Volume One, Chapter 57: Is That All? Two Thousand People Aren't Enough for the Burning!

"Charge—!"

Amidst the biting cold wind, over two thousand Black Bear tribe warriors roared like a pack of rabid beasts, charging toward the low earthen wall of the Huqiu encampment. The earth-shaking battle cries rattled the ground, shaking even the accumulated snow off the top of the wall, making it seem as though the heavens and earth themselves were shifting.

Six hundred against two thousand!

This was an offensive and defensive battle with a disparity in numbers sufficient to induce despair.

Fan Zhong, the camp squad leader, gripped his bow so tightly his knuckles turned white. The hundred or so veterans behind him had already formed an archer array, their weather-beaten faces devoid of the slightest trace of panic, replaced only by a chilling numbness and grim resolve.

As for the reinforcements from Sifang County?

To be brutally honest, Fan Zhong had never held high hopes for them. They were merely a motley crew of local conscripts lacking real combat experience. It would already be a miracle if they did not instantly collapse under such a terrifying onslaught.

However...

A sweeping glance told him that not a single one of the five hundred men was shrinking back, nor were their hands and feet trembling. They were rapidly notching arrows just like the veterans, their eyes focused, their movements steady. Their combat readiness was entirely on par with the veterans standing beside them!

Swish, swish, swish!

Several dense volleys of arrows poured down from the ramparts like a flock of deadly locusts, carrying a shrill, piercing whistle through the air. The Black Bear warriors charging at the very front immediately tumbled head over heels, a swathe of them collapsing amidst miserable shrieks as the pristine white snow was rapidly stained with an alarming crimson.

Yet, the enemy was simply too numerous, surging forward like a tidal wave.

Defying death, and pressing on beneath the unceasing rain of arrows, they reached the base of the city wall.

The defensive fortifications of the Huqiu encampment were far too rudimentary—low earthen walls with no natural hazards to rely upon, no obstacles for cover, and not even a proper moat.

Scaling ladders were hoisted against the ramparts one after another.

Like bloodthirsty ants, these Black Bear warriors howled and began to swarm upward!

"Hold them back! They must not reach the top!"

Wu Kexiong roared at the top of his lungs, his gaze instinctively darting toward the rows of sealed clay wine jars lined up by his feet, filled with viscous, pitch-black sesame oil that emitted a pungent odor.

This was Zhang Muyang's masterstroke!

Upon first arriving at the Huqiu encampment, Zhang Muyang had insisted on preparing these items. At the time, Wu Kexiong had thought it an unnecessary redundancy; now, they were the defenders' sole glimmer of hope.

Atop the ramparts, the defenders fought desperately.

Some leaned out continuously to loose arrows, while others roared as they shoved against the scaling ladders with all their might.

Beneath the earthen wall, the Rong tribe soldiers gathered in ever-greater numbers, their screams, wails, and roars intertwining into a deafening roar.

In the distance, Chimeier leaned casually against her horse's back, a cold, mocking smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

Could they breach the wall? If so, the Red Fox tribe could naturally reap the benefits for free.

Could they not? It would have no impact on the Red Fox tribe whatsoever.

She was far more curious to see what Zhang Muyang, the man who had spoken such wildly arrogant words about marrying her, was truly made of, and whether he could live up to such staggering audacity!

At last, a Black Bear centurion braved the rain of arrows and became the first to successfully scale the rampart!

At the critical, hair-trigger moment!

A ghostly figure flashed into motion!

Quick-witted and agile, Zhang Muyang took a step forward, his Cold Feather saber sweeping through the air to trace a chilling, bone-piercing arc.

A flash of the blade!

The fierce grin on the centurion's face instantly froze, replaced by incredulous horror. Before he could even emit a sound, he was hacked down from the wall!

"Now!"

Zhang Muyang roared at the top of his lungs, "Pour the sesame oil!"

This was the exact moment they had been waiting for.

Every single Border-Pacification soldier and Sifang County soldier seized the wine jars beside them and hurled them with all their might toward the dense masses of enemy troops beneath the wall!

Clang! Smash! Crash!

The sounds of pottery shattering echoed incessantly, practically merging into a single continuous roar!

Some jars smashed directly onto the helmets of the Black Bear warriors, while others shattered into dust amidst the crowd.

The viscous, pungent sesame oil splashed everywhere, instantly drenching the ground at the base of the city wall, the scaling ladders, and the bodies of all the enemy soldiers below!

"Ignite!" Veins bulging on his neck, Wu Kexiong roared with every ounce of his strength!

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Prepared in advance, torches soaked thoroughly in grease were flung from the ramparts with all possible force!

Boom—!!!

The raging flames awoke like a slumbering fire dragon, violently erupting and wildly spreading along the oil-drenched city wall!

In the blink of an eye, the base of the city wall transformed into a churning sea of fire!

Over a hundred Black Bear warriors were instantly swallowed by the roaring blaze!

Their leather armor curled and burned fiercely in the intense heat, and the sickening stench of scorched hair and flesh drifted on the wind, turning the stomach. The figures within the sea of fire twisted and rolled, emitting miserable, piercing shrieks, resembling a living purgatory.

Even the battle-hardened Fan Zhong felt his bow-wielding hand tremble violently and uncontrollably.

Wu Kexiong’s jaw dropped wide open, left speechless by the purgatorial spectacle. When had they ever witnessed such a tragic, highly efficient defensive tactic?

Wuman stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as hundreds of his clansmen were reduced to charred husks in the flames, his iron-clamp fingers digging deep into the palms of his hands.

Chimeier’s smile instantly froze, her pupils contracting as an inexpressible chill crept up from the depths of her heart.

Fortunately, she had not ordered the Red Fox warriors to join the assault; otherwise, the sea of fire before them would have been the burial ground of her own people!

"Loose arrows!"

Reacting with extreme swiftness, Zhang Muyang shouted, "Suppress them! Do not let them approach a single step."

Wang Yi, Dogsheng, and the others rapidly nocked and loosed arrow after arrow.

Instantly, the Black Bear tribe suffered another wave of heavy casualties.

"Retreat... Fall back!"

Wuman roared hoarsely as the mournful wail of the ox-horn horn pierced the battlefield.

As if granted a pardon, the Black Bear warriors abandoned their armor and weapons, retreating in utter disarray and wretched defeat.

Zhang Muyang gestured toward the retreating Wuman with a look of utmost disdain, laughing loudly, "Wuman! Is that truly all your Black Bear warriors are capable of? If you have the guts, come back for more!"

"You..." Wuman was so infuriated he nearly coughed up blood, roaring, "Damned Liang scum! You wait! I, Wuman, swear to the heavens that I will trample this wretched camp of yours to the ground, hack you into ten thousand pieces, and use your fat to feed my lamps!"

"Who do you think you're scaring? Just piss off."

"Black Bear tribe? You'd be better off calling yourselves the Blind Bear tribe—a bunch of mindless beasts!"

Wu Kexiong, Chen Xiucheng, and the others chimed in, filling the ramparts with jeering laughter.

Wuman’s face turned the color of a bruised liver, his eyes flushed red with fury.

Chimeier stepped forward, her voice cold. "Wuman, if we press the attack now, we will likely suffer catastrophic casualties. I suggest we sound the retreat immediately and unite with the Khan's main force before deciding our next move."

"Fall back!"

Wuman's chest heaved violently as he glared fixedly at the Huqiu encampment, finally squeezing a single word through gritted teeth: "...Move out!"

He abruptly whirled his horse around and retreated toward Black Wind Cliff with his remaining battered soldiers, filled with bitter reluctance.

The battlefield finally returned to silence.

Only the crackling of flames remained, mingling with the stench of charred flesh and fresh blood, inducing nausea.

The defenders of the Huqiu encampment stared blankly, still scarcely daring to believe that they had truly repelled the Rong tribe's assault.

Wu Kexiong walked over to Zhang Muyang, delivered a heavy slap to his shoulder, and laughed curses, "Damn you, Muyang! I tip my hat to you today. How on earth is that brain of yours wired?"

The sesame oil fire attack had been nothing short of divine inspiration!

Had Zhang Muyang not insisted on preparing those items, the earthen wall would surely have been breached!

Zhang Muyang smiled. "Deputy General, you can tell the brothers to get some rest now. The danger has passed."

"Passed?"

Fan Zhong approached, cupping his fists solemnly. "Commander Zhang, if you had not anticipated the enemy's moves and commanded with such steady composure today, the Huqiu encampment would have been doomed! On behalf of my men, I offer you my gratitude!"

However...

The Black Bear tribe had suffered heavy losses and casualties, and Wuman certainly would not let the matter rest.

The most urgent task was to immediately tally casualties, replenish arrows, reinforce the fortifications, and treat the wounded. Rest was entirely out of the question.

"Correct!"

Wu Kexiong's expression turned stern. "Listen up, everyone! Move quickly! Those who can move, get to work! Gather every usable arrow you can find, drag up the unburned scaling ladders, and dismantle them into rolling logs! Move, move, move!"

This concerned the life and death of the Huqiu encampment.

The defenders immediately rallied their spirits, dragging their exhausted bodies forward to busy themselves.

No one complained, for they all knew the next wave of attack could arrive at any moment, and it would only be more ferocious.

A smile crept onto the corner of Zhang Muyang's lips instead. "Deputy General, care to make a wager? I reckon... the Rong tribe will soon be coming to beg us for mercy."

"Them? Coming to beg us?" Wu Kexiong and Fan Zhong both stared, finding it utterly incredible.

"Indeed!" Zhang Muyang nodded.

"What are we wagering on?"

"Let's wager... on a trip to the pleasure houses. Whoever loses pays the bill."

"Haha!"

Wu Kexiong laughed heartily. "I'll take that bet with you, lad. I refuse to believe I'll lose this time."