Chapter 590

From the sun slanting toward West Mountain to the moon rising over the willow tips, Ningyuan City was immersed in a scene of slaughter and wailing.

After taking office, Shi Dao found the city wall that had just been repaired turned into a hellish battlefield, with blood spatter and severed limbs everywhere; exhausted soldiers sat on the ground in such an environment, gulping down the flatbread just sent up from below the city.

The flatbread was very dry and hard; the soldiers had to chew with effort, opening their mouths wide, then swallow forcefully. If they didn't put in some strength, this dry hard food would get stuck in their throats, tearing at their already hoarse voices from shouting.

Not far away there was water, which had just been sent up together with the rations.

But there were only a few wooden buckets, and inside each bucket there was only one ladle; too many people were scrambling for it, so the vast majority of soldiers couldn't get close, and could only force themselves to swallow the dry rations, waiting until the soldiers ahead had drunk their fill before going up.

Peng Jingxuan held a piece of flatbread in his hand, the Great Horse Golden Blade sat directly beneath the city tower.

In the siege defense, the entire army up and down had not been issued water skins, and the soldiers had not prepared their own.

As a commander, Peng Jingxuan could have ordered someone to fetch it, or ordered someone to prepare more sumptuous food for himself, but he did not do so; instead he chose to share hardship with the soldiers.

Eating some bitterness, he also thought about what he should do next.

This battle lasted a full three hours.

The enemy's attacks came like a tide without cease; midway they scaled the city wall dozens of times, turning what could have been a defense against the enemy outside into a brutal street fight on the wall itself.

He successfully drove the enemy down from the wall dozens of times, holding his position.

But Peng Jingxuan could not feel the slightest bit of joy.

He had driven the enemy back, but in reality he was already standing on the brink of defeat.

He knew the reason for those dozens of victories: the enemy's siege ladders were too few, their reinforcements exhausted, lacking sufficient support for the troops assaulting the wall; the enemy had come after a long march, insufficiently rested.

If the enemy fixes those two flaws tomorrow, Peng Jingxuan won't know how to fight this battle!

Peng Jingxuan actually didn't want to utter defeatist words, but after this battle he simply could not remain optimistic. The enemy's vanguard, which had come after a long march, reached the foot of the city that day, felled timber and built siege ladders that day, launched the assault that day, and fought a bloody battle for three hours.

This is fundamentally something an ordinary army could not accomplish.

Peng Jingxuan really couldn't fathom how they maintained their fighting strength; no matter how he puzzled over it, the fact lay starkly bloody before his eyes: in three hours, his troops lost more than half their number, casualties exceeding two thousand.

In a siege defense, the number of his own dead turned out to be two to three times that of the enemy.

Thinking of this, Peng Jingxuan felt the dry rations in his throat becoming ever harder to swallow.

A Brigade Commander strode onto the wall holding two wine jars, saying, "Commander, this is what the Commander ordered me to bring; please Commander, rest well in preparation for tomorrow's battle."

"How goes it?" Peng Jingxuan asked weakly.

"The Commander is reallocating manpower; tomorrow we'll get fresh recruits, but reinforcements probably won't come." The Brigade Commander squatted beside Peng Jingxuan, head bowed, spiritless.

Peng Jingxuan flared up hearing that, "Have you made that clear?"

"I've made it clear," he muttered, "I said my unit has lost more than half; if the enemy brings up reinforcements tomorrow we definitely won't be able to hold, but the Commander said the other two divisions have other important uses and cannot be committed to the siege battlefield." He grumbled, "It seems the enemy's taunts shouted during the day have reached the Commander's ears."

"Then he intends to sally out and fight the enemy in the field?"

The Brigade Commander nodded, "That seems to be the idea..."

"Ridiculous!" Peng Jingxuan shouted angrily, "In siege warfare our casualties already exceed the enemy's; if we go out for a field battle, wouldn't that be courting death? Doesn't the Commander understand this? What about Master Nan Li—hasn't he advised the Commander?"

"He has." The Brigade Commander said, drooping his head.

"But matters decided by the Commander aren't so easily persuaded; when I was there before, the Commander flew into a rage, his face turning purple."

"Regarding what the Commander just said, Master Nan Li tried every way to tell him a great deal, but the Commander didn't take in a single word. Even more directly he told Master Nan Li, 'I'm furious right now, but tonight I have to host a banquet for the city's wealthy to solicit donations of money and grain; I can't be too angry, otherwise I'll draw my sword,' and so Master Nan Li stopped advising."

Peng Jingxuan's shoulders slumped helplessly, "It's over, Ningyuan City is doomed!"

"The enemy came from afar, hastily built their siege equipment, hastily launched the assault, and have already consumed nearly half of our forces; such terrifying strength, yet the Commander still intends to personally lead a sortie—this… I'd like to put it nicely, but it's basically like throwing a meat-filled bun at a dog—it'll achieve nothing."

The young Brigade Commander sat down on the ground, "Commander, I think I saw Commander Xie today; the attackers mid-assault seemed to be his men."

"Commander Xie isn't usually like this in battle; how did he suddenly become so fierce? Aren't they surrendered troops? Could it be that Chen Wuji has swapped out the soldiers?"

"Who knows? Perhaps they've changed masters—even a dog that doesn't bite learns to bite!" Peng Jingxuan said wearily, "Don't dwell on this; think hard about how we should fight tomorrow's battle."

"Well, Commander, you rest a bit; I'll keep watch—surely the enemy won't…" The young Brigade Commander let out a heavy yawn, then caught sight of a fire dragon racing wildly toward the city outside; the words on the tip of his tongue instantly got stuck in his throat.

"Commander… Commander… Commander… enemy! Enemy attack!"

Peng Jingxuan leapt up, his face instantly changing, "Damn madman, how can this battle be fought like this? Hold the line, hold it at all costs! I'll go see the Commander myself; if there's no reinforcements, this wall will surely be lost tonight—our troops have just fought a fierce three-hour engagement, where would we find any strength left to fight again?"

"Yes… yes!" the young Brigade Commander, suddenly entrusted with a great responsibility, spoke nervously, his words trembling.

Peng Jingxuan hastily descended the wall and sprinted toward Shi Dao's residence.

Since Shi Dao completed this new residence, he no longer goes to the government office to hold court; officials of Guangtongzhou, high and low, if they wish to find him, can only go to his mansion.

Peng Jingxuan burst forth at a hundred-meter sprint speed, punched unconscious the servant trying to block him while awaiting a report, and rushed swiftly into the side courtyard's Lotus Pavilion.

Shi Dao, whenever he entertains guests, generally does so there.

Peng Jingxuan kicked open the door with one foot, looked inside, found Shi Dao sitting in the main seat, and in two strides rushed up, "Commandant, quickly give me reinforcements, the enemy army has launched a Night Battle! If there are no reinforcements, Ningyuan City will surely fall tonight, with no way out!"