"Kill! Charge!"
"Fill the trenches!"
Beneath the walls of Youzhou, a fierce general from the East Sea bellowed, brandishing his long saber.
With a "boom," a bolt from a colossal crossbow, like a javelin, shot down from the city walls, piercing the East Sea general's chest. It moved with the speed of wind and struck with the force of a hammer, shattering his iron armor and penetrating his torso. The general's furious roar was abruptly silenced. He fell from his horse, the bolt impaling his chest and abdomen, leaving a hole the size of a yellow barrel, his innards and flesh gone, only a pool of bloody pus remaining.
The death of one general was but a drop in the ocean of this brutal siege, insignificant to the millions locked in combat on the battlefield. The death of any single person was likewise insignificant.
The primary objective in besieging a city was to fill the moat or trenches, thereby enabling access to the walls for scaling and capture. Cities often possessed both, or sometimes combined them. Youzhou boasted both a wide moat and deep trenches.
At this moment, the water in the Youzhou moat had been drained by the East Sea army. Sharpened stakes, wooden spikes, broken weapons, and even the piled-up white bones within the mud created a horrifying spectacle.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
As the East Sea army and the allied forces of Zhen Ao approached the moat, stones, javelins, and arrows rained down from the city walls. Gaping holes were torn in the allied ranks, each filled with a mangled corpse or a wounded soldier writhing in agony. Cries of pain, moans, and roars of fury echoed across the plains.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
"Wail... wail... wail..."
Yet, this did not halt the allied advance. War drums pounded a relentless rhythm, and horns blared a death knell. The allied forces retaliated with ballistae, trebuchets, and arrows, sending Yan soldiers tumbling from the walls and crushing Yan defenders within the fortifications. A storm of projectiles crisscrossed the sky like an iron net, beneath which swarmed waves of soldiers fighting with utter disregard for their lives.
The East Sea army and Zhen Ao's allied forces, while countering with ballistae, trebuchets, and arrows, simultaneously pushed siege towers and battering rams towards the moat's edge.
With several loud "bangs," massive stones hurled from the ramparts struck a siege tower, shattering it into pieces. Wooden wheels, timbers, and splinters flew everywhere. One enormous wheel crushed two allied soldiers, sending them plummeting into the moat with a "splash, splash." They thrashed like dying fish as sharpened stakes and wooden spikes impaled them.
"Fill with earth! Fill with earth!"
Though the siege tower was destroyed, it did not deter the allied assault. Countless allied soldiers pushed various siege engines to the moat's edge, suppressing the Yan forces on the walls with arrows while preparing to fill the moat.
To fill the moat was to enable cavalry and soldiers carrying ladders to reach the city walls, and to allow battering rams to approach the gates. The materials used for filling moats and trenches were typically earth, stones, and brushwood.
Allied soldiers began throwing sacks filled with mud into the moat. Bundles of brushwood and branches followed. With thousands of allied soldiers working in unison, the mud and brushwood in the moat quickly formed towering piles.
Once the Youzhou moat was filled, the morale of the allied forces would undoubtedly soar, while that of the defending Yan army would plummet. However, the defending Yan forces of Youzhou could not afford to stand idly by. Youzhou was the capital of Yan, and the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and numerous other Yan nobles were within the city. If Youzhou fell, Yan would cease to exist.
At this very moment, Empress Dowager Murong Qing, who had ascended the city gate tower to rally her troops, felt a pang of regret, the late Emperor Murong Xi's warnings echoing in her mind. Yet, Murong Qing maintained a composed demeanor. Though she spoke not a word, her presence instilled renewed courage in the Yan soldiers, bolstering their resolve to resist the enemy's assault.
Countless Yan archers, bows in hand and quivers on their backs, advanced to the watchtowers, arrow towers, and gate towers. Others, sheltered behind the parapets, peered down and loosed their arrows. After firing, they would retreat behind the parapets, evading enemy fire while nocking new arrows. This was the advantage of defenders: using parapets, watchtowers, and other cover to evade enemy attacks while seeking opportunities to strike back.
Even so, many Yan soldiers were shot from the walls. Those who died fell with a dull thud, like sacks of mud, at the city's base. The wounded, yet alive, let out piercing screams as they fell, only to be smashed into bloody pulp. More numerous, however, were the allied soldiers hit by arrows, collapsing at the moat's edge or tumbling into the moat, mingling with the mud and brushwood. For the East Sea army and Zhen Ao's allied forces, the only advantage was to fill the moat with their own lives.
"Advance or die!"
Every army had its supervisors, their duty to oversee the soldiers on the battlefield and prevent desertion. They were authorized to deal with any fleeing soldiers, often equipped with the finest weapons and comprised of elite troops.
At this time, numerous allied supervisory officers pressed the attacking vanguard forward. Those who hesitated or attempted to flee were executed without mercy.
The allied vanguard consisted of auxiliary troops, laborers, and even captured commoners. They were driven onto the battlefield at swordpoint with a single purpose: to exhaust the enemy's ammunition or, as was happening now, to fill the moat, allowing the main army to advance and engage Youzhou directly.
Countless allied auxiliary troops and commoners fell, struck by arrows or stones, into the deep moat, mixing with the mud and brushwood, their bodies mangled. Yet, countless others, auxiliary troops and commoners alike, charged forward relentlessly. The reason was simple: retreat meant death, while advancing offered a slim chance of survival, or perhaps a reward.
Assaulting a city was a perilous endeavor, with a near-certain death toll. However, for those who miraculously survived, the rewards were immense. "Under great reward, there must be brave men." At any time, a soldier who was the first to scale the wall would receive a monumental reward, one capable of changing a soldier's life forever. Among the allied forces were many such fearless gamblers.
"Kill!"
"The first to reach the walls shall be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and promoted to commander of ten thousand households!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The moat was soon filled with corpses, earth, and brushwood, leveled and densely packed, a gruesome sight that made one's scalp crawl. Numerous cavalry and allied soldiers carrying ladders, their eyes bloodshot, roared as they surged across the moat, charging madly towards the city gates and walls.
The chaotic clatter of hooves entering the moat was accompanied by cries of agony and pained groans.
Many auxiliary troops and commoners who fell into the moat, though not immediately killed, were trampled to death by horses or men. In any war, and at any time, sieges were always exceptionally brutal.
The East Sea army and Zhen Ao's allied forces had filled the moat and reached the walls of Youzhou, but that was all. What awaited them was an even fiercer assault.
"Attack! Those who fight bravely will be rewarded; those who fear and falter will be executed!"
The allied commander, King Murong Hong of the East Sea, stood atop a high watchtower, sword in hand, and pointed with a triumphant flourish.
The armies of Changshan, Qi, and the East Sea had sworn a blood oath to jointly attack the Yan court held by Murong Qing. However, King Murong Sheng of Qi constantly asserted his authority as the盟主 (alliance leader), demanding that everything be done under his command. Thus, Murong Hong seized the opportunity while the Yan and Changshan armies were locked in fierce combat, allied with Zhen Ao. They landed by sea at Huanghua County and marched directly to Youzhou.
Once Youzhou was captured, Murong Qing and her son killed, he would ascend the throne. And then, there would be nothing else... Even if Murong Sheng stamped his feet in rage, turned against Murong Hong, or even drew swords against him, Murong Hong, with the formidable Zhen Ao at his side, had nothing to fear. He believed he could defy any power in the world.
As for the brave yet greedy Zhen Ao... Murong Hong had undoubtedly paid an exorbitant price, ceding land, granting him kingly status, and permitting free trade. But these were insignificant in the grand scheme of Murong Hong's imperial ambitions, or so he believed.
However, the immense casualties within such a short period were staggering.
Perhaps the East Sea army would ultimately win this battle, but they would have to pay a heavy price.
Murong Hong realized that his time was running short. He had to capture Youzhou swiftly, storm the imperial palace, and eliminate Murong Qing, her son, and their followers. Only then could he consolidate his rule over the realm, secure his imperial power, and then march west and south to finally deal with Zhen Ao and unify the world.
With his grand ambitions firmly set, Murong Hong stood atop the high watchtower and roared, "Warriors! Youzhou is within our grasp! To slay the cruel and tyrannical poison-woman Murong Qing and rebuild our Great Yan Kingdom – what a glorious endeavor! As descendants of the Great Khan, we have a duty to restore our former territories, expel the wicked, and purify the realm!"
"We are willing to follow Your Highness to the death, to diligently serve the king, and fight with all our might!" the East Sea soldiers responded, brandishing their sabers.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"The traitors rebel! Kill the ringleaders! Those who surrender will be spared!"
At this very moment, Murong Xiong, the Prince of Runan of Yan, led the Runan army out of a secret gate of Youzhou, shouting loudly as he charged towards the East Sea army.
Defending a city was not merely about holding one's ground; it also required sending out troops to harass the enemy, preventing them from concentrating their attack.
However, Murong Xiong's sortie was a grand spectacle, all thunder and little rain. After a momentary shock, the East Sea army retreated, and Murong Xiong, with the Runan army, fled south for his life.