knife

Chapter 726 Siege
Each military tent can accommodate five soldiers.

Five thousand soldiers meant one thousand military tents.

These military tents, scattered here and there, appear somewhat chaotic, yet they subtly embody the principles of military formation. The seemingly haphazardly driven horse-tethering stakes or lit campfires all constitute part of the entire makeshift defensive position.

Patrol soldiers rode their warhorses back and forth in the camp, inspecting not only the area but also the camp's enforcers. Any violation of regulations could be dealt with directly by the officer in charge according to military law.

Apart from the occasional neighing of horses, the entire army was quiet, and there was hardly any movement of people.

Soldiers without missions stayed in their tents.

Five men formed a squad. In addition to the horses used for combat, each squad also had one or two camel horses or strong mules responsible for transporting essential supplies such as military tents.

Once the order to set up camp was given, the soldiers established their camp in a very short time.

The supplies sent to the Cui family's old residence to comfort the troops were all-encompassing and included everything imaginable, even some of the local famous snacks. However, apart from some live animals, nothing else had been opened.

That is, dozens of sheep and pigs. Because they were alive, the soldiers slaughtered them and each squad received a portion, which they took back to roast or boil.

There was no fancy cooking in the army. Just sprinkle some salt and add some spices like star anise, and it would smell delicious and make your mouth water.

Although they were Li Guohua's personal guard and the core structure of the Linghu Group, they didn't get to eat meat every day.

Preparing a meal every ten days or half a month is already a remarkable thing.

In the general military, being able to eat meat once every one or two months is considered a good treatment.

Xiao Zhu sat cross-legged in the military tent, still in his armor, his broadsword resting casually on his shoulder. Several other soldiers were grinning as they roasted a leg of lamb, the oil sizzling as it fell into the fire, causing the flames to leap upwards. Once the outside was golden brown, one of the soldiers pulled out a small knife, sliced ​​off a layer, and presented it to Xiao Zhu.

"Men must not remove their armor, and horses must not be unsaddled; they must be ready for battle at any time." This was the order Li Guohua gave to the captains after arriving at the Cui family's old residence.

At first glance, the quiet camp seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, a chilling feeling arose—the murderous aura naturally emanating from an army that had slaughtered countless people.

As darkness fell, Xiao Zhu ate two slices of mutton, stood up, and calculated the time; it was time for their team to go out on patrol.

As he lifted the tent flap, a blast of cold wind hit him, and Xiao Zhu couldn't help but shiver. He instinctively pulled himself inward, but the next moment, he suddenly looked up at the sky, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

A brightly colored firework is blooming in the sky right in the center of the Cui family's old house.

A mournful bugle call rang out from within the military camp. Soldiers emerged from their tents, mounted their horses, and galloped out of their respective posts to assemble in the open space outside the camp.

From the moment the order to attack was given until the entire army lined up outside the camp and launched its charge towards the Cui family's old residence, the entire force of five thousand men took only a quarter of an hour.

Even Li Dachui would have to give a thumbs up and say: What a formidable force!

The attacking force spread out into an attack front about a hundred meters long, and those galloping at the front were mostly captains like Xiao Zhu.

However, what they faced was not an enemy army formation, but a tall and sturdy city wall that was over ten meters high. Xiao Zhu reached out and pulled out an iron spear about a meter long from the side of his saddle. While running, he threw it with all his might. The spear flew out with a sharp whistle and thud, embedding itself in the city wall about ten feet above the ground.

He kept pulling out these iron spears from his holster with both hands, and then fired them at the city wall with both hands.

Every three feet there was an iron spear inserted into it.

And the dozens of captains running at the forefront were all doing the same thing.

They had no siege ladders or towers, but in a short time, they carved out dozens of attack tunnels on the city walls.

Fireworks exploded in the sky, arrows whistled through the night, and suddenly the dimly lit city walls were illuminated. Campfires were lit instantly, and rows of archers appeared beneath the battlements, bows drawn taut, arrows flying like meteors towards the charging cavalry below.

As Xiao Zhu finished throwing his short spear, he had already reached the foot of the city wall. He placed his hands on the saddle, leaped onto it, and then used his legs to propel himself up.

The warhorse neighed and stumbled, nearly falling over. Xiao Zhu had already leaped up, reached out and grabbed a long spear on the city wall. He swung his body, somersaulted, and landed firmly on the short spear. With a forceful stomp, the short spear sank and bounced, and Xiao Zhu used the momentum to rise.

As a master who had stepped into the Xuan Yuan level, he only needed to use the force once to leap up again, and the height he reached was already higher than the city wall. All the arrows shot down from the city wall landed behind him.

Just as the arrows flew past, Xiao Zhu leaped into the air, appearing like a demon god in the night sky, gripping his sword with both hands and slashing down fiercely.

Dozens of captains on the attack surface, which was hundreds of meters wide, were doing the same thing as Xiao Zhu. Among them, at least they were at the sixth level of Qi Control.

Xiao Zhu descended from the sky, but the soldiers below did not panic much. Instead, they steadily drew their bows and shot arrows. Among the archers, a long spear, with the sound of wind cutting through the air, pierced straight towards Xiao Zhu in mid-air.

With a clang, swords and spears clashed, and Xiao Zhu sprang up again, this time spinning and falling in a different direction.

As soon as they exchanged blows, Xiao Zhu immediately determined that his opponent's martial arts skills were definitely no less than his own.

My task is to quickly open a breach in the city walls and gain a foothold, rather than engaging in a fierce battle with my opponent. Moreover, given my opponent's cultivation level, he could easily force me down again by taking advantage of his solid footing.

Seeing Xiao Zhu fall to the side, the city guard officer wielding a spear roared and, like a shadow, chased after him with his spear as fast as a dragon.

With another clang, Xiao Zhu was thrown up once more.

After two consecutive blows, Xiao Zhu was finally forced to leave the city wall and fall downwards. After forcing Xiao Zhu down, the skilled gunman did not have a chance to kill him, because at this time, several sections of the city wall had been infiltrated by the enemy, and they were now engaged in fierce fighting with the soldiers on the city wall.

Li Guohua's army originally didn't have that many martial arts experts, but after they reorganized the Guanzhong Li clan's elite soldiers and the Yang clan's White Feather soldiers some time ago, their pool of skilled fighters suddenly became abundant.

After all, none of those who managed to escape from the battlefield of Volcano Fortress were mediocre.

Xiao Zhu, who had just landed, roared in frustration and swung his broadsword to deflect the rain of arrows. But the next moment, he let out a strange cry, hoisted his sword, and leaped up, somersaulting backward several times. Where he had been standing, a large basin of oil was poured over him, drenching several soldiers who couldn't dodge in time. They immediately collapsed to the ground, writhing and howling in pain.

Enraged, Xiao Zhu grabbed a spear and hurled it at the city wall. The Cui clan soldier who had just poured out grease was shot in the chest and fell headfirst from the wall.

(End of this chapter)