Chapter 56: Dusk (III)

“Commander, I… I have no regrets…”
Before he could finish speaking, the brightness in Yu Ji’s eyes dimmed, and his body slumped forward.
“Yu Ji, Yu Ji!”
Li Kuo frantically waved Yu Ji’s arms, trying to wake this loyal bodyguard again. Ever since Pu Dachui rose from the ranks of bodyguards to hold high positions, Yu Ji had been his most trusted companion. He had taken blows for him, blocked arrows for him, and survived every time. Why this time? Why couldn’t he make it through this time? Why had to he be so foolish?
“Ah!”
“Ah! Ah!”
Li Kuo shook Yu Ji’s still-warm corpse, screaming hoarsely. It was all because of him that Yu Ji died. He shouldn’t have blocked that arrow for him… he really shouldn’t have…
At that moment, a Persian soldier sneaked up from behind and swung his sword at Li Kuo. If he could kill this Tang general, he would receive generous rewards and live a life of wealth! His head would be the key to his rise!
“Die!”
His curved sword stopped just an inch from Li Kuo’s neck—just an inch short! The soldier stared in disbelief, turning back to see a face filled with rage!
“Die, haha, die!”
Zhang Yanji drew his sword and kicked hard at the Persian soldier’s back.
“Brother Kuo, I’m not a burden to anyone. Come, let’s go!”
The soldier who had carried him earlier was already dead, so Zhang Yanji climbed off him and rushed toward Li Kuo.
“Yanji, you’re not a burden to us. Never have been!”
Li Kuo slapped Zhang Yanji’s back firmly and said, “Let’s go! We’ll fight our way out together!”……
Outside the Persian camp, the Tianwei Vanguard launched wave after wave of fierce attacks.
Ever since they saw the camp on fire, they had been pounding at the gates under General Zhou’s leadership. Though they lacked siege equipment like wooden ladders, the camp was makeshift and not very sturdy. Under their repeated attacks, it was already showing signs of collapse. If it weren’t for the suddenly arriving Persian soldiers who held the gates with their bodies, they would have rushed in already!
“This won’t work. We can’t keep wasting time like this. They’re just buying time!”
Zhou Wucui gritted his teeth and waved his arm angrily. “Pass my order—launch a fire attack!”

“But General Zhou, the commander is still inside the fortress. If we use fire attacks, I’m afraid…” One of the brigade commanders saw Zhou Wucui preparing to deviate from his plan and quickly stepped forward to persuade him. Right now, the soldiers of the Da Shi people and the Tong Wu Camp were fighting fiercely together, making it impossible to tell who was where. Using fire attacks at this moment might easily harm their own comrades! “There’s no time to worry about that. Do you have any other plans? Pass my order—fire the rockets!” Zhou Wucui glared fiercely at the brigade commander and emphasized his command. “But…” “No more buts!” Zhou Wucui was enraged. He grabbed the brigade commander by the collar and pulled him up. “If you dare talk nonsense again, I’ll execute you right here in front of the troops as an offering to the flag!” “No, no… don’t!” The brigade commander never expected the usually cheerful and joking general to be so ruthless. He turned pale with fear and waved his hands frantically to explain. “Hmph!” Zhou Wucui threw him down and left behind a single sentence: “Take control of the fortress within half an hour, or bring my head to me!” “Ah, ah!” The brigade commander no longer dared to be pretentious. He rubbed his bottom and got up to leave. “First row of archers, move forward! Second row, get ready!” The cavalry already had crossbows, and upon hearing the order, they quickly drew them from their backs. Before leaving, the commander had specifically instructed everyone to gather dry wood and coat it with fire oil—precisely for this moment. “Get ready!” “Light the fire!” With a sharp shout from the brigade commander, everyone struck flint to ignite the fire oil. “Fire!” “Whoosh, whoosh!” At the command, hundreds of rockets flew over the fortress gates and landed directly on the tents and enclosures inside the camp. The sparse sparks immediately caught fire upon contact with the dry wood and curtains, as flames spread wildly like serpents. The Da Shi people had just managed to put out the fire started by the Tong Wu Army, only to be attacked by rockets again, leaving them in utter chaos. But their nightmare wasn’t over—the Tang Army’s assault was far from finished! “Second row, move forward! First row, retreat! Third row, get ready!” “Get ready!” “Light the fire!” “Fire!” The Tang soldiers carried out their actions mechanically, without any emotion. They had to take control of this fortress, rescue their commander, and bring back their comrades! “Fire!” The brigade commander directed them with all his might. He had no other choice—retreating meant death! He had only half an hour to take control of the fortress! The fire inside the fortress grew increasingly intense. Some soldiers stationed at the gates rushed to put out the fire, while the rest fled aimlessly, trying to escape this nightmare.

Zhou Wucui sneered and ordered, “Pass my command—smash the door!”
“As you command!”
The army commander bowed to Zhou Wucui and promptly took orders.
“Smash the door!”
Although the Tang army didn’t bring battering rams, it didn’t mean they couldn’t use whatever was available. Earlier, General Zhou had ordered two hundred armored soldiers to cut down giant trees in the nearby mountains. The freshly cut cypress trees, still with green branches, were dragged over by the soldiers to be used as battering rams.
“One, two, push harder!”
“One, two, exert more force!”
Under the commands of the squad leaders and fire officers, over a hundred soldiers each lifted a giant tree and charged at the gates of the Arab camp.
The camp was built of wood—how could it withstand such fierce impacts? Moreover, the Arab soldiers guarding the gates either fled or ran away; none could offer any resistance to the Tianwei Army.
“One, two, push harder!”
“One, two, do it again!”
“One, two…”
With a loud crash, the gates of the Arab camp collapsed, and cheers rose from the Tianwei Army.
“Charge in! Save the commander! Follow me in!”
Zhou Wucui drew his sword and led the charge at the gates. “Brother Kuo, hold on a little longer! Just a little longer!”
“Follow General Zhou in! Kill those Arab brutes! Charge in!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“Avenge our fallen comrades!”
“Vengeance! Vengeance! Vengeance!”
“Who says we have no clothes? I’ll share my robe with you. The king has raised an army—let’s sharpen our spears. We share the same hatred. Who says we have no clothes? I’ll share my cloak with you. The king has raised an army—let’s sharpen our halberds. Let’s fight together. Who says we have no clothes? I’ll share my trousers with you…”
They were comrades, brothers who had shared life and death! They weren’t fighting alone—by no means!