Chapter 522 – Three-Way Battle (Six)
“Seriously, letting a bunch of ladies who can’t carry a basket or lift a stick guard the city gate? Is someone up there losing their mind?”
At the south gate, the soldier on guard yawned, a couple of tears leaking from his eyes as he lazily complained.
His patrolling companion lowered his voice, “Stop your nonsense, those ladies are not to be messed with.”
“What’s the big deal?” The soldier lazily raised an eyebrow, scoffing, “I used to be a bandit, and even though I’ve turned over a new leaf, it doesn’t mean I haven’t had my share of women. All they do is scream and shout, they’re as weak as kittens…”
This soldier used to be a bandit not by nature, but by circumstance; forced into crime like the young men in his village. Now, having reformed, he was no longer up to mischief, but that didn’t erase his past.
His companion thought for a moment and said, “Other girls may be like that, but these ones… it’s best not to speak lightly.”
Curious about his companion’s sudden seriousness, the soldier pressed, “What’s so special about these ladies?”
The companion considered before replying, “For one, they’re different from those who only cry and drag everyone down. The ones we’re talking about are wielding long spears not for show, but for killing, and they have some serious skills. It’s a pity; I heard there’s a rule that they can only retire and marry after turning 24. Otherwise, I’d want my mom to propose to one…”
The soldier nearly burst out laughing, “You’re a peculiar one, huh? Choosing a fierce lady over a sweet one? You’re definitely too young and don’t know the real deal about women yet! When you get older and see more, you’ll realize what a true woman is.”
His companion, now blushing, understood the implications of the soldier’s remarks but maintained his respectful stance, shaking his head.
“I think a fierce lady is great; if she’s tough, so be it,” the companion replied awkwardly, “But haven’t times changed? I heard from some older fellows that the beasts from the northern front have their eyes on Dongqing. What if the wife you marry encounters one of those monsters? She’d just scream and then get pinned down? After all that, at least they’d still have a life; what if she gets eaten?”
The soldier paused, seemingly caught off guard by that line of thought.
As they spoke, two female soldiers from the opposite team were patrolling.
“Anything unusual?” they asked.
The soldier responded, “All clear.”
With that, they exchanged places and continued their rounds.
Watching the two female soldiers leave, the soldier muttered, “They do look the part.”
At that moment, battles at the west and north gates were reaching a fever pitch.
As the stones ran out, blue bricks began flying toward the Green Garment Army, each one knocking them down.
Once the extra bricks were exhausted, a mountain of corpses filled the base.
Both sides were in a blood frenzy, with more and more soldiers from the Green Garment Army climbing the walls, while countless others lay in eternal rest below.
The soldiers atop the walls defended their territory with flesh and blood, fighting for every inch, their murderous roars echoing to the heavens.
This night was destined to be bloody; no one would sleep soundly.
Fortunately, prior battles had exhausted most of the Green Garment Army’s main forces. Only around six or seven hundred managed to climb the walls, led by Feng Jin who orchestrated a stubborn defense with the scant tools they had.
Whether advancing or retreating, they exploited the geographical advantage of the walls to slowly wear down the enemy’s numbers…
Speaking of defensive tools, Xiangyang County had plenty, but they had to share half with the other frontline.
Feng Jin remained tense. Even from the rear, with the Green Garment Army closing in, blood had stained his grand sleeves, and now and then severed limbs or unfamiliar heads would roll to his feet; almost every inch of the wall was sullied.
As dawn broke, the dark skies were speckled with a few fading stars, and orange sunlight pierced through the night.
Gradually, the chaos from the west and north gates began to quiet down.
General Ping Tian didn’t even manage to descend the stairs of the city wall before he was recklessly stabbed to death with a long spear, leaving a pile of corpses on the steps.
The majority were enemies, but there were also some of their own.
Meanwhile, at the south gate, the battle had only just begun.
The Green Garment Army from Maolin County came charging forward, not opting for a sneak attack but choosing to launch a fierce assault just before dawn, their numbers even exceeding those at the west gate by two thousand.
With the city gate soldiers already prepared, the first wave of ambushes was blocked by wooden shields without any casualties.
Luo Yue, as the leader of the Imperial Guards, had the skills to command a city defense, so he was far from flustered.
In contrast to Feng Jin’s meticulous strategy, Luo Yue’s command was more straightforward.
If Feng Jin was a seemingly soft web that left no gaps, Luo Yue was a thick and sturdy shield.
The former was more intricate, while the latter was steadier.
Jiang Pengji had taken most of the elite troops, but the women’s camp had left only five or six hundred behind, with the remaining female soldiers making up almost a quarter of Xiangyang County’s defenses. Luo Yue had heard that the women’s camp was pretty capable, but without witnessing it himself, he felt a bit uneasy.
However, reality was much better than Luo Yue anticipated.
What he expected was a bunch of girls who’d never seen blood, panicking or screaming under such pressure, but that wasn’t the case.
He marveled at how Jiang Nongqin and their lord trained their people; the girls he thought would just cry and whimper were showing courage that rivaled men, adeptly handling crossbows with impressive accuracy.
Indeed, when life and death are at stake, who cares about gender?
The female soldiers and male soldiers worked together, reloading the crossbows and firing at the advancing enemies while the shield-bearing soldiers blocked wave after wave of arrows raining from below. However, stray arrows still managed to pierce bodies, not fatal but leaving serious injuries.
In moments like these, no one could afford to escort the wounded away for treatment.
They could only grit their teeth, yank the arrowheads out, and hastily bandage the wounds with fabric torn from their clothing to stop the bleeding.
Compared to the scenes at the west and north gates, south gate’s supplies were significantly more plentiful, and the crossbow units prevented the enemy from getting closer than five hundred paces.
The Green Garment Army attempted to advance with shields against the south gate wall, but the crossbow’s penetrating power was far more terrifying than they had imagined.
However, despite the crossbow’s power, there were only about thirty on the wall, which couldn’t block every last one of the Green Garment Army.
Finally, they surrendered hundreds of bodies and managed to reach the blind spots of the crossbow fire.
“Damn it… now I know why those beasts won’t bite this iron turtle; even a bite would break their teeth!”
