Chapter 215

When the enemy closed in within fifty paces, Jiang Ze saw his chance and gave the order!

"Full volley!"

More arrows fell from the city wall, landing in the enemy ranks.

Thirty paces! They could already see the ferocious faces of the enemy soldiers.

"Rolling logs, boulders, prepare!"

The soldiers, in pairs, lifted heavy rolling logs and boulders with sharp edges, moving them behind the battlements.

Ten paces! The hooks of the scaling ladders had already caught onto the battlements!

Seeing that the time had come, Jiang Ze gave the order without mercy!

"Release!"

Accompanied by Jiang Ze's roar, the rolling logs and boulders crashed down with a boom. The climbing enemy soldiers screamed as they fell along with the ladders. Hot oil was also poured from specially made ladles, and the torches that followed immediately ignited the area; the ground below turned into a sea of fire, and a charred stench filled the air.

"Second team, fill in! Spearmen, poke those ladders over!"

Jiang Ze ran along the wall to command. The bandits executed the orders in silence, in groups of three, using long forked poles to push away the ladders hooked onto the wall, or using long spears to stab the enemy soldiers who managed to climb up.

The battle was cruel and efficient. The East Gate defenders, relying on sufficient preparation and strict discipline, held off the fierce assault of twice their number of enemies.

At the same time, the battles at the other three gates were equally intense, but the defenders relied on the city walls, using bows and arrows and limited boulders to effectively stall the enemy's offensive.

But the South Gate soon had movement. The Vice Colonel had taken two thousand men and circled around, just to avoid exposing his tracks.

Now, seeing the shouts of battle all around Panjiang City, he knew his opportunity had come.

"Soldiers, charge with me! The main force of the defenders is pinned down at the East Gate! Pass the order, ambushers attack, take the South Gate in one fell swoop!"

Two thousand soldiers immediately surged out from the darkness, joining the previous one thousand, and like a burst dam, they roared toward the seemingly weakly defended South City Wall.

The moment they saw the enemy troops, Zhang Honghong blew the horn to notify Luo Feng of the change.

And Luo Feng, who had been waiting for a long time, did not hesitate for a moment, leading his troops from within the city to rush to the South Gate for support.

At this moment, the scaling ladders on the South Gate stood like a forest, and the soldiers scrambled to climb up, with the vanguard troops on the verge of leaping onto the wall.

Just at this moment, the situation on the South City Wall changed abruptly!

Torches stood like a forest on the wall, and the sound of dense footsteps emerged.

After Luo Feng climbed onto the city wall, he immediately ordered, "Now! Attack!"

The city wall, which had been 'weak' just a moment ago, instantly erupted with terrifying lethality!

"Pour the oil!"

Pots upon pots of hot oil and molten metal, already boiled to a scalding temperature and emitting a pungent odor, were poured down by the bandits with all their might.

A chorus of heart-wrenching screams erupted below the city. Soldiers who were splashed had their skin torn and flesh mangled, rolling in agony, their combat effectiveness instantly lost.

"Rolling logs! Boulders! Smash them with everything you've got!"

The prepared bandits, in groups of two or even three, smashed the heaviest siege equipment toward the areas where the ladders were densest and the crowds were most packed.

"Archers, aim at the climbers, pick them off at will!"

Precise arrows shot out from the battlements, shooting down one enemy soldier after another who was about to reach the top.

This sudden, violent blow caused the three thousand Da Qian South Gate troops to instantly fall into chaos and panic.

The offensive came to an abrupt halt, and casualties increased sharply. Only now did the Vice Colonel realize that their plot had long been seen through by the enemy.

But now that the arrow was on the string, it had to be fired; even gritting his teeth, he had to charge up!

But the soldiers, whose morale was already low, were even more desperate in the face of such a situation, and for a time, they couldn't even occupy a small breakthrough point on the city wall.

The other three gates were no better, and the East Gate, in order to create an opportunity for a fierce assault, suffered even heavier losses.

Colonel Li stood in the rear observing the overall situation. Seeing that the South Gate, which had been so highly anticipated, could not be breached either, the last string in his heart finally snapped.

"Sound the gong... retreat!"

He gave this shameful order through gritted teeth.

Retreating now could still save the lives of some soldiers, so they wouldn't be completely wiped out here.

Liu Xuecheng angrily stepped forward and grabbed Colonel Li's collar: "Why retreat? Isn't the battle still going on?"

"Battle? With what? Are the lives of the soldiers not lives too!" Colonel Li finally erupted, roaring at Liu Xuecheng with red eyes, finally forgetting the other man's status as County Magistrate.

"Fine, fine, fine! When we go back, let's see how you explain this to General Yan!" Liu Xuecheng, having been roared at by Colonel Li, pointed his finger at him with a flushed face, only managing to say this after a long while.

Colonel Li turned around and didn't look at Liu Xuecheng again, "I will explain it to the General myself!"

Following the sound of the gong, the soldiers, who had long since lost their nerve, felt as if they had been granted amnesty, immediately turning and fleeing in a rout, their formations scattered and their armor and weapons discarded.

On the East Gate wall, Jiang Ze wiped the sweat from his forehead. When he saw the chaotic formation of the enemy as they retreated, especially the South Gate enemy troops who were retreating in the most wretched state due to suffering heavy losses,

Jiang Ze knew the opportunity had come!

He walked quickly down the wall and met up with Jiang Jinshi at the city gate.

"Big Brother! The enemy has been routed, their formation is in chaos!"

Jiang Jinshi, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately gave the order upon hearing this.

"Open the city gates! Pursue!"

The heavy city gates opened with a boom, and the drawbridge lowered.

"Kill!"

Jiang Jinshi took the lead, with Xiao Hu and Yan Wu by his side, and Huang Yan and Jiang Ze slightly behind. In the blink of an eye, they caught up to the rear of the fleeing enemy army.

Xiao Hu swung his Ghost Head Knife, cutting through them like chopping melons and vegetables.

Yan Wu was even more cold and ruthless, every strike aimed directly at vital points.

The infantry following closely behind also roared as they rushed out, hunting down the stragglers and wounded enemy soldiers.

The retreating soldiers could not organize any effective resistance at all, only caring about fleeing for their lives. The bandits charged and killed at will, scattering the routed army into pieces.

The bandits at the other gates were not to be outdone, opening their gates one after another to pursue the fleeing soldiers; the situation reversed in an instant.

Colonel Li stood stunned in place, unable to believe that the thieves dared to take the initiative to open the city gates to meet the enemy; this was too bold.

But now was not the time for hesitation. Colonel Li took a deep breath and took the initiative to meet them, shouting to everyone.

"The thieves have left the city gates, turn around and meet the enemy!"

But he didn't expect that everyone was only concerned with fleeing for their lives now, and only a few people followed his order.

Hearing this, Jiang Jinshi, who was close by, wanted to laugh. As the saying goes, when an army is defeated, it collapses like a mountain; expecting fleeing soldiers to organize combat power was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Colonel Li had no choice but to step forward with his sword, preparing to take down Jiang Jinshi; perhaps there was still a glimmer of a chance to turn the tide.

Who would have thought that Jiang Jinshi would head straight for the military camp, not putting Colonel Li in his eyes at all.

"Thief, stop insulting me!" Colonel Li shouted angrily, chasing after Jiang Jinshi, his long sword pointing straight at Jiang Jinshi's back.

But unexpectedly, the next moment he was blocked by a long spear. The newcomer said, "You aren't qualified to cross swords with my Big Brother!"

"Who are you?" Feeling the counter-shock force coming from his hand, Colonel Li did not dare to be arrogant.

"Yangguangzhai Squad Leader, Jiang Ze!"