Chapter 207: Breaching the Walls
Chapter 207: Breaching the Walls
September 25, 2017
As night deepened, the temperature gradually dropped, and despite it being early spring, the chill of the suburban night was still hard to bear.
Most of the hastily assembled ragtag army were shivering, many cursing under their breath, with only two groups remaining relatively quiet.
One group was led by a historical warrior under Wang Hao's command, and the other was, of course, under Gao Shun's leadership. Undoubtedly, Gao Shun's troops were far superior to those under Wang Hao's command.
The focus, however, was not on how these two groups stood out, but on how they led the coalition forces of the aristocratic families towards Lu HaiKong's mountain camp as the night grew late.
The commander of this force was a burly historical warrior, and the middle-aged scholar was confident enough in his abilities to leave the troops in his charge. It was clear that this burly historical warrior was no novice in leading soldiers.
There was another reason for this decision. The middle-aged scholar knew his strengths and weaknesses; he was far superior to Gao Shun and the others in terms of political and strategic prowess, but he was aware of his shortcomings on the battlefield. So, he chose not to join the battle, although Wang Hao was eager to participate but was dissuaded by the middle-aged scholar.
He understood the capabilities of his lord and knew that his presence would likely cause more chaos than contribute anything productive.
Led by the burly historical warrior, the army stealthily and swiftly approached Lu HaiKong's camp. However, by the time this makeshift legion reached the walls of Lu HaiKong's camp, it was already midnight, and the camp had quieted down. The hardworking commoners had fallen asleep, leaving only a few patrols walking back and forth atop the walls.
Upon reaching the walls, the army did not rush forward immediately. The historical warrior sent scouts to investigate the area designated by the middle-aged scholar, and after discovering the agreed-upon signal, they began their operation.
The operation did not involve a direct assault. A force of over five thousand soldiers suddenly appearing without any siege equipment would be like announcing to the defenders that their gate had been breached.
At this moment, a group of about a hundred soldiers, led by the burly historical warrior, cautiously crawled forward, inch by inch.
The area outside the walls was covered in thick grass, providing ample cover for the burly historical warrior and his troops. With the night's darkness as their ally, it was nearly impossible for anyone on the walls to notice them from above, continued their stealthy approach.
A regular patrol might not have detected them, but unfortunately for the historical warrior, he was not dealing with an ordinary patrol.
The task of patrolling the walls was initially assigned to Wang Chao's battalion, but as the second battalion finished their training, Lu HaiKong gradually began delegating some tasks to them, including the night watch duty.
To their credit, although the second battalion was composed of new recruits, their near-fanatical loyalty to Lu HaiKong made them take every task seriously. Despite the uneventful night watches, the second battalion soldiers maintained an alert and enthusiastic state throughout their duties.
It was in this state of heightened awareness that the second battalion soldiers managed to detect the stealthy approach of the historical warrior's squad during their patrol.
"Who's there?"
A loud shout echoed, and firelights quickly illuminated the walls as patrol squads swiftly converged.
"They've been spotted! Charge forward, their gate is already open! We must stop them from entering the camp!" The burly historical warrior roared and charged ahead, brandishing his great saber.
By the time the alarm was raised, the historical warrior and his troops were already close to the walls. Despite the second battalion's quick reaction, it was a step too late.
The burly historical warrior was not only physically powerful, but his troops were also among the most elite in Wang Hao's territory, each with a personal strength of over twenty. Their sudden assault was not something the second battalion, inexperienced in archery, could easily repel with a few volleys of arrows.
"Signal the camp of the enemy attack! The rest of you, follow me! We must stop them from entering the camp at all costs!"
A second battalion soldier quickly issued orders to his comrades on the wall and then led the remaining troops down to engage the attackers.
Before the second battalion soldiers on the wall could fully react, the historical warrior's squad had already reached the gate and breached it. The gate, usually guarded by a group of mountain bandits and a quasi-general, was easily pushed open by the burly warrior.
As the gate swung open, the hidden five-thousand-strong army charged into the camp.
The defenders responded swiftly, and as the gate was breached, a group of mountain bandits emerged to counter the attackers. However, their efforts were in vain; the hundreds of bandits were no match for the burly historical warrior, and within minutes, their formation collapsed.
This group of bandits not only failed to halt the attackers but also boosted their morale with their feeble resistance.
After a brief skirmish, only a handful of bandits managed to escape, and by the time the aristocratic coalition's five-thousand-strong reinforcement arrived, the camp's walls had officially fallen. The historical warrior, no longer guarding the gate, led his troops into the camp, brandishing his great saber.
However, to their surprise, they encountered no resistance as they advanced. Instead, at the forefront of their path, a well-formed square formation of the second battalion soldiers stood, with Lu HaiKong at the lead, holding the Ghost Axe and wearing the Thick Mountain Armor, his expression calm and focused.
Simultaneously, firelights illuminated the walls as Zhang Yi's first battalion arrived atop the walls.
"We've fallen into a trap!" The historical warrior exclaimed, and at that moment, a rain of arrows descended from the walls of the mountain camp...
(End)
Chapter end
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