Chapter 16

Feng Ziying cut down the Qing soldiers in front of him with a single slash, shouting angrily!

"Brothers, rally your spirits and send these dog-born barbarians back to their homeland!" Han Qi likewise let out an angry roar and thrust his spear, killing the Qing soldier before him.

"Let the dog barbarians know the might of our Han Army! Kill the barbarians……"

On the city wall, the remaining over one thousand Han soldiers roused their remaining courage, and in a moment killed and wounded dozens of Qing soldiers.

The war entered a fever pitch, severed limbs flew sideways, and corpses from both sides continually fell atop the wall and were continually thrown over it.

Under the Qing Army's incessant reinforcements, the Han Army's forces dwindled more and more.

……

Beneath the city wall, under the central banner of the Qing Army a bowshot away,

A roughly forty-year-old stalwart middle-aged Qing commander, reining his horse and standing before the troops, stared unblinkingly at the battle on the city wall.

Behind him stretched an endless expanse of Qing soldiers in iron armor, silent and still, like a black torrent, exuding overwhelming pressure.

"The Jinzhou City of the Han Dynasty has stood for a hundred years; even my Taizu Emperor launched several campaigns and could not take it, but now it ought to fall!"

"The splendid Central Plains, a prosperous land—what right do weak Han have to monopolize it? The Great Qing is the Mandate of Heaven!"

The middle-aged commander gazed at Jinzhou, his eyes full of greed and ferocity.

This man is precisely the vanguard commander of this Qing expedition, the Minister of the Interior of the Imperial Guard, Fee Yanggu.

This time the Qing army of 150,000 troops nominally has the Grand Prince Yinzhi as commander-in-chief, but actual command lies in the hands of Fee Yanggu and other leading generals.

Fee Yanggu is a rare talent among Qing generals; in the war against the Mongol Khorchin tribe he defeated an enemy of 200,000 in a single battle, earned great merit, and was appreciated by the Kangxi Emperor.

This first battle against the Da Han Empire was also entrusted to him to gnaw this hard bone.

"This Jia Jing lad is barely of age, having fought only a few battles before being exalted by the Han Army; in the end he's still too green."

"Press the assault; today I will breach Jinzhou and march straight into Da Han territory, when you may ride and plunder for three days……"

Fee Yanggu waved his hand fiercely and shouted.

Behind him, the 40,000 Qing troops hearing they could ride and pillage for three days were each invigorated,

amid the drumbeats, continually charging toward the city wall.

At this moment on the city wall, the Qing deputy commander Ekeertuha had already ascended,

He is exceptionally vigorous, a famed bold and fierce general of the Qing, once ennobled as a Batu Lu by the Kangxi Emperor, showing extraordinary courage and strength.

At this moment he brandished a great blade, continually reaping the lives of Han soldiers on the wall, and among the Han Army there was not a single match for him.

"Little Han officer, seeing you before Grandetuha, why don't you surrender quickly? Do you really want to throw away your life?" Ekeertuha shouted loudly at Feng Ziying.

"Dog-born barbarian, you're not worthy to make my grandfather surrender—do you dare fight me?"

At this moment Feng Ziying was practically mad, his eyes blood-red, brandishing his long blade as he charged at Ekeertuha.

Although Ekeertuha did not fear Feng Ziying, his primary task now was to seize and breach the city, not to entangle with Feng Ziying.

"Ha! Don't rush; after the city falls, Grandfather will come play with you!" Ekeertuha said, then continually headed down the wall, clearly intending to open the gate and let the Qing army pour in.

Feng Ziying and Han Qi both tried to rush forward to block him, but were barred by Qing troops; each stared with eyes nearly bursting, shouting repeatedly, yet could only watch helplessly as Ekeertuha descended the wall.

Just then, urgent hoofbeats and dense footsteps sounded from the street south of the city gate.

Shouts and horse whinnies rang out continuously; at the fore a white horse led the way, a youthful general with a stern, killing aura, bearing a martial stature and wielding a long spear, charged first!

"Kill the barbarians!"

A solemn, killing shout echoed across both sides of the wall.

"The general has arrived!?" Feng Ziying and the others flashed a hint of joy in their eyes and shouted sternly:

"Reinforcements have arrived! Everyone hold the wall; the doom of the dog barbarians is at hand……"

Having just reached the foot of the wall, Ekeertuha was reveling in the slaughter when he suddenly heard the sound of Han reinforcements arriving; he hurriedly looked up toward the street.

In a glance, he saw a white horse, silver spear-wielding young commander rushing at him with astonishing speed.

"The Han Army commander Jia Jing!?"

Ekeertuha started in surprise; he had also heard of Jia Jing's reputation and knew he was no ordinary foe.

Though he did not fear him, he did not want to become entangled; at present, seizing the gate was the foremost priority.

But now, meeting in the narrow lane, there was no room to retreat, nor could he avoid combat.

"No choice—first cut down this junior officer, then swiftly seize the gate!" Ekeertuha surged forward, his long blade tracing a dazzling silver arc, exerting all his strength in an instant, hoping to dispatch Jia Jing quickly.

The two crossed paths swiftly, a flashing blade light clashing with an exceptionally conspicuous spear gleam.

Ekeertuha jerked his head in astonishment, feeling intense pain in his neck, his face full of unwillingness,

only to see a duck-egg-sized blood hole appear in his throat, blood spurting out immediately.

"Kill!" Jia Jing, not recognizing who Ekeertuha was, thrust his spear to kill him, then brandished his long spear repeatedly,

in just a moment he slew a dozen or so Qing soldiers at the wall's base,

then, reining his horse, he leapt off and charged up the wall, with nearly two thousand elite reinforcements following close behind, continually cutting down the panicked Qing troops.

Beneath the central banner outside the south gate,

Fee Yanggu saw the city gate about to be breached, yet the Qing soldiers who had climbed the wall were repeatedly driven back,

and countless Han figures appeared on the wall; siege ladders and other equipment were destroyed by the Han Army, and for a moment the Qing Army actually retreated again.

"What's going on—are the garrison troops from other gates reinforcing the south gate?"

Fee Yanggu's face darkened, his eyes full of killing intent, and he shouted sternly:

"What a rare opportunity to take the city—how could we suffer another reversal!"

"At the other gates the Qing are also feigning attacks—how can we divert troops to help?"

"It is the Han Army commander Jia Jing who has brought reinforcements; the Han forces at the other gates have not been reduced." A rather disheveled Qing deputy who had retreated from the front line replied, his face full of resentment and bitterness.

"Dog-born bastards! After all these days of siege, they still hid troops unused—truly damned treachery……" Qing soldiers shouted curses.

"Where is Ekeertuha? Let him come see me!" Fee Yanggu, having calmed his emotions, gave the order again with a composed countenance.

"General, Jia Jing killed Eke Tuha!" the vice general replied.

Although Fei Yanggu had anticipated this result in his heart, he could not accept it for the moment.

After all, Eke Tuha was a famous warrior in the Qing Army, a hero even the Kangxi Emperor knew of, his martial arts were formidable, he could match dozens of armored soldiers without losing the upper hand, yet today he actually fell on this small Brocade Prefecture city wall—what a joke!

"Damnable Jia Jing, you brat! You've killed one of my brave generals! When the city falls, I will surely cut him into a thousand pieces to vent my hatred!"

Fei Yanggu's expression turned grim, and he shouted in a stern voice.