Chapter 123: Holding Firm for Reinforcements

Xiao Ding was in his quarters attending to Yu Feng’s injuries when footsteps echoed outside. A servant entered and announced, "General Tian, Magistrate Kou and Commander Cao have requested your presence in the main hall to discuss military matters."

"Understood. I will be there shortly," Xiao Ding replied.

He instructed the soldier tending to Yu Feng to ensure he finished all his medicine and to look after him well. He then turned, left the room, and made his way to the county office’s conference hall.

The hall was already filled with people. Magistrate Kou and Commander Cao presided, accompanied by a garrison commander from Xinquan County and over a dozen lower-ranking officers of the captain level. Seeing Xiao Ding enter, the Magistrate and the Commander promptly offered him a seat of honor.

Xiao Ding did not stand on ceremony. After sitting, he asked, "Gentlemen, what is the matter at hand?"

"General Tian, you may not be aware, but scouts have just reported that the Great Xia general, Chibugou, has returned with twenty thousand troops to lay siege to Xinquan once more!" Magistrate Kou said, his voice laced with anxiety.

"These barbarians certainly have numbers. After we killed seven or eight thousand, they have brought another twenty thousand," Xiao Ding remarked with indifference.

"General, one must not underestimate the barbarians. It is said that Prince Li Daocheng of the Great Xia has brought a total of one hundred and twenty thousand troops and over a dozen top-tier generals for this invasion of our Great Song," Magistrate Kou warned with good intentions.

"When soldiers come, we block them; when water comes, we earth it. There is no need for such fear," Xiao Ding said calmly.

"General Tian is right. Do you have any brilliant strategy to defeat the enemy?" Commander Cao asked, probing.

"Have you sent word to Magistrate Huang at Dingbian?" Xiao Ding asked.

"Yes, the message has already been sent," Magistrate Kou replied.

"That is good. We need only hold the city. The barbarians are not skilled in siege warfare; we simply must avoid open-field battles with them. While their horse archery is formidable, it is of little use against a walled city. We should prepare more heavy bows, crossbows, logs, and stones, and focus on our defensive preparations," Xiao Ding stated coolly.

"Agreed. That was our intention as well," Commander Cao and Magistrate Kou concurred.

"Furthermore, I possess blueprints for a powerful crossbow. You may have the city’s craftsmen scale them up and expedite production. Once enlarged, these crossbows will possess far greater power than standard bows," Xiao Ding said, pulling the design for the repeating crossbow from his robes.

"General Tian, constructing weapons from scratch now might be cutting it too close," Magistrate Kou said worriedly.

"Gather more hands. Bring all the craftsmen in the city together," Xiao Ding ordered.

"Manpower is not the issue. Xinquan County has its own armory workshop, and with all the blacksmiths in the city, we have at least one or two hundred men. My concern is the lack of raw materials. As you may know, iron ore is scarce in the Great Song, and our reserves here in Xinquan are quite limited. I fear we will run out of materials if we mass-produce these new crossbows," Magistrate Kou said, speaking from his intimate knowledge of the city's situation.

"Oh, I see," Xiao Ding’s heart sank. A clever housewife cannot cook without rice—without raw materials, how could they build the crossbows?

However, his eyes brightened as he thought of a solution. "Magistrate Kou, you need not worry. My troops captured a significant amount of barbarian weaponry last night. We have no use for these weapons as they are, so we can melt them down to forge the crossbows."

"A brilliant idea, General! These weapons are forged from excellent steel!" Magistrate Kou exclaimed, delighted.

After the meeting, everyone dispersed to execute their tasks. Xiao Ding issued orders for his five thousand troops to prepare for the siege.

By dusk, Chibugou’s army had arrived outside Xinquan. He ordered his men to set up camp, and to prevent another surprise attack, he assigned five thousand troops to patrol and keep watch. Once the camp was established, Chibugou ordered the fires lit for a meal, intending to launch an assault on Xinquan that very night. Failure was not an option; he could not face the Prince again with a loss.

Fortunately, no incidents occurred during the camp setup or dinner. Once the barbarian soldiers had regained some strength, Chibugou roared, "Soldiers! Attack the city now! We must take Xinquan tonight! Once the city falls, all the gold, silver, and beautiful women within are yours!"

Looting money, grain, and women had been the barbarians' standard practice since the invasion began.

Inside Xinquan, defenses were ready. Magistrate Kou and Commander Cao stood on the ramparts as the supreme commanders, with Xiao Ding assisting nearby. Watching the barbarian tide approach the northern side of the city with torches, Magistrate Kou gave the order: "Fire!"

The soldiers drew their bows and unleashed a volley. Though it was dark, the sheer number of charging barbarians meant that even inaccurate shots found their mark on men or horses. Moreover, both sides carried torches, and the reflection of the recent heavy snow made the night less than pitch-black.

As the barbarians entered range, they returned fire, and soon, defenders on the ramparts began to fall.

"Shield bearers, cover!" Magistrate Kou ordered.

Shield bearers quickly moved to the front of the archers. The barbarians also deployed shield bearers, but since they were almost entirely cavalry, their infantry shields provided little protection. Thus, their strategy was to charge hard through the arrow storm and return fire once in range. Their shield bearers focused on protecting the infantry carrying ladders, battering rams, and logs to the walls to breach the gates or scale the battlements.

The city defenders countered with logs and stones, or by pouring boiling water and even heated excrement down upon the attackers. The latter was particularly cruel, as the pathogens within could cause infections that were nearly impossible to treat in those conditions.

Chibugou directed the assault for the better part of the night without success, losing three or four thousand men before calling for a retreat. Xinquan had lost over two thousand men. Once the barbarians pulled back, the Magistrate ordered his men to rest, leaving only sentries on the walls.

The next morning, reinforcements led by Shu Tianxiu arrived with ten thousand men. With their forces combined, Chibugou was elated. The two commanders decided to encircle Xinquan completely and launch a four-sided assault.

Yet, after a full day of fighting, the city remained unconquered. By nightfall, Chibugou and Shu Tianxiu called off the attack, having lost another five thousand men. Xinquan had lost over three thousand. Magistrate Kou and Commander Cao grew panicked; in just two days, their garrison had been halved. At this rate, the city would fall within days.

With all four gates under siege, sending a messenger out was now impossible. The leaders conferred, but no one could offer a better plan. Their only remaining option was to hold the line and pray for reinforcements.