Yanzhou, Jibei Kingdom
At the third quarter of the You hour (around 6:45 p.m.), the Qihuo rebel headquarters was currently under fierce assault from two Han armies.
Lu City had high walls and strong defenses.
Xiahou Dun’s force from Puyang had not brought heavy siege equipment, so for the time being they could do nothing against Lu City.
Feicheng, however, was a different matter.
Its walls were barely over two zhang high, and there was no moat outside to serve as a barrier.
The Han army only needed wooden ladders to easily reach the battlements.
“Brothers!”
After repelling another wave of Han attacks, Que Xuan saw that the enemy still intended to storm the city.
His face grew excited as he shouted:
“These Han troops just won’t quit. Since that’s the case, we won’t show them any courtesy either — let’s feed them shit directly!”
As he spoke, he covered his mouth and nose with a yellow turban cloth.
“The general’s order: feed the Han army shit!”
“The general’s order: feed the Han army shit!”
“The general’s order: feed the Han army shit!”
“The general’s order: feed the Han army shit!”
The order was passed down layer by layer.
The soldiers, already prepared, gripped wooden-handled ladles with gleaming eyes, their faces full of eager anticipation.
“Charge!”
Outside the city, under the command of Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren, and covered by archers, the Han army launched a fierce assault on Feicheng.
“Soldiers, charge with me!”
Cao Ren waved his saber and shouted:
“Our lord has ordered that once Feicheng is breached, all the money, supplies, and women captured shall belong to the soldiers!”
“It’s only a small city ahead. We’ll take it in no time. Victory to the army!”
“Victory!”
“Victory!”
“Victory!”
Hearing this, the Han soldiers were pumped up like they had been injected with adrenaline.
Howling wildly, they rushed toward Feicheng, eager to seize money, grain, and women.
Splash—
But just as they set up their ladders again and were about to climb the walls, a ladle of scalding hot liquid splashed directly into their faces.
Because the weather was already bitterly cold, the soldiers who were hit were initially stunned more by the heat than anything else.
But immediately afterward, an unbearable stench overwhelmed them.
“Feed the Han army shit~”
As the burning sensation set in, they could faintly hear the enemies on the wall shouting.
“Aaaah!”
“Damn Yellow Turban bandits!”
“This really is shit… ugh—bleh!”
Only then did the Han soldiers below the walls truly understand what it meant to have “shit raining down on your head.”
“This…”
Faced with the scalding filth, many Han soldiers beneath the walls hesitated to advance.
Others, enraged beyond measure, climbed the ladders determined to fight the Yellow Turbans to the death.
“What’s going on?”
From a distance, Cao Ren frowned slightly when he saw the assault stalled, confusion also appearing on his face.
“Report!”
At that moment, a junior officer hurried over, dropped to one knee, and cupped his fists respectfully:
“General, the Yellow Turbans are cunning. They are using scalding feces and urine to block our assault. The brothers are suffering terribly. Please make a decision quickly!”
“What!?”
Cao Ren’s eyes widened.
Then his expression darkened as he said:
“Order the soldiers to continue the assault. The weather is freezing — how can shit and urine compare to boiling oil?”
“As long as the men cover their mouths and noses, they can endure it. Once we get onto the walls, we’ll settle accounts with those Yellow Turbans!”
Cao Ren had followed Cao Cao in campaigns for several years.
Naturally, he had his own understanding of siege warfare.
Under normal circumstances, defenders would heat boiling oil and pour it down when enemies climbed the walls, then use flaming arrows to burn enemy troops and siege equipment.
As for rolling stones and logs, those were even more common defensive tools.
Although Cao Ren had never seen the Yellow Turbans use scalding feces and urine before, he believed its lethality was certainly inferior to boiling oil.
“This subordinate obeys!”
The junior officer also felt Cao Ren’s reasoning made sense, so he immediately went to carry out the order.
“Quick, quick — that guy right there!”
Seeing the Han army continue its fierce assault, Que Xuan was not particularly concerned.
Instead, surrounded by his personal guards, he moved around directing the defense of the city.
His face was full of excitement as he pointed at a Han soldier and shouted:
“That guy is jumping around all over the place. Hurry and give him a ladle of shit!”
“And that one too!”
“He’s charging so fast, he must be hungry. Hurry and feed him some shit~”
“……”
Before setting out on his campaign, Zhang Jing had deliberately left sufficient forces behind at the headquarters.
Unless something went wrong internally, there was absolutely no chance that the Han army could break through the city.
Therefore, when it came to defending Feicheng, Que Xuan was full of confidence.
Meanwhile, Xiahou Dun also ordered his army to launch an all-out assault.
The intelligence he and Cao Ren had received indicated that the Yellow Turban elite forces had all marched out, leaving the main camp vulnerable.
Just like Feicheng, Lu City also lacked a moat.
“Heh, this Han general actually dares to attack the city?”
A cold smile appeared on Wang Du’s face as he ordered:
“Pass down my command. The archers are to remain on standby. Wait until the Han soldiers are climbing the ladders, then drench them with golden juice. After one round of golden juice, the archers may loose their arrows.”
(The term “golden juice” — historically refers to a mixture of boiling human waste used in siege defense.)
The archers of the Qihuo Army were naturally inferior to those of the Han army.
An ordinary archer could fire at most five arrows in rapid succession before becoming exhausted.
A truly elite archer required at least two years of training.
Thus, although the Qihuo Army possessed archers, they were far from elite troops.
Rather than relying on archers alone to stop the Han army, Wang Du believed it was better to use golden juice as the primary weapon and archers as support, maximizing their destructive effect.
“Yes, sir!”
The messenger beside him acknowledged the order respectfully.
“General Wang.”
Zhou Cang hesitated before asking:
“Isn’t this a bit too risky?”
“No matter.”
Wang Du replied confidently:
“The lord once said that anyone wounded and contaminated by golden juice would be beyond the help of medicine.”
“If we stop the Han army outside the city walls, how many kills can we really achieve?”
“It would be better to appear weak and lure them in.”
“Besides, there are still tens of thousands of troops inside the city. Xiahou Dun only has a little over ten thousand men outside. We are merely defending a city. Heaven, geography, and human advantage are all on our side. You worry too much.”
“General Wang speaks wisely!”
After hearing this, Zhou Cang nodded heavily and no longer had any doubts about Wang Du’s plan.
“Hmm?”
As Xiahou Dun watched his army advance all the way to the city walls without suffering any attacks from the Yellow Turbans, he was surprised.
“Could this be a trap?”
“No, impossible. The Yellow Turbans don’t have the brains for traps.”
“Then the only explanation is that their elite troops are gone, and the remaining Yellow Turbans inside the city have been frightened out of their wits by my army.”
Having reached that conclusion, Xiahou Dun no longer hesitated.
“Generals, hear my command!”
“The army will follow me and storm the city at once!”
With those words, Xiahou Dun took the lead, personally riding forward beneath the command banner toward the city.
“Kill!”
Seeing the command banner move forward, the Han soldiers believed victory was within reach.
Howling excitedly, they charged ahead.
“Huh!?”
When Wang Du saw even the command banner advancing, his eyes filled with surprise and mockery.
He shouted:
“Brothers, the Han army must be hungry! Hurry and feed them some shit!”
Splash! Splash!
“Help!”
Crash! Crack!
The Qihuo soldiers had long since prepared themselves.
Some poured golden juice onto the Han soldiers.
Some fired arrows.
Others smashed the Han army’s ladders with weapons.
In an instant, Han casualties mounted heavily.
Curses, screams, and cries of agony filled the air.
For a time, the area beneath Lu City’s walls resembled a living hell.
Arriving beneath the city walls and witnessing the scene, Xiahou Dun’s eyes nearly split with rage.
He roared:
“Quick… we’ve fallen into the Yellow Turbans’ trap! Retreat at once!”
— 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
