Chapter 71: Charging into the Formation to Rescue

  However, in the blink of an eye, Long Chao restored his usual carefree and smiling demeanor, hiding behind a stack of hay to sleep, and casually snatched a steamed bun from the basket that was meant as a midnight snack for the soldiers.

  As the night deepened, there was no quiet at the bottom, and the Western barbarians' horses were getting more and more numerous. They didn't set up camp, and a burly man in yellow armor kept walking back and forth, constantly dispatching soldiers to occupy various high grounds and deploying troops. Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be planning to take advantage of the momentum to attack Beishan.

  The city wall of the inner city is not high, only more than two zhang, and the reinforcement work has not been done well in recent years. Many places have peeled off the green bricks, and it's really difficult to defend with such a city wall.

  Before long, a high flag was raised below, and the person holding the flag pointed at the city head, laughing loudly.

  Taishi Lan stared at the unfamiliar characters on the flag and said, "Translate."

  Long Chao was savoring the rice ball when Su Ya kicked him, and he came to his senses. He looked up and said: "One hour to break Beijian, Southern Qi dog, quickly surrender the city!"

  "Bastard!"

  "Big talk!"

  "Give them some color!"

  The Southern Qi soldiers were enraged, and they rushed up to the city gate with their weapons, but as soon as they reached the top, the Western Fan soldiers shot arrows at them. A loud whooshing sound filled the air as the arrows rained down on the city gate, followed by a series of clanging sounds, and helmets rolled all over the ground.

  "Hiss." A spear suddenly flashed out from the pale blue arrow rain, its snow-white tip flashing, and shot straight at Tai Shi Lan!

  "With a single sound, the swords clashed and sparks flew out. Huo Hu and Su Ya exchanged a glance, each nodding in surprise at the other's strength."

  Tai Shi Lan, who was blocked by the intersecting swords, didn't even blink his eyes, took a glance at the spear and said: "Good arm strength."

  "Second-rate."

  Zhao Thirteen blinked his eyes - the spear was much heavier than an arrow, and this spear was thrown from a distance far below the city wall. It took him and Su Ya to join forces just to barely block it. With such astonishing arm strength, she actually had the nerve to say so calmly: second-rate.

  He understood Tai Shi Lan's intention, the previous round of arrow rain was too strong, Tai Shi Lan deliberately said so to calm the military. But the fact in front of him is not something that can be eliminated by pretending to be unaware, sometimes it will have a counterproductive effect.

  As expected, the four-faced soldier's complexion wasn't very good-looking - even a fool could see how powerful this halberd was, and Taishi Ran had been too boastful, hadn't he?

  Such an arrogant and domineering commander is certainly no blessing for his soldiers.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't turn around, as if she had seen the faces and intentions of everyone in her eyes. She bent down to pick up the spear, and then took a step forward, grasping the long spear in her hand.

  The flames illuminated her figure, and the Western soldiers below lifted their heads.

  Taishi Lan grasped the spearhead, and everyone stared at her in confusion. Taishi Lan slowly spread out her palm, with a mocking expression.

  "Are you referring to your Western weapons as 'junk copper and rotten iron'? How dare you disturb Great Qi with such trifles?"

  The soldiers on the city wall stared blankly at the spearhead, and at first they didn't feel anything was wrong, it's just that... it seemed like the spearhead had suddenly become thinner?

  "Look at that spear! The tip of the spear!"

  Everyone stared in unison and only then realized that at some point, the sharp spearhead had become flat.

  A spear that can be bent flat with a grip? Isn't that just a toy for kids playing house?

  No wonder it was able to shoot arrows up onto the city wall, it turns out it was fake.

  Tai Shi's eyes were full of sarcasm, and with a flick of his wrist, the long spear fell straight down from the city wall. Immediately, a Western soldier rushed to catch it on horseback and brought it back to the formation. At the bottom of the array, one person emerged on horseback, took the spear in hand, and examined it closely, presumably the same person who had shot the spear into the city.

  The black great flag of the Western Barbarians fluttered in the wind, and he gazed at the long spear for a while, seemingly unable to comprehend it. After a while, he burst out laughing, threw away the long spear, and looked up at the city wall with his head raised.

  That one glance was hidden under the flag, separated by a distance of ten zhang, but Tai Shi Lan still felt as if there was a fierce wind blowing in his face, sharp as a sword.

  This man has a strong murderous aura, he must be the commander of the Western Expedition as well!

  Tai Shi gave him a casual glance and retreated from the city wall, followed by Zhao Thirteen and Huo Tiger. Although their faces didn't show much, their eyes clearly expressed admiration.

  Su Ya looked around and found that the soldiers who had hastily picked up their helmets earlier now had restored confidence and calmness on their faces.

  The arrows of the Xifan had once made them tremble with fear, but when they discovered that the spears of the Xifan were so "unreliable", they suddenly gained the courage to win.

  Xī Fān shot an excellent arrow, intentionally aiming at the helmet first, wanting to severely dampen the morale of the Southern Qi army.

  Taishi Lan then used her immense determination and absolute disdain to revive the army's morale with just one action.

  Taishev wins in the first round.

  Zhao Shi San also had a look of admiration in his eyes, although he didn't understand how Tai Shi Lan made the spearhead disappear. But to say nothing of that, just her composure and majesty she showed just now were enough to make him feel dizzy, as if he saw the old Duke or the Marquis from five years ago.

  Unparalleled natural talent, the demeanor of a great general!

  Zhao Thirteen was thinking, whether next time back to the mansion, find an opportunity to mention Taishi Lan to Old Master.

  Then he saw Tai Shi walking calmly past him, and suddenly in a corner where people couldn't see, he secretly wiped his palm on his pants leg.

  Her fingers were trembling and her sweaty palms had stained her pants a darker color.

  Zhao Thirteen suddenly let out a snort and laughed.

  The first round of arrow rain failed to suppress the momentum, and the Xifan began their second round of attack. Following the old custom of border ethnic warfare, they started inviting battle under the city gate.

  Tai Shi Lan and Wang Qian Zong, the highest military officer in the city, were drinking tea in the sentry house on the city wall when they heard that they had been challenged. Wang Qian Zong looked up at Tai Shi Lan.

  This man was quite sensible; as soon as the war began, he handed over the highest command to Tai Shi Lan.

  Tai Shi Lan, however, knew his little trick - anyway, now that the solitary city was sealed off, the imperial court wouldn't know what he did; if they won and defended the city, it would be his merit, but if they lost, then it would be perfect to push the blame onto Tai Shi Lan's body, saying she "controlled the city lord, forcing him with her life", and that was why he had no choice but to "yield and compromise, going along with her".

  Tai Shi Lan didn't care - no matter how much he schemed, it wasn't worth a single punch.

  "How's it?"

  "I don't care."

  "Still scolding down there..."

  "Get out of here."

  "This... seems to be an insult to literature."

  "Talk about being civilized with war?" Ta Shi Lan gave him a cold glance, "It's like spraying perfume on toilet bowls."

  ……

  Then he started scolding.

  The soldiers used all sorts of profanity to insult the vital organs of each other, as well as those of their female family members. The Westerners below, some of whom understood and others didn't, also rushed up to curse and shout, with a few who knew some Chinese responding in kind, but ultimately only exchanging shallow and uninteresting insults like "scoundrel!" and "shameless!".

  Long Chao brought his little brother, listening to both sides scolding each other, couldn't help but join in, he started scolding and it was authentic Xifan language, chattering away without a pause. Ta Shi Lan asked a little rascal, "What is he scolding?"

  "He scolds Western men for being human beasts when dressed and black-skinned pigs when undressed, while Western women are full of stinky sweat, roadside dogs' urine-soaked sanitary napkins smell better than them by three points..."

  Huǒ Hǔ Hā de yī xiào, "zěn jù jù dōu zài shuō rén jiā nánrén nǚrén tǐ chòu? Lóng Cháo nǐ dōu wén guò?"

  Translation:

  Huohu laughed and said, "How come every sentence is about someone's body odor? Have you ever smelled it, Longchao?"

  After scolding with gusto, Long Chao suddenly turned his head back, and for an instant, the dark fire flashing in his eyes made Tai Shi Lan pause. However, he immediately turned his head around and said nonchalantly: "You don't understand, this is Grandpa's skill at scolding people!"

  Tai Shi Lan gazed down at the city below, knowing that a battle was inevitable, but the walls were not strong enough to withstand multiple attacks. She had to stall for time, delay the start of the war as much as possible, until reinforcements arrived and there was time to make necessary repairs to the walls.

  "Do you know what's currently the most attention-grabbing scandal among the common people in Xifan?"

  Long Chao blinked his eyes and said, "The queen of the Western Regions' Great King has just given birth to a son!"

  "What else?"

  "The Western Barbarian King has taken in his thirty-seventh queen." Long Dynasty spread out his hands, "Actually it's nothing to be surprised about, he takes one in every year."

  "Anything else?"

  "...the Queen Mother of Western Fan and the King's wife did not get along."

  "Anything else?"

  "...the Western Barbarian Prime Minister gave his daughter in marriage to the King's younger brother..." Long Chao blinked his eyes, thinking desperately.

  "Anything else?"

  "Xi Fan's prime minister and Xi Fan's general Yelü Jing had a deep-seated grudge..."

  "Alright." Tai Shi Lan pointed to the city below, "Within half an hour, I want you to string these eight trigrams into a story and tell it to the people in the city. The requirements are as follows: royalty, abstinence, strangeness, suspense, thrill, mystery, succession to the throne, and it must be intriguing and make people eager to know more."

  “……”

  "Are there examples......" Long Chao said with a gentle and ethereal tone after a brief moment.

  "Uh, previously a country had a school that held a short essay contest, with the requirements being: royalty, religion, sex, and mystery. The winning essay only had ten words."

  Long Chao was deep in thought, a group of people were stunned and also deep in thought...

  "How is this possible... so many demands..."

  Tai Shi Lan walked past with a poker face, "Oh God! The Queen is pregnant! Who did it?!"

  “……”

  "Oh God, why did you bring this woman down to torment me!" Long Chao desperately grabbed his hair for a while, turned around and pounced on the city wall.

  "Pigs, you've been cheated!" he shouted.

  The Western soldier who was scolding with relish lifted his head.

  Tai Shi Lan nodded, yes, suspense.

  "Is your commander Yelü Jing Nan? He has been betrayed! Chancellor Hua Tuo Nu and I, Da Nan Qi, have already reached an agreement. The so-called secret plan to attack Bei Yan is a ploy between our two countries! The goal is to lure you into a deep siege, where your entire army will be annihilated!"

  The Western soldiers below were stunned and hadn't reacted yet.

  Tai Shi Lan nodded, yes, thrilling.

  "Yelü Jing will be defeated in the south, and Huadu will not be able to bear fruit. Then we can take advantage of the situation to impeach him, and let his new son-in-law, Prince Wang, take over the military power!"

  The western border guard began, someone loudly cursed, "Nonsense! Nonsense! The crown prince doesn't understand military affairs at all and can't take command of the army!"

  Tai Shi Lan nodded, yes, the imperial family.

  "Prince Wang's brother doesn't understand military affairs, but Queen Wang is from a family of martial merits!"

  "Let your mother's fart go, what's the matter with Guan Yu now!"

  "The queen and the king's brother are having an affair." Long Chao said in surprise.

  Below rumbling, Tai Shi Lan nodded, hmm, strange.

  "Because the king has married 138 concubines, he hasn't slept with the queen for a long time. The queen is furious and has an affair with the king's brother. Don't you know?"

  The western soldier's neck almost snapped back, and he let out a loud "Ah---" sound, his voice was majestic, and the air was long. He was so shocked by this extraordinary and terrifying eight trigrams that he even forgot to scold him.

  Of course, they also forgot about fighting.

  Tai Shi Lan nodded, "Mmm, abstinence."

  "The Empress Dowager knew about this matter, so she was dissatisfied with the Queen. She had no evidence, but suspected that the newborn son of the King might not be the King's own flesh and blood."

  "Huh——" Underneath, the four limbs were well-developed but the brain was simple Western soldiers couldn't keep up with Long Chao's thinking speed at all. Some people were still wondering how they suddenly got involved with the Queen Dowager? Some people were still counting on their fingers to figure out where the 138 came from.

  Tai Shi Lan nodded, yes, succession to the throne.

  "So now is the time for the struggle between old and new forces, Yelü Jingnan's lone army is outside, any problem that arises is his responsibility, there are people in the court who need a defeat to complete the shift of power, so, you...". Long Chao's head nodded heavily on the pillow, "Haha! Haha! Haha!"

  He burst out laughing three times, his neck shrunk in, and with a swoosh, he fell to the ground, rolling his eyes and gasping for breath. "It's over! I can't come up with anything else!"

  "Very good, a first-rate writer of dog's blood." Tao Shi Lan said, "From now on, when the army needs a scribe, it will be you who comes."

  "Oh no......" Long Chao rushed up to hug her boots, but was kicked away by Tai Shi Lan. She gazed at the movement below the city - they were retreating!

  They actually retreated!

  Even Tai Shi Lan was somewhat unexpected, his eyes flashing, staring at the city below without speaking.

  The Western troops retreated in an orderly manner after collecting their flags. The retreat was very neat, and it is usually the case that retreating troops can best demonstrate the quality of soldiers and the ability of generals. This time's commander-in-chief might be...

  "It won't... It won't be Long Chao's nonsense about the Western Barbarian royal family's secrets, did he really hit it on the mark?..." Shen Mei Hua walked over, staring blankly at the city below.

  Others also had the same idea, showing a mixture of emotions, both sad and happy. Long Chao suddenly changed his dead dog appearance, jumped up and said, "I've made contributions! Can I be released now?"

  Tai Shi was silent for a moment, then said: "If they really retreated because of what I said, it's not a good thing."

  "Huh?"

  "That shows that Yelü Jingnan is indeed in the army." Taishi Lan said in a low voice, "Only someone who has a stake in the matter would react this way."

  Everyone gasped in shock. Who would have thought that Yelü Jingnan, the first great general of Xi Fan, would take the risk and lead the vanguard to attack Beijian first!

  It seems that this time, victory is within their grasp.

  "If it's Ye Lü Jingnan, he won't be fooled for long." Shen Meihua said, "Ye Lü Jingnan is in a high position and has experienced the ups and downs of officialdom. The ambiguous palace secrets that Longchao mentioned earlier may have touched on some of his weaknesses, but after careful consideration, he will realize that these are all fabricated and when the time comes, the counterattack will be even more decisive and fierce."

  "Yes." Tai Shi Lan nodded, "Order everyone to participate in repairing the city wall, divided into three shifts, with one shift resting every two hours. If materials are insufficient, dismantle those rich households' gardens for me. Whoever dares to stop it, set fire and burn it!"

  "Let's go! Let's go!" Huo Hu immediately obeyed with a happy tone, he loved going against the big shots the most!

  Soon the city was filled with wailing and howling, although the wealthy families were dissatisfied, they did not dare to speak out. The city now has too many ordinary people who support Taishi Lan, whoever dares to disobey her orders will be torn apart by the angry citizens first.

  Timber, bricks and stones were being transported to various parts of the city wall. Tai Shi Lan had already ordered people to find the best craftsmen and civil engineers to find the fastest way to repair the city wall. Fortunately, these rough hands were not lacking.

  Tai Shi Lan remained on the city wall without moving. He also took advantage of the time to take a nap, an excellent commander should know how to use people, play the piano, and have coordinated fingers rising and falling, rather than charging forward himself, exhausting himself, and letting his generals do what soldiers should be doing.

  She had Shen Meihua arrange the defense on the city wall; let Hua Xunhuan lead the most elite guard to patrol between each city gate, ready to reinforce at any time; let Huo Hu and Shi Xiaocui and others be distributed in various districts, responsible for internal security, especially keeping a close eye on the government office and several large households with low enthusiasm, all temporarily recruited young and strong men were incorporated into the small teams of the lower prefecture soldiers, both to learn from the old soldiers' experience and to monitor each other.

  As for Zhao Thirteen and others, no matter how they begged to be used, Tai Shi Lan was unwilling to use them. She found a mansion near the city gate and let Zhao Thirteen take his men and Jing Tai Blue inside to rest, not allowing them to leave unless the city fell.

  A sleepless night, and just before dawn, **it happened again**.

  Zheng Hua's Ta Shi Lan suddenly jumped up, hearing the outside noise like a tide, and when she rushed to the city wall, the first round of siege had already begun.

  The other side seems to have changed its strategy, no longer inviting war, but directly starting to attack the city. The offensive is indeed fierce and violent. Although the Western barbarians are poor and cold, and light cavalry cannot bring large siege equipment, they have brute force and boldness. The two most powerful men in the two teams, under the rain of arrows, worked together to hold a battering ram as thick as two people and slammed into the wall, slamming into the relatively weak areas of the city wall, indicating that there was indeed an internal traitor before.

  Fortunately, Tai Shi Lan acted quickly and ordered the repair of the city wall. At this time, wood, bricks, and stones were being transported in a continuous flow, and Yang Cheng Shi and Xiao Cui led their men in sweating profusely at the foot of the city, constantly urging them on, "Faster! Faster! Faster!" The city wall was cracking under the constant tremors, but it was repeatedly reinforced and thickened. The intense vibrations made Tai Shi Lan's feet numb on the city head.

  Boulders, fireballs, battering rams and broken tiles, everything that could harm people was thrown down in an endless stream, in exchange for the continuous cries of the falling Western soldiers from the city walls.

  The defenders within the city were originally insufficient, and the five city gates were not enough to be allocated. A large number of temporarily recruited young men directly went up to the city head, Ta Shi Lan held his hands on the city head, looking at those with green whiskers under their noses, still children's new soldiers, tremblingly holding knives onto the city, there were not enough weapons to allocate, a soldier was allocated a rolling pin, he stared blankly at that round and smooth stick, that light and floating thing, like the last straw that crushed the camel, made his terror burst out instantly. The child suddenly let out a loud "ah" cry, threw away the rolling pin, and squatted on the ground.

  "No! Don't drag me to death! I won't fight! I won't kill anyone! A rolling pin can't even kill a person, I don't want to!"

  A loud shout, startled the rest of the people to tremble, new recruits who had not been trained and were on the battlefield for the first time, were already nervous and frightened, how could they withstand this, at that moment some people began to retreat in a flurry. Shen Meihua and others, along with the old soldiers on the city wall, shouted repeatedly, but couldn't stop the rout.

  Although Beiyuan is a key military location in the north, the common people are not as fierce and untamed as those of the Northern People. This land was originally barren, but later the imperial court reclaimed it and opened it up for cultivation, moving people from the south to the north, gradually growing into a thriving community. For a long time, Beiyuan had the Tianji Army, one of the three external armies in the south, and the Shangfu Army, which controlled the military affairs of the northwest, in the north. The two large military camps blocked almost all invading wars, making Beiyuan known as the northern military fortress, but the common people have never seen a real war with their own eyes.

  The city head is about to lose control, and everyone's forehead is sweating, while at this time, the Western barbarians below the city seem to have also sensed the unusual movement in the city, and their offensive has intensified. The old soldiers on the city wall can no longer hold on.

  Tai Shi stood still as a mountain, his face expressionless.

  In the fiery light on the city wall, her silhouette was black and solemn, the wind passed by but she didn't budge, as if holding down heaven and earth.

  She immediately said: "Take a group of old, weak women and children to the foot of the city wall, right behind this city wall."

  Su Ya was stunned, but Shen Mei Hua took the order without hesitation and left. At this time, the war began, and the civilians did not sleep. Soon, a group of old, weak, women, and children were brought to the foot of the city wall. Those people looked up at the city wall with timid faces, some old, some young.

  "Look back." Taishi Lan said to the new soldier who was at a loss on the city wall, "Your loved ones are there."

  The soldiers were startled, stretched their necks to look back, but the city wall was more than 20 feet high, and there was no light at the bottom, everyone was in the dark shadows, how could they tell who was who?

  "Your parents, wife and children are all there, just a few steps away from you. Right behind the city gate." Ta Shi said calmly, "Once the city is broken, they will be killed first."

  The soldiers stared blankly at her, unable to comprehend the meaning of these chilling words for a moment. However, as they looked into Tai Shi Lan's seemingly eternally calm eyes, they suddenly felt a terror even deeper than before.

  "In the midst of war, it is often the women, children and elderly who suffer the most," said Taishi coldly. "If you are not brave enough to fight, I will end their lives first, so as to spare them from falling into enemy hands and suffering even more."

  The soldiers all shivered.

  "A rolling pin can also smash an enemy's head, if you don't dare to hit, I'll smash your family members' heads first." Tai Shi Lan raised his hand, "I count one, two, three, after the third sound, I won't hesitate, one—"

  "Kill!" - The soldier threw away the rolling pin, swooped up and grabbed it again, turned around and pounced on the wall head. He pounced too quickly, so that he bumped his forehead on the eaves, and a big lump swelled up instantly. But he didn't feel anything, waving the rolling pin and banging it on the head of a Xifan soldier who had just climbed up.

  A loud crack, blood splattered everywhere, fresh blood sprayed on his face, he didn't even wipe it off, and shouted, "Can we do it now?!"

  "Kill!" The green new recruits, in such a bloody scream, swarmed up the city wall like locusts.

  "For every hundred enemies I kill, the old and weak at the foot of the city will retreat ten steps." Tai Shi Lan's voice came quietly amidst the chaotic shouts.

  The howls grew even more fierce, broken knives and swords, nails and pitchforks, as long as they could see blood, were the best weapons. Knives were chopped off, swords were not long enough, arrows on the ground were picked up and could be inserted into the enemy's throat!

  Tai Shi stood silently, Su Ya closely followed her, suddenly asked in a low voice: "If they don't fight, you... won't really kill, will you?"

  Tai Shi remained silent for a long time, then took big strides and walked away.

  She didn't answer.

  Su Ya pursed her lips and hugged her arms.

  Long Chao, who had been hiding under the eaves and watching coldly, suddenly said, "Are you afraid?"

  Su Ya didn't say anything and gave him a cold stare.

  "I really don't know what you're afraid of." Long Chao sneered, "You should feel lucky."

  He suddenly narrowed his eyes, and a strange and distant expression appeared at the bottom of his eyes.

  "Such a woman, in the future... you will gain infinite honor because of her."

  Tai Shi Lan walked away because she saw Zhang Qiu.

  As soon as the war began, she handed Zhang Qiu over to one of Zhao Shi San's guards, who kept a close eye on him and didn't allow him to make any moves.

  At this moment, she saw the guard gesturing at her.

  She walked over, and the guard said: "Miss Taishi, Master Zhang says he has an urgent matter to discuss with you."

  Zhang Qiu, in this short period of time, looked as if he had aged a lot. His face, which was normally smooth and well-maintained, seemed to have wrinkles now. At this moment, he forced himself to relax his facial muscles and said to Tai Shi Lan: "Tai Shi young lady, I suddenly thought of something that might be helpful in defending the city."

  "What?"

  "Have you seen the corner towers of this city?" Zhang Qiu gestured to the arrow towers on either side of the main gate.

  "Get to the point."

  "On both sides of the gatehouse, there were originally crossbows, which were replaced three years ago when the provincial garrison upgraded their equipment and handed them over to us for use. Since North Yan has been peaceful for a long time, everyone had forgotten..."

  Tai Shi's eyes lit up, in the era of cold weapons, the bed crossbow was a long-range weapon with extremely high lethality. Although it is more suitable for attacking cities than defending them, once someone climbs up to the city wall, they can be killed in large numbers.

  Having this thing can at least hold on for another day.

  Suddenly thought of the ingenious crossbow seen in the small school field of Wei family, if it was that kind of crossbow, it would be a blessing for Beijian!

  But thinking again, since it's the upper barracks of the imperial guard changing equipment, it can't be a divine crossbow. The divine crossbow is the most secret and advanced in Southern Qi, and even now it hasn't been fully developed as a weapon.

  "It's been years since it was used, or we need to find a craftsman to repair..." Zhang Qiu said.

  Taishi Lan didn't respond, glanced at the arrow towers on both sides, and called out to Su Ya, "You take some men to the left arrow tower, I'll go to the right one. Let's see if the bed crossbows are usable."

  At the moment, let General Wang find an old soldier in charge of equipment in the army to come with him to the arrow tower. After searching for a while, he couldn't find it and said that he had died in battle just now. Zhang Qiu wanted to follow along and said: "I saw the drawings at the beginning, if they are really broken, I can help a little." He also raised his tied hands and said, "Don't worry, miss."

  Tai Shi Lan turned her head to look at him.

  Under the firelight, her eyes were deep and profound, reflecting the darkness of the night.

  Zhang Qiu lowered his head under such a gaze, not daring to make eye contact, and muttered: "I... I am the father and mother official of this place... The old and young of this city are my children..."

  Tai Shi remained silent for a while, staring at him, then turned his head and climbed up the small ladder of the arrow tower first.

  Zhang Qiu quietly wiped a sweat behind her back.

  This woman... her eyes were like a drawn bow, splitting wind and lightning, piercing deep into one's heart.

  He, a seasoned veteran of the turbulent officialdom, also had to lower his usually proud head in such strong winds, and use his posture to express humility.

  Arrow tower on both sides of the city head high, a small house standing alone, in order to facilitate shooting arrows, all four sides without windows, open huge holes.

  The room was very narrow, only a few people could stand in it. In the center of the room stood an old double-bow bed crossbow, fixed to the floor, unused for years, covered with dust and cobwebs. A spare set of cowhide bowstrings lay piled up in the corner.

  Tai Shi Lan was not familiar with these ancient weapons, but he looked calm and collected on the surface. He lowered his head, put his hands behind his back, and examined them carefully, with a discerning eye.

  Zhang Qiu looked at her like that, thinking she really understood, but in fact, Tai Shi Lan's greatest skill was that although she wasn't omnipotent, she could make anyone think she was. Just like this war, everyone thought she must have an extraordinary background and be familiar with military affairs, otherwise, she wouldn't have such determination and willpower. If they knew the commander of this war was just a reckless lunatic, a ruthless rookie who had to go crazy first,

  Zhang Qiu was also taken in, seeing Tai Shi Lan's confident appearance, his heart cooled down a bit, and he didn't dare to pretend anymore. He pointed at the bed crossbow mechanism and said: "You must have noticed that this mechanism has cracks. Our bed crossbows are not manually triggered, but rather use a hammer to strike the mechanism to fire. If the mechanism has cracks, even if the arrow doesn't come out, it's still a small matter, but there's also a possibility of injuring oneself."

  Tai Shi Lan murmured "Hmm", and said: "Let me take a look." His hand pressed against the cracked gear, and he suddenly said: "The rear axle seems to have problems too."

  Zhang Qiu let out a "hmm" and walked to the rear axle to observe, but didn't find any issues. He looked up in surprise just as Tai Shi Lan had already loosened his grip, saying: "Lord Zhang, your eyesight really isn't good enough, I think this gear can be used."

  Zhang Qi looked and said, "Where is the crack in that gear? He stood there for a while, then said: "... Maybe it's just too dusty, I made a mistake?"

  "Perhaps." Tai Shi Lan did not confirm or deny, and said: "Since it can be used, I'll let General Wang find a few soldiers with strong arms who are good at using the bed crossbow."

  She was about to go down, when she suddenly heard that the Western troops below seemed to be in a commotion. She walked to the front of the hole and looked down, from here you can see the entire outer city, vaguely visible is the rear army of the Western troops in great disorder, people surging like water, all rushing in one direction, and the center of that direction seems to have a figure, like a long needle or a black dragon, breaking through the wind and waves, suddenly breaking through the formation of the Western soldiers.

  So far away, can't see who the person in the center is, but still can feel that storm-like speed rushing forward, it's imaginable how the opponent is like a hot knife through butter.

  Tai Shi's heart slightly rejoiced - had reinforcements arrived?

  But judging from the scale, although the Western Expeditionary Force is blooming everywhere, it seems that someone is constantly fighting in small battles, but the one who rushed into the center seems to be only one person.

  A person...

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly felt a little dazed.

  She was dazed, and behind her Zhang Qiu suddenly said softly: "Taishi girl, the Su girl opposite is waving at you, is she calling you?"

  Tai Shi Lan still looked distracted, subconsciously tilting her head, looking towards the opposite side.

  Suddenly she felt a warning in her heart and realized that Zhang Qiu was too close to her at this moment, his voice was right next to her ear!

  A "bad" idea had just flashed through her mind when Zhang Qiu suddenly bumped into her with his shoulder and pushed her down!

  With a "bang", Ta Shi Lan's figure disappeared under the platform.

  Zhang Qiu burst out laughing and rushed to the edge of the platform, shouting loudly at the bottom: "I am Zhang Qiu, the prefect of Beiyuan! I have already killed the leader of the usurping rebels, Taishi Lan. Now I am willing to open the city and surrender, and report the secret passage inside Beiyuan City. Please, Western Barbarian General, spare me!"

  He finished speaking and suddenly squatted down, unexpectedly pulling out a knife from the gap between the bricks. Ignoring the pain, he ground it against the floor two or three times until it broke. Then, he pulled over a cowhide rope from the corner and tied it to the bottom of the bed frame.

  At this time, the people below had not reacted yet. On the opposite side, Su Ya, who was on the arrow tower, shouted and jumped off the tower, rushing towards the opposite side. The Western Barbarian commander below was laughing loudly, his voice clear and loud, "Is that Lord Zhang? Good job killing him! Keep jumping! We'll catch you! Men, suppress the city head guards for me!"

  Zhang Qiudelighted in a sly smile, feeling that his trick of being placed in a desperate situation and then coming back to life was indeed useful and exhilarating. He leaned back, grasping the rope, with his feet pushing against the edge of the platform, and saw Su Ya and others rushing over frantically.

  He smiled.

  It's too far, really too far.

  Waiting for them to come over, he had already gone down the city three times in a row.

  "Farewell." He laughed loudly, "You die, I live, never meet again!"

  With a mighty kick from the sole of his foot, he soared into the air, describing a gentle arc in mid-air before plummeting straight down towards the city below.

  There are arrow towers on both sides of the city head, with city walls blocking them, which is a blind spot for the city head guard to shoot arrows. As long as no one shoots arrows from below, Zhang Qiu will definitely be able to escape.

  The wind howled, the cyan-gray city wall retreated in the field of vision, Zhang Qiu's lips curled up with a smile, thinking about how to phrase it when he arrived at the Xifan army and persuade the commander-in-chief.

  ...the voice of the Western soldier behind him became clearer and clearer, almost safe!

  Zhang Qiu looked up at the sky, grasped the rope tightly, and suddenly felt how precious freedom was at this moment.

  He looked up high, right at the arrow tower.

  Then he suddenly saw a face poking out of the loopholes on the platform of the arrow tower.

  Zhang Qiu's entire body's blood suddenly coagulated.

  That face...

  That face gazed at him with calm, even slightly mocking eyes. No smile, no anger, no emotion, like looking at roadside weeds.

  His body hair stood on end as if he was being stared down by the god of death in the dark night, with a calm and resolute gaze.

  Too awesome!

  Looking down from the arrow tower, it was actually Tai Shi Lan, whom he thought had already fallen off the city wall!

  Zhang Qiuhun's soul flew away and his spirit dissipated.

  He knew what would happen next...

  "Don't -" Zhang Qiu screamed with a torn heart and lungs, desperately pulling the rope, rapidly sliding down.

  Unfortunately, it's too late now.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly stretched out her hand, a short knife in it. She didn't hesitate at all and chopped down with one swift motion.

  A flash of light, "Hiss."

  The rope broke.

  Bang.

  Zhang Qiu's body shot out like a stone block, bouncing into the ground, and another bloody flesh flew out.

  He had not yet died, and in the pool of blood he still twitched, his eyes staring straight up at the city wall, as if he did not believe that Tai Shi Lan would dare to kill him in front of so many people.

  The city above and below is quiet and soundless.

  Watching with wide eyes as Bei Yan's highest-ranking official, the lifeline was abruptly cut off by Tai Shi Lan.

  Everyone was shocked, but Tai Shi Lan's face remained expressionless.

  She has no concerns about hierarchy, class, privilege or consequences in her heart, so she naturally wouldn't think that killing Zhang Qiu is a big deal. In her mind, it's no different from cutting off the head of a venomous snake.

  She sheathed her sword and was about to turn around and go down the stairs. Since she was standing near the edge of the platform, Zhang Qiu's body was already tied up and inconvenient, so this collision only made her jump off the platform and grab onto the horizontal bar of the iron railing.

  How could she go up to the Arrow Tower alone with Zhang Qiu?

  However, Tai Shi Lan was still a little disappointed. She wanted to see what Zhang Qiu would do next and whether he could uncover any more secrets. But it seemed that Zhang Qiu's tricks were limited too. The only thing she didn't know was whether the secret passage he had used to exchange with Xi Fan earlier really existed or not.

  Tai Shi Lan was pondering the question, when she suddenly heard Su Ya exclaim "Be careful!", followed by a strange noise, dull and creaky, with a series of dragging sounds approaching her. It sounded like something heavy was being dragged over, sliding all the way, and it was getting closer and closer!

  Tai Shi Lan even felt a faint scent of rust right at the tip of his nose!

  In a split second, she forcibly twisted back half of her body - at this point, it was too late to turn back!

  She grasped the broken rope with one hand and dived forward, head down, off the platform!

  The rope was very short, and she had already climbed halfway up the city wall, thinking that she would soon be able to stop. But who knew that the rope would suddenly start moving, sliding down with a hissing sound? Ta Shi Lan's heart flashed with lightning-like insight as she thought of the fact that the rope was tied to the base of the bed crossbow, and wondered if the base had come loose, causing the entire bed crossbow to slide over.

  As he looked down, his body was still falling, and if he fell any further, he would become a target for the Western barbarian army below. Tai Shi swiftly drew his sword and inserted it into a crevice in the city wall, barely stopping his downward slide.

  A loud rumbling sound came from above, and a large amount of rubble and dust fell down, directly at Tai Shi Lan's head. Tai Shi Lan dodged repeatedly, but was still hit on the shoulder by a half-foot-long brick. She groaned in pain, her arm went limp, yet she struggled to hang onto the wall.

  Fortunately, the bricks only fell for a short while and then stopped. Tai Shi Lan felt a shadow on his head, looked up, and saw that half of the bed crossbow had protruded from the arrow tower platform and was stuck in the hole, its heavy body crushing half of the pillar, causing the bricks to fall.

  If Tai Shi Lan was still in that position just now, he would have been hit by the bed crossbow's force and vomited blood.

  The bed crossbow's base was supposed to be fixed, but the arrow tower was open on all sides, exposed to wind and rain, lacking maintenance, and the iron lock had poor quality, severely corroded. Just now Zhang Qiuzi escaped down the city wall with a rope, and in desperation, she pulled it hard once more, and actually broke off the base lock.

  Luckily, the diameter of the hole was smaller than the bed crossbow, so it got stuck at the last moment.

  But the situation is still dangerous, the bed crossbeam is swaying overhead, and due to continuous shaking, both crossbeams have loosened and appear to be on the verge of falling off. If they fall, they will hit Tai Shi Lan who is below.

  "Shoot her! Shoot her!" Suddenly a loud shout came from below, the commander of the Western troops had realized what was happening and shouted repeatedly.

  On the other side, Su Ya and the guards rushed over desperately, but half of the arrow tower had been destroyed, the iron ladder was broken, and the city wall that Tai Shi Lan was climbing on was opposite to the one with the ladder. Su Ya had to find a way to get around both walls to rescue her, but unfortunately, the wall seams were covered with slippery moss, making it almost impossible to climb. Su Ya kept shouting for someone to bring ropes while she took out her knife and inserted it into the stone seam little by little, getting closer to Tai Shi Lan.

  Arrows rained down below, and the attack on the city head had almost been abandoned. The target was all directed at Tai Shi Lan. The Western soldiers seemed to have also realized the importance of this woman to Bei Yan at this moment. Taking her down would be equivalent to taking down half of Bei Yan. However, the arrow tower was higher, and the range was not sufficient, so most of them were sparsely nailed under Tai Shi Lan's feet.

  At this time, everyone was tense and staring at Taishi Lan's cautious movements. No one noticed that a commotion had appeared in the Western military formation. The black shadow that had been galloping earlier had already broken through the thousand-strong army and entered the city. Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, they quickly dodged and weaved, shooting arrows left and right, and were about to cross the military formation and shoot into the front lines!

  A large number of Western soldiers were drawn out to intercept, but wherever the shadow went, people and horses fell, their bodies flying like blood flowers in all directions, and no one could get within three feet of him.

  Under the great flag, the Western barbarian commander's brow was tightly locked, looking back at the chaos in the rear, angrily shouting: "Where did this scoundrel come from! You're all scoundrels too! Not a single one of you can stop him! Antubu, go and stop him for me! If you can't stop him, don't come back!"

  That general responded and left. The Western Wei commander looked at Tai Shi Lan moving on the arrow tower again, his eyes turned cold, and he shouted: "Get out of the way, I'll do it!"

  The Western soldiers parted like a tidal wave, and in the midst of the dark crowd, a lone horseman galloped forth. The rider wore his hair tied back, donned armor, grasped a spear, and on his back, a dragon-headed golden sword shone brightly. He looked up, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on Tai Shi Lan on the city wall.

  Tai Shi Lan, wounded in one arm, could only barely hold on to herself and not fall off. The soldiers below looked on anxiously and shouted: "Tai Shi Niang, hurry! Hurry!"

  The Western Wei army below the city did not attack, and the Southern Qi soldiers above the city also forgot to defend themselves. All eyes were fixed on the figure swaying on the city wall, a soldier shouted: "Taishi girl, come on!"

  "Come on, Taishi girl, work hard!"

  "Come on, Taishi girl, work hard!"

  Digression

  Here's a small matter. On August 4th, Suzhou will host a fan gathering event. I'll be attending. If you're near Suzhou or interested in joining the fun, please add the group "Gui Shi Jiang Hu" (83250651) after confirming your attendance. Please note that this event requires an accurate headcount, and registration will close on July 25th. If there are too many participants, registration may close earlier.

  Maybe some relatives will ask, what are the benefits of participating in activities? Well, there are many benefits. I can do whatever I want (deceiving you).

  You can take a look at the beautiful Longan (actually, it's just a fat and ugly one), you can roll in bed sheets (anyone but me is fine), you can watch me run naked (dream on), you can get a token of love (whether you believe it or not, I do, ah! Do you really believe? No way!)

  So be it, 8:40, waiting for my sisters.