Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 279 Chu Shizhao's Empty City Strategy

Chu Shizhao stared at the direction of the Northern Di cavalry.

His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, penetrating the morning mist and taking in the enemy's formation.

However, the Northern Di cavalry still had neat military appearance and their formation was not at all disordered.

In the sunlight, the iron armor reflected a cold light, and the war horses snorted from time to time.

After all, the real large force of Beidi did not actually move.

The soldiers at Xueyuan Pass really fought hard all night long, but the Northern Di cavalry could rotate continuously.

The city walls were covered in blood, and the soldiers defending the city had reached their limit.

But throughout the entire night, the Northern Di cavalry's attack made no progress, and the morale of the army was inevitably affected.

Chu Shizhao is now judging their current situation through their performance...

His eyes scanned every detail in the enemy's formation.

The frequency of the messengers' trips, the order given by the generals at the front, and even the restlessness of the war horses.

These subtle signs are the key to judging the enemy's morale.

After observing for a while, Chu Shizhao also noticed some clues.

Many Northern Di cavalrymen seemed to be standing like pine trees, but in fact they had quietly moved, and the hoof prints of horses under their feet were vaguely visible.

Although it can be seen in the farthest distance, the formation behind it has become a little sparse.

But the distance was too far, even Chu Shizhao couldn't see it clearly.

However, these evidences cannot make Chu Shizhao completely sure of his guess.

He took a deep breath, and the air was filled with the smell of fighting and blood.

He wanted to continue observing, but the soldiers on the city wall were obviously unable to hold on any longer.

Not far away, a soldier slumped to the ground after slashing down an enemy cavalryman. Next to another battlement, three defenders stood back to back, unable to hold their spears steady. If it dragged on, the defense line might collapse at any time.

"I can only take a gamble." Chu Shizhao gritted his teeth and made a decision.

He took a few steps back, used the city wall to block the view of the Northern Di cavalry, and made a few gestures to the rear.

His movements were neat and tidy: he made a horizontal stroke with his right hand, hit his chest with his left fist, and finally pointed his index finger to the north. Only those who had been arranged in advance could understand this set of secret codes.

In the city behind Xueyuan Pass, someone was staring in the direction of Chu Shizhao.

This man's eyes were red from staying up late, but he didn't dare to blink. After seeing Chu Shizhao's gesture, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The man climbed onto the roof and made the same gesture towards the other end of the city wall.

Just like this, one person spread the news, and soon a cloud of dust rose up from the direction of Xueyuan Pass facing Dazhou.
Moreover, the flying dust was rapidly approaching Xueyuan Pass.

Chu Shizhao waited patiently until the Northern Di cavalry were able to observe the flying dust.

He casually picked up a badly damaged iron sword, raised it high above his head and shouted, "Soldiers, the imperial reinforcements have arrived!"

The bloodstained sword reflected the morning sun, emitting a dazzling light. Chu Shizhao's roar overwhelmed the noise of the battlefield, and every word was powerful.

"Hold on, victory will definitely belong to the Great Zhou!"

The soldiers of Xueyuan Pass on the city wall subconsciously looked back.

Their spirits were lifted when they saw the dust stretching for miles.

"Reinforcements, there are indeed reinforcements!"

"Great! The reinforcements have finally arrived. Now we don't have to be afraid of these iron cans anymore."

"Long live your highness!"

His hands and feet, which had originally been completely powerless, seemed to have suddenly gained a lot of strength.

Under the leadership of Li Batian and Huo Qinghuang, they drove back several sections of the city wall that were nearly breached by the Northern Di cavalry with just one charge...

Wherever Li Batian passed, people and horses fell to the ground. Huo Qinghuang's silver spear fired seven spear flowers, instantly killing three enemy soldiers.

At the same time, the Ice Wolf Riders and the defending soldiers, who had been arranged by Zhao Wenguang to take a rotation to rest and had recovered some strength, also fought back at this critical moment.

This fresh force rushed up the city wall like a sharp knife, and wherever it passed, the Northern Di cavalry were driven off the city wall like dumplings.

"Brothers, these barbarians have fallen into your trap. Now is the chance to kill them and gain merit. Promotion and wealth are just around the corner. Follow me and kill them!"

The soldiers on the city wall were as fierce as wolves and tigers, and they beat the Northern Di cavalry that attacked the city so badly that they were at a loss as to where to go.

They saw the Northern Di cavalry, who had finally climbed up the city wall, being slaughtered by the fresh troops.

Murong Dayu's fists were clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound. His eyes were burning with flames of anger, and the veins on his forehead were bulging like earthworms.

Especially because the morale of the defenders was high, the Northern Di cavalry that had just been sent to attack the city was stunned for a moment and actually began to retreat slowly.

Those warriors in iron armor were defeated by the counterattack of the defenders. Some even dropped their weapons and slid down the ladders using their hands and feet.

Although he didn't turn around and run away, Murong Dayu's anger reached its peak.

Because of their retreat, the whole night's fierce attack became a complete joke.

Murong Dayu let out a low roar from his throat, like a wounded beast. Thousands of elite soldiers died under the Xueyuan Pass, but they were not able to capture even a single brick of the city.

He had gone so far as to shoot his own people twice in order to create the illusion that he had not failed, but he could no longer conceal the truth.

"Don't retreat. I haven't ordered a withdrawal yet. Who told you to come back? Keep attacking!"

His voice was like thunder, causing pain in the eardrums of the surrounding soldiers.

"Who is the captain of this army? Military law will be enforced!"

Murong Dayu's scimitar hit the wooden stake beside him hard, and the hard wood as thick as a bowl broke with a sound.

The flying wood chips cut the back of his hand and blood gushed out, but Murong Dayu didn't bother to bandage it.

Murong Dayu's personal soldiers quickly brought over a middle-aged man who was tied up and dressed as a general.

The centurion's face was covered in blood, his helmet was lost somewhere, and his messy hair stuck to his sweaty forehead.

When he was dragged in front of Murong Dayu, he staggered and fell to his knees, and the collision of armor made a dull sound.

After seeing Murong Dayu, the captain hurriedly explained: "General, I really didn't order a retreat."

His voice trembled with fear, and his eyes kept glancing at the scimitar in Murong Dayu's hand. His Adam's apple rolled up and down, and blood oozed from his cracked lips.

Murong Dayu's eyes were extremely sinister, and he looked at the centurion as if he was looking at a dead person.

There was no warmth in the hawk-like eyes, only cold murderous intent. The warhorse sensed this murderous aura and pawed its hooves anxiously.

"So, everything that happened on the battlefield has nothing to do with you, the captain of a thousand men?" Murong Dayu's expression was even a little distorted and extremely ferocious.

The captain's face turned pale, and he begged hurriedly, "General, this really can't be blamed on me, it's... it's those southern barbarians who are too powerful."

His forehead hit the ground heavily, making a dull sound. When he raised his head, his forehead was already bloody, and blood mixed with dirt covered his entire face.

"Marshal, please give me another chance. I will lead the charge this time. If Xueyuan Pass is not captured, I will not complain even if you chop off my head ten times." The captain's voice was filled with tears. With his hands tied, he could only bang his head against the ground to show his loyalty. The blood stains on the armor shone with a strange luster in the sun.

Murong Da glanced at him: "There is no need for this, someone come..."

He waved his hand casually, as if to shoo away an annoying fly. Outside the central army tent, the executioner had already raised his ghost-head knife, and the sharp blade was particularly dazzling in the morning light.

When he was dragged out of the tent, the captain struggled desperately and said, "General, please spare me this time."

The rope cut deeply into his flesh, but he felt no pain.

Seeing that he was so weak, the captain simply gritted his teeth and roared, "Murong Dayu, you old man, how dare you kill me? Do you know who my father is?"

His voice suddenly became sharp and shrill, and a crazy light flashed in his eyes.

In the face of death, he tore off his humble mask and revealed his hideous true face.

Someone who knew this person's identity secretly told Murong Dayu.

Murong Dayu was stunned at first. This man's father was actually a high-ranking official in the Beidi Military Department.

But then he sneered and said, "So what? This is a battlefield. If you are afraid of the enemy and don't fight, I will just chop you down. No one can find any reason to do so."

He deliberately raised his voice a few notches, not only speaking to the captain, but also to the soldiers around him.

It pressed against the captain's throat, leaving a bloody mark.

After waiting for a while and seeing that no one was making any move, Murong Dayu angrily said, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and do something. Do you want me to do it myself?"

Not long after the centurion was pulled out, the shrill screams stopped abruptly.

The footsteps came closer and closer, and the messenger came back with the centurion's head to report the order.

The head's face was distorted with fear, and its eyes were wide open.

Blood dripped from the broken neck, leaving a trail of dark red marks on the grass.

"Send the head to the three armies! I want everyone to know what the fate of those who dare to disobey military orders is."

Not only did he kill a deserter, he also offended his father, a high-ranking official.

Murong Dayu's current mood can be said to be extremely complicated.

Although he appeared tough on the surface, he felt like a stone was pressing on his chest when he thought about the possible revenge he might face in the future.

On the city wall, the defenders of Xueyuan Pass have completely recaptured the city wall.

Li Batian was panting as he leaned on the scimitar he had used to snatch the Northern Di.

Huo Qinghuang's silver spear was stuck on the parapet, and the tassel was soaked with blood.

Everyone's face was filled with fatigue and relief.

The morale of the Northern Di was low.

Even if we send more troops to attack the city now, the morale will be terribly low, and it will be meaningless except for sending heads.

In addition, reinforcements from Xueyuan Pass have arrived.

Although Murong Dayu did not think that the new reinforcements could bring much help to Xueyuan Pass.

Murong Dayu had seen what an ordinary Great Zhou army looked like.

He recalled the past battles, when the Great Zhou army often collapsed at the first blow. How could those skinny soldiers, who didn't even have decent armor, fight against the Northern Di cavalry?
It can be said that there is no fighting power at all.

The morale on his side had dropped to the lowest point, and there was no will to continue fighting.

There is no benefit in continuing the siege by force, except for the possibility of causing a camp outcry.

Finally, Murong Dayu could only sigh and say, "Sound the horn to call off the troops..."

After saying this, Murong Dayu seemed to have aged by ten years.

Ding Ding Ding!
A harsh metallic sound was heard.

The sound of the bronze bells penetrated the battlefield, and the Northern Di soldiers who were attacking the city were as if they had been pardoned. They dropped their ladders and ran back. Some were so eager that they jumped directly from the city wall and broke their legs.

The Northern Di cavalry, which were already few in number under the city wall, retreated completely in an instant.

In a blink of an eye, only corpses and broken weapons were left under the city. A few tattered Beidi flags were stuck among the corpses, fluttering weakly in the morning breeze.

Seeing the enemy withdraw, the soldiers on the city wall could no longer hold on.

Li Batian slumped to the ground, dropping his scimitar at his feet. Huo Qinghuang slid down the wall slowly, not even having the strength to pull out his silver spear.

Most people don’t care what’s happening around them.

Be it a city wall or a corpse.

Even though it was bloody, they lay there without caring.

They were so tired that they didn't want to move even one step further.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of people fell on the wall of Xueyuan Pass as if wheat was being harvested.

Chu Shizhao didn't want to think about anything and just sat on the ground to rest.

His legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead and the scenery in front of him began to blur, which was a sign of physical exhaustion.

But before his butt touched the chair, an ancient knowledge suddenly emerged in his mind.

That was a piece of popular science he had read on a military forum in his previous life: one should not rest immediately after strenuous exercise. This memory flashed through his mind like lightning, instantly waking him up.

Lying down to rest directly after excessive exercise may be life-threatening.

Chu Shizhao didn't care about being tired and hurriedly urged the people around him: "You can't lie down now, stand up quickly."

As he spoke, he forcibly pulled up a Xueyuan Pass soldier who was lying down.

The soldier opened his eyes dazedly, and was startled when he saw that it was Chu Shizhao: "Your Highness... I really... can't stand anymore..."

"Your Highness, we just want to rest for a while."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. If the enemy really rushes up, we can immediately take up arms and fight."

Although his attitude was firm, his shaking hands could not even hold the knife. His words drew a chorus of approval, and everyone looked at Chu Shizhao with pleading eyes.

"I want to...get some sleep."

The young messenger closed his eyes as he spoke, and his body slid down uncontrollably.

Although many people found Chu Shizhao's behavior inexplicable, he was, after all, His Royal Highness the Prince.

No matter how dissatisfied I am in my heart, I dare not show it on the surface.

The soldiers helped each other to stand up, some leaning on the wall, some leaning on their companions. Although they were reluctant, no one dared to openly disobey the order.

When Huo Qinghuang saw this scene, she couldn't help but wonder, "What does your highness mean? Have you invented a new punishment?"

She tilted her head to look at the staggering soldiers, her silver spear stuck in the ground to support her body. Although she was also very tired, curiosity still overcame her fatigue.

(End of this chapter)