The city's defenders, well-prepared, stood in formation, and Gongsun Dingjun's orders spread rapidly!
Liang Xiao, who was coaxing Jian Qinnan to sleep in his room, immediately changed and got up upon receiving the news.
"You protect Yue Lian well, and do not allow anyone you are not familiar with to approach her!" Liang Xiao instructed.
Jian Qinnan, knowing that Liang Xiao did not need protection, could only look at him deeply and nod obediently. She repeatedly reminded Liang Xiao to be safe, and then watched him head for the city wall.
Zuo Wushang and his two companions, who were guarding outside Liang Xiao's residence, were astonished to see him leave.
"That Liang Xiao only brought two or three people? At this critical juncture, he is still so cautious..." Hong Qu said helplessly.
They were here to lie in wait, planning to take Yue Lian during the chaos in Luzhou.
However, Liang Xiao's own guards remained largely in place, still preventing them from making a move!
As Hong Jie had predicted, the Luzhou defenders were prepared, and the Huichun Sect would likely not be able to take Luzhou quickly!
Hong Jie sighed for a moment, then said meaningfully, "Let's wait, perhaps General Tian will appear in Luzhou again?"
Zuo Wushang's eyes lit up, and he nodded slightly. The three of them, understanding each other, waited quietly.
Their compatriots were too few in number to make a significant impact in a battle of tens of thousands. They could not openly recruit soldiers, so they could only rely on opportunism and fishing in troubled waters.
Zhuo Zifang and Li Xiuyun also rushed to the southwest border city wall upon hearing the news.
Li Xiuyun asked anxiously, "General Hengjiang, have the soldiers been arranged properly?"
Gongsun Dingjun nodded, "They have been in a state of combat readiness, ready to repel any enemy attack at any time!"
Zhuo Zifang reminded them, "The enemy is numerous, and we are few. There may be insiders within the city. We should first hold the city and wait for them to exhaust themselves. If we can defeat the rebels, we can then seize the opportunity to counterattack and pursue the fleeing army!"
Everyone agreed, and the entire army was prepared, with powerful bows and crossbows ready. 138 Reading Network
The enemy army, having traveled a long distance and being weary, would have to retreat temporarily if they could not capture Luzhou in one fell swoop. They would then continue their assault the next day.
"Are all twenty catapults in place?" Liang Xiao asked.
Gongsun Dingjun quickly pointed to the distant city wall, where twenty catapults were indeed lined up.
"The stones in the city will eventually run out..." Gongsun Dingjun started, then seemed to remember something, meeting Zhuo Zifang's peculiar gaze and falling silent.
Liang Xiao nodded, "Bring those things over. Be careful not to bump them, and keep open flames strictly away from the barrels."
Gongsun Dingjun understood and immediately sent his personal guards to fetch them from downstairs.
Due to the lack of cavalry and the forced march through the night, the rebel alliance took over an hour to cover the last fifteen li!
By the time the rebel army reached the city gates, they found them tightly shut and with few defenders visible on the walls.
"The enemy is caught off guard. Now is the time! Attack immediately, don't let the arriving allies steal the credit! I will personally supervise the battle!"
The brocade-robed commander, full of high spirits and an air of arrogance, issued the military order on the spot.
"Take Luzhou, and wealth will soon follow!"
"Whoever takes the heads of Li Xiuyun and Zhuo Zifang will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver, and whoever takes Liang Xiao's head will be rewarded with fifty thousand taels of silver! The reward will be doubled for capturing them alive!"
As the slogans rang out, nearly sixty thousand rebel troops advanced, with a large number of battering rams, siege ladders, and pontoon bridges prepared, heading straight for the southwest of Luzhou city.
On the city walls, the hidden defenders held their breath, nocked their arrows.
Beside the twenty catapults were numerous wooden barrels, operated by fifty personal guards, each with a fierce look on their faces!
As soon as Liang Xiao gave the order, they would launch these barrels, giving the enemy a tremendous "surprise"!
"Report! The enemy is three li away!"
The sentry's urgent report reached them. Gongsun Dingjun's expression grew solemn as he said, "Archers and crossbowmen, stand ready!"
Three thousand archers and crossbowmen drew their bows, waiting for a volley!
At the same time, Liang Xiao, holding the Setting Sun Bow, had five boxes of Dragon Tooth Arrows behind him.
Liang Xiao saw the silhouettes of several battering rams in the distance, his eyes sharpened, and he nocked an arrow!
Outside the city, the rebel leaders, upon learning that the defenders had not reacted, were overjoyed: "As expected of a commander well-versed in military strategy! Speed is of the essence in war, and Luzhou will be ours for the taking!"
At this moment, Lü Ma'er and others, with grim expressions, were eager to storm the city and claim the victory!
When the rebel forces approached within two li of the city walls, they could no longer hold back, letting out earth-shattering roars as they rushed towards Luzhou city, eager to catch the defenders off guard!
All the defenders on the city walls gritted their teeth, a fierce battle about to erupt!
Li Xiuyun returned to the Prefect's mansion in advance, taking charge to prevent any unrest.
"Two hundred and eighty thousand enemy troops are approaching Luzhou city! Our defenders number only a few thousand!"
The usually quiet Luzhou city was suddenly filled with rumors, and the entire populace was thrown into panic!
"What is happening?" Countless citizens awoke from their sleep and hurried out to observe the situation.
"By order of the Prefect, we are apprehending those spreading rumors! The enemy numbers are limited, and our army can fully resist them. There is no need to worry!"
Constables and a portion of the guards, who had been lying in wait at various locations, immediately moved out, apprehending the rumor-mongers, and public morale quickly stabilized.
In a residential house, Gongyang Qiu, upon learning that the spies he had arranged had been largely captured, was both shocked and enraged. He angrily questioned his chief guard, "What is going on? How could all the spies I meticulously arranged throughout the city fail? Was there a leak?"
The chief guard anxiously replied, "Young Master! It definitely wasn't us who leaked information! Li Xiuyun seemed to have been prepared!"
Gongyang Qiu's face turned ashen, and he trembled, "Hide quickly, don't get caught!"
Meanwhile, outside the city, the rebel army had already reached within one li, their momentum formidable, each eager to be the first to breach the city and claim credit.
A group of shield bearers, wielding massive shields, advanced, covering the battering rams as they approached the city gate.
The brocade-robed commander personally directed from the front, shouting, "Now! Breach the city!"
"Breach the city!!"
All the rebel soldiers rallied their spirits, accelerating their advance, rapidly closing to within a hundred zhang of the city!
On the city wall, Liang Xiao, concealed by the watchtower, his eyes sharpened. A Dragon Tooth Arrow, loosed from his bow, flew with a faint, sharp whistling sound, directly at the foremost battering ram!
In an instant, he killed two birds with one stone, piercing two of the men pushing the ram!
With two fewer men pushing, the battering ram's advance slowed. The battering rams behind were also forced to decelerate.
Liang Xiao did not stop, continuing to nock and draw his bow, focusing on the men pushing the rams.
As long as the city gate did not fall and the city walls did not crumble, it would be a fool's errand for the enemy to take Luzhou city by force within half a month!
The tens of thousands of rebel troops, not yet receiving news of the battering ram's delay, pressed forward greedily, rapidly approaching within sixty zhang of the city!
"Loose the arrows!"
Gongsun Dingjun's angry roar echoed from the city, and the three thousand archers and crossbowmen unleashed their volleys.
A sky-covering barrage of arrows rained down!
The vanguard of the rebel army, despite their shields and armor, suffered dozens of casualties from the first wave of arrows. The second wave of arrows then followed swiftly!
"Commander, the enemy was prepared..." a leader hastily warned, only to be met with the commander's angry gaze.
"So what if they were prepared? I am leading the attack on the front lines, what are you afraid of? Press on with full force, continue the assault!"
The brocade-robed commander, fearful of the arrow storm, dared not advance further, and could only direct from a distance of two hundred and thirty paces from the city wall. The entire army surged forward, quickly reaching the moat outside the city, and under the cover of arrows, they laid pontoon bridges to fill the moat.
"Engage!"
Gongsun Dingjun immediately gave the order. Large quantities of rolling stones and logs were prepared to deliver a powerful blow to the enemy troops at the city walls!
After suffering several hundred casualties, the rebel vanguard finally laid down the pontoon bridges. The siege ladder and battering ram units in the rear, under the cover of their own archers' crossfire, quickly advanced to attack the city!
On the city wall, Liang Xiao, using the moonlight and the enemy's torchlight, saw the commander's banner from afar, and the brocade-robed commander issuing orders beneath it. His eyes turned cold as he spotted an opening in the enemy's formation and drew his Dragon Tooth Arrow.
"Whoosh!!"
This arrow seemed to pierce through space, arriving in an instant!
The unexpected arrow caught the brocade-robed commander completely off guard.
An arrow through the chest!!
"No! The Commander has been shot!"
"Who the hell shot that sneak attack?!"