Chapter 948

First Volume, Chapter 948: The First Battle Is the Decisive Battle

Since the enemy cavalry began circling the City Wall, Qin Feng had already deduced their tactic: using cavalry to gradually lull the defenders into complacency, then launching a surprise attack with infantry.

In a state of complete unpreparedness, a sudden assault by several hundred men could easily cause chaos.

At this moment, as Qin Feng ordered the garrison troops along the East-West Defense Line to reinforce the North of the City Fang Xian, the enemy general seized the opportunity to launch a full-scale assault on the City South Fang Xian, ultimately breaching the defensive line in one decisive strike.

This tactic was not ingenious, but it was highly practical—because in this era, there were no telescopes; observing enemy movements relied solely on the naked eye, and human vision had its limits. Once the distance grew too great, details became impossible to discern. Even the most exceptional archers, capable of Hundred-Pace Piercing, depended not merely on their eyes, but on their minds!

Through rapid, precise calculations, they judged the trajectory of falling leaves, then intercepted the arrow mid-flight.

After all, even the most trained human eyes could not surpass their biological limits.

Qin Feng deduced the enemy's tactic through reasoning alone: if the enemy cavalry were merely conducting reconnaissance, a small detachment would suffice; if they intended to open a battlefield and launch an infantry assault, the cavalry would advance first, and the infantry would follow immediately.

Of course, there was another possibility—that the cavalry would dismount and switch to foot combat, reaching the North of the City Fang Xian and immediately launching a siege on foot. But the enemy cavalry lacked sufficient heavy armor, while the defenders of the City Wall were Tianji Camp Guards and Beixi Soldiers; no commander, no matter how foolish, would ever send weak troops to assault elite defenses.

After careful consideration, only one tactic remained: "Secretly Marching Through Chen Cang."

Beyond the tactic itself, Qin Feng had also gathered partial intelligence on the enemy general. Though distant and cut off from all communication, making identification impossible, Qin Feng was certain the enemy general possessed solid military expertise—but was also extraordinarily arrogant.

The enemy vanguard's mission was to launch sustained, fierce assaults to deplete the defenders' manpower, strength, and stamina.

Yet the enemy general sought to break the defensive line in one strike and swallow Changshui County whole—revealing his impatience and hunger for quick victory.

Confirming that this vanguard force was not personally led by Chen Si, Qin Feng felt a fraction of his tension ease.

Though this enemy general's military acumen might not be much lower than Chen Si's, Chen Si never indulged in flashy schemes; whenever Chen Si acted, it was always with overwhelming force, striking straight at the vital point!

To undermine enemy morale and mobilize troops, all maneuvers were conducted in secret.

The North of the City Fang Xian, originally garrisoned by two hundred men, had secretly been reinforced to four hundred through troop transfers from the East-West Defense Line. All soldiers had moved internally along the City Wall and now lay hidden beneath it, bows and arrows ready, awaiting the enemy's attack.

The enemy slowly advanced to the North of the City Fang Xian and halted three hundred steps away. All cavalry dismounted, tying their warhorses' reins together to prevent panic and scattering. Eight hundred dismounted cavalry and five hundred infantry formed a combined force of thirteen hundred men; the eight hundred dismounted cavalry, using their horsebows, temporarily served as archers to support the five hundred infantry in the assault.

Without hesitation, they launched their attack—the five hundred infantry sprinted toward the City Wall.

When the distance narrowed to one hundred steps, the City Wall still showed no response. The enemy troops rejoiced—they believed the defenders had fallen for the trap and remained utterly unaware the ambush had begun.

Upon reaching the base of the City Wall, they hurled ropes with grappling hooks upward, climbing along them. Simultaneously, fifty infantrymen carried four Cloud Ladders, heaving them against the wall and beginning their ascent.

Just as the enemy had climbed halfway, the defenders hidden within the City Wall suddenly emerged.

By the time the enemy realized their mistake, it was too late—a roar erupted.

"Fire!"

At the command, the defenders—who had long been prepared—lifted the piled crossbeams onto the wall's edge and shoved them downward. The crossbeams rolled off, crushing the enemy on the Cloud Ladders. In an instant, screams and wails filled the air.

But this was only the beginning. The defenders continued hurling crossbeams and stones, smashing climbers off the wall. They also expertly waited until the enemy had nearly reached the top via ropes, then suddenly severed the ropes—chains of screams followed.

The enemy realized they had been ambushed; morale collapsed instantly. They abandoned the siege and attempted to retreat, but the soldiers hidden beneath the wall immediately scaled the ramparts and began firing arrows relentlessly at the fleeing troops.

The battle at the North of the City Fang Xian ended in an extremely brief time—but the battle at the City South Fang Xian had already begun.

Unlike the North of the City Fang Xian, where the goal was merely to harass, the City South Fang Xian assault was overwhelming: all infantry were deployed in a full-scale siege.

Watching the dense tide of enemy troops, Qin Feng stood atop the City Wall, unmoving as a mountain, carefully observing the Beidi War Intelligence.

As the enemy surged to the base of the City Wall, arrows rained down with a patter. But Qin Feng, clad in heavy armor and shielded by several great shields, feared no arrows. The defenders, meanwhile, hid behind jianbing, firing through arrow slits—arrows flew like a downpour between both sides.

Over ten Cloud Ladders were raised simultaneously against the wall, forming long chains of climbers. Around them, dense ranks of enemy archers provided covering fire, preventing defenders from attacking the scaling troops.

Fortunately, the defenders were Hundred-Battle Veterans. They neither recklessly charged the climbers nor cowered in hiding. Instead, they seized wooden forks, hooked the Cloud Ladders, and shoved them outward with all their strength.

Boom!

The Cloud Ladders toppled, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar. Dozens of enemy soldiers were crushed or killed on impact.

Moreover, the defenders stood inside the City Wall, using wooden forks to topple the ladders. Enemy archers nearby could not shoot due to angle constraints, while distant archers could only fire at random—arrows rained down onto the wall's interior, but the defenders wore sturdy armor, and specialized soldiers held great shields overhead to protect their comrades. Though arrows fell like rain, few were struck.

Yet the enemy, being elite Jingji Garrison troops, displayed terrifying combat effectiveness despite lacking heavy siege equipment.

The enemy's Adaptation Response was swift: upon realizing the Cloud Ladders could not be secured, they immediately changed tactics—the front-line infantry continued attempting to climb, while the rear archers gradually assembled.