“I see it as well!”
Zhang Jing took a deep breath and said, “After several more rounds of stone bombardment, the army will launch a full-scale assault under the cover of the projectiles.”
“My lord is wise!” Cheng Yu nodded heavily.
If they waited until all the stone ammunition had been expended before attacking, the Han defenders might recover their composure, and unforeseen complications could arise.
With the stone bombardment providing cover, there was a possibility of friendly casualties.
But such losses were entirely within acceptable limits.
On the other hand, if they wished to capture Wuyan, they would likely pay a far greater price otherwise.
BOOM!
Another battlement exploded apart.
The Han soldiers sheltering behind it immediately suffered severe casualties.
Cries of pain and anguished screams echoed without end.
Those Han soldiers who had previously dismissed the siege engines now finally understood that their power was nothing like what General Wang Lang had described.
Fear began to take root in their hearts.
………….
Inside Wuyan City.
Cao Cao led his entourage away from the range of the trebuchets.
“My lord!” Chen Gong’s expression was grave.
“The Yellow Turbans are relying on the advantage of these siege engines. Our defenders are all terrified.”
“At this moment, we should immediately gather the forces of Li Qian and Yue Jin and launch an attack outside the city to destroy those machines.”
“Otherwise, the city’s fall may be only a matter of time.”
“I urge you to decide quickly, my lord.”
“No.” Cao Cao appeared somewhat distracted, but he firmly shook his head.
“Zhang Jing has brought over one hundred thousand troops.”
“Our total strength is barely twenty thousand, and many among them are new recruits.”
“If we leave the city and fight, the Yellow Turbans would welcome it.”
“Though those flying stones are incredibly powerful—”
“They can destroy towers and inspire terror, but their actual lethality against soldiers remains limited.”
“Therefore, defending from behind the walls remains our greatest advantage.”
“Gongtai!” At this point, Cao Cao had regained his usual sharpness.
“Immediately send word to Li Qian and Wen Qian.”
“Order them to bring their forces to the eastern wall at once.”
“When they arrive, I shall personally return to the battlements and defend Wuyan alongside the men.”
“I obey!” Chen Gong said no more.
He was already accustomed to it.
Though his lord’s thinking often differed from his own, it was not necessarily wrong.
……………
Half an hour later.
Zhang Jing shouted:
“Transmit my order!”
“The entire army shall assault the city!”
WOOOOOO—!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
War drums and horns sounded together.
Twenty thousand Qihuo soldiers carrying simple ladders charged toward Wuyan’s eastern gate.
“If Wuyan does not fall, Qihuo shall not return!”
Zhang Jing and Cheng Yu descended from the command platform.
The central command banner slowly advanced toward the city.
“If Wuyan does not fall, Qihuo shall not return!”
Shouting their battle cry, the Qihuo soldiers rapidly assembled several crude bridges, crossed the moat, and rushed toward the city walls.
“Pass down the order!” Xu He’s expression was solemn.
Taking a deep breath, he commanded:
“Add one dan of counterweight to the front row of trebuchets!”
“Add two dan to the rear row!”
He knew the decisive moment was approaching.
The eastern section of Wuyan’s walls had already been devastated by the bombardment.
In some places, entire sections of wall had been smashed away, leaving heights of less than two zhang.
And now— The true bloodbath was about to begin.
“Loose arrows!”
Standing atop a section of wall, Cao Cao roared:
“Order every soldier onto the battlements!”
“We shall resist the Yellow Turban rebels together!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Not long after Cao Cao’s command, another volley of stone projectiles rose into the sky.
“Such power…”
As hundreds of stones descended toward the city once more, even Cao Cao’s formidable resolve could not suppress the fear that arose within him.
“How can mere mortals contend with such force?”
“Kill!”
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Hundreds of ladders slammed against the walls.
Under a rain of arrows and falling logs, and with the cover of the stone bombardment, the Qihuo soldiers climbed upward with desperate determination.
Slash!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Many soldiers were cut down the instant their heads rose above the battlements.
“Then die with me!”
One Qihuo soldier had his shoulder cleaved by a Han soldier’s saber.
Grievously wounded and knowing death was inevitable, he threw aside his weapon.
Before the Han soldier could react, he seized him with one hand and dragged him from the wall.
Both men plunged to their deaths together.
“Kill!”
“If Wuyan does not fall, Qihuo shall not return!”
As the siege intensified and close-quarters combat erupted atop the walls, the Qihuo Army displayed a complete disregard for death.
“Generals, hear my command!”
Watching more and more Yellow Turban soldiers gain footholds atop the walls, Cao Cao’s anxiety grew.
“Follow me!”
“We shall drive the Yellow Turbans back!”
BOOM! BOOM!
The impacts of falling stones continued without pause.
The tremors beneath their feet, combined with the carnage before their eyes, made the Han soldiers feel as though heaven and earth themselves were collapsing.
Even with Cao Cao personally leading from the front, more and more sections of the wall fell into the hands of the Qihuo soldiers.
At that moment, someone cried out:
“My lord—”
“I’m afraid Wuyan can no longer be held!”
At that moment, the blood-covered Li Qian hurried over to Cao Cao.
His expression was grave as he reported:
“My lord, several groups of Yellow Turban soldiers have already broken into the city. My men were first shaken by the stone bombardment, and our losses while resisting the enemy have been considerable.”
“If we do not withdraw now—”
“In less than three quarters of an hour, the brothers under my command will collapse completely.”
Li Qian came from a powerful local clan.
When he joined Cao Cao, he had essentially brought his own forces with him.
The five thousand soldiers under his command, including most of the veterans and junior officers, all came from the Li family’s estate.
Since the battle had begun, his force had already lost over a thousand men.
It was an extremely alarming figure.
If another few hundred were lost, even if three thousand troops remained, the army would likely break and rout.
That was why he had gathered the courage to approach Cao Cao.
In his view, the battle had effectively been lost the moment the Yellow Turbans entered the city.
“How many casualties has your force suffered?”
Cao Cao’s face turned dark.
His anger was not directed at Li Qian for disrupting morale.
Rather, he simply could not accept that he might be defeated by the Yellow Turbans.
“No fewer than a thousand men.”
Li Qian’s expression was solemn as he gritted his teeth.
“I beg my lord to make a decision quickly. No matter what happens, I, Li Qian, will fight for my lord until the very last moment.”
“General Wang!”
“Quickly save General Wang!”
Just as Cao Cao was struggling with his decision, a series of anxious cries rang out from the distance.
“Die!”
A group of Yellow Turban soldiers swung their sabers savagely, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
They muttered as they fought:
“You won’t let us live, so we’ll make sure you die!”
“If Wuyan does not fall, Qihuo shall not return!”
“Kill!”
Yu Jin led a group of soldiers resisting the Qihuo attackers.
His eyes were filled with grief.
Only moments earlier, Wang Lang had been dragged from the city wall by enemy soldiers.
His chances of survival were now slim.
“Transmit my orders to every unit!”
Hearing the cries, Cao Cao’s face turned pale.
Filled with resentment and unwillingness, he shouted:
“Gather all remaining troops at once!”
“We break out through the western gate!”
At this point, Cao Cao finally understood the reality of the situation.
If even Li Qian’s troops had lost over a thousand men, what about Wang Lang’s forces?
Their casualties were likely even worse.
Judging from the cries he had just heard, Wang Lang himself might already be dead.
Meanwhile, the Yellow Turban offensive showed no sign of slowing.
Even now, the enemy’s central army continued advancing steadily toward the city.
“We obey!”
Once Cao Cao finally relented, Chen Gong, Li Qian, and the others were visibly relieved.
They immediately departed to carry out the orders.
Outside Wuyan City, five hundred paces away, Zhang Jing’s central command remained in position.
Beside him, Cheng Yu looked toward the city and remarked:
“My lord, it seems Cao Cao is preparing to withdraw.”
“Geng Ling!” Zhang Jing said coldly, “Pass down the order.”
“Whoever takes Cao Cao’s head shall be rewarded with a thousand jin of gold and promoted three ranks!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Geng Ling cupped his fists respectfully before shouting at the top of his lungs:
“By order of the lord!”
“Whoever takes Cao Cao’s head shall receive a thousand jin of gold and a promotion of three ranks!”
“By order of the lord!”
“Whoever takes Cao Cao’s head shall receive a thousand jin of gold and a promotion of three ranks!”
The command spread rapidly throughout the army.
The eyes of countless Qihuo soldiers immediately lit up with excitement.
All of them fixed their gaze upon Cao Cao’s command banner.
Not long afterward, Zhang Jing’s order placed enormous pressure upon the retreating Cao Cao.
……………..
Within the streets of Wuyan.
Surrounded by Han soldiers, Cao Cao marched through blood-soaked roads toward the western gate.
Meanwhile, Qihuo soldiers poured in from every direction throughout the city.
“By order of the lord!”
“Whoever takes Cao Cao’s head shall receive a thousand jin of gold and a promotion of three ranks!”
“A thousand jin of gold?”
“Don’t let Cao Cao escape! Lend me your head for a moment!”
“Cao Cao’s head is mine! Kill!”
The Qihuo soldiers filling the streets were all invigorated.
Though most of them had no idea exactly how much a thousand jin of gold was worth, they understood that it represented unimaginable wealth.
As for a promotion of three ranks, there was no need for further explanation.
“You insolent brat! You’ve gone too far!”
Upon hearing the shouts outside, Cao Cao immediately burst into furious curses.
Yet despite his anger, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue breaking out alongside his army.
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up ahead of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
