Chapter 521: First Volume, Chapter 521: Total Front in Peril

First Volume, Chapter 521: Total Front in Peril

Li Lang had just stabilized his stance when two more enemy soldiers charged forward—one wielding a Wolf Tooth Club, the other a Long-Handled Spear—and both wore armor noticeably thicker than the others, bordering on Heavy Armor infantry.

Since both the Wolf Tooth Club and Long-Handled Spear possessed exceptional armor-piercing power, Li Lang dared not block the incoming Wolf Tooth Club and could only sidestep to evade it.

After barely dodging the Wolf Tooth Club, he was about to snatch up his Long-Handled Axe for a counterattack when a searing pain shot through his thigh—he had been impaled directly by the Long-Handled Spear, blood instantly staining his leg armor red.

Moreover, the enemy's experience was extremely seasoned; after piercing Li Lang, he did not immediately withdraw the spear but instead applied force sideways.

Li Lang lost his balance, toppled onto his side, and instinctively swung his Long-Handled Axe to repel the approaching Wolf Tooth Club, then immediately swung again to strike the spear-wielding enemy.

Unfortunately, the Long-Handled Axe was nearly a foot shorter than the Long-Handled Spear, and Li Lang's attack could not reach his opponent.

The enemy who had been repelled dropped his Wolf Tooth Club and joined his comrade in dragging the Long-Handled Spear, forcing Li Lang to roll helplessly on the ground, unable to rise.

At the same time, another enemy soldier charged forward—also wielding a Long-Handled Spear—and thrust it straight toward Li Lang's chest.

Although these three enemies were merely three of the most ordinary "common soldiers," their Heavy Armor, long weapons, and coordinated tactics still pinned the mighty Li Lang to the ground and beat him down.

On the battlefield, whenever close combat broke out, every man was but an ant, always ready to die beneath a storm of blades.

If Li Lang had not kept rolling on the ground, causing the Long-Handled Spear to miss its mark and only pierce his shoulder, he would already be dead.

The enemy, failing to strike a vital point, withdrew the spear and thrust again.

Just then, an arrow flew in and struck the man squarely in the face.

Before he could scream, a Beixi Bu Zuo soldier charged from the side and drove his spear straight through the man's abdomen.

Meanwhile, the two enemies dragging Li Lang were immediately cut down by a flurry of blades from the arriving Beixi Bu Zuo soldiers.

"General!"

One infantryman rushed forward, slashed through the Long-Handled Spear embedded in Li Lang's thigh; due to prolonged violent dragging, the wound was severely torn, blood gushing uncontrollably.

Li Lang's face turned ashen; with the soldier's support, he forced himself to stand, ignoring the torrent of blood pouring from his right leg, his gaze fixed on the dark mass of enemies before him—as if he already knew his fate, his eyes grew even more resolute.

"Brothers, we have no retreat left. If we fall into enemy hands, we'll endure torture worse than death."

"Before we die, kill a few more!"

"We, sons of Liang, even in death, must make the North Di Barbarians tremble!"

Li Lang clasped the infantryman's neck with his left hand, gripped his Long-Handled Axe in his right, stood solely on his left leg, his eyes filled with the unyielding resolve to die with honor.

At a command, the hundred-odd infantrymen who had barely regrouped charged once more toward the ocean-like enemy forces before them.

"Kill!"

A thunderous roar shook the heavens; as Li Lang fought desperately, he gradually vanished into the enemy's overwhelming encirclement.

At the same moment, the flames on Qingyu Mountain had burned for three full days!

The mutinous soldiers that day—over thirty of them—were executed on the spot by Xu Qian, who then personally selected five hundred of the most elite troops to form the Supervisor of the Army, forcing the remaining army to launch another Flock Like Moths to Flame assault on the MountainTop.

Xu Qian dared not pause; reports of victory had already reached Wang Du, and the crime of deceiving the Emperor was one he could never bear. Now, he must spare no cost to annihilate the Tianji Camp Guards to have any chance of redemption.

As for the casualties of the Search and Exterminate Army, all Xu Qian needed was his own mouth to cover it up.

The Search and Exterminate Army knew full well that advancing or retreating meant death; dying at the hands of their own comrades was too humiliating—better to gamble everything, and if they could slay the Tianji Camp Guards, they would be promoted and rewarded.

Precisely because of this, the Search and Exterminate Army launched a near-frenzied assault on the MountainTop, regardless of heavy casualties or disproportionate losses, the attacks showed no sign of stopping.

Due to the Search and Exterminate Army's numerical superiority and rotating assaults, Qin Feng's Troops were exhausted, running ragged after three straight days and nights of fierce battle—nearly every soldier was on the verge of collapse, even Qin Feng himself felt weak and trembling, ready to fall at any moment.

The stockpiled stones and Crossbeams were gone; arrows had been consumed in staggering numbers, leaving fewer than three thousand remaining. Most painful of all to Qin Feng, of course, were the casualties among his troops.

More than forty had been killed in action, and over sixty were wounded! Though enemy losses were greater—conservatively estimated at no fewer than three thousand dead from stones, Crossbeams, and Long-Handled Spears—

The terrain and tactical advantage had been amplified to its limit, yet even that could not offset the gap in numbers.

If fighting continued, within two hours, Qin Feng and his troops would be completely annihilated.

"Hold on, Commander Ning? Ning Hu! Where the hell are you? Bring the oil barrels!"

Soon after, Ning Hu, drenched in blood like a walking corpse, staggered over, panting heavily; behind him, eight Tianji Camp Guards carried two barrels of Fire Oil.

The First Fortress had fallen; the Third Fortress was on the brink.

Qin Feng made an immediate decision: "Abandon the second DefensiveLine! Everyone retreat to the MountainTop!"

Once the dozen or so guards crawled back up the MountainTop, Qin Feng ordered them to pour out the Fire Oil.

The two barrels of oil surged down the Shan Po; Qin Feng hurled a Fire Torch—the flames instantly engulfed the southern slope, trapping enemy soldiers who couldn't retreat, turning them into burning figures, their screams, roars, and curses merging into a single hellish chorus.

Watching the horrific scene before him, Qin Feng glared with fury; this prolonged, desperate battle had hardened his heart into cold iron—he felt not a shred of pity.

These two barrels of oil had been reserved for the Shield Soldiers, but with the battle so dire, Qin Feng had no choice but to Break the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats.

The roaring flames finally broke the enemy's relentless assault.

Watching the enemy retreat to the MountainWaist, Qin Feng felt no relief.

If the next wave came—and it was Shield Soldiers—he would have no way to stop them.

The brocade-clad spies Qin Feng had gambled everything on had still not returned; he did not know if their mission had been thwarted, discovered, or if they had already been annihilated.

Qin Feng was not a man who left fate to chance, but now, aside from waiting for a miracle, he had no other choice.

The MountainTop had lost its former lighthearted laughter; every soldier was utterly drained, slumped on the ground with blank, numb expressions.

Some stared blankly at their Long-Handled Spears; others simply lay down and slept soundly, deaf to the world around them.

In this desperate situation, even the morale of the Tianji Camp Guards had reached its limit.

Qin Feng silently turned and returned to the Watchtower, crouched on the ground with a blank face, methodically sharpening his spear tip, readying himself for the final battle.

The once silk-clad, pampered Wastrel was long gone; in his place stood a cold-blooded Zhonglang Jiang who could no longer remember how many enemies he had killed.