Chapter 120: Fierce Battle

The rebel forces, brandishing an array of weapons and torches, surged forward like a black, swarming tide of ants. On the southern wall, the thousand or so frontier soldiers were in complete disarray. The vast majority of these troops were raw, freshly recruited greenhorns who had never set foot on a battlefield; hence, back at Yan'e Sea, a single charge by three thousand Mongol cavalry had shattered their ranks completely.

Though the rebels were not as formidable as Mongol cavalry, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Suddenly witnessing such a swarm of rebels rushing toward them, the soldiers could not help but succumb to fear.

"Do not panic! Listen to me!" A tall, burly captain stood atop the parapet, bellowing at the top of his lungs. "These rebels are nothing but a disorganized rabble, easily crushed. Each of you could chase them back just by taking a piss on them! Keep your heads, do not panic..."

"Archers, where are the archers?" The captain in charge of archery defense was frantically searching through the chaotic crowd for his squad leaders, while turning to shout at his personal guards behind him, "Damn it, where did He San and Zhao Si go? Why are you just standing there like idiots? Go find those bastards for me!"

"Lao Jiu, come here." A burly squad leader grabbed a scrawny soldier and pulled him behind his back, shouting instructions, "When the rebels storm up here later, hide behind your big brother. Don't run too far. Keep your eyes peeled, and if you see anyone firing a cold arrow, call out. Do you hear me?"

"You two idiots!" An old veteran brandished his saber, fiercely scolding two greenhorns. "Why are you still standing there? Get over here and help me stack these defensive stones onto the parapet, quickly! If you keep dragging your feet, I'll kick your balls into the next county!"

"Fire! Who the hell has a light?" Another veteran stood by a large vat of "golden juice" (molten excrement), shouting, "Who has a light? Lend me a flame; help me get this fire lit!"

"Seventh Brother, I'm scared."

"Third Brother, I'm scared too."

In a dark corner, two greenhorns were huddled together, weeping. "There are too many rebels. We're going to die, we’re definitely going to die..."

"Quick! Move it, brothers!" A squad leader finally led over a hundred archers onto the gate tower in a chaotic rush, then began nervously organizing them behind the parapets, waving his saber and screaming, "Form ranks! Get into formation, hurry up..."

"They’re attacking! The rebels are attacking!" A veteran rogue soldier suddenly sprinted past the archers, yelling, "Fire! Shoot the damn bastards, kill those sons of bitches!"

*Whoosh, whoosh.*

Two greenhorn archers, who had never seen combat, drew their bows and fired blindly in a panic. One of the arrows struck a fellow soldier who happened to be standing on the parapet trying to urinate outside the wall; he let out a miserable scream and tumbled head over heels off the battlements.

"Idiots!" The squad leader kicked one of the greenhorns hard in the backside, roaring, "Who told you to fire? Wait for my command! You only fire when I say so... Now listen well: nock your arrows, draw your bows fully. See? Follow my lead..."

The squad leader demonstrated while shouting orders. The flustered greenhorns nocked their arrows and drew their strings, but two of the less attentive recruits heard "all aim at me" instead of "follow me," and foolishly turned their arrowheads toward their own squad leader.

"Hey! You idiots! Why are you pointing those at me? Shoot the rebels outside! Shoot the rebels!"

"Ah?"

"Oh, got it."

The two recruits woodenly turned their bows back toward the dark night sky outside the wall. Only then did the squad leader shout and release his string; with a hum, his arrow flew out, followed by the rest of the hundred archers. A volley of arrows whistled from the tower, flying a hundred paces through the air before raining viciously down upon the blinding sea of torches below.

Amidst the dazzling glare, thousands of rebels were swarming forward.

"Brothers, General Li said that as long as we get into the city, there will be big bowls of rice and thick chunks of cured meat!"

"Brothers, the gold and silver in the Prince of Dai's mansion are piled high as mountains! Once we take the city, all that treasure belongs to us! Hahaha!"

"Brothers, do you want women? If you want women, kill these damn government soldiers! Beat them down, and all the women in the city will be ours!"

"Hahaha, women! I want the most beautiful woman in Datong City..."

Under the pitch-black night sky, ten thousand torches burned, accompanied by hysterical roars. In the firelight, faces were twisted with excitement. Tempted by food, silver, and women, the thousands of rebels were like savages scenting a widow, their eyes bloodshot, charging forward with spears leveled and steeds galloping.

The sharp arrows finally descended with a piercing shriek, and mournful wails erupted instantly from the surging crowd.

*Thwack!*

A dull thud sounded as an arrow pierced a rebel's foot, pinning him to the ground. The rebel bent over, clutching his foot and howling in agony, "My foot! Damn it, my foot has been pierced! Help me, someone help me..."

*Pfft! Pfft!*

Two more rebels were struck in the throat; they collapsed without a sound, twitching twice before going still.

*Thwack!*

A rebel shouting while holding a wooden shield felt his shield tremble violently. Looking up, he saw an arrow shaft had pierced through the wood, the sharp tip less than two inches from his eyes. He lowered the shield, dazed, and stared at the arrow while mechanically continuing to charge.

A rebel running past him couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Brother, it didn't kill you—you've got a hell of a life."

*Pfft!*

Before the man could finish speaking, another arrow whistled down and pierced the forehead of the shield-bearer. Driven by momentum, the man stumbled forward for two steps before crashing to the ground. The rebel who had spoken paused for a moment, then quickened his pace.

Three miles south of Datong City, there was a small hill.

Li Yan and his wife, Red Lady, stood on the hill surrounded by generals such as Jing Maocheng, Li Hu, and Li Xuan, observing the battle.

Despite the dimness, the thousands of torches lit by the government troops on the wall and the rebel soldiers below made the situation at the South Gate perfectly clear. By now, the five thousand rebels of the Huihui Battalion in the first wave had reached the foot of the wall and were setting up scaling ladders to seize the city.

"Good, very good," Li Hu clapped his hands and sighed. "The Huihui Battalion has reached the walls!"

"The Ming government soldiers are getting weaker by the day," a trace of contempt flashed across Jing Maocheng’s face. "Letting the Huihui Battalion reach the foot of the wall so easily—what have their archers been doing? At this rate, we'll be on the battlements in less than half an hour."

"General Jing takes things too lightly," Li Xuan, who had defected from the government side, was clearly displeased by Jing’s words and retorted, "It’s not that I look down on the brothers of the Huihui Battalion, but even if you gave them two hours, they might not be able to breach the walls."

"Is that so?" Jing Maocheng curled his lip, unconvinced. "Then I shall wait and see."

As Jing Maocheng and Li Xuan exchanged sharp words, Li Yan ignored them. Red Lady, standing beside him, turned to see Li Yan frowning, lost in deep thought. She couldn't help but ask, "Husband, does something worry you?"

Li Yan shook his head, speaking as if to himself: "The troops on the wall don't seem to be Wang Pu's men. They aren't—they definitely aren't!"

As he spoke, his tone grew firmer. "This is certainly not Wang Pu's army. Wang Pu's army is not on the walls!"

Red Lady asked, "Then where would Wang Pu's army be?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, then stated with conviction: "Wang Pu's army must be inside the barbican. He is waiting to deploy his elite forces at the most dangerous moment to launch a counterattack and crush our offensive in one fell swoop!"

"Ah?" Red Lady exclaimed, "That Wang Pu is truly insidious. He wants to ambush us."

Li Yan turned his gaze to Li Hu and Li Xuan, barking, "Jing Maocheng, Li Xuan!"

The two stepped forward, saluting, "Present!"

Li Yan commanded, "Immediately assemble the Laoya and Gushan Battalions outside the city gate and stand by. If Wang Pu's troops sally out to counterattack, the Five Gexuo Battalions will be caught off guard and unable to resist. When that happens, you two must press forward. At any cost, hold them back! Heh, I want Wang Pu to suffer the consequences of his own schemes—trying to steal a chicken, only to lose his own rice!"