Chapter 20: The Battle for the City (One)

In the following days, the Qin Army remained relatively quiet. Wang Hong had recovered from his minor injuries, and thanks to Zhang Tie Mao using Wang Hong's medicine, he had managed to save a life.

On the second day of the battle, their superior officer, Feng Li, found Wang Hong. Due to the severe injuries sustained by the original Hundred-Man Commander, his fate remained uncertain. Recognizing Wang Hong's performance in the recent battle, Feng Li appointed him as the Hundred-Man Commander of the sixth squad in the Qing Yang Camp.

Accepting the appointment, Wang Hong couldn't help but feel a bit proud. After all, a soldier who didn't aspire to be a general was not a good soldier. When he and his Younger Brother entered the Qing Yang Academy years ago, they had even dreamed of becoming great generals.

However, the current situation of the sixth squad poured cold water on his enthusiasm. Including Wang Hong, there were only seventy-three members left. After the previous fierce battle, almost everyone had injuries, varying in severity. Wang Hong approached Feng Li to request some healing medicine, but Feng Li's response was straightforward, with just one word: "None!"

Unable to do anything about it, these were still his soldiers, comrades who had fought side by side. He couldn't just stand by and watch. Without timely treatment, there would be a reduction of at least twenty people in the sixth squad due to retirements or deaths from severe injuries.

Wang Hong went to his Space and harvested a bunch of White Jade Mushrooms from the past five years, preparing some White Jade Powder. He had cultivated a large area of White Jade Mushrooms in his Space over the years, and they could be grown in just two or three months.

As for the White Jade Life-Extending Pill, he dared not reveal it casually now. Wang Hong secretly added a few pills to the water of those critically injured and dying, having them drink it. This life-saving substance, once exposed, would be hard to protect with his current strength. Even if he could protect it, it would bring continuous trouble. After all, he wasn't a saint trying to save the world.

Wang Hong also used several bottles of White Jade Powder to exchange Li Xiao Ya, Lu Jin Gou, and Zhang Tie Mao from their respective squads to his sixth squad. As for Hua Wen Jue, who was now a Squad Leader, it wasn't convenient to switch him at the moment, so they had to wait for later. Having a few trusted subordinates around would make things more convenient in various aspects.

After five days of quiet from the Qin Army, they resumed their siege. This time, the Qin Army was well-prepared and didn't rush in.

Wang Hong's squad, along with an archer unit, defended a small section of the city wall. Wang Hong's squad consisted mainly of Sword and Shield Soldiers and Long Spear troops, with no archers but only ten Spear Throwers, which were too few and didn't play a significant role in the previous battle.

At the beginning of the battle, the Qin Army didn't launch a fierce attack. Instead, they rolled out a series of wheelbarrows, each carrying bags filled with soil and stones and a high wooden board standing on the vehicle.

Upon seeing this, the Chu Army on the city wall immediately released arrows. However, after a rain of arrows, the front wooden board of the wheelbarrow was filled with arrows, while the drivers behind the board remained unharmed, with only a few casualties.

"Trebuchets, prepare!"

Soon, large stones the size of human heads whistled through the air, smashing into the Qin Army's wheelbarrow formation and causing dirt and stones to fly below.

Wang Hong saw a stone hit the wooden board of a wheelbarrow, shattering it into splinters. The driver behind the board had his head burst open, and before he could utter a scream, he met a swift end. Many others were injured, lying on the ground and moaning in pain.

However, Trebuchets weren't highly efficient at killing. Firstly, there weren't many Trebuchets, so they couldn't provide dense and widespread coverage like arrows. Secondly, it was challenging for Trebuchets to accurately target small individual objects. Thus, against the sparse formation of the wheelbarrow unit, their hit rate was quite low.

After this round of attacks, a significant portion of the wheelbarrows successfully filled the trench under the city wall with bags of soil and stones. If this continued, the trench would be filled sooner or later, and the cost was merely the casualties of the drivers, who were originally captured from conquered cities and could be easily replaced.

All they needed to do was fill the trench, and the enemy's siege equipment could be easily pushed forward. They could even create a slope directly with soil and stones, leading directly to the top of the city wall. By then, the difficulty of defense would increase exponentially.

Trebuchets continued to hurl stones non-stop, but the trench was already half-filled.

Seeing this, Wang Hong became a bit anxious. He grabbed some Short Spears and hurled one towards a wheelbarrow. With his strength of over a thousand pounds, the Short Spear created a sonic boom as it flew.

"Boom!" The Short Spears exploded through the wooden board with undiminished momentum, piercing directly through the driver's chest and into the soil behind.

Wang Hong ordered the entire team to switch to Short Spears, and sixty to seventy Short Spears whizzed down simultaneously.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Indeed, it was much more effective than arrows and Trebuchets. While the throwing spears had a shorter range, their penetrating power was stronger. Although they weren't professional Spear Throwers, this round resulted in a dozen or so casualties. Following more rounds of throwing, dozens of drivers were killed.

The remaining drivers, their legs trembling, dared not take a step forward and abandoned their wheelbarrows, howling as they fled back. Before they could reach their formation, a rain of arrows from the Qin Army shot down all the retreating drivers. Simultaneously, another group of drivers was pushed forward, and several who hesitated were immediately beheaded.

Seeing the effectiveness of the throwing spears, other squads followed suit, causing a significant increase in casualties among the drivers below the city. Occasionally, drivers, terrified and in mental breakdown, attempted to escape backward, and without exception, were shot dead in front of their formation.

Qin Army executed some on the spot, promised numerous rewards, and finally persuaded the remaining drivers to continue transporting soil and stones, along with presenting some heads.

Meanwhile, the Qin Army's Large Formation moved slowly forward, advancing a few hundred steps and entering the range of archers. Shields were raised in the front, and Archers formed several rows, continuously shooting a dense rain of arrows toward the top of the city wall.

On the city wall, boards were propped up to block most of the arrows. Wang Hong stood on the wall, arrows falling like a torrent, "Thud! Thud! Thud!" on the top of the board. Soon, the board was covered with a multitude of arrows. Wang Hong occasionally reached out to pull out the incoming arrows.

As a result, Spear Throwers were suppressed by the arrows, and individuals were occasionally hit. Wang Hong handed several bottles of ordinary White Jade Powder to Li Xiao Ya, instructing him to heal promptly. There would be many more battles in the future, so they needed to conserve their forces.

The continuous exchange of fire lasted until dusk, with both sides sustaining casualties. Overall, the Chu Army held the advantage in terrain, with fewer casualties.

The trench below the city was almost filled, and it was estimated that the Qin Army would launch a city assault tomorrow.

Late at night, in the General's office, Xiang Cheng, the main commander of the Chu Army, was discussing strategy with several trusted officers around a map.

"Our task this time is to send an elite force to burn the Qin Army's provisions. Additionally, Bai Li City will coordinate by sending troops to cut off the passage between this Qin Army and their rear. At that point, this Qin Army won't be able to escape our disposal." Commander Xiang Cheng said, a cold smile appearing on his lips, and a murderous intent in his eyes.

"However, to infiltrate the rear of the Qin Army, do any of you have a clever plan?" Xiang Cheng inquired.

"Subordinate Mi Yan is willing to lead a detachment through Little Bottle Peak, infiltrate behind enemy lines through Soaring Serpent Cliff, and raid the enemy's provisions." A general in white robes pointed out the location on the map as he spoke.

"General Mi Yan, Soaring Serpent Cliff is tens of zhang high and extremely dangerous. How do you plan to cross it?" A general in red robes asked.

"I plan to use ropes to descend directly from the top of the cliff," Mi Yan replied.

"Falling from tens of zhang, the slightest negligence would result in shattered bones. In this way, casualties are bound to be significant."

"Qin Army has invaded our territory, enslaved the people of Chu, and killed no less than a hundred thousand under their blades. Hundreds or thousands of soldiers die every day on the walls of Tiger's Lair City. As soldiers, what do we care about this life?" Mi Yan said resolutely.

"Good! Mi Yan, you have the task!" Xiang Cheng applauded.

"I command you to lead five thousand elites..."

In another direction of Tiger's Lair City, a team of five thousand elite soldiers quietly left the city under the cover of night. Their movements were orderly, their demeanor solemn, yet they made no sound as they moved. Once out of the city, they disappeared into the mountains, leaving no trace behind.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay