C263

"I didn't expect the Third Marquis to be so rash. It's truly a pleasure to meet you!" Nangong Jin was wearing a silver white armor as he sat on top of the horse's back and shouted out to Helian Jue who was on top of the city wall.

"Lou Lan and Dong Wu have always been best allies. Who would have thought that General Nangong would actually go against him today? He truly deserves the title of a hypocrite!"

"You … Hmph, let's see how long you can remain arrogant for. I'm afraid there aren't many soldiers in your city who can move now. "Wait till this general breaks through your city gates tonight, then we'll see how arrogant you can be!" Nangong Jin's eyes were filled with hatred. All this time, he had been suppressed by Lou Lan. This time, he let Lou Lan have a taste of failure.

After saying this, the Nangong father and son retreated into the army. On this trip to the palace, Dong Wu and Tian Ye each sent out twenty thousand men. The Nangong father and son led the troops and took advantage of the night to launch a sneak attack.

Helian Jue also had He Long prepare the gunpowder. Once they launched an attack, the red cannon would be ignited!

"Release …" Following Nangong Jin's order, the catapult flew into the sky and landed on the city gate tower, starting the war.

Helian Jue also asked He Long to ignite the red cannon and blow up the enemy's catapult. He then ordered the archers to prepare themselves and sent a rain of arrows towards the city walls.

The sounds of battle resounded through the night sky. Helian Shan could already hear the sound of explosions from far away. His brows were tightly knitted together. It must be the Red Mountain City fighting against the enemy forces.

The ladders formed a path through the moat, but Lou Lan's troops continued to shoot sword rain at them from the top of the ladders. Soon, a bloody path was paved with corpses attached to it.

Although there were red cannons on the city gate tower, they could not completely stop the enemy's attacks. The general on the city gate tower continuously poured oil onto the ladders, using rocks to stop them from climbing up.

There were countless casualties below the city gate tower. Many generals on the city gate tower had also been hit by enemy rockets and stone shrapnel. The sound of explosions rang out and flames soared into the sky, deafening everyone.

After the two sides had fought for two hours, Helian Jue led his men to defend the city. They did not manage to let an enemy successfully rush up the city wall.

The Nangong father and son continued to command from the tower. They were sure to take down Red Mountain City tonight. However, after two hours of fighting, there was still no progress. This made them extremely anxious.

"Dad, if this stalemate continues, I don't think this is the best strategy." Nangong Jin could also see that the situation now was not good for them.

Nangong Lie frowned. He thought to himself, if I go back like this, I'll definitely be ridiculed by Xing Ao Tian.

"Prepare to crash into the city gates!" Nangong Lie avoided his son's words and continued to give orders.

At the command of the general, about twenty to thirty soldiers picked up a wooden log and charged towards the city gate in a rhythmic manner.

This city gate was made of the toughest dark gold. There were nine doors inside and even a door pillar. How could it be easily broken open?!

However, Helian Jue didn't dare to let down his guard and immediately ordered Vice General Li to guard the city gate. However, Vice General Li had yet to take ten steps forward …

"We pay our respects to the king!" At this time, Helian Lie walked up the city gate tower. He happened to be opposite to Vice General Li, who was about to leave.

His words alerted all the soldiers on the tower. They put down their weapons and saluted the king.

Helian Jue didn't expect that Brother Wang would arrive so early. "Brother Wang, forgive me for not welcoming you."

"All warriors, stand up. Take up your weapons and defend against the enemy with all you have!" Helian Lie walked forward. His face didn't reveal the slightest trace of emotion. In this situation where he was extremely anxious, he absolutely could not allow for even the slightest negligence.

"Understood …" The generals retrieved their instruments and returned to their positions.

Helian Shan transferred all the soldiers under the city gate tower to the city gate tower in order to increase their prestige!

"There's no need to say anything else now. We'll report this to Gu Shiyou after we repel the enemy!" Helian Lie wore a set of golden armor. Standing on top of the city gate tower, he appeared exceptionally eye-catching.

When the soldiers saw that the king had arrived in person, they began to fight even more fervently, annihilating all the enemies that were trying to climb up one by one.

"Dad, look! Isn't that Helian Lie?" Nangong Jin also saw the changes on the tower.

There seemed to be many more soldiers on the tower. There was also the man in golden armor. Even though it was night time, he could still see clearly that this was the king of Lou Lan Country, Helian Shan.

Who would have thought that he would appear here? Could it be that the extra soldiers were the reinforcements that he had brought with him? Then how many reinforcements did he bring?

When Nangong Lie saw Helian Shan, he could not help but feel surprised. Why would he suddenly appear here? He originally thought it was someone else pretending. But after observing for a long time, it was indeed him.

"Father, it's better if we retreat. Now that Helian Shan has brought reinforcements, with the King's Imperial Highness personally present, Lou Lan's soldiers are even more confident. We have no confidence in winning this battle!" Seeing that the situation was not good, Nangong Jin immediately tried to dissuade her father.

Nangong Lie could not let this go easily, but the current situation was as he said. If they were to continue attacking, it would only cause more damage to the soldiers. They would have to retreat now!

"Retreat!" Nangong Lie finally compromised and let the army retreat.

The horn for retreat sounded, and the soldiers who had been preparing to attack the city fell back. When the Lou Lan soldiers on the tower saw the retreating enemy, they all cheered, "Long live the king, long live the king!"

After repelling the enemy for the second time, the soldiers were greatly emboldened. They vowed that when the enemy came next time, they would definitely go out of the city gate and fight face to face with the enemy.

In the barracks, Helian Lie actually didn't bring any reinforcements this time. There were only his personal guards and dozens of dark guards who were with him. However, they also brought a load of precious herbs.

With this carriage full of medicinal herbs brought by the king, the oxen on the carriage had enough to concoct a soup for the poison. Qing Song gave the prescription to the military doctor, who then prepared it together with the other medicine.

Inside the mansion, Helian Jue reported the entire process to Helian Lie. It seemed that enemy spies had indeed infiltrated the city.

"Where are the victims?" After Helian Shan heard the whole story, he felt that the most suspicious people were the victims.

"Always imprisoned in a temple not far from the camp." Helian Jue answered truthfully.

"Bring Gu You over to take a look." Helian Lie stood up and walked out like a gust of wind.

This temple had been abandoned for a long time, but it was still intact. There were no signs of collapse or destruction. The elderly, women, and children were all placed here, under the watch of ten soldiers each day.

"Brother Wang, it's here." Helian Jue led him into the ruined temple.

The area was not large, and with over a hundred people crowded in a dilapidated temple, they looked extremely miserable. However, they were all covered in straw, and there was also a blanket to protect them from the cold. From their appearances, the army camp would send them food every day.

"Why are they all women and children, young and robust men?" Helian Lie looked around but did not see a young man. Where had those men been taken?

"Brother Wang, those young muscular men are in the prison in the city. Only after the end of this war will they be released. It would be better to kill one person by mistake than to let any fish out of the net!" Helian Jue stepped forward to express his stance. What he did was completely for the sake of the overall situation.

Helian Shan nodded. If it was him, he would do the same.

When he left, Helian Lie stood by the door and casually asked the guard, "Have none of the people inside gone out?"

"In reply to the king, there will occasionally be a few children clamoring about coming out to play. However, they are all only on this piece of empty ground and aren't far away." The soldiers did not dare to say a single lie in the face of the king's question.

Child?

Right now, the sky was already turning white, and dawn soon arrived. Looking at the children sleeping beside their mother, there were still some who were four or five years old, or maybe even eight or nine years old, could it be that these children were the ones who killed the wells in the camp?

If a large group of children were playing outside, even if one of them slipped away, it would be difficult to detect them. It seemed that these children were indeed suspicious of many things.

"Pass down the order, these children are not allowed to leave this temple until the end of the war!" Helian Shan did not stay any longer. As he walked, he instructed Helian Jue who was behind him.

"Understood …"

It was fortunate that he had brought a cart of medicinal herbs. If it was not, he would have had to send someone to find Elder Mu Yue for help in the Everlasting Mountain. This time, he would have to spend some time collecting medicinal herbs.

Cen Xue rolled up her sleeves and helped apply the medicine. After working hard for the entire night, she did not show the slightest hint of fatigue, but still had a smile plastered on her face, because the enemy had been defeated and the army had retreated. Furthermore, she had heard the good news.

"Miss Phoenix, I think you are also tired. You should go and rest. Miss Bai is already inside the tent." The one who was talking to her was the Military Medical Apprentice 'Mu Sheng'. He looked like a very honest person.

"No need, I'm not tired at all. I need to bring these medicine to the tent for everyone to drink." Cen Xue shook her head, revealing a bright smile.

"You, you're such a big girl, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear the pain and will fall ill. How can you do that?" Mu Sheng looked at her petite body as he passed medicine after medicine into the tent. It was really hard on her.

"Then you've really underestimated my ability." As Cen Xue spoke, she picked up a large tray and walked towards the tent.

The soldiers were all poisoned, so they were powerless and could only lie in bed, so they had to be sent to the tents to be fed with the pills.

"The medicine is here …" Cen Xue carried a tray and walked into one of the tents. The scene inside almost made her spill all the medicine out of excitement.

"Wang... "Up..." Cen Xue trembled as she looked at him.

Just as he was about to speak, Cen Xue, who carried the phoenix identity, walked in.

Cen Xue was both nervous and excited, causing her to freeze on the spot, not knowing what to do.

Helian Jue looked at her peculiar reaction and immediately got his assistant general to take away the tray in her hand. He walked to her side and said humorlessly, "Could it be that tonight's fire has shocked you silly? You don't even know how to salute when you see the king?"