Chapter 35: The Blood-Drenched Head-Taker

"Think carefully. Since Xie Wan has gone to such extreme lengths, he will surely have ambushes along the way. Escaping to Yangguan is virtually impossible."

Hearing Gu Liubai’s harsh, menacing tone, Li Xizhi did not take offense. He merely glanced at Pei Yunchu and said softly but firmly, "I will die before you and the Young Lady."

"Rest assured, I won't let her die before me either," Gu Liubai replied calmly. "Xie Wan will certainly destroy as much evidence as he can. Only if she remains alive will there be a chance to secure justice for those who die in battle here."

"Do we really have to stay here?" Chen Tu walked over to Gu Liubai, a strange smile appearing on his face. He lowered his voice so only Gu Liubai could hear, "Others might not be able to escape, but you, along with Dragon Grandmother and Yin Shiniang, could definitely slip away if you wanted to. Don't tell me you intend to let the Pei family draw the enemy's attention while you sneak off?"

"Do not always be so self-righteous." Gu Liubai was not in a good mood, and he had no interest in joking with Chen Tu. He sneered, "I don't operate on the belief that Tang people must defend Tang cities just because they are Tang people. My logic is simple: I am not the type to swallow a grudge. Whoever wants me dead must be prepared to lose a layer of skin first. In a place like this, even the Eternal Heaven cannot bully me. Xie Wan is targeting me, so I will ruin his plans. My friends are here, and I cannot abandon them."

Chen Tu chuckled but did not argue.

"You need to do me a favor." Gu Liubai didn't even look at him as he walked to Pei Yunchu’s side. "Help me find Feng Shuqing. Have him stand beside Xu Tuibei to ensure the generals in this city don't cause trouble for him."

Pei Yunchu nodded. She looked toward the mountain of flesh standing atop the city wall.

"Come on! You filthy scum, you Tibetan pups with your mouths stuffed with foul powder and maggots in your backsides! Send one of you with the guts to fight me to the death!"

"I slept with several of your women back in Tibet, and not one of them gave birth to anything worth having!"

"A pack of dog-like creatures, only good for thievery! When you fall into my hands, I’ll lead the dogs to breed with you myself!"

Xu Tuibei, standing on the ramparts, appeared to be descending into madness. He swung his long-handled saber, venting his pent-up frustration through a torrent of curses.

Gu Liubai’s judgment was correct. As the distance closed, many could clearly see that those rushing forward with flaming torches were indeed Tibetan cavalry.

Chainmail, green-shafted spears.

Among the vanguard, a large number of Tibetan officers bearing this signature equipment appeared. These officers, who should have been positioned in the center, felt no danger because the disparity in numbers was too vast. The total number of combat-ready soldiers in Peshawar now did not exceed three thousand. To the officers in chainmail wielding green-shafted spears, facing a force ten times their size, they only needed to consider how to minimize their own casualties. To them, Peshawar was not a city, but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered—a lamb already roasted.

Yet, this good mood was ruined by Xu Tuibei’s shouting on the wall.

"Mangbuzhi, that man has a huge head. I want to use his skull as a wine cup."

"General Zanzhuo, you are mistaken. He is just fat; his head is too small, not even fit to be your chamber pot!"

Amidst a burst of arrogant laughter, hundreds of riders swept along the main road toward the west gate like a whirlwind, arrows raining down upon Xu Tuibei like a swarm of locusts.

Several soldiers carrying thick shields shielded Xu Tuibei from behind, the impact of arrows against the leather shields making a heart-stopping thud. Because they had no idea an enemy was approaching, no caltrops had been scattered in the wilderness outside. More and more Tibetan cavalry galloped recklessly around the fields outside the wall, firing arrows incessantly.

The shrill whistle of arrows cutting through the air and the sound of arrowheads striking the walls intensified. Even the sound of the enemy's arrogant laughter seemed to penetrate the walls, echoing right in their ears.

Watching Gu Liubai walking ahead, lost in calm thought, Pei Yunchu felt a pang of shame for her earlier fear.

"Is Xu Tuibei capable of taking on such a major responsibility?" Watching Xu Tuibei, who kept popping his head out from behind the shields despite the danger, she felt it was improper.

"Actually, at a time like this, it doesn't matter which general is in command; what matters is being sufficiently fierce. I know Xu Tuibei won't change. Even if the city falls, even if he is wounded, he will remain this fierce. This is the ending he expected. If he cannot leave this place alive, this is the most glorious moment of his life. No one will enjoy this battle more than he does," Gu Liubai said without looking back. "And in this city, standing there as a banner is the simplest task. What the rest of us must do is far harder than what he is doing."

"That bastard is so arrogant!" Pei Yunchu sensed that Gu Liubai was implying that he faced the hardest task. Even if this man was adept at calculation, did that mean he could command an entire city or was skilled in large-scale warfare? Gu Liubai’s attitude made her feel insulted. She stopped in her tracks.

"I need you to stand by my side. I need your help. From now on, the whole of Peshawar needs to know that the second daughter of the Pei family is here, and she will live and die with this city."

Gu Liubai turned to look at her. His words effortlessly wiped away her dissatisfaction and ignited the blood in her veins. "You don't need to explain to me. I know that unless you are knocked unconscious, you wouldn't leave here even if you could escape to Yangguan. Based on what I know, those elders of your Pei family would never tolerate you running to Yangguan to beg for help while everyone else in this city perished. If you were in Yangguan and another member of the Pei family did that, you would shoot them down yourself! Your family's generals have fought five thousand against fifty thousand before. The blood of the Pei family flows through you. Your pride would never allow you to commit such an act of desertion."

Under normal circumstances, Pei Yunchu might have found this bastard's flattery nauseating—all that talk about "your pride" and such. But at this moment, she felt every word Gu Liubai spoke echoed her own heart. This scoundrel, Gu Fifteen, was a kindred spirit!

She wanted to cry, but she held it back. The Pei family did not cry when the enemy arrived!

"What do we do next?"

"I have already arranged for people to secretly release all the warhorses, and we are preparing to burn the granaries. These actions must not look like they were our deliberate decisions; otherwise, if too many horses are lost, you won't gain any credit even if you survive. From now until the city falls, our task is to appear in everyone's sight as much as possible. We will find those in Peshawar who fear the battle, and for every one we find, we kill them."

The chilling murderous intent in Gu Liubai’s voice made Pei Yunchu feel suffocated. She loosened her collar, moved closer to him, and asked softly, "Why release the horses and burn the granaries?"

Gu Liubai replied, "The street fighting after the city falls must be chaotic. Our numbers are too few; if these warhorses are charging around the city, they will be more useful than many soldiers. Even if they just trample people, more Tibetans will die than our own. The Tibetan troops' marching rations are jerky and a type of pre-cooked grain powder—this is the secret to their raids, as they don't need to light fires for cooking and won't be easily discovered. However, according to previous intelligence, to maintain the speed of their cavalry, they aren't carrying many supplies."

Pei Yunchu understood instantly. "They must assume they can slaughter the city quickly and seize supplies then. If we burn the granaries without a word, they might have backup plans, but it should cause them some panic."

"Small cities like Peshawar are mostly stone houses, not easily burned, and there are many underground channels. If we handle it right, the granaries won't burn down quickly, but there will be a lot of smoke. There are one or two thousand people in this city who don't know how to fight; I've arranged for them to use every method to create smoke. It's best if no one can see, and everyone is choking."

Gu Liubai looked at Pei Yunchu, who had moved to his side, and said calmly, "No matter how many of them there are outside, not many can squeeze into this city at once. We will kill the cowards before they even get in. When more people die and more blood flows, the fighting spirit will be ignited. I want those who are still alive in this city to pick a good spot and fight the intruders to the death."

After a pause, he continued, "Once the granaries ignite, the Tibetans will rush toward them. We are effectively giving them a target. I have Chen Tu and the others waiting for them there. Meanwhile, we will guard the necessary routes and assassinate their officers!"

"Fine!" Pei Yunchu nodded obediently. The plan sounded sound to her. She didn't even notice her own submissive demeanor.

"I, Pei Yunchu, daughter of Pei Xinglie! Today, there is only death. Anyone who cowers or fears the battle, anyone who tarnishes the dignity of the Great Tang, I will execute them first!"

In the next moment, seeing a soldier who had stripped off his uniform and was trying to disguise himself as a local, she transformed into a goddess of slaughter. Following the example of others, Xu Tuibei was her ready-made model. Everyone has an unavoidable fear of death, but after overcoming her own fear, she quickly displayed a cold and ruthless side.

She picked up the saber the soldier had discarded and severed his head in one blow. She, who had always loved cleanliness, ignored the blood spurting from the soldier's neck, letting it spray all over her. She held the saber in her right hand and the severed head in her left, shouting sternly.

Pei Yunchu, the daughter of Duke Pei? She was here too?

There is an inherent chasm between the noble clans of the Great Tang and the common people. If a noble had hidden in the city waiting for others to sacrifice their lives to protect them, it would only fuel resentment. But when a noble leads the charge, willing to shed blood with the rest, it easily ignites the spirit of ordinary soldiers.

"Are kings and nobles born with high status?" Duke Pei’s military merits were won step by step!

A roar like that of a pack of wolves echoed through the city.

"Slash!"

Pei Yunchu killed another man. The head rolled along the stone pavement. She was covered in blood, looking like a demon. But for the boost in morale, her actions were less effective than the line Gu Liubai added, following her calmly: "Cowardice in battle will implicate your family!"

Implicate your family! Even if you are afraid of death, you will drag your family down with you—men forced into labor, women sold into slavery. In truth, Gu Liubai was not a high-ranking official from Chang'an, and his threat held no official weight. With the city on the verge of falling, who knew if the names of these deserters would even be recorded, or if anyone in this city would survive?

But paired with Pei Yunchu's slaughter, this added line completely shattered the last vestiges of cowardice in the soldiers.

"Kill!"

"Kill these Tibetan barbarians!"

"Hahaha, death is better than implicating my family!"

Many others became just as crazed as Xu Tuibei on the wall.

"You bunch of dogs! You act so tough when things are easy, but when it’s time to act like men, you hide your heads in your pants! Give me a proper death!" Xu Tuibei’s frantic, roaring laughter carried across the air. "Hahahaha, a bunch of trash!"