Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 105 Tempering in Blood and Fire

Like a black torrent bursting its banks, the Black Mountain Army advanced slowly but irresistibly towards Xinghuo Fortress across the dry, scorching land of late summer. The dull sounds of footsteps, hooves, and wheels, as steady as the pulse of the earth, finally dissipated into a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky on the northern horizon on the morning of the fifth day after the parade.

On the watchtower atop the highest point of Starfire Fortress's north wall, the sentry on duty suddenly widened his eyes and rang the alarm bell forcefully. The rapid, loud chime ripped through the morning tranquility, instantly echoing throughout the entire fortress.

"Enemy attack—! From the north—!"

Xinghuo Fortress, already poised for battle, awoke fully at this moment. On and around the city walls, the already deployed garrison swiftly took their positions. Archers checked their bowstrings and arrows, infantry gripped their spears, swords, and shields, and laborers pushed the last batch of logs and stones over the crenellations, their eyes tense yet resolute. Inside the fortress, the patrols quickened their pace, and the militia began guiding the last remaining scattered groups of people into designated areas. An atmosphere of tension, grim determination, and resolute resolve, like an invisible force field, enveloped the entire space.

Chen Xing, along with Murong Mingyue, Chen Wei, and others, had already ascended to the main watchtower on the north wall. Chen Xing raised his monocular telescope, and through the lens, the scene beneath the billowing dust in the north gradually became clear.

The main force of the Black Mountain army, like a moving, filthy tide of tattered flags, haphazard weapons, and throngs of heads, stretched out along the main road. At the forefront were hundreds of infantrymen, disheveled and wielding various weapons; they were cannon fodder for scouting and human shields to deplete the defenders' arrows. Behind them were relatively more orderly infantry squares, numerous and dark, though their armor was incomplete. Cavalry patrolled the flanks, their horses mostly lean, and their riders rough in manner. In the center of the column, several large flags clustered, one of which, adorned with a ferocious black mountain pattern, was particularly striking. Beneath it, a group of knights in brighter armor could be vaguely seen, presumably the arrogant central army of the Black Mountain commander.

Even more striking were the dozens of crudely made machines, dragged by manpower and covered with animal hides, at the rear of the column—the very catapults mentioned in the intelligence, as well as some tall, incompletely assembled siege ladders and battering ram components.

"The troops are indeed formidable, and their formations are somewhat disciplined, better than Han Meng's," Chen Wei said coldly, putting down his binoculars. "However, their discipline is lax, with constant shouting and disarray on the march, and the left and right flanks are out of sync. The central army is too close to the vanguard, and if the vanguard is blocked, they are very likely to trample each other."

Murong Mingyue's sharp eyes scanned the enemy's flanks: "The left-wing cavalry is scattered, and on the right wing... the 'Grasshopper' banner is nowhere to be seen. It seems that their eastern army has not yet joined forces with the central army, or perhaps they have other plans."

"Zhang Kuang is trying to overwhelm us with force and numbers first, then use siege equipment to breach the city walls." Chen Xing put down his binoculars, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. "He's calculated that we're outnumbered and won't dare to fight outside the city, leaving us only able to passively take the beating. Order all sections of the city walls: when the enemy enters within 300 paces, archers must not fire; when they enter within 200 paces, archers should fire freely, focusing on killing their unarmored cannon fodder and siege equipment operators; when they enter within 100 paces, crossbowmen should fire volleys to snipe their officers and heavily armored soldiers. Rolling logs and stones, under the command of the captains of each section, must be used only when their ladders are in place and their numbers are dense, to maximize casualties!"

"Yes, sir!" The messenger rushed off.

The vanguard of the Black Mountain Army drew ever closer, and the numb yet ferocious expressions on the faces of the cannon fodder became clear, along with their chaotic roars and heavy footsteps. The defenders on the city wall held their breath, their fingers tightening on their crossbows, their palms sweating.

Five hundred steps... four hundred steps... three hundred steps!

As the enemy entered within three hundred paces, the city walls fell silent, save for the flags fluttering in the wind. This unusual silence made the advancing Black Mountain vanguard uneasy, causing their steps to falter slightly.

"Damn it! Are those cowards at Xinghuo Fort scared out of their wits? Charge! Whoever gets to the top of the city wall first will be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces and can choose any woman he wants!" A Black Mountain Army leader brandished his machete from the rear of the formation, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Spurred by the hefty reward, the vanguard cannon fodder roared like wild beasts once more, quickened their pace, and, carrying makeshift bamboo and wooden ladders, surged haphazardly toward the city wall.

Two hundred and fifty steps...two hundred steps!

"Archers—fire!" The officers on each section of the city wall roared almost simultaneously.

The taut bowstring snapped open with a muffled thud. Hundreds of arrows soared into the air, tracing deadly arcs before swarming into the charging vanguard of the Black Mountain army like locusts.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" The dull thud of arrows piercing flesh mingled with agonizing screams. Lacking armor, the cannon fodder fell in droves, their charge momentarily halted. But more Black Mountain soldiers, driven by the whips of their officers, continued their frenzied advance, trampling over the corpses of their comrades.

One hundred and fifty paces! The crossbowmen joined in the firing. The improved crossbows and waist-drawn crossbows fired bolts with greater power and penetrating force, and some low-ranking officers wearing leather armor and some of the more valiant swordsmen and shieldmen were also shot down.

The Black Mountain Army paid the price of hundreds of lives before finally reaching the edge of the moat. They haphazardly threw the sandbags and debris they were carrying into the moat, or simply set up makeshift ladders and began to climb the earthen slopes near the city wall, howling as they went. Some even tried to throw grappling hooks at the city wall.

"Smash the rocks!" The officer's order was cold and ruthless.

The already prepared civilian laborers and auxiliary soldiers, in groups of two or three, chanted in unison as they forcefully pushed heavy boulders, some weighing tens or even hundreds of kilograms, off the city wall. The boulders tumbled and crashed down with a terrifying roar, crushing the dense crowd below, breaking bones and leaving them mangled and bloodied. Some soldiers even poured scalding hot molten metal from specially made spouts, and immediately, a chorus of inhuman screams erupted below the city wall, filling the air with a stench of burning flesh.

The first wave of attack quickly collapsed under the well-prepared and layered defenses of the Starfire Fortress defenders, leaving behind nearly a thousand corpses and wounded, forming a thick layer between the walls and moats. Starfire Fortress, aside from expending some arrows and logs and suffering a few wounds from stray arrows, suffered almost no damage.

On the enemy's platform on the north wall, Chen Xing and the others watched the carnage below with expressionless faces. They were already used to the cruelty of war.

"This is just an appetizer," Chen Wei said in a deep voice. "Zhang Kuang is using cannon fodder to deplete our defensive resources and stamina, testing our defensive weaknesses and reaction speed."

As expected, the Black Mountain army gave the defenders little chance to regroup. Flags waved in the central ranks, and the drumbeats changed again. The retreating remnants were driven to the flanks, and new reinforcements began to advance. This time, they were no longer chaotic cannon fodder, but relatively orderly infantry squares, with the front ranks carrying simple large shields, followed by soldiers carrying longer and sturdier siege ladders, and teams pushing simple shield carts. More importantly, the dozens of catapults were slowly pushed to a distance of about 250 paces in front of the lines, at a distance where the arrows from the city walls would have difficulty inflicting effective damage on their operators.

"The artillery vehicle is advancing!" the lookout urgently reported.

Chen Xing's eyes narrowed: "Notify all sections to take cover! The laborers and auxiliary soldiers must immediately move the spare protective barriers to their designated positions! The archers and crossbowmen must temporarily retreat to their hiding places!"

The order had barely been given when a series of rough commands rang out from the Black Mountain army ranks. Dozens of catapults had their counterweights slammed down, their long arms whistling as they were lifted by ropes, hurling pre-prepared stones of varying sizes into the sky in parabolic arcs as they hurtled toward the walls of Starfire Fortress!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of boulders crashing against the city wall was dull and terrifying, and the entire section of the wall seemed to tremble slightly. Some stones struck the thick wall, leaving shallow craters and sending fragments flying; others flew over the wall and into the fortress, collapsing several makeshift shelters and causing a commotion, which was quickly quelled by the militia; still others struck the crenellations of the wall, breaking off corners, and the flying bricks and stones injured several soldiers who had not yet fully taken cover in the bunkers.

"Don't panic! Take cover behind the barriers! Watch where you're landing!" the officers shouted hoarsely, trying to maintain order.

The makeshift shelters and barriers built under Zhou Dashan's supervision came into play at this moment. Although they could not completely prevent direct hits from the boulders, they at least provided psychological comfort and some protection to the soldiers guarding the wall, reducing the probability of being injured by flying debris.

The Black Mountain army's slingshot attack lasted for about fifteen minutes, with several rounds of volleys. Although the damage to the main body of the city wall was limited, it did have some impact on the morale of the defenders and destroyed some of the fortifications on the top of the wall. More importantly, under the cover of the slingshots, the second wave of Black Mountain infantry, pushing shield carts and carrying ladders, had approached the edge of the moat and began filling it and setting up the ladders.

"Archers, advance! Target: enemy troops filling the trenches, fire freely!" Chen Wei decisively ordered.

The archers in the hidden bunkers surged onto the wall again, braving the still sporadic falling stones, and unleashed a hail of arrows at the Black Mountain army working below. The Black Mountain army's shield carts provided some protection, but arrows rained down from all angles, and soldiers continued to fall, struck by arrows. The filling of the trenches was progressing slowly.

Zhang Kuang watched the fierce battle from the central watchtower, his face grim. He hadn't expected Starfire Fortress's resistance to be so tenacious and well-organized; their arrows seemed plentiful, and their defensive equipment was also well-prepared. "Damn it, this Chen Xing brat really knows his stuff! Order the artillery pieces to change to firebombs! Burn them!"

The Black Mountain Army's catapults stopped launching stones, and the operators began loading "fireballs," soaked in grease and wrapped in flammable materials, into leather bags. Soon, dozens of burning fireballs were hurled towards Starfire Fortress!

This time, the threat was greater. Burning objects struck the city walls, the top of the walls, and even flew into the fortress, igniting the wooden planks, shacks, and piles of firewood. Several sections of the wall were immediately ablaze.

"Firefighting team! Hurry!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted hoarsely at the foot of the wall, directing the civil defense team to carry sand and buckets of water, braving arrows and falling debris, and desperately fighting off the flames.

Chaos reigned on the city wall as the defenders struggled to dodge fireballs and defend against the enemy's intensified attack from below, increasing their pressure. A section of the wall, forced back by the fire, allowed the Black Mountain Army to seize the opportunity to successfully mount two ladders atop the wall. A dozen or so fierce soldiers, blades in their mouths, began a frantic ascent!

"West Third District! Ladders erected! Enemy troops are scaling the city!" The piercing alarm rang out.

Chen Xing's gaze turned cold: "Chen Wei!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Chen Wei could no longer contain himself and suddenly drew his sword.

"Take your personal guard and reinforce West Third District! Chop off all the rats that have climbed up here!"

"Yes, sir!" Chen Wei roared, leading dozens of his most elite bodyguards who had been waiting below the enemy platform, and like tigers released from their cages, they pounced on the section of wall that was under attack.

The real bloodshed had only just begun. The walls of Starfire Fortress groaned dully under the baptism of blood and fire, yet also displayed their indomitable spirit. Inside the fortress, everyone's hearts were in their throats, their gazes involuntarily drawn to the north wall where the fighting was most intense.