The booming war drums sounded, and the battle seemed to have reached its climax.
To prevent the Tie Futu from being sacrificed in vain, Wanyan Yinshu Ke began to urge his soldiers to attack the city at almost any cost.
Even his own subordinate troops were now being treated as expendables, directly thrown onto the scaling ladders.
And those three hundred Tie Futu, like the signal for the decisive battle between the two sides, though cumbersome and slow, still advanced resolutely towards the city walls.
"Dong—"
"Dong—"
"Dong—"
Amidst the deafening sound of war drums, Er Hu's body began to tremble.
Although on the battlefield, no one could protect anyone forever, Shuan Zi still used all his might, risking his life on this blood-soaked battlefield to protect him.
Throughout the entire engagement, Er Hu's role within the squad was to transport supplies and decapitate enemies.
While it was still bloody, the risk factor was undoubtedly much safer compared to others.
Even Shuan Zi, who possessed the highest combat prowess, had his arm grazed by a cold arrow, yet he remained unharmed and safe to this day.
"Kid, be careful. Remember what I taught you. If you don't kill these sons of bitches, they'll kill us!"
After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Shuan Zi forced out a smile that was more bitter than a cry.
"Yes!"
Although still very nervous, Er Hu finally nodded heavily.
"Here they come!"
Just as Shuan Zi's attention was focused on Er Hu, a monstrous figure like an iron tower finally stepped onto the city wall.
Seeing his thick heavy armor, even Shuan Zi let out a wry smile.
He grabbed the long spear in his hand and used it like a club, sweeping it towards the man's knee.
Upon seeing Shuan Zi's spear coming, the Jin man, covered entirely in iron armor, leaped down from the city wall.
After so many such ambushes, the soybeans on the ground were already scattered in disarray.
Whether this fellow was incredibly lucky or deliberately evading, he landed without any impact.
Seeing the veteran soldiers next to him already entangled with his Tie Futu, Shuan Zi hesitated for a brief moment before throwing his long spear like a javelin at the Jin soldier.
Unlike the nervous conscripts, Shuan Zi knew better than anyone that these things had no effect on these monsters.
This was a defense of the city. If they couldn't quickly eliminate this guy, the subsequent Jin soldiers would surely kill everyone.
In just a moment, the iron tower-like Jin man, with a swing of his long saber, cleaved a conscript from a small squad in two.
Just as the Jin man's saber was about to fall on Er Hu's head, Shuan Zi, like a moth to a flame, charged forward with reddened eyes, embracing the Jin man and leaping off the city wall together.
"Damn it, go down with me, old man!"
As his body flipped, Shuan Zi cast one last look in Er Hu's direction. Fortunately, although scared pale, he was still alive.
His body seemed to suddenly lose weight. On the blood-soaked battlefield, Shuan Zi's mind went blank.
To complete his final mission, he struggled to pin the Jin man firmly beneath him.
Amidst the whistling wind, he seemed to hear his son's voice from long ago.
"Dad, Hu Zi is hungry, I want to eat millet cakes..."
Shuan Zi, who had survived countless near-death experiences and had never cried even when stabbed in the stomach, now had tears flowing like a breached dam.
"Bang—"
Their bodies, like stones, crashed heavily onto the ground. Both their weights were on the Jin man.
At the moment of impact, the Tie Futu was already dead beyond any doubt.
Compared to him, Shuan Zi's injuries were far less severe. Just as he was preparing to get up, an icy long saber pierced his back.
Warm blood flowed out of his body like it was free, and along with the blood, his meager remaining life force drained away.
"Dong—"
"Dong—"
"Dong—"
The rumbling war drums seemed to fade into the distance, but Shuan Zi seemed to hear the voices of his wife and son.
"Dad, Hu Zi wants millet cakes..."
"My dear, I saved you a piece of millet cake, you should eat it first..."
The events of twelve years ago gnawed at Shuan Zi's heart like a venomous snake.
Why hadn't he thought of saving a bite of food for them back then?
Why had he been so gluttonous?
Shuan Zi's tears continued to fall, his vision becoming increasingly blurred.
The endless shouts of killing and the corpses scattered everywhere slowly disappeared. The earth, dyed red with blood, turned dry. It became a land of desolation, filled with starving corpses.
A woman in coarse clothes, holding a small child, walked step by step towards Shuan Zi. Although only a step away, they seemed unable to see Shuan Zi no matter what.
Seeing the pine hairpin in his wife's hair, Shuan Zi's throat seemed to be choked by something.
The guilt that had been pent up in his chest for so many years now felt like a thorn, lodging itself in his throat. His lips moved forcefully, but no sound could be made.
"Boom—rumble—"
A clap of thunder sounded, and cold raindrops fell from the sky. As his consciousness gradually faded, Shuan Zi realized that he was still lying on this bloody battlefield.
The scene before him slowly dissipated. His life had reached its end, but he suddenly seemed to recall something, and with the last bit of his strength, he reached towards his chest.
Feeling the slight bulge on his chest, Shuan Zi suddenly smiled. This half of a millet cake was his dinner from last night, and he had forced himself to save it until now.
The moment life left his body, he finally remembered that this millet cake had been soaked in blood. How could he still give it to his son and his wife...
In the end, I still owe you half a millet cake...
"Uncle Shuan Zi!"
Seeing this, Er Hu could no longer hold back his tears. He frantically grabbed the weapon in his hand and was about to climb down the enemy's scaling ladder.
However, just as he was about to peek out, a similarly immature face, once again, poked out from the city wall. If there was anything different, it was probably only the armor on his body and the sinister grin on his face.
"Kill—"
Before the young Jin soldier could climb onto the city wall, Er Hu, as if gone mad, ferociously slashed his saber towards the Jin soldier's neck.
"Ah—"
With a scream, the young enemy's scalding blood instantly sprayed all over Er Hu's face and head...
"Kill—"
"Kill—"
"Kill—"