In the darkness of the night, it was hard to discern the approaching crowd; all that could be seen were horses and soldiers everywhere, overwhelming and suffocating.
Zhao Hanqing stood amidst the army formation, torchbearers holding flames on either side.
"Disperse," she commanded.
The torchbearers immediately blew their horns.
The army formation moved instantly; the thunderous sound of hooves filled the wilds as the two cavalries crashed into each other like a flood against a dam.
The sound of slaughter echoed under the night sky.
.......
..........
On the battlements of the capital, more and more woodcutters gathered, flames and the clamor of battle cries filled the air.
The soldiers had almost all fallen in battle; there was no longer any sense of formation in the fight, as a strong man wielded a wooden club and charged at the incoming woodcutters.
The club was easily knocked out, perhaps the ease of this move made the woodcutters burst into laughter.
Seeing the laughing woodcutters, the strong man suddenly lunged, reaching recklessly to poke at the eyes of the woodcutters.
The woodcutters, not expecting such madness, were caught off guard and poked, letting out a wild scream as the long knife in their hand swung and struck the man's arm.
The man screamed in agony, but his hand gripping the woodcutter's face did not loosen; instead, he pressed his whole body against the long knife, fiercely gouging the woodcutter's eyes and biting their ear.
The woodcutter cried out and rolled on the ground with the strong man until another woodcutter arrived and stabbed the man to death with a spear.
But the next moment, countless strong men surged forward, disorganized yet undeterred, like moths to a flame.
Witnessing this scene, surrounded by guards and confronting another group, Miss Jun's expression was furious.
"Can't you see?" she yelled, "It's come to this, and you're still entangled with our own people!"
The group remained expressionless, not answering, advancing once more with weapons hacking at the guards without hesitation.
"I will go with them,"
Jiurong, shielded behind Miss Jun, shouted.
"Everyone stand back."
Miss Jun turned to look at him.
"My guards shouldn't die at the hands of their own people," Jiurong said loudly, "Go, go and kill the enemy, like heroes."
The guards looked back at him, their expressions complex and hesitant.
Miss Jun crouched down and hugged his shoulders, just about to speak when suddenly an uproar rose from the city gate.
"The Jurchen people are retreating!"
"The Jurchen people are retreating!"
The shout shocked Miss Jun and the others, even the guards stopped their entanglement, surprisedly looking towards the city walls.
The fighting on the walls continued, but by the firelight, it could be seen that the woodcutters originally covering the long ladder were retreating, and further away, woodcutters retreated like a tide.
Meanwhile, the horn for withdrawing soldiers echoed in the night.
The Zhou people were incredulous, and the woodcutters in the heat of battle were also left dumbfounded.
At this time, without any sign of defeat, while pressing the attack to take the battlements, why withdraw suddenly?
Should they fight or retreat? Thoughts were in disarray, expressions stunned, actions halted, and the Zhou soldiers, previously on the losing side, suddenly gained confidence, becoming more frenzied in battle.
The woodcutters, met with strong resistance, were knocked to the ground by swarming strong men, and those trying to retreat were hacked down or pushed off the city walls.
Watching the woodcutters continuously falling from the walls, Yu Chihai, standing not far away, was incensed to redness in his eyes.
"We cannot withdraw, we're just about to capture the capital," he shouted at the general beside him.
The general beside him was also angry.
"The Zhou people's reinforcements have arrived!" they shouted, "They're attacking our camp."
"There can't be too many reinforcements!" Yu Chihai seethed, "Our forces in the rear can hold them off."
The generals remained enraged, with a hint of uncontainable fear within their anger.
"But it's the Qingshan Army!" they shouted.
This group of weaklings with a brave front but cowardly hearts was scared out of their wits by the Qingshan Army, Yu Chihai was almost fainting with rage.
"We're just about to capture the battlements; even if the Qingshan Army comes, once we've taken the capital and occupied the imperial palace, they can't do anything to us," he said, biting his words.
"Capturing the battlements doesn't necessarily mean capturing the capital," a general said in shame and anger, pointing towards the blazing city ahead, "These Zhou people are not as easily overcome as you claim, it's so difficult just to take one battlement."
These Zhou people are just holding on with their last breath; once the battlements are taken, their last breath will be broken, and the capital will be ours for the taking.
These useless barbarians don't understand a thing, Yu Chihai was so infuriated he could spit blood.
But what could he do? The Jurchen generals at this moment simply wouldn't listen to him, watching the retreating tide of soldiers, Yu Chihai couldn't help but raise his hand to the sky and shout.
This damn reinforcement, even if they came an hour later, it would have been better.
Just one step away, just one step away.
Perhaps seeing the usually courteous Yu Chihai so distraught, a Jurchen general felt some sympathy.
"Lord Yu, don't worry, didn't you also say the reinforcements are few? They came over long distances; daring to fight us in a night battle in the open field, once we've gathered our forces to annihilate them, the people in the capital will see that reinforcements are of no use, their morale will be thoroughly shattered, and when we return, the capital will still be ours for the taking," he said loudly.
But his words seemed to be more of a consolation for Yu Chihai, and also for himself, as Yu Chihai remained expressionless and somewhat dazed, turning a deaf ear.
The Jurchen general, feeling embarrassed, snorted twice and turned around in shame.
"To battle," he shouted loudly, riding his horse to follow the main army.
...…..
...…..
The last Jurchen soldier on the battlements was forced to the edge of the wall.
Prince Xian let out a bellow, charging over with a long spear.
Uncertain if from nervousness or stumbling over the chaos, Prince Xian's spear grazed past the Jurchen soldier's shoulder and hit the wall, but the soldier still let out a cry, knocked off the wall by the charging, bulky Prince Xian.
"Valiant prince!" the guards on both sides shouted in unison.
In any case, it was him who knocked the soldier off the wall, regardless of whether it was with a spear or his body, he personally killed a Jin thief, it was his own doing!
Prince Xian wiped away his unease, happily and excitedly waving to everyone.
"You are all valiant," he shouted.
Seeing that no more Jurchen soldiers were climbing the walls, the surviving people did not cheer jubilantly, instead showing expressions of disbelief and some wariness.
Could it be a ploy?
Or are they preparing for another attack?
Miss Jun, with Prince Huai in her arms, walked a few steps forward.
"It doesn't seem like a trick," Mr. Gu emerged from the side, looking ahead, "I think reinforcements have arrived."
The trembling Jinyiwei silently gathered behind Mr. Gu again, as if the prior events hadn't occurred, their orders were to take Prince Huai and Miss Jun away if the city couldn't be held; now with reinforcements arriving, the capital wouldn't fall, and there was no need to leave.
Reinforcements?
The night obscured the view, making it unclear what exactly had transpired.
"From where are the reinforcements?" a general, his arm nearly severed, gritted his teeth, trembling as he spoke, supporting himself with the wall to look out, the firelight casting a ghastly pallor on his face, devoid of any joy, "A night battle with the woodcutters, could it succeed?"
If the stationed troops around the capital were truly formidable, the capital would not be in this state now.
Hearing this, the expressions on the wall grew even more despondent.
"Perhaps reinforcements from the northern lands," but someone else voiced loudly.
If the northern lands reinforcements came, there was still hope.
The people couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.
"No matter what, we've waited for reinforcements." Miss Jun said, "What we thought impossible has happened; defending the city and achieving victory isn't impossible either."
Hopefully, with his body covered in blood and his hair disheveled, Ning Yan, who no longer carried the scholarly grace of a civil servant, clenched his hand hanging by his side.
Miss Jun tightened her grip on Prince Huai's shoulder, standing with everyone on the city wall, looking out at the ink-dark night ahead.
The sounds of slaughter seemed to echo faintly from the horizon in the night.
...…..
...…
The sound of battle raged like a storm, drums beating intensely, the cavalry in the front line split as if cut by a blade, then spread to both sides like a dancer's long sleeves, while units of soldiers holding long swords and shields charged forward.
The Jurchen people's cavalry had already rushed in, brandishing long knives and scythes at these soldiers, who collectively lowered their bodies to raise their shields, sparks flying, followed by the swish of long knives — horses neighing, Jin soldiers tumbling down.
The shields shattered, knives waved, flesh flew.
Clashing of men and horses, chaos of battle.
It was indistinct in the night, but the scene was all the more brutal.
"...How, how can it be such a fight?"
A government soldier from Renji Prefecture shouted, his hand holding the long spear trembling like his voice.
"Our Qingshan Army has always fought like this." A voice came from beside him.
With that voice, three soldiers stepped forward in unison to clash with an oncoming Jin soldier.
The Jin soldier's heavy axe cleaved a soldier's shield, dropping directly onto his shoulder, nearly splitting him in two.
The soldier of Renji Prefecture clearly heard the sound of bones cracking, yet that soldier, kneeling to die, still raised his spear and fiercely thrust it through the Jin soldier's chest, both men falling with an agonizing scream.
It's too terrifying.
The soldier from Renji Prefecture almost fainted.
They had stayed near this capital, at most engaging in siege battles against the Jurchen people, exchanging shots through the city walls; facing such hand-to-hand combat was this terrifying.
"You, don't you have artillery carriages? Quickly, quickly blast them to death." He couldn't help but shout.
No one answered him, nor did the artillery carriages appear, as squads of long spear and shield soldiers advanced and retreated together; enveloped by the cavalry on both sides with the drumbeats, they, though terrified, followed the ranks instinctively, waving their swords and spears.
In these ranks, they didn't need exquisite martial skills, just fierce courage, and even without fierce courage, it didn't matter; as long as they were swept up in it, advancing, brandishing swords and spears, ignoring life and death, rushing forth to perish together, like a giant chariot rolling forward like a giant stone.
What else could they do!
This was the only way!
What else could they do!
This was the only way!
Kill, kill, the battle cries shook the sky.
...….
...…..
As the east gradually brightened, the city wall battered by fierce battles manifested its tragic state, where rows of clay-like people stood.
Their clothes were tattered; soldiers and civilians were chaotic, scarred, bloody.
They all looked in one direction.
"There was never the sound of cannons." Miss Jun said in a low voice.
Maybe it wasn't the Qingshan Army from the northern lands coming; then the odds against the Jurchen people were low.
Even if the Qingshan Army came, surely no artillery carriages accompanied them, then they must have come lightly and swiftly.
After a long journey, with limited numbers, field battles and night battles must indeed have been appalling.
Miss Jun showed a bit of melancholy, suddenly squeezed her hand tightly by someone.
She looked down to see Jiurong.
"Don't be afraid." Jiurong looked up at her, "See, we have witnessed the light of another day."
Miss Jun smiled.
"Yes." She nodded, "We've gained another day, it's worth being happy."
As she finished speaking, someone on the city wall shouted.
"They're coming!"
The shout wasn't joyful, rather trembling.
Who was coming?
The people on the city wall held their breaths, watching forward in tense silence, their expressions anxious and fearful.
Was it the Jurchen returning, or reinforcements descending from the sky?
In the morning light, squads of men and horses appeared in sight; the glare blurred everyone's vision, straining to see the gradually clearer armor, looking at the cloud-like banners.
Seeing the armor broken, bloodstained.
Seeing the banners torn, fluttering.
Seeing the injured soldiers abundantly, seeing the scattered horses.
Eyes blurred with tears, hearts shattered.
Thud, someone knelt to the ground, crying loudly.
After more than twenty days of siege defense, the knees that hadn't buckled under the Jurchen's repeated assaults now knelt, tears falling not from pain.
Like rice pouring over a granary, countless people on the city wall thudded down, cries rising all around.
"They've arrived."
Ning Yan murmured, exhaling a long breath.
Miss Jun patted Jiurong's shoulder.
"Jiurong, look, that's the Qingshan Army." She said softly, pointing to the military formation approaching outside the city, "Have you heard of them?"
Jiurong shook his head.
"But I, this king, have seen them with my own eyes." He straightened his back, tidying his clothes, speaking with decorum.
.....
....
"Why are you running?"
Fang Jinxiu shouted, catching up to Seventh Chen.
"What's there to see!"
Half of Seventh Chen's head was bandaged, oozing blood, looking both grim and comical.
He squeezed past the kneeling, weeping on the city wall, looking out at the city.
"So splendid." He murmured, looking at the large Qingshan Army characters on the banners, his exposed eye shimmering, then turned to Fang Jinxiu, "I finally understand."
Fang Jinxiu frowned.
"What do you understand?" she asked.
"I understand why she didn't want the Qingshan Army as her guards back then." Seventh Chen said, "A personal guard protects just one person, but a country's guard can protect a whole nation."
If the Qingshan Army had stayed in the capital as Miss Jun's house servants, at this moment, they would only be part of the fallen on the city wall, unheard and unseen for Miss Jun, for the capital, for the Zhou People, for the world as vast as it is.
But now, they can form an army, lead soldiers to gather crowds, and repel the Jurchen people, with this achievement evident to the nation and the people, bright as stars.
"Moreover, they are still her guards." Seventh Chen murmured, what was once a guard of dozens has become an army of tens of thousands, "Sacrificing the small for the greater, this is the truly large enterprise, a great deal with huge gains, no wonder she can open a shop and I can only be a shopkeeper."
...…..
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