Chapter 40: Forgetting Greed (7)

From the afternoon battles to dusk, from dusk to nightfall.
On the walls of the Eastern City, the Tang army and the rebels fought fiercely for every inch of ground, engaging in brutal clashes with no clear victor. One moment, the rebels managed to push their lines forward by a dozen steps with great difficulty; the next, under the leadership of Nan Jiyun, the Tang army left dozens of rebel corpses behind and regained the lost territory.

As the halberds were raised, clouds of dust flew!
Despite their overwhelming numbers, the rebels still hadn’t found a way to counter the halberd formations. More and more rebels climbed up the scaling ladders to the Eastern City, but they couldn’t advance further, stuck in the narrow space on top of the walls, anxiously waiting for the Tang army’s next attack.

In such a confined space, the rebels’ numerical advantage was useless, while the power of the Tang soldiers’ halberds was maximized. Raise the blade, draw it back, advance!
In such a tight space, each swing of the halberd could strike two or three enemy soldiers. The halberds pierced through bones and slashed down violently, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere—a truly terrifying sight.

Such a brutal method of killing was so extreme that even a warlord like Yeluo He, who had killed countless people in battle, couldn’t help but swallow hard.
These were madmen. How could he possibly win against such madmen? Moreover, he was a noble warrior—how could he fight to the death against a group of dying men?
The Yeluo He men refused to fight the Tang soldiers, and the ordinary soldiers were no match for these “madmen.” The situation on the walls became one-sided, with the numerically superior rebels driven to the edge of the battlements by just 200 halberd warriors, on the verge of falling off.

At this critical moment, a tall and muscular Hu general wielding a chain sledgehammer pushed aside the crowd and charged at the halberd warriors.
“Whoosh!”
The general swung his chain sledgehammer with force. The iron hammer traced a swift arc through the air, reached its peak, and then plunged down, hitting the chest of one of the halberd warriors.
“Thud!”
The halberd warrior felt his bones and muscles shatter as blood gushed from his mouth.
“Bang!” “Bang!”
Using the momentum, the general pulled back the sledgehammer, which then spun rapidly and struck the chests of several nearby halberd warriors, causing severe damage.
The general’s sudden attack caused a huge stir in the Tang army’s ranks and disrupted their one-sided advantage.

Seeing this Hu general injure several of his own soldiers, Nan Jiyun became furious. He tapped his sword hilt lightly and stepped forward with his halberd.
Raise the blade, draw it back, advance!

Nan Jiyun resolutely drew his sword, aiming straight at the Hu general’s face—there was no way to avoid it. Since avoidance was impossible, there was no need to try! The Hu general didn’t retreat but advanced instead, stepping forward and swinging his chain sledgehammer violently; the chain wrapped around the hilt of Nan Jiyun’s sword. The Hu general then moved, instantly diverting the immense force of the sword. “Hiss!” Both the Tang army and the rebels were shocked by the Hu general’s move, left speechless for a moment. The Hu general sneered, turned sideways, and the chain sledgehammer circled around the sword blade once more! “Ah! Ah!” Nan Jiyun’s sword was completely controlled by the chain sledgehammer, leaving him unable to exert any strength, forcing him to shout in frustration. But the Hu general didn’t intend to give him another chance—he stepped forward sharply, gathered strength in his arm, and swung the chain sledgehammer at Nan Jiyun. “Thud!” Unprepared, Nan Jiyun collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood, while his sword fell heavily beside him. “General Nan! General Nan!” Seeing this, the Tang generals rushed over, drawing their swords to protect Nan Jiyun. “General, that scoundrel, that scoundrel…” One of the deputy generals glared fiercely at the enemy general holding the chain sledgehammer, gritting his teeth. Nan Jiyun wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled, “Why cry, kid? I’m not dead yet. Hurry and lead your men to confront the enemy…” After saying that, Nan Jiyun’s vision went black, and he fainted… “Woo-woo—woo-woo-woo—woo-woo!” The shrill sound of horns rang out again. “Woo-woo—woo-woo-woo—woo-woo!” The horn sounds came right beside Xu Yuan’s ears. Compared to the other three cities, Nan City faced the least threat, and logically, the Tang army should have been able to defend it easily. Ironically, due to the lack of a true general in charge, Nan City’s situation was now the most critical among the four. Xu Yuan’s mood was like a turbulent sea, swirling with the rebels’ attacks, sending towering waves that crashed violently against the rocks again and again. “Stop them! The spearmen, charge! Stop them! Don’t let them get through!”

Watching the rebels pouring in from the Fish Bridge Road, Xu Yuan was filled with panic. Although he had been assisting Zhang Xun in defending the city since Yongqiu, those days together had not turned him into a calm and composed commander. Compared to Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan was more like a traditional scholar—someone who dealt with documents and administrative tasks. Assigning him to manage grain supplies or recruit local fighters might still be manageable, but expecting him to lead troops alone was simply asking too much. By now, in Suiyang, the soldiers were either dead or wounded; aside from Generals Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, who could still fight despite their injuries, there was no other general capable of taking charge alone.

If he simply promoted some low-ranking officer like a fire captain or platoon leader to defend the city, Xu Yuan would still feel uneasy, so he decided to take command himself and lead the soldiers in defense.

One doesn’t realize the cost of daily necessities until they’re in charge, nor does one understand the difficulty of fighting until they lead troops. It was only when he trembled as he raised his simple sword to issue orders that Xu Yuan truly grasped the meaning of these words.

Although he didn’t have to personally fight in battle, the sound of arrows whizzing through the air was enough to chill one to the bone, not to mention the occasional stray arrow flying past his ear from the opposite side of the Fish Bridge Road.

Gazing at the sea of rebels on the Fish Bridge Road, Xu Yuan was overwhelmed with sorrow. He had never felt such despair before—like being in a dark cave with no trace of light!

One after another, his own soldiers fell, while rebel troops rushed forward. The soldiers used spears to pierce, simple swords to slash, hooks to pull, fists to strike, and teeth to bite…

The two sides fought closely, using every means at their disposal to kill their opponents—this was truly the most terrifying sight. And now, Xu Yuan had to watch such brutal behavior unfold before his eyes!