War Beacon

Chiye didn't need anyone to act, it charged out. Xin Yi flipped his hand to draw a short blade from his lower back. The newly sharpened blade and the newly sharpened young man complemented each other, merging into a danger of immense power, like a whirlwind arriving in the blink of an eye. Xin Yi braced his hands on the horse's back, hooked onto its neck, then, with a lift of his body, flipped and stepped onto Arslang's long saber.

Arslang's arm sank, then, surprisingly, both saber and man were lifted. Xin Yi released Chiye, arched his body to press against the back of the long saber, flipped over, and swung his legs to sweep towards Arslang's neck. Arslang tilted his head back to dodge, the long saber slid. Xin Yi took the opportunity to close in, holding his short blade horizontally, and in a cold gleam, sliced towards Arslang's chest, which was now within reach.

Crimson blood spurted from the clothing on Arslang's chest. He turned his saber and, with a hand, seized Xin Yi's short blade. Xin Yi directly abandoned the blade, his toe flicking under the hilt of the Heavenly Dao that was stuck to one side, and the Heavenly Dao flipped into his hand. He turned sharply and retreated, suddenly creating a distance of several people between them.

Arslang tossed away the short blade with one hand, wiped his chest, then looked up at Xin Yi and suddenly laughed.

Xin Yi flipped the Heavenly Dao to hold it horizontally. He wasn't wearing a helmet, his exposed face was still very young, but he was completely different from the youth Arslang had seen in the capital before.

This was a young man now.

Neither spoke, their gazes enough to flay each other. Xin Yi lunged forward again. This time, Arslang did not underestimate him; he scraped his foot, standing as steady as Mount Tai.

"Detach and encircle!" Wu Yu ordered from horseback. "Vanguard, charge! Push these barbarian soldiers out of the street! Push them out!" His voice, usually used for playful teasing, was unexpectedly reliable and steady at this moment. "Gate guards, to the city gate! Those pushing from Xiajin, drive them out! Followed by Lijin archers! Once the city gate is clear, immediately hold the line and block, repair the gate for me!" As he spoke, he let out a gasp, pulling a small child from his back, the very one found in Xianglan City. This child, upon seeing Xin Yi, hugged his leg and refused to let go. Just before entering the city, Xin Yi had dropped him off Chiye's back into Wu Yu's care. Now, Wu Yu didn't know where else to put him, so he could only keep him on his own horse. He said, "What are you doing? If you don't obey, I'll throw you to feed the barbarian soldiers!"

The small child struggled, then hugged his arm and bit down, making Wu Yu grimace in pain. At this moment, he couldn't let go, so he hissed, "Do you still want to see the Prince?" He leaned his face closer and snarled, "If you bite me again, I won't let you see him!"

The small child indeed let go. Wu Yu pulled back his hand and spurred his horse towards the city gate. Clearing Shanghua Street would take a while; first, the city gate needed to be repaired to cut off the continued invasion of Yuan soldiers. Along the way, blades and spears were indiscriminate. Wu Yu pressed the small child into his arms, not wanting him to poke his head out and look around. Seeing that the child wasn't afraid, Wu Yu couldn't be bothered to manage him further.

The city gate had been broken into splinters. The gate guards dismantled houses from civilian areas along the way to block it up again. However, this process was extremely difficult. Outside the city, Great Yuan soldiers were constantly attacking. Among the cavalry, the toughest were the heavy cavalry; a charge from that fully armored unit couldn't be stopped by a few wooden planks. Wu Yu couldn't even get onto the city wall. If this continued, the reinforcements would also be battered into remnants.

"Shield defense!" Wu Yu's horse had its leg severed by a scimitar. He hugged the small child and tumbled off the horse's back. He roared, "Quickly, damn it, raise the shield defense! Push them back! Push them out for me like you're clearing a street!"

The heavy cavalry had already begun to gallop. Debris on the city wall shook and showered down. The Beiyang Army's spiked shields were raised, and the enemy's hooves were already upon them.

Heavy!

Leaping hooves stomped on the shield surface; it took at least four or five men underneath to withstand the immense pressure. Wu Yu felt a weight on his head, and his whole body bent. The small child was beneath him; any more pressure would crush him. He half-squatted in a horse stance, bearing the weight, his calves trembling incessantly. He gritted his teeth and let out a curse.

'Damn, it's heavy!'

Fortunately, these spiked shields, specifically designed to counter Great Yuan heavy cavalry, could withstand the force. Otherwise, if an enemy hoof kicked through, wouldn't it land on someone's face? That would be pointless. And simply being able to withstand it wasn't enough; they had to block, push them out, and prevent them from entering further!

But what could they use to block them?

Wu Yu gritted his teeth. In a flash of inspiration, he thought of the spiked shields. As the pressure on the shield lightened, he scooped up the small child and, with the people beside him, dragged the spiked shield backward. Wu Yu shouted left and right, "Stack the spiked shields! Pile them up! Block the city gate in one go! Use spiked shields to block the city gate!"

The spiked shields were thick and heavy, and their forward spikes were very sturdy. Once stacked into a shield wall, even heavy cavalry charges would find it difficult to break through, as long as the men could hold out.

The small child quickly scrambled up Wu Yu's back to sit on his neck, grabbing his hair and looking around. Wu Yu, pressing his shoulder against the shield, didn't notice. Who knew that the child would boldly poke his head out and look over the shield wall?

Wu Yu's hair was pulled painfully. He grabbed the child's leg and cursed, "You want to die, you little demon!"

The small child tugged his hair back, forcing Wu Yu to tilt his head and crouch down. "What are you doin'—" He was cut off mid-sentence as an arrow flew over the top of the shield.

The Great Yuan forces focused on the breach in the city gate. Wu Yu pulled down the small child and pressed him into his arms. Arrows rained down from above. Behind the spiked shields was the safest place, but equally, the most unsafe. Taking advantage of the spiked shields' pause, the heavy cavalry launched a second charge.

When the sturdy, heavily armored horses crashed into them, the entire spiked shield wall trembled. The Beiyang Army soldiers at the very bottom were even pushed backward, and the entire shield surface retreated with them.

Battering rams also crashed forward. These thick, massive ramming logs, iron-clad at the front, were impervious to the spiked shields' thrusts. Even if they were punctured with numerous holes from the spikes, there were more replacements behind them. But the Beiyang Army, led by Wu Yu, couldn't take it. The weight of the spiked shields combined with the impact force of the battering rams numbed their hands. They used their shoulders and bodies to push, but still couldn't avoid the disadvantage of constantly retreating.

'Damn those Great Yuan soldiers!'

Wu Yu cursed fiercely, the impact making him dizzy.

What to do? The city gate absolutely could not be opened again!

"Push!" Wu Yu's throat was hoarse from shouting. He pushed the spiked shield with all his might, his feet scrabbling in the earth that had already been dug into shallow pits. He cursed hoarsely, "Push! Push them for all you're worth!"

The men beside him grunted a few responses, then simultaneously roared, "One, two, push!"

The shield wall slowly advanced, overturning the turf on the ground, pushing the battering rams back. On the other side, the Great Yuan soldiers also roared and pushed back forcefully. Both sides were locked in a tug-of-war of strength, inside and outside this thick shield wall.

Whoever fell first would signify the other's victory. If the Beiyang Army managed to push all the way to the city gate, then Great Yuan would have to redefine their assault on Shangjin. If the Great Yuan soldiers shattered this shield wall with brute force, then Shangjin would be considered lost, and these tens of thousands of Beiyang reinforcements would have no chance to even catch their breath against the endless stream of Great Yuan soldiers.

They had to hold.

Suddenly, some Great Yuan soldiers dismounted, running out from behind the battering ram, clearly intending to climb over the shield wall and directly attack the rear.

Wu Yu waved backward. The archers behind him suddenly drew their bows, poised to shoot at the top of the shield. As soon as a head appeared, arrows rained down from behind. However, this alone couldn't stop the Great Yuan soldiers' relentless assault. Those who slipped through the arrow rain climbed over the shield wall, and the Beiyang Army soldiers below, unable to free their hands, had their lives claimed by scimitars from above.

A gleaming scimitar twirled overhead, grazing Wu Yu's scalp, provoking a string of curses from him. The small child in his arms, highly perceptive, ducked down and hid under his protection, not even showing his head at this moment.

'Hey, this kid!'

As the saber wind swept overhead, Wu Yu ducked his head. A man behind him boldly struck out, grabbing the Great Yuan soldier on top of the shield by the shoulder strap, pulling him down, then flipped his long saber and slit his throat.

"The Prince is truly unparalleled in bravery! Oh, I admire you, I admire you! Hey, behind you! Ah, above!" Wu Yu shouted, pressing against the shield, "Prince, chop, chop, chop them to death!"

With one hand, Xin Yi scooped out the small child from beneath him and tossed him onto his back. The Heavenly Dao was wedged in the shield wall. He flipped over and climbed up. Standing steadily on the shield's edge, he brought his saber down, sweeping away a whole section! The small child hugged his neck tightly, burying his face in his back, feeling a wet stickiness on his hands. Looking down his back, he saw that blood had indeed seeped from under the armor.

Xin Yi gripped a spike with one hand, spun his body, kicked out, overturning the Great Yuan soldier who had just climbed up, and took the opportunity to glance outside Shangjin.

Cavalry were densely packed outside Shangjin, both heavy and light. Many siege weapons like battering rams could be seen still halted in the rear. Arslang hadn't returned to his army yet, but the Great Yuan soldiers showed no signs of disarray.

This was an army that only attacked, never retreated.

Cavalry allowed them to run as fast as wind. In recent years, Great Lan had acquired new horses, all Great Yuan Horses and Beiyang Horses, but they were not fully equipped. After all, not all countries could be like Great Yuan, where everyone was a soldier and everyone raised horses. So, compared to the flexibility of advance, retreat, and raid, Great Yuan already had an advantage on horseback. Their fierce attack on Shangjin was probably because they hadn't brought much grain with them, intending to fight their way into Great Lan by living off the land. But Xin Yi's side also couldn't afford such attrition. The Crown Prince would certainly not help him by allocating ample military provisions from the capital, and the Prince of Tang had already seized control of the granaries in the south. He only had the Beiyang Army, which had only recently been integrated and was still somewhat unfamiliar, along with one-third of Beiyang.

He could afford attrition even less than Arslang.

He also had to be wary of the Prince of Tang in the south.

Someone grabbed Xin Yi's foot. The blade in his hand plunged down from the top in the blink of an eye. As his foot loosened, that person fell. The sight of blood on the blade was very unsettling. Xin Yi felt the wound on his back shoulder had reopened.

Just then, he saw Arslang rejoining his army.

Without further delay, he withdrew and flipped back behind the shield wall. Wu Yu shouted, "What's happening?!"

Xin Yi pushed him, then also pushed the wall. His arrival brought many people who had retreated from Shanghua Street. The men pressed their shoulders together, shouted in unison, and stepped forward in formation. The shield wall rumbled into motion, quickly pushing to the other side, moving frantically towards the city gate.

The spikes pressed against the battering ram, surprisingly pushing the Great Yuan soldiers on the other side backward.

"Hot oil," Xin Yi whispered to Wu Yu. "Have the archers use hot oil, ignite it before shooting!"

"What about the insufficient reserve arrows then?" Wu Yu coughed a few muffled times. "We have no reserve arrows! Once we use hot oil, we can't retrieve them!"

"Retrieve?" The enemy rammed hard, shaking the shield wall. Xin Yi braced himself with a large step, his tight lips revealing his unease. "There's no chance to go out. They still have a rear army; their main force will concentrate on breaking through Shangjin."

Wu Yu cursed under his breath, then turned and shouted, "Burn oil, fire rockets! Burn these bastards to death!"

The oil-soaked rockets, ablaze, flew overhead, rustling. On the other side, a chorus of shouts erupted, and the battering rams would also become too hot to handle.

"Push! Push with all your might!" Wu Yu roared. The shield wall, amidst these shouts, advanced with unstoppable force, charging straight for the city gate. Bodies tripped underfoot, and Wu Yu stumbled, landing face-first in the mud. As the corner of the shield he was holding loosened, a scimitar suddenly thrust in from the opposite side. Immediately after, this section of the spiked shield was violently pried open, revealing a large gap!

Someone on the opposite side quickly raised a bow, and long arrows shot forth with the speed of a gale.

Wu Yu lay on the ground, watching helplessly as the long arrows flew straight towards the gate.

The arrows were close. The spiked shield that had been pried open was suddenly slammed down with great force by someone, trapping and crushing the hand holding the scimitar in the gap, just barely blocking the arrows.

Wu Yu's collar tightened. He was directly lifted by Xin Yi and pressed against the shield. Xin Yi said, "Push!"

On the other side, a sharp cry of pain rang out. The hand, crushed close by, had long since dropped its scimitar, leaving only the agony of tensed fingers. But Xin Yi's terrifying expression showed not a trace of emotion. Even as blood flowed from the crushed wrist, coating a section of the shield, his profile pressed against the shield surface remained cold.

Wu Yu shivered and pushed with all his might.

The entire shield surface advanced rapidly, pushing the battering ram to forcefully wedge into the empty city gate, forming a dark, sturdy, spiked barricade, blocking the Great Yuan soldiers just outside Shangjin, majestically and chillingly.

"Archers, to the wall!" Xin Yi was still taciturn; he could only drag Wu Yu, making him repeat the orders over and over.

"To the wall, to the wall!" Wu Yu's flailing hand hit Xin Yi's armor, sticky and wet. He looked at it and cried out in alarm, "Why is there so much blood!"

Xin Yi's lips were pale. He pushed Wu Yu onto the wall ladder, then stood in the shadows to recover for a moment, saying, "Go up! If Great Yuan still intends to attack, keep shooting. If Great Yuan stops, immediately send people to search Shangjin for all food and supplies, move the common people, gather—" As he spoke, he suddenly started coughing, so violently that he had to bend over.

Wu Yu was startled. "Prince!"

Xin Yi waved his hand. "Go up." He was wiping something with his hand in the shadows. "You go up first!"

Wu Yu was terrified, intuitively knowing that Xin Yi must have been seriously injured, yet commanding from the wall could not be delayed. He stomped his foot and cried, "You absolutely must not die!" With that, he turned and went up the city wall.

The small child rustled and slid down Xin Yi's back to the ground. He touched Xin Yi's ribs, and sure enough, it was already wet and sticky.

Arslang's long saber was not so easily dealt with.

His armor was tied tightly, and Xin Yi couldn't take it off immediately. He still had to go up the city wall and wouldn't be able to rest until Great Yuan temporarily stopped its assault. However, the wound under his ribs was the most severe, almost completely pierced by Arslang. The clothes inside were matted with blood, sticking to his armor, and chafing the wound painfully with every movement. There was also a saber wound on his back shoulder, cutting in a third of the way, the blade edge extending to his lower back, horrific and gruesome, already torn and bloody during the shield push.

Blood loss made him dizzy, his face pale.

The small child, lowered in the shadows, watched his eyes and brows, remarkably calm and composed. The young man showed no trace of emotion. His usual gentle and amiable expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness seemed to have been exhausted. In the shadow filled with shouts of killing, he revealed his extreme coldness and taciturnity.

This person was Xin Yi.