Chapter 626: Siege of Luoyang

March 20.

Early morning.

The ice on the Yellow River has not yet completely melted.

The turbid river water, carrying remnants of ice, flows silently eastward.

South bank.

On the open plain north of Luoyang.

A deathly silence.

But this silence lasted only until the first thread of daylight pierced the clouds.

Whooo—

A desolate, heavy horn call came from the north bank.

It was not a single blast.

But a continuous series, merging into a low, mighty wave of sound that overwhelmed the river's murmuring.

They have come.

On Luoyang's northern city wall.

Yue Fei stood, hand on his sword.

The frost on his armor had not yet fully melted from his body heat.

His gaze crossed the wide but shallow river and fell on the opposite bank.

There.

On the horizon.

First came a moving black line.

Then that black line quickly thickened and widened.

Like a black tide spilling over a dike.

Silent.

Yet it carried an aura that would obliterate everything.

Cavalry.

Countless cavalry.

The warhorses wore simple leather armor or felt.

Most of the cavalry wore lamellar armor of leather and iron plates, and helmets either face‑covering or pointed.

Their weapons were mainly spears, curved swords, maces, and composite bows.

Their ranks were strict; aside from the muffled thud of hooves and occasional neighs, hardly any extra human voices could be heard.

Such discipline was utterly unlike the noisy, arrogant arrogance of the Jin army when it once marched south.

In the middle of this black tide.

Some taller flags moved slowly.

The symbols embroidered on the flags were unknown to Yue Fei.

But the cavalry clustered around those flags were better equipped and bore a fiercer presence.

There, presumably, was the commander of the Yuan army's vanguard.

What made his heart sink even more was...

Beyond this endless sea of cavalry.

Faintly visible were masses of infantry and, dragged by beasts, the vague outlines of siege engines.

Dust and smoke filled the sky.

"At least fifty thousand cavalry," Zhang Xian, in charge of the northern defenses beside Yue Fei, said in a dry voice, "The infantry and supply trains are still behind; the total…… is probably no less than one hundred fifty thousand."

One hundred fifty thousand.

Moreover, judging by their formation, they are certainly not a rabble.

Within Luoyang, the Northward Aspiration‑Yue Allied Army that Yue Fei could directly command numbered, at most, fewer than forty thousand.

Moreover, they had to guard all four walls and watch for possible appearances of False Song army or remnants of the Jin army from other directions.

The disparity in forces was extreme.

"Your lord's foresight is divine," Wu Yong said, lightly shaking his feather fan, his expression grave. "The 'Yuan' have indeed come with their full strength, without hesitation. Judging by this posture, they intend to crush Luoyang in one blow, leaving no future trouble."

Yue Fei did not respond.

He merely stared fixedly at the movements of the Yuan army on the opposite bank.

All that could be seen was the Yuan army's vanguard cavalry beginning to spread out to the flanks at a distance of about three li from the riverbank.

Like black wings slowly unfolding.

The central infantry and siege equipment, meanwhile, set up a simple camp farther to the rear.

Their movements were orderly, exuding a cold efficiency.

They did not immediately attempt to cross the river.

It seemed they were waiting for something.

Or perhaps they were observing.

"Pass the order," Yue Fei said, his voice low but clear enough to reach every officer nearby.

"Inspect and ready all the crossbow cannons, bed crossbows, and stone‑throwing machines on the northern wall."

"Move the rolling logs, stones, fire oil, and molten metal onto the wall."

"Have the civilian laborers go up to assist, in three rotating shifts."

Tell Lin Chong his cavalry is forbidden to leave the city without my order, but they must keep their horses ready at all times, standing by to strike.

At the other three gates, raise alertness to prevent enemy forces from flanking or internal saboteurs from causing trouble.

Yes!

The orders were quickly passed down.

The atmosphere on the city walls suddenly tightened.

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their breathing involuntarily growing heavier.

Everyone understood.

The battle that would decide Luoyang's survival.

It was about to begin.

Just past noon.

The Yuan forces seemed to have completed their initial reconnaissance and deployment.

On the north bank, rhythmic war drums sounded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deep and powerful.

Accompanying the drumbeat.

About two thousand Yuan light cavalry split into dozens of groups, charging their horses toward the riverbank.

They did not venture into the river's center.

Instead, they rode back and forth in the shallows, firing probing arrows at the opposite bank's walls.

The arrows were sparse and of average aim, more like harassment to draw the defenders' fire.

"Don't pay them any heed," Yue Fei ordered, "Keep the archers hidden; do not reveal their position or numbers."

The Yuan cavalry shot for a while, seeing no response from the walls, then whistled as they withdrew.

The first probing attempt yielded nothing.

But this was only the beginning.

1:45 PM.

The drumming on the north bank changed.

It became urgent and stirring.

A large contingent of Yuan infantry, carrying crude wooden rafts, hide rafts, or simply bundles of goatskin bags, advanced toward the riverbank under the cover of archers.

At the same time.

Dozens of makeshift catapults were set up in formation behind the riverbank.

The sound of winches turning could be faintly heard.

"They're attempting a forced crossing!" Zhang Xian gripped his sword hilt.

"Target the enemy catapults and the congested crossing zones with the crossbow cannons," Yue Fei said, his eyes icy. "Aim the bed crossbows at the infantry carrying rafts. Archers, fire at my signal. Without orders, do not waste arrows."

Yes!

After a brief silence.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Chen dynasty–style crossbow cannons on the walls opened fire first.

The torsion crossbow cannons improved by the Heavenly Craft Institute far surpassed ordinary catapults of the era in range and accuracy.

Specially crafted stone or fire‑oil shells arced through the air with a shrill scream, slamming into the Yuan catapult positions and the troops gathering to cross.

Boom! Boom!

Stone shot rained down, wood chips flew, and bodies were shattered.

Fire‑oil bombs burst, spraying sticky flames that ignited the rafts and hide bags, setting the Yuan soldiers' armor ablaze.

The cries of anguish instantly drowned out the drumming.

The Yuan forces clearly did not expect the defenders' long‑range firepower to be so fierce and accurate.

The catapult emplacements fell into chaos, with several machines destroyed outright.

The crossing troops also momentarily stalled and fell into disorder.

"Fire!"

Seeing the moment, Yue Fei gave the decisive order.

Wh——!

Behind the crenellations, the archers who had been holding their bows at full draw all released at once.

Thousands of arrows fell like a swarm of locusts, covering the riverbank's front.

Yuan infantry trying to enter the water or dodge the stone shot fell like cut wheat, collapsing in swaths.

The river water quickly turned red.

The first forced‑crossing attempt suffered a heavy blow under the defenders' fierce long‑range strikes.

The Yuan forces swiftly withdrew their heavily casualties‑laden units.

The riverbank was littered with corpses and burning wreckage.

On the walls, a muffled murmur rose.

The initial battle was won, lifting morale somewhat.

But Yue Fei's face showed no joy.

He knew this was only the beginning.

The Yuan were using blood to test the defenders' firepower layout, reaction speed, and defensive focus.

The real attack is still to come.

Indeed.

Only half an hour has passed.

The Yuan army changed its strategy.

They no longer attempted a large-scale forced crossing.

Instead, they sent out more small cavalry units, spreading out along the long riverbank.

Sometimes they harassed with archery.

Sometimes they made a show of attempting a test crossing.

Sometimes they quickly gathered, creating the illusion of wanting to break through a certain section.

To pin down.

To harass.

Weary defending troops.

Meanwhile, behind the north bank, more siege equipment was being assembled.

A larger infantry formation was gathering.

A heavy, step-by-step tightening pressure, like a continually tightening noose, slowly slipped onto the neck of Luoyang city.

Dusk was gradually rising.

The Yuan army's offensive for the day temporarily came to an end.

But the north bank's campfires were like countless stars, dense and endless, the edge unseen.

It turned the sky north of Luoyang a dark red.

Like a giant beast crouched, panting.

The city walls were brightly lit.

Conscript laborers and auxiliary soldiers were busy transporting arrows and stone shot, repairing battlements damaged by stray arrows, and carrying the wounded down the city walls.

The atmosphere was solemn and weary.

"They are only probing today." Yue Fei said to the generals gathered on the gate tower, "The real siege will come in these two or three days. Infantry, siege towers, battering rams, undermining tools... will all come up."

"The forces are vastly unequal; prolonged defense will surely be lost." Lin Chong said in a low voice, "We must sortie and strike a blow, to blunt their spirit and disrupt their deployment."

Yue Fei looked at him.

"Do you have confidence?"

"We cannot fight head-on." Lin Chong said, "Under cover of night, pick a place where the camp defenses are lax, or a site where equipment is being assembled, strike fast and withdraw fast, burn it and leave. As long as the action is swift enough, the Yuan cavalry battalions won't have time to encircle."

Yue Fei pondered for a moment.

This is very risky.

But sitting trapped in an isolated city, morale will continually erode.

A successful sortie, even if the gains are limited, can boost morale and disrupt the enemy's rhythm.

"Approved."

"You go personally. Pick the five hundred finest cavalry."

"Remember, strike and withdraw immediately, do not linger in battle. If it cannot be done, retreat at once."

"I understand, sir!" Lin Chong clasped his fists, a flash of sharp light in his eyes.

That night.

At midnight.

Luoyang's west gate quietly opened a gap.

Lin Chong led the way on horseback; the five hundred elite cavalry flowed like ink lines in the dark night, silently slipping into the darkness outside the city.

Toward the flank of the Yuan army camp on the north bank, a direction where the firelight was relatively sparse, seeming to be piling up timber.

They galloped away swiftly.

The true battle for Luoyang's offense and defense.

On the first day when the Yuan army's main forces arrived beneath the city.

With a daring counterattack by the defenders.

It opened the bloody prelude.