Volume One - The Frontier of the Chen Kingdom, The Rebellious Marquis’s Immortal Path Chapter 33: Beyond the Northern Fortress

In the northern gate of Chen Kingdom, Chen Bin and his companions had barely enjoyed two days of relief before their joy turned to terror as they discovered the Zheng army advancing once more, seemingly intent on breaking through their city in a single stroke.

The men were like ants on a hot pan, anxiously watching the Zheng forces assembled outside the city walls.

“Didn’t they retreat? Why are their troops gathering here again?” Chen Bin asked in confusion. But no one could answer him—or rather, it was clear to all that Zheng’s withdrawal had only ever been temporary.

“Hmph, Your Highness need not worry. We have seventy to eighty thousand troops defending the Northern Gate. Zheng has but forty or fifty thousand. How could they possibly breach the gates of Chen Kingdom?” a marquis scoffed, dismissing the enemy entirely.

Yet the commander of the Northern Gate frowned deeply. He had witnessed firsthand the strength of Zheng’s army; though they numbered only forty or fifty thousand, should battle be joined in earnest, his own side might not withstand them.

So the general advised, “Your Highness, as long as we follow our usual strategy and hold the gate, we can surely repel them once again.”

“Ha! Old General Yi, you exaggerate the enemy’s morale. The Chen Kingdom boasts a mighty army—what have we to fear?” the marquis retorted coldly.

Chen Bin, a royal prince, was no fool, but he had never experienced such brutal warfare. Now, seeing the enemy assembled before their walls, he was nearly scared out of his wits, wishing only to flee, not daring to take the initiative.

Since Old General Yi had a plan, Chen Bin seized the opportunity to follow his advice.

…

“People of Chen, open your gates and surrender at once, or do not blame the Zheng army for storming in and inflicting unspeakable horrors upon you!” a Zheng soldier shouted at the front lines.

“You think you can breach our Northern Gate? I advise you thieves to retreat quickly, lest the divine might of Chen Kingdom leave you with no way back!” came the reply.

“So you truly do not know your place.” The Zheng soldier wasted no more words. He raised his arm and shouted, “Attack!”

Instantly, Zheng soldiers surged forward like a swarm of hornets. Behind them, massive crossbows had already been drawn, their bolts fired toward the Northern Gate.

Yet the terrain favored the defenders: the gate was wedged between two sheer mountain walls, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Otherwise, given the disparity in strength, the gate would have fallen long ago.

“Loose arrows! Do not let them near the gate!” Old General Yi shouted.

Arrows rained down in successive volleys, harvesting enemy lives. But even so, the attackers did not retreat. Suddenly, great shields were raised overhead, and Zheng soldiers pressed forward through the hail of arrows.

“Throw stones!” Old General Yi sensed trouble. He realized this attack was unlike any before: the enemy was a pack of ravenous wolves, lunging with ferocity.

With massive crossbows supporting them, Zheng’s soldiers inflicted heavy losses on the defenders atop the gate.

“We can’t go on like this, or the gate will surely fall. Quickly—burn them with fire oil!” Watching the gate nearly breached and seeing the swelling ranks of Zheng soldiers below, the fourth prince, Chen Jing, cried out in terror.

Old General Yi frowned, intending to hold out a bit longer until more of Zheng’s soldiers had gathered, but Chen Jing had already ordered the fire oil poured down.

With a rush, the fire oil caught flame, erupting into an inferno that set hundreds, even thousands of Zheng soldiers ablaze, their screams echoing without end.

Yet Zheng Liao did not signal retreat. He merely ordered, coldly, “Crossbows with fire, loose!”

The massive bolts soared over the gate, exploding suddenly and raining fire from above.

“Not good, their bolts carry fire oil bags!” Old General Yi’s face changed dramatically. “Quick, pour all the fire oil outside the walls!”

Though their response was swift, a small amount of fire oil still burned fiercely atop the walls, the screams spreading.

The marquises and princes present were pale with terror, nearly collapsing, and some even jumped down from the walls to flee into the city.

Old General Yi’s expression was grim, but he could not afford to worry about them now. He could only shout, “Do not retreat! Hold the gate! Kill!”

Some were stirred to courage, shouting as they raised their blades against enemies scaling the walls—among them, Crown Prince Chen Bin and Second Prince Chen You.

“Kill! Slay the enemy invaders!”

This time, they witnessed firsthand the might of Zheng’s army. Watching the enemy soldiers swarm the walls and the gate nearly breached, Chen Bin, Chen You, and Old General Yi all lamented bitterly: Chen Kingdom is in peril.

Just as the defenders of the Northern Gate were on the verge of despair, a black streak appeared behind the Zheng army: Chen Yu and his three thousand black-armored cavalry had arrived.

The thunderous hoofbeats shook the battlefield.

“Is that reinforcements?” The mysterious black-armored cavalry was well-known to Old General Yi and others, and hope flickered in their hearts.

“They’ve finally appeared?” Zheng Liao’s eyes glinted coldly, murderous intent swirling in his chest. He ordered in a low voice, “Annihilate them all!”

“By your command.” Two vanguards led two thousand cavalry forward. “Charge!”

“Charge!” Xia Youcheng shouted, “Destroy them!”

When the two sides were barely a hundred yards apart, another two thousand cavalry appeared out of nowhere on Xia You’s flanks, slicing toward the Zheng riders like twin blades.

“Charge!” Xia You’s men showed no fear, no hesitation, only accelerating, and in the blink of an eye clashed with Zheng’s cavalry.

As the two forces passed through each other, hundreds of lives were lost. To everyone’s astonishment, one of Zheng’s famed Bladeless was cut down from his horse—the deed done by Jing Zhe.

Though Xia You’s side lost a dozen men, it was a resounding victory.

“Go—into the dense woods!” Jing Zhe and Xia You turned their horses without hesitation, charging toward the wooded left flank. Along the way, they encountered two thousand Zheng cavalry, but like a sharp arrow, they broke through, not only escaping but slaying another hundred enemies.

“Pursue them! Do not let them escape!” Zheng Liao mounted his horse and led his troops in pursuit. Seeing the power of this black-armored cavalry, even the battle-hardened Zheng Liao was shaken. He knew he could not let them live, or it would spell disaster for Zheng Kingdom, a thorn in his side.

As Zheng’s soldiers retreated like a receding tide, Old General Yi and his companions felt as if waking from a dream.

“So their true target was the black-armored cavalry? Who are they really?” Old General Yi wondered aloud.