The female prisoner was fierce

The bloody battle has only just begun!!

On Zhao Daniu's side.

He wiped the blood from his face; the cut on his arm stung, but he still gripped the extended ring-pommel sword tightly in his hand.

At that moment, another Northern Di soldier climbed over the crenellations in front of him.

The Northern Di soldier, his face covered in blood, a curved knife clenched in his mouth, his eyes fierce like a hungry wolf, swung his knife at Zhao Daniu's neck as soon as he stepped onto the city wall.

"Go to hell!"

Zhao Daniu dodged to the side, then swung his sword backhand, piercing the Northern Di soldier's ribs with his ring-pommel sword, the tip of the blade protruding from the other side.

"ah!!"

The Northern Di soldier immediately let out a beast-like scream and went limp.

Zhao Daniu raised his right foot and kicked him off the city wall. He was panting heavily, but his fighting spirit was even stronger.

But two more people around him also fell down.

One of them had his throat slit by a scimitar, and he collapsed to the ground clutching his throat, blood gushing from between his fingers.

The other one was grabbed by a Northern Di soldier who had climbed up, and the two of them fell off the city wall together with a dull thud, and then there was no more movement.

"Those damned barbarian bastards from the North!!"

Zhao Daniu cursed with red eyes, then picked up his knife and stood guard at the edge of the battlement.

Below the city, the Northern Di soldiers were still surging upwards.

The torchlight illuminated their faces, revealing their狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) expressions. They howled and climbed up the ladder, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

The logs came crashing down, and then new ladders were put up.

The golden liquid was poured down, and the people behind continued to charge, shields in hand.

On the city wall, the soldiers of the Xiao family army were also going all out.

The spearmen stood guard behind the crenellations, and whenever a Northern Di soldier popped his head out, they would poke him down; for every one they stabbed down, two more would pop out.

The swordsmen and axemen clashed with the charging Northern Di soldiers on the city wall, each blow drawing blood and each move a life-or-death struggle.

Next to Zhao Daniu, a new recruit held a spear, his hand trembling.

"Stop shaking!!"

Zhao Daniu roared:

"Just stab it in the head! The more you stab, the less afraid you'll be!"

"yes!"

The new recruit gritted his teeth, thrust his spear forward, and pierced the chest of a Northern Di soldier, splattering blood all over his face.

He froze for a moment, then his eyes turned red, and he thrust out a second spear.

Zhao Daniu grinned:

"Yes! That's exactly what we'll do!"

But the next second, a cold arrow shot up from below the city and hit the recruit right in the eye socket.

Before the recruits could even scream, they fell backward.

Zhao Daniu's smile froze.

He glanced down at the recruit's corpse, his teeth grinding together.

"Damn it!!"

Then he quickly turned around and continued slashing with his knife.

There's no time for sadness on the battlefield!

……

Below the city, the Northern Di soldier Amur clung to a ladder and desperately climbed upwards.

He was a veteran who had fought for over a decade and captured more than a dozen cities.

This time, I followed Hutulu Qianhu in a midnight raid, thinking we could catch the defenders off guard, but I didn't expect the Han people on the city wall to be so tenacious.

Logs came crashing down from above with a thunderous roar.

Amur pressed his body tightly against the ladder. A log rolled past his back, knocking down two brothers below. The screams of agony sent chills down his spine.

"Don't stop! Keep climbing, you bastard!!"

The centurion below roared.

Amur gritted his teeth and continued climbing. When he was still more than ten feet away from the top of the crenellation, a stream of scalding hot liquid poured down from behind it.

"ah!!"

A soldier on a nearby ladder was drenched, screaming as he fell to the ground, white smoke billowing from his face and neck.

Taking advantage of the opening, Amur suddenly darted up, grabbed the edge of the crenellation, and jumped onto the city wall.

The moment his foot touched the ground, a blade flashed and slashed towards him.

Amur instinctively raised his knife to block, and with a clang, the impact made his hand go numb.

Blocking him was a Han Chinese soldier as tall as a black tower.

He was half-naked, covered in blood, and the ring-pommel sword in his hand was much longer than an ordinary sword.

It was none other than Zhao Daniu!!

Amur had no time to think and swung his knife to fight back.

The two exchanged three or four blows on the city wall, their swords clashing and sparks flying.

Amur was experienced and skilled with his knife, slashing towards Zhao Daniu's abdomen.

Zhao Daniu dodged to the side, but the blade sliced ​​through his cotton-padded coat, leaving a bloody gash on his stomach.

But Zhao Daniu didn't back down at all. He took the blow head-on and swung his ring-pommel sword from bottom to top, slashing into Amur's left waist. The blade severed his ribs and went all the way to the hilt.

Amur's eyes widened, blood gushed from his mouth, and the scimitar in his hand clattered to the ground.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only gurgling sounds came from his throat before he collapsed onto the city wall.

Zhao Daniu drew his knife, didn't even glance at him, and lunged at the next barricade.

Amur lay on the cold city bricks, his vision gradually blurring.

The night sky overhead was illuminated red by the firelight.

The shouts of the Han people, the screams of the Northern Di people, and the clash of weapons were all mixed together.

Finally, consciousness faded, and the person lay dead on the spot!

……

Outside the city, inside the main tent of the Northern Di army.

Yelü Deguang sat behind his desk, looking at military maps with a very serious expression.

Outside the tent, shouts of battle could be faintly heard from the direction of the north gate, and the firelight flickered on the tent.

Just then, a messenger rushed into the tent and knelt on one knee:

"Report! Commander Hutulu's siege is stalled. The city walls are too sturdy; the ladders slip when they're put up. The defenders on the walls are using rolling logs and molten metal to hold out. Brothers, we've been attacking for almost an hour, suffering heavy losses, and we still haven't broken through!"

Yelü Deguang didn't even lift his eyelids.

"understood."

The messenger withdrew.

Deputy General Yelü Dor stood to the side, frowning, and said:

"General, Hutulu's thousand men have suffered more than half their losses. Should we send in reserves?"

"No rush."

Yelü Deguang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly:

"This is just a test."

"The simultaneous feint attacks from the north, west, and south gates are to ascertain Xiao Jianyang's troop deployment and defensive strength."

"Judging from the current situation, the defending troops on the city wall have a lot of firepower, including crossbows, divine punishment weapons, molten metal, and rolling logs."

"After the city wall was coated with that gray substance, it became indeed very sturdy, making it difficult to build siege ladders."

Yelü Dor:

"So what do we do now?"

Yelü Deguang put down his teacup, his eyes cold:

"Wait until dawn. Once it's light, the catapults will be able to see their targets clearly."

"Hutulu's probing has been enough. Order him to withdraw and rest."

"At daybreak, Batel will lead his 1,000 men to launch a main attack on the north gate, with catapults providing cover and battering rams ramming the gate."

"Arutai continues to attack the west gate, and Bochir continues to attack the south gate."

"Applying pressure from all three city gates simultaneously prevented them from attending to both ends."

"In addition, send someone to tell Tubar that the feint attack on the east gate should not stop. Although the terrain is narrow, we must make sure that the garrison does not dare to withdraw troops from the east gate."

"yes!"

Yelü Dor immediately went to relay the order.

Yelü Deguang stood up, walked out of the tent, and looked in the direction of Dongshuang County.

The firelight on the city wall was particularly striking in the night.

The sounds of battle cries drifted faintly in on the north wind.

"Xiao Jianyang".

Yelü Deguang murmured the name, a cold smile playing on his lips:

"I'd like to see how long your little county town can hold out."

……

Dawn broke quickly.

The hazy sunlight spilled in from the east, turning the snow a ghastly white.

The torches on the city wall had been extinguished, leaving only charred wooden handles and ashes scattered on the ground.

The corpses were piled up haphazardly behind the battlements, some belonging to the Northern Di soldiers and others to the Xiao family army.

The surviving soldiers leaned against the battlements, panting heavily, their breaths mingling with the smell of blood.

Zhao Daniu slumped in a pool of blood, his ring-pommel sword lying across his knees, the blade chipped and covered in dried blood.

His cotton-padded coat was slashed in several places, revealing the cotton inside, which was stained dark red with blood.

The knife wound on his arm was stitched up by Chu Yiran and the female soldiers from the medical team, who then wrapped it in burlap. He grimaced in pain.

"Damn it, these northern barbarians are really good at fighting."

He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his voice terribly hoarse.

The few surviving brothers nearby were all wounded, but none of them went down into the city.

Because everyone knows that the Northern Di people will definitely come again.

Sure enough, not long after, a deep horn sounded outside the city.

Ugh!

Zhao Daniu jumped up with a start and peered out from the edge of the barricade.

Inside the Northern Barbarian camp, squads of soldiers were arrayed in formation.

Unlike the wave that arrived in the middle of the night, this time the formation was much more orderly.

At the very front were more than ten catapults, which had been pushed to the front of the battle line, and the soldiers operating the catapults were adjusting their angles.

Behind them were infantrymen carrying ladders, and three huge battering rams.

The front of the battering rig was covered with sheet metal, which gleamed coldly in the morning light.

Behind them came a dark mass of archers, carrying scimitars and quivers.

"They're here!"

Zhao Daniu's pupils contracted, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The Northern barbarians are here again! Get up! Prepare for battle!"

On the city wall, the soldiers, who were originally exhausted, sprang to their feet, grabbed their weapons, and took their positions.

The wounded also struggled to their feet, and those who could still move stayed behind the battlements.

Xiao Jianyang stood at the highest point of the city wall, holding a telescope in his hand, looking at the Northern Di army formation below the city.

Ten miles away, Yelü Deguang's command flag had already been raised.

Under the general's banner, a high platform was being built; it was Yelü Deguang's command post.

"Catapults, battering rams."

Xiao Jianyang lowered his binoculars and looked at the white corridor beside him:

"Order all soldiers to take cover. When the catapults come down, hide behind the crenellations."

"When the battering ram gets close to the city gate, use Heavenly Punishment to blow it up and burn it with oil cans."

"Tell Defang not to use all of the grenadier's Heavenly Punishment at once; use it sparingly."

"yes!!"

Bai Huatong immediately went to relay the order.

Not long after, a signal cannon sounded from the Northern Di army formation outside the city.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen catapults launched simultaneously.

Huge stone projectiles whistled through the sky and hurtled towards the city wall.

boom!!

A stone hit the edge of the crenellation, sending shards flying. A soldier, unable to dodge in time, was struck in the face by a piece of shard and fell to the ground screaming in pain.

boom!

Boom! Boom!

More stones continued to fly in, slamming into the city walls, the city walls, and the houses inside the city.

Broken bricks flew everywhere, and dust billowed up!

Zhao Daniu huddled behind the crenellation, as stone projectiles whistled past his head and crashed into the street behind him with a loud bang, creating a large crater.

"Damn it, these northern barbarians, I really want to hide from you all!"

He cursed and gripped the ring-pommel sword even tighter.

The catapults bombarded the city for a full quarter of an hour, collapsing more than a dozen sections of the city wall's crenellations and causing many houses inside the city to collapse.

However, the soldiers of Xiao's army hid behind the crenellations and fortifications of the city wall, so their casualties were not too great.

As soon as the catapults stopped, the Northern Di infantry moved.

Commander Batel, riding a yellow horse, drew his scimitar and pointed it towards the city wall:

"Charge! Flatten Dongshuang County! Slaughter all the Han people!!"

"Charge!!"

"Kill them!!"

Immediately, thousands of Northern Di infantrymen, carrying ladders and pushing battering rams, charged toward the city wall with roars.

Archers followed behind, firing arrows as they ran, a rain of arrows pouring down on the city walls.

On the city wall, the archers of the Xiao family army immediately returned fire.

Bai Huatong raised his knife and roared:

"Release the arrows!!"

Whoosh! !

The dull thud of the crossbow strings mingled with the whistling of ordinary arrows piercing the air as a rain of arrows poured down from the city walls.

As the Northern Di soldiers charged down the city walls, many fell, wounded by arrows, but those behind them continued their charge, stepping over the corpses.

The battering ram rumbled toward the city gate, its wheels grinding through the snow and corpses with a dull thud.

One siege ladder after another was erected on the city wall, and the Northern Di soldiers climbed up like ants.

"Divine punishment! Throw it!!"

Defang gave the order.

The grenadier lit the fuse, and the clay pots of divine punishment hurled towards the densest area of ​​battering rams and ladders.

Rumble!!

Flames exploded below the city, billowing black smoke.

A battering ram was hit squarely by the divine punishment, splinters flew everywhere, and the Northern Di soldiers pushing the ram were blown to pieces. The battering ram came to a wobbly stop halfway.

But the other two battering rams continued to advance toward the city gate.

"Put down the logs!!"

Lin Qingxue was in charge of the defense of the west gate, and she calmly gave orders.

The soldiers lifted the thick logs and hurled them down the ladder.

With a deafening roar, the Northern Di soldiers climbing the ladders screamed and fell to the ground.

This time, however, the Northern Di soldiers were even smarter.

They installed iron hooks at the top of the ladder, making it difficult to push away once it hooked onto the edge of the crenellation.

Moreover, the catapults continued to fire, and the stones pounded on the city walls, making it impossible for the defenders to raise their heads.

One ladder was knocked over, and two more were put up next to it.

The battering ram finally reached the north gate, and the Northern Di soldiers, hiding under the iron roof of the battering ram, began to ram the city gate with giant logs.

boom!

Boom! !

The dull thud felt like it was striking everyone's heart.

The city gates were shaking, and the bolts were making a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

"The city gate!"

Bai Huatong's expression changed, and he roared:

"Quickly! Block the city gate! Use stone slabs! Move the stone slabs over here!"

The soldiers hurriedly lifted the prepared stone blocks and piled them up behind the city gate.

But the impact outside continued, and cracks appeared in the city gate panels.

"Divine punishment! Throw it at the city gate!"

Xiao Jianyang stood on the city wall and calmly gave the order.

Defang personally lit a Heavenly Punishment, leaned out halfway, and threw it down at the battering ram below the city gate.

The earthenware pot traced an arc and struck the roof of the car squarely.

boom!!

The iron roof of the battering ram was blown open, and a number of the Northern Di soldiers pushing the ram underneath were knocked down.

But the remaining Northern Di soldiers immediately stepped in and continued to ram the door.

Just then, a Northern Di soldier climbed over the crenellations and slashed down an archer with his sword.

Immediately afterwards, a second, a third, and more and more Northern Di soldiers surged onto the city walls.

"Plug the breach!!"

Bai Huatong roared and charged forward with his knife.

The battle on the city wall instantly intensified.

The soldiers of both sides clashed fiercely on the narrow city walls, each blow drawing blood and each move a life-or-death struggle.

Zhao Daniu stood guard at the edge of the battlements and cut down two Northern Di soldiers who charged at him. But a third Northern Di soldier pounced from the side and slashed him in the back.

The cotton-padded coat was slashed open, exposing the skin and flesh inside, and blood instantly stained the back red.

Zhao Daniu grunted, swung his sword back, and chopped off half of the Northern Di soldier's head.

He staggered a step, knelt on one knee, and gasped for breath, leaning on his knife.

"Great guy!"

An old soldier nearby tried to help him up.

"Don't worry about me! Guard the battlements!"

Zhao Daniu roared, struggled to his feet, and stood guard behind the barricade again.

On the city wall, there were many soldiers like Zhao Daniu.

Despite his injuries, he gritted his teeth and refused to back down, even in the face of death.

Because they knew that the people of the city were behind them.

Their wives, children, and parents all live in the city.

If the Northern Barbarians breach the city, no one will survive.

……

The battle is becoming increasingly fierce.

The north, west, and south gates were attacked simultaneously from three directions.

Xiao Jianyang stood on the north gate tower, holding a telescope in his hand, constantly observing the battlefield situation and issuing orders.

"Ximen is under great pressure. Send Princess Wanyan's Jurchen cavalry to reinforce the city!"

"The catapults at the south gate are firing the most fiercely. Have the laborers send more sandbags up to reinforce the crenellations!"

"The battering ram at the north gate is still ramming it. Bring in two more cans of Heavenly Punishment; we must blow it up!"

The messengers ran back and forth, passing on orders one after another.

Xiao Jianyang's face was expressionless, but the fingers holding the telescope turned slightly white.

Yelü Deguang was indeed a ruthless character.

The three city gates were attacked simultaneously, with catapults, battering rams, and siege ladders working in perfect coordination.

The defending troops are under immense pressure.

But he cannot back down.

Just then, a rapid gong sound came from the direction of the south gate.

That was a signal that the city gates were under attack.

"Report! My lord! The south gate has been breached! Bochir's troops have stormed the city walls!"

A messenger covered in blood scrambled over.

Xiao Jianyang's pupils contracted:

"Li Tiezhu! Take your men and follow me to the South Gate!"

"yes!"

Li Tiezhu immediately led the reserve team and followed Xiao Jianyang towards the south gate.

The situation on the south gate was indeed critical.

The defenders on the city wall had suffered more than half their casualties, and those who survived were all wounded, fighting desperately against the advancing Northern Di soldiers.

Thirty or forty Northern Di soldiers had already surged onto the city wall and firmly occupied the section of the wall that was only a dozen steps wide.

When Xiao Jianyang arrived, he saw Bo Chier, the general guarding the south gate, personally climbing onto the city wall.

Bochir was a burly man with a full beard, carrying a machete. With one swing, he cleaved a soldier of the Xiao family army in two.

"Kill! Kill all the Han people!"

Bochir roared and cut down another soldier.

Just then, a cold light came rushing towards us.

Bochir instinctively raised his axe to block.

clang!!

Sparks flew everywhere!!

Xiao Jianyang held an official's knife, the blade pressing against the axe handle, the two facing each other three steps apart.

Bochir paused for a moment, then grinned maliciously:

"So you're Xiao Jianyang? Very well, I'll chop off your head and collect my reward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he exerted his strength and swung the axe horizontally with great force.

Xiao Jianyang calmly dodged to the side, and his official knife slashed towards Bochier's wrist.

Bochir withdrew his axe and parried, and the two fought fiercely on the south gate of the city wall, exchanging blows with their swords and axes.

Bochir's axe technique was fierce and domineering, each strike accompanied by the sound of wind breaking and flying stones.

Xiao Jianyang's swordsmanship was even more fierce and swift, with flashing blades and every move aimed at vital points.

After exchanging blows for more than a dozen rounds, Bochir became increasingly alarmed.

This young Han Chinese man, despite his young age, possesses such seasoned and skillful swordsmanship.

Before he knew it, Xiao Jianyang's blade had already grazed his left arm, tearing open the leather armor and spurting out blood.

Bochir grunted and took two steps back.

Just then, Li Tiezhu arrived with his reserve team.

Hundreds of fresh troops surged onto the city wall, instantly pushing back the advancing Northern Di soldiers.

Seeing that things were not going well, Bochir jumped down from the top of the rampart and slid down the ladder.

Xiao Jianyang sheathed his sword and glanced at the situation on the city wall.

Most of the Northern Di soldiers who charged forward were killed, and the rest either jumped off the city walls or were cut down.

The gap at the south gate has been temporarily blocked.

But on the city walls, corpses lay strewn everywhere.

Of the three hundred soldiers guarding the south gate, fewer than one hundred survived.

"Carry the wounded down, and send more laborers up to replace them."

Xiao Jianyang quickly descended.

"Yes, Lord Xiao!"

Li Tiezhu immediately carried out the order, and the battle continued!

The battle raged from dawn until noon.

The attacks from the Northern Di soldiers came in waves, one after another.

Yelü Deguang stood on the command platform, watching the battle situation on the city wall, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

After fighting for half a day, with three city gates under constant attack, they still haven't been breached.

The Han Chinese defenders on the city wall were more tenacious than he had expected.

"Report! Batel has suffered over half his losses, requesting reinforcements!"

"Report! Arughtai's battering ram has been destroyed, and the siege has stalled!"

"Report! Commander Bochir is wounded; the offensive at the south gate has been forced to halt!"

One messenger after another ran up.

Yelü Deguang's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

An army of 10,000 men attacked a small county town defended by a few thousand people, and after fighting for half a day, they still hadn't taken it.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

He slammed his hand on the railing, his face contorted with rage.

Yelü Dor, standing beside him, said cautiously:

"General, the defenders' firearms and crossbows are too powerful, and the city walls are too strong. Our men have suffered heavy casualties. How about... we rest and attack again this afternoon?"

"Take a break?"

Yelü Deguang sneered, his eyes fierce:

"Give the order! Huturu, Batel, and Bochir, all three thousand-man squads, advance! Launch a full-scale attack on all three city gates simultaneously!"

"Of the 5,500-strong reserve force, 3,000 will be drawn and assigned to the three city gates!"

"This general wants to see if Xiao Jianyang's men are made of iron!"

Yelü Dor's expression changed:

"General, this means the camp will only have a little over two thousand men left..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Yelü Deguang said coldly:

"Xiao Jianyang is currently pinned down in the city and being beaten by us. Does he still dare to launch a sneak attack outside the city?"

"Execute the command!"

"yes!"

Soon, the bugle call sounded again in the Northern Barbarian camp.

This time, the bugle call was more urgent and deeper than before.

The remnants of three thousand-man squads, plus three newly drawn reserves, totaling nearly five thousand men, pressed towards Dongshuang County from three directions simultaneously.

The catapults were all brought up, and stones rained down on the city wall.

On the city wall, Xiao Jianyang immediately sensed that something was wrong.

The Northern Di army's offensive was more than twice as fierce as before.

All three city gates are under attack simultaneously!