xymnovel Chapter 446 Smoke-Covered City
Chapter 446 Smoke-Covered City
A horn call from the Xiongnu broke the silence of the night sky, rolling across the northern Gobi Desert!
Immediately afterwards, the earth began to tremble slightly, the sound of tens of thousands of warhorses pounding the ground at the same time.
Inside the commander's tent.
Zhang Fan was a very light sleeper. The moment the bugle sounded, he suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed the triangular military dagger that was next to his pillow, and sat up.
"An enemy attack? In the middle of the night, the Xiongnu finally couldn't hold back anymore?" Zhang Fan frowned, immediately got out of bed, and prepared to grab the armor from the clothes rack.
Before he could even put on his inner armor, the curtain of the commander's tent was suddenly flung open.
"Cough cough cough... Immortal Master! Something terrible has happened!"
The guards at the door scrambled in.
"What happened? Why are you in such a panic!"
Zhang Fan felt a foul stench, which made him cough twice.
"Smoke! It's smoke! Immortal Master, there's...there's thick smoke rising from the north!"
The guard rubbed his eyes. "Those Xiongnu barbarians are burning something. The smoke is not only pungent and acrid, but it also blots out the sky!"
The wind is so strong tonight, it's blowing all the way into our area!
There's nothing to see under the city walls anymore!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan's heart sank.
"Where are the flares? We brought so many flares, why aren't we using them?" Zhang Fan asked sternly.
"They...they did it!"
The guard was so anxious that he stamped his feet, tears and snot streaming down his face. "General Zhao Ben just ordered five flares to be fired! But... but the smoke is too thick!"
The flares exploded in the sky, and the white light was reflected by the smoke, turning into a vast white sea of fog!
This only made it harder for the brothers to see ahead! The poisonous smoke is now pouring madly into the pass along the canyon!
"Oh no! A biological weapon?"
Zhang Fan was shocked, and the modern term flashed through his mind instantly.
He never imagined that the Xiongnu people two thousand years ago would know how to use terrain and wind direction to wage a gas war!
"Send the order! Sound the battle horns! Everyone, rise up! Prepare to defend the city!"
Zhang Fan grabbed the chainmail and haphazardly put it on before rushing out of the command tent.
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
In an instant, the sound of war drums rose from all sides inside Gaoque Pass.
The soldiers, still asleep, were startled awake and frantically grabbed their weapons and rushed out of the barracks.
When the door was opened, everyone was stunned.
The once clear and cool night sky has completely disappeared, replaced by billowing gray-black smoke.
The smoke, like a giant monster, poured down from above the north city wall and quickly engulfed the streets inside the pass.
Zhang Fan went against the flow of people and rushed up the main city wall on the north side.
As soon as you step onto the city wall, a stench and pungent smell ten times stronger than below hits you right in the face.
Zhang Fan felt a burning pain in his throat, and his eyes were so stung that he couldn't open them at all; tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
"Cough cough cough! What the hell is this thing?!" Zhang Fan covered his mouth and nose, trying to suppress his cough.
The situation on the city wall had deteriorated to an extreme degree.
The heavily armored infantry and crossbowmen, who had been standing ready, were now staggering and falling.
Countless soldiers threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground in agony, and vomited violently while clutching their necks.
"Wow!"
"Cough cough... My eyes... I can't see!"
The sounds of wailing were everywhere.
The smoke clearly contained more than just the smell of cow dung and bones; it also contained toxins.
General Zhao Ben stumbled to Zhang Fan, "Immortal Master! Cough cough... This smoke is pungent and irritating; it's clearly laced with something highly poisonous!"
"These bastards are using poison smoke to clear a path; their main army must be hiding behind it! What are we going to do?! The brothers can't even open their eyes, and they have no idea where to shoot their crossbows!"
"The north wind is howling, and the gale is carrying poisonous smoke. If we don't change this damned wind direction, our soldiers' fighting power will be greatly reduced, and this city... this city may not be able to be held!"
Not far away, Prince Fusu and Mo Feng, who had just been awakened by the fumes, also rushed up.
Mo Feng sneezed wildly while cursing, "Achoo! Which son-without-an ...
Zhang Fan looked around; the visibility on the city wall was less than three meters.
The Qin soldiers around him fell in droves, losing their fighting ability.
In the era of cold weapons, any military tactics seemed pale and powerless in the face of such attacks that took advantage of the forces of nature and poisonous gas.
If the smoke problem isn't solved, the city will definitely fall!
"What's the panic! The sky isn't going to fall!"
Zhang Fan forced himself to calm down, his mind racing, and immediately gave a stern order:
"Quick! Go fetch water immediately! Have everyone tear off pieces of burlap, soak them in clean water, fold them several times, and cover their mouths and noses tightly! Keep your bodies low to the ground and hide close to the inside of the city wall! Don't breathe heavily!"
"Water can filter out most of the smoke and toxin particles, go quickly!"
The generals, as if waking from a dream, immediately scrambled to relay the orders.
Soon, buckets of icy well water were carried up to the city wall. The soldiers tore their clothes, soaked them, and tied them to their faces. Although they were still uncomfortable, the symptoms of coughing and suffocation were finally relieved a little.
But this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause!
As long as the north wind continues and the toxic smoke persists, this makeshift defense will eventually be breached.
Meanwhile, the Xiongnu's assault troops could emerge from the smoke at any moment.
Zhao Ben is right. If the wind doesn't change direction, tonight will be a dead end!
But how can mortals change the wind?
Zhang Fan stood behind the wall, braving the strong wind and thick smoke, but his eyes gradually became incredibly sharp.
Just because people in ancient times couldn't do it doesn't mean people in modern times can't!
He suddenly turned around and retreated to the corner of the city gate tower.
Zhang Fan took a deep breath, took out his phone, and dialed a number.
"Beep...beep...beep..."
The phone rang only three times.
Zhu Feng's calm voice came through the receiver clearly.
"Comrade Zhang Fan, this is Zhu Feng. It's 3 a.m., and everyone in command is online. How's the situation on your end?"
Zhang Fan, one hand tightly covering the wet cloth, the other holding the phone, shouted loudly:
"Commander! I've encountered a terrible problem! Gaoque Pass is under attack!"
"The Xiongnu saw through our weakness of being unable to leave the city. They took advantage of the single northerly wind direction in the valley and ignited highly toxic smoke at the upwind end! Now the entire Gaoque Pass has become a gas chamber!"
"The soldiers' vision is completely obstructed, and all the flares are ineffective! The Xiongnu's 60,000-strong army is definitely using the smoke as cover to prepare for a assault on the city!"
On the other end of the phone, Commander Zhu Feng's breathing visibly paused for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Don't panic! Tell me the details of the situation! Immediately!"
Zhang Fan reported very quickly: "The current predicament is that the north wind is too strong, and the toxic smoke can't be dispersed at all! Our simple wet cloth gas masks won't last long!"
In the era of cold weapons, we were helpless against the wind! If the wind direction isn't changed, Gaoque will fall tonight!
"I need the support of meteorological and geographical experts! Commander, do you have any way to create a southerly wind for me in the canyon?" Zhang Fan's voice was a little hoarse in the wind.