Chapter 68: The Blood Blossom Will Soon Unfurl

Upon hearing the news that the Qin army was advancing, Wei Wuji felt as though he could almost cry. He had hoped that, once reinforcements arrived, he could afford to play the waiting game with the Qin, but now... they simply would not grant him that luxury. Clearly, the Qin commander had realized that if they failed to seize the advantage of their superior numbers and annihilate Wei Wuji, they would only be courting disaster by waiting.

It seems I am not the only clever one, Wei Wuji mocked himself. Though he strove to remain composed as a traveler from another time, Wei Wuji could not help but harbor a certain arrogance, a tendency to underestimate the ancients. Yet reality slapped him in the face once more: never look down upon the people of this world.

"Come, let us go take a look," Wei Wuji said to Wang Xiu.

With a retinue of guards, Wei Wuji and Wang Xiu hurried toward the city walls.

Thanks to Wei Wuji’s strict orders from the previous night, the Wei soldiers had remained vigilant. Thus, when the Qin army approached suddenly, they did not panic. Now, standing atop the earthen walls of Tielin Yi, the Wei soldiers watched the Qin army closely.

With the reinforcements Wang Xiu had brought, over two thousand Wei soldiers lined the walls. The perimeter of Tielin Yi was no more than five li—such numbers crowded the ramparts.

The four thousand Qin soldiers were neither few nor many; enough to surround Tielin Yi, but not enough to launch simultaneous assaults on all sides. Though the Wei army was fewer in number, their two thousand men within the cramped confines of Tielin Yi made it difficult for the Qin to leverage their advantage.

When the Qin army was about two hundred meters from Tielin Yi, they halted.

In the center of the Qin formation, a black-armored cavalryman asked the general beside him, "Sir, I still do not understand why we must attack Tielin Yi now."

The general, mounted, gazed at the distant city and replied gravely, "Wei Xing, if we do not wipe out this force of Wei now, once their reinforcements arrive, we will be on the defensive."

Wei Xing, the deputy, said nothing—he clearly felt the general was overly cautious.

Seeing his deputy unconvinced, the general insisted, "Rest assured, if anything goes awry, I, Zhai Quan, will bear the consequences alone."

Wei Xing, seeing his general speak so decisively, had no choice but to acquiesce. "Sir, you overstate it. I was merely considering all possibilities."

Zhai Quan did not comment further. He knew well his deputy’s temperament.

"Who commands the defense in Tielin Yi?" Zhai Quan shifted the topic.

Wei Xing, eager to move on, replied, "According to Gu Mu’s report, the newly arrived commander is a Wei prince named Wei Wuji."

"Wei Wuji? That name sounds familiar," Zhai Quan mused.

Wei Xing scoffed, "Sir, this Wei Wuji is the one who frightened Zhang Yunliang into withdrawing his forces."

So it was him! Zhai Quan thought to himself. He was aware of the Chen army’s retreat, which Wei Wuji had orchestrated.

Wei Xing continued, "Sir, Wei Wuji is nothing to fear. Zhang Yunliang’s retreat was merely to preserve the strength of the Chen state."

Zhai Quan listened intently. Though Wei Xing’s character was questionable, he possessed some knowledge.

Wei Xing pressed on, "Though the Chen have joined us as allies, their hearts are not truly aligned with ours; they simply have need of us..."

Seeing Wei Xing was about to dwell further, Zhai Quan waved his hand and said curtly, "Enough. Let us focus on how to take Tielin Yi."

Wei Xing realized he had drifted from the matter at hand. Fixing his gaze on Tielin Yi, his mind whirled with possibilities.

"Sir, we must choose one wall as the main direction of attack," Wei Xing advised.

"I know," Zhai Quan nodded. "Let’s attack the front wall—it is closest."

Wei Xing had no objections; any wall would pose similar difficulties.

Zhai Quan sighed, "If only we had siege equipment, and more arrows. This attack will not be easy."

But he could see no alternative. If they did not gamble now, their fate would be far worse.

...

On the other side, Wei Wuji and Wang Xiu climbed the ramparts and saw the Qin formation in the distance.

Except for a few busily occupied men, the entire Qin army stood in solemn silence.

"Prince, it seems the Qin are about to attack," Wang Xiu said, anxiety in his voice.

The earthen walls stood three meters tall, yet Wang Xiu doubted how long they could hold. With their own numbers at a disadvantage, the Wei army’s situation seemed dire.

Wei Wuji could not afford to show fear; if he faltered, the men below would be even more unsettled.

Summoning his courage, Wei Wuji said to Wang Xiu, "Don’t forget, our supplies are ample, our bows and arrows well-stocked. The Qin will not find it easy to gain the upper hand."

Wang Xiu nodded, but his expression did not brighten. The Qin army, famed for its ferocity, was not to be underestimated.

"Whooo... whooo..."

"What is that sound?" Wei Wuji asked Wang Xiu.

Wang Xiu’s face was bitter as he replied, "The Qin are launching their attack!"

What? Wei Wuji was bewildered. They would attack so soon, without probing the situation first?

But Wei Wuji did not know that, for the Qin, no matter how good their tactics might be, they could not employ them now. Lightly equipped, lacking resources; all they could use were hastily constructed siege ladders, crude and brutal, their assault relying purely on manpower.

Wang Xiu urged, "Prince, you must go down at once! It’s too dangerous here."

Wei Wuji certainly wanted to leave—it was perilous, and he could easily be picked off as a target. Yet, to leave by himself would be humiliating; he could not bring himself to act so selfishly.

Seeing Wei Wuji unmoved, Wang Xiu called out to Liu Xuanba nearby for help. "Captain Liu, please persuade the prince!"

Liu Xuanba, busy organizing the defense, turned at the call and saw Wei Wuji and Wang Xiu.

"Prince, why are you here?" Liu Xuanba asked quietly after bowing.

"Am I not allowed here?" Wei Wuji retorted.

Liu Xuanba bowed lower. "Prince, danger is ever-present on the battlefield. You must not come to harm."

The guards surrounding Wei Wuji knelt as well. "Prince, please withdraw!"

If anything happened to Wei Wuji, morale would collapse at once, and there would be no point in continuing the fight.

Thus, in the eyes of Wang Xiu and the others, Wei Wuji’s stubbornness must not be tolerated.

Seeing everyone so resolute, Wei Wuji finally relented. "Then I leave everything in your hands!"

"To die for the prince!" Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba bowed in unison.

Thus, escorted by his guards, Wei Wuji was led down from the ramparts to a safe distance.

"Prince!"

No sooner had he descended than he encountered Zhou Changyun and Zhang Qingshan.

"Why are you here?" Wei Wuji asked, surprised that they were not on the battlefield despite the urgency.

Zhang Qingshan stepped forward to explain, "Prince, the ramparts are too cramped for so many men. We divided the troops into two groups: Old Zhou and I lead one, Old Liu leads the other."

He continued, "Right now, Old Liu’s group is above; next, it’ll be our turn."

So that’s it—rotating shifts, Wei Wuji thought, nodding in understanding.

At this moment, the first wave of Qin attacks began—a force of nearly a thousand advanced on Tielin Yi.

They carried hastily made siege ladders, protected by a sparse number of shields, advancing step by step.

"Whizz, whizz, whizz..."

A sound like arrows slicing through air filled the sky—a rain of arrows, like a dark cloud, descended upon the Qin soldiers.

With a sharp hiss, the arrows struck, and dozens of Qin soldiers fell instantly.

Among the survivors, many were grazed, blood streaming from their wounds.

Some, pierced through the chest, pressed their hands to the wound but could not stem the flow.

The crimson flower of war had begun to bloom.