The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1626: Uneasy and Restless

"Old Ye, look quickly, their ladders are being set up." Shangguan Jian pointed at the Qin Army below. The Shield Formation slowly opened, and a group of heavily armored soldiers carried ladders and charged out from the formation. They were the elite under Wang Li, battle-hardened and fearless in the face of flying arrows. Their armor was specially made, and ordinary arrows couldn’t penetrate it.

"Quickly, fire arrows, push them back."

Ye Shikai knew Wang Li’s tactics well. As soon as the battle started, he revealed his trump card. These soldiers were likely not ordinary but specially trained "Death Soldiers" by Wang Li. Ordinary arrows couldn’t pierce their armor; only strong crossbows could force them back. The long arrows from the crossbows were as thick as rolling pins, piercing Qin Army’s armor and sending both men and armor flying.

Twenty ladders were quickly set up against the fortress wall. It was impossible to topple them by sheer manpower alone. If the Qin Army managed to climb up, it would be dangerous.

"Old Ye, the ladders of the Qin Army are covered in copper coin plates, making them unable to be set aflame. What do we do next?"

"Use rolling stones to smash them down."

"Understood."

Qin Army camp.

"Ye, let me show you what real combat is like. Vanguard, move out."

"Understood."

"Understood."

At Wang Li’s command, hundreds of lightly armored soldiers immediately stood behind him. They didn’t wear helmets but covered their heads entirely with black cloth, leaving only their eyes and noses exposed. Apart from some armor on vital areas, they wore form-fitting coarse cloth elsewhere and carried two knives on their backs.

"Capture the fortress wall."

"Charge!"

The vanguard dashed out from behind the Shield Formation, swift as monkeys in the forest, seemingly everyone possessed Qinggong skills. They climbed the ladders within moments, and the archers had no time to fire arrows before the vanguard was upon them.

"Be careful!"

Ahhh.

Wang Li’s vanguard drew their twin swords from their backs and easily cut down the archers on the fortress wall. These soldiers had undergone strict combat training and were top-notch swordsmen, attacking ferociously, aiming their blades at the soldiers’ arms, chopping off many. Blood flowed, causing unbearable pain.

"Bastards."

"Iron Armor Army, follow me." Man Cang was the first to charge forward, wielding a short spear in one hand and a knife in the other, single-handedly holding off a dozen of Wang Li’s vanguard. If these "vanguard" excelled in agility and ferocity, winning with "softness," then the Iron Armor Army, draped in iron armor and tightly gripping long spears, represented "strength," overcoming softness with strength.

"Spear Formation, prepare." Man Cang ordered the Iron Armor Army to form ranks, with front-row soldiers holding iron shields and those behind thrusting long spears. The narrow fortress wall allowed only a few people to walk side by side. In this environment, the Iron Armor Army’s spear formation was nearly flawless. Several of Qin Army’s vanguard attempted to break through with speed but were impaled by the long spears before even getting close.

"Report, the Qin Army’s Siege Hammer has reached the fortress gate!"

The strength of the fortress gate was inferior to that of the city gate, and this was Wang Li’s elite force; merely holding the gate wouldn’t last long.

"Use boiling oil, pour it down." Ye Shikai recalled the siege of Wan City and was applying what he had learned from Zheng Lang’s tactics, fighting fire with fire.

"Understood."

Scalding hot oil was poured down from above. If not for the copper plates covering the Siege Hammer, it would have caught fire directly. Yet the Qin Army suffered greatly, as splattering hot oil burned their skin, causing pain that could render a person unconscious.

Both sides were locked in a bloody struggle, fighting for the entire morning without a decisive outcome. Helplessly, Wang Li had to sound the retreat, setting up camp twenty miles outside the fortress.

"Quick, carry the wounded away for treatment, and move the bodies of our fallen brothers to the rear. Have the soldiers repair the fortress walls, resupply arrows and stones; the Qin Army won’t give us much time." After the battle, Shangguan Jian didn’t dare to relax, promptly commanding soldiers to prepare for the Qin Army’s next siege.

"Understood."

"Understood."

"Shangguan, how many did we lose?" Ye Shikai inquired.

"Approximately... three or four thousand, but the fortress gate suffered significant damage. If we hadn’t responded promptly, allowing the Qin Army to break through the gate, the losses would have been far greater."

"That’s true. Wang Li truly is a renowned general of the Qin Dynasty. Despite our meticulous arrangements, he still managed to hit us hard. We must defend the fortress gate at all costs; as long as it’s intact, the Qin Army can’t breach it."

"I’ve directed the brothers to handle it."

"By the way, Wan Qi Yuan has returned. They launched a fierce attack from the rear while the Qin Army was sieging, slaying many enemies, and have now returned to camp."

"Good, issue orders: anyone who slays an enemy’s head will be rewarded."

"Understood."

"Also, have the scouts returned? There are only thirty or forty thousand Qin soldiers across from us; I need to know where the rest are."

"Well... as of now, no scouts have reported back, but I suspect they’ll return soon."

"Wang Li’s aggressive attack on the front camp is meant to hold me here and draw our main forces, allowing the remaining troops to act." Ye Shikai analyzed. "The fiercer Wang Li attacks here, the more uneasy I feel."

"Old Ye, rest assured, every camp has thousands of soldiers; even if we’re outmatched, we have the signal tower to alert us quickly." Shangguan Jian comforted.

"Indeed, General Wang Li is here, so the main attacking direction of the Qin Army must be here. Other troop movements are likely just to confuse us. As long as we hold the front camp, the Qin Army cannot harm us." Man Cang added from the side.

"That’s precisely what I’m worried about. If Wang Li personally mounts a feint, where is the actual main attack direction?"

Qin Army camp.

"General, in today’s battle, we lost five thousand soldiers; half of our vanguard perished. They were all our elite."

"Precisely because they are our elite, trained and led personally by me, they can draw the Chu Army’s main forces here. As long as our thirty thousand troops don’t retreat, Ye Shikai will remain here."

"General, what should we do next? It’s noon, and the Chu Army has begun repairing their walls and gates. We should launch an attack immediately."

"No need to rush, let the men rest. In the afternoon... it won’t be us who will lead the main attack." Wang Li’s lips curled upward, revealing a subtle, elusive smile.

"Report." At this moment, a Qin Army soldier suddenly burst into the tent, kneeling in front of both officers.

"What is it?"

"General Guo leads forty thousand troops, bypassing the Chu Army camp, is now crossing the river."

"Have them cross the river, circle to the rear of the Chu Army’s position, and directly charge Wan City. Capture it overnight without fail."