After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Jiang Shih-kuan said, "They concentrated a large force on the north city wall yesterday..."

"That's right," Dong Anguo nodded, "it's all to mislead us."

The deputy commander of Jiangpu City sighed:

"Both your father and Governor Shangguan believe that Yue Zhongqi is about to, or rather, Yue Zhongqi has already, transferred a portion of his troops to Liuhe City."

"They changed their strategy to break through the Six Harmonies Camp first?" Jiang Shikuan's heart sank, and he exclaimed in surprise.

That's our guess.

Dong Anguo gave a wry smile and said to this nephew whom he held in high regard:

"Let's try fighting again today. If they continue to launch a full-scale attack from all three sides, we won't do a night raid. But if they only focus on one side, we'll have to go out and set them on fire tonight."

Jiang Shikuan's heart skipped a beat, and after a moment's hesitation, he glanced at Uncle Dong's resolute profile before offering his opinion:

"Uncle Dong, what if... what if it's Yue Zhongqi's scheme?"

A veteran soldier who had served two nights without taking orders and had risen to the rank of platoon leader through meritorious service worriedly said:

"Yue Zhongqi deliberately made it seem like he was going to Liuhe City to lure us out of the city for a night raid."

"no way."

Dong Anguo sighed, and after a few moments, a resolute look appeared in his eyes. He said:

"Governor Shangguan said that even if it is a scheme, we can only fall for it."

"As long as Yue Zhongqi can be kept on this side, the Northern Dynasty will have to consume exorbitant amounts of grain every day it is delayed."

"But once he leaves, if we don't go out, they'll use a few men to watch over us until we die here. Jiangpu City will then become a dead, isolated city, and it will be of no use to the Great Liang."

Bang! Dong Anguo slapped the city wall:

"We must prevent Yue Zhongqi from leaving. Let him know that he won't be leaving anywhere until we capture Jiangpu City!"

The sky gradually brightened.

The dark, imposing Northern Dynasty army continued to slither towards Jiangpu City from afar, like venomous snakes covering the earth.

"Bang!"

Today's battle, as before, began with the Northern Dynasty's Great General Cannon firing its first shot.

But it was clear that the artillery fire, which usually took half a day, was reduced to only about a hundred rounds today before stopping.

Jiang Shih-kuan didn't have a telescope, so he couldn't see clearly, but he could still tell from the falling shells that the density wasn't that high.

The artillery fire in Jiangpu City has been reduced.

We have cannonballs, but we're out of gunpowder.

Some of them were also damp.

Jiang Shih-kuan heard artillerymen cursing loudly that morning: "They almost blew up my gun!"

Hold the mulberry bow firmly, draw the string, and lean against the wall to look down.

The bodies below the city have piled up in large numbers these past few days, some places even reaching five or six layers high, and the ground has been stained black with blood.

Add to that the stench of molten gold, boiling oil, and charred chariots, and the soldiers who stayed on the city wall for a long time couldn't smell it. Only after going down to take turns and coming back up did they realize how unbearably smelly the city wall was now.

It was not Jiangpu City that was responsible for clearing away the corpses, but the Northern Dynasty army, because the corpses were blocking the way for the siege ladders.

Their laborers dragged the corpses down into the moat.

Jiang Shih-kuan shot arrows at them. The laborers only had wooden shields on their heads or wore thick clothes stuffed with straw, making them much easier to kill than the Green Standard Army soldiers.

The shouts of battle continued from morning until noon. Jiang Shikuan came down from the city wall, took a few steamed buns from an old man cooking rice, sprinkled some salt on them and ate them.

After lunch.

Today, more Green Standard Army soldiers climbed up the section of the city wall he was guarding.

Several arrows were fired, but they couldn't penetrate the enemy's armor. The arrows stuck in their bodies, making them look like a group of scarecrows covered in arrows attacking the city wall.

Jiang Shikuan drew his goose-feather saber from his waist and slashed at it without a word.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

He and his comrades killed several Green Standard Army soldiers, plugging the gap.

The blade is dulled and can no longer cut.

He was given a new goose-feather saber from the weapon bureau.

The sun is westward.

Gradually, the mountain finally set.

The sound of gongs rang out from the Northern Dynasty.

Jiang Shikuan stood numbly on the city wall, watching the Northern Dynasty army recede like a tide, and silently inhaled the blood-soaked air.

He sniffed, thinking about how he would strip so-and-so of their armor and put a new one on them.

…………

Night falls.

Jiang Shih-kuan was conscripted into the night raid team.

"Eat meat, drink alcohol, sleep!"

Dong Anguo shouted something at the two thousand men on the drill ground.

He ordered the cooks to slaughter many pigs.

Jiang Shih-kuan drank three large bowls of the meat broth alone.

We ate quite a bit of meat, including two ounces of pig's head and a fish.

Uncle Dong spoke with great bravado, but when it came to actually drinking, he only allowed each of them a small half-bowl.

I didn't wash my face, I just rubbed it. Now, with all the black ash and blood on my body, even mosquitoes probably can't bite me.

He took off his armor, lay down on the ground, and curled up on his side to sleep.

I was half asleep.

He was woken up by someone tapping him.

He jumped up with a start, instinctively put on his armor, put on his weapons, tied a white cloth around his left arm, and prepared to leave the city.

Night raid on the enemy camp...

The moonlight tonight seems rather dim.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill them all!"

"kill!"

"Bang!"

"boom!!"

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

Jiang Shikuan ran across an open space, covered in blood.

This clearing used to be a large forest.

The trees have been cut down by the Northern Dynasty in the past few days to make siege ladders, bows and arrows, wooden bridges to cross the moat, and firewood for cooking.

But Jiang Shih-kuan and his comrades still ran this way.

This was a trap devised by Governor-General Shangguan and General Jiang to lure the enemy in. They would rush in and burn and kill for a while, and if they could cause a riot in the camp, that would be best. If they couldn't, they would come out quickly.

Governor Shangguan arranged for 5,000 men to lie in ambush on both sides to ambush and kill the pursuing troops...

This battle.

They fought to a standstill with the Northern Dynasty.

The Northern Dynasty placed mountain-splitting cannons inside their camps.

Many of the soldiers who rushed in to burn and kill were hit by the mountain cannons, and their heads rolled off the mountain.

Of those two thousand people, more than a thousand died.

However, Governor Shangguan's arrangements later proved effective. The five thousand men launched a surprise attack, leaving at least a thousand corpses in the Northern Dynasty, including more than a hundred cavalrymen who had pursued them under the cover of night...

The night raid ended with them capturing over a hundred horses and a pile of weapons.

There wasn't time to remove their armor.

After all, most of the Northern Dynasties were about to be caught up.

They had no choice but to quickly retreat to the city gate...

From that day on.

The Northern Dynasties then adopted a policy of besieging Jiangpu City without attacking it.

After guarding the city wall for five days, Jiang Shikuan wanted to return to his position as a night scout and go out of the city to investigate the enemy's situation, but his request was rejected.

Uncle Dong said:

"Those who leave the city are not captured at night, and of those who return, only one in ten survives. Yue Zhongqi has already led a large army to Liuhe City, leaving 60,000 men to guard us, including 5,000 cavalry."

Jiang Shih-kuan stood in the government office, stunned for a long time.

…………

The June sun began to get quite scorching.

Jiang Shikuan specially made a straw hat for himself and a few of his familiar comrades, which they wore on their heads to guard the city.

There was a comrade whose parents were prostitutes in a brothel and could sing some folk songs. He grew up surrounded by them and developed a bright voice.

Jiang Shih-kuan listened to folk songs on the city wall for a few days.

After entering June, their daily rations changed from two meals a day, two steamed buns each time, plus a bowl of thin porridge in the evening, to one meal a day, two steamed buns each time.

Before Nanjing, warships would be stationed south of Jiangpu City, but not after that.

"When did it stop?" the man singing the ditty asked him, staring at him with wide eyes.

Jiang Shih-kuan shrugged and said with a wry smile, "How the hell am I supposed to know that?"

Another comrade, fanning himself with a straw hat, said, "They've been gone for at least three days."

…………

June 10th.

The Northern Dynasty resumed its siege.

Jiangpu City finally resumed its two-meal-a-day ration: two steamed buns for the first meal and a bowl of thin porridge for the second.

After a siege of ten days or so,

Stopped.

People came down from the city and shouted.

The person who came was Shen Yue, the general of Liuhe City.

Shen Yue said, "Liuhe City has fallen, the Marquis of Zhenguo is dead, the Zhenjiang Navy has been completely wiped out, and Nanjing City is about to fall. We must surrender immediately."

Shen Yue only had one hand left, and he waved his other hand below the city wall, his face pale.

This day.

Jiangpu City was deeply saddened.

The emaciated Governor-General Shangguan did not wear mourning clothes to pay respects to his father. Instead, he cursed Shen Yue from the city wall, saying that he had surrendered to the Northern Dynasty for wealth and glory and even tried to spread rumors and mislead the public!

"His Majesty will surely exterminate your entire clan! As a warning to others!"

That night.

Jiangpu Army organized a night raid.

The commander Lu Kun led 1,400 men out of the city.

Half an hour later, the drums of the Northern Dynasty camp sounded loudly.

But Lu Kun never returned.

the next day.

The Northern Dynasty's Green Standard Army raised Lu Kun's head and attacked the city again...

"Boom!"

The Great General's Cannon, which had been unseen for a month, spewed fire and continuously sent shells onto the walls of Jiangpu City...

…………

July 5th.

Jiang Shikuan saw wisps of smoke rising from the south bank of the Yangtze River.

"Where is that?" He raised his arm and pointed in the direction where smoke was rising.

Someone's voice was hoarse, and their knees buckled.

"Brother Jiang..."

He knelt on the ground and cried, saying:

"That...that's...that's Nanjing!"