Chapter 4

Luoshixun's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his mouth, his tension making it hard to breathe.

He had seen this kind of city siege on TV countless times, having watched hundreds of bloody action movies. But no matter how realistic and terrifying the scenes on screen were, they could not compare to what he was witnessing right now...

What is fake will always be fake!

But what was unfolding before Luoshixun was a stark, bloody reality. One by one, lives were being snuffed out with his command to "release the arrows," falling before his eyes.

"General, be careful!"

A flash of cold light, and a guard beside Luoshixun slashed at a climber who had just poked his head over the ladder. The blade cut through the head, lodging in the skull...

Bright red blood and white brain matter spurted out, splattering Luoshixun's face. The stench of blood and brain matter instantly filled his nostrils, making him feel nauseous.

Luoshixun suddenly snapped back to reality. This was a real battlefield, a place where either you die or I die...

The will to survive overcame his fear and discomfort!

With a roar, Luoshixun, his eyes bloodshot, raised his heavy iron spear and charged at a climber who had already reached the top of the wall, holding a wooden shield in front of the parapet.

The climber reacted quickly, raising the wooden shield to protect himself.

"Thud!"

The collision of the iron spear and wooden shield produced a faint sound, barely audible on the battlefield.

It wasn't that the force was too weak, but rather that it was overwhelmingly powerful. The wooden shield couldn't withstand the crushing force and shattered into six or seven pieces like cardboard. The iron spear, still in motion, struck the climber's chest, sending him flying like a golf ball, landing on the ground fifty meters away.

Luoshixun's eyes were bloodshot, and he swung his iron spear at any soldier wearing the armor of the Handong army. He had no technique, relying solely on brute strength. Even so, no one could stand against him, and his overwhelming power was evident.

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In the rear ranks of the Handong army, a renowned general named Sudingfang was sitting leisurely by the riverbank, chatting with the soldiers around him. Sudingfang, from Wuyi in Ji Prefecture, was fierce and strong, with unparalleled courage. At the age of fifteen, he had fought alongside his father, leading the charge and conquering every obstacle. He was the adopted son of Gao Yaxian, a close confidant of Liu Heita, and led the most elite assault troops of the Handong army. He was responsible for the fourth wave of the attack, and since they weren't needed immediately, they were conserving their strength in various ways.

"Damn it, how can such a small city be so hard to take? We didn't even put this much effort into taking Mingzhou," a soldier complained, listening to the deafening war drums. Mingzhou, also known as Handan, was located west of the Taihang Mountains and east of the North China Plain, serving as the economic center of Hebei and the former capital of the State of Zhao. Its walls were high and thick. At the time, the Tang army had suffered repeated defeats against Liu Heita's forces, and even a fortress like Mingzhou had fallen in a single day. For a small city like Mingshui, few took the siege seriously. Seven days ago, they had been pointing and shouting at the city, more like spectators than soldiers. Now, after seven days, the same people had lost their enthusiasm, feeling exhausted and weary, even after a night's rest.

Sudingfang looked at the city walls and encouraged his men, "Don't worry, considering the strength of our forces, Mingshui should fall today." He spoke calmly, but his thoughts were different. It wasn't that he was concerned about Luoshixun; he had already seen Luoshixun's bravery over the past seven days, but there was nothing to fear beyond that.

Despite his young age, he had a strategic vision that set him apart from the short-sighted soldiers around him.

If Mingshui had been taken earlier, the Handong army would have had the resources to fight against the Tang. But now, even if they took Mingshui, what would it matter?

They were already eight days late. In those eight days, Li Shimin had divided his forces to capture Xingzhou and Jingzhou to the north of Mingzhou, while Luo Yi had reclaimed the northern counties of Hebei, completing the encirclement of the Handong army. The ambitious and strategic Li Shimin had joined forces with the valiant Luo Yi, creating a formidable momentum. In contrast, the Handong army was held back by the small city of Mingshui.

With the advantage of time, place, and people on the Tang side, how could this battle continue?

"The city is about to fall!" a soldier suddenly shouted, pulling Sudingfang back to reality.

Sudingfang looked towards Mingshui and saw that over a dozen climbers had already reached the city walls. He knew the situation in Mingshui well; the city had only about five hundred soldiers, while the Handong army numbered thirty to forty thousand. Mingshui's ability to hold out was due to Luoshixun's unparalleled bravery and, to some extent, the snowy weather, which had hindered Tang reinforcements and also caused significant difficulties for the Handong army's siege.

Now that the snow had stopped, and after nearly seven days and nights of attrition, the city's remaining combat-capable soldiers numbered less than a hundred. It would take a miracle to hold Mingshui with such a small force.

Sudingfang no longer focused on Mingshui but turned his thoughts elsewhere: at the same time the Handong army ordered the attack on Mingshui, the Tang army had launched a rescue operation on the north bank of the Mingshui River. It was said that Li Shimin himself was on the battlefield, and Qin Shubao was leading the troops across the river to break through the defenses. With such a formidable combination, he wondered if the Handong king could withstand it.

"Look!" The sudden cry from the surrounding soldiers made Sudingfang turn to look.

He saw two climbers, trailing blood, fall from the wall, followed by a third, a fourth... In no time, all the Handong soldiers who had reached the wall were dead, thrown off the walls.

The tall, lean figure on the wall reappeared before Sudingfang, and he couldn't help but marvel, "The bravery of a tyrant, nothing more."

Seeing the weakening of the attack, he took a few large steps to Wang Xiaohu and suggested, "General, there are no more than a hundred combat-capable soldiers in the city, and they have held out solely due to Luoshixun's personal bravery. One man's strength cannot withstand a thousand soldiers. We should send more troops to attack from multiple points. Even if Luoshixun were a reborn tyrant, he would be unable to hold them off alone."

Wang Xiaohu agreed, laughing, "I had the same idea. Let the second and third waves attack together. I don't believe three thousand men can't take down a hundred." He pointed with his whip, and the two assault waves, already on standby, began to gather towards Mingshui.

The two thousand-strong force looked overwhelming before the small city of Mingshui.

Luoshixun found a sense of invincibility in each climber, his courage growing. He charged and fought fiercely, once again boosting the morale of the Tang army.

The Tang army, well-trained, did not need orders to act. They spontaneously dropped logs and stones, used poles to push over the ladders, and held their ground.

Seeing the approaching Handong army, Luoshixun glanced at the prepared lime and thought, "It's time to use the trump card!"

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