Chapter 941: Worthless

Ge Tianfeng finally squeezed his way to the front. The man there, all smiles, took a flatbread from a large basket and handed it over. Ge Tianfeng accepted it under the envious and jealous stares of the crowd around him, then immediately began devouring it in huge bites. His hands were covered in mud, and his face still bore spattered bloodstains, which inadvertently smeared onto the flatbread. Ge Tianfeng had no mind to care about that; he just wolfed it down ravenously.

This was food. Though it contained sorghum and bran, there was also coarse flour in it, and it carried a hint of oil and salt. He couldn't tell if the taste was from the bloodstains or the flatbread itself.

After he finished the flatbread, the men wielding wooden spears and bamboo spears pressed forward threateningly again. Ge Tianfeng licked his fingers completely clean. Without waiting for anyone to urge him, he went to shoulder another sack of earth. For that one flatbread, what did it matter if he staked his life? If he couldn't eat, then death was just death.

Many from that first wave forced forward had returned alive. Some, having experienced the earlier terror, never wanted to go again, but they had no choice. Others were of a temperament similar to Ge Tianfeng's—for the chance to eat another one, they'd stake it all, come what may.

The later arrivals, seeing Ge Tianfeng wolfing down his food, were not as afraid as that first batch had been. Instead, they seemed somewhat eager to try. And the men on the large carts began frantically rousing them. With a living example, a model to follow, it was far more effective than dry enticements and threats alone.

The frequency of the earth balls lobbed from within the city grew lower and lower, and the arrows came only sporadically. Yet Ge Tianfeng, who had been watching the city wall closely, also noticed that the number of people atop the wall was steadily increasing, and the smoke was thickening. Those large cauldrons on the wall had probably long since boiled over.

When the moat was filled level, the refugees near the base of the city wall were once again subjected to slaughter. Stones rained down from the battlements like a storm, and many who had no time to dodge were crushed to death right beneath the wall.

Having eaten, Ge Tianfeng was full of vigor, and with experience, he had become increasingly nimble and cautious. By the time the moat was filled and there was no more need to carry earth sacks forward, he had already managed to eat three flatbreads.

Returning to the large carts, he saw that among the old and weak refugees just herded out, some had picked up earth sacks and sandbags, while others were gathered beneath those newly constructed siege engines.

After he received a flatbread, the man on the cart did not let Ge Tianfeng leave. He simply picked up a bamboo spear and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "You've got promise, kid. Luck's come your way. Go wait over there, follow orders, and you won't go hungry!"

Ge Tianfeng was stunned for a moment. Looking around at the others who had just received bamboo and wooden spears, he realized they were all his companions from the moat-filling effort. They had performed the best among the crowd, survived to the end, and earned this reward.

He didn't catch any of the other words clearly; only that phrase "won't go hungry" jolted his spirit. Taking the bamboo spear, Ge Tianfeng had originally wanted to save the flatbread for his next meal, but after a moment's thought, he held it in his hand and chewed it down in large mouthfuls, following the others as they headed in that direction.

After only a few steps, he saw several large carts lashed together. A few men stood atop them. The people surrounding these carts were entirely different from everyone else in the refugee camp—each one robust and fierce, worlds apart from the refugees' emaciated, skeletal forms. They were also different from those vicious, demonic thugs; these men were clearly more formidable, yet far more composed.

Seeing Ge Tianfeng and the others approach, these sturdy men encircling the carts merely glanced at them coldly, shifting the pole-blades in their hands to signal them away. Though there was no shouted rebuke, everyone who passed by them instinctively obeyed, not daring to raise their voices, and meekly left.

Of the six men standing on the large carts, five were dressed as martial warriors, guarding a man in a white robe with long, unbound hair. As he passed by, Ge Tianfeng actually caught a sentence spoken above.

"... To think there are still stone catapults inside this Jining City..."

He understood nothing of that sentence. He stole a glance upward, then followed the larger group onward.

By the time Ge Tianfeng reached the rear, the scene that had just been boiling with chaos from filling the moat began to quiet down. He noticed that squads of refugees were being led forward again. These were the people who had shoved their way to the front earlier to get flatbreads. Along with them came laborers carrying supplies.

"They're going to assault the city soon. Anyone who refuses to advance gets skewered on the spot!" a large man holding a long spear barked gruffly.

The group selected during the moat-filling operation, clutching bamboo spears, began to move forward. When the coarse-grain flatbreads were being handed out, they had been shoved to the back, then dragged to the front to face death. Now, it was their turn to force the people who had shoved them to go die. At that moment, Ge Tianfeng felt an inexplicable surge of vicious glee. Weren't you good at snatching? Weren't you the ones who took the front spots? Now charge forward for me. Refuse, and we'll skewer you through. He wasn't the only one thinking this; everyone else felt the same, each one gritting their teeth. Many even broke into smiles—savage, bloodthirsty smiles.

In such a hopeless environment, being able to make someone else die, or making someone else die before you, was a rare and precious pleasure!

After Ge Tianfeng and the others advanced, bundles of supplies began to be distributed as well. They were all bamboo and wooden spears about four feet long, much shorter than the ones Ge Tianfeng's group was carrying.

As for those weakest ones who hadn't received flatbreads and hadn't been in time for the moat-filling, they were driven to the very front. Some hoisted various bamboo and wooden contraptions, while more carried earth sacks and sandbags. Standing behind them were men holding sharpened short bamboo and wooden spears, and further back still was Ge Tianfeng's squad.

By now, no one spoke anymore of the Earthly Immortal Realm, of piety and devotion. With hoarse shouts and savage ferocity, the message was clear: charge forward and return, and you could fill your belly; refuse to charge, and the only path was death. There were also people constantly inciting them: once Jining Prefecture was breached, they would want for nothing—grain, gold and silver, women, all theirs to revel in.

Refuse to go, and you die. Some who walked a few steps too slowly had already been mercilessly skewered. Eating just one flatbread did nothing to sate them; instead, it only made their craving for food more intense. The despair of these past days had also clouded people's minds. Charge forward and eat your fill. Breach Jining City, and you can indulge in wild pleasure. Many people's breathing grew ragged, their eyes turned red. Some even howled loudly, like wild beasts.

"Assault the city! Assault the city!" A chaotic clamor of shouts rose. At the very front, the old and weak carrying the siege engines couldn't help but wail in terror, yet they had no choice but to walk forward, because standing still meant being stabbed from behind. Those in the rear preparing to assault also had to press forward urgently, because if they didn't move, even longer bamboo spears awaited them.

The human tide that had just recoiled now surged forward again. The first wave quickened, the second wave followed suit, and the formation Ge Tianfeng was in also began to roll forward.

Ge Tianfeng and those around him had already forgotten the sheer despair they had felt during their own assault, how perilous the situation had been. Instead, they found driving the people ahead of them forward to be an immensely satisfying task—especially since this bunch had just shoved them to the back, causing them to miss out on flatbreads and get dragged to the front to die. Now it was their turn!

This time was different from filling the moat. Last time, they knew they couldn't be stopped, and the arrows shot from the wall and the earth balls lobbed from the city had quickly ceased. But this time, as soon as they drew near, the earth balls came howling down, and the frequency had increased dramatically. Every impact meant a swath of death and injury. The old and weak holding the siege engines couldn't withstand this at all. They immediately dropped their loads and turned to flee, only to be blocked by the men behind them. After a few were mercilessly stabbed to death, they had no choice but to turn back and pick their loads up again.

Once they crossed the filled-in moat, even the second squad, prepared to scale the walls, couldn't hold on. Yet they likewise had no way to retreat. Behind them, the sharpened bamboo and wooden spears pressed just as relentlessly.

The momentum of the human tide surging toward the city wall faltered slightly, but there was no sign of shrinking back. Neither the earth balls hurled from the city nor the arrows could fall without pause, and these gaps were the opportunities to rush forward.

Trampling over corpse after corpse, weeping bitterly, cursing and shouting, the refugees still broke through to the base of the wall. Earth sacks and sandbags were thrown down one after another.

As instructed before setting out, the crowd behind wielding the four-foot wooden spears constantly urged the front squad on, making them build a somewhat passable earth mound. Otherwise, the siege equipment couldn't be set up. Before they set out, someone had told them that if they didn't do this, their hope of scaling the city would lessen by a fraction, and their chance of survival would shrink even more.

As they piled earth sacks and sandbags at the base of the city wall, logs and stones rained down like a storm from the battlements above. The refugees below were left with broken heads and bleeding wounds, dropping dead on the spot. Some tried to flee but were immediately stabbed or skewered to death. Even the second squad wielding the four-foot wooden spears was caught in the barrage and injured, but with the same pressure behind them, they dared not retreat a single step.

Scaling ladders were raised, and even makeshift wooden shelters were erected below, offering some protection from the attacks above. Seeing this, the refugees couldn't help but grow excited. If they could just climb up, they could enter the city, they could revel, they could escape this sea of misery. And with the ladders set against the wall and shelters below, their chances seemed far from small.

Orders came again from the main refugee force, relayed layer by layer. Voices constantly shouted out, forcing people to climb upward.

The man at the very front, a wooden spear strapped to his back and holding a wooden plank that barely passed for a shield, began climbing the ladder. The men behind him followed one after another.

Whether out of fear or something else, there was no reaction from the city wall for a moment. Dozens of scaling ladders were set up, and the refugees began shouting as they climbed. Seeing more and more people on the ladders, the refugees watching and urging from the rear erupted in an excited cheer. Some were even rubbing their hands together, ready to charge forward themselves.

Ge Tianfeng also looked up, thinking to himself that if they dropped logs and stones now, they could surely kill and wound many. Why had they stopped? The climbers continued upward. The first man was now not far from the battlements. Ge Tianfeng's squad was beside itself with excitement; some had already moved forward, urging more people to climb. But Ge Tianfeng did not dare move.

Finally, there was movement at the battlements of Jining City. Men used wooden forks to brace the tops of the scaling ladders and push them outward. Several ladders, caught off guard, were toppled directly. Over a dozen men on them screamed as they plunged down along with the ladders. Many below them couldn't dodge in time and were solidly crushed, leaving a swath of dead and wounded.

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