Chapter 82: Imminent Victory

While Six-Ugly was pondering on his next move at Plum Mountain, at Qiyi, the final stronghold in the western reaches of the human realm, General Ji Guyi—who had taken over the command of the western campaign from Huang Chenyuan—led the Mountain-Shaking and Front-Breaking armies, together with thirty thousand auxiliary troops from the eastern territories and over twenty thousand feudal lords' troops, bringing the total to seventy thousand soldiers and fifty thousand laborers. They erected the final line of defense right before the hinterland of the Great Zhou.

There was only one guiding principle:
Hold the cities and fight outside them.

The strategy was simple: if the demon race attacked, the Great Zhou would rely on its numerous cities to fight to the death and hold the line; but if the demon race bypassed the cities, the army would sally forth to raid their rear supply lines, preventing the demons from attending to both front and rear. Other than systematically uprooting the cities one by one, the demons would have no other choice.

This had also been the human race's consistent approach to dealing with the demon race for thousands of years. In open-field encounters, the casualty ratio between humans and demons was simply too devastating, reaching an astonishing ten to one—meaning the Great Zhou would have to lose one hundred thousand elites to kill ten thousand demons. However, in siege warfare, the casualty ratio between humans and demons would often drop to three to one, four to one, or even a more favorable two to one. Only through this method could the demons be relentlessly dragged down beneath the city walls and forced into a bitter struggle to the death.

Ji Guyi had even arrived at Qiyi in person, taking part in the frontline defense.

Could they hold it?

Not only were the citizens of Great Zhou discussing this in private, but even the clans and military officers stationed at Qiyi could not help whispering among themselves. Had it not been for Ji Guyi's figure patrolling the ramparts every single day, such rumors might have spread even faster and caused a far greater commotion.

The arrival of Ji Guyi and the hundreds of thousands of eastern soldiers under his command provided some solace to the various feudal states.

Looking at the continuously thickening and heightening city walls, the diverse mechanical devices erected upon them, the countless ballistas and bow-carts, and the steadily increasing catapult mechanisms within the city, the hearts of the citizens shifted from initial terror to unease, then to hesitation, and finally culminated in confidence. The number of people fleeing the city began to dwindle, and more and more responded to the eastern army's call, devoting themselves to the construction of defensive installations.

The frontline would not be reinforced, rescued, or managed; they would focus solely on completing this second line of defense and wait for the arrival of the demon race...

With his iron-fisted methods, Ji Guyi made his choice at the very first moment, decisively abandoning the irrecoverable territory ahead. Clenching his fist, he gathered all his forces together, waiting for the coming of the demons.

According to intelligence from scouts, three days prior, the demon race had breached all the forward-lying cities and begun their march toward Qiyi, arriving today. Therefore, from early morning onward, the entire city had prepared for battle, with all officers taking their respective posts, waiting for the descent of the demons.

As noon approached, a fierce gale laden with a foul stench surged from the forest, carrying sand, dust, and countless swirling fallen leaves and weeds to form massive gusts that slammed against the ramparts.

The howling wind tore across the open ground before the city, battering the faces and bodies of the numerous soldiers on the walls, making it nearly impossible for them to keep their heads up. At the same time, massive plumes of dust slowly rose along the distant straight road, and countless swaying figures began to appear amidst the haze, spreading even into the dense forests beside the road. The trees began to shake; though there was no dust there, the swaying canopy and the accompanying sounds sent a shudder through everyone's heart.

The stench of corruption drew closer, accompanied by thunderous footsteps. Countless members of the demon race filled every corner within line of sight, like a breached, overflowing flood—ubiquitous, dense, and swarming out from the straight road, the forests, and everywhere else. They converged into a colossal, churning tide that rolled endlessly, finally reaching Qiyi and the massive military encampments flanking it.

Following closely behind were roars, howls, and horn blasts that rolled like thunder.

To prepare for battle, all trees and houses within a radius of nearly a thousand meters around Qiyi had been cut down and leveled. Yet now, the emergence of the demon race filled this entire open expanse, packing the distant woods as well, jammed so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass.

Small demons and even ferocious beasts of various ranks carpeted the entire area before the city like a layer of sand.

The front rank of the demon race halted three hundred meters from the moat, and the demons behind them stopped one by one. With a massive roar, almost instantly, all howling and horn-blowing ceased. Amidst the piercing wind, only that single, lingering howl reverberated between heaven and earth.

Awooo—

The howl grew gradually higher, then stopped abruptly, only to instantly transform into a chorus throughout the demon army. Every single demon threw open their throats and screamed at the top of their lungs, their thunderous cries instantly merging into a single sheet before lunging toward the ramparts.

The soldiers standing atop the walls felt their ears ringing with a dull hum, and countless men could not help but cover their ears. Some soldiers were even knocked unconscious by the sheer shock of the roar. Such massive and terrifying momentum caused the hands of numerous feudal soldiers to tremble, their teeth to chatter, and their legs to grow weak.

Seeing this, Ji Guyi, who sat commanding the center of the city wall, frowned slightly. He suddenly gestured with a hand, and a signal runner sprinted rapidly to the rear of the wall, waving flags toward the city to issue three signals.

Amidst the bewildered gazes of the various feudal generals, the creaking sound of windlasses turning began to echo from within the city behind them. As the grinding noise rose, massive catapults slowly began to tension. Countless rocks were loaded into hurling nets, their trajectories adjusted, preparing for launch.

The signal runner dashed back quickly and reported, "All is ready. Awaiting the Great General's command."

"Fire!"

Ji Guyi waved his hand, forcing a single word out through clenched teeth.

With a loud *thrum*, the sound of massive bowstrings twanged, completely drowning out the howling mountain-and-sea din outside for a split second.

Countless massive black rainbows streaked across the sky above Qiyi. Viewed from the ground, they looked like trails of flying smoke, shooting straight toward the advancing demon host and targeting the very center of their formation!

The distant black specks expanded rapidly in the vision of the demons. The howling began to subside, and quite a few demons realized the human counter-attack. Those who had tasted the bitterness of it panicked instantly, and their formation began to scatter at that moment.

Yet at that very same time, countless sturdy, huge, and ferocious beasts—such as bears, wild oxen, and fierce tigers—suddenly lunged out from the demon ranks, leaping into the air and brandishing blades and axes to smash directly into the massive boulders hurtling through the sky.

Boom, boom, boom...

Deafening crashes rang out continuously. Many of the huge rocks hurled by the catapults were deflected or knocked off course by the demons' counter-attacks; a few were smashed directly, shattering into countless rock fragments that fell like a stony rain. Yet some demons failed to withstand the sheer weight of the boulders, getting knocked flying back down to earth to smash into the ground and die instantly.

The massive stones landed, rolling over a dozen yards, leaving the ground covered in countless demons with broken bones and tendons, their groans and shrieks piercing the firmament.

The howling finally stopped, and the morale of the Great Zhou soldiers—which had nearly plummeted to freezing point—rebounded greatly. The eastern officers took the lead in cheering, loudly mocking the casualties of the demon race:

"Hahaha, why aren't you howling anymore?"
"What was all that ghost-crying and wolf-howling for? Do you know the might of your grandfathers now?"
"Lawless scoundrels! You deserve to die!"

Following that, fierce mocking laughter erupted among the soldiers, and curses filled the city walls.

"Woo-woo-woo—woo-woo-woo—woo-woo-woo—"

A fierce blast of horns suddenly sounded amidst the demon ranks. Without requiring any verbal order, the tide-like demon horde surged abruptly, rushing fiercely toward Qiyi.

The attack had begun!

The frenzied tide of demons showed no intention of splitting its forces, sweeping across the entire front of Qiyi and its two encampments like a flood, pouring forward. The sabers, spears, swords, and halberds in the hands of the demons glittered under the sunlight, bringing with them a storm of blood as they lunged savagely toward the humans.

Catapults, ballistas, and bow-carts began to play in rapid succession. The catapults within the city hurled countless fragments of stone, while ballistas of various models desperately poured out volleys of bolts. There was no need to aim; as long as the firing rate was fast enough, anything released would inevitably strike home.

The giant boulders shattering in mid-air whistled down, engulfing vast swathes of the demon army. All kinds of flashes, smoke, and illusions began to burst forth among the demons—these were their innate demonic arts, yet most of these arts possessed little defensive capability against such attacks. In a mere instant, countless demons lost their lives to the catapults and various siege-engine beasts, turning into mangled corpses.

The ballistas were much the same. The demons pierced by the giant bolts were not merely impaled thanks to the tremendous kinetic energy; their entire bodies were strung onto the shafts and sent flying backward, subsequently piercing a second and a third demon while their viscera were churned out, brains burst, and bones shattered.

By the time the bolts hit the ground, several corpses had merged together beyond recognition.

Even more demons were not killed outright; instead, parts of their bodies were pierced, torn away, or smashed to a pulp. The blood they vomited was mixed with sticky chunks of flesh—their pulverized organs expelled along with the gore. Having suffered such a fate, death was merely a matter of time.

Despite the ferocious firepower of the humans and the massive casualties it inflicted, the demons' assault was not severely hindered. The vanguard of the demon race had already reached the moat. Amidst the cold wind, flying sand, and rolling stones, the majority of the demons charged across without a moment's pause, while only a few hesitated by the riverbank before finding a suitable way to cross.

The catapults and ballistas still had not adjusted their angles, for even as these demons reached the ramparts, countless more uncountable numbers of demons continued to emerge from the dense forests behind, coming wave after wave to charge toward Qiyi.

The signal bearer began waving his large banner once more, though this time he faced not the city interior, but the entire length of the city walls to the left and right.

Immediately afterward, the sky above Qiyi darkened abruptly.

Countless demons subconsciously raised their heads to see a dense, oppressive rain cloud forming above the city, rapidly closing in. The demons recognized it at once: these were human arrows. Moreover, accompanied by the dark cloud came a foul, nauseating stench.

Monsters were not overly terrified of arrows, as their sturdy physiques meant arrow wounds were not necessarily fatal. However, ever since entering the Zhou state, the human race had abandoned ordinary arrows in favor of this variety, commonly known as filthy arrows.

Every single one of these arrowheads had been soaked in nightsoil.

Many of the vanguard and elite scouts among the demons recognized these filthy arrows. Once struck, the wound would rapidly rot and putrefy, subsequently causing the demon's body to swell, ulcerate, and develop a high fever, leaving them extremely weak. Only a small fraction of exceptionally tough monsters could withstand it, while those small demons or beasts of the second and third ranks possessed virtually no resistance against it, leaving them with no choice but to await death.

They might not be shot to death, but they would be worn to death!

The dark, oppressive rain of arrows descended head-on. The charging small demons and beasts collided with it as if hitting a wall, and in an instant, large swathes of demons fell. Yet very quickly, many other demons scrambled back up and plunged back into the combat. Regrettably, however, they had already been struck by arrows; if they did not die in the siege today, they would inevitably fall ill by tomorrow.

Yet following hard on their heels came a second wave of arrow rain...

Countless volleys of arrows poured down one after another, as though they would never stop. The ground was densely studded with a thick layer of arrows, and beneath those arrows lay the countless corpses of the slain demon host.