Chapter 939 - 781: Harassment Attacks

The city walls of Jingjiang County are not tall, just over two zhang high.

When the county magistrates were building the walls, they never thought there would be a war here; it was just a pretext for successive magistrates to siphon off funds. Over the years, the walls have suffered damage and repairs, and up close, you can see the mismatched patches on the rammed earth walls.

In the darkness, the Great Wokou Leader looked at Jingjiang City from eighty steps away, silently stroking the sharkskin-wrapped grip of his sword, quietly watching Yuan Xing’s silhouette galloping along the parapet of the wall.

His confidant asked beside him, "Master, the information is incorrect. There are far more Seeking Dao Realm Officials within the Anti-Japanese Army than expected. This place might be a trap set by the Han people for us."

The Great Wokou Leader calmly replied, "To trap us, who would bring them silver as vast as the sea? Who would take their silk and tea to where the sun sets? This isn’t a trap; perhaps not even the Han could have predicted so many Seeking Dao Realm Officials here."

The confidant thought for a moment and asked again, "Master, do we stay or leave?"

The Great Wokou Leader did not answer.

After a moment, he calmly said, "Only three or four Seeking Dao Realms. The army is already here; there’s no reason to return empty-handed. With the Kanbai Palace and Inner Mansion Hall about to engage in a great battle, we should return to Osaka Castle with heads and victory; otherwise, we should carry back our own heads."

At this moment, Yuan Xing suddenly stopped his horse on the parapet, looking toward the Great Wokou Leader from a distance, their eyes meeting across the void.

In the flickering light of the brazier, Yuan Xing sat on the horse and raised the Wild Great Sword, pointing it at the Great Wokou Leader’s brow.

The Great Wokou Leader let out a cold laugh: "Foolhardy bravery."

He calmly fastened his black lacquer mask, folding his hands on the sword hilt: "Rolling stone battle, let’s see how long they can hold."

His confidant immediately ordered the striking of the copper gong.

The Anti-Japanese Army atop the city walls was fighting desperately when suddenly, upon hearing the signal, the pirates retreated like a tide, carrying bamboo ladders back to their camp.

In the pirate camp, all the lamps were extinguished, leaving it pitch black and mysterious.

The bewildered Anti-Japanese Army looked around: "Did we win?"

But Yuan Xing called out loudly on horseback: "Win? It’s far too early! Take the time to rest on the spot, the pirates have set up camp right in front of us to harass, they will surely come again! If you need to vomit, do it outside the city, don’t throw up on the walls. If you want to cry, cry with your mouth covered, if you dare to cry out loud, I’ll be the first to whip you! After you’re done crying and vomiting, shout for your mother twice, then you’re considered a veteran!"

The yellow of the rammed earth walls was mottled with blood, as new recruits from the Anti-Japanese Army leaned over the battlements to vomit.

After they almost finished vomiting, looking down they saw bodies piled up densely outside the city, and couldn’t help but vomit again, until they spat out pale green bile.

When there was nothing left to vomit, the Anti-Japanese Army soldiers sat by the battlements, sobbing quietly or expressionless.

Yuan Xing laughed loudly: "Look at you, in the event at Chongli Pass, none of you would have survived."

Upon hearing this, the Anti-Japanese Army immediately looked up and asked: "During the Chongli Pass event... is Master from the Imperial Three Camps?"

Yuan Xing realized he had slipped up, grunting an evasive acknowledgment: "Yes, the Imperial Three Camps."

A young soldier’s eyes lit up: "Which camp are you from, Master?"

Yuan Xing thought for a moment: "The Longevity Army."

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the night, and Yuan Xing squinted. He saw the pirates once again driving Ning Dynasty laborers to attack. Over a thousand laborers and pirates charged furiously with bamboo ladders toward the city walls.

Yuan Xing cursed under his breath: "Damn it, so soon? Beat the drums!"

Once more, the urgent sound of drums filled Jingjiang County, as the Anti-Japanese Army, resting by the battlements, hurriedly rose. But just as they took up their weapons, the copper gong sounded again in the pirate camp, and the pirates withdrew like a tide.

On the city wall, Yuan Xing drew his bow and fired arrows, managing to shoot down four pirates before they retreated into their camp. Among the Anti-Japanese Army’s other crossbowmen, hitting even one was considered excellent.

Furious, Yuan Xing shouted: "Even randomly scattering arrows would hit more than you. During the Chongli Pass event, you’d all have been flogged!"

In difficulty, an Anti-Japanese Army soldier said, "Master, we’ve never used bows in our daily training."

Yuan Xing was momentarily speechless: "Next time the pirates attack, whoever hits a pirate will have a month of meals with slices of fatty meat as a reward..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of footsteps came from the night again. Annoyed, Yuan Xing said, "Whose idea was this tactic, how aggravating, isn’t it? Enemy attack, beat the drums!"

At a distance of eighty steps, it only took a few breaths for the pirates to reach the wall from their camp. Almost as soon as the Anti-Japanese Army picked up their weapons again, the pirates drove the laborers up to the walls and set up bamboo ladders.

Just as they were about to throw bricks down, they heard the laborers shout, "Lord, we’re on your side, let us up!"

The Anti-Japanese Army hesitantly looked at Yuan Xing, who waved grandly: "Let them up!"

But once the first few laborers reached the wall, something changed; they teamed up to push the Anti-Japanese Army away, opening gaps in the defenses.

Yuan Xing was furious: "What the hell are you doing?"

The laborers cried and pushed the soldiers, "Lord, our wives and children are still in the pirates’ hands, we have no choice!"

The pirates from the rear climbed the city using two ladders, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten pirates leapt up, engaging in fierce battles with the Anti-Japanese Army. For a moment, the city wall’s walkway was filled with chaos, the pirates and Anti-Japanese Army intertwined in battle.

Seeing the gap getting larger, Yuan Xing roared: "Zhou Chang!"

Zhou Chang led his men into the fight, flanking from the left and right with Yuan Xing, and after spending thirty minutes, they managed to close the gap.

Yuan Xing wiped the blood off his face: "Damn it, never seen such a beastly fighting style before. If I catch that bastard, I’ll rip out his guts and hang them on a tree!"

Zhou Chang gave Yuan Xing a cold glance, then turned to the Anti-Japanese Army and ordered: "Smash them, don’t let a single one come up!"

The Anti-Japanese Army exchanged looks, gritted their teeth, and started hurling bricks and stones down, ignoring the cries of the civilians below and not allowing a single person to climb up the city.

After another thirty minutes, the pirate’s camp resounded with the sound of a copper gong, leaving behind a field of corpses as the pirates retreated back to their campsite.

The once deafening shouts on the city walls fell into silence again, making it almost seem like one had gone deaf.

Yuan Xing dismounted, standing on the edge of the crenellation, and remarked: "You sure have a ruthless streak in you."

Zhou Chang said nothing, merely gazing out beyond the city walls, where bodies lay stacked upon each other.

Yuan Xing curiously asked: "What is it?"

Zhou Chang was silent for a moment, turned away from the wall edge, and spoke no more: "Nothing."

Yuan Xing glanced back at the wall walkway, finding the Anti-Japanese Army utterly exhausted, without the strength to even cry or vomit.

He instructed Zhou Chang: "Lead Camp A down the city to eat and rest. Let Ah Xi lead Camp B to replace you. Remember, you only have four hours to rest, these damned pirates won’t let up easily. I’ll call on you at any time for a swap. When you see Jiang Chai, remind him, I’m close to my limit."

"Alright," Zhou Chang turned and led Camp A down from the tower.

Yuan Xi came forward: "The food inside the city is ready, coarse rice porridge with pickles. These Anti-Japanese troops can’t eat meat after seeing blood, or they’ll vomit it up again. You’re fine though, I had them save some cured meat just for you."

Zhou Chang acknowledged with a nod, passing Yuan Xi, leading Camp A into the city.

At the makeshift porridge shed, the Anti-Japanese Army swarmed, scrambling to ladle porridge, mixing in pickles and stuffing it into their mouths. Zhou Chang didn’t rush to eat, but simply found an empty wall corner to sit down and slowly closed his eyes.

...

...

As Yuan Xi just climbed the city wall and hadn’t even begun to deploy defenses, the drum sounds were heard again as the pirates returned in full force.

Yuan Xing rode swiftly along the wall walkway, whipping the Anti-Japanese soldiers of Camp B: "Get to defending the city, if any pirate climbs up, watch your heads!"

As Camp B filled the gap, the pirate camp resounded again with the copper gong, as the pirates surged up like a tide only to retreat quickly, sparking a torrent of curses from Yuan Xing: "Sons of bitches, thousands of troops and they don’t dare to fight properly, only playing dirty tricks."

Yuan Xi sized up Yuan Xing, noticing his dry lips, disheveled hair, holding a Wild Great Sword which still bore dried blood, yet untouched.

He stepped forward and asked: "Can you handle it?"

Yuan Xing chuckled: "Of course I can, why not? At Chongli Pass, I held on for more than half a month, and this is nothing in comparison. These bastards are nothing, just scratching the surface."

Yuan Xi shook his head: "They’re determined to wear us out, and we have new recruits. With fewer men, we can’t withstand this. These infantrymen will break down in at most three days."

Yuan Xing dismounted, cursing as he said: "What can we do? Can’t hold on but must persist, or face death. Where’s Jiang Chai? That kid is messing with the Stone-Throwing Cannon, don’t know if it’ll work."

Yuan Xi thought for a moment: "I fear it won’t. He oversimplified it. I found him a blacksmith, but the iron pins and iron plates he needs can’t be made quickly, only ten or so a day."

Yuan Xing’s eyes widened: "The pirates have thousands of men, what can a dozen Stone-Throwing Cannons do? What about Yi Father?"

Yuan Xi pointed east of the city: "The pirates tried a sneak attack from the east earlier; he and that one went to support."

As he spoke, Chen Ji and Old Ears appeared together, their masks still spotted with unpaid blood.

Without waiting for Chen Ji to speak, Yuan Xing quickly pointed at the pirate camp and said: "Yi Father, we can’t let the pirates keep harassing us like this. Jingjiang’s city walls are already low, and these bastards are driving civilians to their deaths, the corpses can’t be cleared. By tomorrow night, the pile of corpses at the base of the walls will be as tall as a hill, and the pirates won’t need ladders to climb up under the cover of darkness."

Chen Ji gave a small nod, discarded his blade with the worn edge: "Get me another Wild Great Sword, take this one to be sharpened."

Yuan Xing hurriedly tossed his own Wild Great Sword to Chen Ji, looking earnestly at Chen Ji and Old Ears: "Jiang Chai’s nothing but trouble, the two of you need to come up with something, at least don’t let the pirates act so fearlessly."

Chen Ji turned to survey the city head, suddenly instructing: "Extinguish all the fire basins."

Yuan Xing was taken aback: "The fire basins give thirty-some steps of light, without them, we won’t notice the pirates until they’re right upon us."

Chen Ji took another Wild Great Sword from Yuan Xi’s hands and tossed it over to Old Ears: "Do as I say."