Chapter 97

(ps: Brothers, those who have chased here should all be considered old-timers of this book. The author has seen many questions in the comment section these days, also some negative reviews. Here I will give a unified reply: this book is a historical brainstorm, the author themselves is not a history student, not that careful, many common sense points are also wrong, just read for fun, don't argue with the author, hope everyone can be tolerant! Thanks!)

The vanguard general of Huang Chao, Shang Rang, was in a very pleasant mood at this moment.

He sat on his horse, looking at the huge stronghold appearing on the horizon in the distance, a greedy smile on his face.

In his view, this was nothing less than a warehouse piled high with gold, silver treasures and beautiful women, its doors wide open, waiting for him to enjoy.

Stronghold?

He gave a cold snort.

He followed Huang Chao in campaigns across north and south, having conquered fortified cities numbering not less than eighty, if not a hundred.

What could be so sturdy about a mere earthen wall privately built by civilians?

"Pass on my orders!" he shouted to the messenger beside him, waving his hand with high spirits, "All troops, charge! Before night falls, I want to be drinking in that castellan's bedroom!"

"Oh!"

Thirty thousand cavalry burst forth with a earth‑shaking shout, like a black tide, sweeping toward the Wang Family stronghold.

The sound of hooves was like rolling thunder, shaking the ground until it trembled.

Shang Rang sat on his horse, letting his imagination run wild; when his Iron Control hooves shattered that fragile gate, what desperate expressions would the trembling wealthy elders and beautiful women inside show?

However, when his army had charged to a point one li away from the stronghold,

The smile on his face froze.

He saw a moat absurdly wide, and a stone wall as high as three zhang, towering like a mountain range.

This… this is a stronghold?

This damn thing is more imposing and sturdy than the Court's provincial capital!

"Slow down! Slow down!" Shang Rang quickly ordered.

But it was already too late.

Just as his cavalry unit Era Name Transition into the range eight hundred steps from the wall,

On the high walls of the Wang Family stronghold, a grating mechanical whine suddenly sounded.

"Hum—"

One hundred giant bed‑crossbows fired simultaneously!

One hundred bolts, each as thick as a child's arm, flashing with a stark cold light, tore through the air with a piercing whistle like the scythe of death, cleaving the sky and slamming deep into the charging cavalry ranks!

"Pluck! Pluck! Pluck!"

That was a sound that made the scalp tingle, the noise of a sharp blade entering flesh.

Shang Rang felt his vision blur; he saw with his own eyes a giant bolt easily pierce the chest of the foremost cavalryman, its tremendous momentum carrying the corpse through two more riders before finally spending its force and falling to the ground, leaving a deep pit.

One bolt, three riders pierced!

What is this, if not a bolt?

This is clearly a giant siege spear!

"Ah!"

"My leg!"

"Help!"

The anguished cries instantly echoed across the entire battlefield.

Just one volley sent hundreds of cavalrymen, men and horses alike, tumbling to the ground.

The entire charging formation fell into instant chaos.

The horses' wails and soldiers' howls mingled together like a symphony from hell.

Shang Rang was completely dazed.

What the hell is this?

Having spent half his life in the military, he had never seen a bed‑crossbow with such terrifying power!

"Quick! Scatter! Break formation!" he shouted hoarsely.

But the Wang Family's attack did not end.

Amid the chaos of the rebel formation,

On the wall, thousands of Wang Family soldiers holding repeating crossbows leaned out.

"Release!"

At the sound of the order.

"Swish swish swish swish swish!"

Dense as a furious storm, the crossbow bolts instantly blanketed the entire area from five hundred to two hundred paces before the wall!

This repeating crossbow specially made by the Wang Family workshop, though short‑ranged, has an extremely rapid rate of fire.

Several thousand soldiers, in just a few breaths, unleashed tens of thousands of arrows!

Under the arrow storm, men and horses scattered in panic!

Those rebel cavalry who had just recovered from the terror of the bed‑crossbow, before they could react, were turned into porcupines.

Their leather armor, before such a density of salvo, was as fragile as paper.

Wave after wave.

The Wang Family's repeating‑crossbow operators, like unfeeling machines, mechanically repeated the motions of loading and firing.

Beneath the wall, it became a veritable meat‑grinding mill.

Shang Rang watched as his men fell in swathes like harvested wheat, his heart bleeding.

In the short time it takes to burn an incense stick, the thirty‑thousand strong army he led had not yet reached the enemy wall, yet already suffered casualties of nearly one‑fifth!

How can this battle still be fought?

"Withdraw! Quickly withdraw! All troops retreat!"

"Shang Rang finally felt fear."

"He issued the retreat order without hesitation."

"The remaining rebel troops, as if pardoned, scrambled to turn their horses and fled in disarray toward the direction they came from."

"The Wang Family's army did not pursue."

"On the city walls, watching that panicked fleeing enemy army, a thunderous cheer erupted."

"We won! We won!"

"Haha! Those rebel bandits are nothing more than that!"

"The Wang Family youths who were on the battlefield for the first time were all excited, their faces flushed red."

"They proved the value of their years of hard training with a resounding victory."

"On the watchtower."

"Wang Po watched the enemy troops discarding helmets and armor, fleeing in disarray, and also wore a proud smile."

"He walked to Wang Zong's wheelchair, bowed, and said: 'Granduncle, we have won. The enemy army has retreated.'"

"Wang Zong (Wang Xiu) merely nodded calmly, his face showing no ripple."

"Clear the battlefield, treat the wounded."

"Also, bury all the dead enemy soldiers on the spot. Collect their weapons and horses into storage."

"Yes! Wang Po received the order and left."

"Wang Zong (Wang Xiu) watched the distant fading backs of the enemy troops, his gaze becoming deeper."

"He knew this was just an appetizer."

"The real test is still ahead."

"Shang Rang's 30,000 vanguard troops were merely the tip of the iceberg of Huang Chao's great army."

"When Huang Chao's hundreds of thousands of main force army presses the border, only then is it the moment that truly decides life and death."

"Moreover, what he worries more about is not Huang Chao."

"But the court."

"Today's battle, the Wang Family fortress displayed, far surpasses the Imperial Guards and border troops in military technology and combat power, will surely be transmitted via various channels to the capital Chang'an."

"One possessing such great military power, and also occupying the prosperous Jiangnan."

"In the eyes of any emperor, this is a thorn more troubling than Huang Chao, making him unable to sleep or eat, essentially a grave internal threat."

"Young Jing, Wang Zong (Wang Xiu) said to his nephew Wang Jing beside him, Immediately send someone to draft a memorial of our achievements in this 'imperial edict to suppress bandits' campaign, and the list of seized spoils."

"Furthermore, take half of the seized supplies, together with 100,000 strings of cash, and send them urgently 800 li to the capital."

"Just say, our Wang Family, for Your Majesty suppressing rebellion, contributed modestly. All seized items, we dare not keep privately, but turn over entirely to the national treasury to fund military expenses."

"Wang Jing heard this, was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized."

"Uncle, brilliant!"

"He knew uncle was using this way to again show his 'loyalty' to the court."

"I fight, for you."

"The things I seized, I also give to you."

"I just want to live peacefully in Jiangnan, have no interest in your throne."