Great Victory

The next day, perhaps believing victory was within reach, the Qin Army launched an even fiercer assault. There were more than twenty additional siege ladders alone compared to yesterday.

Using the same method as yesterday, Wang Hong first smashed the siege ladders to pieces. The pressure on his stretch of wall was greatly reduced, drawing envious looks from the other units, who were still fighting for their lives.

Wang Hong also smashed the siege ladders on both his left and right. If he could lend a hand while he was at it, he would. As for the other areas, there was nothing he could do.

The Qin Army attacked without pause throughout the day, only withdrawing when darkness fell.

In a valley behind the Qin Army stood an unbroken expanse of tents, surrounded by a ring of chevaux-de-frise. Behind them, carts were linked end to end, forming a wall around the camp. It was brightly lit at this moment, and patrols occasionally moved around its perimeter. This was where the Qin Army stored its provisions, guarded by four thousand elite soldiers.

In the mountains beside the tents, countless shadows lurked. Several thousand men lay hidden, watching the camp below like a fierce tiger poised to pounce. They remained silently concealed until deep into the night, when the lights in the tents gradually went out.

Coo-coo!

At the sound of a birdcall, all the soldiers quietly made their way down toward the camp.

A short while later, flames soared into the sky within the camp, and cries of battle erupted everywhere. Many Qin soldiers were separated from their heads in their sleep. Some woke in panic, but before they could organize any resistance, they were cut down on the spot.

The next day, Wang Hong and the others were ready early, prepared to meet the Qin Army's savage assault.

Yet before the Qin Army attacked the city, they received orders from their superiors: every man was to carry three days' worth of dry rations and be ready to leave the city and fight at any time.

Everyone was puzzled. They had still been at a disadvantage yesterday and had nearly seen the walls breached. Where would they find the strength to launch a counterattack today?

News soon arrived that the Chu Army had raided the Qin Army's grain depot the previous night and burned all of its provisions in a single blaze. The Qin Army now had, at most, one day's food left. As long as they held firm for one more day, the Qin Army would surely retreat.

When the news spread, the Chu Army's morale soared. They had been beaten down by the Qin Army for days, each man holding a breath of resentment in his chest. Now everyone rubbed their palms and clenched their fists, swearing to give the Qin Army a savage beating.

That day, the Qin Army launched its most frenzied attack since the war began. Arrows rained down upon the walls like a torrential downpour, never stopping for even a moment.

Besides the siege ladders, Qin soldiers carried crude wooden ladders and set them directly against the walls, climbing upward. They swarmed over the entire wall like ants.

The Chu soldiers defending the city hurled rolling logs and thunderstones down. Each blow crushed a great swath of enemies, splattering red and white across the ground.

Huge iron cauldrons were set atop the walls, oil boiled until it churned, then poured down from above. The Qin soldiers below were scalded until a layer of skin peeled away, exposing tender red flesh on their faces and hands. Their clothes had fused with their blood and flesh; every movement hurt so badly that tears of blood streamed down their faces.

Once the hot oil had been poured, several torches were thrown down. With a sudden whoosh, great flames erupted below the walls and swiftly joined into a sea of fire, from which came waves of heart-rending screams.

The screams gradually weakened. Thick black smoke rose from the blaze, choking the Chu soldiers atop the walls until they could not open their eyes, their throats burning as if on fire.

Wang Hong soaked a corner of his clothing and pressed it tightly over his mouth and nose, leaning against the other side of the wall. The black smoke was mixed with waves of burnt stench and the smell of roasting flesh. The two odors blended together and bored straight into his nose and mouth, making Wang Hong retch.

It seemed the blaze would not die down anytime soon. Before it had even subsided, they received orders to leave the city and pursue the Qin Army!

By the time they left the city, the Qin Army had already broken camp and was slowly retreating. It seemed the Qin Army had decided there was no hope of taking the city and was preparing to withdraw.

Though the Qin Army was retreating in defeat, its formation remained orderly. They formed a massive square, with sword-and-shield soldiers on the outside and spearmen within, their spearpoints facing outward, ready to meet the enemy at any moment. At the very center, the archers were still firing arrows outward.

The Chu Army pursued in a wild goose formation. The commander and central army occupied the middle, while the two wings spread out to either side like a goose's wings, ready at any time to advance and close inward in an encirclement.

Wang Hong was on the left wing. This was the perfect chance to slay generals, seize banners, and earn merit, but unfortunately, apart from the wounded, only a little over fifty men from his Sixth Company could follow him out to fight.

The Qin Army marched ahead at an unhurried pace, while the Chu Army followed behind without rushing. An hour later, the Qin Army had exhausted its arrows, and no more shafts flew from within its formation.

From then on, whenever the Chu Army saw an opening, it pounced and tore a chunk of flesh from the Qin Army. Two small elite units struck the Qin Army from both flanks in wedge formations time and again, like twin sharp blades stabbing into its ranks, cutting off a small portion of Qin soldiers, which were then swiftly swallowed by the main force behind them.

Thus they marched and fought, and by day's end their gains were considerable. More importantly, they had inflicted immense psychological pressure on the Qin Army.

At night, with marching inconvenient, both sides tacitly stopped and set up camp.

The Chu soldiers gnawed heartily on their dry rations, while the Qin soldiers' stomachs growled with hunger. They could only desperately pour water into their bellies in hopes of easing their hunger.

Naturally, they did not let the Qin Army rest easy at night. The Chu Army sent small units to launch several harassment attacks. Before dawn broke the next day, the Chu Army attacked again, while the Qin Army continued to fight as it retreated.

By midday, the Qin Army was exhausted and starving. Everyone was mentally spent, and fear gripped their hearts.

Suddenly, an elite force of the Chu Army charged out from the thorny undergrowth on the hills to both sides. It was the same Chu force that had been sent to burn the Qin Army's provisions. They had long been lying in ambush along this road the Qin Army had to pass. Their appearance now was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The Chu Army at the rear launched a fierce attack at the same time, while the two wings rapidly swept around to encircle from both sides. Yet they deliberately left the front open for the enemy to flee. This was the tactic of surrounding on three sides while leaving one gap, meant to further shatter the enemy's morale and prevent them from fighting to the death like trapped beasts.

After less than half an hour of fierce Chu attacks, the Qin Army finally collapsed. They fled in rout toward the open front, no longer caring about maintaining formation. At that moment, each man only hated that his parents had not given him two more legs. Military law officers roared loudly and swung their blades, cutting off several more heads, but they were soon swallowed by the tide of fleeing soldiers. This was what it meant when an army collapsed like a mountain falling.

Seeing this, the Chu Army pursued the scattered Qin soldiers in company-sized units.

Wang Hong led fifty men from the Sixth Company in pursuit. Along the way, killing Qin soldiers was as easy as cutting melons and chopping vegetables.

The strongest opponent they encountered was no more than a martial artist at the peak of the Acquired Realm. Wang Hong pierced his throat with just two or three thrusts, and also seized a camp banner.

Their gains along the way were plentiful. Each of his fifty men earned the merit of one or two heads. Wang Hong killed two captains and seized two camp banners, enough for him to return and claim his reward.

In this battle, the Chu Army won a great victory. Including the defense of the city, they killed more than fifty thousand Qin soldiers. News swiftly spread across the entire battlefield. This was the Chu Army's first victory over the Qin Army since the latter had reinforced its forces, greatly boosting the Chu Army's morale.

Over the following months, the Chu Army launched counterattacks against the Qin Army one after another. With reinforcements summoned from every direction arriving as well, the Chu Army slowly began to recover its lost territory.