Chapter 154: Seizing the City (Part 3)

As the saying goes, show-offs die fast. A man shining as brightly as him in the dead of night naturally became the primary target for concentrated fire.

Following a brief moment of panic, a dense volley of arrows rained down upon him. Liu Ji did not bring a shield, so he could only protect his exposed face while frantically swinging his saber to deflect the incoming arrows. Though a few struck his body, they caused no significant harm; after all, the armor-crafting techniques of the Tang dynasty remained second to none in this era. The superb Qi armor's defense against ordinary attacks had already been proven before the Po-yi River, otherwise, he would never have acted with such audacity.

Immediately afterward, Nepali soldiers rushing in from multiple directions plunged him into a predicament of being attacked from both front and rear. Fortunately, his subordinates provided highly accurate ranged support, saving him a great deal of trouble.

Since the garrison commander had attracted the enemy's firepower, veterans like Zhang Wujia naturally would not let such an opportunity slip by. Their method was even simpler: the city wall, barely two heights high, was shorter than two men combined. Xu Guangjing crouched down, and Zhang directly stepped onto his old comrade's shoulders. As the latter slowly straightened up, Zhang grabbed the parapet and hoisted himself onto the wall.

Then Xu Guangjing called over another subordinate, stepped on him to climb up, and the rest followed suit. Pairing up in twos, ranking by military seniority—carrying and boosting one another—everyone vied to be first. With their commander charging at the very front, how could they dare fall behind, lest they be cursed as dogs by their brothers?

As the number of men scaling the wall grew, the Tang soldiers gradually secured a foothold. Their breakthrough drew all the enemy's reserves, leaving the defenders with no spare forces to reinforce elsewhere, which sharply increased the pressure on the main section of the wall.

"Commander, catch!" Zhang Wujia handed over a Mo saber hilt-first.

Reinforced and deeply immersed in the thrill of slaughter, Liu Ji took a step back, grabbed his Mo saber with a backhand grip, thrust his current saber straight into the wooden steps, and spun around with a sweeping slash that knocked several advancing Nepalese tumbling down the stairs.

"Old Zhang, Old Xu, dare you follow me and charge through?" With his familiar weapon in hand, Liu Ji felt a surge of heroic spirit. He planted his saber on the ground and turned back to speak.

Following his gaze, Zhang Wujia and Xu Guangjing instantly understood his intentions. The contest over the wall was still undecided, and the Nepalese were pouring over in a continuous stream, attempting to drive them back. Their commander had no intention of holding this spot; instead, he wanted to take the initiative and strike at the enemy's vital point.

The two exchanged a glance, and Xu Guangjing grinned broadly. "Just say the word, how do we fight?"

Liu Ji laughed heartily. Under their watchful eyes, he leaped forward, jumping right off the nearly two-meter-high wooden steps and plunging straight into the dense mass of Nepalese soldiers.

Xu Guangjing was about to follow when someone grabbed his arm just in time. He turned back in surprise. "Not going?"

"Don't rush. Look down below."

Zhang Wujia pointed downward, and as Xu Guangjing looked over, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

Amidst the swarming crowd of dark figures, only a single flash of white light crisscrossed back and forth. Every single stroke unleashed a spray of blood. Screams of agony, severed limbs, and broken bodies danced continuously through the throng. Xu Guangjing subconsciously touched his own arm—it was still attached.

Liu Ji loved this kind of hearty, uninhibited momentum. With a sharp weapon in hand and killing intent suddenly surging, the soul of a soldier awakened within his body, allowing him to vent everything in his heart without restraint.

Horizontal slashes, vertical chops—this heavy instrument of death unleashed the energy of nature to the absolute maximum through a curve blending mechanics and aesthetics. It cleaved through every flesh-and-blood body, carrying him step by step forward and turning every obstacle blocking his path into a ghost beneath his blade.

At this moment, he was the embodiment of the God of Slaughter, the *Mahmud Nur* in the eyes of the mountain dwellers!

"Let's go."

Seeing the commander clear an opening below, Zhang Wujia pulled Xu Guangjing and leaped down without another word. Forming a tight triangle, their three Mo sabers constituted a continuously revolving wheel of death that rolled over the dense crowd, leaving a trail of wails in their wake.

They advanced steadily and slowly toward the direction of the main front gate.

"Stop them!"

What she saw before her made Saraswati tremble all over with fear. After shouting for so long, her voice had turned hoarse, and her cries grew somewhat hysterical, sounding like the roar of a beast.

In truth, even without her command, the defenders understood what the enemy was trying to achieve. Once the city gate was opened, the city would essentially be lost, and people like them would face only one end: being torn to shreds by the enraged mountain dwellers and the Tang soldiers.

At this juncture of life and death, these Nepalese fought with reckless desperation, throwing themselves forward to block the path. The pressure on the trio spiked tremendously as they felt layer upon layer of human figures pressing in front of them, seemingly endless.

Though Mo sabers were formidable, stamina could not last forever; the moment their strength gave out would be the moment of their destruction.

The small formation of three had drawn the majority of the enemy, making the breakthrough much easier for the rest of the Tang soldiers. The other warriors of the Qiankeng Garrison finally completed their occupation, and the small triangular banner was forcefully thrust into the battlements by the newly appointed standard-bearer, sparking another wave of cheers.

Seeing that all three squad leaders were deep within enemy lines, Chen Jin, who had been promoted to deputy squad leader, took over command. On one hand, he sent men to receive those coming from outside the city; on the other, he split off forces to support their commander's operation.

Soon, a complete fresh unit of fifty men was organized, charging along the path carved by the trio toward the outer perimeter of the enemy.

The addition of this fresh force finally shattered the last remaining shreds of courage among the Nepalese. As their offensive continued, the attacks of the mountain dwellers also bore fruit. Nearly every section of the wall was witnessing fierce combat; stripped of the cover and height advantage of the city walls, the defenders lost all confidence to hold out.

Beginning with sporadic routs, the Nepalese formation began to collapse entirely. Especially right in front of Liu Ji and his two companions, the space suddenly emptied out, and the target city gate appeared directly before their eyes.

"Open the gate, let them in." Liu Ji made a decisive judgment, ignoring the fleeing enemies.

Zhang Wujia didn't waste words; his Mo saber came down in a vertical chop, snapping the bowl-thick wooden crossbar instantly. He and Xu Guangjing grabbed the heavy doors from left and right, pulling them open with a resounding crash.

"Signal arrow, let the cavalry enter the city!"

Liu Ji and the other two maintained their triangular formation, standing firmly at the city gate. Yet, no one dared to step forward and challenge them anymore.

The piercing whistle shattered Saraswati's psychological defense. With the city gate opened and the Tang cavalry about to enter, what other methods did she have to resolve this desperate crisis?

"Let's go, Queen. If we don't leave now, it will be too late."

The guards beside her supported her as she nearly collapsed, whisking her away from the ramparts without room for argument. While the Tang soldiers and mountain dwellers had yet to flood into the city proper, they still had a chance to escape. The outsiders' numbers were simply insufficient to encircle the entire city, and the gate leading toward Zhangzhung remained in their hands.

Saraswati had lost all ability to make decisions and could only let herself be hoisted onto a horse. At the very moment of departure, a massive roar erupted from behind, spoken in Han Chinese with which she was not yet entirely familiar.

"Ten thousand victories!"