Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 291 The more they fight, the worse it gets.

As soon as Li Batian finished speaking, he noticed that everyone was staring at him as if they had seen a ghost.

Rough fingers scratched at the messy hair peeking out from under his helmet, and a few withered leaves drifted off his shoulder armor.

He scratched his head, looking puzzled, the steel wrist guards clanging against his helmet. "Why are you all staring at me?"

His voice was particularly loud on the city wall in the autumn, startling a few sparrows that were perched on the battlements.

Zhao Wenguang's voice tightened slightly with surprise as he asked incredulously, "How do you know the enemy has changed commanders? Could it be that you captured prisoners?"

His gaze swept across every corner of the city wall, as if searching for some clue.

Before Li Tianba could answer, Huo Qinghuang suddenly spoke up.

As she shook her head, her long, tied-up hair swept across the red tassels on her shoulder armor, swaying gently in the wind: "There can be no prisoners. Those Northern Di cavalry are terrifying. If they realize they might be captured, they would rather jump off the city wall or commit suicide than be taken prisoner."

Her voice was as cold as a stream in late autumn, and a hint of fear of the enemy flashed in her eyes.

The sound of warhorses neighing came from afar. Huo Qinghuang tapped her fingers lightly on the barrel of her gun and added, "Besides, if we really captured a prisoner, given this guy's temperament, he would definitely tell us."

She glanced at Li Batian, her eyes filled with a hint of disdain, yet also a subtle understanding.

He tightened his grip on the spear, the tip leaving a shallow mark on the bluestone slab: "Even if he didn't tell us, he would never keep it from His Highness."

She said this with absolute certainty, without the slightest doubt.

Upon hearing this, Li Batian suddenly grinned, revealing a few slightly yellowed teeth, and patted his breastplate with his rough hand: "You woman, that's the one sentence that suits my taste the most."

His laughter echoed on the city wall, startling a flock of sparrows that were pecking at grains.

Huo Qinghuang gripped the spear tightly, feeling an urge to pierce the man right through.

Her eyes twitched slightly, clearly indicating that she was trying her best to control her anger.

Zhao Wenguang frowned, seemingly agreeing with this.

Although the walls of Xueyuan Pass are tall, they are not particularly long; you can see the end of them at a glance.

If capturing prisoners was something so important, he couldn't possibly have missed it.

Even if you can't see it, it's impossible that you haven't received the message: "If you haven't captured prisoners, why are you so sure that the enemy's commander has been replaced?"

Li Batian blinked, looking completely innocent: "I'm not sure? I just think that the opposing team's commander has changed."

His tone was as relaxed as if he were discussing dinner: "Although our enemies are still the same Northern Di cavalry, the feeling they give off is clearly different."

He casually picked up a withered leaf from the ground, rubbed it between his fingers, and crushed it into pieces.

"Feeling?" Zhao Wenguang was speechless, and the veins on his forehead were faintly visible.

After this guy said that the Northern Barbarians had changed their commander, Zhao Wenguang had already considered seventeen or eighteen reasons in his mind.

So, this guy was just having a feeling? Zhao Wenguang took a deep breath, the autumn wind carrying the scent of distant cooking smoke.

He suddenly realized that his nervousness and anticipation just now were a joke.

The feeling that Li Batian described was actually something Zhao Wenguang also experienced.

Although this is his first time serving as head coach, he certainly has a lot of experience leading troops.

However, he is a meticulous person and doesn't want to jump to conclusions based on some feelings.

Chu Shizhao laughed heartily at this moment, startling the sparrows resting on the crenellations of the city wall: "Batian is right, I feel the same way. Today, the Northern Di cavalry attacked in an orderly manner, but compared with yesterday, they were obviously much more impatient and restless."

As he spoke, he used his toe to pick up a blood-stained fallen leaf from the ground, the leaf gleaming with an eerie red light in the sunlight.

“Most importantly, when the enemy retreated just now, they were clearly hesitant, obviously unwilling to retreat.” Chu Shizhao’s gaze turned to the distance, where several Northern Di cavalrymen were dragging the corpses of their comrades, their movements so rough that they did not resemble well-trained elite troops.

The same words, spoken by Chu Shizhao, sounded far more convincing than those spoken by Li Tianba.

Zhao Wenguang and Huo Qinghuang nodded at the same time. Huo Qinghuang's spear paused slightly on the bluestone slab, as if she was agreeing with Chu Shizhao's words.

Chu Shizhao smiled and continued, "And most importantly, the general who fought against us yesterday was an extremely shrewd fellow."

“Once he realizes things are going badly, he doesn’t even care about the lives of his own people and launches indiscriminate attacks on us, all in order to seize the initiative on the battlefield from us.” Chu Shizhao’s voice lowered.

"Moreover, when he realized that the situation was not right and that continuing the attack might result in greater losses, his retreat was extremely decisive, and he did not linger in battle at all."

Listening to Chu Shizhao's analysis, Zhao Wenguang's mind was filled with images of what had happened on the battlefield.

Just as His Highness said, the enemy general was so ruthless it sent chills down one's spine. Zhao Wenguang unconsciously touched the back of his neck; the hairs there still stood on end when he thought about it.

Once they discovered that the enemy was at a disadvantage in the battle, they disregarded the fact that their own men were still fighting them and immediately ordered a rain of arrows to cover them indiscriminately.

He can still recall the desperate yet resentful look in the eyes of those black-armored cavalrymen as they were pinned to the city wall by a hail of arrows from their own men.

But today, the situation is completely different.

Except when they began their attack and during their retreat, they used a rain of arrows to suppress the enemy.

That indiscriminate attack never occurred. Today, when the Northern Barbarians retreated, there were even personnel specifically responsible for protecting the wounded and sick.

Everything suggests that the enemy's commander is clearly not the same person as yesterday.

"Changing generals in the middle of battle is a major taboo. Those Northern Di fellows don't even understand such a simple principle." A disdainful smile appeared on Zhao Wenguang's lips.

The Northern Di cavalry attacking the city today is the best proof of this statement. While they may appear unchanged, their morale has already completely collapsed.

During the enemy's charge today, the Northern Di cavalry's coordination clearly faltered in several ways.

That's why they didn't find it so difficult to defend.

Although the battle had been going on for just over an hour, the city walls were already on the verge of collapse. This was because the soldiers of Xueyuan Pass had suffered heavy losses in the previous two days of fighting.

Moreover, both catapults and ballistae are running out of ammunition, greatly reducing the frequency of attacks. The specially polished round stones for catapults have long been exhausted, and now they are using broken city walls or collapsed house walls.

In short, use whatever you have.

Chu Shizhao was not as optimistic as Zhao Wenguang. Instead, he sighed and said in a particularly heavy voice, "Perhaps in the eyes of the Northern Di's higher-ups, it doesn't really matter who the commander-in-chief is."

"With such a formidable army, as long as the commander-in-chief isn't an idiot, no matter what kind of enemy they are, they can crush them with the sheer strength of the army itself."

Zhao Wenguang's smile instantly froze on his face. His grip on the sword tightened involuntarily, his knuckles turning white. He said resentfully, "Your Highness, shouldn't we refrain from boosting others' morale and diminishing our own at a time like this?"

His voice carried a hint of grievance, like a student being scolded by a teacher.

Chu Shizhao said calmly, "It's just stating a fact."

"Ordinary soldiers may not understand the disparity in strength between our two sides. But as the commander-in-chief, you must keep a clear head."

"We must truly understand the extent of the difference in strength between ourselves and the enemy." Chu Shizhao's voice was deep and firm, like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart.

Not only Zhao Wenguang, but even Huo Qinghuang and Li Batian couldn't help but become serious and listen carefully.

"Only in this way can we avoid unrealistic fantasies when making decisions and understand the consequences of each decision we make."

"For example, right now, the enemy has indeed committed a major taboo."

"Changing commanders in the middle of battle is an absolute disaster for any army, and it is certainly the same for the Northern Di cavalry." The autumn wind carried the distant neighing of warhorses, mixed with the shouts of Northern Di officers.

"But the Northern Di cavalry are different from other soldiers; they have been specially trained by the Dark Night Cult."

"Even though the sudden change of commander caused unrest and affected combat effectiveness, the strong individual strength of the personnel meant that the impact was clearly within a tolerable range."

"Today's battle is the best example." Chu Shizhao looked down from the city wall. The raging flames were beginning to show signs of weakening.

The Northern Di cavalry in the distance have begun to regroup and are ready to attack at any time.

The warhorses trotted nervously on the ladders, and the riders patiently reassured them. Various damaged siege weapons, after simple repairs, were also pushed to the front lines.

“We must not underestimate such an enemy, do you understand?” Chu Shizhao turned to look at Zhao Wenguang, his eyes blazing.

Zhao Wenguang looked ashamed. He knelt on one knee, the clanging of his armor making a crisp sound. "Your Highness, I'm sorry I've disappointed you."

His voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from deep self-reproach. His Highness trusted him so much, yet he had only disappointed him time and time again.

Chu Shizhao did not blame Zhao Wenguang too much: "No one is born with knowledge; experience is something that is accumulated little by little."

"I only hope that you can remember this lesson and not repeat this mistake in the future." Chu Shizhao said, tapping lightly on the crenellations of the city wall with his fingertips. The arrows stuck in the city wall had all been burned away by the fire, leaving only pits with embedded arrowheads.

The main reason he was so meticulous in teaching Zhao Wenguang was, of course, that he hoped the boy could grow up quickly and become independent as soon as possible.

Beneath the walls of Xueyuan Pass, the raging fire finally consumed everything and began to gradually die down.

Wisps of smoke rose from the scorched earth, carrying with them a nauseating, burnt smell.

From somewhere, several bold rats appeared, afraid of the scorching heat of the flames but too greedy to leave, seemingly waiting for the flames to die down so they could have a good meal.

Boom boom boom!
It was as if war drums were beating in people's hearts, and the sound waves shook the stones on the city wall, causing them to fall in a rustling sound.

Urged on by the war drums, the Northern Di cavalry began their march towards Xueyuan Pass. Their iron hooves trampled the scorched earth, raising clouds of black ash.

The subway rider wasn't going fast; he was clearly waiting for the flames to completely extinguish.

The warhorse snorted restlessly, its iron hooves leaving deep marks on the scorching ground.

At the same time, rows of Northern Di archers drew their bows and began their unique barrage of arrows. The humming of the vibrating bowstrings blended together, like the whisper of death.

Chu Shizhao patted the city wall, kicking up a lot of black ash. He clearly hadn't expected this turn of events, and was immediately choked, letting out a series of coughs.

Black ash clung to his face, mixing with sweat to form streaks of dirt: "Cough cough, the enemy has begun their attack. Prepare to defend immediately."

His voice was a little hoarse, but still firm and strong.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, this time I will absolutely not let the Northern Di people get close to the city walls easily." Zhao Wenguang secretly vowed that he would not disappoint His Highness this time.

Huo Qinghuang, who was on her way to oversee defense elsewhere, brushed past Zhao Wenguang and said, whether to herself or to him, "The young master values ​​you so much, so don't disappoint him."

Her voice was soft, yet it struck Zhao Wenguang's heart like a heavy hammer.

Just as Zhao Wenguang was about to speak, Huo Qinghuang had already walked far away, and all that could be seen was her cloak fluttering in the wind, her shadow blending into the bloodstains on the city wall.

For the soldiers of Xueyuan Pass, dodging the Northern Di's arrow rain that was like a dark cloud had become a routine matter.

They clung tightly to the city wall, trying their best to shrink themselves down.

Everyone skillfully sought cover, while remaining ready to counterattack at any moment.

A more important reason was that nearly half of the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass had been killed. The vacated space gave the survivors more room to maneuver. What was originally a space for two or three people to hide in now only had room for one.

Under the cover of a hail of arrows, the Northern Di cavalry swiftly approached the city walls. Their siege ladders gleamed coldly in the twilight, like venomous snakes creeping towards the walls.

At that moment, the catapults hiding behind the city wall launched the first attack.

The catapults started up one after another, hurling a large amount of bricks. These bricks were brought over by Wei Bing, who had instructed Chu Shizhao to dismantle the original wall of the General's Mansion.

The original general of Xueyuan Pass, Zhu Mingyuan, came from a prominent family. This residence was built after he took office. The walls of the residence were constructed using the finest stone bricks.

The exquisite carvings on the bricks now seem like the most ironic decorations.

Now, all these carefully prepared stone bricks have been transformed into powerful weapons for defending the city.

Dozens of stone bricks were split in half and launched by a catapult. After flying into the air, they quickly scattered into a large area.

The stone bricks fell like raindrops, causing screams of agony among the Northern Di army.

(End of this chapter)