Chapter 97

The situation was not looking good. "What does Chen Xiaowei want us to do by calling us over?" At this moment, Ding Shuang, following Chen Hai's instructions, had gathered over a dozen military officers of the Chishan County garrison.

The civilian soldiers on the city walls were already panicking. These military officers were in the dark, but some of them were getting restless. The dozen or so people who followed Ding Shuang to the base of the city wall all hoped that Chen Hai would immediately order the city gates to be opened.

They were not only afraid of the out-of-control fleeing soldiers rushing up but also feared that reinforcements would not arrive in time, leaving the troops they had left in Chishan City in grave danger.

"Reinforcements will definitely arrive before nightfall. Even if something unexpected happens, this general will fight to the death in the streets to ensure that your families can leave the city first! You cowards, are you not willing to fight for your families?" Chen Hai, gripping his Frosty War Javelin, his cold gaze like a knife, swept over the faces of the military officers, and he asked in a low voice, "Otherwise, I will open the city gates now. Your families are all in the hidden barracks under the city. How many of you can avoid being scattered by the chaotic soldiers?"

At this moment, Chen Hai revealed his fierce fangs, no longer caring if these military officers knew that their families, who had been gathered in the hidden barracks under the city, were being used as hostages to force them to defend the city.

Standing on the city wall, Chen Hai could see that some of the fleeing generals and southern fleeing clans were showing signs of cooperation in the city. They were also gathering more fleeing soldiers, trying to break through the southern city gate and open a southern escape route.

In addition to Qi Hanjiang and over thirty bandit slaves, Chen Hai also had Ding Shuang gather these military officers to organize a group of elite civilian soldiers to form an array with him at the base of the city to resist the impact of the fleeing soldiers.

Simply occupying the city wall and shooting arrows and crossbows was not enough to completely block the shielded and armed fleeing soldiers outside the fence. He had to organize people to form an array at the base of the city to resist the impact of the fleeing soldiers. With only sixty to seventy people, they had to take care of both the city wall and the base, and their troops were too scarce, so they had to borrow people from the civilian soldiers.

The city wall was the central control point for the southern part of the city, and it could not allow civilian soldiers and Chishan County garrison troops to enter at will. If they discovered any abnormalities and caused a mutiny, the entire situation would collapse and become uncontrollable. However, Chen Hai was determined to force some of the civilian soldiers to form an array at the base of the city. Even if these civilian soldiers mutinied after discovering the abnormality, Chen Hai could send them to be killed by the chaotic soldiers' weapons.

The combat power of the civilian soldiers was limited. Chen Hai did not expect them to play a significant role. Mainly, he wanted them to form a diagonal shield array on the front side, with long spears protruding from the gaps in the shields to suppress the possibility of the fleeing soldiers impacting the flanks. Chen Hai, leading Qi Hanjiang and over thirty bandit slaves, held shields and war javelins, forming an array in the middle, backed by the city gate.

This formation allowed Chen Hai to more fearlessly concentrate the over thirty bandit slaves into a hammer, continuously inflicting heavy damage on the charging fleeing soldiers. If the flanks of the civilian soldiers were broken, they could retreat into the city gate, reducing the attack surface and avoiding being scattered.

Zhou Jun and Zhao Shan led over a dozen bandit slaves to guard the city wall, using bows and crossbows to kill enemies and monitor the movements inside and outside Chishan City. Wu Meng led over a dozen bandit slaves to mount iron-armored horses, standing by the city wall, ready to attack the array of fleeing soldiers from the flanks.

Although Chen Hai and his group had formed a threatening array, and the city wall's bows and crossbows had killed dozens of fleeing soldiers in two waves as a warning, they still could not stop the fleeing soldiers from continuing to charge the southern city gate.

Once the fighting started, the civilian soldiers on the flanks, though terrified, had no choice but to fight.

Although the civilian soldiers on the flanks were repeatedly broken, the fleeing soldiers, incited by the fleeing generals and clan members, were also in a sorry state.

Seeing the civilian soldiers' array collapse, Chen Hai would decisively lead the bandit slaves to kill the chaotic soldiers, giving the civilian soldiers time to reorganize, and then retreat to near the city gate to monitor the restless chaotic soldiers.

Chen Hai used this method to conserve the strength and essence of the over thirty bandit slaves.

Otherwise, if the fleeing soldiers took turns charging, the over thirty bandit slaves, with limited strength, would not be able to hold the base of the city for a day.

As dusk approached, three black-robed figures rode from the north, entering Chishan City. They seemed like leaves floating in the wind, dismounting and flying toward the city wall from several hundred meters away.

Seeing this, Chen Hai's brows furrowed. Even for Xuan cultivators at the Ming Qiao or Dao Dan stages, their true essence and magical power were not enough to support long-distance flight. They mainly relied on mounts or spirit birds. Judging from the three figures flying into the northern city, they clearly had cultivation at the mid to late stage of the Spirit Opening realm.

These three cultivators, with no attachments, could have easily bypassed Chishan City and fled south. However, they entered Chishan City and joined the few fleeing generals gathered in the north. Chen Hai felt a sense of foreboding.

Soon, vague shouts could be heard in the city:

"The group on the southern city wall are spies of the Wuwei Army! They are Wuwei Army spies, blocking us here to wait for the Wuwei Army's pursuit to annihilate us all!"

Chishan City was not large, only two thousand steps square. Even though the three black-robed figures were standing on the northern city wall, Chen Hai could vaguely see their heads and faces covered in black robes, their eyes gleaming with cold light. Soon, the three black-robed figures and the few fleeing generals reached an agreement and moved toward the southern city gate together.

The noise in the city grew louder. The fleeing soldiers, who had been blocked by Chen Hai for a day and had already suffered hundreds of casualties, were filled with resentment. Hearing that the group blocking the city gate were Wuwei Army spies, they all rushed forward, eager to tear Chen Hai and his group to pieces.

Near the southern city, a fleeing general, leading three to four hundred close followers, was inciting other fleeing soldiers to charge the southern city gate.

Learning that the group blocking the southern city gate were Wuwei Army spies, the fleeing general's facial muscles trembled, his silver-cast spear pointing at the city wall, his eyes blazing with anger, he shouted:

"Damn your ancestors! You scoundrels have been playing us all this time! Watch me tear you apart, you scoundrel spies!"

Ding Shuang's face turned pale, not knowing what had gone wrong with the Wuwei Army, causing Chen Hai's identity to be exposed prematurely.

The many Chishan County military officers organizing the civilian soldiers to form an array at the base of the city were both shocked and suspicious, as if struck by lightning, staring in disbelief at Chen Hai and the bandit slaves, unable to believe that their efforts all day were to block the fleeing soldiers for Wuwei Army spies!

Zhou Jun, Wu Meng, Zhao Shan, and Shen Kun were all stunned, not expecting their identities to be exposed at this moment. They were in a difficult position, and if the civilian soldiers on the flanks mutinied, they would be overwhelmed by thousands of angry fleeing soldiers!

"Damn your mother! Seeing the Wuwei Army coming, you all shrink back, and to save your lives, you spread rumors that I am a Wuwei Army spy. Today, let's see who tears whom apart!" Chen Hai roared in a fit of rage, his voice like a sudden thunderclap, his entire body like an enraged Vajra, standing on the battlements. Immediately, his Frosty War Javelin transformed into a meteor, merging with his body, and he charged straight toward the fleeing general!

Seeing this, Ding Shuang was startled.

The fleeing general was behind hundreds of fleeing soldiers preparing to charge the southern city gate, surrounded by three to four hundred close followers. Chen Hai charging directly over would inevitably result in dozens or even hundreds of weapons cutting him down, and even a Ming Qiao stage expert would find it hard to hold out for long.

But Ding Shuang quickly realized that Chen Hai did not want to give anyone time to react or think. He wanted to use an extremely indignant momentum to force the civilian soldiers and Chishan County garrison troops on the city wall to accept the idea that these fleeing soldiers were so shameless that they were spreading rumors to create chaos and break through the southern city gate to save their lives, falsely accusing Chen Hai and his group as Wuwei Army spies!

Zhou Jun, who had just arrived at the base of the city to replace Chen Hai, and Wu Meng, leading over a dozen elite bandit slaves, also received the signal and charged out in a rage, heading straight for the location where Chen Hai would land.

If they could not break through and create a path before Chen Hai's strength was exhausted, Chen Hai would be overwhelmed by the chaotic soldiers, with no chance of survival...

The fleeing generals blocked in Chishan City included many cultivators with strong foundations. They did not want to abandon their subordinates and could only use Chishan City as a passage. They still wanted to make a difference in the He Xiang Army and did not dare to rashly lead their troops to break through the southern city gate without a clear understanding of the situation. Instead, they incited and organized other fleeing soldiers to charge the southern city gate.

The fleeing general near the southern city gate was one such case. Hearing that the group blocking the southern city gate were Wuwei Army spies, he was both shocked and angry, but also had a hint of doubt. In his anger, he only incited the fleeing soldiers to charge forward, not expecting Chen Hai to show no sign of guilt and to jump down from the city wall like an enraged dragon, charging straight at him.