwardly muttering that he wasn’t about to agree to anything anyway—no one was touching his telescope.
Jiang Jin sighed, putting his foot down. "Zhou Sui, you'll guard the city tonight."
Unlike the relaxed atmosphere here, Qu Zhao's camp was filled with moans and despair. Medics bustled in and out, tending to the wounded.
Inside the largest tent, silence reigned. No one spoke.
Finally, Qu Bai, his face dark, asked, "Are the casualty numbers in?"
Qu Cong sighed. "They've been tallied. Over twelve thousand soldiers didn't make it back."
Everyone's breath caught. They had known the losses were heavy, but this was beyond expectation—nearly thirty percent of their troops lost in a single assault.
And they hadn't even managed to cross the moat of Mount Pass County!
Yan Pu let out a soft sigh. "The Jinyang Army truly lives up to their reputation. Their repeating crossbows are simply... simply..."
He couldn't find the words, only a deep sense of difficulty.
Qu Bai exhaled lightly. "Does anyone have a way to break them?"
Qu Cong thought for a moment. "We could launch a night raid. Their crossbows are powerful, but if they can't see, they lose their advantage."
Even though they'd be spotted crossing the moat, the darkness was still a far better cover than facing those deadly accurate crossbows in daylight.
Just then, a soldier entered to report. "The Jinyang troops are stacking firewood. It looks like they're going to burn our dead soldiers' bodies."
A heavy silence fell over them. They had no way to handle their own dead, leaving it to the Jinyang Army to do as they pleased.
Qu Bai clenched his fists, stifling the bitterness in his chest, and began to plan the night's operation.
Night fell, and the world grew still.
The city walls of Mount Pass County were pitch dark. Inside the town, whether they could sleep or not, residents kept their doors and windows bolted shut, not a sound stirring.
On a patch of flat ground about six or seven li from the East Gate, several large bonfires continued to burn the bodies of Qu Zhao's soldiers, thick smoke billowing upward with a strange odor.
Luckily, the night was almost windless, so the smoke and smell rose straight into the sky, not drifting into the town.
Several thousand of Qu Zhao's soldiers crept forward, bent low, advancing silently toward the South Gate of Mount Pass County.
Ahead of them were several moat bridges and a battering ram, their wheels grinding out a noise that was especially grating in the dead of night.
Of course, that harshness was only relative for those nearby—any farther off, and it couldn't be heard.
Leading the force was one of Qu Bai's fierce generals, Lü Ren. He clutched a glaive, following behind one of the moat bridges.
His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the city tower, but with almost no moonlight tonight, he couldn't even make out its silhouette in the distance.
