Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1833 - 1826: Besieging the Hill

Chapter 1833: Chapter 1826: Besieging the Hill

"I follow orders!"

A follower took the initiative to volunteer, riding slowly down the mountain, attempting to communicate with the murderous Yipa Cavalry below.

"What are you doing, daring to surround the Heavenly Army?" The follower approached to within ten meters of the enemy, pointing at them and sternly rebuking them.

"Is General Jiuyun Shuang on the mountain?" asked a burly, bearded Yipa man, pointing to the mountaintop.

"It doesn’t matter who it is, with your actions, do you intend to rebel against the Heavenly Dynasty?"

The follower was astute and did not respond to the Yipa man’s question, instead continuing to reprimand sternly.

"Hmph!" The man snorted coldly, biting his teeth in rage as he cursed toward the mountaintop, "Jiuyun brat, slaughtered my wife and children, my tribe’s women and children are all lost. If you rely on the Heavenly Army, how can you bully the weak, is this the way of the royal army?"

"Now the three tribes are all subjects, and my great hatred is hard to avenge. Yet the cries and complaints of my family still ring in my ears, such a blood-deep feud if not avenged, how can a son face his parents, a husband his wife and children, a brother his kin..."

Then he stated his demands: "Now I lead an elite crowd, only for revenge. If you wish to survive, you should offer the head of Jiuyun brat to sacrifice for my tribe, only then can you avoid the calamity of warfare!"

"Bah, how dare you!"

The follower, upon hearing this, immediately became angry, pointing at them and cursing, "Just some remnant troops and defeated generals, leading a pack of jackals and dogs, daring to seize the grandeur of our royal army. If you repeatedly speak insolently, if you can defect and lay down your arms, and ascend the mountain humbly, I can spare you a life. If not, when the royal army returns, you will all be reduced to dust!"

"Whether it’s Jiuyun Shuang or not, none of you will leave this mountain alive today, release the arrows!" The big man shouted.

At his command, the surrounding Yipa archers immediately shot arrows at the follower. The follower dodged left and right on horseback, escaping to the mountain top in a sorry state after being hit by three arrows.

Fortunately, the armor he wore reduced the lethality of the arrows. Although struck by three arrows, he only suffered some superficial wounds, with only one arrowhead completely piercing the skin.

The follower pulled out the arrows from his body and reported their conversation to Jiuyun Shuang, making Jiuyun Shuang realize the seriousness of the situation.

With a fair mind, he had an undeniable responsibility for the massacre of the Yipa tribe’s elderly, women, and children.

No matter how grandiose the justification, a massacre is a massacre, and there’s nothing more to say. Even forcefully arguing would unlikely gain any advantage verbally.

Therefore, after a long contemplation, Jiuyun Shuang decided not to communicate with the opponent further, but to actively defend and prepare for battle, awaiting reinforcements.

From below came the sound of moaning horns, accompanied by the thunderous clatter of hooves, the cavalry quickly surrounded the entire clay mountain. At this point, even if Jiuyun Shuang desired to escape, it was unlikely to succeed.

"Leave a few cavalry, the rest dismount and build fortifications, prepare to hold firm!" Jiuyun Shuang waved his hand, ordering loudly.

At his command, the cavalry dismounted and began to stack earth and logs to construct fortifications according to the clay mountain’s structure.

The cavalry under Jiuyun Shuang were no easy prey; many were cultivators and were equipped with rifles produced by craftsmen from Dongsheng, some even imported from West Outer Heaven.

These individuals, apart from not being able to carry cannons, were well-equipped with everything from muskets to crossbows and swords and spears, and their armor and equipment were of excellent quality, as evidenced by the follower who, after being hit by three arrows, only sustained surface injuries.

They hadn’t prepared the fortifications for long when the sound of moaning horns came from below, seemingly the signal to launch an attack.

However, these Yipa cavalry seemed to forget that although the narrow mountain path was easy to blockade, it was also easy to defend. At this time, the Dongsheng army had long prepared, ready to give them a head-on blow.

Due to the difficulty of the mountain road, the attacking Yipa cavalry had no choice but to abandon their horses and charge the mountaintop as infantry.

The Dongsheng army on the mountain waited in leisure, and when the Yipa cavalry approached, the mountain resounded with a crackling roar.

The accuracy of the rifles within a hundred meters was apparent; the Dongsheng army’s first round of shooting was almost flawless, knocking down many of the attacking Yipa cavalry, with some men even tumbling directly down the mountain after being shot.

"Rifle for long-range, crossbow for mid-range, bow for close-range, alternate shooting, maintain order!"

Jiuyun Shuang appeared quite calm in the face of the Yipa army’s charge, issuing orders nonchalantly.

However, the Yipa army’s momentum was not thwarted by the strike before them, and they still struggled to advance toward the mountaintop, ignoring the head-on assault.

The side of the clay mountain with the path had a relatively gentler terrain, so the dismounted Yipa troops didn’t need to follow the winding sheep-gut path up the mountain, they could launch an attack directly by climbing the slightly gentler slopes.

The shooting on the mountain never ceased, from the top to the bottom of the mountain, the distance was less than two hundred meters, within the good shooting range of the rifles.

The Yipa leader, who appeared like a chief, was immediately focused by the Dongsheng troops on the mountain once the battle started, being targeted by several rifles and shot until he fell off his horse and was carried away by his men.

Yet, either his armor was thicker, or perhaps his body fat acted as a buffer, the chief was not killed, he continued to command despite being shot.

But although they could ensure accuracy, facing the overwhelming Yipa army, the Dongsheng army on the mountain inevitably felt uneasy.

They numbered no more than a hundred, while at least three thousand Yipa soldiers had gathered below. In modern terms, it’s like one company facing one regiment, the disparity is obvious.

The Yipa army’s attacks weren’t in one surge but in waves. Every time they were repelled, they would leave behind dozens of corpses and retreat down the mountain awkwardly, launch another wave of attacks after a slight reorganization.

This fight lasted from daytime until dusk. The Dongsheng army repelled over a dozen attacks from the Yipa army, killing or wounding hundreds, with slight own casualties, but the enemy’s offensive showed no signs of waning.

After nightfall, as the temperature plummeted, the Yipa army also temporarily abandoned the attack and set up camp at the mountain base for rest.

However, while the Yipa army ceased their attack, the Dongsheng army on the mountain found it a struggle to endure.

Trapped on the clay mountain without any supply lines, they could only consume the dry rations and water they brought with them. Firewood was scarce on the mountain, forcing them to dismantle their log fortifications to use as firewood for bonfires.

Enemies in a military sense could be defeated, but enemies in a physiological sense were hard to manage. Due to the shortage of firewood, the Dongsheng soldiers trapped on the clay mountain had to take turns warming themselves to prevent anyone from freezing to death.

Although the dry rations they carried could still sustain them for a while, this wasn’t a sustainable solution, and the ammunition was dwindling rapidly, unable to be restocked. If tomorrow’s battle was as intense as today’s, their muskets would soon become useless sticks.

Jiuyun Shuang understood that they had to find a way to break through.

But regardless of his plans, he needed to ensure the safety of these hundred or so people descending the mountain before having any chance of escape.

Thus, after nightfall, he attempted to launch a counterattack, leading the cavalry down the mountain. But they quickly encountered a head-on strike from the Yipa army, and after losing over thirty men, had to retreat back to the mountaintop in defeat.

By this time, the Yipa army also knew that the people on the mountain were unable to escape, so they didn’t attack during the night, instead resting quietly while awaiting the arrival of dawn.

Sitting by the bonfire, Jiuyun Shuang appeared somewhat disheveled, staring at the burning logs without a word.

A follower stepped forward cautiously and said, "General, the enemy’s siege is urgent, and our ammunition is nearly depleted. Continuing this way, tomorrow it will be hard to sustain. I implore you to ride down the mountain alone tonight and try to break through. Thus, the General can be preserved."

"And what about you?" Jiuyun Shuang slowly lifted his head, looking at him and asked.

"Thank you, General, for your concern, but we are all willing to die for the General. The General need not worry about us, just go down the mountain quickly." As he spoke, the follower suddenly knelt on one knee.

"Please, General, descend the mountain!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the followers gathered around the bonfire also knelt on one knee, clasping fists in unison.

Jiuyun Shuang looked at them, clearly moved inside. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes, resolutely saying, "I will advance and retreat with you all!"

"General, please don’t be confused." The follower earnestly pleaded.