Love Lock

Chapter 316 Is he really a person?

The soldiers of Dajing, watching from the city walls, were filled with rage.

Marshal Li Jianyong watched as his comrades were driven toward the city wall. He wanted to order the arrows to be fired, but he hesitated to make up his mind.

The prisoners of war from Dajing were sent to the front of the column as the "vanguard." The soldiers guarding the city could not throw logs at them, nor could they shoot arrows at them.

No matter what method they used to attack the Eastern Ming Empire's army, the first to suffer were always the prisoners of the Great Jing Empire. General Li Jianyong was caught in a dilemma.

On the city wall, the soldiers of the Great Jing Dynasty breathed heavily and hotly.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on the staggering figures below, those compatriots who had once shared meals and slept in the same tents with them, beneath their tattered armor.

Some people dug their fingernails deep into their palms, and blood slowly flowed down the cracks in the city wall bricks without them even realizing it.

"Marshal!" the lieutenant cried hoarsely, almost pleading, "They're within crossbow range!"

Marshal Li Jianyong's right hand was still suspended in mid-air, and his once steady hand was now trembling violently.

He closed his eyes, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he were fighting an invisible enemy.

In that moment of deathly silence, a hoarse yet remarkably clear voice suddenly erupted from below the city.

"Don't fire the arrows! We're on the same side!"

The shout was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples on the city wall.

The soldiers craned their necks, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.

"Look there!" A sharp-eyed young soldier suddenly pointed to the disheveled, ragged man at the very front of the prisoner-of-war line. "That's...that looks like Marshal Lu!"

These words resounded like a thunderclap atop the city walls.

Li Jianyong suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze shooting towards the figure like lightning.

Although the man's face was covered in blood and his left eye was so swollen that he could hardly open it, the familiar silhouette and the voice that shouted to stop them from firing arrows even in such a situation could only belong to Lu Chengyun, the garrison commander of Dongguan.
"It really is Marshal Lu!" A collective gasp rippled through the soldiers.

Some people had already subconsciously loosened the fully drawn bowstring, and the arrows fell limply off the city wall.

Li Jianyong felt a sudden dizziness and had to reach out to hold onto the city wall to steady himself.

Lu Chengyun was not only the Marshal of Dongguan, but also the symbol of the spirit of the Great Jing army. Now, this symbol is being driven like livestock by the enemy towards the city walls he was guarding—how ironic and cruel!

"Dongming Kingdom, you have such a vicious scheme." The old marshal squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his gaze passing over the pitiful prisoners and shooting straight at the dazzling commander's flag in the distant Dongming army formation.

In the Dongming army formation, Dongfang Jiming stroked the mane of his warhorse with a smug look, then turned to Murong Tai and laughed, "How was it? Was my performance entertaining enough?"

Murong Tai, expressionless, watched the commotion on the distant city wall and said coldly, "The Grand Commander's plan is indeed brilliant, shaking the enemy's morale without losing a single soldier. However..."

As he spoke, Murong Tai glanced at him with a look of utter contempt and disdain.

He had intended to use these prisoners to negotiate with Da Jing in exchange for the city of Dongguan.

Now, Dongfang Jiming is actually using these prisoners to launch a counterattack against Dajing. While this method is certainly good, as it reduces the casualties of the Dongming army, it has also changed his opinion of Dongfang Jiming's character.

On this continent, wars often break out between nations, but in the history of this continent, no country has ever used such insidious and immoral tactics, not even the warlike steppe nations.

He even doubted whether the alluring-looking man in front of him was a human being.
"Just what?" Dongfang Jiming raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm too cruel?"

Murong Tai was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "War is inherently cruel. I was just thinking that if we treat the prisoners of the Great Jing like this today, what will happen if any of our soldiers are captured in the future..."

Dongfang Jiming laughed heartily, interrupting him: "General Murong, you are overthinking it! The victor is king, the loser is a bandit. Once we capture Dongguan and march straight to the capital of Dajing, who will dare to utter a single word of dissent?"

He waved his hand sharply, "General Murong, give the order! The entire army will advance and, taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, will break through the city in one fell swoop!"

Murong Tai sighed. Since the situation was already set in stone, he had no choice but to give the order.

The war drums suddenly became rapid and violent, and the elite troops of the Eastern Ming Empire began to advance, like a slowly closing iron clamp, trapping the poor prisoners in the middle and forcing them toward the city wall.

Below the city walls, Lu Chengyun trembled uncontrollably with fear. He struggled to lift his head and peer at the city walls through his blurred vision.

He saw Li Jianyong's gray hair trembling in the wind, and he saw the struggle and pain on the faces of the soldiers guarding the city.

For some reason, seeing the plight of his own soldiers and witnessing himself, a marshal, being treated like livestock by the enemy, suddenly stirred his masculine spirit, and a surge of passion welled up in his heart.

He was also aware of his current situation. Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well die a glorious death!

"Brothers!" he suddenly shouted with all his might, his voice hoarse yet powerful, "Don't worry about us! Fire arrows! Throw stones! We must not let the Dongming traitors succeed!"

These words were like a drop of water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar among the prisoners. Some looked at him in terror, while others saw their eyes reignite with fire.

"Marshal Lu is right!" a veteran with a missing arm shouted in agreement. "We're going to die anyway, we can't be sinners against the Great Jing!"

"Fight them!" Several prisoners suddenly turned around and lunged at the nearest Dongming supervisory team soldiers with their broken weapons.

Heart-wrenching screams rang out as the supervising officers mercilessly slashed down the prisoners who dared to resist with their long swords.

But this sudden resistance spread like wildfire among the prisoners.

On the city wall, the soldiers of the Great Jing were filled with excitement, and many of them could not wait to draw their bows, just waiting for the marshal's order.

Li Jianyong was experiencing an unprecedented torment. On one side was the tragic plight of his compatriots below the city walls and Lu Chengyun's resolute gaze; on the other side was the safety of tens of thousands of people in Dongguan behind him.

The old marshal's gaze swept over the young and passionate faces of every soldier around him; they were all waiting for his decision.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
An arrow flew from nowhere and struck Lu Chengyun squarely in the shoulder. He staggered a step but stubbornly stood firm, and took the opportunity to snatch a long sword from a nearby supervising soldier.

"Great Jing warriors!" Lu Chengyun, covered in blood, stood firm like a war god, his voice resounding across the battlefield, "Though we die today, our souls return to our homeland! You are guarding your parents, wives, and children, guarding the mountains and rivers of Great Jing! Fire!"

The last two words were like a thunderbolt, shattering the fog in Li Jianyong's mind. A resolute light suddenly flashed in the old marshal's eyes, and his trembling hand finally swung down steadily.

"Ballista, prepare!" Li Jianyong's voice boomed like a great bell, echoing across the city walls. "Aim at the enemy's rear! Archers, listen up, launch a barrage! Logs and stones, get ready!"

As orders were passed down, the appearance of the vanguard stimulated the Jing army on the city wall. Like a sleeping lion suddenly awakening, their morale did not collapse, but instead showed amazing efficiency and fighting spirit.

“But Marshal…” A young general looked at the prisoners below the city who had begun fighting with the supervising troops, his face showing reluctance. Li Jianyong grabbed his shoulder, his fingers as hard as iron: “Remember, every decision we make today concerns the survival of Dongguan. Marshal Lu and those righteous men chose to sacrifice themselves to buy us a chance to win the battle; we cannot let their sacrifice go to waste!”

The old marshal turned to face the entire army, his voice like thunder rolling across the city walls.

"Brothers! Today we have witnessed the cruelty of war, and we have also witnessed the integrity of our Great Jing soldiers! Our compatriots are below the city walls, and they are risking their lives to create opportunities for us! We will use the blood of the Dongming dogs to commemorate their heroic souls!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers on the city wall roared furiously, their eyes bloodshot.

Just then, Lu Chengyun organized a force of several hundred men below the city. They seized weapons and engaged in a fierce battle with the supervising troops, creating precious preparation time for the defenders on the city walls.

"Release!" Li Jianyong's command was like a thunderbolt.

Dozens of crossbow carts fired simultaneously, and specially made heavy crossbow bolts whistled through the chaotic battle below the city, heading straight for the rear of the Dongming army.

At the same time, the archers unleashed a rain of arrows at a 45-degree angle, which, like dark clouds, covered the sky and the main force of the advancing Dongming army as they fell.

The Dongming army clearly did not expect the defenders to counterattack so decisively, and the vanguard was immediately thrown into chaos.

"Good!" Dongfang Jiming, who had seen it clearly from afar, laughed instead of getting angry. "This is more interesting! Send the order: cavalry to flank from both sides, and siege engines to advance!"

The real bloody siege battle has begun.

The Dongming army surged toward the city walls like a tidal wave, showing no mercy to the "vanguard" prisoners of Dajing, brandishing their standard scimitars and killing anyone they saw.

The siege ladders were erected time and again, only to be toppled time and again. Boiling oil poured down from the city walls, followed by the lighting of torches, turning the area below the walls into a sea of ​​fire.

Screams, shouts of battle, and the clash of weapons mingled together, creating a brutal symphony of war.

Lu Chengyun's prisoner contingent gradually shrank in the melee, but they successfully disrupted the Eastern Ming army's formation, buying precious time for the defenders.

Li Jianyong commanded with composure, sometimes personally going to dangerous spots and using his spear to knock down enemy soldiers who had climbed onto the city wall.

Although the old marshal was old, his martial arts skills were as good as ever, and every move he made was precise and deadly.

The battle lasted from morning until sunset, and the area beneath the Dongguan city walls was a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. The Dongming army's offensive finally began to weaken.

As dusk fell, the sound of retreat echoed from the Dongming camp, and the remaining troops withdrew like a tide, leaving behind only a devastated battlefield and countless blood-soaked corpses.

The soldiers on the city wall leaned wearily against the crenellations, many collapsing to the ground. The survivors looked down at their fallen comrades below, tears streaming silently down their faces.

Li Jianyong stood on the city wall, the last rays of the setting sun turning his gray hair and beard blood red.

He gazed at the smoke rising from the distant Dongming military camp, knowing that this was only the beginning.

"Marshal, Marshal Lu..." The lieutenant stepped forward and reported in a low voice, his voice choked with emotion.

Li Jianyong raised his hand to stop him, slowly closed his eyes, and opened them after a long while: "Strengthen vigilance tonight. The Dongming people won't give us much breathing room."

He glanced one last time at the blood-stained land below the city, then turned and walked towards the city tower, his shadow stretching long in the setting sun.

As night fell, countless torches were lit atop the East Gate, like indomitable eyes in the darkness, gazing intently at the menacing enemy in the distance.

Tomorrow may well be another bloody battle.

When Li Jianyong strode into the central command tent, the candlelight inside was crackling.

He was still wearing his armor, his shoulders were stained with blood that hadn't dried, and the strip of cloth wrapped around the web of his right hand was soaked with blood. His personal guards rushed forward to remove his armor, but he raised his hand to stop them.

"Bring me paper and pen." His voice was so hoarse it sounded like it was about to burst into smoke.

The guards dared not delay and quickly prepared pen and ink. Li Jianyong dipped his brush in ink three times before finishing the battle report. Before the ink was dry, he summoned a messenger.

He wanted to tell His Majesty everything that had happened here, including the "first ascent," in its entirety.

A commotion suddenly arose outside the tent.

Li Jianyong frowned and lifted the curtain to go outside. He saw exhausted soldiers and laborers on the city wall replenishing supplies for the defense. Wounded soldiers, covered in blood, were helping each other down the city wall, and several soldiers were supporting a young captain covered in blood.

The captain's left arm was only half intact, and the hastily wrapped strips of cloth were still seeping blood.

Immediately afterwards, the military doctor rushed over...

The torches were stuck in the mud, their flames flickering in the night wind, casting the young captain's distorted shadow onto the tattered tent.

The ground where the soldiers had passed was muddy and stained with dark brown grime. Broken spears and cracked shields lay half-buried in the soil, their metal parts occasionally reflecting a cold light.

A military flag lay fallen in the mud, its surface trampled and blurred, the remaining gold thread patterns shimmering faintly in the firelight.

The air was filled with the smells of smoke and blood, as well as a sweet, rusty odor that drifted on the night breeze.

The torch crackled and popped, scattering a few sparks that quickly vanished into the darkness.

The moonlight flowed silently, illuminating the haphazard shadows scattered among the tents—those were discarded armor, dulled swords, and perhaps other things, lying silently at the boundary between light and shadow.

There were no shouts, only faint groans, the whistling of the night wind through the tattered tents, and the soft crackling of burning torches.

The campsite resembled a recently abandoned ruin, solidified into a desolate and deathly silence in the interplay of moonlight and flames.

The crescent moon hung high in the sky, and wisps of smoke rose from various parts of the military camp. The cooks carried large pots through the barracks, the aroma of rice mingling with the stench of blood, creating a strange and peculiar smell.

The siege lasted a full day, allowing the army to catch its breath. On this land that had just experienced a bloody battle, a trace of human life finally rose again.

However, just as Marshal Li Jianyong had predicted, the Eastern Ming army did not give them much of a chance to catch their breath.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Dong dong dong..."

At midnight, a sharp shout and the urgent sound of war drums suddenly rang out above the city wall.

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