Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 256 Defending the City
The city walls of Huainan are suffering the most intense attack in their history.

The Xilin army's siege engines, like ferocious beasts, relentlessly hurled boulders that crashed against the city walls like thunderbolts. The watchtowers on the walls bore the brunt of the impact, struck hard by the boulders, sending fragments of stone and brick flying in a deafening, terrifying roar.

At the same time, shouts of battle rose into the sky, making people's eardrums ache, and the entire battlefield was like a living hell.

General Xiao Ning was skilled in offense but lacked experience in defending cities. Fortunately, the city walls of Huainan were meticulously constructed by the King of Huainan to prevent surprise attacks from the Xilin border army. After several reinforcements, the city's defenses became increasingly robust. Even though the Xilin army rained down boulders on the walls, causing damage in many places, the city gates remained tightly closed, stubbornly resisting the invasion of the enemy.

On the city walls, the defenders of Huainan City fought back fiercely. Archers drew their bows and fired arrows, fire arrows streaking like meteors towards the Xilin army attempting to breach the city. At the same time, soldiers hurled stones down, hurling them at the enemy soldiers scaling the walls. The city's defensive guards and three thousand light cavalry worked in close coordination, firmly protecting the city gates and repelling wave after wave of Xilin army attacks.

Su Qingwan, clad in armor, stood tall and straight on the city wall. Bow and arrow in hand, her eyes blazing, she aimed at the attacking soldiers, her arrows never missing their mark. Each draw of the bowstring produced a sharp screech, and each arrow, carrying a fierce momentum, struck the enemy with pinpoint accuracy. However, in the fierce battle, several Xilin soldiers, fearless of death, managed to scale the city wall.

Before they could even gain a foothold, they were pierced by spears from the city wall or struck by stray arrows, falling with screams. The soldiers guarding the city stood in neat rows along the edge of the wall, their spears like a forest, mercilessly felling any enemy soldiers who tried to climb up.

As the battle raged on, Su Qingwan's fingers were repeatedly struck by the bowstring, leaving them bleeding profusely. But she paid no heed, her mind focused on only one belief—to protect Huainan City. Below the city walls, the dark mass of the Xilin army, amidst the relentless beat of war drums, surged forward like a tidal wave, relentlessly and tirelessly assaulting the walls.

General Xiao Ning was also covered in blood from the fierce battle. Looking at the endless stream of enemy troops below the city walls, he felt a growing unease; the walls seemed on the verge of collapse. The Xilin army numbered a massive 50,000, while the city's defensive guard and light cavalry combined numbered only about 5,000. The city's defensive guard was mostly composed of civilians on temporary assignment, making their defensive capabilities weak; the light cavalry, on the other hand, excelled at offense but were ill-equipped for defense.

General Xiao Ning was extremely anxious. He pulled Su Qingwan aside and urged her urgently, "Princess, you must leave first! Quickly retreat towards Zhongzhou. Reinforcements from the southwest and Zhongzhou will take at least three days to arrive. We may not be able to hold out that long. You can't risk your life here!" Su Qingwan's expression was firm, her eyes filled with determination. She said in a deep voice, "As long as Huainan City stands, I will stand! If I leave, the morale of the army will surely collapse, and the city will fall immediately!"

General Xiao Ning was genuinely worried about her safety and continued to persuade her, "But if something happens to you, how can I explain it to the Prince and the Heir Apparent!"

Su Qingwan straightened her back and said resolutely, "I don't need to explain myself to anyone! They want a quick victory and to capture Huainan in a short time. Once Huainan falls, Zhongzhou will be indefensible. No matter the cost, we will defend the city gates to the death!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Xilin army launched another fierce attack.

More enemy soldiers frantically climbed the siege ladders, and the city walls instantly erupted into fierce fighting. The soldiers were all bloodthirsty, their shouts and the clang of weapons mingling together in a deafening roar. Corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed down the walls. Seeing this, Su Qingwan decisively abandoned her longbow, drew her soft sword, and charged into the battlefield without hesitation, fighting bravely alongside the army. Chenfeng, Lüzhu, and Qingyun stayed close by her side, protecting her at all times.

Su Qingwan turned to Chen Feng and said, "Chen Feng, go help General Xiao Ning, don't worry about me!"

Chen Feng glanced at Lü Zhu and Qing Yun, thinking that both of the maids were by the princess's side and that the princess herself had a certain ability to protect herself. He nodded, then brandished his weapon and fought his way through the enemy ranks, heading towards the direction where General Xiao Ning was.

Below the city wall, General Zhuge of the Xilin Army sat firmly on his horse, his gaze cold as he watched his soldiers charge to the top of the wall. His long sword pointed directly at Huainan City, and he shouted, "There are no strong soldiers inside Huainan City. We must take the city within an hour! Kill!"

"Kill! Take Huainan!" The soldiers of the Xilin Army shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the heavens and the earth. Another wave of enemy troops surged toward the city wall like a raging tide.

The massive siege engines, pushed by the soldiers, pounded against the city gates with a dull, resounding thud. The city's defenders gritted their teeth, using all their strength to hold the gates shut, stubbornly resisting the enemy's attack.

Upon seeing this, Su Qingwan immediately ordered her men to pour scalding hot oil onto the enemy troops below and quickly set it ablaze. The oil instantly burst into flames, creating a raging inferno. The approaching warhorses, terrified by the fire, neighed and retreated, letting out cries of agony.

"They've run out of ammunition and food, and there's no one left in the city to fight! Soldiers, charge for the Second Prince's revenge!" the Xilin army general shouted. "Avenge the Second Prince!"

"Avenge the Second Prince!"

The enemy's shouts rose and fell, their momentum overwhelming. Bewitched, they attacked with ever greater frenzy. Su Qingwan fought valiantly on the battlefield, her hands already numb, yet she gripped her twin swords tightly, relentlessly slashing at the enemy. However, the enemy soldiers sprang up like weeds, one wave after another, seemingly endless.

Everyone on the battlefield was exhausted, yet they continued to fight tenaciously. Soldiers fell in battle, slaughtered by the enemy, and the entire city wall was glowing red in the firelight. Under the enemy's fierce attack, the soldiers of Huainan were forced to retreat continuously.

The soldier responsible for beating the drums to boost morale was unfortunately killed, and the war drums stopped instantly.

But the Xilin army's attack drums continued to beat, boosting their morale. Seeing this, Su Qingwan was frantic. She pushed through the mountain of corpses and desperately picked up a drumstick. "Soldiers! Huainan is our home! As long as our home exists, we live; if our home is lost, we die! I will live and die with Huainan!" Su Qingwan shouted hoarsely, "Defend Huainan to the death! Without my order, do not retreat a single step!" She knew she could not retreat. The city was filled with defenseless civilians; they were all citizens of Huainan. If she retreated, these people would be trapped in a desperate situation, their lives in danger.

Su Qingwan tossed aside her twin swords and pounded the drums with both hands, the sound shaking the heavens and the earth. The soldiers, seemingly revitalized by the rousing drumbeats, rose up in resistance, miraculously repelling a wave of the Xilin army's attack. But then, another wave of enemy troops breached the city walls' defenses. Everyone was engulfed in a sea of ​​corpses, struggling to cope with the enemy's relentless assault.

At this critical moment, suddenly, a roar and the sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed from within Huainan City. "Princess, we're here!" Zhang San, leading the surrendered bandits, weapons in hand, charged swiftly towards the battlefield. The group included men, women, and children of all ages; besides Zhang San, there was Zhang Huaining, and all the able-bodied young men in the city who could fight had come!

"Why are you here?" Su Qingwan was both surprised and delighted. At this critical moment, such support was truly touching. There are many who add flowers to brocade, but those who offer charcoal in the snow are extremely rare.

Zhang San responded loudly, "Princess, we are also citizens of Huainan! We will defend Huainan to the death, and without your orders, we will not retreat a single step!"

"Defend Huainan to the death!"

"Defend Huainan to the death!" The shouts of the crowd were like rolling thunder, one after another, resounding through the sky.

The mountain bandits were always skilled in close combat; they loved this kind of hand-to-hand fighting and would slash with their knives with incredible ferocity. With their support, they quickly repelled the attacking Xilin border army.

"Where did they come from!" General Zhuge roared angrily when he saw so many people suddenly appear on the city wall. "They're all civilians, with very weak fighting power. Don't be afraid! Attack the city again!"

"Yes!" The soldiers of the Xilin Army accepted the order and prepared to launch another attack. General Zhuge thought that these were just a group of civilians who had spontaneously defended the city, and their fighting strength was bound to be no match for them. He did not take them seriously at all.

He thought to himself, "I have led an army of 50,000 to besiege the city, while the city's defenders number less than 10,000. How could they possibly withstand my attack?"
Su Qingwan handed the drumsticks to someone else to continue drumming, and Green Bamboo quickly returned the two swords to her. Holding the long sword, Su Qingwan once again fought bravely alongside her soldiers.

Her hands were already bleeding from the lacerations caused by the bowstring, but she gripped the longsword tightly, her eyes bloodshot. Her fingers were almost cramping from holding the hilt for so long, but she never let go.

Despite her itchy and numb hands, she still nimbly weaved through the crowd, slaying enemy soldiers. Blood stained her armor, and in this fierce battle, they once again successfully repelled the Xilin army's attack.

Left with no other option, General Zhuge ordered a halt to the army for rest and regrouping, intending to launch a more intense attack. Su Qingwan's fingers were now completely numb. Seeing this, Green Bamboo offered to help treat her wounds. Su Qingwan waved her hand, took a strip of cloth from the side, and simply bandaged her palm.

She knew she couldn't fall now; she had to organize the next wave of defense. The Xilin army's attack was too sudden; the city wasn't fully prepared.

Although the enemy had just been repelled in one wave, the next attack would undoubtedly be even fiercer. Su Qingwan quickly ordered the wounded to be carried down for treatment, and at the same time arranged for men to repair the city walls. These were tasks that the city's defense guards were more adept at.

Zhang Huaining and General Xiao Ning gathered together to urgently discuss the defense plan. Soon, the city was mobilized. Some of the young men were assigned to the city gates, mainly responsible for guarding them; others were responsible for preparing logistical supplies, such as armor, arrows, and oil.

The city's inhabitants responded to the call, bringing out all the supplies they could from their homes. The beacon towers were already lit, their flames shooting high into the sky; the signal should have been received by those in Zhongzhou. They had to hold the city for three days, awaiting reinforcements.

General Zhuge originally boasted that he would capture Huainan City within an hour, but after he rested, his second wave of attack lasted for two hours and was eventually repelled, with the Xilin army suffering heavy losses.

The civilians in Huainan City also suffered heavy casualties, and the faint sounds of weeping could be heard coming from within the city. After a long battle, everyone was exhausted and weary.

Green Bamboo volunteered to take on the role of army medic, tirelessly rushing across the battlefield to treat the wounded. Qingyun, who also possessed some medical knowledge, was sent by Su Qingwan to assist her. Su Qingwan herself dared not slacken in the slightest; clad in armor, she stood firmly on the city wall, long sword in hand, her body covered in blood. A wisp of white was already appearing on the horizon; dawn was approaching.

At daybreak, the Xilin army will inevitably launch an even fiercer attack. After the surprise attack fails, General Zhuge will certainly adjust his deployment and launch another siege. Moreover, the force that will attack during the day is very likely to be the main force of the Xilin border army.

Su Qingwan knew in her heart that an even more tragic and bloody storm was about to break out, but she was not afraid at all, and had only one firm belief in her heart: "As long as I have a breath left, the enemy will not be able to take a single step into Huainan City!"