Chapter 425: Qi Fu Chuzhuang: Chen Yan

The hot night breeze, scented with sea‑sand, swirled among the rammed‑earth parapet openings atop Fusi City.

The torches hanging on the city wall burned a dim yellow.

The flames flickered in the wind, stretching the shadows of the Tuyu Hun soldiers long and short, wavering on the mottled bricks like Guimo.

Thud—a muffled sound—accompanied by a soldier's pained "Ow", shattered the dead silence atop the wall.

Qi Fu Chuzhuang, wearing heavy leather boots, had copper nails on his armor glinting coldly in the torchlight; as soon as he stepped onto the western corner of the wall, he saw a soldier crouched at the base of the wall…

The soldier leaned against the arrow‑tower pillar, his helmet tipped aside, drool hanging from his mouth corner, his long bow slipped to the ground, and he was sound asleep.

Qi Fu Chuzhuang, inflamed with anger, lifted his foot and kicked the soldier's waist, the force sending the man rolling half a foot away.

"Everyone, be more spirited!"

"In case the Zhou Army launches a night raid!"

Qi Fu Chuzhuang's roar exploded across the rampart like a bomb, one hand pressing the hilt of his curved knife at his waist, copper rings clinking sharply; his gaze, like a blade tempered with ice, swept over the parapet, scanning each listless figure.

Some soldiers were dozing covertly, their heads bumping against the bricks bit by bit.

Others slumped their shoulders, eyes wandering toward the black Wilderness outside the city, their Long Spears barely supporting their bodies.

Two more leaned together, whispering, their fingertips still clutching half a hardened barley cake.

The kicked‑awake soldier rolled and crawled to his knees, hurriedly snatching his helmet and fastening it, his fingers trembling: "General! I was wrong! I won't dare again!"

Qi Fu Chuzhuang's roar still echoed on the rampart as Zhai Panmi's steps, steady, cut through the restless soldiers, heading straight to the edge of the wall.

His sideburns fluttered in the night wind, his rough palm pressed against the icy, mottled bricks…

The torchlight outlined his Gouhe‑crisscrossed face, those eyes that had witnessed countless battles staring intently at the black Wilderness beyond the city.

In the distance, the Zhou Army's main camp fires were arranged in perfect rows, like countless stars fallen to the ground, with no chaotic flames leaping nor any clamor.

Only the occasional silhouette of a patrol soldier flashed by, like moving sparks in ink, exuding disciplined resolve.

Zhai Panmi furrowed his brows, his expression growing more severe, his Adam's apple rolling slowly, and finally he murmured, "The Zhou Army's formation is truly disciplined!"

"Chen Yan's way of commanding troops is really something…"

In these three days, they had also clarified that although the Zhou Army's chief commander was said to be Yuwen Hu's son, he was actually assisting Chen Yan, like a companion to the Crown Prince.

And even at this distance, Zhai Panmi could still feel the Zhou Army's grim killing intent…

Zhao Xufeng gathered his wind‑ruffled collar, walked a few steps to the wall, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhai Panmi.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his hawk‑like sharp gaze sweeping toward the direction of the Zhou Army's main camp.

In the torch's faint glow, several new rows of tidy tents could be seen clearly, their outlines spreading continuously in the night, expanding nearly double the size of the daytime view.

Zhao Xufeng let out a cold snort from his nostrils and said gravely, "Sure enough, the delay in attacking means they're waiting for those five armies…"

It matched his expectations exactly.

The Zhou State's vanguard of seven thousand cavalry, upon reaching Fusi, encircled without attacking, merely waiting for the five marauding armies to converge within their borders!

Qi Fu Chuzhuang kicked the last few soldiers slacking behind the parapet opening, straightening their backs, then sternly instructed the night‑patrol commander with two words.

Only then did he turn, the sound of his leather boots on the bricks heavy with lingering anger.

He walked to the sides of Zhai Panmi and Zhao Xufeng, his gaze passing over their shoulders to the increasingly massive Zhou Army camp in the distance.

The previously tense jawline slowly relaxed, replaced by a long sigh.

"This lad may already be no worse than his grandfather!"

Qi Fu Chuzhuang's voice had lost its earlier roar, leaving only an unmistakable gravity; he lifted his hand to the icy wall, his fingertips absent‑mindedly tracing the brick joints, "Truly a lineage of capable, war‑ready warriors!"

In truth, fighting the Zhou Army left Qi Fu Chuzhuang with a psychological shadow…

Because the first time he led troops, he was defeated at the hands of the Zhuguo General of Zhou State, and that was also Qi Fu Chuzhuang.

Hence, he deeply understood the terrifying tactics of Chen Hu…

Zhai Panmi's gaze remained fixed on the Zhou Army camp, his lips parting; after a long pause he muttered, "I heard Chen Yan is only eighteen now…"

"Give him more years, and who knows how terrifying he'll become!"

As soon as the words fell, the night wind suddenly swept a chill over the rampart, making the hair at his temples flutter.

The chill seemed not only to come from the darkness.

It surged up his spine, and Zhai Panmi instinctively drew his neck back, the hair on his nape standing on end.

An inexplicable terror clenched his chest, making his breathing a little labored.

Qi Fu Chuzhuang, hearing this, slowly shook his head; the stagnant foul air in his chest seeped out at the corners of his mouth, vanishing instantly in the night wind: "Those matters are still far away; better to attend to the present!"

"If the royal city falls again…"

His voice was as heavy as ancient bricks beneath the city's foundation, his gaze fixed on the camp outside the walls.

He paused, his Adam's apple rolling forcefully, his tone brimming with uncontainable anxiety, "Then our Tuyu Hun will be nailed by this grandparent‑grandchild pair onto the pillar of historical disgrace!"

As the words fell, his hand on the brick clenched into a fist.

If the grandfather beats the grandson and both claim great victories, wouldn't that become a joke?

A living war‑achievement extractor!

Eight or nine times out of ten, it could be turned by Zhou State's scholars into a storybook and mocked by the world!

Zhai Panmi abruptly lifted his drooping head, his sideburns standing on end in the night wind; the earlier gravity was replaced by confidence: "The city's Provisions are ample, the walls are sturdy; holding out for a year or two is no problem!"

Saying so, his rough palm struck heavily against the icy bricks.

"Snap!" a crisp sound rang clearly on the silent rampart, shaking loose the sand grains clinging to his fingertips.

That year's reinforcement of Fusi City, Zhai Panmi had taken part in.

They rammed earth three times, then added an outer layer of stone about a yard thick, making it extremely solid—easy to defend, hard to assault.

Moreover, being the seat of the Royal Court, plain barley‑wheat filled three granaries, along with salted cattle and sheep meat, enough to sustain the city's troops and civilians for two years!

Qi Fu Chuzhuang slowly nodded, his tense brows easing a bit, lifted his hand to wipe the night‑wind‑slicked sweat from his forehead, his gaze returning to the Zhou Army camp, and said gravely, "Chen Yan's expedition is surely without any siege equipment…"

"It won't be long before they retreat!"

Qi Fu Chu Zhuang was very clear: the war was being fought over provisions logistics…

The Zhou Army marched a thousand li to launch the attack; the supply line was already a huge problem, let alone how many heavy siege engines could be brought?

Moreover, July was about to arrive, bringing scorching heat; the attackers' combat power would be greatly reduced…

And they would still have loyalist troops arriving one after another.

"Hmm."

Zhao Xufeng let out a deep snort from his nostrils, agreeing: "We only need to hold the line and not go out, and we can safely get through this calamity!"

The three exchanged glances, nodded simultaneously, and reached an accord.

No matter how formidable Chen Yan's command is, what does it matter?

If I don't fight you, it's all for nothing!

Just then, a sudden urgent shout came from the rear, breaking the brief silence atop the city wall.

"Hey, what's that up in the sky!" a soldier shouted, his voice trembling with uncontainable fear; he abruptly dropped his Long Spear, his fingers shaking as he pointed at the night sky.

The once pitch‑black canopy of the sky was suddenly streaked with countless fiery red trails, appearing from who knows when.

They resembled a swarm of runaway meteors, dragging long fiery tails.

Accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, they hurtled down toward the direction of the besieged city.

The flames grew brighter, heating half the night sky, and even the night wind seemed stirred into agitation by the scorching aura…

Qi Fu Chu Zhuang's eyes just met those red trails; his pupils snapped shut, and his rough palm instantly sprang off the city bricks.

He stared fixedly at the direction of the trails; their source lay opposite the camp at the far end of the Wilderness.

"It seems to be coming from the Zhou Army…" his voice pitched higher with urgency, and before the words finished he roared, "Take cover!"

Before his words finished, the red fire slammed onto the city wall.

"Boom—!"

The violent explosion rattled the city bricks, and the flames burst instantly, blooming like scorching red flowers between the battlements.

Burning oil splashed onto the rammed earth wall and armor, instantly leaping into flames half a man's height.

Orange‑red tongues of fire raced crazily through the cracks of the bricks, quickly merging into a sea of fire that illuminated the city wall as bright as day.

"Fire! All fire!"

"What on earth is this!"

"Help!"

The soldiers engulfed by the flames let out heart‑rending screams; they flailed at the fire on their bodies, only to fan it higher, and the acrid smell of burnt clothing and hair instantly filled the air.

A soldier who had just burst from the sea of fire collapsed straight onto the ground, his body charred black, silent forever.

Several more struck the crowd directly, exploding with a "Boom", scattering shards of stone and fire.

A few nearby soldiers couldn't dodge in time; the blast wave hurled them, their bodies slamming into the arrow tower pillars, landing in a mangled mess of flesh and blood, dead on the spot.

Zhai Panmi clung tightly to the city bricks beneath the battlement opening, the scorching blast singeing his hair.

Seizing the interval between the two bombardments, he thrust his head out and scanned toward the Zhou Army's main camp.

In the night, dozens of pitch‑black catapults rose their long arms in succession, each swing sending a fiery red trail toward the city wall.

Zhai Panmi's roar drowned out the explosions: "These bizarre devices are being hurled from the Zhou Army's camp, from those catapults!"

"Bow and Arrow!"

He snatched a fallen horn, blew it deafeningly, then turned to the soldiers still clutching Bow and Arrow amid the chaos, commanding sharply: "Fire at the catapults!"

The Tuyu Hun soldiers still gripping their long bows heard the call and hurriedly nocked their bows.

They crouched on the heated bricks, fingers trembling from tension, drawing their bows fully toward the vague silhouettes of the catapults in the night.

"Whoosh— whoosh—!"

Arrows shot out with a slicing sound, but lost momentum midway and fell straight to the ground.

In the firelight, one could clearly see arrowheads lodged in the Wilderness a few dozen steps beyond the catapults—some driven into the soil, others bouncing off stones with faint clatter, none reaching the edge of the Zhou Army's camp.

"General!"

A soldier rolled and crawled to Zhai Panmi's side, scorching sparks splashing onto his back, making him flinch; his voice trembled with sobbing and panic: "Those catapults aren't within our range!"

"Damned it!"

The fury and frustration in his chest erupted explosively; Zhai Panmi hammered a hard fist onto the scorching brick, the pain numbing his fingertips yet he barely noticed, cursing, "How did the Zhou Army contrive these broken gadgets!"

Zhao Xufeng stayed glued to the battlement opening, half‑squinting through fire and smoke, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the direction of the Zhou Army's main camp; even as explosions rose around him, his eyes showed no panic as he said in a deep voice, "The only blessing in this misfortune is that, aside from those faulty catapults, the Zhou Army has no battering rams, ladders, or other siege engines!"

But as soon as the words fell, a sharp "whoosh" rang out inside the city.

A streak of blue light suddenly pierced the fireworks and night above the city wall, shooting straight upward.

A light "bang" was heard, and the blue light burst across the sky like an icy‑blue flower, its tiny shards fluttering down.

"What is that?"

Qi Fu Chu Zhuang's eyes were locked onto that icy‑blue light blossom; his brows knit instantly as he asked in doubt, "Why is it lighting up from inside the city again?"

For some reason, his heart inexplicably sank, and a vague chill crawled up his spine.

He was filled with intense unease…