She and Li Wen were a well-known bickering couple in Beicheng.
We've been arguing since we were little, all the way through marriage and having children. Now we're parents of two, but we still get along just like when we were kids.
It's as if they've never grown up.
Their relationship is so good that it's enviable.
Yu Tang watched as the woman wrapped the prepared flatbread in oiled paper and put it into Li Wen's bundle, nagging, "You must be careful when you go out. You're on a reconnaissance mission; the most important thing is to send messages back, not to fight people, understand?"
Li Wen looked around, scratched his head, and then said, "I understand..."
"Besides, the general doesn't blame you at all, so you don't need to feel so guilty all the time."
The woman looked at her foolish husband, sighed, and hugged him. "The children and I are waiting for you to come back in the city. You must... you must take care of yourself, okay?"
Seeing his wife like this for the first time, Li Wen felt a little embarrassed.
He hugged the woman back and promised her, "Okay, I will definitely listen to you and take good care of myself so you won't worry."
"Hmm..." the woman nodded.
The two embraced quietly until Li Wen released her, mounted his horse, and rode away. Only after watching the man's figure disappear outside the city gate did the woman turn around and go home.
Seven days later, late at night, the gate of the general's mansion was knocked on. Cui Yu, who had always been by Li Wen's side, stumbled in and knelt down in front of Yu Tang with a thud. A broken arrow was stuck in his back, and his face was covered in blood.
"General!" His eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to his feet, saying, "Quickly! Give the order! Defend...defend the city! The three tribes of Kesh, Mu, and Luo, with three to three hundred thousand troops, have already approached to within ten kilometers of the city gates!"
Yu Tang's heart trembled violently, and he subconsciously asked, "Where's Li Wen?! What about the dozens of brothers you went with?!"
His words struck Cui Yu like a heavy hammer, causing the boy, who was trying to hold on, to burst into tears instantly.
He choked up as he said, "Vice General Li, they all..."
“Enough…” Xiao Lin stood beside Yu Tang, interrupting the boy’s words, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.
But he still had his senses. He gripped Yu Tang's shoulders with both hands and said in a heavy voice, "General, give the order! We must engage in battle immediately!"
Chapter 37
He died for the villain for the fourth time (37)
In the face of war, there is no time to concern oneself with personal feelings.
Yu Tang regained consciousness, took a breath, her eyes reddened, but her mind had calmed down.
With a little thought, it becomes clear that the purpose of this three-race alliance is to launch a surprise attack on the city at night, catching them off guard with the fastest speed and the strongest force, thus achieving a swift victory and taking over Beijiu City!
If it weren't for Li Wen risking his life to bring back intelligence, the defending troops would have suffered heavy losses tonight!
Xiao Si was instructed to take Cui Yu to receive treatment, while Yu Tang and Xiao Lin mounted their warhorses and galloped toward the city gate.
Upon encountering Zhao Lin in Beiyi City, Yu Tang, without having time to tell him about Li Wen's situation, instructed him to immediately notify all cities to prepare for battle.
With 100,000 Northern troops facing 300,000 enemy soldiers, the disparity in strength left them with only one option: to defend the city!
Fight a war of attrition!
If they can hold out until the enemy runs out of nitrogen and food, and the city is not breached, then they have won!
Climbing the city tower of Beiyi City, Yu Tang squinted, and by the moonlight, he could see a vast army pressing in from afar.
With nine cities, defending any one of them alone could lead to falling into the enemy's trap.
The fall of Beiyi City was due to this very loss.
All Yu Tang could do was adapt to the situation and adjust his troops accordingly to defend the city.
The archers in the defending army were already in position on the city wall, divided into several groups, so that they could be easily replaced when the war started.
It was cold on the city wall, with a biting wind.
Yu Tang thought of Li Wen, pursed her lips, and forced herself not to let her tears fall.
My cold hand was grasped by something warm.
Xiao Lin grabbed his hand.
"General, please accept my condolences." Xiao Lin was also deeply saddened. "Without Vice General Li, our situation would have been even more precarious, and the casualties would have been even greater."
We all know the道理 (principles/reasons), but ultimately, we can't control our emotions.
Yu Tang choked up and couldn't speak.
She was even more afraid that she would burst into tears as soon as she spoke, which would be bad if the soldiers around her saw it.
He nodded, then pulled Xiao Lin into the command building and said to him, "Your Highness, we need support."
"If our 300,000 troops choose to launch a quick attack, we probably won't be able to hold the nine northern cities with our current strength."
He looked at Xiao Lin earnestly: "I urge Your Highness to return to the capital and petition His Majesty to transfer some of the troops from the South City to join us in protecting this northern border."
Yu Tang wanted to get Xiao Lin away from home.
He hoped the other party would listen to him and go back, just like in the original story.
Li Wen's death brought him grief, but it also strengthened his resolve to protect Xiao Lin.
Under these circumstances, Xiao Lin absolutely cannot fight alongside him!
"I have already sent the battle report of the 300,000-strong army attacking the northern border back to the capital as quickly as possible."
Xiao Lin looked at the man in front of him, his eyes filled with clear light.
"So, whether I go back or not is not important."
He said, "General, please don't use this as an excuse to send me away, making me leave you behind and depart from this northern border."
Yu Tang lowered his eyes.
As expected, Xiao Lin didn't follow the script.
He still remembered what the system had said about the favorability rating: above 90 meant that the villain had truly fallen in love with him and was even willing to die for him.
But he didn't want Xiao Lin to die with him.
Xiao Lin has many things he can do, and he will meet even more people in the future. There is no need to fixate on him just because of this one person.
So it seems he has no choice but to take that risky approach.
The only way to both barely hold onto Beijiu City and ensure Xiao Lin's survival.
It is said that cities are easy to defend but difficult to attack, but that also depends on the balance of power between the two sides.
The nine cities of Beijiucheng are not connected, and troop movements along the way may be subject to enemy attacks.
Now that the allied forces have confirmed that Yutang is in Beiyi City, they have dispatched 200,000 troops to attack Beiyi City, which has only 20,000 defenders, while the remaining 100,000 troops are sent to harass other cities, making it difficult for them to spare troops to provide support.
It was only thanks to the supplies Xiao Lin brought back that the Northern Territory was able to hold on. Otherwise, even in a war of attrition, the Northern Territory wouldn't be able to afford to fight this allied army.
But this time the allied forces were determined to take the northern border. The first wave of attack reached the city walls, and soldiers fell into the pit of daggers, their screams piercing the night sky. But the soldiers behind did not stop. They methodically took out wooden planks and laid them on the corpses of their kinsmen, and continued to advance under the rain of arrows from the soldiers of the northern city.
Once they reached the city wall, they set up siege ladders and began to climb.
Yu Tang immediately ordered oil to be poured on and the fire lit. The screams and the smell of burning human flesh wafted into the nostrils on the night wind, making people nauseous.
Even so, they still couldn't stop the enemy from outnumbering them.
The Kashgar people climbed the city wall and swung their knives at the guards, but the guards fought back and pushed them down from the city wall. Their bodies fell to the ground and were smashed into pieces. The next one followed closely behind, slashing with a curved knife. With a hook and a slash, blood spurted from the neck and the head fell to the ground.
"Archers, retreat! Longswordsmen, follow!"
Yu Tang shouted, drew his sword from his waist, rushed out of the command building, and joined the longsword team to provide support.
What the army lacks most are archers.
When the enemy forces push onto the city wall, the archers must retreat and the longsword squads must follow up in order to stop this wave of attack.
Xiao Lin followed closely behind him, fighting alongside him.
As dawn broke, the enemy forces temporarily retreated to a point ten kilometers outside the city, marking the end of this first battle.
Yu Tang didn't sleep all night; his eyes were bloodshot. Looking down from the city tower, all he could see were corpses scattered everywhere.
The city walls were also piled high with corpses, some of them from enemy soldiers and others from the defending troops.
Some soldiers sat down beside their fallen comrades, tears welling in their eyes.
The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.
Xiao Lin used his sleeve to wipe the blood from Yu Tang's face: "General, go and rest first."
Yu Tang nodded silently.
He instructed his soldiers to clean up the battlefield and rest on the spot.
Yu Tang and Xiao Lin walked down the city wall, only to see the people of Bei Yi City gathered below, standing in the desolate morning light watching them.
Most of them were elderly, young women, and children, their faces solemn yet resolute.
"Didn't I tell you to retreat?" Yu Tang frowned. "Why are you still here?"
After saying this, he saw Li Wen's wife, Chen Mei, standing at the front, and his fingers trembled involuntarily. He felt a lump in his throat.
"General, we all know that this time the enemy's attack is massive and unlike any other."
Chen Mei's eyes were terribly red, but she didn't cry in front of Yu Tang. Instead, she said clearly, "So, we've decided to stay here to cook for you and pack your weapons."
We'll do any odd job we can manage; we'll stand with you through thick and thin.
Instead of continuing to hide in your shadow and live a comfortable life.
After she finished speaking, the people behind her shouted, "We want to stand with our soldiers through thick and thin, and we hope that the general will grant our request!"
Yu Tang's pupils trembled, and his eyes reddened. His gaze fell on the group of people dressed in coarse linen clothes. His heart ached and swelled. After a long while, he sighed and replied, "Alright, I will grant your wish."
“But…” he added, “If it is destined that you cannot hold this city, you must leave immediately, without delay.”
"Yes, General!"
After receiving a response, the crowd behind Chen Mei dispersed, and the woman walked to Yu Tang's side and whispered, "General, Cui Yu has told me everything."
“Li Wen is a hero.” The woman’s voice was deep and somewhat hoarse, but she did not cry. “I think my husband did the right thing. He deserves to be proud of me and the children.”
In the morning light, Chen Mei's expression was firm, and her small body seemed to contain infinite strength. She said to Yu Tang, "So, General, don't blame yourself. The most important thing now is for us to protect our city together, to prevent those barbarian dogs from invading our land, and to prevent the tragedy of the past from happening again."
“I think this is what Li Wen wanted to see.”