novelhk Chapter 841: Fierce battle, dispute arises again!
Chapter 841: Fierce battle, dispute arises again!
The waning moon, dotted with cold stars, cast a shadow over the Yangping Pass like a dormant giant beast. Inside, the dead silence was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and despair. Gao Yao leaned against the cold battlements, dark red blood crusts clotted on his black armor, and every breath strained his aching muscles. Fatigue weighed like a heavy lead weight on his eyelids and limbs.
He knew clearly in his heart: Yangping Pass must not be lost! If it were lost, Xiang Yu's cavalry would march straight into Hanzhong, threatening the heartland of Bashu. His painstakingly built foundation would be in jeopardy of collapse. What would be lost would be far more than the lives of these loyal and brave soldiers, but the entire strategic initiative and the safety of millions of his people!
Therefore, even though he knew that the remaining two thousand wounded and exhausted soldiers in his hands, facing the more than 30,000 Chu army reinforcements outside the city, were as slim as a candle in the wind, he had to hold on! With flesh and blood, with will, with the last bit of wisdom, to fill this hopeless gap!
"Someone come here!" Gao Yao's voice rang out in the silent night, with a hoarseness like sandpaper friction, but extremely firm.
"I'm here!" A captain of the personal guards immediately stepped forward, his face also covered in blood and fatigue, but his eyes were still sharp.
"Take out all the black powder in the warehouse!" Gao Yao cast his gaze toward the battlefield's frontier, its outline blurred by the moonlight. "Tonight! Within a hundred paces of the pass, select several areas where the enemy is most likely to gather and charge tomorrow. Bury them deep! Bury them deep, set the fuses, and cover them with soil for camouflage! Tomorrow... whether we can survive another round depends on the luck of these 'landmines'!"
"Yes!" A hint of determination flashed in the captain's eyes. He clasped his fists and accepted the order. Without any hesitation, he turned around and disappeared into the dark corridor to carry out this mission that was related to life and death.
On the city walls, except for a few sentries who persevered behind the battlements, vigilantly watching the small bonfires of the Chu army camp, the remaining surviving soldiers huddled in any sheltered corners they could find. They kept devouring various foods. In terms of food, the Southern Border Army still had an ample advantage, even having dried meat. In addition, the Southern Border Army was definitely not lacking in noodle soup.
Compared with the Chu army, the Chu army could only eat wild vegetable soup and dry and hard corn at this time. The difference in food was still very large. Of course, it was not all good for the Southern Border Army.
Rest was the Southern Border Army's greatest sorrow. The Chu army could rest in shifts, waiting for the enemy to tire. But from the moment Gao Yao arrived, they were like being nailed to this section of the wall. They fought bloody battles during the day, and at night, braving the biting cold and the bone-deep exhaustion of standing guard and setting traps.
Rest? That was a luxury. Their bodies and spirits had long been stretched to the limit, held together only by an unyielding will. Gao Yao surveyed these silent figures, an indescribable heaviness welling up in his heart. He knew he was gambling the lives and wills of these loyal soldiers on a slim chance of a turnaround.
Wasn't he the same? In today's bloody battle on the city walls, he personally led his battalion in relentless charging through the meat-grinder-like battle lines, his long spear wielding countless fierce Chu soldiers. A rough estimate was that no fewer than a hundred souls had fallen under his lance. The intense fighting had drained every ounce of his strength; even clenching his fists ached with aching knuckles. Since entering Yangping Pass, his nerves had been like a taut bowstring, never relaxing for a moment. The Chu army's offensive was like a tidal wave, one wave after another, and for him, the backbone of the army, even a moment of rest was a luxury.
The only thing to be thankful for was that Yangping Pass, as the vital route connecting Guanzhong and Hanzhong, had abundant food reserves and clear springs within the pass. At least between bloody battles, the soldiers could fill their hungry stomachs with coarse but filling food and soothe their parched throats with sweet spring water. This was the most basic guarantee they needed to keep fighting.
Gao Yao forced himself to swallow the last of the hard biscuit, then gulped down several large gulps of cold water. The icy liquid slid into his stomach, bringing a brief moment of clarity. He chose not to return to the relative safety of the fortress, but sat down against the cold battlements of the city wall, removing his heavy helmet and placing it at his side. He needed every moment to recover his strength. The cold bluestone sent a chill through his armor, but he no longer cared.
He closed his eyes, resting the heavy spear across his knees. Almost instantly, his consciousness sank into endless darkness and exhaustion. The cold wind howled from the city walls, and the faint sounds of fighting from the distant Chu army camp could be heard, but none of this could prevent him from sinking into a brief, restorative sleep. He had to sleep, for tomorrow's battle.
A faint, fish-belly-white glint had just appeared in the eastern sky, dispelling the darkness and revealing the devastated battlefield before the pass. From the direction of the Chu army camp, the deep, penetrating sound of war drums, like the roar of an awakened giant beast, boomed loudly!
“Boom! Boom! Boom—!”
The drumbeats were as dense as rain, carrying a heart-pounding murderous aura that instantly tore through the tranquility of the early morning and woke up all the soldiers who were sleeping in their clothes on the city walls.
Gao Yao snapped his eyes open, his pupils bloodshot, but beneath the exhaustion lay a sharp, ignited fighting spirit. The short sleep was like a fresh injection of life into a dry pond. Almost immediately, a personal guard half-knelt before him, holding a large, coarse earthenware bowl in both hands, steam rising from it.
"Your Majesty, broth!"
The rich aroma of food seemed especially precious in the air thick with blood and gun smoke. This was a luxury unique to the Southern Frontier Army—even during the most brutal sieges, Gao Yao would always strive to ensure that the frontline soldiers had hot, meaty meals whenever conditions permitted. The bowl contained a thick broth simmered generously with air-dried bacon. The fat formed a golden film on the surface, and the heavy chunks of meat were clearly visible. This was essential for restoring strength and boosting spirits.
Gao Yao, without a moment's hesitation, took the bowl and grabbed the equally hot flatbread beside it. Like the hungriest warrior, he tore into the bread, swallowing it whole with the scalding, rich broth. His bowl contained significantly more meat than that of an ordinary soldier—as the commander and the strongest force, he needed more energy to sustain the upcoming intense battle.
The immense physical exertion had brought on a prodigious appetite, the iron law of conservation of energy being fully demonstrated at this moment. The boiling hot broth slid down his throat, the warmth quickly spreading to his limbs and bones, dispelling the night chill and awakening dormant powers.
The sound of war drums from the city walls grew closer and more urgent, like a death spell. The massive Chu army formation began to loom in the morning mist, like a moving black jungle.
Gao Yao gulped down the last of his thick soup and casually handed the empty bowl to his personal guard. He abruptly stood up and snatched up the long spear leaning against the wall. The touch of the cold metal invigorated him. He strode towards the forefront of the city wall, each step making a dull thud on the blood-stained and rubble-covered bricks.