Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 498 Siege Hindered

"Your Highness,"

Lin Yongnan saw his concerns and said, "We can make the troops that launch a feint attack on the west gate make a bigger commotion to attract the rebels' attention, and make the troops that burn the granaries move faster so as not to disturb the people in the city."

"Moreover, General Xiang just saw in the tunnel that the rebels have laid many ambushes at the north gate. If something happens to the granary, they will definitely send troops there. It will be safer for us to enter through the north gate then."

Shen Yanzhou looked at the map and recalled what Cui Zhihao's intelligence had mentioned: Shi Wanxia might be hiding near the dilapidated temple, not far from the north gate.

He clenched his fist and finally nodded: "Alright, we'll do as the Duke of Lin says."

"Have the feint attack team set off early tomorrow morning, and the team that will burn the granary depart at midnight. Be careful."

Lin Yongnan nodded and turned to arrange the troops.

Shen Yanzhou remained where he was, looking at the location of Chuzhou City on the map, his heart filled with worry.

Unbeknownst to him, at that moment, in the dilapidated temple, Shi Wanxia was supporting Cui Zhihao, watching him cough up blood, her heart filled with despair.

He didn't know that Ya Ya was clutching the melted candy and quietly asking Wang Ying when the reinforcements would arrive.

As night deepened, the stench of blood and gunpowder in Chuzhou City drifted further and further away.

The few people huddled in the haystack in the dilapidated temple, listening to the shouts of the rebels in the distance. No one knew whether hope or an even worse disaster awaited them tomorrow.

As dawn broke and the morning mist over Chuzhou City had not yet dissipated, the deafening sound of war drums resounded outside the city.

Lin Yongnan rode on his warhorse, his silver armor gleaming coldly, his eyes fixed on the west gate ahead.

As planned, the feinting troops had already charged forward. The crisp sounds of clashing swords and the shouts of soldiers came through the mist, and it sounded surprisingly smooth.

"General, it seems the number of guards at the west gate is half that of the intelligence report!"

The lieutenant rode over, his voice tinged with excitement.

"The brothers are almost at the city gate. In a little while, we'll be able to break in!"

Lin Yongnan, however, did not breathe a sigh of relief; instead, he frowned.

He reined in his horse and glanced at the city gate tower—it was unusually quiet there, not even a single rebel soldier firing arrows, only a few tattered flags fluttering in the fog.

There was an ambush in the tunnel at the North Gate before, and now the West Gate is so "easy to attack," it just doesn't make sense.

"wrong."

Lin Yongnan's voice deepened, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"The rebels won't give up the west gate so easily; there's definitely something wrong here! Pass on my order: have the vanguard stop immediately, and everyone retreat to the moat!"

"General?"

The lieutenant was stunned for a moment, and wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Lin Yongnan's cold and stern gaze.

"Hurry! It'll be too late if we're too late!"

The deputy general dared not delay and immediately turned to relay the order.

However, the morning fog was too thick, and the noise of the battlefield drowned out most of the messenger's voice.

By the time the order finally reached the vanguard, the soldiers at the very front were already climbing ladders and almost touching the brick seams of the city gate tower.

"Stop! Stop immediately! The general has ordered us to retreat!"

The messenger shouted hoarsely, his voice almost cracking.

But it's too late.

The first soldier had just stepped onto the stone steps beneath the city gate when a soft "click" sound came from beneath his feet—the sound was very faint, yet it was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

Before he could react, the ground beneath his feet instantly cracked open, creating a deep trench two zhang wide. The trench was filled with countless sharpened bamboo spikes, stained with blackened blood, clearly prepared in advance.

"what--!"

A scream pierced the morning mist. The soldier fell straight down, his body riddled with bamboo thorns. Blood seeped down the ditch, quickly staining a large patch of land red.

Immediately afterwards, countless rockets shot out from the holes in the walls on both sides of the city gate tower. The tips of the rockets were covered with oilcloth and ignited the dry grass spread in front of the city gate.

The hay had already been doused with oil, and it burst into flames with a "whoosh" as soon as it touched a spark, with flames shooting up ten feet high in an instant, trapping the soldiers charging in front in a sea of ​​fire.

"There's an ambush!"

"Go back!"

The soldiers were in complete chaos, but those behind kept charging forward, while those in front wanted to retreat but couldn't.

There was finally movement on the city wall. Lei Zhao, dressed in black armor, stood in the center of the city wall, playing with a curved sword in his hand, with a mocking smile on his face: "Duke Lin is indeed clever, but unfortunately, he was still a step too late."

He waved his hand, and countless rebel soldiers immediately appeared on the city wall, holding crossbows and firing wildly at the soldiers below.

The sounds of crossbow bolts piercing flesh, the screams of soldiers, and the crackling of flames blended together to create the most tragic symphony.

Lin Yongnan watched this scene from the moat, his shoulders beneath his silver armor heaving violently.

He stared intently at Lei Zhao on the city wall, his eyes bloodshot, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and even his palms were marked with blood from the sword hilt.

"General..."

The lieutenant stood to the side, his voice choked with emotion, "The vanguard... the brothers of the vanguard..."

Lin Yongnan didn't speak, but slowly raised his hand, signaling the remaining soldiers not to charge any further.

He knew that rushing in now would only send more people to their deaths. But watching the soldiers struggling in the inferno, watching the figures gradually disappearing into the deep ditch, his heart felt like it was being cut by countless knives.

Those were his brothers who had risked their lives with him, and they died in the trap without any explanation.

As the morning mist slowly dissipated, sunlight shone on the battlefield in front of the city gate, revealing a horrific scene to everyone.

The fire was still burning, and the smell of burnt flesh and blood mingled together, drifting far and wide. Torn armor and blood clung to the bamboo thorns in the deep ditch, and the water in the moat was stained red, with the corpses of several soldiers floating on it.

Lei Zhao was still laughing on the city wall, his voice carrying a strong sense of provocation through the wind: "Lin Yongnan, didn't you want to save Chuzhou City? Come on over if you dare! I have a lot of 'good stuff' waiting for you here!"

Lin Yongnan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the emotions in his eyes had been suppressed, leaving only a cold composure.

He dismounted and walked into the temporary tent next to him. In the center of the tent was a large map, which marked every checkpoint in Chuzhou City.

He crouched down and gently ran his finger across the location of the west gate on the map, where the words "more guards" were still marked.

But now, that place has become the burial ground for our brothers.

"General, what should we do now?"

The lieutenant walked in, his voice filled with exhaustion and anger, "Lei Zhao is too cunning, we can't just let this go!"

"Don't be impulsive."

Lin Yongnan's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable power.

"He's trying to provoke us and throw us into disarray. Pass down the order to let the brothers rest and take care of the affairs of the fallen comrades."

He paused, his finger slowly moving across the map, finally stopping at the location of the South Alley granary: "Although the feint attack was thwarted, they also figured out the trap at the West Gate."

"Tell the team burning the granary to move faster and burn it down before the rebels can react."

The lieutenant nodded, turned, and left.