The doctor frowned and shook his head. "I’ve looked through many medical books and found remedies for the plague from hundreds of years ago. But these remedies are useless for the current epidemic. Mainly... it’s because our Liang Kingdom hasn’t had an epidemic for a hundred years. If we could get the remedies used during the great epidemic in Jiaozhou of the Jin Kingdom, we could study them carefully..."
Zhao Sheng gritted his back teeth and comforted the worried doctor. "The Third Prince has already sent people to the Jin Kingdom to search for the remedies. They should be brought back soon!"
"Finding the remedies is crucial, but it’s also necessary for the Imperial Court to promptly send sufficient medicine!" the doctor said.
"They will. With the benevolent Third Prince in the court, he will surely find a way to send the medicine..."
Before Zhao Sheng could finish, the sound of horns suddenly rang out from the direction of the South Gate.
A messenger rushed in through the rain, kneeled on one knee, and clasped his fists. "General! The Jin Army is attacking the pass!"
Zhao Sheng was shocked. The Jin Army had just retreated from the Qingxi Mountain Pass at noon today. Why are they attacking again suddenly?
Zhao Sheng hurried through the rain, grabbed the messenger by the collar, and asked, "Did the scout return with news of the whereabouts of the Princess of Zhen?"
"General, no, not yet!"
Zhao Sheng gritted his teeth, released the messenger, and rushed out of the courtyard. He leaped onto his horse and galloped towards the South Gate through the rain.
Zhao Sheng’s warhorse cut through the already assembled soldiers preparing for battle. As soon as he reached the foot of the city wall, he leaped off the horse and handed his black iron whip to one of the soldiers guarding the wall. He then quickly ran up the stairs to the top.
"Archers ready! Fire!"
Arrows shot through the rain towards the Jin Army, but they all fell on the Jin Army’s heavy shields. Some arrows were even knocked down by the heavy rain before they could reach the Jin Army.
Hearing the calls of "General" from the stairway, Zhao Sheng’s deputy ran anxiously towards Zhao Sheng, gripping the sword at his waist. "General! The Jin Army is attacking... look!"
Zhao Sheng’s fingers clenched tightly on the city wall as he stared at the distance.
Under the rolling black clouds like a giant dragon, the Jin Army’s heavy shields led the way, followed by spears, advancing in an orderly manner. Because of the heavy rain, the Jin Army had not lit torches, and in the pouring rain and darkness, they deliberately slowed their pace. The sound of their military boots, which should have been enough to shake the mountains, was drowned out by the rain and thunder. By the time the Liang Kingdom sentries noticed, the Jin Army was already almost at the city gate.
"Deploy the archers! Prepare for battle!" Zhao Sheng pulled himself together. "Sound the battle drums!"
Inside the Qingxi Mountain Pass, Bai Jinzhi, gripping the reins and sitting on Pingan’s back, gazed intently at the brightly lit Liang Army barracks not far ahead. Behind her... stood soldiers in black armor, facing the downpour, with their faces covered by scarves soaked in medicinal water. They all tightly gripped the hilts of their swords, waiting for Bai Jinzhi’s command to raise the flags and charge.
In the storm, Lin Kangle wiped the rain from his face, and his restless horse beneath him pawed the ground, eager to charge.
Bai Jinzhi scanned the winding mountain path in front of her, remembering that when the Jin Kingdom fully controlled the Qingxi Mountain Pass, she must tell her Eldest Young Lady to send people to fortify it into a city. Otherwise... if a daring enemy commander circumvented from the cliffs behind, they, like the Liang Army, would be caught off guard and be stabbed straight in the heart.
Suddenly, the sound of Liang Army war drums came from afar. Bai Jinzhi drove the Hongying Spear into the ground and, with eyes like a waking leopard, pulled out the scarf soaked in medicinal water from her chest and put it on. Then, raising the Hongying Spear high, she shouted hoarsely, "Raise the flags! Sound the horns! Charge!"
Lin Kangle, with his mouth and nose covered by a scarf, also drew his sword. "Charge!"
"Charge!" The cavalry under their heavy armor unsheathed their swords in unison, and the infantry raised their flags, swiftly following Bai Jinzhi as they charged towards the Liang Army camp.
In no time, the sound of horns and battle cries echoed through the Qingxi Mountain Pass.
On the city wall, Zhao Sheng, preparing for battle, suddenly heard a series of deep horn sounds from behind. He felt a chill run down his spine.
The horns of the Jin Army!
Standing on the wall of the Qingxi Mountain Pass, Zhao Sheng quickly turned and hurried to the other side of the wall. But except for the lights of their own camp, he saw nothing in the dark night.
A bad premonition surged in Zhao Sheng’s heart. He shouted, "What’s happening?!"
A messenger galloped towards him, calling out, "General!" He then dismounted and knelt in the water. "General... it’s the Black Banner with the White Python! The Princess of Zhen has led troops into the pass from behind!"
Zhao Sheng felt a chill down his spine. He quickly turned to look at Liu Hong, who was still leading troops forward in front.
The rain drenched Zhao Sheng thoroughly, and the cold iron armor clung to his skin, making him shiver.
It was too dark to see how many troops Liu Hong had brought, but currently... Liu Hong’s attack could still be defended by the city walls. However, the rear... could only be guarded by men!
Zhao Sheng’s mind was almost frozen. He clenched his fist, turned to look at his deputy, and gripped his shoulder. "You stay here and guard the wall! Don’t let Liu Hong and the Princess of Zhen flank our Liang Army! I’ll go meet the Princess of Zhen in battle!"
"General!" The deputy grabbed Zhao Sheng. "Let me go meet the Princess of Zhen!"
Zhao Sheng gripped the deputy’s hand tightly. "I leave this wall to you! As long as you can hold it, I’ll make sure the Princess of Zhen never returns!"
With that, Zhao Sheng turned and walked towards the foot of the city wall, leapt onto his horse, and shouted, "Soldiers of the Zhao Family Army! The Qingxi Mountain Pass is the last natural barrier of our Liang Kingdom. If it falls... it will be the end of our country! We are all loyal men of the Liang Kingdom! We must defend the Qingxi Mountain Pass to the death!"
"Defend the Qingxi Mountain Pass to the death!"
"Defend the Qingxi Mountain Pass to the death!"
"Defend the Qingxi Mountain Pass to the death!"
"Zhao Qi, Wang Yu! Lead the troops to the rear with me to meet the Princess of Zhen! We will show the Jin people! This is the territory of our Liang Kingdom! How dare they act recklessly on our land!" Zhao Sheng roared, then galloped ahead, "Charge!"
Seeing Zhao Sheng heading out with his troops, the deputy quickly returned to the south side of the wall, constantly on guard against the attacking Jin Army. He gritted his teeth... and his gaze fell on the triple crossbow. He shouted, "Prepare the triple crossbow!"
Seeing the flickering firelight on the city wall of the Qingxi Mountain Pass, Liu Hong stood up in his war chariot. His eyes were like torches staring at the wall, knowing that Zhao Sheng had likely led troops to confront Bai Jinzhi, who flew the Black Banner with the White Python. He loudly ordered, "Sound the war drums! Attack the city!"
Twenty mounted messengers received the order and rode off in various directions, loudly transmitting, "Attack the city!"