Chapter 19 The Eighth Regiment of the Vanquishing Army, Flag Bearer Xiao Po

It was noon.

Corpses lay strewn across the walls of Longcheng, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

Unlike the overwhelming victory achieved by Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, who personally led the Iron Pagoda of Longcheng and 80,000 Xuanjia soldiers to break through the enemy's formation at the foot of Longshan Mountain.

When the 5,000 Polu Army soldiers led by Lieutenant General Pang Xianchu faced the attacking force of more than 65,000 Yunhui Army soldiers, the battle between the two sides entered a fierce and intense state from the very beginning.

Before the battle, both sides made ample preparations.

Pang Xianchu, the military commander of the Polu Army, defended the city by taking advantage of its high walls and the wide moat below to block the enemy's attacking forces.

He had prepared enough defensive equipment such as arrow towers, crossbows, oil, rolling logs and stones on the city wall, but unfortunately he only had 5,000 soldiers to defend the city. When they were distributed to various parts of the city wall which stretched for several miles, his forces were stretched thin.

Although the attacking side did not have the advantage of terrain, Zhou Wuyang, the deputy general of the Yunhui Army, ordered the supply troops to carry a large number of siege weapons such as trench bridges, crossbows, ladders, siege towers, battering rams, and siege shields.

Furthermore, Vice General Chang Chenghu personally led the Jumping Team (suicide squad) to launch a fierce attack on Longcheng, with a force thirteen times larger than the defending army. In addition, General Wu Qingyun personally ordered that the swords would not be sheathed for three days after the city was breached.

Therefore, the Battle of Longcheng was like a cold, deadly machine for both the attacking and defending soldiers, with someone dying on the battlefield every minute.

Only two hours had passed, and the corpses of soldiers from both sides were already piled up like mountains, and the blood had long since stained the moat outside the city red.

Within the past two or three hours, the Yunhui Army had launched dozens of attacks on Longcheng, but all of them were ultimately repelled by the valiant Polu Army defenders.

Although the Yunhui army still failed to reach Longcheng, the once tall and sturdy city walls were riddled with holes and in ruins after dozens of fierce attacks, thanks to the siege equipment launched by the Yunhui army.

The defending Polu army soldiers have also suffered more than half casualties.

Taking advantage of the lull in the enemy's formation to prepare for the next attack, Lieutenant General Pang Xianchu hurriedly led several personal guards to run around the city wall defenses to tally the casualties of each unit.

At this moment, Pang Xianchu looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water. Every step he took left wet footprints, formed by the mixture of enemy blood and his sweat dripping down.

During the most intense moments of the previous battle to defend the city, Pang Xianchu led his personal guards to provide support in various places, repeatedly saving the city's defenses from imminent danger.

Pang Xianchu had lost count of how many enemy soldiers he had killed.

All he knew was that the blade of the Longquan sword, which the late King Chen Polu had bestowed upon him, was now dulled, his limbs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and his movements of stepping and wielding the sword were becoming increasingly sluggish.

But he dared not rest even for a moment, much less collapse.

Because Pang Xianchu is now not only the military commander of Longcheng, responsible for protecting the land and its people, but also because Chen Huai'an entrusted the lives and property of more than 800 people in the Prince of Jin's mansion to him before leaving.

The consequences would be unimaginable if the city fell.

"Each regiment, report the number of personnel!"

Pang Xianchu took a few deep breaths and continued running around the city wall to count the casualties.

The Polu Army was organized with the squad as the basic tactical unit, with 50 people per squad. Twenty squads formed a regiment, and anything above a regiment was an army.

"Third Regiment, 427 men!"

"Seventh Regiment, 385 men!"

"Fifth Regiment, 448 men!"

"Second Regiment, 653 people!"

Soon, the generals of the Polu Army who were guarding several city defense fortifications loudly reported the number of soldiers in their regiments.

As each report from his soldiers echoed in his ears, Pang Xianchu's lips twitched involuntarily, and his eyes revealed an indescribable grief.

Behind each of these numbers are countless precious lives of fallen soldiers!

Wait, what about the Eighth Regiment? Why didn't we hear the Eighth Regiment report their numbers?

Pang Xianchu snapped out of his grief, only to realize that the Eighth Regiment, which was guarding the West Pass, had not yet reported its troop numbers to him. He hurriedly raised his voice and asked:

"How many men are left in the Eighth Regiment?"

Still no response.

Pang Xianchu's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition arose within him.

Then, he strode off, running wildly towards the western city wall where the Eighth Regiment was stationed, while continuing to roar in a hoarse voice:

"Eighth Regiment, anyone still breathing? Make a sound!"

"The Eighth Regiment—"

His personal guards behind him also began shouting loudly along the city wall.

Still no response!

"General, be careful!"

Suddenly, a guard shoved Pang Xianchu, who was passing by the crenellations of the city wall, away.

Whoosh!

puff--

The next second, a gust of wind suddenly swept in, and with the sound of an arrow being fired, a huge arrow fired from a crossbow instantly pierced through the body of the guard.

The flight inertia carried the soldier several meters before he crashed solidly into the city wall and fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a rain of arrows, accompanied by deafening roars, ripped through the sky, and flames erupted and smoke filled the air above the Dragon City walls.

The Yunhui Army below the city has launched a new offensive!

Having narrowly escaped death, Pang Xianchu didn't even have time to close the eyes of the soldier who died in his place. He immediately rushed to the city wall and looked down through the gaps in the crenellations. He saw that the city below was densely packed with enemy troops.

He knew things were bad; the Yunhui army had come out in full force to launch a final, fierce attack to breach the city walls.

Almost simultaneously, a furious roar came from the West Gate city wall, a roar that shook the heavens and the earth!

"The Eighth Regiment, flag bearer Xiao Po is here!"

"As long as the flag stands, the city stands!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, a soldier from the Polu Army, eight feet tall and clad in heavy armor, slowly rose from the pile of corpses on the West Gate city wall, supporting himself with his hands on the flagpole.

His beard was like a halberd, and his eyebrows and eyes were like knives. He showed no fear in the face of the enemy's arrows flying everywhere, and he held up the flagpole of the Eighth Regiment of the Po Lu Army with both hands.

"All regiments, prepare for battle!"

Seeing this, Pang Xianchu's expression turned solemn, and his voice was low. He ordered each regiment to prepare for battle while giving instructions to the few dozen personal guards remaining behind him:

"You must rush to Xiguan immediately. Fight to the last man, and you must not let the enemy troops climb the city wall from Xiguan!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Without the slightest hesitation, dozens of guards charged towards the western city wall, braving the enemy's overwhelming arrows and fierce artillery fire. Their weathered faces were filled with a resolute determination to fight to the death for their country and their comrades.

The arrows and artillery attacks from the Yunhui Army continued, and the vanguard of the siege had already arrived at the city walls. They were raising their shields above their heads to defend against the arrows fired by the defending Polu Army soldiers on the city walls, and then quickly climbing up the city walls using cloud ladders.

Exhausted, Pang Xianchu wandered alone along the city wall, urging the soldiers of each regiment defending the city to prepare for battle.

In fact, without Pang Xianchu's urging and orders, the soldiers of the Polu Army defending the city had already made up their minds to die and vowed to live and die with Longcheng.

When the enemy launched their attack, he immediately retaliated with the crossbow bolts, logs, and stones at hand, hurling them down from the city walls. The enemy soldiers, unable to dodge, screamed and cried out in agony.

Pang Xianchu stood on the city gate tower, sword in hand, his eyes brimming with tears, staring intently at the Longshan camp. He roared with a tragic and resolute tone, "Your Highness Prince Jin, why haven't you come yet!"

"This humble general is afraid he will fail His Highness's trust. This Dragon City, this humble general, this humble general cannot defend it!"

"Your Highness, please come back soon!"

However, the majestic Longshan Mountain in the distance did not give him an answer. It stood there as always, like an indifferent bystander, quietly watching the fighting break out inside and outside Longcheng, and the changing of the king's flag on the city walls.

A roar released the immense pressure.

Pang Xianchu finally regained his senses. He picked up his Longquan sword, which had already been dulled, and headed back down the inner city steps. He needed to get to the Prince Jin's residence to arrange the evacuation of Consort Xu Ruoyun and the Prince's widow.

Unexpectedly, Pang Xianchu had only gone halfway when he ran into the royal family led by the Dowager Consort Xu Ruoyun.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Looking at Xu Ruoyun and the Wang family members dressed in mourning clothes, Pang Xianchu was full of doubt.

"General Pang, it's you!"

Xu Ruoyun's unadorned face remained calm as she slowly and deliberately addressed Pang Xianchu:

"General Pang, the enemy army has launched a major attack on the city, and the Prince of Jin is not in the city. As his mother, I naturally have to step forward and take on this responsibility of defending the land and protecting the people!"

"Alas, I am but a woman, unable to don armor and wield swords like the soldiers and fight on the front lines!"

At this point, Xu Ruoyun paused for a moment, then said, word by word:

"Although I am frail and old, I am still able to beat the war drums. Let me lead my family to the city wall and beat the drums to cheer on the soldiers one last time. This is my way of fulfilling my duty to the late King and the Prince of Jin."

After saying that, Xu Ruoyun ignored Pang Xianchu's reaction and waved her hand to signal her maids and servants to help her walk step by step towards the city tower with determination and resolve.

Pang Xianchu then realized that all the royal family members had brought various musical instruments, presumably intending to play "Qin King's Battle Song" for the soldiers on the city gate tower!

Seeing that he could not stop the Empress Dowager from going up the city wall to beat the drums and cheer for the three armies, Pang Xianchu had no choice but to take a few deep breaths and follow her up the city wall.

A moment later, the stirring "Qin King's Battle Song" once again echoed inside and outside Longcheng.

In an instant, the soldiers of the Polu Army, who were still fighting fiercely against the attacking enemy, were greatly encouraged and their morale soared.

Unleashing their boundless potential, they wielded their swords, spears, and halberds with fierce slashing and hacking, cutting down all the Yunhui Army soldiers who had struggled to climb the city wall.

Below the city, Zhou Wuyang, the deputy general of the Yunhui Army, witnessed his own soldiers, who had almost all climbed the city wall and were fighting fiercely with the defending Polu Army, being slaughtered in an instant. He was also furious when the soldiers climbing the siege ladders were defeated and forced to retreat.

How could he possibly allow the city he was about to conquer to be handed back to the enemy?

Zhou Wuyang gave the order: "The left and right guards, listen to my command! Follow me to attack the city. Whoever first climbs the city wall and captures the flag will be granted the title of a thousand-household commander and rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces."

"Once you capture Dragon City, all the women who beat the drums to cheer on the rebel army on the city walls will be yours to enjoy!"

"Kill them!"

For a time, Zhou Wuyang also sent the left and right guards, who were the reserve force, to the battlefield.

These well-equipped personal guards were far more powerful than ordinary siege troops and were better at spotting gaps and weaknesses in the enemy's defenses. They immediately chose the West Gate city wall as their landing point.

Then, they swarmed towards the West Gate city wall.

Meanwhile, the jumping squad, personally led by Vice General Chang Chenghu, had been fighting fiercely against Pang Xianchu's personal guards on the West Gate city wall for some time.

Dozens of personal guards fought to the death against an enemy several times their size, repelling the enemy's guerrilla attacks time and time again, until the ground beneath their feet was piled high with the corpses of enemy soldiers.

These dozens of personal guards were eventually outnumbered and died from exhaustion, each one stabbed in the chest, falling on the way to counter-charge against the enemy.

With his ring-pommel sword in hand, Chang Chenghu finally climbed the long-awaited West Gate city wall. Of the more than 5,000 men of his jumping squad who had fought fiercely against the Eighth Regiment of the Po Lu Army, fewer than 100 had survived.

Fortunately, after suffering such heavy casualties, he was the first to scale the city walls, and his entire family was spared from death!

Chang Chenghu breathed a sigh of relief, then shouted, "Men! Cut down the enemy's banner and plant my Yunhui Army's banner on the walls of Longcheng!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Soon, several Yunhui Army soldiers brandished their swords and charged straight at the battle flag of the Eighth Regiment of the Polu Army.

Upon reaching the battle flag of the Eighth Regiment of the Po Lu Army, one of the Yunhui Army soldiers raised his sharp steel sword, ready to cut down the Eighth Regiment's battle flag.

In a flash, a cold glint appeared; a blade flashed amidst the pile of corpses.

The next second, the Yunhui Army soldier who had swung his sword to cut down the flag was decapitated, leaving only a headless corpse with blood spurting out, staggering and collapsing to the ground.

Before the remaining soldiers who were trying to plant the Yunhui Army's battle flag on the city wall of Longcheng could react, another flash of light appeared, and the men's throats were slit by the sharp blades on the spot. They all died instantly, their bodies separated from their heads.

Amidst the pile of corpses, a tall, blood-soaked figure, resembling a demon from hell, suddenly sprang to his feet and roared:

"The Eighth Regiment, flag bearer Xiao Po is here!"

"As long as the flag stands, the city stands!"