Chapter 109: Casualties

"The soldiers of Yancheng defend with method and order; this city-defending general has some skill."

Kutu looked toward the top of the city wall and frowned.

After launching the attack, the Yancheng garrison responded in a timely manner every time, fighting with ease.

He was not clear about how many casualties they had caused the soldiers of Yan Wang just now.

However, in such a short time, they had already suffered hundreds of deaths and injuries.

"It is said that the general is named Chang Wei, who once served as a general in the Imperial Guard and performed great deeds when fighting against Xiliang in the past, but because his nature was arrogant and upright, he was not favored by the commanders and was sent to Yan Commandery to protect Yan Wang," Muto said.

Before the Autumn Hunt, he had done some research.

He had some understanding of this Chang Wei.

Kutu nodded; Tuoba Lie had told him this information.

"This Yan Wang is still quite lucky to have such a capable general under his command, but we Northern Di people have never been afraid of fighting against the famous generals of Great Song," Kutu smiled lightly.

Back during the Ningjindusizhizhan, famous generals of Great Song were gathered, yet they were still soundly defeated by them.

Even now, many people are still imprisoned in dungeons by the Emperor of Great Song because of that battle.

As the two spoke, they saw the Ladder Team reach the foot of the city wall, and the long scaling ladders were erected.

Muto laughed loudly, "As long as our Northern Di warriors climb the city wall, Yan Wang will surely be defeated."

Kutu nodded.

Northern Di soldiers grow up drinking mare's milk and eating beef and mutton, so their bodies are much stronger than those of Great Song soldiers.

In every battle, the same number of Northern Di soldiers could completely defeat Great Song soldiers.

Moreover, the cold and bitter environment of the Grassland also makes Northern Di soldiers more capable of enduring hardship.

This is also the reason why they can often win.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Northern Di people, Great Song soldiers are like weak women.

They also prefer to engage in close-quarters combat directly with Great Song soldiers.

Because often in this way, Great Song soldiers will collapse faster.

They were looking forward to the Northern Di soldiers climbing the city wall to turn the tide of the battlefield.

At this moment, they saw the Great Song soldiers on the city wall pick up stones and throw them down.

There were also soldiers holding porcelain jars and pouring hot oil downward.

Instantly, the Northern Di soldiers climbing the scaling ladders let out screams.

The soldiers fell from the scaling ladders to the ground one by one.

The expressions of Kutu and Muto turned ugly again.

However, they had also anticipated that the defending general would certainly use these tactics.

"Have the Archers and Firearm Soldiers cover the scaling ladders," Kutu said.

Once the siege began, the Northern Di archers fired arrows toward the city wall, and the rain of arrows from both sides went back and forth.

After his order was passed down, the arrows at the scaling ladders suddenly became dense.

Stone Bullets also fell roughly toward that position.

On the city wall.

The movements of the soldiers carrying stones and hot oil immediately became difficult.

Their Armor was quite good at blocking arrows, but the Stone Bullets falling on their heads were not so easy to withstand.

Soldiers were injured and lay down immediately, blood flowing out from inside their Helmets.

"Carry the wounded soldiers down to be cared for," Zhao Xu ordered.

He looked outside the city; Northern Di soldiers were constantly being replenished, continuing to attempt to capture the city wall.

He knew that such a stalemate would likely last for a long time.

Sometimes war is a test of attrition and mutual willpower.

After all, a surprise attack is a devious path, but it cannot replace the bloody slaughter of a frontal battlefield.

The sun rose from the eastern horizon to the treetops, then rose from the treetops to the zenith.

And then it fell from the zenith to the western horizon.

When twilight gradually shrouded the earth, the sound of horns rang out in the Northern Di camp.

The Northern Di people finally carried their scaling ladders and retreated to their camp.

At this time, the yellow earth outside the city was covered with the corpses of Northern Di people.

Bright red blood stained patches of land.

In the dim sky, crows let out "caw-caw" sounds; the smell of blood here had attracted them.

"Collect the arrows,

and replenish the city-defending supplies," Chang Wei's hoarse voice rang out.

He came from the other end of the city wall to Zhao Xu's side.

"Your Highness, go back and rest; I will guard here tonight," although Chang Wei was exhausted, his face carried an unconcealable excitement.

In today's battle, they had not suffered a loss.

"What are our casualties?" Zhao Xu asked.

Today he had basically stayed on the city wall, commanding the battle together with Chang Wei.

But he was not very clear about the situation at the other city gates.

"The generals have already reported: thirty-seven soldiers were struck by Stone Bullets and died, another one hundred and forty-five soldiers were seriously injured, and there are three hundred and eighty-three soldiers with light injuries," Chang Wei said.

Then he looked toward the foot of the city, "I have made a rough count; the Northern Di people have lost at least two thousand men."

Zhao Xu nodded lightly upon hearing this.

Chang Wei had reason to be excited; this casualty ratio was simply inconceivable in all previous wars between the Great Song and the Northern Di.

But he still felt some heartache for his soldiers.

Yet he also understood that where there is war, there is sacrifice.

A country, a nation—if it lacks those who dare to sacrifice, it will ultimately only end up as a plaything for the enemy.

Having come to this world.

He was a Song Person, and the common people of this realm were his comrades.

He did not wish to see them flow with blood and pile into mountains of corpses under the iron hooves of a foreign race in the future, thereafter reduced to second-class citizens.

Northern Di encampment.

After Muto presented the casualty figures to Kutu, he remained silent.

"Two thousand three hundred and seventy-two men." Kutu felt his heart dripping blood.

"What are the casualties of the Great Song soldiers?" he asked urgently.

"They are inside the city, so it is impossible to investigate, but since we lost so many men, theirs must certainly be significant too; however, as we attack and they defend, theirs might be fewer," Muto said.

After hesitating for a moment, he added, "After fighting all day today, I feel that the Armor of the Yancheng soldiers might truly be as sturdy as those Servant Soldiers said."

Kutu's brows knitted into the shape of the character 'chuan'.

The Servant Soldiers who had fled back from Qingfeng Pass that day had said the Great Song soldiers' Armor was hard and impossible to strike, which he had thought was an extreme exaggeration.

He had originally assumed it was just an excuse for their failure.

After Muto said this, and combined with his own observations, he actually began to believe it a little.

The only thing that still puzzled him was that the Great Song Imperial Guards did not yet possess such Armor.

How did Yan Wang obtain it?

But regardless, the attraction of Yancheng to him had only grown greater.

Yan Wang's wealth, Yan Wang's Fine Wine, the Beauty of Yancheng, and now, Yan Wang's armor-making technique.

"Continue the siege tomorrow," Kutu said; he could not wait to enter this city now.

"I fear this will only increase casualties in vain," Muto felt it necessary to advise Kutu.

Since arriving at Yancheng, Kutu had become somewhat strange.

If it were in the past, after suffering such losses, he would not have continued.

Seeing Muto's worried expression, Kutu felt it necessary to reveal his true purpose.

Thus, he told him about the plan of Tuoba Lie and the Zhang Family.

"So that is how it is," Muto realized.

He had been wondering why five thousand men were being kept in reserve just to rest and recuperate.

"Hahaha, it seems this Yancheng cannot escape the palm of the Great King," Muto felt relieved.

So many Northern Di soldiers being killed or wounded made him grit his teeth in hatred.

If they could enter the city this time, he would certainly slaughter Yan Wang's soldiers until not a single piece of armor remained.