Chapter 331: Surrender Is the Only Hope

Morning mist caressed the towering walls of Xiangcheng; the shadows of the garrison on the tower loomed faintly in the dawn light. Jiang Jiang Mingyu, clad in silver armor and gripping a heavy sword, sat atop his mount, which trod upon the orange-yellow sunlight, gazing down from high above at the thirty thousand troops below, an aura of grim death shrouding the entire battlefield.

The view revealed a vast desert where wind and sand swept across, the world between heaven and earth a desolate gray-yellow. In the distance, atop a snowfield, a towering city was faintly visible; it was Xicheng, the key stronghold of western Other Xi Xia.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu reined his horse and turned back, looking at the thirty thousand troops behind him filled with killing intent. He sighed deeply: "This life-and-death struggle cannot afford failure!" With that, he flicked his whip, and man and horse advanced eagerly.

The generals roared in agreement, all burning with ambition and hunger, hating that they could not immediately charge into Xiangcheng and tear Wan Fan Ti to pieces. Only Tu Tu Kesiluo smiled: "Removing armor to serve the country, entrusted by the elders. Big Brother, this journey we must succeed!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly, yet his heart churned wildly—vast Other Xi Xia, who could guarantee no wonders?

In the depth of winter, the sky turned toward dusk. A single rider and horse, like an arrow leaving the string, galloped several li, already arriving beneath the city walls. Tu Tu Kesiluo raised his sword and shouted: "Xiangcheng garrison, quickly open the gates and surrender! Otherwise, we will attack at once, slaughter the city and leave, leaving no survivors!"

On the ramparts, troops were already densely arrayed for battle; Wan Fan Ti, fully armored, stood imposingly. He laughed: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you mere mortals, dare to raise an army to invade the border! Xiangcheng's walls are solid, provisions ample, enough to trap you here!" With that, he waved his blade, and arrows from the ramparts rained down like a storm, filling the sky.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke calmly: "Fortunately, provisions are ample; we can indeed lay siege for a long time. If food and arrows run out, when the city falls, there will surely be no survivors! You might as well think carefully." Tu Tu Kesiluo also shouted: "Xiangcheng's soldiers are weak and generals few, lacking means to resist. If you dare to fight, we will surely make you know the cruelty of Other Xi Xia!"

Wan Fan Ti's face changed drastically; he roared: "Ignorant rats! Watch me take your head!" He swung his great blade, his form like a swift wind, charging straight at Tu Tu Kesiluo.

The two fought before the formation, killing intent chaotic, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Just as the two armies clashed fiercely within the city, a sharp cry of battle suddenly erupted from the southeast corner tower! A large banner fluttered in the wind, bearing the national color of Other Xi Xia.

"Our own army has come to reinforce! Quickly open the city gates to welcome them!" the garrison on the ramparts cried out in surprise.

The city gates swung wide; a squad of warriors, brimming with killing intent, holding blades and drawing bows, rushed into the city. Leading them was a tall man in black armor, eyes fierce, wielding an axe with both hands.

"These guests are not friendly!" Wan Fan Ti suddenly sensed something amiss. Just as he was about to order a defense, the black-clad captain suddenly let out a fierce roar, raising his axe to strike Wan Fan Ti! Wan Fan Ti, terrified, quickly drew his sword to meet him; blade and axe clashed, momentarily leaving neither able to gain the upper hand.

"So they are spies and traitors within! We are ordered to exterminate the Xiangcheng rebels!" the black-clad captain howled to the sky. Seeing this, over a thousand surrendered troops surged forward, fiercely attacking the city; our army's morale surged greatly.

"Damn! We've fallen into a trap!" Wan Fan Ti, furious, led his remaining forces to confront the enemy personally. The two armies engaged in a bloody battle beneath the city, corpses littering the fields.

Tu Tu Kesiluo then charged into the East City Gate, blade falling as he rose, carving a path of blood through the flames. "Wan Fan Ti, give up your life!" He sat atop his warhorse, killing intent surging, charging straight for the enemy commander. Wan Fan Ti, clad in heavy armor and wielding a steel sword, was also charging forward. The two horses clashed, exchanging full-force strikes. At that moment, a black arrow whistled through the air, striking Tu Tu Kesiluo's mount squarely; the warhorse collapsed dead instantly! Tu Tu Kesiluo took advantage of the momentum to leap from the horse and swiftly attacked Wan Fan Ti.

"Tu Tu Kesiluo, do not be arrogant; today I will behead you and return!" Wan Fan Ti roared fiercely. After exchanging three fierce strikes, the two were once again locked in an indecisive struggle! At that moment, Wan Fan Ti suddenly felt a slight chill at the back of his heart, a tiny pain. He turned sharply, seeing Tu Tu Kesiluo's deputy general withdrawing a double-pointed short spear! It turned out that while Wan Fan Ti was engaged in fierce combat, the deputy had secretly ambushed him, releasing two hidden weapons!

"How dare a mere ant peek behind my back? Die!" Wan Fan Ti, eyes blazing with fury, was about to turn and strike back at the cold assassin, but it was too late. Tu Tu Kesiluo took the opportunity to slice off Wan Fan Ti's head with a single sword strike.

"The commander is dead; what shall we do?!" Li Li Sigong, a Other Xi Xia soldier on the ramparts, said despairingly.

"The commander is dead; we are but ants, mere small soldiers; what hope can we have?!"

"We could retreat to the inner city; giving up and surrendering like this, I truly cannot bear the pain!" Wang Wang Dayong, a soldier nearby covered in blood, gritted his teeth.

"Give up? What choice do we have?!" Li Li Sigong sighed. "The enemy has a full two hundred thousand troops; just now our main force was completely annihilated. Now only fifty thousand of us remain in the city. No reinforcements, no provisions, the city isolated and helpless; how long can we hold out?"

"Perhaps there is still hope; maybe Your Majesty will send reinforcements? Is it not crucial that we hold Wucheng to buy time for Your Majesty?" Wang Wang Dayong persisted bitterly.

"Stop dreaming, brother," Li Li Sigong shook his head helplessly. "Your Majesty is too far from us; there may not be spare reinforcements. Even if there are, they are likely unable to arrive in time. Our provisions can last at most one month. Not a single city in all of Western Xia can serve as a source of reinforcements for us. If we cannot hold for a month, the city will be breached; death then will be even more terrible!"

The generals on the ramparts debated fervently, all discussing whether they should surrender.

"I heard news from the front lines; that enemy leader seems to be Han as well, named Jiang Jiang Mingyu," a lightly armored general chimed in, fiddling with a curved blade in his hand.

"So what? He is expelling us Other Xi Xia people, taking our land; what difference is there from those with wolfish ambitions?!" Wang Wang Dayong refuted loudly.

"Not necessarily," the lightly armored general shook his head. "I heard he uses harassment tactics; after battles, he does not massacre cities on a large scale. All surrendered soldiers are incorporated and live comfortable lives without worry for food or clothing. Perhaps we too could try; surrender to survive?"

"What nonsense!" Wang Wang Dayong flew into a rage. "We are Your Majesty's elite; how can we disgrace our ancestors by surrendering to the enemy?!"

"Pity Your Majesty is not here," Li Li Sigong said helplessly. "And we lack the ability to fight to the end. The outcome of not surrendering may only be city massacre and clan extermination."

The generals once again fell into division and confusion.

"All listen!" At that moment, Tu Tu Kesiluo's voice echoed across the ramparts. "Your commander is dead; resistance is futile. I speak only once: open the city and surrender within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and my army will spare your lives. Once we breach the city by force, not a single soul will survive!"

Hearing these words, the generals' already wavering hearts sank further.

"The time for a cup of tea... this counts as a concession, I suppose," Li Li Sigong said.

"Do not rush to surrender yet," Wang Wang Dayong began to think. "Once the gates open, we lose our bargaining power. Better we hold out here and strive for better surrender terms."

"What bargaining power do we have left?" Li Li Sigong said helplessly. "They can massacre the city with a snap of their fingers."

"Better than being slaughtered arbitrarily at the moment of surrender. Besides, even if we surrender, they may not spare us," Wang Wang Dayong said. "One last gamble; we can struggle a bit!"

The generals fell into deep thought. For a moment, silence reigned on the ramparts.

"Snap!" At that moment, the last grain of sand in an hourglass fell. The enemy's final ultimatum had ended.

"It seems they truly do not intend to open the city and surrender," Tu Tu Kesiluo said coldly. "All camps, listen to orders: prepare to attack the city!"

The army below immediately took positions. Waves of arrows flew like raindrops toward the ramparts. Siege engines slowly advanced, launching stones at the city walls.

"Now we have only one path: death!" Li Li Sigong said despairingly. He turned to look at the soldiers on the ramparts; all were pale-faced, legs trembling.

"There is still hope!" Wang Wang Dayong shouted loudly. "We must quickly retreat to defend the inner city! If we can hold for one shi, perhaps Your Majesty's reinforcements will arrive!"

However, the entire Xicheng had descended into chaos. Soldiers shoved each other while fleeing, completely ignoring commands. Stones cascaded down from the ramparts like a waterfall. Arrows pierced through the crowds atop the battlements. The city was on the verge of being breached.

Just then, a Other Xi Xia soldier screamed: "Look! There are still our compatriots below the city! They surrendered to the enemy, were not killed, and are living good lives!"

"How is that possible?" Wang Wang Dayong looked suspiciously down at the city. He saw a Other Xi Xia-faced general commanding the army besieging Xicheng. Within the encirclement, countless Other Xi Xia soldiers were serving the enemy army.

"Perhaps... surrender is our only hope?" Li Li Sigong murmured softly.

Hearing these words, the soldiers inside the city hesitantly looked down at the city below.