Chapter 2175: Khitan Braves! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The tree trunks were easy to burn, and using this method could only temporarily avoid the sea of flames to create a path. One would still be scorched by the heat, and the trunks would be quickly burned up. These paths would not last for long.
The other soldiers of the alliance could not use this method, as it would be no different from suicide.
But if it was the Khitans… that was another matter entirely!
“Use steel plates to help them create a path!”
The others also began to realize what was going on.
In the earlier battle, many s.h.i.+eld carts had been destroyed. Now, numerous alliance soldiers worked together to push these destroyed s.h.i.+eld carts into the sea of flames to help the Khitans open a path.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Thousands of s.h.i.+eld carts were cast into the sea of flames.
With the help of the alliance warriors, the force of the fire finally began to weaken, and the path of tree trunks extended all the way to the wall.
“Go!”
With a sharp bellow, the tens of thousands of Khitan soldiers crossed the path made of more than one hundred tree trunks.
Even more astonis.h.i.+ng was that while the first wave of Khitans crossed the path barefoot, those behind them rode atop horses.
The round trunks were very unstable, and it would be very easy for horses to misstep or make the logs s.h.i.+ft. But the Khitan cavalry seemed to be riding across level ground, displaying their masterful horsemans.h.i.+p. Besides one or two who accidentally fell into the flames, the other riders crossed smoothly.
With the thundering of hooves, thousands of Khitan warriors gathered beneath the walls.
Clang!
A moment later, these bright-eyed Khitan warriors took out ropes that they flung up the walls.
Sharp hooks attached to ropes that had been reinforced with steel wire flew up and latched onto the top of the walls. The Khitan warriors swiftly began to climb the ropes, holding their weapons in their mouths as they agilely scaled the walls like monkeys.
This agility and speed left all the other alliance soldiers in the dust.
The Khitans lived in the forests of the snowy plains. They were extremely resistant to cold and used to living amongst the trees.
Though the Khitans were few in number, they were a most ferocious people. Climbing trees was a basic skill for them, and though the walls of the fortress were smooth, they were little different from trees to the Khitans.
Swooshswooshswoos.h.!.+
The tree trunks were still burning, but the Khitans had already scaled the walls, the ones at the front no more than ten-some meters from the top. With one lunge, they would be done.
This astonis.h.i.+ng sight made the eyes of the other alliance soldiers fly open, but it also filled them with excitement.
“Khitans!”
“Khitans!”
“Khitans!”
The cheers resounded through the world.
The Khitans had brought more than one hundred thousand warriors to the alliance, more than enough to take the walls.
Rumble! Under the encouragement of a group of Khitan warriors, the siege towers began to slowly make their way toward the fortress.
The alliance soldiers rallied, excitedly roaring as they rushed forward with their siege ladders.
“The Khitans are truly fierce and brave!”
In the rear, An Lushan couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen also couldn’t hide their surprise. Once these Khitans got serious, their ferocity was truly shocking. It seemed that not even death could stop them.
For the alliance army to have such a powerful ally was undoubtedly a blessing.
The Khitan King proudly laughed and said no more.
The Khitans lived in a much harsher environment than the other countries. If they were not so fierce, how could they contend with their foes?
The Khitans continued their rapid advance, and in short order, seven to eight thousand Khitans had gathered in front of the walls, and more Khitans were continuing to ride across the sea of fire.
Encouraged by the Khitans, the other alliance soldiers bellowed. Using s.h.i.+eld carts and sand, they opened up more paths leading to the base of the walls.
The catapult teams in particular had been inspired by the Khitans, and they launched their boulders into the sea of fire to create paths.
Completely extinguis.h.i.+ng such a vast sea of fire was not something done quickly.
But creating paths for the soldiers to advance was not as complicated.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Large boulders crashed into the sea of flames, and compared to the blazing tree trunks, these rocks were much easier to cross.
Bang!
A giant boulder rolled several dozen feet through the flames. A moment later, a long siege ladder descended, one part of the ladder happening to hook itself onto the top of the boulder, locking the ladder in place.
Just like that, a suspended ‘pa.s.sage’ appeared.
“Kill!”
Alliance soldiers quickly began to climb up this pa.s.sage.
Fwoos.h.!.+
At the same time, a shovel dug into the dirt, lifting up the hot soil and burning kerosene and flinging them to the sides.
Tens of thousands of alliance soldiers at the edges of the army began to do this, using this crude but effective method to open up another path through the flames.
With thousands of soldiers working together, a path ten-some meters wide was quickly dug through the sea of flames, and it rapidly crept toward the walls.
The sight of tens of thousands of soldiers working together was truly a wondrous sight.
The Great Tang had its plans, and so did the alliance.
And the alliance was swiftly putting these countermeasures on display.
Although the speed was relatively slow, it would take ten minutes at most for the army to reach the wall.
Whoos.h.!.+
In the distance, the Khitan warriors at the very front jumped, mounting the wall.
“Haha! Come and fight me! I’m going to kill all you Tang dogs!”
A Khitan warrior heartily laughed, already prepared for a tough battle. But all that came in response was the tw.a.n.g of a bowstring.
Fwoos.h.!.+
A sharp arrow punched through his throat, carrying with it a geyser of blood as it emerged from the back of his neck.
The Khitan warrior’s eyes flew open in disbelief as he held his neck. Staggering backward as blood flowed out of the hole, he fell from the walls and into the flames.
“Kill them! Leave not one alive!” Chen Burang coldly ordered, nocking another arrow to his bow and shooting down another Khitan warrior.
In this short while, Chen Burang had already ordered the master archers to withdraw from the walls, putting them out of range of the Condor Snipers on the siege towers.
Without vision, even the Condor Snipers could not easily threaten his master archer unit.
“Activate the second defense line!” Chen Burang immediately ordered.
Creakcreak!
As Chen Burang spoke, the groaning of gears resounded over the battlefield.
The soldiers scaling the walls of the fortress heard this terrifying sound and instinctively turned their heads in its direction.
“Look over there!”
“Careful!”
What they saw made their hearts grow cold with fear.
The smooth surfaces of the steel wall began to s.h.i.+ft, numerous beehive-like holes appearing on them.
These holes were arranged in columns and rows, densely distributed across the walls.
“It’s beehives!”
“Retreat, retreat!”
Fearful cries rang out across the battlefield.
w.a.n.g Chong had four lethal weapons under his command, and they would always appear in each of his battles: the impregnable steel defense line, the reaping ballista army, the supreme Wushang Cavalry, and finally, his unique creations, famed for their ability to slaughter dense concentrations of enemy soldiers, the beehives.
Amongst the mechanical weapons, only the beehives had yet to make an appearance.
The beehives had the least killing power of the four weapons, and it had been a very long time since they had last appeared, but for ordinary soldiers, their concentrated fire was still a nightmare to deal with.
No one had expected w.a.n.g Chong to wait until now to use this unique weapon.
Moreover, these beehives were angled so that the bolts would cover more than half of the battlefield.
“What are you afraid of? I’ll destroy them!”
“Everyone, come with me! Khitans feel no fear!”
“Charge!”
But in the face of this danger, the Khitan warriors did not retreat in fear. On the contrary, their bodies erupted with powerful fighting intent!
Khitans felt no fear!
This was the highest principle that all Khitans adhered to, the foundation behind their ability to resist all the other countries.
As the beehives slowly appeared along the walls, none of the Khitans retreated. On the contrary, they rode toward the walls at an even faster pace.
Roooar!
As they charged at the walls, the Khitan warriors roared, their dantians unleas.h.i.+ng Stellar Energy that transformed into barriers and enclosed their surroundings.