Translator: AnubisTL
Early the next morning, at the horse market in Wangyuan City.
Li Qing and Qi Kang walked out, each leading a horse, under the watchful eyes of the horse traders.
"Let's go, to the capital!" Li Qing was the first to mount his horse, leisurely heading towards the west gate.
Qi Kang, on the other hand, was visibly nervous. This was his first time riding a horse, and he gripped the reins tightly, not daring to let go.
Fortunately, the horses sold at the market were quite docile, mostly used for pulling carts, not wild stallions, so riding them wasn't too difficult.
Just as the two reached the middle of the street, preparing to exit the city gate, a series of loud explosions suddenly came from the east gate, as if it had been bombarded by cannon fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground trembled slightly from the force of the blasts.
Soon, the urgent tolling of bells came from the gate, signaling an attack.
"The Liang people are attacking! The Liang people are attacking!"
"It's the ballista, the triple crossbow ballista! The Liang people have brought several triple crossbow ballistas!"
"Hold the gate! Everyone, hold the gate!"
The main street of Wangyuan City connected the east and west gates. As soon as the bells rang, the street was quickly cleared of vendors, porters, and commoners. The once bustling street was now eerily empty.
However, in the next moment, armored figures emerged from both sides of the street, rushing towards the east gate.
The Wu Li Army, a well-trained force composed of martial artists, showed no fear in the face of such formidable siege weapons.
Among the crowd, several chiliarchs of the Wu Li Army quickly scaled the city walls. Agile and skilled, they used their hands and feet to climb the towering walls with ease.
Li Qing's gaze was fixed on one of the figures who had climbed the wall. It was a woman, valiant and heroic, her long hair tied up, wearing light armor, with a slender sword hanging at her waist.
This was Qian Hong, the only female chiliarch in the Wu Li Army, whom Li Qing had met before in the military.
As if sensing something, Qian Hong glanced back after reaching the top of the wall.
From a distance, she scanned Li Qing, but due to the distance and the significant changes in his appearance and demeanor—he was no longer the simple, honest, and dark-skinned blacksmith apprentice he once was—she didn't recognize him immediately. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
Before she could recall further, the wall was struck again by the powerful ballista.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Even the sturdy and thick city wall trembled violently under the relentless bombardment.
The expressions of the chiliarchs on the wall turned grave as they looked out at the tens of thousands of Liang troops stationed nearly a kilometer away. Their hearts tightened slightly.
"To have such power from such a distance, the craftsmanship of the Liang artisans is indeed impressive."
"Even with our Inner Strength, a direct hit from that ballista would likely kill us instantly."
"Hmph, the ballista might be useful for sieging cities, but using it to kill us? That's just wishful thinking."
"These words are absolutely correct. Although the weapons of the Liang Country's forces are impressive, as long as they dare to approach the city walls, we can charge in and out a few times, and still disrupt their morale!" Qian Hong did not speak. She slightly furrowed her brows, gazing at the several ballistae at the front of the army, lost in thought.
As the ballistae continued their relentless bombardment, the city gates seemed on the verge of collapse several times, but were ultimately held firm by the sheer strength of the warriors behind them.
However, all of this was no longer Li Qing's concern.
Just moments ago, when he noticed Chiliarch Qian Hong turning back to look at him, his heart tightened slightly. He quickly turned around, spurred his horse, and headed towards the west gate.
Although he had spent a long time in the World of Eternal Night, and his appearance had changed significantly, only four months had passed here. He wasn't sure if Qian Hong would still recognize him.
Regardless, he no longer wished to stay in Wangyuan City. He immediately whipped his horse and hurried towards the city gate.
Fortunately, the west gate was still open, and those leaving the city were allowed to pass without even a check of their identities, making it quite lenient.
Thus, Li Qing and Qi Kang successfully exited the city, carrying ample supplies, and set off towards the capital.
However, in the following days, the situation in Wangyuan City took a sharp turn for the worse. The once confident citizens became increasingly anxious.
This was because, over these few days, the number of Liang Country's triple-bow ballistae had continuously increased, from an initial three to a total of eight! Under the relentless bombardment, even the sturdy gates of Wangyuan City were breached several times. Despite the efforts of numerous warriors desperately holding the gates from within, they could not withstand such terrifying destructive force.
However, the warriors of the Wu Li Army were no pushovers. Whenever the Liang Country's forces attempted to breach the gates, the Wu Li Army's warriors would sally forth to meet them.
Led by a dozen or so Chiliarchs who were Inner Strength warriors, and supported by the rest of the Wu Li Army, they managed to repel the far more numerous Liang Country forces, inflicting significant casualties.
In the end, the situation was stabilized.
The Liang Country's forces could breach the city walls, but they couldn't advance further. The Wu Li Army, wise in their tactics, did not pursue deeply. After driving the Liang Country's forces back, they immediately returned to the city.
After several such skirmishes, it was the Liang Country's forces that suffered heavier losses.
Thus, the two sides fell into a stalemate once more.
All this news reached Li Qing through hearsay. Hearing that Wangyuan City's gates had been breached, he was grateful that he had left the city early and avoided the turmoil.
Then, after nearly ten more days, Li Qing and Qi Kang finally reached the heart of Maple Country, approaching the capital, Shengtian City! The scenery here was breathtakingly beautiful, far surpassing the desolate landscapes of the desert. Even as winter approached, the climate remained pleasant, with moist air.
The two of them had traveled all the way from Wangyuan City and were thoroughly exhausted.
Now, with Shengtian City just ahead, and the towering city walls visible in the distance, Li Qing couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
"We're here. Let's prepare to enter the city," Li Qing murmured softly, gazing at the walls that were as sturdy as those of Wangyuan City.
Having been in this world for so many years, this was the first time he had come so close to the imperial capital.
Not just him, even Qi Kang's face was filled with excitement. The past ten days had been truly exhausting. Riding on horseback, enduring the constant jolting, it had been incredibly uncomfortable.
Now, seeing the renowned Shengtian City right before his eyes, how could he not be thrilled?
(End of the Chapter)
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