Chapter 994: Siege (Thanks to 'Demon V Blood Angel' for the generous support)
Chapter 994: Siege (Thanks to 'Demon V Blood Angel' for the generous support)
September 25, 2017
Above Yang Yuan City.
Watching Dian Wei leave with a swagger, Zhang Yan was left dumbfounded, unable to react for a long time.
As it turned out, dueling generals came with risks, and one had to be cautious in their actions!
Zhang Yan had initially believed that everything was under their control, and after sending Guan Hai, she thought she would have an easy victory. However, she never expected that right from the start, her top martial general would be captured.
The situation before her was so dire that even the word 'heartache' couldn't describe it. One look at Zhang Yan's distorted face, and anyone could sense the turmoil she was feeling at that moment.
But the worst part for them wasn't that Guan Hai had been captured in a single move.
The worst was that Dian Wei's appearance undoubtedly proved one thing: Lu Hai Kong was determined to defeat them.
This was an incredibly critical issue. Initially, Zhang Yan had thought that with Dong Zhuo's intervention, Lu Hai Kong wouldn't deploy his elite troops against her. The most rational move for Lu Hai Kong at this time should have been to concentrate his most powerful forces to resist Dong Zhuo and allocate a small number of elites to counter Baron Yuan and her.
In Zhang Yan's opinion, the initiative should have been in their hands, and Lu Hai Kong should have been the one on the defensive.
However, not only had Lu Hai Kong launched an offensive, but he also seemed to have deployed a large number of elites, even bringing Dian Wei over. Now, if someone told Zhang Yan that the commander of the army before her was Warlord Zhang, she wouldn't be surprised at all.
Lu Hai Kong's attitude clearly showed that he was determined to defeat them at all costs!
Under these circumstances, the difficulty of stopping Lu Hai Kong's army had undoubtedly increased significantly.
"Damn it! Lu Hai Kong has deployed his elites here. What does he have left to defend against Dong Zhuo?"
Staring at Dian Wei's departing figure in the distance, Zhang Yan finally snapped out of her daze and began cursing.
But at this point, her curses were useless. The enemy was already at their doorstep, and she had no choice but to fight. Could she possibly surrender and open the city gates?
Just thinking about the enemy's lineup made Zhang Yan shudder.
In this situation, Zhang Yan, who had initially paled at the mention of Warlord Zhang, now seemed more composed than Zhang Yan. He stepped forward to calm her down as she turned pale.
"Holy Maiden, do not worry. I was acquainted with Commander Zhang Chushuai before, and I have some knowledge of his abilities. Commander Zhang Chushuai excels in commanding large-scale battles. The more numerous and powerful his soldiers are, the more terrifying his strength becomes. Although the troops they have brought are elite, they number less than fifty thousand, and half of them are supply and logistics troops. Even if Commander Zhang Chushuai leads this army, they won't be able to unleash much combat power."
"On the other hand, we have the advantage of defending from within the city. We have a hundred thousand elite soldiers and a large number of city defense machinery. As long as we don't go out, even if Commander Zhang Chushuai is on the other side, it's almost impossible for them to break through our defenses!"
It had to be said that the original Yellow Turban Army was indeed brimming with talented individuals.
Not only did they have Warlord Zhang, Bo Cai, and Zhang Liang as their three main commanders, but they also had a large number of capable and promising commander candidates under their command, such as Zhang Niu Jiao, who now served Lu Hai Kong, and the one before them, Zhang Yan.
Although this guy had shown a less-than-impressive reaction to Warlord Zhang's reputation, it didn't diminish his qualifications as a competent commander.
Despite his reluctance to face Warlord Zhang, when push came to shove, he could still hold his own.
With their first martial general captured and overall morale low, Zhang Yan quickly stepped up. He not only calmed Zhang Yan's emotions but also boosted their side's morale once again.
It could be said that Zhang Yan's best decision in this battle was to appoint Zhang Yan as their commander.
After Zhang Yan's reassurance, Zhang Yan also regained her composure. After all, there was no turning back now. Facing Lu Hai Kong's elite army, she had no choice but to stop this force.
Dong Zhuo's side would likely take five days to reach Shangzhou County, and it would take another five days for the battle there to affect their situation. As long as she could hold off this army for ten days, victory would still be theirs.
Zhang Yan was confident that they could hold out for ten days, even if they couldn't defeat the enemy. With this optimistic mindset, preparations began within Yang Yuan City, and they waited in full battle readiness for the enemy's siege.
A day passed in the blink of an eye, and Lu Hai Kong's army had completed their pre-battle preparations.
Early the next morning, Dian Wei appeared once more beneath Yang Yuan City, his iron spears resting on his shoulders.
"The day is up. Make your choice!"
Dian Wei's voice thundered across Yang Yuan City, carrying a thick scent of bloodlust, as if the city's defenders could see mountains of corpses and seas of blood in his eyes.
Fortunately, they were a united force, a collective of ten thousand men.
When faced with Dian Wei's intimidating aura, they managed to hold their ground. If they were individuals or merely a group of a few dozen, it wouldn't be unusual for them to be overwhelmed by Dian Wei's aura and lose their minds at this moment.
There was a brief silence on the wall, and after a while, a fierce general stepped forward and shouted, "Lu Hai Kong..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Dian Wei turned and walked away without another word. Starting with the words 'Lu Hai Kong', it was clear what the rest of the message would be, and there was nothing pleasant to follow.
Not surrender? If they don't surrender, they'll be annihilated. What's with all the unnecessary talk?
As Dian Wei retreated, a middle-aged man emerged from the martial general's escort among Lu Hai Kong's army, and at the same time, the Zhang family flag rose.
Upon seeing this man, Zhang Yan and Zhang Yan's faces on Yang Yuan City paled, as they recognized him as undoubtedly Zhang Mancheng.
Fortunately, they had anticipated this, so at this moment, seeing Zhang Mancheng's appearance, they were somewhat mentally prepared.
Zhang Yan's hands clenched tightly, her fingers turning a pale white, and her face filled with anger, "Come on, let's fight. I don't believe that with just Zhang Mancheng and Dian Wei, they can take down my stronghold with five thousand soldiers in ten days!"
As her words fell, a rousing war drum sounded from Lu Hai Kong's camp.
Accompanying the war drum was a series of charging roars!
"Kill!"
The word burst from the mouths of tens of thousands of warriors simultaneously, forming a wave of sound. This wave carried the determination of iron and blood, a fierce resolve to break through the walls of Yang Yuan City.
At this moment, the light-armored guards in the front row began to move, their formation orderly, as they advanced toward Yang Yuan City step by step, raising their iron shields.
"It's begun!"
On Yang Yuan City, as Lu Hai Kong's legion moved, Zhang Yan's face turned solemn. He took a big step forward and stood in the position befitting a commander. At the same time, Yang Yuan City, like a giant beast, started to move under Zhang Yan's control.
Among the martial generals under Zhang Yan's command, Zhang Yan was the only one with battle experience.
On such a battlefield, the presence of a commander with rich combat experience made a significant difference.
With Zhang Yan's leadership, the ten thousand new recruits in Yang Yuan City had a backbone, preventing them from being intimidated by the mere few thousand soldiers attacking them.
On the city wall, defensive preparations were made, and the necessary defensive machinery was readied.
Each soldier seemed like the blood flowing through the veins of this giant beast, constantly circulating within it, providing life force to the beast.
Seeing the changes on Yang Yuan City, a strange look flashed through Zhang Mancheng's eyes below.
"I didn't expect there to be such a promising talent here. He's probably not far behind Wang Ti from a few months ago. How interesting!"
As Zhang Mancheng spoke, twenty thousand light-armored guards had already entered the range of the city's defense system.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Yan didn't hesitate and immediately gave the order.
"Attack!"
At Zhang Yan's command, the crossbows and small ballistae on the city wall launched simultaneously. A barrage of crossbow arrows and boulders rained down, targeting the light-armored guards.
In an instant, the formation of the light-armored guards showed signs of disarray, and many guards were directly killed in this wave of attack.
It seemed as if the light-armored guards' advance had slowed down a bit.
But Zhang Yan's actions didn't end there. The city's defense machinery and soldiers, under his command, moved in an orderly manner.
Zhang Yan, standing beside Zhang Yan, clearly saw that under Zhang Yan's leadership, Lu Hai Kong's legion was struggling to advance even an inch.
Witnessing this scene and Zhang Yan's calm command on the city wall, Zhang Yan's confidence surged once more.
'With Zhang Yan here and ten thousand soldiers, holding off Lu Hai Kong's legion for ten days will be a piece of cake.'
With this thought, Zhang Yan relaxed, and a smile finally appeared on her lips.
At this moment, she recalled Ye Jun Ru's words before leaving, and her smile grew brighter.
"You called me stupid? Soon, the facts will prove who the real fool is!"
Meanwhile, on Lu Hai Kong's side, a smile also appeared on Zhang Mancheng's face, "The Lord once said something, didn't he? Oh yes, let them experience what true despair is!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
