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Still, he held his composure. "We'll see soon enough," he murmured under his breath. By dusk, the last divisions of Hengyuan's northern army had crossed. The wooden bridges, creaking beneath the weight of men and wagons, held firm as engineers reinforced them through the night.
Two days later, the horizon around Hongnong was like a sugar being surrended by ants.
The full might of the advancing Hengyuan army, from east and north, now surrounded the city. Their camps stretched for miles, a living sea of soldiers and siege engines. From the eye point of the sky, it looked as though the very earth had risen to swallow Hongnong whole.
In the center of this vast encampment, a massive command pavilion had been erected, its roof lined with crimson silk banners bearing the emblem of the Hengyuan Dragon. Within, Sima Yi, Chen Deng, and Zang Hong gathered over a wide war map spread across the central table.
The light coming in from the outside of the tent cast long shadows over their faces, highlighting the tension that hung in the air.
Sima Yi traced his finger along the inked outline of Hongnong's walls. "The outer fortifications extend along this ridge," he said, indicating a line of markings to the east. "They've transformed the river into a natural barrier. Their forward trenches and hidden palisades suggest a layered defense. It's clear that Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai anticipate a siege, thats why they made this."
Zang Hong nodded. "If they've truly fortified every route, frontal assault will bleed us dry. Even with our numbers, a head-on attack would be reckless."
Chen Deng stroked his chin. "Then we must use the river against them as they used it against us. Their supply routes flow inward from the west, correct?"
"Precisely," Sima Yi replied. "But they've positioned floating barricades to deter naval raids. However…" His eyes gleamed. "Those same barricades can be turned into traps, once we sever their anchors and let the current drive them back, their defenses may collapse inward."
Zang Hong gave a low whistle. "You intend to use the river's own strength against them. Risky, but brilliant."
"Every victory worth having demands risk," Sima Yi murmured. He then gestured toward the northern front. "Chen Deng, your command will feign preparation for a direct assault here. Once the siege start, light signal fires and construct mock siege towers. Their scouts will report what they see and draw reinforcements from the east."
Chen Deng's smile was thin but knowing. "While your men strike from the east as that happens."
Sima Yi inclined his head. "Exactly. Marshall Zhang Liao and Taishi Ci will lead the vanguard once the signal is given. Their task is not to breach the walls but to test them, to expose the rhythm of Wei's defense."
Zhang Liao nodded curtly. "Understood. We'll draw their attention and measure their response time. Once we know how quickly they reinforce, we'll find the weak seam."
Taishi Ci grinned fiercely, tapping the shaft of his halberd against the ground. "It's been too long since I've faced a worthy fortress. Let's see if Wei's famed generals can stand against us in open war."
Huang Zhong chuckled from his corner. "You young bloods are too eager. Remember, battles aren't won by impatience. Let them grow overconfident first, then crush their spirit with precision."
The command tent erupted in quiet laughter, a momentary lightness breaking through the tension.
But Sima Yi's expression remained distant, his mind several steps ahead. "They'll be expecting deception," he said softly, almost to himself. "Guo Jia will suspect feints, and Xun Yu will advise patience. We must give them something real enough to commit to, but not enough to see the true blade behind the shadow."
He looked around the table, his gaze steady. "This will not be decided in a day. Hongnong's fall will come not from strength of arms alone, but from breaking their coordination. Once their unity falters, their fortress will crumble from within."
Outside, the faint rumble of drums began to echo through the camp as the soldiers prepared for their night maneuvers.
Sima Yi turned back to the map, fingers hovering over the miniature outline of Hongnong. "Tomorrow," he said quietly, "the storm begins."
That night, under a moon veiled by drifting clouds, the plains around Hongnong came alive.
Thousands of torches flickered like restless fireflies across the dark fields, casting long shadows on the ground. The creak of wooden wheels and the low murmur of soldiers filled the air. Siege towers, massive wooden beasts clad in wet hides, rolled slowly into position.
From atop the city walls, Wei sentinels watched the spectacle unfold with wary eyes. Bells clanged in warning, and the garrison stirred into motion.
On the eastern rampart, Xun Yu stood beside Guo Jia, both cloaked against the night wind. From their vantage, the Hengyuan encampment looked like an ocean of light.
"They move earlier than expected," Guo Jia murmured, his sharp eyes tracing the shifting formations below. "Sima Yi wastes no time."
Xun Yu's hands clasped behind his back. "He knows hesitation breeds weakness. But haste… can reveal intent."
He gestured to a cluster of signal fires to the north. "See how those torches burn too evenly? No true siege would light so many in formation, they are meant to be seen."
Guo Jia smiled faintly. "Then the real strike will come elsewhere. Clever. He seeks to draw our gaze northward."
"Indeed," Xun Yu replied. "But we shall let him believe his deception has worked. Alert the eastern garrison, quietly. Have them reinforce the lower walls but conceal their presence. When their vanguard strikes, we'll meet them in silence… and then engulf them."
Guo Jia nodded, the glimmer of strategy dancing in his eyes. "Let us see if the young serpent can outthink the old fox."
Dawn broke the next day over a field drenched in mist.
Trumpets blared across the Hengyuan camp. Sima Yi rode to the front lines with Zhang Liao and Taishi Ci at his side, his expression calm amid the thunderous roar of preparation. Behind him, banners rippled like waves, and the rhythmic drumbeats rolled through the army's vast formation.
To the north, Chen Deng's forces had already begun their display, siege towers rising, catapults creaking, and the thunder of marching feet echoing through the hills.
From the eastern front, Sima Yi raised his hand. "Begin the march."
The order rippled through the ranks.
War drums thundered. The ground trembled beneath tens of thousands of advancing boots.
Hongnong's bells answered in defiance.
Arrows arced through the sky.
The battle for Hongnong had begun.
The clash began like the tearing of the heavens themselves.
The first boulders from Chen Deng's siege engines screamed through the air, crashing into Hongnong's northern battlements with a thunder that shook the ground. Dust and stone erupted in showers, soldiers fell from the walls, and for a brief moment, it seemed the very city might crumble under the weight of the assault.
"Forward!" Chen Deng shouted, his voice carrying across the din of war. "Push the rams! Advance the towers!"
Rows of Hengyuan infantry surged ahead, their shields raised, their faces grim beneath helmets slick with morning dew and sweat. Behind them, the long arms of trebuchets swung again and again, raining ruin upon the city's defenses.
A crimson flare burst in the sky, Chen Deng's signal.
From the east, Sima Yi's eyes narrowed as he saw it. The time had come.
"Now," he said calmly, lowering his hand. "Execute the second phase."
Drums boomed across the plains. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers roared as one, surging toward Hongnong's eastern walls. Siege towers creaked forward, their great wooden frames rolling over the blood soaked earth. The Hwachas were wheeled into place behind the front lines.
Inside the walls, Guo Jia watched from the ramparts as the eastern horizon came alive with movement. His eyes flickered to Xi Zhicai, who stood beside him, his robe fluttering wildly in the wind.
"It begins," Guo Jia murmured. "As expected, the strike comes from both north and east. Chen Deng draws our gaze, Sima Yi intends to pierce us from the flank."
Xi Zhicai nodded, his voice low but firm. "They believe we'll panic and stretch our lines thin. We won't give them that satisfaction." He turned to the nearby officers. "Archers, prepare volleys! Catapults, adjust elevation by three degrees, target their siege towers!"
Below, the enemy formations advanced relentlessly. The thunder of war drums mingled with the whine of bowstrings and the crash of stone against stone. The air filled with the hiss of arrows.
From his vantage point, Sima Yi watched carefully, his keen mind noting every movement on the walls. This was his probing strike, testing the rhythm, finding the weakness.
Yet, even as his troops pressed forward, Guo Jia was already countering him.
"Release!" Xi Zhicai shouted.
A storm of arrows erupted from Hongnong's walls, streaking through the air like black rain. They found their marks among the Hengyuan ranks, felling dozens in an instant.
Sima Yi's lips twitched. He had expected no less.
"Hold the line," he ordered evenly. "Bring forth the Hwachas."
The strange new siege weapons were wheeled into position, rows of wooden frames lined with dozens of narrow launch tubes. The soldiers lit the fuses.
Sima Yi raised his arm. "Fire!"
The night exploded into fire and thunder.
A thousand rockets screamed skyward and arced toward Hongnong's walls. They burst in showers of blazing sparks, detonating with thunderous concussions that shook even the heavens. The flames danced along the ramparts, consuming wood and flesh alike.
Guo Jia's eyes widened in shock. "What in Heaven's name—?"
Some of the rockets exploded with blinding bursts, scattering shrapnel and setting the shield walls ablaze. The defenders recoiled in confusion, the unfamiliar weaponry breaking their formation.
"New ordnance," Xi Zhicai muttered grimly, shielding his eyes from the glare.
Guo Jia clenched his fist. "Clever devils… Lie Fan's hand is behind this."
Below, the chaos was spreading. The defenders screamed as shields caught fire, and archers scrambled to put out the flames. For a heartbeat, the walls of Hongnong trembled not just from the barrage, but from the shaking morale of its defenders.
Then, amid the smoke and falling embers, one figure stood unmoved.
Xu Chu.
The giant of Wei, his armor scorched and dented, let out a deep roar that rolled across the battlements. He raised his great spiked steel club, its iron head blackened by soot, and swung it with thunderous force.
A rocket arrow shot straight at him, he batted it out of the air. Another came, and he smashed it aside, sending it careening downward into the masses of Hengyuan soldiers below. The explosion that followed rocked the battlefield, hurling men and earth alike into the air. The defenders on the walls froze for a moment, then erupted into cheers. "General Xu Chu!" they shouted. "The Tiger of Wei!"
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0