Chapter 464: Attack and Defense Within Inches

Having been through so many battles, the Zhao Battalion, from top to bottom, no longer shied away from talking about death. Hearing this, everyone remained quite composed.

"That's not what I'm afraid of. Now that we can eat our fill and help our families a little, if we really do die, our families can live well on the pension. That would be worth it. Besides, we're already at the rank of Battalion Soldier, and Company Commander Zhang, you're a Battalion Commander—our pensions are even more generous," a squad leader said.

Everyone nodded. Speaking of this, their expressions actually relaxed. The Zhao Battalion took very good care of its members' families, leaving them with no worries at home, so they could throw themselves into the fight without hesitation.

"... Are those mixed militia units reliable? They're supposed to be used to suppress those jianghu men, and then together suppress the refugees..."

"No need for too much suspicion. These jianghu men all have their roots in Xuzhou. If they dare cause trouble, none of them can escape."

With their minds settled, their considerations became much more comprehensive. Someone on the side said, "Actually, it's a bit of a pity. My mother said she found me a wife, and I was thinking I'd go back and get married after this assignment..."

Smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Zhang Hubin's expression turned stern, and he said sharply, "Don't ever mention that again! I heard the Master say that talking about getting married and starting a family after a battle, right before it begins, is extremely unlucky. All of you, remember that!"

"What's the reasoning behind that?"

"I don't know the reasoning either, but since the Master said it, could it possibly be wrong?" Zhang Hubin retorted.

"The Master" referred to Zhao Jin. Chen Sheng and the others all had to be addressed with a numerical order. Hearing Zhang Hubin speak like this, everyone nodded. Zhao Jin's words, of course, could not be wrong.

It wasn't just inside the stronghold that they were discussing. Over at the Feng family camp, they were also holding a meeting. The leaders of those mounted bandit gangs and forest outlaws had all been summoned to Li Dajin's tent. Feng Bao tried several times to enter but was blocked outside each time.

No one knew what was being discussed inside, only that when those leaders came out, their expressions were shifting. After returning, they each gathered their own men.

Late at night, both the stronghold and the Feng family side fell silent, seemingly drifting into slumber. But soon, the urgent sound of gongs rang out. Bonfires inside the stronghold were lit one after another, and some people threw torches outside the stronghold walls. Under the bright illumination, a group of men who had crept over under the cover of night could be seen.

Seeing that the refugee stronghold was already prepared, this group retreated resentfully. Less than half a shichen later, the same thing happened again.

After several repetitions, even people at the Feng family camp were cursing. They had been tormented all day without sleep, and now such a huge commotion was stirred up at night. How could anyone have the energy to fight for their lives? Li He, who was in charge of this matter, looked even more grim. In the end, they ceased all activity and ordered their men to go to sleep.

Around the latter half of the night, when the darkness was deepest, someone suddenly started shouting outside the stronghold. This time, it was those riders roaming outside who had discovered something. Inside the stronghold, they had dug out the earth packed behind the gate, preparing to open it and go out, but after being discovered, they could only pack it tightly shut again.

The people inside the stronghold also probed a few times but failed to get out each time and fell quiet as well. Both sides remained like this until daybreak.

Smoke from cooking fires rose both inside and outside. This time, there were no unusual movements or probes. Everyone knew the fight was about to begin.

Early in the morning, Li Dajin and Li He each dispatched their men. They did not form ranks; instead, they began digging earth with various tools, piling up mounds of soil for later use.

All the large carts carrying supplies were emptied. In addition to shields, various materials they had brought were repurposed into coverings, one after another.

Over on the side of the mounted bandits and forest outlaws, the scene was different. Each leader gathered his men, and everyone was first handed two taels of silver. It was a testament to the Feng family's immense wealth that, on an expedition like this, they had not only brought enough silver but even silver shears; otherwise, distributing exactly two taels per person would have been difficult.

The usually stingy leaders were all generous this time. The two taels of silver were, if anything, slightly heavier than the standard weight, which greatly boosted everyone's morale.

"Today is the time to fight for our lives. The Feng family gentlemen have all said: one head, one tael of silver—that price stands. Once inside, we can do as we please—that also stands. The Feng family has also promised that as long as we charge into the stronghold, every man who enters gets five taels of silver!"

Most of the mounted bandits and forest outlaws lived a life of feast or famine. Apart from the leaders and core members, the others didn't live it up every day. They only got a share of the profits when a big job was done. Now, with two taels of silver right off the bat, a five-tael reward, and all sorts of other promised benefits, everyone's eyes turned red with greed, their breaths grew heavy, and their fighting spirit was fully roused.

"They'll first build a ramp in front of the stronghold wall. When the time comes, all we have to do is charge in—that's our merit!"

"These cowards have no guts. It's up to us to go in and do the job!"

Emotions were quickly stirred up, but not everyone's head was hot. Someone spoke up and asked, "Isn't this just sending us to our deaths?"

The answer was simple: "When you go out on a job, fighting with blades, are you guaranteed not to die then? Is your life suddenly so precious now?"

"Look at those people. Do you think we can just walk away now without fighting? Might as well go all out. Get inside, and it's a small fortune, plus a chance to really enjoy ourselves!"

The one who asked wasn't necessarily smarter; perhaps the others had already figured this out. Since there was only one path to take, they might as well gamble on it. If they succeeded, they'd earn money and have a good time.

While these mounted bandits and forest outlaws were gathered and being handed silver, Li Dajin and Li He's men had already completely surrounded their escape route. They no longer had any choice in the matter.

One by one, large carts, unhitched from their animals, were pushed out. Just like when they filled the trench yesterday, soldiers carrying shields and various protective gear guarded the carts as they began moving toward the base of the stronghold wall.

All the mounted men were also assembled, roaming around the stronghold, looking for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack while also tying down the stronghold's forces.

The archers began advancing, protecting the carts. Their task was simple: ensure no one on the stronghold wall dared to show their head or stand up to shoot arrows, guaranteeing that every cartload of earth could be dumped at the base of the wall.

They advanced slowly like this, and just as they were about to reach the wall, before they could dump the earth, a bamboo spear suddenly stood upright, and several arrows shot over. Unexpectedly, the bamboo pole was raised high without the person standing up. Tied to the pole was a bundle of dry grass, already lit.

The bamboo pole toppled outward, flinging the dry grass directly onto the cart. The grass seemed to have oil or something similar on it; upon contact, the cart also caught fire. Those holding shields and wooden planks were also affected, the shields and planks catching fire as well. They hastily beat at the flames, but they wouldn't go out.

Yet on the stronghold wall, bamboo poles rose one after another, each bearing a burning torch of grass, and simply toppled outward. The carts that had already approached couldn't dodge in time and were all struck by these grass torches. At first, they could beat out the flames, but some were too late. Two carts caught fire just like that, and the men holding shields for cover scrambled to evade.

Each cart had been covered by shields and such into something like a turtle shell; even arrows couldn't find an opening. But once they caught fire, chaos immediately ensued. Those men fleeing in haste were caught off guard, and cold arrows rained down from the stronghold wall, felling several more.

Back at the main force, Li He watched this scene with a cold sneer and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Big Li, your method isn't working so well either. The people inside this stronghold have quite a few crafty tricks."

Li Dajin showed no reaction to the sarcasm and simply said calmly, "It's only a few dead. Take it slow. Next time they throw torches down, just knock them aside. Once we've built the ramp, we've won."

Li He snorted twice, then changed the subject and cursed, "Those bastards! Usually, they slack off, but now they're suddenly eager to charge forward!"

"When military pay is docked and deducted seven or eight times, who knows how many coins they actually get in a year? How could they have any motivation? This time, the silver is paid in full, so naturally, they're willing to risk their lives!" Li Dajin said with a laugh.

He now seemed very relaxed and in a good mood. Just as Li Dajin said, the bamboo poles carrying burning grass torches initially threw the cart operators into disarray, but once they were prepared, it wasn't so troublesome. When the grass torches were thrown over, they just let them fall. After they landed, they simply pushed them aside or left them on the dirt pile without bothering. As for those landing on shields and wooden planks, they just shook them off.

Watching the dirt pile at the base of the stronghold wall rise bit by bit, the people on the wall were burning with anxiety. Some wanted to stand up and fight back, but the moment they showed their heads, arrows would fly over, pinning them down firmly, unable to move.

"Chief Zhang, let's forget about this wall! Let them in and fight them to our hearts' content. They might not necessarily win!" Some jianghu men couldn't stand this slow pace. The dirt-hauling carts took a long time for each round trip, and the people in the stronghold could do nothing about the carts. They could only watch helplessly as the dirt pile below the wall grew higher and higher. Seeing this situation, since the enemy was going to turn the area in front of the wall into a ramp anyway, close combat was inevitable sooner or later.

Men of the jianghu valued straightforwardness and decisiveness. In the current situation, the stronghold was closely watched by the enemy, escape was impossible, and with their own relatives and families all in Xuzhou, surrender would lead to no good end. Rather than endure this slow, agonizing wait for death, it was better to get it over with quickly. Fight it out with real blades and spears; maybe they could even win.

Zhang Hubin was half-crouching behind the parapet on the stronghold wall. Hearing this, he simply said, "If we fight them now, we'll be fighting their fresh troops. Let them slowly fill in the earth. At the very least, the men pushing the carts and filling the dirt will get very tired. These men won't be able to take the field later. Dealing with a few less is always easier than dealing with a few more."

Once this reasoning was explained, the impatient jianghu man immediately fell silent. After a while, he muttered sullenly, "Master Jin is strange, and you lot are strange too. How do you come up with all these twists and turns?"

Zhang Hubin ignored this and simply turned his head and roared, "Tear down all the shacks near this side, quickly!"

The sun slowly rose higher. The area in front of the stronghold wall was now piled with earth, and the laborers now had to heave the soil upward. Casualties began to appear. Bamboo spears from the top of the wall continuously stabbed down, and cold arrows were shot as well. However, the Feng family archers behind were watching very closely; at the slightest sign of trouble, they immediately fired a volley in response.