This Defense Commissioner, Lord Chu, is truly wicked, rotten to the core!
He actually took General Gao Le's helmet, filled it with night soil, and spun it around before throwing it at the enemy general, splashing it all over his face.
It made the man so angry he vomited blood. This is just too devious; all the bamboo shoots on the mountain have been taken by the Defense Commissioner.
Chu Chen chuckled. He had clearly seen a small amount of the night soil flow into Chen Anmi's mouth as he yelled and opened it.
What is night soil? It's the elegant term for ancient mixed human and animal excrement.
Being force-fed a secret recipe of old eight's feces, anyone would be angered to the point of vomiting blood.
Chu Chen reflected, had he gone a bit too far? Next time, he must increase the amount of night soil.
"Defense Commissioner, they are beginning their attack."
Gao Le's reminder interrupted Chu Chen's pleasant reflection.
"Mm, I'll trouble General Gao Le to command the defense. I shall observe from the side."
Chu Chen handed over the command of the defense to General Gao Le.
The moat of Anzhi County had been filled in the morning. Now, without the moat, siege ladders were quickly hung up.
A large number of soldiers below lined up to climb the ladders, attempting to ascend the city walls, only to be beaten to death by the border soldiers waiting on the walls.
From all around, strong young men threw stones, rolling logs, poured night soil, or worked together to use pushing spears to hook and pull down the ladders.
Behind the border soldiers defending the ladders, archers were engaged in a ranged battle with the archers on the enemy's siege towers.
The battle was as fierce and bloody as it had been in the morning.
An hour later, after three waves of attacks, seeing no results, the State of Chen abandoned over ten thousand men and retreated to their camp in disgrace.
This time, the border army, including the archers, lost a total of over eleven hundred men. The strong young men lost three thousand.
Until evening, the State of Chen did not launch another attack.
In the city's artisan workshop, Chu Chen, accompanied by Princess Xin Yue and a group of generals, arrived.
"Little Chenzi, we are still at war, and you are ordering people to make preparations for a lantern festival for me. Is that appropriate?"
Princess Xin Yue looked inside with a mixture of hesitation and anticipation.
"How could it not be appropriate? Her Royal Highness's happiness is the most important thing."
Chu Chen offered a compliment without hesitation.
Princess Xin Yue's face lit up with a smile, clearly pleased.
The generals, including Gao Le, standing nearby, had strange expressions on their faces.
The Defense Commissioner had summoned them, but not for this reason. Which one was true and which was false?
"Eunuch, everything you ordered us to build is ready."
The county artisan officer bowed slightly and said obsequiously.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Chu Chen smiled slightly, took out a silver ingot from his embrace, and dropped it into the officer's hand.
"This is a reward. Take it for your expenses."
"Oh? Thank you for the generous reward, Eunuch!"
The county artisan officer, happily accepting the silver, left with his subordinates.
"Defense Commissioner, are you sure that having people build large Kongming lanterns can defeat the Chen army outside the city?"
Gao Le wanted to believe him without question, but Kongming lanterns were hardly military equipment.
"You will know when the time comes."
Chu Chen waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to take away these items.
He then left with the happy Princess Xin Yue, leaving the generals to exchange bewildered glances.
After dinner, the west and south gates of the city were opened, and three thousand cavalrymen departed under the cover of night.
Deep into the night, about a mile behind Anzhi County.
Chu Chen smiled and asked, "Your Royal Highness, the large Kongming lanterns are assembled, and the supplies are all ready. Are you prepared?"
"Mmm, let's start quickly. This princess is eager to see the sky filled with Kongming lanterns."
Princess Xin Yue waved her hand impatiently.
"Then, let's begin!"
"Light the fires, ascend!"
"Yes!"
The remaining three hundred-odd men under Chu Chen's command, grouped in threes, entered the hot air balloons.
Immediately, torches were used to ignite the fuel for the hot air balloons, and soon, carrying people and supplies, they slowly ascended.
Under the control of the soldiers, they drifted towards the sky above the Chen army's camp.
"Huh? Why are there fire points in the sky?"
"You're seeing things."
"Look for yourself."
In the camp, the soldiers on duty argued for a moment before looking up at the sky together.
"It looks like Kongming lanterns are floating over. So many of them. I don't know where they're from, but they're quite pretty."
"Speaking of which, there aren't any festivals recently. Why are they releasing Kongming lanterns?"
"Perhaps the festival days in the State of Yunyue are different from ours in the State of Chen?"
"That makes sense."
In the camp, most people who were still awake outside saw them.
But most of them didn't take it seriously, thinking the people of Yunyue were foolish and rich.
As the hot air balloons drifted closer to their position, clay jars were thrown down one after another.
"What's that sound?"
"It sounds like something is falling."
"How is that possible? We're under the sky."
The sound of breaking clay jars echoed.
"General, bad news, General! Many clay jars are falling from the sky."
Chen Anmi was woken up. He had woken up two hours after being carried back during the day.
After that, he lay in bed, feeling unhappy, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his mind filled with thoughts of how to get revenge on that damned eunuch the next day.
"Do you think I'm a fool just because I'm lying in bed? You expect me to believe such a preposterous thing?"
"Above us is the sky. How can clay jars keep falling?"
Chen Anmi angrily reprimanded, then shouted, "Come, drag out this person who dares to mock me and behead him!"
"General, it's unjust, General! Clay jars are really falling from the sky!"
He thought he would finally be quiet and get a good night's sleep, but soon, Ma Su and the old general, along with a group of their subordinates, burst in.
As soon as he entered, the old general said, "General, many Kongming lanterns are floating in the sky, and numerous clay jars are falling from above. It's very strange. Could it be that eunuch's scheme?"
"Kongming lanterns? Clay jars? Are clay jars really falling from the sky?"
Chen Anmi was shocked. Such a thing was unheard of.
"What's going on? Where did so many Kongming lanterns come from?"
Ma Su said in confusion, "This subordinate does not know."
Just as Chen Anmi and the others were sending people to investigate, something else fell from the sky again. This time, it wasn't clay jars, but flaming arrows shot back.
"It's on fire! The army tents are on fire! Quickly, someone put it out!"
"Not good! Those clay jars are probably flammable oil. Quickly send people to put out the fire!"
"It's too late, General! We have to run! There are flames everywhere outside!"
"Heaven has forsaken me!" Chen Anmi cried out in despair, and was escorted away by the generals and soldiers.
If they had reacted before the flaming arrows were shot, there might have been a chance of survival. But it was too late to react.
Now, the entire camp was ablaze, and nearly a hundred thousand soldiers were in a panic, lacking water to extinguish the flames.
On the plain, Chu Chen asked with a smile, "Your Royal Highness, were the lanterns beautiful?"
"Beautiful, this princess likes them very much. Little Chenzi really knows how to please this princess. Even on the battlefield, he didn't neglect this princess's mood."
Princess Xin Yue smiled and held Chu Chen's arm, her eyes gazing at the large Kongming lanterns in the distance.