A hand grabbed Leonard Lei, and Edward Grant pulled the wounded Leonard Lei back, sweeping away approaching enemies with his spear as their soldiers surged forward.
The man wielding the stone hammer and axe roared madly, each blow carrying tremendous force. He was protecting the fallen Qiao Yusheng, and every soldier who tried to approach was either struck or forced back.
Qiao Yusheng’s left shoulder felt heavy. Soldiers came to support him, lifting him up—called over by Edward Grant. But Edward was now blocked by the enemy and couldn’t get through.
"Leonard Lei, finish him! He’s the enemy commander!"
Qiao Yusheng shouted, his voice hoarse with exhaustion, but Edward Grant led the soldiers in pursuit. The enemy was already retreating, and those left behind cowered, squatting and raising their hands. Edward ignored them and ran his spear through the surrendering enemies, leading his men onward.
"Kill him! He's the enemy commander!"
"Take him down! He's their leader!"
At the same moment, both Joseph Qiao and Bella Liang shouted. Leonard Lei steadied himself, rolling to dodge several spear thrusts. He grabbed a spear and swept it at the feet of the oncoming enemies, knocking several to the ground.
Supported by the soldiers, Qiao Yusheng came to the slope and began giving orders for what came next, his voice steady despite exhaustion.
Qiao Yusheng’s left shoulder was completely swollen. After applying medicine, he felt a little better, but exhaustion left him unable to eat—he only drank some broth and leaned against the bed, lost in thought.
If not for Leonard Lei today, Qiao Yusheng would have died under the enemy commander’s spear. Yet things were still grim—over fifteen thousand lost in two battles, leaving just over eighty thousand. If the enemy launched several more large-scale attacks, they couldn’t last a month.
The man wielding the stone hammer and axe roared madly, each blow carrying tremendous force. He was protecting the fallen Joseph Qiao, and every soldier who tried to approach was either struck or forced back.
Edward Grant stood at the slope with his arms folded, a grim smile on his face as he looked down at the defeated enemies below.
But Qiao Yusheng felt a vague unease gnawing at him. The attack had lasted nearly half a day, and they’d lost many soldiers—over fifteen thousand, by his estimate. The enemy’s numbers were likely twice theirs.
Joseph Qiao shouted, and Leonard Lei charged forward with his hammer and axe. Smashing through several enemies, he locked his murderous gaze on Bella Liang and charged.
The generals immediately got up to carry out their orders. Bella Liang glanced at the man in the corner—the one who’d saved her life today: Wraithshade. His presence was unsettling.
"Yusheng, the enemy must be weeping now. Once we clean up and repair the walls, they’ll have to do this all over again. Ha!"
Wraithshade shook his head, then stood and walked out, leaving a chill in the air.
"No need. I just happened to be there. One piece of advice—never show mercy to the Ji Family, or..." Wraithshade's voice was low and ominous.
Wraithshade dragged Bella Liang away from Leonard Lei. Suddenly, Leonard Lei saw Bella Liang again, but now he was surrounded and attacked by enemies.
"Chang'er, rest for a couple of days. You've been fighting nonstop and must be exhausted."
"Kill them all!"
"Father, I’m fine. Once I finish here and eat something, I’ll head back out. The enemy could attack at any moment. Don’t worry—we’ll win this war."
After winning today’s battle, Chang’er felt a surge of happiness. Years of pent-up frustration seemed to be released in a single breath.
Joseph Qiao shouted, but Edward Grant led the soldiers in pursuit. The enemy was already retreating, and those left behind cowered, squatting and raising their hands. Edward ignored them and ran his spear through the surrendering enemies, leading his men onward.
At the foot of the slope, the hillside was packed with retreating enemies, and at the bottom, clusters of thatched huts. Edward Grant gripped his spear tightly and hurled it forward.
"I’m not one to lose my head. Go ahead—though we’ve won, Yusheng is injured."
The second siege, far larger than the first, was over—leaving the ground littered with corpses along the barely hundred-meter stretch of the assault route.
"Yuhuang, remember what Yusheng told you."
To prevent a counterattack, Joseph Qiao decided to set up temporary defenses on the slope, using the enemy’s siege stakes as materials. The enemy corpses on the ground would be tossed down as obstacles.
"I know. Among us, I may not match Yusheng, but at least I’m calmer and more composed than the rest of you."
The sunset bathed the mountain in its glow. The road up the peak was stained red with blood, shining crimson under the sunlight.
Edward Grant stood at the slope with his arms folded, a smile on his face as he looked down at the enemies below.
But Joseph Qiao felt a vague unease. The attack had lasted nearly half a day, and they’d lost many soldiers—over fifteen thousand, by his estimate. The enemy’s numbers were likely twice theirs.
He’d lost count of how many waves the enemy had launched, from sunrise to sunset.
"Qiao, the enemy must be weeping now. Once we clean up and repair the walls, they’ll have to do this all over again. Ha!"
"Ah, we won."
With a smack, Edward Grant clasped Joseph Qiao’s hand. Both men’s eyes held a deep sense of relief.
At night, Sophie Grant returned to her room and lay down on her bed. The raid had gained little, and she felt uneasy. After several clashes, she knew the enemy wasn’t a rabble—their defenses were meticulous, leaving little chance for a surprise attack.
In the forests, key enemy positions were guarded; they didn’t launch reckless assaults.
With a bang, the door was forcefully pushed open.
"Sister Sophie, the Central Pass won a great victory today—we’ve driven the enemy down the mountain!"
Lu Xing rushed in, beaming with joy. Sophie Grant’s eyes brightened and she broke into a smile.
"That’s wonderful—big brother and the others won!"
Lu Xing nodded and began to explain the details.
But when she learned their side had lost over ten thousand, Sophie Grant’s face fell again.
"There’s nothing we could do, Sister Sophie. The enemy had so many troops at Central Pass—the fighting lasted all day, until dusk."
"Pass on my orders—send out scouts. We must find a breakthrough point."
Joseph Qiao’s left shoulder was completely swollen. After applying medicine, he felt a little better, but he was too exhausted to eat—he only drank some broth and leaned against the bed.
If not for Leonard Lei today, Joseph Qiao would have died under the enemy commander’s spear. Yet things were still grim—over fifteen thousand lost in two battles, leaving just over eighty thousand. If the enemy launched several more large-scale attacks, they couldn’t last a month.
The temporary defenses were just to clear the battlefield. Now it was night, and soldiers, torches in hand, cleaned up outside, while craftsmen worked through the night to repair the damaged walls.
"The enemy won’t just let us finish our preparations."
Down in the big huts at the foot of the mountain, Bella Liang began planning tomorrow’s battle.
"Tomorrow morning, send the well-rested soldiers up the mountain to retake the stronghold. Even if the enemy works all night, they can’t finish everything in time. We must attack with all our strength until we break through the pass."
The generals immediately got up to carry out their orders. Bella Liang glanced at the man in the corner—the one who’d saved her life today, Wraithshade.
"Thank you for today. You’re one of Old Tang’s men, aren’t you?"
Wraithshade shook his head, then stood and walked out.
"No need. I just happened to be there. One piece of advice—never show mercy to the Ji Family, or..."
"No need to remind me. As a warrior, I know what I must do. I’ve already discarded anything unnecessary."