Chapter 532: Chapter 532. The United Heart
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
On the 30th of the year, Xiao Zeyu burned all the rations of the Wan Family Army, waiting for them to lose their fighting strength due to hunger. However, he had never considered how much importance Wan Yulin placed on Luo City. As soon as the rations were burned, the Wan Family Army sent reinforcements. The rations came along with the army, and Xiao Zeyu’s idea of starving the Wan Family Army until they lost their fighting strength was destroyed.
With the reinforcements, Long Ling was like he had been injected with chicken blood, commanding the siege every day. This time, he didn’t give Xiao Zeyu any buffer time.
Moreover, he knew the power of grenades. The soldiers should not gather together when sending people to attack the city. They should attack the city from four directions. No matter how powerful the grenades were, they could not kill too many people. There would always be a time when your killing weapon would be used up.
Fortunately, Xiao Zeyu and Zhang Jinglin had already predicted this. When they burned their rations, they expected Long Ling to attack the city frenetically. Therefore, they had already prepared enough rolling wood and thunder stones on the city walls. The people in the city demolished their houses and moved all the wood and stones onto the city walls. They were united in defending Luo City.
There was no need for Xiao Zeyu to gather any able-bodied men to do the work. It was all done by the commoners themselves. They contributed all the food in their homes, willing to starve themselves to feed the Xiao Family Army. Xiao Zeyu was so touched that his eyes were red. Looking at those honest faces, it was worth dying on the battlefield for them.
“Soldiers, we have the support of tens of thousands of people in Luo City. We will be invincible and destroy the immoral Wan Family Army.”
Xiao Zeyu raised the morale of the Xiao Family Army. Facing the people who loved them so much, the Xiao Family Army was also boiling with excitement. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for them, fighting until the last moment.
Br.i.m.m.i.n.g with morale, the Xiao Family’s army went all out to defend the city. All the able-bodied men in the city went up to help, and it was only with these commoners that Xiao Zeyu could use 2,000 of the Xiao Family’s army to defend against the tens of thousands of Wan Family’s cavalry.
However, the resources in the city were used up quickly. The Wan Family Army’s attack was even more fierce. They used a new weapon, the war chariots Both horses wore armor, and the chariots were equipped with long-range archers. The soldiers held torches, and the chariots were made of iron. Even if they shot arrows from the city wall, they would not be able to hurt the soldiers on the chariots. They could easily approach the city gate.
Xiao Zeyu ordered the stones to be thrown down, using the strength of the stones to smash through the roof of the carriage. However, the two warhorses were well-trained and ran very fast. When the stones fell, the warhorses had already pulled the carriage over. Seeing that the chariot was about to reach the city gate, two soldiers carried tung oil and were about to pour it on the city gate, preparing to burn it down.
Once the city gate was broken, the Wan Family Army’s cavalry could take advantage of the situation to enter the city. The situation was highly critical.
Zhang Jinglin and Xiao Zeyu nocked their bows and shot arrows simultaneously. Two arrows shot at the soldiers who were about to pour oil. Xiao Zeyu shot two arrows simultaneously, one at the man and the other at the horse’s eyes.
Xiao Zeyu’s bow had a strong penetrating power, and the arrow pierced through the warhorse’s eyes. The war horse’s front hooves flew up in pain, letting out a pitter-pattering scream.
The coachman was thrown out of the carriage, and the tung oil splashed all over his body. Xiao Zeyu ordered the soldiers to throw the torches down, and the coachman instantly became a man of fire.
The remaining warhorse was so frightened by the fire that it turned around and ran back. The flames on the carriage turned into a ma.s.sive fire with the help of the wind. The cavalry of the Wan Clan had lined up in a row, ready to charge in when the city gate was burned down. Ultimately, they were thrown into a mess by their chariots, losing their neat formation.
With this crisis averted, Xiao Zeyu and Zhang Jinglin, who were on the city wall, broke out in cold sweat.
Jing Lin, you go to the eastern city and guard it. I’ll guard this side.”
Xiao Zeyu hadn’t rested for three days. His eyes were red, and his voice was hoa.r.s.e, but his aura didn’t change. He was still as calm as a needle. He was the soul of the army. If he messed up, the army would lose its fighting strength. Seeing that the chariots did not work, the Wan Clan Army simply used the most primitive method, using the human wave tactic to ram the city gate. If you killed a batch, I would immediately replace them. Moreover, the soldiers who went to ram the city gate wore armor. Every soldier carrying wood was accompanied by a soldier holding a shield to block the arrows. The arrows shot from the city gate would lose their power.
Xiao Zeyu then ordered them to pour the tung oil and set fire to it, stopping another batch. However, the tung oil was not endless. Once it was used up, there would be no more.
How could there be an endless supply of arrows for people to use? Seeing that the arrows on the city walls were getting lesser and lesser, they could, at most hold on for another three days. If reinforcements didn’t arrive after three days’ Xiao Zeyu would have to lead the Xiao Family Army and the Wan Family Army ’ into a melee.
This scene was like Cheng Yu’s tragic defense of Mo City. The only difference was that today’s commander was Xiao Zeyu.
“Big brother, I’ll smash these kids to death.”
Zhong Yong asked Xiao Zeyu for instructions. Su Qing’s medicine had healed his previous injuries, but his twin hammers had fallen before the two armies. The hammers he was using now were not as heavy as the ones he used before. The weapons were not suitable for him. When Zhong Yong raised them, he felt the hammers were as light as feathers. He had to find the pair of hammers that his master had made for him.
“Zhong Yong, don’t act rashly.”
Xiao Zeyu stopped Zhong Yong with a dark face. The moment the city gates opened, the Wan Clan Army would rush in, and Luo City would be in danger. “Then are we just going to wait for the beating?”
Zhong Yong looked at the dense ma.s.s of Wan Clan soldiers below the city wall and wanted to smash the skulls of these brats with a hammer.
“The enemy outnumbers us. We can’t fight head-on.”
Xiao Zeyu also held back his anger, but his rationality still restrained his impulse.
He still remembered how Su Qing had made the detonator. He had already ordered people to dig out all the saltpeter soil in all the toilets in the city. He wanted to make the detonator.
However, the Wan Clan Army did not give him any time. After a short pause, they began to organize a second attack. The gate’s bars were already cracking under the heavy load. It would break if they knocked on the gate a dozen more times.
Xiao Zeyu was already prepared to lead his troops into a melee fight. He walked down the city walls in his armor, his eyes red. Even if he had to die on the battlefield today, he had to protect Luo City.
The lives of tens of thousands of people were behind them. As long as one person was in the Xiao Family Army, they had to protect them.
As soon as Xiao Zeyu walked down the city walls, he saw all the able-bodied men in the city. There were thousands of them, but they did not have any decent weapons. They only had farming tools, kitchen knives for cooking, and kitchen knives for chopping wood. However, everyone’s eyes flashed with a fearless light. They wanted to die with the Xiao family’s army.
Because of the Xiao Family Army’s defeat, the commoners had to live days of suffering.
Ji Shuisheng’s throat tightened when he saw these people who volunteered to help. He remembered these simple and honest people, but if they could resolve today’s crisis when he sat on the throne in the future, Luo City would be exempted from all taxes, and he would repay these people who risked their lives to help him.
Xiao Zeyu saw that the city gate was about to be smashed open. With a determined look in his eyes, he mounted his horse and held the spear in his hand horizontally. His voice was like a loud bell,
Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy..”