Chapter 539: Twilight of the Gods (Mid)

The massive siege ladder, several zhang tall and one zhang wide, was being pushed, swaying as it headed toward the north wall of Huayin City.

This type of ladder can carry a hundred men beneath it, shielding them from the arrows shot by the defenders on the wall. Of course, its drawback is obvious: its huge size and staggering weight require dozens of people to push it up to the wall.

Especially since Huayin City lies at the foot of a mountain, with its southern side backed against a great mountain, the uphill road there is hopelessly steep.

Several times the ladder had to be forced to stop so that the pushers could be swapped. This blood‑and‑sweat siege exhausted everyone's spirit.

At the foot of the slope, An Shouchong frowned, squinting as he watched the results of this assault. Because the road was narrow, only one ladder could be pushed up at a time, and only the north wall was usable; the roads on the other two sides were too narrow for such a massive contraption.

Two ladders ahead had already been broken, and An Shouchong's foot soldiers, with seven hands and eight feet, pushed them aside onto the roadside so they wouldn't block the siege path.

Even so, the siege was still ineffective. The three city gates were separated by rocks and could not support each other, while the defenders inside Huayin City could roam the walls at will, moving to wherever the attack was strongest.

Overall, the current attack rhythm is poor; persisting this way offers no hope of breaching the city in the short term.

"Pause the wall climb; use the stone‑throwing cart to batter the wall."

An Shouchong ordered the messenger beside him.

Whenever a ladder tried to reach the wall, the defenders would brace it with thick wooden stakes. Seizing the chance, they would set the ladder ablaze. The soldiers inside the ladder could not contact the defenders at all, let alone fight.

During this back‑and‑forth, although there were also ant‑style siege tactics, both sides suffered casualties, but the defenders' losses were far fewer than those of the attackers.

When an assault went poorly, the soldiers who hadn't yet died found it hard to retreat from the wall unscathed; essentially, a few went up and a few died.

Clang— clang!

The Mingjin Sound rang out, and the Hebei rebel soldiers who had run halfway reflexively fell back. As for those already assaulting the wall, they were naturally dealt with by Li Guangbi's elite troops.

"Everyone else go fetch stone blocks! The stone‑throwing cart must not stop!"

An Shouchong hurriedly ordered the stone‑throwing to batter the wall!

After several hours of hurling stones, all the torsion‑ballistae on the wall were destroyed, so it cannot be said that today's siege had no effect; it at least weakened the defenders' firepower.

Bang!

A stone flew onto the wall, smashing several shield‑bearing defenders to the ground; their shields shattered, and wails rose. The wounded and dead were immediately carried down the wall by the city's laborers.

Such a situation is rare, like a blind cat killing a mouse. Usually stones hit the wall, making it hard to fling them into the city.

An Shouchong exhaled a cloud of foul breath, crossed his arms, and coldly watched the soldier beside him loading ammunition while operating the stone‑throwing cart.

He instantly became so irritable that he didn't want to deal with anyone.

The reserve unit on the mountain top, An Shouchong still had no intention of deploying.

Now, on the first day of using siege engines, the defenders' stamina was noticeably higher and their response effective; the Hebei rebels found no real chance to breach the city.

Siege warfare is like this: when faced with a hard‑to‑take city, you must wear down the defenders' will and strength. Once they can barely hold, you unleash every killing blow for a decisive strike!

Adding more fuel to the fire is the stupidest tactic.

Bang!

A stone struck the wall, knocking loose the outer stone that encased rammed earth, exposing the earth inside. For an ordinary wall, this blow would likely cause a small section to collapse.

But Huayin City is built against the mountain, using local materials, and its walls are comparatively sturdy.

This small breach will, after the assault stops, be filled by the defenders using soil excavated from trenches. Once the soil of Guanzhong is compacted, it becomes extremely solid; building walls is a trivial task, and people in northern Shaanxi even live directly in kiln caves.

The slow siege progress made An Shouchong scratch his ear and chin in extreme dissatisfaction, yet he was powerless to change it.

However, An Shouchong could wait, but Huangfu Weiming could not wait any longer.

Just as he was directing the stone‑throwing cart outside Huayin City, a commander of the rank Ten Generals serving under Huangfu Weiming approached An Shouchong, clasped his fists in salute, and said, "General An, the commander-in-chief is pressing hard; truly, have you made no progress here?"

The man was named Bai Xiuzhi; his words were courteous, with no intention of crowding An Shouchong, yet his urgency was evident. Frankly, being blocked by a city left no one in the Hebei rebel army unhurried.

"Judge for yourself."

An Shouchong sighed, pointing to the wreckage of siege engines piled beside the woods, all destroyed by the defenders.

"Then... I, the junior general, will honestly report back to the commander-in-chief."

Bai Xiuzhi left with a disappointed expression; Huangfu Weiming sent him to check the progress, fearing a clash with An Shouchong, so he sent a subordinate to prod him.

That way, even if the dispute looks messy, there's a buffer and no outright confrontation. Afterwards, at most they could give Bai Xiuzhi a good beating.

But if Huangfu Weiming came personally to urge, would An Shouchong obey? If the siege ultimately fails, who bears the blame?

That question is hard to answer; both men need to save face, they can't just turn hostile.

Thus, Huangfu Weiming handles people and affairs with proper protocol; he's far from a brute who only knows how to swing a sword.

An Shouchong has stopped piling earth today; this method cannot work in the short term—without ten days or half a month, it's hard to build an earthen mound as high as Huayin City's walls.

After night fell, An Shouchong selected a 500‑strong suicide squad to scale the southern slope of Huayin City. Unfortunately, Li Guangbi had heavily stationed troops there, and the Hebei rebels were cut down by a barrage of arrows, suffering heavy casualties, forcing the remnants to retreat to camp.

Seeing this, the last strand of hope in An Shouchong's heart was snuffed out. He now understood that the Huayin defenders were no ordinary troops, holding the small city airtight; tricks would not work.

If cunning fails, then it's a test of endurance.

Thus An Shouchong personally went to Huangfu Weiming, requesting that the exhausted, heavily‑casualty units that had previously taken part be withdrawn, to be replaced by fresh troops, while continuing to produce siege engines, search for stone blocks, and keep the stone‑throwing cart pounding the wall day and night.

Huangfu Weiming agreed to his request without hesitation.

……

"What day is it today?"

At the top of Huayin City, Li Guangbi, his left shoulder bruised by shattered stone as he blocked a stone projectile with his shield, leaned against the wall and asked Hao Tingyu, who was watching the sunset.

"Tomorrow will be the ninth day; three days of continuous pounding—Huangfu Weiming's grandson is truly a mad dog."

Hao Tingyu muttered angrily.

The Hebei rebels, day and night, hurled stone projectiles at the wall, and indeed it had effect. The north wall was breached, but Li Guangbi ordered the city's laborers, risking their lives, to seal the gap.

They filled it with soil excavated from the trenches.

This wave of assault cost over two thousand casualties on our side before the breach was sealed and the Hebei rebels repelled.

Hao Tingyu had been hacking at people to the point his arm could no longer be lifted.

"Two more days left."

Li Guangbi sighed, worrying whether Fang Youde would ever come to Huayin for reinforcement.

Today should be the Hebei rebels' first full‑scale assault, also the fiercest siege attack.

At that time, all three sides of the city walls were swarmed by the bandit troops, aided by a siege ladder, and stone‑throwing carts continuously hurled stones to disrupt the defenders!

Moreover, on the southern mountain of Huayin there was a bandit raid attempting to breach the city with a simple rope ladder.

When the wall was smashed down, Li Guangbi doubted whether they could still hold the city!

Unfortunately, the Hebei rebels' stone‑throwing carts, after intense launching, broke down and many became unusable. Later the projectile density dropped noticeably.

Otherwise, who would get the deer would indeed be hard to say.

Even so, the defending troops inside the city have suffered over three thousand casualties, barely clinging to the brink of collapse.

If tomorrow another such assault comes, Li Guangbi thinks he definitely cannot hold out; the reserves will be insufficient, and all heavy gear like bed‑mounted crossbows are already lost.

"If it really can't be done, we can retreat via the small path on the southern mountain."

Hao Tingyu leaned in and whispered.

Of course, fleeing alone would ruin one's career in an instant, wiping out all the accumulation of the first half of life. Unless absolutely forced, no one would choose this path.

"As long as the city stands, the people stand; if the city falls, the people die. Do not speak of fleeing again."

Li Guangbi waved his hand, clearly unwilling to flee.

Hao Tingyu said nothing, just feeling it's not worth it! Not worth it for Li Guangbi, nor for himself!

What a treacherous court, what a treacherous emperor, not worth dying for the city!

After thinking, Hao Tingyu could only sigh, saying nothing. Any complaints can wait until after this battle.

At that moment, he suddenly saw smoke signals to the east!

"Look! Over there! Over there!"

Hao Tingyu gestured wildly toward the east, his whole face twisted with sudden excitement!

"Hm?"

Li Guangbi was also startled, instantly straightening up and squinting to look out.

That direction seemed to be... Tongguan!

Li Guangbi and Hao Tingyu saw smoke signals toward Tongguan, indicating trouble there; otherwise no one would light them.

In fact, something had indeed happened at Tongguan.

At this moment, what Li Guangbi and his men cannot see are rows of Crane‑controlling army soldiers disembarking, crossing the riverbank onto the trail between the two capital highways, charging like tigers down a mountain, killing anyone they meet!

They all wear a red hemp scarf around their necks, making them highly conspicuous.

Even at dusk when light is low, anyone with sight can easily distinguish friend from foe by it.

Although the twin‑capital highway is fairly wide, allowing several wagons to pass side by side, mountains line both sides, leaving no room to turn around.

The Hebei rebels' elite are stationed at the Huayin front, while those left at Tongguan are the previously wounded and exhausted units forced to withdraw for recuperation.

They encountered the ferocious, divine Crane‑controlling army, and were almost slaughtered outright.

Many Hebei rebels were slain while sitting on the ground unguarded; some even lacked any long weapons!

Wu~~!

Wu~~!

A bleak horn sounded from Tongguan; Li Jiaqing's son Li Huaiguang led the vanguard of the Crane‑controlling army, charging at the front like a spear, cleaving the disordered Hebei rebel ranks.

Wherever he went, he was invincible!

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Li Huaiguang and the elite behind him shouted wildly, using their Moe swords to strike down with great force, clearing a path.

The battle cries echoed along the official road between the two mountains. The Crane‑controlling soldiers charged while shouting, leaving no standing enemy wherever they passed.

The Hebei rebels were bewildered by the sudden battle cries! Especially those further west, who had no idea of the eastern situation!

How could the enemy come from behind?

If they came, it should have been from Chang'an in the west!

Many people's first thought was exactly that.

But they had no time to think of anything else, because the Crane‑controlling army, clearing the way with Moe swords, had already surged forward!

Among the Tang frontier troops, a Moe sword makes up about one‑fifth of their gear—roughly one sword per five men. Thus Moe‑sword units are usually tasked with clearing the way or covering the rear, and are deployed in concentration.

The Hebei rebels' soldiers did not know what had happened in the east, but seeing the fleeing troops surge, they could only scatter and flee westward!

No one could withstand the crushing blow of the Crane‑controlling vanguard's sword. Apart from running, what else could they do?

The road stretched endlessly with bodies; the Crane‑controlling army had many, the Hebei rebels even more. Armored and unarmored alike rushed westward in a frantic surge.

On the Hebei rebel side, both officers and foot soldiers heard a constant buzzing in their ears.

Footsteps, heartbeats, battle cries—indistinguishable from one another.

The situation was set; there was no turning the tide, all they could do was run!

The scene resembled the Yellow River breaching its banks north of Tongguan, a flood of mud and water surging forward. A single person, or even dozens or hundreds, their strength was negligible, their bodies fragile.

They could not stop this "flood".

On a high plateau near the Yellow River, Fang Youde rested his hand on his sword hilt, watching the near‑one‑sided slaughter below, his heart unmoved.

He did not take part directly in this battle; even Li Jiaqing did not lead troops into combat. Apart from Li Huaiguang serving as vanguard, the rest were commanded on the spot by Gao Xianzhi and others.

"Grand Marshal, this battle is over; now we just need to see if we can capture Huangfu Weiming."

Li Jiaqing, beside him, reported in a reverent tone.

"Hmm, that's it then."

Fang Youde waved his hand languidly, showing no exhilaration of a great victory. This move of his was a true skill hidden in simplicity, great yet unpretentious, lifting weight as if light.

"If we capture Huangfu Weiming, will the Jiedushi kill him?"

Li Jiaking asked again, this issue now seems no longer a delusion. Of course, if Grand Marshal Huangfu were to die in the army, there would be no need to say more.

Fang Youde nodded and said, "When a person is killed, they die; Huangfu Weiming has no immortal body, so what cannot be killed?"

He never took Huangfu Weiming seriously at all.

In this battle, Fang Youde exploited the enemy's laxity, their fatigue, and the narrow terrain of this stretch, executing a reverse‑rolling Pearl Curtain maneuver.

He used vigorous infantry to drive back the enemy's routed troops, rolling along this road continuously.

Roll, roll, roll! Roll into madness!

It was like a rolling snowball, causing the fleeing routed soldiers to increase in number, eventually forming a pressure like a mountain crushing down.

By the time Huangfu Weiming reacted, he couldn't even finish killing the routed soldiers charging at him!

Any resistance was futile.

At this moment Li Jiaking wasn't worried about winning at all; instead he worried about his son Li Huaiguang, praying that he wouldn't be trampled by the chaotic troops due to overexcitement in battle.

"Before I arrived, the order was to charge, to keep charging until no enemy remained ahead. Winning the battle is no problem."

Fang Youde paused, sighed, and continued, "But even if we defeat Huangfu Weiming, what then?"

The flourishing Tang is already gone; restoring its former glory is far from easy.

Defeating Huangfu Weiming only preserves the last shred of dignity for the Tang court. Even a thrilling, resounding victory changes nothing.

Fang Youde did not voice these words, because Li Jiaking could not comprehend his two‑life experience, yet still could not escape the complex emotions controlled by fate.

"Grand Marshal, we do all we can and know the Mandate of Heaven; after all, we are merely human."

"Let the affairs of the world be left to Heaven to arrange."

Li Jiaking, with a calm demeanor, persuaded Fang Youde, saying.

"Perhaps you are right."

I have done my part, and have lived up to the Li clan.

As for the Mandate of Heaven, that is not something I can covet.

Fang Youde turned and looked at Li Jiaking, forcing an ugly smile onto his face.

No matter how you look at it, the smile seems filled with bitterness.