Chapter 1479 – Targeting Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Nineteen)
“Report!”
The messenger hurriedly ran to the command tent.
Jiang Pengji asked, “What’s the situation?”
“The enemy army has gathered seventy thousand troops outside the pass, just half an hour’s march from our position.”
Jiang Pengji had just gotten up to wash her face, and she hadn’t eaten breakfast when she received this news.
She said, “Nie Liang is quick; looks like I’ve really gotten under his skin this time, huh?”
There was not a hint of worry in Jiang Pengji’s words, only pride and delight. Her God-Slaying Blade had been thirsty for action for too long—although it had tasted blood yesterday, it wasn’t enough. Today, with the enemy voluntarily handing over their heads, refusing them would be a disservice to Nie Liang’s good intentions.
“Quickly inform the entire army to prepare for battle!”
Fighting was essential, but eating was also necessary; man is iron, rice is steel, and one meal skipped makes one anxious.
Jiang Pengji quickly finished her meal; today’s breakfast consisted of about ten plain white buns, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a piece of dried fish.
Her appetite was large—paired with pickles and dried fish, she needed to eat at least ten plain buns to feel full.
Many viewers watching her live-stream enjoyed seeing her eat; whenever she seemed to relish her meal, it created a sense that even instant noodles were exquisite delicacies.
She polished off her breakfast in five minutes, just as everyone else began to arrive.
The enemy approached with great intensity, and Jiang Pengji and others didn’t dawdle but directly followed Qi Guanrang’s plan to defend the pass.
On top of the city walls, Jiang Pengji stood with one foot on the parapet, gazing into the horizon, where a dark mass loomed.
“Can’t I lead the troops out and fight them?”
Qi Guanrang responded coldly, “No, if you go out, do you think the gate will be closed or open?”
If it’s closed, they’ll be watching their leader trapped below, right?
If it’s open, the enemy will have a convenient entrance to breach the city while supporting their leader?
If she insists on joining the battlefield, their Lord would indeed be doomed.
Sun Wen beside them wore an expression that was hard to describe.
Jiang Pengji constantly reshaped his understanding of the term “Lord.”
After much thought, she still preferred her grandson; he was well-behaved and focused, doing his job calmly while the enemy attacked the city.
Though Sun Lan and Feng Yi were young, they were growing more reliable, bringing great comfort to Sun Wen.
Jiang Pengji was pushed down from the city wall, and she could only stroke Big White’s neck and sigh.
“My blade is ravenous for battle; it can’t resist, but the little princess won’t allow it.”
Big White’s hooves scraped the ground, creating a shallow pit, and it snorted, seemingly impatient.
Jiang Pengji gave it a kiss, saying, “You want to fight alongside me, right?”
Big White affectionately called out, as if to agree with Jiang Pengji.
The lifespan of war horses is limited, and their golden years only last a few years. Big White was gifted to the original owner, Liu Xi, by Liu Zhi when it was under a year old. However, since the original owner preferred books over armor, Big White had to pull carts in its earlier days. It finally followed Jiang Pengji, taking part in countless battles and regaining its fierce nature. After giving birth and being off the battlefield for years, it was finally back, yet still felt unsatisfied.
Big White nuzzled Jiang Pengji, calling and licking, appearing quite clingy.
Jiang Pengji couldn’t resist Big White’s enthusiasm and could only promise that it would join her next battle.
“Such is the beauty of charming beauties.”
As a beauty among horses, Big White’s warmth truly wasn’t something ordinary people could bear.
Meanwhile, Nie Liang’s main forces were approaching Zhanjiang Pass.
Gazing at the tightly packed, battle-ready enemy on the walls, the senior general of Nie’s army felt a surge of valiant spirit.
Though their Lord Nie Liang had ordered a feigned attack to test the enemy, he also hoped that today’s battle would cause Jiang Pengji some trouble.
“How prepared are they on the walls?”
The city wall was a chaotic place; while Jiang Pengji could guarantee her safety, Qi Guanrang and the others wouldn’t allow her to take risks.
So, she could only stay at the rear and gather updates on the frontline situation through messengers.
Ever since she knew they had to defend the pass, Jiang Pengji had ordered the construction of trenches and temporary 防城 walls outside Zhanjiang Pass.
The messenger reported, “The military adviser says everything is ready.”
Jiang Pengji asked, “How many archers do the enemy have, and what equipment do they possess?”
The military strength of Zhong Zhao was always the strongest among the five nations, both in soldier quality, combat power, and equipment technology; they dominated the other four nations. This was also why Zhong Zhao could intimidate the other states. After Zhong Zhao’s downfall, the Nie clan successively reclaimed territories and absorbed the forces left by Zhong Zhao’s royal family, making their overall power quite formidable. Even if it was just a feigned attack, Jiang Pengji wouldn’t take it lightly.
The messenger had prepared well and provided very detailed answers.
Jiang Pengji took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions, and continued to wait for updates from the front lines.
She believed that with Qi Guanrang and Sun Wen working together, there was no way Nie Liang could gain the upper hand, but the battlefield changed in the blink of an eye, and no one could make guarantees.
Jiang Pengji had excellent hearing; even in the rear, she could faintly hear the sound of war drums and cries of battle from the frontline.
By the sound of it, both sides seemed to be in a deadlock.
Although the enemy was conducting a feigned attack, they were genuinely putting in effort.
The Nie army led with wooden carts for support, blocking the pouring rain of arrows from the city and allowing the soldiers to advance, bringing siege ladders close to the walls of the Zhanjiang Pass. Despite several trenches, they wouldn’t hold for long; the enemy laid wooden boards flat and easily crossed over.
Seeing this, Qi Guanrang showed no surprise; he instructed the soldiers to use crossbows to target specific locations.
The crossbow’s penetrating power surpassed that of arrows significantly; one thick bolt struck a wooden cart’s shield, instantly pinning the shield to the cart, and with such force, it rendered one battle cart useless. Just as a gap revealed itself, a Nie soldier immediately filled it with a bronze shield.
Qi Guanrang commanded, “Prepare the oil for burning; how’s the rolling stone coming along?”
The deputy general replied, “Ready, military adviser, don’t worry.”
On Qi Guanrang’s side, the pressure wasn’t great; the enemy wasn’t advancing quickly, and Sun Wen’s side was holding up similarly.
After a brief exchange, the Nie general sensed something wasn’t right.
He noticed that the enemy’s archery accuracy was terrifyingly high, especially those thick arrows that had long ranges, great power, and were very precise.
This didn’t instill fear in him, but their combat strength exceeded his expectations.
This was all because of the lag in communication; the distance from Dongqing to Zhong Zhao wasn’t far, but even if Nie Liang regarded Jiang Pengji as the prime enemy to watch, the speed of information exchange couldn’t keep up with the pace of advancements at the woodworking workshop. War wasn’t just about manpower and logistics; it also hinged on technology. Previously, when everyone’s levels were low, the gaps weren’t noticeable; now, however, they were stark.
Jiang Pengji spent a hefty budget annually subsidizing the woodworking workshop; Zhang Ping and the others wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to showcase genuine craftsmanship for her.
Due to inconvenient communication, the two sides held unequal information.
Of course, not every soldier could be equipped with top-quality gear like crossbows; Jiang Pengji wasn’t that wealthy yet.
If she couldn’t improve the overall equipment level, she had to train her soldiers’ combat qualities diligently.
