Chapter 47: Comrades in Arms (8)

By now, Wu Hai, the commander of the Zhuque Regiment, had turned ashen. In his view, if his troops followed his orders and moved in formation while covering each other’s backs, the “casualties” when they reached the city walls wouldn’t be too severe. But these inexperienced recruits acted on their own, breaking up the formation, leaving the troops behind to provide cover with insufficient firepower to cover such a large area!
“Idiots! A bunch of fools!”
Wu Hai was furious but had no better solution. “Pass the order—tell them to keep attacking. They must not retreat until only one person is left!”
It was now a matter of going all out; if they stopped halfway, their comrades’ sacrifices would have been in vain. Although Wu Hai didn’t know Zhang Shouyu’s thoughts, he firmly believed his commander’s decision must have its reasons. As a regimental commander, he didn’t need to overthink things—just execute his commander’s orders to the best of his ability.
The standard-bearer raised the flag high above his head and waved it vigorously forward. This symbolized an unyielding forward momentum and a resolve to face death bravely.
“Comrades, follow me!”
Qi Qingzhi, the platoon leader, glanced at the flag and understood his commander’s intent. Soldiers on the battlefield could only obey—there was no other choice! The troops had already rushed to the city walls. Under the cover of their comrades, they set up ladders and tied ropes. What should they do next? Everyone looked at their platoon leader in confusion. As a recruit who had been in the army for less than a month, siege warfare was utterly unfamiliar to them.
“Don’t think about anything. Climb up and kill them!”
Qi Qingzhi’s reply was brief yet forceful. Indeed, there was no room for hesitation on the battlefield. Climb up, kill them all—or die themselves. The cruelty of war lay in the destruction of humanity, and at such moments, any sense of morality seemed hypocritical and weak.
Seeing the recruits still hesitating, Qi Qingzhi, in a fit of anger, became the first to climb the ladder. A general must be brave; otherwise, he would be irresponsible to himself, as well as to the army and his comrades. But Qi Qingzhi had no choice—the recruits didn’t know how to attack a city at all, and someone needed to set an example for them. Without a doubt, he was the best candidate.

This angle was precisely the blind spot covered by the arrows; the lethality of the arrow rain had greatly diminished compared to distances of dozens of steps away, and the group had already overcome the first obstacle. As long as they climbed up the city wall and over the battlements, they could engage in close combat with the defenders on top. The narrow space on the wall meant the numerical advantage of the soldiers couldn’t be utilized. If they could hold out for half an incense burn time, more comrades would arrive…

But the defenders wouldn’t give them that chance. Yang Yibo, the commander of the Qinglong Regiment, shouted loudly, “Stop shooting arrows! Push the ‘rolling logs’ down. Is the ‘burning oil’ ready? When they get to five or six feet from the battlements, pour it all on them at once and set them alight!”

Yang Yibo was originally a declining noble who had secured a position in the Xingqing Palace thanks to his family’s influence. He was promoted to captain for his outstanding performance in several palace fire-fighting operations. He had come to join the Shence Army in a bid to stake his luck—hoping to build a legacy that could benefit his descendants and return to Chang’an alive to enjoy his wealth and status.

He had never been to a battlefield, nor had he defended a city before. But he knew a simple principle: the defenders must make rational use of the terrain and advantages of the city to exhaust the enemy’s combat strength as much as possible. Kill one of them, and I’m one step safer!

Sections of poplar wood made into “rolling logs” were thrown down from the battlements by the soldiers, crushing the newly arrived attackers who had climbed halfway down onto the carpets at the base of the wall.

“Ah!”

One of the recruits was climbing up another ladder following in the footsteps of his squad leader. Unexpectedly, a rolling log struck him on the shoulder. The recruit instantly lost his balance and fell backward. “Ow!”

Despite being clad in armor and protected by multiple layers of carpets, the recruit was still severely injured. He cursed the ancestors of the soldiers who threw the logs. The “killed” soldier slumped away, brushing dust off his pants in frustration.

Qi Qingzhi paid no attention at all to his comrades who had fallen from the ladder. Being distracted even for a moment could “cost his life.” Years of war experience told him that to increase his chances of survival in battle, the best approach was to charge forward without thinking. Those who feared death the most often died first; those who survived and earned military honors were usually reckless fools who disregarded their own safety. Qi Qingzhi crawled closely along the ladder like a gecko. As an experienced soldier, he knew how to protect himself better. When scaling a city wall, one had to move quickly in small steps—small steps stabilized one’s center of gravity, while quick movement allowed for more effective avoidance of threats from the defending troops. He had already climbed fifteen or sixteen feet, with just five feet left to reach the top of the wall. He could almost see fear on the faces of the defenders; he could almost see the dawn of victory.

“No!”

A bucket of boiling oil was poured down, and Qi Qingzhi roared in frustration. During sieges, soldiers feared boiling oil the most, as its coverage area was extremely wide. The defenders poured it down from above, leaving the attacking soldiers with almost no chance to dodge. Boiling oil could scorch off a layer of flesh upon contact, producing a burning smell of human flesh along with steam from the skin, which could spread for miles with the wind.

Qi Qingzhi felt an unbearable humiliation. Being defeated so close to success made him feel utterly disgraced. Although he hadn’t suffered any physical injuries in this attempt to scale the wall, such psychological trauma was often even more terrifying.

“Ah!”

“You wretched brat, wait for it…”

Curses came from around him, but Qi Qingzhi had no intention of resisting further. His spirit was broken. He leaped down onto the carpeted ground, admitting defeat at that moment.

Li Kuo led the Third New Brigade to the east side of the city. Looking at his fallen comrades, the young man sighed deeply.

“Sir, let’s attack!”

Pu Dachui’s eyes turned red as he pounded his chest, eager to fight.

“Wait a little longer.”

The young man raised his head toward the plain to the west. He was waiting for the right moment—a moment that was fleeting, but one he had to seize; there was no other choice.

“How much longer before it’s ready? Just leave a wide path for two people. The troops in the exact north can’t hold on anymore!”

Tao Cheng was pacing frantically on the slope west of the city, stamping his feet in agitation. As one of Chief Zhang’s most trusted subordinates, he knew the colonel’s tactics well. A frontal assault was nothing more than a way to draw the defenders’ attention and buy time for an attack along the horse path. In truth, it meant sacrificing the lives of entire battalions—just the thought of it made Tao Cheng’s heart ache. Though he knew it was just a drill, his military instincts made him treat every exercise as if it were real combat. Even though they had three more battalions as reserves, if he and Brother Wu Hai couldn’t capture the fortress together, relying on some half-grown kid to turn the situation around seemed like pure delusion.

“It’s almost time. Commander, the burlap sacks aren’t packed tightly enough. Should we wait a bit longer?” asked an old soldier who looked like a captain, glancing at the loose horse path.

“Wait hell! By the time we wait, the defending troops will have time to hold a victory feast. Victory or defeat depends on this move—everyone, follow me! Charge ahead and kill them all!” Tao Cheng’s eyes turned red with fury as he rushed ahead along the horse path.

“Follow the commander! Charge and wipe them out!” his bodyguards shouted in response.

“If you’re a man, don’t back down! Kill them all, and the commander will hold a victory feast for us!” At that moment, all they saw was their desire for victory—a desire as intense and terrifying as that of a drug addict seeing opium.

A hundred soldiers rushed along the narrow two-person-wide horse path. The commander had said that ahead lay easy military achievements and countless rewards. General Geshu Han had promised that whoever captured the city first would be promoted to colonel—generals never break their promises! At the thought of gaining rewards that were hard to come by even in real battles with just a slight effort, the new recruits became like hungry wolves spotting prey, their eyes glowing with greed.

“Commander, they’re coming!”

On the west side of the city wall, Yang Yibo, the commander of the Green Dragon Regiment, stroked the beard beneath his chin and leisurely watched the “hungry wolves” charging forward. “The wolves are here; it’s time for the hunter to set the trap.”

Yang Yibo nodded at one of his bodyguards, who immediately understood and rushed to the west side of the wall to spread his commander’s orders.

“Commander’s order: Spearmen, stand ready at the west wall parapets!”

“Commander’s order: Spearmen, gather at the west gate and stay in position!”

Orders were passed along the walls, and the soldiers who had been spearmen rushed toward the west wall parapets, carrying their eight-foot-long spears…

“Damn it, it seems we’ve fallen for a trap!”

When Tao Cheng led his troops to the area near the western city gate, he realized he seemed to have fallen into a trap that had been set long ago. Those bastards guarding the city had known from the start that our frontal attack was meant to draw attention; they had stationed heavy troops in the west from the very beginning! The narrow horse paths made it impossible to form battle formations, and the soldiers armed with long spears had been waiting for them on top of the city walls for a long time. Now, that mere three feet wide gap had turned into an insurmountable chasm…
Note 1: Poplar wood: In reality, poplar wood is very light, so even if used to create rolling logs to hit people, it wouldn’t cause serious injuries. Plus, since the soldiers were equipped with protective gear, at most they would suffer some pain for a while. Ge Shu Han was known for being strict in commanding troops, and since this is a novel, it’s done this way to advance the plot.