knife

Chapter 372 Each Succeeds Halfway

Hundreds of bodies wrapped in burlap were placed dozens of feet away from the city wall.

Besides these, there were also more than a dozen seriously injured people who had been bandaged up and left there, struggling to crawl towards him on the snow.

Linghu Shili's expression was very unpleasant.

"General, if we bring them all back, it will severely damage morale!" a general whispered.

Linghu Shili rolled his eyes. "Idiot, leaving them there like this will only demoralize them! Someone, go and bring back the brothers' bodies."

“I suspect the enemy has prepared cavalry. If our men go to collect the bodies, they could launch a surprise attack, and many more of our brothers' corpses would be found there. General, I'll make the necessary preparations. If they really have such a plan, we can leave their men behind.”

“Preparations are necessary, of course, but I suspect that damned Luo Liang really wants to attack me tonight!” Linghu Shili pondered. “With the brothers’ bodies returned to camp, tonight is indeed the time when morale is at its lowest. If they want to ambush me, today is the best opportunity.”

"General, we must give them a chance!" the general laughed. "We've launched a long and arduous campaign, and we didn't bring much food. We thought we could take Yongfeng Granary in one fell swoop, but it seems unlikely. It took us more than ten days just to build this snow wall, and we've lost over a thousand men. Their reinforcements will definitely be here soon. If we can't take it quickly, we'll be in trouble!"

"Of course we should give them a chance!" Linghu Shili said with a smile. "Not only that, we should also reciprocate!"

On the west city tower, Luo Liang watched as the enemy outside the city dejectedly carried the corpses into their camp, with people occasionally jumping up and down and swearing in their direction. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Linghu Shili has overacted!"

"Huh?" Zhou Mi, the young general beside him, was somewhat puzzled: "What do you mean, 'overacted'?"

"I come from beyond the Great Wall, and I've dealt with them before!" Luo Liang sneered. "The fierce soldiers from beyond the Great Wall always respond with iron and blood; verbal sparring is not their style. Are you trying to make me think they're angry and have lost their composure? A few people have died, what's the big deal?"

"The fighting today was already very intense!" Zhou Mi said, still shaken.

"Such a battle is hardly worthy of being called a proper battle!" Luo Liang shook his head: "Last year, in the battle of Yuan'an outside the pass, Yuan general Sha Liewen led more than 10,000 men to attack Yuan'an City. The three thousand heavy infantrymen of the Beiting Protectorate, under the leadership of General Xia Zhi, lined up against the city and withstood the charge of the enemy's heavy cavalry. More than half of the three thousand heavy infantrymen were killed or wounded, and even General Xia Zhi, who was at the eighth level of Xuan Yuan cultivation, was seriously injured. However, they held on until Protector Xiao's army arrived and captured Sha Liewen in one battle. That battle was truly brutal!"

"The general just said that Linghu overacted. What is he trying to do?"

"What are we up to? We're planning to raid the city tonight, of course!" Luo Liang chuckled, patting the stack of plates beneath him. "Believe it or not, this guy's chosen breakthrough point is the western city where we are right now!"

"why?"

“Linghu Shili is the most cunning guy. We’re sending those corpses out of the West City, and he’s going to break through our city from here to vent his anger for his brothers!” Luo Liang said. “Putting aside our hostile stance, this guy is actually quite admirable.”

"Then all we need to do is make arrangements here in advance?" Zhou Mi's eyes lit up as he looked down at the barbican below.

"Let them in, and we'll catch them like turtles in a jar!" Luo Liang laughed. "But that alone won't show how meticulous and skillful we are. Want to earn some credit?"

"Of course I want to!" Zhou Mi blurted out without hesitation.

"Alright, take three hundred cavalrymen and head out from the south of the city. We can use the snow wall as cover to get out of the city first and then launch an attack. The distance between us and their camp is only a few arrows' worth. In an instant, our warhorses will arrive, storm into the camp, and catch them off guard!"

“Okay!” Zhou Mi nodded repeatedly.

"Don't get bogged down in battle, and don't think about how many enemies you can kill. Just kick your way through, mainly setting fires and disrupting their camps. If you encounter any fools, kill them on the spot. Advance from the south camp and exit from the north camp. Whatever you do, don't go to the west city. At that time, Linghu Shili's main force should be concentrated in the west camp."

"General, what a brilliant plan!" Zhou Mi gave a thumbs-up in admiration.

It's a dark and windy night, and it's a day of murder and arson!

Several hundred elite soldiers from Linghu's army, draped in white cloth and crouching low, stealthily advanced towards Tea Shop City. If it weren't for the lookouts lying in ambush, they would have had a hard time spotting them advancing through the swirling snow.

He held the tiny incense stick in his palm and drew circles in the distance.

From the south city gate tower, Luo Liang, who could vaguely see the firelight, waved to those below. The south city gate opened silently, and three hundred cavalrymen, led by Zhou Mi, filed out of the city and began to wait behind the snow wall, awaiting the opportunity to attack.

According to Luo Liang, since Linghu Shili chose to steal the city in the west, his main force should be concentrated in the west camp. Once the front succeeds, his main force can rush up to support him.

At this time, although his three hundred cavalrymen were few in number, they were enough to inflict a fatal blow on the enemy.

Hundreds of soldiers, almost blending into the snow, approached the west city wall at great speed, lying prone on the ground, seemingly waiting for something.

Meanwhile, in the south, Zhou Mi pulled on the reins, circled around from behind the snow wall, and his warhorse began to accelerate, swiftly rushing towards the enemy camp not far away.

Three hundred cavalrymen—not a lot, not a little—but the sheer number they created was enough to alarm the entire enemy camp.

Alarm bells immediately rang out from the south of Linghuye's camp.

In the western part of the city, several martial arts masters who had been lying prone in the snow suddenly leaped up. One of them clung to the city wall like a gecko and climbed upwards, while the other soared into the sky. Halfway up, he thrust a dagger into the city wall and used the force to propel himself into the air again. The two landed on the city wall almost simultaneously.

Just as expected, the western part of the city was deserted, with not a single person in sight.

Meanwhile, from the south of the city, war drums were beating, and many figures could be vaguely seen moving about.

The two men exchanged a smile, then leaped off the city wall. Together, they lifted the massive gateposts, and the west gate slowly opened under their hands. Hundreds of soldiers who had been waiting outside surged in.

After the two martial arts experts opened the city gate, they rushed towards the city wall and ran forward. This was Wengcheng, and there was another city gate inside that needed to be opened.

The two people who were running suddenly heard a loud bang and turned around in surprise.

The next moment, the exclamations coming from inside the barracks stunned the two of them.

The massive stone gate above the city gate crashed down.

The door that had just been opened was slammed shut again.

At the same moment, the once quiet, ghost town of Xicheng erupted in a deafening roar. Squads of soldiers poured out from the hidden bunkers, and torches were thrown down, instantly illuminating the entire Xicheng with countless bonfires, making it as bright as day.

Zhou Mi spurred his horse and easily leaped over the fence. In his line of sight, the enemy was howling and running away in all directions. He laughed and stretched out his spear, stabbing it into a pile of burning campfire. Countless burning firewood flew into the air. With a series of spear strikes, torches flew towards the tents.

Behind them, three hundred cavalrymen flew over the fence one after another and rushed into the camp.

"Brothers, follow me!"

Zhou Mi spurred his horse forward at full speed, but after galloping a hundred paces or so, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

What happened to those enemies who were running away earlier?

Why is there not a single enemy in the Southern Camp?
Surely this place can't be an empty camp, right?

Oh no, have we fallen for a trap?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a tripwire sprang up from the ground. Zhou Mi, quick-witted and agile, pulled on the reins, and the warhorse leaped into the air. But as soon as it landed, several more tripwires sprang up from the ground.

Oops!

Zhou Mi raised his gun and leaped up. Looking back, most of his companions were already rolling on the ground.

Countless torches had been lit all around, and dense shields and spears were pressing in from all sides. In the air, large nets were being thrown down one after another.

It turns out that he is already a turtle in the old man's coffin.

On the city wall, Luo Liang's face was ashen.

As he wished, hundreds of Linghu clan elites fell into his trap in Xicheng, with nowhere to go but him. Yet, he could not be happy at all.

In Tea Shop City, the only three hundred cavalrymen left will not return.

Standing atop the south city wall, he had hoped to witness the magnificent sight of the enemy camp ablaze with fire, illuminating half the sky. However, what he saw was his own cavalry charge into the camp and then vanish without a trace.

Big loss.

As Luo Liang ran towards the west city while cursing loudly, Linghu Shili, who was already in the west city direction, was also hurling insults at the heavens.

Before his main force could even begin its attack, the vanguard of 500 elite infantrymen vanished.

When Linghu Shili saw the flames encircling the western city, he knew he was doomed.

These 500 elite infantrymen are veterans from outside the pass, not newly recruited soldiers from Hexi!

With such a deep-rooted force, every death is a loss. Two or three hundred died during the day, and tonight, five hundred more were lost in this way. When we get back, my uncle will skin me alive.

Both commanders' schemes were half successful, making them both capable generals.

But this result was something they absolutely could not accept.

Both armies, on and below the city walls, fell silent.

This cannot be considered a defeat.
But it can hardly be called a victory.

Everyone is the same.

As dawn broke, Linghu Shili's army marched out of the camp and, after setting up their formation, led out hundreds of prisoners bound hand and foot from the rear.

On the city wall, Luo Liang coldly snorted and waved his hand, and several hundred prisoners appeared on the city wall bound.

Linghu Shili rode up on horseback, asking, "Where is Luo Liang?"

"I am here!" Luo Liang shouted from the top of the city wall.

(End of this chapter)