Knowing the Iron Forest Army’s heavy crossbows were overhead, all the cavalry dismounted, leading their horses on foot, trying to hide behind them.
The infantry did much the same, concealing themselves behind the carts as best they could.
The Dangxiang grain convoy rushed into Clearwater Valley at top speed, hoping to pass through quickly.
As for who the Iron Forest Army would target, that was down to luck.
But to their surprise, even as they reached the middle of the valley, not a single arrow came from the Iron Forest Army above.
Could it be that their heavy crossbows had been moved to the other side to block the mountain assault?
If so, this trip would be safe.
Ada, in charge of the convoy, let out a long sigh of relief.
Unbeknownst to him, Jin Feng at the mountain’s summit was looking at them as if they were already dead.
Beside Jin Feng were catapults, fully loaded, strings taut, ready to fire.
When he confirmed the convoy was fully in the valley’s centre, Jin Feng calmly issued the attack command.
“Second team, fire!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!…
The Iron Forest soldiers, long prepared, swung their hammers, triggering the catapults.
Baskets of stones whistled through the air.
If using basin-sized stones, a catapult could only launch one at a time.
To increase the strike range, Jin Feng opted for fist-sized stones instead.
This way, a single catapult could hurl dozens of stones at once.
The second team’s ten catapults fired simultaneously, hundreds of stones raining down like a curtain, engulfing the entire convoy.
Though the stones were only fist-sized, launched from high above with the force of the catapults, their momentum made each one formidable.
In the valley, the Dangxiang convoy suddenly heard noises overhead, instinctively looking up to see a dense barrage of stones pouring down.
“Hide!” Ada, no longer caring about revealing his position, shouted hoarsely. “Get behind the…”
But before he could finish, a stone struck his head.
His sturdy helmet was smashed, denting deeply.
Ada’s voice cut off, and he collapsed with a thud, blood seeping from his helmet.
His warhorse was hit by two stones, one on the leg, another on the belly.
With a crack, the horse’s leg snapped under the impact.
The stone to the belly tore through its hide, exiting the other side.
The horse fell, thrashing its legs briefly until another stone hit its head, ending its suffering.
It seemed slow, but it happened in mere seconds.
In moments, all the stones had landed.
Of the thousand infantry and three hundred cavalry, fewer than five hundred remained unscathed.
Most survivors had reacted quickly, hiding under carts or horses, narrowly escaping.
The rest were either killed or maimed.
Those maimed, not hit in vital areas, fared worse than the dead.
The stones’ force was immense, causing fractures or penetrating wounds even if not fatal.
With the era’s medical capabilities, even immediate treatment offered little hope of survival.
And now, no one was coming to save them.
They could only endure the agony, dying slowly.
Of the three hundred warhorses, fewer than fifty remained unharmed, the rest felled.
The valley echoed with screams of pain and the whinnying of horses.
At the summit, Jin Feng’s scalp tingled at the sounds, but he knew war’s cruelty demanded resolve. Mercy now would be cruelty to his own men.
When the Dangxiang raided south, they burned, killed, and plundered without restraint, treating Dakang people as less than human.
Even now, outside the Dangxiang camp, rows of skinned corpses hung, Iron Forest and Dening soldiers captured in recent battles.
Compared to the Dangxiang’s brutality, Jin Feng’s methods were merciful, at least granting a quick end.
“Second team, switch to type-three stones!” Jin Feng glanced at the corpses outside the Dangxiang camp, calmly issuing the order.
“Yes!” The Iron Forest soldiers removed the baskets from the catapults, replacing them with new ones.
These baskets held stones the size of bowl openings.
Once all catapults were reloaded, Jin Feng gave the attack command again.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Baskets of stones flew out, covering the same range as before.
The bowl-sized stones were far more destructive, smashing carts to splinters, and the Dangxiang soldiers hiding beneath them fared no better.
After this round, of the thirteen hundred Dangxiang soldiers, only a few dozen survived.
They no longer dared stay, clutching their heads and fleeing in panic.
Most ran back toward the Dangxiang camp, while some, either clever or crazed, fled toward the other end of the valley.
With only a few dozen scattered runners, Jin Feng saw no need to pursue, letting them escape.
The Dangxiang camp was just south of the valley, and Li Jikui, his advisor, and the generals had a clear view of the battle.
This time, the Dangxiang generals felt not only rage but deep-seated fear.
It was too fast!
From the Iron Forest Army’s attack to its end, it took less than the time to drink a cup of tea.
No, not even half that.
Thirteen hundred men, reduced to a few dozen.
The speed of the slaughter was staggering.
The generals, seasoned veterans with countless kills, were not fazed by death alone.
They had long grown accustomed to rivers of blood.
What truly terrified them was that with such attack methods, retreating through Clearwater Valley to Dangxiang was near impossible.
Grey Wolf Mountain was blocked, and Clearwater Valley had become a death trap.
The granary was burned to nothing.
They were now in a desperate situation, unable to advance or retreat.
If the generals felt this way, the ordinary soldiers were even worse off.
Every Dangxiang soldier who witnessed the battle felt a wave of despair.
“How did this happen?” Li Jikui clutched his head, slumping to the ground.
He couldn’t fathom it. He had cornered the Iron Forest Army on Clearwater Mountain, holding every advantage.
How, in just two days, had the situation reversed, leaving him the one trapped?
The only person remaining somewhat calm was Li Jikui’s advisor.
“Commander, we’ve been outmanoeuvred!” the advisor sighed. “At this point, we have only one option left.”
“What option?” Li Jikui looked up, grasping at this last straw.
“Storm Clearwater Mountain!” the advisor said, each word deliberate.
“But the only path up Clearwater Mountain is blocked by the Iron Forest Army’s heavy crossbows. We can’t break through.”
“If we can’t break through, we must still try, or we’ll all die here!” the advisor said. “Let me think of a plan.”
