"Retreat! All forces, fall back inside the pass!"
Joseph Qiao shouted, and after a round of enemy fire, the soldiers on the slope began to withdraw.
Ji Chang had already been tied up and brought back inside the pass ahead of time.
Once inside the pass, the gates were shut. Footsteps echoed all around as soldiers rushed to mount the racks. Joseph Qiao stared at the ground, his face ashen. His mind was foggy, the surrounding noise fading, leaving only the pounding of his own heart, disturbingly clear.
"Yusheng! Yusheng..."
Lily Mao called out from the side. After a while, Joseph Qiao's hearing returned. At that moment, the shouts of battle outside the walls became painfully clear.
"Fire! Fire..."
Ji Chang stood atop the watchtower, shouting incessantly. Joseph Qiao stared blankly at the racks, watching men fall from arrows, while frantic soldiers scrambled to climb up.
"The enemy's assault won't stop."
Joseph Qiao muttered. Lily Mao grabbed him by the collar with both hands.
"Pull yourself together, Yusheng!"
With a sharp slap, Lily Mao struck Joseph Qiao hard across the cheek. He stared at her, dazed.
"The enemy's battering rams are here. What now? Do we charge out or keep holding?"
Joseph Qiao glanced at the soldiers behind him. They all awaited his orders. Suddenly, he slapped his own cheeks hard, snapping himself awake.
"Everyone, get ready! When the enemy's battering rams get close, we charge out!"
Blazing flames roared in great clusters. The cries of battle and thick black smoke filled the sky above the battlefield.
Lydia Lien was on the hillside, clenching her fists as she sat astride her horse.
"Exterminate the enemy. Leave none alive. Kill them all."
No one knew how many enemies there were. Sophie Grant was still shouting with all her strength.
"Burn the supplies! Burn the supplies!"