Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 213 Bloody Battle to Seize the Pass

The thickest fog before dawn, under the continuous blowing of the river wind and the gradually brightening sky, finally began to dissipate and thin reluctantly, like cotton being torn apart by an invisible hand, revealing the mottled and bloody truth behind it.

The beachhead, five miles downstream from Wulin Ferry, had expanded several times over. The black banners of the Xingqi Army fluttered in the damp morning wind, covering the newly captured high ground and the tattered fences. Tens of thousands of black-armored soldiers, under the orders of their officers, were working diligently and methodically to reinforce fortifications, evacuate the wounded, and clear the battlefield. The sporadic resistance near the beachhead had been completely wiped out; broken weapons, shattered shields, and the corpses of soldiers from both sides littered the area, turning the muddy ground a deep brown.

However, the real test has only just begun.

Less than three li from the beachhead lies the core stronghold of this section of river defense—"Flying Tiger Pass," located on the eastern outskirts of Caishiji. This sturdy fortress, built against the natural mountainside, controls the only relatively flat passage from the beachhead to the main Caishiji stronghold and the inland depths. The fortress is situated halfway up the mountain, backed by steep cliffs. In front lies a deep, man-made trench, behind which rises a high earthen and stone wall, over two zhang high, dotted with watchtowers and sentry towers. Flags are now waving, and figures are moving about; clearly, the defenders have reacted and are on high alert. To gain a foothold and threaten the main Caishiji stronghold, or even advance towards Nanjing, Flying Tiger Pass must be captured!

Covered in blood and with several fresh cuts on his armor, Dian Xiong stood on a small, newly cleared hill, staring intently at the "roadblock" in his path through his binoculars. Beside him were several captains from the Trapped Camp, their faces showing both exhaustion and excitement from the fierce battle, their eyes burning with an even more intense fighting spirit.

"General, the brothers have suffered heavy casualties. Should we rest for a while and wait for the artillery to come up and bombard them?" A captain suggested, looking at the dense defensive fortifications on the camp and the vague outline of crossbows.

"Resting?" Dian Xiong lowered his binoculars, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. "Every moment now, the Southern dogs are reinforcing their fortifications and gathering reinforcements! Wait? Wait for their reinforcements to come from their main stronghold at Caishiji or even Jinling, and drive us back down the river?" He swung his giant axe violently, sending up a gust of bloody wind. "His Majesty has ordered that we must capture this pass and expand our landing zone before daybreak and before the enemy has fully reacted! We don't have time to wait!"

He pointed to Flying Tiger Pass: "See that? The fortifications are strong, but the Southern dogs were caught off guard and their forces may not be sufficient. Their morale has been halved by our surprise attack just now! Their only reliance is that wall and the crossbows on it! Are the men of the Trapped Camp afraid of a high wall?"

"Don't be afraid!" several captains roared.

Are you afraid of arrows?

"Don't be afraid!"

"Good!" Dian Xiong grinned maliciously, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Send the order! First and second detachments of the Trapped Camp, armed with large shields and grappling hooks, form the first wave! Third detachment's crossbowmen, suppress the top of the wall! Fourth detachment, carrying earth bags and planks, prepare to fill the trench! I will personally lead my personal guard and be the first to scale the wall! If we don't flatten this pass today, I, Dian Xiong, will change my name!"

Military orders are absolute. After a brief regrouping, the Vanguard Camp once again transformed into a sharp dagger drawn from its sheath, piercing straight towards Flying Tiger Pass.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The war drums of attack resounded on the beachhead, steady and powerful, drowning out the river breeze and the distant clamor.

The first wave consisted of three hundred of the strongest and most valiant infantrymen, paired off and working together to lift massive iron-clad shields almost as tall as a person, forming a mobile steel wall that slowly advanced into the deep trench. Behind the shield wall were soldiers wielding long poles and hooks, ready to hook and destroy fences and obstacles. Their task was to approach the trench under a hail of arrows, providing cover for the troops that followed to fill it.

Sure enough, the shield formation had barely entered within an arrow's reach when a dense barrage of clappers and bowstrings erupted from the top of the Flying Tiger Pass! In an instant, arrows rained down like locusts! Thud, thud, thud! The sharp arrowheads pierced deep into the iron-clad wooden shields, producing a continuous series of muffled thuds. Powerful crossbow bolts even pierced the shield surface, wounding soldiers behind them; screams of pain rang out intermittently, yet the shield formation continued its stubborn, slow advance. Every now and then, a shield bearer would be shot down, and soldiers behind would immediately fill the gap.

"Divine crossbow! Triple fire! Suppress the crenellations!" From the command post at the rear of the Trapped Camp, the captain of the Divine Crossbow unit shouted the order.

The three hundred crossbowmen, already poised and ready, split into three ranks and took turns firing at the figures and arrow slits vaguely visible on the wall! Whoosh—! The specially made steel crossbow bolts whistled through the air, their accuracy far surpassing that of ordinary crossbows. Even from a hundred paces away, they posed a deadly threat to the poorly protected defenders. A chorus of screams and cries of agony erupted from the wall; several crossbows in action were destroyed, and the rain of arrows slowed considerably.

Taking advantage of this precious lull, the trench-filling team, composed of the fourth detachment, carrying heavy bags of earth and thick planks, surged towards the trench like a flood bursting its banks under the cover of shields. They frantically threw the bags of earth into the deep trench or laid the planks across it. The defenders discovered their intentions, and a hail of arrows and rolling logs and stones intensified once more. Men from the trench-filling team fell, struck by arrows, into the trench, but those behind immediately filled in, roaring and frantically filling and laying the planks. Blood mingled with the mud, quickly staining the edges of the trench red.

"General! It's almost done! There are two places where men and horses can cross!" The captain in charge of filling the trenches reported to Dian Xiong with a hoarse voice, his face covered in blood.

Nobuyuki, who had been keeping a close eye on the front, suddenly glared at the words with a fierce light: "That's enough! Royal Guards, follow me! First and second salvo, raise your shields to protect the flanks, third salvo, continue the suppression! Sound the horn, charge!"

"Woo-woo-woo-" The deep and mournful sound of the bull horn rose into the sky!

Dian Xiong, who had been waiting impatiently, leaped out from behind the shield formation like a tiger released from its cage, carrying a giant axe in one hand and a slightly smaller round shield in the other! Behind him, two hundred of his most elite personal guards and suicide soldiers let out beast-like howls and followed closely behind, launching a desperate charge towards the two newly paved passages that were still covered with mud and blood!

The defenders on the wall clearly hadn't expected the enemy commander to be so fierce, personally leading the charge, and at such a speed! Arrows and stones rained down on them, and guards fell one after another, but Dian Xiong seemed oblivious. His massive shield protected his vitals, and he sprinted like a black whirlwind, instantly covering the last few dozen steps and stepping onto the slope in front of the camp!

"Southern Dog! Dian Xiong is here! Prepare to die!" He roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield, even drowning out the clamor. Facing several spears thrusting towards him, he neither dodged nor evaded, but swept his giant axe across! Crack! The spear shafts, forged from fine iron, snapped in two, the axe blade still brimming with power, cleaving several defenders in half at the waist, their blood and entrails splattering everywhere! In this way, with the most savage and bloody methods, he had carved out a small foothold at the base of the wall!

The personal guard arrived and clashed with the defenders who jumped down from the wall and poured out from the side gates. The battle instantly intensified; swords and axes clashed, blood and flesh flew, and roars and screams mingled. Dian Xiong, as if possessed by a war god, wielded his giant axe in a death storm, leaving limbs and severed bodies flying wherever he went, with no one able to withstand a single blow! He specifically targeted the defending officers and those who appeared brave, greatly demoralizing the defenders.

"Get on the wall! Take the arrow tower!" Dian Xiong, covered in blood, unable to distinguish between enemy and his own, roared, pointing to an arrow tower on the left that was continuously firing arrows. Several guards immediately swung their grappling hooks onto the wall, blades in their mouths, and began to climb. The defenders on the wall tried to cut the ropes or push down the rolling stones, but were firmly suppressed by Dian Xiong and the crossbowmen below.

Finally, the first elite soldier scaled the wall, though he was immediately impaled by several spears, buying time for his comrades. Then came the second, the third… like ants swarming, more and more elite soldiers of the Vanguard Army scaled the ramparts through the breach, engaging the defenders in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Space on the ramparts was limited, making the battle even more ferocious; almost every inch of ground was repeatedly contested.

Seeing the wall in disarray, Dian Xiong roared, discarding his shield and swinging his giant axe with both hands, slamming it down hard on the heavy camp gate! Once! Twice! Wood chips flew everywhere, and the gateposts behind the gate groaned under the weight! Several guards also rushed forward, smashing the gate with heavy axes and hammers!

With a loud crash, the camp gate was finally smashed open! Dian Xiong charged in first, his axe flashing, and the guards who tried to block the gate fell to the ground.

"The camp gate has been breached! Charge in!" From the rear, the first and second battalion commanders, responsible for the main attack, were soaring with morale upon seeing their commander's bravery and the breach of the camp gate that they launched a general offensive! Like a black torrent of iron, they surged in!

Inside Flying Tiger Pass, the defending forces finally collapsed completely. Their commander had been killed by a crossbow bolt when Dian Xiong scaled the wall, and now that the camp gates had fallen, the enemy poured in like a tidal wave, and the resistance quickly crumbled. The soldiers cried out as they threw down their weapons and fled towards the rear of the camp or into the mountains.

The sun was high in the sky, and the fog had dissipated. On the walls of Feihu Pass, Xingqi's black dragon flag had replaced the Southern Dynasty's banners, standing out starkly in the sunlight. Inside and outside the camp, corpses lay strewn everywhere, blood flowed like rivers, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and the smell of gunpowder.

Leaning on his giant axe, Dian Xiong stood atop the dilapidated gate tower, panting heavily. Several wounds on his body were still bleeding profusely, but he seemed oblivious. He gazed at the fortress below that had been captured, then looked towards the faint outline of the larger Caishiji main camp to the west, a ferocious smile on his face that was a mixture of exhaustion, satisfaction, and an even stronger fighting spirit.

A bloody battle to seize the pass, a decisive victory, and another extraordinary feat! The gateway to Caishiji and the heart of Jiangnan has been cleaved open by this sharpest battle axe!

In the distance, on the middle of the river, Shen Qing saw the Xingqi flag rising over Feihu Pass from his warship. He breathed a long sigh of relief and immediately ordered, "Order the follow-up fleet to speed up and reach the shore! Prioritize the transport of supplies, horses, and heavy equipment! Tell General Chen Wei that Feihu Pass has been captured, the landing site is secure, and we can proceed with full-scale advance!"

Meanwhile, at the Jiangbei camp, Chen Xing, upon receiving the news of the victory at Feihu Pass, did not show much joy on his face. He simply nodded calmly and said to Jia Wen beside him, "Tell Dian Xiong that I will remember his greatest contribution. But the real battle is probably only just beginning. Xiao Jingyan... will not sit idly by and watch the flank of Caishiji be completely exposed."