Jin army soldiers, their eyes red with bloodlust, swarmed into the city and collided head-on with the returning Zhao family army that had turned back to defend.
Zhao Sheng, the main commander of the Zhao family army, was held up by Bai Jinzhi and Lin Kangle and couldn’t break free. He could only send orders for his subordinates to lead the main force back to defend.
Bai Jinzhi’s sudden appearance at the rear, charging in with the Black Banner with White Python flag raised high, had truly thrown the Liang army into chaos. Before Zhao Sheng’s arrival, the Liang army had panicked at the sight of the Black Banner with the White Python flag, and countless were trampled and injured in their flight, so that when Zhao Sheng arrived, he truly believed Princess Zhenguo had come.
The cloth soaked in medicinal water that Bai Jinzhi had tied over her mouth and nose had been washed by the rain until it had no scent left. She tore off the face covering, sitting atop her horse, her Red Tassel spear dripping with blood – she had no idea how many enemy soldiers she had killed.
Jin army archers occupied the high ground, climbing onto the rooftops of Liang army barracks, and by the flickering firelight everywhere, they shot directly at the Liang army.
When their crossbow bolts ran out, they drew their swords for close combat and bloody fighting.
Candles burning inside the barracks were knocked over, igniting wooden support pillars and hanging curtains inside. Without the heavy rain… the fire grew larger and larger, gradually reaching toward the sky, devouring the connected barracks one by one.
By the time dawn approached in the east, when there was already a thread of light on the horizon, Bai Jinzhi suddenly heard the distant anguished cries of Liang soldiers shouting that the city gates had been breached, and the faint sounds of cheering and celebration from the direction of Qingxi Mountain Pass walls. Bai Jinzhi’s heart settled greatly – the Liang army’s morale showed signs of collapse.
Her torch-like gaze fixed on Zhao Sheng, who was still fighting desperately. She spurred Ping’an forward, charging toward Zhao Sheng.
The horse neighed, raising its hooves and leaping over Liang soldiers. Bai Jinzhi put all her strength into hurling her spear toward Zhao Sheng, who was facing enemies with his guard completely down.
“General, be careful!”
A Zhao family soldier saw this, his eyes widening as he shouted and desperately charged forward, using his body to crash into Ping’an just as the horse’s hooves touched down, splashing blood. Ping’an lost balance and fell with a long neigh, throwing Bai Jinzhi aside into the bloody mud and water, spattering her face.
Because of that collision by the Zhao family soldier, Bai Jinzhi’s spear aimed at Zhao Sheng missed its target and instead pierced the body of Zhao Sheng’s mount. The horse reared and neighed in pain, also throwing Zhao Sheng, who was facing enemies, to the ground, where he rolled.
Bai Jinzhi wiped her face, her wolf-cub gaze fixed intently on Zhao Sheng. She pulled a large sword from a nearby corpse and charged straight toward Zhao Sheng, fighting fiercely with the Liang soldiers blocking her path.
In the pooled water, reflections of firelight and fighting figures appeared everywhere. Everywhere was the sound of clashing weapons, and everywhere were screams.
Lin Kangle reined in his horse, searching for Bai Jinzhi’s figure amid the flashing blades. He saw the blood-covered Bai Jinzhi embrace four spears that Liang soldiers had thrust at her. She looked back… borrowing their force and pretending to be pushed back by the four Liang soldiers until the spears were all embedded in the wall.
Bai Jinzhi spun around along the spears, and with a flash of her blade, four heads fell to the ground. Hot blood sprayed like hot rain in the leaping flames, splashing onto the faces of Liang soldiers who were about to charge up.
The Liang soldiers, seeing Bai Jinzhi’s awe-inspiring killing aura, hesitated in their charging steps.
“Our Jin army has broken through the city gates! Surrender and you won’t be killed! Those who resist die!” Bai Jinzhi shouted.
The Liang soldiers surrounding Bai Jinzhi hesitated. The fall of Qingxi Mountain Pass ahead had already caused signs of collapse in the morale of the Liang army, who had been frightened by the Black Banner with White Python flag. With Bai Jinzhi’s words… suddenly the Liang army felt the desolation of their cause being lost, and some Liang soldiers who feared death dropped their weapons.
Zhao Sheng, who had just beheaded a Jin soldier with one sword stroke, saw this and knew it boded ill. He shouted hoarsely: “Liang army warriors! Zhao family army soldiers! Don’t forget the Battle of Weng Mountain, where Princess Zhenguo killed one hundred thousand Western Liang prisoners! Take up your weapons – even if we die, we should die fighting the enemy! If you lay down your swords now, tomorrow you’ll be cattle and sheep under Jin feet, slaughtered at will! Fight now… and you can still kill your way to survival! Kill!”
Zhao Sheng’s words suddenly awakened the Liang soldiers who were about to lay down their swords. They all remembered Bai Qingyan’s burning of surrendered prisoners at Weng Mountain, gripped their swords tightly, and like men who had drunk ox blood, fought desperately for their lives!
Zhao Sheng’s gaze was resolute. He encouraged his warriors to fight desperately, not disregarding their lives, not because he had made a military pledge to take back Qingxi Mountain Pass or bring back his head, but because even without hope of victory, they should still try to fight once more.
Dying on the battlefield was a soldier’s honor.
Surrendering meant willingly becoming meat on a chopping block, becoming livestock penned for slaughter by others.
The Jin army that had charged into the city received orders to gather at the city gate entrance to fight the Liang army, not to enter the city.
Jin army archers occupying the high ground of the city walls came wave after wave. Several times, Liang generals led charges attempting to retake the high ground of the city walls, but they couldn’t withstand the arrows shot from above. With countless casualties, they fought while retreating.
At Liu Hong’s command, the Jin army took advantage of their great momentum to kill their way into the city.
On the clear morning after the torrential rain, a rising sun slowly emerged from clouds rolling with rosy light, rising from the eastern peak of Qingxi Mountain. Its golden radiance was dazzling, illuminating the western precipice that had been washed by heavy rain for a day and night… the treacherous, steep ten-thousand-foot cliff face gleamed, and even the pine and cypress needles growing from stone crevices at the mountain top were gilded with golden light.
This dazzling, brilliant light was like a clear dividing line between yin and yang.
It only illuminated the magnificent, spectacular cliff scenery, while the city wall that lay between the two cliff faces, already stained red with blood, the blood-red puddles, the severed limbs, this battlefield where corpses piled like mountains – all remained in darkness.
The sounds of clashing weapons and screams echoed, while the sword-sharp precipice still stood majestically unmoved in the golden, brilliant light. Only when the wind passed did it cause the pine and cypress to sway slightly.
When the fifteen hundred men that Bai Jinzhi and Lin Kangle had brought were nearly exhausted, Lin Kangle saw Liang army soldiers fleeing in defeat in their direction.
Lin Kangle’s warhorse had already fallen. He rushed to Bai Jinzhi’s side, fighting while saying: “Princess Gaoyi! We must withdraw! Liang soldiers, desperate to escape, will fight to the death. Taking Qingxi Mountain Pass is already a great victory – we can’t let our soldiers fight to the death!”
With daylight bright, it was no longer the darkness of last night when enemy and ally couldn’t be distinguished. With just a little stirring, they could make the numerically superior Liang army injure their hearts and lungs.
The panting Bai Jinzhi threw down the sword in her hand that had been hacked until its blade was rolled, raised her hand to wipe the fresh blood from her face, her gaze fixed intently on Zhao Sheng who was still fighting desperately, and shouted: “We must intercept the Liang army here, otherwise… if the Liang army escapes, they’ll still be enemies of our Jin state in the future! I must take Zhao Sheng’s head! To boost our army’s prestige!”
“Princess Gaoyi!” Lin Kangle saw he couldn’t stop Bai Jinzhi, looked for an opportunity to catch a masterless horse that was galloping wildly, leaped onto it, and shouted: “This battle is led by Jin’s Great General Liu Hong – surrender and you won’t be killed!”