Big Moon Ballad

Chapter 2636 Siege and Killing
"No, no!"

Wu Chanlu was so frightened that he wet himself, completely losing the air of superiority he had when facing the scouts. He kowtowed repeatedly to the wooden statue, saying, "But the attack on Desheng Gate failed. We were ambushed by the Northern Wei with cannons."

"firearm?"

The voice of Yun Zhongjian echoed from the wooden statue, "The firearms left behind by the Grand Commander can still be used."

"Master, what should we do?" Wu Chanlu asked, completely at a loss.

"idiot!"

Yun Zhongjun sneered, "Luoyang is almost out of ammunition and food, it's practically a dead city. If you still can't win this battle under these circumstances, what's the difference between you and a piece of trash? You might as well become a pile of mud."

Upon hearing the word "mud material," Wu Chanlu trembled violently. "Master, spare my life! I have a brilliant plan..."

"What other brilliant plan do you need?"

Yun Zhongjun said calmly, "Even if the Northern Wei has firearms, their ammunition must be limited, otherwise they wouldn't have taken them out at this time."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chanlu suddenly felt confident, "Then let's continue the siege!"

"Since we can't take the city gate, let's starve these people to death! When the people inside the city are eating each other, we won't have to worry about that little king of Northern Wei surrendering without leaving the city."

Yun Zhongjun did not reply upon hearing this.

Wu Chanlu became uneasy. "Master?"

“We must continue the siege,” said Yun Zhongjun. “She is coming soon.”

"Who?"

Wu Chanlu shuddered, slowly straightening his body as if he couldn't believe his ears, "Ying Baoyue?"

This is the name he fears most in this world, besides Yun Zhongjun.

"waste!"

Seeing Wu Chanlu's incompetence through the wooden statue, Yun Zhongjun was very dissatisfied, but at this point in time, the Zen temple had no one else available. Although Wu Chanlu was a good-for-nothing, he was easy to control.

"I have already notified the spies in the Former Qin army to set her up. It will take at least five days for the Former Qin army to reach Luoyang. Within these five days, you must take Luoyang."

"Disciple understands!"

The wooden statue in front of him had lost its breath, but Wu Chanlu still knelt on the ground for a long time before daring to get up.

He straightened up and stared at the wooden statue with a complicated expression.

"Somebody come!"

"Tell Lord Zhou that I, the strategist, will go into battle with him tomorrow!"

……

……

Late at night, at Deshengmen.

The wall, which had been stained with blood during the day, had been roughly cleaned up, but a strong smell of blood still lingered.

Meng Shi arranged for people to collect the cannons that had run out of ammunition and then climbed onto the city wall.

Having just won a battle during the day, Meng Shi ordered that the soldiers who participated in the battle today be given an extra meal. Most of the garrison troops were having dinner inside the city at this time, and there were not many soldiers patrolling the city walls.

Meng Shi spotted Li Meiniang sitting on the wall, holding a long sword.

She took off her helmet, and her long hair fluttered in the night wind.

His slender figure, sitting on the city wall, was like a long spear—straight and resilient.

Meng Shi watched this scene with fascination.

These past few days, she has been completely won over by this indomitable female general.

Meng Shi walked quietly behind Li Meiniang, who knew who it was without even turning her head. "Your Highness, the Queen."

"You finally won a battle, why don't you go to the city to celebrate?" Meng Shi looked at Li Meiniang, who was gazing at the night sky. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I've eaten."

Meng Shi sighed inwardly. She took out a dry cornbread from her bosom, broke it in half, and handed it to Li Meiniang.

"Your Highness?" "If you fall, who can replace you?" Meng Shi shoved the cornbread into Li Meiniang's mouth without allowing her to refuse. "Eat quickly."

Li Meiniang did not refuse again. She continued to look at the night sky while chewing on the dry, hard cornbread.

"General Li, what are you looking at?"

“I’m looking in the direction where Baoyue will come from,” Li Meiniang said, gazing intently at the boundless horizon.

Meng Shi's heart skipped a beat. "Do you really think she'll come?"

"Why not?" Li Meiniang looked at her strangely. "Baoyue should be on her way long ago."

“But the Northern Wei scouts received no news,” Meng Shi said, looking at the vast night. “The distress messages they sent out also disappeared without a trace.”

Although she appeared confident in front of Yelü Hua, there was no indication that the Former Qin had sent troops to support the Northern Wei.

"Something must have happened that has stopped Baoyue, but she must have arrived by now."

Li Meiniang gazed at the night sky, her eyes filled with a trust so intense that Meng Shi couldn't comprehend it. She prided herself on having a good level of trust in Ying Baoyue, but she still couldn't understand where Li Meiniang's confidence came from.

However, she completely believed Li Meiniang's story about Ying Baoyue being held back.

The Northern Wei garrison had been turned against them, so it was impossible for the Former Qin army, whose new emperor had just ascended the throne, not to have problems.

If Ying Baoyue hadn't arrived in time, Meng Shining would have believed it was due to internal obstruction within the Former Qin army.

"The artillery reserves are all used up. The enemy suffered heavy losses today, so they probably won't attack the city tomorrow, right?"

Meng Shi breathed a sigh of relief. Although today was a rare victory, the Northern Wei had also paid a heavy price.

The soldiers, who had been on edge for many days, relaxed, and almost all the generals felt that the enemy would not attack the city anytime soon.

"Do not."

Li Meiniang jumped down from the wall, her gaze cold and stern.

"I think the enemy will attack the city again tomorrow, and they will switch to attacking through a different gate."

"Make sure the other eight city gates are under martial law."

……

……

Sure enough, just as dawn was breaking, the rebels, who had just suffered heavy losses, launched another attack.

This attack targeted Xizhimen, located west of Luoyang.

Thanks to Li Meiniang's warning, the defenders at the other city gates weren't caught completely off guard. Tuoba Jun, the commander of Xizhimen, led his troops to meet the enemy, killing several of their vanguard, and the enemy retreated north. Tuoba Jun pursued them, but at that moment, the enemy suddenly reinforced their forces and surrounded him.

"Your Majesty! Lord Tuoba Sun is surrounded!"

Standing on the city wall, Meng Shi saw Tuoba Jun leading his army in a fierce battle, but they were still unable to break the siege.

Tuoba Sun was from a prestigious family. If he were to die in battle outside the city, it would have a huge impact on the powerful clans within the Northern Wei city.

"Your Majesty, I am leading the Silver Cicada Guards to the rescue."

Upon hearing the news, Li Meiniang, who was originally guarding Desheng Gate, rushed over and asked Meng Shi for permission to take over.

Meng Shi nodded with mixed feelings.

The side gate of Xizhimen opened, and the Silver Cicada Guards filed out.

Just as the Silver Cicada Guards went out of the city to meet the enemy, the enemy army besieging Tuoba Jun in the distance suddenly moved. It was as if an order was issued under the enemy's royal banner in the distance, and the enemy's war drums suddenly became more intense.

"The strategist has ordered that no cost be spared in taking Li Meiniang's head!"

Seeing the enemy troops rushing towards Li Meiniang's direction from afar, Meng Shi immediately realized that they had fallen into a trap.

The leader of this rebel army is after Li Meiniang!
Faced with the encirclement of the enemy army, Li Meiniang and the Silver Cicada Guards remained calm and fought bravely, showing no panic at the prospect of being surrounded.

In the blink of an eye, the corpses of hundreds of cavalrymen fell outside the silver armor.

"My strategist..."

"I said I would kill this woman at all costs!"

Sitting atop his chariot, Wu Chanlu wore a demon mask. He stared at Li Meiniang, who was fighting fiercely in the distance amidst the encirclement, and said menacingly, "Add more! Keep adding people! She's only human; she can't possibly be unkillable!"