Ch. 591..595: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 591-595

Chapter 591: Chapter 591: Crushing Defeat (7)_1

Lin Ziyin saw it all clearly. But she didn’t mind, she was well acquainted with Si Jinhan’s haughtiness. Such a proud person surely couldn’t accept the change in her status.

No matter, they would have plenty of opportunities to communicate more as time goes on.

Lin Ziyin always had a reserved personality and wasn’t someone who spoke a lot. Si Jinhan didn’t want to engage with her, which she didn’t mind, but she also wouldn’t take the initiative to approach her.

"The injured soldiers are Bayal’s men. With such heavy casualties, Bayal must be heartbroken. If the siege continues for a long time, Bayal will surely retreat. Because if the loss of troops is too severe, it will definitely affect the position of the Crown Prince in North Country," said Luo Heng, who had fought countless times with Bayal over the years. They knew each other well.

"Bayal, being self-interested, may be willing to withdraw temporarily, but Billy will not give up so easily." Situ Gong analysed with a grin.

If Bayal and Luo Heng are considered opponents, then Billy could be considered his opponent as well.

"Billy is headstrong and has been idolized all these years because of his State Preceptor status. This siege is something he approaches with the determination to win. How could he willingly give up in the face of defeat?"

"Flank their forces with the ballista and the Stone Thrower," Chu Suifeng ordered. He no longer exuded the gentleness he shown towards Lin Ziyin, instead, he exuded decisiveness and a sense of bloodlust.

"Yes, Prince," a general agreed enthusiastically as he went to make the preparations.

The remaining generals had smiles on their faces. The improved Stone Thrower was much more powerful than the original, and they had all seen what it could do. It remained unused since the beginning of the war, which they all found regretful.

Ha, to be able to use it, it’s fantastic news. This time they would definitely give the savage Tatars a run for their money.

"Prince, Mr. Situ, what are the Tatars doing?" One of the generals who was monitoring the enemy’s movement suddenly asked. Chu Suifeng and the others hurried over to the battlements as soon as they heard this. Si Jinhan, on the other hand, tensed up, muscles stiff in alert.

The fellow had switched into alert mode.

Along with everyone, Lin Ziyin also went to the battlements.

Below the city walls, the soldiers of North Country were busy.

Looking at the busy soldiers, Lin Ziyin’s eyes tightened, with a thought flashing through her mind, could it be?

"Billy is really ruthless." Before she could voice her thoughts, Situ Gong beat her to it, "He actually plans to use corpses to attack the city walls."

Indeed, many Tatar soldiers were piling up the dead bodies below the city walls.

War is so cruel, if it were possible, Lin Ziyin wouldn’t want it to happen at all. However, she also knew that this thought of hers was merely a beautiful wish.

With a slight sigh, she spoke, "Prince, if they plan to climb over the corpses. You can use fire attack."

"Prepare the torches," Situ Gong essentially said the same thing at the same time.

The two of them had the same idea, and Situ Gong gave her an approving smile, "The things the Princess brought have been a great help."

"You’re too kind, Sir," Lin Ziyin replied.

Si Jinhan seemed to dislike the sweet talk between them and coldly said, "Prince, if the enemy stays below the city, the Stone Thrower can’t be used."

"No worries," Chu Suifeng calmly replied, "Once the fire starts, they’ll have to retreat whether they want to or not."

No one understood the Stone Thrower better than Lin Ziyin. Because the Stone Throwers on the city wall were successfully improved under her direction. Even though the Stone Thrower’s power had increased, she was powerless to help with the issue of angle.

The people of North Country were now gathered beneath the city where the Stone Thrower had a blind spot. Even the best things are useless if the angle isn’t right.

"First use the crossbowmen, then the Stone Thrower," Lin Ziyin said. Situ Gong was a cunning strategist, every step in his handling of the battle development and troop deployment was spot on, such as the city defense battle today.

Unfortunately, after having seen modern warfare, Lin Ziyin felt a slight regret about the current battle. How great it would be if they had an air force, they could easily deal with these savage Tatars.

"This time, I’m going to make sure these Tatars all drop dead," a general excitedly waved his arm, eager to join the fight.

"Losers, dare even to disturb us," he sneered.

...Their victory in the previous two battles undoubtedly boosted the morale of the Northern Soldiers.

"Don’t be complacent, Bayal is no pushover. When they retreat, the cavalry and archers should lead the charge out of the city, followed by Si Jinhan and General Luo Heng with their troops. The rest of the soldiers should follow closely," Chu Suifeng ordered.

Lin Ziyin approvingly listened as he calmly and carefully arranged the troops. Chu Suifeng was definitely a Prince who had been through battles, both his abilities and strategies were top-notch.

Chapter 592: Chapter 592 Finally Ended(1)_1

After both sides had prepared, the trumpet of the charge finally resounded. Below the city tower, a heavy drumbeat emerged within moments. The civilians under the city walls felt anxious upon hearing it, yet they were helpless. All they could tell from the drumbeats was that the enemy was attacking the city once again, but they could not see the specifics of the battlefield.

Even if they could not see it, they could still feel the significance of today’s battle. The soldiers of the Northern land were all trapped in the city, with the enemy guarding the city gates, in a situation where it seemed impossible for even a thousand men to break through one man’s defense.

The soldiers of the Northern land did not rely on individual strength, it was through cooperation and formation that they would find victory.

Since the entire army could not march out, the battle became quite stifled as a result.

All the civilians were apprehensive, each secretly praying that King Ling and General Luo could quickly defeat the enemy.

Stepping on the small mountain of accumulated corpses, the soldiers of the North Country climbed upwards as if they were mad.

At that moment, several buckets of oil were suddenly poured from the city tower, and then torches were thrown down.

A raging fire instantly shot up into the sky, and the soldiers who had already climbed halfway were caught in the blaze.

"Ahh."

"Save me."

...The screams rose and fell, and the foul smell emitted from the burning bodies was nauseating.

The soldiers of the Northern land on the city walls looked down, each of their faces revealing an unbearable expression. Below, the fire was raging, it was simply a hell on earth.

"Sound the retreat now." Bayal no longer sat, directly issuing the order, this time without even asking for an opinion from Billy.

Billy’s face was also solemn, he never expected that after pouring so much oil, Chu Suifeng would still have more.

A rash judgment resulted in his own side’s soldiers being heavily injured, his face lost all its colour.

Upon hearing the retreat, all the soldiers began to pull back.

"Retreat." Bayal decisively issued the order again.

Billy opened his mouth, but looking again at the tragic situation under the city wall, he finally didn’t say anything.

Large groups of soldiers began to retreat in panic, like a receding tide.

"Argh."

"Protect the General and the State Preceptor."

Just then, giant rocks started raining down from the walls of the Northern land, striking the retreating soldiers of the North Country once again.

Next was a dense rain of arrows, and another batch of men fell down.

"Quicken your pace." Billy, losing his temper, issued the order.

A well-trained team was a bit disorganized at this moment, as everyone was scrambling to retreat and save themselves.

The neighing of the horses, the screams of the soldiers, and the shouting of the generals created a mix of sounds. At that moment, the heavy gates of the North City suddenly opened, and a team of horsemen instantly charged out.

Leading the charge was a demon-like youth, he rode a white horse, leading the charge, and a group of Black Armored Soldiers followed him. These people were all holding bows and arrows with large blades and long swords on their backs.

"Black Armored Soldiers."

"It’s Si Jinhan."

Upon recognizing who had come out from the North Land, many people got somewhat panicky.

"Immediately halt the retreat." Billy preempted the order. "Take advantage of their low numbers, strike back immediately. With them there, Chu Suifeng won’t dare to use the catapult randomly."

Bayal hadn’t expected Si Jinhan to charge out of the city gate at this moment, despite their fewer numbers. Yet, whether it was Si Jinhan or the Black Armored Soldiers, they were all considered sharp weapons in Chu Suifeng’s hands.

Bayal did not dare to take Si Jinhan and those Black Armored Soldiers lightly.

"Send a command, line up to attack." Seeing the Black Armored Soldiers appear again, Luo Heng also led a team of soldiers and charged out. Bayal knew then that what followed must be a fierce battle.

Chapter 593: Chapter 593 Finally Ended(2)_1

He had already witnessed the power of the Eight Trigrams Array. If he wanted to reduce his side’s casualties, he had to block them before all the troops from the Northern Land poured out.

In an instant, all the soldiers from North Country immediately turned around and started to confront Si Jinhan and his men.

Seeing the approaching soldiers, Si Jinhan sneered. The Tatars were looking for death if they wanted to compete with him for territory.

With a wave of his hand, the black-armored soldiers behind him immediately formed a Long Snake Formation and then launched their crossbows. The improved crossbows could fire five bolts at once, immediately knocking down the Tatars soldiers at the front.

"Shields, bring up the shields." Bayal bellowed.

The flustered soldiers of North Country finally came to their senses, having the shield-bearing soldiers line up in the front.

With the protection of the shields, the number of casualties reduced drastically, and North Country’s soldiers slowly approached Si Jinhan and his men. At the same time, the troops led by Luo Heng also left the city. They occupied a piece of land as soon as they came out of the city and then began to deploy their formation.

Bayal’s face contorted with rage. The Eight Trigrams Array required eight teams. Chu Suifeng had already dispatched two teams. If they let all the troops from the Northern Land exit the city, the ones to suffer would still be their soldiers from North Country.

"Attack in full force, we must trap them in the city." He shouted, his voice almost changing pitch due to the urgency.

"Right flank form up, left flank leave the city immediately and form a wild goose formation with the cavalry." Chu Suifeng ordered coldly.

Congyi, who was next to him, immediately began waving the signal flag.

The third wave to leave the city was Luo Ying, who moved his forces to the left upon seeing the signal.

"Wild goose formation." Billy sneered. "This formation has weaknesses, the main force should face Si Jinhan’s troops, letting the flanks form an encircling situation to break the wings."

Bayal nodded, although Billy was somewhat arrogant, his deployment was impeccable.

"Pass the order." He commanded coldly.

The soldiers of North Country received orders and immediately began their assault.

The troops were quickly drawn into a fight with the cavalry team led by Si Jinhan.

The cavalry quickly put their crossbows into the bags on the side of their horses, then drew the weapons from their backs and began to battle the enemy.

Despite the number of Northern Land soldiers leaving the city not having an advantage, they did not seem panicked at all.

"Formation within a formation." Billy shouted in surprise, as he saw the three teams from the Northern Land from afar.

"Chu Suifeng should not be underestimated indeed." Bayal sighed. The three teams that came out each formed a small Eight Trigrams Array.

This formation multiplied strength greatly. Each small team within the formation consisted of several soldiers. For the people of North Country to kill, they had to break through their small team.

"Kill forward." Si Jinhan ordered.

"Yes, third prince."

The three teams of horses and men showed great prowess. North Country could only rely on numerical superiority to desperately fight back.

Although having a larger number had its advantages, no matter how formidable Si Jinhan, Luo Heng, and Luo Ying’s three teams were, it was difficult to fight when surrounded by a large number of troops from North Country. It didn’t take long before blood splattered on them.

No soldiers from the Northern Land retreated. When a comrade fell, another immediately replaced him. Under their strenuous efforts, the fourth team from the city managed to break out.

The formation on the battlefield began to change immediately.

"Zhe Bie, immediately stop the fourth team." Bayal’s back was soaked with sweat. If they could block the remaining troops from the Northern Land today, North Country could get the ultimate victory.

"All of you, attack now. We must not let more soldiers from North City come out." For the final victory, Bayal was determined to fight till the end.

Chapter 594: Chapter 594 Finally Ended(3)_1

He personally picked up a long sword and mounted his warhorse.

Billy took over his position, commanding thousands of troops; the battlefield was quickly awash with blood.

Under the frenzied counterattack of North Country, the number of casualties on the Northern Land side was rapidly increasing. Seeing this, Lin Ziyin, perched on the city wall, was filled with fervor.

"Your Highness, the pace of our soldiers leaving the city is too slow," said Lin Ziyin.

Both Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong turned to look at her upon hearing this.

"Use the tiger claw," Lin Ziyin suggested seriously.

Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong, looking at the fierce battle below and then at each other, finally agreed.

"I am willing to lead the men down," a Lord volubly volunteered.

"Go prepare," Chu Suifeng nodded in agreement.

The so-called "tiger claw" was another small tool invented by Lin Ziyin. Resembling a modern iron claw, it was even sturdier.

Congyi, following Situ Gong’s instructions, immediately conveyed the order by flag signals.

Gradually, the troops coordinated and formed a Long Snake Formation again.

Slowly, a vacant space was cleared beneath the city wall.

Then, a shocking scene unfolded on the city wall. A cohort of Northern Land soldiers seemed to descend from the sky, clutching steel ropes as they came down from the wall.

As both sides were engaged in close quarters combat, the archers from North Country had retreated to the rear. Neither side wanted their archers to accidentally hit their own men.

"Archers, shoot them down quickly," said Billy, recovering from his momentary surprise and issuing an effective command.

The archers quickly lined up, aiming their bows at the people on the city wall. They were ready but none dared to shoot.

"Shoot your arrows!" exclaimed Billy, who was getting anxious when he saw them hesitating.

"National Master, the distance is too great. Our arrows can’t reach them," reported a junior officer.

"Move forward," ordered Billy, his face turning red, rather menacing.

"Yes, National Master."

The descent from the city wall was swift.

By the time the Northern Land’s archers moved closer, no one was descending from the city wall anymore. And as the archers had moved forward, they suffered casualties from the Northern Land’s soldiers.

With the arrival of the fifth team, the morale of the Northern Land’s soldiers surged.

Si Jinhan and his peers breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the pressure lift.

"Useless trash." Billy cursed, seeing that the dispatched archers had not injured anyone and had only cost him a portion of his men.

At the city gate, the sixth, seventh, and eighth teams of Northern Land made their exit. General Bayal tried unabashedly to stop them, but both Luo Heng and Si Jinhan held him back, rendering him incapable of getting any closer.

"General Bayal, we finally meet," Luo Heng said, holding a long spear and smiling at the man across from him.

It was highly unusual for the chief commanders of two armies to meet on the battlefield, a testament to the intensity of the war.

"Well met indeed." Bayal urged his horse forward, "I have been looking forward to a match with you."

Sword met long spear.

At the top, Situ Gong personally waved the flag, directing the troops, and quickly, the army of the Northern Land formed the Eight Trigrams Array.

Luo Heng, engaged in a deadlock with Bayal, broke into a smile when he saw the formation taking shape on his left and right. This time, it would not be easy for Bayal to lead his troops and break through.

Seeing his soldiers keep falling, Bayal felt distraught. He had previously experienced the might of the Northern Land’s Eight Trigrams Array. Now, being trapped within, he found the situation unbearable.

Chapter 595: Chapter 595 Finally Ended(4)_1

"Find the exit." Billy, seeing Bayal trapped, was anxiously pacing. He knew that as long as he found the exit, his side would have a way out.

However, breaking the Eight Trigrams Array set up by Situ Gong and Chu Suifeng was not easy. Behind the Northern Land’s Eight Trigrams Array, there was also the cavalry’s twenty-four arrays, which was a headache to deal with.

As Billy was extremely worried, the Northern Land’s soldiers were continuously changing formation according to the signal flags on the city walls. The trapped North Country soldiers were being slaughtered mercilessly.

On the blood-spattered battlefield, a massacre was taking place. Chu Suifeng, afraid that Lin Ziyin might faint, glanced over and discovered that Lin Ziyin was as always, watching the battlefield closely and occasionally exchanging views with Situ Gong and Master Hui Zhen.

"General." As the encirclement shrank, many North Country officers were forced to Bayal’s side. "I shall cover for you to break out."

Bayal, watching his men fall one by one, was in deep pain.

There was no denying that his side was being heavily defeated in this battle.

The loss of troops and generals was severe. With this defeat upon returning to North Country, the Crown Prince’s position might be affected.

Thinking of the cunning advisors and supporters around the second prince, Bayal found it hard to express his pain.

He had risen from carnage, and he didn’t fully trust the monarch’s favor towards the Crown Prince. If the monarch truly favored him, the prince should have been appointed as the Crown Prince by now.

In reality, while the monarch showed kindness to the Crown Prince, the overall situation revealed that the monarch’s attitude towards the second prince was strange. His attitude was neither cold nor warm, and he had never penalized the second prince for any reason, particularly when numerous influential officials gathered around him and never faced any difficulties.

One could say that the unclear situation in North Country’s court was largely related to the monarch’s ambiguous attitude. If his side suffered significant losses, the Crown Prince’s camp’s power would be reduced significantly. After all, other influential officials would not wholeheartedly support the Crown Prince like he would.

Even the State Preceptor, thinking of Billy, Bayal furrowed his brows slightly. Billy had earned the monarch’s trust, but he often acted impulsively, as was evident in today’s battle!

Misjudging Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong led to their defeat, a sign that was subtle but evident in the previous war. If they had retreated after the first attack on the city failed, they might not have suffered such losses.

The more he thought, the more restless Bayal became.

"General, don’t hesitate any longer." Zhe Bie urged anxiously.

"General."

...

"Attack the Heavenly Gate with full force." Billy had been observing for a long time before he finally found the exit’s location.

The information was quickly relayed. Upon hearing it, Bayal and the others were immediately invigorated. They all worked together, leading the remaining soldiers to make a concentrated attack on the Heavenly Gate.

The exit was defended by ordinary soldiers, and they found Bayal and the others’ attack very strenuous.

On the city walls, Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong smiled faintly. This battle was already won by the Northern Land. It was best to be lenient towards a desperate foe, and since the enemy had found the exit, it would be good to let them go. Besides, the quarrel between the Crown Prince and the second prince of North Country would be more interesting if Bayal was allowed to escape.

The signal flag on the city wall appeared, and the soldiers guarding the exit immediately made way.

Bayal and the others easily broke through the encirclement.

Once they left, the Northern Land’s troops immediately returned to formation.

The escaping North Country soldiers retreated like helpless dogs.