Chapter 473: What Does He Want To Do?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Qiu Jianhan was ecstatic. "It is truly an immense relief to us that Marquis Yun has traveled thousands of miles to provide assistance! This old man is utterly thankful."
Qiu Jianhan was well aware of Marquis Yun's true identity. Marquis Yun's presence was as significant as if His Majesty was here! No matter what decision Qiu Jianhan made, as long as Marquis Yun was here, the latter would shoulder the consequences whatever they may be.
The aristocrats would never question nor be suspicious of the events that took place.
It wasn't that the old marshal was overthinking things, but it was a form of self-preservation when the times called for one. After all, he had to watch out for incidents where the general could not be restrained under the emperor's orders, where the general's merit was higher than the emperor's power. There was also often mistrust between the emperor and his officials; these were a marshal's main issues and he had to watch out for them.
Although Old Marshal Qiu was somewhat certain that His Majesty would never doubt him, he had to watch out for those unscrupulous ones in the imperial court! If they were defeated, everything was over; if the war was won, there would always be instigators popping up in the aftermath.
This was the kind of people whose existence would never cease, no matter how brilliant the emperor was or how prosperous and harmonious an empire could be!
The war drums on the opposite side of the field were beaten thunderously as horns blew solemnly across the sky. The sudden deafening sound caused the ground to tremble momentarily.
"Dongxuan is attacking!"
Hearing this reasonable yet unexpected news, Fu Baoguo was caught off guard.
Why was the world-renowned Marshal Han Sanhe attacking an indestructible fortress under broad daylight?
Had water gone into his head? Perhaps he had consumed some medication that didn't sit well with him.
No matter the confusion, Han Sanhe's attack was right at their gates. Fu Baoguo charged up to the fort in almost a single breath and could not help sucking in a cold breath from what he witnessed.
The dense Dongxuan army was carrying long ladders and was charging over like a spreading forest. What shocked Fu Baoguo was that he also saw Dongxuan's Steel Cavalry setting off like a black dragon that was slithering away speedily, prepared to devour the enemy.
There was also something that roused Fu Baoguo's curiosity and no small amount of confusion… a group of people was carrying long logs and large rocks. Were those not materials used for guarding the fort?
What were those people doing, running and carrying along halves of long ladders? Were these needed to attack a fort?
Han Sanhe was not making a fool of himself in this attack, was he?
Han Sanhe's vanguard troops pressed forward until they reached the center of the battlefield while the two hundred thousand men of the Shadow Cavalry that were deployed separated into two teams, surrounding the battlefield like a pair of large clamps.
"Get into formation as arranged! All archers, get ready!"
Qiu Jianhan's voice rang out from behind them.
The old marshal's tone was grave. "Only the archers will be needed for now. Han Sanhe's main aim is not to attack."
"Is he not attacking the fort?"
Fu Baoguo was even more bewildered, but his confusion quickly dissipated as he witnessed the next set of events.
Dongxuan's advancing army that first approached the Fortress of Resilience came in uniform steps. Each of them held a large shield which covered them securely from head to toe. Some of the others held long ladders that were carried together with several more comrades as they sprinted over.
When this troop arrived at the edge of the fort, their next step was to lean the long ladders against the fort wall before scurrying away.
Fu Baoguo was still perplexed watching them. What was going on? The ladders were laid and they had gotten to the border but they were not attacking.
Was this just another way to retreat when they reached the frontlines?
"Shoot!" Qiu Jianhan's command saw the simultaneous release of arrows from the top of the fortress.
The arrows were aimed at the soldiers setting up the ladders. Dongxuan was obviously prepared for it since all of them held shields that were a few sizes larger than usual. The shower of arrows did almost no damage; only a few unlucky ones were killed under the fort when they were shot laying the ladders.
Then, the logs, rocks, and ladders grew in number and height under the fort wall. The situation was growing increasingly mind-boggling.
Watching closely, Fu Baoguo realized that the ladders Dongxuan used in this attack were not scaling ladders but long ladders. The ones set up at the highest points were still about fifteen feet away from the top of the wall, so the people on the fort could do nothing against the ladders. Some sharper soldiers had used flag poles to swing downwards and fling the ladders away, but there were more ladders that were only tens of feet long, stopping at the middle of the wall's entire height. Even the flag poles were useless against them.
As the cycle repeated itself, the items piled at the bottom of the fort by Dongxuan's troops slowly rose in a dense layer. It soon formed an ominous slope.
Qiu Jianhan gave another command – five thousand men of Yutang's Steel Cavalry charged out of the fort gate, galloping at full speed.
"No matter what it is, do not let these things stay under the fort. Destroy all of them!"
Seeing that Yutang's Steel Cavalry had moved, the Shadow Cavalry on the opposing end sent a squad at almost the same time to stop them.
The nemeses met again; naturally, a brutal massacre would take place.
Most of Dongxuan's army turned a blind eye to the situation and continued to send materials to the bottom of the fort. Later, even straws and dried branches were tossed onto the growing pile.
"Are they attacking with fire?" Fu Baoguo was baffled. Was this an effective technique?
"Of course it is… and this is only the first step to Han Sanhe's countermeasure." Qiu Jianhan watched the grim fight between the Shadow Cavalry and Steel Cavalry under the fort and heaved a deep sigh.
"Han Sanhe is a seasoned marshal indeed, to have thought of this method."
"The most devastating war we will ever encounter is beginning. I wonder if the Fortress of Resilience could really endure a month of this havoc!"
…
After a short while, Dongxuan's soldiers drew back immediately after tossing everything they brought. As both cavalries were fighting, a clear horn sounded from Dongxuan's base.
A shrill voice hollered, "Light the fire! Shoot!"
With a loud bang, the archers in Dongxuan's troop, who were long prepared, lit the cotton that had been soaked in kerosene and tied around the tip of the arrows at once. The was a blur of shooting arrows, as countless flaming tips flew over, covering the entire sky.
Boom!
A large fire promptly broke out under the wall.
The sudden rise of burning heat stung Fu Baoguo's face, making him feel like he was standing beside an ocean of flame. However, he was still confused about Han Sanhe's strategy.
"What's the use of such an attack? We'll only need to back away slightly from the wall. Dongxuan can never advance through their own wall of fire and attack us! If they forcefully do that, won't they burn themselves to death first?"
Qiu Jianhan sighed, "Baoguo, as a general, one must know not only the warfare, timing, and geography… there are more things that you need to know as well."
The vague anxiety lurking in Fu Baoguo escalated suddenly; had he really missed something important?
"What? What do I not know?"
"Actually, setting this fire is only Han Sanhe's first tactic. Dongxuan will continue to pile burning things under the wall after this…"
Qiu Jianhan heaved a sigh. "The Fortress of Resilience is called the indestructible fort. Other than being invincibly secure, this location's climate and geography were also key points to its indestructibility. Any attack will hardly be effective, be it flood or fire! However, with that loophole, we can only freeze the fort with ice. We have to."
"When the water is poured upon the wall, it would seem that the entire fort has melded itself into one, becoming more fortified. However, at the same time, this gives birth to a hidden issue… when the water freezes into ice and forms a thick layer, the fact that it fills the gaps between the rocks also expands these gaps."
"When the year ends and spring comes to melt the ice, the water will leave and return to earth… along with the resilience of this fort's wall. In fact, the fort might be even more unstable due to the gaps…"
"Han Sanhe's current actions are speeding up this process. If we can't stop the fire and when the fire thoroughly melts the ice, it will be the true end of the Fortress of Resilience! When that time comes, one attack is all it takes to crush the breach; maybe more than a single spot will collapse as well."
"So, the tactic of coating this fort in ice is only an emergency strategy, while Han Sanhe is working to speed up the decaying process as fast as he can."
Qiu Jianhan ended with, "Now, do you understand?"
"This…" Fu Baoguo was pale, no longer calm and collected like he used to be.
"Extinguish the fire!"
Qiu Jianhan sighed again.
The large amount of water that had been prepared roared down from the top of the fort in white gushing currents straight into the flames. The simultaneous pouring of water by tens of thousands of people as well as the large, bottomless wells in the fort only put out the rising flames after some time, leaving thick, black smoke soaring into the sky.
The rich condensation that floated from the ice and heat meeting each other engulfed the entire top of the fort. As the temperature fell rapidly, the ice that had been melted by the fire began freezing again.
Fu Baoguo looked over, popping his head and said as he scratched his hair, "That's right. Everything will go back to how it was, as long as we extinguish the fire."
Qiu Jianhan replied in a soft voice. "How can things go back to the way they were? Look down! Now that you have me with you, why have you lost your usual composure? As a marshal, you have to be stoic even in the face of a collapsing mountain."
Fu Baoguo looked at the wall and saw the long ladders that had not been wholly reduced to ashes, especially the logs and rocks that piled under the wall, had already reached an impressive height.
As the fire was extinguished, the cold water that was being poured down in torrents was already frozen at the edges, white smoke drifting lazily upwards.
It was a big lump of a slope that was forming under the fort.
Fu Baoguo seemed to come to a sudden realization as he watched the lump of a slope in a daze.