1062 Arrow And Return (2/2)
The shouts in the Tang camp became hurried, 6000 cavalry soldiers rode their mounts, and got ready for battle. If the mysterious and terrible arrows could not defend the Commander's Barracks, they would have to depend on their cavalry. But he did not allow the Tang army and opportunity to enter the fray. He shot his arrow quietly, as before. Facing the grassland cavalry that seemed like a cluster of cloud oozing out of the city gates, he let out a single arrow.
Just a single arrow. Unlike before, this arrow was not plucked from the field beside, but from the quiver on his back. The arrow was visibly different, its arrowhead was a cylinder.
A miserable cry tore the morning skies. Everyone watched on as the arrow traveled in a parabolic arc, and falling in front of City of Wei. A silent moment. And then, BOOM! A loud bang echoed before the city gates of Wei, a great load of dirt flew up, as if the sky was about to be torn apart!
Among the dirt that flew in the air, were the separated limbs of the soldiers and war horses, even some heads in between. The city gates fell. The clay and the bricks started to fall in a loud rustle, collapsing onto the many injured Duoer cavalries. Their painful cries and dull moans could be heard subtly through the soot and ashes.
Another arrow from the south. This one sounded crispier, unlike a breeze, but a hurricane, it unleashed a terrible cry. The cries of arrow sounded without rest. Several hundred arrows, seemingly unceasingly, pierced through the morning breeze, then the smoke, travelling into the deep parts of the city.
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A grassland calvary jumped away from his dead mount, unsheathed his curved blade and looked around him anxiously. But he did not know where the enemy was. Suddenly, an arrow from the south pierced his chest.
A bloodied soldier picked himself up and walked out of the smoke. He was ruthlessly shouting something when all of a sudden, an arrow pierced through his mouth, came out from the back of his skull, blood was splattered like a blooming flower.
Another was on the ground, waving his curved blade to kill his mount, which was struggling frantically after it was shot. He struggled to stand up, his eyes filled with fear, and then he saw an arrow coming for his fear.
Poof poof poof poof. The arrows hit armors, eyes, throats, and other different places, but the sound it made was always the same penetrating sound. The arrows that seemed to be magical could pierce everything. There was death all around the flying smoke and dust at the city gates of Wei. This meant that the sound of arrows hitting and dull moans echoed incessantly.
After god-knows-how long, the smoke finally subsided gradually. The morning light dawned upon the City of Wei again, plating it with a hue of red. The morning sun that had finally peeked out from the horizon of the plains was red, as if it was dyed in blood.
The morning sun shone a blood red, just like the blood red that painted the ground before the city gates. Now, the people within and out of the city has confirmed where the arrows came from. They all looked at the fence in the Tang camp. Until now, not a single grassland cavalry was able to reach the Tang camp. In fact, other than the first three cavalry, not another man was able to go out of the City of Wei. The city gates were in a shambles, the soldiers and war horses were stacked into a hill.
Blood continuously oozed out from the hill, like countless tiny waterfalls.
In the past, at the Verdant Canyon, Jun Mo stopped ten thousand horsemen from passing single handedly with a sword. After he lost his arm, no one thought a scene like this would ever appear again. Who could have thought this was recreated in City of Wei today? But the situation was reversed. Today, an arrow from the north stopped ten thousand horsemen from exiting the city gates. That person's iron bow, with his arrows on the floor, has trapped the Royal Court's ten thousand cavalry within City of Wei!
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As the explosion happened at the city gate, the several hundred Duoer Cavalry who tried to rush at the Tang camp from the flanks suffered a destructive blow as well. The arbalesters hiding at the side fired their bolts along with their pent up rage at them.
A series of buzzes echoed on the field, it was the tone of a string, as if countless stringed instruments played the same note. Moments later, when the note was gone, ten thousand bolts came down at the same time like a torrential rain.
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The Royal Court designed their route of attack to go through the city because that gave them the shortest distance. But no one had thought that this would be a perilous road.
A flank attack required them to go round the city. It was too indirect, unable to break through the rain of bolts Xu Chi has prepared for them. As such, the only way was the straight path, and it depended on the Duoer making their way out of the city gates.
They can only continue their charge after they leave the gates. Only then could their remaining plans be executed. If they couldn't even make it out of the gate, there was no point discussing the rest.
Behind the bloodied hill full of waterfalls of blood, one could hear the angry and frustrated shoutings of the Royal Court noblemen, their heartless command, and hurried footsteps. A huge crowd rushed forward, hoping to clear the hill of bodies away from the city gates, to clear a path for the cavalry.
In this process, the grasslander did not stop to consider if the hooks and ropes would hurt the bodies of the tribal warriors. Their will for survival trumped everything else.
But for the final remaining warriors of the Golden Tribe Royal Court, this day was destined to be one of despair. The Tangs left no chance of survival for them, not even the chance to carry their fallen brethren away.
Beyond the city, silence was maintained for a very short while.
The sky that was dyed red by the sunrise, suddenly revealed its original blue hue.
The wildflowers were waving gently as the wind caressed them, but they were suddenly frozen, the air that embraced the fragile petals was suddenly a million times more viscous.
The grassland war horses in the city and the war horses in Tang camp looked at the sky at the same time. They suddenly became anxious and restless, but were too afraid to release their emotions with their neighs.
The world was experiencing a huge change. But the world observable through human eyes stayed the same. It even seemed more peaceful and more beautiful.
Without a warning, several loud hisses rang forth, finally forming a terrible sight before everyone — the hill of bodies before City of Wei had collapsed. Since the city walls have collapsed, it would definitely crumble and break down, the beams and roofs of the building fell apart. The same went to the hill of bodies which was starting to collapse from the inside.
The sturdy armors, the muscular bodies of war horses has suddenly disintegrated into countless pieces of flesh and blood. The tiny waterfalls of blood turned into large gushes, and then everything fell apart!
A roughly twenty feet wide hole appeared in the middle of the hill of bodies. There was nothing in the hole but blood and pieces of flesh. The streets in the city were fully exposed. Anyone who were standing in the city could see the scenery outside clearly. But at that moment, there was no one who could stand in the city. The streets were filled with falling soil and years of ashes.
The wind continued to roar crazily.
The commoners and slaves who were moving the calvaries' bodies, and the several hundred Duoer Cavalry who were standing in the middle of the street, ready to charge toward Tang Camp… had all disappeared, just like the remains that belonged to the calvaries in the hole.
A moment ago, they were living, the next they have become unrecognizable pieces of flesh and blood. The street became the most cruel Shuraba as described in Buddhism. Nothing remained but death. This was a passage for death.
This was the path the arrow travelled.
The arrow path stretched north all the way from the south of the city, destroying a retaining wall at the north. The several dozen great chariots at the wall were shining with Clear Light to protect themselves. Some of the great chariot were damaged at the corners, revealing their contents, which seemed to be human bones.
Staring at the south, the national master's face turned pale.
The people who were hurt by that attack ran around while they were still bleeding to avoid the second round of attack. Panicked cries were everywhere, and they did not calm down until a very long time have passed.
The people hid behind wheels or uneasy mounts. Their eyes were looking to the south like the national master. Their faces were filled with horror, and their eyes seemed to indicate their sanity were falling apart.
At that moment, a vertical condensation cloud slowly appeared on the empty streets.
Some people had already guessed who the archer was correctly. Now, seeing the famous condensation cloud has appeared before them, their guesses were verified. But in a moment, a thousand men were killed, and half of them were the Duoer Cavalry that were prepared to charge.
This was no massacre, but it seemed more terrifying than one. Facing such an inconceivable sight, facing an enemy beyond imagination, the grasslanders could not even conjure their anger, but only fear, and feel sad for their own despair.
Even the bravest man of the tribe would lose all his confidence.
A sporadic sound of a horse's hoof could be heard at the southern gates of City of Wei. The ashes started to settle around the hole in the hill of bodies. A man walked out from there. A limping horse pulled an old cart full of arrows behind him. He carried a quiver on his back, and the iron bow on his shoulder. His clothes were stained with spots of blood, water, smoke and dust. He wore a typical Tang army uniform. He looked like a common Tang soldier. He was a common soldier of the Tang to begin with. Many years ago, he was a soldier in the City of Wei. Many years later, he had finally returned to this city.
He was a wanderer that had returned to his countryside home. He was a veteran who dreamt of the horn of attack. He was completely ashen. He was unstoppable.