Chapter 1483 – Attack on Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Points at the World (Twenty-Two)
“Jiameng Pass?” Qi Guanrang furrowed his brow, as if recalling something, and exclaimed, “Does that mean fire attack from our Lord?”
Jiang Pengji pointed to the heap of corpses below the city, some lifeless, while others still showed signs of breath, though severely injured and probably just hanging on. She said, “Even though there’s no dry firewood nearby to aid the flames, these corpses are hard to extinguish once set ablaze.”
After pondering, that was all Jiang Pengji could guess.
She wasn’t sure if her guess was right, but it’s always good to be cautious and have an extra sense of alertness.
Qi Guanrang didn’t dare waste any time and immediately issued the order, although his quick response still couldn’t keep up with the changing battlefield. Nie Liang didn’t pull back his troops right away; instead, he chose to fight while retreating, maintaining order and minimizing casualties as much as possible.
When two armies engage, there are subtleties to retreating.
If one side suffers defeat and just turns to flee recklessly, they are done for because a disordered formation allows the enemy to pursue fiercely. Especially against a combative figure like Jiang Pengji, even though she was a defending general, she would lead her troops out of the gates to chase down and beat the fallen dogs.
How could they reduce casualties while deterring the enemy from pursuing?
Naturally, sending someone to entangle the enemy troops, delaying them while fighting back, would help the Wei Ci army keep its formation intact and lower losses.
Exposing his back to the enemy without taking precautions is akin to handing over one’s life to them.
Nie Liang naturally wouldn’t make such a mistake. As they retreated, the arrow rain from the city walls showed no sign of stopping.
The enemies below gradually retreated over ten paces, but Jiang Pengji didn’t dare relax her guard; in fact, her brow furrowed even deeper.
“A mere small fire attack, how unceremonious.”
Nie Liang gazed at the city wall, unable to see who stood atop, but was sure Jiang Pengji, like him, was concerned about the frontline situation.
He remembered yesterday’s humiliation well, and today’s feigned attack to test the enemy’s strength was also to restore his reputation.
Unfortunately, Jiang Pengji was overly cautious and had earlier cleared the surrounding forests near Zhanjiang Pass.
Otherwise, this great fire might have engulfed the entire Zhanjiang Pass.
Today’s southeast wind wasn’t strong, which was just right for Nie Liang.
Thousands of archers shot ignited arrows towards the corpses below; wave after wave, not a single arrow reached the wall’s parapet.
Some clueless soldiers couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking, what good are flaming arrows against dead bodies?
But Jiang Pengji’s expression grew serious, as she caught a familiar acrid smell on the wind; it was easy to overlook if one wasn’t paying close attention.
Both sides had been using fire arrows in battle, creating heavy smoke around the battlefield. Some ill-fated corpses suffered the fate of burning clothes and flesh, filling the air with the stench of charred remains. Amid that scent, the odors of black oil, incendiary oil, and sulfur were easily ignored.
Standing atop the city wall and scanning below, Jiang Pengji quickly noticed some peculiar clothing on the enemy corpses. Some soldiers even had ignitable dry wood wrapped around their waists. This dry wood was bound with hemp cloth that had been soaked in black oil.
The chaos of battle meant that neither the commanding officers nor the frontline soldiers would pay attention to this detail, making it easy to overlook.
“This Nie Liang—”
Jiang Pengji clenched her fists.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sun Wen, supervising the battle, also noticed that the corpses were burning unusually fast; within a few breaths, tiny flames transformed into towering flames, spreading rapidly. If it weren’t for the city wall’s construction of massive stones, the fire would have likely climbed right up.
Seeing Zhanjiang Pass engulfed in orange flames in the distance, Nie Liang’s pent-up emotions eased slightly.
“Zishun, send someone to investigate which military general Liu Xi has promoted after this battle.”
On the battlefield, being able to swiftly demolish several catapults in such a short time with archery skills was noteworthy anywhere. While he might not command the army, he certainly wouldn’t be nameless. This merit was something Jiang Pengji couldn’t possibly ignore and wouldn’t fail to reward excessively.
Nie Liang only needed to have someone keep an eye on those who received recognition for the water elevation, and he could basically pinpoint the target.
Wei Ying softly agreed, noting that Nie Liang’s expression had improved, which in turn lifted his mood.
“There’s also something to be wary of; Liu Xi’s catapults are obviously superior to ours, their power is extraordinary.”
Nie Liang’s feigned attack was not only to restore his name but also to gauge the enemy’s capabilities and see what trump cards they had. When the other side revealed their catapults, he hadn’t paid attention, but he soon noticed their frequency and range far exceeded his own. If he discovered this in the decisive battle, he would certainly be caught off guard; it was better to rectify the situation now.
Wei Ying said, “Liu Xi places great emphasis on the disciples of the Mo family and treats the scholars of that lineage in his ranks with considerable respect. It’s no surprise that the catapults are powerful. I just worry that besides the catapults, they might have other deadly tricks up their sleeves that haven’t been revealed—”
Nie Liang asked, “Haven’t the spies we sent out gathered any relevant information?”
“Liu Xi is extremely cautious, and the supply routes are strictly monitored. Anyone who enters or exits must show a token and register their names. Our spies could not uncover more.” Wei Ying shook his head regretfully, then shifted the topic, “However, before Liu Xi rose to prominence, I took precautions and ordered a few secret agents to infiltrate Dongqing. They seem to have gathered quite a bit of intel and are currently hastily returning—”
Nie Liang said, “Zishun is indeed more thoughtful.”
Wei Ying shook his head and sighed, “Not really, it’s merely because of my younger brother.”
“That one named Wei Ci?”
Nie Liang remembered Wei Ci; after all, there weren’t many men in the world with such charm, and he was quite a memorable figure.
To say the least, Wei Ci could be considered half a lifesaver to Nie Liang.
If it hadn’t been for Wei Ci diagnosing him, Nie Liang might have only realized he was being sabotaged when it was too late.
“The main lord chosen by Zixiao, even if not outwardly impressive, must have remarkable inner qualities that cannot be underestimated.”
If Jiang Pengji learned of this, she might go into a rage, right?
In fact, Jiang Pengji was already quite furious.
The fire spread rapidly, and even though Qi Guanrang had sent for water, Nie Liang had ignited it with black oil and other substances, meaning that getting rid of the flames from the thousands of corpses below was impossible by manpower alone. What made it even more infuriating was that the enemy soldiers had, during their last ascent of the ladder, secretly ripped open bags filled with black oil, letting it pour down the city wall. As the corpses below erupted into flames, the fire ignited the black oil on the walls, causing flames to crawl upwards, engulfing the watchtowers and towers upon the walls. In no time, everyone was caught in a sorry state.
Even so, Jiang Pengji could only suppress her fury and order the wounded soldiers and catapults upon the city walls to be moved.
Qi Guanrang could no longer hold back, half begging, half forcing Jiang Pengji to leave.
