Chapter 32: Slaying the Dragon (8)

Ma Yue looked at these clumsy teenagers and felt as if a fish bone was stuck in his throat, overwhelmed by despair. At their age, in peaceful times, they should have been studying at the county school! How many lives had the war changed! Even he, who used to be just a common soldier and couldn’t even become a squad leader, had now been promoted to an officer due to his comrades dying or being injured. It was hard to tell whether that was luck or misfortune.
“Woo—woo-woo-woo—woo!”
The shrill sound of horns rang out again—the rebels were about to attack the city. Dozens of hastily built ladders were placed against the city walls. With the moat already filled in, the rebel soldiers didn’t have to worry about anything else. All they had to do was climb up the ladders without hesitation, kill all the Tang soldiers on top, and seize control of the walls!
Countless rebel soldiers climbed up the ladders one after another. They carried swords at their waists, daggers in their mouths, and round shields on their backs. Every part of their bodies was put to use, giving them more advantages than the Tang soldiers.
The general had said that the defending troops had been without food for a long time and were exhausted from repeated attacks. All they needed to do was charge forward with a powerful strike to knock down the enemies on the walls. There was no reason not to seize this opportunity for military glory. Their eyes gleamed with greed. If looks could kill, the heads of those on the walls would have already been cut off and thrown into bags of spoils.
“The generals are climbing up! They’re up!”
The recruits, unaccustomed to such a tense situation, started shouting in panic.
Ma Yue could only smile bitterly and said, “Then why aren’t you throwing rocks and logs? Do I have to teach you?”
“Ah, ah!”
The recruits slapped themselves on the head and rushed to the battlements.
“One, two, three—throw!”
“One, two, three—throw!”
The recruits shouted loudly, working together to throw rocks and logs down from the battlements. The mountain of debris that had once reached human height gradually diminished.
The rebels were halfway up when several huge stones fell from above, leaving them stunned. Soon after, stones the size of mills crushed them into bloody messes, sending them tumbling down the ladders.
“Ah!”
One rebel, less than ten feet from the wall, was hit in the left shoulder by a stone. His hand slipped, and he fell backward.
“Pfft!”
“Pfft!”

In many cases, boulders and logs would directly smash the heads of the rebel soldiers, with their brains and blood sticking to the ladders as they fell. Those on the ladders scrambled upward desperately, trying to reach the top of the city wall by relying on their speed, but what awaited them were huge rocks that blocked out the sky—how could they possibly defend against them? “Great! Smash them! Kill them!” The recruits were overjoyed to see the rebels’ momentum suppressed and cheered excitedly, waving their fists. Watching this scene, Ma Yue shook his head with a bitter smile. They had made war too simple—this was only the beginning. Of course, it was just the beginning! The North City was the main target of the rebels; how could they stop their attack just because of a temporary setback? General Yang Chaozong frowned at the situation on the city wall and waved his hand, ordering the second regiment to charge at the wall. “Woo-woo—woo-woo-woo—woo-woo!” Soon, the soldiers of the third and fourth regiments followed, and more and more ladders appeared on the North City wall. “General, the brothers can’t keep pushing them back!” Faced with so many ladders suddenly appearing, many recruits panicked. There were only so many soldiers on the wall—how could they handle it all? “Stop smashing them! Use grappling hooks and knock those ladders down!” After a brief thought, Ma Yue made a decision. He ordered the soldiers to get grappling hooks while he himself went to the battlement and picked up one to demonstrate. With a slight pull, he hooked the end of the ladder and pulled hard in the direction of the wall. The ladder, losing its balance, slid down along the hook with a dull thud, knocking down many more rebel soldiers below. “Ma Yue is awesome! Ma Yue is awesome!” The recruits were thrilled and cheered loudly. Ma Yue caught the one who was shouting the loudest, kicked him in the back irritably, and said, “Stop saying nonsense! Hurry up and knock those ladders down!” “Knock them down! Knock them down!” The recruits imitated Ma Yue’s actions, hooking the ends of the ladders and pulling hard to tip over what seemed sturdy ladders. “Ah! Ah!” Cries of pain came one after another, but the soldiers on the wall turned a deaf ear. They were used to fighting amidst screams; they were used to breathing air filled with the scent of blood. This was a battle, and it had just begun. If they wanted to survive, they had to kill—keep killing. They couldn’t stop; they absolutely couldn’t stop! “Drop the nail slammers! Quick, drop the nail slammers!”

Seeing another group of rebels rushing forward, Ma Yue hurriedly gave orders in panic. The rebels had a huge numerical advantage, allowing them to attack the city walls freely without worrying about losing soldiers. When one group of soldiers died, another would step in; when one group fell, another would rise. But he himself didn’t have a moment’s rest. To survive, he had to throw down every rebel trying to climb the city walls, by any means necessary! Ma Yue took a deep breath, walked to the battlement, and watched his soldiers operate the nail slingers. “Screech! Screech!” The iron wheels spun rapidly, and the iron plates covered with nails were lowered with force by the soldiers, smashing down on the rebels climbing up blindly. “Thud!” The nails pierced flesh and then sank into the bones. “Ah!” “Damn it!” One after another, cries of pain echoed. Looking at the bloodstained ground below the city walls, Ma Yue felt immense joy. “Lift it up, quickly lift the nail slinger!” “Screech! Screech!” The new recruits worked together to turn the wheels, and soon the nail slinger, covered in flesh and blood, was raised again. Some of the new recruits vomited at the gruesome sight, drawing disdainful looks from their comrades. They had seen many horrible scenes on the battlefield—was this too much for them? “What are you waiting for? Keep dropping them, keep using the nail slingers!” Ma Yue paid no attention to the feelings of the vomiting recruits. With a fierce glare, he continued giving orders.