After a calm analysis, Tong Chang decided to launch another attack. This time, he used armored infantry as the vanguard, with his soldiers positioned behind them. If he could not capture Tonghai Port this time, he would have no choice but to rest and wait for reinforcements.
As the armored infantry, arrayed in square formations, launched a new assault on Tonghai City, the defenders on the walls could only muster their strength once more to meet the attack. Su Xiang hurriedly passed through the soldiers, ordering that the wounded be quickly sent down the city walls for treatment, but a considerable number of the wounded refused to go down.
“If we can hold the city, it’s not too late for us to go down and heal it. If we can’t hold the city, it’s better to die gloriously on the battlefield. Only then will the God of War open his arms to embrace our souls!” A middle-aged mercenary said with a smile. Although his smile looked terrifying on his blood-stained face, Su Xiangji felt a warmth in his heart.
Noticing that his clothing was not from the Peace Army, Su Xiang advised, "Brother, you should go down."
"I've been a mercenary for twenty years, hundreds and thousands of comrades have fallen beside me, and I've always wondered how I'm still alive." Facing the imminent enemy, this middle-aged mercenary calmly recalled his past. "For the past twenty years, I've always wondered how I would die when it was my turn. Now I know I will die honorably. I have no regrets, to have served alongside you all..." He pointed to the bodies of the Peace Army soldiers on the ground and added, "These are true mercenaries! With warriors like these, the Peace Army will surely win! I only hope that when I'm buried after the war, I will be buried with them."
The mercenaries around him listened to him in silence. They seemed not to see the armored infantry's attack. Ordinary arrows would hardly penetrate the armored infantry's heavy armor. All they could do was wait for them to come up and fight hand-to-hand.
"Brother, what about you? Shall we go down?" Su Xiang then turned to another young soldier from the Peace Army. The young soldier still had a somewhat childish face, and his body was bandaged in several places. One of his left feet was missing. When Su Xiang asked him, he smiled shyly, held a dagger in his hand, gestured, and said, "If the armored infantry comes up, I'll just give him a stab like this!"
Su Xiang suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes. As a general, what more could he ask for than such soldiers? Whether the battle was won or lost, whether Tonghai City could be defended or not, and whatever Li Jun would see when he returned, Su Xiang felt it didn't matter anymore. He had fought, struggled, and bled, and that was enough.
Knowing that the defending soldiers had run out of rolling logs and stones, and that their archers had been almost wiped out, leaving only ordinary arrows that could not cause much damage to the armored infantry, Tong Changcai chose the armored infantry as the vanguard of this attack. Just as the armored infantry began to climb the city wall with heavy steps, excited shouts suddenly rang out from the top of the wall.
Immediately afterward, volleys of arrows rained down from the city walls like meteor showers. The archers following the armored infantry became the victims of each volley. Then came a second volley, dozens of arrows simultaneously aimed at a single armored infantryman, targeting areas not covered by armor, such as the face and joints. These archers were incredibly accurate, as if they were a specially trained archery unit, and their powerful bows and long arrows possessed immense penetrating power. Heavy armor that ordinary arrows could not penetrate became vulnerable under their arrows.
The five hundred barbarian archers that Yu Sheng invited have arrived!
Like straw swept by a sickle, the armored infantry approaching the foot of the city fell in droves. Their heavy armor prevented them from being killed by a single arrow, but this also meant that the cries of pain and groans on the battlefield almost drowned out the shouts of battle. The wounded outnumbered the dead tenfold, and the wounded could even change the expressions of their comrades. The Tong family's armored infantry, whose morale had already been low after half a day of fierce fighting, began to scatter.
Seeing five hundred archers suddenly appear on the enemy city wall, Tong Chang was greatly alarmed. He knew that his troops' morale was exhausted. If he forced his soldiers to continue attacking, it would only make them escape even faster. It would be better to take advantage of the situation before the defeat spread and sound the retreat, wait for reinforcements to arrive before fighting again, or simply retreat.
The defenders understood this as well. The five hundred barbarian archers that Yu Sheng had brought were merely a surprise attack, and because they were exhausted from battle, they had frightened the Tong family soldiers into a temporary retreat. For Tonghai City, this was their last remaining force, while the Tong family, one of the three major powers in Yuzhou, could draw troops from other places to reinforce them. If they couldn't quickly break through this stalemate, the fall of Tonghai City was only a matter of time.
"What should we do?" Although Yu Sheng knew that Su Xiang and Zhou Jie were exhausted, he still had to discuss with them how to repel the enemy.
"The only way is to find a way to make the enemy retreat on their own initiative." Su Xiang sighed. "Tong Chang now knows that he cannot break through Tonghai without paying a huge price, so he is somewhat hesitant. If we make him feel that attacking Tonghai might result in even greater losses, then they will retreat."
“Unless we inflict a greater blow on them, making them think we still have the strength to spare.” After listening, Zhou Jie pondered for a moment and said, “If we could outflank them from behind and launch a surprise attack, that would be ideal.”
“That’s not difficult,” said Lü Yuan, who was sent by the Yi elder to command the archers. “I’ve noticed that the Tong family army’s camp is not far from the coast. They came in a hurry and don’t have a navy. We can use small boats at night to transport the soldiers behind enemy lines without anyone knowing.”
"Great! I'll ask Jia Tong and the others to mobilize their bodyguards and servants to impersonate the Peace Army and wave flags and shout slogans on the city wall to confuse the enemy." Yu Sheng said excitedly, and everyone's eyes lit up.
Having suffered a setback after half a day of siege, Tong Chang had few strategies to devise besides requesting reinforcements from the rear.
He knew in his heart that the Tong family had just experienced two major battles. Whether it was attacking Leiming City or resisting the Rong people, the Tong family had suffered considerable blows and could even be said to have been severely weakened. They could not provide him with any further assistance in a hurry, but he was unwilling to retreat.
After lunch, a sentry suddenly reported: "There are many more figures and flags on the city wall, it seems that reinforcements have arrived in the city!"
Tong Chang was taken aback and went to the camp himself. Sure enough, he saw dozens of flags on the city wall, fluttering in the wind, and there were obviously more people under the flags than in the morning.
Puzzled, I wondered why Tonghai City, which should be isolated and without support, had received so many soldiers. It was said that Li Jun, the commander of the Peace Army, had gone to exorcise the dragon demon. Could it be that his exorcism was a pretense, and he was actually seeking reinforcements from somewhere? Impossible. If they were borrowing troops from outside, how could they have entered the city when I had already surrounded it? This man is cunning in his military tactics; we must be wary.
"The entire army must be on high alert to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack on the city!" Thinking of the Peace Army's past victories in taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to launch a surprise attack, Tong Chang broke out in a cold sweat. If Li Jun and Meng Yuan had not eliminated the dragon, but instead hid in the city to prepare for a sudden attack, he was not confident that his men could protect themselves.
Therefore, he paid no attention to his rear. At midnight that night, the Tong family army, whose entire defenses were focused on the enemy forces in the city, was attacked from the rear by a group of troops. After a chaotic battle in the dark, the enemy forces retreated safely, leaving behind only the corpses of Tong family soldiers in the camp engulfed in flames. The Tong family soldiers had no choice but to retreat ten miles overnight and re-establish their camp.
The next morning, the number of soldiers was counted again. Of the original 12,000 soldiers, only 6,000 remained. In just one day and one night, more than half of them had been lost. The thought of retreating resurfaced in Tong Chang's mind. At this moment, a sentry reported that a letter had been sent to him from Tonghai City.
Chapter Two: The Oath of the New City
Section 1
"A letter from Tonghai City?"
Tong Chang was quite puzzled by this. Both sides were exhausted after the war, but from the beginning, the Peace Army had no intention of surrendering. Now, they sent someone to deliver a message. He wondered what their purpose was.
With these questions in mind, Tong Chang opened the letter, which read: "Yu Sheng, the chief clerk of the Heping Army (Note 1), is writing to General Tong Chang, the governor of Yuzhou (Note 2): I have long admired your name, but I did not have the opportunity to meet you before at Leiming City. Today's battle is truly out of necessity. The Tong family is threatened by Leiming City, the Zhu family, and the Rong people, and is also troubled by the poverty and resentment of the people. As the marshal, what is the point of exhausting the army and attacking a pointless city with a weary force? If we fight again, both sides will suffer heavy losses. Retreating will preserve our strength. For your sake, it is better to retreat sooner rather than later. We can wait for both sides to recuperate and choose another day to fight. That would be a much better outcome."
After reading the letter, Tong Chang sighed deeply. The attack by the Peace Army had struck directly at the heart of the commander-in-chief. Even he himself had lost the will to fight, let alone his soldiers. First, they attacked Leiming City, then they resisted the Rong people, and now they were driven to Tonghai. I'm afraid there was already a lot of resentment in the army.
"Order the entire army: further fighting is pointless; retreat and regroup. Also, give this letter to the messenger to deliver back to the city. I hope Hua Xuan and Li Jun will be satisfied with Tonghai City." After writing the letter, Tong Chang handed it to the sentry. Although he said this, he knew in his heart that the Peace Army's desires would definitely not be limited to just Tonghai City; that young mercenary commander's sights were likely much wider. But for now, this was all he could do. Continuing to fight would at best result in mutual destruction; what good would war do then?
Yu Sheng, who was busy with the aftermath in Tonghai City, patted his head with relief after learning that Tong Chang had withdrawn his troops: "It's all good now. As long as we hold on until Commander Li returns, we won't have anything to worry about."
Su Xiang and Zhou Jie both laughed. Yu Sheng realized he had been too superstitious about Li Jun, so he smiled slightly, opened Tong Chang's reply, and saw that it was addressed to General Li Jun, the commander of the Peace Army. He then closed the letter and said with a smile, "This letter is for our commander. After this battle, I'm afraid the Tong family will not dare to attack us easily again." Unconsciously, Yu Sheng also started referring to Li Jun as "our commander."
In just over two months, the situation in Yuzhou underwent a dramatic transformation. Several major battles severely weakened the once most powerful families in Yuzhou: the Hua family of Leiming City, the Tong family of Yinhu City, and the Zhu family of Yujiang City. The Tong family, formerly the most powerful, first lost nearly 20,000 men in the Battle of Leiming City, then another 20,000 in the battle against the Rong people, and finally 7,000 in the Battle of Tonghai City. This massive loss of 50,000 men reduced their strength to less than a third of its pre-battle level. The Zhu family suffered over 50,000 casualties and prisoners in the Battle of Leiming City, with the patriarch Zhu Mao and the second son, commander Zhu Wenyuan, both killed in action, and unable to recover quickly. As for Leiming City, half of its forces were wiped out in the defense, followed by the death of Hua Feng and the infighting among the three brothers, leaving the city with only 20,000 usable troops, making recovery extremely difficult. Therefore, the smaller factions that had previously struggled to survive between these three major powers became exceptionally important.
In this dramatic shift in the situation, the most significant impact was the Peace Army's capture of Tonghai City. On one hand, Li Jun's use of Hua Xuan's name to seize the city prevented the people of Yuzhou from harboring too much resentment towards him as a foreigner. On the other hand, Hua Xuan himself was weak and easily controlled by Li Jun, and he was quite content with his position, having no desire to assume a leadership role with such heavy responsibilities. Although the Peace Army suffered a setback in the battle to defend Tonghai, losing nearly half its fighting capacity, for Li Jun, who had started with only a thousand men, the remaining thousand-plus soldiers were more than enough.
Post-war reconstruction was extremely complex. Su Xiang and Zhou Jie returned to their camp and immediately fell asleep, while Yu Sheng had to continue working on the aftermath. First, accompanied by Jia Tong, he revisited the wealthy merchants in the city to express his gratitude for their support during the war. The merchants were also thrilled by the victory. In the final stages of the battle, they had even sent their own servants and bodyguards into the city, albeit only as a diversionary force. However, Yu Sheng's special thanks to them after the war still warmed their hearts. In Shenzhou, where merchants had no political status, the Peace Army's emphasis on merchants was unprecedented. Many merchants immediately offered to fund awards for the soldiers who had distinguished themselves in the battle.
Despite repeatedly expressing his gratitude for the merchants' enthusiasm, Yu Sheng remained calm. Among the officers and generals of the entire Peace Army, he was the oldest and, so far, the most knowledgeable. Li Jun's strategy of winning over the merchants wasn't to extract small favors now, but to ensure they would play a crucial role later. Therefore, he politely declined the merchants' offers, saying, "The city has just been through a major battle, and everything needs rebuilding. Moreover, after Commander Li eliminated the dragon, trade will expand. Your money will have other uses, so please don't spend any more on rewarding the soldiers."
Immediately afterwards, he urged Hua Xuan to ride through the streets on horseback to reassure the people. As bystanders in this battle, the people had witnessed the ferocity of the fighting and the losses suffered by the Peace Army, and were somewhat worried about the future of the Peace Army. Under these circumstances, Hua Xuan, the nominal lord of Tonghai City, going on a leisurely stroll as if nothing had happened, did indeed reassure the people to some extent, preventing the vast majority of them from relocating due to the uncertainty of the future.
By the time all this was finished, it was already dark. Yu Sheng then went to the army camp to visit the wounded and mourn the dead. When Li Jun was present, he had ordered that the Peace Army not enter civilian houses and could only rest in the camp. However, for the convenience of official business, Yu Sheng and Hua Xuan stayed at the Tonghai City Lord's residence. Early the next morning, he prepared gifts and went to the Yi elders to express his gratitude for their assistance. If Li Jun were here, he probably wouldn't have been able to be so thorough. It was precisely because Yu Sheng was skilled in administrative affairs and mature and steady that he was able to be so meticulous and handle the aftermath perfectly.
Upon returning to the city lord's mansion, the gatekeeper reported that three people had come to see Commander Li Jun, one of whom claimed to be a friend of Commander Li. They were thus invited into the reception hall. A strange smile appeared on the gatekeeper's face as he spoke of these odd guests.
Upon entering the living room, Yu Sheng understood why the soldier had laughed. Among the three guests were a tall, rugged young man, a beautiful and noble-looking young woman, and most peculiarly, a Yue girl.
This Yue girl was naturally Mo Rong. The Yue people didn't enjoy traveling and were arguably the most conservative of all the races in Shenzhou. Without special reasons, someone like her was extremely rare. However, Yu Sheng had already learned about Mo Rong from Li Guojun, and upon meeting her, he dared not be impolite, bowing deeply and saying, "Is this young lady Mo Rong?"
"You know me?" Mo Rong stood up in surprise and returned the greeting, her eyes wide. When she was with Lei Hun, she was a little reserved for some reason, but in front of others, she was still poised and generous.
“Oh, Commander Li has mentioned your name to me before. He has praised you more than once as the best craftswoman in Yue. Moreover, your dragon-head helmet must have been made by your own hands.”
Mentioning Li Jun's dragon-head helmet, Mo Rong blushed slightly. It wasn't shame for her craftsmanship, but rather because she remembered that Lei Hun had collaborated with her when she was finding someone to make the helmet for Li Jun. "Really? You mean the Commander Li you're talking about is Li Jun? That cold little brother became a commander? Did he really praise me as the best craftsman among the Yue people?" She bombarded her with questions like a machine gun, not caring whether anyone could answer immediately.
Yu Sheng almost burst out laughing. Because Li Jun was invincible in command of the Peace Army and a valiant general unmatched by ten thousand men, no one dared to underestimate him. Even some mercenary leaders in Thunder City who were dissatisfied with him only resented his reputation. The entire Peace Army had almost forgotten that he was just a boy barely twenty years old. But this Yue girl called him a cold, impersonal little brother, which made Yu Sheng laugh.
He certainly didn't know that when Li Jun first met Mo Rong, he was a cold and aloof young man. The Li Jun of today, after three years of being around Lu Xiang and being influenced by him, is vastly different from that time.