12dz Chapter 2133 A Surprise Attack – Well-Prepared!
Chapter 2133 A Surprise Attack – Well-Prepared!
As the rising sun finally broke through the clouds and morning mist, casting its pale golden light upon the earth, the outline of a city faintly appeared on the distant horizon.
The lines of the city wall and the faint silhouette of the city tower are exactly the same as the location marked on the map!
We've arrived in Jicheng!
After nearly five hours of continuous nighttime travel, covering more than 150 li (approximately 75 kilometers), they finally reached the destination.
The 30,000 elite scorpion cavalry led by Tuoba Hun appeared like divine soldiers descending from the sky, suddenly appearing in the northwest direction of Jicheng at the beginning of the next morning!
At this moment, Jicheng is immersed in an ordinary winter morning.
The city gates had just opened, and a few villagers and merchants from the surrounding area began to enter and exit.
After standing guard all night, the soldiers on the city wall were at their most tired and their vigilance was relatively relaxed when they changed shifts.
Smoke rose from the city, carrying the scent of everyday life.
No one expected that the Scorpion Clan army, which was 150 miles away and confronting the Youzhou border army, would have such a large cavalry force that would cross such a long distance and appear silently at the gates of their own city!
Bald Hun reined in his warhorse, gazing at the distant city that appeared calm and even somewhat languid in the morning light and mist, a cruel yet excited smile spreading across his face.
He suddenly raised the spiked club in his hand; this time, there was no need to hide it.
“Wuwuwu——!!!”
The mournful and high-pitched sound of the bull horn suddenly shattered the tranquility of the morning, like the roar of death, reaching Jicheng!
Immediately afterwards, the 30,000 Scorpion Clan cavalry, who had been resting and preparing for battle and were filled with murderous intent, roared like a black tsunami under the leadership of Tuofa Hun.
They spurred their warhorses and launched a massive, overwhelming charge towards the unprepared city of Ji!
The iron hooves pounded the ground, and dust billowed into the sky. The sheer force of the attack was enough to terrify any garrison that had never experienced such a scene!
The tranquility of Jicheng was shattered at this moment!
The screams of terror, the crashing of the city gates as they were hastily slammed shut, and the chaotic footsteps of people running around instantly replaced the previous hustle and bustle of the city.
A sudden and fierce siege attack descended upon the city on this winter morning!
The mournful bugle calls and deafening battle cries swept across the northwest wilderness of Jicheng like a raging storm.
The dust kicked up by the 30,000 Scorpion Clan cavalry resembled a roaring, earth-yellow dragon, rushing towards the seemingly undefended city with terrifying speed.
Leading the charge were the most valiant vanguard cavalry under Tuoba Hun's command.
Their eyes gleamed with the excitement of plunder and slaughter, as if they could already see the city gates wide open, the people fleeing in panic, and the mountains of wealth piled up.
The sound of horses' hooves, like a dense drumbeat, struck the frozen earth and resonated in the hearts of every soldier guarding the city walls.
Close, closer!
The roof tiles on the city gate tower are clearly visible, and one can even see the figures of several panicked guards trying to close the city gate.
"Charge in! Slaughter all the Chu dogs!"
Bald Hun brandished his spiked club, letting out a beast-like roar, and charged ahead, almost reaching the edge of the moat, with a surging torrent of cavalry behind him.
However, at this critical moment, the anticipated scene of the city gates closing in chaos and the defenders crying and fleeing did not occur.
On the contrary, the figures on the city wall that originally seemed sparse and even somewhat sluggish suddenly became extremely swift and orderly the moment the Scorpion Clan cavalry charged into range!
Behind the previously empty battlements, as if by magic, a dense array of archers suddenly appeared!
They were not wearing the uniforms of state or county soldiers.
Instead, they were dressed in dark, close-fitting clothing that facilitated concealment. Their movements were perfectly synchronized. They drew their bows and nocked arrows, the creaking of the bowstrings blending into a deep hum, exuding a chilling killing intent!
What made Baldy's heart sink even more was that, at the highest point of the city gate tower, under an inconspicuous black flag, appeared a figure he never expected to be there.
A middle-aged man with a handsome face, dressed in a black and white scholar's robe and holding a crane feather fan.
The cold wind fluttered his robe sleeves and the white feathers on his fan. His face showed no panic, only a calm composure of complete control, and even a hint of mockery.
It was none other than Su Tingmei, a strategist from the State of Chu!
Su Tingmei gently waved her feather fan forward, her voice low but clearly reaching the ears of the archers who were on high alert.
The words seemed to travel through the clamor to the bald man's ears: "Release the arrows."
The command is extremely simple.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
The next instant, a piercing shriek that tore through the air replaced the hum of the bowstring!
Thousands upon thousands of arrows, like a sudden downpour of steel, poured down from every angle of the city wall!
The arrows were so dense they almost obscured the rising sun, their deadly glint covering the Scorpion Clan cavalry charging at the forefront!
"Puff puff……"
"what!"
"my eyes!"
"The horse! The horse has fallen!"
Screams and the mournful cries of horses instantly replaced the shouts of charge!
The hundreds of cavalrymen at the forefront were thrown off balance as if they had crashed into an invisible wall of steel!
Arrows pierced through leather armor and embedded themselves in flesh. Warhorses were riddled with arrows and crashed to the ground like hedgehogs, throwing the riders off their backs. The riders were then trampled into mud by their comrades who were unable to catch up with the momentum!
The previously unstoppable momentum of the charge came to a halt, and the front ranks were thrown into chaos.
Bald Hun, relying on his exceptional martial arts skills and the fine iron armor he wore, managed to deflect the arrows with all his might. His mount, also covered in armor, was fortunate enough to escape serious injury.
But as he stared in disbelief at the vanguard falling one after another, his eyes wide with horror!
This is definitely not the density and accuracy of arrows that a hastily deployed state or county troop could have!
"Ambush! Shields! Raise your shields! Don't stop! Charge!"
Bald Hun, as expected of a veteran of the battlefield, reacted extremely quickly amidst his shock and anger, roaring furiously.
Upon hearing the order, the cavalrymen behind them raised their round leather shields or small cavalry shields to protect their heads, faces, and chests.
Although people continued to be hit by arrows and fall from their horses, the entire cavalry force, after suffering hundreds of casualties, managed to break through the death zone of the first wave of arrows due to its immense momentum.
They were about to reach the moat, and some of the most valiant vanguards were even trying to find a way to cross the moat or to maneuver around the city gates to find possible weaknesses.
Su Tingmei, standing on the city wall, saw all of this.
As the Scorpion Clan cavalry continued to charge like wounded beasts, the mocking smile on his face deepened.
He shook his head, as if sighing at his opponent's overestimation of his abilities.
He raised his feather fan again, this time pointing towards the city gate. His tone remained calm, yet carried a sense of declaring an end: "You're bald and muddleheaded, why bother?"
"Your plan to launch a surprise attack was anticipated by me. This Ji City is no longer the empty place you imagine."