vstars Chapter 232 The North Gate of Puyang City Has Fallen
Chapter 232 The North Gate of Puyang City Has Fallen
As night fell, a fierce battle raged beneath the southern gate of Puyang. There, at the very front where the two armies clashed, every inch of land was soaked in the heat of war. Though the deep night obscured the starlight, it could not conceal the deafening roar and ceaseless flames of battle. The glint of swords and the flashing of blades weaved a series of tragic scenes in the gloom; the intensity of the battle seemed to tremble even in the darkness itself.
"Ding"
At the dark corner where the eastern and northern city walls of Puyang meet, a faint sound quietly arose, like a secret whisper in the night. Five hundred carefully selected Jurchen warriors were silently launching their raid, intending to use the deep veil of night to infiltrate the sleeping city undetected, hoping to unlock the heavy chains of the northern gate and open a passage for the main Jin army to follow.
The night was as dark as ink. A dozen or so Jin soldiers, dressed in the hues of night, nimbly climbed to the top of the city wall. The spot they had chosen was quite strategic, a barely noticeable weak point in the Li family army's defenses. On the ancient city wall of Puyang, atop the more than ten-meter-high ramparts, a biting wind howled, and the flickering torches appeared and disappeared in the darkness, as if nature had deliberately laid a hazy veil for the attacking Jin soldiers, illuminating their path while cleverly concealing their movements.
"Li Er, look at this scene. Are you feeling uneasy? The Jin army numbers in the hundreds of thousands, and they are very powerful. Back then, the capital of the Song Dynasty was captured by only this many troops. This situation is bound to cause concern."
Meanwhile, the soldiers of Li's army on the other side were confident, their tone filled with pride and determination: "Hey, what's there to be afraid of! With our leader leading the way, no matter how many Jin soldiers there are, they're just sitting ducks. Not to mention anything else, just those strange and wonderful gadgets we have are enough to give the Jin people a hard time. This time, we'll definitely make sure they don't leave alive, and we'll return in triumph. That's a sure thing!"
Just as the two were chatting, the soldier named Li Er suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a bloody knife tip protruding from his chest.
The soldier next to him seemed to understand something. He was about to shout when a Jin soldier dressed in black covered his mouth and slashed his throat with a knife.
In the blink of an eye, the two soldiers of Li's army collapsed helplessly in pools of blood, like fallen leaves swept away by the autumn wind. Immediately afterward, outside the city wall, countless Jin soldiers, like ghosts in the night, launched their attack silently, carrying rope ladders and nimbly climbing upwards.
The moonlight shone brightly, illuminating the gleaming steel blades they held in their mouths, their cold light sending chills down their spines. Despite their large numbers, the Jin soldiers moved with remarkable uniformity and silence, like a well-trained elite force, every action exuding a formidable threat.
As more Jin soldiers scaled the eastern city wall of Puyang, they split into two groups. One group continued to use ropes to slide into the city and headed towards the north gate. The other group continued to sneak towards the area defended by the Li family army soldiers, and another four or five Li family army soldiers were silently taken down.
Just as these Jin soldiers continued to advance, an officer from Li's army noticed something amiss.
"It's bad! The Jin soldiers are advancing! Everyone, quickly engage them!"
The officer fired his signal pistol into the sky, and a red flare instantly illuminated the night.
Li Zhen, who was watching the battle from the south gate, looked up and saw this scene. He exclaimed, "Oh no, it's coming from the east gate!"
A signal flare pierced the night sky, dazzling and rapid, like an alarm bell shattering the city's silence. The Jin soldiers, witnessing this, immediately understood—their covert operation had been exposed. Their steps quickened involuntarily, as if driven by an invisible whip, as they raced desperately towards the north gate, each breath heavy as a drumbeat, each step a testament to their will to survive.
At this moment, over two hundred Jin soldiers had poured into the city, their figures moving through the night like ghosts in the darkness. On the city walls, the battle remained fierce, with another two hundred Jin soldiers engaged in a brutal struggle with Li's army. Amidst the clashing of swords and the deafening shouts of battle, blood and sweat mingled to create a tragic scene; every second, someone teetered on the edge of life and death.
There was a battalion of Li's army defending the north city wall, but there was only a platoon at the city gate. Moreover, these soldiers had no idea that the Jurchens had already sneaked into the city. They saw a group of people running from inside the city and thought it was the city's reserve force coming to support them.
As the Jin soldiers surged forward like a tide in the dark night, drawing ever closer, the soldiers of Li's army finally recognized their true faces by the flickering torchlight—they were menacing enemies.
"Beware! Enemy troops are attacking! Everyone must be on high alert! They intend to seize the city gates. Defend them to the death; we cannot afford to lose them!"
Atop the city wall, the warriors of Li's army suddenly heard an unusual commotion. They exchanged alert glances, then rushed to their respective commanders, urgently reporting the unexpected turn of events. Before orders could be given, they had already spontaneously organized reinforcements, marching with firm steps towards the city walls, determined to block the path of the Jin soldiers attempting to seize the city gates.
Those two hundred-odd Jin soldiers were no ordinary men. Clad in armor and wielding sharp blades, they swept across the battlefield like autumn leaves in the wind, unleashing their art of slaughter. Under their onslaught, the flames of life of Li's army soldiers were extinguished one by one. Time seemed to accelerate; in the brief interval of a cup of tea, several valiant Jin soldiers, with their extraordinary martial prowess and tacit understanding, had together pushed open the heavy and ancient city gate, paving a smooth road to victory for the army.
With a slightly clumsy creak, the heavy city gate to the north of Puyang slowly opened its confinement under the force of the Jin soldiers pushing from the inside. Outside the city, the Jin army had been lying in wait like hungry wolves for a long time, awaiting this moment. The instant the city gate opened, it was as if the chains binding wild beasts had been broken. The Jin soldiers let out deafening roars and surged in like a tidal wave, sweeping into the city with unparalleled arrogance and a thirst for conquest.
Upon seeing this scene, the battalion commander of Li's army, who was in charge of defending the north gate, was extremely anxious. He shouted, "Brothers, quickly take back the city gate! If the Jurchens break in, our Puyang City will be finished!"
Another red signal flare shot into the sky. Li Zhen saw that it was coming from the direction of the North Gate and immediately realized that it was a distress signal from the North Gate, which must have been occupied by the Jurchens who had sneaked in.
Li Zhen's face was ashen. He shouted to his personal guards, "Immediately organize troops to come with me to support the North Gate. That should be the focus of the war now."