Reinforcements

Yang Gong picked up his teacup, took a sip of the scalding tea, and slowly said:

"Dealing with the Flying Beast Army isn't difficult. We can have Zhang Shen coordinate with the army's experts to defeat them one by one."

Ordinary soldiers and low-ranking martial artists have no way to deal with the Flying Beast Army, but fourth-rank experts who can fly on the wind have no difficulty in dealing with it.

Li Mubai glanced at his friend and reminded him:

"The Flying Beast Army also has its experts. Besides, if we can think of such a simple solution, why wouldn't the rebels? It might just be another trap to lure them in."

A fourth-rank expert leaving the main camp to fight enemies alone in the air is too dangerous; he might never return.

"If only we had an army of flying beastmen."

One of the staff members remarked with emotion.

"Perhaps we can seek help from the demon barbarians and ask the Feathered Spiders of the Golden Wood Tribe to come south and assist us."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener; a staff member on the left had a sudden thought, but quickly dismissed it:

"How is your idea any different from requesting the imperial court to summon the Crimson-Tailed Fierce Eagles? Besides, the northern border is a hundred thousand miles away from Qingzhou; how can they possibly get here?"

"How about asking Sun Xuanji for help? He's a third-rank Warlock; if he can handle the 'transportation,' it might not be impossible."

"If Sun Xuanji leaves, who will restrain Ji Xuan? Alas, I never expected that there would be a young third-rank martial artist among the rebels of Yunzhou."

"However, seeking help from the demon barbarians is indeed a feasible plan. But according to procedure, we must first submit a petition to the imperial court, and then the court will send an envoy north. Even if the demon barbarians readily agree, it will be after spring before the Jinmu tribe's flying beast army marches south to join the battle."

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

"Gentlemen, you are too short-sighted. The reason we disbanded the Flying Beast Army back then was because it was a time of peace and prosperity, and there was no need for them to serve. But after the Battle of Jingshan City, you should have been more vigilant."

"If Duke Wei were still alive, he would have already begun training the Flying Beast Army."

"If only we had an army of flying beastmen."

Li Mubai tapped the table, interrupting this unavoidable topic, and said in a deep voice:

"Dongling has fallen, and the defending army, under the leadership of Sun Xuanji, has switched to open field battles with the rebels, with the north and south facing each other. Wan County is besieged, and the rebels plan to use the reconnaissance capabilities of the Flying Beast Army to besiege the point and attack reinforcements. This is a war of attrition, and there will be no change in the short term."

"But if this is left unattended for too long, Wan County will eventually run out of ammunition and food."

He paused, glanced around at his furrowed brows, and said:

"If we cannot find a way to resolve Wan County's predicament, then we must find a way to protect Songshan County."

The advisor beside him was taken aback at first, then reacted and turned to look at Yang Gong:

"Master, if I remember correctly, so far, Songshan County has neither sent news of victory nor any message requesting reinforcements."

Yang Gong nodded:

"Compared to Dongling and Wanjun, Songshan County is of secondary importance. The rebels in Yunzhou will definitely attack the first two places first."

Li Mubai hummed in agreement.

"Songshan County has a strategic location, ample supplies, and is guarded by Zhu Jun and Erlang, so it should be able to hold out. However, given the current situation, Dongling has fallen and Wan County is besieged."

"The next target for the Yunzhou rebels is Songshan County."

Just then, an official rushed in, holding a secret letter in his hands, and said loudly:

"Your Excellency, an urgent report has arrived from Songshan County."

Yang Gong hurriedly said, "Bring it here."

The clerk handed over the secret letter.

Yang Gong unfolded it and his face instantly darkened.

Upon seeing this, Li Mubai and the others felt a chill. "What did the letter say?"

Yang Gong said, word by word:

"The Flying Beast Army launches a surprise attack on Songshan County; Erlang requests reinforcements."

He paused, then his expression suddenly turned grim:

This is a letter from three days ago.

Even at top speed, it would take three days to travel from Songshan County to Qingzhou.

Songshan County.

The sun was high in the sky, but it brought no heat whatsoever. Xu Erlang stood on the city wall, grabbing a handful of rubble mixed with the blood and smoke of the defenders.

He surveyed his surroundings expressionlessly. The city walls were riddled with bullet holes, revealing their dilapidated state; hardly a single section remained intact.

The soldiers, their clothes wrapped in hemp and fine cloth, were scattered in twos and threes; not a single one was unharmed.

Those who remained on the city walls were the lightest-wounded soldiers among the Songshan County defenders.

Of the original two thousand defenders of Songshan County, only five hundred remain; the rest perished in the brutal battles of attack and defense.

Three days have passed since the Flying Beast Army's surprise attack.

The Flying Beast Army's attack method was simple: they would throw cannonballs and oil canisters at the city walls. The Flying Beast Army treated the defenders the same way they treated the attacking enemy.

It may be simple, but it's deadly.

The defending troops suffered nearly a thousand casualties on the first day. The city walls were riddled with holes from cannon fire, and the bricks and stones were scorched.

At dusk, the enemy retreated.

After such a desperate day, the morale of the defending troops collapsed, and they believed that the city would surely fall the next day, causing unrest among the soldiers.

Xu Erlang sent people to collect bronze mirrors from house to house throughout the city overnight, and summoned craftsmen to improve the crossbows, creating crossbows that could be fired into the air.

The next day, the Flying Beast Army attacked again. The bronze mirrors placed all over the city walls reflected the sunlight, almost blinding the cavalry and flying beasts.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the defenders fired crossbow bolts, shooting down twelve flying beasts and repelling the beast army. The victory was gratifying, and the morale of the defenders was greatly boosted.

But Xu Erlang knew that this move could only catch the opponent off guard; after dusk, the bronze mirror would no longer be effective.

So, after the enemy troops withdrew, he ordered the garrison to hurl insults at Zhuo Haoran from the city walls, specifically targeting the women in his family. They shouted insults for an hour, provoking Zhuo Haoran to lead his troops to attack the city. The two sides fought again, resulting in heavy losses for both.

Zhuo Haoran returned defeated. After dusk, due to the heavy losses suffered by the enemy infantry, the Flying Beast Army hastily bombed the enemy and then withdrew.

After nightfall, Xu Erlang forcibly conscripted militia, gathering more than a thousand men, and ordered Zhu Jun and Miao Youfang to lead a charge against the camp. In the end, only more than three hundred men escaped back.

By this point, almost all of the elite troops on both sides had been wiped out.

"I have already sent someone to Qingzhou to request reinforcements. Now, it's just a matter of whose reinforcements arrive first."

Xu Erlang said in a low voice.

Miao Youfang, who was beside him, hadn't smiled for three days. Carrying a bow on his back, he gave a low "hmm," then, sensing something was wrong, frowned and said:

"Although Zhuo Haoran's army has been almost completely wiped out, leaving only a few hundred men, the Flying Beast Army is in good order. If they continue to attack every night, we will still be on the defensive. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

He suddenly opened his eyes wide, as if he had figured something out.

Xu Erlang laughed and said, "If our reinforcements arrive first, even if Zhuo Haoran captures Songshan County, he will be forced to retreat due to insufficient manpower. Songshan County will still be ours."

But the garrison and the city's inhabitants became expendable pawns. Miao Youfang's lips moved slightly, "If it really comes to that, I'll take you and evacuate first."

Xu Erlang said softly:

"That's so embarrassing! My elder brother single-handedly guarded Yuyang Pass, while I could only run away with my tail between my legs."

Miao Youfang frowned, thinking to himself, "This isn't up to you. If you don't leave, I'll knock you out."

Then Xu Erlang said with a wry smile:

"I'm just expressing my feelings; I won't be stubborn. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Even Emperor Gaozu suffered repeated defeats when he started his rebellion."

"If we had really gone astray, there would be no Great Feng now. A true man can bend and stretch."

"But I can also understand the heroes in history who would rather die than retreat. The soldiers who fought alongside me have all stayed here. How can I have the face to live on?"

As they were talking, a large flock of birds appeared in the distant sky.

The flock of birds approached rapidly, followed by a deep, resonant roar, noisy and loud.

Miao Youfang and Xu Erlang's expressions changed drastically. The wounded and sick who were resting on the city wall also noticed the commotion on the horizon and got up in alarm.

They gazed at the dark, swarming herd of flying beasts, their eyes filled with despair and their faces deathly pale.

Here we go again, here we go again.

"There are so many of them, how are we supposed to defend them?"

A sense of despair spread among the defenders.

"Lord Xu, another wave of flying beast troops has arrived. Songshan County cannot be defended. Let's retreat."

A centurion rushed over in a panic.

As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on Xu Erlang, his eyes filled with complex emotions—pleading, despair, and a desperate hope for survival.

Xu Erlang's vision suddenly went black, and his head throbbed with pain.

Yes, when it comes to reinforcements, what unit can match the speed of the Flying Beast Army?

He even dared to think he could outrun the Yunzhou army? How could he possibly compete?

"Bang!"

Xu Erlang slammed his fist against the wall, gritting his teeth as he said:

"Qingzhou cannot be defended without eliminating the Flying Beast Army."

He realized that these swift and powerful flying beast troops were one of the key factors influencing the outcome of the Qingzhou campaign.

Miao Youfang took the bow off his back, drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and pulled the string in one fluid motion. As he aimed at the flying beast army, he said:

"Take Lord Xu with you first. I'll shoot down a few beasts first, and make my money back before we talk about anything else."

Just then, the Flying Beast Army entered his firing range.

Miao Youfang's pupils contracted, his vision widened to its limit, and he aimed at the leading flying beast.

He was immediately taken aback, because this group of flying beast soldiers was different from the flying beast soldiers that had attacked before.

The flying beasts of the Yunzhou rebels were giant crimson birds, their bodies covered with clusters of vibrant fire feathers.

The monsters riding on these flying beasts had bodies covered in black scales, long necks, and slender bodies, resembling lizards. They flapped not feathers, but membranous wings.

Furthermore, the knights riding flying beasts were not armored soldiers, but a group of people dressed in strange clothes, even animal skins.

On the back of the leading flying beast sat a man dressed in blue and green stripes, with dark skin and naturally curly hair. He was waving his arms at the crowd on the city wall with a big smile on his face, as if to greet them warmly.

Miao Youfang exclaimed "Eh!" and released the bowstring.

"What's wrong."

Xu Erlang's eyesight was not as good as the martial artist's, and upon seeing this, he frowned and asked.

Miao replied with a hint of confusion:

"This group of people is a bit strange."