Chapter 765: These Beasts

Zhang Wu'an glanced at Tuan Tuan in the carriage and said nothing.

Xiao Yuanhang nodded: "National Preceptor, I, the Prince, will go out to look; Tuan Tuan is yours."

Chu Yuan slightly nodded: "Prince, rest assured."

Tuan Tuan lifted her little face: "Daddy, where are you going?"

"Daddy is going to look ahead," Xiao Yuanhang said, patting the top of her hair, "Stay with the National Preceptor and don't get off the carriage."

"Okay." Tuan Tuan nodded obediently, "Take care, Daddy!"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled, turned, lifted the carriage curtain, stepped down, and vaulted onto his horse.

Wang Jingzhao then also darted out of the carriage.

Wang Cheng'an hurried forward, respectfully taking a warhorse and helping him mount.

Xiao Yuanhang took the Thousand-mile mirror from his chest, held it before his eyes, and pointed its tube toward the city wall.

Then his hand halted.

The city wall was studded with countless wooden stakes, placed every few steps, dense and irregular like a row of uneven teeth.

Each stake had a living person bound to it, men, women, old and young alike.

The wind lifted their garments and hair, making them flutter, and faint cries drifted on the breeze, only to be quickly scattered.

Xiao Yuanhang handed the Thousand-mile mirror to Xiao Ningchen beside him, his brows knitting.

Xiao Ningchen took it, glanced once, and his complexion darkened.

"They actually tied civilians to the city wall," he thrust the Thousand-mile mirror to Xiao Ningxun, hand gripping a sword hilt, "Beast!"

Xiao Ningxun looked for a moment, then passed it to Xiao Ran.

"This is to prevent us from storming the wall, using the Goryeo civilians tied at the wall top as shields."

"When we release our arrows, the first to die are the civilians."

He paused: "The archers and crossbowmen must be hiding behind those civilians."

Xiao Ran glanced once and shouted, "Again using ordinary people as flesh shields? Are they even human?"

He thrust the Thousand-mile mirror into Chen Hao's hand, his chest heaving with anger.

Chen Hao stared silently for a long while, then passed the mirror tube to Lu Qi.

"They're truly not human! My father, the Prince, and Prince Qing never did this."

Lu Qi squinted, glanced at the city wall, and cursed, "Damn it!"

He tossed the Thousand-mile mirror into Xiao Er's lap and said, "I've roamed the jianghu for so many years, have seen kidnappings for ransom, have seen hostages used as shields, but I've never seen ordinary people all bound to the wall top."

Xiao Er looked for a moment, said nothing, his darkened face growing even darker.

Wang Cheng'an, his heart anxious, asked, "General, may I have a look?"

Xiao Er spurred his horse to his side and handed the Thousand-mile mirror to him.

Wang Cheng'an glanced once, his complexion turning ashen, and presented the mirror before Wang Jingzhao.

Wang Jingzhao inhaled deeply, took it, looked toward the wall top, and his hand began to tremble.

Xiao Yuanhang raised his whip: "Send the order, the main army departs, set camp five li from the city gate. Surround the Royal City with Tuan Tuan, beware of ambushes."

"Yes!"

Seventy thousand troops unfolded slowly, like a massive bow gradually drawing its string.

Infantry led the front, cavalry on both wings, and the Goryeo volunteer army followed behind.

Hooves struck the charred ground, raising plumes of ash that swirled in the air without dispersing.

The nearer they came to the city gate, the clearer the scene on the wall became.

The figures bound to the stakes, some hung their heads motionless, others kept struggling.

Xiao Yuanhang looked toward the city gate.

Outside the city gate there were no Japanese guards, but several massive earth mounds.

He slightly frowned, wondering what use these mounds could have. What scheme were the Japanese devising?

"Prince," Xiao Er spurred to his side, "Allow me to scout."

Xiao Yuanhang glanced at him, nodded, "Fine."

Lu Qi vaulted off his horse, handed his reins to Xiao Er: "Brother, ride Red Cloud. Your horse isn't as fast as Red Cloud."

Xiao Er smiled faintly, vaulted off, and swapped mounts with him.

Wang Cheng'an spurred his horse to his front: "General, take two scouts. They know the area; if anything happens, they can lend you a hand."

Xiao Er clasped his fists and said, "Thank you."

Three fine horses kicked up a trail of dust, racing toward the city gate.

Xiao Er looked at the side of the earth mound, then abruptly tightened the reins.

Red Cloud's front hooves lifted high, emitting a low, deep neigh.

Beside the mound, a huge deep pit was sunken.

The pit was filled with corpses, layer upon layer, half covered, half buried.

Lime was scattered over the bodies, flashing a grim white in the sunlight, and the pungent odor stung the eyes to the point of near blindness.

A wooden placard stood beside the pit, boldly inscribed with large characters: Goryeo Rebels.

Xiao Er was startled, looked carefully into the pit, and discovered that it was filled with robust men, many still wearing soldier's uniforms.

The two scouts' lips kept trembling.

Xiao Er was silent for a moment, then raised his head and looked upward.

On the city wall, the Japanese guards stared coldly down at them, yet released no arrows and made no sound.

Clearly, they wanted the newcomers to see exactly what was buried in the pit.

"Go! To the south gate!" Xiao Er shouted, spurring his horse forward; the two scouts, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly followed.

Arriving at the south gate, a second deep pit suddenly appeared before their eyes.

The wooden sign beside it read: "Goryeo mob."

The three looked into the pit, and inside were ordinary people in tattered clothes.

Xiao Er's keen eyes spotted, at a glance, among the corpses on top, the old man who had spoken with Wang Jingzhao on the day of landing.

His heart jolted, "Old man, you……"

The two scouts swayed on their horses, on the verge of falling, their eye sockets full of tears.

Xiao Er glanced at them: "Can you hold on? Go back first. I'll go check the remaining two gates myself."

The two scouts simultaneously shook their heads: "We can hold on!"

Xiao Er spurred his horse forward: "Go!"

The three arrived at the west gate, and as expected, saw a third large pit.

The sign beside the pit read: "Goryeo wicked offspring."

Xiao Er gripped the reins tightly, held his breath, and looked into the pit.

Inside the pit lay only the bodies of women and children, the youngest barely three or four years old, some still holding the posture of climbing upward, as if struggling to crawl out of this horrible pit.

The two scouts could no longer hold back, tumbled off their horses and knelt at the pit's edge, their shoulders shaking violently, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Xiao Er dismounted, walked to the two, and placed both hands on their shoulders: "Go, there's still one gate we haven't seen. Remember everything you've witnessed, and avenge them."

The two scouts gritted their teeth and nodded firmly.

The three then came to the north gate, unexpectedly finding it empty—no mass grave, and not even a single civilian tied to the city wall.

Xiao Er barked: "Return to camp!"

The three quickly returned before the main army and recounted everything they had seen.

No sooner had the words fallen than the Goryeo righteous army burst into countless wails.

Some howled, some cursed angrily, some drew their blades to charge the gate, only to be tightly held back by their comrades-in-arms.

Upon hearing of this horrific state, the soldiers of Lie State also reddened their eyes, vehemently condemning the atrocities of the Japanese.

Wang Jingzhao's eyes were bloodshot; sitting on his horse, he swayed slightly, and Wang Cheng'an hastily reached out to steady him.

An old soldier plopped to his knees before Wang Jingzhao's horse, tears streaming: "Your Majesty! Please grant me mercy—let me be the first to charge forward when we assault the city!"

More people knelt down, and soon the Goryeo righteous army fell to their knees in unison.

Xiao Ran wiped his face, turned around, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

Chen Hao reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, only then noticing his own hand was trembling.

Lu Qi gritted his teeth hard, constantly cursing: "Beasts!"

Xiao Ningchen's face was as still as water.

Xiao Ningxun gritted his teeth and said: "They used mass graves to block the three gates; only outside the north gate is there none, and no one is tied to the city wall."

"This was deliberately left for us, so we can only breach the city from here."

Xiao Yuanhang nodded: "Surround three, leave one. These beasts—these Japanese—have learned our Zhongyuan's military arts and now use them against us."

Xiao Yuanhang looked toward Wang Cheng'an: "When we landed, I saw no Japanese warships; where are those ships now?"

Wang Cheng'an suppressed his fury: "They must be at West Port."

"In all of Goryeo, only West Port can accommodate over a thousand warships."

"Good!" Xiao Yuanhang clenched the reins: "Issue the order! Tonight we will launch a surprise attack on West Port!"

"Burn every Japanese warship to ashes!"

He surveyed the entire army: "This pack of beasts, I will cut off their retreat, leaving them no way back!"