Chapter 84: The Fat General of the Stick Nation

It seemed that this place was indeed the capital of the Stick Nation. Chen Mu was in no hurry to besiege the city; he first ordered the construction of siege equipment. The defenders, for their part, had no intention of coming out to meet them in battle.

Five days later, Chen Mu’s army had produced one hundred new cloud ladders, ten catapults, five siege towers, and three battering rams. In addition, there were a hundred incendiary bombs prepared for use with the catapults. The so-called incendiary bombs were stones wrapped in straw mats, soaked in oil, set alight, and then hurled by the catapults.

The Great Xia army formed up outside the walls, their soldiers shielding the siege equipment as it advanced step by step. The siege towers were the first to reach their positions, and the soldiers atop them unleashed a barrage of crossbow bolts, suppressing the defenders on the battlements. The enemy could only hide behind wooden planks, not daring to show themselves, but for the moment, they were safe.

Next came the catapults, which flung flaming stones onto the ramparts—this spelled disaster for the defenders. The wooden planks offered no protection whatsoever; many soldiers were crushed to death, their bodies flattened along with the shattered planks. Those nearby were covered by the scattering flames, and the burning planks had to be abandoned.

Arrows rained down ceaselessly from above. Without their wooden shields, the defenders were quickly shot down by the storm of arrows. The enemy had no archers at all, and even if they had, there was no opportunity to shoot—every inch of the battlements was under heavy suppression.

By this time, the battering rams were in position as well. The three rams stood side by side: the center one attacked the main gate, while the other two stood ready to take over. The infantry of Great Xia raised the cloud ladders and began their assault on the walls.

With an all-out assault underway, the defenders could only endure the onslaught. But then, to Chen Mu’s surprise, the soldiers of the Stick Nation emerged from another city gate.

Indeed, Chen Mu had not laid a full siege, as he had no fear of the defenders coming out to fight, nor was he worried about them fleeing. After all, the peninsula was only so large, and without ships, there was nowhere for them to run. It was better for them to stay inside the city, where they could last a little longer; once outside, bereft of the city’s defenses, they would be at an even greater disadvantage against the Great Xia army.

But Chen Mu had not expected that the enemy soldiers would actually charge toward them. And this time, the Stick Nation had not a single chariot—every soldier was on foot, except for a single, very fat general who rode a horse.

This fat general shouted hysterically, and his soldiers, as if spurred by madness, charged wildly at the Great Xia army. Though taken aback, Chen Mu was unafraid; he instantly ordered the first and second battalions of the Invincible Flying Army to turn and meet the assault, while the rest continued the siege.

Because the enemy was charging, Chen Mu deployed a defensive formation, waiting for them to approach. The enemy soldiers, undaunted by the shield phalanx and broadswords, rushed forward swinging their clubs.

The two armies clashed.

The Invincible Flying Army soldiers braced their shields with one hand and wielded their sabers with the other, stabbing forward through the gaps in their shields. The half-armor of the defenders offered no protection at all—a stab to the neck was instantly fatal, a blow to the arm rendered them unable to swing their clubs, and a strike to their leather armor would pin them in place, making it easy for another saber to find a vital spot.

The defenders fell in ranks, and as their corpses piled up, the battle shifted—now the enemy could climb over their fallen comrades and attack from above. The clubs of the Stick Nation finally landed blows upon the Great Xia soldiers.

Yet Chen Mu gave no order to retreat. First, he did not wish to disrupt the siege operations; second, withdrawing would not be faster than advancing, and the enemy corpses would inevitably pile up again. Moreover, it was a question of morale—retreating even a step would weaken their resolve.

And so, the two armies became entangled.

The squad system once more demonstrated its immense value. The Great Xia army was not broken into isolated individuals; instead, each unit of five fought as a team, watching over each other’s flanks and fighting back to back.

The defenders of the Stick Nation were thrown into the meat grinder, beset by broadswords from all sides.

Meanwhile, the battle atop the walls continued. The catapults had begun hurling stones into the city, and the siege towers were at the edge of the walls. There were few defenders left on the battlements, and with no ranged weapons, they posed no threat. The Great Xia soldiers had no reason for concern.

The battle outside the city had lost all meaning for the defenders, yet still they did not retreat. Instead, the fat general and a few dozen soldiers withdrew back into the city.

Chen Mu ignored them and kept funneling more troops onto the walls.

Soon, the walls were taken, the battering rams breached the city gates, and the Great Xia army advanced step by step, forcing the defenders back.

After a while, all enemy soldiers outside the city were wiped out. Chen Mu ordered two thousand men to guard the gates, while he himself led the army into the city.

At this point, the defenders abruptly retreated, leaving a few men behind to cover their withdrawal. When the Great Xia soldiers finished off the rearguard, they found a vacuum within the city.

Fearing an ambush, Chen Mu ordered his troops to halt and had his men search the houses along each street, ensuring there were no hidden soldiers or incendiary traps.

In truth, Chen Mu was overthinking it. There was no cunning scheme; the surrounding houses were completely empty, not a soul in sight.

Could it be that the Stick Nation intended to abandon the city entirely?

Chen Mu gave the order for a full advance, sweeping through the city.

Upon reaching the city center, Chen Mu finally understood the defenders’ intent.

There, in the heart of the city, stood a royal palace. At its main gate gathered over a thousand soldiers, with the fat general among them. On either side stood civilians clutching various weapons, glaring ferociously at the Great Xia soldiers.

Chen Mu almost laughed. It was clearly the Stick Nation who had provoked Great Xia in the first place, and now they acted as if Great Xia were the aggressors. If only they spoke the same language—Chen Mu would have liked to reason with the fat general.

But as things stood, only the sword could speak for him.

Suddenly, the fat general shouted something unintelligible, and the soldiers and civilians alike seemed driven to madness, launching a suicidal assault on the Great Xia army.

Chen Mu did not wish for greater casualties, but the defenders were bent on death, leaving him no choice but to order his men to kill without mercy.

An hour later, the Stick Nation’s army was utterly destroyed, save for a few dozen men who remained loyally at the fat general’s side.

The Great Xia casualties were minimal—fewer than a thousand men. The attackers had suffered fewer losses than the defenders, and only a tenth as many at that; such disparity could only be attributed to the vast difference in combat prowess.

Chen Mu rode forward and signaled for the defenders to surrender their weapons. But the fat general, looking furious, pointed at Chen Mu and shouted something unintelligible.

Chen Mu shook his head and gave the order: leave none alive.