Chapter 751
Chapter 751
Gunan Fortress was exceptionally small. Strictly speaking, it couldn't be called a fortified city; it was merely an outpost. It occupied only a few hundred acres, with its back to a high mountain. Jin Mulan had been stationed here with the First and Second Nirvana Armies for several months now. During that time, the Second Nirvana Army had been constantly preparing for battle. While the period before the King of Yue declared the Zhong Clan traitors had been relatively peaceful, various supplies had been continuously funneled into Gunan Fortress. Now, the fortress's cellars were piled high with mountains of supplies—enough food and weaponry to last for months.
* * *
Three days later, Zhong E's forty-thousand-strong army marched imposingly to the base of Gunan Fortress, swiftly surrounding the tiny outpost until not even a drop of water could leak through. For this battle, Zhong E had prepared excessively, bringing a vast array of siege equipment. Dozens of large trebuchets and heavy crossbows were arrayed, and at his command, they all opened fire.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
The fortress began to shake, as if the very earth would tremble. They hurled stones and crossbow bolts with abandon, as if their supply of ammunition was endless. Soon, an hour, two hours, then three hours passed. Over a thousand large stones had smashed viciously into Gunan Fortress, riddling the shabby structure with holes. Throughout this entire process, the Nirvana Army inside offered no counterattack, making it seem as if they were deep in slumber. Any other army would have seen its morale plummet under such a staggering assault.
"Charge the fortress! Kill every last one of Shen Lang's Nirvana Army!"
At Zhong Yao's command, the Zhong Clan's army surged toward Gunan Fortress like a ferocious wave.
"Kill! Kill them!"
The distance to the fortress walls steadily shrank, closing to within two hundred meters. At that moment!
*Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.*
A spectacular volley of arrows filled the sky. The First and Second Nirvana Armies had begun to fire their bows with abandon. That was right—the First Nirvana Army was now using bows as well. For the past few months, they had done nothing but practice archery. However, due to their tendency to focus on one thing, they found it difficult to master any skill other than their broadswords. Thus, their archery was inferior to that of the Second Nirvana Army, but they were still formidable. At the very least, drawing a one-hundred-twenty-pound longbow was no problem, nor was loosing dozens of arrows in quick succession.
Over four thousand master archers fired relentlessly from their high vantage point. A scene of one-sided slaughter unfolded once more at Gunan Fortress. The Nirvana Army's marksmanship was indescribably accurate. Though the Zhong Clan had been supplied with superior equipment and vast resources, including a large quantity of iron armor, they still could not withstand the Nirvana Army's rain of arrows, and their casualties mounted in an instant.
Watching the astonishing number of casualties, Zhong E finally understood why the King of Chu had suffered such a devastating defeat. The archery of this Nirvana Army was bone-chilling. Indeed, as Prince Yan had said, an army like this should never have been allowed to exist.
"Shield formation! Shield formation!"
At Zhong Yao's command, a large shield formation, like a tortoise shell, appeared. Only after forming this massive shield wall could Zhong E's army finally charge to the base of Gunan Fortress's walls and begin to climb. From atop the walls, countless massive stones, logs, and boiling oil were hurled down, inflicting another wave of heavy casualties on the Zhong Clan's army. After just six hours, the first day of the siege came to an end. They had no choice but to stop; the Nirvana Army was simply too strong. Zhong E's forty-thousand-strong army had suffered over five thousand casualties and could no longer continue the fight. If they didn't sound the gongs and retreat, their morale would completely collapse.
* * *
The next day, Zhong E's army attacked Gunan Fortress again, but they failed, suffering over four thousand casualties. On the third day, Zhong E's army launched another assault, but they still could not prevail, and again, their casualties exceeded four thousand. In total, of his forty-thousand-strong army, over thirteen thousand were now dead or wounded—a full third of his forces were gone. The army's morale plummeted, making it impossible to continue the siege.
* * *
Zhong Yao was both furious and utterly shaken.
‘Is the Nirvana Army truly this powerful? To attack a force of over four thousand with forty thousand men, only to suffer such a crushing defeat. Prince Yan was right. An army like this should not exist. So what now? Should I keep sending reinforcements to attack Gunan Fortress?’
He didn't need to worry about the east. Ying Zheng had no military authority, and the twenty thousand troops he commanded were barely enough to defend the capital. His only concern was the south. There was a possibility that Zhang Chong and the allied forces of the State of Jiang could pass through White Night Pass and march north to attack the Zhong Clan's territory. As mentioned before, a great mountain range separated the southern and northern parts of Tianxi Province, and no one could cross it. No, to be precise, no army other than the Nirvana Army could cross it. The army of the State of Jiang couldn't traverse those mountains either, so their only route to attack the Zhong Clan's territory was through White Night Pass.
Fortunately, White Night Pass was built amidst high, steep mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The terrain was so treacherous that it was said a single soldier guarding the pass could hold off an army of thousands. Since its construction, White Night Pass had never once been conquered. Previously, Zheng Tuo had guarded it, but now that the Zheng Clan had committed treason, the court would naturally prioritize seizing the pass.
White Night Pass was defended by a garrison of ten thousand. Zhong Yao knew Shen Lang possessed a mysterious item that could burn through iron gates, allowing him to breach them instantly. The capital of Chu was said to have fallen that way. To avoid the same fate, the Zhong Clan had reinforced all their gates to be three layers thick: wood, iron, and then thick stone. This way, no matter what miraculous means Shen Lang possessed, he would not be able to break through. To this day, the defenses at White Night Pass remained solid, with no sign of an enemy attack. There wasn't even a shadow of Zhang Chong or the State of Jiang's army.
Besides the south of Tianxi Province, the only other place that worried Zhong Yao was Pingnan Pass in the State of Chu. Of course, Chu would not immediately dispatch a large army to attack the Zhong Clan. The King of Chu had suffered crippling losses in the last war and needed time to rebuild his nation. Even if he had a secret pact with Ying Zheng, he was unlikely to actually send troops to his aid.
However, Zhong Yao was concerned that the King of Chu might open Pingnan Pass, allowing the army of the State of Jiang to borrow Chu's roads to march north and enter Tianxi Province. Prince Yan of the Empire had also worried about this and had sent an envoy to warn the King of Chu. The young king would likely not dare to risk the Empire's wrath. In that case, the south, west, and east were all secure. Furthermore, to his surprise, Bian Wu's army to the north showed no intention of marching south. This was what puzzled Zhong Yao the most.
‘What is Shen Lang thinking? He could clearly encircle our Zhong Clan army from the east, south, and north, yet he hasn't. Has he entrusted the entire battlefield to Jin Mulan's four-thousand-strong Nirvana Army? That… that’s too insane. Shen Lang, you are far too arrogant. Our Zhong Clan’s army is a veteran force, tempered by countless battles. Even with forty thousand new recruits, the other sixty thousand are elite soldiers from our original army, their combat strength immense. Do you really think you can wipe out my one-hundred-thousand-strong army with just over four thousand men? That’s the talk of a dreaming fool!’
* * *
So, what was Shen Lang thinking? Did he truly intend to rely on just over four thousand Nirvana soldiers to face Zhong Yao's one-hundred-thousand-strong army? He did! Shen Lang always acted with such astonishing madness.
* * *
After confirming that Pingnan Pass and White Night Pass were secure, Zhong Yao sent reinforcements to the Gunan Fortress front once again. He dispatched thirty thousand men at once, bringing the total attacking force to a staggering sixty thousand. Instantly, the morale of the Zhong Clan's army soared once more. Zhong E ordered another attack on the fortress, vowing not to stop until he had achieved his objective. An army of fifty thousand assaulted the fortress, appearing like an endless, ferocious wave.
Yet the result was another crushing defeat. The fifty thousand men who attacked the fortress suffered an unprecedented loss of nearly ten thousand casualties, a heart-wrenching blow. The strength of the Nirvana Army was truly something to behold. The First Nirvana Army was invincible in close combat, while the Second Nirvana Army was invincible in defensive sieges. As long as they had enough arrows, the Nirvana Army would not be defeated.
* * *
Eventually, Zhong E exhausted all other options and resorted to digging tunnels. This was a very foolish method, as tunneling required an excessive amount of manpower and equipment. However, it was a tactic that was difficult for the defenders of a fortress to counter. Zhong E mobilized several thousand men, and after days and nights of digging, they finally completed a tunnel leading into Gunan Fortress. Overjoyed, Zhong E sent the Zhong Clan's most elite warriors to attack through the tunnel.
But as they painstakingly made their way through the tunnel and reached the exit inside Gunan Fortress, it was suddenly sealed off. Then, countless smoking objects were thrown into the tunnel. It was poison gas. While not highly lethal, the poison gas was devastatingly effective in an enclosed environment like a tunnel. The elite warriors of the Zhong Clan trapped inside suffered as if they were in hell.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
A heavy sound echoed as the painstakingly dug tunnel collapsed, burying the Zhong Clan's elite warriors alive. When Zhong E heard the news, he nearly coughed up blood in anger. In the end, the tunneling tactic had also ended in complete failure.
Next, Zhong E decided to use a fire attack. The Hidden Yuan Society had transported countless barrels of fish oil, piling them into a mountain. The plan was to use large trebuchets to hurl the oil barrels from four hundred meters away. How much fish oil had been supplied to his army? Over five thousand barrels, weighing more than one hundred thousand pounds. It was enough to reduce the few-hundred-acre Gunan Fortress to complete ashes. To annihilate the Nirvana Army, the Hidden Yuan Society had mobilized every resource at its disposal.
"Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!"
Hundreds of men shouted as they pushed five massive trebuchets into place. These super-sized siege engines could launch objects weighing dozens of pounds over four or five hundred meters. Zhong E's army had no choice; this distance was the safest. The Nirvana Army's rain of arrows was so terrifying that anywhere within three hundred meters was unsafe. However, these massive trebuchets were enormous, each requiring over a hundred men to move. After several hours, all three super-sized trebuchets were in position, ready to engulf the fortress in a great fire.
Zhong E harbored an immense fury toward the Nirvana Army and eagerly anticipated their annihilation by fire. The previous sieges had been a profound humiliation. An army of tens of thousands had not only failed to capture a mere outpost but had also suffered a staggering twenty-three thousand casualties.
‘No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to withstand the soaring flames. I will burn every last one of you to cinders.’