Chapter 8: Fierce Battle and Bloodshed

  Qin Hao led Chen Liu, Wang Tianzheng, Gao Fan, Lin Chong and Liu Yi, a total of 3,000 Jin soldiers, rushing out of the west gate of Wujicheng, charging towards the chaotic Huan Tian army with several torches swaying in the darkness on their left side.

  "Kill him!"

  "Charge!"

  Li Heng heard the sound of killing coming from the west city gate, and secretly said: It's bad, the house is leaking again on a rainy night, lacking a general to command the troops, several large teams have no generals, scattered sand, how can they fight. I'm afraid that even if we escape now, we will leave many people here.

  Li Hun hastily shouted while running: "The whole army is rushing towards the east city gate!"

  The sound spread, and in the chaos, only about one or two thousand people could hear it. The disordered army heard the shout of pursuit and killing, and they became even more chaotic, pushing and shoving each other, and many fell to the ground, trampled and crying out: "Ah! Don't push me!"

  "Ah! My foot!" A soldier lying on the ground, clutching his foot and shouting loudly. The soldiers around him heard this and didn't dare to run forward, wanting to detour, but were pushed by those behind them and had no choice but to step over him. Some of them weren't careful and tripped themselves up, falling to the ground. The soldiers running up from behind couldn't stop their footsteps, trampling on the fallen soldiers' hands, feet, chest, and back. Some soldiers who were about to fall used their guns or spears to prop themselves up against the ground, supporting themselves to keep running forward...

  In the darkness, it was impossible to see what was happening around him. The soldier who had fallen to the ground only felt that one moment his hand was trampled on, and the next his foot was trodden on. Just as he let out a loud "Ah!" in pain, his belly was stabbed with a rifle butt again. A moment later, his head was kicked once more... The fallen soldier struggled for a few moments before being crushed by the surging tide of people, leaving behind only faint cries of agony: "Ah!"

  Chen Liu, Gao Fan, Wang Tianzheng and Lin Chong led the halberd and spear-wielding soldiers in three rows, with staggered positions. They charged forward with their halberds or spears held level, only to hear the sound of "pffft... pffft" as the blades pierced flesh, accompanied by cries of "Ahh! Ahh!" that didn't stop...

  The soldiers of the Imperial Army who were running ahead heard the miserable cries behind them and ran even more wildly. However, individual differences emerged at this time, with some people running fast, others slow, some physically strong, others weak, with varying speeds and strength levels. Many soldiers fell to the ground again, crying out in despair... The chaotic troops trampled many people to death, it seems that just this one incident has caused countless casualties for the Imperial Army.

  The chaotic Huāng Tiān army fled in a hurry, but their speed couldn't keep up with the momentum of the Jìn Yuán army's pursuit. With a loud shout, the Jìn Yuán army charged forward, cutting down anyone in their path and leaving a trail of corpses as they wildly rushed forward...

  Wu Yue led the army to bypass the city from the left, and when they reached halfway, they heard the sound of killing and shouting from the west gate, knowing that Li Hun was in chaos and had been ambushed. He couldn't help but widen his eyes and shout: "Advance quickly!" The orderlies in front of him lost their effect, and the soldiers hastened their pace even more.

  Wu Yue's army ran forward for over a hundred meters, and the sound of killing drew near. Afraid that the two armies would collide with each other, Wu Yue hastily shouted: "Pass on my order, let Li Hun run to the right!" At this time, two messengers rushed out from the crowd and quickly ran towards Li Hun's approaching army - the messenger was somewhat useful.

  When Li Heng heard the loud noise of a large crowd on the opposite side, he was startled. However, thinking that the Jin army didn't have so many people, it should be the Wu Yue general's troops, and his heart slightly calmed down. Just as he was thinking about which direction to go around, whether to go right or not, two soldiers came running towards him shouting: "General Li! The commander orders you to lead your troops to the right!" After they finished speaking, hearing the surging crowd rushing forward, they quickly turned their heads and ran back, lest they be trampled into the mud.

  "Whole army listen to the order, run to the right!" Li Hun shouted loudly while running. At this time, other generals also gradually ran forward and heard the order, quickly passing it on. The sound of "run to the right" rose and fell, and Li Hun's army gradually turned to the right. In the rear, the neat Jin Yuan army was still chasing and killing, and when they were having a great time, Qin Hao discovered that the footsteps in front were getting louder, and there seemed to be a flood rushing towards them. He hastily shouted: "Whole army retreat! Withdraw!" Most of the Jin Yuan army stopped in their tracks, wanting to retreat back, but it was easy to move forward and difficult to withdraw backwards. Some were too excited about killing and didn't listen to orders, continuing to charge forward. Some hadn't heard clearly and were still running forward, only to stop when they found themselves alone and hastily turned around to run back...

  In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly, but hearing the chaotic voices of the troops, they knew which side was the Jin-Yuan army. Wu-Yue listened as the footsteps in front grew more orderly and judged that it was indeed the Jin-Yuan army, shouting: "All troops listen! Disperse!" The Huatian army dispersed somewhat, although in the darkness it was unclear how far apart they were, but all of them ran towards where the voices were softer.

  The troops ran forward another twenty meters, and judging from the sound, they were still about twenty meters away from the killing field in front. Wu Yue shouted: "Raise your guns! Charge!"

  "Kill!" The Heavenly Army raised their guns and charged forward with all their might, not caring who was in front of them. In the darkness, they couldn't see clearly, but as long as someone was in their way, they would stab them to death. Those entangled soldiers from both sides were killed together in such a chaotic manner. ——It seems that fighting at night isn't something ordinary people can handle.

  Those who ran slowly or were blinded by the red dust of the Jin army were knocked down and trampled into minced meat by the Wu Yue troops...

  Qin Hao led the soldiers in a rush, hearing the sound of footsteps, fearing that about one-third of the soldiers had been lost, which means they were dead.

  Listening to the shouting and killing sounds closing in from behind, Qin Hao's cold sweat poured down. Why did Wu Yue come at this time? We can't escape, the city is finished too. Should we let General and others escape from the east gate first?...

  Qin Hao's mind was in turmoil.

  As they approached the city gate illuminated by torches, Qin Hao shouted: "Open the city gate!"

  The other soldiers also became urgent and hurriedly followed suit, shouting: "Open the city gate!"

  Wang Lei, who was guarding the city gate, heard the shout and hastily ordered: "Vice General Qin has returned! Open the city gate quickly!" Then he shouted again: "Everyone get ready to shoot arrows!"

  At this time, Mr. Wen had sent out a messenger to report to General Tong in the city: The Wu and Yue army launched a counterattack!

  Tong Dashuai sat beside the square table and heard this news, he was shocked and got up. Qin Hao and others were chased, the city gate was in danger!

  Tong Dashuai turned around and said to Yang Tian, who was sitting on the right: "Yang Tian, this time it's up to you. If... if we can't hold out, you and Lei Ming run away by yourselves..."

  Yang Tian's heartstrings were slightly touched, his right hand holding the Tang knife raised it slightly, and he said firmly: "General, rest assured, with me and Lei Meng here, the city gate will not be lost!"

  Lei Meng had just slipped back and rested in the house for half an hour, heard the chaos inside the city, knew that something had happened, walked to the door and heard these words, couldn't help but roll his eyes: Really think you're a god!

  But knowing it was a big deal, he didn't think about anything else. He cleared his throat and saw the two of them look over, their faces filled with joyful expressions. When Lei Meng said: "General, let's hurry to the West City Gate. If we're late, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold it."

  Tong Da Shuai's face lit up with joy, and he lightly responded with a "Good!" After finishing speaking, he grabbed the short sword on the table and ran out, although his chest was still hurting, but he couldn't care about it anymore.

  Yang Tian followed behind Tong Da Shuai and ran out. As they passed by the gate, where Lei Ming was standing, he asked: "When did you come back?"

  Lei Meng also stepped forward and yawned: "As soon as I came back and closed my eyes, I heard that the city was in chaos."

  When General Tong climbed up the city wall, there were already strong arrows shooting "whoosh" onto the city wall. Mr. Wen, who was guarding the city wall, rushed to greet him and said urgently: "General, the vanguard is being pursued, and the city gate has just been opened! You see..."

  Tong Dashuai furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment, closing the city gate would chill the hearts of the soldiers, but if he didn't close it, who knows if they could hold on... Forget it, they were all lives that had been salvaged, might as well fight to the end!

  "General Tong's eyes fixed, he said to Mr. Wen: 'Pass on my order! The central army guards the city gate, the vanguard guards the city wall, and the vanguard enters the city to think of a way to close the gate.' General Tong finished speaking and let out a light sigh."

  Mr. Wen's eyebrows spread out and he said firmly: "Got it!" After finishing, he turned around and ran away, passing on the order: "The general has an order..."

  Soon, the Chinese army formed up under the firelight at the city gate and the area around the gate was packed with soldiers.

  Qin Hao and others saw the city gate wide open, swarming up, but unfortunately the city gate was too small, only five meters wide, and not so many people could enter at once, with many people surrounding the surroundings and squeezing hard.

  Qin Hao, Wang Tianzheng, Gao Fan, Lin Chong and Liu Yi ran to a more advantageous position and squeezed into the city gate in the crowd. Chen Liu was slightly off, outside the city, unable to get in. Seeing the Imperial Army approaching, if they continued to squeeze like this, it would be waiting to be slaughtered. It's better to turn around and fight back, even if you die, you can take two with you.

  Then Chen Liu turned around, saw the Huatian army rushing over, raised his halberd and shouted loudly: "Brothers, the Huatian army has arrived! Killing one is enough to make a profit, killing two will bring wealth! Long live Emperor Jin!"

  Some of the Jin soldiers who were still on the periphery turned their heads and saw that the Huatian soldiers were only ten meters away, their hearts trembling with fear. When they heard Chen Liu's words, they suddenly understood and felt a sense of clarity. They turned around, raised their guns, and calmly faced the charging Huatian soldiers, ready to exchange lives!

  Tong Dashuai heard it on the city wall and couldn't help but get teary-eyed, passing down the order: "Do your best to cover the vanguard below, every inch of progress is an accomplishment."

  Wang ordered, "Bows and arrows! Fire!"

  "Wooo~! Waaa~!"

  Arrows rained down on the charging soldiers of the Imperial Army, "popping" sounds rang out one after another, followed by cries of "ah~ah~ah", and then drowned out by the shouts of killing...

  A hail of arrows rained down, and many of the Huan Tian army fell, but even more Huan Tian soldiers surged forward from behind, unable to be stopped. The Huan Tian army quickly charged towards the Jin Yuan army that was stuck outside the city gate, and the two armies clashed in close combat. The Jin Yuan soldiers who couldn't escape shouted "Long live Jin Yuan!" as they raised their guns and stabbed at the charging Huan Tian soldiers, while also being pierced by the guns of the advancing Huan Tian soldiers. The guns that had been thrust into them were unable to be pulled out, or perhaps those who had been pierced were already dead and couldn't pull them out. They were then pushed forward by the surging Huan Tian soldiers, or fell to the ground...

  Chen Liu didn't stand at the forefront, but on the side. However, soon a group of Hua Tian soldiers rushed up. He raised his gun to thrust forward, but simultaneously four spears came from the front. He was accustomed to retreating backward, but behind him were all people. He shook off the incoming long spears and stabbed two Hua Tian soldiers who were rushing forward. When he wanted to pull out his spear to stab again, the Hua Tian soldier on his spear had been pushed forward by the surging troops from behind, making it impossible for him to pull out his spear. The only sound was the "ah~ ah" cries of the soldier on his spear as they came face-to-face.

  Chen Liu abandoned his spear and swiftly drew out his copper sword, fiercely stabbing at the incoming Hua Tian soldiers. Some were stabbed to death and fell to the ground, while others who didn't die continued to hold their spears and thrust them straight at Chen Liu. Chen Liu killed one of them, but then four long spears came towards him. With his left hand, he deflected two of the long spears, but there were still two more. Unable to dodge, Chen Liu was stabbed in the abdomen.

  Knowing that survival was hopeless, Chen Liu raised his hand and with all his remaining strength threw his sword forward, stabbing it into the body of a Hua Tian soldier in front of him. However, immediately after, two spears thrust towards Chen Liu's chest. Chen Liu let out a miserable cry "ah~", and everything went black as the world abandoned him.

  Under the dim torches, the fierce battle continued, blood flowing freely...

  Wu Yue saw the city gate open and couldn't close it, his heart was overjoyed: as long as the two armies held on and consumed each other, the Haotian army had more soldiers, and he would definitely win in the end. Tong Wen Zheng is really stupid, but haha ~, I like it!

  Wu Yue burst into maniacal laughter in the dark crowd: "Tong Wen Zheng! You can't escape this time, haha!"

  "Whoosh!" Yang Tian threw a long spear in the direction of the sound. On that side, a miserable cry of "Ah~" was heard, and one soldier was pierced to death. Wu Yue was startled and didn't dare make another sound, hastily hiding in another dark place.

  Qin Hao and the vanguard troops squeezed into the city gate, then under the guidance of the central army, they climbed up onto the city wall. Seeing the brutal battle at the city gate, he couldn't help but get teary-eyed, and hastily wanted to struggle down to charge into the fray.

  "Top priority! Spare your life to avenge them!" Tong Da Shuai's brow furrowed as he moved his injured arm.

  Arrows flew "swishing" down from the city wall, and everyone busied themselves hiding behind the battlements.

  Qin Hao clenched his fists tightly and said, "Yes!"

  The wind blows again, and a few drops of rain fall, it seems the rain has arrived.

  At this time, the Haotian army had already stabbed to death the soldiers blocking the city gate and began to squeeze towards the city gate. Leiming watched from the city wall, frowning, there were too many people, it was hard to get a clear view.

  "Rumble!" A loud thunderclap sounded in the sky, followed by a heavy downpour of rain.

  Tong Dashuai gave the order: "Everyone listen to the command, shoot arrows towards the city gate! Close the city gate!"

  "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" The arrows on the city wall shot straight down, and at the city gate, "Ah~" cries of pain could be heard as many more soldiers from the Imperial Army fell. However, even more reinforcements squeezed forward to take their place. At the same time, many of the soldiers who had poked out from behind the battlements to shoot arrows were also hit, crying out in agony as they were wounded.

  Tong Da Shuai furrowed his brow and softly sighed: "At this rate, I'm afraid the door won't be able to close."

  Lei Meng let out a soft sigh, knowing he had to take the stage again. What a big killing spree this was going to be! Lei Meng shook his head and said, "General, I'll go block the city gate from the outside. The people inside should quickly clear away the corpses at the city gate and close it."

  Tong Dashuai raised an eyebrow and let out a sigh, saying: "I'm troubling you again, Leimeng. Be careful."

  Lei Meng galloped inward, lightly jumping down from the city wall. Qin Hao and other generals couldn't help but feel ashamed once again.

  Yang Tian looked at his left arm wrapped in a bandage and sighed softly: How can there be such a big difference?

  The thunder fell to the ground, looking at the dense forest of long guns, couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine. With so few people, it was easy to kill at will, but with this many people, how could he get started? What a hassle! Even if swords and guns didn't work, he'd still be trampled to death.

  Well, why don't we just use some long spears to block the city gate instead? Hmm, that's it.

  Lei Meng flew up the city wall again. Tong Da Shuai and others saw Lei Meng come up again, and they couldn't help but be stunned. Lei Meng saw that everyone was staring at him, and he shrugged his shoulders, saying: "There are too many people, even with copper skin and iron bones, it's still useless, and you'll still be pushed down. Why not take some long spears and throw them from above to block the city gate, so we can clear the city gate."

  "How much does it cost?"

  "Lei Meng thought for a moment and said: 'Well, let's start with 200 first.'"

  "Good!" Tong Dashuai turned to Qin Hao and said, "Qin Hao, immediately send two hundred long spears here!"

  "Yes!" Qin Hao responded and prepared his long spear.

  In a short while, twenty soldiers carrying long spears were placed behind the city wall near the city gate. But just for this moment, many soldiers died in the bloody battle below, both from Jin Yuan and Hao Tian, which was very unfavorable to Jin Yuan.

  The rain grew heavier and heavier, accompanied by faint thunder, the torches were also drenched, and the sky and earth fell into a piece of darkness.

  Lei Meng reached behind the city wall, kicked the long spear with his foot, then picked it up and threw it towards the city gate. A loud "whooshing" sound was heard, followed by a thud outside the city gate. The long spear pierced through a Heavenly Soldier and nailed him to the ground, who let out two anguished cries before falling silent. The soldiers behind Lei Meng pushed forward, but couldn't move, so they squeezed past him instead. Next came another series of "whooshing" sounds as Lei Meng threw down over ten more long spears from the city wall, forming a row that blocked many Heavenly Soldiers. Nearby Heavenly Soldiers were shocked and panicked, unable to retreat due to their large numbers, and could only desperately shout: "Danger! Danger!"

  The rain continued to fall, the bloodshed also continued, Lei Meng started 50% of his inner strength, spent 20 minutes in a row, and knocked down 100 long guns, all nailed outside the city gate, about ten square meters, and nailed hundreds of Huan Tian soldiers to the ground. Some guns were broken off, some were pulled out, but more were left on the ground, making it difficult for the Huan Tian soldiers to advance.

  Hao Tianbing secretly passed on the information to Tong Ling, who then relayed it to Wu Yue. Upon hearing this, Wu Yue fell silent for a moment before issuing an order: "The entire army will retreat!"

  His cry pierced through the dark night of killing and shouting, greatly reducing the momentum of the Hua Tian army. Helplessly, the Hua Tian soldiers retreated again in the rain-soaked darkness, but how many more lives were lost?...

  Lei Meng heard Wu Yue's order to retreat, and his right hand holding the long gun came down. He was also very tired, and he was afraid that after throwing these guns, he could only go back and rest.

  Tong Dashuai and other generals stood silently on the city wall, listening to the Wu Yue soldiers retreat, not daring to pursue.

  The Chinese army quickly cleared the corpses blocking the city gate and closed the gate. General Tong and others felt a little relieved, ordering the Chinese army with fewer casualties to guard the city wall, while the rest returned to rest.

  Returning to the city, General Tong summoned Mr. Wen, Qin Hao, and also Lei Meng and Yang Tian for a discussion. General Tong frowned and asked: "Does everyone think it's good to withdraw now?"

  Everyone fell silent, and Yang Tian curled his lips and said: "It's dark and has just rained, how far can you run?"

  Mr. Wen also said, "Wu Yue didn't have any supplies, and it's estimated that they had already run out of dry rations before the siege began. Moreover, the soldiers were drenched in the rain, and after a sleepless night, they would be exhausted. Besides, having lost twice in a row, the Haotian Army should also be demoralized."

  Tong Dashuai looked at Qin Hao, and Qin Hao raised his head: "I also think it's possible to take a break. We can report our achievements to the Emperor and ask for domestic troops to provide support."

  Tong Da Shuai nodded and said: "Let's put it off for one night, and tomorrow morning we'll clear the corpses outside the city."

  It didn't rain for long before it stopped, but the blood flowed all over the ground...