Chapter 1536 – Defeating Nie Liang and Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Seventy-five)
The enemy underestimated the power of the iron whip.
When they aimed their long spears over ten feet long at Jiang Pengji’s Big White, they saw her whip twirl like a serpent, binding all their long spears. With a flick of her wrist, the spears were easily snatched from over ten men.
With another whip crack, the spears were generously returned to the enemies.
Some pierced through cheeks, others aimed for necks, and some tore into hearts…
Not to mention injuring Jiang Pengji, they couldn’t even touch her trusty Big White, which was quite infuriating.
Fan Chen was extremely dissatisfied with this progress; how could so many people fail to subdue one person? And her war horse was still full of vitality?
The Deputy General remarked, “It’s not that we’re incapable; it’s just that the enemy is too wicked.”
Forget about Jiang Pengji for a moment, her war horse alone was quite devious.
No matter how many people tried to stab the horse with their spears, they would hit an invisible but very real barrier, making no progress at all.
The soldiers were bewildered by the turn of events, and in that moment of daze, the young general on horseback used the iron whip to snatch long spears or directly knocked the attacking soldiers’ heads off. This is not an exaggeration; the force of that iron whip could truly shatter necks and send heads flying!
The scene was so bloody and violent that the Deputy General was at a loss for words to describe it.
After hearing this, Fan Chen said, “It really is Liu Xi. No matter the cost, we absolutely cannot let that person live!”
The Deputy General sighed inwardly and clasped his fists in agreement.
To spur the morale of their soldiers, he openly revealed Jiang Pengji’s identity.
As the saying goes, “Under heavy rewards, there must be brave men.” Under Fan Chen’s directive, the Deputy General also announced the bounty.
“This person is the vassal Liu Xi. Whoever can take her head will be rewarded with a hundred thousand gold and a title of land and nobility!”
A hundred thousand gold?
Lands and titles?
The high reward ignited the eyes of the timid soldiers, and one by one, they charged forward like they’d just been injected with adrenaline.
They were soldiers who had hung their lives on the line, living day by day without knowing when they might see the light of day.
Now that an opportunity was laid before them, they were determined to risk everything, hoping to snatch Jiang Pengji’s head for themselves.
With a head in hand, along with the hundred thousand gold reward and a title, they could just enjoy life thereafter.
After Jiang Pengji’s identity was revealed, Bai Ning and others hurriedly dispatched soldiers to escort her away, but their leader refused.
“A motley crew dares seek my head?”
Jiang Pengji felt insulted.
Forget about a bunch of ordinary soldiers lacking quality; not even her former colleagues would have certainty in taking her head.
Did they really think her head was made of paper that anyone could covet it?
“Simply asking for death!”
Jiang Pengji attracted nearly half the firepower by herself, as enemy archers aimed at her and Big White.
Fan Chen believed Jiang Pengji deserved death, but he did not know that she was a ghost who frightened even the King of Hell himself.
As the rain of arrows came down, she knocked down what she could and blocked the rest with her mental domain.
Even as the enemies charged, she wasn’t worried; sending heads a thousand miles away, even the smallest gift had great meaning! How could she possibly refuse such an opportunity?
Bai Ning, heavily injured, was ordered by Jiang Pengji to command from a distance, unable to advance rashly. He could only listen helplessly to the reports from the battlefield, piecing together the horrifying feats his leader had accomplished. The corpses of enemies piled up around her like a small mountain.
Qin Gong, less injured, was able to lead troops to support Jiang Pengji.
“We must inform the military advisers of this matter later.”
He wasn’t someone who loved reporting back, but he couldn’t stand his leader rushing into the enemy ranks.
If Qi Guanrang and the others were around, Jiang Pengji wouldn’t dare act so recklessly; without them, neither Qin Gong nor Bai Ning could hold her back.
Even if the leader resented him, Qin Gong was determined to make a little report!
The night was dark, and both armies were locked in a life-and-death struggle, with nearly everyone losing their reason.
One soldier had just finished stabbing an enemy to death when, in the next moment, an enemy’s blade turned him into a pincushion.
While the battle on this side was in a stalemate, it was even more brutal at Zhanjiang Pass.
Wei Ying was clearly prepared this time. Even though Wei Ci and others had already found ways to destroy over fifty of their catapults, new catapults were still being pushed up by soldiers, replacing the wrecked ones. The firepower was fierce, and the offensive did not diminish.
The walls were perilous, forcing Qi Guanrang and the others to retreat and command to avoid being hit by the projectiles from the catapults.
“The Lord is absolutely right; the Nie Clan is powerful and wealthy, truly beyond our reach!”
Qi Guanrang’s newly made feather fan had already been burnt bald, and his sleeves suffered several holes, making him look quite disheveled.
Wei Ci chuckled bitterly at this, “The Nie Clan… indeed has great wealth!”
Old man Sun Wen’s expression darkened, “They are dead set on smashing through Zhanjiang Pass; at this rate, we’re afraid we can’t hold it.”
It wasn’t that their military strength was lacking, but simply that the enemy’s personnel and firepower exceeded what they could withstand.
In this siege, both sides suffered even greater losses than the last.
Under normal circumstances, facing such huge losses, Wei Ying would have retreated long ago, but this time he seemed like he’d taken crazy pills, refusing to back down.
Qi Guanrang remarked, “With such massive losses, Wei Ying really doesn’t seem to care.”
Wei Ci said, “With his temperament, he won’t withdraw easily now; of course… it’s probably best if he doesn’t!”
Qi Guanrang looked to Wei Ci with questioning eyes.
Wei Ci explained, “The Lord is still outside Zhanjiang Pass; if the eldest brother finds out, he would surely send troops back to support, leaving the Lord even more in danger.”
Losing Zhanjiang Pass was just losing a pass; it could be reclaimed eventually, but if the Lord were lost, that would be truly irreversible.
Qi Guanrang sighed inwardly.
Their leader truly kept everyone on edge.
At this moment, old man Sun Wen said, “If we can’t hold it, it’s better to fall back to the Secondary City.”
Wei Ci asked, “Are you suggesting… letting go of Zhanjiang Pass? If the Lord finds out, he will surely fly into a rage.”
Sun Wen replied, “This is called retreating to advance.”
Jiang Pengji knew how difficult it was to deal with the Nie Clan, so she was exceptionally cautious in her defense.
Not only had she built a moat, but she also constructed temporary walls to buffer against the enemy’s forces.
Sun Wen explained, “The areas outside Zhanjiang Pass are all controlled by the enemy, making it quite convenient for them to transport catapults and ladders without obstruction. For our troops, it remains a burden. It would be better to relinquish Zhanjiang Pass and retreat to the Secondary City. The distance between the gates and the Secondary City is quite far, and if the enemy wants to attack the Secondary City, they can only enter through the gates. While the gates are tall and wide, the enemy has over a hundred thousand men and can’t all flood in at once. Ladders and catapults would take even longer to move in.”
The newly built Secondary City had slightly weaker defenses, but it could still serve to buffer enemy forces and buy time for their side.
If the enemy intended to break in, it would surely disrupt their formation and could even lead to delayed support from their reinforcements.
Due to the gate’s location, the enemy’s catapults could not reach the Secondary City immediately, thereby unknowingly diminishing their combat effectiveness.
Sometimes, a strategic retreat is also to lure the enemy into a trap.
However, making this choice required courage and wisdom.
