Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 273: Dark Night Attack
Huo Qinghuang immediately winked at the Ice Wolf Riders behind him.

Two Ice Wolf Riders dragged the dying Zhang Yi down from the city wall.

Of course, there are heroes in this world who can endure torture with gritted teeth and won't reveal a single word of information. Their backbones are like ancient pines that have not been broken for thousands of years, and they will never give in even if their skin and flesh are torn.

Such people are often written into legends and praised by later generations.

However, most people do not have this will.

When the whip hits the back for the first time, when the branding iron approaches the eyes, fear will overwhelm reason like a tide.

Zhang Yi originally thought that he would be an exception. After all, he had been trained in the Dark Night Cult and felt that he was fearless.

But when facing the torture instruments, all the so-called training is nonsense. Zhang Yi only realized this truth now, but it was too late.

Just one round of whipping made him forget all his oaths and promises. The torture chamber was filled with the smell of blood and burning, and the torches on the wall stretched the executioner's shadow very long, like a demon with bared fangs and claws.

He was able to hold on with gritted teeth when the first whip came, but by the fifth, his will had collapsed.

During training, Zhang Yi knew that it was training and he could endure it even if it was painful.

But when he was truly faced with life and death, the despair of knowing that no one would come back to save him immediately crushed his persistence.

"Stop fighting, I'll tell you everything." Zhang Yi, covered in blood, shouted anxiously.

Sweat mixed with blood rolled down his forehead, forming dark red puddles on the dirty ground.

It seemed as if he was afraid that if he answered a little slowly, he would be punished again.

His eyes kept glancing at the red-hot iron in the brazier, his throat tightened, and his voice changed tone.

The captain in charge of the interrogation sneered and played with the pliers in his hand, deliberately making a crisp sound from the metal collision.

Although Zhang Yi actually didn't know much.

But at this moment, in order to suffer less, he wanted to confess everything about stealing pears from his neighbor's house when he was a child.

As long as one or two names can be revealed, it will be enough to follow the clues and catch all the spies hidden in the army.

The captain narrowed his eyes and waved the whip in front of the transfer: "Very good, I hope you don't miss this opportunity. I don't mind repeating the process just now."

Before the interrogation began, Chu Shizhao did not expect things to go so smoothly.

In less than half an hour, they had already captured all the Dark Night Cult spies in the army.

The number was less than expected. Including the dead Feng Laosan and the captured Zhang Yi, there were only three people.

This result made Chu Shizhao both relieved and alert. He turned to the counselor beside him and said, "Check the roster to see when these people enlisted."

Most of the others died when the Dark Night Cult attempted to massacre Xueyuan Pass, assassinated military officers, or fought in battles.

Chu Shizhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Send a message to the entire army, all the good spies of the Dark Night Cult have been caught by us, and the entire army will have extra food."

The messenger ran away, his footsteps echoing in the stone corridor.

Soon cheers were heard from the walls of Xueyuan Pass. Soldiers clapped each other's shoulders, and some even shed tears of excitement.

"Now I can kill the enemy with peace of mind..."

"Great! Long live His Highness!" The young soldiers waved their weapons and their voices echoed among the mountains.

Smoke rose from the barracks, adding a bit of life to the cold city walls. Cook Lao Li lifted the lid of the pot and grinned, "Your Highness has ordered an extra meal for the brothers today!"

"Now we can finally deal with those northern barbarians with peace of mind." Wei Bing stood on the arrow tower and looked out at the mountains in the north.

"I never thought that he was also from the Dark Night Cult. He even saved me before." A thin soldier sat in the corner, looking dazed.

He remembered that when the Northern Di attacked the city, it was Zhang Yi who dragged him out from the pile of dead bodies, and the thin soldier's face was full of bitterness.

In any case, after getting rid of the last Dark Night Cult spy, the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass were completely free of worries.

In addition, Chu Shizhao arrived at the critical moment and resolved the conflict swiftly and decisively.

All the previous complaints and dissatisfactions have completely disappeared.

The soldiers were preparing supplies much faster than before. A group of soldiers pushed a cart full of arrows and trotted forward, the wheels making a rumbling sound on the stone road.

Under the city wall, craftsmen were reinforcing the city gate, and the sound of hammers hitting nails was crisp and pleasant.

The entire Xueyuan Pass seemed to be injected with new vitality, and everyone had a long-lost smile on their face.

In order to maintain morale, Chu Shizhao stood on the city wall.

His tall figure stood at the top of the tower, his robe fluttering in the north wind, like a battle flag that would never fall.
Every time the soldiers in the city looked up, they could see the figure standing proudly like a green pine, and they felt inexplicably at peace in their hearts.

At this critical moment of life and death, the commander-in-chief's every move affects the hearts of the entire army.

He deliberately maintained a calm demeanor, tapping the blue bricks of the city wall with his slender fingers from time to time, and his eyes swept across the Beidi camp in the distance like an eagle.

After retreating, the Northern Di cavalry did not launch any attack.

But in the distant camp, one could vaguely see the dust raised by the cavalry galloping back and forth, like yellow dragons wandering between heaven and earth.

The occasional sound of a horn pierced through the biting cold wind, carrying with it a heart-pounding aura of solemnity.

Chu Shizhao did not dare to relax at all. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the busy figures in the camp in the distance.

Those Beidi soldiers were carrying siege equipment, and the outlines of ladders and battering rams were looming in the twilight. A gust of north wind blew, bringing with it the unique fishy smell of the grassland and the harsh sound of metal friction.

Obviously, they were just adjusting their tactics and actively accumulating strength, and they had not really given up the siege.

Chu Shizhao's fingertips unconsciously slid across the bricks and stones of the city wall. After a long while, he turned to the messenger beside him and whispered, "Tell each archer to prepare two more pots of arrows, and also prepare rolling logs and stones as soon as possible."

A day passed quietly, the last ray of afterglow faded away, and the whole world fell into darkness.

Chu Shizhao thought about whether he should lead the Ice Wolf Cavalry out of the city like he did last night and create some trouble for the Northern Di Iron Cavalry.

But in the end, he gave up this tempting idea.

What he was facing now was the real main force of the Northern Di, a full 100,000 cavalry. Compared with the previous enemies, they were completely on a different level. These terrible guys only needed one charge to completely destroy the village.

Being too arrogant would only lead himself and the Ice Wolf Riders into an irretrievable situation.

A torch lit up in the distance. The light was particularly dazzling in the dark night, like a demon's eye that suddenly opened.

Then came the second and third torches. Before long, the light of the torches had spread to the end of the earth. The flickering flames connected together, like fire dragons swimming in the darkness.

Chu Shizhao looked up at the sky. The starry sky was particularly bright tonight, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky like a silk thread. But at this moment, the torches in the Beidi camp were denser than the stars, which was even more frightening.

He took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill his lungs.

Chu Shizhao frowned and told Zhao Wenguang and Huo Qinghuang: "The enemy will definitely launch an attack tonight, be careful and be alert, don't let your guard down."

His voice was deep and powerful, and was particularly clear in the night wind. Zhao Wenguang straightened his back immediately, and his armor made a slight clanging sound: "I will never let the Beidi people succeed in their conspiracy."

"The Ice Wolf Riders should have rested well. We'll have to rely on them a lot tonight." Chu Shizhao turned his head and looked towards the shadow of the city wall, where dozens of Ice Wolf Riders in silver armor were standing quietly.

They were as motionless as sculptures, with only the occasional movement of their eyes showing that they were alive.

Huo Qinghuang nodded solemnly and said, "Every Ice Wolf Rider will thoroughly implement the Young Master's will." Her spear glowed coldly in the moonlight. The Ice Wolf Rider behind her nodded slightly, with a firm look in his eyes.

In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the Ice Wolf Cavalry, Chu Shizhao arranged for them to take turns to rest when he found that the Northern Di Iron Cavalry had no intention of attacking.

Now they have been resting for a whole day and are ready to deal with any situation. Chu Shizhao's eyes swept across every corner of the city wall. The Ice Wolf Riders were like ghosts in the night, blending perfectly into the shadows.

Their breathing was barely audible, and only the occasional reflection of moonlight from their weapons revealed their presence.

Because of the presence of the Ice Wolf Riders, Chu Shizhao did not place too many torches on the city walls. The sparse flames swayed in the wind, stretching the shadows of the soldiers guarding the city.

The purpose of doing this is to minimize the possibility of the Northern Di analyzing the troop deployment on the city wall through sentries.

To guard against the enemy, we have to rely entirely on the Ice Wolf Riders. Chu Shizhao looked at an Ice Wolf Rider.
These elite night vision capabilities far exceed those of ordinary people and can detect enemy traces in the weakest light.

The advantage of doing this is that even if the enemy launches a sneak attack, they will not be able to figure out the situation on the city wall in a short period of time.

To buy time for the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass to react calmly. He heard the sound of a bowstring trembling behind him, it was the archer adjusting the bowstring.

The Northern Di cavalry were more patient than Chu Shizhao had imagined.

The torches in the distance were still flickering, and the abnormal calm made people even more uneasy.

From dusk until the third watch, the direction of the Beidi camp was extremely quiet. Only the occasional neighing of horses broke the silence, and then it returned to silence again.

The moon was obscured by clouds, and there was nothing to be seen except darkness.

Because of this, the soldiers on duty at Xueyuan Pass couldn't help but relax their vigilance. Several soldiers dozed off on the battlements, their spears tilted slightly. Some even untied their armor straps to relax their tired bodies for a moment.

At the corner of the western wall, a soldier from Xueyuan Pass yawned loudly. He rubbed his sore eyes, which felt heavy as if they were filled with lead. Two days of fierce fighting had left his muscles aching.

There was still more than half an hour before the shift change, but he could hardly open his eyes.

Not only did he fight two bloody battles, but he also experienced the incident of a traitor within the Dark Night Cult.

Mental exhaustion is inevitable. He leaned against the cold bricks, feeling the chill coming through his armor. In the distance, the cry of a night owl sounded particularly mournful in the silent night.

His companion beside him whispered to him, "Be alert and be careful not to be taken advantage of by the enemy." His companion's voice was also filled with deep fatigue, but he still forced himself to straighten his back.

"It's already this late, I don't think they will come necessarily." He paused and glanced secretly in the direction of the Ice Wolf Rider who was standing upright.

The Ice Wolf Rider stood motionless like a sculpture, with only his silver armor glowing coldly.

"They are here, so the Northern Di people's actions will definitely not be hidden from their eyes. There is nothing to worry about."

He yawned, the sound getting lower and lower. His eyelids became heavy again, and his consciousness began to blur. The night breeze blew across his face, bringing a hint of coolness, but it could not dispel the strong sleepiness.

Three arrows appeared silently in the darkness. Their feathers had been specially treated, so they didn't even make a sound when they cut through the night sky.

Even on a quiet night, the arrow made no sound at all when it flew.

The torches on the city wall swayed slightly, casting shadows that just covered the trajectory of the arrow. An Ice Wolf Knight's ears suddenly moved, and he keenly caught the slight vibration in the air.

Pu Chi, Pu Chi.

The sounds of arrows piercing flesh were heard one after another, as dull as a blunt knife piercing leather.

The two Xueyuanguan zombies who were talking just now had their necks pierced directly, and a spray of blood appeared when the arrow came out of their backs.

Before they even had the chance to speak, the light in their eyes quickly dimmed.

However, the arrow shot at the Ice Wolf Rider was blocked by him.

The warrior raised his arm armor at the critical moment, and the steel wrist guard collided with the arrowhead, causing a string of sparks to fly.

"Enemy attack!" The roar of the Ice Wolf Riders resounded throughout the entire city wall, and the shout was like a thunderous explosion.

The originally quiet Xueyuan Pass suddenly became noisy.

The sleeping soldiers woke up one after another to meet the enemy, and the sound of armor colliding could be heard one after another.

"These damn guys are such trouble." The man hiding in the darkness cursed angrily. The sound of his gnashing teeth seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, and the bowstring in his hand trembled slightly because he held it too tightly.

"Attack directly!" He waved his hand violently, and the black shadow behind him immediately shot out like an arrow.

In an instant, hundreds of figures emerged from the darkness and rushed towards Xueyuan Pass.

They moved through the shadows like ghosts, their black night clothes blending perfectly with the night. Only the occasional flash of cold light from weapons revealed their whereabouts.

The tall city walls were completely unable to stop them. These figures were as agile as monkeys, digging their fingers into the cracks in the masonry of the city walls and climbing up nimbly.

In just a few jumps, most of these people had climbed up the city wall.

The man in black who reached the top first somersaulted onto the battlement, the steel knife in his hand glowing coldly.

His eyes were as sinister as an eagle's as he scanned the defenders who were hastily forming their battle array.

(End of this chapter)