Chapter 44: Repelling an Army of Two Hundred Thousand
The arrival of Da Xuan's 200,000-strong army seemed to have no impact on Xu Ning's side. The entire city continued to function normally, as if the massive force camped outside didn't exist.
Even with 200,000 troops at the city gates, Xu Ning's side remained unmoved, showing no signs of panic.
Initially, Lin Lingfeng would send generals to challenge them, hoping to provoke a response.
But Xia Yun's side completely ignored them! They refused to come out, no matter what insults were hurled.
The enemy also didn't attack, simply maintaining a stalemate. Both sides watched each other.
This was Xu Ning's strategy against the cautious Lin Lingfeng. He was exploiting the general's suspicious nature and reluctance to attack easily without clear advantage.
This gave Xia Yun's side three months of precious development time.
During this time, Xu Ning forged over a thousand sets of mid-grade mortal-level iron cavalry equipment, directly increasing the number of iron cavalry to five thousand. Each set was a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
At the same time, at Tie Dan's repeated requests, Xu Ning also forged him a set of black mid-grade mortal-level armor. The ox had been insistent.
Tie Dan looked majestic and particularly handsome in it. He loved the armor and wandered around the camp every day, showing off, his head held high.
However, this peaceful stalemate between the two armies couldn't last forever.
The consequences of Emperor Xia Qing's series of hasty decrees gradually became apparent. Large numbers of people turned to banditry, unable to pay taxes. Many generals stripped of their military power rebelled, establishing their own independent regimes across the country.
The entire Da Xuan kingdom had unknowingly entered an era of warlordism. The Emperor's power was crumbling.
At this point, Da Xuan finally became anxious. They constantly urged Lin Lingfeng to quell the rebellion of the King of Lingnan as soon as possible so that troops could be deployed to other areas to quell the spreading internal strife.
Lin Lingfeng was also in a difficult position. The 200,000-strong army was consuming enormous amounts of provisions, and they were beginning to run out of supplies. This caused him considerable anxiety.
In recent days, Lin Lingfeng had been sending envoys to challenge them, trying to provoke a battle.
Xia Yun was also somewhat worried. A reckless attack by 200,000 troops was not to be underestimated, even with their advantages.
In contrast, Xu Ning kept telling Xia Yun not to rush things. It was the other side that needed to be anxious. They should be made to lose their composure and make a mistake.
Sure enough, after Xu Ning remained unmoved for weeks, Lin Lingfeng was forced to launch his first attack. He had to try.
However, the geographical advantage of the city meant that the first wave of attacks was completely ineffective. The defenders easily repelled them.
Seeing this, Lin Lingfeng stopped attacking and continued the stalemate. He was patient.
This, in turn, panicked Xu Ning. An attack would have been a sign of panic and desperation. But Lin Lingfeng's inaction revealed his composure as a veteran general. It suggested he was planning something big, waiting for the perfect moment.
Xu Ning then found Xia Yun, discussed their strategy, and ultimately chose to meet the enemy at the south gate. They would force his hand.
After dressing Tie Dan in his new armor, Xu Ning, also clad in gleaming black armor, climbed up onto his back, hoe in hand. He looked like a warrior from legend.
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"Sir, please be careful!" Xia Yun and Xia Li said anxiously as they saw him off, their faces tense.
Xu Ning nodded and left the city gate amidst the crowd's watchful gaze.
Facing the enemy's 200,000-strong army, Xu Ning raised his hoe and roared, his voice carrying across the field, "Xu Ning is here! Who dares to fight me!"
At this moment, Xu Ning, clad in black armor, appeared as one with Tie Dan, who was also in full armor. They looked exceptionally imposing, a dark duo of death.
However, the hoe, still covered in mud from previous farming, seemed out of place and looked strangely awkward. It was an odd weapon for such a warrior.
From within the opposing army of 200,000, at Lin Lingfeng's signal, a general pulled on his reins and charged out, shouting, "Let me take you on! I'll claim your head!"
Xu Ning, seeing this, immediately spurred his iron ox and charged forward.
Both were incredibly fast, closing the distance in an instant, their weapons clashing simultaneously.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out as the enemy's weapon shattered on contact with Xu Ning's hoe. The general's eyes widened in shock.
Xu Ning, however, changed the momentum of his hoe, digging it directly into the enemy's head in a fluid motion.
Then, with a swift pull, he dragged the already dead enemy general from his horse, leaving the man utterly mortified in his final moments.
Holding his blood-stained hoe, Xu Ning looked at the opposing army of 200,000 and roared again, his voice like thunder, "Who dares to fight me! Is there anyone else?"
Lin Lingfeng's gaze turned serious, his eyes narrowing. He gave the order, his voice cold. "All troops, charge! Capture Xu Ning alive! He's the key to this siege!"
"Charge!"
"All troops, charge!"
Rumble—
Instantly, the 200,000-strong army surged forward in a mighty torrent, a sea of soldiers and horses.
Xu Ning hastily retreated, spurring Tie Dan back toward the city gates.
At the same time, the city gate suddenly swung open wider, and Xu Ning entered quickly.
The enemy troops behind him, seeing the city gate wide open, immediately accelerated and rushed in, eager for the prize.
Seeing this, the commander-in-chief, Lin Lingfeng, showed no joy. Instead, he frowned, deep in thought. Something was wrong.
Meanwhile, Xu Ning, riding Tie Dan, had already climbed up the side slope of the city gate, out of danger.
Behind him, the enemy troops instantly pursued, flooding through the gate.
However, the city gate was not large. How could 200,000 troops possibly enter at once? The few hundred who managed to squeeze in instantly became sitting ducks, trapped in the kill zone.
"Fire!"
With a command, the archers, already prepared on the walls, simultaneously released their arrows.
Arrows rained down from inside the city gate, turning those who entered into pincushions. They fell in droves.
More people poured in, only to be shot down immediately. It was a slaughter.
Simultaneously, from the city walls, countless soldiers pushed rolling stones, hurling them down. The massive boulders crushed the soldiers below, who screamed in agony.
Rolling stones also fell from the ridges on both sides of the gate, instantly crashing into the army and ramming them relentlessly. The killing zone was complete.
The entire battlefield instantly descended into chaos. The attackers were trapped.
Lin Lingfeng, seated on horseback at the rear, frowned as he watched the slaughter unfold.
Years of combat experience told him this was a trap. The open gate was bait.
By opening the south gate wide and shifting the battlefield into the city, using the gate as a lure, they had deprived the Da Xuan army of their numerical advantage. Only a few could enter at a time.
Lin Lingfeng couldn't afford to miss this opportunity, as it was one he couldn't afford to overlook. He had to take the bait.
"Give the order: human wave tactics! Deploy the siege ladders! Also, notify the spies to move in now! It's time," Lin Lingfeng commanded, his voice hard.
After the order was given, a large number of defecting soldiers suddenly appeared in the city, hidden among the defenders. They killed nearby soldiers and then suddenly deployed siege ladders against the walls.
In an instant, the situation turned completely one-sided. Chaos erupted within the city.
Countless soldiers began climbing the ladders up the city walls, and the city gates, due to the defection of archers, were on the verge of falling. The defenders were caught off guard.
"Don't panic, everyone! Deal with the rebels first!" At this moment, Xia Yun, clad in armor, suddenly appeared on the wall. He drew his sword and beheaded a traitorous soldier with one clean stroke.
Immediately afterward, his elite cavalry appeared, joining the battle. They moved with deadly precision, instantly eliminating all the rebel soldiers, then taking control of the battlefield again.
Then, countless boulders suddenly tumbled down, crushing the soldiers entering through the city gates into a bloody pulp. The trap was reset.
Simultaneously, the falling boulders blocked the city gates, making the entrance even smaller and harder to breach.
"Don't touch their ladders! All of you, hold the walls! Kill them one by one as they come up!" Xia Yun roared again, his voice carrying over the chaos.
A dense swarm of soldiers climbed the ladders, desperate to get over the walls.
But as soon as they reached the top, they were immediately slaughtered by the cavalry above. Not one made it past.
Xia Yun immediately joined the battle, relentlessly killing the soldiers who climbed up, his sword never stopping.
The battle once again became a stalemate. The defenders held.
Meanwhile, Lin Lingfeng received a report from the front. Upon hearing that all the rebel spies had been killed by the cavalry, Lin Lingfeng's pupils constricted sharply.
This meant that the enemy cavalry hadn't actually made a move before now. They had been holding back, waiting for this exact moment. It was a trap within a trap.