Cheng Chumo’s speed was very fast. Five thousand elite cavalry used powerful crossbows and gunpowder to open the way. Wherever they went, dense crowds would immediately have a clearing blasted open by gunpowder. Whenever gunpowder bombs fell and exploded, large plumes of black smoke would rise, accompanied by deafening booms. The Turkic warhorses neighed in terror and ran toward the distance, completely beyond their masters’ control.
Cheng Chumo pressed at the vanguard of the military formation, always choosing already routed enemy formations to charge, intending to make the Turkic battle formations even more chaotic. The battlefield had become a complete mess like a pot of porridge.
“Just give me three thousand elite cavalry, and I could pierce through the enemy formation!” Guo Ping resentfully punched the earthen wall, completely forgetting that just moments ago he had been waiting for death.
Chen Shu suddenly pointed at the sky, calling out with unintelligible sounds. Guo Ping looked up and was stunned. In the sky, an entire fleet of hot air balloons was slowly drifting toward the city wall. Beneath the enormous hot air balloons hung huge wooden crates.
At this moment, not only had Guo Ping seen this, even the Turks had witnessed this shocking scene. Seeing the hot air balloons had flown into Kucha City, Cheng Chumo laughed heartily, immediately wheeled his horse around, and led his subordinates to break through toward the east. His objective of harassing and restraining the enemy had already been completed—there was no need to fight to the death with the Turkic main army.
The battle horn sounded again. On the eastern side of the entire Turkic encampment, dust flew up. His deputy general, leading another five thousand cavalry, began attacking the Turkic camp to receive Cheng Chumo. The main army had been lurking in this area for nearly ten days, all in preparation for this moment.
“They’re leaving just like that?” Guo Ping watched as Cheng Chumo’s army was pursued and left the battlefield with the Turks biting at their heels. Not believing his eyes, he turned back to ask Chen Shu.
Chen Shu was also very disappointed. Opening his mouth, he seemed to be shouting something at the departing Cheng Chumo, but when the sound came out it was still unintelligible noise.
The hot air balloons did not linger either. After lowering their altitude and dropping large numbers of wooden crates, they drifted away with the wind…
“Damn it, still unreliable! Those bastards just came to dip in some garlic sauce and ran. What kind of reinforcements is this!” The light of hope that had just risen in Guo Ping’s eyes gradually extinguished again. After withstanding over a month of fierce enemy assaults, the last of the Anxi Army’s combat strength had all been exhausted. Many soldiers collapsed on the city wall that Guo Ping recognized—they were his father’s personal guards.
The Turks below the city were reorganizing their encampment. On the eastern Gobi, dust flew up, and faintly the sound of explosions could be heard. That Great Tang cavalry unit that had charged the formation had still been caught by the Turks.
A large crate fell not far from the city wall. Guo Ping had his only four remaining subordinates open the crate. His ashen face immediately became radiant with light. This crate was filled entirely with eight-ox crossbow bolts, the kind with gunpowder packages attached. He pulled out one crossbow bolt and saw written on it: “Elevation three degrees, range five hundred paces!”
Opening another large bundle of cotton, inside were neatly arranged twenty-four gunpowder bombs. At this moment, there was no need for courtesy. Guo Ping hung ten of them on his waist in one breath, then pulled out a case of powerful crossbow arrows and placed them before himself. At this moment, he felt that adding Chen Shu’s ten men to his own, defending a city wall two hundred paces wide still seemed possible.
Chen Shu found a red packet, took out pre-threaded needles soaked in alcohol for disinfection, then found someone skilled at sewing clothes to stitch up the second mouth on his face.
“These are the vanguard of the reinforcements. Their numbers are too few to fight the enemy to the death. Cavalry’s role in defending a city is limited, so they won’t enter the city. The vanguard has already arrived—the main army is probably nearby. These past days the Turks have begun madly attacking the city, not caring about life or death, which means they know time is running out. Brothers, we have weapons now! Hold out another day or two, and when the main army arrives we’ll go out together to kill the enemy!”
After applying gauze to his face, Chen Shu began rallying his subordinates to hold firm. The eight-ox crossbows hidden in civilian residences, ready to be destroyed at any moment, were pushed up and lined up in a row of eight, angles adjusted to achieve crossfire, loaded with gunpowder bolts, just waiting for the enemy to charge up.
For the entire day, the Turks made no movement. The battle fires to the east seemed to have long since been extinguished. The earth was completely quiet, with only the wind making the battle flags flutter loudly.
Guo Ping took a bite of military rations, then drank a large gulp of water. After chewing one piece, he was already too full to eat more. His entire stomach was stuffed full with the expanded rations. Although he still wanted to eat, for the sake of his own life he stopped.
“Zhongkang, go see the Commander!” Chen Shu’s mouth opened and closed several times before speaking this sentence.
“I won’t go. He won’t let me go either. In the army I’m just a squad leader—I’m not qualified to see the Commander.” Guo Ping did not even open his eyes, continuing to rest against the wall. After this battle was over, he would no matter what return to Chang’an to study at Yushan Academy. He had shed the blood he should shed, fulfilled the duty he should fulfill. His father would no longer have any reason to keep him in the army. He had never been a garrison soldier to begin with—it was his father who had forcibly stuffed him into the army for tempering. From beginning to now, how many enemies had he killed?
This was probably already uncountable. The continuously exploding corpses below the city wall spoke volumes. From now on, this old man owed no one anything and would only live for himself. His brother was gone; his old mother still depended on him. He must live well.
“If you don’t go now, there may be no chance to see him again!” Chen Shu replied faintly.
“That’s exactly what I wish—hehe, hmm? Say that again?” Guo Ping sat up abruptly.
“The Commander was successfully ambushed by a sniper three days ago. A long arrow pierced through his right chest. At the time it seemed fine—he could still kill enemies. Yesterday he suddenly developed a high fever and fell into unconsciousness! He hasn’t woken up until now.”
The water flask in Guo Ping’s hand clattered to the ground. How was this possible? That man could not be killed. He had fallen from the Luoyang city wall and had not been killed. The Turkic flail striking his head had not killed him. Over thirty warhorses running over his body had not trampled him to death. How could such a man fall to an arrow? This was too absurd.
Guo Ping struggled to produce a smile and said: “He’ll be fine. He can’t die. This man will not die—I know it. He’s as robust as a mountain. Nothing in this world can defeat him. This is impossible.”
“The military physician says his lungs are full of pus. He won’t make it through tonight. Deputy General Zhang Tingyue has already taken over military affairs. These past days’ troop deployments have all come from his hand. We have fewer than five thousand remnant soldiers left. The Anxi Army can be said to have been crippled. To rise again would be extremely difficult. So at this time, go see your father. No matter how greatly displeased you are, you must set it aside.”
Guo Ping staggered to the Commander’s residence in the city. Several personal guards, seeing Guo Ping enter, called out “Young Master” in low voices and withdrew to the side. Walking into the bedroom, from far away he could hear Guo Xiaoke’s ox-like breathing sounds. Lifting the bed curtain, he finally saw a father different from usual.
At a glance he saw the bamboo tube inserted in the lung. White pus slowly flowed from the bamboo tube, reeking of a fishy stench. Guo Ping could no longer smell this kind of odor. He only saw his father’s waxen yellow face. The suspended needle wrinkle between his brows was still clearly discernible. Even in unconsciousness, his imposing aura had not changed at all.
Seeing his father’s lips had become chapped, Guo Ping took the honey water and fed it to his father bit by bit with a spoon. Seeing his father could still swallow unconsciously, Guo Ping turned his head to wipe away tears, then continued feeding his father water.
Suddenly, the wooden spoon was bitten. With a crack it broke into two pieces. At some unknown moment, the ox-like breathing sounds had disappeared. Guo Ping discovered his father was glaring at him full of rage.
Knowing what he wanted to say, he quickly replied: “The Turks have been driven back. The vanguard of reinforcements has already reached Kucha. Commander Yun specially ordered hot air balloons to deliver supplies to us from the air. As long as we hold firm for two or three days, the main force will arrive.”
Seeing his father wanted to speak, he pulled the broken wooden spoon from his father’s mouth, preparing to hear what exactly he wanted to say.
“Four hundred thousand Turkic allied forces, plus the herdsmen following behind them—you should know the total number. Do not place hope on reinforcements. Yun Ye only has fifty thousand men in hand. Once they come, the situation will become even worse. I would rather have never written him that letter requesting aid. Marching troops on distant campaigns is a great military taboo. Yun Ye is too young—he should have held fast at Gaochang.”
Guo Ping sighed. Seeing his father had barely spoken a few sentences yet his forehead was already covered in cold sweat, he took a towel soaked in ice water and wiped the sweat beads from his father’s forehead, then heard his father continue: “The more critical the moment, the more it tests a person’s will and wisdom. Facing chaos without alarm, facing death without fear—only this makes one a great man. Remember: the more one fears death, the faster one dies. Go now. Under the dangers of war, this is not the time for conversation. Go to your own position.”
Having spoken, he closed his eyes. Guo Ping’s heart ached terribly. Even at this time, there was nothing he would entrust to him. How long did he plan to remain unyielding?
Just as he was about to step through the door, he heard his father say again: “Give your mother my apologies. I was unable to bring all her children back.”
Guo Ping ran out of the Commander’s residence with tears streaming down his face. Disregarding his body’s pain, he ran in one breath to the city wall. Looking at the dense campfires outside the city, he could not help but be startled. What exactly did the Turks intend to do? Were they planning a night attack?
The horn sounds atop the wall had never ceased. The newly re-equipped Anxi Army were all fully deployed on the city wall. Oil barrels had been rolled up onto the city wall. Every soldier’s waist was also hung full of gunpowder bombs. The bowstrings of the eight-ox crossbows were constantly being wound tight with creaking sounds. Zhang Tingyue’s great banner had already been raised at the East Gate. The shouts of “Great Wind, Great Wind” echoed through the sky.
This should be the moment of the death battle. Chen Shu, disregarding his face swollen like a pig’s head, squinted his small eyes and responded loudly with his cherry-small mouth. The huge shield was struck by his flail making booming sounds. This should be the final battle.
The shouts of “Great Wind” carried far through the night sky. At this moment, even Cheng Chumo beyond the distant mountains issued the same cry. Since ancient times, soldiers of Qin endured bitter warfare. When the Great Wind arose, soldiers died!