Chapter 552: Doing Nothing

A few days later.

At Chen State's capital, Wanqiu, on the city wall.

Yao Xian stood atop the wall, beside him Li Er tiptoed, stretching his neck, straining to look into the distance.

It was his first time seeing a real army, his first time seeing a real war.

Although he still didn't fully understand what that meant.

Ahead, a sea of darkness, the Chu Guo army.

Battle flags like a forest, armor like clouds, blades and spears glittering in the sun.

War chariots in formation, infantry in ranks, stretching beyond sight.

Those densely packed heads, those perfectly ordered squares, those flags fluttering in the wind, like a black tide slowly surging toward this tiny city.

Li Er couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

So many people.

More than the entire population of Qu Ren Li combined, many, many times more!

Leading this army was Chu Guo Minister of Justice — Zi Nang.

The brother of the Chu Guo's King.

He rode a tall horse, clad in armor, his face stern, his gaze like a torch.

He urged his horse forward, stopping beyond the range of bows, tightening the reins, looking up at the wall.

"Chen State, listen up!"

His voice was booming, echoing across the wilderness.

"I, the Minister of Justice, come by the King's command, only punishing the chief evildoer, caring not for the rest!"

"If Duke Ai of Chen leaves the city to plead guilt and presents a surrender document, I, the Minister of Justice, can ensure your lives remain safe, the ancestral temple stays intact, and the people are not displaced!"

"If you persist in stubbornness, resisting to the end—"

His voice grew colder, like the north wind of a midwinter night.

"When the city falls, no chicken or dog will be spared!"

On the wall, Chen State's soldiers' expressions shifted slightly.

But the next moment, an even louder voice rang out, exploding on the wall like a thunderclap.

"Fuck your mother's fart!"

He stood at the very front of the city wall, in full military dress, a sword at his waist, his face full of flesh, eyes glaring wide, his voice so loud it made people's ears ring.

He stood at the front edge of the wall, clad in battle gear, sword at his waist, a face full of flesh, eyes blazing, his voice so loud it made ears buzz.

His face now showed unabashed contempt.

"Chu Guo brat! Open your dog eyes and look over there!"

He raised his hand, pointing into the distance.

"The Jin Guo allied forces are arriving any moment!"

"Lu, Song, Wei, Zheng, Cao, Ju, Zhu, Teng, Xue, Crown Prince Guang—eleven lords! Eleven!"

"Even if Chu Guo is strong, can you defeat the eleven lords?!"

He sneered, his voice full of mockery and provocation.

"Leave now, you still can! Otherwise, who wins or loses later is uncertain! Perhaps you, Minister of Justice, will end up leaving your head in our Chen State!"

On the wall, Chen State's soldiers burst into loud laughter.

Zi Nang's expression darkened.

He looked up at the arrogant Sima on the wall, then glanced back at the army behind him.

The Jin Guo allied forces…

He, of course, knew the Jin Guo allied forces were already on the way.

Scout reports had already reached his ears.

Duke Dao of Jin, that old fox, moved far faster than expected, gathering the eleven lords so quickly!

But he hadn't expected Chen State's resistance to be so strong, hadn't expected that general to be so brazen, hadn't expected those Chen people who should have been trembling to be laughing now.

We can wait no longer!

We must seize Chen State before the Jin Guo allied forces arrive!

Zi Nang inhaled deeply, raised his sword, its blade flashing dazzling light in the sun. He swung forward forcefully.

"Attack the city!"

The drumbeat was heavy and urgent, each beat striking everyone's heart.

The drumbeat was heavy and rapid, thudding repeatedly against everyone's hearts.

The Chu Guo troops' formation began to shift.

War chariots led, Rumble— rolling over the earth.

Infantry followed, marching in unison forward.

Siege ladders, battering rams, siege towers, each pushed to the front line, the massive wooden machines moving slowly under human power, emitting a dull creak.

"Release the arrows!"

On the wall, a Chen State commander gave the order.

Bowstrings quivered, arrows fell like rain, whizzing toward the city below.

Chu Guo shield‑bearers instantly raised large shields, forming a moving shield wall.

Arrows struck the shields, producing a rapid bang‑bang, some rebounding, some embedding deeply into the wood.

But more Chu Guo troops kept advancing.

【61】 "Fire!"

Another wave of arrow rain.

This time, some Chu soldiers were hit by arrows and fell.

Someone clutched their throat, struggled a few times and then lay still; someone clung to their thigh, screaming as they rolled on the ground; someone was shot in the face, not even having time to let out a scream.

But no one stopped.

The Chu army's formation continued to advance.

The cloud ladders were placed against the city wall.

The long wooden ladders were set on the battlements, Chu soldiers climbing up one after another, shouting cries of killing, their eyes flashing with ferocity.

「Smash! 」

On the city wall, rolling logs and stones crashed down.

A huge log smashed onto the heads of the Chu soldiers climbing up; someone let out a miserable cry, fell down, and landed on the people below.

A stone struck the cloud ladder, breaking it; those on top fell with it, landing in a bloody mess.

Hot oil was poured down.

Scalding oil poured down from the city wall, drenching the Chu soldiers' heads, faces, and bodies.

Heart‑rending screams rose; those scalded by the hot oil rolled on the ground, their skin peeling off in patches to reveal the bloody flesh beneath!

Torches were thrown down.

Boom—

Flames instantly ignited. Those drenched in hot oil instantly became burning people, screaming as they ran about, then collapsed one by one, charred into blackened corpses!

On the city wall, the Chen State's soldiers defended with all their might.

「Hold on! 」 the general on the city wall ran back and forth, continuously swinging his sword to cut down enemies, and also shouted:

「The Jin allied forces are arriving soon! Hold off this wave, and we will win! 」

His voice was like a shot of adrenaline for everyone.

Yes, the Jin allied forces are arriving shortly.

As long as we hold out, as long as we don't die, we can live!

Blood, staining the city wall red.

Corpses, piled up at the foot of the city.

Screams, clashing weapons, colliding arms, war drums—all mixed into a deafening roar, as if the gates of Hell had opened in the human world!

Li Er stood beside Yao Xian, motionless, watching all of this.

He watched soldiers being hit by arrows, gritting their teeth to keep fighting; soldiers embracing Chu troops as they tumbled down the city wall; blood‑soaked old veterans still standing on the wall; watching those Chu soldiers who fell from the cloud ladders, turning into a puddle of mud; watching those drenched in hot oil, burning people, screaming as they rolled on the ground...........

Time passed minute by minute.

Two hours.

Four hours.

The sun gradually tilted westward.

The Chu army's assault remained fierce, cloud ladders being set up one after another against the city wall, soldiers rushing up wave after wave.

But the Chen State's city wall still had not fallen.

On the city wall, gaps everywhere, blood everywhere, corpses everywhere.

But the city wall remained the Chen State's.

Zi Nang's face grew ever grimmer.

He sat on his horse, staring intently at the precarious city that had not yet fallen, his jaws clenched, the muscles in his cheeks twitching.

Just then——

In the distance, dust rolled.

At first it was merely a thin yellow line, faintly visible on the horizon.

But that yellow line grew thicker, drew nearer, and became clearer.

War drum sounds came from that direction.

They were not the Chu army's war drums.

That drumming was louder and heavier!

They were the Jin Guo's war drums!

On the city wall, that general was the first to react.

He abruptly turned his head, gazing into the distance; his bloodshot eyes instantly flashed with astonishing light.

「Here they come! 」

His voice was hoarse, yet filled with wild joy.

「Here they come! The Jin allied forces have arrived! 」

The Chen State's soldiers on the wall stared for a moment, then:

「The Jin Guo has arrived! 」

「We are saved! 」

「You Chu dogs, get lost! 」

Down below, the Chu army's advance suddenly stalled.

Those who were climbing the cloud ladders stopped, turning to look into the distance.

Those preparing to charge the front lines also halted, staring at one another.

That dust drew nearer and grew clearer.

Banner after banner stood out sharply in the glow of the setting sun.

The eleven feudal lords' battle flags fluttered in the wind, rustling like a variegated cloud slowly pressing down.

War chariots rumbled, infantry surged like a tide.

Their formation, momentum, and sense of oppression were in no way inferior to the Chu army, and even far surpassed it!

Zi Nang's face was ashen.

He gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at the distant allied forces drawing ever nearer, then lifted his head and glanced at the Chen State people on the city wall, who were cheering and leaping with joy.

He wanted to give the order to continue the siege.

He wanted to take advantage of the Jin Guo allied army's unsteady footing to launch a final fierce assault.

He wanted to gamble, betting that Chen State would collapse first, and that the allied forces would not dare to start a battle rashly.

But he knew, it was too late!

Chen State had failed to take the city after a prolonged assault, and its morale had already been shaken.

The Chu army's soldiers had fought all day and were utterly exhausted.

Meanwhile, the Jin Guo allied army were fresh troops, lying in wait to strike the weary.

If they forced a battle, the outcome would be uncertain!

Once defeated, the prestige Chu Guo had built up over the years would come to nothing.

And he would become a sinner of Chu Guo.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he opened his eyes.

He slowly raised his hand:

"Retreat!"

The Chu army's war drums stopped.

That earth-shaking drumming came to an abrupt halt.

The Chu army's offensive ceased.

Those infantry preparing to charge the front line halted their steps; those climbing the siege ladders retreated; those fighting beneath the city walls fought and withdrew.

The great army began to withdraw slowly.

Their formation remained orderly, their advance and retreat measured, still maintaining a posture ready for battle at any moment.

But everyone knew, this battle was over.

On the city wall, the Chen State soldiers watched the Chu army's retreating backs and burst into even wilder cheers.

"We won!"

"We won!"

"Chu scoundrels, get out!"

At this moment.

The sun set in the west.

It dyed the horizon a blood-red.

That blood-red was the same color as the fresh blood of those who had died beneath the city.

Beneath the city walls, corpses piled up like mountains.

There were Chu soldiers and Chen soldiers; some were unrecognizable, some mutilated, some still holding the poses they had in life.

Blood soaked the land, forming thin streams that wound their way downhill, finally seeping into the soil.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, mixed with gunpowder smoke, burnt stench, and the scent of death.

Li Er stood on the city wall, watching from beginning to end.

A tiny figure stood on the city wall, motionless.

In his eyes were reflected the sunset, the blood-red, and the corpses piled like mountains beneath the city.

No one knew what he was thinking.

Until the cheers gradually faded, until the Chu army's backs disappeared into the distance, until only the wind and occasional sobs remained on the city wall.

Only then did he speak:

"War…… will kill many people."

Yao Xian stood beside him, saying nothing.

Li Er continued: "Those who died…… did they have families? Did they have children? Did they have mothers waiting for them to come home and eat?"

"They would also be hungry, thirsty, in pain, and afraid, wouldn't they?"

"They wouldn't want to die, would they?"

"But they still charged forward and still died."

Li Er lowered his head and looked at his own hands.

Those hands were small and clean, now specked with a little dust but unstained by blood.

"I don't want to fight, I don't want to see anyone die."

"Master Yao, what should we do so they stop fighting?"

After a long silence, Yao Xian spoke:

"I don't know either."

"Perhaps someone could make them do nothing, and then there would be no war."

"Doing nothing......" Li Er repeated twice:

"Doing nothing."

The wind blew over the city wall, carrying away his voice, and with it all the clamor and bloodiness of the day.

The sunset had completely sunk.

Night fell.

On the city walls, lights gradually lit up.

Those lights were lit for the living, and also for the dead.