Chapter 694: Licheng

In the northwest of August, the sky dome resembled a massive copper furnace turned upside down.

Not a wisp of cloud; the sun burned with a venomous intensity, scorching this desolate land without restraint.

Heat waves rose from the cracked yellow earth, the air warped like a reflection in boiling water; each breath drew in not air but ember‑laden dust.

Northern Lingzhou, Licheng.

This strategic stronghold guarding the northern gate of Lingzhou now lay like a silent, resilient beast, coiled on the bank of a Yellow River tributary.

On the city wall, banners drooped listlessly in the heat, yet rows of armored Great Zhou troops wielding sturdy crossbows stood like iron stakes set into the wall, unmoving.

Beneath the central watchtower, an old general stood, sword in hand.

Though over fifty, he wore armor weighing dozens of pounds, his back straight, and his murky yet deep eyes reflected a seasoned calm and ferocity.

He was Chen Yan's father‑in‑law, Wei Shaokuan, who had come to aid Lingzhou.

"What time is it now?" Wei Shaokuan's voice was hoarse from days of commanding and shouting.

"Sir General, it is the third quarter of the Hour of the Goat, the hottest time of day," the deputy general replied respectfully, handing a bowl of cool water with a pinch of salt.

Wei Shaokuan did not take the water; instead he squinted through a wall embrasure, looking down at the sea of Qi State camp tents below.

"Third quarter of the Goat… hey, those Qi dogs and Rouran barbarians are probably melting under the sun," Wei Shaokuan sneered, patting the scorching Blue Bricks, "Send word to boil the Golden Juice a bit longer, make it bubble! If the Qi army dares to assault now, let them drink a hot pot!"

In the weng‑city beneath the wall, dozens of massive iron cauldrons perched over raging flames.

What boiled inside was not broth but nauseating slurry of excrement mixed with Blazing Oil and poison.

This was the city's weapon, the Golden Juice.

Once splashed on attackers, the resulting cuts were minor; the fatal blow came from infection and rotting.

Beyond Licheng, the Qi and Rouran allied main camp indeed, as Wei Shaokuan predicted, was steeped in extreme agitation and gloom.

Qi commander Ku Di Gan now stood before the central camp, his expression so grim it seemed to drip water.

He looked up at the deadly sun, then at the distant Licheng that seemed cast in copper and iron, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.

According to Crown Prince Gao Xiaoyu's plan, their force of over fifty thousand, together with Rouran Iron Cavalry, should sweep Lingzhou's outskirts in a flash and seize Lingwu City.

Who could have imagined that the sudden arrival of Wei Shaokuan would be like a foul, hard stone lodged in their throats.

That blockage lasted a full ten days.

In those ten days, the Qi army launched thirteen charges, Rouran cavalry tried flanking on both wings, yet Licheng's defenses were watertight.

That old fox Wei Shaokuan never fought them in the field; he only held the line.

Rolling logs and stones were hurled down as if free, and the vicious Golden Juice scalded countless Qi elite.

Now bodies piled like mountains beneath the wall, rotting at a startling speed in the scorching heat.

The stench of corpses mingled with sweat filled the entire camp, making heads spin and stomachs turn, even preventing anyone from eating.

Worse still were the Rouran men who had come from the bitter cold of the north.

Accustomed to the cool steppe, they now wore heavy furs and leather armor on this steamer‑like Guanzhong plain, a torment.

Hundreds of Rouran soldiers collapsed from heatstroke each day, and even warhorses perished from the heat.

"Damned Wei Shaokuan…" Ku Di Gan cursed through clenched teeth, lashing his horse whip at the air.

At that moment, a deafening crash of shattered porcelain rang from the central camp, followed by a Rouran shout brimming with fury and impatience.

"Ku Di Gan! Come in here!"

Ku Di Gan's eyelids flicked sharply, a silent alarm ringing in his mind.

It was the voice of Rouran Khan Nuhe Ti.

He inhaled deeply, forced down his anger and anxiety, straightened his attire, donned a deferential smile, and hurried into the big tent.

Inside the tent, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

The Rouran Khan Nuhe Ti, his face a slab of flesh and his build as massive as a bear, stood shirtless, his chest bristling with thick black hair, a curved blade still dripping wine in his hand.

At his feet lay a heap of shattered fine porcelain bowls and overturned wine jars.

Several Rouran officers stared angrily, hands on their hilts, their gazes unfriendly toward the newly arrived Ku Di Gan.

"Great Khan, why such anger? Is the food and wine to your liking?" Ku Di Gan asked knowingly, bowing with a low stance.

"Food and wine? Bah!" Nuhe Ti spat a thick wad of phlegm at Ku Di Gan's feet; his beast‑like eyes filled with bloodshot fury after greed went unfulfilled, "Ku Di Gan! Is this the 'gold everywhere' you Qi people promised? The 'women at hand' you spoke of?"

Nuhe Ti strode forward to Ku Di Gan, his pungent body odor nearly making Ku Di Gan gag.

He slammed the back of his curved blade onto the commander's desk, roaring, "My warriors have baked under this cursed sun for ten days! Apart from eating sand and smelling corpses, what have we gained? Huh?!"

"The Zhou people burned every village outside! Filled the wells! Not even a single hair left for us!"

"Don't mention women or gold; even the fodder for warhorses is nearly gone!"

Nuhe Ti grew angrier, spitting at Ku Di Gan's face, "My warriors came to get riches, not to be dried meat! I tell you, Ku Di Gan, if you don't give an answer today, I'm done! I'll take my men back to the steppe!"

"Yes! Return! No one wants to stay in this rotten place!"

Ku Di Gan was horrified.

If the Rouran cavalry withdrew, his fifty thousand Qi infantry alone, on this unfamiliar battlefield with unstable supply lines, would struggle not just to breach Licheng but even to survive.

Should Wei Shaokuan counterattack then, it would be a disaster.

"Great Khan, calm your anger! Great Khan, calm!" Ku Di Gan rushed forward, ignoring the spit on his face, pleading, "The Zhou's Clear the Countryside is only temporary! They hide in a turtle shell because they fear us. Once Licheng falls, the rest of Lingzhou becomes a fat piece of meat, its stores are there—how could there be no gold?"

"Breach the city? When?" Nuhe Ti snorted, "It's been ten days and we haven't even chewed a brick!"

"Almost there! Really close!" Ku Di Gan's eyes flashed as he spun a grand promise, "Great Khan, you're unaware. Just days ago, our Crown Prince personally led tens of thousands of elite and has besieged Zhou's Gancao City to a standstill. In two days, Gancao City will fall!"

Ku Di Gan moved to the map, pointing at Gancao City, his expression animated, "Once the Crown Prince captures Gancao City, the main army can charge in from the east and join us! Then a two‑pronged attack will make this tiny Licheng fall in no time."

"The Crown Prince brings countless siege engines and our Grand Qi's finest troops! Once the two armies unite, Wei Shaokuan inside Licheng will be a turtle in a jar!"

He lowered his voice, leaned to Nuhe Ti's ear, and held up three fingers: "Great Khan, in the name of the Grand Qi Duke I guarantee you. After the city falls, I will not only keep my previous promise but add—Three Days No Sealing Blades! All spoils from Licheng will be taken by Grand Qi, but the first three days' goods and women belong entirely to your Rouran warriors!"

"Three Days No Sealing Blades?" Nuhe Ti's eyes lit up, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Greed is a nature carved into the bones of these steppe bandits.

He may dislike the scorching heat and hard city walls here, but when he thinks of the mountain‑piled silk, gold and silver in Zhou State, and those fair‑skinned women, his heart cannot help but stir with excitement.

The Grassland may be free, but nothing is as enjoyable as the dazzling world of the Central Plains.

Yunhe Ti panted heavily, stared at Ku Di Gan for a while, as if weighing pros and cons.

After a long while, he let out a heavy hum and slammed the curved blade back into its scabbard with a clang.

"Fine! I'll trust you this last time!" Yunhe Ti stretched out three thick fingers, waved them before Ku Di Gan, "Three days! I'll give you three more days! If after three days your damned Crown Prince's Reinforcements haven't arrived, or Li City still hasn't fallen, I'll immediately break camp and leave! Whoever blocks me, I'll cut them down!"

"Agreed!" Ku Di Gan let out a long breath in his heart, the cold sweat on his back already soaking his clothes. No matter what, first secure this plague god before anything else.

"Men! Bring the wine! Bring up the few vats of fine wine the commander has treasured, to cool the Great Khan's temper!" Ku Di Gan hurriedly called his personal troops.

However, just as the atmosphere was beginning to ease, before the Wine Jar could even be opened,

A rapid, heart‑pounding sound of horse hooves came from outside the tent, followed by a string of Rouran language cries and wails, as if someone were forcefully breaking into the main army camp.

"Who are they?! Such nerve!" Yunhe Ti's newly calmed fury flared again.

"Bang!"

The tent curtain was ripped up by a great force, even tearing the hook that held it.

A dust‑covered figure, with dried blood on his face, staggered in, tripping at the doorway from his haste and collapsing to kneel at Yunhe Ti's feet.

Everyone stared, all of them shocked.

The newcomer turned out to be Ba Dou, a fierce general of the Rouran Royal Family!

He was the important commander Yunhe Ti left behind to guard supplies and liaise with the Royal Court.

At this moment, he had lost any trace of his usual majesty.

His helmet was missing, his hair was disheveled, his Leather Armor was stained with scorch marks, and his eyes were filled with unprecedented terror and despair.

"Great Khan… Great Khan!!"

Ba Dou clutched Yunhe Ti's thigh, letting out a mournful, trembling howl: "Something's happened! Something terrible has happened!!"