Chapter 782: They're Here!

On the eighth day... the Chu army’s assault ended.

Qu Peiluo sat in a chair while Fan Zhengwen bandaged the wound in his shoulder.

During the fiercest fighting that day, a Chu soldier had grabbed Qu Peiluo and nearly thrown him from the wall.

At the final moment, a kinsman surnamed Qu beside him had saved him.

With his own life.

There was no grief.

No sorrow.

Here... no one had the leisure to mourn fallen comrades.

Those who died had merely gone ahead first.

They were waiting farther down the road.

Today’s defense had been brutally difficult.

It felt almost exactly like the first day.

Like drawing a circle.

Going all the way around... then returning to the point where it began.

Fan Zhengwen had done an excellent job calming the people inside the city.

He had done an excellent job rewarding the troops too.

He had done everything within his ability.

Qu Peiluo’s command had also made no obvious mistakes.

Whenever a gap appeared, he patched it.

Like a paperhanger repairing a crumbling wall.

Fast reactions.

No negligence.

But the essence of war had never been that avoiding mistakes guaranteed victory.

You also had to look at your opponent.

Under eight straight days of violent assaults by Great Chu’s regular army...

Fan City, a fortress defended by what was essentially a rabble, had somehow held until now.

That alone was extraordinary.

Those cities in history that supposedly held for several months, half a year, or even longer had usually not endured uninterrupted assaults every single day.

Most of the time... the besieging army chose to surround them and starve them out.

Once the bandaging was finished, Fan Zhengwen personally went down and brought back a basin of hot water.

Two towels hung over its edge.

Qu Peiluo closed his eyes.

Fan Zhengwen used one towel to wipe his face.

When he threw it back into the basin... bloody filth spread through the water.

Fan Zhengwen did not mind the trouble.

He took the second towel and carefully dried Qu Peiluo’s face.

Only then did Qu Peiluo slowly open his eyes.

Next... his hands were washed.

Finally, Fan Zhengwen brought over the meal.

Three dishes.

One soup.

And a flask of wine.

When Fan Zhengwen prepared to pour...

Qu Peiluo reached out and took the flask himself.

He filled his own bowl.

Then set the flask in front of Fan Zhengwen.

Fan Zhengwen froze briefly.

Then smiled and lifted his bowl.

The two touched drinks.

The head of the Fan Clan held his bowl extremely low.

It barely touched the bottom of Qu Peiluo’s flask.

Qu Peiluo raised his head and drank deeply.

Fan Zhengwen raised his own head and took a large gulp too.

Then immediately choked.

He began coughing violently.

“Heh-heh.”

Qu Peiluo laughed.

“You’re a merchant slave, yet your alcohol tolerance is this terrible?”

“Once the Fan Clan reached the level it did back then, the people below me weren’t worth entertaining personally. As for the people above me... I was only a slave. I wasn’t qualified to sit with them and drink.”

Qu Peiluo merely tasted the wine.

Then set the flask down.

“Tomorrow... we probably won’t be able to hold anymore. So tonight...”

Fan Zhengwen asked:

“What does Young Master want to do tonight?”

“Prepare for a Chu night attack.”

...

That night... the Chu launched a surprise assault.

Fan City had been ready.

So the attack was beaten back.

That was the nature of night attacks.

Without surprise... they usually accomplished very little.

“You said tomorrow would probably be the end,” Fan Zhengwen said with emotion. “But the Chu don’t even want us to see tomorrow’s sun.”

“All right. Next...”

Fan Zhengwen’s expression turned solemn.

“What do you plan to do next?”

“Eat a midnight snack.”

...

The sun rose in the east.

Nian Yao stood before his army in full armor.

After days of siege... the rabble under his banner had not decreased in number despite the losses.

Instead... it had doubled.

That was the nature of a mob.

When you stood on the winning side... it rolled larger and larger like a snowball.

The Dugu Clan army attacked from the south every day in great force.

Grand General Nian attacked from the north.

His assaults were not quite as ferocious as those in the south... but his banner shone brighter.

And when the bandits, local strongmen, and opportunists of Chu wanted to follow the wind... they understood something perfectly well.

No matter how badly the true noble clans declined... men like them could never squeeze into that circle.

Grand General Nian’s origins, by contrast... were wonderfully “close to the people.”

“Eight days.”

Nian Yao stared at the wall ahead.

Originally, he had believed the hardest, most dangerous, and most exhausting stage of his plan would be borrowing a road through Jin territory and entering Mount Meng.

Once that was done...

Fan City should have been something he could take with a spit.

Instead... he had been delayed here for this long.

The clean, decisive ending he had expected never appeared.

That left a faint regret in Nian Yao’s heart.

“Grand General?”

Eighth Prince had remained beside Nian Yao this entire time.

“Your Highness can rest easy. By this afternoon... we should almost certainly be inside the city.”

...

South of Fan City... white-haired Dugu Mu personally beat the war drum.

Eight consecutive days of assault had exhausted his troops terribly.

He had enough men to rotate formations.

Even so... fatigue had settled deep into the army.

That young man who had spoken such shameless words directly before him... had genuinely surprised Dugu Mu.

But... this was as far as it went.

If the men defending Fan City had been the Qu Clan’s Azure Luan Army of old... then Dugu Mu probably would have had no choice but to surround the city and wait for its grain to run out.

Unfortunately... the troops under this young man were not the Azure Luan Army.

The Qu Clan’s Azure Luan Army had never been enormous.

But it had always pursued a path of elite soldiers and strong officers.

During the first Battle of Wangjiang, the First Prince had tried to launch a desperate counterattack and reverse the situation.

The Azure Luan Army had driven him back.

Li Bao died covering the retreat.

Later...

Prince Jingnan used earthen walls to encircle Yupan City and slowly starved that elite army to death.

He denied them any opportunity to counterattack on an open battlefield.

As for the Azure Luan Army Marquis Zheng had defeated during the campaign against Chu... that force had been rebuilt hastily.

Its strength and quality could not compare with the army once commanded by Qu Tiannan.

The force once known as Great Chu’s finest infantry... had already vanished into the wind.

The Qu Clan... should end as well.

Dugu Mu continued beating the drum.

Then shouted:

“Advance!”

...

All three sides had predicted the battlefield correctly.

On this day...

Fan City’s southern wall finally fell.

Chu soldiers climbed over in an endless stream.

The defenders no longer had the strength to drive them back down.

They could only watch as more and more Chu troops accumulated atop the wall... while their own line was steadily forced backward.

Very quickly... the situation collapsed like an avalanche.

The Chu completely overwhelmed the defenses.

They began clearing the wall at astonishing speed.

More soldiers continued climbing up behind them.

Qu Peiluo did not attempt to rally the broken defenders and charge back onto the wall.

Instead... he decisively gathered whatever men still obeyed commands and withdrew into Fan Residence.

Fan Residence was beautiful.

Refined.

On ordinary days... quite a few experts remained hidden inside.

Any petty thief who dared come near usually met an extremely miserable end.

But once the “petty thieves” became Great Chu’s army... the Residence’s refinement transformed into a burden that bound its own hands.

It was not a fortress.

They withdrew here because everyone had silently chosen this place as the site of their final deaths.

Not because anyone truly believed the compound could be defended.

The Old Ancestress of the Fan Clan wore a red dress.

A table had been set out.

She sat cross-legged atop it.

Before her knelt the women of Fan Residence... including the famed Golden Hairpins.

No one cried.

No one wailed.

During the long days of siege, they had not fought on the true front line... but they had worked constantly behind it.

Emotionally... they had long since been prepared.

Many had simply become numb.

Fan clansmen and the final organized forces left inside Fan City all began converging toward Fan Residence.

Fan Zhengwen returned as well.

He saw the Old Ancestress.

“So the Fan Clan has finally reached its end because of you.”

“Ancestor intends to burn herself alive directly?”

The Old Ancestress rolled her eyes.

“People in the jianghu always say Qi Refiners are useless in a fight, but even if this old woman must die, I should at least drag two men down with me.”

“Two?”

Qu Peiluo arrived at that moment with his people.

A shield in his left hand.

A saber in his right.

Fan Zhengwen counted as one.

Qu Peiluo counted as the other.

Wasn’t that exactly two?

Of course... it was merely a joke at the edge of death.

The closer death came... the more naturally people sometimes became frivolous.

Certain emotions also became magnified.

“You two are dead men already. Don’t tell me you still expect to survive?”

Then... the Old Ancestress looked at Qu Peiluo and laughed.

“Never imagined that at the end of this old woman’s life, I’d die together with someone from the master’s household.”

Qu Peiluo smiled and nodded.

Then he turned and ordered:

“Form ranks. Hold as long as we can. Kill one more before dying and we’ve broken even.”

Fan Zhengwen looked toward the women of his household.

“Have all the white silk prepared? When the time comes, I’ll send you on ahead.”

The Old Ancestress called out:

“Don’t be afraid. Go down first and warm the kangs. Cook the meal. The men will be right behind you!”

The women did not cry.

Instead... they answered together.

If they refused suicide and survived... what waited for them would be worse than death.

At that moment... as Chu troops poured deeper into Fan City, the first organized formations began rushing directly toward Fan Residence.

The sounds of fighting erupted outside the compound.

The Old Ancestress launched herself into the air.

Her red robes blazed brilliantly.

She flew over the heads of her own people.

When she landed, both sleeves swept outward.

Several Chu soldiers were thrown aside instantly.

But then... two arrows shot toward her.

The Old Ancestress’s expression changed.

THUNK! THUNK!

Qu Peiluo stepped in front of her with his shield and caught both arrows.

“Thank you, young master of the old household. This old woman almost died the instant she stepped out. That would’ve been humiliating beyond words.”

Qu Peiluo did not answer.

Instead, he shouted toward the rear:

“Where is this dog slave!”

From behind...

Fan Zhengwen shouted at the top of his lungs:

“This slave is here!”

“Raise the banner for your master!”

“This slave obeys!”

Fan Zhengwen’s martial skill was useless.

His body was weak too.

But he could still hold a flag.

An Azure Luan Army banner embroidered with the Qu Clan emblem rose above Fan Residence.

When the attacking Chu soldiers saw that banner... their advance visibly faltered.

Qu Peiluo threw away his shield.

He gripped his saber with both hands.

Around him stood the final several dozen Qu clansmen who had followed him this far.

“Brothers, your master originally wanted to give all of you wealth and honor. Your master broke his word. Once we get down below, I won’t be able to look after you anymore, so don’t come chasing me to settle accounts. The ancestors of the Qu Clan will already be lining up to beat this unfilial descendant of theirs. You lot won’t get a turn!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

At that moment...

Qu Peiluo’s mind filled with images.

His father, Qu Tiannan, departing on campaign.

His own wedding day... when he had led a company of white-horse riders to fetch the bride.

Qingtan... where he had knelt on the ground with a saber in hand, preparing to cut his own throat.

If he died now... everything would finally end.

A pity.

He truly had wanted to hold the child she gave birth to.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Qu Peiluo released a roar.

“Azure Luan Army... advance!”

...

“Grand General! The southern wall has fallen!”

“Grand General! We’ve broken through on our side too!”

“Grand General! Our troops are already entering the city!”

“Hahahaha! I can write the memorial to Imperial Brother!”

Eighth Prince could barely contain his excitement.

He was practically dancing.

These days of siege had been torture for both attacker and defender.

More importantly... the Chu army carried the burden of presenting a victory for the Regent’s enthronement.

No one dared delay.

Nian Yao looked at Eighth Prince.

Inside... he felt almost no excitement at all.

The latest intelligence from north of Mount Meng had just arrived.

The Yan... had not chosen to attack Mount Meng.

Nor had they attempted to force open the mountain roads and reinforce Fan City.

That was highly unusual.

Had the Yan realized saving Fan City was impossible and simply abandoned it?

Nian Yao stretched.

Then said:

“I suppose so. Tian Wujing has gone far into the west. Yan has changed Emperors. The men of the previous generation have left. The next generation... simply lacks that same grandeur.”

...

South of Fan City...

Dugu Mu watched his soldiers climb onto the walls in wave after wave.

The blocked gate passage below was also being cleared.

At last... he sat back down in his commander’s chair.

Finally.

The city was taken.

A general beside him offered a ginseng root.

Dugu Mu accepted it.

Bit off a piece.

Held it in his mouth.

The general was named Dugu Nian.

A talented member of the Dugu Clan.

Years ago, he had served in the Chu Imperial Clan Guards under Nian Yao.

For this expedition...

Dugu Mu had personally requested that he be transferred back to his side.

“A’Nian.”

“Grandfather.”

“Things here are finished. Your grandfather should step down now. From here on, this army of the Dugu Clan will be yours to command.”

“Grandfather is not old.”

“I cannot cling to the post forever. We must give His Majesty dignity. Only then can His Majesty give us dignity. Keep one portion of these household troops. Hand the rest to the court to dismantle. Whether they are assigned to local armies or the Imperial Clan Guards does not matter. It is time to step back. We should step back. This is all your grandfather can do. From now on... your generation must stand up. Assist His Majesty. And protect the realm belonging to us Chu people.”

“Grandfather can rest assured. Your grandson will never disappoint your expectations.”

“Mm.”

At that moment... another messenger came to report that remnants inside the city were still resisting.

Dugu Nian laughed.

“They’re actually still fighting like trapped beasts, struggling at death’s door. I truly don’t understand what they think they’re holding on for.”

“They’re waiting for the Yan to save them.”

“Grandfather, no matter how strong the Yan are, they can’t fly. How could they possibly arrive in time to save...”

WOOOOOOOO!

Suddenly... horns sounded.

Then... from behind the army came a rolling thunder.

Dugu Mu shot to his feet and stared toward the rear.

Beyond the great army.

Beyond the camp.

Dust surged into the sky.

From inside that sea of dust came a roar like ten thousand war drums.

“TIGER!”

“TIGER!”

“TIGER!”

Then... wave after wave of cavalry burst from the dust.

Black armor.

Galloping horses.

One point became a line.

One line became an endless wall.

They stretched beyond sight.

Black Dragon Banners and Double-Headed Eagle Banners snapped in the wind amid the army... like the savage fangs of some monstrous beast.

The Yan army... had arrived!

[End of Chapter 782]