The three of them had their backs on each other as they continued the fight.
Ye An was the one who started the conversation in between swings of her sword. "We were just about to ask you to send some men over to the entrance of the tower. How did you know?"
As Ah Lin stabbed another Northerner in the gut and then in both of his thighs, he replied, "They thought they were being sneaky, I saw a group of them headed that way when the gate came crashing down. Nothing gets past me."
Despite the situation they were in, Xi Chen couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he fended off a Northerner with White Tiger and threw a dagger towards another. "That is true."
Ah Lin then continued as he elbowed an incoming Northerner in the jaw and kneed him in the gut before slicing the unprotected flesh on the man's throat. "But why are both of you the only ones here? Where are the other troops?"
Xi Chen answered with his back towards Ah Lin's back, expertly avoiding the attacks by a Northerner who was holding a club. "I've already sent out pigeons as soon as I got yours and we headed here soon after. My best bet is that the nearest troop would be here in two hours. The rest would only be here tomorrow."
Ye An's heart chilled as she assessed the chaos around her. "That's too long. We need to end this quick."
"Yes, agreed." Ah Lin said tightly. "I wanted to keep the gate up until reinforcements came. But they've outnumbered us by too much. And no one was expecting that new device of theirs." Ah Lin said, referring to the equipment that was used to break through the gates.
"Let's hope that all of the rigorous training had some impact on our soldiers." Xi Chen said grimly as he pulled out another dagger from his boots and sent it flying towards another Northerner.
"Doesn't the northern troop pride itself for being the most skilled troop in the country?" Ye An asked as she pulled her crossbow taut, ready to fire another shot.
Xi Chen shook his head in response even though the others couldn't see it. "I'm not worried about their skills. I'm worried that they might slip when this drags on for too long. One slip could cost a life. Ten slips could cost ten."
The heavy snowfall gradually stopped over the course of the battle. In just under an hour, the pure white snow on the ground was soaked with blood and gore. Some of the slain bodies that were lying on the ground were even covered in a thin layer of snow, but the chaotic sounds of battle never ceased.
Both sides were suffering heavy casualties. Suddenly, the sound of a war horn filled the air. Soldiers and warriors on opposite sides stood to attention. Ye An identified the source of the sound. It was from beyond the border. "What was that?"
As Ye An asked the question, all of the Northerners who were on this side of the wall abruptly stopped their attacks and fell back into their own territory before anyone else could react.
Ah Lin was the first to answer. "I'm not sure. I don't think I've heard them use a war horn before. For us, a war horn signifies the call for war. But seeing as how they're all retreating, I'm guessing that it means something different to them."
YOU ARE READING
THE DAY EMPEROR: 阳明王 【The Night Emperor Book 2】
Historical Fiction"There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." In the months after Ye An had ascended to the throne, she has learned about all the secrets that were kept from her. Secrets that had spanned generations. But is th...
