Headless Immortal

Chapter 156 Siege
Zuo Pingdao, the rain seemed to intensify as the thick clouds appeared to have multiplied, and the sticky darkness enveloped people.

At least they had a high vantage point, where the cold moonlight still shone on the desolate hillside, illuminating the figures who had stopped there. The pale, withered skeleton, dressed in worn-out armor, rode on the back of a ghostly horse, with two eerie green flames flickering in its eye sockets.

Ghost riders surrounded a striped tiger.

The tiger was enormous, half-lying on the hillside like a boulder. Its pale golden eyes exuded an imposing aura without anger. Its mouth twitched slightly, and its beard trembled as if it were about to bare its fangs. On its back sat a person dressed in official robes with a jade belt and wearing a black gauze hat with wings.

A slender, ghostly figure held an umbrella, its features obscured by the shadows.

The yellow-horned ghost standing to the side widened its eyes: "City God, I see the market has quieted down, should we send the soul-collecting messengers down to gather the souls?"

The City God of Qi County nodded, his voice calm and even: "Hmm."

Immediately, a tall, soul-reaping messenger dressed in a two-colored robe emerged from the black mist behind him, riding a ghostly horse down the hillside.

"Master, Hao County is under siege, and General Di is in command." Huang Jiao Gui watched the blue-gold streak of light disappear into the night. This demon cavalry was indeed sharp, easily tearing through the defenses set up by the Hongmen like flying swords. The leader should be that 'Demon King,' Boss Lu from Jiangzhou.

Yellow Horned Ghost turned his gaze back and asked, "Since you care about him so much, why don't you give him more?"

The City God of Qi County glanced sideways and said, "The Beacon Fire Mountain Technique is enough to transform the Demon Cavalry..."

He paused here, realizing that both human and demonic calamities existed, and he wasn't sure if teaching this method to demons would be aiding and abetting evil. He continued, "How can the underworld interfere too much in the affairs of the mortal realm?"

Yellow Horned Ghost curled his lip. The City God's concern for Hao County's affairs clearly went beyond such minor assistance.

He shrank back, as long as he wasn't allowed to seduce 'Boss Lu's' soul, he was fine. That golden light had truly frightened him; if it weren't for the dream, he might have lost his life. He shook his head and said, "Strange."

The brown dwarf looked in both directions and said, "The rain is really heavy."

“Rain is great! Zhangzhou has been suffering from drought for so long, it needs a heavy rain,” Huangjiaogui chimed in.

Huang Gui disliked the heat; the south was naturally humid, which made him comfortable throughout the four seasons. As he spoke, he shrugged his shoulders; he was holding the umbrella for the City God, but he himself didn't need to be sheltered from the wind and rain.

"Not good." The brown dwarf shook his head like a rattle-drum.

The yellow-horned ghost asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

The brown dwarf blushed but couldn't give a single reason why it was bad; he just felt it was bad.

The City God of Qi County spoke up: "Too much rain will cause floods. Jiujiang and Sanzhou have so many waterways that they are not short of water at all. The clouds were driven to the south by Juying Mountain, and now they are surging back. The rain will last for a long time." He looked up at the sky, stretched out his hand, and water droplets passed through his palm.

Severe drought followed by severe flooding makes life unbearable.

Yellow Horned Ghost wanted to find a river or lake, but then he realized that Zuo Pingdao was a mountain road: "The monsters on land have all raised an army, what about the monsters in the water?"

……

Hao County.

On the high city walls, atop the towers, Zhang Guangjian, clad in iron armor, urged his soldiers to build fortifications.

Buckets of molten gold were carried and placed in the corner of the wall. Wooden fences extended from the watchtower, resembling barricades but more elaborate, with six sharpened spikes, each as thick as a person's arm, pointing diagonally at the city wall.

The ballista creaked and groaned as it moved, and bolts shaped like spears were set up.

Just like oil and rolling stones and logs, they are all operated by Iron Corpse Warriors. Ordinary soldiers need four or five men to mount a ballista properly, but with the Warriors, only two are needed.

The long arm of the catapult lay quietly at our feet.

A large hand stroking down, but it wasn't touching the catapult; instead, it was touching the Tiger Crouching Cannon, forged from black iron.

Four iron hoops held the short cannon barrel in place, and two supports were nailed to the cracks in the stone bricks with iron nails. It felt cool to the touch, with a rough texture, giving it the heavy feel of a strange weapon.

The torches stuck in the iron frame of the city wall illuminated Zhang Guangjian's face, which was gloomy and barely maintained its composure.

He heard from his strategist that the imperial court had mobilized 20,000 troops and had recaptured two counties in just a few days. Now, only Hao County remained in their hands.

He had gathered tens of thousands of soldiers, and there was a steady stream of members being recruited by the Jing Shi Hui to become 'strongmen', but when he thought of yesterday, his expression was full of evasiveness.

Taking advantage of the fact that the imperial army had set up camp ten miles away the previous night and was exhausted from the journey, he was instructed by his strategist to lead five hundred elite troops to launch a night attack on the camp with Meng Ling, who was also one of the four generals of the Jingshi Army.

He thought he had acted meticulously, and that his raid on the camp had the advantage of timing, location, and popular support. But he didn't expect that he would realize he had made a huge mistake the moment he saw the enemy.

The Jiangbei camp and the Jiujiang prefectural troops were indeed elite, and they were destroyed in an instant without the need for Confucianism, Buddhism, or Taoism to intervene.

He barely escaped with his life, while Meng Ling, who had transformed into a silver-armored corpse, had his head chopped off by a junior general. He led his remaining troops to evade the pursuit of the Six Doors and finally managed to escape back. The strategist did not blame him and still entrusted him with an important task, ordering him to assist General Zheng in consolidating the city's defenses to prevent the imperial army from attacking the city.

"Ah."

Zhang Guangjian raised his palm, his fingertips still bearing the rust and a damp chill.

He was a rough man, and had only heard that these strange and wonderful things were creations of mechanical cultivators. Only when the cannons spewed flames could he dispel his fear of attacking the camp. Thinking of this, he gave a bitter laugh, looked into the distance, forced himself to look at it for a few more seconds, but quickly looked away.

He quickened his pace and arrived at the camp on the city wall, but hesitated and did not go in immediately.

"General Zhang." Hearing the strategist's voice, Zhang Guangjian hesitated for a moment before approaching and stepping into the building.

What comes into view is a huge sand table, and inside the tent hangs a huge map. Generals Zheng and Hong have already taken their seats; they are among the few generals who can transform into silver-armored corpses.

Zhang Guangjian took his seat, and the seats that should have been for four people now had only three seats left.

Before the sand table stood Li Gan, dressed in a long robe. Pointing to the city representing Hao County, he said, "The imperial army of 20,000 and the 5,000 troops of Jiujiang Prefecture have completely surrounded Hao County. I estimate they will attack the city at dawn. Since things have come to this, I might as well make it clear: Hao City cannot be defended."

General Zheng frowned deeply.

General Hong stood up abruptly and said in a deep voice, "Did the strategist summon us just to discuss this matter?"

He cupped his hands in the direction of Ju Yingshan and asked, "Ju Yingshan has two thousand elite troops. If we can mobilize them to launch a pincer attack, we might be able to hold out for another half month."

Li Gan shook his head and said, "Ju Yingshan will not provide any support; we will have to wait..."

"That means sending us to our deaths!" General Zheng roared, his eyes flashing with silver light, even his fangs growing half an inch longer. He said fiercely, "I, Zheng Zhizhang, have roamed the martial world for thirty years, and this is the first time I've heard of 'rebellion' that requires waiting. Waiting for what? Waiting for the imperial army to attack cities and conquer mountains, waiting to die!"

Li Gan smiled and waved his hand: "General Zheng, please be patient. Since no reinforcements are coming from the mountain, we will head towards the mountain."

Zheng Zhizhang's stern expression softened slightly, and he asked in surprise, "What does the strategist mean?"

Li Gan nodded: "Abandon the city."

"The city has tens of thousands of people, and just feeding them requires a large amount of grain. The strongmen don't need to eat or drink, but the soldiers do. Moreover, we really can't defend the city. Therefore, Jing Shilang has ordered us to abandon Hao City and retreat to Juying Mountain, just waiting for the medicine catalyst to arrive so that the divine skill can be completed and change the course of the battle."

Hong Ding hesitated and said, "I heard that the medicinal ingredient is lost."

This isn't just hearsay; it's common knowledge.

Li Gan said without any hesitation, "It's just a matter of whether the effect is better or worse. If you don't have that medicinal guide, you can use a different quantity."

"General Zhang."

"The end will be here."

"How many Yin Blood women have we gathered?" "Reporting to the strategist, fifty-one in total," Zhang Guangjian reported, hands clasped.

Li said with relief, "Including what we had before, it's enough."

He slowly straightened up, pulled out the small flags one by one, and casually threw them on the sand table, saying, "At midnight, break through and return to Juying Mountain."

Hong Ding said, "The imperial army and the Jiujiang troops are not to be trifled with; we are too few in number."

With the war at this point, let alone the fact that they nominally have tens of thousands of soldiers, in reality, they would only have a few thousand left after running two miles. By the time they reach the foot of Juying Mountain, they might only have Iron Corpse Warriors left.

Li Gan smiled and said, "There are still tens of thousands of people in the city."

Hong Ding's pupils widened suddenly, his octagonal face tensed up at that moment, and his curly hair fell down from the corners of his eyes, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. He really did not expect that the strategist Li Gan would be so ruthless. The seemingly gentle strategist actually planned to let the people of Hao County block the imperial army.

“Strategist, this isn’t appropriate. Our rebellion is…” His slightly thick lips stammered, unable to explain the reason. Perhaps Hong Ding himself knew the answer, but if he said it, he would surely be ridiculed. Not to mention others, Zheng Zhizhang would also laugh and say: “No matter the reason, you must live first.”

They were able to survive. Now they're having a hard time surviving, whereas before they were able to, and they were thriving.

Zheng Zhizhang was a powerful bandit leader with a strong army and a life of luxury. Zhang Guangjian had a long-standing reputation and was very wealthy. As for him, needless to say, he was no longer a destitute person because he had mastered superb martial arts skills.

Before, they had a good life, but now it's tough. Those in the city who were already struggling to survive are still struggling. So Hong Ding stood up and objected, "Give me two thousand soldiers, and I will stop the imperial army."

"Humph."

"Ah."

“General Hong, it’s not that I’m underestimating you, but none of us are a match for that old scoundrel Di. Not to mention those Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist scholars who came with the army, the Confucian scholars and mechanical engineers from Bailudong Academy, the senior monks from Donglin Temple, Longhu Mountain, Lushan Sect, Maoshan, Laoshan... and the captains from the Six Doors.”

"This time, the commander of the garrison's thousand-household commander has come."

"Gao Qingzhi alone has kept the heretics of Zhangzhou busy dealing with him. The one who stole the medicinal ingredient was a little demon king. Even the Holy Maiden of the White Sect is keeping a distance from him."

Hong Ding cupped his hands and said defiantly, "I beg the strategist to grant my request."

"Very well, then I'll let you give it a try." Li Gan didn't say anything more, and assigned the western route of the Jingshi Army to Hong Ding, then sent his servant to find the heretics and monsters in the city.

After a short while, once the general plan was finalized with the three generals, many heretics, strange people, and demons entered the main tent on the city wall.

Specific details still need to be discussed.

……

Ten miles from Yuanhao County.

Big account.

The burly man with the thick beard stood up angrily and said, "Does this bastard really have a death wish and want to use the people of the city as collateral?"

The burly man's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table, almost shattering it. Spittle flew everywhere as he looked at the desk.

Seated behind the table was a burly man, dressed in white robes and black armor, with a dignified appearance and imposing physique. His cascading black hair was bound back with a three-peaked crown, and his two arched eyebrows resembled the splashes of ink by a painter. His pair of copper bell-shaped eyes shot out a cold light, and his high-bridged nose made his eye sockets appear even deeper. His square lips softened his sharp features, giving him a grounded and reliable demeanor.

General Di asked, "Yan Shi, what do you think?"

Sui Yanshi said without hesitation, "Attack the city!"

He didn't doubt the authenticity of the intelligence. Whether it was true or false, the attack on the city was necessary. Otherwise, if the traitors of the Jing Shi Hui were to wreak havoc again, all they would get would be a city of living corpses, where even the elderly, weak, women, and children would be left.

General Di's sharp eyes swept over the six generals inside the tent.

The bearded man clasped his hands in a fist salute and pushed forward, saying, "This humble general also believes that we should attack the city."

A military officer who looked rather scholarly frowned and said, “General, a hasty attack on the city may lead to an ambush. Secondly, many soldiers cannot see the fighting at night. In addition, the soldiers have not had enough rest and can only perform at 60 or 70% of their strength. If their stamina is insufficient, they will not be able to pursue the fleeing troops.”

"In my humble opinion, not everyone in the Jingshi Army and Jingshi Society wants to fight to the death. They should besiege the city, persuade people to surrender, and behead them. They should show the greatest leniency to those who blindly follow them. Otherwise, once the fighting starts, no matter the outcome, it will be the people in the city who suffer. If we accidentally let the Jingshi Army escape into Juying Mountain, it will be even more difficult to attack the mountain again."

What they need to do is cut off the connection between Hao County and Juying Mountain. They need to disintegrate the army first before they can deal with Jing Shilang of the Jing Shi Society. Without the protection of the army, no matter if he is a Corpse King or any other king, the Six Doors have the ability to deal with him.

General Di nodded almost imperceptibly: "Wenyu, go and invite the commander of the garrison and the prefectural commandant. Dayong, go and invite the representatives of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism."

……

Outside the camp.

"who!"

The patrol officer reined in his horse, and the three riders behind him watched the approaching figure warily until they saw that it was the local chieftain in his black armor and signature cloak.

The junior officer looked at the burly man with the leopard-like head and round eyes carrying a sword case with surprise and asked, "Who are you?"

"Gao Qingzhi, Commandant of the Earthly Department, one of the Three Judicial Offices!"

The junior officer exclaimed with delight, "So you're a senior lieutenant!"

Gao Qingzhi rode past the crowd, saying, "I have important business to attend to."

Hongyun strode into the camp, where more soldiers in full armor were present, and the patrolling ranks were also wearing several layers of outer clothing.

Gao Qingzhi also saw soldiers looking out from the watchtower, and guards carrying long halberds and torches walked past him. Gao Qingzhi dismounted not far from the main tent.

Keng!
Halberds clashed, blocking his path. A young general wearing a steel helmet said, "Who dares to trespass into the central command tent?"

Gao Qingzhi showed his waist tag.

The young officer took a look, the coldness in his eyes melting away. He hesitated and said, "Captain, there's a meeting inside the tent. Please, Captain..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone shouted, "Who's making a ruckus in the central command tent?" A burly man with a thick beard emerged from the tent, searching for the source of the disturbance.

"High School Lieutenant!"

"General Zhang," Gao Qingzhi said, bowing.

Zhang Tao, with his thick beard, brushed aside the crisscrossing halberds and said with a smile, "Please, Captain."

With Zhang Tao leading the way, there were no further obstacles. As soon as they entered the tent, Gao Qingzhi was stunned. He clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "The Demon Suppression Captain greets the Commander of the Thousand Households."

The commander of the garrison nodded with a smile.

None of the three representatives spoke, and the six generals remained silent as well.

General Di asked, "Why are you in such a hurry, Captain?"

Gao Qingzhi's name was renowned throughout Jiujiang, so when he learned that the person outside the tent was Captain Gao, he sent Zhang Tao to invite him. Seeing the captain's surprised yet hesitant expression, he figured there must be something on his mind.

Gao Qingzhi finally spoke up: "Boss Lu from Jiangzhou Water Mansion is leading over a hundred demon cavalry to provide support and is waiting in Shuangshuo Forest."

(End of this chapter)