Chapter 1046 – The Fall of Han Chang Pass (Part One)
It turns out that Meng Hunyun seriously underestimated his lord.
There are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.
What was Jiang Pengji’s nickname?
All 850,000 audience members unanimously agreed — “Human Battlefield Massacre Machine.”
Give her an indestructible big blade, and she could single-handedly take down a war fortress. She was so strong it was hard to believe she was human.
Han Chang Pass had a treacherous terrain, easy to defend but hard to attack. The soldiers had few footholds, making both charging and retreating a challenge. The enemy, seizing the advantage of the checkpoint, gradually turned the tables, and though the battlefield appeared perilous, Han Chang Pass remained as solid as a rock, hardly shaken.
“Lord, this won’t do. While our soldiers have managed to climb the walls using ladders, the walls are narrow, making it difficult to form a proper formation—”
The walls of Han Chang Pass were narrow, with too few places to stand. The number of soldiers that could climb the wall at the same time was limited.
The enemy was different; they were climbing the walls from behind, where the terrain was more open, easily pushing back any attackers with their numbers.
Watching our fallen comrades tumble from the walls, not only did Feng Zhen’s expression turn grim, but Jiang Pengji’s face also darkened.
If this were an ordinary city, losing the walls would pretty much seal the fate of the battle.
However, Han Chang Pass was known as one of Cangzhou’s three formidable strongholds for a reason.
If it were this easy to break through, the Meng Clan wouldn’t have stood tall and mighty for hundreds of years.
Jiang Pengji decisively ordered, “Zishi, tell the soldiers on the walls to withdraw!”
Dragging this out would only lead to more losses on our side—meaningless sacrifices simply weren’t worth it.
Feng Zhen’s expression changed drastically, a flicker of struggle passing through his eyes.
Yet after a moment, his gaze hardened, “I shall obey!”
“Don’t!” Cheng Jing intervened, gritting his teeth. “If we retreat now, our morale will drop drastically, and we will have even less strength to break through.”
“You can see it for yourself; even occupying the walls, we still can’t shake the enemy’s defense. Knowing it’s futile to climb the walls is a death sentence. Why should I send my soldiers to their deaths?” Jiang Pengji coldly replied to Cheng Jing, “I will take Han Chang Pass today!”
Jiang Pengji was remarkably resolute; once she made a decision, there was no turning back—hesitation was not in her vocabulary.
“I am the commander of the vanguard army.”
Her attitude was firm, leaving no room for dissent.
The battlefield was ever-changing, and any delay in commands, even for a split second, could cost innocent soldiers their lives.
Jiang Pengji asserted her authority, and Cheng Jing could only bow deeply, heavy-heartedly choosing to comply.
Even though Jiang Pengji wasn’t Cheng Jing’s lord, just as the other said—she was the commander of the vanguard army.
On the battlefield, the commander’s orders held the highest priority!
Jiang Pengji ordered to abandon the attack; the soldiers who had climbed the walls could only fight while retreating, giving up the hard-won gains.
Years of training had instilled in her soldiers absolute obedience, so the morale impact wasn’t too significant.
In contrast, the soldiers sent by Huang Song fared slightly worse; their initially high spirits had diminished quite a bit, and their retreat was anything but decisive.
With Jiang Pengji’s side choosing to withdraw, the enemy holding Han Chang Pass rejoiced, their cheers boosting their morale.
Listening to the thunderous roars from the walls, Jiang Pengji clenched her teeth, asking Feng Zhen.
“Is the catapult ready?”
Feng Zhen replied with a salute, “It’s already set up.”
The catapult was large, easy to identify, and hard to move; it was typically used in sieges and direct confrontations.
But Jiang Pengji, being a tech whiz, wouldn’t let such obstacles stop her!
The catapult, which debuted back in the battle of Cheng’an County, had undergone several improvements and could adapt to various terrains now.
Most importantly, the catapult was easy to disassemble and transport, making setup straightforward.
Even though Han Chang Pass had steep and narrow terrain, as long as there was a relatively flat area, the catapult could be erected and put to use.
Since scaling the walls was impossible, why not just demolish this pesky fortress?
Jiang Pengji had instructed to build a catapult while launching the assault, and now it was perfectly positioned.
“Once we have some explosives, we can blast anything in our sights. Who needs this ‘formidable stronghold’? We’ll turn it all to rubble!”
Jiang Pengji gritted her teeth; if it weren’t for the chaos of battle, she genuinely wanted to grab her dual axes and tear down those heavy bronze gates of Han Chang Pass herself.
Cheng Jing also noticed the situation behind him, and his expression suddenly darkened.
The treacherous terrain of Han Chang Pass made it impossible to bring heavy objects like the catapult up—
At this thought, he suddenly remembered the supply carts carried by the vanguard behind. Could it be that the supply carts contained the parts of the catapult? This intricate design and construction—could there be elite disciples from the Mo family helping Liu Xi?
Cheng Jing guessed half of it correctly.
Indeed, there were disciples from the Mo family on Jiang Pengji’s side, but Zhang Ping was more skilled in civilian machinery, while Shao Guang focused on water conservancy.
Most improvements to siege machinery came from Jiang Pengji’s ideas, with Zhang Ping leading the craftsmen to try and implement those upgrades one by one.
“Bring me the heavy bow—”
Jiang Pengji called for her massive bow. This bow was extraordinarily heavy, made from special materials by craftsmen. Based on their calculations, to fully draw this bow, the user must be at least an eight-foot giant with a strength of four stones.
Though Jiang Pengji lacked the arm span, her height sufficed.
As for needing four stones of strength to draw the bow?
She had more than enough.
With one foot on the ground, the other braced against the bow, Jiang Pengji pulled the string back, igniting the specially made arrowhead.
Gathering her strength, the hefty bow arced into a crescent shape under her might.
Buzz—
A heavy buzz echoed as the gigantic arrow swiftly shot forth, aimed at the gates of Han Chang Pass.
The iron arrowhead dug deep into the gate tower, creating a web of cracks that spread outwards, causing the beam to tremble nervously.
“Aim for that spot—smash it!”
Jiang Pengji’s night vision was exceptional; she could clearly see what was happening on the walls, unlike others.
While they couldn’t see it, what about the catapult operators positioned behind the vanguard?
Cheng Jing watched this unfold, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves, the neatly trimmed nails carving crescent shapes into his palms.
After tossing the heavy bow to a nearby attendant, Jiang Pengji’s lingering fury began to dissipate. The guards on the walls hadn’t even had the chance to celebrate when boulders rained down from the sky, smashing into the gate tower, the parapets, and the mountains on either side of Han Chang Pass—
The smiles on the faces of the Han Chang guards had yet to fade when the falling stones caught them completely off guard.
This was nothing like the script they had expected!
Watching the situation on the walls, Jiang Pengji felt her frustrations lift at last, her residual anger transforming into calm.
