"Ahhhhhhh—!"
On the battlefield, the clamor of slaughter rose on all sides as the massive army pressed forward.
Xiangcheng was not a particularly formidable or well-fortified city, but the Qin general defending it proved exceptionally tenacious. Facing an overwhelming force of sixty thousand troops, he held out for over ten days with fewer than ten thousand soldiers.
At this time, the main Qin forces, led by Zhang Han, were advancing into Qi territory. He had originally dispatched a contingent to first capture Zhaoping before plundering Chu lands, but unexpectedly, the army he sent to Chu was defeated by Roy, who then counterattacked and pressed toward Xiangcheng.
Now, Zhang Han found himself in a dilemma—unable to retreat, he had no choice but to continue his campaign in Qi while ordering the defenders of Xiangcheng to buy as much time as possible.
Fortunately, apart from the Xiang clan's rebel forces, the other rebel armies elsewhere were not particularly skilled. Though the Qin troops were not battle-hardened veterans either, when both sides were roughly equal in combat ability, the Qin army's superior equipment gave them the edge. Moreover, Zhang Han was an exceptionally capable commander, leading his forces to victory after victory, which greatly boosted their morale.
His only thought now was to swiftly crush Qi so he could turn his attention elsewhere with ease.
This time, Roy did not personally lead the assault on Xiangcheng. Instead, he remained at the central command, entrusting the task of directing the siege to Liu Ji.
Deeply moved by Roy's trust, Liu Ji exerted all her efforts, yet despite her best attempts, the stubborn defense of Xiangcheng held firm.
Liu Ji was no natural military leader. Her subordinate Xiao He excelled in administrative duties—handling logistics and governance was no issue for him, but battlefield command was another matter. Fan Kuai, though a fierce warrior, was suited to be a vanguard, not a strategist.
At this moment, Liu Ji sorely missed Zhang Liang and his ingenious stratagems.
After days of continuous assaults with no progress, Liu Ji could no longer sit idle. If this dragged on, morale would plummet, making the capture of Xiangcheng even more difficult. Not only would she be failing Roy's trust, but she herself could not bear such incompetence.
"Today, I will personally command the siege!"
Drawing her Chixiao Sword, Liu Ji pointed it toward Xiangcheng from atop her warhorse.
"Lord of Pei, you must not!" Xiao He and Fan Kuai hurriedly stopped her. "You are the army's commander—how can you risk yourself on the front lines?"
Liu Ji had once been nothing more than a village head—she had never served in the military or fought in battles. Even a lowly enemy soldier could likely cut her down.
She was well aware of her lack of martial prowess, but she understood human nature. Sighing, she said to Xiao He and the others, "General Xiang entrusted me with this crucial task, yet in over ten days, I have made no progress. If this continues, the soldiers will lose faith in me. Our morale is already low—only by personally overseeing the battle can I inspire them to fight desperately."
"Besides, the defenders of Xiangcheng are few. After days of relentless combat, they must be exhausted. Perhaps now is the perfect moment to seize the city in one decisive push."
Hearing this, Xiao He and the others could no longer argue. They could only insist she wear armor and urged caution.
True enough, Liu Ji's personal presence on the battlefield invigorated her troops. Drums thundered as the soldiers fought with fearless determination, suddenly intensifying the pressure on the Qin defenders.
The Qin general and city governor, witnessing the sudden ferocity of the Chu forces, immediately realized the situation. The general, who had some grasp of military tactics, declared, "...Their commander must have taken the field in person!"
Then he stood atop the city walls scanning the surroundings and indeed spotted a figure clad entirely in metal armor amidst a sea of soldiers wearing cloth garments or at most leather armor.
The Qin general immediately turned to the city lord beside him and said, "...This is our chance. That commander appears to be an amateur. Open the gates—I'll lead five hundred soldiers to charge into their ranks. If we can capture or kill their commander, all the better. Once their leader falls, their army will surely collapse!"
Such was the nature of ancient warfare—the death of a commander could easily trigger a rout, and once panic set in, even an army of hundreds of thousands could disintegrate overnight.
The city lord was decisive, knowing they had to gamble now or face inevitable defeat. He immediately allowed the Qin general to select five hundred elite soldiers. The gates swung open, and they charged straight toward Liu Ji's position.
Liu Ji, wielding the Chixiao Sword, was leading his reinvigorated troops in a fierce assault when suddenly, an earth-shaking battle cry erupted. The gates of Xiangcheng burst open, and a fierce Qin general surged forth, followed by five hundred infantrymen. These soldiers fought like madmen—perhaps the general had promised them great rewards—and under his command, they tore through Liu Ji's ranks like a hot knife through butter, cleaving a gap in the formation.
It was partly Liu Ji's own lack of martial prowess and tactical knowledge that had given the enemy this opening.
Seeing his flank collapse and the enemy breaking into his central formation, Liu Ji nearly dropped the Chixiao Sword and resorted to his ultimate move—fleeing!
But she knew there was no retreat in the chaos of battle. Clutching her sword, gritting her teeth in despair, she thought, "...This is the end for me!!"
At that critical moment, just as Liu Ji was about to give up, a blood-red spear came hurtling from afar. It streaked across the sky and plunged into the Qin ranks, exploding like high-grade explosives, instantly carving a bloody path through the enemy troops, leaving only severed limbs in its wake.
Liu Ji's jaw dropped in astonishment. Had she lived in modern times, she might have blurted out, "Holy sh*t!"
Then, a figure on a warhorse, wielding a halberd, charged into the fray. In a few terrifying strikes, he slaughtered all five hundred Qin soldiers with inhuman efficiency.
Liu Ji stood dumbfounded, eyes wide with awe. At this point, even a lowly foot soldier could have easily cut down the future High Emperor.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
Suddenly, a volley of arrows rained down. The city lord, having witnessed the Qin general and his men annihilated in the blink of an eye by that demonic warrior, was terrified out of his wits. Seeing the enemy within range, he hastily ordered his archers to fire.
Bows and arrows were rare among rebel forces—only the Qin army could equip them on such a scale.
"Idiot, why are you just standing there?!"
Roy appeared before Liu Ji, the blood-red spear somehow back in his hands. Without even looking, he deflected every incoming arrow with swift flicks of his weapon, leaving not a single one within several meters of them.
As for Liu Ji, he didn't know what to say. Aside from being beautiful and well-proportioned, she was practically useless!
"I..."
Liu Ji's face flushed red as she suddenly became bashful, her heart pounding like a startled deer.
Though she had spent twenty years masquerading as a man, biologically she was still a woman, easily moved by emotions. Seeing Roy riding his magnificent steed like a peerless hero, saving her life amidst thousands of soldiers, she felt both gratitude and shame, mixed with inexplicable emotions.
"You're injured?" Roy noticed the sword wound on Liu Ji's left arm.
Liu Ji waved it off casually, "Just a careless cut from someone earlier."
After speaking, her expression turned slightly awkward again.
Roy glanced at it, seeing it was merely a superficial wound that hadn't reached the bone, and nodded. "Since they've wounded you, I'll avenge you. With Xiangcheng's gates wide open, now's the perfect time to attack."
"...We can't delay the battle. You should go get that bandaged first!"
With that, Roy paid Liu Ji no further mind. At his commanding shout, his troops—already prepared—charged into the city in one swift motion. Soon, the sounds of battle and screams echoed from Xiangcheng.
Liu Ji cast one last lingering glance before obediently retreating. Under Xiao He and others' flustered care, a physician was summoned to tend to her wounds.