Missing
The stench of blood and decay immediately spread, drenching the enemy troops pushing the cart below the city, causing their movements to freeze and the sound of retching to rise and fall.
Hearing the sound of the battering ram cease momentarily, Ye Youqing also covered her mouth and nose, beckoning once more. Another wooden bucket was brought over, this time filled with scalding hot water, which she poured down before the enemy below could react.
This time, the screams were even more horrific. Some of the enemies collapsed to the ground, while others fled in all directions, only to fall after a few steps. The scalded skin visibly swelled with dense blisters.
Pouring both fecal water and boiling water could scald the enemy and cause infections, which, although not immediately fatal, was a slow method of killing.
“Damn it!” The commander in the distance, seeing this scene, angrily snatched the bow from a nearby soldier and aimed at the heads on the city wall, drawing the bowstring to its full extent.
With a swoosh, an arrow whizzed past her ear, striking a man beside her in the right chest. He fell silently. Ye Youqing’s eyes widened as she watched others drag him off the city wall.
She closed her eyes, then opened them resolutely, picking up the fallen bow and arrow. She extended them through the crenel and aimed at the dense crowd below.
Her hands were trembling slightly.
Occasionally, someone beside her would fall, the smell of blood permeating the surroundings, mixed with the withered scent of autumn vegetation, enveloping Ye Youqing.
Her red lips pressed tightly together, her phoenix eyes struggled to stay open in the fierce wind on the city wall, gradually suppressing the trembling in her hands.
She perhaps should have been more cowardly and left with her loved one, then she wouldn’t have seen that look of disappointment. She probably had already been disappointed in herself. On the wall littered with corpses, Ye Youqing suddenly thought.
If she had known it would come to this, if possible, she would have wanted to become stronger. Not just to take her away, but to help her get revenge, to help her stand firm in the capital, and to reclaim everything.
But now… Ye Youqing looked down from the city wall, suddenly pulling the bowstring to its full extent, the longbow nearly breaking in her hands.
She once believed in certain words, thinking that man could conquer nature. But looking back on her journey, she was merely drifting in fate, going wherever the waves pushed her.
She suddenly missed Ci Ke very much, more than ever before.
The arrow in her hand flew out into the air, shooting into the dispersing crowd. It seemed to hit someone, as she could see someone fall.
The siege lasted the entire night, until dawn broke through the clouds, and the sun rose over the mountains. Only then did the ant-like enemy troops below become clear and began to retreat in an orderly manner.
What was left was a ground covered with corpses, lying quietly under the rising sun.
Ye Youqing’s arm ached. She didn’t look any further, turning around and descending the city wall with Ding Cheng following her. The streets were desolate, but many people were secretly watching through their windows, observing the Iron Cavalry carrying the wounded into the long-sealed King Si Rong’s mansion.
Fortunately, the city wall provided cover, so there weren’t many dead, more were wounded. As there wasn’t enough space indoors, they were evenly placed in the courtyard of the mansion, taking turns to have their wounds bandaged.
The courtyard was filled with groans and moans. Ye Youqing personally served meat porridge to the wounded, who repeatedly thanked her. After ensuring they were all alright, Ye Youqing finally entered the house, collapsed into a round chair, and was so exhausted that she just wanted to close her eyes and sleep.
The door opened, and Shi Li, equally exhausted, walked in. She turned around to close the door, looked at Ye Youqing reproachfully, and placed some steamed buns on the table.
Ye Youqing picked one up and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Why did you fight all night as well? Can your body handle it?” Shi Li said, placing her hand on Ye Youqing’s arm and feeling it. “Your muscles are so stiff. Wait until you sleep; you’ll be in pain when you wake up.”
“Defending the city is a psychological battle. If I didn’t stay by their side, their morale would have been crushed long ago,” Ye Youqing said weakly. She choked a bit and reached for a bowl of cold tea, gulping it down.
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“This lonely city, who knows when reinforcements will arrive,” Shi Li said wistfully. “We don’t have many weapons to begin with, and our arrows are far from enough. What will we do if no reinforcements come tonight?”
Ye Youqing shook her head and then knocked on the edge of the table. “It’s fine if we don’t have enough arrows. We’ll change tactics tonight.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Ye Youqing drank the last sip of cold tea and went out with Shi Li. They walked through the courtyard to the main gate, where they saw a crowd of citizens gathered. Ding Cheng was standing at the gate, his face red, trying to hold them back. He had a bunch of green onions tucked into his collar and held two eggs in his hand, looking quite comical.
Seeing Ye Youqing, he finally sighed in relief and shouted, “Miss Ye! These people know we are defending the city and insist on delivering these. I…”
Ye Youqing stopped him and was about to speak when a young man pulled her aside excitedly and said, “Could this young lady be a descendant of King Si Rong?”
Ye Youqing was taken aback for a moment but didn’t hide it anymore and nodded slightly.
She knew the significance of King Si Rong to Weizhou. Using his name could somewhat soothe people’s hearts.
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted. Many clasped their hands together and kneeled towards the sky, murmuring thanks to the heavens, blocking the long street until it was impassable.
“Young lady, this is a chicken raised by my family. Take it and make soup for the brothers!” The young man grabbed a lively hen beside him and forcefully stuffed it into Ye Youqing’s hands.
Other citizens followed suit, bringing vegetables, rice, flour, chickens, ducks, fish, and meat. Even barefoot doctors brought their homemade wound medicines, which proved to be very useful.
Ye Youqing’s hands soon couldn’t hold everything. Ding Cheng saw this and wanted to intervene, but Ye Youqing stopped him with a smile.
“Since it’s the goodwill of the people, let’s accept it. Besides, we truly lack supplies,” Ye Youqing said, handing the items in her hands to Ding Cheng, which were then transported back to the king’s residence by the arriving cavalry.
“Everyone, we do not wish for Western Xia to occupy this city. Therefore, we are defending it here. However, the Iron Cavalry has been dormant for many years, and we are severely lacking in weapons and arrows. We need your help,” Ye Youqing said loudly.
“Whatever the young lady needs, we will do it without hesitation, even if it means climbing mountains and crossing rivers!” the young man shouted passionately.
Ye Youqing smiled at him, “No need to climb mountains and cross rivers. Just bring any heavy objects from your homes, like pickling stones, vats, or beams, to King Si Rong’s residence to use against the enemy.”
The citizens exchanged glances and quickly scattered in all directions. Before long, young and strong men returned, carrying stone vases and placing them one by one at the gate.
In less than an hour, one of the courtyards of the king’s residence was filled with various miscellaneous items. Some had dismantled their own beams, smashed the stone lions at their gates, and even chopped up their beds to contribute everything they had.
Ye Youqing watched as the pile of miscellaneous items grew larger and larger, a faint smile appearing on her lips. The exhaustion she had felt earlier seemed to be slowly replenished.
The day passed quickly. Resting and gathering strength, they transported the “weapons” onto the city walls. As night fell, the city once again plunged into a deathly silence. However, this silence was different from the previous night; beneath the calm surface, the entire city seemed to be secretly boiling.
The elderly and weak hid back in their homes, while the young and strong spontaneously formed a team, blending in with the cavalry. There were nearly a few hundred of them, standing on the city walls in a dense mass, their momentum no less than those outside the city.
The enemy seemed to have received reinforcements, with many more people than the previous night. They no longer formed ranks but rushed to the city walls, building ladders and climbing up like a swarm of venomous snakes.
Ye Youqing looked down, and at her command, giant stones and miscellaneous items rolled down the city walls. At the same time, boiling water was poured down, accompanied by screams. Countless people fell like rag dolls from mid-air, their bodies piling up, landing silently.
This battle was different from the previous night. Both sides seemed to have resolved to fight to the death. Those inside the city knew that if it were captured, they would face a massacre, while those outside knew that if they failed tonight, the Qi army would soon surround the area, reinforcing Weizhou.
People on the city walls came in waves, one after another. At first, Ye Youqing was shocked by the blood and corpses before her, but as midnight passed, she only felt numb.
She continuously waved her hand to shoot arrows or threw down heavy objects, watching the bodies pile up higher and higher at the foot of the city wall. Eventually, they formed a small hill, and the newcomers stepped on this hill to build ladders, each one disregarding their lives.
The human wave tactics were the hardest to resist. Soon, someone climbed up, only to have their head chopped off by the Iron Cavalry guarding the wall and thrown into the sea of corpses below.
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The intense smell of blood and rust assaulted their nostrils. Suddenly, a man jumped up in front of Ye Youqing, drawing the long sword from his waist and swinging it at her. Ye Youqing instinctively dodged to the side, snatched his long sword, and the blade slashed through the moonlight, carrying a long trail of blood that splattered all over her face.
Ye Youqing was stunned for a moment, but her body acted faster than her mind. She kicked him over the parapet, and he disappeared from sight.
“Xiaoqing!” Shi Li appeared out of nowhere, pulling Ye Youqing over and wiping the blood off her face.
Ye Youqing was initially in a daze. She looked down at the long sword in her hand, her grip trembling so much that she nearly dropped the handle. Shi Li looked at her, her eyes moved slightly, and she sighed.
“You’ve never killed anyone before, Xiaoqing,” Shi Li said softly. “Go down.”
“Shi Li…” Ye Youqing lowered her eyes. The clanging of swords and blades around her indicated that many had already climbed up the city wall, only to be slaughtered by the Iron Cavalry.
There was more noise nearby. Shi Li was about to raise her hand, but Ye Youqing had already lifted her sword and stabbed straight into the person’s heart. Then, she kicked him, sending him flying in an arc into the grass, disappearing from sight.
Shi Li looked at the sword in Ye Youqing’s hand in shock, and then at her. After a moment, she patted her on the shoulder.
“Don’t overexert yourself,” she said softly before leaving.
Ye Youqing closed her eyes slightly. When she opened them again, all emotions had disappeared from her eyes. She stood coldly, moved a stone to the parapet, and rolled it down, crushing a group of enemy soldiers.
“Miss Ye!” Someone jumped down from the watchtower above and ran along the city wall, stopping in front of Ye Youqing, panting with excitement. “Miss Ye, torches have appeared on the southern official road, and there’s the sound of horse hooves. It should be the main army arriving, we’ve held the fort!”
Ye Youqing’s eyes opened slightly. At the same time, the enemy forces below seemed to sense something amiss. With an order, a rain of arrows shot into the city from all directions. More and more people climbed up, and many had already fallen into the city, engaging in fierce combat with the Iron Cavalry and the townspeople.
Seeing that they were about to be overwhelmed, Ye Youqing swung her sword, cutting down an enemy, and quickly said, “Open the city gates, leave some to defend the walls, and the rest of the troops, exit the city quickly!”
“Yes!” The man answered urgently, turned to leave, then stopped, “But Miss…”
“Follow my orders.” Ye Youqing pointed to the city wall.
Hearing this, the man turned and left. The orders quickly spread through the ranks, and soon, the once crowded city wall became much quieter.
Ye Youqing waited quietly for a moment, then took out a fire starter from her bosom and ignited it in a corner. Suddenly, a deafening explosion sounded, like the crackling of firecrackers. Flames and explosions quickly spread along the city wall. From a distance, the city was ablaze, causing panic among the enemy soldiers climbing the walls, who fell in terror.
The flames shot high into the sky, turning the dark night red. The remaining enemies stood still, not daring to climb further. At the same time, with a series of creaking noises, the city gates suddenly opened.
The enemy soldiers were momentarily stunned, only to see a high, spiked chariot emerging from the gates at high speed, carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks, filling the area with screams of agony.
Countless black-clad Iron Cavalry followed the chariot, riding out on horseback, crashing into the ranks of thousands of enemy soldiers ahead, scattering their formation. With long swords in hand, they easily claimed the lives of those in their path.
Below the city, the sounds of roars and shouts overlapped. The large fire on the city wall scorched people’s cheeks. Ye Youqing dropped her long sword and rushed up to the watchtower, watching as the southern army, like a swarm of locusts, encircled the city.
Amidst the flames, the red and yellow banners of Qi were clearly visible.
Ye Youqing pushed aside a nearby sentinel, signaling him to lower the rope. She descended into the chaotic battle below, picking up a long horn. The deep, thunderous sound of the horn pierced through the night, resonating over the blood-soaked land.
Under the night sky, Iron Cavalry rode swiftly, cutting through the obstructing enemy forces and charging into the distant forest.
Ye Youqing blew the horn until she was dizzy. She could already hear the chaotic sounds of horse hooves and the battle horns of the two armies. Quickly, she threw down the long horn, intending to jump off the city wall with the sentinel. Suddenly, a few enemies climbed up, surrounding her with raised swords ready to strike.
Caught off guard, Ye Youqing was slashed on the arm. Initially, she felt no pain, kicking the attacker off the parapet. She then bent down to dodge, grabbed one enemy’s wrist with her left hand, and with all her strength, twisted it aside. When his long sword fell, she let go and caught it.
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After slashing all the enemies off the city wall, her vision turned blood-red. Only then did the pain in her right hand start to hit her, making her break into a cold sweat. She staggered against the parapet, reaching for a grappling hook to descend.
A luxurious long sword suddenly came down from above. Ye Youqing quickly raised her hand, watching as the sword deftly lifted the grappling hook and threw it off the city wall.
The sounds of battle seemed to distance from her, only the wind whistling in her ears. Some remaining flames illuminated her vision.
Ye Youqing suddenly laughed, wiping away the blood on her lips that had unknowingly been cut. She leaned against the parapet and stood up, looking frivolously at the person in front of her. The person was a young man dressed in armor with red trim, wearing an iron helmet adorned with red tassels, and he was frowning as he stared at her.
His face seemed familiar; she must have seen him in the capital at some point.
“Miss Ye,” the man spoke first. He sheathed his sword with a flourish, the sound of the sword sliding into the scabbard crisp in the air. “You are injured.”
Ye Youqing sneered. She struggled to stand steadily, the corners of her phoenix-shaped eyes tinged with blood. A few strands of messy hair clung to her cheeks as she stood straight in the firelight, stepping toward the stairs.
The bejeweled hilt of a sword blocked her path, and several soldiers in similar armor surrounded her, their chains clinking ominously.
Ye Youqing glanced at the chains for a moment, then looked up to meet the man’s gaze, staring at him until he looked away.
“Sorry, Miss Ye, but this is the Emperor’s order,” the man said with a sigh.
