Chapter Twenty-Seven: Those Who Flee, Execute Without Mercy!

"Your Highness, both the northern and southern city gates have been held."

Inside the command tent, Zhao Luoying was visibly excited, her beautiful face glowing with a smile that had been absent for quite some time.

Qin Xuan smiled back, asking with concern, "You've worked hard."

Zhao Luoying shook her head. "However, our supply of fireballs and earth-grease is running low. This time, the southern gate defense only managed to consume three or four thousand of the enemy's troops."

The Tulan Army, guided by the strategic counsel of their State Preceptor, Gurna, and led by Tulan—a rising star among the Jurchen military—outperformed the Daqi Allied Forces in both offense and retreat.

As for the problem worrying Zhao Luoying, Qin Xuan was equally helpless. The earth-grease had been discovered by chance in the home of a corrupt merchant three days prior; its utility was entirely unknown in this era. The merchant himself did not know where it had come from, merely having stored a batch of it. It was precisely this accidental discovery that had led Qin Xuan to adjust his defensive strategy on the fly.

"The enemy will likely regroup soon. You must take care of yourself," Qin Xuan urged. Though the north and south gates were not far apart, they felt as distant as the Milky Way.

On the other side, in the suburbs north of the city, the Daqi Allied Forces launched another offensive after a two-hour rest. This time, the infantry had swapped their rattan armor for standard plate, yet they still held square shields, pushing steadily toward the city walls under a rain of arrows.

Simultaneously, the Tulan Army launched their own assault on the south gate. Long, dragon-like scaling ladders were carried on the shoulders of dozens of soldiers, with the cavalry unit charging at the forefront.

"Loose arrows!"

Zhao Luoying calculated the distance precisely, and a sky-darkening volley of arrows descended instantly. The leading cavalrymen were the first to fall, many tumbling from their mounts. Yet, even more, undeterred by death, drew their longbows and fired directly at the Shence Army on the battlements.

In this exchange of arrows, soldiers from both sides fell continuously. However, the Chiying Army held the advantage of the terrain, and their losses remained manageable. In contrast, the Tulan Army had already suffered over a thousand casualties in just a few minutes.

"General, something is wrong. It looks like they are intentionally using their cavalry to draw our fire!" Ning Yuanfeng, observing the battle from the city, noticed that although the Tulan cavalry had suffered heavy losses—with many horses killed—the soldiers carrying the ladders had used the tall horses and the cavalry’s distraction to close the distance to within sixty or seventy meters of the wall.

If they advanced any further, the twenty-meter scaling ladders would be able to bridge the wall.

"His Highness was truly prescient, anticipating that the Tulan Army might make a tactical adjustment." Zhao Luoying remained calm, her voice steady. "Let them approach the wall, then wait for the right moment to pour the earth-grease. Notify the archer battalion to be ready with fire arrows. This time, I will ensure they suffer a devastating defeat."

During their brief meeting earlier, Qin Xuan had secretly shared this strategy with her.

The Tulan Army, having campaigned for years in the northern territories, was more combat-hardened than the Daqi Allied Forces and better versed in siege warfare. Qin Xuan had correctly predicted that Tulan would be willing to make sacrifices to secure a foothold on the walls. This was why Zhao Luoying had held back the fireballs at the start.

In the distance, Tulan displayed a rare smile. "Military advisor, it seems we will break through Ningbei City on the very first day!"

Gurna remained silent. Everything felt too smooth, so smooth that it left him uneasy. But since his troops were already at the walls, there was no reason to pull back.

"I hope this is just my imagination," Gurna sighed inwardly, waiting nervously for the unfolding battle.

Meanwhile, the north of the city had already descended into a sea of fire. Although the Daqi Allied Forces had discarded their rattan armor, the combined bombardment of earth-grease and fireballs still halted their advance.

"Save me... please, save me..."
"I'm burning! I don't want to die..."
"Ah... fire, fire! My body is covered in fire..."

The shrill, piercing screams acted like a death knell, leaving many with faces ashen with terror. Fire tactics were inherently cruel, and they were the most effective way to spread fear. Such harrowing cries were enough to cause those with weak wills to collapse on the spot.

Of the 150,000 men in the Daqi Allied Forces, only the majority of those brought by Sun Wei were battle-hardened; the rest had never truly experienced a life-or-death struggle. Particularly the troops under Liu Zhizhong, who had always relied on looting the dead to claim merit and had hardly fought a conventional war, were in no position to compare with the Shence Army.

Soon, soldiers began to flee the battlefield. The situation spread like a plague. Even without an order to retreat, the terrified allied soldiers only thought of escaping the sea of fire.

Watching from the rear, Sun Wei’s eyes nearly burst with rage, his chest heaving violently. He roared, "Pass the order: anyone who retreats shall be executed without mercy!"

Flag-bearers and horn-blowers signaled the order, and the vanguard commanders moved to enforce it. But the panicked infantry had lost their senses; how could they care for such commands now?

"Archer battalion, loose arrows!"

A vanguard commander, seeing the entire line on the verge of collapse, had no choice but to issue this cruel order. A merciless volley of arrows instantly claimed the lives of those fleeing at the front, and the fleeing soldiers abruptly halted.

"Those who desert in the face of battle will be executed! Everyone, follow me and charge back!"
"Whoever scales the wall shall be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces and promoted three ranks!"

The vanguard commander shrieked until his throat felt torn. The deserters, looking at the archers in front of them with bows drawn and strings taut, had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge back into the fray.

Yet, a spirit once dampened is hard to rekindle. Victory was already slipping away.

Cao Xueguang watched the battlefield coldly, a mocking curve playing on his lips. "General Sun, is this your army?"

The words struck Sun Wei like a cold whip across the face, but it was Liu Zhizhong, standing nearby with an even gloomier expression, who felt the sting most. This charge had been led primarily by Liu’s Northwest Army, while the archers belonged to Sun Wei’s Qingyun Army.

"General Liu, I have often heard in court how brave and battle-tested your Northwest Army is, and how many meritorious deeds they have achieved. Yet, in the end, they act as deserters on the battlefield. How do you explain this?"

Sun Wei’s attempt to shift the blame was clumsy, but Liu Zhizhong was forced to accept it. Holding back his anger, he replied coldly, "The battle is fierce, and we have suffered heavy losses. If General Sun wishes to assign blame, perhaps you should just have me executed."

"You..." Sun Wei was left speechless.

Liu Zhizhong was, after all, a primary commander and the leader of the Northwest Army. If he were removed, the 150,000-strong coalition would surely fall apart.

"Both of you, enough with the angry words!" Cao Xueguang felt he shouldn't have involved himself in this mess, but he still had to mediate. "Our forces are currently weak; the best strategy is to withdraw for now. The Shence Army, after their fight with the Jurchens, likely has no more than eighty thousand combat-ready troops, and they are split between two gates—they must be exhausted."

"But we have 150,000 allied troops. Even if we send them in waves to attack the city, we can grind them down through sheer attrition."

Cao Xueguang had promised not to interfere in military affairs, but he felt compelled to offer this suggestion while playing the peacemaker.

Sun Wei’s eyes lit up immediately, and he could not help but say gratefully, "Many thanks for your reminder, Commissioner."