Chapter Sixty-Seven: East Gate, Carefree

Under the relentless barrage of arrows from the soldiers atop the city walls, the rebel forces attacking from the southern gate suffered heavy casualties. Of the fifteen hundred men Li Qian had first brought outside the south gate, most had already perished in the forbidden trench; a few who managed to climb to the western edge of the trench were shot dead by Tang soldiers stationed on Twelve-Link City and the walls of Tong Pass. Those killed by arrows bore multiple wounds—many with over a dozen arrows piercing their bodies, resembling hedgehogs.

Those gravely wounded lay motionless within the trench, unable to move, while those less severely injured either sought places to hide or joined the unscathed soldiers and the next waves of attackers in attempting to climb the western edge, pressing on with their assault. Yet, their grim determination yielded no reward. Death awaited them ahead, just as it had claimed their fallen comrades before, and their bodies added further height to the growing mound within the forbidden trench.

The concentrated arrow fire inflicted devastating losses upon the rebel attackers. Many were killed or wounded, but the commanders atop the southern gate—such as Geshu Han and Wang Silie—felt no joy. This was merely the beginning; the battles ahead promised even greater carnage and more arduous trials.

Soon, after the bodies in the forbidden trench were burned, the gruesome aftermath was mostly concealed. The trench was now covered with the corpses and wounded bodies of rebel soldiers—a sight equally harrowing, though the situation was now entirely different. Fresh waves of rebels continued to charge in from the eastern side of the trench, trampling over their comrades’ bodies as they pressed toward the western edge, employing every means to scale the steep walls. It seemed as if they cared nothing for death.

———

Standing atop the eastern gate tower, Yang Xi commanded the defense, keeping a keen eye not only on the situation at the east gate but also frequently turning to observe the fierce battle unfolding at the south gate. He was well aware that the fighting outside the southern gate was far more intense than at the east.

Though the eastern gate lacked the formidable barrier of a forbidden trench, the terrain was narrow and winding, making it impossible for the rebels to deploy larger assault formations. The concentrated arrow volleys from the defenders inflicted severe losses; even as the rebels charged with raised shields, the effect was minimal. Arrows flying at high speed inevitably found their mark, and no matter how tightly the shields were held, as soon as a few soldiers were wounded, gaps appeared in the shield array.

As soon as gaps appeared, the arrows from the wall became all the more deadly, further diminishing the effectiveness of the rebels’ shield defense below. Increasing numbers of soldiers were wounded or killed by the arrows. Moreover, those who made it to the base of the wall and attempted to raise scaling ladders could not keep their shields up indefinitely. While setting up ladders and preparing to climb, casualties mounted even higher. In the end, only a handful managed to reach the wall’s base, and the number of ladders erected was few and easily toppled by the Tang defenders above.

Scaling ladders could not simply be placed and used; several soldiers below were needed to steady them, or else they’d be pushed down with ease. But so few rebels reached the base of the wall that even setting up ladders was a challenge, let alone having enough men to climb or support them.

At least five or six thousand rebels had launched repeated attacks toward the east gate, yet only a few hundred managed to reach the foot of the wall. The rest were either wounded, killed, or blocked by the dead and wounded, unable to advance.

Those few hundred, dodging arrows, logs, and rolling stones from above, still tried to set up ladders—but their numbers were far too thin. The arrows from the defenders rained down in dense volleys; logs and stones were hurled in abundance—far more than they could withstand. These few hundred ultimately became corpses strewn below the walls of Tong Pass, and their bodies were trampled by subsequent waves, making ladder assaults even more difficult.

The dead and wounded rebels now severely obstructed further attacks. The path to the east gate consisted entirely of steps, and the fallen lay scattered across them, blocking the way for those following behind. Cheng Wei, leading the rebel assault, was forced to order his men to clear the bodies so as not to obstruct the assault route. Yet the number of casualties was so great that it could not be cleared at once, and the Tang defenders continued their deadly barrage, felling more attackers. Few could reach the base of the wall.

The accumulation of corpses and wounded blocked the way, slowing down subsequent attacks. After a period of sustained assault, the attacks at the east gate began to wane. The number of rebel soldiers reaching the east gate dwindled, and Yang Xi saw this clearly—he was no longer worried that the east gate would fall swiftly to the rebels.

Because the dead and wounded blocked the path, subsequent attacks faltered, and the battle at the east gate became less intense than at the outset. This was a surprise to Yang Xi, and equally unexpected and worrying to Cui Qianyou, who observed the battle’s progress from a distant hill.

Seeing the rebels’ east gate assault devastated, the road blocked by masses of dead and wounded, and unable to accelerate their attack, Cui Qianyou realized that capturing Tong Pass today could not be achieved by breaking through the east gate.

A heavy gloom settled over him, and a sense of pessimism began to stir.

He knew well that with overwhelming numerical superiority, the best way to take a city was through widespread, simultaneous assaults, concentrating large numbers of soldiers at multiple points to exert maximum pressure on the defenders. This would force the defenders into chaos and heavy casualties, allowing more attackers to reach the walls, engage in close combat, and, by virtue of numbers, seize the ramparts and ultimately take the city. But now, the attack fronts could not be spread out; only the southern gate allowed for broad assaults, while the north gate could not even accommodate the attacking forces, and the east gate proved unsuitable for large-scale attacks.

Cui Qianyou sighed softly and could only order increased pressure on the south gate, regardless of casualties—even if it meant filling the forbidden trench with corpses, so that more soldiers could reach the walls.

The thought of filling the trench with bodies sent a shudder through him.

Yes, without the forbidden trench, the southern gate could accommodate more attackers, and the soldiers could directly set up scaling ladders without crossing such a perilous barrier. They could even use the trench as a position from which to shoot back at the defenders within the city, instead of being so helplessly battered as they were now.

The idea struck him forcefully, and after surveying the fighting at each gate, he quickly changed his plan and immediately issued new orders: focus all efforts on the assault at the southern gate, continue the attack at the east gate but reduce troop commitment.

He also ordered a contingent of soldiers to launch an attack at the north gate, tying down the Tang defenders at both gates.