Chapter Sixty-Nine: Lamentation and Joy

The air grew ever more stifling, with not a trace of wind. The trees upon the mountain stood utterly still, as though all of Mount Hua had fallen into a motionless pause. Perhaps even the mountain spirits were shaken by the carnage unfolding below.

Tongguan City, two-thirds cradled by surrounding peaks, sweltered in the absence of breeze. The thick clouds hung low, and many soldiers succumbed to heatstroke, collapsing from the relentless heat and the strain of battle. Both sides suffered similar losses in combat strength due to the oppressive weather.

As the fierce defense atop the city walls continued, Li Fude and Pang Zhong’s troops, originally scheduled to rest and recover from the previous day’s exhaustion, now appeared at the ramparts. Following Yang Xi’s orders, they joined the defense at the southern gate.

With their arrival, the defensive force at the southern gate swelled to nearly eight thousand men. The number of soldiers firing upon the enemy increased to two thousand per volley, each round of arrows denser than the last.

The reinforcement of the southern gate with Pang Zhong and Li Fude’s troops altered Wang Sili’s impression of Yang Xi yet again. Yang Xi had not kept these men by his side at the eastern gate, but instead deployed them where they were most needed, vowing to personally lead reinforcements should the southern gate come under overwhelming pressure. Such decisions, made for the greater good rather than personal safety, earned Wang Sili’s respect.

"Pass my orders: at any cost, we must keep the rebel army beneath these walls!" Wang Sili shouted fiercely, brandishing his sword at the soldiers nearby. "If anyone shows cowardice or flees, they will be put to death without mercy!"

His voice rang out loud and clear, sending a shudder through the ranks.

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At last, the wind arrived—and with a vengeance. It howled through the mountain passes, sending the soldiers atop the ramparts swaying and unsteady. The arrows they loosed were swept off course, their force dissipated in the gale.

Most arrows still struck the charging rebels, but their lethality was greatly diminished. Those climbing the Forbidden Ravine’s western wall or ascending the cloud ladders were sometimes swept from their perches by the wind, tumbling from cliff or ladder and landing atop their companions below, provoking panicked screams.

Yet the roaring wind was a bane for the Tang commanders atop the walls. Their most effective weapon was the arrow; from their elevated position, they inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels. Now, the ceaseless wind sapped the arrows of their strength, weakening their defense.

If they could no longer inflict sufficient losses with arrows, more rebels would reach the western edge of the Forbidden Ravine and erect more cloud ladders. The tide would soon turn in the rebels’ favor.

Yang Xi groaned inwardly; he had not expected Heaven to conspire against him as well!

A thunderclap split the air, startling Yang Xi from his lament. He looked up and saw that though sunlight still touched the distant horizon, half the sky above was already shrouded in black clouds. His attention had been consumed by the battle below, but now he realized that the weather atop Mount Hua had changed—the familiar signs of a summer storm.

“It’s going to pour! But the reinforcements aren’t here yet—what are we to do?” Yang Xi murmured, gazing skyward.

“It’s about to rain!” On the eastern side of the Forbidden Ravine, Cui Qianyou, though buffeted by the wind, could not suppress his joy. Echoing Yang Xi’s words, he exclaimed to his guards and lieutenants, “Heaven favors us!”

The wind showed no sign of abating—indeed, it grew even stronger. The clouds churned violently, and soon the daylight faded. Tongguan City, situated in a natural wind tunnel, was always blustery, but in these turbulent conditions, the gusts were fierce beyond measure, easily surpassing the tenth level of the Beaufort scale.

The effectiveness of the arrows plummeted, multiplying the Tang commanders’ distress. Unable to kill effectively at range, the officers felt mounting pressure. All prayed for the wind to subside, for the rain to hold off—they would rather endure the sun’s merciless glare.

“Prepare your swords!” Wang Sili drew his blade and shouted for the soldiers to ready themselves.

With arrows rendered ineffective, other means of defense were needed. Some soldiers abandoned their bows, drew swords, and rushed to the ramparts, prepared to meet the rebels in close combat.

Before Yang Xi’s eyes, clusters of rebel soldiers climbed the western edge of the Forbidden Ravine, while more surged up from behind.

Yang Xi’s anxiety rose, not for the eastern gate, but for the southern gate. Though it was guarded by the greatest number of troops—some eight thousand—they faced tens of thousands of rebels in relentless assault and remained at a severe disadvantage. He had little in reserve to reinforce them, unless a great number of reinforcements arrived.

Where were the reinforcements? When would they reach Tongguan City?

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Yang Xi sighed deeply.

According to the urgent report he had received earlier, Dou Hua’s three thousand men were still fifty li from Tongguan, exhausted and unable to hasten their pace. Barring unforeseen delays, they would need at least another hour or two to reach the city.

Now, the wind raged, and rain threatened; their arrival would surely be delayed further.

“May the soldiers unite and fight to the death, never allowing the rebels to breach the ramparts!” Yang Xi prayed silently, then ordered his chief guard Yang Dong to muster all household guards. If necessary, he would lead his private troops and five hundred reservists to reinforce the southern gate.

On the western edge of the Forbidden Ravine, Cui Qianyou saw the arrows blown astray, their killing power waning, and rejoiced. He immediately ordered his forces to intensify their assault, on both the eastern and northern gates, to prevent those troops from reinforcing the southern gate. At the southern gate, he concentrated all his forces, launching relentless attacks and denying the Tang defenders any respite.

“Send word to all officers: accelerate the assault! Whatever the cost, you must break through to the ramparts of Tongguan City!” Cui Qianyou roared at his lieutenants and soldiers, brandishing his sword. “The first to scale the ramparts will be promoted three ranks, rewarded with ten thousand gold coins, and I shall personally petition the Emperor for your merit!”

“Kill!” The lieutenants, soldiers, and guards around Cui Qianyou echoed his cry, brandishing their weapons.

Where once the Tang army had held the advantage of weather and terrain, now the tables had turned. The wind and impending rain favored the rebels, undermining the Tang’s mastery of the bow. No matter how valiantly they fought, they could not halt the rebels’ relentless onslaught.

Nearly a thousand rebels had already evaded the Tang arrows, climbed the western edge, and erected cloud ladders against the city walls.

The wind kept howling, toppling some ladders, but more were thrust toward the walls.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed ever more frequently; the clouds pressed lower, darkness deepened.

At last, amid a succession of earth-shattering thunderclaps and blinding lightning, torrents of rain poured down from the heavens.