Chapter 422: The Loyal and the Betrayers
Chapter 422: The Loyal and the Betrayers
September 25, 2017
The second day of the attack on Jiuyuan County began, and the Wu Xian rebels launched an even more ferocious assault than before, a desperate charge that disregarded life and death.
Without siege equipment, they rode their horses straight into the city gates, wave after wave, with no intention of stopping.
Under such intense attacks, Ding Yuan's Jiuyuan County, already on the verge of collapse, faced an even more dire situation.
What was even more terrifying was that the rebels maintained this relentless assault throughout the day. The defenders of Jiuyuan County had hoped that the rebels' attack would slow down after nightfall, but it continued with the same ferocity. Everyone knew that the fall of Jiuyuan County was just a matter of time under these circumstances.
On the walls of Jiuyuan County, Ding Yuan stood firm, his battle robe stained red with blood, a longsword in hand.
"How are the city gates holding up? What about the Automaton Beasts?"
"The East and West Gates are severely damaged. Only the North and South Gates are slightly better, and we have two Automaton Beasts left. But at this rate, they won't last long," replied one of Ding Yuan's deputies.
"What about reinforcements? Have they not arrived yet?" Ding Yuan, trapped within the besieged county, had no way of receiving news from outside Jiuyuan. He was unaware that the governors of the nine counties of Bingzhou had essentially abandoned him, and he also didn't know that Lu Hai Kong had officially taken action.
His question about reinforcements was met with silence. No one answered, and Ding Yuan already knew the answer before he finished asking.
"These bastards! When they were using me, they were like dogs, and now that I'm in trouble, they're just standing by and watching the show! What happened to their brains? Don't they understand that if Jiuyuan falls, Yunzhong, Shuofang, Dingxiang, and Xihuai will be the first to suffer the consequences? Don't they grasp the concept of shared fate?"
As Ding Yuan cursed, he suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves and the cheers of the enemy.
"What's happening?" Ding Yuan was shocked.
"The East Gate has been breached again, and the enemy has broken through. General Lu has already gone to deal with them!" reported the deputy after checking.
Upon hearing that Lu Bu had gone to the East Gate, Ding Yuan let out a sigh of relief.
This wasn't the first time the enemy had breached the gates during this period. Each time they broke through, Lu Bu swiftly drove them back.
With Lu Bu and his Flying Wolf Cavalry stationed at the gates, the enemy couldn't force their way in.
However, this time was slightly different. After the East Gate was breached, Lu Bu and his Flying Wolf Cavalry did manage to drive the enemy out, but at the same time, the West Gate was also breached, and a large number of enemies poured in.
"Jiuyuan can't hold out any longer!" Ding Yuan, guarding the North Gate, saw two gates breached and felt a glimmer of despair in his eyes.
His despair wasn't for the citizens within the city but for his own life and future. Once Jiuyuan fell, the Uhuolun and Xianbei people would show him no mercy.
Just as Ding Yuan was at a complete loss, his adopted son stepped forward, leading three thousand Flying Wolf Cavalry to meet the enemy head-on and firmly blocking the West Gate.
It turned out that Ding Li, who had followed Lu Bu for over half a year, was quite a capable warrior. With three thousand Flying Wolf Cavalry, he forcefully drove back the invading enemy.
"The Young General is truly formidable!"
The soldiers at the West Gate, seeing Ding Li repelling the enemy's assault, cheered and celebrated. Ding Yuan, upon receiving the news, finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But this relief was short-lived. Soon, the enemy launched an even more frenzied attack. Lu Bu's side managed to hold them off with ease, but Ding Li's position was more challenging. They nearly broke through his defenses.
In this situation, every soldier went all out, knowing that if the enemy breached the gates, no one inside Jiuyuan County would survive. No soldier dared to hold back.
At the East Gate, the formidable Lu Bu held the line, preventing any enemy from breaching the gate. However, the battle at the West Gate was fierce and brutal.
The gate changed hands several times as Ding Li repeatedly launched assaults, only to be pushed back by the enemy's overwhelming forces. Countless soldiers and even ordinary citizens poured out, sacrificing themselves to retake the gate.
In the end, Lu Bu at the East Gate broke the enemy's morale, driving them out. He then deployed the automaton beasts purchased by Ding Yuan during this period, barely managing to block the gate. Turning back, he rushed to the West Gate, helping Ding Li stabilize the situation once more. The final automaton beast was used to block the main gate.
With both gates firmly secured, the enemy's relentless assault, which had lasted an entire day and night, finally subsided. Jiuyuan County had withstood another wave of attacks.
However, Jiuyuan County was now in a desperate situation. If the enemy regrouped and launched another offensive tomorrow, the county would likely fall.
The scent of death had lingered over Jiuyuan County for over ten days, but today, it felt closer than ever.
Almost everyone knew that tomorrow would likely be the day the city fell.
Despair was heaviest at this moment, yet order was still maintained within Jiuyuan County, and everyone remained steadfast in their resolve.
In the 16th and 19th books of the "I Look at Nothing Wrong" version!
Despite knowing that many, if not all, of them might die tomorrow, they still wanted to fight. This fighting spirit may have been cultivated during the past ten days of defending the city, or perhaps it stemmed from an unwillingness to compromise, an innate part of human nature.
Few considered what would happen if the city fell; everyone was focused on holding the walls.
All combat personnel seized this precious time to rest and recover their strength, knowing that a challenging battle awaited them tomorrow.
The citizens within the city did not cower in their homes. They voluntarily came out to support the war effort, doing whatever they could.
However, their support primarily involved providing water and food and setting up defensive structures with the bodies of the fallen. They did not treat the wounded, nor did anyone want them to. No injured soldier in Jiuyuan County would willingly leave the front lines. For them, death in battle was the only option.
They would not die anywhere but on the battlefield, a tragic yet magnificent choice.
Along the walls and at the gates, one could see soldiers with broken limbs, their bodies riddled with wounds, clutching their weapons and refusing to leave the battlefield, even in death.
They still wanted to fight, and when the enemy broke through, these barely breathing soldiers would rush forward, ready to make their final stand in this life. In Jiuyuan, almost all soldiers, whether actively or passively, embraced this fate. For them, it was not about honor but an inescapable responsibility and an unspoken, unwavering determination.
Not all wounded soldiers could wait for that moment, though. Many died on the spot before the battle even reached them, their faces contorted in pain, perhaps with a hint of regret. It seemed like dying this way was a disappointment, a tragedy for them.
On this last night in Jiuyuan, many men who had been hiding in corners stepped forward, trembling as they picked up the weapons that fallen soldiers had clutched tightly in their final moments. In this last hour, they finally found the courage to fight.
Jiuyuan, in the midst of war, had many tear-jerking moments and instances that inspired awe. Of course, where there is light, there is darkness, and where there is greatness, there is also baseness.
As the people braced for their final battle, some were already preparing to flee...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
