Chiye needed no prompting; he charged forth like a bolt of lightning. Xin Yi drew a short blade from his lower back with a flick of his wrist. The newly sharpened blade and the newly tempered young man merged into an aura of overwhelming lethality, descending upon the enemy like a whirlwind in the blink of an eye. Bracing his hand against the horse’s back, Xin Yi vaulted from the saddle, his rising form planting a foot firmly atop Arslan’s heavy longsword.
Arslan’s arm sank under the weight, yet he immediately heaved upward, lifting both the blade and the man. Xin Yi let go of Chiye, crouching to press against the spine of the longsword before spinning mid-air, his legs sweeping toward Arslan’s neck. Arslan tilted his head back to evade, his blade slanting as it slid away. Seizing the opening, Xin Yi pressed in close, gripping his short blade in a reverse hold and slashing across Arslan’s chest.
Crimson sprayed across Arslan’s tunic. The Lion King twisted his sword and reached out with his free hand, catching Xin Yi’s short blade by the steel. Xin Yi abandoned the weapon instantly. His toe hooked beneath the hilt of Tiandao, which remained pinned in the ground nearby; the great sword flipped into his hand. He recoiled with a sharp retreat, putting several paces of distance between them.
Arslan cast the short blade aside and wiped the blood from his chest. He looked up at Xin Yi and suddenly began to laugh.
Xin Yi shifted Tiandao into a horizontal guard. He wore no helmet, and though his face was still strikingly young, he was a world away from the youth Arslan had seen in the Capital.
This was a man grown.
Neither spoke; their gazes alone were enough to flay one another. Xin Yi lunged again. This time, Arslan did not underestimate his opponent. He shifted his stance, planting his feet as steady as Mount Tai.
“Flank them!” Wu Yu barked from horseback. “Vanguard, push! Shove these barbarians out of the street! Drive them out!” That voice, which usually did nothing but play the fool, was unexpectedly steady and reliable in this moment. “Engineering corps to the city gate! Those pressing toward Xiajin, push outward! Archers from Lijin, follow up! Once the gateway is clear, form a defensive line and fix that damn gate for me!”
As he spoke, he let out a yelp and hauled a small brat up by the scruff of his neck—the same child they had found in Xianglan. The moment the boy had seen Xin Yi, he had clung to his leg and refused to let go. Before entering the city, Xin Yi had tossed him from Chiye’s back to Wu Yu, and now Wu Yu had nowhere to put him but his own saddle. He grumbled, “What are you doing? If you don’t behave, I’ll throw you to the barbarians!”
The brat struggled, grabbed Wu Yu’s arm, and bit down hard. Wu Yu grimaced in pain. Unable to cast the boy aside, he hissed, “Do you want to see the Prince or not? Bite me again and I’ll make sure you never see him!”
The brat finally let go. Wu Yu pulled his hand back and spurred his horse toward the city gate. Clearing Shanghua Street would take time; their first priority was to reinforce the gate and sever the influx of Dayuan soldiers. Blades and spears had no eyes on the battlefield; Wu Yu pressed the child against his chest, not wanting him to poke his head out to gawk. Seeing the boy wasn't afraid, Wu Yu eventually stopped worrying.
The city gate had been reduced to splinters. The engineering corps dismantled houses from the nearby residential areas to block the breach. However, the task was grueling. Outside the city, the Dayuan forces continued their assault. The toughest among the iron cavalry were the heavy riders; when that armored unit charged, a few wooden planks were not enough to stop them. Wu Yu couldn't even make it onto the walls. If this continued, the reinforcements would be slaughtered.
“Shields up!” Wu Yu’s horse had its legs swept out by a scimitar. He tumbled from the saddle, clutching the brat. He roared, “Get the goddamn spiked shields up! Shove! Just like we did in the street, shove them out!”
The heavy cavalry had already reached full gallop. Debris shook loose from the city walls under the thundering hooves. The Beiyang spiked shields were raised just as the horses reached them.
The impact was heavy!
Leaping hooves slammed into the shield faces. It took four or five men beneath each shield to withstand the immense pressure. Wu Yu felt a crushing weight atop his head, forcing his entire body to bend. The brat was huddled beneath him; any more pressure and the boy would be crushed. Wu Yu held the weight in a half-squat, his calves trembling violently as a string of curses escaped his gritted teeth.
*So damn heavy!*
Fortunately, these spiked shields were specifically designed to counter the Dayuan heavy cavalry. Had they not held, a single hoof would have punched through and crushed a man’s face. But holding wasn't enough; they had to intercept, push back, and ensure the enemy could not gain another inch!
But what could they use to block the gap?
Wu Yu gritted his teeth, and in a flash of inspiration, he looked at the spiked shields. As the pressure eased for a heartbeat, he scooped up the brat and dragged a shield back with the men beside him. He shouted to his left and right, “Stack the shields! Pile them up! Use the spiked shields to plug the gate!”
The spiked shields were thick and heavy, and their forward-facing protrusions were solid. Once stacked into a wall, even a heavy cavalry charge would find it hard to penetrate—provided the men could hold the line.
The brat quickly scrambled up Wu Yu’s back to sit on his neck, clutching his hair as he looked around. Wu Yu, his shoulder braced against a shield, didn't notice until the boy daringly poked his head over the shield wall to look outside.
Wu Yu’s hair was pulled so hard it stung. He grabbed the brat’s leg and cursed, “You want to die, kid?!”
The brat yanked his hair backward, forcing Wu Yu to look up and crouch. “What are you—” Before he could finish, an arrow whistled over the top of the shield.
The Dayuan were concentrating their fire on the breach. Wu Yu pulled the brat down and tucked him into his arms. Arrows rained down overhead. Behind the spiked shields was the safest place, yet simultaneously the most dangerous. Taking advantage of the momentary pause, the heavy cavalry launched a second charge.
When the massive, armored horses slammed into them, the entire wall of shields shuddered. The Beiyang soldiers at the base were pushed backward, their feet sliding across the ground.
Then came the battering rams. These thick, massive logs were capped with iron, indifferent to the spikes of the shields. Even if they were punctured with holes, there were more rams waiting behind them. But the Beiyang soldiers, led by Wu Yu, were reaching their limit. Between the weight of the shields and the concussive force of the rams, their hands went numb. They used their shoulders and their entire bodies to brace the line, yet they still couldn't stop the slow, agonizing retreat.
*Damn these Dayuan soldiers!*
Wu Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, his head spinning from the vibrations.
What now? They could not afford to lose the gate again!
“Push!” Wu Yu’s voice was raw. He shoved against the shield, his boots digging into the shallow trenches they had plowed into the dirt. He rasped, “Push! Push like your lives depend on it!”
The men beside him grunted in response, shouting in unison, “One, two, PUSH!”
The shield wall moved forward slowly, churning up the turf and forcing the battering rams back. On the other side, the Dayuan soldiers roared as they shoved back. The two forces were locked in a stalemate across the heavy wall of shields, a literal tug-of-war of raw strength.
Whoever collapsed first would grant the other victory. If the Beiyang army could push back to the gateway, the Dayuan would have to restart their assault. If the Dayuan broke the shield wall with brute force, Shangjin would be lost. Against the endless stream of Dayuan reinforcements, these tens of thousands of Beiyang soldiers wouldn't even have a chance to breathe.
They had to hold.
Suddenly, some Dayuan soldiers dismounted and rushed out from behind the rams, intending to scale the shield wall and strike from behind.
Wu Yu signaled behind him. The archers in the rear drew their bows, aiming at the top of the shields. As soon as a head appeared, a carpet of arrows flew. Yet even this couldn't stop the relentless Dayuan. Those who slipped through the rain of arrows vaulted over the shields. The Beiyang soldiers below couldn't let go to defend themselves, and many lost their lives to the scimitars descending from above.
A gleaming scimitar swung over Wu Yu’s head, narrowly missing his scalp and prompting another string of curses. The brat in his arms was incredibly perceptive, ducking low under his protection and refusing to show his head.
*Hey, this kid!*
The wind of a blade swept above him. Wu Yu ducked, and a figure behind him struck out fiercely, shouldering the Dayuan soldier off the top of the shield before drawing a longsword across the enemy's throat.
“The Prince is truly divine and invincible! Ah, I am filled with admiration! Look out behind! And above!” Wu Yu yelled while bracing the shield. “Prince, kill them! Kill them all!”
Xin Yi reached down, plucked the brat from Wu Yu’s arms, and tossed him onto his own back. Wedging Tiandao into the shield wall, he vaulted up. Standing firmly on the rim of the shields, he swung his blade, sweeping a row of enemies down. The brat clung tightly to his neck, burying his face against Xin Yi’s back. He felt something wet and sticky on his hands; looking down, he saw blood seeping through the gaps in the armor.
Xin Yi braced himself against a shield spike and spun, his foot connecting with a climbing Dayuan soldier and kicking him back. He took the chance to glance outside Shangjin.
Cavalry were packed densely outside the city—both heavy and light. He could see many more siege engines like the battering rams waiting in the rear. Arslan had not yet returned to his main force, but the Dayuan soldiers showed no sign of chaos.
This was an army that only knew how to advance, never retreat.
Their horses made them as fast as the wind. In recent years, the Great Lan’s new mounts were all Dayuan or Beiyang breeds, yet they were not fully equipped. Not every nation could be like Dayuan, where every citizen was a soldier and every person raised horses. In terms of mobility and the flexibility of hit-and-run tactics, Dayuan already held the upper hand. They were pressing Shangjin so hard likely because they hadn't brought much grain; they intended to sustain their campaign through plunder. But Xin Yi couldn't afford a war of attrition either. The Crown Prince would certainly not help him secure ample supplies from the Capital, and the King of Tang already controlled the granaries in the south. Xin Yi only had a newly merged, somewhat estranged Beiyang army and a third of the Beiyang territory.
He could afford to wait even less than Arslan.
And he had to remain vigilant against the King of Tang in the south.
Someone grabbed Xin Yi’s foot. In a heartbeat, his blade plunged downward. The grip slackened, and the man fell. The sight of blood clinging to the blade was unsettling. Xin Yi felt the wound on his back shoulder tear open.
At that moment, he saw Arslan return to his army.
There was no time to lose. He vaulted back behind the shield wall. Wu Yu shouted, “What’s the situation!”
Xin Yi gave him a shove and joined the effort to push the wall. His arrival brought many men who had retreated from Shanghua Street. The men braced their shoulders together, shouting in unison as they stepped forward. The shield wall groaned and moved, surging toward the gateway with frantic speed.
The spikes pressed against the battering rams, actually forcing the Dayuan soldiers on the other side to slide backward.
“Bring the hot oil,” Xin Yi said hoarsely to Wu Yu. “Have the archers use hot oil. Light them before they fire!”
“What if we run out of arrows?” Wu Yu coughed heavily. “We don't have reserves! Once we use fire, we can't recover them!”
“Recover?” The other side slammed into them, shaking the shield wall. Xin Yi braced himself with a massive stride, his tight lips betraying the strain. “There is no chance to go out there. They have rear reinforcements; their main force will focus entirely on breaking Shangjin.”
Wu Yu cursed under his breath and turned to roar, “Light the oil! Fire arrows! Burn these bastards to death!”
Flaming arrows whistled overhead. Cries of pain erupted from the other side as the battering rams became too hot to touch.
“Push! Push harder!” Wu Yu screamed. The shield wall gained momentum, charging toward the gateway. Bodies were trampled underfoot; Wu Yu tripped and bit the dust. The corner of the shield he was bracing loosened, and a scimitar suddenly jammed through the gap. Then, that single spiked shield was wrenched open by brute force, revealing a wide opening!
An enemy archer on the other side quickly drew his bow, a long arrow whistling through the air with lethal speed.
Lying on the ground, Wu Yu watched helplessly as the arrow flew straight for his face.
Just as the arrow neared, the wrenched shield was slammed back down with violent force. It crushed the hand holding the scimitar into the gap, blocking the arrow just in time.
Wu Yu felt his collar tighten as Xin Yi hauled him up and pressed him back against the shield. “Push!” Xin Yi commanded.
A shrill cry of agony came from the other side. The hand crushed in the gap had long since dropped its weapon, the fingers twitching in excruciating pain. Yet Xin Yi’s terrifying expression didn't flicker. Even as the blood from the crushed wrist coated the shield, his profile remained cold and indifferent.
Wu Yu shivered and began to push with all his might.
The entire shield wall surged forward, driving the battering rams until they were wedged firmly into the empty gateway. It formed a dark, solid, spiked barricade, sealing the Dayuan soldiers just outside Shangjin—a cold, imposing wall of steel.
“Archers to the walls!” Xin Yi was still effectively mute; he could only drag Wu Yu along, making him repeat the orders.
“To the walls! To the walls!” Wu Yu waved his arms, his hand brushing against Xin Yi’s armor. It felt wet and sticky. He looked at his palm and gasped, “Why is there so much blood?!”
Xin Yi’s lips were pale. He shoved Wu Yu toward the wall ladder and stood in the shadows for a moment to catch his breath. “Go up! If the Dayuan still intend to attack, keep firing. If they stop, immediately send men to scavenge all food and supplies in Shangjin. Move the civilians, gather—” He broke into a violent fit of coughing, doubling over.
Wu Yu was alarmed. “Prince!”
Xin Yi waved him off. “Go up.” He wiped something away in the shadows. “You go up first!”
Wu Yu was terrified, sensing the Prince had sustained a grievous injury, but the command on the wall could not be delayed. He stamped his foot and cried, “You better not die!” With that, he turned and scrambled up the wall.
The brat slid down Xin Yi’s back and reached out to touch his side. As expected, it was soaked and sticky.
Arslan’s longsword was not an easy thing to survive.
The armor was tied tight, and Xin Yi couldn't remove it yet. He still had to go up the wall and wait until the Dayuan ceased their assault before he could rest. The wound in his side was the most severe; Arslan had nearly run him through. His inner robes were matted with blood against the armor, and every step sent a jolt of agony through the wound. There was also a gash on his back shoulder, a deep cut that ran down to his lower back—a gruesome, jagged thing that had torn open into a bloody mess during the struggle with the shields.
Blood loss made his head swim and his face turn white.
The brat watched him. Even in the shadows, Xin Yi’s brow remained calm and composed. The young man showed no sign of distress. All his usual warmth, joy, and kindness seemed to have been exhausted. In the shadows of this cacophony of slaughter, he revealed only his extreme coldness and silence.
This man was Xin Yi.
***
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