Chapter 676: Two Hours Ago

Time rewound to two hours ago.

The lingering night, ink‑black and impenetrable, draped the sky like blood‑soaked black silk; not even a single speck of starlight deigned to grace this lone city that had been besieged for days.

The walls of Gancao City, under the Qi army's successive ferocious assaults, were already riddled with countless holes, bricks and stones shattered, the ramparts battered by battering rams into fragments, the rolling logs and stone hammers exhausted, and the defenders' armor on the walls soaked through with dark red blood.

Even their swords and spears had dulled, yet they still held the breach, using their flesh‑and‑blood bodies to block the line that was about to be torn apart.

The night wind, laden with thick blood, gunpowder smoke and rot, whirled and howled above the shattered walls; July's heat was crushed by the battlefield's grim slaughter, leaving only a bone‑piercing chill that seeped into every fragment of broken rampart.

Outside the city, campfires flickered like ghostly flames, illuminating the mountain‑high piles of corpses beneath—both Qi soldiers and Gancao City defenders—layer upon layer, nearly level with the walls, while viscous fresh blood seeped from the city's base into the soil.

The grass beneath their feet had turned deep brown, sticky and slick; each step felt as if treading on the bones of the dead.

The Qi army's onslaught had already gone mad, caring for neither casualties nor cost.

Wave after wave of Suicide Warriors bore ladders and pushed battering rams, surging like tides against the walls; shouts, clanging metal, blades biting flesh, the wounded's wails, all mingled with the drums' frenzied beating, shaking the earth itself.

Gancao City's defenders were already at the end of a strong bow, after days of bitter fighting, provisions cut off, arrows exhausted, comrades falling one by one, the living having no moment even to gasp.

They could only rely on a breath of staunch, blood‑filled resolve, propping their already over‑exerted bodies to fight the swarming Qi army to the death.

Suddenly, a deafening blast erupted.

At the weakest breach on Gancao City's northern wall, the Qi army's battering rams finally broke through; several yards wide of wall crashed down with a roar, bricks and stones scattering, clouds of smoke and dust billowing, blotting out the sky.

The dozen or so Zhou Army soldiers stationed at the breach didn't even have time to scream before the collapsing wall buried them completely, leaving only a hazy blood mist and mangled limbs amid the rubble.

Before the dust from the wall's collapse could clear, the Qi soldiers outside, already primed, erupted in a thunderous, earth‑shaking cheer; the sound ripped through the night, shattering Gancao City's final defense, a coarse, mad roar echoing across the Wilderness: "The city has fallen! The city has fallen! Brothers, charge!"

"Enter the city, slaughter and loot; wealth lies right before us!"

The wave of sound surged like a tide, carrying blood‑thirsty malice; tens of thousands of Qi soldiers brandished swords and spears, stepping on their comrades' corpses, pouring madly through the breach as if famished jackals, pouncing on this already scarred lone city.

In their eyes there was no discipline, no bottom line, only plunder and slaughter after the city fell; their steps on the blood‑stained ground produced chaotic, frenzied noises, armor clashing, blades flashing, dragging the night‑shrouded Gancao City into an endless inferno.

At this moment, within the Qi army's central camp, the lamps glowed dimly, candle flames flickered in the night wind, stretching the shadows inside the tent long and short, adding a touch of Dark Hawk.

In the center of the great tent lay a massive Shupan map, marking the terrain of Gancao City, Lingzhou, Xiazhou and the deployments of both armies; a thin layer of dust already coated its edges, evidence of the days of tense standoff.

Gao Xiaoyu's face bore the Dark Hawk, his browbones high, eyes bottomless; now he stared intently at the rising smoke from Gancao City outside the tent, listening to the soldiers' thunderous cheers, his jaw clenched hard after days of tension, cheek muscles tight, finally exhaling a long breath of foul air, a coarse curse spilling out with post‑catastrophe fury: "That damned Gancao City finally—damn it—has fallen!"

All this time, this tiny city had been like the hardest bone, stuck firmly in the throat of the advancing march.

Commander Wang Xiong was but an obscure figure, yet he led thousands of remnants and stubbornly held off tens of thousands of successive fierce assaults, inflicting heavy losses on many of Qi's elite.

He caused the Crown Prince to lose face, his pent‑up fury and restlessness piled like a mountain.

Now that the city has fallen, the malice trapped in his chest finally finds release.

Standing beside Gao Xiaoyu, Liu Zaizhou also let out a long sigh, the massive stone that had weighed on his heart for days crashing down, a relieved smile appearing on his face as he bowed and said, "That thorn in the eye, that splinter in the flesh, has finally been uprooted!"

As Liu Zaizhou finished speaking, a tiger‑ranked officer from the tent strode forward; Ding Weize's eyes were now blood‑red, his whole body enveloped in battlefield malice, evidently his anger ignited by Gancao City's prolonged defense.

He strode up to Gao Xiaoyu, performed Dankui Guidi, clasped his right fist heavily, armor clanged with a dull, crisp sound, his voice booming like a great bell that made the tent's candles tremble: "Crown Prince, Subordinate General will personally lead the brothers into the city to sweep out the remnants, slay every resistor in Gancao City, none left!"

His words were laced with blood‑thirsty ferocity; the pent‑up frustration of days of failed siege now fully turned into murderous intent, awaiting the Crown Prince's single command to grind this lone city into powder.

Gao Xiaoyu lifted his gaze to Ding Weize, seeing the days‑long malice and ferocity in his eyes, waved his hand and uttered two words: "Go."

After his words, he paused briefly, a flash of Dark Hawk cruelty in his eyes, looked toward Gancao City outside the tent, and issued a cold command, voice as icy as a wax moon: "Relay the order—once the soldiers enter the city, Three Days No Sealing Blades!"

Ding Weize heard this, his eyes blazing with ferocity, nodded heavily, and declared in a resonant voice: "Subordinate General obeys!"

Gao Xiaoyu seemed to recall something else, his brows slightly furrowed, a hint of obsession flashing in his eyes, and he added in a deep voice: "One more matter—defending commander Wang Xiong of Gancao City must be captured and brought before me, alive or dead!"

He wanted neither a living captive nor a surrendered commander, only to see the fellow who cost him troops and honor meet his ultimate fate.

If alive, he must see the man; if dead, he must see the corpse—only then can his hatred be satisfied.

Ding Weize clasped his fists again, his voice fierce: "Subordinate General receives the order! I will capture Wang Xiong and bring him before the Crown Prince, never disgracing the command!"

Having spoken, he bowed heavily, rose, performed a military salute, turned and strode out of the central camp's great tent, his steps rapid, armor clanging, vanishing in an instant into the night, leaving only a trail of murderous footfalls racing toward the breach of Gancao City.

Inside the great tent, only Gao Xiaoyu and Liu Zaizhou remained, the candle still flickering, the shouts and wails from outside faintly audible yet having no effect on the tent's atmosphere.

Gao Xiaoyu adjusted his clothing, the Dark Hawk on his face fading slightly, replaced by a hint of fatigue and satisfied ambition; he looked at Liu Zaizhou and said calmly: "After days of commanding, we're exhausted—let's return to the central camp's great tent to rest a while, awaiting General Ding's good news."

Liu Zaizhou quickly bowed, extended his hand in a pleading gesture, respectfully following Gao Xiaoyu, the two walking one after the other into the main tent deep within the camp.

The bloodshed and melee outside the tent were temporarily sealed off beyond the heavy curtains.

Time drifted slowly, Half Hour Rest passed in an instant, the night remained deep, the shouts and wails inside Gancao City grew ever more tragic, flames leapt skyward, reddening half the heavens.

It was the Qi army setting fire to houses within the city; the cries of the civilians and the soldiers' slaughter intertwined into a lament of despair, echoing in the night wind for a long time.

Inside the Qi army's main tent, the candles burned brightly, brighter than before; the Shupan map was moved to the center of the tent, Liu Zaizhou bowed and stood before it, his slender finger pointing to the positions of Gancao City, Lingzhou, and Ku Di Gan's stationed troops; his gaze solemn, he reported word for word to the seated Gao Xiaoyu: "Crown Prince, Gancao City has now been cleared by our forces, the main road through Xiazhou is open, we have no flank threats; next we should march straight to Lingzhou, unite with the main army led by Ku Di Gan, jointly assault the Zhou State's Lingzhou garrison, and capture the strategic stronghold of Lingzhou in one stroke!"

Gao Xiaoyu sat at the head, one hand propping his chin, the other lightly tapping the table; his gaze fell on the characters "Lingzhou" on the map, eyes narrowing slightly, a flash of Dark Hawk coldness in his pupils, his tone icy and fierce, scheming: "We must bypass the Zhou State's front line, strike their rear or flank, catch them off guard and annihilate them!"

He seeks not a frontal clash but a surprise raid, using the fastest speed and harshest means to crush the Zhou State's Lingzhou garrison, expand the spoils, press deep into Zhou's interior, and achieve Unprecedented Merit.

Liu Zaizhou heard this, a flattering smile instantly appearing in his eyes, he quickly bowed and clasped his hands, repeatedly flattering: "Your words, Crown Prince, are absolutely correct!"

Gao Xiaoyu listened to Liu Zaizhou's flattery, his face showing no smile, only a slight nod, his gaze still fixed on Lingzhou on the map, the Dark Hawk ferocity in his eyes.

At that moment, rapid, drum‑like footsteps suddenly sliced through the quiet outside the tent; personal soldiers' armor clattered and staggered, the curtain barely lifted before they barreled in recklessly.

Both knees nearly slammed onto the ground, helmet askew, hair disheveled, his previously composed face twisted by extreme terror, expression frantic to the limit, voice trembling uncontrollably, almost sobbing as he reported: "Crown Prince! Something terrible has happened!"

The sudden urgent report struck like a cold steel block into a calm deep pool, instantly shattering the carefully laid strategy inside the tent.

Gao Xiaoyu's brows snapped tight, his previously narrowed eyes suddenly widened, a flash of impatience and anger in his pupils; the exhilaration of the recent city's fall had not yet faded, now stirred into flame by this baseless panic.

He barked in a deep voice, his tone dripping with condescending contempt: "Why panic? Our great army just captured Gancao City, there's nothing wrong!"

He paused, a wry smile curling his mouth, voiced a speculation he himself found absurd, his tone full of disdain: "Surely it can't be that the ragtag remnants inside the city, with a few broken swords and knives, managed to drive our invading army back out, could it?"

In Gao Xiaoyu's view, Gancao City was already a prize in the bag; Wang Xiong's unit had been reduced to near‑total casualties, lacking any strength to strike back, making any resistance impossible.

But the soldier's next words thundered like a bolt, exploding at the tent's apex, causing Gao Xiaoyu and Liu Zaizhou's faces to turn pale, their blood color draining instantly.

The soldier's jaw trembled, lips quivering, barely able to form words, each syllable soaked in bone‑deep terror: "It… it's not the remnants inside the city! It's… it's the south!"

"In the southern Wilderness, a large contingent of Zhou State elite cavalry suddenly appeared!"

He inhaled sharply, thrust his head up, eyes wide, terror nearly spilling from his gaze, raised his voice to a howl: "The Zhou cavalry moves at lightning speed, like a raging storm, and has already engaged our outer guard!"

"The killing cries shake the heavens; in the blink of an eye they'll break through the front line and reach the central camp's front!"

"Zhou Army cavalry?" Liu Zaizhou's body jolted sharply, and he subconsciously muttered the four words again; the flattery and ease on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a pallid horror.

He froze on the spot, but in an instant he suddenly understood, slapped his thigh hard, his face turning ashen, and shouted hoarsely, "That's it! It's Zhou State's reinforcements!"

"Our army has been held at Gancao City by Wang Xiong for a long time; even if the Zhou court is slow to react, the reinforcements should have reached the Xiazhou Dijie by now!"

As the words fell, a flash of venomous resentment crossed his eyes; he gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, his voice vicious, "Damned Wang Xiong!"

Only now did Liu Zaizhou fully realize that Gancao City, that hard bone, had not only crippled Great Qi's soldiers and provisions, but also bought the Zhou State's main army the most critical time for a relief force.

Now, with remnants of the isolated city's troops still unsorted ahead and Zhou Iron Cavalry launching a surprise attack behind, the Qi army was instantly trapped in a hopeless situation, enemies on all sides.

Gao Xiaoyu's contempt and calm vanished completely, replaced by raging fury and panic; he slammed the table hard, sending the candlestick on it shaking violently, sparks flying, and roared loudly, his voice twisted by extreme anger, "What are you still standing there doing!"

He sprang to his feet, his gaze cutting like a blade toward the troops under the tent, and with unquestionable authority commanded, "Don't you hurry and send the order! Immediately dispatch our main cavalry force to the south to meet the Zhou army!"

The troops were shaken to the core by the angry shout, yet they still mustered courage, their trembling voices cautiously pleading, their faces filled with urgent concern for His Highness the Crown Prince's safety, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, absolutely not! The Zhou army's onslaught is too fierce; our front line has already collapsed and we cannot hold them!"

"In my view as Subordinate General, Crown Prince, you should first withdraw from the main camp, lie low for a while; as long as the hills remain, we need not fear running out of firewood!"

In the troops' eyes, the Qi army had just endured a brutal siege; the soldiers were exhausted, formations scattered, weapons unorganized, and they were far from being a relaxed, soaring opponent for the Zhou Iron Cavalry.

Holding the central main camp to the death is like striking stone with an egg; only escorting the Crown Prince out first offers any chance of survival.

"Nonsense!"

Gao Xiaoyu, hearing this, erupted in fury, barked sharply, his voice shaking the tent's candles; he lifted his head and chest, speaking with firm conviction, pride and obstinacy in his tone, "I am the Crown Prince of Great Qi, personally overseeing this battle! If I now flee and retreat first, would that not be abandoning the great army?"

"Send a messenger out! Where is the morale of Great Qi's soldiers? Where is my honor!"

His gaze burned like a torch, staring at the increasingly close shouts and gunfire outside the tent; a ruthless resolve radiated from his whole being, and he shouted loudly, "At a moment like this, we must clash with the Zhou army point‑by‑point, fight to the death without retreat, and in one blow crush the vigor of Zhou State's reinforcements, only then can we stabilize the situation!"

"Today, I will personally lead the troops to confront the enemy!"

Gao Xiaoyu knew better than anyone that the Qi army's situation was now as precarious as a nest of broken eggs.

The main force had just breached Gancao City; the troops who entered scattered, looting, their formations dissolved, weapons disordered, exhausted beyond measure. If the Zhou Iron Cavalry were allowed to smash through the central main camp, the entire Qi army would collapse instantly, turning a great victory into a crushing defeat.

By then, not only would seizing Lingzhou or Xiazhou be impossible, even a full retreat would become a luxury.

Only if this Crown Prince personally holds the position and fights to the death against the Zhou army's first wave can the scattered troops be rallied, the formation reformed, and a sliver of hope secured.

The troops, seeing this, were terrified to the core, hurriedly knelt a few steps, desperately urging restraint, their voices trembling with sobs as they laid out the grim reality, "The Crown Prince must not! Absolutely not!"

"Within the Zhou army's ranks is a fierce general, over nine feet tall, as massive as a small hill, with a snarling face, wielding a long spear; he charges into our formation as if entering an empty realm!"

"Where the long spear passes, men tumble and horses overturn, flesh flies everywhere; our warriors cannot stop him, and even a dozen of our officers are cut down!"

"Please, Crown Prince, prioritize your own safety and withdraw temporarily; you must not risk yourself personally!"

Yet Gao Xiaoyu felt no fear; instead, a deep defiance and contempt rose within him. He snorted coldly, a scornful curl at his mouth, lifted his head and retorted, his tone brimming with the arrogance of Great Qi Xianbei warriors, "So what? He's merely a common brute of a general!"

"We Great Qi Xianbei lads have roamed the world for years, invincible wherever we go; how could we fear a single Zhou camp brute?"