Lu Ping grunted in acknowledgment and ordered, “Beat the drums and inform the other gates of our situation. Have everyone prepare for battle.”
The drums could convey simple messages, such as the presence of enemies and their approximate numbers.
This way, the various gates could communicate with one another and coordinate their defenses.
Not long after their drums began to sound, drums echoed from the North Gate as well.
In other words, Ji army reinforcements had arrived there too.
Lu Ping’s expression grew grave. This battle was indeed going to be difficult. The Ji army had reacted so quickly—they were surrounded!
At the East Gate, Ye Shang listened to the drums, his expression solemn. “Send three hundred men to reinforce the North Gate!”
Yun Yu, at the South Gate, had just finished directing another round of volleys and issued an order of his own, sending reinforcements to the West Gate.
Nan Wen looked down at the densely packed Ji soldiers beneath the walls of the North Gate. He estimated that there were more than ten thousand of them.
He was somewhat nervous. After all, he had only around five hundred soldiers defending the North Gate.
However, he had yet to hear the drums from the East or South Gates, which meant those two gates were safe for the moment. Reinforcements should arrive soon.
Then he lowered his head and glanced at the crates of arrows stacked behind the battlements. His heart steadied somewhat.
Ji Cang looked at the pitch-black city wall, then at the corpses of his soldiers illuminated by the flames. His expression darkened.
“Put out those fires first!”
With the flames lighting them up like that, his men were nothing more than sitting ducks as they attacked.
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers quickly formed up and charged toward the flames in front of the moat.
Nan Wen was in no hurry. He waited until the formation entered the range of the firelight before giving the order to fire the stake-bolts.
The enormous power of the stake-bolts pierced straight through the formation’s shields, instantly throwing the soldiers into chaos. Taking advantage of the confusion, the crossbowmen quickly followed up with another volley.
In a low, cramped house somewhere in Wenxia City, Sun Xi, Sun Yuan, and several other women sat huddled together on a filthy bed. They pressed close to one another, drawing warmth and courage from each other.
The blood-covered corpse of a woman lay on the floor. She was the Ji woman who had been guarding them.
When the fighting began in the city, Uncle Liu had secretly come to tell them not to leave the house or open the door. In short, they were to stay put inside.
Before they could ask what was happening, Uncle Liu had hurried away to warn the next household.
The women looked at one another, at a loss, when a loud clang suddenly rang out. Several of them nearly screamed in fright.
The Ji woman, who had been resting in the inner room, had sensed that something was wrong and come out to investigate with a lantern in hand.
“What’s going on? Who was talking just now? Why has fighting broken out outside?”
Seeing Sun Yuan and the others huddled together and staring blankly at her without saying a word, the Ji woman cast them a look of disgust.
“You filthy slaves. Behave yourselves.”
With that, she moved to open the door.
Sun Yuan was completely dazed. She did not know who was fighting the Ji army in the city, how long the battle would last, or who would win.
But she had endured for far too long. She had been suppressed for far too long.
At that moment, as she listened to the strange screams of the Ji soldiers outside, she seemed to glimpse hope. She grabbed the wooden basin they used for washing and hurled it at the woman.
The woman had her back turned and never imagined that Sun Yuan would dare attack her. After all, those who had refused to obey had been beaten to death, while the ones left behind had all been broken.
The basin struck her squarely on the head. She staggered, and the lantern in her hand crashed to the floor. Flames immediately sprang up.
Sun Xi was dazed as well. She did not understand why her sister had suddenly attacked, but she instinctively helped. While the woman was still unsteady on her feet, Sun Xi kicked her hard.
The woman fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Sun Yuan immediately followed, bringing the wooden basin down on her head again.
Once, then again, and again—she seemed determined to vent every grievance and every bit of resentment she had suffered.
Sun Xi pinned down the woman’s hands, preventing her from fighting back.
At that moment, the other women in the room turned pale with terror, yet they still trembled their way forward to help.
No one knew how much time passed. At last, the woman stopped responding and ceased struggling.
Sun Yuan halted, panting heavily. The others collapsed onto the floor as well.
“Is she… dead?” one of the women asked unsteadily.
The fallen lantern had nearly burned out. By the faint glow, they could see that the woman’s face was a bloody mess, and her chest no longer rose and fell.
A gust of wind swept through the room, and the flame went out.
The house instantly fell into darkness.
Before the final light vanished, Sun Xi found Sun Yuan and pulled her trembling sister into her arms.
It took a long while for the others to recover from the act of killing. Shaking, they groped their way back onto the bed.
The fighting outside grew even more vicious. Screams rang out without pause, mingled with the furious roars of the Ji soldiers.
“Who is it?” one of the women asked in a trembling voice.
The room fell into a prolonged silence.
“It must be our fellow Han people,” Sun Xi said firmly after a long moment.
Sun Yuan’s bloodstained hands clutched Sun Xi’s arm tightly, as though she were drawing courage from her sister. “Yes. It must be Han soldiers who have come to save us!”
“I know who the man was who told us not to open the door. I recognized his voice. He… he often gives food to the Young General and the others too.”
Her words eased the tension in everyone’s hearts somewhat.
But mentioning the Young General made them worried again.
Sun Yuan gritted her teeth. “Should we go outside and take a look?”
Sun Xi’s heart tightened. After a moment, she shook her head. “No. The man who warned us must be involved in tonight’s events. Since he often brings food to the Young General and the others, he must have already made arrangements for them. If we go out, we might only ruin everything.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. We should just do as we were told and stay here.”
Silence once again filled the room.
Sun Yuan relaxed slightly and asked in a low voice, “Can we win?”
“We can,” Sun Xi replied firmly.
Everyone wanted that to be the answer. Otherwise, death would be waiting for them.
No—that was not true. They had killed a Ji woman. What awaited them would be more terrifying than death.
Yet everyone also knew how difficult victory would be.
This was Wenxia City, the stronghold of the Ji Grand Chanyu. Capturing it would be harder than reaching the heavens.
But they had to win!
More importantly, this was the first time in so long that Han soldiers had entered the city. It was their chance to return to the Han people—and perhaps their only chance.
Bang!
A thunderous crash came from the door, frightening the women so badly that their hearts nearly stopped.
Bang!
Another crash followed.
Along with the pounding came the furious curses of Ji soldiers outside.
“Open up! You whores inside, open the door right now! If we have to come in, we’ll kill every one of you!”
The Ji soldiers had been pursued by the Jinyang Army until they had nowhere left to run, and now they wanted to use a Han household as cover.
They happened to be nearby and were familiar with this house, which was often visited by Han courtesans. Naturally, they had chosen it.
When no one inside responded, the Ji soldiers outside grew even angrier.
“Is everyone inside dead? Where’s the madam? Open the door, quickly!”
There was still no response.
“Break the door down!” a hoarse male voice ordered.
Bang, bang, bang…
The pounding began in earnest, and dust sifted down from the doorframe.
Seeing that the door was about to give way, Sun Xi suddenly snatched up the wooden basin Sun Yuan had used moments earlier.
“The door won’t hold. We fight!”
Sun Yuan suddenly remembered something. She sprang to her feet and dashed into the inner room of the Ji clan women. Inside were sticks, small knives, and other tools—the very implements normally used to “tame” them.
The light was dim, but thanks to her familiarity with the room, Sun Yuan quickly found two sticks, a small knife, and a whip.
She handed the weapons out to everyone, keeping the largest stick for herself.
The women hid behind the door, trembling as they waited for the moment it was smashed open, ready to fight to the death.
They had nowhere else to go, either!
Bang!
At last, the battered wooden door could no longer withstand the impact and burst open.
