Patrol Captain

On the day of Dingwei in the month of Xinmao in the 238th year of Tianwu, the Northern Liang rebels launched a counterattack at Tianxiong Pass, besieging the city.

Beyond the pass, the west wind howled, and on the northern wilderness, the dark cavalry of Beiliang stood in formation, dark clouds pressing down on the city, their heavy military might directly approaching Tianxiong.

Tens of thousands of cavalrymen approached the city, their warhorses bowing their heads and neighing softly, their iron hooves pawing at the wild grass, poised to pounce.

At this moment, on the city wall of Tianxiong Pass, which stretches like a mountain range, the soldiers in armor stood ready, firmly rooted behind the battlements, their banners fluttering in the strong wind.

Swords and spears gleamed in the cold light, armor frosted with dew. Messengers rode their horses between the city walls, shouting orders. Beams of light flashed and shone brightly. On the city walls, the array formations hummed, and the city's protective array was activated.

A major battle is about to begin!
As dusk fell, the setting sun cast an even more somber light. In the midst of the Northern Liang army's ranks, above the great banner, the Northern Liang commander-in-chief stood in mid-air, squinting as he looked at the opposing city wall. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, but in the end, he slowly raised his hand and, in a muffled, drum-like voice, issued his orders.

"Pass on the order!"

"Siege!"

As soon as the order was given, the bugle call to attack quickly sounded in the army.

"Waaah."

The bugle sounded mournful and plaintive, echoing in the north wind.

At the front of the battle, the elite cavalry of Beiliang, who had been poised to attack, charged forward as if a firing button had been pressed. Their horses neighed and hooves flew, raising clouds of dust. They drew their sabers and charged forward.

As the cavalry charged forward, a thunderous roar resounded from within the ranks of soldiers and horses. One after another, golden orbs of light flew out, landing and tumbling forward. Dark golden metal spheres expanded in the wind, and then, these metal spheres flashed with various colors of spiritual light, crackling and opening wide.

Soon, a series of beast-shaped puppets, each with a body as if cast from metal, appeared. There were eagles and giant tigers. Some were only a few feet in size, while others were over ten feet tall. These mechanical puppets had red eyes and were made of steel. Like a beast tide, they rumbled and plowed the earth, turning into towering dust as they crashed into the towering walls of Tianxiong Pass, serving as the vanguard.

Various explosive runes flashed across these beast-shaped mechanical puppets, like ticking time bombs.
This is a mechanical device specifically designed for siege warfare!
As the Northern Liang army began its assault on the city, an astonishing sound of air being torn apart erupted from the walls of Tianxiong Pass. Countless streaks of light shot up from behind the crenellations, and armor-piercing crossbow bolts, each engraved with runes and as thick as an arm, tore through the air and shot forth.
In the blink of an eye, they were locked in combat.
"boom"

"boom"

"boom"

Outside the city walls, the first clash occurred.

Armor-piercing arrows rained down, colliding repeatedly with the charging mechanical puppets, piercing through them one by one, exploding them with a deafening roar, and stirring up dazzling smoke and flames.

Amidst the billowing dust, the ground outside the pass churned and bulged, taking advantage of the chaos to rapidly surge towards the base of the city wall, as fast as arrows released from a bow.

On the city wall, military formations shifted, and messengers rode their horses along the wall, waving command flags and issuing orders.

"Vanguard Battalion, Bing above Ji below, Kan and Li, Li Fire!"

"Left flank camp, Kui Sheng Zi Jiang, Dui Ze, Han Bing!"

"Axemen, prepare!"

With each command, the soldiers of Tianxiong Pass on the city wall stepped forward in rows. The small flags stuck on their backs spun and flew outwards towards the outside of the city wall. Then, they pressed their hands to their dantian, shouted in unison, and chanted incantations to activate their true energy. Their fingers transformed into sword fingers, pointing at their respective array flags and activating them. Instantly, several array flag defensive lines hummed loudly.

In the first formation of flags, flames roared and swirled on each flag. As the flags, each about a meter in size, spun in the air, the flames rose with the wind, creating fireballs about ten feet in size. Then, in the next breath, the flames suddenly solidified, and a pillar of fire as thick as a bowl shot out from the flagpole, shooting wildly downwards.

Then, the banners behind them spun rapidly, releasing wisps of frosty white mist that seemed to conjure clouds and rain. Soon, with a thunderous roar, dark clouds rolled in, crackling and popping, followed by a torrential downpour that spread outwards towards the border.
The torrential rain poured down on the ground, instantly turning into frost and mist, freezing into ice with every breath. It spread rapidly, quickly freezing several miles into a white expanse, causing the rising smoke and flames to subside, clearing the field of vision, and revealing the siege attackers who were "fishing in troubled waters," their figures frozen in place.

On the city wall, figures descended on flags, emerged from the city, and rushed towards the mounds of earth that had sprung up from the ground. They drew their long swords, unleashing slashes that struck the frost-covered mounds.

Earth and rocks flew everywhere, screams rose and fell, and streaks of blood bloomed.

Then, the swordsmen shouted and lined up in two rows. They pulled out long ropes and used the barrier as a base to trip the Northern Liang cavalry who were charging into the attack range of the flag formation.

Amidst the chaos of men and horses falling, these individuals moved with incredible speed, their blades swirling and white mists billowing in the air, intertwining to create a meat grinder, tearing apart flesh and blood as they clashed with the Northern Liang soldiers.

After a short while, the Northern Liang army sounded the retreat at the rear of their ranks.

The troops retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind fragments of metal golems and horse carcasses beneath the city walls.

As night fell, under the cover of darkness...

The Northern Liang troops launched two more attacks.

However, these were all small groups of soldiers probing, each time going deeper and deeper, seemingly testing the "bottom line" of Tianxiong Pass.

The second day, the third day.

On the Northern Liang side, the same tactics were employed as before, harassing Tianxiong Pass from different directions, attacking day and night to wear down the stamina of the Tianxiong Pass defenders.

Meanwhile, in order to ascertain the strength of the garrison at Tianxiong Pass, the commanding generals, under the strategy of feigned attacks, occasionally launched real sieges to mislead the garrison and prevent them from becoming complacent.

It wasn't until the early morning of the fourth day, in a secret underground meeting place behind the camp of the Northern Liang cavalry, that the general leading the army finally wrote a military report after observing for the past few days.

After observing for several days, the garrison at Tianxiong Pass remained closed off, refusing to come out to meet the enemy no matter how much they harassed and provoked them.

In addition, the number of garrison troops in the city has decreased significantly. This is likely because, as previously reported in military reports, the remaining troops of the mountain-climbing armies that had been stationed there have withdrawn and gone south with the main force.

"Also, Qi Tian, ​​the Demon-Suppressing General of Tianxiong Pass, has not shown his face for several days."

"It would be superfluous to test the waters at this point. I humbly request Your Highness to allow me to issue the order to attack the city and to prepare additional troops to support it. We will know the answer once we test it."

After finishing writing, the general folded the letter and then called for someone to come.

One of his subordinates responded and stepped forward.

"Deliver this letter thousands of miles to the Prince!" (End of Chapter)