Chapter 248: Fierce Battle - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 248: Fierce Battle

Ever since Xiao Mu Qian had embarrassed her among the commoners last time, she had been plotting her revenge. But as fate would have it, just as she was looking for an opportunity to deal with him, he went off to the northwest to provide aid. Therefore, her anger was directed at his fiancee instead.

She had long arranged for someone to tamper with Bai Siruo’s horse, ensuring that she would fall and be severely injured, even disfigured.

Unexpectedly, not only did her scheme fail to harm Bai Siruo, but it also resulted in the injury of a prince consort who was quite decent.

It seemed that Wen Xinglu was quite foolish to have stumbled into a trap specifically set for Bai Siruo.

As a result, the head of the guard had to be dealt with to prevent any leaks.

At the post station, the third prince of Jiao Ren, was in high spirits, drinking and eating meat with great pleasure.

After hearing that Wen Xinglu had been 'abandoned,' he finally felt that his grudge had been avenged.

Did he think he was worthy to criticize him? This was the consequence.

“You two are quite clever, indeed, for understanding how to use the situation to your advantage. Princess Changlin has really brought this upon herself. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a show.”

He took another sip of fine wine, thoroughly enjoying himself.

In the royal family of Jiao Ren, there were frequent bloody and fierce battles, but this kind of self-damaging tactic was rare.

He thought that the princess was quite foolish. Her subordinates were all so inept that they had allowed his people to seize the opportunity for a twofold advantage—neither fearing investigation nor losing their revenge. It was truly satisfying!

“Your Highness, you flatter us. It was merely a coincidence. Besides, that prince consort was quite foolish. We only had to lure him into the trap, and with such a brain, he still thought he could challenge Your Highness. He really didn’t know what he was getting into.”

“That’s right. But Your Highness, who was this trap actually set for? If I hadn’t seen that guard following the princess, I wouldn’t have discovered it myself.”

Both of them were extremely curious.

In fact, not only them, but the third prince also wanted to know who the original target of Princess Changlin’s plot was.

Meanwhile, the intended target was currently in dire straits in Liangzhou City.

Since their last victory over the Northern Di's grassland king, Liangzhou City had been subjected to relentless retaliatory attacks by the Northern Di army day and night.

If the previous two battles were tests, the continuous attacks over the past three days truly demonstrated the strength of the Northern Di army.

They were not only fierce and skilled but also employed tactical strategies that delivered fatal blows whenever the city’s defenders were exhausted.

With insufficient troops, Liangzhou City could hardly withstand the repeated assaults of the Northern Di army and had already started to show signs of collapse.

Now, the armory was depleted of bows and arrows, tung oil, and the already scarce firecrackers. This meant the soldiers of Liangzhou City could no longer engage the Northern Di army at a distance.

They had no choice but to either sortie and fight or defend the city walls against enemies climbing up ladders.

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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com

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After three days and nights of intense fighting, everyone was exhausted.

The piles of corpses at the base of the city walls grew higher, and the top pillar of the city gate was about to be broken. The soldiers had no strength left to struggle; those still moving were barely hanging on.

Xiao Mu Qian had lost the handsome appearance he once had in Dongdu City. Now, his body was covered in numerous wounds. The cuts and sword wounds were so entangled with his armor that he couldn’t distinguish which blood was his and which was from others.

As he killed the last enemy, he collapsed onto the city wall, gasping for breath.

Surrounded by the bodies of his comrades, some who had just fallen and others who had been dead for days, there was no time to clean the battlefield. They had to leave the corpses exposed in the open.

Fortunately, it was not too hot in Liangzhou City at present. If it were summer, with so many corpses exposed, the soldiers might have succumbed to disease before the battle even ended.

Two figures stumbled over, both generals from the Ding Wang army.

After exchanging glances, Xiao Mu Qian asked first, “How are things on your side?”

They were responsible for defending the left and right sides of the city wall. Although the artillery fire was less intense than where he was, it was still substantial.

Both were covered in blood and sweat, looking like demons from hell.

With crimson eyes, one of them said, “Damn it, can’t these Northern Di people be stopped? It’s been days, and they’re still attacking relentlessly?”

“They must have realized the stone bridge was destroyed and we have no reinforcements. That’s why they are determined to capture Liangzhou City no matter what.” Xiao Mu Qian replied.

The two fell silent.

The destruction of the stone bridge was the work of Northern Di spies. Their actions had doomed Liangzhou City to be isolated.

They would either fight to the last man until the city fell or remain trapped until all supplies were exhausted.

In either case, the outcome was the same—they were destined to die here.

Xiao Mu Qian’s eyes showed rare sorrow. Since he started defending Liangzhou City with his uncle, he had prepared himself to die in battle. Previously, he was alone and unafraid to sacrifice himself for the country, but things were different now. There were people waiting for him to return to the capital.

If he failed this time, he didn’t know what Bai Siruo’s fate would be.

He felt an immense sense of guilt toward her.

Now, Liangzhou City was shrouded in an atmosphere of death and desolation.

The commoners, under Xiao Ji’s strict orders, had been relocated to surrounding counties, leaving few behind in the city.

Temporary shelters were set up in the open spaces for the wounded soldiers.

The medics were overwhelmed, yet they could still save only a few.

As they watched soldiers die from wounds that couldn’t be treated in time, they had no time to grieve and could only do their best to save those who still had a chance to survive.

There was enough food and medicine, but the shortage of medical personnel was severe.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Feng Shan arrived with several hundred people, returning to the city.

Among them were doctors to treat the wounded, strong men to help move the corpses, and cooks to start fires and prepare meals. The soldiers, who had lost hope, felt as if they had been revitalized by a sudden surge of relief.

Feng Shan led the group, followed by the heads of the Hua, Zhu, Tie, and Ma families, neatly appearing here. It moved many who usually looked down on merchants.

“Madness! Why have you come back? Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Xiao Ji was furious.

Feng Shan, however, looked at him with resolute eyes and said, “General Xiao, rest assured. We’ve settled our families and the citizens of the city. Everyone who has come is determined not to leave alive. Liangzhou City is the home we’ve lived in for generations, and we cannot allow the bandits to succeed. Even if it means death, we will keep them out of the city.”