Chapter 1631: Chapter 1631: Siege, All-Out Assault

Zhang Yan knew well that seeking reinforcements was futile; continuing to hold out would bring no benefit: "Go!"

He rushed to Xing’an Prefecture as soon as possible; even if the city fell, he could still save his wife and children, preventing them from being harmed by the Rong people.

"That’s the spirit." Vice General Ma laughed, taking the token to deploy troops. Being one of General Xu’s confidants, and feeling sympathy for Zhang Yan, he managed to mobilize five thousand elite soldiers. After briefing them, they immediately set off for Xing’an Prefecture.

But as soon as they crossed into the territory of Xing’an Prefecture, Vice General Ma regretted it. Everywhere they passed was ravaged by Rong soldiers; manors, villages, towns, counties—none remained intact.

Zhang Yan wasn’t exaggerating; it seemed the Rong soldiers’ attack might not be a feint. They might simultaneously seize Long’an Prefecture and Xing’an Prefecture, or even invade the entire Northwest and open a route into the Central Plains!

"Scout!" Vice General Ma immediately summoned the Reconnoitre Chief Commander and ordered, "Send scouts back to report to General Xu that the Rong people have struck the towns and counties along the way fiercely and may really be aiming to capture both Prefectures, or even the entire Northwest!"

He continued, "If possible, ask the Great General to send reinforcements to meet us at Xing’an Prefecture."

The devastation they witnessed on their way indicated the ferocity of the Rong soldiers heading toward Xing’an Prefecture; the five thousand troops might not be enough.

"Understood!" The Reconnoitre Chief Commander dared not hesitate, immediately deploying two groups of scouts, a total of six Reconnoitre Soldiers, to report to the Great General.

They were close to Long’an Prefecture, and the scouts rode swiftly, arriving at Long’an Prefecture overnight to deliver the message to the Great General.

Upon reading it, Xu You furrowed his brow, and the pain in his injured waist started to throb again... It seemed inevitable; the Rong people might actually aim to invade the Central Plains and seize the ancestral territories!

"Tell Vice General Ma just to stay alive," Xu You finally uttered those harsh words.

Knowing that the Rong people would massively invade Great Chu and occupy the entire Northwest, he would not send additional reinforcements to Xing’an Prefecture; troops must be kept to defend Long’an Prefecture.

As long as Long’an Prefecture was secured, he would have the Capital send troops, and together with the Capital’s forces, they would launch a pincer attack and reclaim Xing’an Prefecture from the Rong people.

But Xu You was unaware that what awaited him was not only the main forces of the Rong people but also the terrifying Rotworms!

"...Yes." The Reconnoitre Soldier was briefly stunned, quickly responding, then left to report back to Vice General Ma.

In the previous battles against the Rong, people didn’t know how many died in the first three Prefectures; the citizens were slaughtered. Now with another, Xing’an Prefecture, what was there to be shocked about?

The Reconnoitre Soldiers were accustomed to seeing life and death, and witnessing cities besieged for aid that never arrived; thus, they said little for the people of Xing’an Prefecture.

The Reconnoitre Soldiers caught up with Vice General Ma’s group on the third night, relaying General Xu’s words secretly to Vice General Ma.

Upon hearing, Vice General Ma, apart from feeling regret, couldn’t blame the Great General Xu, as for Zhang Yan, he said, "Our forces are limited, the Great General Xu can’t spare more troops."

Zhang Yan had long anticipated this; he no longer expected reinforcements from General Xu, only requesting, "Please have the soldiers hurry their march, so we can reach Xing’an Prefecture swiftly."

No matter what, he had to hurry to save the mother and two children.

Vice General Ma agreed: "Rest assured, the brothers will give their all to reach Xing’an Prefecture quickly."

Vice General Ma kept to his word, allowing the reinforcements to rest for only three hours before hitting the drums for departure, marching rapidly toward Xing’an Prefecture.

But before Zhang Yan and his group arrived at Xing’an Prefecture, the Rong people began their assault on Xing’an Prefecture.

...

After the Rong camp was devastated by Rotworms and poison, Leimuqin felt the urge to slaughter all of Great Chu, but feared the potency of the poison that night, waiting five days to see if Tu Zhang could make an antidote.

However, five days passed with Tu Zhang not knowing what herbs were used for the poison that night, let alone creating an antidote.

Moreover, Rong soldiers infested by Rotworms began to fall ill, and many had their stomachs swell, constantly vomiting fresh blood with newly emerged Rotworms.

The most dreadful of all, several Rong soldiers had their stomachs burst open directly...

Leimuqin witnessed the horrific plight of the Rong soldiers first-hand, grief-stricken, finally unable to hold back, commanding an attack without the arrival of another Vanguard Army: "Gather all warriors, attack at dawn, and breach Xing’an Prefecture within two hours; by daybreak, I want all men in Xing’an Prefecture slaughtered!"

As for the women, of course, they would be kept as female slaves.

"Ow ow ow!" The Rong soldiers finally received the official order to attack and excitedly howled like wolves, eager for the bodies of the Chu women, unable to wait any longer to breach Xing’an Prefecture.

The women of Da Rong had robust physiques and rough skin, incomparable to the Chu women. Although the Rong soldiers didn’t favor mixed children born of Chu mothers, they adored the Chu women’s bodies, eagerly wishing to tie them to horseback, taking them to the battlefield.

Jindu felt that attacking Xing’an Prefecture without an antidote would cost many warriors’ lives, and Hu Helu’s Vanguard Army had yet to arrive, encountering formidable forces.

If they attacked the city and those formidable troops blocking Hu Helu suddenly attacked, catching them in a pincer move, their situation would be dire.

But Leimuqin’s fury was too fierce to heed Jindu’s words; Jindu dared not speak further, only proposing: "Great General, within Xing’an Prefecture City, there must be individuals skilled in creating poison. To prevent Great Chu’s civilians from poisoning us again, we should first use strong crossbows to launch potent poisons into the city, killing the Great Chu soldiers on the city walls before proceeding."

"Good! Jindu, this king has indeed not misjudged you; at critical times, you are the most helpful." Leimuqin was delighted, quickly summoning Tu Zhang and instructing: "By dawn, ensure you produce a batch of highly toxic poison; this king wants to poison the damned Great Chu wretches on the city walls!"

Tu Zhang eagerly accepted the request: "Rest assured, Great General, I will have your desired poison ready by dawn."

Tu Zhang immediately rushed to make the poison.

But time and materials were limited; he couldn’t create very potent poison.

As night fell, the Rong soldiers had been fully assembled.

Before setting off to attack the city, Leimuqin commanded his men to douse pine oil and set it ablaze, burning the infected Rong soldiers along with the tents.

The burning flame lit up the night, and the anguished cries from the Rong soldiers echoed far and wide. Leimuqin pointed at the burning tents, addressing the Rong soldiers: "Warriors of the Witch God, hear that? Our brothers’ agony is caused entirely by the vile Chu civilians! The vile Chu civilians deserve death! Breach Xing’an Prefecture and avenge our brothers!"

"Breach Xing’an Prefecture and avenge our brothers!" The Rong soldiers howled ferociously, harboring even deeper hatred for the Chu civilians.

Yet they never considered that it was they who initially attacked Xing’an Prefecture, releasing poisonous insects, prompting Xing’an Prefecture to retaliate.

Nonetheless, to them, it was the vile Chu civilians’ fault; they were the Witch God’s people and never wrong!

Moo—moo—moo!

The dull sound of the horn blared again, as tens of thousands of Rong soldiers charged toward Xing’an Prefecture.

Tu Zhang led the witch doctors on horseback, proceeding alongside the strong crossbow carts; upon reaching under Xing’an Prefecture, they immediately shot poisons into the city using strong crossbows, aiming to poison the vile Chu civilians.

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