Chapter 49

From dusk onwards, the Jin soldiers launched another fierce fire attack on the Arrow Pass.

Five large trebuchets took turns hurling fire oil, dry wood, wheat straw, and logs, all kinds of flammable materials raining down on the city walls and inside the city.

The city walls were engulfed in raging flames, which spread to the entire city, with thick smoke billowing and everything within a foot being scorched to ashes.

The Song army had already moved entirely to the south, where the flames could not reach.

The Song army set up over a hundred large tents and moved the warehouse supplies and some of the water reserves there.

Chen Qing stood on a high point, his gaze heavy as he watched the city burning.

There was an unmistakable worry in his eyes.

"Commander, you seem very anxious?" Yang Yuanqing noticed Chen Qing's concern.

Chen Qing sighed slightly, "If the Jin soldiers use a battering ram now, the city gate will be breached."

Yang Yuanqing was startled and began to worry, "What can we do?"

"There is a way, we can completely block the city gate!"

Chen Qing pointed to the large rock they had used to trick the city: "Move that rock to block the city gate, and then use sandbags to seal it."

"But the Jin soldiers can also drag the rock and sandbags away from outside!"

"I have a plan too!" the headman Luo Gan said from the side.

"What is your plan?" Chen Qing and Yang Yuanqing looked at him together.

"I have observed that although the flames on the city walls look fierce, there are still places that have not caught fire. We can select a few soldiers to rush up the city walls with wet blankets. Once the enemy uses a battering ram or fire weapons to attack, we will use fire oil to burn them."

"This plan is feasible, but how do we know the enemy's troop movements?"

Luo Gan pointed to the cliff on the left: "There is a cave there, and the cliff face has many vines. We can select two skilled soldiers to climb up and observe the enemy's movements from the cave."

Yang Yuanqing struck his fist into his palm, excitedly saying, "This plan is good!"

Chen Qing also found the plan reliable. He pondered for a moment and said, "We will use both methods. We must block the gate and use fire oil. Additionally, prepare a lot of sand to create a path to the city walls."

Chen Qing immediately mobilized all the soldiers to move sandbags to the city gate, including using donkey carts to transport the massive rock weighing several thousand pounds.

Soon, the soldiers found an even larger and heavier rock outside the southern city, weighing tens of thousands of pounds. Its size was perfect to fit into the city gate and get stuck, making it impossible to drag out from the outside unless it was shattered.

However, enemy soldiers could still squeeze through the gaps, so the gaps had to be filled with sandbags.

The Song soldiers walked close to the stone wall behind the warehouse, which was not burned, and followed the wall to the city walls, then to the city gate.

The entire city was mobilized, with soldiers carrying sandbags like ants. Dozens of soldiers carried sandbags up to the city walls.

The flames on the city walls were fierce, and the heat was unbearable.

The soldiers covered their mouths and noses with wet towels, using shovels to spread the sand. The path to the city gate was very close, only about thirty steps away.

Soon, they laid a ten-foot-wide path of sand, free from the flames. The soldiers soon discovered another surprise: the crenellated walls did not catch fire, thanks to the structure of the walls, which prevented the fire oil from reaching them.

Five soldiers did not need blankets; they doused themselves with water and carried fire oil barrels, rushing to the crenellated walls. The thick smoke and intense heat forced them to hold their breath, and they soon sweated profusely.

The crenellated walls were right above the city gate. At this time, the half-hanging drawbridge in front of the city gate was charred, but it did not collapse, and its presence protected the city gate from the flames.

It was already the fifth watch, and the Jin army's second batch of five trebuchets arrived, replacing the first batch that had suffered significant damage.

Fire oil barrels were continuously hurled, and the flames raged on the city walls and below. The attacking soldiers could not get close.

On the cliff, two agile soldiers climbed up to the cave, threw down a long rope, and pulled up various supplies. The Song army's observation post was quickly established.

At this moment, a cavalry unit galloped from a distance, led by the Han general Han Chang.

Han Chang was a Han Chinese from Yanshan Prefecture. He did not have the qualifications to enter the Jurchen high circles or participate in their factional struggles.

He clearly understood Wanyan Wulu's thoughts. Wanyan Wulu did not want to participate in the war led by the fourth prince to attack Mount Song, but he dared not disobey the order. Chen Qing gave him a reason for the lack of water, and he conveniently "believed" it.

However, Han Chang was different. His thoughts and concerns were for the greater good of the Jin Empire, to destroy the Song Dynasty and unify the world.

No matter what, he had to capture the Arrow Pass and open the way to the Dasha Pass. Even if Wanyan Wulu was dissatisfied, he had to prioritize the big picture.

While sleeping, Han Chang thought about a problem. His previous attempt with the battering ram failed because the Song soldiers on the city walls used fire oil and rolling logs.

Now that the Jin army had set the city walls on fire, and there were no Song soldiers on the walls, could his battering ram finally show its power?

Thinking about this, Han Chang could no longer sleep and led a cavalry unit to check the situation.

A mile away, Han Chang watched the city walls engulfed in flames and smoke.

"General, the flames at the city gate are weak!" a cavalryman reported.

Han Chang immediately ordered, "Tell the trebuchets not to aim at the city gate!"

......

At dawn, thousands of Jurchen cavalrymen charged to the city walls. The fire on the city walls had slightly diminished, and two trebuchets were being repaired by a group of craftsmen.

Wanyan Wulu was very unhappy. Han Chang insisted on attacking the city, and he could not disagree. With Han Chang's instability, if the war at Mount Song failed, the Khan would hold him responsible, and Han Chang might stab him in the back.

Wanyan Wulu stared at the city gate for a moment and coldly said to Han Chang, "Are you really determined to attack the city gate?"

"I insist that this is an opportunity. Capturing the city will be decided by this one move!"

"What if you fail again?"

"I... will take full responsibility!"

"Hmph! If you fail this time, I will not spare you!"

Han Chang bowed and spurred his horse, shouting to the two thousand Han soldiers, "Prepare the battering ram!"

This time, they used a proper battering ram with a frame and wheels. The massive ram was suspended by iron chains and operated by dozens of soldiers.

A six-zhang-long battering ram led the way, pulled by two strong oxen and pushed by dozens of soldiers on both sides. The ram slowly moved toward the city gate.

The sentry on the cliff immediately noticed the enemy's movement, waving a red flag and shooting a signal arrow.

A soldier quickly reported to the commander Chen Qing. As expected, the enemy had discovered the weakness at the city gate. Chen Qing immediately ordered Luo Gan, "Luo, take a hundred men to support the soldiers on the city walls and keep the sand path clear!"

Luo Gan bowed and hurried away.

Chen Qing then ordered Yang Yuanqing to lead five hundred soldiers to protect the city gate.

At this time, the city gate was blocked by two massive rocks, the largest weighing twenty thousand pounds, shaped like a reclining ox, and firmly stuck in the gate. Additionally, thousands of sandbags in three layers sealed the gaps. The Song army was well-prepared.

The number of Song soldiers on the crenellated walls had increased to eight, including five archers and three fire oil operators. The eight soldiers calmly watched the approaching battering ram, and the five archers suppressed their urge to shoot, not wanting to reveal themselves too early.

The battering ram passed through the scorched sand and mud, finally reaching the city walls. Dozens of soldiers began to prepare to pull the ropes. At that moment, three barrels of fire oil fell from above, smashing onto the ram. The wooden barrels broke, and the black fire oil spread on the ground.

Immediately, burning sand fell from the city walls, igniting the fire oil. Flames shot up and quickly spread.

The soldiers panicked and turned to flee. A general shouted, "Don't panic..."

Before he could finish, two arrows shot through his neck, piercing it like a fork. The general groaned and fell.

The soldiers felt as if they had fallen into a trap. Dozens of Han soldiers scrambled to escape, and three more arrows shot down two large soldiers, their agonized screams increasing the panic. They fled in a frenzy.

The sudden scene left Han Chang stunned. He watched the burning battering ram, unsure of what to do.

Wanyan Wulu appeared and sneered, "What do you have to say, General Han?"

"I did not consider carefully. Please give me another chance."

"I have already given you three chances, all of which you wasted, leading to our failure to capture the Arrow Pass. Your crime is unforgivable. Take him away and behead him!"

Han Chang suddenly realized that Wanyan Wulu was trying to pin the blame for the failure on him. He shouted, "I admit my failure in the attack, but the failure to capture the Arrow Pass is not my responsibility!"

Several Jurchen soldiers dragged him off his horse and pulled him away. Han Chang shouted, "Wanyan Wulu, you clearly do not want to send troops. You have ulterior motives and have delayed the Khan's plans. You are equally guilty!"

At this moment, several generals stepped forward to plead, "Han Chang is the commander of the Han army. Executing him will undermine morale. It would be better to spare his life."

Another general added, "Killing Han Chang will make it difficult to explain to Tala."

The general referred to Tala, who was the Jurchen royal Wanyan Chang, currently serving as the supervisor of the southern expeditionary forces.

Han Chang's patron was Wanyan Chang, and Wanyan Wulu indeed wanted to kill Han Chang and pin the blame for the delay on him.