Chapter 671: Sacrifice

The air inside the Zhongjun Dazhang seemed as if scorched iron had seared it, making it stagnant.

The candle on the desk flickered violently, casting Gao Xiaoyu's twisted face onto the tent wall, flashing dimly, like the raging anger he now felt.

Su Mo was pressed hard to the ground by two soldiers, his wrists bound with rough hemp rope leaving purple‑red bruises; his tattered robe was smeared with dust and blood, yet his defiant glare remained unchanged.

He looked up at the thunderously raging Gao Xiaoyu before him, whose face, already darkened by days of failed sieges, now flushed crimson with fury, the blue veins on his temples pulsing as if trying to break free of flesh.

Su Mo felt an indescribable exhilaration surge from his heart, the long‑suppressed oppression and resentment turning into sharp mockery when he saw his enemy's frantic, desperate expression.

"What does it matter if you kill the two of us?" Su Mo's hoarse voice rang out, dripping with open contempt, his gaze stabbing at Gao Xiaoyu like a blade, "You still won't be able to breach Gancao City!"

As the words fell, he threw his head back and burst into a series of hearty, unrestrained laughs: "Ha—ha—ha—ha!"

The laughter pierced the tent's cracks, echoing across the open camp with a martyr's carefree resolve, shrill as a needle that drove straight into Gao Xiaoyu's heart.

There was no hint of fear in his laugh, only contempt for the enemy and absolute confidence that Gancao City was as solid as a fortress.

Each syllable seemed to add kindling to Gao Xiaoyu's fury, making the fire burn even brighter.

Beside him, Chen Laogen's knees ached from being pressed down, his rough face etched with furrows of wind and frost, now flushed red from extreme exhilaration.

Imitating Su Mo's manner, he forced himself to look up, his laugh coarse and booming like a gale roaring through the mountains, shaking eardrums.

In his murky eyes flared a scorching light as he stared dead‑on at Gao Xiaoyu, as if to carve the enemy's visage into his very bones.

"Anyway, the task Sima Wang assigned is already done!" Chen Laogen's hoarse voice carried pride and relief, "Gao Xiaoyu, I'm already in the underworld, waiting for you!"

The words sounded like a heavy curse and also a composed invitation, plainly announcing their victory.

Even in death they had fulfilled their mission, and Gao Xiaoyu was doomed to fall before Gancao City.

The atmosphere inside the tent dropped to freezing point instantly, Gao Xiaoyu's breathing grew as heavy as a Herd of Cattle, his chest heaving wildly as if about to explode.

Liu Zaizhou stood aside, his face ashen, clearly feeling the violent aura radiating from the Crown Prince His Highness, an aura that seemed about to overturn the entire Zhongjun Dazhang.

He clenched his fists, nails digging deep into his palms, suppressing the raging fire within, grinding his teeth as he ordered, "Don't you dare take these two thieves down yet!"

Only when the soldiers holding Su Mo and Chen Laogen snapped out of their daze—having been stunned by the two's imposing aura—did they remember to act.

Hearing Liu Zaizhou's command, they quickly recovered, added force to their hands, and tried to drag the two up.

Yet Su Mo and Chen Laogen refused to surrender; even while being held down they kept writhing, their laughter never ceasing.

That laughter, bearing penetrating force, washed over Gao Xiaoyu's limits again and again, stimulating everyone's nerves inside the tent.

The blue veins on Gao Xiaoyu's forehead throbbed even more fiercely.

He felt as if he had been stripped naked and displayed before the crowd, suffering the most brazen humiliation.

These two prisoners, already on the brink of death, still dared such arrogance; their laughter was like blunt knives repeatedly cutting his heart, making him both angry and embarrassed.

An uncontrollable surge of violent wrath rose from his core; Gao Xiaoyu snapped his head up, eyes blood‑shot, teeth gnashing as he hysterically roared, "Don't let them die too joyfully! Torment these two thieves to death!"

"Make sure that before they die they cannot seek life nor death!"

His voice was sharp and twisted, laced with near‑mad hatred, causing the soldiers inside the tent to shiver.

The two soldiers dared not delay, promptly answering in unison, "As you command!"

They then redoubled their effort, forcibly pulling the still‑laughing Su Mo and Chen Laogen upward.

Su Mo's ankles scraped the rough ground, carving bloodstreaks; the pain pierced his heart, yet his laughter did not wane, only grew louder.

As if to leave this final generosity entirely within the Zhongjun Dazhang.

Chen Laogen's throat was hoarse from laughing, but a satisfied grin still hung at his mouth; he glanced back at Gao Xiaoyu, his gaze full of mockery and disdain, as if saying, "You ultimately still lost."

The two were dragged by the soldiers, step by step toward the tent's exit, their silhouettes lengthening in the candlelight until they finally vanished at the doorway.

Outside the tent soon came the clashing of Weapons and the faint rustle of flesh against flesh.

It was the soldiers, following Gao Xiaoyu's orders, torturing the two heroes in the cruelest way.

Not long after, the sounds outside faded, leaving only the whimper of wind through the camp. A messenger entered to report that Su Mo and Chen Laogen had already died of sheer exhaustion.

Yet even as their bodies fell, their eyes remained wide open, gazes piercing through countless obstacles toward the direction of Gancao City—the home they had defended with their lives, the final obsession in their hearts.

Their faces showed no trace of pain, only a hint of a satisfied smile.

That smile was like a brand, deeply etched on the hearts of the reporting soldiers, and also made Gao Xiaoyu and the others inside the tent feel an inexplicable heaviness.

Inside the Zhongjun Dazhang, Gao Xiaoyu gulped breath after breath, his chest still violently rising and falling.

The fury that had almost devoured him earlier, after Su Mo and Chen Laogen's laughter faded, gradually subsided, replaced by deep fatigue and an indelible shame.

He had originally thought that capturing and killing the two Zhou spies would boost morale and ease the pressure of the stalled siege, but never imagined he would be so humiliated by them.

There was no thrill of revenge in his heart, only endless irritation and unease, as if countless ants were crawling over his mind, making him unable to sit still.

"Scoundrel! Damn Zhou men!" Gao Xiaoyu slammed his fist onto the desk; the teacup on the desk jumped, hot tea splashed onto his back of the hand, bringing a burning pain he barely noticed.

He never imagined that, as the Crown Prince, leading a massive army to the front, he could be toyed with by two tiny spies.

They had already fallen into enemy hands, yet still acted so brazenly and fearlessly.

And on his side, countless manpower and resources had been spent, yet they could not even take a single Gancao City—this was a disgrace of the highest order!

Liu Zaizhou and Ding Weize stood aside, exchanging a glance, each seeing worry in the other's eyes.

They knew that the Crown Prince was currently in a rage; without someone to calm him, he might make an irrational decision.

Liu Zaizhou spoke first, his tone respectful and earnest: "Crown Prince, calm your anger!"

Ding Weize quickly added, his voice tinged with urgency: "Crown Prince, calm your anger!"

Gao Xiaoyu drew a deep breath, his chest's rise gradually steadied.

He knew Liu Zaizhou and Ding Weize were right; venting against the two dead men would indeed be futile.

Then he raised his hand, waved it, indicating they need not speak further: "Enough!"

Immediately after, he extended a finger and gently pinched his brow, the fatigue in his eyes deepening.

The endless campaigns had left him exhausted in body and mind; the earlier fury had drained too much spirit, now he felt dizzy and light‑headed.

"Being angry at these two thieves accomplishes nothing!" Gao Xiaoyu's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a hint of helplessness.

Liu Zaizhou and Ding Weize promptly replied in unison: "Your Highness is wise!"

They breathed a silent sigh of relief in their hearts; the Crown Prince His Highness being able to awaken in time was, after all, a good thing.

Gao Xiaoyu exhaled a puff of foul breath, as if to spit out all the irritation and unease in his heart.

He straightened his back, a sharp glint reigniting in his eyes; since the spy had been eliminated, the urgent priority was to seize Gancao City quickly and wash away today's disgrace.

"Send the order onward, hasten the forging of siege engines!" Gao Xiaoyu's voice regained its former authority, bearing an unquestionable command tone, "Attack the city three days later!"

Liu Zaizhou and Ding Weize dared not delay a moment, and hurriedly answered in unison, "At your command!"

The morning light outside the central army's main tent carried a hint of grim lethality, outlining the camp's silhouette coldly and sharply.

Gao Xiaoyu stood hands behind his back beneath the Commander's Banner, his gaze crossing the dense formations toward the distant Gancao City, faintly visible in the thin mist.

The city wall remained towering, like a silent giant dragon spanning the plain; the days of assault failed to scar it with mortal wounds, only making its invincibility more evident.

Yet in Gao Xiaoyu's eyes, the city was no longer an obstacle but a stubborn thorn in his heart, a testament to his humiliation, a stumbling block that must be trampled.

He inhaled deeply; the morning chill could not douse the raging fire within, which instead hardened his resolve.

"This time we must capture Gancao City!" Gao Xiaoyu's voice was low yet carried undeniable resolve; each word seemed squeezed from his teeth, heavy as it struck the air.

The moment the words fell, a terrifying flash of ferocity suddenly flashed in his Dark Hawk eyes, without any hesitation.

Only a ruthless, all‑consuming fury, as if to devour Gancao City and every life within it.

He slowly raised his hand, his knuckles whitening from the strain, and added word by word, "After the city falls, Three Days No Sealing Blades!"

The five words "Three Days No Sealing Blades" rang like a curse from hell, bearing blood‑soaked cruelty, echoing in the morning light.

The order meant that once the city fell, the Qi army would receive indiscriminate killing permission, and Gancao City would become a Rensheng Jianyu.

The soldiers beneath the tent heard this and greed and bloodlust flashed in their eyes.

The fatigue and resentment from days of siege, spurred by the order, all transformed into a frenzy of battle will.

Liu Zaizhou and Ding Weize stood shoulder to shoulder behind Gao Xiaoyu, no hesitation on their faces, bowing together, their voices loud and firm, "At your command!"

They deeply understood the Crown Prince His Highness's command harbored boundless hatred, and realized that Gancao City's prolonged resistance had driven the Qi army's morale to the brink of collapse; only a rapturous victory and plunder could revive the troops' spirit.

At this moment, they had only one thought in their hearts—

Flatten Gancao City, fulfill the Crown Prince's command, and wash away all prior disgrace.

The order spread through the whole army, and the Qi camp instantly erupted in earth‑shaking shouts, a murderous atmosphere flooding the entire Wilderness.

The soldiers rubbed their fists, eyes flashing with fervent light, as if they already envisioned the plundering after the city fell.

Yet toward Gancao City, silence still reigned, as if unaware of the impending cataclysm, while the city's defenders had already prepared for a life‑or‑death fight.

The three days passed like sand through fingers, racing by amid tense preparations and fortification of the city.

On a early morning at the end of July, the heat already steamed, the sun scorched the earth, and the air was filled with a pungent mix of sweat and gunpowder smoke.

In front of the Qi army's formation, the newly forged siege engines were neatly arranged; the ladders, battering rams, and catapults, though somewhat crude, glimmered with a cold hard sheen in the morning light, each bearing the Qi army's fury and greed.

The catapult's counterweight block hung heavily, the rope drawn taut, as if ready at any moment to unleash world‑shattering force.

The ladder's crossbeam had been polished smooth, stained with the dark‑red blood marks left from earlier assaults.

The battering ram's front end was wrapped in thick iron plate, snarling at Gancao City's gate like a beast poised to strike.

Inside Gancao City, Wang Xiong stood on the rampart, his sharp gaze scanning the Qi army's formation below.

He wore blood‑stained armor, its plates dented and broken in many places, marks left by days of fierce fighting.

Dust and blood smeared his face, yet his eyes remained bright and steadfast, like stars in the dark night.

Seizing this three‑day respite, he led the city's soldiers and civilians to reinforce the defenses day and night; new embrasures were added to the wall, and beneath the city's base piled dense rolling stones and wooden logs, hot oil already boiled and stored in earthen jars, emitting a pungent odor.

On the rampart, the defenders wielded weapons, their expressions solemn; though their numbers had sharply dwindled and they were exhausted, not a single one showed fear.

The youths bore crude weapons, the women carried earthen jars and water buckets, ready to support the defense at any moment; even some half‑grown children held stones, their eyes showing a resolve beyond their years.

"General, the Qi army has moved!" Huang Shizhang whispered beside him.

Thick cloth bandages wrapped his arm, soaked with blood, the wound from the previous days of defense.

Wang Xiong gave a slight nod, gripping his Chang Qiang tightly, the shaft already warmed by his hand.

"Send the order onward, each to his duty, hold the wall to the death!" his hoarse yet powerful voice pierced the clamor atop the rampart.

As soon as the words fell, thunderous war drums rang in the Qi ranks, the "dong dong dong" beating like startling thunder, shaking the earth with a slight tremor.