The person had escaped and even jammed the gate shut, forcing him to first send for skilled craftsmen and then order soldiers to scale the walls with ladders.
The city gate of Qiu Ling Pass was unlike the capital's; besides the main gate, there were smaller side entrances. Here, there was only a single gate. If it couldn't be opened, the only option was to climb over the wall. As all the Qing Long soldiers were preparing to scale the wall with ladders, more firestones were hurled.
At first, they thought there was a problem among their own ranks, but upon closer inspection, they realized the firestones weren't coming from the opposite side, but from within the city, from a spot relatively far from the gate. They landed accurately on an open ground outside the gate.
A group of people were there, preparing to climb over.
Realizing they had fallen into a trap, people scrambled for cover. Those at the rear rushed to help, but arriving now meant becoming targets. Firestones and arrows rained down from the sky, forcing them to retreat step by step. They had no choice but to fall back to a distance of two to three hundred meters from the gate. As they were observing, shouts of battle suddenly erupted from the rear.
Someone on horseback turned to look. The previously quiet mountain forest suddenly disgorged several groups of riders, all mounted on powerful horses. They charged directly into their ranks, instantly scattering the 300,000-strong army, and then encircling them.
In ancient warfare, with primitive weaponry and poor armor, the individual contribution of most soldiers was very small. They were like pieces on a Go board; regardless of their numbers, as long as an encirclement was formed on the periphery, they could all be easily killed.
This was precisely the strategy devised by Zhu Lian and the Prince of Qin. This method of encirclement meant twenty men could hold their own against fifty. The Qing Long army, which was only ten thousand stronger and hadn't even arrived yet, was naturally easy to deal with.
The great battle commenced, with the sounds of fighting filling the air. While those on horseback had an advantage, the soldiers who hadn't even reacted before being surrounded were utterly defenseless, easily slaughtered within the encirclement.
A cordon of thirty Vermilion Bird soldiers could surround and eliminate seventy to eighty Qing Long soldiers. After finishing them off, they would repeat the process. The two sides were evenly matched in numbers, but with one side completely dominant, the Qing Long soldiers quickly suffered heavy casualties.
A troop of riders charged directly towards the Qing Long Emperor's carriage. The guards around him were aghast, shouting "Protect the Emperor!" while trying to escort their monarch away.
That troop killed several guards before being overwhelmed by the soldiers swarming in. However, by then, even more Vermilion Bird soldiers had arrived. Mounted on their horses, they mowed down those in their path as if cutting watermelons, swiftly advancing towards the Qing Long Emperor, who was being protected.
The battle descended into chaos.
On the city walls, the intruders had been completely annihilated. Zhu Lian, clad in green, ascended the battlement, accompanied by Zhong Yan and the Prince of Qin. Seeing their forces in such a favorable position, the Prince of Qin's face flushed with excitement, his blood boiling, wishing he could descend and join the fray.
"Your Majesty's foresight and military genius are truly unparalleled! First, a feigned empty city strategy to deplete their arrows and firestones, lowering their guard, then to surround and intercept them separately. This way, we can effectively fight one against ten. Even if another 300,000 troops arrive, we would not fear them."
Zhu Lian looked at the mass of soldiers encircled a few hundred meters away and frowned. "Is that where the Qing Long Emperor is?"
The Prince of Qin glanced over and replied, "Yes, there is a flag on the carriage."
"Fetch a bow and arrows."
She extended her hand. The Prince of Qin hesitated. He had never seen her fight, only heard that when corrupt officials were being judged, assassins tried to storm the court. They had attempted to use her as a threat, but she had killed them all.
He supposed her martial arts must be very high.
With this thought, the Prince of Qin immediately ordered his large bow to be brought. The exquisitely crafted bow weighed over eighty catties, equivalent to a heavy crossbow. For an ordinary person, not to mention using it, even lifting it would be difficult.
She used to wield it with ease, but as she aged, her strength waned, and she rarely used it anymore.
Zhu Lian took it, her left hand easily gripping the bow. With her right hand, she took an arrow offered by someone beside her, drew the bowstring to a full moon, aimed at the heavily encircled area in the distance, and released the arrow with a "whoosh."
The arrow pierced the air, striking the outermost ordinary soldier at an extreme speed. It passed through his body with little deceleration and continued forward.
"Protect the Emperor!"
"Guard the Emperor!"
Four or five soldiers lunged in front of the arrow. After passing through two more bodies, the arrow's momentum sent a group of them flying. The Qing Long Emperor was thus exposed.
"A'Yan, you do it."
Zhong Yan stepped forward, took the large bow, nocked an arrow, and, under Zhu Lian's guidance, slowly drew the bowstring. Aiming at the Qing Long Emperor, now exposed before him, he released the arrow.
This time, too, people rushed to block the arrow, but they were powerless to stop it. The arrow pierced through two bodies, sending the Qing Long Emperor, whom they were protecting, flying several meters before pinning him to the carriage frame.
His eyes were wide, as if he couldn't comprehend how he had died so quickly. His heavy body slowly pulled the arrow down, and his corpulent form fell to the ground.
The Vermilion Bird soldiers watching from the city walls erupted in cheers.
"Long live the Queen! Long live His Majesty! Long live the Queen!"
Upon seeing the Qing Long Emperor dead, the Vermilion Bird soldiers fighting below roared madly, "Your Emperor is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
"Surrender and live!"
"The Qing Long Emperor is dead, surrender and live!"
A soldier on horseback charged forward and struck the flagpole with his saber, splitting the three-inch-wide pole in two. The banner, representing the Qing Long nation, slowly fell to the ground, trampled underfoot by the Vermilion Bird soldiers.
They gradually formed lines, weapons in hand, advancing towards the disoriented Qing Long soldiers, repeatedly shouting, "Surrender and live!"
"Surrender and live!"
"Surrender and live!"
"..."
The loss of their commander, especially their Emperor, had already shattered their morale. The fact that their Emperor had been personally brought to the battlefield and then shot dead by the other side doubled the blow.
They were surrounded, with nowhere to escape and no room to retreat. The only option left was to lay down their arms and surrender.
The remaining more than two hundred thousand soldiers were encircled and gradually laid down their weapons, becoming prisoners.
After the great battle, it was time to discuss strategies.
Seeing how formidable their army was and with His Majesty leading from the front, their morale was soaring. The Prince of Qin immediately suggested pressing their advantage, marching directly to the enemy capital, and conquering the Qing Long nation.
"With the Qing Long Emperor's corpse leading the way, we can march to Ying Zhou City. It will take no more than half a month to take Qing Long, and then we can march on Bai Hu and unify the realm. Your Majesty shall then be the lord of all under heaven!"
Such impassioned words excited and inspired all the generals. They all looked to Zhu Lian, hoping for her approval.
However, Zhu Lian did not seem entirely convinced. She turned to Zhong Yan and asked, "What do you think, A'Yan?"