Chapter 514: First Volume, Chapter 514: Decisive Battle at the MountainTop

First Volume, Chapter 514: Decisive Battle at the MountainTop

Facing relentless spear thrusts, the lightly armored Vanguard suffered heavy casualties; even front-line soldiers holding Great Shields struggled to maintain their footing due to the steep Slope, swaying uncontrollably under repeated stabs, and any misstep could leave them pierced in the lower body.

In desperation, soldiers could only plant their Great Shields into the ground and press their entire bodies against them to fully block the spear thrusts.

But this left them unable to Advance; other soldiers could only hide behind the shields, while some bold ones broke free to circle around and storm the Fortress—only to be immediately skewered by multiple spears the moment they stepped out.

This stalemate lasted for One Cup of Tea Time before the subsequent Vanguard units finally climbed up.

The Shield-bearers advanced steadily, while the rest of the troops spread out to flank the Fortress from both sides.

Qin Feng, stationed atop the Watchtower, observed the frontline battle in full view; when the Enemy Army surrounded the First Fortress and the defenders clashed in close combat at its exit, Qin Feng acted instantly, seized his drumstick, and struck the oxhide drum behind him three times.

As the drumbeat echoed, the Second and Third Fortresses, positioned in a pincer formation with the First Fortress, unleashed indiscriminate blind volleys of ArrowRain onto the battlefield below.

Since the frontline troops were all sheltered within the Fortresses, even under the ArrowRain they remained unharmed; meanwhile, the Enemy Army soldiers surrounding the First Fortress fared terribly—just the first volley killed over ten men, and the second volley killed another ten.

The attacking Enemy Army soldiers were already few in number; within moments, nearly thirty fell, a devastating blow to their ranks.

Yet the Shield-bearers could not disperse—they could only plant themselves firmly to fully utilize the Great Shields' protective power.

Without shield protection, the Enemy Army soldiers were immediately struck from both sides by spears and ArrowRain; within One Cup of Tea Time, the two hundred attackers who had surged forward retreated in panic, leaving over one hundred corpses behind.

But the Battle Platform was already packed with reinforcements, leaving no space for the retreating soldiers to take cover.

These fleeing soldiers, with no choice, retreated all the way down to the MountainWaist.

Meanwhile, three hundred additional Vanguard soldiers replaced the fallen, continuing their assault on the First Fortress.

The Enemy Army had no better strategy to breach the Fortress than pure Consumption War—charging forward in endless waves.

Qin Feng's side only needed to replicate the same tactic: let the Enemy Army approach the Fortress, have the defenders at the First Fortress repel them with close-range weapons, then unleash ArrowRain from above by the Second and Third Fortresses.

Five hundred Vanguard troops were completely expended in just Half a Envoy.

Zhang Tao, the Commander temporarily promoted by the Search and Exterminate Army, was formerly the County Commandant of the local County City, with extensive experience in Bandit Elimination.

Seeing the Vanguard depleted, Zhang Tao ordered immediate reinforcements to continue the mountain assault; in his view, warfare was no different from Bandit Suppression—overwhelming numbers alone would guarantee victory.

Meanwhile, at the Camp on the MountainWaist, Xu Qian and Liu Qing watched the battle above with beaming smiles.

Xu Qian, arms behind his back, believed the outcome was already decided—the Rebels would be wiped out, it was merely a matter of time.

Beside him, Liu Qing fawned without restraint: "The Tianji Camp Guards have always been a thorn in the Emperor's side. Now, Your Excellency has driven these Rebels into a corner; if you annihilate them completely, you will earn great merit—so great that even the Emperor himself may come to personally receive and reward you."

These words struck straight into Xu Qian's heart.

Though lacking battlefield experience, he knew the wisest choice was to besiege the mountain—not storm it.

Yet he was fixated on climbing up and slaughtering every last enemy because these foes were no ordinary Rebels.

The heads of these Tianji Camp Guards were his ladder to the heavens!

As for how many of his own soldiers died, he did not care.

As the saying goes: one general's glory is built on ten thousand bones.

On the Battlefield, glory is won only through death.

"Liu Qing, I remember your loyalty these past days—I will not forget you."

Liu Qing wanted nothing more than those words; he immediately bowed deeply in gratitude, then his eyes flickered with cunning: "Your Excellency, we must immediately send a messenger to Wang Du to deliver the good news."

Hearing this, Xu Qian paused in surprise: "Isn't that premature? You saw how stubborn these Tianji Camp Guards are—they've held out against our thousands for days. They won't fall in one or two days."

Xu Qian silently marveled—he had lived this long and never seen such iron-willed soldiers as the Tianji Camp Guards.

Liu Qing understood the Tianji Camp Guards' Tactical Advantage; his push for immediate reporting had nothing to do with battlefield logic.

"Your Excellency, this place is dangerously close to the Border. If the Frontline Commander learns the Rebels are cornered, someone will surely rush in to steal the glory. Besides, Chen Ping is already imprisoned—what if General Chen Si uses this as an opportunity to seek Revenge? With this merit secured, no one can touch you."

At these words, Xu Qian wavered.

Chen Si was deeply favored by the Emperor; no one could guarantee Chen Si wouldn't avenge Chen Ping.

Moreover, this place was over a month's journey from Wang Du—even with swift riders, it would take at least five days to reach the capital.

By then, the Rebels would already be slaughtered—so it wouldn't even count as falsifying Beidi War Intelligence.

Realizing this, Xu Qian no longer hesitated; following Liu Qing's advice, he summoned a messenger and immediately dispatched the good news to Wang Du.

After the messenger left, Xu Qian's eyes gleamed with triumph—he felt he was one step closer to entering Wang Du, and watching the battle above, he could not help but feel utterly satisfied.

"Liu Qing, how long do you think it will take to break through the enemy's first Fortress?"

Liu Qing answered without hesitation: "At most One Envoy!"

"Even if those Rebels are strong, they're outnumbered and dying one by one. Your Excellency still has seven thousand troops—just by consuming them, you can wear down the two hundred Rebels on the mountain."

This speech was immensely uplifting!

Xu Qian's lips twitched upward involuntarily.

Time passed: One Cup of Tea Time, one incense stick, One Envoy—until three Envoy had passed and night had fully fallen, yet the battle on the mountain still raged.

If they had already reached the MountainTop, that would be one thing—but after a full day of bloody fighting, they had not even breached the enemy's first DefensiveLine.

Xu Qian could no longer sit still; he grabbed a common soldier and roared: "What the hell are the Frontline troops doing? Why, after a full day, haven't they broken through the first DefensiveLine?!"

The soldier looked utterly bewildered: "Your Excellency, how would I know? You must ask the Frontline Commander."

Frontline Commander? Zhang Tao!