Chapter 652 – Unifying Wanzhou (Part 5)
“Can’t… hold on…”
The dull sound of arrows piercing flesh, the wails and screams of the battlefield, the buzzing noise of arrows slicing through the air… all these chaotic sounds merged into a symphony of death… A soldier, blood-soaked and tearful, uttered those words just before a cold arrow pierced through his chest.
“Smash them all! Do not let these traitors step onto the walls!”
The leader of the Red Lotus Sect shrank back in fear, screaming at the top of his lungs while shoving others to the front lines.
“Even if we can’t hold on, we must try! Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed!”
The best way to deal with enemies climbing ladders was to smash them with heavy objects or sharp weapons. The defenders did not even need to kill on the spot; simply throwing them off the ladders was enough—the height of the walls would guarantee their demise.
However, that Yang Si fellow was quite cunning.
He ordered the soldiers to pretend to climb the ladders with thick shields, only needing to go halfway up to bait the Red Lotus Sect on the walls into attacking. When they threw stones or other sharp weapons at the climbing soldiers, crossbowmen below would target those soldiers accordingly.
The war drums thundered, the sounds resonating through the sky, stirring the blood and stirring the hearts of all who heard them.
Jiang Pengji rode atop Xiao Bai, her red attire and silver armor shining glaringly in the sunlight.
She furrowed her brows, saying, “Jingrong, even though your lord has some spare coins, he’s not rich enough to rival whole nations… Can you be a bit more frugal?”
Arrows were not infinite, and in her view, each volley released was a chunk of silver flying away.
If they managed to take the city easily, that would be one thing, but if they couldn’t secure it quickly, those arrows would be lost to them forever.
Even if they cleared the battlefield, they could only recover a portion; every battle would incur a one to two percent loss of arrows—so costly it was a real pain.
Yang Si chuckled, “Just wait a bit longer; once their morale shatters, breaking through these several zhang walls will be a piece of cake!”
Jiang Pengji secretly rolled her eyes and spurred Xiao Bai’s belly, “Go!”
Xiao Bai let out a snort, galloping like the wind towards the battlefield.
Yang Si raised his hand to stop her, but Xiao Bai had already dashed away, leaving only a cloud of dust in its wake.
As they raced forward, Jiang Pengji grabbed the bow and arrow resting on her saddle.
This bow required more than two stones of force to pull the string back to a full moon.
Nocking the arrow, she aimed at the fluttering flag atop the city walls.
With a flash of silver, the arrow shot forth with unstoppable momentum, thudding into the flagpole, causing the large flag to crash down.
To truly crush their spirits, why bother with subtleties?
Either charge straight for the enemy commander or cut down their flag; both were surefire ways to humiliate the enemy and disrupt their morale.
Seeing the fallen Red Lotus Sect flag, Yang Si couldn’t help but chuckle, adjusting the plan to attack the city with all their might.
The defenders of the Red Lotus Sect had nearly lost their will to fight, and with some cost, Jiang Pengji’s soldiers pressed forward in thick shields, climbing the walls while a chaotic, bloody melee ensued—like a hell on earth, draining all rational thought.
In the midst of chaos, the city gates swung wide open.
Jiang Pengji, spear in hand, urged her horse into the city.
From dawn till noon, after battling fiercely, it seemed even the clouds in the sky had been tinted crimson.
Those who surrendered had their hands bound; those who resisted, met their end on the spot.
In less than half a month, the situation in Chengde County underwent a dramatic transformation.
As such, Jinmen County, Fenghu County, and Honglian County all fell under Jiang Pengji’s dominion.
“Only Qiuyu County remains.”
After the battle, Yang Si sent people to tidy the battlefield, taking care of the wounded, the bodies of fallen soldiers, and the captured enemy.
By the time he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, Jiang Pengji had already cleaned up, shed her heavy armor, and was sipping tea in the main hall.
Yang Si was busy running around, still in the same clothes as two days prior, utterly lacking the time for even a quick wash.
“Yeah, only Qiuyu County remains… How about we let our lord rest for a few more days? Wait for the Red Lotus Sect to weaken each other?”
Jiang Pengji frowned and said, “I wish we could wait, but we cannot afford to delay any longer.”
Yang Si was helpless; if it weren’t for the urgency of the royal command, they would have originally waited until spring to attack Chengde County.
Now forced into battle just before the holiday, the soldiers’ families would have to spend the festival without them, and some soldiers would lose their lives.
Jiang Pengji continued, “We will need to swallow the Red Lotus Sect sooner or later. Watching them infight without action would only drain our strength.”
Yang Si was left speechless.
What their lord meant was clear—sooner or later, the Red Lotus Sect would all belong to her; the more they consumed each other, the heavier her losses would be when she finally took over… Yet, the Red Lotus Sect hadn’t completely fallen apart yet, and was it really wise to be so eager?
“Rest a little, then march to Qiuyu County!”
“Yes!”
Jiang Pengji and Qi Guanrang intentionally locked down the news, causing the Red Lotus Sect to receive word late.
By how much, you ask?
She had already taken Fenghu County, while the Red Lotus Sect in distant Qiuyu County was still in a standoff with insults flying back and forth.
In an effort to buy time, An Huan racked his brains to provide suggestions to the second-in-command of the Red Lotus Sect.
Compared to the convoluted schemes of top strategists, An Huan could be considered straightforward.
When matched against the mindless brutes of the Red Lotus Sect, he felt his intelligence could easily crush them all.
With his help, the second-in-command was tricked into opening the city gates of Qiuyu County and seized control.
However, just as he was about to dispatch troops to Honglian County, they were blocked at the city gates.
The ones besieging them weren’t just anyone, but the military advisor of the Red Lotus Sect.
The Scholar personally led the troops, surrounding Qiuyu County, shouting and demanding the return of their leader.
Both sides were at a standoff, unable to break the impasse.
An Huan took advantage of the situation to stir the pot, breaking the balance between the two parties, and war was on the brink.
As for him?
To preserve his own life, An Huan had packed his bags early, taking a few brothers with him to slip away amidst the chaos, escaping like a pro.
The second-in-command and the Scholar were too wrapped up in their own duel to notice An Huan’s presence.
By the time they realized he had vanished into thin air, news of the fall of Honglian County and Qiuyu County soon arrived.
“What!!! Honglian County fell? When did that happen?”
The second-in-command shot up in shock; he had jumped up too quickly and felt lightheaded, nearly fainting.
The messenger’s face was pale as he stammered out the timing.
Upon hearing it, the second-in-command’s eyes rolled back, and his hefty body collapsed to the ground.
Everyone panicked, some pinching him to revive him, others slapping him—after a moment of chaos, he finally woke up.
“What… how could this be…”
The second-in-command felt as if he had plunged into an ice cave, frozen to the bone.
If the information was accurate, the fall of Honglian County coincided perfectly with his arrival in Qiuyu County.
The defenders of Honglian County were not weak; how could the Liu Thief possibly attack and capture it without a sound?
Moreover, days had passed since its capture, why was the news only now arriving?
At the same time, the Scholar also received news about the loss of Fenghu County.
