However, the elephant trunks were protected by chain mail, making it nearly impossible for the feathered arrows, which were like thin toothpicks to the elephants, to be pulled out.
Atop the city wall, the first group of archers released their fire arrows, then crouched down to dip new arrows in fire oil and nock them while drawing their bows. At the same time, the second group alternately stood up. The arrow rain was like a giant net, thousands upon thousands shooting out, as if streaming fire had set the sky above Pingyang City ablaze. Wave after wave of firelight lit up the snowy night sky, bright as day…
Before those massive, hulking creatures could steady themselves, the howling rain of fire arrows arrived. Even though the elephants wore armor, countless flaming arrows whistled down, striking the armor and falling away. But the arrows carried fire oil, and as soon as the fire oil touched the animal pelts that Tianfeng Nation had clothed the elephants in, they immediately caught fire.
The giant elephants shook their heads wildly, nearly throwing the Tianfeng Nation general off. He quickly grabbed the bone whistle hanging from his chest and blew it continuously. Those elephants that had been in complete chaos seemed to be under some spell – they gradually stopped their wild crashing, as if their wounds no longer existed, as if they couldn’t feel the burning of their singed fur against their skin. They all turned around and retreated…
The elephant trainers riding on the elephants hurriedly used their clothes to beat out the fires on the still-moving elephants.
Li Tianfu, her face deathly pale from being frightened by the elephants’ wild crashing, gripped the seat armrests tightly with lingering fear. She watched as the canopy above had been pierced by flaming arrows, one arrow barely passing over her head to embed in the wooden beam supporting the canopy’s corners…
Fortunately, snow had accumulated on the canopy, so the fire didn’t catch. The arrow shaft passed through the snow on the canopy… and the flame with fire oil was extinguished. But the arrow rain continued relentlessly – who knew when it might claim her life.
After the giant elephants turned around, they ran extremely fast, trampling the foot soldiers beneath them and running backward regardless, nearly throwing Li Tianfu off again.
The soldiers ordered to retreat ran frantically through the snow. Those who slipped… were not only trampled by their comrades, but the unlucky ones… would be crushed to pulp by the giant elephants.
Li Tianfu clung desperately to the canopy’s wooden pillar, turning back to look at the city wall that continuously shot fire arrows. She saw with her own eyes the flaming arrows constantly striking the armored giant elephants, unable to penetrate the iron armor and falling away, but the azure flames with oil burned on the armor. However, with no combustible materials to cling to, they were extinguished by the large snowflakes.
She gritted her teeth, hearing only the howling wind and snow, her face and hands blown red from the cold. She turned her head and shouted: “We’ve already withdrawn beyond the range of their arrow attacks! Why don’t you stop?! Bai Qingyan is standing right there on Pingyang City’s tower – such a good opportunity! Use the giant elephants to ram Pingyang City’s gates. Once we get inside, we can capture Bai Qingyan alive! If you retreat now, you’re a coward and a failure! Capturing Bai Qingyan would be a great achievement! Only then can your Tianfeng Nation secure a foothold!”
The Tianfeng Nation general who had been blowing his whistle could understand Li Tianfu’s meaning, but he also knew that Li Tianfu was a madwoman who only wanted revenge!
The gods had already given him warning – he should have retreated then and not harbored greedy thoughts! This time, the Great Zhou Emperor had come with troops. Though it wasn’t yet clear how many forces the Great Zhou had brought, thinking back to the Four Nations Alliance gathering, that dark mass of troops stretching into the distance was not small in number!
Tianfeng Nation had come to help Xiliang retrieve Li Zhijie, and since it was winter, they hadn’t prepared for war. Rushing into battle was too hasty – thirty elephant troops might not be sufficient.
“Kill——”
“Kill——”
Just as the Tianfeng Nation general had made up his mind to ride the giant elephants and lead his soldiers away without paying attention to Li Tianfu, torches with wildly dancing flames suddenly blazed up in the heavy snow to the east, and battle cries shook the heavens.
Cheng Yuanzhi, who was leading cavalry in a mad dash to block Tianfeng Nation’s route, heard the sound and looked back toward Pingyang City. He saw the continuous rain of fire arrows like countless meteors shooting out endlessly, and heard the elephants’ trumpeting echoing through the night. He shouted: “Release the flares!”
Sima Ping, following beside Cheng Yuanzhi and battered by wind and snow until he could barely open his eyes, responded and pulled out signal flares from his chest, shooting them straight into the sky…
“Whoosh——Bang——”
Red flares burst in the sky.
Fifteen thousand Bai family army soldiers, receiving the order, all reined in their horses and turned their mounts around in the darkness.
The finest Ferghana horses from the Rong tribes, having worked up a sweat from running, steamed with heat in the heavy snow, exhaling thick white breath.
Cheng Yuanzhi rode to the front of the formation and shouted: “Light the torches!”
The Bai family army soldiers mounted on fine horses pulled out their fire starters… and lit the torches they carried.
The Tianfeng Nation general leading the elephant army and soldiers in retreat suddenly saw torches lighting up in the distance like a fire dragon with no visible ends, widened his eyes and shouted loudly: “Stop!”
The thirty giant elephants slowly came to a halt.
Li Tianfu’s eyes brightened, excitement overflowing in her expression: “See! With Bai Qingyan’s intelligence and wisdom, she saw through Tianfeng Nation’s intentions long ago! Someone who could overthrow the Jin Dynasty and ascend to the throne – would she be a soft-hearted fool?! She would never give Tianfeng Nation a chance! With such a good opportunity today, if you can’t capture Bai Qingyan, when Great Zhou and Great Yan form their alliance, your Tianfeng Nation will gain nothing!”
The Tianfeng Nation general who had led the elephant army here gritted his teeth tightly.
“We’re still not very far from the city wall. Bai Qingyan must have sent out all the troops she brought to intercept us! As long as we let the elephant army break through the city gates, we can capture Bai Qingyan alive – that’s our only chance at survival!”
Seeing the Tianfeng Nation general still hesitating, Li Tianfu understood that the general was worried about Sa’er Khan’s instructions before they came, to only help Li Tianfu retrieve the person and not start a fight. She urgently continued: “Now it’s Bai Qingyan who struck first! You’re being forced into war – your majesty won’t blame you! Today, I brought six thousand soldiers, and your Tianfeng Nation only has thirty giant elephants and fewer than a hundred soldiers. What exactly are you afraid of?! It’s we, Xiliang people, who are fighting desperately to capture Great Zhou Emperor Bai Qingyan alive for your Tianfeng Nation!”
The Tianfeng Nation general looked up, gritted his teeth, and blew the bone whistle again. The Tianfeng Nation soldiers controlling the elephants heard the sound and turned the elephants’ heads around.
Li Tianfu, sitting on the giant elephant’s back and sensing it turning around, showed wild joy in her eyes as she shouted: “Turn around! Attack the city with full force!”
“Brave sons of Xiliang blessed by the gods!” Li Tianfu suddenly stood up on the giant elephant’s back, her eyes surging with madness as she cried out hysterically in the wind and snow. “Today Great Zhou Emperor’s army has come out in full force, wanting to annihilate us outside the city! The city’s defenses are empty – this is the gods protecting us, brave sons of Xiliang! Letting our Xiliang warriors kill their way into the city to capture Great Zhou Emperor Bai Qingyan alive and avenge our dead fathers and brothers! Gods above! Let the giant elephants break through the city gates for us! Capture the Great Zhou Emperor alive! Kill!”