Chapter 64: The Siege by Three Thousand Men

As the opposing army drew closer, tension gripping the air, Zhang Meng gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, if this doesn't work, let's go down and fight them to the death! Even if I die, I'll tear a chunk of flesh right off them."

Li Dao shook his shakes, "Wait and see for a moment. The situation might not be as dire as it looks right now."

Going down to fight these people head-on was a gamble for him, but for the troops of the Yellow Sand Town Garrison, it would be pure, unadulterated suicide.

Hearing this, Xue Bing and the others looked puzzled. Was there really any way to break the current deadlock?

......

Meanwhile.

Among the advancing enemy ranks, a Northern Barbarian general and several deputies rode side by side on horseback.

"Seng Hai, did the Yellow Sand Town Garrison really cost us two Innate martial artists just yesterday?"

The Northern Barbarian general asked a deputy riding beside him.

The deputy named Seng Hai cupped his fists and replied, "Reporting to General Seng Ze, it is indeed this very place. Not only that, the Great Gan army here is extremely troublesome. Over the past period, they have inflicted heavy losses on our Tamu Tribe, making them much tougher than the other Great Gan outposts."

"The elite of the Great Gan Dynasty?"

Seng Ze gave a light, mocking laugh. "I, Seng Ze, specialize in crushing elites. This time, I will undoubtedly bring this Yellow Sand Town Garrison under the banner of the Tamu Tribe."

At these words, Seng Hai responded, "With the General taking the field, a mere Yellow Sand Town Garrison will naturally be captured with effortless ease."

"However..."

Seng Ze's tone shifted, and he continued, "There is still one matter we need to pay attention to."

"What matter does the General mean?"

Seng Ze glanced toward the Yellow Sand Town Garrison and said calmly, "Yesterday's failed operation likely alerted the Great Gan side. Therefore, to ensure the flawless execution of the Great King's plan, while we assault this garrison, we must dispatch troops to bypass Yellow Sand Town, rendezvous with the main force, and seal the gap."

With that, he turned his gaze back to the other two deputies on his flank.

"Seng Ka, Seng Miao, the two of you take a detachment and bypass the Yellow Sand Town Garrison."

Hearing this, the two deputies frowned, "Then what about you, General?"

Seng Ze waved a hand. "Yellow Sand Town serves as a strategic pivot for Great Gan against our Northern Barbarian forces. We must capture it to use as our supply line."

"Besides, I just said I would take this place personally. Once it falls, I will catch up and rendezvous with you."

Hearing this, the two understood, but still expressed concern, "General, perhaps we should leave a portion of the cavalry with you."

Seng Ze shook his head in refusal. "Unnecessary. Your mission over there is of vital importance, and the cavalry cannot be spared. With three thousand men, can't we easily take a mere Great Gan camp of a thousand?"

"But General, two Innate martial artists fell right here."

Seng Ze glared at the two and snapped bluntly, "Compare those two newly-advanced good-for-nothings to me? Have you forgotten that I broke through to the late Innate stage not long ago?"

"Where do you think I got the position I'm sitting in?"

"Stop chattering and go as ordered. If you bungle the military timing and the Great King holds you accountable, will you have a pleasant end?"

With the matter put so bluntly, the two men said no more.

"Light Cavalry Battalion! Heavy Cavalry Battalion!"

"Present!"

"Follow us, all of you."

The two took the lead, issuing commands at the front. After cupping their fists toward Seng Ze, they turned their horses and departed first.

Behind them, fifteen hundred light cavalry and five hundred heavy cavalry followed closely and left.

Seeing this, Seng Ze nodded, turned his gaze toward the distant Yellow Sand Town Garrison, and gave the order, "Target, Yellow Sand Town Garrison. Advance."

......

Up on the walls of Yellow Sand Town.

Watching the imposing cavalry detach themselves from the main Tamu Tribe army and charge forward, the defenders on the ramparts grew intensely nervous.

"Boss, their cavalry is charging! What do we do?"

"Five hundred heavy cavalry—how are we supposed to stop that charging force?"

Zhang Meng and Xue Bing spoke one after another.

The remaining centurions grew even more anxious, their faces etched with the look of doomed men.

Li Dao’s expression remained calm as he said evenly, "Have any of you ever seen an army use cavalry to lay siege to a city?"

Huh?

Hearing this, everyone present was momentarily stunned.

That’s right.

The reason cavalry was formidable lay in its high mobility, coupled with mounted archery, and finally, its sheer charging momentum.

Yet these three advantages were virtually useless in a siege. No matter how extraordinary the horses of the Northern Barbarian lands were, they certainly couldn't fly up onto city walls.

"Boss, then what are they..."

"You'll see for yourselves."

As the Tamu Tribe cavalry drew closer, the group finally noticed something.

The enemy's riding angle was deliberately steering wide of Yellow Sand Town.

"Boss! Why are they running around to the back?!"

Seeing this scene, Zhang Meng hurriedly asked.

A thought flashed through Li Dao’s mind, and he said, "It looks like this batch of cavalry has an important mission to carry out, so they're bypassing us."

"An important mission?"

The expressions of several centurions changed drastically. One of them hastily urged, "Since they have an important mission, we must not let them pass. We have to find a way to intercept them."

Hearing this, Li Dao glanced back, then turned his gaze to Xue Bing and issued an order, "Someone, fetch a rope and lower this centurion Lord down so he can go intercept those cavalry."

Everyone: "......"

"You!"

The centurion who had spoken flushed crimson. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?"

Li Dao said indifferently, "My meaning is very simple. If you want to throw your life away, go down by yourself; no one is keeping you company."

"Two thousand cavalry, including five hundred heavyweights—what are you going to stop them with? Your glib tongue?"

"Or are you going to hold back a thousand while I hold back a thousand?"

"If you can pull that off, I'll jump down right now and join you."

"If you can't, keep your mouth shut."

"Sending just a thousand men down there wouldn't even be enough for the enemy cavalry to harvest in two passes."

"By then, they’d still leave with ease, while we would have pointlessly thrown away Yellow Sand Town."

The reason Li Dao spoke thus was that he had already discerned that this batch of cavalry was clearly different from the ordinary cavalry he had encountered before. These troopers bore, to a greater or lesser degree, traces of cultivation.

The soldiers of the Yellow Sand Town Garrison were indeed tougher than ordinary Great Gan soldiers, but that was primarily due to their courageous and fierce temperament.

When the gap between two forces was small, bravery could indeed make up for certain deficiencies.

However, if the gap was too vast, it was pure, unadulterated suicide born of a lack of self-awareness.

Initially unconvinced, the centurion gradually understood after hearing these words. He had only been anxious earlier, not completely lacking in reason; otherwise, he wouldn't have lasted as a centurion in this notorious garrison camp.

In the end, the centurion flushed deeply and asked, "Then what do you propose we do now?"

Li Dao did not answer immediately. He looked back at the three thousand Tamu Tribe troops slowly marching toward Yellow Sand Town before speaking, "Judging from all aspects, the enemy clearly wants to take Yellow Sand Town. Therefore, we only need to hold the city for now."

"Compared to the attacking force, the defenders hold the absolute advantage in a place like Yellow Sand Town."

Hearing this, the remaining centurions exchanged glances and silently nodded toward Li Dao, seemingly accepting him as their temporary commander for the time being.

Seeing this, Li Dao immediately issued an order, "Go have the soldiers bring up the supplies needed for defending the city."

"Yes."

One centurion immediately turned and shouted orders, setting the soldiers beneath the ramparts into motion.

Before long, the two thousand Tamu Tribe cavalry completely swept past Yellow Sand Town and vanished into the distance.

And now, they had to face the three thousand Tamu Tribe troops bearing down directly upon the city.

......

Three hundred meters outside Yellow Sand Town.

When the three thousand Tamu Tribe soldiers reached this spot, they halted.

This position was a safe zone, preventing the enemy from launching preemptive archer attacks.

"General, what are our orders next?"

Seng Hai, the commander of the troops, turned back to ask.

Seng Ze glanced at the figures on the walls of Yellow Sand Town and smiled with contempt, "What are we waiting for? Naturally, we choose to assault the city."

Seng Hai nodded, turned around, and barked the command, "Prepare the siege equipment."

Before long, the troop columns brought forward numerous scaling ladders and a heavy battering ram.

Seeing this, Seng Hai drew the saber at his waist, slashed it downward toward Yellow Sand Town, and gave the order, "Split into squads of ten and disperse to begin the assault!"

Following the command, the front rank of a thousand soldiers immediately charged toward Yellow Sand Town with their siege gear.

Seeing this, Seng Hai continued to order, "Cultivators, take responsibility for providing cover and deflecting arrows."

The thousand soldiers were not ordinary infantry entirely; among them were squad leaders, platoon leaders, and centurions, most of whom possessed cultivation and could assist in intercepting incoming arrows.

On the other side.

The defenders on the city walls were already fully prepared.

Along the ramparts, archers stood at intervals of three paces.

At that moment, several men were seen dragging a massive vat up to the ramparts.

Instantly, a foul, nauseating stench permeated the entire wall.

Li Dao instinctively held his breath.

"Good grief, why is this smell so pungent!"

Zhang Meng pinched his nose and cried out.

A centurion looked apologetically at Li Dao and explained, "I heard that nightsoil works wonders for defending a city, so I had some men dig out the latrines."

Seeing everyone pinching their noses, he said awkwardly, "Should I have them haul it back down?"

"No need."

Li Dao's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Anything that can defend the city is a good thing."

Zhang Meng looked at him with curiosity, "Boss, doesn't it smell foul to you?"

Li Dao replied bluntly, "Just hold your breath."

Zhang Meng: "......"

With Li Dao's current physique, he could hold his breath for well over half an hour at a time. Holding his breath temporarily was a breeze for him, but an ordinary person couldn't manage it. Take Zhang Meng, for instance—after holding his breath for a moment, the discomfort became unbearable.

Gasping for air, he inhaled deeply of the stench until his face turned green, and he promptly fled to a distant spot.

Standing atop the rampart, Li Dao watched the Tamu Tribe soldiers shouting battle cries as they charged forward. Judging that the distance had closed sufficiently, he gave the command, "Release arrows!"

The next second, the archers on the ramparts unleashed a volley down below.

Seeing this, the cultivators within the Tamu Tribe ranks stepped forward to swat away the projectiles.

Facing ordinary arrows, these men intercepted them effortlessly, with only a handful slipping through to strike unlucky soldiers.

In the rear ranks of the Tamu Tribe, troop commander Seng Hai laughed at the sight. "General, if you ask me, this thousand men might just be enough to take down the Yellow Sand Town Garrison."

Li Dao's expression remained unshifted as he watched.

This was the reality of a world with cultivators; the effectiveness of many traditional, infallible siege tactics of ancient times was heavily discounted.

With that thought, he reached to the side and picked up a heavy black bow.

According to Zhang Meng, this bow was one of Zhao Tong's treasured possessions. Forged entirely from millennial ironwood, it possessed an exceptionally high elasticity.

It was said that the bowstring used for tension was crafted from the main tendon of a ferocious mystical beast.

Normally, Zhao Tong guarded this bow like a precious child, wiping it down every single day.

As for how it ended up in Li Dao's hands, Zhang Meng had covertly filched it from Zhao Tong's tent.

Because Zhao Tong had once declared that the bow could only be wielded by someone possessing divine strength at birth, and Zhang Meng had failed to draw it back when he tried, he had stolen it specifically for Li Dao to use.

If single-handedly lifting a city gate weighing five thousand catties didn't count as born with divine strength, nothing ever would.

Li Dao stroked the bowstring, noting that it indeed felt distinct from ordinary cords.

He then placed his hand on the string and attempted a draw.

Hmm?

Li Dao raised an eyebrow, applying more force until he pulled the bow into a full moon.

"This strenuous?"

By his estimation, drawing this bow required at least three thousand catties of strength.

While that level of force meant little to him, it was only true for him.

For an ordinary person, exhausting every ounce of strength wouldn't allow them to budge the string by even a fraction of a hair.

Gazing at the charging Tamu Tribe soldiers in the distance, Li Dao reached into a quiver beside him, pulled out an arrow, and nocked it onto the ironwood bow.

Spotting the cultivators below who were shielding the infantry from incoming fire, he quickly zeroed in on a target.

Because that figure was moving the most aggressively, he appeared to be of a relatively high grade among Post-natal martial artists.

He drew the bow to a full moon!

Took aim!

Li Dao executed the entire sequence of motions in one fluid motion.

Release!

The instant he let go of the string, the very air let out a piercing shriek.

The arrow vanished from the rampart walls like a streak of light.

Within the Tamu Tribe's storming party, a man stood before numerous soldiers, parrying the incoming arrows in a tight, impenetrable defense.

The soldiers behind him couldn't help bursting into cheers.

"As expected of our Squad Leader, he's blocking every single arrow!"

"Don't underestimate the Squad Leader—he's a second-grade Post-natal expert."

"Let's just charge straight to the city walls in one go like this."

Just as they were shouting and discussing amidst the charge, they suddenly felt a streak of white light flash right past their faces.

Looking up, they saw that their Squad Leader, who had just been displaying such mighty prowess, had frozen completely in place.

Taking a closer look, the men were instantly startled out of their wits.

At the back of their Squad Leader's head, a bloody hole had appeared, through which daylight was faintly visible.

At that moment, up on the city wall, Li Dao heard the system prompt chime in his mind:

[Killed one enemy, obtained attribute: 2.31]

Hearing this, Li Dao’s eyes lit up, the corners of his lips curving upward into an expression of sheer satisfaction, as if he had just discovered a new source of joy.