The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1724: Breach

Sixty-plus Hidden Guards fired together, but the bullets all hit the ground near the feet of the Chu Army. The splattering soil and the booming gunfire frightened them; they didn’t know what this weapon was, but such a lethal weapon could kill them from hundreds of meters away, far beyond the range of bows and crossbows.

The gunfire not only shocked the Chu Army but also the 200-plus personal guards who had never seen firearms. Faced with such a roaring weapon, they felt half fearful and half curious. As long as these bizarre weapons weren’t aimed at them, that was enough.

Hundreds of bullets poured out, indeed stopping the Chu Army from advancing. Ye Shikai raised his rifle, took aim, and shot at the leading Chu Army general.

Bam.

The bullet hit the Chu Army general’s helmet. The man was unharmed, but the helmet was knocked off, which terrified everyone. The Chu Army retreated, falling back dozens of steps.

"Sir, they seem to be retreating."

"Don’t relax; they will come back." Ye Shikai only hoped the gunfire could intimidate them. If retreat was possible, that was best, avoiding more bloodshed. But he knew Mi Wen would never abandon the attack because of the firearms he had. The Chu Army would certainly return.

This forest is dense, consisting of sloping roads, making it impossible for large siege machines, such as siege hammers, trebuchets, or even ladders, to be brought here. Firearms had not yet been recognized as weapons in this era, so attacking the fort depends on manpower. If Ye Shikai had enough bullets and firearms, with five or six machine guns mounted on the stockade, the Chu Army wouldn’t stand a chance.

"Be careful, we don’t have many bullets, so we can’t waste them. Also, with the long range of the firearms, you can fire from 200 steps. When they get close to 100 steps, use the crossbow machines to release arrows."

"Understood."

"Understood."

As the gunfire subsided, the retreating Chu Army advanced again, using shields in front to push forward little by little.

"Sir, it’s 200 steps now."

"Fire." With a shout from Ye Shikai, the Hidden Guards began to sweep-fire, the bullets piercing through the shields, causing the front rows of the Chu Army to fall.

"All forces, charge forward," shouted the Chu Army’s general as he drew his sword, and thousands of soldiers rushed toward the fort gate.

"General, less than 100 steps now."

"Crossbow machines, release arrows." On command, the seven crossbow machines mounted on the stockade fired volleyed arrows that had been pre-struck, one after the other, causing a batch of charging Chu Army soldiers to fall.

"Archer, release the fire arrows," directed the Chu Army’s general. The thousands of archers in the rear replaced their arrows with fire arrows and fired them en masse at the fort gate.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

The arrowheads contained flammable materials, which burst into flames upon contact with dry wood and leaves. The Chu Army aimed to burn down the entire stockade, even the whole stronghold.

However, Ye Shikai had anticipated this, and the stockade walls were already soaked with water. The fire arrows hitting them had no effect and quickly extinguished.

"Take cover from the arrows," Ye Shikai advised, sidestepping prone behind the "cover." The arrows couldn’t hit anyone, breezing over heads at best.

"Sir, I’m out of bullets."

"I’m out too."

"Switch to crossbows." Ye Shikai set aside his firearm. Without bullets, the rifle was no better than a stick. The stronghold had plenty of armaments, transported earlier by Ye Shikai from the Chu Army’s arsenal, ready for use.

Bam, bam.

The Chu Army below blocked arrows with their shields, using their bodies to bang against the fort gate. Although not very powerful, if the banging continued, the gate wouldn’t hold for long. This was merely a small fort, incomparable to a stronghold housing tens of thousands. If the Chu Army had a siege hammer, the gate would not withstand even ten hits.

"Quick, stop them," Ye Shikai shouted as the dense ranks of the Chu Army pushed forward, their sheer numbers overwhelming the limited forces under Ye Shikai’s command, only able to hold for a short time.

"Brothers, follow me." Ye Shikai led over twenty robust personal guards, each armed with a long spear, forming up at the gate.

"Stay calm, wait for my order."

"Understood."

"Understood."

Ye Shikai instructed everyone to wait. The Chu Army was just a gate away, and each impact against the fort gate resonated like a hammer, striking at their hearts.

Bam, bam, bam.

The Chu Army continued battering the gate, and as the sturdy gate started to give way, everyone clenched with anxiety, for if the gate broke, they would face the Chu Army directly.

"Now, raise spears." Ye Shikai’s shout prompted everyone to immediately lift their several-meter-long spears.

"Stab."

In the blink of an eye, dozens of spears were thrust out, piercing through the wooden gate and stabbing into the Chu Army behind it.

"Once more."

Everyone retrieved their spears and thrust again, the spear points piercing through the front ranks of the Chu Army.

"Alright, fall back." Ye Shikai yelled, and everyone stepped back three paces. Meanwhile, the incoming Chu Army thrust their long spears forward, but having already retreated, there were no casualties.

"Once more." Taking advantage of the Chu Army’s delay in recovering their spears, Ye Shikai commanded a counter-thrust to the Chu Army outside the gate.

"Everyone, retreat now." Ye Shikai shouted. All soldiers atop the stockade hurried down, as the gate was on the verge of falling, forcing a retreat to the second line of defense.

"Follow me." Ye Shikai led everyone back. The stronghold was neither large nor small, sufficient to maneuver against the invading Chu Army. Ye Shikai took out the few remaining grenades, tying their pins to the gate.

"Shangguan, hurry." Ye Shikai called out, gripping his sword. The Chu Army numbered in the thousands, and if they breached, chaos would ensue.

Boom.

A loud explosion erupted from the gate; the grenades detonated, collapsing the entire stockade and crushing the front ranks of the Chu Army beneath it.

"Shangguan, how many men do you have left?" Ye Shikai inquired.

"About a third have perished; many remaining have minor arrow wounds. The Chu Army numbers too many; if they invade, we can’t hold." Shangguan Jian shouted, the situation dire. Ye Shikai could only lament having no rocket launchers or mortars for heavy firepower.

"I think it’s been about an hour; it’s time for us to retreat," Ye Shikai ordered.

"Alright, we’ll retreat toward the waterfall." Shangguan Jian led the survivors back. Ye Shikai arrived at his base, surveying the buildings with a heavy heart. These were his life’s work, but now he could only burn them. Leaving them was useless, while the fire might slow the Chu Army’s advance. He had preemptively ordered fuel spread over the structures. Taking a torch from the wall, he hurled it toward the warehouse.