sjar Chapter 1252 Sword Pavilion is breached, and its reinforcements are killed
Chapter 1252 Sword Pavilion is breached, and its reinforcements are killed
Another night of fighting, coupled with the fact that most of the soldiers had suffered from diarrhea the day before, left the entire Jiange Pass in a state of exhaustion. The soldiers on the north wall were so tired that they were slumped over, and some of them were snoring against the battlements, not even being awakened by Wu Yi's inspection.
Looking at the scene, Wu Lan said to her brother with great concern, "This can't go on. The brothers can't hold on any longer."
Wu Yi rubbed his throbbing temples and said helplessly, "Let's divide them into three shifts. One shift will stay and the other two will go back to rest. They didn't attack the city yesterday, so perhaps they'll slow down today too."
Wu Lan nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "The south gate has always been peaceful. Why not move the main force to the north gate and let the grain transport soldiers guard the south gate? Anyway, they haven't been of much use these days."
Wu Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright. Leave a thousand soldiers to guard the south gate, and transfer the remaining two or three thousand to the north gate so that the brothers can catch their breath."
Wu Lan accepted the order and quickly relayed it to all the camps. When the news quietly reached Jia Xu's ears, he was squatting in the kitchen chopping wood. Upon hearing this, he paused in his axe, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. His opportunity had arrived.
He immediately found Zhang Yan and Meng Hong and said in a deep voice, "It's settled. Zhang Yan, you stay put at the north gate for now. When chaos breaks out in the city, set fire to the city walls, the bigger the better."
Zhang Yan was taken aback: "Lighting a fire in broad daylight? How can anyone see that?"
"If all else fails, light the beacon fires," Jia Xu sneered. "The smoke from the beacon fires will soar into the sky; Zhang Ren and Pang De will surely see it." He turned to Meng Hong, "You stay at the south gate, take your own men from the thousand grain guards, clear out the ones who aren't ours first, then use the torches as a signal to immediately open the city gates and let Zhang Xiu in. Once they're inside, they'll head straight for the north gate to meet us. We'll coordinate an attack from the inside and outside, and seize the pass in one fell swoop!"
Meng Hong clenched his fist: "Rest assured, sir, I will not fail you."
Zhang Yan nodded, "This subordinate obeys."
As soon as Meng Hong returned to the South Gate, Ma Han rushed up to him anxiously: "Brother Meng, where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere! I just received an order to transfer all the grain escort teams to the North Gate to guard the city, including you and me. I couldn't find you, so I had to spend some more money to keep us here at the South Gate."
Meng Hong's heart stirred, but his face showed gratitude: "Thanks to Brother Ma's thoughtfulness! I still have some gold and silver here, I can't let you spend money." After saying that, his eyes quickly swept over the city wall. At this moment, there were only a thousand soldiers left guarding the south gate, of which at least eight hundred were his own men. The hundred or so men that Ma Han brought were still unaware and were chatting idly in twos and threes against the battlements.
He reached into his robes, pulled out a piece of gold, and stuffed it into Ma Han's hand: "Brother Ma, please accept this small token of my appreciation."
Ma Han's eyes widened at the sight of the gold, and he quickly accepted it with both hands, thanking the guards profusely and almost kneeling down to kowtow. Meng Hong helped him up and said with a smile, "Judging from the situation these past few days, the enemy attacks the city at night and is quiet during the day. Since we're tasked with guarding the city, why don't we take turns resting? I'll take my shift first, why don't you go rest over there? The generals are exhausted from the night's work, and they'll probably need to catch up on sleep during the day, so they might not be patrolling the city."
Ma Han was holding the gold with great delight, so how could he refuse? He immediately leaned against the wall and pretended to doze off, and soon began to snore softly.
Seeing this, Meng Hong quickly gave a signal to his trusted confidant. The more than eight hundred soldiers who had been waiting quietly dispersed, approaching the hundred or so men brought by Ma Han step by step. Those men were still chatting idly, completely unaware of the impending danger.
"Make your move!" Meng Hong shouted in a low voice.
A flash of light, and a scream was barely audible before it was covered. Ma Han, startled awake, sat bolt upright: "What happened?"
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Hong had already swung his sword down from behind him, and his head fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes still wide open, full of astonishment.
With his worries resolved, Meng Hong immediately climbed the arrow tower, raised three torches, and waved them three times in the air. The soldiers waiting below quickly turned the winch, and the heavy south gate creaked open slowly.
Deep in the dense forest, Zhang Xiu led his Black Mountain Army soldiers in ambush. These men were seasoned veterans, skilled in mountain warfare, and moved almost silently. Seeing the torches light up the city wall, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he barked, "Follow me!"
More than seven thousand Black Mountain soldiers emerged from the woods like ghosts and poured into the city through the breach in the gate. Meng Hong pointed out the path from the city wall: "Turn left, take control of the armory first, then head to the north gate to meet General Zhang Yan!"
Zhang Xiu nodded and waved his hand, dividing the army into two groups: one group followed him straight into the city, while the other group, led by a lieutenant general, quickly seized key points at the south gate to prevent the defenders from counterattacking.
At this time, most of the soldiers inside Jiange Pass were still fast asleep in their camps, and no one expected that the south gate had already fallen.
The Black Mountain Army soldiers moved swiftly, their blades flashing in the camp. At first, they were able to advance silently under the cover of the dawn, but when they reached the vicinity of the armory, they eventually alerted the garrison, and the sounds of fighting suddenly rang out.
Zhang Xiu made a decisive move, leaving a group of men to clear out the remaining enemies around the south gate, while he personally led the main force to charge north—he wanted to join up with Zhang Yan at the north gate as soon as possible.
On the north wall, Zhang Yan was watching the movements in the south when he suddenly heard shouts of battle rising from within the city. Knowing that Zhang Xiu had succeeded, he immediately grabbed a torch and lit the oil on the beacon tower. Thick smoke and sparks shot into the sky, particularly dazzling in the morning light.
The garrison commander nearby was shocked to see this and stepped forward to demand, "Why are you lighting the beacon fire? The enemy hasn't come to the north gate!"
Without a word, Zhang Yan swung his sword and shouted, "Jian Ge has fallen! Those who surrender will be spared!"
Chaos erupted on the city wall. Zhang Yan's trusted soldiers drew their swords and fought fiercely with the defenders. Stones and arrows mixed with blood rolled down the wall, and the shouts of battle shook the city walls.
At this moment, beneath the South Gate, Zhang Xiu was leading his army in a fierce attack on the defensive fortifications inside the gate. Wu Lan and Wu Yi, awakened by the commotion within the city and realizing the South Gate had fallen, hastily dispatched their personal guards to counterattack, attempting to regain control of the gate. The two sides fought fiercely in the passageway, the Black Mountain Army soldiers, though brave, were hampered by the narrow terrain and found it difficult to advance.
"Use fire!" Zhang Xiu shouted, seeing that the attack had failed. The soldiers quickly set up fire arrows and fired them at the defenders inside the city gate. The flames licked at the wooden shields, quickly turning the area into a sea of fire, and the defenders' formation was thrown into chaos.
Just then, deafening battle cries echoed from afar—Pang De, Zhang Ren, and Xu Huang, having spotted the smoke of war at Jian Ge from their camp, deduced that something was amiss within the city and immediately led their main force to attack. Xu Huang, wielding a large axe, led the charge. Seeing the fierce fighting on the city walls, he roared and spurred his horse forward, the axe blade cleaving through the morning mist as he charged straight towards the north gate.
"Reinforcements have arrived!" Zhang Yan, who had a clear view from the north city wall, shouted loudly, greatly boosting morale. His soldiers became even more courageous, and soon they controlled half of the city wall, forcing the remaining defenders into a corner.
"Kill!" Zhang Xiu charged ahead, his spear flashing like a serpent, the tip slicing open the throat of a Shu soldier. Blood splattered on his face, adding to his ferocity. Behind him, the Black Mountain Army soldiers surged into the city like a tide, their blades flashing like a cold, silvery river in the morning mist.
The Shu soldiers were clearly caught off guard by the enemy's swift attack. Their hastily formed formation crumbled like shattered porcelain, quickly revealing numerous cracks. Wu Lan raised his spear to meet the attack, his horizontal sweep creating a whistling sound, but Zhang Xiu dodged to the side. Zhang Xiu's spear then wrapped around Wu Lan's shaft, and with a sudden twist—a sharp "crack" was heard, and Wu Lan's spear shaft was snapped in two!
"Impossible!" Wu Lan was shocked and furious. Before he could draw his sword, Zhang Xiu's spear tip was already pressed against his throat. The cold touch of the metal made him stiffen, and he watched helplessly as the killing intent surged in the other's eyes.
"Jiange cannot be defended," Zhang Xiu's voice was colder than the tip of a spear, "Surrender, or die?"
Wu Lan gritted her teeth, about to unleash a furious curse, when suddenly a squad of Shu soldiers charged out from the side, raising their shields to charge at Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu flicked his wrist, the tip of his spear grazing Wu Lan's neck, drawing a trail of blood. At the same time, he turned and swept his spear horizontally, the shadow of the spear like a wall, instantly sending three Shu soldiers flying.
"Take him down!" Wu Yi roared amidst the chaos of battle, and his personal guards rushed forward like madmen. He knew that with Wu Lan's defeat, the North Gate would be completely lost, and now they had no choice but to fight to the death.
Zhang Xiu fought against many opponents, his spear wielding a relentless, impenetrable attack. Even the flying pebbles from the spear tip seemed to carry a murderous intent. A Shu soldier raised his sword to strike him in the back, but Zhang Xiu, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly ducked, the spear shaft emerging from under his armpit and striking the soldier squarely in the abdomen. The Shu soldier groaned and flew backward, knocking over the archers behind him.
Taking advantage of the opening, Wu Lan rolled down the city wall. Just as he was about to pick up his weapon, he was held down by the Black Mountain Army soldiers. "Let me go!" he roared, struggling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wu Yi being entangled by Wei Yan, his long sword slashing and sparks flying.
Wei Yan's blade was swift and ruthless, each strike aimed at vital points, forcing Wu Yi to retreat repeatedly. "Wu Yi, Jian Ge has fallen, what are you still resisting for?" Wei Yan's voice was like thunder, the wind from his blade sweeping across Wu Yi's hair, shaving off a strand of his hair.
Wu Yi forced Wei Yan back with a backhand slash, panting heavily as he said, "We men of Shu would rather die than surrender!" Before he finished speaking, Pang De's men had already rushed up the north city wall.
"It's over..." Wu Yi's heart sank, and his swordsmanship immediately went haywire. Wei Yan seized the opening and thrust his long sword straight at Wu Yi's chest, but was knocked away by something just inches away—it was Wu Lan! He had somehow broken free of his restraints and used his broken spear to block the attack, but he was so shocked that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother, run!" Wu Lan roared, shielding Wu Yi with her body. "I'll cover your retreat!"
Wu Yi's eyes reddened as he looked at his brother's blood-stained clothes, but he knew this was not the time to hesitate. He glanced one last time at the chaotic battlefield, then turned and rushed into the inner city's secret passage.
"Trying to escape?" Pang De spurred his horse and caught up, his broadsword slashing down with a whooshing sound. Wu Yi turned to block, the two blades clashing, the impact numbing his arm. Pang De's blade strikes were like a mountain crashing down, each blow forcing him to take a half-step back, crushing the cobblestones beneath his feet.
"Wu Yi, surrender!" Pang De's voice carried an undeniable air of authority. "Liu Zhang's fate is sealed; why must you be buried with him?"
The sounds of battle crashing against the shore echoed through the streets and alleys of Jiange. Xu Huang, wielding a large axe, cleaved a bloody path through the chaos, and Shu soldiers fell one after another in the blink of an eye. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw She Yuan being protected by several personal guards, fleeing towards the secret passage in the inner city, his back view as panicked as a dog with its tail between its legs.
"Shooting reinforcements, don't run!" Xu Huang roared, spurring his horse forward like an arrow. He swung his axe diagonally, a flash of cold light, first beheading two guards, then turning the axe to strike the reinforcements in the back.
Hearing the whoosh behind him, She Yuan whirled around, hastily parrying with his longsword. With a deafening clang, the sword flew from his grasp, and he himself was thrown to the ground by the axe, landing hard. Xu Huang bent down, grabbed She Yuan's hair, and lifted him into the air. With a light swipe of the axe blade across his neck, blood gushed forth, and Wei Yan held his head in his hand.
"Those who resist stubbornly will all meet the same end!" Xu Huang raised the severed head high, his voice booming like a bell, startling the surrounding Shu soldiers into retreating, their morale instantly collapsing.