Chapter 123: Besieging the City

Xiao Ling bade farewell to Murong Yan and, having mustered his troops alongside Xu Yaozu, departed from Black Soil City, heading straight for the border. Upon reaching the frontier, they fortified the city walls and strengthened their defenses in preparation for the coming onslaught. Meanwhile, they dispatched scouts daily to gather intelligence on the approaching enemy.

One day, a scout returned to report: "General Xu! General Xiao! Luo Changsheng is leading an enemy force of four hundred thousand. They are not far now, estimated to be about forty miles away!"

Xiao Ling asked, "How are the enemy forces deployed? How many cavalry, how many infantry? How many shield-bearers and pikemen?"

The scout replied, "I have not yet ascertained these details."

Xiao Ling frowned and commanded, "Go and scout again! Report back immediately!"

The scout cupped his hands, answered, "Understood!" and hurried away.

Once the scout had left, Xiao Ling turned to Xu Yaozu and said respectfully, "Uncle Xu, please take some rest in the command post. Allow your nephew to go to the battlements and observe the situation."

Xu Yaozu frowned, rebuking him: "Ling'er, what is this?! Do you think your Uncle Xu is some useless old man? You want me to hide in the command post and stay out of the fray?!"

Xiao Ling quickly put on a conciliatory smile. "Not at all, Uncle Xu! Your status is esteemed; you are the mentor of Marshal Murong. If any harm were to come to you, I, Xiao Ling, could never atone for the sin!"

Xu Yaozu retorted, "Nonsense! We are here to fight a war; what talk of status is there? We all have two shoulders carrying one head—is there any distinction between noble and lowly? Come, we shall patrol together. With one more person, we can be more thorough, so that we don't leave any gaps in our defenses for that Luo Changsheng to exploit!"

Having said this, he walked ahead. Xiao Ling had no choice but to follow closely behind.

Upon reaching the ramparts, they inspected every section. Where fortifications needed strengthening, he ordered it done; where soldiers needed deployment, he saw to it. He reminded the men one by one that the enemy was coming and that they must keep their spirits high and be ready to meet the attack.

Sure enough, before long, dust clouds billowed in the distance, blotting out the sky. As they drew closer, one could see a forest of blades, spears, swords, and halberds. The horses moved like dragons, the men like fierce tigers. They were clad in shining armor, a sea of soldiers that stretched beyond the horizon.

At the very front were two great banners. The one on the left bore the word "Marshal," and the one on the right bore the character "Luo." Beneath the banners stood a tall, mighty, and ferocious-looking blue-dappled horse. Its hooves pawed the earth incessantly, and from time to time, it let out a sharp, piercing neigh.

Mounted upon it was a man over seven feet tall, wearing a golden helmet and golden armor, with a sash tied at his waist and tiger-headed battle boots on his feet. He wore a bright red cloak, and a three-foot-long Longquan sword hung at his side. His face was like jade, his nose straight, and his mouth square; his sword-like eyebrows reached his temples, and his tiger-like eyes flashed with a murderous glint. He was but twenty-some years of age. In his hand, he held an eighteen-foot-long iron ox-headed halberd. He was truly awe-inspiring and possessed an extraordinary presence.

Seeing this from the ramparts, Xu Yaozu could not help but raise his thumb and offer silent praise. He then shouted loudly, "Is the general approaching the commander Luo Changsheng?"

The incoming general heard the query and looked up. He saw a tall, stout general standing on the city gate with red hair and a red beard. He did not think much of him and replied with disdain, "Indeed! I am the Marquis of the Great Xia Kingdom and Supreme Commander of the Expeditionary Forces, Luo Changsheng. Who are you?!"

Xu Yaozu puffed out his large belly, laughed heartily, and replied, "You ask me? I do not change my name while walking, nor do I hide it while sitting. I am the mentor of Marshal Murong Yan of Black Soil City, the foster father of Vice Marshal Ye Feng, and the Senior General, Xu Yaozu!"

Upon hearing this name, Luo Changsheng could not help but gasp, "Sss..." He looked up at Xu Yaozu again, noting his pudgy, bloated physique, and saw nothing else remarkable. He thought to himself: *They say hearing of a person is not as good as seeing them, but seeing them is even worse than hearing. With a look like that, it would have been better not to meet at all! I truly cannot fathom how he earned such a great reputation.*

"Old General Xu, they say you are a true hero and a great champion. As the saying goes, he who understands the times is a wise man. You see it now—our army is at your gates. Do you truly think you are a match for us? Can you withstand these elite troops? Why not surrender? If you surrender, I will report it to the Sovereign, and you shall retain your title and rank!"

Luo Changsheng, unwilling to waste more words, resorted directly to threats and inducements.

"Bah!"

To his surprise, Xu Yaozu's expression darkened, and he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm down at him. "Marshal Luo, I see you have a dignified appearance, yet I never imagined you would say such things! The Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom has been oppressing our Great Xia for years—which of you has resisted? Which of you has led a campaign against them? Our Black Soil City volunteer army, fearing no danger, has marched to conquer the demons, yet you choose to harass our rear. This is an outrage! Have you ever spared a thought for the common people? You are merely aiding the tyrant, driving the nation to total destruction!"

He cursed Luo Changsheng with righteous fury.

"Silence, you band of rebels! You truly do not know what is good for you! The Sovereign supports your campaign against the demons only as a strategy to drive the tiger away and kill the wolf! One day, you will surely revolt, so it is better to wipe you out now! You want to conquer the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom? We have no need for you anymore! Once I annihilate you, I shall lead the army myself to sweep away the demons!" Luo Changsheng shouted back, his pale face turning beet red.

"Luo Changsheng, you are shameless! The demons are not yet defeated, and you are already turning your blades on your own kind? Ask the people of Great Xia if they agree with this! Never mind sweeping away the demons—I fear you lack even the skill to finish off our Black Soil City army! Stop your empty boasting! I, old Xu, pride myself on being thick-skinned, but compared to you, I am miles behind. I bow to your superiority!"

The more Xu Yaozu cursed, the angrier he became; his dark face turned the color of a purple eggplant. The two continued to trade insults until, finally, Luo Changsheng pointed his finger and shouted, "Xu! Enough talk! If you have the skill, come down and face me in single combat! If you defeat me, I, Luo Changsheng, will withdraw my troops immediately!"

Xu Yaozu laughed heartily. "Luo! Do you think such a clumsy taunt works on me? I, old Xu, may not have fought thousands of battles, but I have certainly seen hundreds. Do you think I am so easily tricked? I am standing on the high ground—if you have the skill, come and attack!"

Luo Changsheng, incensed, waved his command flag and ordered the entire army to attack the city.

In an instant, thousands of troops charged the walls, and arrows rained down from above. The sound of shouting, cursing, screaming, and wailing filled the air. Though the volunteer soldiers on the ramparts were brave, the government troops below were numerous. As one wave was cut down, another surged forward like the tide, rising higher and higher.

Soon, they reached the base of the walls. Some set up scaling ladders to climb; others pushed battering rams against the gates.

"Smash them! Drop the logs and stones!"

Suddenly, rocks rained down, and massive logs were dropped, crushing the soldiers below in a spray of blood. Many were killed or maimed, but driven by the officers behind them, the government troops continued to charge.

"Hold the line! Hold the line! No one is to retreat—those who do will be executed!"

Seeing the black mass of enemy troops surging forward, Xiao Ling felt a shiver of dread. He wielded his silver spear, stabbing several enemies, and swung his sword, cutting down two more, his battle robes already stained with blood. He looked up at the sky; it was still early. If they retreated now, the enemy would surely pursue them relentlessly, which would be disastrous.

"Soldiers! We must hold until nightfall. Only under the cover of darkness can we safely withdraw!"

He held his spear in one hand and his sword in the other, dancing them in a blur of motion, preventing the enemy from getting close. "There are two more hours until nightfall! We can hold out! Have faith!"

While fighting, he kept a watchful eye on Xu Yaozu, who was swinging his Zhaoyang mace, forcing the enemy to cry out in terror as they dared not approach. Xiao Ling felt a sense of relief.

"Charge! Kill them all!"

Down below, seeing so many troops unable to take a small city, Luo Changsheng was furious. He drew his three-foot Longquan sword, shouting and waving it to personally urge his men forward. Seeing a few soldiers hesitate and fall back, he struck them down with two swift strokes. He leaped off his horse, grabbed a rattan shield, and led the charge himself.

Seeing their commander lead the assault, the morale of the army surged. "Charge!" The battle cries shook the heavens.

Xiao Ling, seeing this from the ramparts, couldn't help but admire the man. He snatched a recurve bow from a soldier and pulled a feather-fletched arrow from the quiver. Holding the bow with his left hand and nocking the arrow with his right, he focused his internal energy, drew the bow to its limit, and aimed at Luo Changsheng.

He released the string.

*Whoosh!*

The arrow flew like lightning, streaking straight toward Luo Changsheng's face.

Luo Changsheng was in the middle of his charge when he heard the whistling wind. He looked up, saw the arrow, and frantically raised his rattan shield.

*Clack!*

The arrow struck the shield. Luo Changsheng felt a massive jolt in his arm, and the sound of the arrow's tail vibrating against the shield rang in his ears. He was secretly impressed: *Who shot this arrow? Such deep internal energy!*

He cautiously peeked out to survey the area. He saw a general in white armor drawing his bow, aiming another shot at him. He quickly ducked behind his shield. The arrow whizzed past the spot where his head had just been. Luo Changsheng was secretly alarmed; he hadn't expected such a master to be among the Black Soil City rebels. *It seems I must be careful today.*

Xiao Ling, seeing Luo Changsheng getting closer, began to panic. He pulled a third arrow, nocked it, and this time, he used every ounce of his strength, determined to pierce the shield and bring Luo Changsheng down.

*Creak...*

The bow was drawn like a full moon. Just as he was about to release, a loud *snap* echoed—the bow had broken in two. Xiao Ling threw the shattered remains to the ground in a rage, gripped his silver spear, and prepared for a fight to the death.

Meanwhile, Luo Changsheng climbed a scaling ladder to reach the top. Xiao Ling thrust his spear, felling several enemies, but seeing Luo Changsheng reach the parapet, he lunged at him. The silver light flashed.

*Clang!*

Luo Changsheng caught the blow with his sword.

"Luo! Take another strike!" Xiao Ling, seething with anger, retracted his spear and flourished it, the tip splitting into a hundred shimmering points that rained down upon Luo Changsheng.

Luo Changsheng shouted, "Well fought!" and raised his shield to parry.

*Bang!*

The spear hammered against the shield. Luo Changsheng managed to block it, but the ladder beneath his feet could not withstand the force.

*Crack!*

It snapped in two. But Luo Changsheng was agile; he kicked off, leaped over three feet through the air, and landed on an adjacent ladder. He swung his sword, cut down a guard, and ascended rapidly. With two swift strikes, he felled two more defenders before vaulting onto the city wall.