Chapter 725
Chapter 725
Shen Lang stood atop the city walls, protected by Mulan and Li Qianqiu. The Chu army, with astonishingly high morale, was charging madly toward them. If this battle had been fought in a more open area instead of within the inner city, forcing them to defend the walls with a spread-out formation, it would have been quite perilous. Fortunately, they had created a situation where even a small number of troops could defend flawlessly. However, they couldn't avoid this battle with its overwhelming difference in numbers, and in the end, they had no choice but to fight.
“Kill them! Kill them!”
The shouts from below the walls were enough to shake the heavens and the earth. The Chu army was now just over four hundred meters from the walls and closing in.
“Ready! Fire!”
At the command, the archers stationed at regular intervals atop the wall began to fire their bows frantically.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
The seven thousand archers were, to a man, master marksmen. Their powerful longbows once again demonstrated their incredible power, unleashing what seemed like a metallic downpour. A familiar scene unfolded once more, reaping the lives of the enemy at a terrifying pace. Of course, this Chu army was an elite force fighting on the front lines, braver than the Chu soldiers they had faced before, but a rain of arrows was not something that could be avoided simply by being braver.
Within a range of two hundred meters, the Second Nirvana Army was invincible, and within one hundred fifty meters, the Savage Tribe's marksmen were equally unmatched. A massive army like Chu's could not afford to equip every soldier with iron armor; at best, they wore leather armor. But leather armor was no defense against the sharp arrows of Shen Lang's army. The Chu soldiers charging the city walls met their deaths, wave after wave. The scene was like hail falling on a wheat field, causing the stalks to bow one after another. Countless casualties mounted, but the Chu army paid no heed to the fallen in front of them and continued to charge forward relentlessly.
***
The new King of Chu was so stunned by the sight that he was left speechless. He had received more than one report about the incredible archery skills of Shen Lang's army. But seeing it with his own eyes was still a shock. Shen Lang's archer corps was the kind of army everyone dreamed of. To be able to shoot arrows so far and so accurately into the enemy ranks. With an army like this, while they might not be as effective in siege warfare, they were nearly invincible in defensive battles. When shooting down from high ground, they could unilaterally slaughter the enemy.
Grand Tutor Li Xuanji was weeping tears of blood inwardly. He knew in his heart that this battle was unavoidable, but he also knew that His Highness's heart was leaning toward negotiating with Shen Lang. This was a battle that had to be fought for reasons of sentiment, not profit. Everyone knew that Ning Zheng and Shen Lang had no intention of occupying the Chu capital indefinitely and wanted to return to the State of Yue quickly. But even if they were to return, they had to do so with a great victory and glory, forcing the King of Chu to bow his head and securing a reputation that would overwhelm Ning Qi. Yet, he had never imagined they would face such a heroic yet tragic situation the moment the battle began.
“Your Highness…”
Grand Tutor Li Xuanji spoke in a trembling voice, but the King of Chu raised a hand to stop him from saying more. Casualties were inevitable. Although the number of casualties was currently staggering, he absolutely could not retreat his forces. Sounding the gong to recall the troops in this situation would deal a massive blow to the morale of the Chu army. For an army, the most important thing was morale, not the number of soldiers. The new King of Chu glanced at Shen Lang standing on the wall, then mounted his horse and charged toward it.
“Avenge the nation's shame! Repay our blood debt!”
“Repay our blood debt!”
The Chu army attacking the city felt as if they would go mad.
*'The King is charging again?'*
“Protect the King! Protect the King!”
Not just Grand Tutor Li Xuanji, but dozens of other military officers also rushed out frantically.
*'Nothing must happen to His Highness! We lost the former king, but we have gained a new one who is brave and wise. If the King falls in battle, the State of Chu will be completely finished.'*
In any other situation, the new King of Chu would not have personally charged into battle. He had already built up sufficient fame and prestige, so there was no need to take such risks. But he had a tacit understanding with Shen Lang and knew that Shen Lang would never kill him. As expected, Jin Mulan, with her supreme archery skills, shot an arrow toward the King of Chu, but it was more for show.
The scene was astonishing. With each shot Mulan fired, she killed three or four Chu warriors. She even sent a man flying back along with the shield he raised to block her arrow. However, every time she shot at the King of Chu, he would block the arrow and even send it flying, which only made him look stronger and more majestic. As the King of Chu's warhorse galloped, his personal presence on the battlefield frantically boosted morale. The attacking Chu soldiers felt their hair stand on end and their bodies about to burst.
*'When the lord is shamed, his subjects must die with loyalty! Are we this incompetent? So much so that His Highness must risk his own life on the battlefield? How can we face him after this?'*
Countless Chu soldiers ignored the arrows filling the sky and attacked the city walls with even greater frenzy.
*'What's death, anyway!'*
And so, despite suffering immense casualties, the Chu army still charged to the base of the walls, desperately climbing the siege ladders. Just as they were about to scale the top of the wall.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
Shen Lang's archers pushed their skills to the limit, firing arrows in a rapid volley.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
At a distance of a dozen meters, their aim was perfect, and the number of casualties grew even higher than before. The ground was so completely covered in corpses that no earth was visible. The number of Chu casualties was beyond counting. Shen Lang's archer corps possessed such fearsome combat power that even as more and more Chu soldiers swarmed the walls, they were able to relentlessly crush their assault.
“Heavy infantry, attack! Imperial Guard, follow me!”
Grand Tutor Li Xuanji personally led the most elite Imperial Guard, madly scaling the city walls. A thousand of the strongest martial artists charged at the forefront, using their sturdy iron armor and swords to block the incoming arrows.
“Shields, shields!”
The elite warriors held up incredibly thick shields, inching their way up the wall.
*Crack.*
A siege ladder couldn't bear the weight and snapped. The warriors on the ladder fell, crushing a group of Chu soldiers to death. But they still didn't stop, continuing to charge upward.
“Kill, kill! Repay our blood debt, avenge the nation's shame!”
Thus, the officers of Chu's most elite Imperial Guard led their troops from the front, blocking the incredible rain of arrows from Shen Lang's army as they slowly advanced up the walls. And when they finally reached the top, a bloody melee began.
“Die, die!”
“I'll cleave you in two!”
It was the First Nirvana Army versus Chu's elite Imperial Guard, a clash between two steel-like elite forces. Grand Tutor Li Xuanji fought against the Sword King Li Qianqiu, while numerous Chu masters swarmed Shen Lang and Ning Zheng like moths to a flame. The King of Chu did not want to kill Ning Zheng, but the Chu masters were determined to tear Shen Lang and Ning Zheng to shreds. But Big Dummy and Jin Mulan stood firm before Shen Lang, protecting him.
Mulan was peerless in ranged combat and invincible in close quarters. No opponent could withstand a single clash with the beautiful scimitar in her hand. Her speed was so great that every move seemed like a flash of lightning, effortlessly sending opponents flying more than ten meters. And Big Dummy was even more of a juggernaut. He faced Duo Da and Duo Yi alone.
To be honest, Duo Da and Duo Yi considered Big Dummy a good friend and had wanted to greet him before the battle began. Two years ago, hadn't they asked Big Dummy to go take a dump with them? That was practically a sign of deep friendship. They rarely asked anyone to go to the latrine with them. After all, when you were in school, didn't you only ask your really close friends to go to the bathroom with you? However, the atmosphere on the battlefield was too grim and solemn, so they couldn't bring themselves to say hello and charged straight at Big Dummy.
In their duel two years ago, the brothers had initially held the upper hand, but after several hundred exchanges, their stamina waned, and they were defeated by Big Dummy. But now, Big Dummy was far more formidable than he had been then. Despite it being a two-on-one fight, he was never at a disadvantage from the moment the battle began. After a furious exchange of two or three hundred blows, Duo Da and Duo Yi found themselves at a disadvantage once again, just like before. After five hundred exchanges, Big Dummy was pummeling the two brothers.
*Thud, thud.*
With two loud thuds, the two giants, Duo Da and Duo Yi, were sent flying like cannonballs by Big Dummy's blows. They flew more than ten meters across the top of the wall before crashing hard onto the ground. Fortunately, the ground was thickly padded with corpses. The bodies crushed beneath the two falling brothers were mashed into pulp, and the brothers themselves spat out a mouthful of blood. Big Dummy had held back and not killed them.
***
The martial skills of Li Xuanji and Li Qianqiu were hard to distinguish, but the Sword King Li Qianqiu held a slight edge. After the two had exchanged a thousand blows, Li Xuanji gradually fell into a disadvantage. Similarly, the elite soldiers of the Chu Imperial Guard who had charged onto the walls also found themselves at a growing disadvantage. The First Nirvana Army was too strong; the armor they wore and the war blades they wielded were incredibly sturdy and nearly indestructible. Their fighting spirit and combat prowess were even fiercer.
Facing the invincible First Nirvana Army, Chu's elite Imperial Guard couldn't hold out for even thirty minutes and was beginning to crumble. Li Xuanji glanced back at the King of Chu. It was an extremely dangerous move. In a duel between supreme masters, there was no room for even the slightest mistake. But as he looked back, the Sword King Li Qianqiu paused his attack. He did not take advantage of the opening to kill him. Li Xuanji's intention in looking back was very clear.
*'Your Highness, it is time to sound the gong and recall the troops!'*
A moment later, the King of Chu gave the order.
“Sound the gong and recall the troops!”
As the gong sounded, Li Xuanji led the elite Imperial Guard in retreat.
***
The battle lasted for six hours, ending in the afternoon. Above and below the city walls, countless bodies were piled high. The casualties were unprecedentedly severe. While the battle's tragic heroism couldn't match that of the battle at Zhenxi City, the casualty rate per hour had already far surpassed it.
“Have the casualties been tallied?” the King of Chu asked.
Li Xuanji replied, “We have suffered nearly thirty thousand casualties.”
The King of Chu clenched his jaw so hard that his mouth bled.
*'Nearly thirty thousand casualties?! To suffer such devastating losses in just half a day.'*
These were priceless elite soldiers, and he had lost thirty thousand of them in one fell swoop. The key issue was that this was a battle with no real gain even in victory, a battle that didn't need to be fought.
“Your Highness, will we continue to fight tomorrow?”
Li Xuanji's question gave the King of Chu a massive headache.
*'Yes, should we keep fighting? How can I strike a balance? How can I achieve a glorious victory, end the battle, and still let Ning Zheng go back alive to contest the crown prince's position with Ning Qi?'*
It was an incredibly difficult task.