xymnovel Chapter 122 Beat the drums, attack the city!
Chapter 122 Beat the drums, attack the city!
Looking around, Lü Xiao saw corpses strewn everywhere below the city, layer upon layer.
There were corpses of Sui soldiers as well as remains of Goguryeo soldiers and civilians.
Blood soaked the snow, freezing into dark purple frost, a testament to the ferocity of the previous battle.
Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps came from behind.
Lu Xiao turned his head and saw that the members of the aristocratic families were leading their respective clan soldiers to arrive.
"The Prince of Shuo?"
Upon seeing Lü Xiao at the front of the battle, the group of scions of noble families were stunned and stopped in their tracks.
They clearly remembered that Lü Xiao should be in Pyongyang, so how could he suddenly appear under the walls of Liaodong City?
Doubts arose in everyone's hearts, and some people secretly speculated.
Could it be that the previous battle report of the great victory at Pyongyang was deliberately fabricated by Yang Guang to boost morale?
But on second thought, it didn't make sense.
Gao Yuan's confidence on the city wall has clearly weakened these days, and this is no feigned.
Ultimately, they came up with the only possibility.
Lü Xiao, with a very small number of men, traversed numerous dangers within Goguryeo territory and rushed here.
"Gentlemen, why are you all staring blankly at me? Are you perhaps not welcoming me?"
Seeing everyone's blank expressions, Lü Xiao asked with a smile.
"How dare we! With the arrival of the Prince of Shuo, our army will be like a tiger with wings, and we will surely be able to capture Liaodong City in one fell swoop!"
The members of the aristocratic families quickly composed themselves and bowed respectfully.
Although they usually ostracized and looked down on Lü Xiao because of the power struggles in the court, they greatly admired his bravery and strategy.
Yuwen Chengdu was unable to lead them to breach the city gates, but with Lü Xiao in charge, the task would be much more feasible.
"Your Highness, in the past, due to factional disputes in the court, there have been many disagreements between us and you."
Now that a formidable enemy is at hand, and the fate of our nation rests on our shoulders, we must unite as one to breach this city.
A member of the Lu family stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said...
"That's natural." Lü Xiao nodded slightly, his tone calm.
Internal strife is one thing, but with a formidable enemy at hand, we must unite against it.
As for future grudges, we can settle them later.
"King Shuo is so righteous!" Everyone bowed and praised him, their worries completely put to rest.
As long as Lü Xiao doesn't take the opportunity to cause trouble and is willing to work together to break through the city, they no longer need to worry about internal strife.
Before long, another group of people hurriedly arrived.
The leader was Li Shimin, followed closely by Li Yuanba and Li Yuanji, and all the direct generals of the Li family were also present.
Upon seeing Lü Xiao at the front lines, Li Shimin, like the other members of the aristocratic families before him, was filled with doubt and shock.
He never expected that Lü Xiao would be able to travel from Pyongyang through thousands of miles of dangerous terrain to reach Liaodong.
"Hey, what's he doing here?" Li Yuanji raised his hand to rub his eyes, then blinked hard, his face full of disbelief.
"Second brother...it's him..."
Li Yuanba gripped Li Shimin's sleeve tightly, his eyes filled with fear.
Back then, just one look from Lü Xiao was enough to make him freeze, unable to even take a step.
That deep-seated sense of oppression, like a nightmare, lingered in his mind.
Li Shimin held Li Yuanba's cold hand, patted it gently, and whispered to comfort him, "Yuanba, don't be afraid. He is not an enemy and will not harm you."
He was also filled with surprise, as his fourth brother was incredibly strong and brave.
Even a fierce general like Yuwen Chengdu was not something he feared at all.
It's truly perplexing that he would show such fear when facing Lü Xiao.
Could it be that there really is a saying in this world that something can subdue something else?
"Oh, Young Master Li."
When Lü Xiao saw Li Shimin leading his troops to arrive, he raised his hand in greeting.
Although Li Yuanba always kept his abilities hidden and didn't exert himself, the soldiers under the Li family's command were truly formidable in combat.
Now is the time when we need manpower, so there's no need to tear things apart on the spot.
"Prince Shuo." Li Shimin bowed slightly, but a hint of wariness was hidden in his eyes.
"I've heard that your younger brother is naturally strong and has even surpassed General Tianbao in strength."
"When we attack the city later, I want to see your brother's true abilities for myself."
Lu Xiao's words were ostensibly a compliment, but in reality, they were an ultimatum.
Today, Li Yuanba must go all out in battle; his momentum must at least surpass that of Yuwen Chengdu.
If he dares to hide his abilities again, he wouldn't mind settling accounts with Li Shimin on the spot.
Li Shimin frowned slightly, his heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood Lü Xiao's intention.
After a moment's thought, he immediately replied, "Of course, Yuanba will do his utmost to assist Your Highness in achieving the feat of being the first to scale the city wall."
Now that things have come to this, he has no way out.
We have no choice but to let Li Yuanba take action; otherwise, we'll only give others ammunition to criticize us and might even completely offend Lü Xiao.
Lu Xiao nodded in satisfaction, withdrew his gaze, said no more, turned around and stepped onto the high platform in front of the formation.
A cold wind swept across the high platform, carrying snowflakes, and his cloak fluttered in the wind, exuding a chilling fighting spirit.
"My lords!"
Lü Xiao's voice was loud and powerful, penetrating the wind, snow, and noise, and clearly reaching the ears of every Sui soldier.
"Liaodong City is right before us. If we don't conquer this city, we will have nowhere to go!"
"In the dead of winter, snow and wind have already blocked our retreat, supplies are running low, and the cold is biting us!"
He raised his hand and pointed directly at the top of Liaodong City, his tone becoming increasingly resolute.
"If we fail to capture Liaodong City in this battle, we will all perish!"
"You lot! Do you dare to follow me, Lü Xiao, and fight to the death!"
"I am willing to fight to the death with King Shuo! I am willing to fight to the death with King Shuo!"
The deafening shouts echoed throughout the heavens and earth, drowning out the howling wind and snow.
Whether they were soldiers directly under the imperial court or clan soldiers under aristocratic families, their fighting spirit was ignited by Lü Xiao's words.
Lü Xiao was the universally acknowledged God of War of the Sui Dynasty, sweeping across all sides in the War of a Hundred Kingdoms.
His presence in the Battle of Mobei was awe-inspiring among the foreign tribes, and his command was tantamount to a guarantee of victory.
The men gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes burning with a resolute fire, having long since disregarded life and death.
"Beat the drums!"
Lu Xiao gave the order.
The strong and skilled soldiers on the drum platform immediately took off their heavy armor and upper garments, exposing their muscular upper bodies to the wind and snow hitting their dark skin.
They gripped the huge drumsticks tightly with both hands and pounded them hard on the war drums that were as tall as a person.
Boom!
dong dong!
dong dong dong dong!
The drumbeats gradually increased in speed, becoming deep and powerful, like thunder rolling across the earth, striking heavily into everyone's hearts.
The Sui soldiers felt a surge of heat rush to their heads, and their strength suddenly surged.
"Follow me, let's fight!"
Lu Xiao leaped off the platform, grabbed a heavy iron shield, and charged to the front of the group.
"kill!"
The deafening battle cries rang out once more as Sui soldiers, carrying siege ladders, charged bravely towards the walls of Liaodong City.
Liaodong was a remote area with rugged mountain roads, making it difficult to transport large siege weapons. Therefore, siege ladders became the only tool for breaching cities.
This was also a major reason why the Sui army was unable to conquer the city after a prolonged siege.
Inside the tent, Yang Guang listened to the deafening battle cries and stirring drumbeats outside the camp, clenched his fists tightly, and looked solemn.
Success or failure hinges on this one battle.
If even Lü Xiao cannot take Liaodong City, then they have no chance of winning.
They could only brave the wind and snow, and return to the capital in disgrace. The second campaign against Goguryeo would also end in a crushing defeat.